recipe


Perrin and I made these one afternoon with some cocoa nibs he had leftover. (Who has leftover cocoa nibs? Perrin.) They’re so good, and indescribably chocolate-y without being too sweet or bitter. Which is wonderful.

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
3/4 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 c. cocoa nibs
1 c. finely chopped walnuts
1 c. currants or raisins

Mix the four and baking soda together thoroughly. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, sugars, and salt. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture just until all the dry ingredients are moistened, then stir in the nibs, nuts, and currants. If possible, cover and chill the dough for at least 2 hours, preferably over night.

Position the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator to soften.

Scoop up level tablespoons full of dough and place them 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake, rotating the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back about halfway through the baking time, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown at the edges and no longer look wet on top.

Use a metal pancake turner to transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely. The cookies keep, in a tightly sealed container, for several days.

Taken from Bittersweet by Alice Miedrich.

They’re also great if you freeze the pre-measured cookie dough and bake later.

I used to hate brussel sprouts. But then someone, I wish I could remember who (and thank them), once chided me to try some in a restaurant. It was a revelation. What I’ve always hated about brussel sprouts is that bitter taste, and restaurant brussel sprouts always lack that. I remarked this at a “business lunch” in San Francisco with my boss’s boss once, and she gave me this recipe:

Makes 10-12 servings.

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into thin slivers
2 lbs. brussel sprouts, trimmed, shredded, cut into thin slices
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. heavy or whipping cream
1 c. light cream
1/4 c. sweet marsala
1 tsp. grated nutmeg
1 1/2 C. freshly grated parmesan
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt the butter in large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and prosciutto to cook, tossing with a spoon for 4 minutes.
3. Add brussel sprouts and continue to cook, tossing constantly for another 4 minutes.
4. Stir in flour, coating brussel sprouts.
5. Gradually stir in the heavy cream, light cream and marsala. Reduce the heat and simmer until brussel sprouts are just barely tender, about 5 minutes. Add nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Stir in 1 c. of parmesan and cook just until cheese is melted. Remove from heat.

(You can prepare the dish to this point the day before you are serving and refrigerate, covered, overnight.)

7. Bring the gratin to room temperature before baking.
8.Transfer the mixture to a shallow 9″ square baking dish. Top with remaining 1/2 c. parmesan, bake until bubbly and the top is slightly browned, about 20 minutes.

Taken from The Nantucket Open House Cookbook by Sarah Leah Chase.

Now, whenever I see brussel sprouts on a restaurant menu, I order them. And this recipe is delicious, so whenever they’re in season, I’ll make this.

Perrin says this is super-easy and fool-proof. As I am a fool with pie crusts, it’s right up my alley:

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1 c. flour

Mix butter, sugar, salt and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add flour to mix just until well blended. Press dough thinly and evenly into tart pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 large bag frozen chopped broccoli

2 large cartons small curd plain cottage cheese

1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter

1/2 lb. (8 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

6 eggs, beaten (I love eggs, so I use 8 to even out the egg-to-cottage cheese ratio)

6 tbsp. whole-wheat flour

Mix all ingredients in a deep, oven-proof baking dish, bake in oven @ 350 degrees for 60-75 min. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Alternately, you can bake in individual ramekins—adjust baking time down and check frequently.

I’ve made countless batches of oatmeal raisin cookies, which are my favorite type of cookie (well, in the top 5, at least). And their ingredients pretty much jive with my diet, so I’m especially fond of them. I’ve modified the recipe on the back of the Quaker Unprocessed Bran box to suit my dietary needs, and they’re good!

5/8 c. Splenda brown sugar blend
1 c. butter, softened
4 full droppers of clear Stevia extract
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
7/8 c. whole-wheat flour
3/4 c. unprocessed bran
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. oatmeal
raisins and/or chocolate chips as needed.

I also suggest putting a moistened cotton ball inside the tupperware that you store the cookies in. It’ll keep them from drying out.

They’re still not as chewy as the amazing oatmeal cookies at Au Bon Pain (go figure), which I’m still trying to replicate. I think it’s going to involve white flour, which I’d rather not use. The experimentation continues!

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