TWD: Chocolate Crunched Caramel Tart

I will fully admit, up front, that I was very cheater-like this week. I did make this dessert, I just used a short cut or two. In my defense, on Thursday, I baked 300 cookies for a friend's wedding (she gave me the dough balls, I baked them off) The wedding was Saturday, and Sunday was Yom Kippur. I baked for the break the fast dinner (two challahs and a pound cake-post coming soon). So this wasn't exactly high on my list of things to bake.

Here's how I cheated. Remember this recipe? I had some crusts in the freezer. That's one pre-made component.

The caramel layer? Some dulce de leche that I made last month. I sprinkled the crust with the honey roasted peanuts and poured some dulce on top. That's two layers taken care of.

The third layer was some chocolate glaze that I had in the fridge. I melted it slightly, spread it on, and then let it chill again.

Ta dah! A chocolate crunched caramel tart! I will admit that the caramel scared the bejeebus out of me, so I'm kind of glad I didn't make it. I may try it another time.

You know, my cheater version was pretty darn good! All the flavors of the original in a chocolate crust!

Go check out Carla's blog Chocolate Moosey. She has the recipe and pictures of the real thing.

TWD: Cottage Cheese Pufflets

First, can I start out by saying that hosting was so much fun! The validation of all the comments made my low self-esteem rise just a bit for the week. I'll get to do it again in about a year and a half. ;-) Seriously, thanks for all the great comments. Seems the recipe I chose was a winner.

Now on to this week. I really liked the finished product. All two of them that actually came out... This was a TOUGH recipe in execution. In theory, it's simple. Just whir together some ingredients in the processor, chill your dough, roll, and then bake.

If only.

My food processor is a big one -- 14 cups. I had to make the full recipe of dough or it wasn't happening. In hindsight, I should have used my (slightly hated) mini prep and quartered the recipe. The butter kept creeping up on top of the blade and I had to stop a zillion times to push it down. The rest of the ingredients went in just fine. I got my VERY sticky dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and I put it in the fridge. Four hours or so later, I took out a quarter of the dough and rolled it out in a plastic bag. (The rest was well wrapped and put into the freezer) The bag went into the freezer. After what I had read from other bakers I figured it was a safer bet.

In the time that it took me to cut the three edges of the plastic bag off, the dough had become soft. Back into the freezer. Then I realized that it was too thick. Now I put it between two sheets of plastic wrap, rolled some more, and then it went back into the freezer. It came out, I cut it into squares, and.... it was already too cool and wouldn't transfer to the pan. I got two squarish pieces, I dabbed some jam in them, and then I dumped the rest of the dough onto the pan.

They baked. They browned. They were delicious! They were, however, such a huge pain to work with that I'm not sure what to do with the rest of the dough. Any suggestions? What bummed me out is that I've done a recipe for cottage cheese pastry before and it was much easier to work with. Maybe I'll post that one later in the week.

Here are the two that actually came out shaped and filled.

Here is the "dumped" set. I scored them on the plastic wrap and tried to separate them. Didn't work. So I just turned it out onto the parchment and dabbed some jam on.

Anyway, we liked the flavor. Even the dumped and topped ones. Oh, I used some cherry jam that I made with this recipe from David Lebovitz.

Thank you to Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes for getting us to try something new. Go check out her blog to see what these are supposed to look like.

*** Edited to add: I just looked at my other recipe. It calls for the same amount of butter and cottage cheese but two cups of flour. I think that extra 1/3 of a cup makes a huge difference in handling.

TWD: Flaky Apple Turnovers

Do you believe it? This week is actually MY pick! Woo hoo! I perused the book many times over the past year wondering what I would pick when it was my turn. I knew it would depend on the season. I knew it would depend on what other people were picking. I also wanted to make a friendly recipe -- one that could be halved or quartered easily. I narrowed down my choices. It was almost fall, it had to have apple in it. After a bit more scrutiny, I chose the apple turnovers.

I love fall. I love apple season. I love these turnovers! They were flaky bites of deliciousness. There are two components to this treat. Each was easy to make, so I give this a low rating on the Dorie fuss factor. First I made the dough. Other recipes I have seen call for puff pastry. This was a different dough. It called for sour cream. Dorie credits the acidity in the sour cream for the tenderness of the dough. It came together easily for me. It needed a rest in the fridge for about an hour. At that point it gets rolled out and then folded like an envelope. Back into the fridge for an overnight rest. The next morning was part two. First I mixed up the apple filling. Then the dough got another roll out. This one was a bit harder. It took some elbow grease to get it to the right thickness. I got eight rounds out of the first roll. The remaining dough went back into the fridge.

I overfilled the turnovers a bit, and the dough didn't want to seal very well and developed a few holes. Totally user error. I brushed with the egg wash and used sparkling sugar for a finishing touch. They smelled amazing while baking. They came out a litter sooner then they should have, and the crust wasn't as golden as I would have liked. Second batch was rolled out, and I cut it into rectangles so I could use all the dough with no waste. I hate waste. These were filled with a homemade blueberry/rhubarb jam. Again, they smelled amazing. I let these go a bit longer, and they got that gorgeous golden color on them.

These were a huge hit at my house. They were NOT pretty. But who cares about pretty when they tasted so so good. They will definitely be back at my house. I really love that they can be formed ahead of time and frozen. That makes it really easy to put together an impressive breakfast. Or after school snack. Or midnight snack. Or... snack.

Ok, so not so golden brown. But delicious! And a little hole because I pulled the dough.

Here's the blueberry/rhubarb version. I let this one bake longer. And a little less filling helped.

Here's a lovely display of both versions.

Here's the recipe so that you can have this deliciousness in your own house.

Flaky Apple Turnovers

For the dough: 1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 sticks (12 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small

pieces

For the filling: 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 Fuji or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into small chunks

3 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small bits

1 large egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash

sugar, for dusting

To make the dough:

Stir the sour cream and sugar together; set aside.

Whisk the four and salt together in a large bowl, then toss the butter bits over the flour. Working with a pastry blender, two knives or your fingers, cut the butter into the ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Don't worry about being thorough - it's better to have an uneven mix than an overworked dough. Switch to a fork and, using a lifting and tossing motion, gently stir in the sour cream. The dough will be very soft.

Divide the dough in half. Put each half in a piece of plastic wrap and use the plastic to shape each piece into a rectangle (don't worry about size or precision). Wrap the dough and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour, or for up to 2 days.

Remove one piece of dough from the fridge and roll it into a rectangle about 9 x 18 inches. The dough is easiest to work with if you roll it between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap - if you want to roll it traditionally, make sure to flour the rolling surface. Fold the dough in thirds, like a business letter, wrap it and refrigerate it. Repeat with the second piece of dough, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to 1 day.

To make the filling:

Whisk the flour, sugar, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Add the apples and toss to coat.

Getting ready to bake:

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicon mats.

Roll out one piece of dough to a thickness of about 1/8 inch, and cut out 4 1/2 inch rounds with a large cutter or the edge of a tartlet pan. Repeat with the second piece of dough. If you'd like, you can gather the scraps together, chill them, and make additional turnovers. (The turnovers made from scraps will taste good, but they won't be as pretty and light as the first rounders.) You'll get 7 or 8 rounds from each piece of dough.

Place 1 to 2 tablespoons apples in the center of each round and dot with the butter. Moisten the edges of each round with a little water and fold the turnovers in half, sealing the edges by pressing them together with the tines of a for. Use the fork to poke steam holes in each turnover, and transfer the turnovers to the baking sheets. (At this point, the turnovers can be frozen; wrap them airtight when they are firm and store them for up to 2 months. Bake them without defrosting, adding a few minutes to their time in the oven)

Brush the tops of the turnovers with a little of the egg wash and sprinkle each one with a pinch of sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 10 minutes. When done, the turnovers will be puffed, firm to the touch, and golden. Gently transfer them to racks and cool to room temperature.

TWD: Chocolate Souffle

Ok, this was just.... fail. I've made a chocolate souffle before. It was lovely and delicious. This one was not. I don't know where I went wrong on this one. I made a half recipe. I read about other TWD bakers who made smaller amounts and used their baking times. I followed the instructions. I even used a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat. I don't usually use a pan when Dorie tells me to, but this time I did.

And I got two sad ramekins of chocolate goo. I couldn't even bear to take pictures. So this will be a sad photo-less entry. And I am also sad. Really, it was very sad. I couldn't get past the texture to even try to appreciate the taste. Maybe I overbeat my whites? Maybe I used lousy chocolate? Maybe it was the silicon lined pan.

I don't know. I may try this one again, but I'm a bit souffle shy right now. Sigh.

Well, next week is my pick! This one will not fail! At least it had better not.

TWD: Espresso Cheesecake Brownies

I'm pretty sure I've made my feelings about brownies pretty clear. I like them, but they seem to be ubiquitous. Remember, these are the only baked good where I'll willingly use a mix. Here's what's interesting about this week's recipe -- I'm not too much of a cheesecake fan, either. If I never ate it again, I don't think I'd miss it. It's not something I crave or seek out. If it's there, and there aren't other better choices I'll eat is.

Which is why I was so surprised that I liked this recipe as much as I did. And I really really like this dessert. It was fairly low on the Dorie fuss factor. I really only needed two bowls and then the pan to bake it in. I followed the recipe almost entirely. The one change I made was to substitute a good bittersweet/orange/almond chocolate for the plain chocolate. A) I had it and B) it sounded like it would work. Oh yeah, and I skipped the topping. Again. This seems to be a habit with me lately. Truthfully, it wasn't missed.

This called for ingredients that I already had. (Psst. If you haven't discovered and purchased espresso powder from King Arthur Flour, you should) The chocolate was probably an impulse buy at one point. The brownie layer is made first. Then the espresso cheesecake. Most of the brownie batter gets spread into the pan with the cheesecake batter next. Mine seemed awfully runny, so I was a tad worried. I don't think I kept out enough brownie batter. My swirls are kind of pitiful. I took these out when they were slightly brown and pulled away from the pan. Just like Dorie said!

The testers really enjoyed this one. The boy was not as enthusiastic. I would certainly make this again. I really liked the way the flavors played against each other. The coffee taste was clear but not overwhelming. The orange added a nice element, and I liked the slight crunch of the almonds. Maybe next time a plain chocolate and add some cinnamon?

Here they are in the pan. They REALLY pulled away from the side. Not so swirly.

Here's one piece. I really need to work on my food photography.

And another piece. Still not so swirly.

Thank you Melissa of Life in a Peanut Shell for choosing this yummy dessert.

No TWD this week. Vacation!

Sorry, folks. Nothing to see here. Just got back from vacation today. And as much as I love lime desserts, I didn't get my act together to make it.

I'll be back in full swing next week.

Theory vs. reality

A few months ago, I discovered these cookies through cookie carnival. It was love at first bite. I made a batch. We ate them within days, and I made a new batch. I think this is a fabulous cookie with just a little bit of everything I love.

Fast forward to this summer. The kids and I have been going to a farmer's market every Wednesday. They have some great items, and the kids have become mascots of sorts. They have their favorite vendors and their favorite samples. One of the places that has both is a booth where a lovely woman sells toffee. Homemade, rich, buttery toffee. We chat a bit each week. I told her about my new favorite cookies that contain toffee. I wondered out loud about using her toffee instead of the Heath bits that I had been using for these cookies. So we struck a deal. She would bring me some toffee chips, and I would make her my cookies. Woo hoo!

Last Wednesday I got the chips. This past Tuesday I made the cookies.

Disaster. There is a huge difference between toffee made with simple ingredients (butter, sugar, vanilla, cream) and the Heath stuff. Here's the thing, though, the Heath stuff bakes up better. The homemade toffee melted all over, and the cookies spread to nothing. I cannot adequately explain how thin these are. I tried to take a picture, but it didn't work so well. They also stuck like you can't believe to the pan. Only one or two came off the baking sheet resembling a cookie.

From the top they look delicious.

From the side? Thin. Thin. Thin.

I played with the oven temperature. The recipe calls for 350. I tried a batch at 325 and one at 300. I used convection. Nothing. I refrigerated the dough and tried the different temps. Again, flat nothing. I think the butter from the toffee spreads into the dough and messes with it.

That's the underside of one of the cookies. Not quite done.

They still taste really good. They are extra chewy this time around, again from the butter and sugar in the toffee is my guess.

So here's the lesson I learned. Bake with Heath, eat the homemade stuff straight up.

TWD: Applesauce Spice Bars

I was really looking forward to making these bars. Truth be told, I was going to pick them when it was my choice next month. And then Karen (of Something Sweet by Karen) beat me to it. Ah well, as long as I get to make them.

Easy easy easy recipe. I did it all in one saucepan. I chose to bake it in a 9 x 9 pan instead of the called for 13 x 9 pan. I liked the idea of this more as a cake than a bar. I just needed to add a few minutes to the baking time. I did stick to the rest of the recipe, mostly. I'm not usually a fan of raisins or nuts in cakes, but I was trusting the recipe. I also added the rum. I didn't put on the glaze. It seemed very rich and moist without it. It was a good choice. I thought it was sweet enough.

Here it is just out of the oven and cooling. Golden brown!

Here's a cut piece. See how moist it looks!

This was a good cake. I liked the chunks of apples, and I didn't mind the pecans and raisins. The rum had a fairly pronounced flavor, but I it added to the overall taste. I think I needed to be in more of a fall state of mind. It was hard to eat when it was 85 and humid. Ok, not hard. Eating cake is not hard. I think I'm still in a berry/stone fruit state of mind.

I can't say for sure that I'll make this again. Though talk to me again after we go apple picking. I'll be looking for just about anything to do with them.

Back to the bacon

A while ago, I posted about curing my own bacon. (Not even worth linking to the post. It was that short.)

I used this recipe. The procedure was very easy. I have a great local supermarket with a fabulous butcher. I called. He got me slab pork belly. I think I've mentioned The Spice House before. It's a local shop with an amazing array of spices, dried herbs, and house made seasoning blends. I make excuses to to there. This was one such time. They had everything I needed. Woo hoo! Did you know that curing salt is pink?

I am lucky to have an old coffee grinder to use as a spice grinder. I put everything in and whirled away. The slab pork belly is a bit disconcerting. From the side, it looks just like bacon. But the skin is very.... skin like. And it was a little creepy. Anyway, I took my spice blend and rubbed it all over the belly. It went into a freezer bag, into a pan, and then into the fridge for a week's rest.

Meat side.

Skin side.

Cut to a week later. You take it out of the bag and rinse thoroughly. Then it goes back into the pan for a 24 hour rest in the fridge. This recipe calls for a slow bake instead of smoking the pork. It went into a low oven for about two hours. As soon as it hits the right temperature, out it comes. The skin needs to be removed very promptly or it is hard to cut off. I saved the pieces for future soup/stew flavoring.

This is what it looked like when it was done. It looks like bacon!

Side view. Again, looks like bacon!

Here it is cooked. I cut it pretty thick.

It had an interesting taste. It wasn't so bacon-like. It was more corned beefy. Which, given the spices in the cure was not unexpected. I'll certainly try this again. It was a relatively cheap experiment. The bacon was about $10 for four pounds. The spices were about $2. Next time I think I'll try adding maple or brown sugar and perhaps a bit of liquid smoke.

Give it a try yourself and let me know how it turns out.

TWD: Brownie Buttons

I've seen that some TWD bloggers are limiting themselves to one sentence today. I'm not that good. But I'll be brief. These were good. VERY easy, especially for a Dorie recipe. One saucepan. One mini muffin tin. Ingredients that I had on hand.

The original recipe calls for these to be dipped in white chocolate. I said no. In the end, they were brownies. Easy brownies. Tasty brownies. But brownies. I'll keep them in mind if I need brownies in a hurry.

Today was National S'mores day! I made brownie s'mores. I cut marshmallows in half and let them melt in a little, then I sandwiched the brownie between two graham crackers. Pretty tasty, if I do say so myself.

These look almost like Oreos.

Dessert!

Thank you to Jayma of Two Scientists Experimenting in the Kitchen for this week's recipe. Go and buy the book already! Ok, or go to her site to see the recipe.

TWD: Classic Banana Bundt Cake

Hello! I am back! And baking things on a Tuesday that actually have to do with Tuesdays With Dorie!

This week was, as the title will tell you, a classic cake. It was a simple (one bowl. ONE bowl!) cake to make. The recipe halved easily. I jumped right on the mini bandwagon and got to use my under-used mini bundt pan. Truth be told, I have a favorite banana cake. But it bakes in a 13 x 9 and calls for chocolate chips and buttermilk. This one has no chocolate (GASP!) and uses sour cream or yogurt. Really, when I compared, there wasn't much difference. Hmmmm. Other than making these mini and halving the recipe, I didn't change anything.

Whenever we forget about our bananas, I put them in the freezer to use at a later date. Here are said bananas:

RIPE and ready for baking. The white is frost not mold.

This is just out of the oven. Mmmm.

I decided to go with a simple sprinkle of powdered sugar.

The boy thought a shot of the inside was good.

These were a hit at our house. This was a lighter textured cake than my standard recipe. The husband really liked these because he liked the ratio of brown outside to the lighter inside. The boy and girl enjoyed them as well. I liked it, too. But I think I'm still partial to my favorite. I just may have to try it in a bundt pan.

Thanks Mary of The Food Librarian for picking such an easy, sweet recipe.

Edited to add: I'm starting to think that I missed something in the recipe. Mine wasn't nearly as moist as everyone else's. They were more muffin like than cake like. Perhaps I'll have to try this again...

For Megan ;-)

I have no pictures because we ate it all. And it was good. Really good. The girl, who doesn't like anything coffee wanted to lick her bowl. The boy wants it in permanent rotation.

Here is the recipe in case you'd like to try it yourself:

Coffee Almond Brownie Ice Cream

2 eggs

1/2 c. granulated sugar

2 c. whipping cream

1 c. milk

3 T. espresso powder (no, that is not a typo. T.)

1/2 c. chopped, toasted almonds

1 c. crumbled chocolate brownies

Whisk eggs and sugar until thickened and pale yellow. Set aside. In a med. saucepan over med-low heat, bring cream, milk, and espresso powder to a simmer. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk into egg mixture. Return all to saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Do not let it boil. Strain into a clean, large container. Refrigerate covered until very cold - overnight if possible. Transfer to ice cream maker. Follow manufacturers directions. Add almonds and brownies in the last five minutes and let machine stir them in.

YUM!

Let me know if you make it and how it turned out!

Yet another week where I blow it

We've been making ice cream. Lots of it. Three weeks ago, I chose maple ice cream. Two weeks ago the girl picked fresh ginger and white chocolate ice cream. Although I hate white chocolate, this was really good. Really good. The white chocolate just gave it a sweetness. Last week the husband chose lemon ice cream with a caramel swirl. The caramel did not swirl. I need to work on that. Tonight I made the custard for the boy's pick -- espresso ice cream with brownies and toasted almonds. The ice cream will be made tomorrow.

Needless to say, I did not get to the vanilla ice cream. I was planning on it. I even looked at the recipe. And then I just couldn't make anything that called for six egg yolks AND heavy cream AND whole milk. I'm sorry Lynne of Cafe LynnyLu. I'm sure it's amazing ice cream. And I know you have a lovely picture and the recipe on your blog.

I'll be back next week with a banana bundt cake. I promise.

Not a TWD: Instead, it's a Cookie Carnival!

It's been months since I've participated in the Cookie Carnival baking group. Months. And there have been some really good options. Somehow, I've gotten away from it. Well, now I'm back. This month's recipe is from Giada De Laurentiis. It's a Lemon Ricotta Cookie with Lemon Glaze. I love all things lemon. I had to try it.

This was a simple recipe. It all came together in one bowl. Oh, if you don't own a microplane zester, get one. Now. It's a great kitchen tool. I was curious about the addition of the ricotta cheese. It made a very smooth batter. There wasn't a "cheese" taste at all. I could have eaten just the sweetened ricotta pretty easily. I scooped the cookie dough with my 2 T. cookie scoop, which, by the way, is another great tool. Makes it E.A.S.Y.

These are more like little cakes than cookies. That is not a bad thing. I like a soft cookie. I was hoping for more lemon flavor. Even with the zest of a whole lemon and 3 T. of lemon juice, the flavor was kind of mild. Note to self: use more lemon next time. But wait! There's a lemon glaze! I juiced and zested another lemon and added some confectioners sugar. I did not add as much sugar as the recipe called for. NOW I had the lemon flavor I was looking for. These are really good cookies. They will get added to my ever growing rotation. I could easily see making a lime or lemon/lime version as well.

Naked cookies on the sheet pan. Quick! Cover them up!

Whew! Much better.

I love that you can see the lemon zest in the glaze.

Second note to self: Use waxed paper under the cooling rack before you glaze.

I am very sorry, Susan, of Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy that I did not make the Raspberry Blanc-Manger with you. I love your blog. The raspberries were just not calling out to me. Go to her blog to see some deliciousness.

Bacon!

Stay tuned, sports fans. I'm curing bacon! It's in the fridge as we speak. Round about Monday, it should be done. I'll have ingredients, photos, and a taste for you then. Well, a virtual taste.

I'm excited! And, clearly, I'm a dork.

TWD: Brioche Plum (Apricot) Tart

This week was interesting. The recipe was actually sort of a hit and a miss rolled into one. Let me explain....

This week's recipe was a cross between a coffee cake, sweet bread, and tart. It had an identity crisis. Essentially, we made a poor brioche. Poor refers to the paucity of butter and eggs. In the brioche world, this was the other side of the tracks. The brioche was topped with fresh apricots and then baked. I had some high hopes for this one. The apricots I bought were ripe and juicy. The brioche dough was doing all the things it was supposed to. But somehow the great components didn't come together. It was nice to look at, but the individual pieces didn't quite work to make a great final product. It wasn't the biggest hit in our house.

On Dorie's fussy scale, this was low and high. Making the dough did not require much work. (Thank you, Mom, for my KitchenAid stand mixer.) But then, it demands to be tended to every half hour for about two and a half hours. I let mine rest overnight where it lulled me into a false sense of ease. The next day was another hour of sporadic attention. The dough needed to be pressed into a tart pan. Then it sits. Then the topping is put on (apricot jam and apricots, almonds and sugar). Then it sits. Then it bakes for 20 minutes, gets covered and bakes for ten more. It smelled amazing.

Sadly, it didn't taste amazing. The weight of the fruit meant that the middle was much more dense than the edges. The apricots were good, but the bigger bites of fruit overwhelmed the sweet dough flavor. That part was the miss. Here's the hit though: we all sat around thinking about other fabulous things we could put on this dough. Raspberry jam with almonds and chocolate chips. Blackberry jam with blackberries. Strawberry rhubarb jam with almonds. Apple jelly with cinnamon and pecans. See! So many good choices! Both the boy and girl picked off the fruit and just ate the bread part with the apricot jam. Lesson learned.

Here it is before baking. I used a mix of halves and slices.

This is after the sprinkle of sugar and almonds. Maybe brown sugar?

Thank goodness for the Silpat! This would have been an ugly mess in the oven. I think I expected the fruit to cook more.

My edges over browned a bit. I'll know to tent it a little sooner next time.

Here's a slice on a plate. See where the fruit has squished down the dough closest to the middle?

I think if we were having brunch company, I would make the dough again. It was easy enough to do with the stand mixer, and I can largely ignore it while I do other things.

Thank you to Denise of Chez Us for choosing this. I was scared away from the previous brioche recipe, so I'm glad to have made one.

TWD: Tribute to Katharine Hepburn Brownies

When I asked my friend if he wanted to try the Katharine Hepburn brownies, he wanted to know if I used real or imitation Katharine Hepburn. Badum ching! Thank you folks, I'll be here all week. But really, he did ask.

According to Dorie, this recipe is a play on the one Miss Hepburn is reported to have used. She changed things up a bit (added coffee, cinnamon, and chocolate chunks) from one of the three or four "orginals" that she found.

On the Dorie fussy scale, this was really low. It was mostly done in one pot. Yeah! It calls for cocoa instead of chocolate. I used my KAF black cocoa. It is nice and rich. Dorie calls for instant coffee to be added. I used my espresso powder. I used almonds in place of the pecans or walnuts because I like them better. I guess I changed things up a bit as well.

I used my glass Pyrex pan, and it worked out just fine. This are a nice, fudgy brownie that was pretty easy to make. The top is a bit crackly, which was a nice contrast.

Here's a close up of the cut side. See how moist and fudgy it is?

Anyone have some milk?

The boy and girl really liked this brownie. Then again, they are not very discerning when it comes to chocolate and baked goods. This was a nice brownie. Now, I've said before that I'm a huge baking snob. Huge. I don't use mixes. Except when it comes to brownies. Ghiradelli makes a great mix. I usually have that on hand when it's brownie time. Though, if I ran out, I would certainly make this one again.

Lisa of Surviving Oz was our guest chooser this week. It's her lovely design that makes up our new logo. Thanks, Lisa!

Oh No! That's two weeks in a row with no TWD!

This is the first time I've ever done this. And I feel bad. But I don't feel as bad as the boy who was home all day today with a 104 degree fever. So my plan for making this cake to send with the girl to her pool party went right out the window.

Instead, I'll show the crazy that was the boy's birthday cake. The Lego cake. Actually, the eight small Lego cakes. Crazy. It was a whole Lego party, so we needed a Lego cake.

I will admit to completely cheating and using a box mix to make each 13 x 9. (One vanilla and one chocolate, because there needs to be choice) I also used canned frosting. I used a very simple idea from Betty Crocker. Gotta love Betty. In essence, you take your cakes, cut them into two rectangles and two squares, frost them, frost some marshmallow halves, and stick the whole thing together. It's not a hard concept. It's not even a hard thing to do. But by the sixth or seventh cake, I just wanted to be done.

Here's the first set of marshmallows. When it was still fun! I was very pleased with my solution for storing the marshmallows.

Here's the blue cake with the little marshmallow knobs on it. They were tricky to get off the toothpicks, but I finally figured out a system.

Here's the green version. Now there's eight of them!

And the green cake all done.

This was the first night's work. Four down, four to go.

Here's the full finished set of cakes. I will admit to getting a little sloppy at the end. I just wanted to be done.

The good news is that the boy loved it. I can't say that I would do this again. I don't think he'll have a Lego party again so I'm off the hook anyway. If you want to try this, and I do think you might, I have one big hint. Freeze the cakes after they have been cut. It makes frosting them much much easier.

Next week, I promise I'll be back with a Dorie recipe. In the meantime, go visit Carol's blog and see what a Perfect Party Cake looks like.