Small-Batch Baking: Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I finally baked something in our new house! We are still trying to get the last things done, a few more boxes to unpack and our new washer and dryer were delivered yesterday. Slowly, we are getting settled.

I wanted to bake oatmeal cookies last weekend, but I didn't have enough time. I was determined to bake something this weekend, so I took some butter out of the refrigerator and left it on the counter to soften all afternoon. Then I mixed up these cookies using a medium mixing bowl and a wooden spoon while Darren was cooking our salmon. I baked them using a single cookie sheet, and they were ready in about half an hour. The yield was 10 large-ish cookies.

Many Layer Cake

I started reading Bakerella's blog a few years ago, and have long wanted to try out the fourteen layer cake. I bake brownies and cookies every few weeks, but for some reason, cakes are special. I feel like I need an excuse to bake a cake. A couple of years ago, I made this chocolate peanut butter cake from Smitten Kitchen for Darren's friend Kyle's birthday.

It was a delicious cake, and sometime I might bake it again, but I always want new adventures. So for my sister-in-law's birthday, I made the multilayer cake.

It is a really moist vanilla cake with chocolate icing. Bakerella used two kinds of chocolate icing, so I did, too, but in the future, I might make a change.

Prepare 12 9 in. disposable cake pans by buttering the pans, lining them with parchment, buttering the parchment, and flouring the pans.

Mix the sifted, dry ingredients, and set those aside. Begin mixing the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and also scrape up the stuff from the bottom.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing and scraping and all that.

Add the flour at low speed in three additions, separated by additions of the milk. Remember to scrape, scrape, scrape the sides/bottom of the bowl.

Then add the vanilla, and make sure that everything is sufficiently mixed. I preheated the oven at this point, because I knew it would take me a while to portion out the batter. I used a 1/2 cup measuring cup to put ~1 cup of batter into each pan.

Then I spread it out all nice and thin and dropped the pans to try to remove air bubbles.

Then I got all my layers ready for baking.

I was able to bake them in groups of three for 12-14 minutes per batch. I had a few problems with air bubbles - one layer didn't make it into the cake because it was riddled with giant holes. Layers were cooled for 5 minutes in the pans and then turned out onto racks to cool completely.

Once the layers were cooled, I stacked them on a wax-paper-lined plate, separated with sheets of waxed paper.

Then it was time to make the glaze (thin icing) by mixing the butter, sugar, cocoa, and evaporated milk in a pot and bringing that mixture to a boil. Then I reduced the heat and boiled for about 5 more minutes until the mixture was slightly thickened.

Then I added the vanilla,

mixed it around, and ultimately moved it into a bowl to cool. Then I started frosting the cake, layer by layer.

It was at approximately this point that I knocked my camera off the counter, shattering the LCD screen. Fortunately, the lens still works, so I can take pictures using the viewfinder, but the only thing I know how to do without using the menus is turn the flash from "auto" to "off". It was also at this point that I pitched a major fit because I broke my camera. I think I have an unnatural attachment to my electronic devices. I actually cried a bit. =(

However, the show must go on, so I continued icing the cake and taking pictures through the view finder. If any look too bright, I apologize, but now I can't check the picture quality on that convenient little LCD screen.

Icing continued until the top layer was on, and the drips were dripping away like crazy!

Then I mixed up the other frosting suggested by Bakerella. I didn't have any dark chocolate cocoa, so I compensated with 2/3 c. of dark chocolate chips that Darren melted for me in the microwave. =)

Due to the broken LCD screen, I didn't do so well at documenting this part. I made the frosting, and put it in the refrigerator while the drips continued, and Darren and I went to the Fox and Hound for drinks and appetizers with his sister and sundry friends to celebrate her birthday.

When we got home, it appeared as though most of the drips had stopped, so I iced the cake with the cream cheese based icing. Then I put it on the cake stand that we got as a wedding gift and went to bed. Darren's sister and her husband came over on Sunday, and we cut into the cake.

Sorry for my shoddy work with the viewfinder, but the cake was great! I think that if I make this cake again, I will not pour the liquid-y glaze over the top layer, but instead beat a cup or two of powdered sugar into the remaining glaze and use that to ice the cake.

Also, I plan to use the cake part as a base for my grandmother's caramel icing. I will let you know how that turns out at some point in the future. Happy baking!

Desserts! Lots of Desserts!

I spent a lot of time today shopping with my mom and my friend, Karen, but I also baked four desserts and made a giant pan of macaroni and cheese. Darren and I are getting married Saturday (HOORAY!!), and his mom and stepdad are hosting a BBQ for us tomorrow night. All of this deliciousness is for the BBQ. I didn't do a good job documenting the process, as I was just trying to get the desserts finished in a reasonable amount of time, but I will share the recipes. Here's a peek at the desserts.

At the top is a chocolate chip cookie cake, with mint chocolate brownies in the middle-left, brownies with pecans in the middle-right, and peanut butter chocolate blondies at the bottom (which were covered with chocolate ganache after they cooled). The giant cookie is for Jaydyn, our junior bridesmaid. She will be 13 next week! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAYDYN!! Also, it's a good thing I am a better baker than decorator.

GIANT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE CAKE
(slightly altered from an Emeril recipe)
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup toffee bits
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 16 inch pizza pan.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Add the eggs, beating well after the addition of each.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix with a whisk. Add to the butter mixture, mixing to incorporate, and add the vanilla extract. Fold in the chips and chunks. Spread across the bottom of the prepared pan, leaving ~3-4 inches for the cookie to spread, and bake until the edges are golden and the cookie is set but the center is still slightly soft, 20 to 25 minutes.

(before baking)

AMPED UP STUDY AVOIDANCE BROWNIES

(My friend Amanda used to make the original study avoidance brownies when we were working on physics lab reports in college. Thanks for the original recipe, Amanda! I have altered it over the years.)

3 squares unsweetened bakers chocolate
¾ stick of butter
¼ c. + 1 T. firmly packed brown sugar
½ c. + 2 T. white sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
½ c. + 1 - 2 T. flour
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8” x 8” pan with butter.
1. Melt butter and chocolate in double boiler or over low heat in a heavy sauce pan stirring to blend. Allow to cool.
2. Add sugars to butter-chocolate mixture and mix well.
3. Beat eggs and add beaten eggs to chocolate mixture. Mix well.
4. Add vanilla and mix.
5. Fold in flour until blended. Mixture will be thick.
6. Add chips or nuts, if using.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
**For mint chocolate brownies, add 1 - 2 t. peppermint extract and replace nuts with mint pieces (Junior Mints, York Premier, or Andes chips).

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP BLONDIES
(I altered this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, who I believe altered it from some other source.)

For brownies:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cups sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cups all-purpose flour
1 chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)
For ganache:
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (semisweet or bitter sweet)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
Make brownies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in middle. Butter an 8-by-8 inch baking pan.
Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until mixture is light and fluffy, then add peanut butter and beat until incorporated. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Reduce mixer sped to low, then mix in flour until just combined. Mix in chocolate chips then spread batter in baking pan, smoothing top. (It will be thick, almost like cookie batter.)

Bake until brownies are deep golden, puffed on top and a wooden pick inserted in center come out with some crumbs adhering, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 1 1/2 hours.

Make ganache: Put chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan, then pour over chocolate chips and let mixture stand for one minute. Gently whisk in butter until it is incorporated, chocolate is melted, and a smooth mixture forms. Spread ganache on cooled brownies and let stand until set, about 15 minutes.