Strawberry Deliciousness

Strawberry deliciousness is the new dessert of Spring 2012.  Don't believe me?  Well it's got fresh berries, whipped cream, cream cheese and angel food cake.  Believe me now??   You should cause it's good people.  Really good.  Like push your Mom down to get the last slice good.  I know this because last weekend the Witch and family were at a dinner party at a good friends home and dessert was this:  Strawberry Deliciousness, and instantly, as soon as the 13x9 pan entered the house 6 adults and 3 children, all swarmed in on the bearer of said dessert, oohing and aahing and asking when dinner was done so we could eat the deliciousness.  After dining on our delicious meal everyone was ready for dessert.

As the Deliciousness was being doled out I got the recipe from my friend who brought it.  The original recipe used Cool Whip in lieu of whipping cream.  The Witch doesn't use Cool Whip normally and ok, I'll be honest, I forgot to get a tub while at the store.  Imagine my delight when I remembered that I had heavy whipping cream in the fridge.  Problem solved with out a return trip to the store.  Yay!  The original also calls for strawberry syrup or ice cream topping to be poured over the berries.  Well, again my brain forgot that at the store, so I decided to macerate my berries in sugar and allow them to make their own syrup.  Easy and no HFCS!  I did go with a store bought angel food cake, however if you have a favorite recipe feel free to use it.  Pound cake would be a great alternative to angel food cake, too.

The rest of the dessert is simple assembly, cake, cream cheese whipped cream and berries.  The flavor is that of a cheesecake topped with berries, but not as heavy.  This dessert is rich and yet light all at once.  It is dangerous, too, cause you really could eat the whole pan yourself, it's that good!!  Strawberry Deliciousness really IS the dessert of Spring 2012!  I hope you enjoy it!

Strawberry Deliciousness
makes 12 servings 
Source: Inspired by Gail
1 lb strawberries, cleaned, hulled and diced
1 1/4 c sugar, divided
2 (8 oz ea) packs cream cheese
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 angel food cake

Begin by washing, hulling and slicing berries.  Put into a medium bowl and sprinkle 1/4 c sugar over berries.  Stir well and cover with plastic.  Allow berries to macerate (sit in the sugar) at room temperature for 1 hour.  This will draw out the berries juices and make it's own syrup.

Once the berries have sat for 1 hr you'll notice there's a lot more liquid in the bowl than you started with.  Using a potato masher smash berries.  You'll want to squish about half of the berries, releasing more of the juices, leaving some in larger chunks for texture as well as visual interest.

Using a mixer cream the cream cheese and remaining 1 cup of sugar.  Scrape down sides often and mix until cream cheese is lighter and fluffy.  Remove from mixer and reserve.

Whip the whipping cream with your mixer.  Once you have stiff peaks change to the blade beater (if using a stand mixer) and add the cream cheese mix to the whipped cream in thirds.

Get a 13x9 pan.  Cut the angel food cake into chunks about (1 inch) and put in the bottom of the 13x9 pan.  Using your hand press the cake into the bottom, compressing it somewhat.  Spread the cream cheese/whipped cream mix on top of the cake.  Pour berries and syrup over top of the cheese mix.  Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Nutrition Facts calculated at SparkPeople Recipe Calculator Amount Per Serving Calories 385.9 Total Fat 17.2 g Saturated Fat 10.6 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.8 g Monounsaturated Fat 4.8 g Cholesterol 55.2 mg Sodium 368.8 mg Potassium 182.7 mg Total Carbohydrate 53.9 g Dietary Fiber 1.0 g Sugars 38.0 g Protein 6.3 g

Diva Chocolate Pudding

We were invited to a dinner party at our good friend Staci's house.  The menu was "Kid Food" in honor of the Little Witch, who was joining us.  We had chicken fingers and mac and cheese that night, man it was good too!  I was in charge of dessert.  As soon as I heard our theme of the night was "Kid Food" I knew I had to make pudding.  Ok I didn't know, I was rather clueless.  It wasn't until Staci said what about chocolate pudding that I went DING and sprung into action!  You know that skin that forms on pudding if it's not covered with plastic wrap?  Well that was always my favorite part of the pudding.  It was so dark and chocolaty and really had that great chocolate pudding flavor.  Well, after you peel back the skin you're left with pale lackluster pudding.  The chocolate isn't as intense as the 'skin'.  Actually the whole thing is rather milky, thin and lackluster.  Boo!  This is not the greatness that the skin promised!  I want pudding that tastes like the skin does, rich, thick, chocolate to the max.  So I created it!

This is not a chocolate pudding that someone who's ambivalent about chocolate should embark upon.    No, this pudding is one that only the true chocoholic in your life should try.  Dark, rich, indulgent, velvety and decadent are just a few of the words that Staci offered to me to describe this pudding.  Seeing as how I serve it in fancy antique tea cups, she also deemed them "Diva like", a term I love and named this pudding after!  Only a chocolate diva could appreciate the rich chocolate punch that this pudding pulls.

The chocolate factor is amped up from my traditional chocolate pudding by the addition of 2 cocoa powders, chocolate chips and coffee.  I use Ghiradelli cocoa powder for it's overall intense chocolate flavor and Hershey's Special Dark OR Black Onyx cocoa powder for the deep color and matching flavor.  The chocolate chips that reign supreme in the Witch household are Ghiradelli double chocolate chips, and unlike some other chips, they melt fantastically.  Coffee is a supporting player here.  The coffee flavor doesn't really come through, but rather it makes the chocolate taste more chocolaty, so it's a natural addition here as well.  The result is a chocolate pudding that is thick, velvety, rich and most importantly, CHOCOLATY!  Finally, a pudding who's interior is as dark and flavorful as the skin on top.  Success!


Diva Chocolate Pudding
makes 12 servings - 1/2 c each
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c cocoa powder total (1/4 c ea Hershey's special dark and Ghiradelli cocoa)
1 t kosher salt
1/4 c corn starch
1 c chocolate chips (Ghiradelli double chocolate)
1/2 c hot strong brewed coffee
4 c milk (2%)
3 eggs

In a large pan mix the sugar, cocoa powders, salt and corn starch together.  Whisk well to incorporate, allowing the shards of sugar to help break up the cocoa powders and corn starch.  Slowly add in the milk, whisking well.  The mixture will be very foamy at first, this will clear out as it heats.

Put the chocolate chips into a heat safe bowl.  Pour very hot coffee over top of chips.  The chips will melt from the heat of the coffee, allow to rest for about 5 minutes.  Using a whisk, stir the coffee/chocolate mixture until all chocolate is melted making a form of ganache.

Beat the eggs in a seperate bowl.  Once beaten slowly add eggs to the melted chocolate coffee ganache whisking well.  The mixture will thicken.

Heat milk & cocoa mixture over medium high heat stirring constantly until boiling.  Allow to boil for 1 minute.  After 1 minute slowly whisk in the egg/chocolate mixture.  Cook for 2 minutes longer over medium heat, whisking often to avoid scorch spots.

Ladle hot pudding into cups and allow to cool before serving.  Top with fresh whipped cream and chocolate curls if desired.  If you don't want a 'skin' to form on the pudding simply place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the hot pudding.  Remove plastic before serving.

Nutrition Facts calculated at SparkPeople recipe calculator Amount Per Serving Calories 203.5 Total Fat 9.3 g Saturated Fat 5.2 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3 g Monounsaturated Fat 1.0 g Cholesterol 52.8 mg Sodium 85.9 mg Potassium 156.0 mg Total Carbohydrate 28.7 g Dietary Fiber 2.0 g Sugars 22.3 g Protein 5.9 g

Brookies

A while ago I won the Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook from a blog.  For the life of me I can NOT remember which blog it was from, and for that I am deeply sorry.  The cookbook however is great!  If you like down home, family friendly food this is the book for you!  The cover has the most delightful pancakes, topped with chocolate chunks.  It's just a taste of the yummy treats you'll find inside!  These Brookies were discovered in this cookbook, and were one of the first things the Kitchen Witch bookmarked when browsing through it.  The Witch has made many chocolate cookies in the past - Death by Chocolate cookies, chocolate crinkles, you get the idea, we love a chocolate cookie here - so when I saw this cookie that was a brownie/cookie hybrid, I knew that I had to make it!

The recipe calls for 'high quality chocolate', the Kitchen Witch used Ghiradelli 62% cacao double chocolate chips.  I had them on hand, and they're our favorites.  Callebaut, Guittard or Valhrona would also be good choices.  Nestles Toll House would NOT be a good choice here.  You really need that depth of deep chocolate flavor in these tasty treats, so do spend a few extra dollars and get the better chips.  You'll be happy you did.

The brookies mix up quick and easily, heck the Witch didn't even use the KitchenAid for this one!   In less than 30 minutes the house smelled amazing and the brookies were done.  The outsides are dry and cracked, just like a brownie is.  The insides are soft, gooey and oh so rich.  If you like chocolate cookies make these. If you like brownies, make these!  I can't say enough good things about these brookies.  They have officially become the chocolate cookie of choice here at the Witches' home.  And that's saying a lot!

Brookies
Source: Clinton Street Baking Company Cookbook
makes about 30 cookies
2 cups high quality 62% cacao chocolate chips
3/4 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 T oil
1 t butter
1/2 c flour
1/4 t salt
1/4 t baking powder

Preheat oven to 350F

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips with the oil and butter until melted.  Stir well to melt all chips.  Allow to cool slightly.

In a small bowl mix the flour, salt and baking powder together.

In a medium work bowl mix the eggs and brown sugar together.  Add the melted chocolate, stirring well to thoroughly mix.  Scrape down sides before adding the flour mix.  Whisk it in until just in mixed, then add the remaining chocolate chips and stir well.

Transfer batter to a shallow pan, like a pie pan and put in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up batter before scooping.

Scoop cookies onto either a parchment or silpat lined sheet pan.  Using a 1T size scoop, form cookies.

Bake  10-11 minutes, until tops are dry looking and cracked like a brownie.  Remove from oven and allow to rest on tray for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.  The centers will be very soft and brownie like in texture.  These cookies are best consumed in the first 12 hours, they begin to dry out after that and lose that brownie like texture.

Nutrition Facts calculated at SparkPeople recipe calculator Amount Per Serving Calories 75.6 Total Fat 3.4 g Saturated Fat 1.8 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g Monounsaturated Fat 0.4 g Cholesterol 12.7 mg Sodium 30.4 mg Potassium 26.0 mg Total Carbohydrate 13.7 g Dietary Fiber 0.6 g Sugars 11.1 g Protein 1.2 g

Molasses Spice Cookies

Molasses cookies are the Witches' husband's favorite cookie ever. His Grandma used to make the BEST molasses cookies!! Last holiday season I was searching for a newer version of the molasses cookie, something to dress up the standard spicy treat. I stumbled across this recipe from a blog, but after over 365 days of NOT posting this post (because I forgot to take photos of the cookies, D'oh!) I have completely forgotten which blog it came from. And for that I apologize. The Kitchen Witch did do a google search to see if I could find it to give proper credit where it's due...alas I was unsuccessful in locating the original source. Sorry about that!

Back to the cookies! These molasses spice cookies start off the same as Grandma's, but they take a turn at Spicy Town with the addition of cardamom and black pepper. Yes, I said black pepper. In a baked good. It's tasty, too! A generous 2 teaspoons of ground ginger helps reinforce that these are indeed spice cookies and they pack a wallop! But behind that spicy bite is a mellow sweetness and a delightful chewiness to the cookie. The molasses really make these a crispy outside, chewy inside cookie, which makes me a very happy Witch indeed!

These cookies are not a favorite of the Little Witch, she thinks they're too spicy. I tend to agree with her, they are spicy, but I like that. They are spicy, not necessarily 'hot' but spicy and not overly sweet, and therefore tend to not be a preferred cookie of the kids. And that's ok in this Witches' opinion. After all the cloying sweet Holiday treats, it's nice to have a bit of spice and subtle sweetness. And best of all, Santa loves these cookies! I hope you enjoy them.

Happy Yule to you and yours!

Molasses Spice Cookies makes 3 dozen, 2 cookies per serving
Source: Unknown; inspired by a blogger with good taste!
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
2 tbsp honey
1 large egg
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (7 pods ground)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a work bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in molasses, honey and egg until smooth.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices and salt.

Working by hand, or with a mixer on low speed, stir flour mixture into molasses mixture.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls and roll each ball in extra sugar before placing on baking sheet.

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set but not browned.

Cool for 5-10 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Nutrition Facts calculated at SparkPeople recipe calculator
Amount Per Serving
Calories 177.8
Total Fat 5.6 g
Saturated Fat 3.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.6 g
Cholesterol 24.1 mg
Sodium 211.1 mg
Potassium 91.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 30.5 g
Dietary Fiber 0.4 g
Sugars 17.3 g
Protein 2

Sweet Corn Gelato

Sweet-corn Gelato
makes about 5 cups gelato (10 1/2 c servings)
Source: recipe comes from New York and was served at Gramercy Tavern and then at Babbo

3 ears of sweet corn
3 1/2 c. whole milk
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. heavy cream
8 large egg yolks
1 t. kosher salt

Cut kernels from cob and break cobs into 2-3 pieces. Add the corn, cobs and milk to a sauce pan and bring up to a boil. Allow it to boil for 1 minute then remove from heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Remove cobs from milk and discard them. Puree mixture in batches in a blender. Set a course strainer over large bowl and strain mixture pressing on solids and then discard them. Add more milk if needed to measure 3 1/2 c of milk and corn mix.

Bring mixture, 1 1/4 c. sugar, and cream. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar.

Set a strainer over med bowl and set aside.

Whisk remaining 1/4 c. sugar, egg yolks, and salt and gradually whisk in hot milk, return to saucepan and stir constantly for about 2 min to reach 175 degrees on instant read thermometer.

Immediately pour custard through strainer and place bowl over ice water to chill, about 5 min. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight and then process per manufacture directions with your ice cream freezer. Transfer to container and freeze at least 1 hour before serving. Lasts up to 1 month in the freezer.



Nutrition Facts calculated at SparkPeople Recipe calculator
Amount Per Serving
Calories 288.2
Total Fat 11.2 g
Saturated Fat 5.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.7 g
Cholesterol 188.8 mg
Sodium 243.5 mg
Potassium 262.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 42.8 g
Dietary Fiber 1.2 g
Sugars 35.9 g
Protein 6.5 g

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

On a chilly fall afternoon nothing smells or feels quite as homey as a batch of pumpkin baked goods in the oven. That's what the Witch was thinking when she went blog surfing to find a new and different pumpkin recipe to make. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bars: been there, done that. I wanted something different, not seen before in the Kitchen Witches' kitchen. That's when I went to the guru of all things pumpkin, Annie of Annie's Eats!! Annie is a certified pumpkin lover and I knew that if I was looking for baked delicious pumpkin goods Annie's site was the place to be.

I was right! After browsing her pumpkin collection I stumbled upon pumpkin whoopie pies. I'd seen these on her site before. Heck, I had bookmarked them on my old computer, but it died before I could make them. Now was the time!! The Kitchen Witch has never made whoopie pies before so I had no point of reference to go by other than what I knew about the pies; soft, fluffy cake cookies with a creamy filling. Annie's recipe provided both of those things. The pumpkin cake is soft and tender like most pumpkin baked goods are, delicatly flavored with spices and just sweet enough. The filling is the amazing, cream cheese maple icing!! Seriously, this is the best and easiest cream cheese icing I've ever attempted.

The whoopie pies come together quickly; the batter is scooped onto sheet trays with a 1.5T scooper and after a 12 minute bake they're done. After mixing up the delicious icing in the stand mixer I transferred it to a large plastic bag which I cut the end off one corner to make a piping bag. A quick swirl of filling and the pies are finished with a topping cake. Whoopie pies have captured our hearts and taste buds, so much so that the Husband asked for these as his birthday cake. I take that as recipe success anyday! Thanks Annie for the great recipe, we love it!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Source: Annie's Eats
Makes: 32 pies

For the pumpkin cookies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup canola oil
3 cups chilled pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the maple cream cheese filling:
3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
To make the pumpkin cookies, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk sugars and oil together. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the pumpkin mixture and whisk until completely combined.

Use a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism to drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets (about 1.5-2 tablespoons.), about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cookie comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the pan for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

To make the filling, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter until smooth with no visible lumps. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined. Add the powdered sugar, maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth. Be careful not to overbeat the filling or it will lose structure.

To assemble, turn half of the cooled cookies upside down. Pipe filling onto the flat side of the overturned cookies. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edges of the cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are used. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm before serving.



Nutrition Facts calculated by SparkPeople recipe calculator
Amount Per Serving
Calories 262.2
Total Fat 12.6 g
Saturated Fat 4.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.3 g
Monounsaturated Fat 5.7 g
Cholesterol 27.1 mg
Sodium 210.8 mg
Potassium 109.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 38.4 g
Dietary Fiber 0.7 g
Sugars 27.8 g
Protein 2.3 g

Vanilla Bean pudding

My friend Kelly requested a good vanilla pudding recipe. I immediately started thinking about what a good vanilla pudding would be; rich and creamy, solid but not gummy, complex in vanilla flavor, not just sweetened milk. Its a lot harder to come up with a GOOD vanilla pudding than you'd think! The Witch tried a few different variations, one version was too eggy in flavor, one wasn't sweet enough. Simple fixes resulted in a smooth, velvety, rich, sweet and vanilla is the flavor with all of its complex deliciousness. And I absolutely love the specks of vanilla bean and how they burst when you chew them releasing even more vanilla. Delicious!

Guess what else I learned while making this pudding? The Witch learned that sometimes its not a great idea to recycle plastic things. Why?? Well, allow me to explain. The little Witch sees the pudding cups at the grocery store and of course asks for them. I politely decline, telling her that mommy can make pudding that tastes a lot better than what comes in those cups. Then she says "yeah, but what about the cups? I want the plastic cups Mom." Great...but wait! Then it hits me! Just save the little plastic bowls that mandarin oranges and fruit cocktail come in. Done! "Sure sweetie, Mommy can make it in cups, no problem!"


I make the vanilla pudding. I strain the pudding to ensure its velvety smoothness. I lovingly ladle the pudding into said cups, cover and refrigerate them. We wait 4 hours before tasting them. Finally! I take a bite excited to taste my rich vanilla flavor...why does it taste like fruit? Like mandarin oranges...oh wait...this was a cup of mandarin oranges and guess what? Plastic absorbs flavors. And when plastic gets hot it releases those flavors. Right into my vanilla pudding! So, the lesson here is that unless you want fruit and odd flavors in your vanilla pudding, use glass or porcelain for your pudding. I now use tea cups and they work perfectly, and lets be honest, they look a lot better than plastic cups.

Vanilla Bean Pudding
makes 8 (1/2 cup) servings
1/2 c + 2T sugar
1/4 c corn starch
3 cups 2% milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks
2 vanilla beans, seeds scraped out
1 t vanilla extract
pinch salt

In a heavy bottom pan add 1/2 c sugar, cornstarch and the salt. Whisk well together to break up starch.

Over medium high heat add the milk and cream along with the scraped vanilla seeds AND the pods, whisking well to dissolve sugar and cornstarch. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes whisking often to avoid hot spots and burning.

Whisk up the egg yolks with remaining 2 T sugar. Add 1 cup of hot pudding to the yolk, whisk well, quickly. Add the yolk mixture to the boiling pudding whisking to incorporate. Bring back to the boil and cook for 2 minutes longer, whisking to avoid scorch spots.

Turn heat off. Add the vanilla extract, stirring well.

Pour cooked pudding through a fine mesh sieve to strain out vanilla pods as well as any lumps or egg pieces. This will ensure a velvety smooth pudding. Pour strained pudding into tea cups and cover with plastic to avoid a skin from forming. Refrigerate for 24 hours before serving.

I just love all those vanilla beans!

Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople recipe calculator
Amount Per Serving
Calories 228.1
Total Fat 13.4 g
Saturated Fat 8.2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.9 g
Cholesterol 73.7 mg
Sodium 69.2 mg
Potassium 24.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 23.7 g
Dietary Fiber 0.0 g
Sugars 19.3 g
Protein 4.0 g

Cake Pops

Cake pops have been all the rage in the blogesphere for a while now. I'm pretty sure we have Bakerella to thank for these delicious little treats. The Little Witch LOVES the birthday cake pops at Starbucks but man, they get pricy!! $1.50 a pop is highway robbery when you can make an entire batch, of 40 pops, for $5 or so.

So a few weeks ago the Little Witch and I were at Starbucks. She wanted a cake pop. I caved and got her one to go with my grande Pike Place. As we were enjoying our treats I was asked a question.

"Mom, can you make cake pops?"
"I sure can sweetie!"
"What? You can? With sprinkles too? What about the stick?" I love how she thinks she's caught me in some big fallacy and tries to call me out. Such a sassy girl!
"Stick and everything. I can make them, no problem!"
"I want you to make cake pops TODAY Mom. Let's go to the store & get what we need!"

Now thats a girl after my own heart. So being a good Kitchen Witch I did my daughters bidding and off we went to the craft store for candy melts and pop sticks.

~*~Disclaimer: The candy melts DO have PHO's in them. While this breaks one of my 'unapproved ingredients' rule I made the exception for these babies. If anyone knows of PHO free candy melts PLEASE let me know!! The brand I used claimed to be 'trans fat free' yet ingredient #2 was partially hydrogenated oil, so, as far as I'm concerned its unapproved. And yet I used it. So there! Rules were meant to be broken, right??~*~

I've made 2 batches of these pops, the first I used a store bought cake mix and homemade frosting, the 2nd batch was homemade cake and frosting. I have to say that the homemade cake held up a LOT better in pop form than the cake mix did. Cake mix cake is very soft and got too mushy. The homemade cake had more tooth to it, and when the frosting is mixed in made a thicker paste to work with. If you have the time I highly recommend making your own cake. And if its a bit on the dry side that's GOOD! With all the icing that's added to the cakes a dry cake tends to work better than a super moist one.

Vanilla cake
Source: Epicurious
makes approx. 40 pops
2 cups AP flour
2 teaspoons baking powder (aluminum free preferred)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs, room temp.
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup 2% milk

Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 T vanilla extract
2 T milk
3 T butter, softened

Candy melts, about 8 oz
candy sticks (available at craft stores, 50 for $2 or 150 for $4)
sprinkles
Optional: foam to stick pops in to dry, if you don't have foam then you can either hold the pops to dry (drag) or place on parchment paper (which works but makes flat spots and your sprinkles will sink into the candy coating.) Your choice!

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare pan of choice (The Witch uses a sheet pan lined with parchment for cake pops, it bakes faster and since you're making cake crumbs the shape is not important.)

Sift the dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer whip the butter. Add the sugar and beat again until fluffy. Add the vanilla. Mix in eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition and scraping down the sides after each addition. Add 1/3 of the milk, beat until smooth. Add 1/2 the flour and mix well. Scrape down sides and add 1/3 milk, beat well. Add remaining flour, scrape down sides and mix. Finish with last addition of milk, mixing until just smooth. Pour cake batter into prepared pan and bake until done by toothpick test method.

Icing:
In the work bowl of a stand mixer whip the butter. Once light and fluffy add the vanilla and powdered sugar. SLOWLY mix this, adding 1T of milk at a time until you have an icing consistency. Once all sugar is incorporated turn the speed to HI and whip the icing for 2-3 minutes.


Making the cake pops:
1. Allow the cake to cool completely. The cake must be room temp or it will melt the icing and not form balls properly.

2. Crumble cake into the work bowl of a stand mixer. Yes, just crumble it up. You are going for cake crumbs. I know it seems wrong, trust me.


3. Once cake is crumbled up attach the paddle to your stand mixer and mix until nothing but crumbs remain. Any big pieces break up by hand.


4. Add 1 1/2 c icing or 1 tub of premade stuff to the cake crumbs. Mix on low speed until completely incorporated. The cake will take on the texture of play dough once its mixed properly.


5. Shape balls. The Witch uses a cookie scooper to make the balls then goes back and smooths the balls by hand.

6. Melt candy melts in microwave using 30 second bursts to melt candy melts. Stir well between heating cycles. It took about 90 seconds to melt throughly in my microwave

7. Dip sticks into melted candy melts and then place stick into cake ball. (this really helps the cake to stick to the stick)

8. Place cake balls with sticks in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up before dipping in candy melts

9. Remove cake balls from the freezer and dip into candy melts. I like to have a spoon on hand to pour melted candy melts over the top by the stick. Swirl the pops in the melted candy and allow excess to drip off.

10. While candy melts are still wet sprinkle with sprinkles. Place cake pop into styrofoam to allow candy to harden OR place onto parchment paper to cool.



Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople recipe calculator
40 Servings, 1 pop each
Amount Per Serving
Calories 142.6
Total Fat 5.7 g
Saturated Fat 4.2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.1 g
Cholesterol 22.8 mg
Sodium 63.5 mg
Potassium 13.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate 21.1 g
Dietary Fiber 0.2 g
Sugars 16.2 g
Protein 1.3 g

Vanilla Bean bundt cake with strawberry topping

Strawberry season is in full swing much to the delight of the little Witch and her Daddy. Those two LOVE strawberries! With pounds of strawberries on the counter, which have an especially short shelf life, whats a Witch to do? Make strawberry shortcake is the logical answer, but there's one big problem with that: the Witch doesn't like the shortbread part of the strawberry shortcake. That's why in the Witches' kitchen you'll find a vanilla bean bundt cake in lieu of shortcakes. Same idea, better flavor, who doesn't love that?

I was making this dessert for a dinner party for adults I decided to add a splash of white wine to the berries while they macerated. I really liked the way the wine flavored the berries, it added sweetness, acidity and a nice balance that really elevated this from a simple strawberry sauce to something special. The syrup that resulted from the wine, lemon, sugar and juices from the berries was awesome with the vanilla cake. Now if wine's not your thing you can of course leave it out. But I highly recommend trying it. It really made the berries shine!

The vanilla bean in this cake and strawberry sauce come from my latest acquisition from Savory Spice Shoppe, vanilla bean paste. Now I feel this name is a misnomer, when I think of a paste I envisioned a thick paste that was all vanilla beans. What it is however is vanilla beans in a thick syrup. Delicious still but not what I had envisioned. As a result you need to use a LOT of this product to get the vanilla rich results. I started out with a teaspoon and soon ended up with about 1 TABLESPOON in the batter. Honestly it could have used another tablespoon - but I wimped out (mostly due to costs!) and added some vanilla extract as well to emphasize the vanilla flavor. If you don't have vanilla bean paste fear not, you can use vanilla beans split and scraped or just use vanilla extract. It won't be 100% the same but when the cake is being slathered with berries, who cares!

One last thing, when I served this dessert I made a vanilla bean whipped cream too. It was really good, but I forgot to take a photo of it, and it was all gone by the time I got around to actually taking pictures. Which is a shame, it was the crowning touch to this already delicious dessert. I'll include the recipe for the vanilla bean whipped cream, but you'll have to use your imagination on how it looks. Here's a hit: white, whipped and fluffy with black specks of vanilla in it. Enjoy!

Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with strawberry topping
makes 12 servings
2 c ap flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 T vanilla bean paste
1 t vanilla extract
1 c sugar
1/2 c oil
3/4 c milk

Strawberry topping
1 lb strawberries, hulled, washed and sliced thin
1/4 c sugar
2 T white wine
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 t vanilla bean paste OR 1 t vanilla extract

Vanilla bean whipped cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 T powdered sugar
1 t vanilla bean paste

Slice berries, place into a bowl and toss with sugar. Add the vanilla, wine and lemon juice, stir well. Allow berries to macerate at room temperature for 3-4 hours. If desired you can crush berries with a potato masher.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract and paste and mix well. Add the eggs, mixing well. Finally add the milk, mix until smooth.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Mix until batter is smooth. Pour into a sprayed bundt cake pan.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 40-50 minutes or until cake tests clean and top is browned. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with berries and whipped cream.

Whip cream by combining all the ingredients in a work bowl and mix on HI until thick and whipped. Don't let it go too long or you'll end up with vanilla bean butter.



Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople recipe calculator
12 Servings with berries, juices and whipped cream
Amount Per Serving
Calories 357.9
Total Fat 17.6 g
Saturated Fat 5.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3.3 g
Monounsaturated Fat 7.8 g
Cholesterol 43.8 mg
Sodium 208.3 mg
Potassium 159.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 45.4 g
Dietary Fiber 1.9 g
Sugars 27.5 g
Protein 4.8 g

Death by Chocolate cookies

Do you like cookies? What about brownies? Wouldn't it be awesome to have them both, at once, in a delicious dark chocolate cookie concoction of deliciousness? Well guess what readers, YOU CAN!! Yes, the Kitchen Witch has been casting her spell over chocolate cookies and I present to you the fruits of my labors, Death by Chocolate cookies.

Recently the Witch made a trip to Savory Spice, a fun spice store that has everything you could possibly need for spices and herbs. They also carry a lot of different cocoa powders. I found some black onyx cocoa powder and had to buy some. I've used other black cocoas and LOVE the intense dark color that it adds, not to mention the super chocolate kick in the flavor department. Savory Spices' black onyx cocoa delivered, nicely, on both of these requirements. Because the onyx cocoa is more expensive than regular old cocoa powder, I use just a bit to add color & flavor with out breaking the bank. In the 1/2 c cocoa powder that this recipe calls for 2 T of that was the black onyx cocoa. You can make these with out black cocoa but the results won't be as dark and delightful.

The Witch uses a combination of white and brown sugar in these cookies. The brown sugar adds moisture as well as a deeper, more caramelized flavor whereas the white sugar provides necessary sweetness and crispness to the exterior crust. A bit of oil is also added to these cookies, it helps balance the dry crumblies that cocoa powder can cause, due to its dry powdery nature. The extra oil helps hydrate the cocoa and make it act more like melted chocolate would in recipes. In addition, mixing the cocoa powders with the fats help coat the cocoa, keeping the grainy dusty texture that is all too common with cocoa powder recipes at bay.

So there you have it. Rich. Dark. Soft. Moist. Slightly crispy. Death by Chocolate cookies. Enjoy, I know you will!

Death by Chocolate cookies
makes 3 dozen cookies
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1 stick (1/2 c) butter, unsalted
3 T oil
1/2 c cocoa powder
1 egg
1 t vanilla
almost 2 cups flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F

Cream butter and oil in the work bowl of a stand mixer until very smooth. Add cocoa powder and sugars, mix until light and fluffy. Scrap down sides. Add the egg and vanilla, mix until light and fluffy again.

Add flour, salt and baking soda, scrape down sides. Add chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.

Scoop cookies onto sheet pan. Bake cookies for 10-11 minutes. You want the bottoms and edges to be set and slightly crispy. Its hard to tell when these are done due to the dark color so use a timer!

Allow to cook for 3-5 minutes on sheet pan before removing to a cooking rack.



Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople recipe calculator
Amount Per Serving
Calories 111.5
Total Fat 5.6 g
Saturated Fat 2.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.5 g
Cholesterol 12.0 mg
Sodium 71.2 mg
Potassium 39.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 16.2 g
Dietary Fiber 0.6 g
Sugars 9.6 g
Protein 1.6 g

Pate au choux, pastry cream and ganache AKA Eclairs

Eclairs. You've seen them in the pastry cases of your favorite bakery, their delicate puffed shell, golden browned, filled with a luscious pastry or whipped cream, topped with rich chocolate. They're beautiful delightful little treats. And not nearly as hard to make at home as you might think!! They are labor intensive, however, so plan ahead if eclairs are on your dessert menu. Because they are so labor intensive they're the perfect treat for Valentines Day.

There are 4 recipes for this post:
~the pate au choux (translated is cabbage paste, because the batter is a paste and they resemble cabbages when made in round forms, well at least according to some French person who named them that!)
~Vanilla pastry cream
~Vanilla whipped cream filling
~Chocolate ganache glaze

The whipped cream filling is optional, and really is more of a cream puff filling than an eclair one, but honestly, the Witch household LOVED the whipped cream version a LOT more than the pastry cream filled ones. The Witch recommends trying both and deciding which you like best (and since you need the pastry cream to make the whipped cream, too, you're not really making anything 'extra')

Have fun with your shapes. The Witch made a few round puffs, they were a hit with the Little Witch. She liked the smaller bite sized puffs. Hearts would be really cute for Valentines day, too.

Apologies for the very lousy photos on this one folks. It was a cloudy snowy day, I was alone in the kitchen and really didn't realize how bad they were turning out until it was too late. As dark as the photos are, the eclairs were delicious!

Pate au Choux
Source: Pierre Hermeas via Apple Pie, Patis and Pate
makes approximatively 24 eclairs
1 c AP flour
5 eggs
1/2 c water
1/2 c milk
1 stick (1/2 c) butter
pinch salt
1/4 t sugar

Pastry Cream
makes about 2.5 cups
2 c milk
2 t vanilla
3 T cornstarch
3 egg yolks
1 egg
1/2 c sugar
pinch salt

Whipped Cream filling
makes about 2 cups worth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
about 1 cup pastry cream
1T vanilla
1 T sugar

Ganache, for glaze
makes enough to cover about 24 eclairs
1 c high quality chocolate chips
1/3 c heavy cream

Begin by making the pate au choux
Preheat oven to 375F
In a medium sized heavy bottom sauce pan combine the milk, water, sugar, salt & butter. Bring to a boil. Once it boils add the flour and stir vigorously until it forms a paste. Keep stirring this to cook out excessive moisture as the flour grains hydrate. It will take about 3-4 minutes. You may notice a white film forming on the bottom of the pan, this is normal & completely fine. Don't try to scrape it up.



Transfer the dough ball (which will be very soft and pliable) to the work bowl of a stand mixer with the flat paddle attachment. You can also do this by hand but it WILL give your arm a serious work out!

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing 1-2 minutes between additions. Scrap down sides before adding the next egg. This mixture will look curdled after each egg is added - don't panic - it WILL come together with enough mixing. When the last egg is fully incorporated you will have a thick smooth rich batter.



Transfer the batter to a piping bag (or a large zip top bag with the end cut off) and pipe long thin eclair shapes onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Pipe eclair shaped strips of the pastry dough OR make small rounds for cream puffs. Space them an inch apart from each other to allow room for expansion.



Bake as soon as piping is done. DO NOT ALLOW DOUGH TO SIT LONG BEFORE BAKING OR YOU RISK IT NOT PUFFING. Bake eclair pastry for 20-25 minutes total, rotating tray half way through. Remove pastry when they have puffed and are golden brown on top & bottom. Allow to cool.

Make the pastry cream
In the work bowl of a stand mixer combine the egg yolks, egg, corn starch and sugar. Mix with a flat paddle on medium speed. Mixture will lighten in color and thicken as it mixes. Keep mixing the egg sugar mixture while the milk heats on the stovetop.

Heat milk in a medium sauce pan until it boils. Remove about 1 cup of the milk and SLOWLY add this milk to the egg sugar mixture, to temper the eggs. Once the milk is incorporated add that to the remaining milk in the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium high and cook pastry cream about 3-4 minutes, until its thickened considerably. Remove pastry cream from heat, pass it through a fine mesh sieve to remove any coagulated egg pieces and allow to cool. Once cool put into a piping bag for easiest distribution into the eclair shells.



Make the whippped cream filling
In the work bowl of stand mixer add the cream, sugar and vanilla. Using the whisk attachment whip cream until it has firm peaks. Add 1 cup of pastry cream to the whipped cream and fold it in. Place in a piping bag for easiest distribution into the pastry shells.

Make the ganache
Heat the cream in a microwave safe bowl until it starts to simmer.
Place the chocolate in a heat safe bowl. Pour the hot cream on top of the chocolate and cover TIGHTLY with plastic wrap. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes stir the cream & chocolate. Keep stirring, the heat from the cream will have melted the chips but it takes your stirring to break down the chip shape to make a smooth ganache. This ganache will set up firm making it a nice icing or glaze.

Assemble eclairs
Cut each pastry in half with a sharp knife. The pastry should be hollow inside.

Pipe filling of your choice into the bottom of the pastry. Cover with the top half of pastry. Coat the tops with the ganache.



Allow ganache to set before eating (if you can wait that long!) and refrigerate left overs.

Chocolate Crinkles

Are you a chocoholic? Do you like cookies? Do you like your chocolate to be on the darker side, full of complex flavors and not cloyingly sweet? If you answered YES to these questions then I've got the cookie for you! Chocolate Crinkles!

What makes these cookies so special? First of all, they call for melted chocolate, not cocoa powder. Now don't get me wrong, the Kitchen Witch LOVES cocoa powder. But even the Witch will admit, its not 'real chocolate'. Cocoa powder is a large contributor of the dreaded dry crumblies in cookies, and sometimes it just doesn't have that CHOCOLATE punch of flavor that I'm looking for. There's nothing more disappointing than taking a big bite of a deep dark chocolate cookie and have no flavor to back up that beautiful color. These cookies, on the other hand, deliver on the chocolate in a big way. The Witch used a combo of 60% dark (4 oz) and semi sweet chips (6 oz, yeah I know that's more than the recipe called for, but I love chocolate!). Next time I'll use all 60% cacao dark chocolate, as always, use whatever chocolate you like.

Second, there's not a lot of sugar in these babies, a mere 2/3 c plus 2T for the entire batch means these won't be cloying in the slightest. I also really like how the less than sweet cookie base allows the powdered sugar coating to bring a bit more sweetness to each bite.

Lastly, the coffee powder in these cookies really take them from ho hum to WOW! Dark chocolate and coffee are BFF. Just like real BFF's, they bring out the best in each other. Coffee intensifies chocolate's flavor while chocolate makes coffee less bitter. The deep complexities of each of these sing in perfect harmony in this powdered sugar coated chocolate lovers dream come true cookie. Please keep in mind that these are not very popular with the kids. Between the intense dark chocolate, the lack of sugary sweetness and the deep coffee notes keep the kiddo's hands off these, which leaves more for us adults. I like that!

Chocolate Crinkles
source: adapted from King Arthur Flour Recipes
Makes: about 3 dozen cookies (more or less depending on size)
1 1/3 cups (8 ounces) chopped bittersweet chocolate and/or chocolate chips
1/2 cup (4 ounces, 1 stick) unsalted butter
2/3 cup plus 2T (4 3/4 ounces) sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons espresso powder (optional) (I used a packet of Starbucks VIA Italian Roast)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups (7 ounces) All-Purpose Flour
confectioners' sugar* (for coating)

In a microwave safe bowl add the chocolate and butter. Using 30 second bursts of power, heat chocolate until melted, stirring well after each heating cycle. It took 3 rounds in my microwave. Stir chocolate and butter until you have a smooth consistency.

In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar, eggs, vanilla and espresso powder. Stir in the chocolate mixture, baking powder and salt, then the flour. Chill the dough for 2 to 3 hours, or overnight; it'll firm up considerably.

Scoop cookies using a cookie scoop and place into powdered sugar. Roll in sugar to coat all sides and place on a parchment lined baking sheet (these cookies do want to stick so please use parchment, silpat or lightly oil the sheet tray). Bake at 325 for 10-12 minutes. The bottoms will be slightly crispy and the tops will be very soft, almost liquid. Allow to rest on baking sheet for 1 minute before carefully removing to a cooking rack. Let cookies cool for at least 1 hour.

Easy Pot de Creme au chocolat

The end of October into the 2nd week of November is BUSY around the Witch household. All 3 of us have birthdays with in 3 weeks of each other! This past weekend it was the Husband's birthday so I decided to make him a very special dessert, pot de creme. Pot de creme is french for pots of cream - also code for very rich chocolate pudding/mousse hybrid. It can be intimidating - however the Witch is here to quell those intimidations with this awesome recipe.

While looking for a recipe to make my pot de creme I ran across the Pioneer Woman's version which claimed to be 'easy' - something that usually intrigues me. Further reading revealed that indeed this would be easy, there's no baking involved!! WOO HOO thank you Pioneer Woman!

There's great news and horrible news I have to report with the pot de creme. The great news is that they are amazing!! Rich, fluffy, silky, chocolate & mocha flavored pots of creamy goodness. Really they are absolutely amazing!!

So whats the bad news then, Kitchen Witch?

They take less than 5 minutes to make. And all the ingredients are pretty standard in a well stocked pantry. 5 minutes people. This is HORRIBLE news! (to my diet and waistline that is!)

This amazing little treat calls for 5 ingredients: high quality chocolate chips, eggs (again high quality), screamin' hot coffee, salt and vanilla. The extra hot coffee, combined with the friction of the blades, essentially cook the eggs resulting in a french silk type of chocolaty concoction, dense, yet light, smooth and creamy. The hot coffee also aids in the melting of the chocolate. Yes I was dubious about this recipe, after all 5 ingredients and no cooking, how good can it really be??? Believe me when I tell you its amazing!! Treat the chocoholic in your life to a pot de creme. They'll be very happy you did!

Easy Pot de Creme du Chocolate
makes 6 servings
From The Pioneer Woman
1 12 oz bag high quality chocolate chips
4 whole eggs at room temperature
8 oz very hot very strong coffee (I used Starbucks VIA Italian roast)
pinch salt
1T vanilla
OPTIONAL 2T liquor like amaretto, Grand Mariner, or other flavored liquor
Fresh whipped cream (optional)



In the carafe of your blender add the chocolate chips. Add the eggs, vanilla (and optional liquor) and salt.

Blend on low speed for about 30 seconds.

With the stopper top open SLOWLY add the very hot coffee to the eggs & chocolate. Blend on low until chocolate starts to melt then increase to medium. Blend about 1 to 2 minutes. Mixture will double in volume and the chocolate will be completely melted when the mixing is done.

Pour into 6 ramekins or tea cups. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 3-4 hours before serving.

Top with fresh whipped cream if desired.


~*~Kitchen Witch Tip: If you're nervous about the eggs you can use pasteurized eggs or an egg substitute product. I've never tried this recipe with an egg substitute (egg beaters or the like) so I make no promises on how it'll turn out. I buy only high quality organic eggs so I'm pretty comfortable about them, and the very hot boiling coffee cook the eggs essentially. However I eat raw cookie dough often and nothings happened to me so I'm ok with them here. Use your judgment and do whats best for you and your family!~*~

Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople recipe calculator
Amount Per Serving
Calories 316.5
Total Fat 18.5 g
Saturated Fat 10.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.3 g
Cholesterol 141.7 mg
Sodium 68.7 mg
Potassium 60.7 mg
Total Carbohydrate 38.3 g
Dietary Fiber 0.0 g
Sugars 30.3 g
Protein 4.2 g