Salted Dulce De Leche Brownies (made in one bowl!) | Bakerita.com

Salted Dulce De Leche Brownies

May 11, 2013 24 Comments

Salted Dulce De Leche Brownies (made in one bowl!) | Bakerita.comRight next to peanut butter in the list of my favorite things to pair with chocolate, is caramel. More specifically: dulce de leche.

I grew up on the stuff. My Hispanic mom has a crazy obsession with it, to the point where she doesn’t even like when I bake with it because she thinks I’m wasting it. In her opinion, it’s best enjoyed off a spoon in large quantities.

While I don’t oppose to that method of consuming the deliciously sweet, creamy caramel, I still love it in other forms as well. Especially brownies, like these.

Salted Dulce De Leche Brownies (made in one bowl!) | Bakerita.com

These brownies are SO easy. I do love my Baked Brownie still, but this is my new favorite when it comes to brownies made with purely cocoa powder. It’s just easier, and sometimes you want brownies that only take one bowl (#lazygirlproblems).

Yup – no melting together butter and chocolate in this recipe. It’s a quick zip in the microwave, stirring in a few ingredients, pouring into the pan, and in no time you have warm, gooey, dulce de leche filled brownies.

Cocoa powder brownies have a pretty bad rap, and that’s because they’re usually dry and cakey. Gross. All the things a brownie should never be. 

Salted Dulce De Leche Brownies (made in one bowl!) | Bakerita.comHowever, these are some of the fudgiest brownies I’ve ever had, regardless of melted chocolate or cocoa powder. They’re so chocolatey, deep, dark, and fudgy. The caramel adds wonderful layer of sweetness, and the dusting of chunky sea salt is the perfect complement to cut the sweetness and the richness.

These are totally going on my go-to impressive, yet so easy recipes. No one will ever know they only took a few minutes to whip together. They’re  that good, and that impressive. Did I mention they only require one bowl?!

And remember…adding a little extra dulce de leche on top is always encouraged.

Salted Dulce De Leche Brownies (made in one bowl!) | Bakerita.com

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Salted Dulce De Leche Brownies

Ingredients

  • 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (8.75 oz, or 250g)
  • 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (2.5oz, or 70g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (weighing nearly 2.5 ounces or 65 grams)
  • 1/2 cup dulce de leche
  • Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

  1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat oven to 325F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil leaving overhang on the sides, spray with cooking spray; set pan aside.
  2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine butter, sugar, cocoa, optional salt, and heat on high power to melt, about 45 seconds. Stop to stir, and heat in 10-second bursts until mixture has melted and can be stirred smooth (mine took 45 seconds + 15 seconds). Batter will be very granular.
  3. Add the vanilla, eggs, and stir vigorously until batter is thick, shiny, and well blended. Add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
  4. Dollop half of the dulce de leche in 1 teaspoon sized balls all over the batter. Spread the remaining batter carefully over the dulce de leche. Repeat with the remaining dulce de leche on top of the brownie batter. With a knife, carefully swirl the dulce de leche slightly into the batter. Don't swirl too much - you still want to have dulce de leche pockets. Sprinkle the top with coarse sea salt, I used about 1 teaspoon.
  5. Bake until a toothpick in the center emerges slightly moist with batter, about 22-25 minutes. Check with a toothpick - your batch may need a few minutes longer. Do not bake over 30 minutes or brownies will be prone to scorching, burning, turning dry, or setting up too hard. Brownies will firm up as they cool.
  6. Cool brownies completely before cutting into 16 equal squares with a very sharp knife.
  7. Brownies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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Recipe adapted from Averie Cooks

 

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Coconut Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (and they're stuffed with a truffle!) | Bakerita.com

Coconut Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

April 25, 2013 35 Comments

Coconut Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (and they're stuffed with a truffle!) | Bakerita.com

Whew, this post has been a long time coming. I posted a picture of these cupcakes on my Instagram what feels like forever ago, and I’ve had people asking me to post the recipe since!

However, I am a college student, and around here, it’s finals season. Unfortunately for both me and all of you, that means baking has been pushed to the back burner to make room for business law, international management, spanish, and economics.

Yeah, I prefer baking too.

Coconut Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (and they're stuffed with a truffle!) | Bakerita.comThese cupcakes have been an idea that’s been brewing ever since I made my Ferrero-Rocher Stuffed Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream. I knew I could totally recreate them in different versions, and coconut was the first idea that came to my mind.

Probably because I’m obsessed with these Raffaello Candies and knew they would be incredible stuffed inside a cupcake. Well, not to toot my own horn…but I was totally right.

Coconut Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (and they're stuffed with a truffle!) | Bakerita.comThe cupcakes are on the denser side, filled with coconut, with the most delicious flavor and delightful texture. The truffle in the middle is a wonderful surprise, and the white chocolate cream cheese frosting is super creamy, with the perfect mix of tangy and sweet.

I do love my coconut, but I know there are a lot of haters out there. Unfortunately, this isn’t the cupcake for you – but you should definitely make whatever your favorite cupcakes are and throw some of this frosting on top. It’s pretty darn amazing.

Coconut lovers, my main people, my soul mates, well, these are for you. Love them as I did. Enjoy every last bite! Send me some.

Coconut Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (and they're stuffed with a truffle!) | Bakerita.com

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Coconut Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Yield: 15 cupcakes

Ingredients

    For the Coconut Cupcakes
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 4 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut
  • 15 white truffles (see notes)
    • For the White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 4 oz. good quality white chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, slightly colder than room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups (300g) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • Extra coconut, if desired, for sprinkling

Instructions

    For the Coconut Cupcakes
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix well.
  3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 4 ounces of coconut.
  4. Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner 1/3 of the way with batter. Press in one truffle. Fill the liner up 3/4 of the way full, covering the truffle. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.
    5. For the White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
  5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for 3-5 minutes, until completely smooth and lightened in color.
  6. Add in the cream cheese and mix for about 30 seconds, until there are no more lumps. Don't overmix here or you icing will be too soft to pipe. Add in the white chocolate and mix until it is just incorporated.
  7. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream, and mix for about 1 minute or until the icing is creamy and smooth. Add more heavy cream if necessary.
  8. Frost the cupcakes however you desire, and sprinkle with coconut. Enjoy!

Notes

For the truffles, I used Raffaello truffles and it worked amazingly. You could also use any kind of white chocolate or coconut truffle here, such as Lindt White Chocolate or Lindt Coconut truffles.

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Cupcake recipe adapted from Ina Garten’s Coconut Cupcakes

Coconut Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (and they're stuffed with a truffle!) | Bakerita.comAnd here’s another picture, because look at that inside…omg.

 

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Blueberry Muffins from Bakerita.com | Vegan and whole wheat, but you'd never know!

Vegan Blueberry Muffins

April 14, 2013 25 Comments

Blueberry Muffins from Bakerita.com | Vegan and whole wheat, but you'd never know!These muffins were a total accident, that turned out SO amazingly. I was planning on making regular blueberry muffins when I realized two things:

A) The carton of blueberries I bought was on the verge of going bad,

B) I had never shared my favorite blueberry muffins on here!

So naturally, I just started whipping up the recipe. I ran to grab an egg, and…no eggs. I’m not one for egg replacements, so I had none of that either. I spotted a banana, mashed it up and threw it in. I went to grab the milk, and realized it was heavy cream or almond milk. Erring on the side of health, I grabbed the almond milk.

Blueberry Muffins from Bakerita.com | Vegan and whole wheat, but you'd never know!The half whole wheat I did on purpose, and after mixing up all the batter, I realized they were vegan! I usually add a crumb topping to these muffins, and I promise to post the original recipe soon, but I decided to forgo it and hope these turned out decent.

Well, guys…WAY better than decent. No one even realized they were vegan OR whole wheat, they tasted so perfectly light with the exact texture of sort-of dense, but soft-of fluffy that I always want in a muffin.

I wouldn’t say they’re healthy, but they’re not as bad as the white flour, crumb-topped ones for sure. Oh, and that banana? You can’t taste it, I promise. It just gives the right amount of moisture that the lack of egg took away.

Blueberry Muffins from Bakerita.com | Vegan and whole wheat, but you'd never know!If you like to add spices to your blueberry muffins, I love a 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in this recipe, but add whatever and however much you like! I left spices out of this batch to let the blueberries shine.

Also, if you use frozen blueberries, be aware your batter might turn a little blue! Be super careful not to overmix those babies.

So whether you’re vegan or not, these muffins are absolutely amazing and definitely worth a try, whether you’re out of eggs and milk or not! Enjoy :)

Blueberry Muffins from Bakerita.com | Vegan and whole wheat, but you'd never know!

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Vegan Blueberry Muffins

Yield: 10 muffins

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 large banana, mashed (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1/3 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
  2. Combine flours, sugars, salt and baking powder. Add in buttermilk, banana, and oil and stir until just moistened. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.
  3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
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Sunbutter Oatmeal Cookies | Bakerita.com

Sunbutter Oatmeal Cookies

April 3, 2013 22 Comments

Sunbutter Oatmeal Cookies | Bakerita.comIt’s been well-established on this blog that I am extremely fond of peanut butter.

I like to make it myself. I also like to stir it into oatmeal for breakfast with some chocolate and call it healthy.

It also ends up in a lot of awesome bar recipes.

Sunbutter Oatmeal Cookies | Bakerita.comHowever, I never put much thought into all those poor, innocent souls who are allergic to peanut butter. I can’t imagine such a tragedy, but did you know that approximately three million people in the U.S. are allergic to peanuts? (Yes, I did just look that up on Wikipedia.)

Now, those people, well, I couldn’t do it. Peanut butter is easily one of my most used kitchen ingredients, next to chocolate. Usually together.

But let’s be real: they don’t have much of a choice. Even I would choose peanut avoidance over anaphylactic shock. At least now though, other nut butters are on the rise.

I do love almond butter, but its texture is less than ideal for baking. Sunbutter, on the other hand, has the same texture as peanut butter!

Sunbutter Oatmeal Cookies | Bakerita.com

Sunbutter is a nut butter made out of sunflower seeds! It definitely has that earthy sunflower seed taste, and it tastes so good spread onto

English muffins, stirred into oatmeal, and oh yeah, baked into cookies.

The people over at Sunbutter don’t know me, this isn’t a sponsored post – it’s just a product I find awesome for people with peanut allergies, and considering all the peanut butter recipes I do around here, I wanted to suggest an alternative.

I know so many school are peanut-free now, because for some odd reason the amount of kids with peanut allergies is increasing over time (thanks again Wikipedia), so these cookies are perfect for lunch boxes!

Sunbutter Oatmeal Cookies | Bakerita.comYou could definitely sub it in for some of my peanut butter recipes, or for this recipe, if you don’t have allergies (woohoo!) and can’t get your hands on any Sunbutter, you can definitely sub peanut butter in here.

I love the color that comes from the chocolate covered sunflower seeds, which I found at Trader Joe’s, but chocolate chips would work great here!

The cookie is chewy on the inside, with the slightest crunch around the outside. The flavor of the Sunbutter (or peanut butter, whatever floats your boat) really shines through!

Hope you enjoy!

Sunbutter Oatmeal Cookies | Bakerita.com

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Sunbutter Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1/2 cup Sunbutter (or creamy peanut butter)*
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 2/3 cup chocolate-covered sunflower seeds*

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, white sugar, and Sunbutter until smooth. Beat in the egg until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, oatmeal and chocolate-covered sunflower seeds; stir into the creamed mixture. Refrigerate for at least two hours or up to five days in a bowl covered in plastic wrap.
  3. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the outsides are set and the middle is just beginning to set. Don't over-bake. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. They should be soft. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Notes

Sunbutter can be found at most grocery stores or ordered online here. Chocolate covered sunflower seeds were found at Trader Joe's. They can be replaced with chocolate chips! Sunbutter can tend to have a weird reaction with some environments and can turn a slight greenish color if overbaked. Don't be alarmed! They'll still taste the same, it's just something happens if the Sunbutter oxidizes.

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(And back to our regularly scheduled, peanut butter filled production…)

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Browned Butter Banana Cake with Chocolate Ganache | Bakerita.com

Browned Butter Banana Cake with Chocolate Ganache

March 27, 2013 24 Comments

Browned Butter Banana Cake with Chocolate Ganache | Bakerita.comSpring break has already come and gone, in the blink of an eye. I spent mine at home in San Diego, with a brief stint in San Francisco.

San Francisco is amazing. I’ve been a few times, but I hadn’t spent time actually in the city exploring in a while, and oh man. It’s incredible! The food is just ridiculous. I could’ve spent hours in the ferry building, trying things from each of the amazing stores. I, of course, visited a ton of bakeries on my visit.

First stop was a place called Craftsman & Wolves. It’s gorgeous, so unique and interesting inside. I was meeting with another food blogger (Nicole over at Bowl Licking) and we tried some amazing stuff, including a cheddar and bacon muffin stuffed with an egg called the Rebel Within, a passionfruit sesame croissant which was ridiculous, and my favorite, a Carrot Cocoa Muffin, which I am determined to recreate since it’s not readily available to me. If you’re from the area or visiting: highly recommended!

Browned Butter Banana Cake with Chocolate Ganache | Bakerita.com

Next was the famous Tartine. Lemme just say: lives up to the reputation. We got a pain a chocolat, a plain croissant, a lemon bar and a ham and cheese croissant. My favorite was the ham and cheese croissant, though it definitely had an edge up because it was fresh out the oven. Best croissant I’ve ever had in the US, easily.

Finally, we went to this incredible bean to bar chocolate store called Dandelion. Besides just that the chocolate tastes incredible, in the store you can watch each of the processes of making the chocolate. They literally turn it from the cocoa bean to the chocolate bar right there in front of you! And the chocolate is absolutely delicious, all made with cocoa beans from small farms around the world. Of course, we had to get one of their incredible pastries. We chose the chocolate caramel pecan tart. It had a dark chocolate shortbread crust, filled with a mix of caramel, pecans, and dark big chocolate chunks. It was SO GOOD. Seriously. One of the best chocolate desserts I’ve ever had.

Browned Butter Banana Cake with Chocolate Ganache | Bakerita.comWe had some other incredible meals, but those were definitely the stand outs! It was a wonderful food filled week :)

Before San Francisco though, I was baking a ton at home! One of the stand outs from that was this cake, which was devoured more quickly than I care to admit, and that was after my dad and I refused to give out very much because we wanted it all for ourselves! It tastes homemade in the best way possible.

Browned Butter Banana Cake with Chocolate Ganache | Bakerita.comIt’s ultra-moist from the bananas, with amazing flavor from both the brown butter and the banana. It’s rich and perfectly complemented by the deep, dark, silky chocolate ganache. The rainbow sprinkles add a fun touch! Ditch the banana bread next time you have overripe bananas and try this. It’s wonderful.

Enjoy!!

IMG_3367

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Browned Butter Banana Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients

    For the cake
  • 1/2 cup butter, browned (here's a good video on (how to brown butter|http://www.thekitchn.com/basic-techniques-how-to-brown-77018)
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 3 very ripe, mashed bananas (about 1 cup)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 cups (6.4 oz) flour
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    • For the ganache
  • 1 cup chopped dark chocolate
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions

    For the cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat the sides and base of an 8 inch springform pan. Dust with flour.
  2. In a large bowl, combine browned butter, sugar, bananas, eggs and vanilla. Beat on medium high for 2 minutes. Add buttermilk and mix until combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add into the banana mixture. Beat until just combined.
  4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Place into oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge if needed and remove the sides of the springform pan. Once cool enough, remove the springform bottom and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
    5. For the ganache
  5. In the microwave, combine the chopped chocolate and heavy cream. Microwave for 45 seconds. Stir. Microwave in 10 seconds increments, stirring in between, until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy. Let cool slightly (about 5 minutes) and pour over the cooled cake.
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Cookies and Cream Cupcakes | Bakerita.com

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

March 19, 2013 21 Comments

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes | Bakerita.com

 

These Cookies and Cream Cupcakes. Oh my goodness. Honestly – the main thing I have to say about them is please, please, please make them. They’re so darn easy (they use a doctored up cake mix recipe!), you’ll get a fan club made up of everyone who tries them, and you’ll unlock the secret to eternal life.

Okay, kidding about the last one, but the other two? So true. [Read more...]

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