chocolate peppermint bark cookies

so here i am. it's been almost a year now since i've last written anything. what brought me back? the memories of good food, great meals, and fabulous friends. this is my food diary of sorts, for foods and times i don't want to forget. over the past number of months, i've enjoyed looking back at these posts, laughing at my writing and myself, and becoming nostalgic for some of these dishes and meals and the times with my friends. you know what? i still love to cook and i still love to take photos and im still trying to learn more and more about both, so why not share my experience here? why not have a medium to look back and see and remember all these things? so, here are some cookies i found particularly yummy. a little something to start off the holiday season and the coming new year.

chocolate peppermint bark cookies

straight from Bon Appetit, December 2009

nonstick vegetable oil spray

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg yolk
• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped candy canes
• 2 ounces high-quality white chocolate

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pan with long strip of 9-inch-wide parchment paper, leaving overhang on both short sides of pan. Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar. Continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla, then egg yolk. Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed just to blend.

• Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into prepared baking pan, spacing evenly. Using moistened fingertips, press dough to form even layer over bottom of pan. Pierce dough all over with fork.
• Bake cookie base until light golden brown and slightly puffed and edges begin to come away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes. Place pan on rack; immediately sprinkle bittersweet chocolate over. Let stand until chocolate softens, about 3 minutes. Using small offset spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate over top of cookie in thin even layer. Immediately sprinkle chopped peppermint candies over.
• Stir white chocolate in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Using fork, drizzle white chocolate all over cookies. Chill until white chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.
• Using paper overhang as aid, lift cookie from pan and transfer to work surface. Using large knife, cut cookie into irregular pieces. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in refrigerator in airtight containers between layers of waxed paper or parchment paper.

the best classic brownies

One of the few similarities between my closet and my kitchen is that I often think of clothing and recipes in two distinct ways. First there are the classics. For clothing these are investments that will remain staples in my closet forever, that I tend to splurge on because I believe in quality over quantity in this category. For food these are recipes that I know I will make again and again, that I will always love and never want to forget. Second there are the trends. For clothing, these are, of course, items that may not remain en vogue forever, that are fun, flirty, or whimsical, but not classic, and that I tend to purchase for hints of fun in my wardrobe, but rarely do I pay much for them. For food, these are recipes I try, that may or may not be fabulously delicious, but I know I will never make again, because there are so many iterations, so many flavor combinations to play with, too many things to do! For the ones that are fabulously delicious, I take pictures and share them with you.

This recipe, as is clear by the title of the post, falls into the "classics" category. After I made these brownies, I knew after the first bite that I never had to look for another brownie recipe again. They are, to me, the perfect texture, flavor, and level of sweetness. They are originally from Cooks Illustrated, and the recipe can be found here, but I did quite a bit of tweaking to them, to work with ingredients I already had on hand/ that I wanted to use in stead. Enjoy!

the best classic brownies

1 1/4 c cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 c sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp brewed coffee
1 c walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 13x9-inch dish with foil, and grease pan.

On a cookie sheet, evenly spread walnuts and toast nuts 5-8 minutes. Set aside to let cool.

Sift together cake flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside. In a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter together. Once melted completely, remove from heat and gradually whisk in sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, whisking to combine. Add in vanilla extract and coffee and whisk. Fold in flour mixture until just combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Sprinkle nuts evenly over the top and bake 30-35 minutes until moist crumbs attach to a toothpick inserted in the middle (making sure wet batter is not attached, but the toothpick is not completely clean). Remove to a wire rack to cool about two hours.

retox, part 1: basic belgian waffles

As I am sitting here thinking of writing about today's kitchen adventures, pangs of guilt are running through me. I am thinking, "Did I learn nothing from this detox?", though I know that the answer to that question is no, I definitely learned from the past week. After it all, I did feel healthier and debatably more energetic. However, I started this blog because I love to make and eat delicious food, and today is a day of rejoicing in that delicious food and celebrating a successful week of detox and finally giving a proper toast (with wine) to my new job! So there's my thought process in making this day of gluttony, after a week long diet, acceptable.

We started the day with Belgian waffles, and coffee, of course, and that's what I'm here to mention. These waffles were not fabulously different from other waffles, they weren't run out and go get a new waffle iron and make these right away waffles, but they were simply delicious, and fluffy basic Belgian waffles. I'm posting this for me, as much as for you, because this is a fabulous recipe to work with and expand upon, and I intend to do so. So, here begins today's retox journey. I'm too embarrassed to tell you the rest right now... perhaps tomorrow! (P.S. Laura, if you read this, maybe you can give me some good tips on very authentic Belgian waffles??)

Basic Belgian Waffles
from Emeril Lagasse. Serves 10-12 4x4-inch waffles

2 c cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs, separated
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 c milk
non-stick cooking spray

Preheat waffle iron.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a second bowl, use a wooden spoon to beat together egg yolks and sugar until sugar is dissolved and eggs are pale yellow. Add the vanilla extract, melted butter, and milk to the eggs and whisk to combine. Combine milk-egg mixture with flour mixture and whisk just until blended. In a third bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Gently fold egg whites into waffle batter, making sure not to overmix. Coat the waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray and pour enough batter in iron to just cover waffle grid. Close and cook as per manufacturer's instructions, until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately.

the detox ends

Well, folks, today ends the week long detox for Kevin and I. It hasn't been quite as difficult as either of us imagined it would be. Both of us had occasional cravings (meat for him and sweets for me), but we were able to pass those by, even in difficult circumstances (K. passed up _free_ pizza, sat without taking a bite as his whole research group ate around him, knowing that all he had to go to was some slightly bland broccoli soup). I had to prepare my meals while staring at food I so badly wanted to eat, but could not: a pint of ice cream in the freezer, boxes of leftover candy from the movies, etc.

Many of the meals I prepared were less than stellar. Of course it's hard to make really delicious meals with so many restrictions. I salted things still, but only slightly, and many of the dishes were just a little too bland to talk about. My personal favorite were the smoothies we made, for breakfast at times and for dessert at others. They simply consist of frozen fruits and almond milk (and once a little drizzle of honey). I also have to say, if you're lactose intolerant or just simply trying to stray from cow's milk, try almond milk if you haven't already. There is something I don't like about soy milk and rice milk, but almond milk simply tastes like what it is, almonds in a slurry with water. I have to say that I like it.

So here are some of the meals we ate, some of them good, some could use more work. If you ever want more details on the recipes, just let me know! Meals: Broccoli Soup, Avocado and Cucumber Soup (from the GOOP newsletter), Rice Noodle and Vegetable Soup, Vegetable Stirfry (Sauce of simply chili powder, garlic, and lime juice and zest), Oatmeal (w. cinnamon and apples, w. bananas, w. nuts and honey), salads with avocados and homemade dressings, homemade green curry with vegetables...

Though I feel a little lighter, a little healthier, and happy to know I could make it through a week as a vegan and with total consciousness of what's on my plate and in my food, I am ready to be conscious of meat in my dishes, and ice cream for dessert. Though I am also very happy to know that I can subsist without coffee, I still love its taste and smell, and I'm excited to get back to a morning cup or two. Below, is an exert of my grocery list for today. You can see the things we've missed most, and we're celebrating the end of this detox with red meat, red wine, and brownie sundaes. Go big or go home, I guess.

put on your party hats

today, i was going to bring you a little up to date on the progress of the detox diet. i was going to tell you about all the splendid fruits and vegetables, how great oatmeal can taste in the morning, how a piece of halibut can taste so rich and hearty after days of eating only vegetables and grains. but, not today. today, i am going to tell you to put on your party hats. today, i am going to tell you to celebrate with me, because, today, i got a job. today, i am an engineer in this place they call the "real world", and today, i am excited.