Anne's Double Chocolate Brownies

BEFORE THESE DELICIOUS LOOKING BROWNIES WERE BAKED, THERE WAS A BIT OF A MELTDOWN.

I had a hard day. All I wanted was to make some brownies. Of course, I like to try different recipes so this time I chose Martha Stewart's Chocolate Brownies. The minute I cut the brownies I could tell they weren't what I was hoping for. They were as cakey as can be and extremely dry even though I baked them for only 25 minutes! Now I don't say this often, but when I tried a piece the first words that came out was "oh gross!". Well, there you have it: a brownie failure. I threw them out. I still wanted a brownie, and now I was more determined than ever to create a complete opposite of  the brownies I just threw away.

Sugar & Spice Pumpkin Pie And A Decorative Pie Crust Tutorial

I know this pie maybe a little late, because Thanksgiving was a couple of days ago, But I couldn't post the recipe until it was tasted and reviewed. All I can say is bookmark this pie for next year! It is a great recipe with amazing spices. The pie's crust was the easiest I have ever worked with, so it was really a pleasure preparing the pie. It was a great finish to a delicious meal!

Honey Yeast Rolls

These rolls are going to be served for Thanksgiving tonight, and I kept telling myself I wouldn't try one until the meal. Well, that didn't go so well... The smell alone during baking was too much to resist! So I gave in to my cravings, and halved one roll with my sister (who is really to blame for this!). These rolls are so good! They are really soft and have just the right amount of honey. I hid them, to make sure I will have some left for Thanksgiving! Believe me, I wouldn't mind having them every day.

Buttermilk Cupcakes With Dulce De Leche Buttercream

I told you I would put the homemade dulce de leche to good use! There is nothing better than a light fluffy cupcake with a rich delicious buttercream. I was debating what cupcake to make with the dulce de leche, I was even considering chocolate, but then I thought it would be best to make something simple. Because the buttercream is quite rich I didn't want anything to take away from it. I'm glad I chose this buttermilk cupcake! It worked perfectly together. 

I must confess something. I often find icings too sweet, so I usually halve the icing sugar, which I did also in this case. I mean 4 cups is a lot of sugar! Anyway, I'm just saying that I don't believe in following the recipe to its every detail. Sometimes recipes should be  more of a guideline (does this make sense?). I finished up the cupcakes with a sprinkle of purple sugar crystals, which I thought looked really cute!

Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake

 

This cake is one of my favorites (after chocolate cakes, of course). I think I have mentioned this before, but I believe sugar and cinnamon are soul mates, and this cake is the marriage! I can't even remember where I got this recipe, I've had it a really long time. It is a classic bundt cake with delicious cinnamon filling and a milk glaze. I haven't come across anyone who didn't enjoy this cake. If you are debating what dessert to make this should be on your list!

Olive Oil Ginger Cookies

Recently there has been a really bad shortage of butter here in Israel. I know, a bakers worst nightmare! Apparently we are in this situation because it has been so unusually hot, and  the cow's milk doesn't have enough fat in it. I really hope this will be resolved soon. I stocked up on butter, but I have to use it wisely. 

How to make a dessert without butter? you use oil. The one positive thing about the situation is I made healthier cookies, and they weren't bad. Oil makes the cookies more cakey, which I enjoy a lot. The first day I thought the olive oil was too overwhelming, but the next day it settled, and had a nice flavor. 

Homemade Dulce De Leche

Dulce De Leche means milk caramel in Spanish. Sounds better in Spanish, doesn't it? I came up with the idea of making Dulce De Leche from scratch, when I saw a cupcake recipe with Dulce De Leche buttercream (hopefully I'll make it sometime next week). I thought to myself why not make my own? So first I searched for recipes to see if it can be done without too much heartache! I found a recipe on the Food Network, and noticed that it says the cook time takes 3 hours! But after reading through I understood that you really don't need to do much in those three hours. The milk and sugar are just left alone to cook, all you need to do is check up on it and stir occasionally. 

I was never the biggest fan of Dulce De Leche, but maybe the reason for that was I had never tasted it fresh. Believe me, it is delicious fresh and warm!  So don't be intimidated by making your own, because it really isn't as hard as it seems.

Vermont Maple Oatmeal Bread

Sometimes when I have a ingredient in the kitchen that needs to be used (before the expiration date, for example), I will look up a recipe with that specific ingredient. I'm sure I am not the only one who does this. This time I had about a 1/4 bottle of maple syrup in the fridge, so I decided to use that in my next baking project. I was in the mood for bread, and luckily had some time on my hands, so the rising of the dough wasn't a problem. This recipe looked really delicious, you can't go wrong with oatmeal and maple together. I didn't have any maple sugar, so I just left that out. The bread turned out really fabulous. It had just the right amount of maple flavor, and the cinnamon was a great touch. The bread has already been eaten up! 

Tartine Brownies

As promised I am not giving up on the best brownie search, but I am not sure I have to continue. This recipe is so brownielicious (hey I'm pretty sure that's a word!). Are you ready for this? The brownies contain 1 pound of chocolate, which is double the amount in most recipes. The brownies are so fudgy and amazing, plus they are also very light. They deliver an intense chocolate and brown sugar flavor. It is the kind of brownie you can have one piece and be satisfied. The recipe I found on Fake Ginger, but is originally from the Tartine cookbook. Move over The Ultimate Brownie you have been replaced. Believe me, you must try this recipe it is great!

Chocolate Chip Oreo Chunk Cookies

ummm a cookie inside a cookie? what a brilliant idea!

After making the Oreo Cupcakes I couldn't help looking for new ways to incorporate Oreo's in my baking. Finally I found this recipe on crepesofwrath.net and knew I had to make them right away. Not only do they have Oreo chunks in them, but they are loaded with chocolate chip & white chocolate. Could you really ask for more? believe me they taste as good as they sound - maybe even better. Even my sister who is not the biggest Oreo fan (I know it is weird) loves them. One bite has so much flavor and texture, it is really amazing!

Brown Sugar Cake with Caramel Frosting

This recipe I had sitting around in my folder for a while now. Every time I told myself this week I'll make it, something got in the way. Finally its time had come, and of course it ends up being one of the best cakes I've baked in the past couple of months. WOW is all I have to say about this delicious cake. It sure delivers great flavor, due to all the brown sugar and caramel, and is very moist. Some who have tasted the cake asked if it has maple syrup in it! The cake also looks pretty. I love how the frosting basically covers the whole cake. It disappeared quite fast for such a large and intense cake, which is always the best compliment.