Gingerbread White Chocolate Blondies

I've had my eye on these for aaaages and I finally got around to making them this week. (Tip-Writing down a list of all the things you want to bake is really effective in getting rid of baker's block! I think it's safe to say that I'm back on my baking game!) I happen to love gingerbread and I think the pairing of the spices with white chocolate is brilliant and not just in terms of the color contrast. Put that into moist, fudgy bar form, and you have a winning combination. (I wonder how it would play out in a scone....) Anyway, I did make a couple of changes based on the reviews on the Martha Stewart website and they were to cut down the butter/margarine. Reviewers complained they were too greasy so I used a bit less than two sticks rather than two and a half. Also, I baked them in a 9x13 pan for thicker blondies, rather than in an 11x7 pan for a thin blondie, as pictured on the site. These cookies were a hit with the girls! I'm always very surprised when they taste things other than chocolate. They were a bit wary of them at first- many didnt even know what gingerbread was! (Don't worry, I educated them fast!) After they got passed the name, they tasted and loved them. The few pieces that were left were finished the next morning by my roommates, who werent dairy at the time of baking. They subsequently declared them very delicious. :)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

This past Shabbat, I returned to Bar Ilan (ahhhh) to visit my dear friend, S. She recently spent Shabbat by me (the one where I cooked!) making this past weekend my turn. She asked me to bring challot (Mommy's challot) and dessert. Although I didnt have a lot of time, I knew exactly what I wanted to make! Obviously a pie! (I'm on a bit of a pie kick- can you tell?) But not just any pie! The weekend before, I was at my sister's and she served a chocolate chip cookie pie. Bingo! Her pie looked quite cake like and was baked in a store bought shell. I wanted something really more cookie like and in a homemade shell. In my first or second year, I made a pie like this from Carole Walter's book and it really was a cookie in a pie shell. I went in a slightly different direction, using the Tollhouse Pie from the Baked cookbook, after seeing rave reviews on blog throughout the internet. Described as a "cross between a pecan pie and a chocolate chip cookie", this pie is made with whiskey, which I swapped for vanilla, and does indeed turn out with a nice gooey texture, although you probably can't tell that from the matte looking surface of the pie. The chocolate chips sink to the bottom forming a nice chocolatey layer. I used their pie crust recipe and chilled it thoroughly baking. The filling was done before the bottom of the crust had much color so I turned off the top heating element to cook the bottom more. The result was a home run of a pie- not a crumb left in sight. S commented that she usually hates pie crust but that she loved this. She actually kept raving about it, which she said was a pretty good indicator of how she liked it. The sentiment was echoed by everyone who tasted it. In lieu of a microwave, as the Baked authors suggest, I just heated this pie up on the hot plate well before dessert time and it was perfect. Ice cream is a must, but you'll love it without it, too.

Mommy's Challot

Chodesh tov and happy Adar! New week, new month, new challah recipe. I thought I was done with my challah exploits, but it seems I can't resist trying a new recipe. These challot are special to me because the recipe is none other than my own mother's. Growing up, I can't remember a time when we always had homemade challah. It was very rare that my mother baked them, but when she did, it was a special treat. At some point in high school, I remember her making a honey whole wheat challah for Sukkot, and it was very shortly after that I started to bake challot myself. I have very warm memories of my mother's kitchen- she's a fantastic cook and baker. When the smell of these wafted from the oven and even more so when I took my first bite, I was brought back to her kitchen. I don't know why it took me so long to make them, but they turned out so well. The texture was so nice and fluffy, but the flavor was all water challah, just like I like it. I made half a recipe but doubled the salt and switched from fresh yeast to dry, as that is what I use these days. I also cannot overstate the importance of sesame seeds on top of challot. I don't know why I didnt insist on them all the time. They are delicious! This bake is also unique in that it's the first time I tried this brand new flour type, Stybel #18, flour especially for challot, hence the picture on the bag. I stumbled on it in the supermarket, and unable to resist anything challah related, I bought a bag to try this time.....

Brownie Pie with Peanut Butter Crust

Chocolate and peanut butter... making its second appearance in a pie in the last month. All I gotta say is that people here love chocolate and peanut butter and I looooove making pie. So making this pie for our weekly meeting was a no-brainer. Well actually it was a brainer, because the original recipe for this (which comes from Pie by Ken Haedrich) did not call for a peanut butter crust. I happened to have some leftover dough from the Peanut Butter and Jelly bars. Not wanting to waste, I thought it would work perfectly as a pie crust. Work perfectly? Certainly did and definitely elevated this brownie pie to new heights. Moving on to the brownie pie itself..... The filling comes together much like the typical brownie, except for the fact that the eggs are beaten for four minutes until fluffy, giving the filling extra lift in the oven. The nice crunch meringue like crust totally belied the ooey gooey chocolately filling inside. I threw in a handful of chocolate chips for good measure and would swap in some cocoa for flour next time to make this pie even more chocolatey. This pie won raves all around and after the meeting was over, it didnt last long in my room when the girls found it. Apparently I outdid myself with this one. Try it, even with a regular pastry crust, you wont be disappointed. Vanilla ice cream, anyone?

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Grow up on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? I didnt, but that didn't stop me from making these Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars. Even if you're not nostalgic for that classic childhood treat, these are a fun and easy cookie, perfect for the lunchbox (protein and fruit!) or for anytime. The recipe comes from Martha Stewart's Cookie book, a book that has fast become a reliable point of reference for a good cookie bake. A peanut butter dough is made, and most of it lines the bottom of a pan. Then the dough is topped with jelly, I used strawberry, and the remaining dough is crumbled on top of that. The dough was extremely easy to handle, allowing me to pat it in the pan easily. I omitted the chopped peanuts from on top, but add them back, if desired. I didnt chill these bars as directed before serving as I didnt want to keep the girls waiting, but I dont think any damage was done. Cut these bars small, a little will go a long way. Serve with tall glasses of cold milk, if desired.