Dulce de Leche Shortbread Bars with Chocolate Ganache

These are super rich! So it helps if the chocolate in the glaze is really really dark, so that it’s not overly cavity-inducing sweet.
Makes 1 13”x9” pan

For the Dulce de Leche:
1.5 cans sweetened condensed milk

For the crust:
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Chocolate Sauce:
6 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72 percent cocoa), coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1 stick unsalted butter

To make Dulce de Leche: (see Note)
Empty the contents of a can into an oven-proof dish; sprinkle with some kosher salt and tightly cover it with foil.
Place the covered dish in a larger roasting or casserole pan and fill it up with water until it reaches three quarters of the up the covered dish to create a water bath. Bake at 425 degrees F for 60-90 minutes checking every 30 minutes on the water level and adding more as needed.
Dulce de leche is ready when it takes on a brown and caramel-like appearance. Remove from the oven and whisk to smoothness. Let cool before storing.

To assemble the crust:
Cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Press it into the greased baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet.
Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack.

To make the Chocolate Layer:
In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter. Microwave on high, checking and stirring every 30 seconds, until melted.

To assemble the tastiness:
Once the dulce de leche and the crust have cooled, spread the dulce de leche over the crust. Chill. Make the chocolate topping and pour evenly over the dulce de leche. If you tilt the pan back and forth this spreads the chocolate better. Chill.

Note: *Dulce de Leche (Milk Caramel)

There are several different ways to make dulce de leche. Here are the top three:

1. Oven: Empty the contents of a can into an oven-proof dish; sprinkle with some kosher salt and tightly cover it with foil.
Place the covered dish in a larger roasting or casserole pan and fill it up with water until it reaches three quarters of the up the covered dish to create a water bath. Bake at 425 degrees F for 60-90 minutes checking every 30 minutes on the water level and adding more as needed.
Dulce de leche is ready when it takes on a brown and caramel-like appearance. Remove from the oven and whisk to smoothness. Let cool before storing.

2. Stovetop: This method takes the longest, but it allows for the most control over the consistency. Remove label from can. Pierce three holes in the formation of a triangle on top of can (this is critical to release the pressure from the heat or else the can may explode.) Place the can in a sauce pan and fill the sauce pan with water three-quarters of the way up the side of the can.
Bring water to a simmer and keep it there for 3-4 hours or until desired consistency. For a thicker more syrup-like texture cook closer to 4 hours. When ready, use tongs to remove can allow to cool slightly and pour dulce de leche in a bowl and whisk to smoothness. Let cool before storing.

Stovetop Method #2: Pour one can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk into top of double-boiler pan; cover. Place over boiling water. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 40 to 50 minutes, or until thick and light caramel-colored. Remove from heat. Whisk until smooth.

3. Microwave: The fastest way, but it often yields a less smooth texture than the other two methods.
Empty contents of can in a microwave safe dish and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Cook it on medium in two minute increments stirring between each increment (be careful of any steam as you lift the plastic wrap) up to 10 minutes for  thinner pouring consistency, or up to 13-15 minutes for a thicker, syrup-like consistency. Let cool before storing.

Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Originally from allrecipes.com

These cookies were the first product to be made in our brand-new convection oven! They were gorgeous in every way…and super super tasty. Funnily enough, they came in very handy in assuaging disgruntled semi-truck drivers, slightly overwhelmed employees, and our trainer/consultant who was…a bit…yes.
May these cookies work magic for you as well! :)

I made these using a large (like…1/4 or 1/3 cup size—I think it was a #30?) ice cream scoop. Note that if you make smaller cookies (as most people will) they will probably not take as long.

Original recipe makes 1 1/2 dozen. Mine made…10 cookies. :)

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and then cooled to room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg, at room temperature
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

Refrigerate or freeze at this point—if refrigerating, at least several hours!

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Gluten-Free Baking Tips

…to be updated relatively frequently. :)
General Tips for Using Xanthan Gum and Guar Gum in Gluten-Free Cooking(from glutenfreecoooking.about.com)
Xantham gum is made by fermenting corn sugar with a microbial called "Xanthomonas campestris."
Both xantham gum and guar gum act as binders, emulsifiers, and thickeners in the absence of gluten. Without them, your baking may end up as a pile of crumbs. If, however, you use too much xantham gum, your baked goods may come out heavy, gummy, and even slimy.
So, say you are using a GF, AP flour blend that has no xantham gum in it. Therefore, when your gluten-free cookie recipe unhelpfully calls for a GF, AP flour blend containing xantham gum, you are at a loss. How much xantham gum should you use? Here are some helpful guidelines:

• Bread and pizza dough recipes: Add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum per cup of gluten-free flour used in bread and pizza dough recipes
• Cake, muffin and quick bread recipes: Add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum or guar gum per one cup of gluten-free flour used
• Cookie and bar recipes: Add 1/2 teaspoon (or less) xanthan gum or guar gum per one cup gluten-free flour used

One last tip for you: one cup of Bob's Red Mill GF AP flour is 136 grams.

Cheesecake Squares with Roasted Blueberry Compote

For crust
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, cut into large pieces
1 1/2 cups graham crackers crumbs (about 8 graham crackers, pulsed in a food processor)
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tablespoons sugar

Roasted Blueberry Compote
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 Tablespoon sugar
Juice of half a lemon, reserved
Zest of one lemon, reserved

Cheesecake Filling
1/2 cup white sugar
16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice, optional (Note: the lemon juice gives the filling a distinct flavor that some may or may not like).
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make blueberries: Heat oven to 450°F. Toss blueberries with sugar in a shallow baking dish. Roast 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, just until berries burst. Let cool, and work on the crust. While the crust is in the oven, pull out about 1/2 cup of the blueberries, add about 2 Tablespoons of water, and heat until just simmering in a heavy saucepan on medium-high heat. Mash the blueberries, using a potato masher. Add the lemon juice and about a teaspoon of the lemon zest. Sprinkle the rest of the zest over the assembled cheesecake for a garnish.

To make graham cracker crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Melt butter in microwave in heatproof bowl until just melted when stirred. Add graham cracker crumbs, salt, and sugar. Mix and then press evenly into the bottom of 8×8 baking pan.

To make Filling: Beat cream cheese on low. Add sugar, beat just until smooth—do NOT beat til fluffy. Scrape down the bowl. The key here is to not get too much air into the batter. Stir in the egg, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla and mix well. Spread filling mixture over baked crust. Swirl in some of the blueberries. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheesecake is set 2 inches from edge but the center still looks a bit wet. Do NOT open the oven door while baking. Take the cheesecake out of the oven immediately after it is done (for regular cheesecake, many people recommend leaving it in the oven with the oven off to let it cool. This is to prevent cracks. Do NOT do it for these!) Let cool on wire rack and refrigerate.

Peanut Butter Layered Chocolate Brownies

Peanut Butter Layered Chocolate Brownies

Peanut Butter Filling
1 cup (8 oz) Chunky PB
2/3 cup powdered sugar

Brownies
2.5 ounces (5 tablespoons) butter, in pieces
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

5.25 ounces (3/4 cup) sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
½ teaspoon salt
1.75 ounces (1/3 cup) all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9x9” pan.

Microwave peanut butter for about 30 seconds, then stir in powdered sugar.

Combine the chopped chocolates in a large microwave-safe bowl microwave on high for 20 seconds. Take it out, stir, and microwave again for 10 seconds. Add the butter and stir until completely melted (you can microwave again if you need to, but don’t burn the chocolate!). Whisk in the sugar, then the eggs one by one, then the vanilla, espresso, salt and finally the flour, whisking only enough to incorporate it.

Pour half into prepared pan, then dollop with the peanut butter, and spread that out. Then pour the rest of the batter on and spread.

Bake on a middle rack for 30 minutes, then rotate and check for done-ness. The brownies will take about 40-50 minutes. Cool the brownies completely, then gingerly lift them out of the pan on the foil. 

Chai Tea Concentrate

This is amazing! :)
I got the recipe from here, though I’ve made a few changes. But the wonderful thing about this recipe is you can change it according to your tastes. Yum.

Ingredients:
4-½ cups Water
1 stick Cinnamon
1 1/2-inch long piece Fresh Ginger Chopped
7 whole Cardamom Pods
2 whole Star Anise Pods
10 whole Cloves
¼ teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper (I used peppercorns, about half a teaspoon)
½ teaspoons Freshly-ground Nutmeg
1 teaspoon Orange Zest
10 teaspoons Green Or Black Tea Or 10 Tea Bags (I like the taste of green tea better. Use about 30 grams looseleaf green tea, I think)
(Note: If using green tea, especially if it’s loose leaf green tea, use water that’s slightly under boiling temperature)

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 Tablespoon Vanilla

Directions:
Bring the water to a boil. Put all of the dried spices into a large bowl and lightly crush with a potato masher. Add the orange peel, fresh ginger, and tea leaves, and pour the water over. Let steep 15-20 minutes, depending on how strong you want it and on the kind of tea you use. Strain and add the brown sugar, honey, and vanilla. Stir to combine.

Mix 1 part concentrate with 1 part milk, heat and enjoy or pour over ice.
This concentrate will keep in the fridge for around 2 weeks. Or you can freeze it in an ice cube tray and use it as ice cubes in tasty iced chai! :)

Sour Cream Muffins

This recipe from Joepastry.com has taken over from the other muffin recipe I had been using. Thanks to the acidity in the sour cream, it is far more moist. Which equals yummy. :)
His notes on muffins are super helpful. In fact, his notes on just about anything are super helpful. Read on here: http://www.joepastry.com/2012/making-blueberry-muffins/

Ingredients:
10 ounces (2 cups) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
5.25 ounces (3/4 cup) sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
4.25 ounces (1/2 cup) sour cream, room temperature
2 ounces (1/4 cup) milk, room temperature
about 1 1/2- 2 cups berries (3/4 – 1 cup chocolate piece or nuts)
(Note: If using blueberries, make sure they’re thawed through first! Other berries “weep” more, so are better if slightly frozen beforehand.)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a muffin mold. Sift the dry ingredients except for the sugar together into a medium bowl. In a large bowl cream the sugar and the butter with a wooden spoon until it’s light and fluffy. Beat the eggs into the butter/sugar mixture one at a time, then the sour cream and milk. Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl and gently fold it all together, leaving a few spots of unmixed flour. Add the…whatever, and stir until it’s all just incorporated. Fill the molds about 3/4 of the way to the top. Bake for 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and eat!
To make into bread: