Espresso Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies

I promised I would put up the recipe for my espresso rye chocolate chip cookies, so here they are!

Occasionally, when a strong craving for chocolate kicks in, I would daydream about desserts that would be bursting full of chocolate goodness, such as brownies, chocolate cake, or chocolate chip cookies.

The past few days have been like that. I have been yearning to eat something chocolate-related and I have even lined up on my to-bake list a row of chocolate treats that I will make once I have more time (I can't wait!). Thankfully, there were still balls of espresso rye chocolate chip cookie dough sitting in the freezer from the last time I made these (i.e. two weeks ago), waiting to be baked and devoured. 

Is it okay for me to say that these are arguably my favourite cookies? They are dangerously delicious –crispy edges, chewy middles, melted chocolate pools with its flavour slightly elevated by the espresso, an extra crunch from added cocoa nibs (I love cocoa nibs), a hint of saltiness from the flaky sea salt and a heartiness from the rye. Left unchecked, I might just eat too many at one go. 

You need to make these now, and eat them. A lot of them. 

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Espresso Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 32 cookies

Ingredie

• 130 grams (approx 1 1/4 cup) rye flour

• 230 grams (approx 1 3/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour

• 2 tablespoon espresso powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 226 grams (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling

• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 150 grams (3/4 cup) granulated sugar

• 200 grams (1 cup) brown sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 340 grams dark chocolate, roughly chopped or dark chocolate chips (at least 60%)

• 50 g (approx. 1/3 cup) cocoa nibs

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Sift together flours, baking soda, baking powder and espresso powder in a large bowl. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, use a hand-held mixer or stand mixer to cream together butter, sugars, salt and nutmeg until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and cream until combined.

4. Add dry ingredients into butter mixture and stir until almost combined. Stir in the cocoa nibs, as well as the chocolate, reserving a handful of larger chocolate chunks for placing on top of the cookie dough balls later (This is completely optional. I like to to do this because it gives the larger sections of chocolate and also makes the cookies look prettier.). Stir until combined. Do not over-mix.

5. Using a cookie scoop, scoop about 32 cookies. Each cookie would weigh about 40 to 45 g. Place onto baking sheet and cover with cling wrap.*

6. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour or overnight. This allows the flavours to develop even more!

7. To bake, place cookie dough balls at least 1 1/2 inches apart from each other as the cookies will spread. Bake for 15 minutes, or until edges are golden.

8. Let cool on pan for 5 min before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely (or just eat it warm. Yum!). 

*At this point, you can freeze the cookie dough balls in freezer safe ziplock bags for one month. Bake directly from the freezer, adding 2 minutes to the total baking time.

#cookies #dessert

Carrot Cupcakes with Caramelised White Chocolate Buttercream (and a New Blog Domain!)

It's me again with happy news AND another recipe!

First things first. The happy news is that I've finally decided, after much consideration, to get my own blog domain! It's really a milestone for me as a food blogger and for this very blog! Initially, I wrestled with giving my blog its own name because doing so would mean that I was willing to commit 100% to this blog; however, I was doubtful of myself at first, thinking to myself whether I would be able to commit. Eventually, I decided to go ahead with it because I felt that it was time to truly make this blog my own, by giving it its own name. Needless to say, I am thrilled to finally call this blog my very own! It is still a very basic, simple blog, so I hope to really make this space shine as I improve and hone my craft over time.

Secondly, this post is long overdue because I actually made these carrot cupcakes with caramelised white chocolate buttercream in April, for Good Friday, to share with my friends and family. I had said on my Instagram that I would post the recipe for these, but once again, the challenge of balancing work, rest and blogging overtook me for a bit. Days passed, and soon, it was already May!

I had thought that maybe it was too late to post the cupcake recipe and perhaps you had forgotten all about it already. However, I decided that I should ask all of you for your opinions, so I did a small poll on my Instagram Stories asking whether or not you would still want the recipe for these carrot cupcakes, and all of you said yes! Honestly I was not expecting any response and I was pleasantly surprised to be proven otherwise! You guys are great!

If there's anything I have learnt, it is that I shouldn't sit on something for too long, even if I have valid reasons (e.g. work commitments) for delaying it. If I say I would do something, such as share a recipe, I should do it asap! So thank you everyone, for being patient with me and for still wanting to see what I have to share. It truly is very encouraging!

Coming back to these cupcakes, I think carrot cake is almost a classic. You can find it in most cake specialty shops, cafés, and bakeries. It is common (especially the combination of carrot cake and cream cheese frosting), yet warm and comforting, like a familiar friend (besides chocolate cake, of course, because let's be honest, chocolate is the best thing ever).

At the same time, there are tons of variations of carrot cake out there (seriously, just Google "carrot cake"; you'll find an endless list of them!) that it makes me wonder, does the Internet really need another carrot cake recipe? Am I adding value in any way? After much pondering, I realised that:

1. It is okay to share something that is already out there because it is something that I love and would want people to know about.

2. My version of carrot cake is different from some of the other variations of carrot cake out there (a bit more on that below), which would offer people a choice in what their favourite variation of carrot cake would be (just like chocolate chip cookies, where there is no one right way to do it and it really boils down to personal preference).

3. Every food blogger needs to go through a rite of passage to making their food blog legit through posting his/her recipe for carrot cake (ha ha! Okay I'm just kidding about point 3, but really, almost every food blog I follow and read have at least one carrot cake recipe, so I'm learning from the pros here!).

To elaborate a bit more on Point 2 above, the carrot cupcake itself is simple. What elevates these cupcakes is that they are frosted with caramelised white chocolate ermine buttercream. Yes, that's right. This buttercream is so delicious that you could eat it on its own. The caramelised white chocolate takes this otherwise regular buttercream to another level. I topped it off with toasted walnuts for an added textural dimension to these otherwise soft cupcakes.

A few notes on the buttercream:

1. Ermine buttercream (aka flour buttercream or boiled milk frosting) is my favourite go-to buttercream. I just love it's silky and fluffy texture, its delicate flavour, and also the fact that it's not too sweet.

2. Ermine buttercream is made by cooking milk, sugar and flour together over a medium heat, until the mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency. This pudding is chilled and then later added into whipped butter. It sounds like a lot of work but it's really simple once you get into it!

3. Ermine buttercream can take additions of other flavours, such as melted chocolate, spreads (peanut butter, Nutella, Speculoos, etc) and jams. Don't go overboard with the additions though, as too much additional moisture from the add-ons would make the buttercream too soft.

4. I used Valrhona Dulcey 32% chocolate. I melted the chocolate fèves, let the melted chocolate cool, and added it into the finished ermine buttercream. You could also caramelise your own white chocolate (I'll elaborate more on that below) – just make sure to use high quality white chocolate, not white chocolate chips. Alternatively, you could just use white chocolate (not caramelised) – it would taste different but the overall cupcake would still taste as good!

That's all! Whew! All that's left to do now is for you to make and eat these for yourself.

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Carrot Cupcakes with Caramelised White Chocolate Buttercream

Yields about 22 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 310 g (2 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/8 tsp allspice

• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 150 g (3/4 cup) white granulated sugar

• 200 g (3/4 cup) light or dark brown sugar

• 3 large eggs

• 156 g (240 ml or 1 cup) vegetable oil

• 3/4 cup (180 g) Greek yogurt

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 350 g (about 6 medium carrots) grated fresh carrots

For the caramelised white chocolate ermine buttercream:

• 30 g (about 2 Tbs) all-purpose flour

• 100 g (about 1/2 cup) white granulated sugar

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 250 g (about 1 cup or 240 ml) whole milk

• 226 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1 Tbs vanilla extract

• 200 g caramelised white chocolate*

• 100 g (about 1 cup) toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

*If caramelising your own white chocolate:

• 240 g good quality white chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Method

To caramelise white chocolate:

1. Preheat the oven to 130 °C.

2. Scatter white chocolate pieces onto a baking tray. Bake the chocolate for 40 minutes, removing from the oven every 5 minutes to stir.

3. After about 30 minutes, the chocolate will caramelise and gradually turn amber. Remove from oven and place into a bowl. Stir vigorously until a liquid resembling melted chocolate forms. Set aside to cool.

To toast walnuts:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

2. Roughly chop the walnuts and scatter onto a baking tray. Toast the nuts in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely.

For the ermine buttercream:

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together flour, sugar, salt and whole milk until there are no more lumps.

2. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook the mixture until it thickens to a pudding.

3. Sieve the pudding into a large bowl to get rid of any lumps. Cover the bowl with cling wrap, ensuring that the cling wrap touches the surface of the pudding. This is to prevent a skin from forming on the pudding. Set the pudding aside to cool completely. (You can make the pudding one day in advance.)

4. In another large bowl, use a stand mixer or hand-held mixer to whip the butter for 5 minutes until it is light and fluffy.

5. One spoonful at a time, add the pudding mixture to the whipped butter, whisking consistently, until the buttercream forms and is light, fluffy and delicious.

6. Add vanilla and melted and cool caramelised white chocolate into the buttercream. Whip until all the white chocolate is integrated into the buttercream. Set buttercream aside.

For the cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 ºC and line cupcake tins with cupcake liners.

2. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices into a bowl. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugars, eggs, oil, Greek yogurt and vanilla.

4. Add egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Do not over-mix.

5. Gently fold in the carrots.

6. Pour the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them up about two-thirds full. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cupcake comes out clean and the cupcake springs back lightly when you touch it. Let the cupcakes cool before decorating with buttercream.

To assemble:

1. Fit a 6B piping tip into a piping bag and fill the bag with buttercream. Pipe buttercream onto the cupcake, starting from the centre of the cupcake and going outwards in a circle. Sprinkle walnuts on top.

2. Enjoy one (or more) cupcakes!

#cake #cupcake #dessert

Flourless Chocolate Cake (+ First Post of 2019!)

I'm finally back updating my blog! At last I'm here to break the deafening silence with a new recipe! Hooray! *throws confetti*

Doesn't it look good?!

Before I dive into this extremely delicious recipe for flourless chocolate cake, I feel that I must say this first: happy new year! Yes, I know it is already April and a good quarter (almost a third, actually) of the year has passed, so it might be too late for me to offer my well wishes for the new year. However, having not said a word on this space at all for 2019 so far, I thought wishing all of you a happy 2019 was mandatory and the least I could do. So greetings to you in this new year, everyone! I hope all of you have been having a good year so far. And if it has been less than ideal for you, don't lose heart and keep pressing on; things will get better!

For me, 2019 started less than ideally. In fact, I began the year celebrating my birthday with a terrible cold. I remember feeling a hint of physical fatigue on New Year's Eve – the kind of feeling you would get when you are on the verge of sickness but not quite. At turn of the new year, my cold and sore throat worsened and peaked on my birthday. On top of that, I still had to work. Thankfully, despite my weakened state, I was still able to celebrate my birthday and spend time with loved ones. Eventually, as the weeks passed, my cold subsided, and life went on as usual. The busyness of everyday swept me along. Soon, before I had even begun to realise it, March had come and gone without me breathing a single word on this blog!

So here is my resolution, and you are my witnesses: I am going to commit to updating this space at least once a month. That's right. Once a month. I foresee it to be quite a tall order I have set for myself, considering my commitments, and I do so with full knowledge of the fact that I will be busy. But this blog is something I have chosen to create and to bring (back) to life. It is something I have chosen to invest time and my creative energies into. Furthermore, baking and photography are the things that I really love to do and am committed to keep doing, learning and sharing. So once a month it is. It will be tough at times but it definitely is doable. Yeah! I can do this!

Anyway, let's get back to talking about cake. Specifically, let's talk about this cake. This flourless chocolate cake. Regardless of how your year has been so far, how busy or not busy you are, or whether you even like cake, this flourless chocolate cake is really good. Prior to last Sunday, I had never even tried making nor eaten flourless chocolate cake before (I mean, how is that even possible for someone like me who claims to like cake, right?!) and the first thing I thought to myself as I was making this was, "Why did I not try this sooner?"

This cake manages to be both fudgy and slightly fluffy at the same time – it's like a fudgy brownie, except that it also melts in your mouth. It is insanely rich, bursting with an intense dark chocolate flavour. It also has a hint of coffee as I added a little bit of instant espresso powder. Personally, I feel that a little bit of coffee goes a long way in elevating the flavours of chocolate. However if you don't like the taste of coffee or can't take coffee, feel free to omit it.

You know what the best part is? This cake contains very simple ingredients that you would probably have at home already. Eggs, sugar, butter, dark chocolate. Really, that's all it takes to make this cake. Just a note on chocolate, though: be sure to use the highest quality chocolate possible. I used 70% Callebaut callets. The reason for using the best chocolate you can get your hands on is because chocolate is the star in this cake; it is the main flavour. Skimping on the quality of the chocolate would drastically alter the final product. So be sure to get a good quality dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa).

Sometimes, you can have your cake and eat it. You have to make this! If you do, let me know how it is. I assure you that you would love it.

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Flourless Chocolate Cake

Serves 12 (or less – I mean, you could just eat it on your own)

Ingredients

• 300 g dark chocolate, chopped (at least 70% cocoa)

• 145 g (1/2 cup + 2 Tbs) unsalted butter, cubed

• 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder (optional)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional, but recommended)

• 40 g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder

• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

• 8 medium eggs, separated

• 200 g (3/4 cup + 2 Tbs) caster sugar

• Extra cocoa powder and blackberries, for garnishing

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 ºC and line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.

2. In a large heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt the dark chocolate, unsalted butter, instant espresso powder and salt together until smooth. Set it aside and allow it to cool slightly.

3. Stir in half of the sugar.

4. Add the 8 egg yolks to the cooled chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. Then, stir in vanilla extract.

5. Sift in the cocoa powder and mix until well-combined. The mixture might become a bit grainy but that's normal.

6. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, whisk the egg whites in a large clean bowl until they begin to foam.

7. Add the remaining sugar gradually, bit by bit, whisking at the same time. What you are doing is making a meringue*. Whisk until the meringue forms almost stiff peaks.

8. Gently fold in one-third of the meringue until incorporated with the chocolate mixture. This is to loosen up the chocolate mixture.

9. Fold in the remaining meringue. Do so gently as you do not want to knock out too much air. The air that you have created by whisking the egg whites is crucial in allowing this cake to rise as this cake does not use any other leavening agents.

10. Transfer the batter into the lined springform pan. Smooth out the top of the batter.

11. Bake at 180 ºC for 30 to 35 minutes or until risen. To check for done-ness, insert a skewer or toothpick into the middle of the cake. There should still be some moist crumbs and half-baked batter on the skewer. Do not over-bake the cake as it will continue to cook as it cools and would become dry if over-baked.

12. Allow to cool in the springform pan for 5 to 10 minutes before removing it from the pan to cool completely. The cake might sink a little in the middle as it cools (although mine didn't sink much). This is normal.

13. To serve, dust the cake with cocoa powder and decorate with blackberries (or any other garnishes that you like, such as ice cream, vanilla greek yogurt, whipped cream, etc). Enjoy!

*Note: When making meringue, ensure that the bowl you use is completely clean and free of any grease or oil. There should also not be a trace of egg yolk in the egg whites. Any form of fat will prevent the meringue from forming.

#baking #chocolate #dessert #cake