National Brownie Day: How Temperature, Butter, & Sugar Affect Your Brownies

Today is National Brownie Day! Be sure to search on DyingforChocolate.com for 150+ Brownie recipes. as I always say, you can never have enough recipes! 

A few years ago I came across this handy dandy chart at Delish on How Temperature, Butter, and Sugar Affect Your Brownies. All you need to know in one place. So helpful! Thanks, Delish! Be sure and check out lots of Brownie Recipes here on DyingforChocolate.com, as well as at Delish.com.

COTTON CANDY HOT CHOCOLATE: Cotton Candy Day

Today is Cotton Candy Day which seems odd since I always associate Cotton Candy with summer. Growing up we bought Cotton Candy fresh from the spinner at the Fair, the Carnival, on the Pier, or at the Amusement Park, all summer activities in my hemisphere. Now, you can buy Cotton Candy already made and packaged at the candy store or supermarket. You can also make your own using a Cotton Candy home machine available on Amazon and elsewhere. Cotton Candy used to be pink only, but now Cotton Candy comes in all kinds of bright colors -- pink, blue, yellow and more. It even comes in a chocolate flavor.

So because it's winter, I'm posting a recipe for Cotton Candy Hot Chocolate. The cotton candy is used as you would use marshmallows--on top of the cocoa. The cotton candy also acts as the sugar for your cocoa, so you can reduce the sugar in your hot chocolate recipe. This would be a great recipe for Valentine's Day, too. Just add some sugar heart candy! Bookmark the recipe. Of course you can always just make your own cocoa your own way and top with Cotton Candy, but I always like to have an alternate cocoa recipe.

Where did Cotton Candy originate?

Most people think the origin of cotton candy (also known as spun sugar" "fairy floss" or "candy floss") is a simple documented fact. It's not. There are several stories recounting the invention of cotton candy. All are interesting. None are definitive. Most accounts credit the invention of cotton candy to enterprising American businessmen at the turn of the 20th century. The Cotton Candy machine was patented in 1899 by William Morrison and John C. Wharton. The 1904 Louisiana Exposition in St. Louis is often cited as the place where cotton candy was introduction to the American people. The truth? Spun sugar was known long before this time. Mid-18th century master confectioners in Europe and America hand crafted spun sugar nests as Easter decorations and webs of silver and gold spun sugar for elaborate dessert presentations. At that time, spun sugar was an expensive, labor-intensive endeavor and was not generally available to the average person. The invention of modern machines changed all that.

COTTON CANDY HOT CHOCOLATE

Ingredients 
1-1/2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1-1/2 ounces unsweetened cocoa
3/4 Tbsp cornstarch (or flour)
1 Tbsp sugar
1-1/2 cups milk
Cotton candy

Directions
In saucepan over low-medium heat, combine cocoa powder, chocolate, cornstarch, and sugar with small whisk. With a little bit of milk, whisk chocolate to avoid lumps. Add milk gradually while whisking continuously. Turn off heat when hot chocolate thickens and reaches consistency you like. If it's too thick, add more milk. Serve hot with cotton candy on top. The cotton candy serves as the sugar, so adjust the sugar amount to your taste.

COOKIE TIPS FOR THE HOLIDAYS OR ANY TIME!

It's Cookie Time! So many cookies to make; so many cookies to bake; so many cookies to eat! 

I've seen some wonderful new recipes and decorating techniques this holiday season. Be sure and do a few searches to expand your Cookie Repertoire! Scroll back over DyingforChocolate.com. I've posted over 500 cookie recipes over the years! You can never have too many cookie recipes!

Here are a few Cookie Making Tips. Love to hear any tips you have. Make a comment below.

COOKIE TIPS 

1. For me the most important 'tip'is to make sure you Chill the Dough. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP, if your recipe calls for it. Put the dough in the refrigerator for a few hours or put it in the freezer for 10 minutes. While you're working, if the dough becomes soft, just pop it back in the freezer for a few minutes.  (Drop cookies may be an exception - and don't need chilling--check your recipe)

2. Use the Correct Ingredients. If you haven't made the recipe before, follow it exactly and measure the ingredients carefully. You can experiment on your next attempts.

3. Up for debate: Some say that you should always roll out your dough between sheets of Wax Paper, not Parchment, because wax paper peels easily off the top of the dough. If you do this, you can then cut out the cookies, and they'll peel right off the bottom sheet. And, yet, some people swear by parchment. Give them both a try and see what you think.

4. Add Salt and Leavening to Butter and Sugar Mixture. If you really want your salt and leavening well distributed throughout the dough, beat it in with the butter and sugar.

5. Butter is major to the spread of a cookie. (You can use other fats, but I don't. I love butter!). Generally speaking, more butter equals flat, crispy cookies while less butter equals higher, cake-like cookies. Speaking of butter: Whipped spreads are not good for baking. Use real butter. I mostly use unsalted butter, and I add salt as an ingredient so I can control the amount of salt. Also, French butters will have a higher fat content that may mess with your recipe, so I usually use U.S. butter for baking. 

6. Sugars: White sugar makes a crisper cookie than brown sugar or honey. Cookies made from brown sugar absorb moisture after baking, so they stay chewy. Most chocolate chip cookie recipes contain both brown and white sugars.  Not sure about which sugar is right for your cookie? Consult a cookbook or go on line. I have over 10 types of sugar in my pantry.

How to keep brown sugar soft? Put a marshmallow or a piece of white bread in the container. The white bread won’t get moldy nor will the marshmallow, and you’ll always have soft brown sugar. I like marshmallow better .. maybe it's just aesthetics.

7. Mixing: Proper mixing is important. Some recipes have a creaming step in which the fat and sugars are beaten together until light-colored and fluffy. Other cookies require a sandy texture, so the fat is cut into the flour. Over-mixing can incorporate too much air into the dough, resulting in flat, overly spread-out cookies. Follow the recipe instructions.

8. Temperature (also check out Tip #1): Unless specified, ingredients should be at room temperature before mixing. 

Softened butter means room temperature (do not put it in the microwave to achieve that temp-you probably won't). Yes, Virginia, take the butter out the night before. 

For cut cookies, chill the cookie dough before baking. The cookies will hold their shape better. For drop cookies, you can keep them at room temperature before baking; the spoonfuls of dough will spread and flatten out.

9. Eggs: Make sure you're using the right size and bring eggs to room temperature.

10. Salt. Don't skip the salt. It balances out the sugar and brings out the flavor. And, yes, you can bake with Kosher salt.

11. Chocolate: Use the best chocolate chips or chocolate baking discs. I also use chopped high-end chocolate. My favorite chocolate for baking: Guittard.

12. Equipment and Baking: Not surprising to anyone who bakes, different baking sheets and ovens produce different results. I use rimmed baking sheets (jellyroll pans) for cookies rather than thin flat sheet pans, although some people swear by flat unrimmed cookie sheets. Instead of greasing each baking sheet, I use parchment for easy cookie removal and clean-up. Some of my friends use a silipat liner, but I don't. It's your choice.

13. Use fresh ingredients. I always replace baking soda, flour, spices, flour and baking powder at the beginning of the cookie making holiday season. This goes for chocolate, too, of course! You're working hard on these cookies, and you want the very best ingredients.

14. Making a big batch of cookies? Be sure and cool the cookie sheet before baking another batch. Otherwise your dough might melt, and you'll have weird looking cookies.

15. Be sure and cool cookies on a wire rack. Don't skip this step or the bottoms might become soggy. And, definitely cool completely before storing them. However, my friend Patti swears by using brown paper grocery bags instead of wire racks. She says the cookies come out well, and the paper absorbs any greasiness.

Love to hear other tips! Please comment!

SACHERTORTE: Sachertorte Day!

Today is Sachertorte Day (aka Sacher-torte or Sacher Torte). Sacher Torte is a dense chocolate cake with a layer (s) of apricot jam and coated in chocolate icing, served with unsweetened whipped cream. It's one of the most famous cakes in the world.

According to Hotel Sacher in Vienna, "The original Sacher-Torte has been the most famous cake in the world since 1832 and the original recipe remains a well-kept secret of our hotel. Only the Original Sacher-Torte is produced according to this original recipe. The basis of the entire confection is a chocolate cake, thinly coated by hand with best-quality apricot jam. The chocolate icing on top of it is the crowning glory. It tastes best with a portion of unsweetened whipped cream.

Like many historic stories, the Sacher-Torte was conceived through serendipity when renowned statesman Prince Metternich was hosting a dinner party in 1832. The story goes that he wanted a fabulous dessert for his guests but that his chef was ill. Instead, the 16-year-old chef’s apprentice was given the task. His name was Franz Sacher and that evening he served up his Sacher Torte – a soft, fluffy chocolate cake with apricot jam beneath the icing – to the approval of Metternich’s guests.

After Franz completed his apprenticeship and became a fully qualified cook, he offered his successful experiment to the public once again, this time on a larger scale. He was successful and soon the "cake by this man Sacher" was in great demand, and the victorious career of the most famous of all chocolate cakes truly began. Franz’s son Eduard opened the Sacher Hotel in Vienna in 1876, but that’s another story.

You can still get the 'original' sachertorte at the Hotel Sacher in Vienna or Salzburg, at the Sacher branches in Innsbruck and Graz, the Sacher Shop in Bolzano, and the Duty Free area of the Vienna airport. The cake is also available online with delivery worldwide. It's really quite exquisite.

The recipe for the Hotel Sacher's version of the cake is a closely guarded secret. Those privy to it claim that the secret to the Sacher Torte's desirability lies not in the ingredients of the cake itself, but rather those of the chocolate icing. According to widely available information, the icing consists of three special types of chocolate, which are produced exclusively by different manufacturers for this sole purpose. The hotel obtains these products from Lübeck in Germany and from Belgium.

Daunting, but as with everything there are many recipes available on the Internet and in cookbooks. As a home baker, I love this easy recipe from Wolfgang Puck. You can always experiment with different chocolate with different amounts of cacao and from different chocolate makers to perfect the flavor. You won't be disappointed, though, in the ease and results of this recipe.

This is Wolfgang Puck's recipe for Sachertorte from the episode: Secrets of Viennese Pastry. Love the addition of apricot brandy. 

SACHERTORTE

Ingredients 

Cake:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
3 ounces butter
4 egg yolks
1 ounce sugar, plus 3 ounces
5 egg whites
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup flour, sifted

Apricot Filling:
1-1/2 cups apricot preserves
1 Tbsp apricot brandy

Glaze: 
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
1 ounce butter
2 ounces heavy cream or whipped cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 by 2-inch cake pan.

In a bowl, combine chocolate and butter and melt over double boiler. Set aside to cool. In mixer, using wire attachment, whip egg yolks with 1 ounce sugar until light and ribbony. Beat in chocolate mixture.

In another bowl, beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks. Slowly add remaining 3 ounces of sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks. Fold in flour and then fold in 1/3 of egg whites into  chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in remaining egg whites, gently but thoroughly. Pour into prepared cake pan.

Bake for 40 minutes or until done. To check for doneness, insert paring knife in center of cake. It should come out dry. Remove from oven and cool on rack.

To make apricot filling: 
Puree the apricot preserves. Stir in brandy. Slice cake into 3 equal layers. Spread half of apricot filling on bottom layer. Top with second layer of cake. Spread remaining apricot filling and top with last layer of cake. Chill for 30 minutes or more.

To make glaze:
In bowl, combine chocolate and butter. Melt over double-boiler. Bring cream to boil. Stir into melted chocolate. Cool until reaches glazing consistency. Spread over and around cake. Chill for another 30 minutes before serving.

Serve a slice with thick unsweetened cream or whipped cream.