Dessert – Page 17 – Northerly Nosh

Taste Test Tuesdays: Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Posted on April 2, 2013March 30, 2013 by Northerly Nosh

Taste Testing Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Since I’m a mother of three young kids cookies and milk are a big draw after school. I have always bought Nestle chocolate chips because that is what I ate growing up using for baking cookies. I sampled bunch brands of semisweet chocolate chips, including one from Trader Joe’s. When shopping for chips, I looked for ones that didn’t show any bloom, the white film that sometimes develops on them. It is usually caused by dampness or when the fats separate from the cocoa, and shouldn’t make much of a difference once the chocolate is melted or baked. However, the appearance can be off-putting.

My Favorite: Trader Joe’s store brand

Big, dark, glossy and rich are the word I would use to describe these chips. Trader Joe’s store-brand chips have just the right amount of sweetness. They have a really appealing and awesome bite. They have loads of chocolate with a wonderful, lasting finish like a fine wine. It’s a chocolate chip that does its homework, stays up late and still gets an A. I give it five stars out of five stars.

About $1.99 for 12 oz. bag from Trader Joe’s

In Second Place: Hershey’s

This familiar chocolatemaker produces a chip that is well-balanced. I like the flavor of the chips, saying they aren’t overly sweet. The chips are dark and bold with more gloss than some of the others sampled. I will always be putting extras of these in my chocolate chip dough when I use them. They are very good chocolate, proud and upright. My only complaint is that the chips tasted a tad waxy after eating on there own. I give it four stars out of five stars.

About $2.19 for 12 oz. bag from Cub

In Third Place: Guittard

The price of these chocolate chips were one of the more expensive chips I purchased, it was well worth it though. They have great shape, great taste. These are yummy, yummy, yummy! The chips are rich with the perfect intensity versus sweetness. They are a sophisticated chocolate chip, but too pricy for me!

About $4.99 for 12 oz. bag from Target

Also Sampled: Log House ($1.88 for a 12-ounce bag from Walmart); Baker’s Corner ($1.99 for 11.5-ounce bag from Aldi); Nestle ($2.45 for a 12-ounce bag); Ghirardelli ($2.89 for a 12-ounce bag); Roundy’s brand ($2.19 for a 12-ounce bag); My Essentials ($1.98 for a 12-ounce bag from Cub); SunSpire Organic ($5.99 for a 9-ounce bag from Seward Coop); and Market Pantry ($1.89 for a 12-ounce bag from Target).

Here’s my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe…

THE NEW YORK TIMES CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Make 18 cookies

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8½ ounces) cake flour
1 & 2/3 cups (8½ ounces) bread flour
1¼ teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1¼ cups (10 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¼ cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 & 1/3 cups (20 ounces) semi-sweet sweet or dark chocolate chips, at least 60% cacao content
Sea salt, for sprinkling

Prep Day:

Sift together the cake flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed until very light, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then add the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low, gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips.

Press plastic wrap against the dough and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, up to 72 hours or Freeze at this by putting it in a freezer bag too.

Serve Day:

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

Scoop 3 1/2-ounces of dough, roll into a rough ball (it should be the size of a large golf ball) and place on the baking sheet. Repeat until you have six mounds of dough on the cookie sheet.

Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes.

Transfer the parchment or silicone sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies onto another cooling rack to cool a bit more, until just warm or at room temperature.

Repeat with remaining dough (or keep some of the dough refrigerated for up to 3 days, and bake cookies at a later time).

Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Dessert

Tasty Treat Thursdays: Frozen Caramel Coconut Pie

Posted on March 28, 2013February 27, 2013 by Northerly Nosh

Frozen Caramel Coconut Pie

4 tablespoons butter
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
12 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 jar (6 or 8 oz.) caramel ice cream topping
2 9-inch graham cracker crusts

Melt the butter in a large non-stick skillet. Add the coconut and pecans, stirring constantly until the coconut is lightly browned. Pour the coconut and pecans out on a plate to cool completely.
Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese and condensed milk, mixing until well blended. Fold in the whipped topping and one-half of the coconut mixture. Pour one-fourth of this mixture into the bottom of the two crusts. Spoon on as much caramel topping as you wish. Pour over the rest of the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining coconut and pecans. Freeze the pies at least 4 hours. Remove from the freezer about 20 minutes before serving time. Return any leftover pie to the freezer.

Dessert

Tasty Treat Thursdays: Pear Cranberry Linzer Tart

Posted on March 21, 2013February 26, 2013 by Northerly Nosh

Pear Cranberry Linzer Tart

Adapted from fine cooking magazine. This recipe was developed to be made ahead and frozen for up to six weeks.

For the Dough:
4 oz. (1 cup) walnuts, lightly toasted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 oz. (1-3/4 cups) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp. table salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 hard-cooked egg yolks, crumbled
8 oz. (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 raw egg yolks
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the Filling:
2 lb. ripe pears (Comice or Bosc), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/3-inch slices (about 4 cups)
6 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, picked through and rinsed
1/2 cup granulated sugar

To Finish:
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup heavy cream or whole milk

Make the Dough:
In a food processor, grind the walnuts w ith the sugar to a sandy texture. Add the flour, cinnamon, lemon zest, salt, cloves, and crumbled hard-cooked egg yolks. Pulse briefly to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the dough starts to come together and looks clumpy. Add the raw yolks and vanilla and pulse until well combined. The dough will be sticky and moist, more like a cookie dough than a pastry dough. Cut the dough in half (each piece should be about 12-3/4 ounces), set each half on a large piece of plastic, and shape each into a flat disk, using the plastic to help you flatten. Wrap each disk in its plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Assemble the Tart:
On a floured work surface, roll each disk of dough into an 11-inch round about 1/4 inch thick. Put one round on a plate and refrigerate, uncovered. Fit the other round into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Fold the excess dough into the sides of the pan and press to get an edge flush with the top of the pan, about 1/3 inch thick. Sprinkle 2 Tbs. of the flour on the bottom of the tart and spread to evenly cover. Toss the pears and cranberries with the remaining 1/4 cup flour. Arrange the fruit in the tart shell so that the pears lie as flat as possible and there are some berries showing on top. Scrape any remaining flour over the fruit and sprinkle with the sugar.

Take the other piece of dough from the refrigerator and cut it into eight 1-inch-wide strips. (I use a ruler and a ravioli cutter or a pastry cutter to get beautiful zigzag-edged strips). Arrange four strips, evenly spaced, over the top of the tart. Then, on a sharp diagonal to the first four, set the other four strips on top, so that the overlapping layers make diamond shaped windows. Trim the ends of the strips and press them into the edges of the tart.

To Freeze: Immediately wrap the assembled, unbaked tart tightly in plastic. (If you’re freezing for longer than 1 week, add an outer layer of foil as well.) Store in coldest part of the freezer (generally the top).

Serve Day: When ready to bake, position an oven rack on the bottom rung. Line a heavy rimmed baking sheet with foil and set it on the rack. Heat the oven to 350°F. Remove the tart from the freezer, unwrap, and glaze the frozen tart’s lattice top with the egg wash (do not thaw the tart). Bake as directed above, until golden brown (baking time will be 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours).

Note: Directions if you want to bake immediately – Position an oven rack on the bottom rung. Line a heavy rimmed baking sheet with foil and set it on the rack. Heat the oven to 350°F. Whisk the egg yolk with the cream or milk. Brush the tart’s lattice top with the egg glaze. Bake on the baking sheet until the pastry is golden brown, 45 min. to 1-1/4 hours. Let cool on a rack for 1 hour and serve slightly warm.

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