Chocolate Espresso Cookies

So, most of the time I'm not sure the teenager even remembers that I write this blog.  Sure, she sees me tapping away on the laptop, and stretched out flat on my stomach on the grass taking yet another close-up of a peach or a bowl of spaghetti, but most of the time her mind is on all the other things that swirl through teenage minds.  Taylor Swift.  The next episode of Pretty Little Liars.  The best approach for stretching out her curfew (asking Daddy is always the best bet.)

So I was a little surprised to have this conversation last week:

Teenager:  So Mom, where is the blog post about my prom?

Me: Huh?

Teenager: You know...the prom!  You haven't blogged about my prom yet.

Me: Honey, you remember that it's a food blog, right?  Not a prom blog?

Teenager: Mom!  You always figure out how to work pictures of my major life events into the blog.  You aren't going to skip talking about my PROM, are you????

And she does have a point.  As a matter of fact, I remembered that I did a whole long recap of the junior prom last year, so I started scratching my head about how I could connect some recent recipe with my sweet teenager in her pretty senior prom dress.

It would have to be something delicious and sweet, just like her.  

Something special and a little extraordinary and a tiny bit sassy, just like her.

Something CHOCOLATE.  And in this case, chocolate with a little hit of espresso, just enough to give it a little kick of wonderfulness.  A perfect cookie, dusted with a little bit of powdered sugar.  Sweet and special and pretty as a picture.

So here they are, some espresso cookies that are just the right amount of sweet comfort as you watch your baby go off to the prom.  Stay tuned for graduation...now THAT will involve some comfort food.  Sniffle.

 Chocolate Espresso Cookies. from Bake or Break

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons espresso powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• confectioner’s sugar, for garnishing

1. Place chopped chocolate and butter in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. Beat brown sugar and chocolate on high speed of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Set aside.
3. in a separate bowl, combine flour, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt. Turn mixer on low speed and gradually add flour mixture to chocolate mixture. Beat until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Wrap dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate about 4 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
5. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place two inches apart on baking sheets. Bake 9-10 minutes, or until browned around the edges. Cool cookies on wire racks. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.

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Brisket Slow-Cooked in Coffee and Brown Sugar

I think I may have said this once or twice or one million times before on this blog, but I wish I liked coffee.  I really do.  It is SO much easier to get a cup of coffee than to find a decent cup of hot, strong English breakfast tea unless you happen to be in the middle of London, and I am usually in the middle of New Jersey, so this is a problem for me.  I've tried to like coffee, just for the pure convenience factor, but I just....can't...do it.

However, I DO (for some mysterious reason) like coffee when it is an ingredient.  Usually that means in ice cream, or in muffins, or other sweet stuff.  But in this case, I like it in a brisket recipe.  Whatever the hours and hours of cooking in the slow cooker do to transform the coffee, the sauce comes out not tasting like coffee, but like some rich, tangy, wonderful thing that you can't quite put your finger on.  (Spoiler alert: it's the coffee.)

For all you slow-cooker fans out there, this one is right up your alley.  Toss a brisket and some chopped carrots and baby potatoes and quartered onions into your slow cooker.  Mix up a sauce of tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and (you guessed it) coffee and pour it in there, stirring things up so the sauce is generally all over everything, and about half the veggies are on top and the other half are on the bottom.  Cover the slow cooker, press the "LOW" setting button, and go do something else for about 8 hours.  

Now come back, slice the brisket into thin slices, put it on the plate with some veggies and pour that rocking great sauce all over the whole aromatic, tender, fabulous thing.  Have tea with dessert.  Feel all smug for liking coffee and tea at the same time.

Slow-Cooked Brown Sugar and Coffee Brisket, adapted from Real Simple

• 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered, stem end left intact
• 1 pound new potatoes (about 12)
• 1 pound medium carrots, cut into 2 1⁄2-inch lengths
• 2 1/2 pounds beef brisket, trimmed
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup brewed black coffee
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Season the beef with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and place in the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.  Add the onion, potatoes, and carrots.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, coffee, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar; pour over the beef and vegetables.  Stir things around just a little until some of the sauce reaches the bottom of the pot.  Cover and cook on low until the beef and vegetables are tender, 7 to 8 hours.
3. Slice the beef across the grain and serve with the vegetables and sauce, sprinkled with the parsley.  

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Last Minute Christmas Wonderfulness!

Last year, right before Christmas, I came home one day to see this intriguing box outside my front door. The great folks at Tassimo had sent me this this fabulous little number. It makes cappuchino, hot chocolate, chai tea latte...oh and also coffee and tea.

You get all this hot beverage stuff done via these handy little pods - you pop one into the top of the brewer and it magically figures out what you are cooking up and adds in the exact amount of hot water for exactly the right amount of time. Now THAT'S what I call the miracle of modern technology.

It was pretty much love at first sight for me, and I've spent the last year saying to everyone who comes to my house, "May I get you a hot beverage?" And being ridiculously excited when they say yes.

So you can imagine my excitement last week when I came home and there was ANOTHER Tassimo box outside my front door...this time with the T20 model. Which is kind of like the original machine's cute little brother. And before I start going on AGAIN about how much I love this thing, let me just state for the record that the great folks at Tassimo sent me this fabulous device at no cost and with no strings attached other than to give my straight-up, no-holds-barred, honest opinion. Which is, straight-up and no-holds-barred, that I love this new version of the machine just as much as I did a year ago.

It does all the great stuff the bigger model does, but takes up less counter space. Great taste, less filling!

Over the course of the past year, I have learned that you can get the beverage pods at Amazon, at Bed Bath and Beyond, or you can sign up for a regular delivery system if you are a dedicated hot beverage drinker and are very organized. So...if you are looking for a last minute holiday gift idea, or are wondering what to do with those gift cards you got in your stocking...I'll just wrap this up by saying I do love mine. Love it. Hot beverage, anyone??

Tassimo Home Brewing System

Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies and a Cookbook Contest!

There's a super cookbook giveway at the end of this post, but first a little rant.

I really really wish I liked to drink coffee, but I just don't like it. It would be SO much more convenient. Coffee is pretty much everywhere you turn, and us poor second class citizen tea drinkers are doing great if we can find some lukewarm hot water and a tea bag. It's my favorite part of going to London...I am for once in the majority, hot-beverage-wise. Even though the last time I was there it seemed like there was a Starbucks popping up ominously on every corner. Fight back, my London friends!!

However, I mysteriously DO like the taste of coffee when it is baked into things. Say, for example, chocolate chip cookies. Say, for example, chocolate chip cookies made with a mix of dark and white chocolate chips. Say, for example, chocolate chip cookies inspired by the ever-fabulous Julia Child.

Which leads me to the awesome contest, because I have not one, not two but THREE copies of this to give you guys:



Yes I do. And it includes recipes for all kinds of fabulous Julia-inspired baked goods, including these...

There's few things in life better than a full cookie jar on your kitchen counter, don't you think?

So here's what you do: leave me a comment on the bottom of this post telling me what your favorite kind of cookie is, and you will be entered into the drawing for one of these cookbooks. As always, my beloved email subscribers can enter by clicking the title of the post, which will flip you over to the actual website - you can comment there. I will announce the lucky lucky winners next Saturday, February 13, at 7pm. So bring on your cookies, and in the meantime, here's the recipe for mine!

MOCHA CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES, from Baking with Julia

2 cups flour
3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, cut into chunks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound chocolate chips or chunks -- any variety you like.

1. Whisk the flour, coffee, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.

2. Beat the butter in a mixer until lightened. Add granulated sugar and beat for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and beat for another 30 seconds. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla and beat until blended.

3. Turn mixer speed down and add flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Add chocolate and mix until evenly blended in.

4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in fridge for several hours to overnight.

5. Preheat oven to 350, and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. Drop a heaping tablespoon full of dough onto sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

6. Cool on racks. Make very very sure you eat one while they are still warm.

Click here for printable recipe

Last Minute Christmas Gift: Tassimo Hot Beverage System!

Okay you last minute procrastinating Christmas shoppers, have I got an got an idea for YOU. Yesterday I came home from my maniacal last minute shopping and this was at my front door. The awesome folks at Tassimo had sent me a gift of my very own Tassimo Hot Beverage System, and there it was, just waiting on my doormat.

Now, I've seen these things before -- coffee makers where you drop in the special pod and press a button and it makes a single cup, and I gotta tell you, I have not been tempted. First of all, I am not a coffee drinker (although the Southern husband does love a good cappuccino now and then). And us dedicated tea drinkers have gotten the whole single serving thing down to a science: drop a tea bag into hot water and voila. But a gift is a gift, and I wasted no time getting the box open. And right on the box were all these tempting looking cups of not just coffee, but other stuff that the teenager and I actually love and drive to far flung places to get. Chai tea latte. Hot chocolate. And yes, cappucino. Hmm.

So we pulled it out and set it up, which took about 90 seconds. Sleek-looking, right? The water receptacle is in the back, and comes off the machine so you can fill it in the sink (as opposed to pouring the water directly into the machine and spilling some of it on the counter, if you are ME.) And if you look very closely at the metal control buttons on the right, you can see me with my tripod. Someday soon I will figure out how not to take pictures with my reflection in them.

Also in the box were three packages that looked like this:

The other two were cappuchino and chai tea. I'd show you what those looked like but in my extreme excitement I ripped open the chai tea package immediately upon reading the words "chai tea" on the package. I'm sorry, but I have no self-control when it comes to some things.

Inside these packages are these adorable little pods.

And here is the wild part. See the bar codes on them? The machine reads the bar code on whatever pod you put in there, and it KNOWS what you are making and how long to brew it for, how much water to use, etc etc etc. Better living through science, people! In action in my kitchen!

OK, time to get down to business. I popped in the chai tea pod, selected my most elegant cup and put it in place.

Okay, so I DO have more elegant cups. I really do.

But I like my cow cup, and I gotta be me. Here's the back of it, by the way. It's one of the reasons I love it so.

I pushed the button. It whirred and hummed and one minute later my cup was half full of tea. Then I popped in the milk pod. More whirring. More humming. Best of all, frothing and steaming...and there it was.

One of the best cups of chai tea I have ever had. In two minutes. And you are talking to a girl who has spent an unmentionable amount of money in Starbucks saying "tall skim extra hot chai, please?" I even made the Southern husband taste it to make sure I wasn't in some dream state brought on by my fascination with the whole bar code thing, and he agreed...and then asked for a cappuchino, stat. Then my friend D arrived on the scene, and he is a die-hard black coffee drinker. We popped in one of those Starbucks Caffe Verona pods and 1 minute later...another believer.

So if you are still looking for that last minute Christmas gift....Tassimo Home Brewing System. I know you can get them at Bed Bath And Beyond, because I already sent the Southern husband over there to get us some hot chocolate pods for the teenager. (Yes, I sent him to the mall on December 23. That's the kind of ruthless woman I am. ) You can also go to the Tassimo Direct website where they will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about how it works, where to buy them, how to never run out of chai latte pods, etc. And hey -- if you get any of those great gift certificate cards and don't know what to spend it on...

That's all I've got for you today...except wherever you are, I hope you have a warm, happy, delicious holiday!

Coffee Walnut Chocolate Chip Muffins

I am going to go out on a limb here and say: This Is The Best Muffin I Have Ever or Will Ever Make And/Or Eat In My Life.

It's really not going too far out on this limb, because it pretty much is. Yes, I did love those adorable baby pancake muffins I made a little while back. And I consider the bacon and egg muffins in their own unique category. But when you are talking your classic sweet, standard-sized muffin, these guys are hands-down the best I have ever made. I've had this recipe forever -- it comes from The Frog Commissary Cookbook, which I love so much I had to buy a second copy because my first was literally so well-used that the pages were falling out.

What's so special about these muffins? Well, they are a combination of chocolate chips, chopped walnuts and coffee, in a thick brown sugar batter that will have you seriously considering skipping the whole pesky baking stage and just eating the batter with a spoon. But don't, because these babies bake up into decadent, tender muffins in no time flat. They would be the perfect holiday gift if you tucked them into a nice basket or a pretty plate and covered them with clear acetate wrap and some nice ribbon. If you really, really love the person you could also give them the recipe. Or you might just want to hold on to it for yourself as your secret muffin weapon.

So there you go...your search for the world's most amazing muffin is now officially over. Give them a try.

COFFEE WALNUT CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS, from The Frog Commissary Cookbook

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons instant coffee
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease/flour a 12-muffin tin.

2. Cream butter with sugars, coffee and vanilla.

3. Beat together eggs and milk.

3. Combine flour, salt and baking powder. Alternately add the wet and dry ingredients to the butter mixture until just combined.

4. Add chips and walnuts. Divide among muffin tins, filling until almost full.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

6. Cool 5 minutes and then remove from tin and cool on racks.

Click here for printable recipe

Real Coffee versus Instant

Please don't scream in terror when you read about my relationshop with coffee so far, I was just brought up that way.

Instant coffee has been part of my daily caffiene intake since I was about 12 ish, courtesy of a naughty grandma who let me get away with murder.  If you go into a supermarket in any part of the UK, there are tons of instant coffees to chose from and that is what I have always picked. There is real coffee about and some great coffee shops, so its not a total real coffee blackhole. I am not sure why instant coffee rules the roost in so many UK households, the difference in cost isn't that vast. I have become so use to flicking the kettle on and scooping the instant stuff in my mug, that it will be a hard habit to break.
Why break the habit then? On my trip to America last year, I was met with gasps of horror when mentioning that I always had instant at home and it was presumed that I musn't really like the stuff. How wrong they were and I overdosed on lovely coffee during my stay stateside. When I arrived back home I slipped back into my instant coffee habit and almost forgot about real coffee once again. Well apart from the odd cappucino at college (every chance I could get).
When Fuel My Blog offered us Free coffee to review, I of course jumped at the chance! Because I love free stuff and coffee, perfect. When it arrived the smell was amazing! Yes I sniffed the package and opened it excitedly. I really couldn't wait to try it, but something wasn't quite right with all this. It was almost like I had forgotten something. As well as forgetting my marbles, I had forgotten that I would need some essential coffee making equipment! The old coffee maker had been chucked donkey's ago. So I decided to get a cafietere (plungy thing) as they are decently priced and I thought it was sensible for my first forray into real coffee making. Also the type of coffe I was sent said it was suitable for a cafietere as its a coarse ground coffee.
More about the coffee I was sent, it was an Ethiopian Sidamo and the site is called the CoffeeBeanShop. It smells wonderful as stated above and once I figured out how much to put in cafietere, I was off. It was definitely stronger than instant, with a natural almost sweetness to it, that meant I hardly added any sugar to it. The site describes it as deep, rich, earthy, syrupy and chocolaty, which I agree with. Another good thing about this coffee, is that its fairtrade. In this day and age everything should be, but alas its not. So the site gets three thumbs up for promoting and supporting fairtrade.
It must of been a good blend or whatever you call it because on checking the site, it has ruddy sold out! But you can request an email update if they get it back into stock. I guess they will have to send me another to review now? 
In the interest of fairness I went back to my usual brand of instant after drinking a pot or two of the real/proper stuff. That was a big mistake, because now my once beloved instant tastes like ash, not arse which is what somebody thought I said (not naming names). Have I been totally converted to the wonder of the proper stuff? Simple answer..... Yes. Will I ever sleep again.....No.

Check out the CoffeeBeanShop for all their other coffee like goodness.