Category Archives: Daring Bakers

January Daring Bakers Challenge: Nanaimo bar

Posted on January 27, 2010 by Geek Baker| 11 Comments

And this month the Daring Bakers Challenge was…..




Nanaimo Bars!


uh?



Yep, I had no idea what these were.  Here’s the blip from the challenge description:

Nanaimo Bars are a classic Canadian dessert created in none other than Nanaimo, British Colombia. In case you were wondering, it’s pronounced Nah-nye-Moh. These bars have 3 layers: a base containing graham crackers, cocoa, coconut and nuts, a middle custard layer, and a topping of chocolate. They are extremely rich and available almost everywhere across the country.





The first part of the challenge was to make the graham crackers needed for the bottom layer from scratch.  (See previous blog entry.)  We were also encouraged to make them gluten-free. But being a bit short on funds these days I had to make due with a wheat version since I already had all the ingredients.  The second part of the challenge was whipping up the actual bars….

The process was only a tish time consuming since there were three layers to make up separately, but in the end, these bars were fairly easy to put together.  Always a good thing!  I decided to put that Frangelico on top of my fridge to use and tweaked my bars to have a hazelnut flavor rather than the traditional almond.

Verdict? Rich and delicious! I thought that the middle layer was maybe a tad too sweet and next time around I think I would cut down the powdered sugar and up the Frangelico.  I will also say that I adored the bottom crust layer and will keep this mind for the next time I need a chocolate crust either for a bar or pie….nummmm….




Well done, Canada.  ;)




Nanaimo Bars

Adapted from the City of Nanaimo’s recipe @ http://www.nanaimo.ca/EN/main/visitors/NanaimoBars.html

Ingredients-

Bottom Layer

  • 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
  • 1/4 cup  Granulated Sugar
  • 5 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa
  • 1 Large Egg, Beaten
  • 1 1/4 cups Graham Wafer Crumbs (See previous blog post)
  • 1/2 cup Almonds – finely chopped.  (I used hazelnuts)
  • 1 cup Shredded Coconut (I used sweetened since its all I could find.  I think unsweetened would work just as well…maybe even better.)

Middle Layer

  • 1/2 cupUnsalted Butter
  • 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons Heavy Cream
  • 2 tablespoons Vanilla Custard Powder (I couldn’t find Bird’s custard mix, but found that Jell-O makes a custard mix…you can find it with the instant pudding mixes.)
  • 2 cups Powedered Sugar (I would try cutting this down to 1.5 cups)
  • 3-4 shots of Frangelico…what can I say?  I am a lush.  ;)

Top Layer

  • 4 ounces Semi-sweet chocolate
  • 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
  • I would consider upping the top layer up to 1.5 times.  My chocolate layer was really quite thin.

Directions-

1. For Bottom Layer: Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. I don’t have a double boiler so I just made a makeshift one like this:

2. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. (You want it to thicken, but cook it too long and you’ll get a lumpy mess…take it from me!  I had to do this step twice….) Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.
3. For Middle Layer: Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until fluffy and light in colour. Spread over bottom layer.
4. For Top Layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.

My finished graham crackers!


Maybe not the prettiest dessert I’ve ever created, but delicious nonetheless!

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Posted in Bars, Daring Bakers

Graham Crackers

Posted on January 25, 2010 by Geek Baker| 14 Comments

This weekend I completed my Daring Bakers Challenge for January.  While I can’t tell you what the recipe was until Wednesday (the DB reveal date), I will tell you that graham crackers were an ingredient.

Can you believe I made homemade graham crackers? They were actually quite easy and very tasty.  Though I think they turned out more like a wheaty shortbread cookie rather than crispy graham crackers from the store.  (Or at least mine did…though I am thinking I should have rolled them a hair thinner and maybe baked them for a minute or two longer…that could make all the difference.)

The verdict?  Good, but not rock-my-world-good.  If you’re just looking for something to smash a store bought marshmallow between, I think store bought graham crackers are just fine.  But I will say that the complementing recipe in The Craft of Baking (where I got this recipe) looks amazing = completely homemade s’mores: coconut infused marshmallows with a layer of chocolate ganache positioned between two homemade graham crackers. See the picture below…but realize that your apple may no longer seem nearly as fulfilling as your healthy snack this afternoon.

I will also say that these graham crackers are fabulous – FABULOUS – dunked in coffee.

Crisp Honey Grahams

from The Craft of Baking by Karen DeMasco and Mindy Fox

Makes 3 dozen.

Ingredients –

  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
  • 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey

Directions –

1. In a bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and honey. Mix on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute. In two additions, add the dry ingredients, letting the first fully incorporate before you add the second. (Note:  I do not have a stand-up mixer nor any sort of paddle attachment.  I just used a regular hand mixer and it worked well.)

3. Flatten the dough into a rectangular shape, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes or up to 2 days. The dough can be frozen, well wrapped, for up to 1 month.  (My dough was still too sticky to work with after 30 minutes in the fridge.  I ended up leaving it for a few hours before being able to properly roll it out.)

4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

5. Unwrap the chilled dough, and on a lightly floured surface, roll it out into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Using a ruler and a pastry cutter or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1-1/2-by-3-inch rectangles; use a spatula to transfer the rectangles to the prepared baking sheets as you go. Reroll the scraps of dough once, and cut out more cookies. Using a fork, pierce each rectangle with two rows of four to six marks.

6. Bake the graham crackers, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until they are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.  (Make sure they are browning around the edges if you want a more traditional cripsy graham cracker.)

The graham crackers will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

My finished result….

Karen DeMasco’s elegant s’mores…

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Posted in Cookies, Daring Bakers

Daring Bakers’ Challenge: The Gingerbread House

Posted on December 27, 2009 by Geek Baker| 9 Comments

I was pretty excited when the challenge was first announced for this month.  I knew I wouldn’t have time to complete it until I went home (my parents’ home…I’m 28, single, and haven’t lived in the same city for much longer than a year in over 6 years… so its still *home* to me) for Christmas.  I was excited because I love being able to flex my creative muscles…but there’s also something a bit daunting about a gingerbread house.  The dough is dry and can be a bit tricky, the pieces shrink at inconsistent rates in the oven making for a lot of trimming afterward to make the pieces fit, and I had no idea if I could actually get my house to stick together for longer than 5 minutes.

In the end…it all worked out just fine.  In fact, I’m quite proud of the finished product!

I used one of the recipes provided by the Daring Bakers for the gingerbread, simple sugar to hold it all together, and royal icing for decorative purposes.  I used this Swedish Gingerbread House template from Martha Stewart.  Below are the recipes:

Scandinavian Gingerbread (Pepparkakstuga)

from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book by Beatrice Ojakangas

http://astore.amazon.com/thedarkit-20/detail/0816634963

  • 1 cup butter, room temperature [226g]
  • 1 cup brown sugar, well packed [220g]
  • 2 tablespoons cinnamon
  • 4 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 3 teaspoons ground cloves
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • ½ cup boiling water
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour [875g]

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until blended. Add the cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Mix the baking soda with the boiling water and add to the dough along with the flour. Mix to make a stiff dough. If necessary add more water, a tablespoon at a time. Chill 2 hours or overnight.  (I ended up adding around 4 tablespoons of water.)

2. Cut patterns for the house, making patterns for the roof, front walls, gabled walls, chimney and door out of cardboard.

3. Roll the dough out on a large, ungreased baking sheet and place the patterns on the dough. Mark off the various pieces with a knife, but leave the pieces in place.

4. (I rolled out the dough on a floured counter top, cut shapes, and transferred these to a baking sheet. Any scraps I saved and just re-rolled at the end.]

5. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the cookie dough feels firm. After baking, again place the pattern on top of the gingerbread and trim the shapes, cutting the edges with a straight-edged knife. Leave to cool on the baking sheet.

Royal Icing:

  • 1 large egg white
  • 3 cups (330g) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract

1. Beat all ingredients until smooth, adding the powdered sugar gradually to get the desired consistency. Pipe on pieces and allow to dry before assembling.  Add any food coloring you wish to the icing.

2. If you aren’t using it all at once you can keep it in a small bowl, loosely covered with a damp towel for a few hours until ready to use. You may have to beat it slightly to get it an even consistency if the top sets up a bit. Piped on the house, this will set up hard over time.

Simple Syrup:

  • 2 cups (400g) sugar

1. Place in a small saucepan and heat until just boiling and the sugar dissolves. Dredge or brush the edges of the pieces to glue them together. If the syrup crystallizes, remake it.  (I completely burned my simple sugar.  It didn’t crystallize, but it turned a dark black-brown color and stunk up the kitchen.  Luckily, it made the syrup ridiculously strong and sticky.  My dad thinks I discovered a new form of super glue.  It was strong enough that my walls were easily able to hold up my roof pieces which were twice as thick as any of the walls.  I guess I need to work on my dough rolling skills!)

The finished product……….Click on the pictures to get the full size image!

My winter wonderland scene.

I used royal icing, crush peppermints and powdered sugar (for snow), red hots, and melted Jolly Ranches for decorations.  My mother ingeniously made the melted Jolly Rancher *stained glass windows* and my dad covered a white piece of cardboard with waxed paper for my display.  It was a family affair! :)

A close-up of the front door.

To make the trees stand up, I dunked the bottoms of the trunks in simple syrup and then covered up the dark syrup with royal icing.

The *stained glass windows*.

There is a small candle on the inside making the windows glow.

The back of the house and my frosting wreathe.

I covered up any spots where there was a lot of the ugly dark simply syrup holding together my house with royal icing.  You can also see how completely off-centered my wreathe is.  This is because I did all my frosting decorating before I assembled the house (like one is suppose to).  BUT I should have checked to see if all the pieces were the correct length and done any trimming prior to icing.  The side with the wreathe ended up being over an inch longer than the corresponding piece on the opposite side.  I had to trim the wreathe piece once it was already decorated and connected to another piece.  I’m lucky my gingerbread didn’t break while I cutting it…

A detail picture of my *thatched roof.*  For all my icing piping I used a simple piping kit from Williams Sonoma.  (I purchased it in the store, but I cannot find it on their website.  I linked to an Ebay seller who has it.)

All in all, I’m really pleased with how my house turned out.  I’m also pleased to say we did it on the cheap!  Chances are you probably have all the ingredients for the gingerbread and icing already in your pantry.  And the only candy I purchased specifically for this house was a 99 cent bag of redhots.  (The Jolly Ranchers were found in the back of a cupboard…they had to be at least 3 years old…they were getting to that gooey-sticky-rotten stage and therefore were not fit for eating but perfect for melting!)

My mother helped out a lot on this project so I have to say Thank You to her!

We’ve been doing a lot of cooking and baking lately and I have a backlog of posts to get up.  Be on the look out for Chicken Pot Pies, Norwegian Krumkake, and Swedish Almond Cookies…..

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Posted in Daring Bakers

Cannoli

Posted on November 23, 2009 by Geek Baker| 2 Comments

I did it!  (Well, I’ve half-ways done it….)  Last night I bit the bullet and made the cannoli shells part of the entire cannoli dessert.  My apartment still smells of oil but it was worth it.  I’m actually kind of proud I participated in this Daring Bakers Challenge!  I will hopefully be filling them tonight, but I decided I should post now since I have the time.

The process was actually not too difficult.  The recipes below were provided to us by the Daring Bakers and I have noted where I did things differently.  The end result is actually pretty looking (no matter what my poor quality picture shows) and it would be an impressive dessert to serve at a dinner party.

Will I be making it again?  Probably not.  I’m just not a big fan of frying foods.  Its smelly, messy, and about as unhealthy as it gets.  BUT, I am glad I made cannoli and would feel confident in making it again if the occasion arrises.

Cannoli

CANNOLI SHELLS

2 cups (250 grams/16 ounces) all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons(28 grams/1 ounce) sugar

1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.06 ounces) unsweetened baking cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon (approx. 3 grams/0.11 ounces) salt

3 tablespoons (42 grams/1.5 ounces) vegetable or olive oil

1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.18 ounces) white wine vinegar (I actually didn’t have any so I used apple cider vinegar.)

Approximately 1/2 cup (approx. 59 grams/approx. 4 fluid ounces/approx. 125 ml) sweet Marsala or any white or red wine you have on hand  (I used a Pinot Nior I had on hand.  It flavored the dough a lot, but I didn’t notice the taste once the shells were fried.  It does produce a slightly darker cannoli than white wine would, though.)

1 large egg, separated (you will need the egg white but not the yolk)

Vegetable or any neutral oil for frying – about 2 quarts (8 cups/approx. 2 litres)

1/2 cup (approx. 62 grams/2 ounces) toasted, chopped pistachio nuts, mini chocolate chips/grated chocolate and/or candied or plain zests, fruits etc.. for garnish (I used melted semi-sweet chocolate and chopped mixed nuts.)

Confectioners’ sugar

DIRECTIONS FOR SHELLS:

1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oil, vinegar, and enough of the wine to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge from 2 hours to overnight.
2. Cut the dough into two pieces. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Lightly flour a large cutting or pastry board and roll the dough until super thin, about 1/16 to 1/8” thick (An area of about 13 inches by 18 inches should give you that). Cut out 3 to 5-inch circles (3-inch – small/medium; 4-inch – medium/large; 5-inch;- large. Your choice). Roll the cut out circle into an oval, rolling it larger and thinner if it’s shrunk a little.
3. Oil the outside of the cannoli tubes (You only have to do this once, as the oil from the deep fry will keep them well, uhh, oiled..lol). Roll a dough oval from the long side (If square, position like a diamond, and place tube/form on the corner closest to you, then roll) around each tube/form and dab a little egg white on the dough where the edges overlap. (Avoid getting egg white on the tube, or the pastry will stick to it.) Press well to seal. Set aside to let the egg white seal dry a little.
4. In a deep heavy saucepan, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches, or if using an electric deep-fryer, follow the manufacturer’s directions. Heat the oil to 375°F (190 °C) on a deep fry thermometer, or until a small piece of the dough or bread cube placed in the oil sizzles and browns in 1 minute. Have ready a tray or sheet pan lined with paper towels or paper bags.
5. Carefully lower a few of the cannoli tubes into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry the shells until golden, about 2 minutes, turning them so that they brown evenly.
6. Lift a cannoli tube with a wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, out of the oil. Using tongs, grasp the cannoli tube at one end. Very carefully remove the cannoli tube with the open sides straight up and down so that the oil flows back into the pan. Place the tube on paper towels or bags to drain. Repeat with the remaining tubes. While they are still hot, grasp the tubes with a potholder and pull the cannoli shells off the tubes with a pair of tongs, or with your hand protected by an oven mitt or towel. Let the shells cool completely on the paper towels. Place shells on cooling rack until ready to fill.
7. Repeat making and frying the shells with the remaining dough. If you are reusing the cannoli tubes, let them cool before wrapping them in the dough.
8.  I then chose to garnish the ends of my cannoli shells.  Looking at pictures of beautiful cannoli, I decided I liked this look better rather than the look one gets by dipping the ends of the finished cannoli (with the filling).

CANNOLI FILLING

2 lbs (approx. 3.5 cups/approx. 1 kg/32 ounces) ricotta cheese, drained

1 2/3 cups cup (160 grams/6 ounces) confectioner’s sugar, (more or less, depending on how sweet you want it), sifted

1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon (4 grams/0.15 ounces) pure vanilla extract or the beans from one vanilla bean

3 tablespoons (approx. 28 grams/approx. 1 ounce) finely chopped good quality chocolate of your choice

2 tablespoons (12 grams/0.42 ounces) of finely chopped, candied orange peel, or the grated zest of one small to medium orange

3 tablespoons (23 grams/0.81 ounce) toasted, finely chopped pistachios

Note – If you want chocolate ricotta filling, add a few tablespoons of dark, unsweetened cocoa powder to the above recipe, and thin it out with a few drops of warm water if too thick to pipe.

DIRECTIONS FOR FILLING:

1. Line a strainer with cheesecloth. Place the ricotta in the strainer over a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Weight it down with a heavy can, and let the ricotta drain in the refrigerator for several hours to overnight.
2. In a bowl with electric mixer, beat ricotta until smooth and creamy. Beat in confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and blend until smooth. Transfer to another bowl and stir in chocolate, zest and nuts. Chill until firm.(The filling can be made up to 24 hours prior to filling the shells. Just cover and keep refrigerated).

ASSEMBLE THE CANNOLI:

1. When ready to serve..fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain or star tip, or a ziplock bag, with the ricotta cream. If using a ziplock bag, cut about 1/2 inch off one corner. Insert the tip in the cannoli shell and squeeze gently until the shell is half filled. Turn the shell and fill the other side. You can also use a teaspoon to do this, although it’s messier and will take longer.
2. Press or dip cannoli in chopped pistachios, grated chocolate/mini chocolate chips, candied fruit or zest into the cream (I will not be doing this as I chose to garnish the ends of the actual cannoli shells.)

This is a picture of the empty shells.  I chose to dip the ends in chocolate and then dip them into chopped nuts.  I think they’ll look really nice once I fill them with a nice white ricotta cream!  I’ll try to post a pic if I get a chance!

UPDATE: Pictures of filled cannoli below!

I should note that I also made squash pasta this weekend that turned out really delish!  I didn’t take a picture of it but I will post the recipe (and whatever picture I can find of the dish from someone else) soon!

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Posted in Daring Bakers, Pastries