Sarabeth's Chocolate Chubbies

CHOCOLATE CHUBBIES - SARABETH

makes 2 dozen cookies

· 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

· 9 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (no more than 62 pe

rcent cacao), finely chopped

· 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

· 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

· 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

· 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

· 3 large eggs, at room temperature

· 1 1/4 cups superfine sugar

· 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

· 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

· 1 1/2 cups (5 1/2 ounces) coarsely chopped pecans

· 1 1/4 cups (4 1/2 ounces) coarsely chopped walnuts

PROCEDURES

1

Position racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper.

2

Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over low heat. Put the butter in a wide, heatproof bowl, and melt the butter over the hot water in the saucepan. Add the semisweet and unsweetened chocolate, stirring often, until melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cooled slightly but still warm, about 5 minutes.

3

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Whip the eggs in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until the eggs are foamy and lightly thickened, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high and gradually add the sugar, then the vanilla. Whip until the eggs are very thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and beat in the tepid chocolate, making sure it is completely incorporated. Change to the paddle attachment and reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips, pecans, and walnuts, making sure the chunky ingredients are evenly distributed at the bottom of the bowl. The dough will be somewhat soft.

4

Using a 2-inch ice-cream scoop, portion the batter onto the prepared pans, placing the cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake the cookies immediately—if you wait, they won’t be shiny after baking. Bake, switching the position of the pans from top to bottom and front to back about halfway through baking, until the cookies are set around the edges (if you lift a cookie from the pan, the edges should release easily, even if the center of the cookie seems underdone), 17 to 20 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool completely on the baking pans.

Note: The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature, with the layers separated by parchment paper, for up to 3 days.)

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/12/chocolate-chubbies-recipe.html

Topher's Horchata

Horchata

Topher's recipe from David Lebowitz' site.......

About 6 cups (1.5l)

Adapted from Paletas (Ten Speed) by Fany Gerson

I used rice milk since I like the flavor of it and it is a bit lighter than regular milk, although there are versions of horchata that use plain milk (whole or skim), coconut milk, or even sweetened condensed milk. Feel free to use what you’d like, although if using coconut or condensed milk, sweeten the horchata to taste.

Speaking of which, on first taste, I thought this was a little sweet. But after pouring it over ice, I realized the sweetener was just right. The original recipe called for the full cup,bBut you may wish to start off with the smaller amount sugar (or even less) and add more if you wish.

2/3 cup (120g) white rice (see Note)

3 cups warm water

One 2-inch (5cm) cinnamon stick

3/4 to 1 cup (150g-200g) sugar

2 cups (500ml) rice milk or regular milk

Ground cinnamon, for serving

1. In a blender, grind the rice so it is in fine pieces, roughly the consistency of very coarse polenta. (If your blender won’t go that fine, that’s okay and just break up the rice as much as possible.)

2. Transfer the rice to a bowl then pour warm water over it and add the cinnamon stick. Cover and refrigerate at least eight hours, but preferably overnight.

3. Pluck out the cinnamon stick then puree the rice and water until it’s as smooth as possible. Strain the mixture through a sieve lined with a few layers of cheesecloth, squeezing it relatively firmly to extract as much of the rice flavor as possible.

4. Stir in the sugar and milk, mixing until the sugar is dissolved. Taste, and adjust sweetness, if necessary. Refrigerate until completely chilled.

Serving: Serve over ice with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon on top.

Storage: Store the horchata in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Note: The original, and most other horchata recipes I’ve seen, recommend using long grain rice. However I used short grain rice, and was pleased with the results. In Spain they make horchata withchufa, which are not easy to find, depending on where you live.