salted peanut butter brownies

hands down this is the nicest summer the pacific northwest has ever seen. never do i remember it being HOT at 10am, or being able to stay out past 9pm without a light jacket. past summers were bearable with no AC - hitting temps that only made my apartment unbearable about three days each summer. this summer has broken record after record for heat and sunshine in seattle. ridiculous. ridiculously amazing. i'm having a blast soaking it all in.

my only complaints are some challenges i've had baking in the kitchen. not only was the indoor temp at my house registering 90 degrees this past weekend, but add an afternoon of cooking and baking and i started wondering if it was possible for a person to melt!

needless to say, it probably wasn't the best day to bake my favorite brownies. but hello! when you're craving peanut butter + chocolate, i'm convinced there isn't a better combination than these brownies.

they are so incredibly decadent. rich and thick and gooey. 

you only need a small bite to satisfy the largest sweet tooth.

best brownie recipe around.

recipe from date night in

brownie ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter, plus more for pan

3oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)

i don't think i've ever included this in these brownies. fyi.

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup flour

frosting ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temp

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon flake salt

directions

1. preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. grease 8 inch square pan. line the pan with parchment paper so that 

a couple of inches hang over the edge. then, grease the parchment paper.

i've made this recipe multiple times, and trust me, these brownies are so gooey you'll definitely be glad you greased AND used the parchment paper. not doing so just makes for a huge mess!

also, i think i used my 9 inch square pan this time, 

but an 8 inch would produce a slightly thicker brownie.

3. place the butter in a medium saucepan and melt over medium-high heat. 

allow the butter to cook until the milk solids bubble up and settle into the pan and caramelize. 

swirl the butter in the pan in order to see the color of the little bits on the bottom. as soon as 

the milk solids are folder and the butter smells nutty, 2-5 minutes, remove the pan from heat.

4. pour the browned butter into a medium bowl and add the hopped chocolate. 

let stand for 1 minute to melt and then whisk together.

5. whisk in the sugar and vanilla while the butter mixture is still warm. 

stir in the eggs, salt and espresso powder, if using, until well blended.

6. over the bowl with the chocolate mixture, sift cocoa powder and flour. 

fold the ingredients together until just combined using a spatula.

note: i've sifted my cocoa and flour 75% of the time i've made the recipe, 

and then sometimes i'm too lazy and skip this part all together. cocoa does clump easily, 

so if you're going to be lazy, just be sure no large clumps get in your brownies. 

i don't think there is a noticeable different in the outcome of the brownies.

7. pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until 

a toothpick inserted in the middle pulls out clean. let cool to room temp.

8. now for the frosting... with an electric mixer, whip together butter, peanut butter, 

and confectioners' sugar in a large bowl. continue to mix until everything is 

well combined and the frosting has lightened in color.

9. frost the cooled brownies and finish with the flake salt.

if the brownies are too fudgy, feel free to pop them in the fridge for a while.

this was necessary on my 90 degree day!

my selection of cocoa powder

salted chocolate chip cookies

i cook a lot. and even though i frequently make dishes that i think are really really good, 

it's hard not to be critical of every aspect of the meal you created. as a recovering perfectionist, 

i still find myself identifying ways i could have made the dish better. 

(i.e. a little more salt, a couple more minutes in the oven, more time marinating, etc.)

this is my third time making the salted chocolate chip cookie from ashley rodriguez's 

date night in cookbook and every time i said outloud 'WOW - these are AMAZING'.

even ben made fun of me praising my own baking skills. LOL!

i've made a lot of chocolate cookies in my day,

and sometimes the recipes feel a dime a dozen.

but there is something about this recipe that convinces me 

it's going to be the recipe i'm using twenty years from now.

the secret ingredient? the sugars and the salt!

most cookie recipes use a lot of granulated white sugar and a little bit of brown sugar. 

this recipe flips the two - using almost entirely brown sugar 

with just two tablespoons of white sugar AND two tablespoons turbinado sugar.

makes 18-24 cookies

ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

1 egg, room temp

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

6oz bittersweet chocolate chips

flake salt for sprinkling

optional: vanilla ice cream for serving

directions

1. in a medium bowl, cream butter and sugars together with an electric mixer 

on medium speed until light in color and texture, about 5 minutes.

 scrape down sides of bowl as needed. 

2. add egg and vanilla and mix well to combine. 

3. in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

4. with the mixer on low, slowly add flour mixture. 

mix until streaks of flour run throughout. 

add chocolate and mix until everything just comes together. 

finish the dough by hand, taking care to make sure everything is evenly distributed.

5. at this point it's best to refrigerate the dough for 24 hours, 

as resting it deepened the toffee flavors and improves the cookie texture.

i do always recommend refrigerating cookie dough - although it's not 100% necessary 
to make a delicious cookie. i've made this recipe all ways - baking the cookies right away, 
chilling the dough for an hour or so, and letting it rest over night as well. all ways produced a delicious cookie, but any extra time you can spare in the fridge does add a layer of flavor!

6. when ready to bake, preheat oven to 360 degrees.

line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

scoop dough onto the baking sheet, rolling into 1.5-2 inch balls.

top the cookies with a pinch of flake salt just before baking.

7. bake 10-12 minutes. 

the cookies should be lightly golden on the outside but look quite gooey on the inside.

let cookies cool on baking sheets for at least 5 minutes.

transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

8. enjoy immediately for a really gooey experience,

wait until they are fully cooled (also amazing),

or stuff two with a scoop of ice cream and have your mind blown! :)

note: this was the batch i did NOT chill in the fridge first.
this leads to a wider, flatter cookie. my cookies that were previously chilled
were roughly half this wide and doubled in thickness. just something to keep in mind! :)

the first time i made these i served them as ice cream sandwiches,
slipping a small scoop of slow churned vanilla bean between two cookies.
they were AMAZING and a huge hit with my crew!

macaroons for two

as mentioned here, 

i'm obsessed with a blog that features dessert recipes 

that are just enough for two people. HELLO. best idea ever!

these macaroons are rich enough to satisfy you with just a couple little bites. 

delicious and VERY coconut-y.

bonus: click here to understand the difference between a macaron and a macaroon

recipe via dessert for two

ingredients

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon flour

pinch of salt

1 large egg white

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 teaspoon oil (for chocolate drizzle)

directions

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.

line baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat

2. in a large bowl, combine coconut, sugar, flour and salt. stir well.

3. add egg white and almond extra and stir very well, until no dry patches remain.

4. scoop dough into 6 mounds on the baking sheet. use your fingers to flatten the cookies. 

(the flatter they are, the crispier they'll get)

5. place cookie sheet in the oven and turn down heat to 325.

bake for 23-25 minutes, letting edges brown.

6. let cookies cool on sheet for a minute or two before moving to a rack to cool completely.

7. if you desire a chocolate drizzle, melt chocolate and oil in double boiler or microwave until smooth. dip, drizzle or dunk cookies, let harden, and serve!

clementine cake

i love anything citrus.
citrus cocktails, citrus gummies, citrus desserts.
you get the picture :)

the great part about this cake is that you can
appease the chocolate lovers in your life as well!

recipe via Jerusalem

cake & syrup ingredients

3/4 cup, room temp

scant 2 cups of superfine sugar

4 large clementines, grated and juiced, separated

1 lemon, grated and juiced, separated

2 1/2 cups almond flour or almond meal, divided

(i used bob's red mill almond flour)

5 large eggs, beaten

3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon flour

pinch of salt

chocolate glaze ingredients

5 oz dark chocolate pieces or chips

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

2 1/2 teaspoons honey

1 1/2 teaspoons cognac (you can also use brandy, bourbon or rum)

directions

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees

butter the bottom and sides of a 9" springform pan

and sprinkle with flour or line bottom with parchment paper.

2. place butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar and both zests 

in a stand mixer and beat on low to combine well. 

do not over mix.

3. add half of almond flour and continue mixing until combined

4. with the machine running, gradually add beaten eggs, 

stopping to scrape bottom and sides as you go.

add reminding almond flour, regular flour, salt and beat until completely smooth.

5. pour cake batter into pan and level with a spatula.

bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out a bit moist.

6. when cake is almost done, place remaining 1/3 cup sugar 

and citrus juices in a small saucepan and bring to a boil 

(juice should be roughly 1/2 cup)

when the syrup boils, reduce to a simmer for a couple minutes.

7. as soon as cake is done, brush it with the boiling syrup, 

making sure all the syrup soaks in. 

leave the cake to cool completely in pan. 

you can serve it from there OR continue with step 8 to create a chocolate glaze :)

8. place butter, chocolate and honey in a heat proof bowl 

and melt over saucepan or in the microwave. 

once melted, whisk everything together and fold in cognac/brandy/rum.

pour icing over the cooled cake.