Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters... Milk's New Favorite Cookies!

Moooooove over Oreo, there's a new cookie in town. And I'm pretty confident that in a race to a tall, cold glass of reduced fat milk, these cookies would mow down any Oreo, even Double Stuffed, that got in their way! These cookies are the brain child of none other than Dorie Greenspan. If you're a TWDer, you're already familiar with the deliciousness of these cookies. I, however, was a virgin to the idea of peanut butter, oatmeal, and chocolate chips all married together as one delicious, chewy piece of perfection! Well, not including those no-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies... OMG that's a whole other wet dream!

I put my own spin on these by replacing the chocolate chips with mini peanut butter cups. I'm pretty sure that's what puts these cookies over the edge. Imagine biting into a chewy peanut butter cookie and then finding that your teeth have sunk into a tiny, melty peanut butter cup. Can you hear the angels?????
I have to admit, the only cookies I've ever eaten with milk were Oreos and Lorna Doones. But after reading Dorie's description of these cookies and how they pair so well with milk, I simply could not resist. Feel free to cheat on your Oreos with these cookies. I promise you won't regret it! ;D
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters (from "Baking From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan)
Makes 60 cookies (I got 46 using a #30 [2 Tbsp] scoop)

3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon (I omitted)
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (I omitted)
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup peanut butter, chunky or smooth (but not natural)
1 cup sugar
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 1/2 cups store-bought chocolate chips or chunks (I used 12 ounces mini peanut butter cups)

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, spices and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, beating only until blended. Mix in the chips. If you have the time, cover and chill the dough for about 2 hours or for up to one day. (Chilling the dough will give you more evenly shaped cookies.)

If the dough is not chilled, drop rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets. If the dough is chilled, scoop up rounded tablespoons, roll the balls between your palms and place them 2 inches apart on the sheets. Press the chilled balls gently with the heel of your hand until they are about 1/2 inch thick.

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 7 minutes. The cookies should be golden and just firm around the edges. Lift the cookies onto cooling racks with a wide metal spatula - they'll firm as they cool.

Repeat with the remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.

Serving: I can't remember when I actually served these. They're more often plucked from a cookie jar than picked from a platter.

Storing: Wrapped airtight or piled into a cookie jar, the cookies will keep at room temperature for about 4 days. Wrapped and frozen, they'll be good for 2 months.

Dorie Greenspan's Basic Biscuits

Pop quiz! Who can tell me what the acronym BFD stands for?? Anyone? You, in the back? No? ANYONE? Okay, okay, the answer is....

...BREAKFAST FOR DINNER! It's a staple at my house because (on the off occasion he spends the night) Josh doesn't like to eat breakfast in the morning, and it's my favorite meal! Well, technically French toast is my favorite meal. It would undoubtedly be my last meal if I were ever put on death row. Yeah, I've thought about it! Where am I going with this? Oh yeah! The other night I was totally out of ideas about what to make for dinner. I remembered that my dad had just bought FIVE BAGS of unbleached flour from Target (on clearance for $1.34, how could he say no?). What could I make for dinner that would utilize that flour? Sausage gravy and biscuits!

I don't consider myself much of a biscuit maker. I've said it before, and I don't mind reiterating it, Hardees is my #1 favorite biscuit. I know I could never come close to recreating it at home, so I don't try. But sometimes I gotta have a biscuit without driving to Hardees. I don't have a go-to recipe because, like I said, I'm not a biscuit maker. I flipped through a few cookbooks and settled on a recipe from Dorie Greenspan's "Baking: From My Home to Yours." It did the job as a platform for a giant pile of sausage gravy. But, comparatively speaking, Hardees is still my main squeeze.

Getting ready! I like to grate frozen butter into the flour. I only got 7 biscuits out of the first roll! =/ I'm no biscuit queen, but they tasted yummy!

Basic Biscuits (from "Baking: From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan)
Makes 12 biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour (or 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/3 cup cake flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
3/4 cup cold whole milk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl. Drop in butter and using fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour. Using fingertips or pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into dry ingredients until mixture is pebbly. You'll have pea-size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pieces of everything in between - and that's just right.

Pour the milk over the dry ingredients, grab a fork and toss and gently turn the ingredients until you've got a nice soft dough. Now reach into the bowl with your hands and give the dough a quick gentle kneading - 3 or 4 turns should be enough to bring everything together.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Dust the top of the dough very lightly with flour and pat the dough out with your hand or roll it until 1/2 inch high. Don't worry if its not completely even. Light touch is more important than accuracy.

Use a 2-inch biscuit cutter to cut out as many biscuits as you can. Try to cut the biscuits close to one another so you get the most you can out of this first round. By hand or with a small spatula, transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet. Gather together the scraps, working as little as possible, pat to a 1/2 inch thickness and cut as many additional biscuits as you can; transfer them to the sheet.

Bake the biscuits for 14 to 18 minutes, or until they are puffed and golden brown. Transfer to a serving basket.

Four-Star Chocolate Bread Pudding!

What!? I just happened to make Dorie's Four-Star Chocolate Bread Pudding at the same time as the TWDers, and I didn't even know it!? AWESOME! I've always wanted to join Tuesdays with Dorie, but somehow I always manage to fill up my week with other baking obligations. Oh well, this week I can pretend I'm one of them! ;)

Remember the Kugelhopf I just posted... seriously... you have to remember... it was literally minutes ago! Anyway, I mentioned turning the leftovers into bread pudding. Well, here she is! After a few days of nibbling off of the Kugelhopf, I had approximately half of it leftover. I knew I wanted to make bread pudding out of it, because I'd never had bread pudding before. I made it a few times at the bakery I used to worked at, but theirs smelled (and looked) like puke. I was hesitant to make bread pudding at home, but I had a feeling I could do a better job at making it look appetizing! Maybe, I was wrong, because mine came out looking a little like dog food (or Egg Fu Yung, you decide). But it definitely tasted good! You could still taste the wonderful yeasty flavor of the Kugelhopf, but now it was accompanied by the fantastic, creamy flavor of chocolate! At first I wasn't sure if I'd like the raisin/chocolate combo, but it was nice. The raisins added a nice burst of flavor every now and then. The only thing I'd change about it is to follow Dorie's optional instructions for baking it in a 7-x-11-inch pan to make it deeper. Other than that, this Egg Fu Yung *ahem* bread pudding is a keeper!

Four-Star Chocolate Bread Pudding (from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)
MAKES 12 SERVINGS

“I like to use a pan large enough to create a pudding that's only about an inch high… If you'd like a deeper pudding, you can make the pudding in a 7-x-ll-inch baking pan or in something deeper, like a soufflé mold. Alternatively, you can make individual puddings--depending on the size of the cups you use, you'll need 8 to 10. Of course, with any change of pan, you'll have to change the baking time, which is not difficult since, as you'll see, it is easy to tell when the pudding is properly baked.”

SERVING: You could serve this pudding warm, but it is better at cool room temperature or even chilled--it also cuts better when it is cold. Serve the pudding simply with a dusting of confectioners' sugar or less simply with vanilla (or rum or Grand Marnier or brandy) Crème Anglaise, chocolate sauce, or whipped cream or crème fraîche.

STORING: Covered, the bread pudding will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. (Sike, I bet it can last for a week!)

12 ounces bread (brioche, challah or white (or Kugelhopf)), preferably stale
1/2 cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cherries (optional) (Since there were raisins alredy in my Kugelhopf, I just sprinkled a few extra raisins on top of the pudding before baking.)
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used semi-sweet chips)

Getting ready: Have a 9-x-13-inch baking pan at hand (a Pyrex pan is perfect here), as well as a roasting pan big enough to hold the baking pan and hot water. Line the roasting pan with a double thickness of paper towels.
Cut the bread into I-inch cubes. If the bread is stale, put it and the raisins or cherries, if you are using them, into the baking pan. If it is not stale, spread it out on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat and bake in a 350 degree F oven to "stale" it for 10 minutes, then toss into the pan (with the fruit).
Bring the milk and cream just to a boil.
Fill a teakettle with water and put it on to boil; when the water boils, turn off the heat. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, yolks and sugar together in a bowl. Still whisking, slowly drizzle in about one quarter of the hot milk mixture--this will temper, or warm, the eggs so they don't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the rest of the hot milk. Add the chocolate and whisk it in gently until it is melted and the custard is smooth. Rap the bowl against the counter to pop any bubbles that might have formed, then pour the custard over the bread and press the bread gently with the back of a spoon to help cover it with liquid. Leave the pan on the counter, giving the bread the back-of-the-spoon treatment now and then, for 30 minutes.

Getting ready to bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Slide the pan setup into the oven and very carefully pour enough hat water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the pudding pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the pudding is evenly puffed, the top is dull and dry and a thin knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean. Transfer the baking pan to a rack and cool to room temperature.

Kugelhopf (aka Gugelhoffen... for Dad!)

If you've been reading my new "business" blog, you might've noticed the Kugelhopf pan I picked up at an auction last week. Ever since I got it, my dad hasn't stopped bugging me about making something with it. I guess he just really loves the name of it because he randomly shouts it at me every time he sees me! But my dad has his own way of pronouncing words (ever since I can remember, he's never been satisfied with calling something by it's proper name), so he's been calling is "Gugelhoffen!" Finally, I decided to put an end to this madness and make him a "GUGELHOFFEN!" I'm so glad I did! Wow! It was totally different than what I was expecting. I was not expecting it to be so delicious! Actually, I'm not even sure what I was expecting, but what I got was very yummy! Dorie does a good job of explaining it in her book, Baking: From My Home to Yours.

“Part bread, part cake, Kugelhopf is made very much like brioche. In fact, it is almost a brioche, but not a rich one. You won't miss the bit of butter that's left out of the dough, though, because once it’s baked, the cake is soaked with melted butter and sprinkled with sugar, so it develops a fine crust..."

If she says this bread isn't as rich as brioche, I'm very curious to taste brioche! The Kugelhopf seemed very rich to me. And she's right, it definitely wasn't lacking butter! I was tempted to add cinnamon to the recipe, but I'm glad I restrained myself. The plain, yeasty taste of this bread was SO good! Josh and I took a road trip up to Belle Isle, and I brought along a huge hunk of Kugelhopf for snacking! Mmmm, I'll definitely be using this recipe often!

PS: If you can't imagine eating an entire loaf of this stuff, stay tuned to see how to turn the leftovers into a delicious bread pudding (which, coincidentally, is the same bread pudding made by the TWDers this week)!

Here is the dough after being punched down the first time. It's still very sticky at this point! ...After the last rising, it's ready to be baked!
I was so excited to see this thing turned out of the pan!
Tada! Perfection!
I wish I had one more piece of this right now!
It was delicious for breakfast and for snacking anytime!

Kugelhopf (from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)
MAKES 8 SERVINGS (To make this in a 12 cup pan, follow my conversions in italicized parentheses)

“For anyone who comes from Alsace, the northeastern region of France, Kugelhopf, as plain as it is, is a dream food. Part bread, part cake, Kugelhopf is made very much like brioche. In fact, it is almost a brioche, but not a rich one. You won't miss the bit of butter that's left out of the dough, though, because once it’s baked, the cake is soaked with melted butter and sprinkled with sugar, so it develops a fine crust… While, in a pinch, you could make a Kugelhopf in a Bundt pan, it's a treat to bake it in the pan designed especially for it… Like brioche, this dough is best made using a heavy-duty mixer; however, you can succeed in mixing it in a large bowl with a wooden spoon.”

FOR THE CAKE
1/3 cup moist, plump raisins (1/2 cup)
Scant 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet [2 1/4 teaspoons])
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch whole milk (1/2 cup)
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (2 1/2 cups)
1/4 teaspoon salt (1/2 teaspoon)
2 large eggs (3 eggs)
1 large egg yolk (2 yolks)
3 tablespoons sugar (1/4 cup + 1/2 tablespoon)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature (1 1/2 sticks)

FOR THE SOAK
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
Sugar, for dusting
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

To make the cake: Bring a little water to a boil in a small saucepan and toss in raisins. Turn off the heat and let steep for 2 minutes, then drain the raisins and pat them dry. Put the yeast and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt and stir just to moisten the flour--don't be concerned, the mixture will be shaggy and there may be dry patches.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs and yolk together lightly with a fork. Fit the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one, and, working on low speed, pour in the beaten eggs, mixing until they are incorporated. Add the sugar, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the dough comes together and smooths out a little, about 5 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the butter in 4 to 6 additions, squeezing each piece to soften it before adding it and beating until each one is almost fully incorporated before adding the next.
When the butter is blended in, the dough will be very soft. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and climbs up the hook, about 10 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer, and stir in the raisins.
Scrape the dough into a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. (The length of time will depend on the warmth of your room.) (I set my oven to the “warm” setting (170º F) and turned it off. This will cut the rising time almost in half.)
Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall back with a slap into the bowl. Cover the bowl again and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours. Then, if you have the time, let the dough rest in the refrigerator overnight. (The dough can be wrapped tightly and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
Generously butter a 9-inch Kugelhopf mold (8- to 9-cup capacity) (Mine is a 12-cup; my conversions are 1.5x the original recipe.) and put the chilled dough in the pan. Cover the pan lightly with buttered parchment or wax paper and let the dough rise in a warm place until it comes almost to the top of the mold, 2 to 3 hours.

Getting ready to bake: When the dough has almost fully risen, center a rack in the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
(The times are the same for a 12-cup recipe.) Remove the paper and bake the Kugelhopf for 10 minutes. Cover the pan lightly with a foil tent and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the Kugelhopf is golden brown and has risen to the top--or, more likely, over the top--of the pan.
Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with foil and place a rack over it. Remove the kugelhopf from the oven and unmold it on the rack.

To soak the cake: (I didn’t increase the amount of butter to soak my cake; ½ stick was plenty.) Melt the butter and gently brush the hot cake with it, allow the butter to soak into the cake. Sprinkle the hot cake lightly with sugar and cool it to room temperature. Right before serving, dust the Kugelhopf with confectioners' sugar.

Dorie's French Yogurt Cake

I've seen a lot of this cake around the blogosphere lately, because the TWDers recently baked it. I had some yogurt in the fridge that needed to be used (since I ran out of granola, no more yogurt parfait for breakfast). This recipe looked perfect. However, after baking it I agree with a lot of the TWDers who thought this cake was kind of plain. It's not bad. It's not outstanding. It's just so so. I figured it would be when the recipe only called for 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla. I did leave out the lemon zest (which probably accounted for most of the flavor), but I added 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract. It might have been better if I had topped it with the suggested lemon glaze, but I wasn't in the mood for lemon. I totally agree with Steph from Obsessed With Baking about it benefiting from a little butter! I also followed her advice about mixing the oil in with the sugar and eggs, instead of folding it in at the last step. I didn't have a problem with the texture of the cake, so I know this change isn't why I don't love the cake. It was pretty good with strawberries and lightly whipped cream, but I doubt I'll make it again.


French Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze (from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground almonds (or, if you'd prefer, omit the almonds and use another 1/2 cup all-purpose flour) (I used flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon (I omitted this)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I also added 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract)
1/2 cup flavorless oil, such canola or safflower

For the Glaze: (I didn't make the glaze)
1/2 cup lemon marmalade, strained
1 teaspoon water

Getting Ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter an 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-inch loaf pan and place the pan on a baking sheet.

Whisk together the flour, ground almonds, if you're using them, baking powder and salt.

Put the sugar and zest in a medium bowl and, with your fingertips, rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the yogurt, eggs and vanilla and whisking vigorously until the mixture is very well blended. Still whisking, add the dry ingredients, then switch to a large rubber spatula and fold in the oil. You'll have a thick, smooth batter with a slight sheen. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes (Mine was done around 45 minutes), or until the cake begins to come away from the sides of the pan; it should be golden brown and a thin knife inserted into the center will come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes, then run a blunt knife between the cake and the sides of the pan. Unmold, and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.

To Make the Glaze:
Put the marmalade in a small saucepan or in a microwave-safe bowl, stir in the teaspoon of the water and heat until the jelly is hot and liquefied. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the cake with the glaze.