Smitten Kitchen's apple tart: Something special

I am not the kind of person who looks at many recipes and thinks, "let's make that exactly as it's written!"I either eyeball amounts, change the spices, change some ratios, taste and edit as I go. When I find a recipe that is an exception to this, I know I've found something special I have to share with you.

Ready for my close-up, darling

I am the only person in my immediate family who loves pumpkin pie. As such, I am always in support of inviting others to our Thanksgiving celebration, because it means I can justify baking this traditional dessert, for the sake of our guests you know. Still, there has to be another dessert, and my mother asked for an apple pie.

Want to know a secret?

Best thing you aren't* eating: brownie bites

*A “Best thing you aren’t eating” post, in which I share recipes that are so easy you can barely call them recipes, for things so simply delightful that I don’t know why I didn’t eat them before or why I’m not eating them everyday, and on the off chance you haven’t eaten them, it would be very very rude for me not to share.

This post is a bit of a two-fer, a simple recipe that led to the discovery of the true "best thing you aren't eating." Looking for something to bring to a family party, I decided on making brownie bites (you can call them brownie truffles if you're feeling fancy).

Brownie bites/truffles

-Bake your favorite brownie recipe or box mix according to directions, let cool completely.

-Trim the crunchy edges (bonus snack!) and cut brownie into small squares (mine were a little smaller than 1x1inches)

-Roll squares into balls (this will get messy)

-Freeze for at least 30 minutes

-To coat, melt chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave (zap in 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted)

-Stick a skewer in each ball to dip in the chocolate, shake off the excess and set on wax paper and let harden (either in a cool room or the freezer). Leave plain like to the left, or add sprinkles like above.

I was worried about transporting them during the hour drive. This led to some research on how brownies would freeze (the answer is GREAT) and reading several comments from people addicted to eating brownies straight out of the freezer.

Here's the bonus part. I was skeptical but I cannot emphasize this enough: eat a frozen brownie. Try just one. And then tell me you don't want to do it again, I dare you. They don't freeze solid, but instead get intensely chewy and fudgy and heavenly.

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Bettina bakes all the things: yogurt cake

In my last job, I took on the role of office birthday baker. It was a nice opportunity for me, who lived alone, to try new recipes and not worry about eating entire cakes or batches of cookies on my own. Sometimes though, when a birthday was in the middle of the week, or when I had to work late the night before, it was helpful to have a recipe I could rely on to come together quickly, easily, and deliciously.

For those times, that recipe was a yogurt poundcake. One bowl, no electric mixers, and one pan.

Farmers' Market Friday : peach & blueberry cobbler

Originally posted September 9, 2011 on Bettina Writes. 

One of my favorite cakes I've made features caramelized peaches with a buttery cake textured with the addition of cornmeal. I've made it as is with just peaches, or added blueberries to the peaches, or switched them out for nectarines or plums. It's delicious, but a little time consuming to make, so I was looking for a way to get the same flavors together in an easier format, when I came across this recipe for peach cobbler with cornmeal biscuit topping, from the website for the same farmers' market from where I bought my peaches and berries.

I've adapted the recipe slightly--the one on Fresh Farm's website sounds great as is, but I love the combination of peaches with blueberries (and I like to make cobbler topping with powdered sugar for the texture). I made a large version for a Labor Day BBQ to say goodbye to summer; I had to leave before the cobbler was served, but I was assured it was "scarfed down"... which is exactly what I did with the individual portion I ate for breakfast this morning. (NB: don't miss the bonus recipe at the bottom!)

Bacon chocolate chip cookies

Originally posted August 9, 2011 on Bettina Writes. 

One day, I'll have a blog named "Bakin' with Bacon," and it will all be recipes that include my favorite porcine product, and when it makes me wildly famous, I'll get to spend quality kitchen time with Kevin Bacon, because in this fantasy he loves a pun as much as I do. That day is not today, but that doesn't mean pig candy can't make a guest appearance here every now and then. And what better grand entrance than with bacon chocolate chip cookies?