Recipe for Fun Friday: Hannah Swensen's Cappucino Royales

I know that I bitch and moan about this series way too often, but this is legit my favorite recipe (that I've tried so far) from Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series. Every time I try one of her recipes, I complain about certain inaccuracies in the recipe and the lack of flavor in the finished bakes, which means I need to fuss with the recipe to get them right. However, this recipe is near perfect; I make very minor adjustments and the result is a huge heap of cookies that everyone loves. Enjoy!

So, so good

Hannah Swensen's Cappucino Royales

2 cups melted butter (4 sticks)

1/4 cup instant coffee powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons brandy or rum extract (I usually use all vanilla extract or sub actual rum for this)

3 cups sugar (she specifies white, I like to swap at least half with brown)

3 beaten eggs

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups chocolate chips (she says milk, I prefer semi-sweet)

5 1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl at 3 minutes on HIGH, or melt it in a saucepan over low heat on the stovetop.

Mix in the instant coffee powder, vanilla and rum or brandy extract. Stir it until the coffee powder has dissolved (this could take a while).

Add the sugar, beaten eggs, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix well.

Stir in the chocolate chips. Mix until they're evenly distributed.

Add the flour in one cup increments, stirring after each addition. Mix until the flour is thoroughly incorporated.

At this point, I like to chill the dough overnight to really let the flavor develop and make it easier to scoop and hold its shape. However, this is not included in the recipe, so I'm assuming you can go right ahead with the baking.

Form walnut-sized dough balls with your fingers (I use a medium-sized cookie scoop). Roll them in a small bowl with granulate sugar if you decided you wanted them sweeter (the cookies are already plenty sweet, so unless you've got a raging sweet tooth, I don't advise this).

Place the dough balls on greased cookie sheets, 12 to a standard-size sheet.

Flatten the dough balls with the back of a metal spatula, or with the palm of your impeccably clean hand (also unnecessary, but your choice).

Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F, for 9 to 11 minutes. Let them cool on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes, and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to complete cooling.

Yield: 12 to 14 dozen cookies (according to Joanne Fluke, but I get about half that yield)

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This recipe is probably in the top 5 of my favorite cookies. What's your favorite cookie recipe? Share it with me in the comments!

Recipe for Fun Friday - Zucchini Goodness!

For a site that bills itself as a Book/Baking blog, there has been a dearth of recipes lately. Not because I haven't been baking, but mostly because I was posting so many reviews. I posted one yesterday and another will be up either tomorrow or Sunday, but I decided to skip the review that was originally going to be posted here, simply because I gave up on the book. I tried and tried to finish it, but it just felt like a waste of time when I have so many other books in my TBR pile worthy of my attention. 

I used to feel super guilty about not finishing a book, and would usually push myself to finish, even if I didn't enjoy it. Now I have so much to do/read/write/etc that I've started to just cut my losses and move on.

Ah well, at the very least, that leaves time and space for me to post some yummy recipes! I probably should've posted these recipes in the heart of summer, when zucchini was cheap and plentiful, but I'm always a tad bit late to the party. Although the weather's getting cooler and Fall produce is starting to appear at the farmer's market, there's still plenty of zucchini to go around.

First up is a recipe from Laura Childs's Tea Shop Mystery series: Zucchini Quiche, featured in Devonshire Scream. It's fast, tasty, and easily adaptable. I love quiche, but I never make it because I hate making pastry. Love eating it, don't enjoy making it. This recipe circumvents all that with the simple addition of Bisquick mix in the batter. Sounds strange, but I love it!

The cast of characters

Nom Nom Nom

Zucchini Quiche 

1 cup onions, chopped

1 cup Bisquick

4 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup cheese, grated (recipe calls for Parmesan; I've used Parmesan, cheddar, dill havarti...all delicious)

1/4 tsp salt

3 to 3 1/2 cups grated zucchini

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients except zucchini in a bowl. Add zucchini last and stir gently. Pour into a buttered pie pan (recipe calls for 9 inch, I use a 10 inch). Bake about 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Yields 4 servings.

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That was our savory selection, next up is sweet. This recipe is from Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series. I've said it a million times, but even though it's a flawed series with some flawed recipes, I do love using it as a template for some fun and creative recipes. 

These zucchini cookies are super tasty but need some work; their texture is rather cake-y, which is cool if you like that kind of thing, but I prefer chewy cookies. The original recipe didn't have you wring out the zucchini, and I'm sure all that excess moisture contributed to the texture. I also added a bit more flavoring, since her recipes are usually kind of bland. Also, this is gonna sound crazy, but I didn't care for the chocolate chips. I'm a big chocoholic, but I felt like with all the other flavors going on, the chocolate was unnecessary. Other than that, these cookies were great. They were like individual portions of zucchini bread, and I LOVE zucchini bread. Let me know if draining the zucchini works for you, or if you have any tips on how to make a cookie less cake-y.

Not pretty, but very tasty

Rose's Zucchini Cookies

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup softened butter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, 1/2 pound)

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 large eggs (beaten)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon (not in the original, but great addition)

1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (peeling optional)

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

4 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Measure out the sugars into a large bowl. Add the softened butter and beat until the mixture is nice and fluffy.

Mix in the baking soda and make sure it's evenly distributed. Add the beaten eggs to the bowl, as well as the vanilla extract, and mix everything thoroughly.

Wring out the shredded zucchini to release as much liquid as possible. Measure out 1 1/2 cups zucchini, packed really well. Add it to the bowl and stir it in. 

Add the nuts and chocolate chips, if you're using them, and mix well.

Add the flour in one cup increments, stirring after each addition. When all the flour has been added stirred in, the resulting dough will be quite stiff (I mix everything up in my KitchenAid since it's way too thick to do by hand). 

I always refrigerate my dough for at least an hour (usually overnight), but the original recipe doesn't seem to think that's necessary. I like to let the flavors develop and the dough just sets better, since this is an especially soft dough.

Scoop the dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake in a 350 F oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. 

Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for two minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: She says 8 dozen, I got 4 dozen. She must make really tiny cookies.

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Well, that's all for today! If you try either of these recipes, let me know how it goes. And if you have a favorite zucchini recipe, please share it in the comments. Enjoy your weekend!

Recipe for Fun Friday #3 - Soft Chewy Milk Chocolate Cookies by Joanne Fluke

I know I should probably be posting some sort of fancy cocktail after reading Rum Luck, but I've been too busy preparing for this conference to do much mixing. I decided instead to share a recipe that my students and co-workers love, from Joanne Fluke's Wedding Cake Murder.

I have a weird relationship with the Hannah Swensen series. I started off reading it with my mom so we'd have something to chat about, and I actually liked them in the beginning. But over time, I stopped enjoying them, but kept reading them. The weirdest thing about it is that I always buy the books when I spot one at Half Price Books (I refuse to pay full price for them), but really, what I want are the recipes. 

The recipes provided usually aren't great on their own; they need some tinkering to get it up to its full potential, otherwise, it's Bland City. But they are great templates and I love that they make huge batches. Since I bake every week for my students and co-workers, a dozen cookies doesn't cut it. I tend to bake a MINIMUM of 3 dozen cookies at a time, or a large sheet cake/bar cookie if I'm feeling lazy and don't want to deal with scooping out so many cookies.

I'll provide the recipe as it's written in the book, with my improvisations noted at the end.

Hannah Swensen's Soft Chewy Milk Chocolate Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, rack in the middle position

1 and 1/4 cups white (granulated) sugar
1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup light Karo syrup
1/2 cup golden raisins
4 cups quick cooking oats
3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Place the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. (You can also mix these by hand, but it's easier and quicker with a mixer)

Pour the softened butter on top of the sugar.

Mix the sugar and the butter until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Mix in the eggs and beat until it is well incorporated and the mixture is light and fluffy.

Sprinkle in he baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix them in until they're incorporated.

Add the cinnamon cardamom, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and coffee. Mix well.

Add the golden raisins. mix them in thoroughly. 

Mix in the molasses and the light Karo syrup. Beat until everything is combined.

Add the oats. Mix thoroughly.

Add the flour in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition.

Take the bowl out of the mixer, give it a final stir by hand, scrape down the sides to make sure that none of the yummy cookie batter sticks to the sides, and stir in the milk chocolate chips by hand.

Set the bowl aside on the counter while you prepare your cookie sheets.

Spray your cookie sheets with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, or line them with parchment paper.

Drop your cookies by heaping large spoonful onto your prepared cookie sheets, no more than 9 large cookies to a standard-size sheet.

Bake your cookies at 350 degrees F, for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they are springy on top when touched lightly and quickly with a fingertip.

Let your cookies sit on the cookie sheets for at least 2 minutes.

Remove the cookies from the cookie sheets with a metal spatula (if you used parchment paper, just pull the whole sheet off) to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Yield: 2 to 3 dozen large soft cookies that everyone will enjoy. 
(Mia's note: I actually have a beef with just about all of the yield sizes in the Hannah Swensen recipes. The recipe will say something outrageous like yields 7 dozen and it'll barely yield 4 or 5 dozen. How small are they making their cookies?)

Mia's changes: If I don't have molasses, I replace the white sugar with brown sugar, well-packed in the measuring cup. If you have a sweet tooth (despite all these ingredients, these cookies are only lightly sweetened), add an extra quarter cup of sugar. 

I usually don't have cardamom, so I just up the quantities of cinnamon. I also rarely carry golden raisins, but regular raisins work just fine. If you or whoever your baking for doesn't care for raisins, just replace it with another cup of chocolate chips. Extra chocolate is always better, in my book. 

Speaking of chocolate, I always use semi-sweet chips instead of milk chocolate, but that's just a personal preference. And finally, if you want to make these cookies extra special, use golden syrup instead of the Karo syrup. It's much harder to find, but places like Mariano's and World Market (or Amazon!) tend to carry it. It has so much more flavor than plain corn syrup.

Enjoy!

(Save Our Cozies!) Recipe: Hannah Swensen's Butterscotch Bonanza Bars

Another Hannah Swensen/Joanne Fluke recipe to share, this time for the Save Our Cozies Readathon. I had posted a picture of these luscious bars about a week ago, promising to share the recipe someday. That time is now! These are so, so easy to make, customizable, and quite delicious. My friends, co-workers, and students are all big fans of this recipe.

Hannah divided the contents of her bowl into three batches. She added the butterscotch chips to Bertie's batch and spread the batter in the bottom of a nine-inch by thirteen-inch pan she'd lined with heavy duty foil. Since she'd tripled the recipe, Hannah mixed semi-sweet chocolate chips into the second batch and white chocolate chips into the third. Personally, she preferred these yummy cookie bars plain. The butterscotch flavor from the ingredients was absolutely delicious all by itself. But several of their customers were crazy about white chocolate chips, and she knew they'd be delighted with the combination of white chocolate and butterscotch. There were also those who wouldn't dream of ordering anything without dark chocolate, and the third batch she'd made was bound to please them.

Butterscotch Bonanza Bars with white chocolate and walnuts

 I've made all three versions, sometimes with pecans, other times with walnuts, and all variations are delicious. I'm particular to the regular butterscotch with walnuts though.

Hannah Swensen's Butterscotch Bonanza Bars
1/2 cup salted butter
2 cups light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
2 cups butterscotch/semi-sweet//white chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch pan. Set it aside.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat on the stovetop, or put it in a microwave-safe mixing bowl and heat it for 1 minute in the microwave on HIGH.

Add the brown sugar to the mixing bowl with the melted butter and stir it in well. 

Mix in the baking powder and the salt. Make sure they're thoroughly incorporated.

Stir in the vanilla extract.

Mix in the beaten eggs.

Add the flour by half-cup increments, stirring in each increment before adding the next.

Stir in the nuts, if you decided to use them.

Stir in the optional chips.

Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth out the top with a rubber spatula.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes.

When the bars are done, take them out of the oven and let them cool completely.

Use a sharp knife to cut into small pieces (they're quite rich).

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #1

I've had a rather busy weekend. Spent Saturday and early Sunday celebrating a childhood friend's bachelorette party. Luckily, she decided to keep it pretty low-key with a Chicago White Sox game, backyard barbecue, drinks in the neighborhood, and finally, a Sunday brunch. Cheap, chill, and fun.

One of my best buddies since 2nd grade

I keeps it classy

The weather was surprisingly beautiful all weekend. Definitely patio weather. I proceeded to eat and drink myself stupid all weekend. MIMOSAS ALL DAY, SON.

Gorgeous party favor

Backyard barbecue. Summertime in Chicago is glorious

Butterscotch Bonanza Bars, recipe coming soon

Chicken & Biscuits with a cherry lemonade

Brunch ended early enough for me to hop the train home, drop off my stuff, and head off to an author event at my neighborhood mystery and history bookstore, Centuries & Sleuths. Julia Buckley's new cozy mystery, A Dark and Stormy Murder, just dropped and she was doing a talk and signing. There was a great turnout, and she read a very short excerpt from the novel, introducing us to the fictional town of Blue Lake, Indiana, where the  novel takes place.  Expect a review by the end of the month (so much to read!)

No, I didn't win :(

She provided 3 different kinds of delicious cupcakes decorated with cute cut-outs of her new novel. I might have sampled all 3 flavors >_>

She was absolutely lovely. 

Now that the weekend's over, I'm participating in the meme, It's Monday! What Are You Reading? where I'll be sharing what I have been/are/will be reading over the next week.

Hosted @ The Book Date

What I Read Last Week:

                          

                                            

The Black Stiletto was great fun, I wrote a review of it here. The Silver Needle Murder and Oolong Dead are both part of the A Tea Shop Mystery series, a world and cast that I greatly love, but these books can be a little hit or miss. Wasn't enamored with Oolong Murder; I felt there were too many unnecessary plot threads and an unsatisfactory wrap-up.

What I Am Currently Reading:

               

I'm part of a mystery discussion group that meets once a month, and we'll be meeting on Saturday to discuss Bruno, Chief of Police. I'm continuing with the next installment in A Tea Shop Mysteries with The Teaberry Strangler; here's hoping it's better than the last one. Finally, I'll be reading and reviewing Beauty, Beast, and Belladonna as part of the Save Our Cozies Readathon on Saturday, July 16th.

What's Up Next:

Just bought a stack of books today. Perhaps one of these? Or something from my ever-growing TBR list? Who knows...

B&B Recipe: Blue Blueberry Muffins from Blueberry Muffin Murder by Joanne Fluke

Got another recipe for you guys! I have a love/hate relationship with the Hannah Swensen series, but that's something I'll delve into at a later time. Right now, I want to talk about these muffins.

My closest friend at work recently put her apartment up on Air B&B, and she loves my baking so much, that she's hired me to make breakfast treats for her guests. So now I get to bake AND make money for it! One step closer to my dream of peddling my baked goods at a small teashop run by me and my best friend...

"Try this," Hannah said, handing Lisa one of the blueberry muffins she'd baked for the Winter Carnival judges. 

"Gladly." Lisa took a bite and a rapturous expression spread over her face. "It's perfect. I love blueberry muffins...My blueberry muffins taste like vanilla, unless you happen to bite into a blueberry. Yours taste like blueberries all the way through. How did you do that?" 

"Blueberry pie filling. I mixed some in before I added the frozen blueberries. The dough turns a little purple, but I like the end result." 

"So do I. They're absolutely delicious."

So do these muffins taste as good as the description makes them seem? Well...

Fresh from the oven, they are absolute Blandsville. I didn't include the topping, because these were meant to be breakfast treats, but other than that, I changed nothing. There's even a note saying that the topping is optional since Hannah's mother loves to eat them for breakfast, so I didn't think it'd be a problem. Once they had cooled enough to taste, I sliced a bit off the sample loaf (I had made 12 muffins and poured the leftover batter into a loaf tin). DISAPPOINTMENT.

It's one thing to bake mediocre treats for my co-workers and students; a little embarrassing, but no harm, no foul. It was entirely different when I was getting paid for my efforts, and these were clearly not good enough.

Luckily, I'm a teacher, and a teacher knows how to improvise. I looked at what I had and decided to whip up a blueberry compound butter to slather on the muffins. Not too sweet, since it's not a frosting, but just enough flavor to keep things interesting.

I will say that the muffins are moister the next day, and the flavor is more developed. When I brought my results to work the next day, my co-workers demolished the loaf before 1st period was over. Their takeaway? The muffins were tasty, but the compound butter was the star.

Make these today!
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Hannah Swensen's Blue Blueberry Muffins
NOTE: If you're not going to make the topping or compound butter, I'd add an extra quarter cup of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract

3/4 cup melted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 cup sugar
2 beaten eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, don't thaw)
1/2 cup blueberry pie filling
2 cups plus one tablespoon flour
1/2 cup milk

Crumb topping (optional):
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup softened butter

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners or grease the bottom of the tin. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Melt the butter. Mix in the sugar. Then add the beaten eggs, baking powder, and salt, and mix thoroughly.

Add one cup of flour and mix in half the milk. Then add the second cup of flour and the rest of the milk and mix thoroughly.


Add 1/2 cup blueberry pie fillig to your bowl and mix it in. Your dough will turn an unappealing shade of bluish-grey, but soldier on.

In a separate bowl or bag, mix the blueberries with the tablespoon of flour until they're completely coated.When your dough is thoroughly mixed, fold in the flour-coated blueberries.

Fill the muffin tins three-quarters full and set them aside. If you have dough left over, grease the bottom of a small tea-bread loaf pan and fill it with your remaining dough.

The crumb topping:

Mix the sugar and the flour in a small bowl. Add the softened butter and cut it in until it's crumbly. You can also do this in a food processor with cold butter.

Sprinkle the crumb topping over your muffins and bake them in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 25-30 minutes. When done, take them out of the oven and let them cool completely.

Mia's Blueberry Compound Butter
This recipe is just a template; taste and add more of what you think it needs. Want it sweeter? Add more powdered sugar. More flavor? Add more filling. Missing that extra something? Probably needs a touch more vanilla. This recipe easily scales up if you're feeding a large crowd, or want to keep some stashed in your fridge.

1/2 stick softened butter
1 tablespoon powdered sugar (I believe it's called icing sugar in some places)
1 tablespoon blueberry pie filling
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whip everything together until it's well-mixed and light and creamy. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Delicious on pretty much everything.