Cranberry white chocolate oatmeal cookies

Just came back from Japan and I have less than a week to get my Christmas baking done. I think some of my friends will have to get New Year baked goods instead, sorry guys! I was able to make these Cranberry white chocolate oatmeal cookies though for Mr. G and his coworkers. I picked this recipe because it was easy and quick.

I've made two other cranberry white chocolate oatmeal cookies before but I didn't really like them so I didn't post them on the blog. But, this one is a keeper!!! Mr. G gave it a 10!! That's rare! I love the combination of the tart dried cranberries and the sweet white chocolate.

With oatmeal cookies, I always use one minute oats. I know the recipe asks for rolled oats, but I always use the one minute oats because it gives the cookies a better texture. It's not as hard and dry. The one minute oats give the cookie a wonderful chew but the cookie is still very moist.

Another trick with drop cookies is I always let the cookie dough sit for at least 24 hours. NY Times did this article about the perfect chocolate chip cookie and it talks about letting the dough rest. It really makes a world of difference. I can't tell you why, but somehow the cookie has more depth. heehee. =)

Here's the recipe. Try it, you won't regret it!!

Cranberry white chocolate oatmeal cookies
from Art and Soul of baking
makes 24 cookies (see note)

1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened (65 to 68 degrees)
1/2 cup (4 oz) firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp (2 oz) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup (5 oz) unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup (3.25 oz) quick one minute oats (see note)
3/4 cup (3.5 oz) dried cranberries (see note)
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Place the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth and blended, about 2 minutes. You can also use a hand mixer and a medium bowl, although you may need to beat the mixture a little longer to achieve the same results. Scrape down the bowl with the spatula. Add the egg and vanilla and blend well.

3. In a medium bow, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixutre all at once. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and blend slowly, just until there are no more patches of flour. Scrape down the bowl.

4. Add the oats, white chocolate, and cranberries and blend on low just until combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir gently a few times with the spatula to make sure there are no more patches of unicorporated flour or butter lurking near the bottom of the bowl.

5. Using the small ice cream scoop or a spoon, portion table spoon size mounds onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time, rotatin gthe sheet halfway through, for 13 to 16 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown at the edges adn still a bit pale in the center. Transfer to a cookie rack and let the cookies cool completely.

Notes:

• *The original recipe says you can get 50 cookies. I was only able to get two dozens. I used a 1 1/2 tbsp cookie scoop.


• *The original recipe uses old fashioned rolled oats.


• *The original recipe uses dried sour cherries
  

Late night snack from Japanese 7-11

Hey everyone, I'm away from the warmth of the islands again. This time I'm in Japan. I will be here until late December so most likely no Daring Baker challenges from me in November and December.

I've been in Japan for about a week now, and last night I wanted a little snack. It was so cold last night so I decided to go to a nearby 7-11. I went in to get my favorite 7-11 ice cream cone (no picture, it was gone too quickly), but I came out with something extra. I found ritz crackers with brie!!!

These crackers are so much better than the American "cheddar" crackers. It doesn't really taste like brie, but it has a peppery taste that's really nice. I can't wait to discover more yummy Japanese food.

Vegan frozen fudge

Who would have thought fudge without butter and milk can taste so yummy?!! Vegan territory is a first for me..but I ventured into it because of a friend. She has been so kind and sweet to me that I really wanted to make her something special. Normally, this would not be a problem for me, I'll just bake up some yummy treats. BUT, she's Vegan!

So I did some research. I checked with my good friend, Christine, over at Well being in the kitchen. She suggested that I make some frozen fudge.

I admit I was a bit skeptical when I first looked at the ingredients. But I trust Christine and decided to take the plunge. The recipe is very simple and quick. The result is soooooo yummy!! I could not believe it!! It's so rich and chocolately and I couldn't even taste the dates. It's unbelievable. You have to try it, you won't regret it!!

Raw Frozen Fudge
adapted from shakshuka

1 cup pitted dates
1.5 cup water
1 cup peanut butter (see note)
1 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup dried shredded coconut

1. Place the dates in a bowl and cover with water, and soak for about an hour, or until soft. Drain, reserving the liquid.

2. In a blender, blend the dates until smooth, adding soaking liquid as needed to form a creamy consistency.

3. Transfer the date mixture into a large bowl, add the cashew butter, and stir to combine.

4. In a separate bowl, mix the cocoa powder and coconut. Gradually add the dry cocoa mix into the wet date mixture. Stir well. Press the mixture evenly into a 8" square pan, 1 inch thick, and freeze until set, about 3 hours. To serve, thaw a bit, and cut into squares.

Notes:

• *The original recipe calls for 1.5 cups of cashew butter. I only had 1 cup of peanut butter on hand, so that's what I used. It would probably be even creamier and richer had I used 1.5 cups.
  

French Macaron

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

I'm thoroughly disappointed in myself with these macarons. I didn't get the little cute macaron feet nor did I accomplish the beautiful smooth tops. I should really learn to trust my instincts. Before putting it in the oven, I told myself that I need to let the macarons rest in order for the smooth skin to develop..but I thought..I should follow the recipe...right?!

The results otherwise? I don't think I'm a good judge...I don't really like French macarons..*gasp*. I know...everyone seems to love them..but I find them way too sweet!! These are the same...they are toothachingly sweet. I chose to make hazelnut macarons with a chocolate ganache. Maybe that was my problem..I should've used almond. Here's the recipe with my adapation.

Hazelnut macaron

2 1/4 cups Confectioners’sugar
2 cups finely ground hazelnuts
2 tbsp granulated sugar
5 Egg whites

1. Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Combine the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a medium bowl. If grinding your own nuts, combine nuts and a cup of confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor and grind until nuts are very fine and powdery.

2. Beat the egg whites in the clean dry bowl of a stand mixer until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.

3. Sift a third of the almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold gently to combine. If you are planning on adding zest or other flavorings to the batter, now is the time. Sift in the remaining almond flour in two batches. Be gentle! Don’t overfold, but fully incorporate your ingredients.

4. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain half-inch tip (Ateco #806). You can also use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off. It’s easiest to fill your bag if you stand it up in a tall glass and fold the top down before spooning in the batter.

5. Pipe one-inch-sized (2.5 cm) mounds of batter onto baking sheets lined with nonstick liners (or parchment paper).

6. Bake the macaroon for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and raise the temperature to 375°F (190°C). Once the oven is up to temperature, put the pans back in the oven and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or lightly colored.

7. Cool on a rack before filling.

White chocolate pomegranate cheesecake

I made this cheesecake for a friend's birthday party and his wife's baby shower. I always loved white chocolate raspberry cheesecake because the sweetness of the white chocolate complements the tart raspberries so well. I decided, however, to use pomegranate because I received a box of pomegranate juice from the very sweet people at POM Wonderful.

I couldn't find a white chocolate pomegranate cheesecake recipe, so I tweaked a White chocolate raspberry truffle recipe from dinner and dessert. As usual, I used the shortbread crust from Tartelette's Pillow cheesecake. Then I made a sauce using pomegranate juice and swirled it in my cheesecake.

The verdict? I thought it was a very good cheesecake. I think next time I would reduce the amount of pomegranate sauce in the cheesecake so it wouldn't be too tart. My friends all loved it and thought the pomegranate complemented the white chocolate very well. Here's the recipe.

White Chocolate Pomegranate Cheesecake
adapted from Dinner and Dessert and Tartelette

crust
125 g butter, very cold, cubed small
42g sugar
125g flour
12g cacao powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Work the butter, sugar, flour and cacao with a food processor or your fingers to get a sandy mixture. Work the dough for a minute. Press into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely.

Pomegranate sauce
2 cups of pomegranate juice
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water

Heat the pomegranate juice in a small pan until it’s boiling. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes until the juice is reduced to about 1/2 cup. In a small bowl, combine 1 tsp of cornstarch and 1 tbsp of water. Pour cornstarch mixture into the reduced pomegranate juice and cook until the juice thickens to a sauce consistency.

white chocolate filling
1/3 cup of pomegranate sauce (recipe above)
4 x 8 oz pkgs cream cheese
1 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 eggs
4 oz white chocolate, chopped into chunks

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

2. To prep the springform pan, wrap a large piece of foil around the pan to keep the water from seeping into the cheesecake in the water bath.

3. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler. Allow to cool slightly.

4. Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese with the sugar, white chocolate, and vanilla. Mix until the ingredients are smooth and creamy. Add eggs one at a time and fully incorporate each egg before adding the next egg. Blend the mixture just enough to integrate the eggs, do not over beat.

4. Pour the cream cheese filling into the crust. Drizzle the pomegranate sauce over the entire surface of the filling. Use a butter knife to swirl the sauce into the cream cheese filling.

5. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the edges are firm, but the center still jiggles when tapped. Remove the cheesecake from the oven to cool. Once it’s completely cool, chill it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Notes:

• *I used to make a lot of cracked cheesecake, but I found out the reason why. There are a few reasons. If you over bake the cheesecake, it will crack. If you over beat the batter, it will crack. I also find that if you allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven with the door ajar for about an hour, and then take it out, it's less likely to crack.