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I was going to bake Milk Chocolate Egg Cookies, from the March/April 2018 issue of Baking from Scratch, but I felt that it would be a waste of high-end chocolate (see thread on when to use or not use expensive chocolate). However, I had a package of Cadbury mini-eggs I'd bought to use in the recipe. So, I baked Deep Dark Brownies from the KAF website, and crushed the Cadbury mini-chocolate eggs and sprinkled them over the top of the brownies before I baked them this morning. They should be ready to cut for dinner tonight. I'll add a note to this post about what we think of my innovation.
I use a 10x10 ceramic square dish for this recipe because the center never cooked through before the sides were done in a 9x9 inch metal pan. I also find that these brownies are better if they have a long rest period before cutting. Eight hours should do it, but I usually bake them the day before I plan to serve them.
Added Note: The crushed mini-eggs make an attractive top next to the dark chocolate and give a nice crunch. It's a nice way to vary a brownie recipe.
I was able to locate it at the magazine's website:
The magazine is overly fussy, although I've gotten a few good recipes from them. I couldn't do any of the recipes in their British Baking issue (Jan/Feb) because they refused to give any possible substitutions for ingredients not readily available.
The other recipes in the chocolate section are items that if I were to bake them, I'd probably spring for more expensive chocolate, but not for these cookies.
I baked a new recipe for Saturday breakfast: Buckwheat and Hazelnut Muffins, from Bernard Clayton's Complete Book of Small Breads, pp. 160-161. I made the recipe as written but reduced the salt from 1 to 1/2 tsp. I think that they could do with less leavening. The recipe called for 2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. baking soda and uses buttermilk. Not only did the muffins rise rather high and tip outwards in a couple of cases (and no, this oven has no convection fan), but they have a slightly bitter aftertaste. Next time, I will reduce the baking powder to 1 tsp. and see if that gives a more mellow flavor. The other alternative would be to reduce the baking powder to 1/4 tsp., but I want the buttermilk flavor.
Added Note from Next Day: The muffins are actually very good at room temperature with a light smear of butter (well, Land o' Lakes butter/canola oil spread). I did not notice the aftertaste this time, but I will still reduce the baking powder by 1/2 tsp. to start.
I also baked the Soft Barley Cookies this morning from the dough I made last night. I used KAF's yellow sparkling sugar on them.
I'm currently down to a single taster, other than me, who would take a dim view of too much repetition of a single baked good--although it took some nudges to get him away from Grape Nuts bread all the time. I did try out some new cookies at Christmas, and the recipes were good enough to mail to my twin nieces and their parents.
KAF's Spring 2018 issue of Sift came out the last week of March, and this time I ordered it immediately, since last time (Holiday 2017) they ran out, I had to have my sister in California hunt it down for me, so I had to pay full price and shipping. After all that, I was not that impressed with the holiday issue, although for people baking vegan, it had some great desserts. The spring issue looks much more promising with some great looking strawberry recipes (strawberry sweet rolls!), as well as a selection of breakfast recipes from Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen. I have one of her cookbooks and may buy her new one. I also like to read her blog and try some of the recipes there.
I noted that the current issue of Bake from Scratch also has a lot of strawberry recipes, but their recipe often ask for ingredients that have to be specially purchased.
