Monday, March 29, 2010

Cookies and brownies and cupcakes- oh my...

I have been on a little bit of a baking kick lately, mainly because I have not really been happy with the recipes I have used in the past for Bryan-safe baked goods. While Bryan certainly seems to like everything just fine, I want to be able to bake things that everyone in the house will be happy with (rather than having to make both "Bryan-safe" cookies and "Everyone else" cookies.) That means that the resulting products need to have good texture and good flavor- and as little soy flavor as possible. That seems pretty difficult, given the no-milk-no-egg parameters, but I have a ton of cookbooks and websites to help me out, so here goes...

Week 12.2- No Cow Brownies

With a good chocolate chip cookie recipe in hand, I am now able to turn my attention to another popular baked good in my house- brownies. I do have a brownie recipe that I have used in the past, but it is a little more labor-intensive than I can usually afford. I am hoping to find a recipe that, as for my cookie search, is simple and relatively quick. This time, I tried another recipe from the Bakin' Without Eggs cookbook. This one was already milk-free as well, so I was hoping it would work out well.

Recipe- No Cow Brownies from Bakin' Without Eggs by Rosemarie Emro
Modifications- Used apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar, Bryan-safe chocolate chips, and no nuts.
Reactions- Bryan and Claudia liked them. I thought they were okay, but that I can probably find something better.
Notes- Texture-wise, these are more cake-like than I usually prefer my brownies. I was also able to taste the vinegar, although that might be because I used the apple cider variety- and neither of the kids seemed to mind. I had to bake them for quite a bit longer than indicated- I think it was a total of 40 minutes, and I was again worried about the top layer and edges baking too quickly. If I try these again, I will probably use a larger pan, and try to have white vinegar on hand.

Week 12.1- Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay, technically I didn't make a recipe during week 11 because we were out of town visiting family. However, I did make up for it by trying 2 recipes during week 12. The first of these recipes was again related to my quest for a "Go-To" chocolate chip cookie. And I may have found one! This one came from a cookbook entitled Bakin' Without Eggs. All of the recipes are, as expected from the title, egg-free. Several of them do, however, contain milk or milk products. Sometimes a substitution would be simple (soymilk for milk), but substituting too much with baking recipes can get complicated. (Baking is such a science that you can lose a lot of texture and shape when you swap ingredients in and out.) There are enough recipes that I can play with, however, and I found one particular chocolate chip cookie recipe that was in fact Bryan-safe without any major modifications.

Recipe- Loaded Chocolate Chip Cookies from Bakin' Without Eggs by Rosemarie Emro
Modifications- Used Bryan-safe margarine and chocolate chips. Didn't add optional nuts or coconut.
Reactions- These were great! Bryan, Claudia, and I all liked them. Again, Dad said he wanted to try, but never got around to it.
Notes- These cookies were chewy and moist, which is definitely a plus when you're baking without eggs or real butter. They do basically hold their shape when you bake them (no spreading), so I might "flatten" them a little more when I scoop them onto the cookie sheet. The dough can also be frozen for a quick slice-and-bake cookie later. I think I have a winner!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Week 10- Blondies

I have been looking through my Bryan-safe cookbooks lately for a "Go-To" cookie recipe- a cookie recipe that is relatively quick, easy, and that everyone in my family will enjoy. While Bryan liked the last cookie recipe that I tried, it wasn't quite what I was hoping for, so I have been planning to experiment a little. This week, I tried a new recipe for Blondies- basically, chocolate chip cookie bars. This one called for oat flour, which I had read recently can help provide a chewier texture to baked goods without eggs- and which should resolve the issue I had with the last recipe. Gave it a try, and...

Recipe- Blondies from Sophie-Safe Cooking by Emily Hendrix
Modifications- None
Reactions- Bryan and Claudia both enjoyed them, although Bryan did say he didn't like the hard part (see below). I liked them as well, except for the hard part. Dad said he wanted to try one, but I don't think he ever got around to it.
Notes- These didn't bake as evenly as I had hoped. In an 8x8 pan, they were fairly thick, and the top layer and edges became very crunchy before the inside was cooked through. Flavor was good- like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, but without the oatmeal texture (go figure, right?) I wonder if they would bake more evenly in a larger pan...

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Week 9- Orecchiette with Bacon and Broccoli Rabe

This week's new recipe comes courtesy of my friend Herman. Herman and I became friends in college, and he is truly one of the nicest, most thoughtful people I know. Even so, I was so touched when I got an e-mail from him a few weeks ago, mentioning that he had heard about my resolution and wanted to share some recipes that he and his wife had tried successfully for their family. There were several that looked really good, and all of them were either already Bryan-safe, or could easily be modified. He also recommended Food and Wine magazine and their website as good resources for new recipes- and after browsing, I am completely sold.

Recipe- Orecchiette with Bacon and Broccoli Rabe
Modifications- Used broccoli instead of broccoli rabe
Reactions- Dad and I both liked it a lot. Bryan tasted it, but said it was "a little bit too different." Claudia looked at it and decided she didn't want to try it. When she finally tried it, she spit it out right away. I think is trying to recover her "Pickiest Girl In The World" title.
Notes- As usual, it is impossible to please everyone. I'll definitely file this one away for future use- maybe if the kids keep seeing it, it won't be "a little bit too different" anymore. Thank you again Herman for your great ideas!