Bready or Not Original: Mini Cookie Butter-Chocolate Babkas
I hope it gets your attention when I say that these Mini Cookie Butter-Chocolate Babkas are among the best things I have ever made.
Really, these have it all going on. A tender enriched dough. Gooey chocolate. The sweet joy of cookie butter. Plus, the presentation is stunning with the dough coiled to reveal the layers of goodness.
Even better, this recipe is great about portion control. You don’t have a babka loaf to worry about. Each babka is muffin-sized. This makes it easy to take on the go, and they are also convenient to freeze.
If you’re unsure what cookie butter is, it is essentially sliced cookies pureed with oil to be the same consistency as peanut butter. It tastes like cookie dough in its purest form minus the risk of salmonella poisoning from raw eggs or flour. Find it near the peanut butter in a lot of stores; Biscoff is the most common brand, and it’s called Speculoos at Trader Joe’s.
You can, of course, substitute a smooth peanut butter in this recipe–which is what the original recipe in Bake from Scratch was all about. But me, nah, I’m a rebel. And my husband doesn’t like peanut butter, and he’s the one who needs to eat these things.
Modified greatly from Bake from Scratch Magazine July/August 2019; also online.
Bready or Not Original: Mini Cookie Butter-Chocolate Babkas
Equipment
- 12-cup muffin pan
- nonstick spray
- pastry brush
Ingredients
- 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour divided
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast or one store-bought packet
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon water divided
- 1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter melted and divided
- 2 large eggs room temperature and divided
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 cup creamy cookie butter
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips plus extra
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together 4 cups flour, white sugar, yeast, and salt.
- Using a saucepan or the microwave, heat 1 cup water and 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter until it is 120 to 130-degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Pour the water mixture into the flour mixture. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add one egg and egg yolk, and beat for another 2 minutes. Beat in a 1/4 to 1/2 cup more flour until a soft, sticky dough forms.
- Switch to the dough hook attachment. Beat at low speed until dough is soft, smooth, and elastic, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add nonstick spray to a large bowl. Shape dough into a smooth ball, and place in bowl. Roll it briefly to coat in oil. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- Use nonstick spray on a 12-cup muffin pan.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt 1 Tablespoon butter. Add to it the cookie butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla, stirring until smooth.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into roughly a 20x12-inch rectangle. Spread cookie butter mixture onto dough. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Fold rectangle crosswise into thirds as if folding a sheet of paper for an envelope, forming a smaller rectangle, about 12x6 inches.
- Cut rectangle crosswise into 12 (about 1 inch) dough strips. Gently stretch and twist one to coil it inside a prepared muffin cup, tucking the end inside edge of cup to create a rounded top. Repeat 12 times. If desired, press a couple of additional chocolate chips into the top of each babka, but try to place them so they won't melt off the pan during baking.
- Cover and let rise in a warm spot until they are puffed, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325-degrees.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the last egg with 1 Tablespoon water. Brush tops of dough with egg wash.
- Bake until babkas are golden brown, about 17 to 25 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted in center should register 190-degrees.
- Babkas are much better served warm--eat them fresh, or heat up later with a 20-30 burst in the microwave! This makes the dough soft and the chocolate gooey. They keep well sealed at room temperature for up to 3 days, but can also be frozen and thawed later.
OM NOM NOM!
FREE Virtual Cog Match Game this Saturday! Theme: CHEESE
If you follow me on social media, you may be aware that I have a deep and abiding affection for cheese. My reputation is leading to fun and interesting opportunities!
A bunch of steampunkers, myself included, are taking part in a cheese-themed version of the classic game show Match Game this coming Saturday July 10th at 8pm Pacific. It’s free and online. When you sign up, you can indicate if you want to be audience or maybe participate. No pressure either way. You better brie-lieve this will be a game packed with hilarity and cheese wisdom you’ll want to share with everyone you meet in the coming days!
Bready or Not Original: Roasted Lemon Garlic Shrimp
This Roasted Lemon Garlic Shrimp recipe makes for a delicious supper! It’s super-easy and healthy, too.
I’ve made this recipe for about, gosh, ten years now. I make it every month or so. I like to buy 2-pound bags of frozen shrimp of Costco and divide it to make this dish.
One of the great things about this dish is that you can pair it with different foods depending on your own individual needs. Eat it on rice or egg noodles, or go gluten-free and low-calorie with some zoodles or cauliflower rice. The seasoned oil in this recipe makes everything taste good!
On the side, I usually serve steamed broccoli or green beans. Whatever is in season and on sale!
In all the years I’ve made this, we’ve never had leftovers.
Bready or Not Original: Roasted Lemon Garlic Shrimp
Equipment
- 13x9 pan
Ingredients
- 1 medium lemon
- 1/2 cup olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary or one teaspoon dry
- 1 pound medium-sized shrimp cooked and deveined
- 5 garlic cloves
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 400-degrees. Wash and dry the lemon, then zest it; set aside lemon. If using fresh rosemary, shear leaves from the stem. Place zest in 13x9 pan along with olive oil, thyme, and rosemary. Bake pan in oven for 12 minutes.
- While the zest is infusing the oil, thinly slice the lemon and remove seeds. If desired, remove tails from shrimp.
- Pull out pan. Add shrimp and lemon slices--be wary, oil may pop from the dish! Mince garlic cloves into the pan; gently stir everything. Place back in oven to cook for another 8 to 10 minutes, until shrimp is heated through. Add sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Serve atop pasta, rice, zoodles, cauliflower rice, etcetera. The hot lemon oil is also great for dipping bread.
OM NOM NOM!
Find my signed books at Powell’s in Downtown Portland & Beaverton!
Last week, I made a trip to the Pacific Northwest. It was my first vacation in two years, and I had a great time! While I have been in Portland before, that usually involved blazing through on I-5. I never before had the chance to explore the place… or to see the wonders of Powell’s Books with my own eyes. I didn’t get to spend much time there, alas, (but I WILL be back), but I did sign my books that they had in stock!
I also stopped into the Beaverton/Cedar Hills Powell’s and signed their stock. I wish I’d had the chance to look in other bookstores in the area, but as is the nature of vacations, there simply was no time.
Grab these books while they’re in stock!
#SFWAPro
Read MoreBready or Not Original: Apple Caramel Chip Blondies
These Apple Caramel Chip Blondies are soft, sweet, and dangerously snackable, perfect for a quick bite to get you through the day.
I have other apple bar recipes like my tried-and-true Apple Cake that are thicker and more meal-like.
These bars are thin and light. They aren’t even heavy with apples, but the apple flavor is definitely there.
This is the kind of thing to use for a light breakfast, snack, or dessert, and they’d be great to wrap up and pack to go.
I used caramel chips for this recipe, but butterscotch or white chocolate would be great, too–or even seasonal sweet chips like pumpkin spice!
Bready or Not Original: Apple Caramel Chip Blondies
Equipment
- 9x9 pan
- medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 apple such as Ambrosia or Honeycrisp, peeled and chopped into raisin-sized pieces
- 1/3 cup caramel chips or substitute butterscotch chips or white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9x9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, and continue to monitor a few more minutes, stirring often, to brown the butter. It should have a fresh, nutty smell. Remove from heat. Stir in the brown sugar and vanilla until the sugar is less grainy. Let the pan cool for a few minutes. Beat in the eggs until smooth. Stir in the dry ingredients next, followed by the apple pieces. Fold in the chips last.
- Pour the batter into the pan and smooth out the top. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test.
- Cool to room temperature. Use the foil to lift the contents onto a cutting board to slice up. Store the bars in a sealed container, with waxed paper or parchment between stacked layers.
OM NOM NOM!
Book Blog: Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer: The Artistry, Joy, and Career of Storytelling by J. Michael Straczynski
I review everything I read and post reviews on Goodreads and LibraryThing. That’s not enough. Good books are meant to be shared. Therefore, I’m spotlighting some of my favorite reads here on my site.
Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer: The Artistry, Joy, and Career of Storytelling by J. Michael Straczynski
out now in print and ebook; BookShop, B&N, and Amazon [affiliate link]
I received an early copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
I’ve read many writing books. Straczynski’s new release approaches the subject of writing from a fresh angle: his own life, with his diverse experience in Hollywood and in publishing, as he discusses the tenacity and work necessary to “make it” within the industries–and then how to hang after that. His tone is easy and conversational, and the book is a fast read.
I’ve adored the man since I was a Babylon 5 fan as a teenager, and this book increased my esteem for him even more. As a writer myself, one who is definitely at the “trying to hang on” stage, this book felt both timely and personal. Straczynski gets it. Even with all his success, he’s still working hard because he loves what he does, as challenging as it is at times.
He begins with a Stephen King quote that I hadn’t seen before: “In the end, you don’t even do it [writing] for love, although it would be nice to think so. You do it because to not do it is suicide.”
That sets the tone for the book. Everything here is for people who NEED to write, even though it’s hard, enough though life and rejection grind you down. Even more: even when writers grind down themselves. As he notes, “A writing career can survive rejection, ridicule, starvation, and loneliness, but fear or complacency will kill it every time.”
He doesn’t claim to possess any shortcuts or special methods. He actually, with exasperation, describes people he’s dealt with time and again who insist otherwise. When it comes down to it, the book is about tenacity and hard work. Other writing books address that, sure, but Straczynski’s words really resonated with me. This is the kind of volume I think I’ll reference again in the future when I need his honest outlook to motivate me.
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