Chocolate Dipped Waffles

Phew, sorry about that.  All that canning.

ALL THAT CANNING.  I canned it all.

There will be a post shortly featuring my library of canned goods.

For now however I give you chocolate waffles.

I love waffles.  They are so versatile.  Savory(ish) with chicken, waffle sandwiches, just plain old waffles with butter and syrup.

Can't go wrong!

In France waffles have a unique spin - they aren't breakfast or dinner, but a snack.

Des gaufres, often dipped in chocolate and/or sprinkled with crispy pearl sugar are widely available.

You can buy them pre-wrapped in the supermarche, about the same quality as your average Ho Ho (okay, maybe a little better).

You can get them in a patisserie with lovingly caramelized sugar baked in.

It's something I've been wanting to re-create for a long time.  But for a few years, try as I might, I just couldn't get waffles right.

They always came out...floppy.

Floppy waffles may occur naturally with aging, but I wasn't ready to give in to them just yet.

Anyway, long story short, the mighty Google has finally led me to this pearl (sugar) of a recipe.

The chocolate shell was my own creation.

The smiles on my kids' faces?  I'm taking credit for that as well.

Chocolate Dipped Waffles

The recipe that saved me here was the Waffle of Insane Greatness.  Where did it originate?  Who created it?  I don't know!  You can find it on all the big food sites *now*, but I salute the chef who created it.  And named it.  That name is a winner.

3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk or buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate shell:
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons coconut oil

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix together.  Add the milk, vegetable oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and mix well.  Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.

Cook on waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions.  Couldn't be easier!

For chocolate coating, heat chocolate chips and coconut oil together in a double boiler.  When melted and completely combined, remove from heat.  Dip waffle quarters quickly, let dry on wax paper.  Mangez.

Carrot Zucchini Muffins with Balsamic Buttercream

So here is what it looks like at our house.

Pizza, pizza.  Crepes, fresh garden peas, otter pops.

Stir fry!  Pizza.  Rice and beans.

I can't say I am walking a tightrope between feeding my family healthy food and treats because there is no middle ground.

We wobble wildly from one end to the other.  A fried egg, a boiled one, a meringue buttercream!  It still has eggs in it.

I'm not sure if I'm raising my children to be good eaters or not, depending on how you understand that phrase.

These muffins are a middle ground.

The crumb is dense and hearty, the frosting is just a light touch of indulgence.

Gather around me children and eat your veggies!

Also!  May I announce the winner of last week's giveaway!  My good friend Mary - you are the best!  Expect your tiny embroidery very soon.  Thanks to those who entered.

Carrot Zucchini Muffins with Balsamic Buttercream

adapted from Beyond the Olive

Makes 12

For the muffins:

3 eggs

3/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cups grated carrot

3/4 cup grated zucchini

3/4 cup white flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

a teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

For the balsamic buttercream:

2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a 12-cup muffin pan.

Mix together (by hand is fine) eggs, olive oil, sugar, carrot and zucchini.  In a separate bowl whisk together flours, baking soda, spices and salt.

Dump dry ingredients into wet and beat together until well mixed.  

Fill muffin papers 3/4 cup full.  Bake for 20 - 25 minutes.  Done when toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Lavender Rolls

I have been dreaming of these since December, and the time was finally ripe.

You could grind up the lavender if you wanted, it might look prettier.

I didn't mind the little flowers scattered in the dough, though.  I could use more little flowers scattered in things, actually.

Just in general.

The taste was perfect, not too strong and not too subtle.

Just use it the same way you would use cinnamon.

I thought about dying the frosting purple.  Maybe I should have.

I used mascarpone cheese in the frosting instead of cream cheese.  I don't like the tang of cream cheese frosting.  Mascarpone brought that cheesy smoothness without the tang.

If I ever have any kind of food shop, these will be the specialty.

Lavender Rolls
Recipe adapted from Averie Cooks
Makes 12

Rolls:
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast (one packet)
pinch salt
6 tablespoons butter, melted
3 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk

Filling:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4-6 teaspoons lavender flowers

Mascarpone Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
6 ounces mascarpone cheese
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Combine 4 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, yeast, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Warm buttermilk to 100F on stove.  Add melted butter, eggs, and buttermilk to dry ingredients and beat on medium-low for about 1 minute, until combined.

Switch to the dough hook and run for 10-12 minutes (15 - 18 minutes by hand).  If more flour is needed, add remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough clears the side of the bowl but sticks to the bottom.  It's okay for this dough to be sticky.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Place in a warm, draft-free place to rise for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until doubled in size.

Prepare your pan, this can be a jellyroll pan or ordinary 9 x 13 inch baking pan.  Line with foil or a silpat and set aside (if using foil, grease with butter).

After dough has doubled, turn it out onto a floured surface and roll into a 16 x 12 inch rectangle.

Spread butter for filling over the dough, in chunks or fully spread out, depending on softness of the butter.  Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of sugar, then with lavender flowers.

Roll your rectangle up into a big dough log.  Slice into 12 slices.  The best way to do this is with dental floss, but don't use the mint flavored kind unless you want minty lavender (hmm).  If you don't have unflavored floss around, use a sharp knife to avoid squishing the dough as much as possible.

Place slices on prepared pan and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until the rolls have doubled in size about 1 1/2 hours (rolls can also be refrigerated before this second rise for up to 16 hours, bringing to room temperature and continuing with rise the next day).

Bake at 350F for 22 - 25 minutes or until lightly golden on top.  Cool slightly (or don't), spread with mascarpone frosting, and eat.

For frosting:
Blend cheese and butter on medium speed, about 1 minute.  Add the vanilla and 3 cups confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add remaining cup of sugar to taste, based on desired frosting consistency.

Cranberry Cake with Warm Cream Sauce

I think my face is broken.

Do you ever get that?  Like you're fine, and you're fine, and you're fine, and then you're SOOOO TIIIIIIRED.

My eyes are sort of collapsin' like a stroke victim and I think a headache is gonna start pounding soon.

Pre-emptive Advil!  Or maybe five?

I'm all right.  It was just a long one.  I got stuck at the dentist's and I had to clean my kitchen.  And the baby cries.  How she cries.


So mundane.  Such is life.  The beauty is only ever in the details.  And that is why I love food.

The sunset was red-gold.  The polenta bread we ate with soup was soft.  The cranberry cake was exceptional.

Cranberry Cake with Warm Cream Sauce
adapted from Taste of Home

Anybody who knows me knows I have a weakness for old-timey foods.  This simple, single-layer cake is not too sweet, with a pleasant sauce that tastes rich but has less butter and sugar than frosting.  It's the kind of delicacy you could serve your friends for tea.  If you wanted to share it at all...

3 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh cranberries

For sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grease 9-inch baking pan, preheat oven to 350F.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in milk.  Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and gradually add to milk mixture.  Beat in the cranberries.

Pour into greased baking pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

For sauce, melt butter in a saucepan.  Stir in sugar and cream.  Bring to a boil, stirring often.  Boil 8-10 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.

At this point you can simply pour it over each slice as you serve it, as the original recipe recommends.  However I did not have time for that so I used a chopstick to poke holes all over the cake and poured the sauce over the whole thing.  It soaked in and gave it a delicious, moist, tres leches-type feel.  Predictably, I recommend doing it my way.