Black Forest Cookies

Yield: 24 cookies

Big NOTE!: These are rich but so good. Great for this holiday season. Also PLEASE remember to lower the temperature of the oven by 25 degrees if you are using a non-stick dark pan!!!! The bottoms will burn by the time the rest of the cookie bakes if you don't. These are yummy and worth the overnight or 6 hour wait for the dough to cool!
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
16 oz dark chocolate (60-72% cacao), coarsely chopped
10 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1" pieces
6 large eggs
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (6 oz) white chocolate chips
1 cup (6 oz) dried cherries

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl & set aside.

In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the dark chocolate and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugars on high speed until the mixture is pale and thick, about 5 minutes.

Add the cooled chocolate mixture and the vanilla and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bowl and beat again for 10 seconds.

Add the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined, about 10 seconds. Do not over mix.

Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and dried cherries. The dough will look very loose, but it will harden in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (or 350 degrees F if using dark or nonstick pans). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the tops of the cookies are set and begin to show a few cracks. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before removing from the pans and serving.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Drunken Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

This recipe was adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Apple Apple Bread Pudding. It is rare that I change her recipes in any manner. But it's in my very humble, very unprofessional opinion that bread pudding really needs a sauce. I guess that's because that's the only way I've ever had it and it really enhanced the flavor.

FOR THE CARAMELIZED APPLES

3 medium apples, peeled and cored (Fuji/Galas)

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

3 Tbsp sugar

12 oz egg bread, such as challah or brioche, or good quality white bread, preferably stale, sliced 1/2 inch thick

About 1 cup store-bought spiced apple butter

3 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

3 large eggs

5 large egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)

FOR THE SAUCE

1/2 cup Apple Brandy

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla bean paste (optional)

GETTING READY: Butter a 9x13 inch baking pan (a Pyrex pan is perfect here), dust the inside with sugar and tap out the excess. Line a larger roasting pan with a double thickness of paper towels.

TO CARAMELIZE THE APPLES: Cut each apple in half from top to bottom, cut each half lengthwise into 6-8 slices and then cut each slice in half crosswise.

Put a large skillet (preferably one that's nonstick) over medium-high heat, add the butter and, when it melts, sprinkle over the sugar. Cook the butter and sugar for a minute or so - you want the sugar to caramelize but not burn, so adjust the heat accordingly. Toss in the apple slices - don't worry if the caramel seizes and lumps, it will melt and smooth out as you work - and cook, carefully turning the the apples once or twice, until they are tender but not soft, 3 to 5 minutes. They should be golden, and some might even be caramelized. Transfer the apples and the buttery liquid to a plate.

If your bread is not stale, spread it out on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat and bake at 350 degrees F to "stale" it for 10 minutes.

Spread one side of each slice of bread with the apple butter, then cut each slice on the diagonal to get 4 triangles. Cover the bottom of the baking pan with half of the bread, arranging the triangles, buttered side up, so that they overlap slightly (don't worry about spaces between the slice). Spoon over the apples and their liquid and finish "the sandwich" with the rest of the bread.

Bring the milk and cream to a boil.

Fill a teakettle with water and put it on to boil; when the water boils, turn off the heat. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks and the 3/4 cup sugar. Still whisking, slowly drizzle in about one quarter of the hot milk mixture - this will temper, or warm, the eggs so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remaining milk. Add the vanilla and whisk to blend. Rap the bowl against the counter to pop any bubbles that might have formed, then spoon off any foam that has risen to the top. Pour the custard over the bread and press the bread gently with the back of a spoon to help it absorb the liquid. Leave the pan on the counter, giving the bread the back-of-the-spoon treatment now and then, for about 30 minutes.

GETTING READY TO BAKE: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Put the baking pan in the roasting pan, slide the setup into the oven and very carefully pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the pudding pan. Bake the pudding for about 1 hour and 25 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean. Transfer the baking pan to a rack and cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

TO MAKE THE SAUCE: Mix sugar, butter and vanilla paste in a medium saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat when thoroughly blended, and whisk in the brandy. Serve warm over bread pudding.               

Dorie's version/Non-sauce version: The pudding can be served as is or dusted with confectioner's sugar just before serving.

PLAYING AROUND:  I think raisins would be fantastic in this recipe. I would simmer them in the apple brandy until they plump and the apple brandy reduces.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf

from a great cookbook Baked!

Yields 2 (9x5x3 inch) loaves

INGREDIENTS:
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground ginger (optional)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups (one 15-oz can) pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)
1 1/2 cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (I mixed chunks, minis and regular chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9x5x3 inch loaf pans, dust them with flour, and knock out the excess flour. (Or do like me and use the Pillsbury spray with both already in it!)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, baking soda, and salt.

In another large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and oil until combined. Add the sugar and whisk again. Whisk the eggs into the mixture, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Add 2/3 cup room-temperature water whisk until combined. With a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet. Do not over mix.

Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Gently knock the bottom of the pans against the countertop to even out the batter. Use the spatula to smooth the tops.

Bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean, 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time.

Transfer the pans to a wire rack & cool for 15 minutes. Invert the loaves onto wire racks and cools completely before serving.

The loaves will keep for 3 days, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature.