Homemade Fudgies - Chocolate Fudge Brownies

What's your favorite brownie?
Where can we buy them?

Well, mine's easy. KFC. Yup! I sure love those KFC Signature Brownies - chewy base brownies with chocolate glaze and choco chip toppings.  Definitely, a choco overloaded goodness!

If you like them as much as I do, you are in sheer luck cause I just bumped into a recipe, which with little bits of modification, tastes as good as KFC's brownies. Now, we can make as many of our favorite brownies at home >:)

Baked Brownie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder (Bensdorp)
• 275 grams bitter-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (Nova)
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tsp instant coffee powder (NESCAFÉ Classic)
• 1 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp white sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 5 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
3. Put the chocolate, butter, and instant coffee powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water (you may opt to use a double boiler for this), stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the white and brown sugar. Whisk until completely combined, then remove bowl from the pan. Mixture should be at room temperature.
4. Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined.
5. Sprinkle flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Use a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan. Smooth the top. Bake for 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it.
7. Let the brownies cool completely. Remove from pan. cut into squares and chill.

Foodnotes:

> For step 4, do not over-beat the batter as this may result to a cakey textured brownies.

> For step 5, remember to use a spatula (not a whisk) to fold the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture.

> You may add some nuts in the recipe.

written by: Shobe

Summer Delight: Deep Fried Oreos

Deep-Fried Oreos, a carnival favorite,  is a tasty treat that surfaced few years back. Oreos get dipped in funnel cake batter and fried to perfection.

"Witness the magic of Oreo cookies being deep fried!"  

"So so so bad, yet so so so good." 

Easy and Simple Deep-Fried Oreo Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup water
• Magnolia waffle mix (small pack)
• Oil - for deep frying
• 1 pack original Oreos

• Powdered sugar - for dusting

 Procedure:

1. Heat oil for deep frying. Have 3 inches of oil hot and ready.
2. Whisk together egg and water in a bowl until smooth. Stir in waffle mix until no dry lumps remain.
3. When oil is hot enough, dip each Oreo into batter one at a time, then carefully place into hot frying oil. Fry only 4 or 5 at a time to avoid overcrowding. Cook until golden brown on each side.
4. Remove from oil, drain, then dust with powdered sugar.

Foodnotes: 

> For proper deep-frying technique, maintain the oil's temperature between 325°F and 400°F. Keeping the oil hot is critical to producing a quality product. The key is to fry items in small batches, because putting too much food in the oil all at once will lower the oil's temperature.

written by: Shobe

Sun, Sea, and Shrimp! - Shrimp Dynamite

Checklist:
- Sun (check!)
- Sea (check!)
- Fabulous Shrimp Appetizer (you could actually check it now, as we're sharing an easy tangy shrimp recipe ;) - see below)

Shrimp Dynamite Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/4 kg shelled and deveined medium-sized shrimp
• Oil - for deep-frying

Batter:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg white
• 50 ml water
• 1 Tbsp oil
• Salt to taste

Dressing:

• 3 Tbsp mayo
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce (preferred: Tobasco) 
• Squirt of lemon juice (appox. 1 tsp)

Procedure:

1. Clean and rinse shrimp with cold running water. Pat dry, then set aside.
2. Prepare batter - mix all ingredients together.
3. Prepare dressing - mix all ingredients together.
4. Add shrimp into the batter and coat evenly.
5. Heat up a deep-fryer or a pot with oil for deep-frying. When the oil is heated, drop each shrimp gently. Deep fry until golden brown. Transfer fried shrimps out, drain excess oil or transfer to a bowl lined with paper towels.
6. Remove paper towels and add Dressing into the bowl and toss around until all the shrimp are nicely coated.
7. Serve!

Foodnotes:

> For a summer twist, you could actually add a can of fruit cocktail to the recipe. Drain fruit cocktail and mix with these dynamites. Whala! a Shrimp Dynamite Salad.

written by: Shobe

Quick Chocolate Fix: Tipsy Chocolate Cherries

When the craving hits hard, these should do the trick.

Tipsy Chocolate Cherries

Ingredients:

• 1 jar (240 grams) maraschino cherries with stems, drained
• brandy, enough to cover cherries in the jar
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Procedure:

1. Fill drained jar of cherries with brandy. Screw on cap and refrigerate. (For cherries with more kick, steep in brandy for a week.)
2. Drain cherries for 2 hours. Gently pat cherries dry with paper towels. 
3. When ready to dip, place chocolate and vegetable oil in a small bowl. Melt over warm water and stir until smooth. Holding each by the stem, dip cherries one at a time until cherries are completely covered in melted chocolate.
4. Place on a tray lined with plastic wrap.
5. Freeze until chocolate is set, about 10 minutes

Recipe by: Tina C. Diaz

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Competition for the title of Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe is steep. Cookbooks, blogs, food sites claim they have the best recipe. But, are they certain? From the ones we've tried, by far this one's the winner.

"These are the cookies that appeared in the July 9, 2008 edition of the New York Times, the very same cookies that set off an explosion of baking across the Internet to see if, indeed, they are the perfect specimen. The consensus is yes." –David Leite

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups minus 2 Tbsp ( 8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
• 1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp (8 ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 pcs large eggs
• 2 tsp natural vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60% cacao content
• Sea salt

Procedure:

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and kosher salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350° (176°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
4. Scoop six 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm.

Foodnotes:

>  For step 2, allowing the cookie dough to rest for 36 hours in the fridge is more recommended. The longer the dough stays in the fridge, the richer the taste.

> If your cookies are small in diameter and completely crispy after baking, then the dough was too cold and the cookies were over-baked. As per David, you could let the dough sit for 10 or even 15 minutes on the cookie sheet, and bake them for just the minimum time stated in the recipe.

Recipe by: David Leite | Photo by:  Francisco Tonelli

Bake Day: Going for the Perfect Cream Puffs

It starts with a crunch, followed by an ooze of light, velvety cold cream… Finishing off with a sugar-sweet taste.  Do you know what I’m talking about?? Or curious maybe?

The description above is simply the taste and feel experience when eating THE PERFECT CREAM PUFF.

A cream puffs’ exterior is supposedly crisp, having hollowed baked shells of choux pastry. Then, loads of pastry cream is filled into it for an explosive taste of surprise. For physical appeal, the baked creations are topped with variants of glaze. The simplest option would be to dust it with powdered sugar :)

April 8th – Our theme: “Cream Puff Galore”
With one of Cagayan De Oro’s home bakers, Karisse Contreras, the entire baking experience was made more special. (Karisse actually makes delicious blueberry cheese cupcakes, see below for sample)

Looks yummy, right?...  

Sorry to get your hopes up, but our bake day was actually scheduled for “Cream Puffs”. 

As for her famous cupcakes – let’s see if we could sweet talk her into sharing with us the secret recipe :)

What we’ll be sharing here is the basics on how to make cream puffs… From the pate choux (cream puff shell)… pastry cream... to the glaze on top! 

Pate Choux

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 4 pcs eggs

Egg Wash

• 1 pc egg yolk
• 1 Tbsp water
• Pinch of salt

Procedure:

1. Mix first 3 ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to boil.
2. Remove from heat and stir in flour. 
3. Return to heat and mix until mixture forms into a ball.
4. Transfer to mixing bowl. Beat at low speed for a minute or until mixture is lukewarm.
5. Add the eggs. (Do not add the eggs all at once. You can add 2 at a time)
6. Check consistency, and texture. (Dough will resemble a smooth thick paste- it will fall from a spoon in slow motion, thick ribbon like. Add eggs if necessary to achieve desired texture )   
7. Pipe as desired. Brush with egg wash.
8. Bake in preheated 425 ̊F for 10 minutes.
9. Lower the oven to 400 ̊F and bake 15 – 20 minutes until dry. Cool completely

Foodnotes:
>For step 1, it is important that the butter melts before the water boils. Too much evaporation will affect the consistency of the dough.
> For step 6, if it is necessary to add more eggs, you could try adding only the egg whites (for crispier shells).
>Initial baking at high temperature (for 10 mins) is a must!- so the dough will rise quickly (leaving a hollow center) and to set the structure of the shells. The temperature is eventually reduced to allow the outsides of the shells to become firm and crisp, while allowing the insides of the shells to dry out.

>To keep the shells crisp, fill shells with cream shortly before serving.

Pastry Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh milk
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup eggs
• 2 pcs egg yolks

• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp butter

Procedure:

1. Mix together 1 ½ cups of the milk and sugar. Scald.
2. Mix together eggs, egg yolks, cornstarch and the rest of the milk.
3. Temper the egg mixture.
4. Bring the whole mixture back to the fire. Stir until a little bit thick. (Do not overcook, whisk constantly to prevent curdling) Flash bottom of pan in ice water.
5. Transfer to bowl. Mix in vanilla and butter
6. Cover with plastic wrap. Cool.

Chocolate Glaze

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp water
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream
• 3 Tbsp light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 110 grams bittersweet chocolate

Procedure:

1. In a saucepan, combine water, heavy cream, corn syrup, and sugar. Cook until sugar is dissolved.
2. Pour over chocolate. Whisk until smooth.

Hard Caramel Glaze

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp calamansi

Procedure:

1. Combine sugar and lemon in a saucepan. Mix until sugar resembles wet sand.
2. Heat over medium fire without stirring.
3. Heat just until sugar starts to melt around the sides of the pan or mixture begins to develop smoke. Stir sugar until it becomes liquid amber in color.  Turn off heat immediately.

written by: Shobe

Sugar-Coated "Candy's" - Candy's Cafe, Cagayan de Oro

Sweet as it may sound... Candy's is NOT all about dessert!

A bistro nestled in the midst of numerous acclaimed "franchised" restaurants, Candy's boast as Cagayan de Oro's sweet spot by offering reasonable priced gourmet dishes and desserts, with taste and quality comparable with its high-class counterparts =p

Here are some of our favorites:

Candy's Special Salad (P285) - My mom's favorite (we order it at EVERY visit!)
Fresh greens topped with generous servings of raisins, mangoes, candied walnuts, sliced apricots, and Japanese vinaigrette!

Spinach Pizza w/ Four Cheeses (P520)
Thin crust pizza, crisp to perfection...with LOADS of Spinach and Cheese!

Roast Beef Roti Wrap (P330)
Tender bits of well-seasoned beef, tomatoes and mayo-like dressing wrapped in soft tortilla

Chicken Skewers (P275)
Tangy grilled pork barbecues served with hawaiian rice ;)

Chocolate Truffle Cake (P155)
YUMMY! Moist...Semi-sweet...Luscious Chocolate Cake with cherry filling (kind of like a black forest cake - a much tastier version though, hehe)

*Also must try - "Opera Cake" and "Tartufo"

Candy's Cafe
Rosario Arcade, Limketkai Mall

written by: Atchi

Cookie Characteristics!

What could be better than a batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies? NONE!
As nothing could replace my love for sweet, warm, and gooey chocolate chip cookies!

Come to think of it, these were probably my first baked creation...Still proud, even though my first batch of baked cookies came from a Pillsbury One-Step Cookie Mix :p

That's all in the past now... As this time, my palette's no longer satisfied with the instant stuff!

For a Cookie-Level-Up, try achieving these cookie characteristics by considering the factors that affect the texture and look of the cookie:

• Crispness - low in moisture, high sugar and  high fat, longer baking time, smaller shape and size and proper storage
• Softness - high in moisture, low sugar and low fat, shorter baking time, use of hygroscopic ingredients
• Chewiness - high sugar and liquid content but low fat, high proportion of eggs, strong flour
• Spread (some cookies should hold their shape and some should spread)
• Increases spread - sugar, leavening, lower oven temperature, creaming, slack batter, heavily greased pans
• Decreases spread - blending of fat and sugar -not creaming, higher oven temperature, strong flour, lower liquid content 

Foodnotes:
> Hygroscopic - the tendency to absorb moisture, which is a condition that occurs with some food products as they are exposed to high humidity. 
Example of Hygroscopic Ingredients: honey, molasses, corn syrup or glucose
> Cookie Characteristics taken from Heny Sison Culinary School EBPS notes

written by: Shobe

LoCo OvEr CHOCO?

In line with the theme Choco-Loco Summer, Cook and Bake is now spreading the CHOCOOoo-RIFIC experience.

You can start off by joining the photo contest!

Mechanics:
> Like our Cook&Bake page
www.facebook.com/Cook.Bake.Eat
> Take a picture of you & your favorite CHOCOLATE treat
> Email to info.cookandbake@gmail.com
with the subject: Photo Contest - <Name>

* Promo ends on April 12
Eligibility: Philippines only

Criteria:
Creativity (50%)
Photo-liciousness (50%)