Peppermint Bark--And the "Good Cookie" Giveaway Continues!

The Setting: A chilly apartment with a stack of dirty dishes as big as the kitchen--I'm getting to it. And be it known that Hoosband has promised me a bottle of Billecart-Salmon rose if we ever actually finish unpacking from our move, so it's on. Operation organization will be in full force...after the holidays.

The Soundtrack: The furious frenzy of graphite on college rule and the flipping and stacking of papers as Hoosband studies for finals.

Steaming up the oven: Toast. We bought two loaves of home-ground whole-wheat bread at the bake sale yesterday, and they are delicious!

The Scenario: Wrapping up after the bake sale.

It may not have been the sale of the century, but I'd say the Village put on a good sale.

By the time we folded up the card table last night, we'd made $53.50 and sold 3 loaves of bread and 34 bags of cookies or muffins. Not bad, considering we're all a bunch of poor graduate students and spouses!

We still had a bunch of tasty treats leftover, so we set up shop again this morning to catch the post-Mass crowd, bringing the total to...drum roll please...$72.50!

My favorite treat from the sale was a sweet and spicy gingersnap with lemon icing, but the first to sell out was the peppermint bark.

Peppermint Bark

"Real" white chocolate contains cocoa butter but no cocoa solids, the parts that become cocoa powder or blend with cocoa butter to form dark or milk chocolate. Similar products containing no cocoa butter may be sold as white or vanilla "candy coating." The better the dark chocolate you use, the better the bark will be, but it's pretty darn good with just the cheap stuff!

16 oz semisweet chocolate chips or finely chopped bulk semisweet, bittersweet, or any dark chocolate

2 cups hard candy peppermints, unwrapped

16 oz white chocolate chips or finely chopped bulk white chocolate

Line a baking sheet, jellyroll pan, or your kitchen counter with parchment paper.

Place dark chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl or a large Pyrex measuring cup, and microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring well after each interval until chocolate is melted. Do not heat more than necessary. Alternatively, melt the chocolate over a double boiler.

Pour chocolate onto the parchment paper, using a spoon or offset spatula to smooth out into large, even rectangle. 

Allow to harden slightly. For a quicker hardening, place in fridge or freezer, or place over a tray of ice.

Meanwhile, place unwrapped peppermints in a gallon-sized zip-top bag, making sure to eliminate any excess air from the bag before zipping it closed.

Using a rolling pin, a cast-iron skillet, or wooden mallet, whack the peppermints until they are all crushed. If desired, strain out the smaller pieces halfway through, and continue with the larger pieces that remain.

Melt the white chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler. Drizzle the white chocolate evenly over the dark chocolate, and use a spoon or offset spatula to smooth out. Don't agitate too much, or the dark chocolate will melt and blend with the white. Immediately sprinkle the crushed peppermints, including all the powdery bits, evenly over the top of the white chocolate.

Once the chocolate is thoroughly coated, lightly press on the peppermints with your hands to help them adhere. Allow to harden completely.

Once hard, break into pieces with your hands, or cover with a sheet of parchment paper and whack all over with a wooden mallet. Voila, peppermint bark!

Don't forget to enter the OXO "Good Cookie" Spatula Giveaway!

This spatula rules, and it will be given away FREE to one of my lucky readers! OXO is even paying for the shipping!

To enter the giveaway, simply...

1. Become a follower of Being the Secret Ingredient either on the blog, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

2. Then tell Being the Secret Ingredient your all-time favorite cookie either by Tweeting @BeingTSI, commenting on the blog, or leaving a wall post on our Facebook page. Increase your chances by doing all three!

Must enter by January 15, 2012. Winner will be selected by a drawing and announced January 16. Winner must be a resident of the 48 contiguous United States.

For more information on the OXO "Good Cookie" Spatula, see this post: Cookies for Kids' Cancer--And a Giveaway!

For more info on Cookies for Kids' Cancer, visit www.cookiesforkidscancer.org.

Stracciatella Biscotti and a Giveaway!

The Setting: An apartment full of baked goods ready to be sold!

The Soundtrack: Me scuttling around trying to get everything out the door and ready on time.

Steaming up the Slow-Cooker: Red-Pepper-Jelly Pork

The Scenario: Day of the bake sale!

It's game on.  Day of. All systems are a go.

...except that I forgot to get change for the cash box...

Well, here's hoping all goes well!

Stracciatella Biscotti
Named for the chocolate-flecked stracciatella gelato common to most Italian gelaterias.

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for shaping
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened slightly at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tsp for sprinkling
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure almond extract
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups melted semisweet chocolate for dipping, if desired

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a med-large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat the sugar into the butter until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating just to combine after each addition. Add the extracts, beating just to combine.

Add flour mixture and beat on low till well-blended. Add mini chocolate chips and beat on med-low speed to distribute, allowing the chips to get a little banged up.

Lightly flour your working surface and your hands. Turn the dough out onto your work surface and gather into a fat log. Divide the log in two.

Roll each half into a longer log, 2 1/2-3 inches in diameter. Place the logs 2-3 inches apart on the prepared pan and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes or till logs are almost firm and just slightly golden. Cool for 25 min before cutting. Reduce oven temp to 300 degrees F.

Transfer logs to a cutting board and make 2-inch slices on the diagonal. Place slices, cut sides down, in a single layer on the baking sheet, and bake at 300 degrees F for 15 minutes.

Remove baking sheet from oven and carefully flip over each biscotti. Return to the oven for 15 minutes more. Cool biscotti on a wire rack.

If desired, dunk the long, skinny, uncut bottom of each biscotti in melted chocolate, and place on clean parchment to harden.

I melted regular semisweet chocolate chips in a glass bowl over 2 inches of simmering water, but I often do it in the microwave, stirring after every 30 seconds until fully melted, no water required. 

Isn't my spatula nifty?

It's a lean, green, cookie-flipping machine, and it (well, one just like it) could be yours!

To enter the giveaway, simply...

1. Become a follower of Being the Secret Ingredient either on the blog, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

2. Then tell Being the Secret Ingredient your all-time favorite cookie either by Tweeting @BeingTSI, commenting on the blog, or leaving a wall post on our Facebook page. Increase your chances by doing all three!

Must enter by January 15, 2012. Winner will be selected by a drawing and announced January 16. Winner must be a resident of the 48 contiguous United States.

For more information on the OXO "Good Cookie" Spatula, see this post: Cookies for Kids' Cancer--And a Giveaway!

For more info on Cookies for Kids' Cancer, visit www.cookiesforkidscancer.org.

Spicy Cheddar Snowflakes and the Lean, Mean, Cookie-Flipping Machine Giveaway

The Setting: Large white flakes falling outside an uncharacteristically quiet apartment.

The Soundtrack: Only the blissful striking of the keys as the melody of my one-handed typing takes life. I am attempting to curb the amount of television exposure Oia gets, per the AAP's request. They request that she gets none. I generally allow a full day's worth. Today is a compromise.

Steaming up the oven: Remaining batches of Hoosband Cookies, Homemade Graham Crackers, and Spicy Cheddar Snowflakes.

The Scenario: Wrapping up the baking for tomorrow's sale.

I love to bake...in case you couldn't tell.

Hoosband sometimes complains that his pants don't fit as well as they should, which is my signal to cut back on the regular production of mass sweetness. I received just such a signal recently.

But then came the bake sale.

Suddenly, to my great joy, was an excuse to bake and bake and bake and not (necessarily) expand the waistlines of those residing in Casa de Crumm.

I had visions of French almond macaroons, stunning layer cakes, delicate pastries, and a myriad more never-get-to-bake delights.

But then a realization came over me:

Woman, you have a four-month-old, nipple-munching time-suck (whom of course you love and adore, but) who negates your ability to be Wonder Woman with a whisk.

Simpler fare would be in order.

Cookies, peppermint bark, and incredibly simple spicy cheese wafers.

All was going according to plan.

Doughs were made and frozen ahead of time; cookies were baked in batches between playtimes and feedings.

Then came time to bake off the cheese wafers.

In my personal-chef days I used to make these in great variation all the time for parties and functions. I was pretty sure I new what I was doing and could bang them out from memory, no problem.

Turns out I should have searched harder for my recipe.

In the place of the savory, shortbread-like cookies I had envisioned pulling out of the oven were sizzling cheddar tuiles.

Flavor? Excellent.

Texture? Fragile...a little crisp...a little chewy.

Appearance? Thin, delicate, each one a little bit different...a little like...snowflakes.

C'est la vie!



Spicy Cheddar Snowflakes
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened slightly at room temperature
1 T hot sauce
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus a touch extra for sprinkling

In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter with hot sauce and seasonings until soft and fluffy. Add cheese and flours. Beat till well-combined.

Turn dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap sprinkled with flour. Sprinkle a little extra flour on your hands, roll the dough into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, and wrap in the plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour or up to 1 week in fridge or freeze for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 weeks.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Allow the dough to sit out at  room temp for 15 minutes if frozen solid. Slice the log into 1/4-inch rounds and place rounds 2 inches apart (and not too close to the edges) on the the cookie sheet. Bake at 425 degrees F for 8 minutes or till golden, sizzling, and crispy on the edges.

Want a lean, green, cookie-flipping machine like mine?

Don't forget to enter the "Be a Good Cookie" Giveaway!

To enter, simply...

1. Become a follower of Being the Secret Ingredient either on the blog, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

2. Then tell Being the Secret Ingredient your all-time favorite cookie either by Tweeting @BeingTSI, commenting on the blog, or leaving a wall post on our Facebook page. Increase your chances by doing all three!

Must enter by January 15, 2012. Winner will be selected by a drawing and announced January 16. Winner must be a resident of the 48 contiguous United States.

For more information on the OXO "Good Cookie" Spatula, see this post: Cookies for Kids' Cancer--And a Giveaway!

For more info on Cookies for Kids' Cancer, visit www.cookiesforkidscancer.org.

Hoosband Cookies and Spatula Giveaway!

The Setting: A frosty apartment warmed by an over-achieving oven; the aroma of chocolate mingling and melding with butter, sugar, and flour.

The Soundtrack: The Family Stone.

Steaming up the Oven: Hoosband Cookies, Stracciatella Biscotti, Homemade Graham Crackers

The Scenario: Prepping for the bake sale and taking my new spatula for a test drive!

Baking is in full force in the Crumm house today.

On the list for the bake sale:

Hoosband Cookies

Stracciatella Biscotti

Homemade Graham Crackers

Spicy Cheddar Snowflakes

Peppermint Bark

Plus whole wheat bread, cookies, muffins, and more coming from many wonderful volunteers.

I am so excited!

...and nervous.

On one hand I hope we'll have enough baked goods, but on the other hand I hope we won't end up with a table full of yumminess and no one to buy it all.

Here's hoping it all goes well and ends with a decent donation to Cookies for Kids Cancer!

Hoosband Cookies

Called Hoosband Cookies because Hoosband helped develop the recipe, giddily suggesting more and more additions to our standard Crumm House Chocolate-Chip Cookies until we came up with these hearty, delicious, addictive little devils.

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup peanut butter

11/2 cups bread flour

1 1/2 tsp large, flaky Celtic salt (or 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt or 3/4 tsp fine grain salt)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup oats

1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 373 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together on med-high speed till light and fluffy.

Add egg, vanilla, and peanut butter. Beat on medium speed just till evenly incorporated.

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, salt, soda, and powder. Add to butter mixture, beating on low speed till well-mixed.

Add remaining ingredients, beating on low just to distribute.

Drop large, rounded spoonfuls of the dough onto the prepared pans, spacing 2-3 inches apart.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 12 minutes or till golden and crispy on the outsides and slightly underdone in the centers.

Cool completely or at least 10 minutes on baking sheet before eating.

Like my cute, new spatula?

It's a lean, green, cookie-flipping machine, and it (well, one just like it) could be yours!

To enter the giveaway, simply...

1. Become a follower of Being the Secret Ingredient either on the blog, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

2. Then tell Being the Secret Ingredient your all-time favorite cookie either by Tweeting @BeingTSI, commenting on the blog, or leaving a wall post on our Facebook page. Increase your chances by doing all three!

Must enter by January 15, 2012. Winner will be selected by a drawing and announced January 16. Winner must be a resident of the 48 contiguous United States.

For more information on the OXO "Good Cookie" Spatula, see this post: Cookies for Kids' Cancer--And a Giveaway!

For more info on Cookies for Kids' Cancer, visit www.cookiesforkidscancer.org.