TWD: Chewy, Chunky Blondies

Nicole of Cookies on Friday picked this week’s Tuesday with Dorie selection: Chewy, Chunky Blondies.

Chewey, gooey, and oh-so sweet, but sadly not my favorite “Dorie” recipe. I prefer more “cake-like” brownies/blondies so the gooeyness of these blondies made me a little sad. Sad that I had to eat the whole pan and not enjoy it only little bit. NOT one bit I tell you.



I did love the look and taste of the uncooked cookie dough. Yumm…



Side note on the job front… My 30-day temp job was due to end on July 30th, but today I was added as a speaker for an August 6th meeting??? I’ll have to ask my boss tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed. Maybe I’ll be getting a paycheck for a few more weeks.

TWD: Brrrrr-ownies

This week’s TWD selection of “Brrrrr-ownies” was made Karen of Welcome to our Crazy Blessed Life.

According to Dorie Greenspan, Brrrrr-ownies are as frosty as a nor’easter thanks to the handful of York Peppermint Patties that are added to the mix.

Now I had planned on following this recipe to a “T”, but somewhere between my grocery cart and my Sunday afternoon baking marathon the peppermint patties DISSAPEARED. I’m not accusing anyone of being a peppermint pattie thief. But just to let you know, Matthew, your minty fresh breath gave you AWAY!!!!

So what is a Brrrrr-ownie with peppermint patties? I guess just an intensely rich piece of bittersweet chocolate heaven.

Delicious.




Side note on the job front… My last day of work with ENI Petroleum was June 25, 2010, but a friend got me a 30+ day temp job (at another oil compnay) filling in for someone out on maternity leave. So I have another few weeks before I officially join the ranks of the unemployed. Hopefully I’ll find something permanent in the next few weeks.

Emeril: Apple Coffee Cake with Crumble Topping and Brown Sugar Glaze

I wanted to bake something with apples for the Fourth of July, and I found a recipe for Apple Coffee Cake with Crumble Topping and Brown Sugar Glaze by Emeril Lagasse. The cake looked and sounded yummy, and because it had a 5 star rating (among 176 reviewers) on the Food Network I decided to give it a try.

Here is the finished product, and I’m definitely in the minority because I didn’t care for this “cake” AT ALL.



It had a nice flavor, but it just didn’t "taste" like cake. It had no distinct crumb or texture, and had a squishy, spongy feel in my mouth. It reminded me more of bread pudding. I also didn’t like the color. All the components: the cake, apple and topping, all had a grayish-brown tint so everything just merged into one big mass. You couldn’t tell the apple from the cake from the topping. It didn’t look appetizing at all (unlike Emeril’s picture).

The cake started out with such promise. Here it is being mixed...



And spread into the pan...


With the crumble topping...


And just out of the oven with it's warm brown sugar glaze ...



So I guess I must have done something incorrect because all those reviewers on the Food Network can’t be wrong.