Butterscotch Scones

A few weeks ago, my friend Lisa and her family came to have brunch with us. She brought these delicious butterscotch scones, and I just couldn't help myself and had to make a batch to share with all of you... so delicious, so gooey and the best part, so easy to make!!!

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
3/4 tspn. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter, diced
1 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup chilled heavy whip cream
1 large egg

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375ºF. In the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. Mix in chips. In a measuring cup, whisk together the heavy whip cream and egg. Gradually add the cream mixture into the dry ingredients until combined. Do not over-mix.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured board so it doesn't stick. Flour a large square plain or fluted cutter and cut squares of dough. Place the scones on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Collect the scraps neatly, roll them out, and cut more squares.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch.

(*) I baked mine only 15 minutes for a more gooey texture.

Enjoy!

Source: Recipe courtesy of "Bon Appetit" - Slightly adapted.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

All of us have a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe under our sleeve, but sometimes you have new recipes coming up over and over saying "this is the best cookie I've ever had/made", and since I am a very curious person, guess what?!?!?! I did try this new recipe and felt right in love with it... simple, scrumptious, delicious...oh, and I forgot to mention... over sized chocolate pleasure!

Ingredients:

2 cups plus 2 Tbspn unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tspn. baking soda
1/2 tspn. salt
12 Tbspn. melted butter, cooled (1 1/2 sticks)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tspn. vanilla extract
1 1/2 chocolate chips (I used chocolate chunks)

Directions:

Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.

Roll a scant 1/2 (half) cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough's uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.

Bake until the cookies are light golden brown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time.

Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a wide metal spatula.

Grab a glass of cold milk and enjoy!

Source: Recipe Courtesy of Baking Illustrated - slightly adapted

Chocolate Muffins

Muffins are such a staple for morning breakfast around here. You can find them in any flavors you can imagine. But there are some days that you NEED to have something chocolatey in the morning without gilt. This recipe will help you satisfy those cravings and won't really add too much to your scale!

Ingredients:
¾ stick (6 Tbspn.) unsalted butter
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 Tbspn. baking powder
½ tspn. baking soda
½ tspn. salt
1¼ cups buttermilk
1 large egg
1 tspn. pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit with paper muffin cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

Melt the butter and half the chopped chocolate together in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg and vanilla extract together until well combined. Pour the liquid ingredients and the melted butter and chocolate over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Do not overmix the batter. Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.

Source: Recipe Courtesy of "Brown Eyed Baker"

Feliz Dia del Niño 2011 - Happy Children's Day

This weekend in Chile we celebrate the Children's Day. It is a festivity where we intentionally celebrate our little ones and give them a special treat to remind them of our great joy of having them as part of our families.

Several food bloggers in Chile and around the world have agreed to post a recipe to share for those little ones that we love. So, today, I am going to post their favorite cake! Hope you enjoy it :)

Tuxedo Cake

Ingredients:

- For the cake:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups water
1 cup canola oil
4 cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

- For the frosting:
4 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
1¼ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

- For the chocolate topping:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup light corn syrup
2 tsp. vanilla extract

- For Garnish:
6 or 8 chocolate covered strawberries (optional)


Directions:

To make the cake layers, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line three 9-inch round cake pans (or two 10-inch round cake pans) with parchment paper. Butter and flour the inside edges of the pan, shaking out the excess flour.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, water and canola oil; heat until the butter is melted. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa powder, and flour; whisk to blend. Pour the melted butter mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then whisk in the buttermilk. Add the baking soda, salt and vanilla to the bowl and whisk just until incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of each cake layer and invert onto a wire cooling rack. Allow the cake layers to cool completely before frosting, at least 2 hours.

To make the frosting, add the heavy cream to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and continue to whip until thoroughly combined and stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over-beat!

To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a cake platter and spread a layer of the whipped cream frosting over the top. Top with a second cake layer, more frosting (and the third cake layer, if using). Frost the top and sides of the assembled cake. Refrigerate until the frosting has stabilized, at least 1 hour.

To make the chocolate glaze, place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit 1-2 minutes. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous. Blend in the corn syrup and vanilla. Pour the glaze into a pitcher or measuring cup and let cool for 10 minutes. (Do not let the glaze cool longer or it may become difficult to pour over the cake.) Slowly pour the glaze over the cake, ensuring that the top is covered and the glaze drips over the sides.

Refrigerate the cake until the glaze is set and the whipped cream frosting is firm, at least 1 hour. Slice with a long, sharp knife, wiping the blade clean between slices.

Source: Recipe Courtesy of "Annie's Eats"


For more delicious treats made by fabulous Chilean people, please visit this link.

Mango Smoothie

It's hot in here people!!! So instead of that lovely cup of tea and a toast for breakfast we have to get creative and have something icy delicious! This treat is so fresh, velvety and full of flavor. You won't regret it!

Ingredients:

1 cup of cold mango puree (*)
1 cup of plain yogurt
1 splash of whole milk
a hand full of ice cubes
honey to taste

Directions:

Pour all the ingredients inside of your blender vase and pulse until well combined and smooth. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

(*) Mango Puree: Peal and pit three ripe mangoes. Put them in your blender and add 1/3 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Process until liquified. Strain through a fine mesh and store in a sealed container in your fridge.