Tiramisu Brownies

Combining the best of both worlds, this heavenly dinner time dessert by Paula from Enjoy Dessert has a rich brownie base layered with coffee soaked ladyfinger biscuits and fluffy mascarpone cream. Brownies have been on my baking list for more times than I care to remember and tiramisu is something I no longer need a recipe for, yet I have never paused to give a thought about how these two will pair up until they became famous on food blogs. The subtle coffee kick nicely offsets the intensity of dark chocolate and if you are patient enough to allow the brownie and tiramisu layers to meld together overnight, you will probably thank yourself [and me!] afterwards.

TIRAMISU BROWNIES

For the Brownie Layer

200g dark chocolate

150g unsalted butter

150g caster sugar

30g cocoa powder

3 large eggs, room temperature

50 ml whipping cream

1 teaspoon coffee

1 teaspoon amaretto

100g all purpose flour

Pinch of table salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

For the Tiramisu Layer

200g mascarpone

2 large eggs, separated

Pinch of table salt

60g caster sugar

80 ml strong coffee

10 ml rum, optional

1 teaspoon amaretto

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

20-25 ladyfinger biscuits

50g dark chocolate, melted

Method:

• For the brownie, melt the chocolate along with butter over low heat in a thick bottomed saucepan.

• When the mixture is homogeneous, remove it from heat, add sugar and cocoa and mix thoroughly.

• Combine the all purpose flour with baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl and set this aside.

• Add eggs, one at a time, to the chocolate mixture and mix well after each addition. Then add cream.

• Stir in amaretto and coffee. Carefully fold in flour mixture till no flour streaks remain. Do not over mix.

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line a 20×20 cm baking tray with parchment paper. Pour in batter.

• Level the surface with a spatula and bake for 20 to 23 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick.

• Remove cake from oven and let it cool in pan. Prepare coffee for soaking biscuits and leave to cool.

• Add rum, amaretto and vanilla extract to cooled coffee. For the tiramisu layer, beat the mascarpone.

• Beat egg yolks with sugar until they turn white in color and doubled in volume. Fold into mascarpone.

• Beat egg whites with salt until stiff and carefully fold into mascarpone cream and chill for 30 minutes.

• For the assembly, dip ladyfinger biscuits in coffee mixture and arrange neatly over the brownie layer.

• Spoon mascarpone cream over biscuits, chill for few minutes. Melt dark chocolate over a bain marie.

• Bring to room temperature so that it is still fluid. Drop teaspoons of the chocolate over mascarpone.

• Run a knife lightly over cream to give marbled effect and return cake to refrigerator. Chill overnight.

• Dust the tiramisu brownies with extra cocoa powder. Cut into squares and serve. Makes 20 servings.

Tiramisu Brownies

Baked Blueberry French Toast

Here goes one more blueberry recipe on the blog which proves that I have yet to get over my craze for the plump and juicy purple berry. This classic breakfast item has been revamped by Pam from For the Love of Cooking to include a pint of fresh blueberries and though I have never tried French toast on its own [shame!] I could not resist the berry version. Especially not when I had just bought tons of fresh berries on a Buy1 Get1 Free deal! Personally, I found the leftovers of this baked fresh toast better tasting than it was right out of the oven but then, I might have been biased as my second serving had the benefit of being topped with vanilla ice cream, maple syrup and toasted almonds.

BAKED BLUEBERRY FRENCH TOAST

Ingredients:

For the Casserole

1 loaf brioche bread, cubed

1 cup fresh blueberries, divided

8 large eggs, room temperature

2 1/4 cups whole milk

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the Streusel Topping

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

6 tablespoon butter, cold

Method:

• Grease a 9″ x 13″ pan with cooking spray. Cut the brioche bread into cubes, about 1 inch in size.

• Spread half of the cubes into the prepared baking pan and top evenly with half of the blueberries.

• Add the remaining bread cubes followed by remaining blueberries. Set aside and prepare sauce.

• Whisk the eggs, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla together in a bowl until well combined.

• Pour evenly over bread. Cover the pan very tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.

• Chill for at least 3 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350oF. Remove pan from the refrigerator.

• Prepare topping by whisking the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl.

• Cut in the cubed butter with a pastry blender until crumbly. Sprinkle topping evenly over bread.

• Bake it for 50 to 60 minutes until golden brown on top. Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream.

• Cover the cooled leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Makes 8-10 servings.

Baked Blueberry French Toast

Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here’s a cute gluten-free recipe for all my friends who cannot tolerate this particular protein in their diet. Cookies are loved by one and all and there is no reason anyone should miss out on them. These ‘healthy’ almond chocolate chip cookies from King Arthur Flour use coarse almond meal instead of wheat flour making them 100% gluten free. I would recommend making an extra batch and storing it in the freezer for ’emergencies’!

ALMOND FLOUR CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Ingredients:

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kitchen salt

1/8 cup butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 large egg, room temperature

2 cups almond flour, lightly roasted

1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment paper.

• Combine brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and butter in a large bowl and mix until smooth.

• Mix in vanilla, egg, and almond flour. Stir to combine scraping bottom and sides of bowl.

• Mix for 1 minute at medium speed. Stir in chocolate chips so that they are well distributed.

• Scoop the dough with a scoop one level tablespoon at a time onto prepared baking sheet.

• Gently flatten to about 3/8″ thick. Bake the cookies for 9 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.

• Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the pan for some 2 minutes.

• Transfer them to a rack to cool completely and store in an airtight jar. Yields 14 cookies.

Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies