Tag: chocolate

  • New York City’s Levain-style chocolate chip cookies

    New York City’s Levain-style chocolate chip cookies

    I’m not quite sure how I escaped it, but I only came across New York City’s Levain Bakery cookies a few months ago, despite their legendary status.

    After hours of research – comparing recipes, watching a 2008 video where the bakery’s founders shape the dough together . and a few tests in my own kitchen, I finally have a go-to recipe. Not quite the same as a flight to New York, but close enough.

    Six-ounce cookies with a deep golden crust and a fudgy crumb. I baked a few straight away, then tucked the rest into the freezer for later – because knowing they’re there, waiting, is a pleasure in itself.

    PRINT

    New York City’s Levain-style chocolate chip cookies

    Adapted from Hijabs and Aprons.
    Big, craggy, gooey-in-the-middle cookies inspired by the ones from New York's Levain bakery. Perfect with a glass of cold milk or an afternoon coffee.
    I find that these are even better on the day after I bake them. 
    I usually make a couple of big ones – weighing 160-170g – then roll the rest in smaller balls – approximately 60-70g each – and freeze for later use. 

    Notes

    On baking smaller cookies
    For smaller cookies, divide dough into 60-70g portions and bake for 10-12 minutes.
    On freezing cookie dough balls
    To freeze dough balls, place them on a tray lined with baking paper and freeze until solid. Then, transfer them to a freezer bag. To remove excess air without a vacuum sealer, insert a straw into the bag’s opening, seal the bag around the straw, and suck out the air. Quickly seal the bag upon removing the straw.
    When ready to bake, place the frozen dough balls directly on a baking sheet and bake, adding a couple of extra minutes to the usual baking time.
    On vanilla sugar
    Vanilla sugar is a staple in many French and Swedish homes. However, a teaspoonful of vanilla extract will do the trick if you don’t have any on hand.
    If you wish, you can even make your own vanilla sugar. I always collect used vanilla pods, wash them if needed, and leave them to dry in a pot in my skafferi [pantry] until crisp. Then, I mix 3-4 dried pods with 200-300g of caster sugar, grind them to a powder, and store it in an airtight container.
    Author: Fanny Zanotti
    Prep Time30 minutes
    Cook Time15 minutes
    Total Time2 hours 45 minutes
    Makes 8 large cookies

    Ingredients

    • 115 g salted butter at room temperature
    • 200 g light muscovado sugar
    • 50 g golden caster sugar
    • 1 tsp vanilla sugar
    • 1 tsp flaky sea salt
    • 2 eggs
    • 300 g plain flour
    • 1½ tsp baking powder
    • 1 tsp baking soda
    • 250 g walnuts roughly chopped
    • 300 g dark chocolate chips I used Callebaut’s 56.9%

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 190°C / fan 170°C. Line one or two baking sheets with baking paper.
    • In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugars, and salt until creamy, about 3 minutes.
    • Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
    • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chips.
    • Divide the dough into 8 rough balls, about 160-170g each. Shape them loosely into balls.
    • Place on the lined baking sheet, spacing them apart.
    • Bake for 14-16 minutes, until the tops are golden brown with lighter patches. Let the cookies set on the hot tray for at least 10 minutes before moving them – this allows the centers to firm up.
    • Allow to cool down completely, and store into an airtight container.

  • My ultimate Swedish kladdkaka

    My ultimate Swedish kladdkaka

    I’ve shared this recipe before. Almost six years ago to the day. The first snow had just fallen down, and we had just moved into our then-flat, the one where our bedroom windows overlooked the rooftops of Skellefteå.

    Six years later, we now live in another flat, waking up to a forest of pines every morning. And although it is already late in the year, the first snow hasn’t come yet.

    Over these years, I’ve baked kladdkaka countless times, although the recipe has evolved a lot since I first posted it here. Nowadays, I always make it using three eggs. And I’ve reduced the amount of sugar I use – anywhere from 300 to 350g. The former gives more a fudgy cake, while more sugar means a cake on the soft, creamy side.

    But no matter how much sugar you decide to use, it is such a versatile cake and the batter comes together in minutes, with minimal dishes.

    Served with barely whipped cream and freshly picked berries in the summer, roasted pears and vanilla ice-cream in the autumn, and if you’re lucky enough to have wild blueberries in your freezer, then you could make my favourite version all-year-round: kladdkaka with blueberry compote and vanilla custard.

    Here is to many more years of kladdkaka!

    PRINT

    My ultimate Swedish kladdkaka

    Author: Fanny Zanotti
    Prep Time15 minutes
    Cook Time45 minutes
    Total Time1 hour
    Makes 22 cm cake, serving 8-10.

    Ingredients

    • 190 g salted butter
    • 300-350 g golden caster sugar
    • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla sugar
    • 3 eggs
    • 135 g plain flour
    • 55 g cocoa powder
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 175°C/fan 160°C. Butter a 22cm tin and line its bottom with baking paper.
    • Melt the butter in a pan set over medium heat. Off the heat, add the sugars and allow the mixture to cool down slightly for 2-3 minutes. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
    • Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt, and mix until just smooth.
    • Pour the batter in the prepared tin, and bake for 30-45 minutes, depending on how runny you want your cake to be. Allow to cool slightly down before serving.
  • Siennas chokladbollar

    Siennas chokladbollar

    [Sienna’s Swedish chocolate balls]

    A few things are always on rotation in our freezer. Really, if you’d come over – any day of the year – you’d very likely find the following: lingonberries and blåbär [blueberries] that we picked in the autumn, a bag of store-bought potatisbullar [hash browns] for an almost-instant school-night dinner, a few sausages from my favourite butcher, and Sienna’s favourite: chokladbollar [chocolate balls].

    Swedish chocolate balls are a staple in many homes. I might be wrong but I would say they’re categorised as små kakor [small cookies and biscuit] in Sweden. And thus the perfect companion for a Sunday afternoon fika. Or one that gets eaten after a day at pre-school, or even packed in a ziploc bag for a morning walk through snowy forests, along with our open-fire coffee pot.

    I often make them with Sienna. She will help cut the butter and weigh the sugar, oats and cocoa powder. But really, she’s mostly waiting to roll the dough into small balls. Depending on how festive we want the chokladbollar to be, we then roll them in a variety of toppings. Shredded coconut, sprinkles, cocoa nibs, or the very traditional pearl sugar.

    Sienna’s Swedish chocolate balls

    Makes 25-30 balls.

    200 g salted butter
    180 g caster sugar
    1 tbsp vanilla sugar
    250 g rolled oats
    60 g cocoa powder
    50 g strong coffee or milk

    To coat

    Pearl sugar
    Shredded coconut
    Sprinkles
    Cocoa nibs

    Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until combined. Form into small balls, 25-30g each. Coat in topping of choice. We love coconut and sprinkles! Refrigerate for an hour or freeze in an airtight container for later.

  • Kladdkaka du dimanche

    Kladdkaka du dimanche

    [Swedish chocolate cake, of the Sunday kind]

    Everytime I come around here, a whole season has gone by.

    There was summer and its endless hours in the kitchen that I now call home. But before we knew it, the time for semester [holidays] came. And went.

    Two weeks in our stuga [cabin] in the middle of the woods; and I still stand by my words when I say Åsen is my dream place. A dream that – this time – we shared with my family who traveled the three-thousand kilometres between us.

    We picked blåbär [blueberries] and lingon; and my father – who’d never been this up north ever before – spent a day teaching me where to find mushrooms in the Swedish forests, reminiscing the mornings we’d busied up in the lower Alps more than twenty years ago now. We picked mostly giroles, but also ceps and chanterelles, although it was still a little early in the season for the latter.

    We visited the small factory where the dalahäst we cherish so much are made, a short twenty minute drive from the stuga, in the heart of Dalarna. My mother bought more horses that she could – literally – handle; and the picture I took on my phone will always be a favourite memory of mine.

    We baked traditional Swedish snittar and drömmar [biscuits] that now also have a strong following in a little house of the south of France.

    Then came the golden days – that I must admit, I almost wrote as “goldays”, perhaps I am onto something – of autumn.

    Long walks by the river to the sound of the wind through birch branches so tall it makes you dizzy. And no matter what, I will always be in love with the peculiar colour of a sun setting through these trees that are now a part of my universe.

    There is the smell of rain. And dead leaves too. And of pumpkin roasting in the oven, just so. There is the first frost, which I had predicted to the day. Yes, to the day! And the rönnbär [Rowan berries] we picked and candied; a jar that will probably be forgotten at the back of the fridge for another few weeks before it makes an appearance on our table.

    And rather unexpectedly, there was winter too.

    The day after we’d moved to our new flat. The view of Skellefteå rooftops from our bed; one minute black as coal, the next covered in a thick mantle of snow. A snow that lasted for a week, even though back then, we did not know that just yet.
    The following Sunday, we pulled the suspenders of our warm overalls up and wrapped ourselves in wool. A morning in the snow, and an afternoon by the kitchen stove. And somewhere in the middle, kladdkaka and wine were involved.

    My Swedish kladdkaka recipe
    This is not a recipe I had planned to share with you, although it’s one that followed us through the seasons.

    Served with barely whipped cream and freshly picked berries in the summer; roasted pears and vanilla ice-cream in the autumn, and now made in a cardboard box kitchen as we were unpacking the things we love enough to have taken along on the ride that took us here to the north of Sweden.

    Yes, this kladdkaka recipe is just that. An everyday wonder; whipped up in less then ten minutes, it can be as fancy or as casual as you want it to be.

    And today, I thought I’d test the halogen builders site light Kalle bought last year for me to be able to take pictures through our long winter. And that perhaps, you’d appreciate to have your Sunday fika sorted out for the weekend ahead.

    In case you still have your doubts, you should know Sam’s – 3 year-old – stance on the subject: “De är jättekladdiga!” [They are very sticky*].
    * A good thing since kladdkaka literally means “sticky cake”, although I have a feeling chewy would be more of an appropriate translation.

    My Swedish kladdkaka recipe

    Makes one 22cm cake, serving 8-10.

    125 g unsalted butter
    250 g caster sugar
    1 tbsp vanilla sugar
    2 eggs
    90 g plain flour
    40 g cocoa powder
    5 g sea salt

    Preheat the oven to 175°C. Butter and line a 22cm tin with baking paper.

    Melt the butter in a pan set over medium heat.

    Off the heat, add the sugars and allow the mixture to cool down slightly for 2-3 minutes. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

    Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt, and mix until just smooth.

    Pour the batter in the prepared tin, and bake for 25 minutes, or until domed and cracked on top. Allow to cool down completely before serving.

  • Le fondant au chocolat

    Le fondant au chocolat

    [The ultimate chocolate fondant]

    In London, we’ve had winter in July. Air damp with rain. Kitchens warm with soup on the stove. Oven smelling like chocolate cake.

    And now, in the south of France, we’re having summer in September. Walks through the markets. Sirops d’orgeat at the terrace of the village café. Afternoons at the beach. Ice-cream, in a cone, please. Flip-flops at the feet. Deep-fried is a must, especially when it involves fleurs de courgettes. Watermelon; full-stop.

    It seems that whenever I come down here it’s summer. A summer of the out-of-season kind.

    It also seems that whenever I’m down here, I always return to the same cake. A cake of the homecoming kind.

    It certainly is my go-to. Because, let’s be honest, we all need one.

    One we make on Mondays. One we slice when still warm and slightly runny for a late afternoon indulgence. One we have for breakfast – the day after – cold from the fridge and dipped into the latte we overlooked as we were flipping through the pages of the newspaper. One we finish on Wednesdays after a dinner made of crusty baguette with a side of sliced tomatoes in their juices; perhaps with a scoop of yoghurt ice-cream.

    This cake is dark and dense. The very definition of a fondant.

    And since we’re at it, I shall let you know that what we – French – call fondant is somehow different to the fondants I’ve been known to bake à la minute for the restaurant.
    In fact, if you’re thinking about small little cakes with a melted chocolate centre, we call them coulants in good old France.

    So please, mind your French, will you 😉

    Fondant au chocolat

    Fondant au chocolat
    Adapted from Pascal Lac.

    I’ve told you about this cake before. It is, as I’ve mentioned above, a keeper. If you’re after a moist chocolate cake, then this is the one.

    Plus, it’s damn easy to make. Just chocolate, butter, eggs, sugar, and flour.
    Oh yes, ok, eight eggs and four hundred grams of sugar. Just forget about this and bake it in a 28cm pan for thinner wedges.

    It is worth it!

    When it comes to the chocolate, I like to use a slightly bitter, most possibly 70%. And I have to admit Valrhona Guanaja is especially great for cakes of all kinds.

    The only tricky – and when I say tricky, I mean very merely – step is to bring the eggs and sugar mixture to room temperature-ish over the heat.
    You can either do it straight over the gas, making sure to mix at all time while turning the bowl to ensure heat distribution. Or do it over a water-bath (which should not stop you from mixing and turning the bowl!).

    This step is done, as we say in French, to casser le froid [break the coldness]. And it will incorporate a little air in the eggs.

    Fondant au chocolat

    Makes one 24 to 28cm cake.

    200g dark chocolate
    240g butter
    8 eggs
    400g sugar
    130g flour

    Preheat the oven to 170°C, and generously butter a 24 to 28 cm springform pan.

    In a bowl, melt the chocolate and butter.

    In a heatproof bowl, mix the eggs and sugar – using a whisk – and place over medium heat (or as said above, on a water bath). Keep on mixing until not cold anymore. It shouldn’t be hot either.
    Pour the chocolate over the egg mixture, and mix to homogenise. Sprinkle the flour over and using a rubber spatula, gently incorporate it until just smooth.

    Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 30 to 40 minutes (if you’re using a smaller tin) until just set.

  • S’more cupcakes

    S’more cupcakes

    I came across S’mores quite late in life. A Michael Recchiuti book. A tiny note at the bottom of a page.
    S’mores.
    A piece of chocolate and a marshmallow, sandwiched together in crisp graham crackers. After a quick moment in the oven, the chocolate and marshmallow melt into each others, making for the most delicious sandwich ever.

    Yet, I’ve never had the chance to taste S’mores – let alone graham crackers. And that’s perhaps why they kept haunting me.

    I thought of making a S’more tart. Picture a crust of crushed homemade graham crackers, topped with a thin layer of dark ganache, and covered with a pile of fluffy Italian meringue. And then Deb did it. And it looked wonderful.

    But well, I eventually forgot about it. The tart, that is. S’mores still had their place in my dreams.And when I started thinking about all the cupcakes I could put together for this month’s SHF, you can guess what came first.

    S’more cupcake. A graham cracker inspired cake – or at least one that taste like I imagine graham crackers do. A thick dome of meringue. A dark chocolate ganache coating.

    S’more cupcakes

    With a healthy dose of chocolate and fluffy meringue, these cupcakes will please almost everyone.

    The cake is fragrant with brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla; and has that slight saltiness I suspect graham crackers have.
    The marshmallow cream is sweet but not overly so. Also, the seeds from one vanilla pod would work wonders here.
    And well, the ganache… Deep, dark and smooth. You definitely don’t want the chocolate flavour to be overwhelming here, so aim for a thin coating.
    You’ll have more ganache than needed but it is necessary to be able to dip the cupcakes. The leftover ganache can be frozen in an ice-cube tray and is amazing in a cup of milk for an almost instant hot chocolate.

    Just a quick note on the flour: although I havent tried, I’d be tempted to substitute the plain flour for 100 g plain flour and 60 g wholewheat or graham flour. Let me know if you do 🙂

    s’more cupcakes

    Makes 9 small cupcakes.

    For the cupcakes
    160 g plain flour (read note above)
    3/4 tsp flaky sea salt
    1 1/4 tsp baking powder
    1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
    60 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
    85 g light brown sugar
    1 egg
    1 tsp vanilla extract
    160 g whole milk

    For the meringue
    75g caster sugar
    2 tbsp water
    1 egg white
    a pinch of salt

    For the ganache
    150 g whipping cream 35%
    150 g dark chocolate, chopped

    Preheat over to 190°C/fan 170°C.

    Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.
    Cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg, until fully incorporated; and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk.
    Divide the batter evenly among paper cups lined on a baking tray, and bake for 20 minutes or until cake tester inserted into centre of the cupcakes comes out clean.
    Allow to cool on wire rack before frosting.

    Make the meringue. Place the sugar and water in a small pan and cook over medium heat to 115°C.
    When the syrup reaches 110°C, start whisking the egg white and salt on low speed until stiff peaks form.
    Wait for the syrup to stop bubbling – around 30 seconds or so – and pour over your meringue, whisking as you do so, along the sides of the bowl to avoid splashes. Once all the syrup as been incorporated, increase the speed to medium and keep on whisking until the meringue is around 50°C.
    Pipe the meringue onto the cupcakes and smooth it with a spatula to form a neat dome. Chill while you get on with the ganache.

    Make the ganache. Bring the cream to a rolling boil. Pour onto the chocolate in three times, emulsifying well to create a glossy core.
    Transfer to a small bowl and dip the cupcake tops.

    And don’t forget. Sugar High Friday is running until the 26th of September. So put your aprons on. Get your wooden spoon and whisk. And make cupcakes!