Ingredients

• 3 oz (1 c.) coffee beans, preferably dark roast
• 2 tbsp. cardamom pods
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 2 c. (approx) heavy cream
• 1 c. whole milk
• 7 large egg yolks

Preparation

Put the coffee beans and cardamom pods in a food processor or coffee grinder and pulse to roughly chop (not grind) them. Turn the chopped beans and pods into a medium saucepan and add 1/2 c. of the sugar. Put the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the sugar starts to melt. Once the sugar has melted, continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar caramelizes (to deep amber, almost mahogany). Now, standing back, slowly pour in 1 c. of the cream and the milk. The caramel will immediately seize and harden, but it will smooth out as the liquids warm again. Bring to a boil, and pull the pan from the heat once everything is smooth. Cover the pan and allow it to infuse for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 300 F.

In a large bowl, whisk the yolks and the 1/4 c. remaining sugar until the mixture is pale and thick. Strain the coffee-cardamom liquid into a measuring cup (discard the beans and pods) and add enough cream to bring the liquid to 2 cups. Gently (without creating air bubbles) mix the liquid into the egg mixture; skim off the foam, if there is any.

Arrange 6 4-oz espresso cups or ramekins in a roasting pan, leaving space between them, and fill them with the custard mixture. Put the pan in the oven, then fill the pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the sides. Cover the pan with foil and poke two holes in opposite corners. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the edges slightly darken and the custards are set but still jiggle in the middle.

Remove the pan and let the custards sit for 10 minutes. Remove cups from the pan and cool in the refrigerator. Let them warm for 20 minutes to room temperature before serving.

Daniel Boulud, Cafe Boulud Cookbook

Ingredients

• 7 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Unsweetened cocoa powder and/or powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square by 2-inch deep baking pan; set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine chocolate, butter, and the water; cook and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. Transfer to a large bowl.

2. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar to chocolate mixture; beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed until combined. Add eggs and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add flour, salt, and cinnamon. Beat on low speed until combined. Spread batter in prepared pan.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Sprinkle with cocoa powder and/or powdered sugar. Makes 20 to 25 brownies.

Better Homes & Gardens

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. unsalted butter
• 1/3 c. lightly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1 c. rolled oats
• 1/4 c. sliced almonds
• 4 c. fresh strawberries
• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp. ground almonds
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 375ºF.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the flour and incorporate well. Then throw in your oats and your almonds, scrunch with your hands until evenly distributed.

In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and ground almonds. Toss this in a medium bowl with the strawberries and vanilla.

Dump the fruit mixture into an eight or nine inch baking dish, then evenly distribute the topping over it. Pop it in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until you can see juice bubbling up around the sides. It’s pretty juicy and it isn’t very sweet, so it would be lovely with some vanilla ice cream.

[Note: This is our pick for best base cobbler/crisp recipe. You can also easily swap around the fruits/nuts for others.]

unhip squirrel

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 c sugar
• 3/4 c butter
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 c water
• 1/2 c unblanched almonds (optional)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 c nuts

Preparation

Bring to a boil the first 5 ingredients. Heat to 290 F (or until the mixture turns golden brown), stirring constantly. Take off heat and stir in baking soda. Pour into a greased 9 x 15 jelly roll pan and spread out. Melt chocolate, then pour over the candy and put the nuts on top. Allow to cool overnight (in the refrigerator or outside if desired). Break into pieces. Make about 1 1/2 pounds.

Ingredients

• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 7 ounces unsweetened coconut shavings (about 4 cups)

Preparation

Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 325°F. Whisk egg whites and sugar in a large bowl just until frothy. Whisk in lime zest and salt. Add coconut and fold to coat.

Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of coconut mixture onto 2 parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheets. Bake, rotating pans halfway through from top to bottom and back to front, until golden brown, 18-22 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets.

Bon Appetit, March 2013

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. butter (1 stick), softened
• 1 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 1/2 c. flour
• 2 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 2 c. peeled, shredded zucchini
• 2 c. chocolate chips, semi-sweet

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the oil, eggs, and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in the zucchini. Pour into a greased 9x13" pan. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool.

Penzey’s

Ingredients

For the pancake batter:

• 3 eggs
• 2 c. flour
• 4 c. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• pinch salt
• 50 g melted butter

For the filling/garnish:

• berries
• about 2 1/2 c. whipping cream, sweetened

Preparation

Melt the butter in your pancake skillet (should be big, around 12" at least). Beat the eggs and whisk in the flour until all lumps are gone. Add the sugar, vanilla, sugar, and salt. Pour in a little milk at a time until the mixture becomes a nice paste. (These will be thin pancakes, somewhere between American pancakes and crepes.) Pour the melted butter into the batter. Mix well every time you take a scoop of batter to cook. Cook all the pancakes in butter and let them cool. Whip the cream and sweeten it (you can add some vanilla, too). When the pancakes have cooled, put a pancake on a plate, add a little cream and berries, and repeat until you run out of stuff.

Nadjas Kitchen, and Google Translate

Ingredients

• 1 c. Nutella (which does contain milk)
• 1/2 tbsp. baking soda
• 1 c. flour
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. applesauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Preparation

Combine the sugars, applesauce, vanilla and Nutella in a bowl. Mix until smooth. Add the flour and baking soda and mix until combined. The dough should be sticky and easy to remove from the bowl. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour and a half.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Roll into tbsp-sized balls, and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle (or roll) each cookie in a small bit of sea salt, kosher salt, or fleur de sel. Bake for about 10 minutes until the cookies are puffed and crinkled (they will look under-done, this is normal). Remove from oven and cool for about 5 minutes on a baking sheet and about 5 minutes on a rack.

Emma, Mama Ozzy’s Table

Ingredients

• 1 small to medium orange
• 1 lemon
• 6 oz. raw almonds
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 tbsp. salt
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 2/3 c. olive oil
• powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Place the orange and the lemon in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, and set a rack in the middle. Bake the almonds 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. When the almonds are cool, pulse in a food processor until ground.
3. Set oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9-inch springform pan.
4. When the citrus is cool, cut the lemon in half and discard the pulp and seeds. Cut the orange in half and discard the seeds. Put the fruits in the food processor and process almost to a paste.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder. Combine eggs and salt. Beat until foamy. Beat in the sugar. Fold in the flour mixture. Add the citrus, almonds, and olive oil, and beat on low speed until incorporated. Pour the batter into the pan, and bake for about 1 hours. Remove and dust with powdered sugar.

New York Times Magazine, Adapted from Molly Wizenberg

Ingredients

For tart shell:

• 2 tablespoons almonds with skins, toasted and cooled
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• 1/2 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3 1/2 tablespoons fruity olive oil (preferably French)

For lemon curd:

• 3 large lemons
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 whole large eggs plus 2 large yolks
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons fruity olive oil (preferably French)

Preparation

Make tart shell:

Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.

Pulse almonds with flour, sugar, and sea salt to a fine powder in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.

Add yolk and oil and pulse until just incorporated and a very soft dough has formed.

Spread dough evenly over bottom and up side of a 9" tart pan with offset spatula. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Bake shell until golden brown all over, about 13 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Make curd:

Grate enough zest from lemons to measure 1 tablespoon, then squeeze 3/4 cup juice from lemons.

Whisk together lemon zest and juice, sugar, cornstarch, whole eggs, and yolks in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil, whisking, 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk in butter and oil until smooth.

Assemble tart:

Pour lemon curd into cooled shell and chill until set, at least 2 hours.

Gourmet, May 2008