Chocolate Chip Vanilla Bean Hazelnut Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
6 oz semisweet chips
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, at room temperature
1 vanilla bean

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Split the vanilla bean in two down the seam. Scrape the seeds into a large bowl, then add the butter, vanilla and sugar. Cream together. Add the egg, beat until fluffy. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and oatmeal. Mix until well combined. Fold in the nuts and chips. Place tablespoon sized blobs of dough on the lined cookie sheet about 1/2 inch apart and bake for 12-14 minutes or until they look "set" and the bottoms are just golden. Carefully remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: about 2 dozen cookies

My thoughts:

The name is a bit of a mouthful but these are great cookies. Chewy, crunchy, chocolate-y. Not the most showy of cookies but I've never seen anyone turn one down. I love them because they are a bit of a change from a simple chocolate chip oatmeal cookie but are still quick to make with ingredients I have on hand. Homey, delicious and comforting. The best kind of cookie.

Martha Stewart's Almond-Hazelnut Cupcakes with Faux-Bois Toppers

Martha says: "You might want to throw a woodland-themed celebration just to have an excuse to make cupcakes topped with chocolate faux-bois rounds. Faux bois, or imitation woodgrain, is a favorite Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia motif; it can be applied to chocolate using a wood-graining rocker, found at paint-supply stores. Made with ground almonds and hazelnuts and covered with dark chocolate frosting, the cupcakes are also worth serving on their own, without any other embellishments."

I made these cupcakes for a pretty special weekend dinner that included Eric's (Catherine's fiance) parents...Tom and Pat Olson...visiting from Norwich, NY...we had such a great time with them and learned many fun things about Eric! Look out! Now back to the cupcakes...actually, the reviews were mixed...the cupcake turned out to be surprisingly dry. It was better with the dark chocolate frosting and the chocolate toppers...but on its own...sorry to say it was very blah! I think I might need some one-on-one lessons with Martha!

Layla...on the other hand...here she is looking at the cupcakes over her shoulder from under the table...she thought they looked great!

One major problem I had was finding the wood-graining tool...grrrrrr...and, when you make the toppers you also need a baking sheet-sized piece of acetate....think about it! There are several steps to both the cupcakes and the toppers, so beware...these takes some time to create.

---

Recipe (page 277)
For Cupcakes (Makes 16 cupcakes):
1/2 cup whole unblanched almonds, toasted (see page 323)
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned (have you ever tried to skin a hazelnut?)(see page 323)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
4 large egg whites

1. Make cupcakes: Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. In a food processor, pulse together almonds and hazelnuts until finely ground (do not overprocess or the nuts will turn into a paste). Into a mixing bowl, sift together both flours, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in the ground nuts.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and both sugars until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating well after each.

3. In another mixing bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. In two additions, gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

5. To finish, use an offset spatula spread a thin layer of frosting over cupcakes, then transfer remaining frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a larget open-star tip (#821). Pipe a ring of frosting around the perimeter of each cupcake, then place a chocolate disk on top. Decorated cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 1 day in airtight containers; bring to room temperature before serving.

Dark Chocolate Frosting (Makes about 5 cups)
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon boiling water
2 1/4 cups (4 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds best-quality semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Combine cocoa and the boiling water, stirring until cocoa has dissolved. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add melted and cooled chocolate, beating until combined and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in the cocoa mixture. If not using immediately, frosting can be refrigerated up to 5 days, or frozen up to 1 month, in an airtight container. Before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth again.

For toppers: Go to this link on Martha Stewart's web site...there is a really great "how to" there.

Martha Stewart's Almond-Hazelnut Cupcakes with Faux-Bois Toppers

Martha says: "You might want to throw a woodland-themed celebration just to have an excuse to make cupcakes topped with chocolate faux-bois rounds. Faux bois, or imitation woodgrain, is a favorite Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia motif; it can be applied to chocolate using a wood-graining rocker, found at paint-supply stores. Made with ground almonds and hazelnuts and covered with dark chocolate frosting, the cupcakes are also worth serving on their own, without any other embellishments."

I made these cupcakes for a pretty special weekend dinner that included Eric's (Catherine's fiance) parents...Tom and Pat Olson...visiting from Norwich, NY...we had such a great time with them and learned many fun things about Eric! Look out! Now back to the cupcakes...actually, the reviews were mixed...the cupcake turned out to be surprisingly dry. It was better with the dark chocolate frosting and the chocolate toppers...but on its own...sorry to say it was very blah! I think I might need some one-on-one lessons with Martha!

Layla...on the other hand...here she is looking at the cupcakes over her shoulder from under the table...she thought they looked great!

One major problem I had was finding the wood-graining tool...grrrrrr...and, when you make the toppers you also need a baking sheet-sized piece of acetate....think about it! There are several steps to both the cupcakes and the toppers, so beware...these takes some time to create.

---

Recipe (page 277)
For Cupcakes (Makes 16 cupcakes):
1/2 cup whole unblanched almonds, toasted (see page 323)
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned (have you ever tried to skin a hazelnut?)(see page 323)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
4 large egg whites

1. Make cupcakes: Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. In a food processor, pulse together almonds and hazelnuts until finely ground (do not overprocess or the nuts will turn into a paste). Into a mixing bowl, sift together both flours, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in the ground nuts.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and both sugars until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating well after each.

3. In another mixing bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. In two additions, gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

5. To finish, use an offset spatula spread a thin layer of frosting over cupcakes, then transfer remaining frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a larget open-star tip (#821). Pipe a ring of frosting around the perimeter of each cupcake, then place a chocolate disk on top. Decorated cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 1 day in airtight containers; bring to room temperature before serving.

Dark Chocolate Frosting (Makes about 5 cups)
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon boiling water
2 1/4 cups (4 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds best-quality semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Combine cocoa and the boiling water, stirring until cocoa has dissolved. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add melted and cooled chocolate, beating until combined and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in the cocoa mixture. If not using immediately, frosting can be refrigerated up to 5 days, or frozen up to 1 month, in an airtight container. Before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth again.

For toppers: Go to this link on Martha Stewart's web site...there is a really great "how to" there.

Strawberry-Asparagus Salad with Strawberry-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1 bunch spring lettuce
1 bunch baby spinach
2 strips crisp bacon
3/4 lb fresh asparagus
1 pint strawberries, sliced
1/3 cup bee pollen dusted hazelnuts
2 oz ch�vre

for the vinaigrette
2 oz avocado oil
2 oz pomegranate infused balsamic vinegar*
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 strawberry, mashed**

Directions:
Place the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar or salad dressing mixer. Shake until a smooth, emulsified dressing forms.

Place the lettuce in a large bowl. Top with the spinach. Cut the bacon into bite sized pieces. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook for about 2 minutes. Drain and cut into manageable sized pieces. Arrange on the salad. Add the sliced strawberries. Dot with goat cheese. Toss in the hazelnuts and bacon. Drizzle with vinaigrette.

*I used locally bottled Pompeian vinegar.
**I just put it on a cutting board and mashed with with a potato masher until pretty smooth.

My thoughts:

A while back I was invited to do a cooking demonstration at the Maryland Heartland Sustainable Living Fair which is going on today. Of course I agreed to do it. The major challenge was designing a recipe that made the most of what is in season in the end of May in Maryland. Which, unfortunately, isn't terribly much as May is pretty much the beginning of the growing season here. I had thought of doing some sort of stir fry but when I looked at the list of what was in season I realized that a big salad might be a better choice. I used locally grown strawberries, lettuce, spinach and asparagus along with some local fresh goat cheese. I tossed in some bacon because it just smells so good and thought it might draw some people in to watch the demo. It also adds a smoky note to the salad. I used some hazelnuts from a family owned farm (in Oregon) that were dusted in local bee pollen for some crunch. The dressing was simple but extremely tasty and added an additional fruity note to the salad. Unfortunately some of the dressing ingredients were not quite local but there is a drawback to living in the mid-Atlantic; no avocado or olive trees for oil.

All of these seemingly disconnected ingredients came together to from a very satisfying salad that felt light and fresh. I loved the asparagus and the strawberries, they made the salad feel hearty despite the near absence of meat. The perfect springtime meal salad.

Bee Pollen Dusted Hazelnuts

Ingredients:
1 cup dry roasted hazelnuts
2 tablespoons bee pollen
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Place the pollen, sugar and salt in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind until a fine powder forms. Heat the oil in a small skillet. Add the nuts and toss occasionally for 1 minute. Pour into a bowl. Sprinkle with the pollen mixture. Toss to coat. Pour into a fine mesh sieve and shake off excess powder.

My thoughts:

I bought bee pollen at the farmers market ages ago with the idea of making some pollen caramels like the divine ones sold by Vosges but never quite got around to it. Then yesterday I came across a passing reference to a dessert that featured bee pollen and almonds in a food memoir and then a box of Freddy Guys hazelnuts arrived and it seemed fortuitous. They were super simple to make and tasted great out of hand or in a salad. The bee pollen has a fruity herbal flavor that pairs wonderfully with the toasty nuts. The sugar adds a touch of sweetness and helps the bee pollen adhere to the nuts.