Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Once again, I find myself baking something with peanut butter in it. Such an unhealthy obsession... Anyway, this is the second time I've baked this recipe because it is that delicious. The combination of chocolate and peanut butter is like no other - they complement each other so deliciously. The first time I made this recipe I made it in a regular 9x9x2 pan, but this time I thought using a cupcake pan would make nice and easy to eat, cupcake-like desserts. Using the cupcake pan for brownies is genius, you avoid the unnecessary mess of cutting the brownies! 

Here is the recipe:

from Betty Crocker 

• 2/3 C granulated sugar
• 1/2 C packed brown sugar
• 1/2 C butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 C peanut butter
• 1/3 C peanut butter chips
• 1/3 C baking cocoa
• 1/3 C semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease square pan, 9x9x2 inches (or cupcake pan!) Mix sugars, butter, milk and eggs in a medium bowl. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. 
2. Divide batter in half (about 1 C plus 2 tablespoons for each half). Stir in peanut butter and peanut butter chips into 1 half. Stir in cocoa and chocolate chips into remaining half. 
3. Spoon (or use an ice cream scooper) chocolate batter into pan in 8 mounds, checkerboard style (if using square pan). If you're using the cupcake pan, scoop about half of an ice cream scoop of batter into half of the cupcake tin. Repeat with the other batter. Gently swirl through the batters with a knife for marbled design. 
4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely about 1 hour... (good luck with that)

xoxo, A

French Lemon-Poppy Pound Cake

While making this delicious lemon pound cake out of Joanne Chang's Flour baking book, I learned that the name "pound cake" came from the original recipe that consisted of a pound of flour, a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, and a pound of eggs. Unbelievable/kind of weird, right? I totally did not know this, but it makes sense because all pound cakes result in a velvety, but tight cake texture.

I love pound cake, especially lemon, so I thought I'd try Joanne Chang's recipe since all of her recipes are fabulous and delicious. The lemon glaze easily brings out the rest of the lemon and poppy seed flavor in the rest of the cake; the perfect combination! 

Here is the recipe:

Pound Cake

• 2 C cake flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt (or 1/4 table salt)
• 1/2 C + 3 tbl unsalted butter, melted and slightly warm
• 1/4 C heavy cream
• 3 tbl finely grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
• 1 tbl fresh lemon juice
• 3 tbl poppy seeds
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 C granulated sugar

Lemon Glaze

• 1/2 C confectioners' sugar
• 1 to 2 tbl fresh lemon juice 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a loaf pan. In a medium size bowl sift together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt. 
2. In another large bowl, whisk together the butter, cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, and poppy seeds. The mixture should have the consistency of a thick liquid. If the butter hardens into little lumps, reheat the mixture slightly until the butter melts again. 
3. Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat together eggs and sugar until light and fluffy and lemon colored. This will take about 4-5 minutes for a stand mixer or 8-10 for a hand mixer. 
4. Gently fold the flour mixer into the egg mixture using a rubber spatula. Fold about one-fourth of the egg-flour mixture into the butter-cream mixture. Then fold in the remaining egg-flour mixture until just thoroughly combined. 
5. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes; until the top of the cake is golden brown and springs back when you press it in the middle. Let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for 3o minutes. 
6. Make the lemon glaze while the cake is still cooling: whisk the confectioners' sugar and enough of the lemon juice to make an easily spreadable, smooth glaze. Wait until the cake is cooled, but still slightly warm, to spoon or spread the lemon glaze. 

This was a perfect dessert after dinner, though it was hard to resist not diving in after it was finished...

xoxo, A