Coffee's Mate

Here is another recipe from my Mom, although I had actually also written it down to share! I won't rehash what she says, but this is easy, quick, and absolutely delicious! I have had people pay me to make it for them on a regular basis!

This is yet another recipe I received from my Mom before I was married, and I am still in the process of learning its’ origin. This possibly came from my Mom’s own mother, which would, in turn, mean that it has been enjoyed by my family now for at least four generations! It’s one of those truly timeless recipes that once they’ve arrived have a way of staying put. They are pulled out time and again because of their ease and reliable results. This is one of the few recipes that I have that fall into that category. It’s one of the few that I’ve been making for years and just keep coming back to.  This is my recipe for coffee cake.

So the first thing people ask when I offer them coffee cake is always... YES...How did you know! They always ask me, “Is there coffee in it?” The answer is “No”…there’s NO coffee in coffee cake. It’s just that it needs an excellent cup of coffee to accompany it! This makes it a wonderful breakfast bread, but many, many times we’ve eaten it late in the evening, after dinner. It’s very versatile. Not only is it good around-the-clock, it’s always my reliable stand-by when I have unexpected guests or need a bread-type dessert in a hurry! It’s my substitute for breakfast breads or evening dessert that might normally call for yeast…which means they have to rise…and rise…etc. But not this recipe! This recipe is so basic and quick, that once I pop it in the oven, it cooks up and is ready to serve in only 20 to 25 minutes! I’ve also used this in cupcake pans, with great results! Not only is it quick to whip up and quick to cook & serve, it tastes exceptionally good. So without further ado…

Coffee Cake

Batter:

Mix together the following ingredients:

½ cup Sugar

1 Egg

½ tsp Salt

2 tsp Baking Powder

2 Tbsp Melted Butter

1 cup Flour (I usually use 1/3 cup whole wheat flour and 2/3 cup white.)

Pour into a prepared 8x8x2” baking dish, or if doubling the recipe, use a 9x13 baking dish. Set aside.

Topping:

NOTE: I ALWAYS double the entire topping recipe. This isn’t necessary. I made it the original way for many years and thought it tasted great. I guess I’m just one of those people who figure that if ‘a little’ tastes good, then a lot will taste ‘even better’!  So if you do decide to double the topping, I listed the increased increments below, next to each ingredient. Also, if I double the batter recipe for my 9x13 pan, I then quadruple the topping recipe!

¼ cup Brown Sugar (Double: ½ cup or Quadruple: 1 cup)

1 tsp Cinnamon (Double: 2 tsp or Quadruple: 4 tsp)

1 Tbsp Melted butter (Double: 2 Tbsp or Quadruple: 4 Tbsp)

1 Tbsp Flour (Double: 2 Tbsp or Quadruple: 4 Tbsp)

Mix together with a fork and sprinkle it evenly over top of batter. Bake in a preheated 375* oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. If doubling the recipe and using a 9x13 baking pan, cook for 5 to 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

What's great about it

I know that I write about goodies, snacks, and treats, quite a bit. I like to write about them, and obviously you like to read about them because those topics get way more views than dinners, side dishes, or vegetables. I can't imagine how low the page views would be if I wrote about a new salad.... I think this is funny, because hopefully we all make dinners, and side dishes, and vegetables, and even salads, but nobody wants to read about them as much as we want to read about delicious desserts, candy, donuts, or other pastries and/or confectioneries.
I personally spend most of my time in those areas of cookbooks, I feel giddy flipping through pages of pictures of delicious-looking, cakes, pies, danishes, cream puffs, and tarts. (I don't buy cookbooks that don't have pictures...lots and lots of pictures) And there is a new treat that I have discovered, that I wanted to share here. Since it's discovery, I have had multiple requests for it, a few for the recipe, and I think it is absolutely delicious.

It is a cappuccino flavored biscotti, with hazelnuts and chocolate chips. This is a little different than the biscotti you are used to, because it is not quite as hard. There is a definite coffee flavor, not like a lot of things that have a coffee title, and it is not overly sweet, which means you can eat more ;).
Of course you can switch up the biscotti, omit the espresso powder, add white chocolate and cranberries, dip it in something, add dried apricots and almonds, etc. You get the idea. I love recipes like this that I can improvise on. Even though I haven't felt the urge yet...it may happen someday. This recipe calls for espresso powder, which can be found in the imported section of the grocery store. It really makes the difference in this recipe, but if you CANNOT get it or whatever, use finely ground coffee. It's not as good but it will do in a pinch.


Cappuccino Biscotti with Hazelnuts and Chocolate
from Cindy Mushet's The Art and Soul of Baking

1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
2 teaspoons warm water
1 stick butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped skinned hazelnuts (toasted if desired)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 and position an oven rack in the center.
In a small bowl, stir together the espresso powder and warm water until the powder is dissolved. Set aside.

Place the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth and slightly lightened in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the espresso mixture and blend well. Scrape down the bowl with the spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
In the medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture all at once. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and blend slowly, just until there are not more patches of flour. Scrape down the bowl.
Add the hazelnuts and chocolate chips and mix on low just until blended. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir gently a few times to make sure the nuts and chips are evenly distributed and there are no more patches of unincorporated flour or butter.
Divide the dough in half. On a floured work surface, gently squeeze and roll each piece to shape into logs about 13 inches long. Line one baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the logs on the sheet about 4 inches apart. Press down on the logs, flattening them slightly until they are each about 2 inches across the top. Place the second baking sheet under the first. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until they are firm to the touch and lightly golden brown. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Turn the oven down to 275 and position two racks in the top and bottom of the oven. Carefully transfer the logs to a cutting surface. Use a serrated knife to slice the logs on a slight diagonal. into cookies 3/8 of an inch thick. Line the second baking sheet with parchment. Place the cookies, cut side down on the baking sheets. Toast the cookies in the oven, switching the sheets between the racks and rotating halfway through, 30 to 40 minutes, until dry and lightly tinged with color. Transfer to a cooling rack.
While the cookies are toasting, prepare the finishing sugar. Whisk together the sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl. As soon as the cookies are out of the oven and on the rack, immediately roll them in the cinnamon and sugar and return to the baking sheets to cool completely.
The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 months.

We All Scream

With summer in full force, many of us are turning to our icy weakness-ice cream. My husband is particularly fond of vanilla bean ice cream, so I buy it quite often and serve it with caramel sauce and nectarines that have been dipped in cinnamon and sugar and fried in butter (I know-a healthy dessert). Last year, I decided to make homemade ice cream. When I asked my husband which flavor he would like, he immediately responded "Strawberry". What? I thought for sure he would have asked for vanilla. So I made about five quarts of strawberry. It was amazing. I mean really amazing. Really, really amazing. I can't believe how much it tastes like strawberries. I had purchased a flat of them from one of those corner-of-the-street vendors and used them the next day. It is a bit tedious making strawberry ice cream, because you have to hull, clean, puree and strain away all the seeds before you even make your ice cream base, but it was well worth it. We ate that ice cream for about three months and enjoyed every minute of it. I actually just found a quart of it down in the bottom of my chest freezer and we enjoyed it for Max's birthday. And, a year later, it was still amazing.
 This year, I had determined to make vanilla. And I did. It is AWESOME. It is very rich, so you don't have to eat as much, which, I am sure, makes it good for you. AWESOME and HEALTHY. Just kidding, I wouldn't classify it as healthy. But, it is so good, you should decide right now, you are going to do it. First, whenever you drop the homemade ice cream bomb, people automatically label you as a domestic goddess. Second, it is NOT very difficult, and if you have ever made custard, it is a snap to make ice cream. Which, a little side note here, I would definitely recommend the egg version, as frozen custard is so much richer and creamier than the egg less version (and rich is what we are going for, right?)
Third, when you pull out a tub of your own homemade ice cream to give your children, husband, parents, and guests, you feel a sense of pride in offering something very fresh, containing nothing artificial or un-pronounceable.
And while I am sure I could give you four through ten, I will leave it at that.
Use the vanilla base, and with a few minor alterations, you can add chocolate and coffee to your ice cream repertoire. I would recommend buying a big container of heavy cream from Costco. Make two batches of vanilla, one coffee and one chocolate, and all your dreams will come true.
Well, all my dreams came true.

Ice cream (3 ways)

Makes about 1 1/2 pints
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 vanilla beans (split lengthwise)
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs

Combine cream, milk, sugar, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla beans with tip of a knife into cream mixture, then drop in pods. Heat cream mixture just to a boil.

Whisk eggs in a large bowl, then add hot cream mixture one ladle at a time. Once you have added two or three ladles, pour mixture into saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and registers 170°F on thermometer (do not let boil). ( I never use a thermometer)

Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean metal bowl, then cool, stirring occasionally. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours, up to 24.
Freeze custard in an ice cream maker according to manufacturers directions. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer.

So, vanilla-you can use three vanilla beans for each recipe, or half vanilla beans and half vanilla extract. Vanilla beans can be obtained very inexpensively on the Internet here, or a few more here, or here. You can also hop in your car and go here, where they can be purchased for 2.99 for two. This is significantly less than your grocery store, where one can run you twelve to fifteen dollars.
I make a double batch, use three vanilla beans, and about a tablespoon and a half of vanilla extract.
For coffee flavored ice cream, use a tablespoon of vanilla and a tablespoon of espresso powder. Add the espresso powder after the cream is hot. This is the brand I use.
For chocolate, add two tablespoons, cocoa powder, one tablespoon of vanilla, and 1/4 c. semi-sweet chips or pieces. Add the chips or pieces after you return the cream to the stove.