Cocoa Brownies

I am always on the look out for easy, fast, but yummy dessert recipes because you just never know when the urge is going to hit or the need is going to arise for something sweet, and you don't always have time to wait for butter to soften.

Brownies from scratch are generally pretty easy to begin with, but I like this recipe because the main ingredient is cocoa rather than chocolate. Around here I can buy cocoa by the barrel load, but all my chocolate has to be bought in candy bar form with candy bar price. So needless to say, I have more cocoa laying around than chocolate.

TWD: Chocoblock Cookies

I'mmmm backkkkk!

I am so glad to be making this post right now. You don't know how much I've been missing baking and blogging. I would think of it often, but it would make me so sad to know that I was physically so worn out and nauseated to do it. But I managed to do it this week. And I'm so glad.

This week's Tuesday with Dorie was chosen by Mary of Popsicles and Sandy Feet. Be sure to check out her site for the recipe of these very interesting cookies. Lots of stuff in these cookies.

DB: Tiramisu

I'm a little late and a little rushed, but here goes.


The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

I'm finally back in Tripoli after two weeks stuck in Malta, and as a result, I didn't have much time for this multi-day challenge. But I pulled it off (sort of), so come check it out.

Black and White Squares Part I: Oreo Rice Krispies

Sorry I've been so long in posting. Ever since my last post (Feb 9) I have been in Malta trying to renew my visa for working in Libya. Every six months you have to leave the country to renew your visa. Usually this is a three or four day ordeal, but I have been here for two weeks now, and it doesn't look like we're going to get it any time soon. 


So...I haven't been able to bake, and it's been killing me. But instead of sulking, I decided to share with you something I baked earlier. It's easy and good, so here goes.

Twofer TWD: Milk Chocolate Mini Bundts and Rick Katz's Brownies for Julia

Lucky lucky you! You get two Tuesdays with Dorie for one! Yipee!

So let's start with last week: Last week's TWD was Milk Chocolate Mini Bundts chosen by Kristin of I'm Right About Everything. (Great blog title, huh?)

And this week: This week's TWD was Rick Katz's Brownies for Julia chosen by Tanya of Chocolatechic.

TWD: Cocoa-Nana Bread

I actually did this one early! Woo hoo!

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie was chosen by Steph of Obsessed with Baking.

TWD: Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars

Yay! It's Tuesday! Not very early in Tuesday, but Tuesday nevertheless.

Chocolate Chip Blondies

I am an impatient girl.

TWD: Cocoa Buttermilk Cupcakes

It is okay if I let the T in TWD stand for Thursdays with Dorie?

Peanut Butter Fudge Treats

I have had the hardest time finding marshmallows, or marshalades as I usually call them (it's a Homestar Runner thing), while I've been here. I just can't seem to find them anywhere. But luckily, I've got connections. Usually, when somebody goes home or to another country, I solict their help in getting me baking ingredients. So when my friend Will went to Kuwait, I asked for marshmallows, and he brought me back a sack full of them! Hooray! I was so glad and so excited. Now I could make these tempting treats.

Chocolate Fudge Truffles

I'm on a roll. Literally. For some reason, I felt the need to make three different types of ball-shaped treats. The first were these bundt balls. And these were the second.

I've been in a really fudgey mood lately, meaning, I want to make me some fudge. And this is so confusing to me. I don't like fudge. I think it's too sweet to be really enjoyable, but I still have really wanted to make it. Weird, huh? But I'm a woman, can't I explain that away with hormones or something?


Well, whatever the reason for this strange desire, it was there. And as always, I gave in. 

Sophia's Chocolate Cake with Caramel Buttercream

Let me tell you about my job.

Cake Balls Gone Turkey!

So I saw these pictures from this blog featured on foodgawker.com, and I just had to try it for myself.

I wanted an excuse to make cake balls anyway because it just wasn't right for the people of Libya to not partake in the wonderful delights of cake ball-ness.

So I set of to make these little gems. But like everything I do here, things have to be just a little different. I just can't seem to make a recipe here just like I did in the states. But I guess it's good because it forces me to expand my culinary repertoire. They actually do have cake mixes here, Betty Crocker brand, too. But they don't have cans of icing. So I had to do some tweaking on that.

I always like a moist cake ball, so I thought a more liquidy icing would work nicely in these balls. I found the recipe listed below, and I thought it would be nice fit with my yellow cake. I think it turned out pretty well, but it wasn't exactly like cake balls made at home. They reminded me of Texas Sheet Cake, because the icing is very similar in taste.

I tried my hand at decorating these in the turkey fashion, and they came out alright. I think I could have done a little better if I had given it a little more thought. I also think it would have been better if I had some actual candy coloring. Icing coloring just doesn't color chocolate (or bark) as well. So my colors were off. But I wanted to use candy instead of royal icing because I'm not a huge fan of royal icing. I thought, the more candy coating, the better.

ICE: Music Ebony and Ivory Cupcakes

Iron Cupcake is back!

I was very excited to see that Iron Cupcake was back after its few months hiatus. And this month's theme was music. We were to create a cupcake centered around or inspired by music.

I decided to go with a song and take my inspiration from that. I played around with a lot of ideas...

Whoopie ! Pies!

Sometimes I just get an idea in my head and I cannot get it out for the life of me. This one was making whoopie pies. I have no idea what exactly made me want to make these, but I really, really wanted to. I could not get the idea of making them out of my head. I've never made whoopie pies before, so I have no idea where this urge came from. But it was there, and I had to satiate it.

I was so glad that I did. What I great idea I had! :)

And these were great! They were like Ho-Hos but in a different form.They stayed incredibly moist for a long as we had them (which, incidentally, wasn't very long, but I think it would last pretty long as long as it was well wrapped).

TWD: Split Level Pudding

I'm on time! Hooray!

Today's TWD was picked by Garrett of Flavor of Vanilla. Be sure to check out that site for the recipe.

Beet Chocolate Cupcakes

I found these cupcake liners at a store in Tripoli and knew I had to buy them to make some pretty little cupcakes. And the price was so right. It was only 0.750 LYD for a package of 100, which is like $0.60 US dollars. I thought it was a steal! I am definitely going back for some more. The only draw back is that they are a little shorter than normal muffin pans, but luckily for me, in the effort to save space with moving to Libya, I had only packed one 6-hole silicone muffin pan that had holes a little smaller than normal. It was meant to be.

TWD: Chocolate-Crunched Caramel Tart

I know this is super late, but I still wanted to post about it anyway. This week's Tuesday with Dorie was chosen by Carla of Chocolate Moosey.

I was supposed to make a chocolate-crunched caramel tart, but I didn't have any nuts, so no crunch, and I was really tired, so I decided to skip the caramel (plus I haven't had good luck with it yet), and I was lazy even further and decided to use my leftover puff pastry for a crust instead of making tart dough, so it wasn't even really a tart.

Goodness Gracious Cake Balls of Fire

I wanted to make cake balls one time before I left Los Angeles. I did not want to leave without Jacob's coworkers experiencing the joy and wonder of the cake ball.

I absolutely love these things. I especially love them straight out of the fridge. Delicious! The only thing is that they are kind of a pain to make. But after all that trouble, the first bite makes it all worth it.

DB: Vols-au-vents

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

This was my first time ever making puff pastry, but I had heard about making it, and I was anxious to try. Not too anxious though (I waited until the very last minute to make these, which I guess is my style.).
It turned out to be easier than I thought it might be, but it required regulated time in the fridge. Waiting is not my speciality, so this was the most difficult part.