Recipes and extras

AZTEC SLUGGERS

Three great ways to keep warm — coffee, hot chocolate, and bourbon — in a single mug.

Yield: Makes 2 drinks
Active time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min

1 cup freshly brewed strong coffee
1/4-cup bourbon
1/2 oz (1 tablespoon) Kahlúa or other coffee-flavored liqueur
2 oz finely chopped bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
6 tablespoons heavy cream
1-teaspoon sugar

Heat coffee, bourbon, Kahlúa, chocolate, and 2 tablespoons cream in 
a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over low heat, whisking constantly,
until chocolate is melted, about 1 to 2 minutes. (Do not let boil.)
Whisk remaining 1/4-cup cream with sugar until it holds soft peaks.
Divide coffee mixture between 2 large mugs, and then top with whipped cream.

Chocolate Coffee Porter Cupcakes

by raspberryeggplant

Chocolate and coffee and a classic pair, and these cupcakes really highlights how well they go together. The cake features coffee two ways - a dose of strong brewed coffee and coffee porter beer. Combined with the cocoa powder, these two items give the cupcakes a deep, earthy, rich flavor, all in a fluffy, moist cupcake. The silky meringue buttercream frosting also contains coffee, providing a wonderful contrast in texture to the cake.

Makes 12 regular size or 36 mini cupcakes

Chocolate Coffee Porter Cupcakes:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup Turbinado sugar (raw or cane sugar crystals are larger than traditional brown sugar)
• 1/4 cup milk (or rice milk or soy milk)
• 1/4 cup brewed coffee
• 1/2 cup coffee porter beer (or you can use coffee stout)
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Coffee Buttercream Frosting:

• 3 large egg whites
• 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee

Make the cupcakes

Heat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin pan with papers and set aside.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl and set aside.

Add the granulated sugar, Turbinado sugar, milk, coffee, beer, oil, vinegar, and vanilla to a medium bowl and whisk well to combine. Scrape this mixture into the bowl containing the flour mixture and whisk to combine.

Divide the batter between the lined cups and bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick comes out clean, 22-25 minutes for full size cupcakes and 16-18 minutes for minis.

Let the cupcakes cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting

Put the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Set the bowl over simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and whisk the mixture until it reaches 140 F. If you don’t have a thermometer, don’t worry – the mixture will turn thick and white and all the sugar should be dissolved – this should take about 5 minutes.

Transfer the bowl to the mixer and, with the whip attachment, mix on high speed until the whites are fluffy and the bowl is cool to the touch, 6-7 minutes.

Once the mixture is cool, add the butter a few pieces at a time, mixing well before adding more. The mixture might start to look curdled after you have added half of the butter. Don’t worry – just keep adding the rest of the butter and keep mixing on high speed until the frosting comes together and is smooth.

Once the frosting has come together, add the coffee one tablespoon at a time, making sure each addition is fully incorporated before adding the next. You may not need the full quarter cup depending on how strong you made the coffee. It's better to make strong coffee and add a smaller amount of it to the frosting than to make the coffee regular drinking strength, thereby adding more liquid to the frosting - the more liquid you add, the less stable your frosting will be.

Assemble the cupcakes

Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe swirls onto the top of each cupcake. If you want, decorate the cupcakes with small fondant decorations or other decorations such as sugar pearls or luster dust.

German Cheesecake

Ingredients

•  

Crust

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups flour

Filling

• 3 eggs
• 24 ounces cream cheese (3 packs)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

1.     For the crust: Cream butter, sugar, and egg; add flour. Spread in the bottom of a 9" spring form pan and bake for 5 minutes at 450, remove and cool slightly.

2.       For the filling: Cream the cream cheese, add sugar slowly, and vanilla. Cream in eggs one at a time.  Add milk and flour.

3.       Pour onto crust, and bake 10 minutes at 450; reduce the heat to 250 and bake an additional 60 minutes (or until center tests done.)

4.       Cool to room temp and put in refrigerate until chilled. Serve cold.

5.       Note: My friend just tosses all of the ingredients into the mixer at once, but I think it comes out creamier if you mix them as listed.

German Cheesecake will have a different texture than American, especially if you can get your hands on the German styled creamed cheese. I can find it occasionally on Fort Leonard Wood and if you’re in a larger city area, some stores carry it in their foreign specialty aisles 

Mocha Chip Banana Bread

The key to a moist loaf is to not overbake. Ovens vary in temperature so start checking for doneness earlier then the suggested time.

• 1.5 cups flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 2 medium bananas, mashed (1 cup)
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon hot milk
• 2 tablespoons instant coffee
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl.

In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, bananas, oil,sour cream and vanilla. Dissolve instant coffee in hot milk. Stir into banana mixture.

Stir wet ingredients into flour mixture, just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased 9×5 loaf pan. Bake at 325ºF for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool completely before slicing.

Banana Coffee Bread Recipe with Coffee Glaze

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups coffee, double strength (or stronger), cooled
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 organic eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (or regular pastry flour)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups confectioner’s sugar

Directions:
1. Brew one cup of coffee at a minimum of double strength and set aside until cool

2. Preheat the oven to 375°F and spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with baking cooking spray.

3. Mash the bananas. Whisk together the coffee with the brown sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and bananas in a large bowl.

4. Whisk whole-wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.

5. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

6. Bake for approximately 50 to 60 minutes or until the top is light brown and a fork inserted in the middle comes out clean. Be careful not to bake the bread too long or it will be dry.

7. Allow the bread to cool a few minutes before removing from the pan and cooling on a rack.*

8. Once the banana coffee bread is completely cooled, place the confectioner’s sugar in a small bowl with a teaspoon of coffee. Mix well and add more coffee until you have the consistency of thick syrup. Pour this glaze over the bread.

*Please note that if you want an even stronger coffee presence, use a basting brush to brush some coffee over the banana bread after you remove it from the pan. Once that has absorbed and the bread if completely cooled, proceed with the glaze.

Chai Haleeb (Karak Tea) Recipe:

-1 cup of milk

-2 tea spoons of brown sugar (or normal sugar)

-A generous sprinkle of cardamon 

-Some fresh ginger (About the size of a walnut)

-A tea bag

Directions:

1.Put the milk in a pan and add all the other ingredients and keep heating until it reaches a boil.

2.Keep submerging the tea bag until the milk turns into a rich beige color.

3.When it is boiling and richly colored, use a sieve to pour the liquid into a cup and discard all the solids that are left.

This is great with biscuits such as ten seed rusks.

Rangina

It consists of Cooked flour, dates, pistachio, and walnuts. It could be somewhat healthy, if the flour wasnt drowned in butter that is. But it is indeed something special, and very traditional.

It doesnt usually look this tidy, as this is a modern version of it. The classic version is usually made in a pot, and then is put into a big bowl and thats it. Here, it has been put into a bowl then cut into squares.

Ingredients:

-3 cups whole-wheat flour

-150 grams butter, melted

-1 1/4 cups normal sugar

-1/2 tablespoon cardamon

-2 cups pitted dates

-3/4 cup chopped walnuts

-1/4 cups powdered pistachios

DIRECTIONS:

First of all, place the 3 cups of flour into a pan and heat over medium high heat, keep doing that until slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow cooling. Add the sugar, cardamom, and butter and mix. If it is extremely crumbly, add some more butter until it reaches a slightly held together batter that is still slightly crumbly.  We don’t want to become like a dough.

Line a pan with baking paper and press the mixture into the bottom. Put the dates into the microwave for about 30 seconds in order to soften them so they are easier to handle. When cooled, press the date above the mixture and then sprinkle with the walnuts and pistachio. Press the walnuts and pistachios slightly into the dates in order to keep them attached to them.

Place the pan into the fridge for about 2-3 hours (Or overnight if possible) then cut into squares.

These are simply wonderful when served with yogurt (Roab in Arabic) and some Arabic coffee or Chai.

Lemon-Scented Pull-Apart Coffee Cake Recipe

 

Active time: 1 hour Total time: 3 hours, 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the sweet yeast dough

• About 2 3/4 cups (12 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) instant yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup (2 1/2 fluid ounces) whole milk
• 2 ounces unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature

For the lemon paste filling

• 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (3 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted

For the tangy cream cheese icing

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup (1 1/4 ounces) powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

Make the sweet yeast dough

1. Stir together 2 cups (9 ounces) of the flour, the sugar, the yeast, and the salt in the bowl of a stand mixer; set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter over low heat just until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat, add the water, and set aside until warm (120 to 130°F [49 to 54°C]), about 1 minute. Add the vanilla extract.

2. Pour the milk mixture over the flour-yeast mixture and, using a rubber spatula, mix until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Attach the bowl to the mixer, and fit the mixer with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition just until incorporated. Stop the mixer, add 1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) of the remaining flour, and resume mixing on low speed until the dough is smooth, 30 to 45 seconds. Add 2 more tablespoons flour and mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth, soft, and slightly sticky, about 45 seconds.

3. Sprinkle a work surface with 1 tablespoon flour and center the dough on the flour. Knead gently until smooth and no longer sticky, about 1 minute, adding an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons flour only if necessary to lessen the stickiness. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover the bowl securely with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise in a warm place (about 70°F [21°C]) until doubled in size, 45 to 60 minutes. Press the dough gently with a fingertip. If the indentation remains, the dough is ready for the next step. While the dough is rising, make the filling.

Make the lemon paste filling

4. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and the lemon and orange zests. Set the sandy-wet mixture nearby (the sugar draws out moisture from the zests to create the consistency).

Make the coffee cake

5. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan. Or, lightly coat the pan with nonstick spray.

6. Gently deflate the dough. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 20-by-12-inch rectangle. Using a pastry brush spread the melted butter generously over the dough. Cut the dough crosswise into 5 strips, each about 12 by 4 inches. (A pizza cutter is helpful here.) Sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons of the zest-sugar mixture over one of the buttered rectangles. Top with a second rectangle and sprinkle it with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the zest-sugar mixture. Repeat with the remaining dough rectangles and zest-sugar mixture, ending with a stack of 5 rectangles. Work carefully when adding the crumbly zest filling, or it will fall off when you have to lift the stacked pastry later.

7. Slice the stack crosswise through the 5 layers to create 6 equal strips, each about 4 by 2 inches. Fit these layered strips into the prepared loaf pan, cut edges up and side by side. (While there is plenty of space on either side of the 6 strips widthwise in the pan, fitting the strips lengthwise is tight. But that’s fine because the spaces between the dough and the sides of the pan fill in during baking.) Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place (70 °F [21°C]) until puffy and almost doubled in size, 30 to 50 minutes. Press the dough gently with a fingertip. If the indentation remains, the dough is ready for baking.

8. Bake the coffee cake until the top is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes.

Make the tangy cream cheese icing

9. In a medium bowl, using a rubber spatula, vigorously mix the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the milk and lemon juice until the mixture is creamy and smooth.

10. To remove the coffee cake from the pan, tilt and rotate the pan while gently tapping it on a counter to release the cake sides. Invert a wire rack on top of the coffee cake, invert the cake onto the rack, and carefully lift off the pan. Invert another rack on top, invert the cake so it is right side up, and remove the original rack.

11. Slip a sheet of waxed paper under the rack to catch any drips from the icing. Using a pastry brush, coat the top of the warm cake with the icing to glaze it. (Cover and refrigerate the leftover icing for another use. It will keep for up to 2 days.)

12. Serve the coffee cake warm or at room temperature. To serve, you can pull apart the layers, or you can cut the cake into 1-inch-thick slices on a slight diagonal with a long, serrated knife. If you decide to cut the cake, don’t attempt to cut it until it is almost completely cool.