Saturday, November 6

Chocolate Snowcaps

And the holiday baking has begun in the Pace house. We start with a snowcap recipe from Martha Stewart! I have decided that for the weeks leading up to my "Christmas Baking Extravaganza," I will make a new treat each week to actually test the recipe before-hand. I figure this will give me an idea of the better ones to make when I have plenty of time. Each recipe will have a rating based on 1. Taste, (duh!) 2. Cuteness, 3. Packability, and 4. Cost of Ingredients. By the time the actual extravaganza gets here I will know based on some pretty strict standards what will be the "best of the best" to give away! :) P was more than willing to participate as I proposed that he be in charge of the first rating. That poor man...
I have quite a few to try out but if anyone wants to suggest a recipe I will be more than willing to add it to the list!
Both P and I are more than ready for the holiday's this year. I feel like in years past the season has crept up on us unknowingly and before we could say "Merry Christmas" it was gone! For some reason this year...it's already been different. We bought LED Christmas lights this weekend and we are both itching to decorate ALREADY! :)
This first weekend of testing (as I said before) was on a M.S. recipe "Chocolate Espresso Snow Caps"
I changed up a few things but for the most part followed the recipe better than I normally do.

Chocolate Espresso Snow Caps

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 teaspoons instant espresso (I used nescafe)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar (I used dark)
1 large egg
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon milk
Confectioners' sugar, for coating

Directions:
1.In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until well combined; mix in cooled chocolate. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat in milk until just combined. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes.

2.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Pour confectioners' sugar (about 1/2 cup) into a medium bowl; working in batches, roll balls in sugar two times, letting them sit in sugar between coatings.
3.Place on prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies have spread and coating is cracked, 12 to 14 minutes; cookies will still be soft to the touch. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

And now for the ratings!
1. Taste - P definitely had a hard time following my scale of 1-10 rule. He wanted it based on a A-F scale which almost eliminated his vote. I laid down the law and he never gave in...hmmm His rating on his scale was an A+ so I guess that would be a 10?
2. Cuteness- Definitely a cute turn out. I loved how they looked like little snowed on mountains. I will give it an 8!
3. Packability- 5. They are perfect when your moving them from baking sheet to plate and then serve, but when it comes to putting them in a box to give, I must say the powdered sugar gets everywhere and they are really too soft to transport.
4. Cost- 7. Not to bad, I had all of the ingredients on hand which made it easy for me!

Your probably wondering why I don't rate time and ease of making. Believe me, I thought about it, when it comes down to MY baking extravaganza though, those variables don't serve as a factor for whether or not I will make them! I'll spend both the time and "trouble" it takes to make something as long as I'm in the kitchen!! :)

Until next week...

1 comment:

  1. I love you child of mine and I love to read your blogs.... look forward to tasting some or all of these treats...

    ReplyDelete

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