baking session 2

I am still on a baking high so I decided to bake two things over the weekend - brownies and cookies. Tonight, I made the mixture for these two but only the brownies mixture was put into the oven because the recipe for the chocolate chip cookies requires the dough to sit overnight. Here's my final product!

The top is the chocolate chip cookie dough that needs to sit overnight and the bottom picture is the baked brownies. Although the recipe (adapted from Jaime Oliver's website) did not say anything about marshmallows, I decided to put some on top so I could see how cooked the mixture is (if the marshmallows are black, then it is burnt! Hahaha). It turned out pretty well, so chocolatey but my only comment is, the brownies was too crumbly. Hoping I can perfect it next time so that there won't be too much crumbling of the mixture when baked :)

---- updated 9 November 2013 ----

Chocolate Chip Cookie (thanks to Sally's Baking Addiction)

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour, spoon and leveled
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips or chocolate chunks

Toss together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a medium size bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the egg, then egg yolk. Finally, whisk in the vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft. Fold in the chocolate chips. They may not stick to the dough becasue of the melted butter, but do your best to have them evenly dispersed among the dough. Cover the dough and chill for two hours, or up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow to slightly soften at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325F degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

Roll the dough into balls, about 3 tbsp of dough each. The dough will be crumbly, but the warmth of your hands will allow the balls to stay intact. Roll the cookie dough balls to be taller rather than wide, to ensure the cookies will bake up to be thick. Put 8 balls of dough onto each cookie sheet. Press a few more chocolate chip/chunks on top of the dough balls for looks, if desired. Bake the cookies for 11 to 12 minutes. The cookies will look very soft and underbaked. Do not bake longer than 12 minutes. They will continue to bake on the cookie sheet. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for ten minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Jamie Oliver's bloomin brilliant brownies

250 g unsalted butter
200 g good-quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken up
75 g dried sour cherries, optional
50 g chopped nuts, optional
80 g cocoa powder, sifted
65 g plain flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
360 g caster sugar
4 large free-range eggs
zest of optional 1 orange
250 ml creme fraiche, optional

note: since i am just starting and haven't learned how to convert from weight to volume, i just looked up online what's the nearest conversion to the recipe ingredients. the optional ingredients i left alone, walnuts for the nuts, and granulated sugar was substituted for the caster sugar.

Preheat your oven to 180C/350F gas 4. Line a 25cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper. In a large bowl over some simmering water, melt the butter and the chocolate and mix until smooth. Add the cherries and nuts, if you're using them, and stir together.

In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and sugar, then add this to the chocolate, cherry and nut mixture. Stir together well. Beat the eggs and mix in until you have a silky consistency.

Pour your brownie mix into the baking tray, and place in the oven for around 25 minutes. You don't want to overcook them so, unlike cakes, you don't want a skewer to come out all clean. The brownies should be slightly springy on the outside but still gooey in the middle.

Allow to cool in the tray, then carefully transfer to a large chopping board and cut into chunky squares. These make a fantastic dessert served with a dollop of creme fraiche mixed with some orange zest.

note: since this was my first time to bake a brownie, i am not sure how to see if they're properly cooked so i placed some marshmallow on top so i could see if the top is already cooked or not. the marshmallow bit turned out well though, so i am happy about it.