Peanut Butter Nutella Swirl Ice Cream

Posted on March 9, 2016 by HintofNutmegg

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Guess whose back, back, back?

Back again, again, again?

It’s me.

I’m BACK. GAHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

I have so much I want to tell you. SO MUCH.

It’s been over six months. Do you know how many things have happened? Like a zillion and seven. That’s kind of a lot. And, also, totally one hundred percent an exaggeration. I’m a lot more boring than you may think.

But, really, I feel like a bag of popcorn you just put in the microwave. I keep popping with things I want to share, but I also totally don’t want to overwhelm you. Or, come off as that crazy lady that just keeps spewing [it feels somehow wrong to use that word on the baking blog…but, let’s just go with it!] random tidbits on her first post back in foreverrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Just bear with me, okay?

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I should probably start with school. The blog hiatus was mostly caused by anatomy, microbiology, anatomy lab, microbiology lab, studying, ALL THE STUDYING, no time…mainly because of work and said studying, and my desire to occasionally get some sleep. And, then the semester ended, and the year ended, and everything was kind of merrr, and I just felt burnt out. There was no creative juices, no artsy-ness, and even though I wanted to be in the kitchen, I just didn’t go in there.

Why? I don’t really know. And, I’m sorry, I know I could definitely be more eloquent with my feelings, but at the end of the day, I just wasn’t feeling it. And, the longer I stayed away from baking the more awkward I felt about getting back into it. And, I know that probably makes absolutely no sense, but for me, it completely does.

I’m kind of an awkward turtle, guys. I just hope ya’ll love me enough to except that. But, serious time. I missed you. And, the blog. And, writing. And, baking. And, taking pictures. Anddddd, just everything about this. I’m back in school again this semester, but it’s definitely much more manageable than the last one. So, I’m ready to be back. And, I hope you’re ready to have me back.

Now, lets talk some ice cream.

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Guess who got an ice cream machine for her birthday?

Yup, this girl. Thanks to my best friend, I can now make ice cream on the regular. Which is pretty much the best thing ever. But, also, sort of a problem. I want to turn everything into ice cream.

EVERYTHING.

How does Cheez-it ice cream sound?

And, because I want to make everythinggggg into ice cream, I couldn’t decide what to make first. See, weird, awkward turtle over here. No big deal. I figured I ~~couldn’t~~ shouldn’t eat the entire carton ALL by myself, so I asked around and got a suggestion for Peanut Butter, which I felt would be too plain for my come-back recipe, so I decided to add Nutella. Great decision, right?

RIGHT.

The base of the ice cream is a creamy peanut butter mixture that is extremely fluffy and mousse-like in texture. This isn’t one of those ice creams that will leave you wanting more peanut butter flavor. It tastes almost as if the entire jar of peanut butter magically turned itself into ice cream form. And, then of course, I had to swirl Nutella throughout the entire ice cream, because why not?

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Peanut Butter Nutella Swirl Ice Cream
Serving size: about 1 quart

Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
¾ dark brown sugar
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
1 ½ cups whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
¼-1/3 cup Nutella

Directions:
Using a hand mixer, or stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix together the peanut butter and sugar until smooth.
Slowly add in the milk, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. Mix on low until the sugar has dissolved—don’t worry if it seems a little grainy, the ice cream maker will smooth it out.
Pour mixture into the ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions (it should take about 15 to 20 minutes).
Once the ice cream is frozen, and has thickened, transfer it to an airtight container.
Add dollops of the Nutella, and using a butter knife swirl (don’t mix!) the Nutella throughout the ice cream. If the Nutella seems a little too thick for swirling, heat it up for a few seconds before adding it to the ice cream.
Ice cream can be served immediately as a soft serve or can be frozen for about 2-4 hours for a thicker, ice cream consistency.

NOTES:
Peanut Butter Ice Cream Recipe from She Wears Many Hats

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Chocolate Almond Sweet Rolls

Posted on May 11, 2015 by HintofNutmegg

Hey hey, we’re making sweet rolls today.

Of the almond kind.

Of the CHOCOLATE almond kind.

That’s right, your morning cereal just got a new competitor. I’m no psychic, but, I’m pretty sure I know whose gonna win the competition.

It’s definitely the cereal.

NOT. Please don’t say you thought I was serious there.

What’s the deal with sweet rolls? Well, picture a cinnamon roll with all that soft, fluffy, yeasty, buttery dough, but without the cinnamon filling. Instead it’s jam-packed with an almond filling that has just a hint of chocolate flavor. So, it’s a cinnamon roll without the cinnamon. A sweet roll, if you will.

I’m not gonna be picky here. Call it what you want.

Cinnamon roll. Sweet roll. Get in my belly roll.

Just know, it’s chocolate + almond + yeasty dough.

And, you’re going to want to eat all of it. Well, if you like almond that is. These guys have a whole tube of almond paste inside them. Wait, whattt? Yup, you read that right. A whole 7 oz tube. These rolls are for the almond lovers of the world.

You are so welcome.

Here’s where I tell you my favorite part about these rolls.

When I got up in the morning all I had to do was take the prepped rolls out of the fridge, heat the oven, and bake them. How easy does that sound? I did all of that before having a single drop of coffee.That’s an epic win. No one wants to wake up early and wait for the dough to rise before being able to face plant into a fresh sweet roll.

No one. And, if you are that someone, well, you deserve some sort of award then.

But, if you like your sleep and your sweet rolls too, prepare these the night before and let them sit in the fridge.

Your rested brain will thank you.

Your stomach will thank you.

Heck, the next door neighbor will thank you for that bakery smell that’s floating in the air. They’ll also want a sweet roll.

Maybe it’s best to keep the door closed then. You don’t reallly want to have to share. Right?

I kind of lied to you. There’s one more step you have to do in the morning: the chocolate glaze.

THE. CHOCOLATE. GLAZE.

Okay, okay, hang on. It’s super easy and quick to make. Andddd, can we really count anything made with chocolate as work?

No, no, we can’t.

Or, we can.

But, it’s a small price to pay. A tiny miniscule price.

I mean, naked sweet rolls are good too. Just look at them. All golden brown and puffed up.

But, now, look at this chocolate glazed one.

That’s right my wonderful friends.

Making chocolate glaze will ALWAYS be worth it.

AMIRIGHT?

Yeah, I’m so right.

Chocolate Almond Sweet Rolls
Recipe adapted from Crazy for Crust
Yields: 9 large rolls

Ingredients:
Dough
2 1/4 teaspoons (or 1 package) active dry yeast
3/4 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/3 cup & 1/2 teaspoons sugar, divided
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Almond Filling
1 (7 oz.) tube of almond paste
1/3 cup sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 egg

Chocolate Glaze
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
slivered almonds, optional

Directions:
Dough
Heat up milk for 35-45 in a microwave safe cup, until it’s about 120 degrees (think hot bathwater when feeling it if you don’t have a thermometer). Stir in yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Let sit for a few minutes to proof–if bubbles form on the top of the mixture that means your yeast is active!
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix 1/3 cup sugar, butter, salt, and egg until butter is evenly distributed–the mixture may be chunky. Stir in yeast/milk mixture until incorporated. Add flour and stir with the paddle attachment just until mixture sticks to the paddle. Switch the paddle out with the dough hook and continue mixing on low until dough forms into a ball in the center of the bowl. The dough should be slightly sticky and in one piece. If the dough is really wet and sticking all over your fingers, add up to 1/2 cup more flour (adding 1/4 cup at a time) until dough is easy to work with.
Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place dough ball in it, making sure to coat the top of the dough lightly with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for 1-2 hours until it doubles in size (I like to preheat the oven, turn it off, and then place the bowl inside the oven to rise).

Almond Filling
Once the dough has risen, make the filling. In a food processor, combine almond paste, cocoa powder, sugar, and egg until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Assembling Sweet Rolls
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 10×14-inch rectangle. Spread almond filling on the dough and tightly roll it up. Using a serrated or sharp knife, cut the dough into 9 large sweet rolls–the almond filling will stick to the knife, so wipe it off as you go for a cleaner cut. Spray a 9-inch square pan with cooking spray and place the rolls gently in the pan.
Let the dough rise for 30 minutes OR cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (in the morning let rolls come to room temperature while the oven is preheating).
Bake rolls at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on the top. Let sweet rolls cool before icing.

Chocolate Glaze
While the sweet rolls are cooling, make your glaze. Place chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Set aside.
Using a small saucepan heat up heavy cream until simmering. Pour hot cream over chopped chocolate and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. Add corn syrup and whisk until well combined.
Drizzle the tops of the sweet rolls with chocolate glaze and sprinkle with slivered almonds.

Mini Chocolate Fudge Donuts

Posted on April 29, 2015 by HintofNutmegg

Donuts.

That’s the answer.

It’s the only possible solution to the problem.

Wait a minute. I messed that up, didn’t I?

I forgot to even ask the question. Insert monkey emoji here.

You know, the one where the monkey sees no evil so it’s covering its eyes. Yeah, that one. I would totally send you that right about now. But, we aren’t texting, so, let’s settle on saying: Ooops. Ohhh, or, even better, palm to the face. Or, palm to my face to be more exact. Sorry guys, I’m off my game day today. And, being all rambley, which apparently isn’t a word, but it should be, but… okay, I’ll stop now.

Iwilljustshutmyselfupwithadonutorseven. You didn’t catch that, right? Perfect.

Annnnnyways, let’s try this again.

How do we survive the mid-week blues?

Come on, I know you know the answer.

Donuts you say? Why, yes, you are correct? It’s almost as if you read my mind.

I have the smartest internet friends.

Why donuts? Better question, why not donuts?

Donuts equal happiness. It’s that simple. I mean, can you actually name a person who doesn’t like donuts?

Probably not. And, even if you can, I guarantee if they ate the right donut, the perfectttt donut, they would love it.Because, I repeat, donuts = happy. And, honestly I’m at a loss as to why they don’t teach us that formula in math. It seems like a no-brainer to me. Right?

So, Mini Chocolate Fudge Donuts.

Umm, yes please.

I love days that start with chocolate cake, I mean, donuts for breakfast. What? Come on. You know we ~~can’t~~ ~~only occasionally~~ shouldn’t eat cake for breakfast. It’s just not a thing people do. Well, most people. And, I get it, I do, but sometimes Wednesday’s call for extra sweetness.

So, yes, these donuts taste like a chocolate cake lovers dream, but they are one hundred percent donuts. I repeat, donuts. Moist, cakey, soft chocolate donuts with milk chocolate chips dipped in hot fudge sauce and covered with an excessive amount of chocolate sprinkles. Seee, totalllly a donut. A decadent one, but still, a donut.

And, since it’s a donut, it’s totally acceptable to eat five for breakfast, which isn’t as much as you think considering they are bite size.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Mini Chocolate Fudge Donuts
Donut recipe slightly adapted from Buns In My Oven
Yields: about 16 mini donuts

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 cup hot fudge sauce*
chocolate sprinkles

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease mini donut pan. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and chocolate chips.
In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk the egg, vanilla, milk, vegetable oil, and sour cream until just combined. Using a spatula, stir the wet ingredients into dry ingredients until incorporated. Spoon or pipe (I found the piping method to be the easiest!) donut batter into prepared pan. Bake for 5-6 minutes or until tops spring back when touched. Let donuts cool completely.
Once donuts have cooled, warm up fudge sauce for 10 seconds or until of drizzling consistency. Dip the bottoms (dipping the bottoms gives you a nicer, rounder, donut top) of each donut in the fudge sauce and then sprinkle generously with chocolate sprinkles.

NOTE:
*Store-bought or homemade fudge sauce will work. I had a batch of this fudge sauce sitting in my fridge, so that’s what I used. The only change I made to the recipe was using 6 oz of semi-sweet chocolate instead of dark or bittersweet.

Did you notice the fudge dipped, and chocolate sprinkle covered, milk glass? Tell me you noticed that. Best. Idea. Ever.

Toasted Coconut Mocha Cheesecake Cookies

Posted on March 4, 2015 by HintofNutmegg

Hey, serious question time.

Out of all the smells on earth, which is your absolute favorite?

I know, this is kind of personal for a Wednesday, but I feel like we’ve reached that level in our friendship.

And, also, I can’t decide for myself.

I’ve been over the question, in my head, mostly, for the past few days and I can’t settle on one answer. There is too many smells that I love. Seriously, though, like the Juicy perfume I wear, or fresh laundry, or Thanksgiving dinner, or that manly man smell—you know the one I’m talking about—or baby smell, or even the smell when you open a brand new book. How is one supposed to settle on a favorite?

You just can’t. It’s impossible. Or, I should say, it’s impossible for me.

What I can do though, is settle on two. I can’t tell you which is first or second, but I can tell you, without hesitation, these are my absolute favorite smells on earth. PERIOD.

You ready?

My two favorite smells are….

Freshly brewed pot of coffee AND cookies baking in the oven.

I know, kind of predictable considering I ~~consume~~ rant about coffee more than your average person, and have a baking blog that quite often features cookies. But, it’s the truth, predictable or not. Those two smells are absolute heaven to me. Really, they need to be bottled and sold. Don’t you agree?

I’d buy it in bulk. And then I’d send you a bottle of each. Okay, fine, two. But, only because I like you.

The problem is, like I said, I can’t narrow it down to one smell.

I just can’t.

Or, can I?

Oh hi Toasted Coconut Mocha Cheesecake Cookies.

What’s that you say? You have coffee in you? And when you bake you leave a faint smell of coffee in the air?

Oh my. How wonderful.

Toasted coconut shreds, mini chocolate chips, and coconut coffee grinds all combined into a soft and doughy cookie. Oh, and I stuffed the cookies with coffee cheesecake, because…well, because why not?

It’s coffee + cookie + coconut + cheesecake.

I mean, get in my belly, right?

Toasted Coconut Mocha Cheesecake Cookies
Yields: about 21 cookies

Ingredients:
Toasted Coconut Mocha Cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 teaspoon fine or coarse coffee grounds, coconut or mocha or coconut mocha flavored
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sweetened coconut shreds, toasted
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mocha Cheesecake Filling
4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 (.07 oz) packet instant coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

Directions:
Toasted Coconut Mocha Cookies
In a large bowl combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda,salt, and coffee grinds. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl whisk together melted butter and sugars until no clumps remain. Whisk in the egg, and then the egg yolk. Add coconut and vanilla extracts, whisking until incorporated.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a rubber spatula until just combined. The dough will be soft, but very thick to work with. Using the spatula fold in the toasted coconut shreds and the mini chocolate chips. Cover the dough and let chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days–I let mine sit overnight.

Mocha Cheesecake Filling
While the cookie dough is chilling, make the mocha cheesecake filling. Using a mixer combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1/2 of the instant coffee mixture. Mix until smooth–it’ll have the consistency of a no-bake cheesecake. Place bowl in the freezer and freeze for at least 3 hours–I let mine sit overnight.

Assembling the Cookies
Once dough and cheesecake filling have chilled, start assembling the cookies. Roll about a tablespoon and half of cookie dough into a ball. Make a deep thumbprint in the middle of each dough ball, sort of like a well. Place a teaspoon of the coffee cheesecake in the center of the well and fold the edges of the dough over, using your fingers to enclose the cheesecake in the dough ball. Bake cookies for 11-12 minutes–the cookies will look soft and underbaked. Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

NOTE: I had extra coffee cheesecake, which I dipped these cookies into and ate, but if you don’t want extra, I suggest cutting the cheesecake portion in half.

Cookie Dough recipe adapted from this chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Wait, don’t think I forgot, I told you my favorite smells and now it’s your turn to share. That’s how this friendship thing works. I think.

Peanut Butter & Nutella Pastry Puffs

Posted on February 14, 2015 by HintofNutmegg

Guys, I’m going to make this short and sweet.

Cause, really, there is only a few things I need to say. And, I’m pretty sure you have better, more romantic, things to do then listen to me on this Saturday. Don’t worry, I won’t hold that against you. How could I?

However, if you don’t have anything better to do then stay tuned, cause I have a very, VERY, important question to ask you. Seriously, it’s like one of the top 5 important questions in the world.

Pretty serious sounding, huh?

Oh. Crap. I almost forgot.

Happy Valentine’s Day you beautiful little person, you.

I feel like today’s the perfect day to tell you how I feel about you. Basically, I adore you to the moon and back. Too corny? Oh well, I’m a hopeless romantic after all, so you’re just going to have to deal with it.

Acceptable? Good, I’m glad we agree. But, really, I love you guys. This blog would be so boring without you. Not to mention, I’d have way less friends if you weren’t around.

So, about that question, I was wondering if maybe you would want to sort of kind of be…

WAIT.

I haven’t told you about the delicious love affair taking place in these pastry puffs.

And, it’s pretty delicious.

Peanut Butter meets Nutella who meets Pastry who meets White Chocolate, and the world was never the same.

Did I mention they are easy to make? Cause they totally are.

Did I mention that I only want to eat peanut butter and nutella now? Cause I totally do.

Oh, and did I ask you to be my Valentine? Cause I totally love you.

Well, you and the pastry puffs. If you’re cool with that then we should hang out. If you’re not there may be something wrong with you. Just saying.

Peanut Butter And Nutella Pastry Puffs
Yields: 18 pastry puffs

Ingredients:
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1/4 to 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 to 1/3 cup nutella
about 2 tablespoons water
granulated sugar & heavy cream (or half and half) for brushing the tops of the pastry
1/4 cup white chocolate chips, melted

Directions:
Thaw puff pastry according to instructions on the box–either let it sit in the fridge over night or at room temperature the day of for about two hours. Once thawed, preheat oven to 400 degrees and gently roll out puff pastry, extending it about an inch on each side, on a well floured surface.
Using a pizza cutter (or, sharp knife) cut the pastry dough in half (vertically or long wise). Stack the two halves on top of each other and cut into 18 squares–I did six strips, cut horizontally, and then cut each strip twice to make three squares total. Remove the top squares from the bottom squares and set aside.
Using 1/4 teaspoon (or, baby spoon) dollop a small amount of peanut butter into the center of each square. Once each square has peanut butter, dollop an equal amount of nutella into the center of each square. Gently swirl the two dollops together. Alternatively, you could mix the nutella and peanut butter together from the start and then dollop a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of the combined mixture into the center of each squares (if I made these again I’d use this method).
Using your finger dampen the edges of each square with a little bit of water, this helps with the sealing. Top each filled square with another pastry square and using your fingers gently seal the square on each side, it’ll look like a ravioli. Use a fork to crimp the edges of the pastry puffs, making sure each one is completely sealed. Brush each square with a little heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned.
Allow pastry puffs to cool slightly before drizzling with white chocolate. Best served immediately while filling is still warm.

Peanut Butter Nutella Swirl Ice Cream Serving size: about 1 quart

Chocolate Almond Sweet Rolls Recipe adapted from Crazy for Crust Yields: 9 large rolls

Mini Chocolate Fudge Donuts Donut recipe slightly adapted from Buns In My Oven Yields: about 16 mini donuts

Toasted Coconut Mocha Cheesecake Cookies Yields: about 21 cookies

Peanut Butter And Nutella Pastry Puffs Yields: 18 pastry puffs

Peanut Butter Nutella Swirl Ice Cream
Serving size: about 1 quart

Chocolate Almond Sweet Rolls
Recipe adapted from Crazy for Crust
Yields: 9 large rolls

Mini Chocolate Fudge Donuts
Donut recipe slightly adapted from Buns In My Oven
Yields: about 16 mini donuts

Toasted Coconut Mocha Cheesecake Cookies
Yields: about 21 cookies

Peanut Butter And Nutella Pastry Puffs
Yields: 18 pastry puffs