The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook (114 page)

1¼ cups unsweetened shredded coconut

1 large egg

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

for the batter

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Swirl

Brownies batter (opposite)

1.
Make the filling: Stir together the sugar, condensed milk, coconut, egg, and vanilla in a medium bowl; set aside.

2.
Make the batter: Follow the recipe for Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies through step 4.

3.
Follow steps 6 and 7 of the Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies recipe.

truffle brownies

MAKES 12

Store these brownies in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. You can also make the brownies in an 8-inch-square baking pan (prepare the pan as directed in step 1 of Double Chocolate Brownies, Cookies and Candy).

for the batter

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the pan

3 ounces good-quality unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

¼ cup milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

for the topping

4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

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cup heavy cream

Heart-shaped sprinkles, for garnish

1.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan, and set aside.

2.
Make the batter: Put the butter and chocolate in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Let cool slightly.

3.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; set aside.

4.
Put the sugar and eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the chocolate mixture, milk, and vanilla, and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture; beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until well incorporated.

5.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, 27 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan.

6.
Make the topping when the brownies are cool: Put the chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until just simmering. Pour over the chocolate; let stand 5 minutes. Gently stir until smooth. Allow the ganache to cool, stirring every 10 minutes, until slightly thickened, 25 to 30 minutes.

7.
Pour the ganache over the cooled brownies in the pan; let set, about 20 minutes. Refrigerate until cold, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Let brownies stand at room temperature at least 15 minutes before serving. Lift out the brownies; cut into wedges, wiping the knife with a hot, damp cloth between each cut. Scatter sprinkles on top.

turtle brownies

MAKES 8

for the batter

Ingredients for Truffle Brownies batter (Basics)

for the topping

1 cup sugar

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cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans (4 ounces)

1.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a buttered 8-inch-square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, allowing 2 inches to hang over the sides. Butter the lining (excluding overhang); set the pan aside.

2.
Make the batter: Follow steps 2 through 5 of the Truffle Brownies recipe.

3.
Make the topping when the brownies are cool: Bring
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cup water and the sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. When the water comes to a boil, stop stirring, and wash down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture is medium amber, 5 to 7 minutes.

4.
Remove from heat, and immediately add the cream, vanilla, and salt. Gently stir with a clean wooden spoon or heatproof spatula until smooth. Add the pecans; stir until the caramel begins to cool and thickens slightly, about 1 minute.

5.
Pour the caramel over the brownies; spread evenly with an offset spatula. Refrigerate until cold, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

walnut shortbread

MAKES 16 WEDGES

1¼ cups walnuts

¾ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup whole-wheat flour

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cup confectioners’ sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons light olive or canola oil

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans; set aside. In a food processor, combine the nuts, flours, sugar, and salt; pulse until the nuts are finely ground but not oily. Add the butter, oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice; pulse until the mixture just comes together.

2.
Divide the mixture between the pans and press in until even. With a sharp knife, cut each round of dough into 8 wedges. Lightly prick the tops with the tines of a fork. Bake until set and pale tan, about 22 minutes.

3.
Transfer to a wire rack and cut through each wedge. Cool 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

blackberry-almond shortbread squares

MAKES 12

10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan

1¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

½ cup whole blanched almonds (2 ounces)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting

¼ teaspoon pure almond extract

1 pound blackberries (about 4 cups)

Freshly grated zest of 1 orange

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 × 13-inch baking pan. Line with parchment; butter the lining. Dust with flour; tap out excess. Arrange the nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden, 15 minutes; let cool. Grind in a food processor until fine.

2.
Whisk together the flour, nuts, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; set aside. Put ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the almond extract. Add the flour mixture in 2 batches; mix until a crumbly dough forms.

3.
Press all but 1 cup dough onto the bottom of the pan. Toss the berries with the zest; scatter over the dough. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon sugar; crumble the reserved dough on top. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Cut into 12 squares; dust with sugar.

chocolate-caramel pecan clusters

MAKES 12

1 cup pecan halves (3¼ ounces)

12 soft caramel candy cubes

1½ ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into 12 pieces (½ inch each)

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Arrange the pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven (leave the oven on); set aside 36 pecans on the baking sheet. Finely chop the remaining pecans (for about ¼ cup); set aside.

2.
When the pecans are cool enough to handle, make 12 clusters by arranging 2 pecans vertically, side by side, below 1 pecan placed horizontally. Gently flatten each caramel; place 1 on top of each cluster. Bake the clusters 5 minutes. Remove from the oven (leave the oven on).

3.
Place 1 piece of chocolate on top of each cluster. Return to the oven; bake until the chocolate begins to melt, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the oven. With the back of a spoon, gently spread the chocolate over the caramel without completely covering it.

4.
Sprinkle the clusters with the reserved chopped pecans. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Bring to room temperature before serving.

chocolate cookies

MAKES ABOUT 40

We cut the dough into assorted shapes using 2- to 4-inch cookie cutters.

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface

1¼ cups unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2½ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture; beat on low speed until just combined. Divide the dough in half, and flatten into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic; chill at least 1 hour.

2.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk to
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inch thick, dusting with flour as needed. Cut into shapes as desired. Transfer to baking sheets; chill until firm, about 15 minutes.

3.
Bake until the cookies are just firm to the touch, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough.

lemon madeleines

MAKES 24

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan

1½ cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

3 large whole eggs

2 large egg yolks

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)

1.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly butter a madeleine pan; set aside. Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2.
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, yolks, granulated sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice and zest until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Beat in the melted butter. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture; let rest 30 minutes at room temperature.

3.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, filling the molds three-quarters full. Bake until the cookies are crisp and golden around the edges, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool slightly before inverting the cookies onto a serving platter. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.

elke wood’s lemon squares

MAKES TWELVE 3-INCH SQUARES

1¾ cups sifted all-purpose flour

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cup sifted confectioners’ sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup (1½ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for the baking dish

1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

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cup almonds, toasted and chopped

2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs, beaten

½ cup fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon baking powder

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Into a medium bowl, sift together 1½ cups flour, the confectioners’ sugar, and the salt. Cut in the butter, 1 teaspoon zest, and the almonds until the mixture just clings together.

2.
Press into a lightly buttered 9 × 13-inch baking dish. Bake until just firm and lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before filling.

3.
In a large nonreactive bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, eggs, lemon juice, baking powder, and remaining ¼ cup flour and tablespoon zest until combined. Pour into the prepared crust.

4.
Bake until the filling is set and lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares.

lemon-blueberry petits fours

MAKES 15

We baked these treats in mini brioche pans; small fluted tartlet pans would work just as well.

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

1½ tablespoons sugar, plus more for the blueberries

½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg yolk

¼ cup ice water

1½ cups Lemon Curd (Basics)

15 fresh blueberries

2 teaspoons meringue powder dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm water

1.
Pulse the flour and sugar in a food processor to combine. Add the butter; pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolk and ice water. With the motor running, slowly pour the egg mixture into the processor; mix until the dough just comes together. Place on plastic wrap; press to flatten into a disk. Wrap; chill at least 1 hour.

2.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. On a clean work surface, roll out the dough
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inch thick. Using a 3½-inch biscuit cutter, cut out 15 rounds. Fit the rounds into pans; press into the bottom and sides. Chill at least 30 minutes.