Intense Chocolate Brownie Pie

Intense Chocolate Brownie Pie 

 I'm proud of my little brownie pie, especially since I am only a beginner when it comes to baking desserts. I originally wanted to make chunky brownie cubes, however, I did not prepare my baking pan and I wasn't able to find it! I had no idea what to do then, but I saw my cake pan and decided to fill it with the chocolate batter. I was worried in the beginning, my batter was so thick and sticky it almost ruined my mixer! I thought this would be a kitchen disaster, like I said earlier, I have little experience with baking sweets. This has to change, and I realized there is nothing to be afraid of, just mix ingredients and flavor the batter, bake it and there you go! A nice piece of intense chocolate brownie pie! 

Success!

*I do have to warn you, this pie did not come out very SWEET. I used a decent amount of cocoa powder, and the first thing you can taste is the rich chocolate. If you do not like bitter chocolate, be sure to add at least 2 cups of sugar (see recipe below). I am not a huge fan of very sweet cakes, therefore I do not overly sweeten my food. 

Happy baking! :)

Ingredients-

1. 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

2. 2 Egg Yolks

3. 2 Egg Whites

4. 2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter

5. 2/3 Cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa Powder

6. 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

7. 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Sugar

8. 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

9. 1 Cup White Sugar (add 1/2 cup - 1 cup more for sweeter taste)

10. 1 Cup Chopped Almonds (optional, feel free to substitute with walnuts, dried fruit, etc.)

11. 1 Cup Kefir/Milk (optional, used to thin batter)

12. Powdered Sugar

Instructions-

1. Add flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt to a large bowl. Mix gently.

2. Melt 2 sticks of unsalted butter on non-stick pan and add sugar, vanilla sugar, and cocoa powder. 

3. Mix on very low heat, do NOT burn butter or sugar. Mix until sugar has completely melted. 

4. Set pan aside to cool, and add 2 egg yolks to the flour mixture. Add kefir/milk and mix with mixer.

5. When chocolate has slightly cooled, add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix on high.

6. If batter is too thick, add kefir/milk/water mixture. Remember, the batter should NOT be runny. 

7. Whip 2 egg whites with 1/2 cup of sugar until foam has set. 

8. Add foam to the batter and stir it in gently.

9. Preheat oven to about 185C (370F).

10. Add batter to cake pan and spread evenly. Bake for about 30 minutes. Check batter after 25 minutes.

11. Sprinkle powdered sugar on cooled pie. Serve!

ENJOY :)

"Racuchy" Traditional Polish Apple Pancakes

Polish Apple Pancakes - Racuchy

Hey everyone,

 it's good to be back home for the summer after nearly two years of studying abroad. 

I hope everyone is enjoying their vacation!

My summer is busy, but I will still try to manage my blog regularly. 

I decided to make traditional Polish apple pancakes, so soft and fluffy.

DELICIOUS :)

Ingredients-

1. 5 Apples
2. 2 teaspoons of White Sugar
3. 2 teaspoons of Vanilla Sugar
4. 1/2 teaspoon of Cinnamon
5. 300g All-Purpose Flour
6. 2 Egg Yolks
7. 2 Egg Whites
8. ~3 Cups Kefir or Soured Milk
9. 1 teaspoon of Baking Powder
10. Powdered Sugar
11. Oil

Instructions-

1. Clean and wash apples. Peel and slice into thin wedges.
2. Whisk 2 egg whites with 2 teaspoons of vanilla sugar until fluffed. Set in the fridge.
3. Add 2 teaspoons of white sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to the apples.
4. Prepare dry ingredients. Add sieved flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl.
5. Mix and gradually add kefir or soured milk. Continue mixing batter, add more liquid if necessary.
6. Add 2 egg yolks and mix. The batter should have a thick consistency, much thicker than for crepes.
7. When batter is smooth, add fluffed egg whites gradually and mix in very slowly and carefully.
8. Add apples to batter and mix with a large spoon.
9. Preheat large non-stick pan with vegetable oil. There should be a thick layer of oil on the pan.
10. When oil is hot, add batter to pan. Feel free to make any size, I usually make 2-3 small ones at once.
11. Fry until golden-brown on both sides.
12. Serve with sprinkled powdered sugar!

ENJOY :)

Mini Puff Pastries

Forest Fruit Puff Pastries

Quick and simple to make, great for beginners that do not have years of experience in baking :)

It would be great to make puff pastry from scratch, 

but to save time and make this recipe fair to everyone,

 I used store-bought that tastes almost like homemade.

In the near future, I will make more sweets! :)

Ingredients- Baking Time- ~25mins

1. Fresh Puff Pastry (store-bought, refrigerated) 
2. Frozen Forest Fruit Mix  

• strawberry
• raspberry
• blackberry
• blueberry
• cranberry

3. 1 Egg Yolk
4. White Sugar

Instructions-

1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. If using frozen fruit, thaw for a few hours before making.
3. Sweeten fruit by adding sugar during the thawing process, add about 1 tablespoon.
4. Unpack puff pastry, and cut into shapes as shown above in pictures.
5. First, cut entire piece into two.Then cut into halves, again. There should be four equal pieces.
6. Cut horizontally three times to create 16 equal square pieces. Try to make them as equal as possible.
7. Take the first top corners and bring them into the center. Stick them together with your fingertip.
8. Repeat this step for the bottom corners to create the shape seen above in the photos.
9. Place desired fruit in the center and decorate around the center with fruit of your choice.
10. Be creative, make one square using all types of fruit or make just one with only cranberries.
11. Repeat steps until all 16 squares are filled with fruit.
12. Smear/Brush top edges of pastries with egg yolk. You may use a painting/cooking brush.
13. Place on baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes or until golden-brown.
14. You may sprinkle sugar on top of the fruit before baking. I also baked 8 at once, only.
15. Remember, leave some room between the pastries, they will grow. Do not worry if from the rising process the fruit falls off the pastry, you may add it back on after baking. 

ENJOY :) 

Sweet Sweet Friday

Polish Traditional Crepes 

with Sweet Cheese and Strawberry Purée

 

 

 

Ingredients-       ( Prep Time ~20mins  -  Cooking Time ~30mins ) 

Crepe Batter:

1. ~500g Cake Flour

2. ~750ml-1L Milk 

3. 1 Egg

4. 1 Tablespoon of Oil

5. Pinch of salt

6. Pinch of sugar

7. Pinch of vanilla sugar

Sweet Cheese Filling:

1. 200g Farmer's Cheese 

2. 2 teaspoons of sugar

3. 1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar

4. Pinch of salt

5. 1 Tablespoon of 18% Sour Cream

Strawberry Topping:

1. 400g Frozen Strawberries 

2. 3-4 Tablespoons 18% Fat Sour Cream

3. Sugar (Add to taste, the sweetness of the strawberries might be enough!)

4. 1 Teaspoon of vanilla sugar

Instructions-

1. Thaw frozen strawberries. Crush them when softened. (A blender is fine to use, but the concept of this topping is for the chunks of strawberries to be present!)

2. Add flour, milk, and one egg into a large bowl. 

3. Mix well and add a pinch of salt and sugar. 

4. Check the consistency of the batter, it should not be thick or heavy. Crepes need a batter that is watery. Add more milk if needed. Add some oil to create a non-stick batter.

5. Mix well, a blender will come in handy in this step. There should be no clumps of flour.

 **Do not over mix the batter or the crepes will become tough. 

***Only blend until there are no more clumps in the batter!

6. Set the batter aside, and fluff up farmer's cheese with a fork or spoon. 

7. Add sugar and salt. The cheese should be very sweet, so add enough to satisfy your taste.

8. Mix well and add a tablespoon of sour cream to lighten the consistency. The cheese should be easy to spread.

9. Set the cheese in the fridge. Check if your strawberries are ready, when they are, add a few tablespoons of sour cream. Sweeten to taste, add some vanilla sugar, as well.

10. We are ready to make our crepes! 

A few tips -> The first crepe is usually the worst, mainly because of the pan being too cool. Do not overload the pan with batter. The crepe should be extremely thin! Heat the pan, it should be very hot. Add some oil for the first set of crepes, with each crepe the cooking will be quicker and better!

11. Lay the batter on a large pan. When the crepe starts to turn gold, flip it with a spatula. Cook until both sides are golden brown, usually a minute or so. 

12. Make all your crepes at once. When finished, place a few teaspoons of cheese and fold into half and once again into half. A triangle shape is common in Eastern Europe. Pour the strawberry puree on top.

ENJOY :)