Tag: whiskey

Rye and whiskey chocolate chip cookies

When I discovered that the secret ingredient in Sycamore Kitchen’s chocolate chip cookies was rye flour, my interest was piqued.  Rye is a sort of earthy grain, toothsome and rich.

It’s Don McLean who brought the whiskey to the rye party.

Don McLean has scored the soundtrack to my life at a couple different points.  As  kid, his American Pie album was the background music to many a summer road trip.  I can remember listening to Vincent as our green van trundled through the flat yellow fields of central California as we sought the cooler, greener destination of the redwoods in the North.

Then later, Don Mclean returned to my life when I was college student with his fraternity party anthem American Pie.  Though I’m sure this wasn’t Mr. McLean’s intention, American Pie was always played late in the night when it seemed everyone was lubricated enough to sing the song in its nearly 10 minute entirety.

I know you know where I’m going with this: “with the good ole boys drinking whiskey and rye singing this will be the day that I die.  This will be the day that I die.”

And so when I learned about using rye flour in baked goods, I could not divorce the notion from also using whiskey.  Luckily, someone else had the same idea and I didn’t have to experiment very much in my search for a whiskey and rye chocolate chip cookie recipe.  All I did was replace the chocolate chunks with chocolate disks (not “chocolate flavored” melting disks…but real, organic, bittersweet discs).  I also browned the butter.

I used Bushmills because it was near St Patricks Day when I first made these guys.  Use what you have…even if it’s bourbon or scotch.   This cookie is sophisticated and would pair well with a finger or two of its namesake, one ice cube.

Whiskey and Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from The Bojon Gourmet

Ingredients

  • 8 TBS/4 ounces  unsalted butter, melted (browned if desired)
  • 1/2 C  dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 C granulated cane sugar
  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk at room temp
  • 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 TBS whiskey
  • 3/4 C 2 TBS  rye flour
  • 1/2 C all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 C bittersweet chocolate disks (chopped chocolate would work just as well)
  • 3/4 C toasted pecans (optional–I meant to use but forgot to pick up)
  • flaky salt for sprinkling
Directions
  1. In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the rye and all-purpose flours, baking soda and sea salt.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the warm, melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar.
  3. Let cool to warm, then stir in the egg. Stir in the vanilla and rye, and set aside.
  4.  Stir the flour mixture into the butter/sugar/egg mixture until just combined. Gently fold in the chopped chocolate and pecans.
  5. Cover the dough and refrigerate for up to 48 hours.
  6. Position two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 325ºF.
  7. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (or grease lightly with butter).
     Use two spoons or a 1/2 ounce scoop, scoop cookie dough, placing them 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheets. Top each ball with a tiny pinch of flaky salt.
  8. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven until the edges are set and just beginning to color, 8-12 minutes.  Rotate the pans halfway through to ensure even baking. The cookies will look under-done, but will continue to cook from residual heat.
  9. Remove the baking sheets to cooling racks and let the cookies cool on the baking sheets (unless they are in danger of over-baking – in that case, sweep the cookies, parchment and all, onto cooling racks).
  10. When the cookies have cooled completely, store them at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days.

Oh those crazy Irish

They say the Irish have  a wicked sense of humor.  Case in point: this recipe.

Lets see if you can figure out what the ingredients in the following photos ultimately made.

Okay.  Let’s stop here a moment.  For those of you keeping track, we’ve seen mashed potatoes, egg yolks, grated chocolate and soft-peaked egg whites.  Not to mention the almond flour I forgot to photograph.

I swear, this is one of those recipes where someone’s (Irish?) grandmother opened the pantry and decided to add a little of this and a little of that.  What’s that you say?  Those are the best kinds of recipes?  I have to agree.

Behold, the potato cake!

It’s got potatoes but doesn’t taste potatoey.  It also has chocolate…but doesn’t taste particularly chocolatey.  Huh.

This cake is pretty fantastic with just a dusting of powdered sugar.

Or, assuming this really was someone’s grandmother’s recipe, take it one step further (as my own grandmother would have done).  And take some of this:

And add it to some of this:

To make some of this:

Either way, you can’t go wrong even if the recipe has you wondering if its author might have kissed the blarney stone one too many times.

Irish Potato Cake

Original source: Traditional Irish Cookbook; Full and Plenty (1960), Maura Laverty

pilfered and adapted by TMH from www.europeancuisines.com
Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb (225g) butter
  • 2 1/3 C (450g) granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs (separate the whites and yolks, keep both)
  • 3 standard squares (90g) baking chocolate
  • 5 TBS (50 g) almond flour/ ground almonds
  • 1 C (150g) cold mashed potatoes
  • 2 1/2 C (300g) cake flour
  • 1/2 t cinnamon
  • 2 t baking powder
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 2/3 C (150 ml) milk
  • additional flour/cocoa for prepping pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Prepare a bundt or tube pan by buttering and then “flouring”

Grate the chocolate with a fine grater or food processor.

Sift the flour once by itself and a second time with the cinnamon, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

Cream butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.  Add in egg yolks one-at-a-time beating well after each.  Stir in the grated chocolate and ground almonds. Add in flour alternating with milk beginning and ending with the flour.

In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold egg whites into cake batter.

Spoon batter (it will be very thick) into prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick or skewer comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest in the pan for at least 20 minutes.  Cool on rack and dust with confectioner’s sugar.

Chocolate Whiskey Icing

  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips
  • 1/4 C cream
  • 1 TBS whiskey (or to taste)

Bring cream to a simmer in a heavy saucepan.  Turn off heat and add chocolate.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Gently whisk until chocolate is combined.  Stir in whiskey.