Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was going to attempt to gift homemade hot pepper jelly for the holidays. The red and green would have been festive don't you think? After thinking about it for a while, I realized it probably wasn't a good idea to give my first attempt at a canned good. Because while most all food gifts rock people's socks off you know what would rock their socks off in a bad way? Botulism. Botulism is definitely not cool. So, until I make sure I thoroughly understand the sanitizing and canning process the homemade jellies will have to wait.

Instead, I decided to go with my new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. It's the Jacques Torres cookie recipe that's been all around the internet, but I tweaked it to suit my tastes. This recipe is very forgiving. I've used all purpose flour instead of bread flour and I've also baked the cookies the same day instead of waiting 24 hours. Both turned out just as delicious.

I made these gift boxes (check out this video on how to make them) that fit 6 cookies perfectly. I think Martha Stewart would be proud of me.

I wish you a wonderful and food gifted filled holiday :)

Glazed Apple Fritters

 

I am not a morning person.

I need a warning label that says, "Do not attempt interaction between the hours of 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. OR until thoroughly caffeinated."

Which is why in this household, breakfast pastries are made and served at a decent hour...as dessert.

But these apple studded fritters were so quick and easy to make it had me channeling my inner, peppy, happy morning person to wake up early the next day and make again! 

We should totally make these together at the ungodly hour of dawn. Are you with me? 

Here's what you'll need...

Sweet Potato Challah

Challah, a traditional Jewish egg bread, is one of my favorite breads to make. Not only does it make the most amazing French toast for the next day, the loaves can be formed in various shapes and braids which look impressive and beautiful.

The following recipe is anything but traditional. The addition of mashed sweet potatoes resulted in a super tender loaf and a slightly orange hue. Butter instead of oil added a richer flavor that complemented the sweet potatoes.

Shrimp Wontons

 

Last weekend, Mr. Incredible did something pretty incredible. He took me to the quaint little town of Gruene, TX to do something he knows I enjoy...antiquing (GASP!). The Historic District of Gruene has several shops set up in cute Victorian style cottages. Much to Mr. Incredible's dread, I went into EVERY store. I loved exploring the old buildings and rummaging through old things.  I walked away with a rotary egg beater dated back from the early 1900's and a few cook books from the same era. Score!

For lunch we ate at the Greune River Grill, which over looks the Guadalupe River. I honestly don't remember what I had to drink or what I had for lunch, but I do remember I had one of the tastiest appetizers I had in a long while. Their shrimp wontons were spectacular. When we got home, I got on the computer and turned internet stalker for the recipe. I totally Googled it and came up with nothing but the Greune River Grill Menu. Luckily, the menu described exactly what was in those yummy little suckers...bacon, mixed cheeses and peppers. This is my copy cat recipe :)

The Loft House Cookie

Once upon a time, on the shelves in the bakery section of a Super Target, a frosted vanilla cupcake and a sugar cookie fell in love. After a brief, but scrumptiously sweet courtship, they married and had a baby. Their baby became known as the Loft House cookie. True story.

I very rarely say anything is my absolute favorite, but here it goes...Of all the cookies I've ever eaten, the Loft House cookie is my FAVORITE. There I said it and I'm OK with this :) Within minutes of finding this recipe (I have my Pinterest addiction to thank) I was in the kitchen making them. Within moments of putting sprinkles on the last cookie I had eaten a quarter of a dozen. True story.

A few comments about this recipe: The dough is supposed to be very soft and tender. It's what gives it that cakey cookie quality. So only add the extra flour if the dough is too sticky to work with. Also, do not over bake. When I pulled my cookies out of the oven after 8 minutes, the tops and edges were still pale while the underside of the cookie was only slightly golden. This is what you want. Again, it results in a moist cookie. Happy baking, friends!

Cherry Pockets

I was thinking about you. Yes, you specifically. I just wanted to say thanks. Thank you for helping me see the bright side of things when all I wanted to see were the shadows. For helping me find my voice when I wanted to sink in the silence. For knowing me when I felt like a stranger to myself. For helping me realize that I am enough. Your encouraging words have helped me get through the past few weeks. From the roots of my soul...thank you <3

White Castle Burgers For a Crowd

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It's that time of year again. Football season. This signifies the return of "Pigskinus Gigantopithecus". The man caves of North America are once again filled with the sounds of cheering, clapping, fist pounding and, more commonly in this household, cursing the football gods for their team's poor performance.

Shhh...here are a couple of them in their natural environment. Notice the trophy proudly displayed on the bar of the man cave. Is he smiling? A rare sight! Either his team is winning or he discovered how to view 8 football games simultaneously.

If you recall, these bigfoot-like animals have the digestive systems of omnivores, but can adapt to a steady diet of beer, pizza and chicken wings, which make up the majority of their diets, during the 5 month football season.Today, I will tempt their tummies with White Castle-like sliders! This is a basic recipe that is fast, easy, and great if you need to feed a crowd.

Pecan Pie Cheesecake for Mr. Incredible's Birthday!

                                                        
This time last year I was putting the finishing touches on Mr. Incredible's X-Box 360 Halo Reach Edition birthday cake with matching cake controllers. (Read more about it here). With over 10,000 page views, it is still the most popular post on La Petit Brioche.

                                                          

As Mr. Incredible's birthday grew near, I stressed about making a birthday cake that topped last year's. How could I out do the Xbox cake? I couldn't. Instead, I focused on the flavors that he loved and decided to combine two of his favorite desserts...cheesecake and pecan pie. The sweet, sticky pecan topping complemented the smoothness of the cheesecake base. It has become Mr. Incredible's new favorite dessert :) Happy Birthday, Mr. I!!!

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce

Don't you love the feeling you get when you realize you have everything you need in your refrigerator to make a specific recipe you've been wanting to make? Or even when you don't have all the ingredients you know you can substitute that ingredient for something else you have and that you don't need to go to the grocery store after all? ::Sigh:: I love not grocery shopping (refer to Graham Crackers post).

I made a few substitutions and used ingredients I had on hand. I used flour tortillas instead of corn and I also used a combination of cheddar cheese and mozzarella. The end result was a slightly sweet, spicy and cheesy dish that was incredibly addicting.

Texas Roadhouse Rolls with Cinnamon Butter

Confession # 73: I eat at Texas Roadhouse, not for the steak, but for the rolls and cinnamon butter.

Confession # 73b: I may have eaten four of these rolls smothered in cinnamon butter in one sitting. Mr. Incredible ate nine of them.

I found this copy cat recipe while Pinteresting the other day. I made a few changes, such as the addition of honey and using a combination of all purpose flour and bread flour. The taste and texture came out fairly close to the real thing. It is, of course, best served with lots of cinnamon butter :)

Graham Crackers

What's the name of that one disorder...you know, the one that fills you with dread every time you think about having to go grocery shopping. There is such a thing right? I'm fairly certain I have it. I can shop for HOURS for clothing, books, and purses. For groceries, however, I need to get in and get out of the store as quickly as possible, because I fear that my rising blood pressure would cause spontaneous human combustion. Yes, that is something that would logically happen. Duh. On second thought, maybe I just have a fear of spontaneously combusting.

Anyway, the whole point of this was that I had no graham crackers in my pantry. And no graham crackers in the pantry means I couldn't satisfy my cravings for s'mores! Ever had a craving left unsatisfied? Ever lived to tell about it? Exactly.

So I had two choices: suck it up and haul ass to the nearest grocery store for graham crackers OR ....

Crab Rangoons

I don't know what's come over me, but I'm in a frying kind of mood lately. First with the Fried Stuffed Mushrooms and now this. It's bad enough with the cream cheese fillings...but deep fried too? Aw, well. We're in this together, right? That's why we're friends :)

I hate ordering crab rangoon at a restaurant only to find that there is not enough or non existent filling or (I'm almost afraid to say it) imitation crab meat. Nothing makes me crabbier than a hollow crab rangoon. But I found that making them at home battles this crabby appleton behavior. Can I show you?

Blueberry Scones

Can I interest you in something blueberry? These blueberry scones will melt in your mouth. (recipe below). Not what you're looking for? Check out these other recipes...

Lemon Blueberry Pull Apart bread incorporates the juicy berry with the tartness of lemon. 

This Blueberry "Boy Bait" Cake will have the object of your affection falling in love with you all over again.

Or try this simple, no fail recipe for Blueberry Muffins.

Homemade Pita Bread

Today's blog post is inspired by leftovers. Yes. Leftovers. Mr. Incredible is not a picky eater, but he does have this thing about leftovers. He doesn't eat them unless they've been "reincarnated" as another dish. This forces me to be more creative in the kitchen. You should have seen some of the leftovers I totally went Iron Chef on (the majority of them are not worth mentioning). In the end, they usually end up served with jasmine rice, a fried egg on top with a good dousing of Sriracha sauce.

I have been wanting to make pita bread and saw this as the perfect opportunity to try a carbohydrate, besides rice, with a meal ;) Last night's leftover steak has been reinvented as ...I wasn't sure what to call this... Steak stuffed pita bread.

Fried Stuffed Mushrooms

Back in April I decided to take a short two week break from food photography and food blogging. Before I knew it, two weeks turned into months. My sincere apologies. I have missed you LPB!

Ok, let's fry something, shall we? This recipe is inspired the jumbo shroom appetizers I gorged on during many happy hours at Hoolihans. These go great with their liter sized long island iced teas :)

Fried Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

Filling
8 oz onion and chive flavored cream cheese
1/4 ts. garlic powder
1/4 ts. cayenne pepper
1/2 ts. salt
1/4 ts. pepper
1 ts. Tabasco sauce, optional
 20 large button mushrooms

Coating
1, 8oz package Panko bread crumbs
3 beaten eggs
1 cup flour

Oil for deep frying

Start with clean mushrooms.

Separate the stem from the mushroom cap by gently wiggling the stem back and forth. It should pop out. Do this for all the mushrooms, then set aside.

Mix the cream cheese, garlic powder, cayenne, Tabasco, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined.

Take a heaping teaspoon full of the cream cheese filling and stuff  it inside the cap. Continue stuffing all the mushrooms.

Take 3 bowls. Fill the first bowl with the flour, fill the second bowl with the beaten egg and the third bowl with the Panko bread crumbs.

Dredge the mushroom cap in flour and shake off the excess.

Next, dip the mushroom in the beaten egg, making sure the entire mushroom is coated.

Last, coat it with the bread crumbs. (Note, if you like a thick, crunchy coating like I do, then re-dip the mushrooms back into the egg and then the bread crumbs for a second time).

Finish coating all the mushrooms and then let it sit for 10 minutes to set the coating. After 10 minutes, put the mushrooms in the freezer for 30 minutes. I like to think this helps set the cream cheese so it doesn't ooze out in the hot oil.

Heat your oil on medium heat.

Fry until golden brown.

Best when served hot with lemons.

Junior's Cheesecake

Fill in the blanks game...ready?

1. "I'd rather eat a ____________ than a ______________"

2. "My ___________ has improved remarkably since ______________"

3. "_________ will keep us ________________"

4. " Wow, I wish I wouldn’t have bought that ____________"

5. "I wish cheesecake went straight to my _____________  instead of my _____________ ."

Kahlua Milkshake

You won't believe what I heard today.

Word on the street is that Rum and Kahlua are BFFs.

Johnny Walker heard it from Baily who told Jack Daniel who may have mentioned it to Skyy who turned around and told Jim Beam and Jose Cuervo. Vanilla Breyer said she didn't care because she's good friends with both of them...scandalous.

Tiramisu Cake and Le Petit Brioche's first birthday!

I starting food blogging as a way of documenting the recipes I enjoyed making and eating. Along the way, I've developed friendships with many talented home bakers and cooks who share the same passion for food and food pornography photography. They've inspired me to try new dishes and be more creative with my own.

Thank you to my blog followers and friends who stop by to check out the new recipes. Your kind comments always make my day a little brighter.

In honor of this occasion, I made one of my favorite desserts in cake form. Tiramisu cake. Layers of sponge cake are soaked with a coffee-sugar syrup spiked with Kahlua then topped with mascarpone filling.

Heavenly!