Good Things by David

Chocolate pretzels are just the thing to nibble on for those who don't like sweet cookies.  Pretzels are generally known to be savory, but why not add a little sugar and make them into a completely different treat?  As part of The Monthly Cookie , I'd like to show you how this version and interpretation of a pretzel can easily be made at home.  Let the kids help make these cookies.  Forming and twisting them is a bit like playing around with play-doh, except that you get to bake and eat the final product.  Let's begin!   The Chocolate Pretzel. The Ingredients 4 tablespoons dutch process cocoa powder 4 tablespoons boiling water 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg, room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract 2 cups all purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 1 large egge white (for glaze) clear coarse sanding sugar (for topping) ...

The month of July came and went in a flash.  Right before the 4th of July weekend, I showed you those wonderful chocolate marble madeleines  that were so light & delicious.  To be honest with you, the first batch, although not a complete disaster, were very misshapen & certainly NOT good enough to show in my actual posting; I had to experiment with several batches of these little cakes before getting them just right.  What went wrong?  I had too much flour & too much leavening in the batter.  The madeleines ended up spreading way too much.  The cookies spilled over the top and fused against one another.  I'm not above showing you this kitchen mishap.  Avert your eyes if you're squeamish. The failed recipe had one too many eggs, too much flour & too much sugar.  Yikes!  This is what came out the first time.  NOT a Good Thing . A sink with dirty equipment.  This is typic...

As I'm sitting here writing this column, I have before me a great big wedge of birthday cake on a nice plate and I also have an icy cold glass of milk.  For my birthday I like to bake my own cake because I enjoy it so much.  I love variety and I love experimenting with cake recipes each & every year.  How do I choose?  Well, sometimes it comes to me from reading a recipe, going through an old cookbook or from a simple craving I can't shake off.  I'm always willing to try a different cake and there isn't a type that, if served to me, I will push away.  Last year I made myself a chocolate marble chiffon cake that was covered in a rich ganache.  We all loved it.  This year I was absolutely craving the flavor of mocha.  After choosing my moist chocolate cake layers , I thought of all the different fillings and frostings that would complement the cake itself.  In my mind I envisioned and tasted a good cup of...

One of the things that I love about this cake is its simplicity.  Not only is it a quick cake to bake, it's also an easy cake to make.  Start with those beautiful  moist chocolate cake layers  that I showed you in a previous post and add some whipped cream  to sandwich and crown the cake.  That's all there is to it!  Just because there are only a few components to this cake doesn't mean that you get to skimp on the ingredients.  Find the best quality dutch-process cocoa powder you can find to make the cake, and use the freshest farmstand cream you can find to top it.  When you want to make an honest-to-goodness chocolate cake for friends or family and you don't have a lot of time, why not make my Whipped Cream Chocolate Cake?  I made 8" layers for this particular cake.  Here is one layer sitting on a vintage cake stand.  There is no need to trim the domed tops because ...

We all love homemade cakes.  Some of my favorite types include those made with delicious chocolate layers.  For me, a good chocolate layer cake has to be exceedingly moist and fudgy.  While it may seem easier to use a prepackaged cake mix for most people, there really is no need to when you have a good, simple, workable recipe.  The one I'm about to show you makes layers with a velvety, well-formed crumb and a lot of chocolate flavor.  After one bite of this cake, you're going to want to bookmark the recipe, because you'll be returning to it again and again.  What's more, preparing the cake requires a minimum of fuss in the kitchen!      The Ingredients 3 large eggs, room temperature 3/4 cups buttermilk, room temperature 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (canola or safflower) 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3/4 cups strong black coffee, cooled to room temperature 1 3/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising), spooned & leveled ...