Sunday, February 27, 2011

Chocolate Cobbler...for real.

For Valentine's Day, I tried this delicious Chocolate Cobbler from the Savory Sweet Life blog. I can't help but share it here, because it was so very delicious. And, I'm not even a chocolate-lover. You can't serve this without ice cream though (my choice would be vanilla). It's rich, filling, warm, comforting. Today (rainy, cloudy) would be a perfect day to make it...hmmm, I wonder if I still have enough Nutella. :)

Nutella Chocolate Cobbler

*If you don't love chocolate, I would not necessarily suggest this, even though I liked it.
*I love recipes that don't require an electric mixer. This one comes together easily by hand.
*Do pay attention to the ingredients that are divided.

Ingredients:
3/4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 TB cocoa powder, divided
1 c. sugar, divided
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. Nutella
6 TB butter, melted
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. hot tap water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, 3 TB cocoa, 1/2 c. sugar. Stir in milk, Nutella, butter and vanilla. Mixture will be thick. Spread into ungreased 8-inch baking dish (I used a square one). In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 c. white sugar, brown sugar and remaining 3 TB cocoa powder. Sprinkle over the batter. Pour the hot water over everything and DO NOT STIR. Bake 40-50 minutes or until center is slightly firm. The bottom will be liquidy and bubbling up through the top. Spoon into bowls and serve with ice cream.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Perfect Bierocks

This recipe comes from one of my mom's good friends. Shortly after we moved to Wichita, I was reading an article about bierocks in the newspaper one morning. The article mentioned that this good friend of my mom had recently won a Cook's Country contest with this recipe. I had to have it. My mom emailed her friend and she sent the recipe. I'm so glad. These are delicious.

Enjoy.

Bierocks (Runsas)

Dough
3/4 c. warm water (110 degrees)
1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 TB sugar
1 large egg
3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 packages rapid-rise or instant yeast
1 tsp. salt

Filling
3 TB butter (2 TB melted)
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped fine
1/2 small head cabbage, cored and chopped (about 3 cups)
Salt & pepper
8 slices deli American cheese (optional but really good with it)

For the dough:
Lightly grease a large bowl with cooking spray. Mix the water, condensed milk, oil, sugar, and egg in a large measuring cup. Mix the flour, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. With the mixer on low, add the water mixture. After the dough comes together, increase the speed to medium and mix until shiny and smooth, 4-6 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a heavily floured work surface, shape into a ball , and place in the greased bowl (you can also make the bowl by hand if you prefer). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

For the filling:
Melt 1 TB butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef adn cook until just beginning to brown, about 6 minutes, breaking up any large clumps. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a paper-towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 2 TB fat from the pan. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the cabbage and toss until just beginning to wilt, 2-4 minutes (I kind of think that this takes me a little longer than that...can't remember exactly though). Return beef to the pan and season with salt and pepper.

To assemble and bake:
Adjust two oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions (or I've just baked the two pans separately). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a 7-inch circle (mine are never perfect). Top each dough circle with one slice of cheese and then 3/4 c. filling. Pinch the edges of the dough together to form a bun. Transfer the bun, seamside down, to the baking sheet. Cover the buns with plastic wrap and let rise until puffed, about 20 minutes.

Bake the buns until golden brown, about 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Brush the hot buns with melted butter and serve.

Now I'm hungry. :)