Chocolate Truffles x2 and a Ginger Cake

I get that most of you are dieting, so perhaps this post is inappropriate. Or even mean-spirited. Please know it isn't intended that way. See, I'll be joining you on the calorie-count wagon shortly, but not until one last glorious (read butter-laden) meal at Blue Hill at Stone Barns this weekend! I'll be sure to blog about the whole thing so we can all relive it, because when you get to look out the window at the very vegetable patch where, that morning, they picked the carrots hanging out on your plate, you know it has to be divine!

But for now (and since my 2012 diet has yet to begin), not one, but two truffle recipes and a ginger cake for good measure. These are all what I would call "adult desserts." The truffles are rich and the peanut butter truffle rolled in cocoa powder has the perfect amount of bitterness to counter the richness of the creamy center. The ginger cake isn't sweet at all and packs a little punch at the back of your throat all while warming your insides and providing the perfect complement to a cup of after-dinner coffee. So if you want to cheat on your diet, or, if like me you haven't even started yet, give one of these a try!

Peanut Butter Truffles (from Martha Stewart Living, Dec. 2011)
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1/8 tsp coarse salt
1 cup smooth peanut butter
unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1. Bring heavy cream to a boil. Pour over chocolate and add salt. Let stand for 10 minutes (don't stir or the mixture will cool too quickly and become grainy).

2. Whisk the mixture until smooth and shiny being sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to catch any pieces.

3. Add the chocolate little by little to the peanut butter, whisking constantly until smooth. Refrigerate in a 5x8/12 glass loaf pan, covered until cool. About 4 hours.

4. Scoop small, 1 inch balls and roll in the palm of your hands. Refrigerate again for about 20 minutes. Roll in the cocoa powder, tapping gently to remove any excess. Refrigerate in mini baking cups for up to 4 days.

S'mores Truffles (from the comfort of cooking)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups (12 oz.) milk chocolate chips
24 mini marshmallows
1 cup finely crushed graham crackers

1. Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat; whisk in cream and bring to a boil.

2. Remove pan from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Chill saucepan in refrigerator for 1 hour, or until chocolate is solid and able to be rolled.

3. Roll chocolate into 24 balls, stuffing each with a mini marshmallow in the center.

4. Chill truffles for about 20 minutes before rolling them in graham cracker crumbs. Chill for a few minutes before serving, or keep for up to 4 days.

Fresh Ginger Cake (from Joy of Cooking)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
1 large egg
1/2 cup finely minced fresh ginger
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 9x9 inch pan with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a separate bowl whisk together brown sugar, molasses, honey, and egg. Whisk in ginger.

4. In a saucepan combine butter and water and heat until butter is melted. Add this to the molasses mixture. Stir in flour mixture just until smooth. Scrape the batter into the pan.

5. Bake about 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Slide a thin knife around the cake to detach it from the pan. Invert the cake and peel off the paper liner.

6. Once cooled completely, serve with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Ginger Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

Last week I failed. I did not post. I did not cook or bake. Really I just barely kept it all together. BUT I'm back and maybe even better than ever. School has definitely gotten more stressful, but instead of completely losing my mind, I started doing yoga. And am trying to accept that it (life, school, etc.) is a process, which gives us only fleeting moments of perfection.

So with all of that in mind, I post one of most flavorful, yummy, crisp cookies that is just begging to be dipped in coffee or tea. This cookie will definitely help you relax. It will encourage you to slow down for a minute and to take a deep breath. To stop what you're doing and just be in the moment.


I hope you get to make these. Or that someone makes them for you. Because they go along way toward creating one of those fleeting moments of perfection that so many of us could use.

Ginger Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup rolled-oats
3/4 cup pecan halves

1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cornstarch
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg

*or use 1 teaspoon ground ginger, but prefer the taste of fresh. I used a grater and just squeezed out the water with a paper towel.

1. Put the oatmeal and pecans into a food processor and grind until it has the texture of cornmeal.

2. In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the flour, cornstarch, ginger, salt, and baking soda. Add the oatmeal/pecan mixture.

3. Put the butter in your stand-mixer bowl and beat until light (about 1 minute). Add both sugars and beat for 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides. Add the vanilla and the egg and mix until incorporated.

4. Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix until combined.

5. Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap and pack the dough into the pan evenly. Cover the top with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to cool (about 2 hours).

6. Heat your oven to 350 F. Remove the dough from the loaf pan and slice in half lengthwise. Cut into 1/4 inch thick cookies. Bake on cookie sheets with parchment paper for 15-18 minutes (until the edges are browned).