Tag Archives: marshmallow

Momofuku Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies {Baked Goods}

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{cornflake crunch cookies–look at the melted marshmallows!}

In celebration of my reaching a milestone in life – over 1,000 pins guys…this is huge – I made another Pinspiring recipe: Momofuku Milk Bar Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies. (We pinners can eat all we want from our sugar-heavy food boards because boards titled “thinspiration” exist to keep us motivated, right? Er, maybe not anymore.)

These guys are ginormous and are almost as big as your hand. Really.

{giant cookie}

——————-

Recipe via dailycandy.com

Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies
Makes fifteen to twenty

Ingredients
16 tbsp. (2 sticks) room-temperature butter
1¼ c. granulated sugar
2/3 c. light brown sugar, tightly packed
1 egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1½ c. flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1½ tsp. kosher salt
3 c. Cornflake Crunch (recipe below)
2/3 c. mini chocolate chips
1¼ c. mini marshmallows (don’t drop them on the floor)

{marshmallow spillage}

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and sugars; cream together on medium-high 2-3 minutes. With a spatula, scrape down sides of bowl, then add egg and vanilla and beat 7-8 minutes.

2. Reduce speed to low; add flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Mix just until dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. (Do not walk away from the machine during this step or risk overmixing.) Scrape down sides of bowl.

3. Still on low speed, paddle in cornflakes and chips until just incorporated, about 30-45 seconds. Paddle in marshmallows.

{best damn cookie batter}

4. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Using a 2-oz. ice cream scoop, portion 1/3 c. dough at a time onto pan. Pat tops of dough domes flat. Wrap pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 week. (Do not bake room-temperature disks — they will not hold their shape.)

{refrigerated cookie dough}

5. Heat oven to 375°. On a parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pan, arrange chilled disks a minimum of 4 inches apart. Bake 18 minutes, until cookies are browned on edges and just beginning to brown toward the center. Cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. Leave them in oven for another minute or so if they still seem pale and doughy on the surface.

{yes, they really need that much space between them}

 

{see?}

6. Cool cookies completely on pan before moving them to a plate or an airtight container for storage. At room temperature, cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.

Good luck keeping a stash around.

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Cornflake Crunch
Yields about four cups

{momofuku cornflake crunch}

Ingredients
5 c. cornflakes
½ c. milk powder
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
9 tbsp. butter, melted

1. Heat oven to 275°.

{dry ingredients}

2. In a medium bowl, with your hands, crush cornflakes to ¼ of their original size. Add milk powder, sugar, and salt; toss to mix. Add butter; toss to coat. (As you toss, the butter will act as glue, binding the dry ingredients to the cereal, creating small clusters.)

{butter!}

3. On a parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pan, spread clusters and bake for 20 minutes, at which point they should look toasted, smell buttery, and crunch gently when cooled slightly and chewed.

4. Cool completely before storing or using in a recipe. Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, the crunch will keep fresh for one week; in the fridge or freezer, it will keep with one month.

 

Take the Stage and Take a Bao {Dim Sum-ish}

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Arguably the two most dreaded words in the culinary language are “Asian Fusion” (closely followed by “chain restaurant” or “more celery”…wait, is the last one just me?).  May I present to you a little punny restaurant that kicks the fusion stigma to the curb: Take a Bao.  (What is bao?)

Take a Bao
www.takeabao.com
11838 Ventura Blvd
Studio City CA 91604
(818) 691-7223

Rating: 

 

This casual joint reinterprets the traditional dim sum bun and turns it into a trendy little sammy:

{banh mi and thai chicken baos}

{duck confit bao}

They look like puppets…or oven mitts.  If puppets and/or ove mitts tasted like heaven in a slightly sweet, spongy bun.

For being a simple concept restaurant, they have a fairly extensive menu, including non-bao-ish items like:

{vegetarian tom yum soup}

{kimchi}

{chicken teriyaki rice bowl w/ grilled pears}

You know what else they have?  Awesome.  Desserts.  I mean, I would just eat the bun because it’s that good.  But stuff it with caramelized bananas, toasted marshmallows and NUTELLA???  I mean HELLO.

{banana & nutella bao}

{salted caramel ice cream macaron}

The baos run you around $5 and you could totally be set with just one if you’re eating light (but let’s be honest, when do I eat light?).  I’m loving this restaurant and am so glad it’s close enough to be a frequent visitor.  Did I mention they stuff a bao with Nutella?

S’more Than Friends

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I’m having an affair.  With this cupcake.

For my final birthday month hurrah, I gathered a bunch of friends at Bar Lubitsch in WeHo (200+ types of vodkas, anyone?).  When I called to snag a table reservation, I was told that cakes aren’t allowed, but cupcakes are OK to bring.  I took that as an invitation to bake some birthday cupcakes and bring them to the bar :)

I’ve recently been on a s’mores kick, so I was dead set on making the perfect s’mores cupcake.  But after reading recipe after recipe, none were sounding a) easy enough to bang out in an hour or b) like actual cupcakes (many recipes just wanted to bake some graham cracker crumbles…).  Leave it to a fellow food blogger to come up with the perfect s’mores cupcake recipe!

There are tons of ingredients in these little cakes.  Everything barely fit on my limited counterspace:

An easy way to make graham cracker crumbs…toss some graham crackers in a plastic bag and bust out your rolling pin:

Any chance to use my beloved mixer means it’s going to be a wonderful kitchen experience :)  Here she is mixing the graham cracker batter together:

And the separated chocolate batter:

The second the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and brown sugar are mixed together, you’re hit with the sweetest, yummiest, drool-inducing smell of…well, graham crackers, butter and brown sugar.  This is what heaven must smell like:

The first layer of the cupcakes, the graham cracker batter:

Then, a layer of the graham cracker/butter mixture:

With half of a marshmallow smushed inside:

And topped off with a layer of chocolate batter:

While the cupcakes were baking, I started on the ganache.  It helps to chop up the chocolate (helps the pieces melt faster):

And the melted butter and cream poured right onto the chocolate chunks:

This is what the cupcakes look like right out of the oven (when you overfill the cupcake liners!)  Look at the delicious melted marshmallows!!

Taking a cue from the Bakerella, I added halved marshmallows on top and drizzled a generous amount of ganache over the cupcakes.

The Dishful Thinker’s tips:

  • If you’re going to spread out all of the ingredients into prep bowls like I did, make sure you split what needs to be split into 2 separate bowls.  I got a little excited to start these cupcakes, and didn’t realize that I’d be making 2 different batches of batter.
  • The cookie sheet under the cupcake pan in the oven is a genius idea.  Like Bakerella, my cupcakes overflowed and I had some spill over onto the cookie sheet.
  • These did NOT bake in 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes at 350°, the cupcakes were still a batter-ish slush, with no resemblance to an actual cake.  It took closer to 45 minutes to bake them.  Worth.  The.  Wait.
  • I also bought a jar of marshmallow creme with the intention to make a marshmallow frosting, but these cupcakes (with the drizzle of ganache) were already super rich.  I decided against the extra sweetness.  No need to put everyone at the bar in a drunken sugar coma :)

I have to say, this was my first time walking into a bar with a tupperware of cupcakes.  I expected to be going home with a few leftovers, but these were gone in seconds.  Talk about a confidence booster for an amateur baker/cook!

Yes, I did get to enjoy one of these chocolately, marshmallowy ooey gooey cupcakes.  And they were pretty much the epitome of graham cracker, chocolate and marshmallow decadence.  I also had a candle in the cupcake and a very lovely “Happy Birthday” serenade :) (And sidebar,  that pineapple martini in the picture is amazing.  Tastes just like a pineapple life saver.)

Will I be making these again?  In the words of Mr. Big, “Abso-f*cking-lutely.”

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S’more Cupcakes (As posted by Bakerella)

Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup oil
6 jumbo marshmallows cut in half, plus more for decorating

Graham Cracker Crumb topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted

Ganache
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda together with a wire whisk.
Separate the mixture in half into two bowls.

Stir cocoa into one bowl and the graham cracker crumbs into the other.
Add 1/2 cup milk, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 cup oil to the cocoa mixture and beat on medium until combined.
Repeat adding the same ingredients to the graham cracker crumb flour mixture.

Prepare the graham cracker crumb topping.
Add the brown sugar and crumbs in a small bowl and pour on the melted butter. Stir until combined.

Pour a little graham cracker cake batter into the bottom of your baking cups and then sprinkle the topping mixture lightly on the surface.
Place a marshmallow half on top and then cover the marshmallow with the chocolate cake batter until it is about 3/4 full.
Sprinkle with more topping mixture.

Bake cupcakes for about 15 minutes. Place a cookie sheet underneath when you bake just in case. I had a little bit ooze over into the oven. Oops.

This recipe will make at least 12 cupcakes. I had a some batter from each left over so you can probably get more like 14-16.

Let cool and top with ganache.

Heat the butter and cream on the stove. Heat until just before it boils. Remove and pour over chocolate. Stir until completely melted and smooth.
Pour over cupcakes and add more marshmallows if you desire.

BLD on Beverly BLVD

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After living just a few blocks away from BLD for the past 2 years, I finally made a stop in and had a delightful meal with an old college friend.  What they serve is in their name: breakfast, lunch and dinner (get it?).  Daniel and I caught up over a very delicious dinner.

One loop around the block with no street parking to be found, we caved and valeted.  Bonus points for $1 valet parking for restaurant patrons (most definitely beats the usual two-figure parking stands that have become staples to this lovely city).  From the outside, the restaurant looked so dark inside, it might as well have been closed down for the night.  Luckily, BLD is just conserving some energy:)

Once our eyes had adjusted, I realized my pictures weren’t going to turn out all that well.  Thanks to iPhoto, I was able to salvage 2 of 3.  The restaurant itself is thoughtfully, minimally and unpretentiously decorated.  It doesn’t try too hard.  The fellow diners as well as the staff are equally laid back and welcoming.

A few minutes (or maybe more…) of mulling over the menu, I decided to take the adventurous route off the standard menu and ordered seared duck breast from that day’s menu.  The poultry was served with forbidden black rice, sauteed green beans and hearts of palm, sweet & sour cabbage and a coconut curry sauce:

It was fantastic.  Seriously, the only thing wrong with the dish was that I misheard the waiter, and thought he said it’s served medium rare.  Turns out, it’s served medium well.  A little on the tough side for me (I like my meat oozing red), but the coconut curry sauce more than made up for the too-cooked bird.  I was scooping up every last bit of the sauce when I had finished my plate clean.

You can’t really tell much from the picture, but Daniel ordered the beef short ribs, served with horseradish mashed potatoes, roasted beets, watercress, chive crème and beef jus:

His review?  ”The beets are tender, but I’ve had better.  Rose Cafe [in Venice] has a to-die-for beet salad.”  I had a bit of his short ribs, and they were quite tasty, and were so tender, I just needed the side of my fork to cut it.  It was also my first time trying beets (I was always put off by the color…) and I can now say I’m definitely a fan.  Will have to try this “to-die-for” beet salad next time I make it over to the west side.

The finishing touch was an über rich s’mores pie, with a graham cracker crust, milk chocolate mousse served atop a generous helping of toffee sauce.  The light, fluffy texture of the mousse and marshmallow creme are incredibly deceiving.  Between the two of us, we couldn’t even get through one slice of the pie.  But it’s so good, that even when you start feeling sick from the inordinate amount of sugar, you can’t. stop. eating.

The verdict: Parking–cheap and accessible.  Reservations–easy to get a decent time.  Restaurant–lovely and not overdone.  Service–welcoming.  Fellow diners–friendly (our neighbors even offered up some suggestions:))  Food–unpretentious and most importantly, delicious.  All in all, I’m in L-O-V-E with BLD.

A Burnt-Out Child Star Living in the Hollywood Hills

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Location, location, location.  Stunning views.  Lush gardens.  But somehow, Yamashiro still left a bad taste in my mouth, and it wasn’t only from the food.

I can’t stress more how much I wish that I could write a rave review about this restaurant.  It had everything going for it: location, views, potential ambience and what could have been an inventive menu.  It’s like the unfortunate “good on paper” guy referenced in Sex and the City (ok, if I can make a Friends reference about an eggplant, I’m going to make a SATC reference here).  Yamashiro had all the credentials of what could be an extraordinary restaurant, but it fell so, so short.

My first tip off should have been the virtually deserted restaurant.  I chalked it up to the fact that our reservations were on the earlier side (7PM), and thought there must be more people coming the later.  By the time we left (around 9:30), the restaurant remained well below capacity.  The people have spoken, and would clearly rather spend their Friday nights (and $$) at other, better places in LA.

The restaurant itself felt like a burnt-out child star.  It might have been the place to be years ago, but its true age still shows through.  The interior was in desperate need of a paint job.  There were were severely worn spots on the walls.  The carpet was so worn down, you could visibly see the areas that had the most foot traffic.  You can’t charge these exorbitant prices and desperately try to be a a “fine” dining restaurant with the interior in the poor shape it’s in.

We were seated on the side of the restaurant with a lovely view of Century City the valet parking lot:

Ok.  I can deal with a mediocre view (the views at the front of the restaurant were much, much more impressive).  But a less-than-stellar appetizer that came highly recommended by the waiter?  No bueno.  Upon asking how the Tropical Albacore Ceviche was, the waiter made a face that talked me out of it before he even said anything.  He recommended we go with the Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice:

The greatest things on this plate were the micro arugula and caviar.  And that’s an issue, when those are the garnishes.  The spicy tuna was like eating paste, and the spices overwhelmed the tuna to the point where I couldn’t even taste tuna.  At all.  The rice was more along the lines of sweet sticky rice, or a slightly dry risotto.  It was reminiscent of thick glue, and the only hint of any “crispy” rice was found on one (yes, just one) piece that had been overcooked one one side.  And it was more hard than crispy.  If this was supposed to be better than the ceviche, I don’t even want to know how awful that is.

We were less than halfway into the meal and I’m already thinking “Please let something come along and salvage this meal.”  I had high hopes for the main dishes.  Those hopes were quickly shattered.

Mom ordered the Shoyu Glazed Black Cod:

Dad ordered standard sushi, which wasn’t great, but wasn’t too bad (and a little on the tiny side):

My brother ordered the Crunchy Roll (which he reviewed as “very crunchy”):

I decided to go with the seared ahi tuna.  The plate came out piping hot.  The potatoes and spinach were equally hot.  The tuna was warm, at best.  How that’s even possible when it’s sitting on a ridiculously hot plate, I’ll never figure out:

I was disappointed to see that the dessert menu wasn’t asian-inspired at all.  I was hoping for something along the lines of tempura ice cream, but was presented with (however tasty sounding) standard American dessert-fare.  We decided to go with the Yama S’mores, mostly because the name was the most catchy thing on the menu.  And it involved chocolate.  And marshmallows.

The dessert, with a scoop of rocky road ice cream, topped with a homemade graham cracker.  The puffy brown mass on the right is a balloon of toasted marshmallow cream atop a thick chocolate bar, on top of a chocolate cake:

See, it really is marshmallow cream inside:

This was good.  Nothing extraordinary, but at least we finally had something more than mediocre to come across our table.  It’s unfortunate that it was the only non-asian-inspired dish:(

Yamashiro gets an overall C- (we aren’t in the D range, only because of the view and the s’mores).  Save your money (or spend it at any one of the much more inspired and quite frankly, better restaurants in LA).  Thankfully, my dad had found a deal on Groupon.com.  IMHO, even with the deal, the dishes were not worth the money.  I’ve had much more phenomenal meals at places that are a fraction of the cost of Yamashiro.

I hate to end this post on a sour note (and I’d like to put it out there how sad I was writing such a bad review on a restaurant I was looking forward to) so I’ll leave you with the only redeeming quality of the restaurant.  The view of the twinkling lights of la la land: