Improve your KitchenAid mixer

salted peanut blondies

4/4/2021

We in the SideSwipe kitchen have a (small) obsession for super-crunchy peanuts we buy from Costco. And we looove salty-sweet snacks. So when we saw this recipe in Valerie Gordon's book Sweet, we had to give it a try (with a few tweaks, as per usual).

The unusual ingredients create a symphony of textures and flavors that makes these little blondies really sing. Salty and sweet! Soft and crunchy! In some of the photos, you'll see we added a drizzle of melted chocolate. Double chocolate and a final sprinkle of salt really dresses up these bars for a party.

We like this as a small (half) batch bake, and we include baking directions below in our notes section. Enjoy!

Ingredients & Equipment

2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
12 Tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks, 6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups (12 ounces) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (can sub with extract)
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup (4.13 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup (3.5 ounces) high quality, extra-crunchy Virginia peanuts**
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel (add more if you want extra salty)

Optional Chocolate Drizzle

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips for melting and drizzling

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F
Coat 9 x 13 inch pan's bottom and sides with cooking spray. You can also use a sprayed parchment sling.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with SideSwipe or a flat paddle, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium to medium-high speed until light and fluffy. This takes a while, several minutes with SideSwipe and longer with a standard beater.
Add the vanilla bean paste and mix on medium until incorporated.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition until blended.
Add the dry ingredients, one half at a time, and mix on low speed until just barely incorporated. You may see some little white streaks. That is fine.
Add the chocolate chips and mix on low until distributed throughout the dough.
Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. The dough will be sticky, so it is best to use your fingertips to distribute into corners and making it level.
Sprinkle the chopped peanuts over the top, patting gently. Sprinkle the fleur de sel over the top as well.
Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the edges appear crisp, the top is lightly golden, and a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Watch when you get close to the time. We overbaked ours. It went from underdone to VERY golden in about a minute. :) Let the blondies cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting with a sharp knife.
Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can freeze a partial or full sheet of blondies, double-wrapped in plastic, for up to 2 months.

Notes

SMALL BATCH: We made a half batch in an 8 x 8 inch pan. Baking time should be 21-23 minutes. We went 23 in our well-calibrated oven and it was just a bit too much.
These blondies are a little thinner than many recipes. The photos show the 1-inch height.
Please find some high quality extra-crunchy peanuts for this recipe. We used Virginia peanuts, which look a little blistered, but are fabulous! We find them in a big metal tub at our local Costco.

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BUNNY COOKIES

4/1/2021

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These cookies are the perfect not-so-messy project to bake with your kids or grandkids for the Easter holiday (or if you just want to make cute little bunnies). These tender cuties come together in a flash in your stand mixer with only six ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. It's up to you and your co-bakers to decide which colors to use, which flavor you like best and if you want to make them into cats instead!

Allow two hours total to mix, form, refrigerate and bake these cookies. Recipe makes about 36 bunny cookies.

ingredients & special tools

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or another flavor (we like 1/2 tsp almond extract)
1/4 teaspoon Morton kosher or table salt
1 large egg white
3 cups all-purpose flour
Gel food coloring (about a pea size of each of pink and violet) or liquid colors
Small, fine bladed scissors like sewing scissors (we used herb shears)
Round toothpicks

directions

In your stand mixer fitted with SideSwipe or a flat beater, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, 1-2 minutes.

Beat in salt, egg whites and vanilla on medium speed until fully combined.
Add flour about 1 cup at a time and mix on lowest speed until just moistened. You'll want the dough to look unfinished after the third addition so it won't be overmixed after you color it. If you are not planning to color the cookies, continue mixing until the dough just comes together into a ball.
Divide the dough into sections for each color.
Add the smaller dough ball back into the mixer with your food coloring. Mix on lowest speed until color is fairly well distributed. You may want to give the colored dough ball a few kneads after removing to finish the coloring process. Repeat with other colors.
Put the dough into bowls or onto parchment or wax paper and chill for 15-30 minutes to make it easier to handle. You can skip this step, but we found it to be helpful.
Using a 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop or a measuring spoon, scoop dough and roll gently in your hands using a circular motion to form a ball. Once the ball is formed, roll the ball in one direction to form a rounded oval/egg shape.
Hold the blades of fine bladed scissors at a 30-degree angle to the oval ball, scooping downward a little as you snip the ears. The cut should be about 2/3 the length of the dough ball. Be sure not the snip all the way through the dough. We used our finger to gently press the point of the ears inward to blunt the snipped point so it looked more like bunny ears.
With a toothpick, poke holes for eyes and mouth if desired.
Transfer to a parchment- or silicone-lined baking sheet. The chilled cookies spread very little, so leave only about 1 inch between them. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
Heat oven to 350°F.
Bake the cookies for 14-17 minutes, until the bottoms turn a golden color. Ours were perfect at 15 minutes.
Cool on the pan for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Cookies can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.

NOTES

If you don't like the bunny ears you made, just re-roll the dough and try again. The best ears take a little practice. You may want to help your littlest ones if they are budding perfectionists. We did this a few times, then just decided to be happy with them. It's modern art, not a Michelangelo :)
You can substitute extracts for different flavors. If you'd like, add the extracts in the coloring stage and you will have a different flavor for each color.
We have a videos in the works that show the mixing and the forming of the bunny. We'll provide a links here soon.

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CHOCOLATE MADELEINES

3/22/2021

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We've tested a few chocolate madeleine recipes, and most were not very chocolately and tended to be dry. Until we found this recipe, and all we could say is ooh la la! It was partially because we baked these in our new, deeper shell molds. But these mads were tender and bursting with chocolate flavor. Our dark chocolate dip with flaky sea salt put them over the top. These decadent French-inspired treats are a chocolate lovers dream.

Some people think madeleines are tricky to make. They are time consuming, but if you follow good recipes and don't cut corners, anyone can make them.

This recipe is slightly adapted from one from Emma Duckworth and makes 12 of the deeper shell mads or 18-ish of the standard size madeleines. As with other madeleines, these don't have much of a shelf life. They're best the first day, pretty good the second day and "if there's nothing else I'll eat them" on the third. If you bake them in the shallow, traditional pans, we recommend you eat them the first day.

If you want to extend the life of your madeleines, dip them in a glaze. We offer recipes and a how-to video here.

INGREDIENTS

Madeleines

9 Tablespoons (115 g) butter, melted and at room temperature
Extra 1-2 Tablespoons of butter for brushing onto the pans.
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup (110 g) granulated
1 Tablespoon and 2 teaspoons (20 ml) whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (95 g) all-purpose flour
rounded 1/4 cup (35 g) cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine salt

Dipping chocolate

1/2-3/4 cup (100g) dark chocolate, melted
½ teaspoon coconut oil (or butter)
1 teaspoon Maldon flaked sea salt, optional

DIRECTIONS

Heat your butter in a small saucepan over low heat until melted, or melt, covered, at 50% power in your microwave until melted. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the SideSwipe or your flat paddle, add the eggs and sugar and beat on high until increased in volume, pale and fluffy, approx four-five minutes. Reduce the speed to low, and add the milk and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt over and into your mixer bowl.
Mix on low until just combined.
With your stand mixer on its lowest speed, drizzle in the melted butter in 5 to 6 additions and allow SideSwipe to fold until combined. If you have a standard beater, you can remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in by hand.
Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour or overnight.
Brush the melted butter onto your madeleine molds, dust with cocoa powder and tap away excess. Refrigerate or freeze your pan at least 1 hour or until you are ready to fill pans and bake.
After pans and batter are cold, heat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Scoop or spoon about 2 Tablespoons of batter into each of 12 large or 18 small/traditional shell pan cavity. If you have extra, divide it evenly between the cavities. DO NOT spread the batter. The oven will do the work for you.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cakes have risen and domed as it is fully cooked through. The "humps" will be cracked. That's OK. Mads are done when you touch the top and your finger impression bounces back. Check early and try not to overbake as this makes them dry.
Transfer immediately to a wire rack and leave to cool slightly.
Heat the chocolate and coconut oil in short bursts in the microwave until fully melted. You can also heat in a double boiler. Transfer melt to a small bowl.
Dip the madeleines into the milk chocolate and sprinkle with flaked salt.

NOTES AND TIPS

Carefully butter, dust and chill the madeleines pan. Melt a tablespoon of butter and using a pastry brush work that butter into all the nooks of the shell pans. Then dust lightly all over with cocoa powder and tap out the excess. This helps give the outside of the madeleines a crispy exterior but also stops them from sticking. (Dust with plain flour if the madeleines aren’t chocolate!)
Beat the eggs and sugar for a long time. Normally when making a sponge batter we beat the butter and sugar together to aerate the batter. But with madeleines you whip the eggs and sugar for a solid 5 minutes to really get some volume going. Then you add the milk and vanilla bean extract, and then sifted dry ingredients mixing carefully until just combined. It’s at this point, right at the end that we add the melted butter and mix it in.
Let the batter rest and chill. This is another important step. Once you have finished making the batter, cover your bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Between 1-2 hours is ideal but overnight if you want to have fresh madeleines for breakfast.
How to keep madeleines fresh. Mads are best served on the same day. Even in an airtight container, they can go become dry because they are so small. You freeze in a tightly sealed container if you have too many to eat. Some of our recipes include a dipping glaze, which extends the fresh taste a day or so more. You cannot freeze glazed mads.

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MANDARIN ORANGE MADELEINES

3/18/2021

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This recipe produced the most tender and delicious madeleines we have ever had. No dry and dusty little cakes here! The mandarin oranges gave these the most delightful flavor (you can use clementines as well) and are a great use for this common wintertime fruit. The glaze adds a burst of orangey sweetness and helps keep the mads from drying out too quickly.

Traditional madeleines rely on the whipping for loft. But we used baking powder to get a little oomph and to make sure we achieved the little "humps" on the back. If you use baking powder, they may take another minute or so to bake since the batter will rise higher. They’re done when the cakes feel just set if you poke them with your finger. Avoid overbaking them. There’s nothing better than a SOFT, fresh, buttery, citrusy madeleine.

Don't be tempted to speed the process on this recipe. The chilling of batter AND the pan are the key to perfect texture and shape. You need to be a little zen with these - or maybe channel your inner Parisienne.

If you like the tops of your mads more browned - we don't - bake them in the upper-third of your oven, so the tops get slightly-browned. You can also skip the glaze and eat the mads "naked" if you like.

Recipe makes 12 larger, deeper cakes. There are a lot of this style of goldish pan online.

Glazed madeleines are best left uncovered, or not tightly-wrapped; they’re best eaten the day they’re made. They can be kept in a container for up to three days after baking, if necessary. We don’t recommend freezing them since the glaze will melt. The recipe is adapted from a lemon version by David Lebovitz.

ingredients

Mads

3 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup (130g) granulated sugar
rounded 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup (175g) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (optional - but recommended)
zest of one small lemon
1 or two madeleine pans ( will take longer to re-chill with one pan)
9 tablespoons (120g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature, plus additional melted butter for preparing the molds OR baking spray with flour.

Glaze

3/4 cup (150g) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed mandarin orange juice

directions

Brush the indentations of a madeleine mold with melted butter. Dust with flour, tap off any excess, and place in the fridge or freezer. You can use cooking spray containing flour in a non-stick mold, but we think the outside is prettier if you use butter. If you have a traditional mold, use butter and flour. See comparison photo above.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with SideSwipe, whip the eggs, granulated sugar, and salt until frothy and thickened, about 3-5 minutes depending on your beater.
Spoon the flour and baking powder, if using, into a sifter or mesh strainer and use a spatula to fold in the flour as you sift it over the batter. (Rest the bowl on a damp towel to help steady it for you.)
Add the orange zest to the cooled butter, then dribble the butter into the batter, a few spoonfuls at a time, while simultaneously folding to incorporate the butter. Fold just until all the butter is incorporated.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Batter can be chilled for up to 12 hours.)
To bake the madeleines, heat the oven to 425 degrees.
Plop enough chilled batter in the center of each indentation with enough batter which you think will fill it by 3/4’s (you’ll have to eyeball it - don’t worry if you’re not exact.) Do not spread it.
Bake for 11-14 minutes or until the cakes just feel set. We touched the top and watched for the slightest amount of bouncing back. Keep an eye on these as you don't want to overbake them.

glaze

While the cakes are baking, make a glaze in a small mixing bowl by stirring together the powdered sugar, orange juice, and water until smooth.
Remove from the oven and tilt the madeleines out onto a cooling rack. The moment they’re cool enough to handle, dip each cake in the glaze, turning them over to make sure both sides are coated and scrape off any excess with a dull knife. After dipping, rest each one back on the cooking rack, scalloped side up, until the cakes are cool and the glaze has firmed up.