Fake It Til You Make It: Chocolate Crescent "Croissants"

As a gal who loves my trips to Paris, I can safely tell you these are NOTHING like the real deal French croissant. 

But, this easy peasy Chocolate Crescent Croissant recipe will thrill your kiddos when they want a breakfast that is beyond a bowl of Cheerios or a Pop-Tart and when you just want to enjoy your cup of coffee without measuring, whisking and/or making a big breakfast production.

A tube of crescent rolls is a great thing to have on hand. They can turn into so many lovely things.

This recipe is so easy. Definitely enjoy them warm from the oven.

Chocolate Crescent Croissants

(Makes 8)

1 8 count Pillsburry Original Crescent Rolls (8 count)
1/3 cup  semi-sweet mini chocolate chips, divided (About 2 tsp. per crescent roll triangle)

For the icing:
3/4 cup mini or regular semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 6.5 by 6 inch plastic sandwich bag with a zipper seal

Optional: Powdered sugar to serve.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat.

Open package of crescent roll dough and unroll it. Separate the dough into 8 triangles by following the perforations.

Sprinkle mini chocolate chips (about 2 tsp per triangle) evenly over the dough triangles. Starting with the wider side of the triangle. Roll the triangles into crescents. Line up prepared crescents evenly onto prepared baking sheet.

Bake about 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove tray to a cooling rack.

Meanwhile, place 3/4 cup mini or regular chips into a microwave safe bowl. Melt at 30 second intervals. Stir. Repeat until fully melted (about a minute and a half).

Swiftly, spoon the melted chocolate into a plastic sandwich bag. Seal the bag. Using a kitchen shear, cut a corner off the bottom of the bag so that you can pipe the melted chocolate on top of each baked crescent in the swirly design of your choice. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Serve warm!

The Lowdown on Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are two types of people: Bakers and non-bakers. I am 150 percent totally a baker.

So, I bring to you with great joy the most fantastic recipe for classic chocolate chip cookies ever. Of course, it's from my girl Betty Crocker. Look how gorg:

Perfect color and texture!

Now, I was born and bred on the chocolate chip recipe right on the back of the Nestle's chocolate chips. And sometimes, the final result was awesome but more often than not, the cookies were flat, sticking to the pan and not to my level of perfection that I often reach when baking.

So, I declared in November the Nestle's recipe was officially dead to me, and it was time to move on. Afterall, I do have a reputation to protect.

I also did extensive research on how to produce desirable chocolate chip cookies. Because I go big or go home on topics of which I obsess. So it seems this fact is key: Bake one cookie sheet at a time. All of these years I was doing the top-bottom switcharoo. Of course, baking one sheet solo adds more minutes to the whole process, but I do try to bake when I'm free as a bird (ha).

Also at issue is the number of eggs. Nestle's calls for two; Betty calls for one. I use extra large eggs in baking and cooking and life, so I think that is one reason the Nestle's recipe doesn't work out for me.

The Betty Crocker cookies turned out crispy on the outside, chewy and delicious on the inside and the best part was they totally did not stick to the pan upon removal. Score!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
From "Betty Crocker's Cookbook"
Makes 4 dozen cookies

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 bag (12 ounces) semisweet or dark chocolate chips (2 cups)
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts, if desired

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In large bowl, beat sugars, butter, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon, until well blended. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart. For perfectly sized and shaped cookies, use a #70 cookie scoop.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

Fresh Homemade Ice Cream

Ice cream is easier to make than you think. Sure there are plenty of options in the grocery store or at your fave ice cream shop, but it's so nice to have fresh homemade goodness right in your own freezer.

I've been making homemade chocolate chip ice cream a lot this summer. I follow the recipe for vanilla ice cream in the Betty Crocker Cookbook. After churning, I add mini chocolate chips. 

The star ingredient that really makes my ice cream shine is this: Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Paste. At $36.95 a pop, it is an investment, for sure. But it really really makes the ice cream so delicious. The flavor is deep. And my favorite part is that you can see flecks of vanilla bean throughout the beautiful soft white cream. Gorgeous! The paste is sold at Williams-Sonoma. You can totally rock this out with regular vanilla extract that you buy at your grocery store if you are not feeling the need to fork over $37 for one ingredient. No worries, at all.

Here's my ice cream in brownie ice cream sundae form. Yummy!

My tips for a strong homemade ice cream game are as follows:

1. Chill a glass bowl in the freezer at least a couple of hours before you cook up the ice cream starter on the stove. (You heard me. Ice cream starts out hot!)

2. Have all your final ingredients measured and ready to go before adding them to the chilled starter that needs to go right into the ice cream maker to churn. This ensures everything stays nice and cold.

3. Set aside time for your ice cream to harden a bit in the freezer after churning. It is quite soft right after churning. At least 2-3 hours is ideal!

4. The Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer Ice Cream Maker Attachment is amazing. It stores nicely in the freezer so it's all ready to go when you need to bust it out for moments like these.

Vanilla Ice Cream
Makes 1 quart
From "Betty Crocker Cookbook"

3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups whipping cream,
1 Tbsp. vanilla

In a 2-quart saucepan, stir egg yolks, sugar, milk and salt until well mixed. Cook over medium heat just until mixture comes to a boil, stirring constantly (do not allow mixture to continue to boil or it will curdle). Immediately remove from heat.

Pour milk mixture into chilled bowl. Refrigerate uncovered 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until room temperature. At this point mixture can be refrigerated up to 24 hours before completing the recipe if desired.

Stir whipping cream and vanilla into milk mixture. Pour into 1-quart ice-cream maker and mix according to manufacturer's instructions. (The Jersey Girl uses the Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer Ice Cream Maker Attachment. She churns the ice cream for 16 minutes.)

If desired, stir in 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips after the ice cream churns and before it is placed into a container to store in the freezer.

Blondies

We domestic goddess types always need a crowd-pleasing dessert that is easy peasy up our sleeves. So, I bring to you: Chocolate Chunk Blondies.

Really, Ina Garten is bringing the recipe to you. My blog is just a portal for her genius.

This recipe calls for all the chocolate chip cookie basics. I used regular chips instead of chunks because that's all I had. And I omitted the nuts due to my food allergies.

The pros of this recipe are that it is amazing and super easy. And less cleanup and cooking time than baking straight-up regular chocolate chip cookies.

The con is that it requires an odd-shaped baking pan: 8 1/2 by 12 by 2. Since I am a hoarder of many cooking and baking useless and random items, I of course, had this size on hand. You may need to hit up Bed, Bath and freakin' Beyond (I will always think of it like this due to Mario Cantone and Sex and the City and one of his awesome phone calls on the streets of NYC to Charlotte - my fave, natch). But really, the Triple B's has all the fanciful and random kitchen thangs a gal could want. Plus you can peruse As Scene on TV items while you're there. Always a fascinating experience. I would just purchase the weird size pan rather than finagling with the measurements and times and whatnots. People say I am this amazing baker, but really, I just follow the instructions. That's it!

Here's the recipe. It is so fab. Oozing with chocolate and brown sugar. Soft, yet perfectly crusty. There is nothing else to say.

Chocolate Chunk Blondies

By Ina Garten
From "Barefoot Contessa: Foolproof"
Makes 12 large bars

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 1/4 pounds semisweet chocolate chunks, such as Nestle's

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 1/2 by 12 by 2-inch baking pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well, scraping down the bowl after each addition. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chunks with a rubber spatula.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Don't overbake! The toothpick may have melted chocolate on it but it shouldn't have wet batter. Cool completely in the pan and cut into 12 bars.

Please note: The Jersey Girl omits the walnuts, and uses two cups of chocolate chips in place of chocolate chunks if that's all she has in her cupboard. I also cut them into smaller squares, usually yielding 20-24 bars.

The Cookie of All Cookies

It's not easy staying so svelte and glamorous. Obviously, the Jersey Girl is THE expert on the matter.

Six months since my last hair appointment. Oh yeah.

Five YEARS since I've strutted my stuff in a gym. Who's counting?

And my last full night of beauty sleep uninterrupted by a screaming toddler. Um, I'll get back to you. Ever since the daylight savings switch my day-to-day is hazy.

Truth be told, people REALLY do want to know how the Jersey Girl is able to kick it being extra small what with my love of food, booze and sarcasm. Not to mention my proximity to age 40. I'm not there yet, world. Hold your damn horses!

It's pretty much a failproof five-day-a-week formula: Infrequent eating and never sitting. Add in a bunch of chasing a toddler, cleaning a sizeable house and pretty much being a maniac during all working and non-working hours, and you have yourself down to your fighting weight circa high school junior year.

Look, my job keeps me on my toes: both the paying one and the mom one. And being a one-woman show means that my food intake is usually the lowest priority of my day. Is this wise, healthy or advised? Hell to the no. But, it's the Jersey Girl's reality.

On the plus side, I can totally rock a bikini while kickin' it at the Jersey shore. Yay!

And, if I want a cookie, a cookie I shall have.

But not just ANY morsel of chocolatey goodness will do. No, sir. If you're going to indulge, INDULGE with the best: Nigella!

These are THE best chocolate chip cookies in the whole entire land. 

The recipe claims that this makes 12 monster cookies, but I always get at least 18 monster cookies. I use three lined baking sheets. And I eat one of these with a big glass of red wine and no guilt. Cheers!

Totally Chocolately Chocolate Chip Cookies
From "Nigella Express"
By Nigella Lawson

4 oz semisweet chocolate
1 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 egg, cold from the fridge
2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels or dark chocolate chips

(Makes 12)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt the 4 ounces of chocolate.

Measure the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a bowl.

Cream the butter and two sugars in another bowl with a mixer. Add the melted chocolate and mix together.

Beat in the vanilla extract and a cold egg, and then mix in the dry ingredients. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.

Scoop out 1/4 cup sized mounds - an ice cream scoop and a palette knife are the best tools for the job - and place on a lined baking sheet about 2 1/2 inches apart. Do not flatten them.

Bake for 18 minutes, testing with a cake tester to make sure they come out semi-clean and not wet with the cake batter. If you pierce a chocolate chip, try again.

Leave to cool on the baking sheet for 4-5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.

Summer Summer Summertime

If you want your peeps to bow down at your feet and cascade you with accolades, then this dish, dear lovely, patient readers is for you:

S'mores Bars.

Oh my goodness gracious. Even those crazies in your circle who claim they don't do sweets, will devour more than one of these chocolately marshmallowy graham-crackery delights while you roll your eyes and cackle in your best evil-cartoon-villain/domestic goddess Bwahhhhhhhhh.

Wait. You don't laugh at people who scoff at dessert? Oh well. My bad. I mean really, life is too short to skip dessert and to  not buy those fabulous shoes, so for the love of God, do both. Right?!?!

Not to be Braggy McBraggerson, but The Jersey Girl's family quite digs the S'mores Bars and in my attempt to be a responsible, timely blogger (ha ha ha ha), I am providing this recipe to you well before the official kickoff of summer, since word on the street is that the for reals S'mores snackypoof is supposed to be made by fireside while camping under late-night summer skies. Eek. Camping: Sleeping bags, canteens, bugs, flashlights. The horror...

Fortunately, this dessert can be made under your broiler in the comforts of your air-conditioned home. Leave the campfire for those outdoor aficionado loons.

I recommend letting the bars cool for a good hour. That way they firm up perfectly before cutting. The longer you wait to cut into them, the better.

My last batch was fan-freaking-tastic. I do think these are THE perfect dessert. My niece Sophia concurs.

S'mores Bars
From VeryBestBaking.com

22 whole graham crackers
8 cups miniature marshmallows, divided
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate morsels, divided
5 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat broiler. Butter 13-by-9-inch baking pan.

Break graham crackers into small pieces. Combine graham cracker pieces, 4 cups marshmallows and 1/2 cup morsels in large bowl.

Heat remaining marshmallows, remaining morsels, butter and corn syrup in large saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract. Pour over graham cracker mixture; toss well to coat. Firmly press mixture into prepared pan.

Broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until marshmallows are golden. Cut into bars.

Cozy up with a Muffin

The good news is Baby Evan lets his Momma get her groove on in the kitchen.


The bad news is Baby Evan’s Momma is often so tired she limits her cooking to really easy dishes that require few brain cells and/or energy.

This past weekend I rocked out some chocolate chip muffins. They are really loaded up with chocolate chips. And they’re super awesome. And they’re way easy.

I like mine with a cup of tea, preferably Harney and Son’s Paris Tea, which is my fav. I reviewed it here last year. It’s pricier than your standard grocery store teas, but it’s sooooooooooo worth it. So are these muffins. You could totally buy some chocolate chip muffins, but these babies take 10-15 minutes to mix up and they make your house smell all cozy and yummy.

I’m so thankful that Baby Evan let me get some baking in because whisking flour and baking soda with eggs and sugar makes the Jersey Girl very happy. As does good music and shopping. Me and The Husband were able to get out and about on Saturday, thanks to my Moms and Pops offering to babysit their grandson. We went out to din and we did some shopping, which was so liberating. Oh, J. Crew and Banana Republic, how I’ve missed you so.

Chocolate Chip Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
From “The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book”

½ cup (4 oz/125 g) unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup (12 fl oz/375 ml) buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups (10 oz/315 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
¾ cup (6 oz/185 g) sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
½ tsp. salt
2 cups (12 oz/375 g) semisweet (plain) chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Grease 12 standard muffin cups with butter or butter flavored nonstick cooking spray or line with paper liners.

In a bowl whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla until smooth.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, add the buttermilk mixture, and beat until smooth and well mixed, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a large silicone spatula, fold in the chocolate chips just until evenly distributed. Do not overmix. Spoon the batter into each muffin cup, filling it level with the rim.

Bake the muffins until golden, dry and springy to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and let cool completely. Serve at room temperature.

You are My Obsession

So, the final weeks of pregnancy can really bring out the OCD qualities in a gal.

The thing that’s making me extremely loco is that I stopped teaching the last week in October. Up until this point, I could focus on mentoring my budding maestros and worry if they’re practicing enough.

Consequently, for the past eight days all I can think about is the bun in the oven.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve filled up my hours with activities. But there’s only so much compulsive cleaning, organizing, early Christmas shopping and Suduko puzzle solving a girl can do. I’ve also been working diligently on two Mozart sonatas and cooking up a storm. Meanwhile, I over analyze every twinge and pang that takes over my achy bod by referring to books, Web sites, sisters, friends in the hopes that they will confirm that I am finally entering a major stage of labor.

And yesterday, I had The Husband take me to lunch and DSW, where I bought a fierce pair of flat boots that I will be rocking post-baby.

(Listen, my fashion is ALWAYS a priority, no matter how prego I am. And in a bit of divine intervention, my feet did not swell at all during my nine months. Yay!)

I’m well aware that the lesson learned here is: Good things come to those who wait. And we are over the moon that the Jersey Baby is thisclose to being here. But, he’s officially past his due date, which is today. Doesn’t he know that his Mom and Pop are two journalists. The Deadline is not to be toyed with.

Kidding.

Today, I’m sharing with you a delish chocolate muffin recipe courtesy of Anne Byrn, aka the Cake Mix Doctor.

These are called Triple-Chocolate To-Live-For Muffins.

They are super fabulous. They are great for bake sales because they pack up well. There’s no frosting involved. So, they are also your kind of treat if sweet, sugary icing is not your thang.

I made them to thank a friend for a favor. And, there were some left over for The Husband and moi.

So, back to the Cake Mix Doctor.

I dig this broad. Sure, she’s all about the boxed cake mix. But, I must admit, every thing I make from her cookbooks rocks. Her philosophy is: Take a cake mix, doctor it up with some fabulous baking ingredients, make a from-scratch frosting and the result is perfection on a cake stand.

If you’re a beginning baker, I highly recommend Anne Byrn’s books. She offers lots of tips on how to get the best cake performance. And she has tons of yum yum frosting recipes.

You can check out her Web site, by clicking here.

Triple-Chocolate To-Live-For Muffins
From “Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor”
By Anne Byrn


Makes 24 muffins (2 ½ inches each)

24 paper liners for muffin pans (2 1/2 –inch size)
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain devil’s food cake mix
1 package (3.9 ounces) chocolate instant pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
½ cup water
½ cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, making sure they are well distributed throughout the batter. Spoon the batter into the lined muffin cups, filling each liner three quarters of the way full. Place the pans in the oven.

Bake the muffins until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 27 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes.

Run a dinner knife around the edges of the muffin liners, lift the muffins up from the bottom of the pan using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, before serving. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.

*Store the muffins, wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, or in a cake saver, at room temperature for up to 1 week. Or freeze them, wrapped in foil, for up to 6 months. Thaw muffins overnight on the counter before serving.

I Scream for Ice Cream

One bowl of Double Chocolate Chip Ice Cream coming up.

This whole pregnancy situation has my eating habits turned upside down.

Among the crazy things going on with my food cravings is the insatiable desire for yummy frozen treats.

This is where my awesome Kitchen Aid attachment ice cream maker comes in super handy. Yes, it was a total non-necessity and I love it.

Let’s be real, I’d much rather eat my homemade ice cream than the stuff bought at the store.

But, truth be told, making ice cream takes up a good chunk of your day. After all the stirring, there is a whole lot of waiting going on. And sometimes, a girl just needs her ice cream fix and she needs her ice cream fix NOW.

Consequently, I have been financially supporting Breyer’s and Turkey Hill when times get a bit desperate or I don’t have enough hours in my day to make a batch of chocolate chip or in today’s case, double chocolate chip.

I still can’t believe I made something that tastes this amazingly AWESOME. Haagen-Dazs, step off!

OK, girl. Enough patting yourself on the back.

My first try at chocolate ice cream was not a success. But, I learned from that experience to produce the creamy straight-from-heaven concoction that I am sharing with you below.

I basically took the recipe from “The Joy of Cooking” for chocolate chip ice cream and added some mini chocolate chips. Cocoa is key to chocolate ice cream, in my opinion. The first recipe I tried just called for melted baking chocolate and it didn’t work at all. For one thing, the chocolate flavor was whimpy. That’s no fun. And, there were flecks of chocolate all throughout my ice cream. Straining the mixture is also very important. Again, lesson learned.

Double Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
5 cups
Based on the Chocolate Chip Ice Cream recipe from "The Joy of Cooking"

Combine in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar:
2 cups whole milk
½ cup sugar

Combine and whisk in a medium bowl:
4 large egg yolks
¼ cup sugar

Whisk in:
1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder

Slowly pour about half the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard reaches 175 degrees Fahrenheit on a thermometer and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Remove the pan from the heat and strain the custard through a fine sieve into a bowl. Stir in:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Refrigerate until cold. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze as directed.

Transfer ice cream to a container. Stir in 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips before placing in the freezer to firm up.