I skimmed a few pages and ended up checking it out, and I’ve actually really enjoyed it! I appreciate that the author doesn’t take herself too seriously, is able to recognize her flaws, and doesn’t do anything too unrealistic. At the outset, she acknowledges that she’s not unhappy, she just wants to see if she can make herself a little bit happier, and tries various things based on her research. Some of them work, and seem like things that I would definitely do (like getting rid of clutter and finding more fun); others don’t interest me (like keeping a gratitude journal or starting a collection). But I think the thing that really stuck with me most was the concept she kept coming back to: “Be Gretchen.”

I’ve definitely noticed that the periods in my life that I was the least happy were when I was trying to be somebody else. I will never be interested in interior decorating, and that’s fine. I’d rather throw a bunch of stuff in a pan and end up with blondies than spend hours decorating sugar cookies with royal icing. I’d rather run for miles than go to Zumba.

I know it seems really obvious, but I found it really helpful to be reminded “we can chose what we do, but we can’t choose what we like to do.”

I like putting things in blondies.  Like M & Ms and pretzels, or in this case, cranberries, white chocolate chips, and toasted pecans.

The cheese section makes me swoon, I am slowly working my way through the entire wine section, and their butter is a great deal. I don’t think it’s necessary to discuss the pound plus chocolate bars and how I feel about them.

But I have some issues with their produce and the disgusting amount of packaging it tends to include. Plus, I have a serious problem with the way that products will disappear from the shelves without any warning. Peanut flour, where did you go?

The other day I noticed there was no more organic peanut butter. I figured it had gone the way of peanut flour until my next visit, when it was back, and in GLASS! And then I meandered over to the chocolate section and saw white chocolate chips for the first time in months! I fell in love with Trader Joe’s all over again.

And can you tell I really need to get back to work? I seriously should not consider finding white chocolate chips and deciding which recipe to use them in the most challenging part of my day. I am so excited to use my brain again.

These are particularly good peanut butter cookies. If you bake them for just the right amount of time (before they start to brown on top), they stay nice and soft and just a little bit chewy. I happen to think that white chocolate goes really well with the saltiness of the cookie, but the original recipe called for milk chocolate chunks, so there’s another option.

Recipe:
(adapted from Orangette)

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp salt
2 sticks plus 3.5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups natural salted creamy peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two cookie sheets with parchment.

Stir the flour, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugars together in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each one.

Add the peanut butter and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Add the flour mixture and mix on low until dough forms and all traces of flour disappear. Stir in the white chocolate chips.

Scoop up 1/4 cup of dough and shape into a ball. Place on the cookie sheet and do not flatten. Leave a few inches between each cookie. Bake for about 13 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to brown. Cool on the cookie sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

But I am.  Oops.

I promised my sister I wouldn’t bombard facebook with a million pictures of Ellie… but I never said anything about the blog! I’ll try and restrain myself.

I did manage to tear myself away from her long enough to make some cookies for Mike’s boss as a thank you because  she sent us an absolutely ADORABLE baby book.  I am probably the least crafty/scrapbookish person on Earth, but this book is so cute I’m going to do my best to make it nice in case Ellie wants to look at it someday.

I am not very good at coming up with interesting cookies to make, which is why I’ve made my typical chocolate chip cookie recipe approximately 96,000 times. Why mess with a good thing? But then I was at Trader Joe’s and the white chocolate somehow made its way into my basket, and the next thing I knew, these cookies were in the works.

The recipe is originally from Martha Stewart, but I used semisweet chocolate in place of milk, and added white chocolate for contrast. They are crisp and crackly on the outside, and soft on the inside, just like all cookies should be.

Recipe:
(adapted from Martha Stewart via La Mia Vita Dolce)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 ounces semisweet chocolate (chips or chunks)
6 ounces white chocolate (chips or chunks)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325° F. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

Melt the 4 ounces of the semisweet chocolate chips with the butter in the top of a double boiler.

Beat the sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes. Stir in the chocolate and butter mixture and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Add the flour mixture and mix on low until dough forms. Stir in the white chocolate and remaining 6 ounces of semisweet chocolate.

Bake until cookies are flat and surfaces crack, about 13-15 minutes. They should still be slightly soft when they come out of the oven.

Let cool on the parchment paper on wire racks, then store in an airtight container.

This is so simple it’s ridiculous, but it’s an awesome, crowd-pleasing, 3-ingredient treat that is festive and GOOD!

I was up at 7 AM yesterday to begin my baking marathon. First step? 1 pound of butter into the mixer (not for this recipe…for some cookies)

I think I went through about 3 pounds of butter yesterday. Woah.

I methodically worked my way through 5 cookies plus this candy. I felt really productive, and also really appreciated that I do not bake for a living. I love it, but only when it’s a hobby and there’s no pressure.

So there are the three things you need: white chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, and candy canes. Bags of chocolate chips are still only $2 at Target so I stocked up on one of each. Those will definitely come in handy (both for baking purposes and for needing an immediate chocolate fix purposes).

Crushing the candy canes probably works better in a plastic bag with a rolling pin, but I chose the mortar and pestle. It was okay, but I had a few candy cane pieces go flying.

Then it’s SO easy… just melt white chocolate and semi-sweet, spread them on wax paper, and sprinkle with the candy canes, let it set, and break into pieces. Perfect for procrastinators (like me… still haven’t bought a single Christmas present. Oops. But at least my Christmas cards are done!)

Awesome.

Also awesome? I ran my 3rd fastest 5K EVER this morning! I had absolutely no expectations going into this race, because my knee has been bothering me and I’ve only run 2 miles in the last week. But I guess those HIIT bike workouts paid off, because my first mile was 6:40 and I didn’t feel like I was going to die! I guess that was a little fast because my overall pace ended up being 6:55/mile, but I was pretty proud of my 21:30 (2nd place female) and my knee didn’t bother me at all!

So yeah, between the run and day surrounded by butter, sugar and chocolate, this was a pretty great weekend! Now I just have a giant stack of labs to grade…good think I have some bark to get me through it.

Recipe:

12 ounces white chocolate chips
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
3-4 candy canes, crushed

Melt the white chocolate and semisweet chocolate separately. If the white chocolate is thick or dry, stir in a few drops of vegetable oil.

Spread the white chocolate on a wax or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Let it set for a few minutes then top with melted semi-sweet chocolate and spread evenly. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes, then put in the fridge for about an hour to set up.

Break into pieces.

I realized this week it had been far too long since I’d last made blondies. Brownies are my first love, but blondies can incorporate so many different flavors that they’re definitely worth making. Now that I have the staff room at work as an outlet for everything I bake, I can make a 13 x 9 pan of them without having to worry about eating them all myself.

White chocolate and macadamia isn’t the most creative combination, but it’s a classic for a reason. These are quick to mix up, and they’re definitely winners. I left them in the staff room at 8 AM, and by 10:30 they were gone!

Recipe:
(Emeril Lagassse via Erin’s Food Files)

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt
2 cups white chocolate chips
1 cup macadamia nuts, toasted and rough chopped

Grease a 13 x 9″ pan and preheat the oven to 350 F.

Beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium in the bowl of a stand mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.

Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together, then mix into the butter on low. Gently fold in the white chocolate and macadamias, and spread into the prepared pan. Bake until set, about 35 minutes, then cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares (cut them small because these are rich!)

Christmas Day at about 1:00 PM is not the time to be looking for heavy cream in San Luis Obispo. When my first attempt at the white chocolate cream for this cake (at about 8:00 AM on Christmas Day) turned into butter, I was mildly panicked. After finding that the first two grocery stores we visited were closed, the panic was no longer mild. Mike assured me that all was not lost and that we would find more heavy cream and white chocolate, but I was extremely dubious.

Our third attempt at Operation Find an Open Grocery Store was actually successful, but of course, they were COMPLETELY out of all varieties of heavy cream. I grabbed a bag of white chocolate chips, figuring I could somehow improvise a filling or frosting to stand in for the white chocolate whipped cream, but by now Mike was on a mission and was determined that he would find me some cream. The little market around the corner from our house was open, but cream-less, so he decided to head to Starbucks. I thought there was no way they would sell him just cream, but a few minutes later he returned with a Grande cup full of heavy cream, which they’d sold him for $2.90. Thank you, Starbucks, for saving this cake!

Other than over-beating the cream the first time (honestly, when it looks like it’s holding nice peaks, just STOP the mixer! Those extra few seconds will take it from perfect to butter and then there’s no going back!) the making of this cake went pretty smoothly. The layers were a little thin and I had a hard time slicing them evenly, so I might consider baking the batter in 8″ round pans next time. Also, it seemed like the recipe didn’t make enough of the white chocolate cream, so I made a chocolate disk to cover the thinly-iced top of the cake.

I love the way the alternating layers of dark chocolate, white cake, and white chocolate whipped cream look, and the flavor was delicious. Dorie’s recipes haven’t failed me yet! If you’re still looking for a dessert to make for New Years Eve, I think this one would be perfect!

Recipe:
adapted from Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Cake:
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tbsp) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line the bottoms of two 8 or 9″ round pans with parchment. Spray with nonstick spray.
Sift the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a medium bowl.
Beat the butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until creamy and smooth, about 2 or 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for another 2-3 minutes, then beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the yolk and vanilla and let the mixer run for one minute. The mixture may look curdled, but that’s fine.

Scoop about 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the mixer and mix on low until the streaks of flour disappear. Scrape down the bowl. Add 1/2 the buttermilk and mix on low until the batter is uniform. Repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk, ending with the flour.

Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans, and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Rotate the pans in the oven halfway through the baking time. Cool in the pans on a rack for about 5 minutes, then turn out to cool completely.

Dark Chocolate Cream:
2 cups whole milk
2 large eggs
6 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp corn starch
1/4 tsp salt
7 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted
2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into thin slices

Heat the milk until simmering in a small saucepan.
In a separate medium saucepan, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth. While whisking, carefully add about 1/4 cup of hot milk into the eggs. When it’s uniform, gradually pour the remaining hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
Heat over medium, whisking constantly, and let boil for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate. Let stand for about 5 minutes, then add the butter. Stir until smooth, then place the pan in an ice bath until it is cool, stirring occasionally.

White Chocolate Whipped Cream
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Melt the white chocolate in the top of a double boiler. In a separate saucepan, bring 1/2 cup of heavy cream to a simmer.

Remove the chocolate from the heat and stir in the simmering cream. Transfer the top of the double boiler to an ice bath and stir with a rubber spatula until cool.

Beat the remaining cup of heavy cream in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. When it holds soft peaks, beat in the white chocolate mixture (be sure that it is completely cool!) and beat on high until it holds firm peaks. Be sure you stop before the texture turns grainy!

Transfer to a medium bowl and press plastic wrap onto the top. Refrigerate for at least two hours

Decorative chocolate disk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp heavy cream
1/4 cup white chocolate chips

Line the bottom of a 6″ round cake pan with parchment paper. Melt the semisweet chips in the top of a double boiler with the heavy cream. Stir until smooth, then pour into the prepared pan. Transfer to the refrigerator to harden.

Once the dark chocolate disk is firm, melt the white chocolate chips and put into a piping bag. Run a knife around the inside of the cake pan and turn the disk out. Remove the parchment, then decorate the dark chocolate as desired. Return to the refrigerator to set the white chocolate.

To assemble the cake:
Carefully slice each cake layer horizontally in half, using a thin serrated knife.
Place one layer onto a plate and top with an even layer of dark chocolate cream. Place another layer of cake on top of that, and top with about 1 cup of the white chocolate cream. Repeat with another layer of cake, then dark chocolate cream. Place the final cake layer on top, then coat with remaining white chocolate whipped cream.
Center the chocolate disk on the top of the cake, then refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours.
Note: The disk will be difficult to slice through, so I just cut slices under it, then broke it into pieces to serve alongside the cake.

Yesterday was, for no good reason, a stressful day.  I have those sometimes, where nothing goes wrong and yet I feel anxious all day.  The prescription for days like that? Baking and a run.  It works every time!

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 package (12 ounces) white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into squares.