Baking for Boys

-By Jess

When Keith let me know we’d be hosting two of his buddies, Dave and Peter, for 4 nights in our little apartment, I knew it was time to don my apron and pearls and start whipping up some tasty treats. What better way to entertain a few former frat boys than with cookies and brownies? Thomas Keller of“French Laundry” and "Top Chef" fame has always served us well with his “Ad Hoc” cookbook when it comes to the more savory dishes, so I figured I’d give his sweets a whirl. This was my third time making his brownies, but my first with his recipe for chocolate chip cookies.

Brownies (for the full recipe, click here):

I have to say, and not just because I made them, but these are truly the most delicious brownies I’ve ever had (editor's note - This is in fact true). What makes these brownies so special? Gobs of butter, biting into a melted chocolate chunk in the middle, and the sprinkling of powered sugar over the top (which he marks as optional) is a must!

Cookies (for the full recipe, click here):

As for the cookies, mine unfortunately did not turn out looking like the picture in “Ad Hoc” (sad). However, after they sat for a couple days and had the chance to ‘toughen up’ a bit, they were quite tasty. I’m certainly going to take another crack at these, and be quite a bit more meticulous when it comes to measurement, and the size of the dough I plop on the tray (admittedly, I got a little lazy after the brownies..).
  
Oreo Truffles:
In addition to my own concoctions, Dave came armed with a surprise from his girlfriend, Molly. In the spirit of honesty here, I do confess that I felt a little threatened by the ‘intrusion’ of another woman’s baked goods in my apartment – admit it ladies, you know you’d feel the same way. However, the moment I bit into one of Molly’s refrigerator-chilled Oreo truffles, all my ill feelings drifted away, and I was on chocolate cloud nine. These homemade candies have a surprising amount of flavor, and really toy with your emotions because they may look like a grown-up treat, but they sure do taste like those childhood favorites! Thank you, Molly, for sharing this delight with us.

RECIPE FOR OREO TRUFFLES:

Ingredients

1 package of classic Oreo’s

80z cream cheese

Two bags of milk chocolate chips

12oz of white chocolate chips

(There will be leftover chocolate, but who wants to run short?!)

Steps

1)      Blend entire bag of Oreo’s in food processor until you can no longer see the white cream filling – use the sharpest blade

2)      Add cream cheese and blend together – use a plastic blade if you own one

3)      Using a melon scooper, roll the mixture into balls and place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Store in freezer for 1-2 hours

4)      Using a double boiler (or a makeshift one, i.e. glass bowl over a pot of boiling water) melt the milk chocolate chips.

5)      Taking only a few rolled balls out of the freezer at a time (so they don’t get mushy) begin to dip in the chocolate. (Molly suggests using a fork so the excess can easily drip off)

6)      Once all rolled balls have been dipped in milk chocolate, replace in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to harden.

7)      Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate in the microwave in 15 second increments, stirring so it doesn’t burn.

8)      After the chocolate dipped balls have hardened, use a chop stick to drizzle the melted white chocolate over the top. Store in the refrigerator, and let harden before serving.

9)      ENJOY!

All in all, I’d say that the desserts were a success – measured by the near empty platters in just a few days time. However, when it comes to baking for boys, I’m pretty sure they’d eat just about anything ;)

-Jess