Chocolate Almond Biscotti

I really like the classic Italian biscotti cookie, but I don't make them very often. Why, you ask? Essentially, I'm just too lazy. It's not that they're difficult to make, it's more so because they're time consuming what with the whole twice baking thing and my attention span (when it comes to baking) usually doesn't allow for something that takes longer than, say, 20 minutes. So saying, I found this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs (Closet Cooking) and really liked the fact that it's sort of a scaled down version; it only makes one log which translates into about 12 cookies. Yes, you still need to bake them twice- otherwise, they wouldn't be called biscotti- but hey, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make every once in awhile. And of course, I had to tweak them ever so slightly... I swapped out the pistachios for almonds, and used plain ol' vegetable oil instead of olive oil. Now, if only I'd had some dried cherries on hand... oh, well. Next time, eh?  ;)

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Ingredients:
1 cup AP flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
6 Tbs. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
splash of vanilla extract
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. (In this case, the sugar counts as a "dry" ingredient.) Stir in the remaining ingredients until just combined. Pour the dough onto a baking sheet and, using slightly damp hands (it helps to combat the stickiness of the dough, trust me), form it into a log about 8 inches long and about 2 inches wide. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes then allow the log to cool on a wire rack for 35-40 minutes.

Drop the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Once fully cooled, use a serrated knife to slice the log into 1/2 inch cookies. Place the cookies cut-side down on the baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes, flip them over, and bake on the other side for another 10 minutes. Allow the biscotti (twice-baked cookies) to cool on a wire rack then pour yourself a strong cup of coffee and dig in.

Enjoy!

*Cook's note: These aren't overly sweet cookies so you may want to use milk chocolate or even semi-sweet chocolate instead of the dark that I used. *I* happen to like the fact that these turned out deeply chocolatey without being terribly sweet, but I can see where the addition of dried fruit (like cherries, prunes, or even apricots) would make for an interesting contrast in flavor.

(Addendum: So it's now been several days since I made these cookies, and I have to say that I'm not as impressed with them as I was when they were just an hour out of the oven. The texture is just not quite right; they're not nearly as crisp as they should be even though I've stored them in the same air-tight container I've put previous batches. So, while I do like the flavor, I don't think I'll be using this particular recipe again... instead, I'll probably just use this flavor profile and apply it to one of the other biscotti recipes I've used in the past that I know hold up well.)

Cookie Palooza 2011, A Retrospective, Part 2

Original post date: Monday, 12/6/11

The last day of my 3-day weekend, and what did I do? Bake. Again.

cranberry bread

Well, I also swept, vacuumed, and did a load of laundry, but mostly I was in the kitchen. I made another 2 loaves of cranberry bread because, really, you can't have enough and I'll probably bring a loaf or 2 to work again for the overnight doc since she decimated the first loaf I brought her. Plus, it freezes beautifully, so if I decide to be greedy and keep it all to myself... well, there you go.

meringue cookies

In addition to the cranberry bread, I also tried out yet another new-to-me recipe for meringue cookies. They were pretty easy to make, but I won't know how they taste until tomorrow since they will cool in the oven overnight. Normally, when I try a new recipe for the first time (at least when it comes to baking) I stick pretty close to the recipe as written. Not today, though. Nope. I changed up the flavoring in these meringues by using dark chocolate chips (60% cacao) and orange zest, one of my favorite flavor combinations, so I can't wait to taste them.

Addendum: The most IMPORTANT lesson I learned about making meringue cookies is to line the damn cookie sheets with parchment paper like the recipe tells you!

Cookie Palooza 2011, A Retrospective, Part 1

ultimate ginger, pb&c biscotti, triple chocolate

Original post date: Sunday, 12/5/11

Care to guess what I did today?

This being my 3-day weekend, I decided to take advantage of my time off and spend it in the kitchen, trying out new cookie recipes. We're having a cookie exchange at work next week and I can't decide what to make; too many choices, and you know I have to make something to put all other cookies to shame. To that end, I've got a stack of recipes I've been wanting to try and so I've been planning to have a cookie palooza this weekend. My best friend and her kids were originally supposed to join me, but she's not feeling well this weekend so we had to postpone. However, I've got the supplies and the burning need to make cookies... so that's what I did.

Yesterday, I made 2 loaves of cranberry bread and promptly wrapped them and put them in the freezer to make room for cookies. I then got a jump start on cookie palooza and tried out one of my new recipes, the ultimate ginger cookie. It's funny, really, because I always thought I didn't like these spicy cookies; we never made anything like them when I was growing up. The thought of making a classic gingerbread man cookie never really appealed because it's more work than I'm interested in. On the contrary, these were fairly easy to make and turned out pretty damn good; my roommate certainly liked them given the fact that she ate 2 handfuls of them this morning for breakfast.

So that brings me to today and my continued cookie experimentation: I started with a variation of a recipe that I've used before, one for biscotti. Previously, I've made them with pistachios and dried cranberries, dipped in white chocolate, but today's version was a peanut butter chocolate biscotti. Huh man. Those were some freakin' awesome cookies... perfect for dunking in a cup of coffee as the Italian's intended. While those were cooling, I got started on the next new-to-me cookie, a triple chocolate cookie. This was the pseudo-healthy recipe I had picked out to make with the kids because I know how their mother feels about baked goods and her desire to make them as low fat as possible (no butter or oil, egg substitute instead of whole eggs, and splenda where possible).

(*Side note: I have a different, decidedly decadent chocolate cookie recipe waiting in the wings, just for me. This one is NOT to be shared so the "healthy" version is the decoy version.)

Again, these cookies turned out really well. But honestly, how bad can triple chocolate cookies be? Maybe not as rich and chewy as I would have hoped for, but still. It's chocolate.

lemon ricotta with lemon glaze

The last cookie I decided to try my hand at was a light and almost fluffy lemon ricotta cookie with a lemon glaze. I'm a big fan of lemon so this was at the top of my Must Try list; I was definitely NOT disappointed. Just sweet enough with the tart bite of fresh lemon... yum. Only problem is, I still can't decide what to make for the cookie exchange we're having at work. Guess this means I need to do some more experimenting. There's always the good old stand-by recipes that I make every year: classic chocolate chip, peanut butter (with or without thumbprints), oatmeal raisin, and my all-time favorite oatmeal cookies with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Hmmm... what a delicious dilemma.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup AP flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups old fashion rolled oats
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup peanut butter (I prefer using natural instead of the sugary stuff)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
optional add-ins: 1 cup chopped nuts/chocolate chips/peanut butter chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours and oats then set aside.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer (I suppose you could go old school on it and break out the wooden spoon if you really want to) cream together the butter, peanut butter, sugars, baking powder, and baking soda until well mixed. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla, beating for another 1-2 minutes on medium speed. Stir in as much of the flour and oat mixture as you can using the electric mixer before switching to a wooden spoon to stir in the rest. Fold in whatever add-ins you want (I went with a mix of both dark chocolate chips AND peanut butter chips), then drop by the dough by rounded teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving about an inch of space between each cookie. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown and set. Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool for several minutes before diving in.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Sorbet

Mission accomplished: I successfully made chocolate sorbet WITHOUT an ice cream maker. It was a pain in the ass, but I did it. I pulled elements from several different recipes until I ended up with an incredibly rich tasting, chocolatey base that wasn't too sweet.

Chocolate Sorbet

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of water
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup of previously brewed coffee
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbs. chocolate liquer (coffee liquer would be good too)
1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) of dark chocolate chips, chopped finely

Directions:
In a heavy bottom pot over medium-high heat, bring the water, sugar, and cocoa powder to a boil, stirring frequently with a whisk. Once the sugar and cocoa have dissolved, continue cooking for another minute until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients before pouring your sorbet base into a freezer-safe container.

Now at this point, nearly every recipe I found tells you to follow the manufacturer instructions on your ice cream maker and you'll end up with a velvety sorbet in under an hour. So. To compensate for the lack of this vital piece of equipment, I had to determine HOW it worked and that way I could replicate this process manually. Easy enough, right? (Yeah, I know: I'm a nerd.)

Essentially, an ice cream maker churns the base as it freezes which keeps the formation of ice crystals to a minimum; there are still crystals, of course, but they're really fine which makes for a smoother texture. It also incorporates air into the mixture as it freezes which, again, lends itself to a silky texture. Soooo... how to do this by hand? I didn't want to end up with a solid block of chocolate flavored ice and that's what would happen if I just poured the base into a container and popped it in the freezer. Instead, every 45-60 minutes, I used a whisk to break up the forming ice crystals and whip air into the base as it was freezing. Because I was doing this by hand, it took about 6 hours and just as many sessions with the whisk before it reached the texture I was shooting for, but O. M. G. was it worth it!

Enjoy!

Hurricane Preparedness

With Hurricane Sandy approaching, we had quite a bit of work to do to get the house ready to weather the storm; my roommate handled the outside work and I was in charge of the inside work. At the top of MY list of preparations was to make sure we had water and non-perishable food items for a 3-5 day power outage (my neighborhood is notorious for losing power during major storms). While I stocked up on the standards like bread, crackers, peanut butter, canned soup (canned?! desperate times... *shudder*), fruit cups and the like, I also wanted to do some baking. So, what did I make? Well, in the sweets department there's the French apple pie with crumb topping, loaded oatmeal cookies, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, and I still had a loaf of vegan banana chocolate-walnut bread in the freezer.

In addition to the sweets, we made a last-minute run to the grocery store to stock up on junk food like tortilla chips with salsa and queso dip, pretzels, and popcorn. Because I had several whole wheat pita pockets stashed in the freezer, I made pita chips (easy enough to slice and bake, spiced however you want) and my roommate requested spinach dip. For dinner last night, I made a rather simple (but delicious none the less) baked pasta with zucchini, mushrooms, marinara, and the last of the chicken breasts from the freezer.

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

(based on the basic Oatmeal Cookie recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book)

loaded oatmeal cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup AP flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups old fashion rolled oats (not the quick cooking kind)
1 Tbs. ground flaxseed
3/4 cup butter (that's 1 1/2 sticks, and make sure to bring it to room temperature- it makes mixing easier)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flours, oats, and flaxseeds.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugars before adding in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is well combined before mixing in the dry ingredients. Fold in the dried fruits, nuts, and chocolate chips. Drop cookies by the tablespoonful on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 11-13 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks before storing in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

peanut butter oatmeal cookies

*Even though these weren't the only cookies I made, as the day went on, snapping photos kind of fell by the wayside. Also, I'd like to point out that between the oats and dried fruits, these cookies are practically a breakfast food (I saw that eye roll!) and as such, a definite necessity for any power outage.

(Vegan) Pumpkin Spice Bread

After yesterday's meltdown fiasco with the gingerbread scones, I wanted to try another vegan recipe but one that I knew would be more, shall we say, foolproof. A basic quick bread, this recipe was certainly easy enough to put together (even with the distraction of watching football and entertaining a friend), and it had the added bonus of filling my kitchen with the warm, spicy scents of the holidays. It was hard to wait until it was cool enough to slice, but it was definitely worth the wait! Much like the (vegan) banana muffins, the texture of this bread was much lighter than I expected it to be, especially given the fact that I swapped out some of the AP flour for whole wheat pastry flour which is denser than its counterpart. Also, this bread was incredibly moist, with just the right amount of chew to it, living up to the promise of the warm spices which gave it a delightful richness. I will definitely be making this again!

(Vegan) Pumpkin Spice Bread

original recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking: The Compassionate Cooks' Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets 

by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Ingredients:
3 Tbs. ground flaxseed
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 (14-ounce) can pumpkin puree (NOT to be confused with pumpkin pie filling)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups AP flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup non-dairy chocolate chips (I like dark chocolate)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a glass measuring cup, whisk the flaxseed and water together until thick and creamy.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, oil, apple sauce, pumpkin puree, vanilla, and flaxseed mixture.

In a separate bowl, whisk (or sift) together all of the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring just to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips then pour the batter into (2) 8"x3"x2" loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick blah blah blah. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes before turning the loaves out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and enjoy right away (after they've cooled, of course), or wrap in heavy duty foil and freeze for another day.

Enjoy!

(Vegan) Mexican Mocha Brownies

So we're planning another little fete tomorrow night at work to celebrate the birthday of one of the techs, and I was volunteered to make my Vegetarian Tofu Chili. While that was easy enough to throw together after work tonight (it's simmering away in the slow cooker even as I write this), I couldn't resist the urge to finally try out one of the recipes from the vegan baking cookbook another co-worker loaned me. I've been intrigued by the concept of vegan baking, namely, how in the hell that works without eggs and butter, and my vegan co-worker was all too happy to loan me her copy of The Joy of Vegan Baking: The Compassionate Cooks' Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. If nothing else, it was certainly educational reading and answered many of my questions with regards to vegan baking.

So. To go along with my chili, I decided to try one of the easier recipes and make brownies. However, being me, I couldn't leave well enough alone and put my own spin on it.

(Vegan) Mexican Mocha Brownies

original recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking: The Compassionate Cooks' Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets 

by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

if they taste as good as they smell... yum!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 Tbs. previously brewed, strong coffee
2 tsp. ground flaxseed
1/2 cup previously brewed, strong coffee
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups AP flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of cayenne
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup non-dairy dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, apple sauce, and 2 Tbs of previously brewed coffee.

In a separate bowl (I used a glass measuring cup), whisk together the ground flaxseed and 1/2 cup of previously brewed coffee before adding it to the sugar mixture along with the vanilla.

In yet another mixing bowl, whisk (or sift) all of the dry ingredients together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chips and pour batter into an 8"x 8" glass baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until the edges are set and the center is still shiny. Cool before cutting.

Enjoy!

******************************************************************************************************************

all that was left... that's the mark of a great brownie!

Addendum: The brownies were a HUGE success at work tonight! I can't imagine making them any other way from now on because these were incredibly moist and fudgey... some seriously deep chocolately goodness. Yum... :)

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Even though I took a major hiatus from posting new recipes- and, in fact, have actually moved to a new blog- I'm back and better than ever. (At least, in my humble opinion.) ;)

So where have I been? Well, I moved out of the ghetto to a much nicer neighborhood and a newly renovated house with a fantastic kitchen. I also have a new job which came with a consistent schedule (4pm-midnight) and I've finally settled into a comfortable routine which sees me playing in the kitchen every morning/early afternoon before work. And... with this great new kitchen, I have a renewed interest in pursuing my epicurean adventures and creating new recipes. Even more surprising (at least to ME), I've discovered a new found desire to bake. Why is this surprising? I'm a cook, NOT a baker. I don't like to follow recipes and even as I write my own recipes for friends, they come with the caveat that all measurements are more of a guestimation than anything else. Baking is more of a precise science which doesn't leave much room for experimentation and you actually have to follow the recipe and use exact measurements.

Or do you...?

To satisfy my need to experiment, as well as my defiant streak that doesn't like to follow a recipe, I like to make substitutions and try different add-ins with my baked goods. Plus, there's the added bonus of creating much more healthful recipes (lower in fat/sugar, higher in fiber and overall nutritional content) which goes a long way towards negating any guilt I feel about eating sweets.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups zucchini, shredded
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup AP flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt (I use fine sea salt)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (or go for broke and use an 8 oz bar, chopped)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare loaf pan(s) by spraying with cooking spray and lightly dusting with flour to prevent sticking. I like to use 2 of the 8"x3"x2" pans rather than 1 standard size loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the wet ingredients: zucchini, vegetable oil, apple sauce, sugars, eggs, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together (or sift, if you prefer) the dry ingredients: flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon until just combined. Don't over mix! Fold in the chocolate chips and pour batter into prepared loaf pan(s). Bake at 350 degrees for 50-65 minutes. Zucchini bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. Cool the bread in the pan(s) for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. This stuff freezes beautifully so I usually make a double batch and wrap 2 or 3 loaves in foil to freeze for another day (like I did in this photo).

Enjoy!

Quick Chocolate Fondue

Why in the world would you want to rush a chocolate fondue?! Ok, I admit it: I had a serious craving for chocolate last night and decided to throw together a fast personal-size version of the popular dinner party dessert of chocolate fondue. This version was simply served with tart apple slices and juicy grapes, but any kind of fruit is fabulous when dipped in chocolate!

Ingredients:

4 oz. dark chocolate, broken/diced (I used 4 squares of Ghiradelli dark chocolate)  *dairy free chocolate for my vegan friends

1 Tbs. soy milk (classically, you use cream or whole milk but I can live without the pesky lactose and really, soy milk works just as well)

scant pinch of cinnamon

granny smith apple, sliced (the tartness pairs beautifully with dark chocolate)

red seedless grapes

In a small microwave safe bowl, stir together the broken chocolate and soy milk. Microwave on high for 30 seconds until the chocolate just starts to melt. Remove from the microwave and stir, allowing the residual heat to melt the rest of the chocolate and combine with the soy milk until silky smooth. Serve with fresh fruit (strawberries and bananas are my other fondue favorites) or chunks of pound cake. Feel free to share the fruit with the dog... just make sure to keep the chocolate to yourself!

Enjoy!

Phyllo Fruit Cups

Looking for something a little different for dessert? These phyllo cups can be served with any number of sweet or savory fillings and are incredibly easy to make, nor are they as unhealthy as they could be with a few of Elle’s tweaks. Seriously, you need to serve these at your next dinner party… you’ll get rave reviews and everybody will think you’re a gourmet chef! Coming from me, a non-baker, when I tell you how easy this was you’ll be a fan of phyllo forever.


Ingredients:

whole wheat phyllo dough, defrosted in the fridge for 30 minutes (depends on how many cups you want to make, but I used a 1 packet and got 12 cups out of it)
butter flavored cooking spray (usually when working with phyllo dough, each layer is brushed with melted butter… using the spray is quicker, easier, and contributes considerably fewer calories and fat)
mixed berries (I had strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries in the freezer)
peaches, diced (again, I always have a bag in the freezer)
1 packet of Splenda (you could also use honey, but I like Splenda for helping berries to macerate

splash of vanilla extract
pinch of salt
pinch of cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Ok, so you need to work quickly with phyllo dough because it dries out very easily and it needs to be kept cold. Unroll the phyllo out on the counter and spray every other layer with the cooking spray before cutting it into 6 squares. Each square is then divided in half (layer-wise) so that you have 12 equal squares of prepared phyllo. Using an ungreased muffin tin, fill each slot with one of the phyllo squares, carefully creating a cup with the dough. Bake the phyllo cups at 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes or until slightly puffed and golden brown around the edges.

Meanwhile, in separate bowls, prepare the fillings: For the mixed berries, defrost them in the microwave for one minute before stirring in the Splenda, vanilla extract, and a scant pinch of salt. Set aside to allow the fruit to macerate. For the peaches, defrost for 45 seconds before tossing with the cinnamon and another scant pinch of salt. You can add a bit of Splenda if necessary, but frozen peaches are usually sweet enough on their own. Once the phyllo cups have cooled enough to handle, fill each cup with the fruit topping of choice and serve right away while the pastry is still warm and crisp.

Enjoy!

(Addendum: After the first night I made these and snapped this pic, I had several cups left over that I stored in a Ziploc bag in the fridge. Just tonight, I reheated a couple of the phyllo cups in the oven and this time I crumbled a square of Ghiradelli dark chocolate into each one to melt before filling the warmed cup with diced fresh strawberries. Divine!)

Really Enjoy!

Puff Pastry Pockets

Given that I’m not much of a baker, I must say that I've been slowly making my peace with puff pastry and phyllo dough, learning just how versatile they can be. Starting out slow, I’ve been experimenting with simple pockets, stuffing them with both savory and sweet fillings. I’m learning that they’re a great way to use up leftovers in the fridge or pull together a few pantry basics. Here’s an example of each… my favorites so far:


Ingredients:

1 sheet of puff pastry, defrosted (I buy the frozen kind that comes 2 sheets to a box)
chicken breast, cooked and shredded (those handy dandy prepackage chicken strips are great as well if you don’t have leftover chicken already in the fridge)
fresh spinach (or the good old standby of frozen chopped spinach that’s been thawed and drained)
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 small shallot, diced finely
3-4 dried figs, diced (or you can substitute 2 tsp. of fig preserves if you have it)
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar (omit if you’re using fig preserves)
1 oz. fontina cheese, diced or shredded (provolone is really good here as well)
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg + a splash of water, beaten (this is an egg wash in case you didn’t know)

*For the sweet version, all you need is 2 squares of dark chocolate (I always have Ghiradelli dark chocolate squares in the house) and 3-4 dried apricots, diced.
Before starting on the filling, I take one sheet of the puff pastry out of the freezer and loosely wrap it in plastic wrap before sticking it in the fridge to defrost for at least 30-45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with foil or parchment paper for easy clean up.

If you’re using fig preserves, go ahead and skip to the next step. If not, what you want to do first is to combine the diced figs and balsamic vinegar in a small microwave safe bowl and heat on high for 45 seconds. Set aside and allow the figs to plump up in the vinegar while cooling.

In the meantime, in a small sauté pan over medium-low heat, cook the shallot in olive oil for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add in the spinach, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and cook for another 2-3 minutes until wilted. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

Now, once you remove the puff pastry from the fridge, you need to work fairly quickly to prevent it from drying out and cracking so I like to make sure I have everything set up and ready to roll. I know this sounds like a lot of steps for something that I said was easy, and really, it is… I promise. So here’s what you need to do next: Lightly flour your work surface (I just use the bare counter since I don’t have a board big enough to work on) and lightly pat out the dough into a rough square. I suppose you could use a rolling pin, but hello?!, remember me?, the non-baker? Anyway, once the dough is to the desired shape, I use a pizza wheel to evenly cut it into 4 squares. Keeping in mind that each square will be folded diagonally to form a triangle, put a small amount of the drained figs and shredded chicken in the center of 2 of the squares, followed by the spinach mixture, and a sprinkle of fontina cheese. Make sure to leave a ¼ inch border and go easy on the total amount of filling so it doesn’t explode out of the pastry. Brush 2 of the 4 edges with the egg wash and then gently fold the dough in half, over the filling, to form a triangle. The dough should be pliable enough to kind of squish the filling into one evenly distributed layer. Crimp the sealed edges with your fingers or the tines of a fork to ensure it sticks together.

On the remaining 2 squares of dough, break up 1 square of the chocolate (I have to resist the urge to be decadent and use 2 squares of chocolate per pastry instead of just 1) on each and sprinkle with the diced apricots. Again, brush 2 sides with the egg wash and fold in half, diagonally, to form 2 more triangles.

Transfer all 4 puff pastry pockets to the prepared baking sheet, brush the tops with egg wash, and sprinkle a pinch of coarse sea salt on each one. To differentiate the 2 savory pockets from the sweet, you may also want to sprinkle on some black pepper or dried basil. A sprinkle of cinnamon on the sweet pockets would be pretty tasty as well. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the pastry has puffed up and is golden brown and delicious. These are excellent straight from the oven and I’ve discovered that they are just as good when reheated in the toaster oven at work the next day.

Enjoy!