Cheeseboard #2

Back to Cheeseboard! Of course. This time, I went with my brother and my dad after the Cal v. Davis game. I needed some cheering up after the incredible loss, and Cheeseboard pizza was just what the doctor ordered.

The Cheese Board Pizza Collective
1512 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, CA
510-549-3055

I sadly forgot to write down what was on the pizza and it's been a while since I ate it, so I sadly cannot remember exactly what was on it, but I do remember that there were figs, gorgonzola, mozzarella, and arugula. Mmm, delicious!

We ate on the median-per custom. It was dad's first time and it was a successful one at that. It was so rich between the figs and the gorgonzola but it was just perfect for some comfort food especially with a bottle of delicious apple cider that tasted like apples right of the tree in the fall.

Check out my last post from cheeseboard to learn more about the place! Quality ingredients, delicious food and good people.

My Method of Procrastination

My roommate, Caitlin, introduced me to this recipe. It calls for raisins, but why would I do that if I could use chocolate chips instead? Chocolate chips definitely trump raisins. Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are my favorite but I’ve never come across such a great recipe. They’re nice and thick and chewy and with good quality chocolate chips, I would devour a dozen in a few minutes…despite my lack of a big sweet tooth. It’s very easy and a great way to procrastinate studying.

My Favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup butter, softened
2/3 Cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 Egg
1/2 Teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 Cup all-purpose flour
1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon salt
1 1/2 Cups rolled oats
10-12 Ounces Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla.
In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ones. Add the oats and chocolate chips.
Chill the dough in the freezer until it is hard (about 20 minutes). Don’t skip this step! They come out with a much better texture if you freeze the dough first.
Scoop the chilled dough onto a greased cookie sheet, two inches apart from each other.
Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until they are Golden on the edges but not the top.
Let them sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a cooling rack.

If you like oatmeal cookies, you should definitely try these. The brown sugar, cinnamon and bittersweet chocolate chips really compliment each other. Of course, if you like other toppings like raisins, walnuts, craisins, or white chocolate chips, go for it! You will definitely be pleased.

Another Successful Adventure in Baking

Every Christmas morning, my family has some sort of baked good for breakfast. Since I’ve been working on my baking skills, I decided to try out Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes. I made them the night before and let them rise over-night so they would be ready to bake and frost in the morning.

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes
Adapted from Pink Parsley, from Beantown Baker, originally from La Fuji Mama

Ingredients:
For the Dough:
1 Packet dry active yeast
1/2 Cup granulated sugar, divided
1 Cup warm milk (approximately 110 degrees)
2 Eggs, room temperature
1/3 Cup butter, melted
1 Teaspoon salt
4 1/2 Cups bread flour
For the Cinnamon Inside:
1 Cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/3 Cup butter softened and spreadable
For the Frosting:
8 Ounce cream cheese, softened
2/3 Cup butter, softened
1 Cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Heat the milk. Dissolve the yeast and 1/4 cup sugar in the warm milk. Let stand for 10 minutes, until foamy.
Mix in the eggs, butter, salt, and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Add the flour and mix well, until it forms a ball of dough. Lightly flour a flat surface and knead the dough 5-10 times. Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place until the dough doubles in size. This will take anywhere from an hour to 2 hours. Be patient.
After the dough has doubled, turn it out of the bowl, onto a lightly floured surface and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Line your cupcake pans with cupcake liners. If you have cooking spray, lightly spray over the top of the liners. My family doesn’t use cooking spray, so I didn't use any and the cupcakes stuck to the cupcake liners a bit but it wasn’t too horrible.
Roll out the dough into a 12x22 inch rectangle. Spread the butter over the dough, making sure it completely covers it. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the entire rectangle. Roll up the dough. Cut the roll into 24 rolls. Do this carefully without smashing the roll.
To put the rolls into the cupcake liners, you may have to unroll them and re-roll them so they fit better. Don’t worry, it doesn’t make a mess because the sugar is already stuck to the butter.
Cover and let rise. The goal is to have them double again, but mine didn’t and they still rose just fine in the oven. I let mine sit in the refrigerator over night and it worked out just fine.
Meanwhile, cream the cream cheese and butter together and then slowly add the powdered sugar. You can add more powdered sugar if you like your frosting sweeter, but I thought that 1 cup was perfect.
When you are ready to bake the rolls, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the rolls until golden brown. This will take 8-12 minutes. Let them cool completely and then frost them.

I was very happy with the outcome of these cupcakes. I’m still very intimidated by baking, but I liked this recipe a lot because the dough was very bread-like and I’m very comfortable with making bread. It was a fairly easy recipe and I definitely recommend it! Enjoy.