Ingredient: corn starch

Chocolate Biscoff® Cake

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

If you’re craving a rich, gooey piece of chocolate cake that’s so good you can’t stop eating it until you stuff yourself into a food coma, then this is the cake for you. The soft, moist chocolate cake is topped with a light silky Biscoff® mousse that’s so good, you may be tempted to eat it with a spoon straight out of the bowl. You can drizzle on the chocolate glaze or be like me and go all in by spreading the glaze all over the top. If you’re a true cookie butter fan, feel free to top your cake with more drizzles of Biscoff® and some Biscoff® cookies for crunch.

 

Chocolate Biscoff® Cake

Soft, moist single layer chocolate cake topped with light, silky Biscoff® mousse and rich chocolate glaze by Brownie Mischief
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 9

Ingredients
  

Chocolate Cake

  • 1 cup (128g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • ½ cup (45g) Dutch process unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons (20g) corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • â…“ cup (66g) packed brown sugar
  • â…“ cup (74ml) vegetable oil or neutral oil of your choice
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • â…” cup (150g) sour cream
  • â…” cup (156ml) hot coffee or espresso

Biscoff® Mousse

  • ½ cup (148g) Biscoff® creamy cookie butter spread
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) cream cheese, softened
  • ¾ cup (177ml) cold heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Glaze

  • 3 ounces (85g) semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 4 ½ tablespoons (63g) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 ½ teaspoons corn syrup

Garnishes

  • Extra Biscoff® creamy cookie butter spread, melted slightly optional
  • 9 Biscoff® cookies optional

Instructions
 

Chocolate Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches of overhang. (If you would like to serve the cake directly out of the pan, skip the parchment paper and grease the inside of the pan, then sprinkle with a mixture of equal parts flour and cocoa powder. Tap out the excess.)
  • In large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until well blended. Stir in the granulated sugar and brown sugar.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the oil, egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and sour cream until smooth and well blended. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and beat, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until combined. Gradually mix in the hot coffee and and beat until the batter is smooth.
  • Transfer the batter to the baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean or with a few moist crumbs attached, about 18-25 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove the cake and transfer it to a cooling rack.

Biscoff® Mousse

  • In a medium-sized bowl, beat the Biscoff® and cream cheese together until well blended. Do not over beat. Gradually beat in the heavy cream, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl. Continue beating until the mixture is smooth, fluffy and reaches medium peaks, being careful not to over beat.

Chocolate Glaze

  • Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heat-safe bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Assembly

  • Spread the Biscoff® mousse over the top of the cake. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to set up the mousse. Meanwhile prepare the chocolate glaze. Spoon or drizzle the chocolate glaze over the top of the cake. Drizzle on melted cooke butter and add Biscoff® cookies if desired.
Keyword Biscoff®, cake, chocolate

Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cake Cookies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Blueberry Crumb Cake Cookies

Over the holidays, my Cranberry Orange Crumb Cake Cookies went viral, so I thought it was time to introduce a spring version of the popular cookies. These delightful Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cake Cookies have homemade blueberry filling with crumble topping and a touch of lemon zest in the dough to brighten them up. The sweet-tart lemon icing gives them the perfect balance. These delightful blueberry cookies are perfect alongside a cup of tea or a glass of lemonade.

Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cake Cookies

by Mari Vasseur
Vanilla cookies with a touch of lemon zest, topped with blueberry filling, crumble topping and lemon icing
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 14 cookies

Ingredients
  

Blueberry Filling

  • 6 ounces (170g) blueberries, divided about 1 1/4 cups
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Crumb Topping

  • ¾ cup (96g) all purpose flour
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons (38g) packed brown sugar
  • â…› teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 4 ½ tablespoons (64g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed

Cookies

  • 2 cups (255g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup (50g) packed brown sugar
  • Zest of 1 medium lemon
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
  • 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (85g) white chocolate chips optional

Icing

  • â…” cup (80g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 small pinch fine sea salt
  • 2-3 tablespoons (30-45ml) lemon juice

Instructions
 

Blueberry Filling

  • Set aside 1/4 cup (34g) of blueberries. Combine the remaining blueberries with the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice in a small saucepan.
  • Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the blueberries are softened and the sauce is a thick jam consistency, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the reserved 1/4 cup (34g) of blueberries and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.

Crumb Topping

  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar and salt until well blended. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it looks sandy with no large pieces of butter remaining. Press the mixture together to form chunks. Set aside in the refrigerator while you make the cookie dough.

Cookies

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line 2 large cookies sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well blended.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and lemon zest, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg and egg yolk in two separate additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla extract. On low speed, beat the flour mixture into the batter, just until combined. Stir in the white chocolate chips, if using.
  • Form the cookie dough into 2-tablespoon size balls. Place them about 3 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Press a 1-inch wide indentation into each cookie using your thumb or a pastry tamper. Fill each indentation with a generous teaspoon of the blueberry filling. Top each one generously with the crumb topping. Gently press the topping onto the cookies.
  • Bake until the topping and the edges start to turn light golden, about 11-13 minutes. (Be careful not to over bake to avoid drying out your cookies.) Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer them to a cooling rack.

Icing

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, salt, and 2 tablespoons (30ml) of lemon juice until well combined. Add additional lemon juice as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle the icing over the cooled cookies.
Keyword blueberry, blueberry lemon, cookies

Blueberry Lavender Cookies

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Blueberry Lavender Cookies

Blueberry cookies remind me of a time when I was little. Every year my family would take a road trip up to Northern California. My parents loved stopping at roadside stands to buy fresh produce on the way back. One year my dad bought an enormous box of blueberries. When we got home, for the next couple of weeks, we ate far too many blueberry pancakes. My dad also used the blueberries in his famous cobbler, which was delightful. Then he made biscuits which turned out like rocks and we all laughed. My favorite blueberry creations that year were the blueberry shortcake and blueberry cookies. I’m sharing my version of the blueberry cookies, with the addition of lavender to make them a little more special.

My Blueberry Lavender Cookies start with butter and homemade lavender sugar. The original cookies had fresh blueberries plopped into the dough, which is perfectly fine if you’re making muffins. To reduce the soggy spots that form as the fruit releases its juices while baking, I typically macerate or cook fruit before it’s added to many of my recipes. The extra step makes a big difference. A quick, cooked blueberry compote is folded into the batter of these cookies, making pretty blueberry swirls. I finished these cookies with a sprinkle of sparkly sanding sugar in a lilac shade. This is optional, but very pretty. You can also make extra lavender sugar to use for sprinkling on your cookies. Sprinkle the sugar on before baking or after the cookies bake, while they’re still warm.

Blueberry Lavender Cookies

Chewy lavender scented sugar cookies with crisp exteriors and swirls of blueberry compote.
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 16 cookies

Ingredients
  

Blueberry Compote

  • ½ teaspoon corn starch
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • ¾ cup (4 oz or 113g) blueberries, fresh or frozen
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Lavender Sugar

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (7 7/8 oz or 223g) sugar
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons dried culinary lavender*

Blueberry Lavender Cookies

  • 2 cups (9 oz or 255g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 10 tablespoons (5 oz or 142g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 large egg white
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • lilac, lavender or purple decorative sanding sugar optional

Instructions
 

Blueberry Compote

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water.
  • In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon of water, stirring until the blueberries soften and start to release their juices. Smash the blueberries slightly with the back of the spoon. Stir in cornstarch mixture. Turn the heat down to low. Simmer until thickened to a jam consistency, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Transfer the blueberry compote to a small bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Lavender Sugar

  • In a small food processor or a clean spice grinder, combine 1/4 cup of the sugar with the lavender. Pulse a few times to chop the lavender into smaller bits. Add the remaining sugar and pulse a few more times to combine.

Blueberry Lavender Cookies

  • Preheat your oven to 350ºF (180ºC) Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter and lavender sugar with an electric mixer, until light and fluffy.
  • Add the the egg white and vanilla and beat until well combined.
  • On low speed, add the flour mixture in two additions and mix just until combined.
  • Add dollops of the blueberry compote to the batter. Fold in gently, but don't completely combine it. You want to see swirls of blueberry.
  • Place 2-tablespoon size portions of dough about 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. I used a #30 portion scoop.*** Sprinkle with decorative sugar if desired.
  • Bake until tops of cookies are set and bottom edges turn light golden brown, about 10-14 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Do not over bake. Test one cookie before baking the entire batch if you are unsure about how to determine the doneness of cookies.

Notes

*To find culinary lavender, click here.
**To find the decorative sanding sugar I used, click here.
***To find the scoop I used, click here.
Keyword blueberry lavender, cookies

Blueberry Nectarine Cobbler

Posted on by Mari Vasseur

Many families have an old favorite recipe for cobbler. I’m sharing my dad’s recipe with you and it’s definitely comfort food. It took awhile to get the ingredient amounts right because he never measured them. He used whichever fruit was available and plopped the dough on top haphazardly with a big spoon. But it was always delicious and came from the heart and that’s what mattered.

This recipe is so easy and versatile. Feel free to use peaches instead or use the berries of your choice. Make sure to enjoy it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

 

Blueberry Nectarine Cobbler

Vintage fruit cobbler with blueberries & nectarines or peaches
Print Recipe
Course Brunch, Dessert
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 6 medium ripe nectarines or peaches, peeled and thickly sliced about 2 1/4 lbs (1 kg)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • â…“ cup (67g) packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (8g) corn starch
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 ½ cups (227g) blueberries
  • 1 cup (113g) all purpose flour
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 5 tablespoons (70g) cold butter, cubed
  • â…“ cup (75g) cold sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) cold milk
  • 1 tablespoon (13g) coarse sugar for sprinkling

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Grease a 2 quart baking dish.
  • In a large bowl, toss the nectarines with the lemon juice. Add the vanilla, brown sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Stir gently to combine. Fold in the blueberries.
  • Transfer the fruit mixture to the prepared baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt until well blended. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until pea size pieces from. Stir in the sour cream and milk just until a shaggy dough forms.
  • Remove the baking dish from the oven. Top the fruit with 2-tablespoon-sized portions of dough. Sprinkle the dough with coarse sugar.
  • Return the baking dish to the oven and continue baking until the topping is deep golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving, to allow the sauce to thicken.
Keyword blueberry nectarine, cobbler

Blueberry Earl Grey Tarts

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Blueberry Earl Grey Tarts

These Blueberry Earl Grey Tarts have three individual components, which, when combined together, are absolutely delicious. I experimented with each separate component of this recipe until I perfected them individually. The tart crust is flaky and tender, yet sturdy enough to hold the filling. The filling is just sweet enough for my sweet tooth and the whipped cream has just enough Earl Grey flavor.

This recipe makes enough whipped cream to cover the entire tops of the tarts or you can be like me and try to be artistic and avant-garde with your whipped cream. To make the Earl Grey infused whipped cream, use your favorite Earl Grey tea, whether it’s loose leaf tea or a teabag. We don’t discriminate here. All forms of tea are welcome! I do have a favorite Earl Grey tea. If you want to check it out, click here. The tea will make your whipped cream a dull pale yellow. This issue is purely aesthetic. I added a tiny bit of violet gel food color which brightens the whipped cream. You can add more if you want a lavender shade.

 

Blueberry Earl Grey Tarts

Mari Vasseur
Personal-sized tarts with sweet blueberry filling, topped with Earl Grey whipped cream
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 6 4-inch tarts

Ingredients
  

Tart Crust

  • 1 ½ cups (191g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • ¼ cup (30g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (113g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1-2 tablespoons (15-30ml) ice water

Blueberry Filling

  • 4 cups (about 565-600g) blueberries
  • â…” cup (132g) sugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons (12g) corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice

Earl Grey Whipped Cream

  • 1 cup (237ml) heavy whipping cream
  • 2 teaspoons Earl Grey tea leaves or 1 tea bag
  • 2 tablespoons (15g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 small drop violet gel food coloring

Instructions
 

Tart Crust

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar and salt until well blended. Work in the butter and egg yolk, with a pastry blender or with your fingertips, until pea sized pieces are formed. Add ice water one tablespoon (15ml) at a time until the dough comes together.
  • Form the dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour or up to overnight.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to a scant 1/4-inch thickness. Cut the dough into six 5-inch rounds.
  • Press the rounds into six 4-inch or 4 1/4-inch tart pans. Dock the bottoms of the tart crusts with a fork. Freeze for 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Place the tart pans on a large baking sheet. Line the tart shells with 6-inch parchment rounds. Fill with pie weights. (You can use dried beans or rice if you don't have pie weights.)
  • Bake the tart shells for 12 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and pie weights. Continue baking until the tart shells are light golden brown, about 4-6 more minutes.

Blueberry Filling

  • Set aside 1 cup (155g) blueberries. Combine the remaining 3 cups blueberries, sugar, corn starch and lemon juice in a medium-sized saucepan.
  • Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until blueberries are softened and sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved 1 cup of blueberries during the last minute of cooking. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Earl Grey Whipped Cream

  • Combine the heavy cream and tea leaves or tea bag in a small saucepan. Heat just until bubbles form around the edges.
  • Transfer the mixture to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool. Pass the cream through a sieve to strain the out tea leaves or remove the tea bag. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill.
  • Transfer the chilled cream to a large bowl. Whip with an electric mixer until thickened. Add the powdered sugar and food color in separate additions and continue whipping at high speed just until stiff peaks begin to form.
Keyword blueberries, tarts