Jennifer Mahan Cookbook

Brownie Crackle Top Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ Cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 ½ Cup Sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
  • ¾ tsp Salt
  • 6 tbsp Unsalted Butter Melted and cooled to room temperature
  • ¾ Cup Cocoa Powder Ghirardelli preferred
  • 3 Eggs Large, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips
  • ¾ Cup Confectioners Sugar For coating cookies

Instructions

  1. 1In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly mixed. Set aside.
  2. 2Scrape the melted butter into a smaller bowl with a spatula and add the cocoa powder. Stir until combined and no lumps remain. Mix the vanilla extract with the eggs, then whisk into cocoa-butter mixture.
  3. 3Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix thoroughly by hand with a rubber spatula. It may seem as if you need more liquid, but do not add any. Just keep folding and pressing until the mixture comes together. It will eventually reach the consistency of stiff brownie batter. Fold in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes to firm up.
  4. 4Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. (Or if you don't line the pans, lightly grease sheets.)
  5. 5Pour confectioners sugar into a small bowl. Scoop dough by teaspoon, roll into balls, and drop into powdered sugar, rolling around to cover completely. Place on prepared baking sheets 1½ inches apart.
  6. 6Bake cookies for 12–15 minutes. The cookies will spread, puff a bit, and form cracks. The longer you cook them, the more crispy they will become. Let cool 10 minutes on the cookie sheets before using a spatula to remove to racks and cool completely. Store in a covered container.

Notes

Yield: about 30 cookies, depending on size

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

  • ½ Cup Butter Melted
  • 2 Cup 2% Milk Warm to touch (100-110°F)
  • ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Active Dry Yeast 1 packet
  • 5 Cup All-Purpose Flour Divided (4 cups + 3/4 cup + extra for kneading)
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • Frosting

    • 4 oz Cream Cheese
    • ¾ Cup Butter Melted
    • ¾ Cup Brown Sugar
    • 2 tbsp Cinnamon

Instructions

  1. 1Generously butter pan
  2. 2Whisk together warm milk, melted butter, and granulated sugar. The mixture should be just warm but not hot
  3. 3Add yeast, sprinkle over top. Let sit for 1 minute
  4. 4Add 4 cups of all purpose flour to the milk mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined
  5. 5Cover with towel or plastic wrap and set in warm place to rise for 1 hour
  6. 6Preheat oven to 350°F
  7. 7After 1 hour the dough should have nearly doubled in size. Remove the towel & add 3/4 cup of flour, the teaspoon of baking powder and 2 teaspoons of salt. Stir well, then turn out onto a well floured surface
  8. 8Knead the dough lightly, adding additional flour as necessary, until the dough loses its stickiness and does not stick to the surface
  9. 9Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about ½ inch thick. (If corners crumble, ensure they are shaped even)
  10. 10Spread the soft butter evenly over the dough
  11. 11Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar and generous sprinkling of cinnamon. Press mixture into the butter
  12. 12Roll the dough, forming a log, and pinch the seam closed. Place seam side down
  13. 13Trim off any unevenness on the ends
  14. 14Cut the log into 1½" thick pieces
  15. 15Place the cinnamon rolls on buttered baking pan, cover with plastic wrap and place in warm place to rise for 30 minutes
  16. 16Remove the plastic wrap, bake in preheated oven for 25–30 minutes until golden brown
  17. 17Prepare the frosting and after removing the cinnamon rolls from oven, drizzle the frosting over the warm rolls

Notes

Note: Frosting recipe not included in original instructions

Carrot Cake

Ingredients

    Tier One

    • 1 ¼ Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
    • 2 Cup Granulated Sugar
    • 3 Eggs room temperature

    Tier Two

    • 2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
    • 1 tsp Baking Soda
    • 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
    • ½ tsp Salt
    • 1 tsp Cinnamon

    Tier Three

    • 2 Cup Carrots grated
    • 1 Cup Sweetened Coconut shredded
    • 1 Cup Nuts chopped (optional)
    • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
    • 1 Cup Crushed Pineapple not drained, in juice not syrup

    Cream Cheese Frosting

    • 1 Cup Butter softened
    • 16 oz Cream Cheese softened
    • 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
    • 2 lb Powdered Sugar

    Optional Toppings

    • Toasted Pecans for garnish
    • Toasted Coconut for garnish

Instructions

  1. 1Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. 2Combine Tier One ingredients (applesauce, sugar, and eggs) in a bowl.
  3. 3Add Tier Two ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon).
  4. 4Stir in Tier Three ingredients (carrots, coconut, nuts, vanilla, and crushed pineapple).
  5. 5Pour into a lightly greased 9x13 two-pan or three 8-inch pans (the cake is very moist, so cutting parchment paper for the bottoms of the pans will ensure they don't stick or you can use non-stick spray with flour so they easily cake removed).
  6. 6Bake 35-40 minutes for the 9x13 or Quick Cake pans and 25-30 minutes for 8-inch cake pans. You are looking for an inserted toothpick to come out clean.
  7. 7Let cakes cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
  8. 8For the frosting: Beat the butter and cream cheese until nice and fluffy about 1 minute on medium speed then begin to add the sugar. Beat until nice and smooth.
  9. 9Invert the cake onto a cake plate or stand.
  10. 10Apply a generous dollop of frosting and spread.
  11. 11Gently place the second cake on top and continue frosting. Repeat with the third cake if you make three!
  12. 12Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving for best results.

Notes

The frosting recipe can be halved, if you are not planning on piping! I always end up using a lot of frosting decorations to the top sides of the cake.

Roasted Asparagus Mushroom Carbonara

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ lb Asparagus trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 8 oz Mushrooms quartered
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1 lb Dry Spaghetti
  • 4 Eggs large
  • 8 oz Bacon cut into 1" pieces
  • 2 Garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese grated
  • Freshly Cracked Black Pepper to taste
  • Sea Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. 1Preheat oven to 425°.
  2. 2Place mushrooms and the asparagus on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss gently to evenly coat.
  3. 3Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, until the vegetables start to caramelize, stirring halfway.
  4. 4While the vegetables are roasting, bring 6 quarts of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, stir and cook for 8-10 minutes, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta.
  5. 5While the pasta is cooking add the bacon to a large sauté pan and cook over medium heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until golden and crispy, and most of the fat has rendered off. Turn off the heat and drain all but 1 TBS of the rendered fat.
  6. 6In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, Parmesan and a generous amount of the fresh cracked pepper until well combined.
  7. 7Return the sauté pan to medium heat, add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  8. 8Add 1/4 Cup of the reserved cooking liquid to the sauté pan. Toss in the spaghetti and heat a few minutes until the bubbling has subsided and much of the water has evaporated.
  9. 9Remove the pan from the heat and add the egg mixture to the pasta. While quickly stirring, continue stirring until the egg mixture has thickened, adding additional cooking liquid if the sauce is too thick.
  10. 10Season with pepper and salt to taste. Gently toss the spaghetti with the roasted asparagus and mushrooms. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Buckingham Truffle Cake

Ingredients

    Peanut Butter Filling

    • ¾ Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
    • 4 oz Cream Cheese
    • ¼ Cup Confectioners Sugar
    • 1 Egg beaten
    • 3 tbsp Whole Milk

    Cake

    • 1 Cup Water
    • 6 oz Unsalted Butter plus 1 TBS for greasing the pan
    • ⅓ Cup Cocoa Powder plus 2 TBS for dusting the pan
    • 1 tbsp Instant Espresso Powder heaping
    • 1 tsp Kosher Salt
    • 2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
    • 1 ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
    • 1 tsp Baking Powder
    • 2 Eggs
    • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
    • ½ Cup Sour Cream

    Shiny Peanut Butter Chocolate Glaze

    • ½ Cup Heavy Cream
    • 2 tbsp Corn Syrup
    • 1 tbsp Granulated Sugar
    • ¼ Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
    • 4 ½ oz Dark Chocolate finely chopped

Instructions

  1. 1Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease pan with 1 TBS of softened butter. Sprinkle the 2 TBS of cocoa powder into the pan and swirl around to coat the entire pan evenly in a layer of cocoa powder.
  2. 2Make the filling by adding all of the peanut butter filling ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mixing with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy and no streaks of creamy cheese or peanut butter remain. Set aside.
  3. 3Combine water, 8 ounces of butter, 1 3/4 cups of sugar, cocoa powder, espresso, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk to remove any lumps. When butter's melted and the pan comes to a boil, take off heat and set aside.
  4. 4In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, and baking soda. Whisk in the chocolate and butter mixture, followed by the 2 eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. Whisk together until there are no streaks of sour cream, but try not to overmix a few lumps are okay.
  5. 5Pour ¾ of batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Spoon the peanut butter cream cheese filling evenly on top of the batter, trying to keep it from touching the sides of pan or the middle tube.
  6. 6Cover the peanut butter filling with the rest of the cake batter. Bake in the preheated oven for 50–60 minutes.
  7. 7Cool the cake for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a thin knife if needed and place a cake plate over the pan. Invert the pan as it's resting. Cake should drop on the plate, and carefully lift the Bundt pan away from the cake.
  8. 8Make the glaze by heating the cream, sugar, peanut butter, and corn syrup to almost a boil. Pour the heated mixture over the chocolate and let sit 1 minute to start melting. Whisk until smooth and shiny, then pour the mixture over the top of the cake.

Notes

Don't skip the butter and cocoa powder coating of the Bundt pan! If you do, you risk the bottom of the cake sticking to the pan and the cake coming apart.

Orange Chicken

Ingredients

    Orange Sauce

    • 1 Orange large, for zest and juice
    • 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
    • ½ tbsp Brown Sugar
    • ½ tbsp Rice Vinegar
    • 1 tsp Fresh Ginger grated
    • 1 Garlic clove, minced
    • ¼ tsp Red Pepper Flakes
    • ½ tbsp Cornstarch

    Chicken and Rice

    • 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs cut into 3/4" pieces
    • 1 Egg large
    • 2 tbsp Cornstarch
    • Salt and Pepper pinch
    • 2 tbsp Cooking Oil
    • 4 Cup Cooked Rice
    • 2 Green Onions diced

Instructions

  1. 1Remove the zest from the orange using a zester or small-holed grater, then squeeze the juice from the orange. You will need about 1 TBS zest and ½ cup of juice. Combine the juice and zest with the soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, grated ginger, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and ½ TBS cornstarch in a small sauce pot. Before placing it over heat, whisk until the cornstarch is fully dissolved. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it begins to simmer, thickens, and turns into a glossy glaze (about 3-5 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
  2. 2Remove any excess fat from the chicken thighs then cut into small 3/4" pieces.
  3. 3Combine the egg, 2 TBS cornstarch, a big pinch of salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and whisk until the mixture is smooth + frothy. Add the chicken pieces to the egg mixture and stir to coat.
  4. 4Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 2 TBS cooking oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add the chicken, making sure all the pieces are touching the surface and not piled on top of one another. Let the pieces cook until they are golden brown on the bottoms.
  5. 5Flip the chicken pieces, breaking them apart from one another as you turn them. Let them cook until golden brown on the second side and cooked through (about 5-7 minutes total cooking time).
  6. 6Turn the heat off under the skillet and pour on the prepared orange sauce. Gently coat the chicken pieces in sauce.
  7. 7Serve the chicken and sauce over cooked rice, garnished with sliced green onions and any leftover orange zest.