Scones caseros

* colocar en un bol grande el 1/2 kilo de harina,junto con la azúcar y la sal,mezclar.
* en otro bol batir los huevos y la leche.Esta preparacion se le agrega a la anterior ayudandonos con una cuchara de madera.
* hechar la masa sobre la mesa expolvoreada de harina común unir bien la masa luego aplanarla con las manos hasta que quede unos 2 cm de espesor.
* Cortar con un molde de unos 2 1/2cm de diametro.
* Colocarlo en bandejas enmantecada y llevar a horno hasta que queden apenas doradas.
***Ricos,rapidos y economicos***

Ingredientes

• 1/2 k harina leudante
• 1 tasa de azúcar
• 1 cuchara de sal fina
• 200 g de margarina

• 3 huevos
• 1/2 tasa de leche
• harina común necesaria para ayudar en el amasado

Blondies

Makes 36.   Published July 1, 2005.  
Cooks Illustrated

Be very careful not to overbake the blondies; they dry out easily and will turn hard. Start checking the oven a couple of minutes before they will be done. If you can't find our recommended brand of white chocolate chips, coarsely chop a good-quality white chocolate bar.

Ingredients

1	cup pecans or walnuts (4 ounces)
1 1/2	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)
1	teaspoon baking powder
1/2	teaspoon table salt
12	tablespoons unsalted butter ( 1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled
1 1/2	cups packed light brown sugar (10 1/2 ounces)
2	large eggs , lightly beaten
4	teaspoons vanilla extract
6	ounces white chocolate chips (1 cup) or chopped bar, or 3 ounces each white chocolate and semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts on large rimmed baking sheet and bake until deep golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer nuts to cutting board to cool; chop coarsely and set aside.
2. 2. While nuts toast, cut 18-inch length foil and fold lengthwise to 8-inch width. Fit foil into length of 13 by 9-inch baking pan, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhang pan edges. Cut 14-inch length foil and fit into width of baking pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet (if using extra-wide foil, fold second sheet lengthwise to 12-inch width). Spray foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.
3. 3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside.
4. 4. Whisk melted butter and brown sugar together in medium bowl until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Using rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in chocolate and nuts and turn batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with rubber spatula.
5. 5. Bake until top is shiny, cracked, and light golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes; do not overbake. Cool on wire rack to room temperature. Remove bars from pan by lifting foil overhang and transfer to cutting board. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

Blondies Secrets

Published July 1, 2005.

Cooks Illustrated

Had a chewy, full-flavored blondie lately? No? Well, neither had we.

The Problem

Blondies are often greasy, cakey, cloyingly sweet, and bland--an inferior cousin to the brownie.

The Goal

We wanted our blondies to be chewy but not dense, sweet but not cloying, and loaded with nuts and chocolate.

The Solution

Trial and error produced the best texture. We started by testing several traditional recipes, keeping equal parts of light brown sugar and flour but reducing the usual amounts of butter and eggs. We also added baking powder for extra lift. We boosted flavor by adding several stiff shots of vanilla, oven-toasting the nuts, and using a mixture of white chocolate and semisweet chocolate chips. We found the baking time was crucial and learned to disregard the usual signifiers of an adequately baked bar cookie (the cooked dough pulls away from the sides of the pan, a toothpick comes out clean), using color and textural indicators instead: Our blondies were done when they had a light golden brown top that appeared shiny and cracked.

Congo Bars

Makes 36 bars.   Published July 1, 2005.  

Cooks Illustrated

Despite their name, Congo bars have nothing at all to do with Africa. In fact, they are little more than blondies enriched with coconut -- an ingredient that was exotic in years past perhaps but is far from it these days. We tried adding both sweetened, flaked coconut and unsweetened, shredded coconut to our blondies, and tasters unanimously preferred the unsweetened. Sweetened coconut did little but make the bars overly sweet and unpleasantly chewy. We were able to extract a bit more flavor from the unsweetened coconut by toasting it golden brown before adding it to the blondie dough. If you have trouble locating unsweetened shredded coconut, try a natural food store or an Asian market. Keep a close eye on the coconut when toasting as it can burn quickly.

Ingredients

1	cup pecans (or walnuts), toasted and chopped coarse
1 1/2	cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)
1	teaspoon baking powder
1/2	teaspoon table salt
12	tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled
1 1/2	cups packed light brown sugar (10 1/2 ounces)
2	large eggs , lightly beaten
4	teaspoons vanilla extract
6	ounces white chocolate chips (1 cup) or chopped bar, or 3 ounces each white chocolate and semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. 1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts on larged rimmed baking sheet and bake until deep golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer nuts to cutting board to cool; chop coarsely and set aside. Toast coconut on same rimmed baking sheet, stirring 2 to 3 times, until light golden, about 5 to 7 minutes.
2. 2. While nuts and coconut toast, cut 18-inch length foil and fold lengthwise to 8-inch width. Fit foil into length of 13 by 9-inch baking pan, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhang pan edges. Cut 14-inch length foil and fit into width of baking pan in same manner, perpendicular to first sheet (if using extra-wide foil, fold second sheet lengthwise to 12-inch width). Spray foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.
3. 3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
4. 4. Whisk melted butter and brown sugar together in medium bowl until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Using rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in chocolate, coconut, and nuts and turn batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with rubber spatula.
5. 5. Bake until top is shiny, cracked, and light golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes; do not overbake. Cool on wire rack to room temperature. Remove bars from pan by lifting foil overhang and transfer to cutting board. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

Dough TIPS: Foolproof Pie Dough

Published September 1, 2010.
Cooks Illustrated

We wanted a recipe that is tender, flavorful, and—most important—consistent.

The Problem

Pie dough can go wrong so easily: dry dough that is too crumbly to roll out; a flaky but leathery crust; or a tender crust without flakes. And it's hard to get the same results every time.

The Goal

We wanted a pie dough recipe that bakes up tender and flaky every single time and also rolls out easily.

The Solution

The first step was to determine the right fat. A combination of butter and shortening provided the best balance of flavor and tenderness. The best method to cut the fat into the flour proved to be the food processor; it was the fastest and most consistent. But we couldn't figure out how to ensure same-sized pieces of butter time after time. The answer was to eliminate the pieces entirely. Rather than starting with all the flour in the processor, we put aside 1 cup of flour and processed the remaining 1 1/2 cups with all of the fat until it formed a unified paste. We added the reserved flour back to the bowl and pulsed it until it was just evenly distributed. Finally, we tackled the tenderness issue, which is partially determined by the amount of water added. The conundrum? In order to roll easily, dough needs more water, but more water makes crusts tough. We found the answer in the liquor cabinet: vodka. While gluten (the protein that makes crust tough) forms readily in water, it doesn't form in ethanol, and vodka is 60 percent water and 40 percent ethanol. So adding 8 tablespoons of vodka produces a moist, easy-to-roll dough that stays tender (because it contains only 6 1/2 tablespoons of water). The alcohol vaporizes in the oven.

Foolproof Pie Dough

For one 9-inch Double-Crust Pie.   Published September 1, 2010.   From Cook's Illustrated.

Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavor—do not substitute. This dough will be moister and more supple than most standard pie doughs and will require more flour to roll out (up to 1/4 cup).

2 1/2	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)
1	teaspoon table salt
2	tablespoons sugar
12	tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2	cup chilled solid vegetable shortening , cut into 4 pieces
1/4	cup vodka , cold
1/4	cup cold water

Instructions

1. 1. Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.
2. 2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

Step-by-Step

Key Steps to Foolproof Pie Dough

1. MAKE A FAT AND FLOUR PASTE: Completely blending part of the flour with all of the butter ensures a consistent amount of fat-coated flour in the final dough.

2. ADD MORE FLOUR: Pulsing in the final cup of flour ensures a consistent amount of uncoated flour in the final dough.

3. ADD WATER AND VODKA: Sprinkling with water and vodka ensures even distribution. No need to skimp—unlike water, vodka won't make the dough tough.

Rogel rápido

Estirar los discos de empanadas hasta lograr el tamaño de un plato mediano, pincharlos con un tenedor, acomodarlos en una asadera seca y cocinarlos en horno unos 10 minutos aproximadamente. Una vez fríos, rellenar con dulce de leche en varias capas. Batir las claras con el azúcar hasta obtener un merengue consistente y cubrir el alfajor.

Ingredientes

• 1 paquete de tapas de empanadas
• 1 kg. de dulce de leche

• 4 claras de huevo batidas a punto de nieve
• 100 grs. de azúca

Scones caseros

* colocar en un bol grande el 1/2 kilo de harina,junto con la azúcar y la sal,mezclar.
* en otro bol batir los huevos y la leche.Esta preparacion se le agrega a la anterior ayudandonos con una cuchara de madera.
* hechar la masa sobre la mesa expolvoreada de harina común unir bien la masa luego aplanarla con las manos hasta que quede unos 2 cm de espesor.
* Cortar con un molde de unos 2 1/2cm de diametro.
* Colocarlo en bandejas enmantecada y llevar a horno hasta que queden apenas doradas.
***Ricos,rapidos y economicos***

Ingredientes

• 1/2 k harina leudante
• 1 tasa de azúcar
• 1 cuchara de sal fina
• 200 g de margarina

• 3 huevos
• 1/2 tasa de leche
• harina común necesaria para ayudar en el amasado

Masa de Panqueques

Colocar en un bol los huevos y la sal, batir bien y agregar de a poco la harina alternando con la leche, hasta obtener una preparación omogenia, chirle sin grumos, dejar reposar 10 minutos, preparar los panquenques.En una sartén tipo panquequera de 18 cm. de diámetros, calentarla sobre la llama, pincelarla con manteca derretida, poner un cucharoncito de la mezcla y hacer correr rápidamente para que cubra bien toda la panquequera cocinar a fuego moderado, cuando los bordes comiencen a dorarse, el panqueque estará cocido de ese lado, darlo vuelta con una espátula y dejar cocinar unos minutos del otro lado.
Nota: Se tiene que echar cada vez una pequeña cantidad de pasta para obtener panqueques finos, se debe pincelar la panquequera con la manteca cada vez que se prepara un panqueque.

Ingredientes

• 3 huevos
• 1 pizca de sal fina

• 250 gr. de harina común
• 1/2 litro de leche

Meringues TIPS and Secrets

Shaping Meringues

Use 2 soupspoons to drop 2 tablespoon dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Place 3 rows of 5 cookies on each sheet.

Beating Egg Whites for Meringue

Properly whipped meringue is glossy and smooth, with the consistency of shaving cream.

Chocolate Chip Meringues

30 cookies.   Published December 8, 2006.  
Cook´s Illustrated

Avoid making meringues on humid days, as they will never crisp. If your whites happen to have a little yolk or cracked shell in them, use a clean half eggshell to fish it out. Contrary to the old wive’s tale, we found that a speck or two of yolk won’t prevent the whites from whipping. If you have no cream of tartar, you can substitute 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar.

Ingredients

4	large egg whites , room temperature
1/4	teaspoon cream of tartar
1	cup sugar (7 ounces)
3/4	teaspoon vanilla extract
1	cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1. 1. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 200 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. 2. With electric mixer, beat egg whites at medium-low speed until opaque and frothy, about 30 seconds. Add cream of tartar, increase speed to medium-high, and, watching carefully, beat egg whites until white, thick, voluminous, and consistency of shaving cream (see photo below), about 90 seconds. Slowly sprinkle in half of sugar and continue to beat until incorporated, about 60 seconds. Add vanilla. Reduce speed to lowest possible setting, sprinkle in remaining sugar, and mix just until incorporated.
3. 3. Fold chocolate chips into the meringue.
4. 4. Following illustration below, use 2 soupspoons to place dollops of meringue, 2 tablespoons each (about size of walnut), 1 inch apart, fitting 3 rows of 5 cookies on each sheet. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until cookies have smooth, dry, and firm exteriors. Turn oven off and allow cookies to cool in oven for several hours. Once cool, store cookies in an airtight container, where they will keep for up to 2 weeks.

Individual Brownies

Published November 1, 2003. - Cook´s Illustrated

When baking brownies, Michelle Miceli of Cranston, R.I., pours the batter into greased muffin tins rather than a baking pan for easy no-cut brownies. The treats are perfect for tossing into a lunchbox or for portable snacking. Fill regular muffin tins with brownie batter to a depth of 1 inch, or two-thirds full. We found that our recipe for Chewy, Fudgy Triple Chocolate Brownies (see the May/June 2000 issue) cooked up in just 15 minutes, less than half of the normal baking time. See Illustrated Technique

Brownies TIPS: Knowing When Cookies and Brownies are Done

Published September 1, 2005. From Cook's Illustrated.

Here are our tips to determining when cookies and brownies are done.

Cookies

Brownies

Overbaked brownies are dry and chalky and the chocolate flavor is diminished. Use the skewer test to determine doneness, but look for moist sticky crumbs.

 

A toothpick inserted into brownies should emerge with moist crumbs.

 

We think most cookies are best when they are chewy. This means taking them out of the oven when they are slightly underdone—in fact, the cookies are often so soft they will droop over the end of a spatula. Bake cookies on parchment and cool on baking sheet for a few minutes; after they have set up slightly, slide the parchment onto a cooling rack. if the cookies have crevices, the crevices should appear moist. When baking smooth cookies, look at the edges, which should be lightly browned; the center should be set but not fully dry.

TIPS:

Don't be alarmed if cookies droop over the edges of a spatula. When set, your cookies will be perfectly chewy.

Brownies TIPS: How to cut them

Neatly cutting brownies can be tricky because half the crumbs end up sticking to the knife, especially if the brownies are really fudgy. Callie Svenson of Tarpon Springs, Fla., found a neat remedy. Instead of using a serrated or chef's knife, she uses a sturdy plastic knife. It glides easily through even the stickiest brownies, picking up no crumbs. See Illustrated Technique

Chewy Brownies N2: RECIPE

Makes twenty-four 2-inch brownies.   Published March 1, 2010.   From Cook's Illustrated.

For the chewiest texture, it is important to let the brownies cool thoroughly before cutting. If your baking dish is glass, cool the brownies 10 minutes, then remove them promptly from the pan (otherwise, the superior heat retention of glass can lead to overbaking). While any high-quality chocolate can be used in this recipe, our preferred brands of bittersweet chocolate are Callebaut Intense Dark Chocolate L-60-40NV and Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar. Our preferred brand of unsweetened chocolate is Scharffen Berger. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

1/3	cup Dutch-processed cocoa
1 1/2	teaspoons instant espresso (optional)
1/2	cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water
2	ounces unsweetened chocolate , finely chopped (see note and related illustration)
4	tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter , melted
1/2	cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2	large eggs
2	large egg yolks
2	teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2	cups (17 1/2 ounces) sugar
1 3/4	cups (8 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4	teaspoon table salt
6	ounces bittersweet chocolate , cut into 1/2-inch pieces (see note)

Instructions

1.         1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Referring to directions in Making a Foil Sling (related), make sling using the following steps: Cut 18-inch length foil and fold lengthwise to 8-inch width. Fit foil into length of 13 by 9-inch baking pan, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhang pan edges. Cut 14-inch length foil and fit into width of pan in the same manner, perpendicular to the first sheet (if using extra-wide foil, fold second sheet lengthwise to 12-inch width). Spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2.        2. Whisk cocoa, espresso powder (if using), and boiling water together in large bowl until smooth. Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in melted butter and oil. (Mixture may look curdled.) Add eggs, yolks, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth and homogeneous. Whisk in sugar until fully incorporated. Add flour and salt and mix with rubber spatula until combined. Fold in bittersweet chocolate pieces.

3.        3. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and cool 1½ hours.

4.        4. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Return brownies to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

Chewy Brownies N1

Who is not deeply in love with brownies and have tried several and millions of different recipes????
Most of the times we taste in a friends house a recipe tha
t was incredible, but then, when doing it at home it is just different!

Ok. Here some secrets from "Cook´s Illustrated" Just great! please tell me how did it go!!!!

Cracking the Code to Chewy Brownies

Ever since box-mix brownies appeared on the scene, these industrially engineered treats have held the key to chewy texture. It was high time to break the monopoly.

The Problem

Brownies are a tricky business: Homemade recipes have better flavor, while boxed mixes claim best texture. We were tired of having to choose.

The Goal

Our goal was clear: a homemade brownie with chewiness (and a shiny, crisp, crackly top) to rival the box-mix standard—but flush with a rich, deep, all-natural chocolate flavor.

The Solution

After testing numerous “chewy” brownie recipes, it became clear that to create a brownie with a truly chewy texture, we had to start from scratch. We consulted our science editor to see if he knew of any tricks that boxed brownies use to achieve their chewiness, and he responded with a phrase that would influence the direction of our research: high-tech shortening system.

First, a chemistry lesson: Fat can be divided into two broad types—saturated (solid) and unsaturated (liquid). The right combination of these fats is what gives box brownies their unique texture. Box brownie mixes already come with the saturated fat component, so when a cook adds unsaturated vegetable oil, the liquid fat and powdered solid fat combine in a ratio designed to deliver maximum chew. To get the same chew at home, we would have to discover the perfect proportion of liquid to solid fat.

We devised a series of recipes that all had roughly the same amount of total fat, but with varying ratios. After much trial and error, we homed in on the ratio that produced the chewiest brownie, and sure enough, the box-mix virtually mirrored our results. To combat greasiness, we replaced some of the oil with egg yolks, whose emulsifiers prevent fat from separating and leaking out during baking.

Now we could focus on the chocolate flavor. Because unsweetened chocolate contains a similar ratio of saturated and unsaturated fat to butter, we could replace some of the butter with unsweetened chocolate, thereby providing more chocolate flavor. Espresso powder improved the chocolate taste as well.

One last thought occurred to us: Only chocolate that is melted and incorporated into the batter actually affects the ratio of fats in the mix. Theoretically, we should be able to incorporate chocolate chunks into the mixed batter, and they should have no effect on texture as long as they didn’t melt until the batter started baking. Sure enough, folding in bittersweet chocolate chunks just before baking gave our chewy, fudgy brownies gooey pockets of melted chocolate and rounded out their complex chocolate flavor.