Ricotta cheesecake brownies

Gooey, chocolatey, rich and full of delicate, smooth ricotta filling - there is no other thing that could so successfully soothe souls and bring smile on other people's faces. It is absolutely the best when still slightly warm and melting in the mouth. 

 Ingredients for 25x30cm cake pan:

BROWNIE

- 200g dark chocolate
- 200g butter, softened
- 250g granulated sugar
- 3 free-range eggs
- 110g flour

CHEESE LAYER:

- 400g ricotta cheese
- 150g powdered sugar
- 1 free-range egg
- 1 tbsp flour

+ fresh strawberries, halved

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/340F.

2. Brownie batter: Melt the chocolate in water bath. In a large bow;, beat the sugar and butter until pale and smooth. Gradually add the eggs, mixing the batter after each one. Stir in the melted chocolate and flour.

3. Evenly spread 3/4 of brownie batter on the bottom of the lined cake pan.

4. In another bowl, mix the ricotta, sugar, egg and flour. Pour the cheese mixture on the brownie base and then cover with the remaining brownie batter. Use a spatula or fork to make the swirls. Top with the halved strawberries.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes.

 BON APPÉTIT ! 

My brother's favourite pancakes

This Saturday was definitely one of the laziest in our house. Nobody even tried to make a proper meal so we came up with best idea ever - breakfast for dinner.

This pancakes are one of those things I could easily prepare blindfolded. I usually make these in enormous quantities cause my younger brother is crazy about them and you know, almost 2 meters tall teenagers eat a lot. And when I say 'a lot' I mean really A LOT. 

*

Makes 2 servings:

PANCAKES

- 130g (1 cup) flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 180ml (3/4 cup) milk
- 1 free-range egg
- 100g dark chocolate, chopped

FRUIT COMPOTE

- 250g strawberries, quartered
- 30g butter
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp potato starch mixed in 60ml (1/4 cup) of water


1. Start with the compote. In a small saucepan, combine the strawberries, butter and sugar and heat the mixture until butter is completely melted. Increase the heat and let is simmer for couple minutes. When strawberries are soft, roughly mash them up and add the starchy water, stiring all the time. Cook for couple minutes more and leave to cool slightly.

2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add milk and egg and mix until smooth. Stir in the chocolate pieces.

3. Scoop the batter using a large spoon and cook the pancakes until nicely brown. Don't forget to add your fruits ; )

BON APPÉTIT !

Christina Tosi's oatmeal cookies

I've never had any special idols that I could follow in my life, but if I were forced to name one person close to that, it would definitely be Christina Tosi. Her Milk Bar is one of a kind and the sweet stuff which she brings to life there is simply amazing (cereal milk ice cream? YES PLEASE). Christina herself is truly a woman of passion, great imagination and love for everything full of sugar and butter. Testing her recipes is my favourite thing to do so I just wanted to share one with you. 

Makes 18 cookies:

- 200g (14 tbsp) butter, softened

- 80g (1/2 cup) brown sugar

- 80g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar

- 2 free-range eggs

- vanilla

- 150g (1+1/4 cup)

- 200g (2 cups) old-fashioned oats

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1 tsp salt

+ powdered sugar for coating

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F.

2. Beat the butter with sugars until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix again to combine. Then mix in the flour, oats, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. 

3. Using an ice cream scoop, measure the dough and form it into a golf-sized ball. Coat evenly with powdered sugar and place on a baking tray, 5cm apart. 

4. Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave to cool completely.

BON APPÉTIT !

Rustic strawberry and mascarpone tart

When I think of my mom, I think of strawberries. Probably because it is her favourite fruit and early June, in which she was born, is full it. When I was younger, we used to go together for an ice cream to the local cafe and strawberry flavor always ended up in her cone, even though there was plenty of other fancy ones to choose from. So my Mother's Day dessert has to be all about strawberries. It also happens to be pretty quick, easy and disarmingly delicious. 

The crust must sit in the fridge for some time but overall, this tart takes really no effort to make. If you're planning to make it for today's afternoon, you can start now and it will be ready on time. 

Ingredients:

*loosely adapted from Izy Hossack's recipe

CRUST

- 120g plain flour

- 40g whole wheat flour

- 2 tsp granulated sugar

- pinch of salt

- 125g very cold butter, cubed

- 3 tbsp cold water + 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

- 1 egg, beaten (for brushing the crust)

TOPPING

- 225g mascarpone cheese

- 2 tbsp powdered sugar

- 450g fresh strawberries

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 2 tbsp raspberry jam (or your favourite) 

1. Crust: In a large bowl, mix the flours with sugar and salt. Add butter and rub everything with your fingers until it has a consistency of coarse sand. Add 1 tbsp of vinegar water and start to knead the dough. If it is still too dry, add a little bit more liquid. 

2. Form the dough into a flat disc and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

3. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Roll the dough out on a parchment paper. It should be about 0,5cm thick. Brush with an egg and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Leave to cool completely.

4. In a small bowl, mix the mascarpone cheese with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Take the strawberries and slice them quite thin. Toss them with cinnamon and the remaining sugar. 

5. When the crust is ready, evenly frost the top with mascarpone cheese. Then spread the jam and decorate with strawberries. You can serve the cake topped with some fresh mint.

BON APPÉTIT !

Fresh strawberries with sheep milk yogurt, granola & buckwheat honey ( gf )

It may be quite ridiculous to make a recipe for something that simply doesn't need one but it is stronger than me. This bowl full of beautiful mess is my summer comfort food which disappears along with the end of strawberry season in Poland. This makes it really special and absolutely worth an individual post. 

It does perfectly as a breakfast meal but you can honestly eat it anytime (like me), adding some chocolate cookies and sipping lemonade. 

Makes 1 serving:

-150g sheep milk yogurt*

- 8 fresh medium-size strawberries, chopped

- handful of homemade granola (for example from here)

- 2 tbsp unsweetened corn flakes 

- 2 tbsp buckwheat honey

*sheep milk yogurt is my definite favourite because of its creamy consistency and rich flavor. You can freely substitute it with any other but I encourage you to try this one if possible. 

Mix all ingredients in your favourite bowl and eat immediately - you've now created a true taste of polish summer. 

BON APPÉTIT !

World's best chocolate chip cookies

I should probably change the name of my blog to something cookie-related. I think there is no such thing I love to bake more than them (you can obviously see it in my posts). Cookies are just adaptable - they are perfect on the go, as a gift or to simply nibble at in the middle of the night. 

My jar of Nutella is still half-full so I turned to it once again during my recipe hunting. Thereby, we have ANOTHER recipe involving the famous chocolate and hazelnut spread. And I am not even slightly ashamed, especially when cookies like these are being born. They can melt every heart and there is never too much of them. Never. 

Makes 15 large cookies:

- 1/3 cup Nutella (about 3 heaping tablespoons) 

- 110g butter, softened

- 1 free-range egg

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- pinch of salt

- 200g all-purpose flour

- 2 tsp (20g) corn flour

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 80g white chocolate, chopped

- 80g dark chocolate, chopped

1. In a large bowl, beat the sugar with nutella, butter and egg until creamy. 

2. Add flours, soda and salt and mix again to combine. Stir in the chocolate. 

3. Using a large ice cream scoop, portion the dough into mounds and place them on a tray. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (you can also leave them overnight). 

4. Preheat the oven to 175C/350F. Lay the chilled cookies on a baking tray - remember to make large spaces between. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until the edges are quite firm and centre is still soft. Leave to cool completely. 

BON APPÉTIT ! 

Nutella cookies

Okay, let's be serious. You are now able to experience one of the most addictive things in the world. 

These little guys may look innocent but I advise you to treat them with no joke. If you like nutella (I honestly do not believe there is someone who doesn't ), you will probably fall head-over-heels in love with them. I'm writing here a small serving just to be sure you won't accuse me of causing an obsession.

Ingredients for 12 cookies:

- 1 cup Nutella

- 1 free-range egg

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- 60g flour

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/356F.

2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl until combined. Let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes or in the freezer for 10 minutes.

3. Roll the dough into walnut-size balls and place on a lined baking tray, widely spaced. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until you can see little cracks on top.

BON APPÉTIT !