For the longest time I wanted to bake using browned butter…and did not know what to bake until I thought…why not use the brown of the butter for the chocolate chips cookie? And it was exactly what I did.

I just could not believe the aroma that came from browning the butter…I felt like drinking the melted butter…of course I did not, but the smell was very inviting. It is a very simple recipes, very similar to the recipe of my chocolate chips cookies (well, I did not have enough brown sugar, so completer with what I had with regular sugar) and added an extra step for browning the butter, but let me tell you, well worth  the extra pan that I had to wash.

Before I forget, I just added a new page, TRAVEL. There you can find pictures from our recent travels, if you are interested in seeing it…be warned,  it is kind of long, so get some popcorn and a drink 

Now back to the recipe…

Ingredients:

½ cup (1 stick) butter
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup chopped walnut

Method:

Place the butter in a small pan on medium heat. Let the butter melt by stirring frequently, once the butter melts and begins to foam, continue to cook until brown specks start to form. Be careful so you do not burn it. The butter will have a wonderful nutty aroma. Remove from the heat and let it cool down.

Preheat oven to 3500F degrees.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer cream together the browned butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.

Combine dry ingredients to the creamed butter. Stir in the chocolate chips and the walnut.

With the help of two spoons, spoon the dough on to a wax paper, cover cookie sheet or a silicone mate, 1 inch apart.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or just until edges are slightly brown.

Makes two dozen cookies.

Did you know that browned butter is “beurre noisette” in French? It means hazelnut butter and it is often used in French pastry production. The process of browning the butter starts with placing the butter in heat until the butter melts and begins to foam. The color will be from a yellow to golden tan to a toasty brown. Brown butter is very versatile and can be used wherever butter is used.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes and have a great week!

This is a very fun and simple bread recipe using the water roux method. The texture of this bread, due to the water roux,  is very soft, almost cotton like and the bread stays soft for more than 3 days. It is not very sweet because sugar was not added to the chocolate layers…

My husband was a little disappointed because he expected a sweeter chocolate layer…and he was like “looks like chocolate, but does not taste like it”. Once I explained to him that I used unsweetened cocoa powder, he settled for “Oh! So the chocolate color is just for  looks”. Anyway, to boost the flavor you can always spread jam or Nutella.

I used my Zojirushi bread machine, but this simple recipe can be easily done manually. I made them into three mini bread pans; they came out very “cute”.

Ingredients:

Water roux or Tangzhong
1/3 cup bread flour
1 cup water

Main dough
2 ½ cups bread flour
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk powder
100 ml of water plus 2 tablespoons water
1 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons yeast
2 tablespoons butter

Method:

Water roux

In a small pan, mix all the ingredients of water roux, place in a low heat and stir constantly until the temperature reach 65oC (150F), or if you do not have a thermometer, cook until ripples form. Set aside to cool by covering with a plastic film.

Main dough

In the bread machine bucket, add the water roux, and all the other ingredients, except for the butter, water and cocoa powder.
Turn the machine to knead mode until it forms soft dough. Add the butter and let it knead until the butter incorporates into the dough.

Divide the dough in approximately 2/3 and 1/3 portions. Remove the small portion and set aside by covering with a plastic film.

Knead the bigger portion until the dough is smooth and elastic. Remove from the machine and set aside in a bowl by covering the dough with a plastic film.

Place back the small portion in the bread machine and add cocoa powder and water as needed and let it knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover the chocolate dough and set aside in a bowl by covering with a plastic film.

Let both dough proof until the dough doubles to its original size.

Knock back both dough and let it rest for 5 minutes on the counter, cover both dough.

Flatten the chocolate dough into a rectangle shape of approximately 6 x 9 inches and the white dough to 12 x 6 inches. Layer the chocolate rectangle in between the white rectangle. Flatten the rectangle and cut in 2 equal portions. Layer one piece on top of the other and flatten again. Repeat this procedure a couple of times.

Cut the flatten dough into 3 equal pieces. Then again cut into 3 equal strips. Gently roll the strips and place 3 together and make a braid. Place the braided bread in the tins. Cover the tins with plastic film and let them rise in a warm place until the dough has almost tripled its original size.

Meanwhile, preheat oven at 350F. Bake for approximately 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter. Remove from the tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

If you enjoy this Asian style bread you might want to check on red bean buns or cinnamon rolls.

Have a great week and thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes!