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Baked Churros with Two Sauces

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Traditional churros are deep-fried. For a lighter version, I’m baking them, with a sprinkling of sanding sugar, to create crispy puffs perfect for dipping in dulce de leche, chocolate sauce, or both! There are delicious brands of premade dulce de leche available online. But a very inexpensive way to make your own is the following oven hack—it’s an easy do-ahead technique (you’ll want it ready before you start on the churros themselves). My chocolate sauce, the quintessential churro dunk, is a thinner version of chocolate ganache (make it once the churros are in the oven).

Ingredients

For the dulce de leche:

  • One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

For the churros:

  • 1 1/4 cups water
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons sanding sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the chocolate sauce:

  • 4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
  • 4 ounces half-and-half

Directions

Step 1

For the dulce de leche: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Scrape the condensed milk into a pie plate and cover it tightly with foil, scrunching the edges under the lip of the pie plate to create a seal. Place the pie plate in a roasting pan and fill it with an inch of hot water. Place the roasting pan in the oven and bake for about 80 minutes. Carefully lift a corner of the foil to see if the color is a deep caramel brown; if not as dark as you like, return the pan to the oven for another 10 minutes. When done, carefully lift the pie plate from the roasting pan and let cool slightly before whisking the dulce de leche vigorously to remove any lumps. Transfer to a dipping bowl.

Step 2

For the churros: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment.

Step 3

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the water, olive oil, sugar, and vanilla. Bring to a boil on the stovetop. Add the flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough ball has formed. Let cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Off the heat, whisk in the egg (you can also do this in a food processor) until you get a smooth batter.

Step 4

Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 3/4-inch star nozzle. Pipe 3-inch lengths onto the parchment-covered pan, leaving about an inch between them. Mix the sanding sugar and cinnamon in a small dish and sprinkle generously over each churro. Bake for 25 minutes until golden and crispy.

Step 5

For the chocolate sauce: Place the chocolate
and half-and-half in a tall mug or small bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth.

Yields about 20 churros

Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Who doesn’t love chocolate chip cookies? This recipe transforms the classic formula by replacing half the butter with extra virgin olive oil and adding nutritious whole wheat flour and pecans, which lend a nutty crunch. For best results, bake only one sheet of cookies at a time. This recipe makes a large batch. If you only need a smaller one, put one dough log in the freezer for the future. 

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 cups cake flour 
  • 1-1/2 cups bread flour 
  • 3/4 cup white or golden whole wheat flour 
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 6 ounces unsalted butter, softened 
  • 1-1/4 cups brown sugar
  • 1 cup sugar 
  • 2 large eggs 
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla  
  • 1 pound dark or bittersweet chocolate chunks 
  • 10 ounces pecan halves

Directions

Step 1

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and place next to your mixer or mixing bowl.

Step 2

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large bowl and a hand mixer on medium speed, blend the butter and sugars until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the olive oil and vanilla. On the lowest speed, add the flour mixture and beat until no traces of flour remain, about 20 seconds, then mix in the chocolate and pecans until evenly distributed, about another 20 seconds. 

Step 3

Divide the dough between two long pieces of parchment paper and shape each into a thick log, about 3 inches in diameter. Roll up each log in its parchment and tuck under the ends. Wrap each log separately in foil, then refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.

Step 4

When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F. Slice one log into 10 disks and transfer to a rimmed sheet pan lined with parchment. Bake on a rack in the lower third of your oven until lightly brown, about 16 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Repeat with the second log. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before eating and let cool completely before storing in cookie tins. 

Yields 20 oversized cookies

Pistachio Layer Cake

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter


Pistachio-based cake layers are filled and iced with a whipped white chocolate ganache. The thin layer of raspberry preserves is a great counterpoint to the sweetness of the chocolate. Use a coffee bean or nut grinder to turn raw (unroasted and unsalted) pistachios into a ground powder. Note: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, see the Healthy Ingredient Spotlight in our weekly newsletter for alternatives. 

Ingredients

For the frosting:

  • 12 ounces white chocolate
  • 1-1/2 cups heavy cream

For the cake layers:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 ounces unsalted butter, well softened
  • 1/2 cup olive oil 
  • 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup finely ground pistachios from about 4 ounces of raw nuts
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

To assemble:

  • 1/2 cup raspberry preserves
  • 2 ounces pistachios, coarsely chopped

Directions

Step 1

Start by making the frosting. Place the chocolate in a glass bowl. Heat the cream just to a simmer and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 3 minutes, then whisk until smooth (if the heat of the cream wasn’t enough to melt all the chocolate, you can microwave the bowl for 30 seconds, then stir). Chill in the fridge for 4 hours to firm up. 

Step 2

Meanwhile, make the cake layers. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper; set aside.

Step 3

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Step 4

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream the butter, olive oil, and sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, then the buttermilk, ground pistachios, and vanilla. Whisk in the dry ingredients, then use a spatula to be sure all the flour is well incorporated.

Step 5

Divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 30 minutes or until the tip of a sharp knife inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean (rotate the pans halfway through for even baking). Let cool to room temperature.

Step 6

Ater the frosting has chilled, whip it on high speed until it thickens to frosting consistency, about 1 minute. Spread about 1/3 over one of the cake layers. Spread the raspberry preserves on the underside of the other layer, then stack it on top of the bottom layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top with the chopped pistachios.

Yields 12 servings

Fruit and Nut White Chocolate Truffles

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Cranberries and pistachios pair so well in these creamy white chocolate truffles but have fun experimenting with your own combinations—the technique is exactly the same. 

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces dried cranberries
  • 10 ounces shelled pistachios, divided use
  • 1 pound white chocolate, preferably 35% cacao
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Step 1

Coarsely chop the cranberries and 4 ounces of the pistachios; set aside. Chop the rest of the pistachios more finely and transfer to a shallow bowl; set aside.

Step 2

Coarsely chop the chocolate; reserve 2 ounces and place the rest along with the heavy cream in a large microwave-safe glass bowl. Microwave at 30% power for 2 minutes, stir, and repeat until the chocolate is not quite fully melted. Out of the microwave, add the remaining chocolate to the bowl, let sit for 2 minutes, and then stir until smooth.

Step 3

Stir in the olive oil and vanilla, then fold in the coarsely chopped cranberries and pistachios. Turn the mixture onto a parchment paper–lined rimmed sheet pan or cookie sheet and gently flatten it with a spatula. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up for shaping.

Step 4

Once chilled, transfer the paper with the chocolate to your countertop and line the sheet pan with a clean piece of parchment. Using a 1-tablespoon scoop, make a truffle ball and drop it into the bowl of chopped pistachios. Roll it in the nuts, then place on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the rest of the chocolate.

Step 5

Place the pan in the fridge to firm up the truffles, about 20 minutes. If not serving right away, place them in a tin or covered dish and keep in the fridge. Refrigerated, the truffles will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks.

Yields about 4 dozen truffles