Sweetening with Condensed Milk

Happy Thursday to all! I was recently reminded of the sweet joys of baking with sweetened condensed milk, a deliciously sweet and creamy concoction that adds a delightful punch to desserts that aren't often the first off our "to do" lists. Check them out below:

Macaroons!

Coconut Macaroons
Danny Cohen (aka Danny Macaroons)

Ingredients

• One 14-ounce bag sweetened shredded coconut
• One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine the coconut with the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the salt until firm peaks form. Fold the beaten whites into the coconut mixture.
2. Scoop tablespoon-size mounds of the mixture onto the baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake in the upper and middle thirds of the oven for about 25 minutes, until golden; shift the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Transfer the baking sheets to racks and let the cookies cool completely.
3. Dip the bottoms of the macaroons into the melted chocolate, letting any excess drip back into the bowl. Return the cookies to the lined baking sheets. Drizzle any remaining chocolate on top and refrigerate for about 5 minutes, until set.

MAKE AHEAD: The macaroons can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Chocolate Fudge with Bourbon Sugar

William Werner

Ingredients

Bourbon Sugar:

• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 1 cup demerara sugar
• 2 tablespoons bourbon

Fudge:

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 72%), coarsely chopped
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

Directions

Bourbon Sugar:

1. Preheat oven to 150° or as low as yours will go. Scrape vanilla seeds into a small bowl; stir in demerara sugar and bourbon. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let dry out in oven overnight, leaving door slightly ajar. Mixture should feel like demerara sugar again in the morning.

Do Ahead: Store bourbon sugar airtight at room temperature up to 2 months.

Fudge:

1. Line an 8x8” baking dish with parchment paper, leaving a generous overhang on 2 sides; lightly coat with nonstick spray. Heat chocolates in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let bowl touch water), stirring occasionally, until almost completely melted. Set aside.
2. Combine condensed milk, butter, bourbon, corn syrup, and kosher salt in a small saucepan; scrape in vanilla seeds and add pod. Heat over medium until barely hot (same as the chocolate).
3. Gently stir one quarter of milk mixture into chocolate with a rubber spatula. Add another quarter of milk mixture, stirring to incorporate (it might look broken and greasy; don’t worry, it will come back together). Continue with remaining milk mixture in 2 additions, stirring vigorously until fudge is very shiny and almost elastic, about 5 minutes. Scrape into prepared pan and smooth top. Sprinkle with bourbon sugar and sea salt. Let cool, then cover and chill at least 4 hours.
4. Turn out fudge onto a cutting board and slice into 2x¾” rectangles, 2” squares, or triangles.

Do Ahead: Fudge can be made 1 week ahead. Wrap tightly and chill.

Coffee Infused Tres Leches Cake

Rick Bayless

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• Salt
• 4 eggs at room tempterature
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, preferably Mexican
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

For the Three Milks, Meringue, and Garnish:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 14-ounce can evaporated milk
• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup freshly brewed espresso or strongly brewed coffee
• 1 teaspoonvanilla extract preferably Mexican
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, preferably freshly ground Mexican canela
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 egg whites at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup shaved Mexican chocolate

Directions

1. Bake the cakes. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan that makes 6 large muffins with muffin papers.
2. Place the flour, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, the baking powder and a pinch of salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Separate the eggs, dropping the whites into the bowl of a mixer and the yolks into a medium bowl. Add the oil, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of water to the yolks and mix well. Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until they start to thicken and form soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining 6 tablespoons of sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
3. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the egg yolks and mix well. Gently fold in 1/3 of the beaten egg whites. Repeat, alternating the flour mixture and egg whites until everything is thoroughly combined. Scoop the fluffy batter into the prepared muffin tins, place in the hot oven and bake until the tops spring back when touched, 20 to 22 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then take the individual cakes out of the molds, remove the papers and invert them into a deep 13x9 inch baking dish.
4. Make the three milks mixture. Combine the heavy cream, evaporated milk, condensed milk, coffee, vanilla, cinnamon and a pinch of salt in a bowl and mix well. Slowly pour the mixture over the cakes, soaking them thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the milks to be absorbed into the cakes.
5. Frost the cakes with meringue and serve. Combine the sugar with 1/3 cup water in a small (2-quart) saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, swirling the pan gently until all the sugar is dissolved. Dip a brush in water and use it to clean the sides of the pan so no sugar crystals remain. (This is an important step in keeping the syrup from recrystallizing.) Lower the heat to medium and boil the syrup until it reaches soft ball stage (when a little syrup dropped into cold water will form a soft ball).
6. While the syrup is boiling, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until the whites form soft peaks. Drizzle in the hot sugar syrup in 4 additions, beating well after each addition. Continue to beat until the bottom of the bowl is cool.
7. To serve, place each soaked cake on a plate, decorate with a big dollop of meringue, toasting the peaks with a kitchen torch. Sprinkle with the Mexican chocolate and present to your guests to enjoy.

Happy baking!