The Bliss of Butterscotch

Zoe Bauer  

February 15th is National I Want Butterscotch Day. It’s a mouthful to say, but the holiday actually makes sense. On February 14th, just one day before, you treated yourself to playful pink gummies and candies, and indulged in rich chocolates filled with sweet buttercreams or fresh strawberries. So, it’s only natural to crave butterscotch the following day.

In honor of I Want Butterscotch Day, I decided to share a delicious butterscotch brownie recipe. But before you rush to your kitchen, you must first understand the difference between butterscotch and caramel, two confectionaries that often get confused despite their distinct flavors.

Caramel is made using white sugar and milk over low heat. And vanilla is often added to develop the caramel’s milky-ness. In contrast, butterscotch is made with brown sugar and butter or heavy cream. The brown sugar and butter give butterscotch a much warmer and richer appeal than caramel. While caramel is used in recipes to add a calm but sweet flavor, butterscotch is incorporated to make a dish warm and savory.

Now for the recipe!

Butterscotch brownie bars are at the top of the list when it comes to must-have butterscotch desserts. Each small butterscotch square gives off the perfect amount of sweetness to finish a meal. I love this recipe because it requires the creation of many different components.

First, prepare a typical chocolate brownie batter. I enjoy the method provided in this recipe for preparing the chocolate base of the brownie because it uses bittersweet chocolate chips, rather than already sweetened milk chocolate chips. The use of bittersweet chocolate allows the chef to sweeten the chocolate to his or her liking through the addition of buttery or sugary ingredients. This approach gives more depth to the chocolate layer of the butterscotch bars because each ingredient is added separately.

After spreading the brownie mixture along the bottom of your pan (make sure it’s greased or life will be hard later on!), it is time to swirl the butterscotch batter on top. Swirling is much easier than it looks. Simply drop spoonfuls of the butterscotch batter on top of the brownie layer. Then, holding a knife, make a circular motion with your hand to twirl the butterscotch into the chocolate. Try not to make too many spirals or you won’t be able to see the butterscotch once it is baked together.

Next, after baking them, amp up the brownie bars by spreading the chocolate ganache over the top. This mixture of butter, chocolate and heavy cream completes the brownie, topping it off with richness. The recipe also calls to sprinkle butterscotch chips over the chocolate ganache, which is a great way to balance out the chocolaty-ness of the dessert and to give previews of the butterscotch swirls to come!

Try the recipe out and let us know how you changed it up to work for you! Also, what drink goes best with this rich treat? ... Milk? Tea? Leave a comment!

Just Throw a Bunch of Crêpe Into It

Megan Bushlow  

If you can make a pancake, you can make a crêpe. And I love pancakes, but I also love eating every kind of chocolate that I can imagine mushed together inside a sweet, thin blanket of crêpe. (I also enjoy saying crêpe in a bunch of different funny pronunciations: crap, crop, crep, crayp?) Crêpes are great because you can literally put anything inside of them, but my personal preference is to stick to the sweet stuff. If you want to put meat into it, you might as well just make a burrito.

The process for making crêpes is very similar to that for pancakes. To make the batter, mix together a cup of flour, two eggs, a tablespoon of melted butter, half a cup of water, and half a cup of milk in a bowl. If you are feeling super hungry, double the recipe. Prepare a pan with melted butter or cooking oil over low heat. Scoop up a glop of the batter and put it on the pan, or just pour a small amount on. This is the point at which a key difference between pancakes and crêpes arises. You will need to work quickly! As soon as you put the batter onto the pan, tilt the pan in every direction so that the batter spreads out to your desired size and thickness. If you are not quick enough, the batter will not spread as well, and your crêpe will be more like a pancake. Wait for the crêpe to cook on one side, then flip. Remove when it has finished cooking, and get ready to add in some goodies!

The most important part of crêpe making is choosing what goes inside. Nutella is definitely a staple. Do not make crêpes without including this delicious chocolate spread! Slathering some nutella onto your crêpe and adding on some sliced up strawberries and bananas will make for a pretty solid crêpe. I like to mix it up by adding peanut butter to the nutella. Last time I made crêpes, I put in ice cream (chocolate moose tracks), whipped cream, and chocolate chips. You could also try your crêpes with icing, chocolate syrup, sprinkles, fluff, candy… anything! I also tried mixing in melted fudge to the batter before cooking the crêpes, so each wrap had a hint of chocolate taste within.

To complete the process, you must decide how to close your masterpiece. For years, there have been raging debates concerning the best way to fold this wonderful flabby food. As no final conclusion has been reached, I say to just choose what works best for you. (The method you choose will probably also depend on the size of your crêpe’s contents.) The triangle method involves folding over the corners so that the crêpe forms a triangle. You can also fold it just as you would a burrito. Once it’s folded, enjoy! Knives and forks may be used but are not encouraged. The same goes for napkins.

The ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup milk

To make the think pancake:
Mix together these ingredients in a bowl to create the batter. Heat a pan over low heat. Pour a small amount of batter onto the pan and spread over the pan. Flip when one side is slightly browned to your liking. Repeat steps for remaining batter.

Vegan Almond Quinoa Bread

Christina Chen  

Makes one 9x9 pan of bread

Ingredients

• ½ cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup flour (or whole wheat flour)
• ⅓ stevia-sugar blend (or 2/3 sugar)
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup almonds
• ¾ cup almond milk (or soy/coconut)
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp almond extract
• ½ cup coconut flakes (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F degrees. Lightly grease a 9x9 baking pan.
2. In a small saucepan, combine quinoa with water and bring to a boil. Cover, then turn heat down to a simmer. Continue to cook until grains are translucent (about 10-15 minutes). Set aside to cool.
3. In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Set aside.
4. Using a blender, create an almond paste by blending the almonds with a little bit of water. Add water as needed.
5. In another bowl, whisk together the almond paste, almond milk, vanilla extract and almond extract.
6. Add quinoa to the wet ingredients and mix.
7. Fold wet ingredients with the dry until combined, then add coconut flakes if desired.
8. Spread the batter evenly in the baking pan with a spatula or wooden spoon.
9. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

A Simply Sweet African Treat

Abby Miller  

One of the many wonderful things about the University of Michigan is the wide range of cultures that thrive throughout the student population. With each comes a plethora of unique traditions: wardrobes, holidays, and most importantly, food. One of my good friends is from South Africa, and thanks to her I have tasted a multitude of incredible new flavors. One of my personal favorites is a dessert called a “Koeksuster” or “Cook Sister”. This is a South African dessert that is often sold at flea markets, a syrup-coated doughnut with a twisted or braided shape. The doughnuts are prepared by deep-frying dough in oil and then dipping it into cold sugar syrup. Here’s how to make them:

Ingredients

Dough:	Syrup:
2 cups cake flour	1 kg sugar
1/2 tsp. salt	1 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp. baking powder	1/2 tsp. ground ginger
4 tbsp. butter	2 cinnamon sticks
1 egg	Juice of one lemon
1/2 cup water
Oil for frying

Preparation:

Syrup:
Do this the night before preparing the dough, as you want the syrup to be super cold

1. Dissolve sugar in water
2. Add spices and lemon juice and bring to a boil. If desired, mix in a teaspoon or two of cream of tarter instead of lemon juice
3. Put syrup in fridge over night to cool

Dough:

1. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder
2. Rub in butter and mix until pliable
3. Add egg and water (a little at a time), knead well
4. Leave dough to rest at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours under the inverted mixing bowl

Making the Koeksusters:

1. Roll out dough to about 5 mm thickness
2. Cut into strips 5 cm long and 2 cm wide
3. Cut each strip into 3 shreds (do not cut through top) and braid the pieces together. Pinch dough together at bottom
4. Deep fry dough until golden brown. Remove and drain quickly
5. Dip dough into cold syrup. Keeping the syrup cold and the dough hot is key for getting the right amount of syrup drawn into the Koeksusters

Home Away From Home-In a Pudding

Bianka Kristen  

As the weather becomes chillier and fingers begin to freeze, a warm dessert is exactly what I need. Better yet is a dessert that is a family tradition, passed down through the generations from my great-grandmother to me. My go-to dessert in these crisp fall months is “Malva Poeding”— a warm pudding that makes me feel cozy from the inside out.

Ingredients for the pudding:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon apricot jam
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1/3 cup milk

Ingredients for the sauce:

• 3/4 cup cream
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup hot water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence

For pudding:

1. Preheat oven to 350° and grease an oven dish.
2. Beat sugar and eggs together until thick. Mix in apricot jam.
3. Melt butter and add both butter and vinegar to mixture.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, soda and salt.
5. Combine dry and wet ingredients and add milk. Beat well.
6. Pour into greased dish and bake for 30-45 minutes, until pudding is brown and well risen.

For sauce:

1. In a pot, melt together ingredients and stir well.
2. Once pudding is done baking, pour sauce over. Serve warm and enjoy!

Peach Muffins

Michael Nevitt & Kylie Steenbergh  

Yields 16 muffins


Be warned. These muffins can easily fall victim to binge eating. All 16 muffins were gone within 3 hours in our apartment. They are that delicious. This recipe could also be easily adapted into a bread or muffin tops if, like Elaine Benes, you are anti-muffin stump.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3 ½ cups peaches (3 cups, peeled, pitted, and chopped; ½ cup, pureed)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 °F and lightly grease 16 muffin cups.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
3. In another bowl, mix oil, eggs, and sugar.
4. Stir the oil mixture into the flour mixture until it forms a moist, consistent batter. Avoid overmixing.
5. Mix in peach puree and then fold in chopped peach chunks. Spoon this batter into prepared muffin cups, ensuring an equal distribution of peaches.
6. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick entered in the center of the muffin comes out clean.
7. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan before cooling on the drying rack.
8. Avoid eating all 16 muffins before your friends come over for brunch.

Kale Bean Soup

Caitlin Morath  

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 bullion cubes (chicken or vegetable)
• 8 cups of water
• 1 bunch of kale: cleaned, stems removed and chopped
• 1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes
• 6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 (15 oz) can white beans
• 1 (8 oz) can of corn
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat oil on stove in large pot over medium heat
2. Add onion and garlic to oil. Cook until soft (3-4 mins)
3. Stir in Kale and 1 cup of water. Cook until wilted (about 2 mins)
4. Stir in remaining 7 cups of water and bullion cubes
5. Add all remaining ingredients
6. Simmer soup on medium heat for about 25 min or until potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork

Serving suggestion: Cooked pasta or quinoa can be added to the soup when serving