Cheery Observations

We’ve had some spectacular weather this week:  sunny and nearly 60!  The light in Dumbo was perfect for pictures of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan.  This bride and groom had the same idea.  I had fun watching them get their pictures taken, and playing the role of ‘covert’ wedding photographer!

For our family of two, making chocolate chip pancakes has come to signify a leisurely weekend morning.  It’s now our tradition for Justin to make these one day of the weekend (this is a meal where I get to simply enjoy the outcome, and help with clean up of course).  Justin has tweaked this recipe several times, moving from a skillet to a griddle and slowly finding the right consistency for the batter.

The recipe is adapted from William Sonoma’s blueberry pancake recipe.  I much prefer chocolate chips:  we’re really just eating giant, soft cookies under the guise of being pancakes.  Forks are usually laid out and then abandoned.

A few recommendations for this recipe, straight from the baker:

• The amount of milk you add is just a guideline.  It specifies 1 ¾ cup but you can add up to 2 cups or as little as a cup and ½ , depending on how thick you want your pancakes.

• Instead of stirring the chocolate chips into the batter (like you might do with cookies), pour the batter onto the griddle and then place the chips in individually.  They will be spaced out more evenly in the final product.

• Slowly melt the butter in a sauce pan on the stove:  it will melt evenly and you’ll avoid splattering butter all over the microwave.

Enjoy & maybe start your own weekend tradition!

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 ¾ cups milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, but ¼ cup melted for fryinb

1 ½ cups chocolate chips (We liked Ghiradelli or Guittard)

Directions

1)    In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir until well mixed and make a well in the center.

2)    Pour the eggs, milk, and 2 tablespoons melted butter into the well, then gradually whisk from the center outward, until well combined but slightly lumpy.  Don’t overmix the batter!

3)    Preheated your griddle and brush with ¼ cup melted butter.

4)    Slowly ladle ¼ cup of the batter onto the griddle, centering the ladle over the batter so it spreads out into a circle.  Ladle as many pancakes as there is room, without letting them touch.

5)    Add in the chocolate chips to the top of each batter circle.

6)    When the pancakes have begun to bubble in the center and the bottoms are golden (about 2 minutes), use a spatula to flip them.

7)    Cook about a minute longer, until the second side is golden.

8)    Enjoy!

When I first heard about Butch Bakery, I had to laugh. Only in New York would a tongue-in-cheek bakery designed for ‘manly men’ not only be created, but thrive to the point of a cult following!

Created by David Arrick, a former attorney, Butch Bakery aims for that fine line between unique and kitschy.   As Arrick says, masculine cupcakes don’t have to equal baseballs and golf tees.  Instead customers at Butch Bakery select from a series of cupcakes with camouflage or wood grain chocolate discs (to name a few) and alcohol infused cake.  There is no pink frosting or sprinkles in sight!

As a Valentine’s Day surprise for Justin, I ordered a ‘Short Round’ consisting of four alcohol infused cupcakes.  The delivery was delayed by a week due to their overwhelming popularity (a quick look at their website shows that they remain swamped, with current delays of 2 weeks).  All of my interactions with Butch Bakery, both via email and in person, were incredibly positive and friendly.  They make the process of ordering cupcakes online (it’s hard not being able to smell the batter and debate flavors incessantly!) as smooth as possible.

By the way, this wasn’t a completely selfless purchase (sorry, Justin!).  I had to try these unique Butch cupcakes for myself.

The cupcakes arrived nestled in torn paper, looking like mini camouflaged works of art.  I wasn’t sure if the various patterned discs were truly going to be edible, but they ended positively enhancing the cupcakes’ overall taste.

Standard 1: Moist and Flavorful Cake:  The cake stayed moist for several days.  After the delivery, I put the cupcakes in the fridge for 4 hours and when we removed them, the cake was soft and refreshing.  This remained the case even after another night in the fridge.  Our cupcakes had three different cakes:  lemon, vanilla, and whiskey.  The lemon was fantastic:  not overly lemony, reminiscent of lemon meringue.

Standard 2: Fresh, Soft Frosting:  Because the frosting was only half of the topping, it was slightly different from your standard cupcake frosting.  The frosting was tasty and firm.  It served as the glue between the chocolate disc and the cake.  The interior cream was moist and complemented each cake completely.

Standard 3: Visually appealing:  Yes!  The cupcakes were beautiful inside and out. The cupcake was a medium size and perfectly round, adorned with a masculine top hat.

Butch Bakery has managed to find a niche that didn’t exist in Manhattan!  Despite being overwhelmed with orders, their customer relations remained positive and the flavor and freshness of the cupcake was not impacted.  Butch Bakery’s cupcakes are a creative gift that will be appreciated on birthdays and other special occasions.

Final Grade: A