Nutella truffles

I'm supposed to be studying for my Psychopathology midterm that is Wednesday, but I haven't started. You know how people procrastinate by cleaning their rooms, doing errands, and, like, hanging out with friends? Yeah I bake. I super bake. I bake until the cows come home. It's both therapeutic and kills time.

I mean, it's actually pretty good for everyone involved. My housemates get to eat truffles, I get to eat truffles, and everyone's stress levels go way down. Obviously a win-win. As for the exam itself, we'll see how that goes. I should start that now. Slash tomorrow...

For the truffles:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioner's sugar
1 3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup Nutella
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon instant espresso (or 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee) powder
a pinch of salt

For the coating:

1/3 cups walnuts, finely chopped
3/4 cups confectioner's sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder

Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between each time until the chocolate is smooth and melted (heating in intervals will ensure you don't burn the chocolate). Set aside.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the softened cream cheese and 1 cup of the confectioner's sugar. Next, beat in the vanilla and espresso powder. Add the melted chocolate and Nutella, beat until smooth. Last, add the remaining 2 cups of confectioner's sugar and beat on medium speed until everything is combined. Place plastic wrap on top of the mixture and put in to the refrigerator to set for about 2 hours.

Once the truffles have set, use a melon baller to scoop the mixture and shape into balls. Coat a third of the recipe in the chopped walnuts, a third in the confectioner's sugar, and a third in the cocoa powder. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Recipe adapted from Friend Tiffanie by me!

Tahini Toast!

Manager Heather's boyfriend Finn is obsessed with Sofra's tahini toast. So when they discontinued it two months ago he was devastated, to say the least. Then one day I received this Facebook message from Finn:

               "Tahini toast. I've been a bit crestfallen since Sofra discontinued
               this. If you ever happen across the recipe and decide that you'd
               like to go into business selling it -- the toast, I mean, not the 

               recipe -- then I will be your first through fifth customers.

               Think about it.

               -Finn"

How could I resist that? I had to make it. So I went to Thao the Baker and got the recipe (sidenote: Thao the Baker is awesome). Heather picked up some Tahin Helvasi, and I made a trip to Iggy's to get the best loaf of brioche I could find, and voila! Tahini toast! It's great because it appeals to the sweet-lover, the salty-snacker, and everyone in-between. It's carb-y and sugar-y and filled with protein (ok maybe not filled, but at least it's got something...) and and AND it's a straight-up Sofra recipe! Come on, now, how often do you get to make something from a Sofra recipe. Never, I bet. So here's to toast!

Makes 8 slices

For the tahini spread:

1/2 cup tahini halva (like this Tahin Helvasi)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter
2 eggs

For the bread:

1 pullman loaf of brioche bread

For the simple syrup:

2 cups sugar
2 cups water

For the topping:

3/4 cup sesame seeds
confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Cut the brioche into slices, about 1 1/2 inches thick. A standard-sized loaf will produce about 8 of these big slices. Set aside.

In a medium pot, combine water and sugar for your simple syrup. The syrup will be ready when the sugar crystals dissolve completely into the water. Allow to cool slightly.

In a food processor, combine the halva, sugar, flour, salt, butter, and eggs until combined. Set aside.

Using a cup measurer, pour 1/4 cup of simple syrup onto each slice of bread, coating the bread evenly. Next, spoon about 3 tablespoons of tahini spread onto each slice, again spreading evenly to coat. Last, sprinkle the entirety of the sesame seeds over each slice. Bake on a well-greased cookie sheet for 30 minutes on one side, then flip and bake for another ~30 minutes, as needed. The goal is to get both sides nicely toasty and golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire cooling rack, then sprinkle with the confectioner's sugar and serve!