Sugar Pies

Springerle Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 19:58:00 +0000

I'm still on the German kick with some delightful Springerle cookies. These anise flavored shortbread cookies are a German staple for holidays. They have a wonderful simplicity that actually takes a good bit of time to achieve.

The key to Springerle is the Springerle Rolling Pin or molds. The designs on the cookies are imprinted using these devices. For my cookies I used a fairly inexpensive rolling pin available at Amazon. Obviously, it's not the best out there but it gave me a good idea of what can be done with this traditional baking method. I'll be investing in some more intricate and pricey versions in the future!

The biggest difference between Springerle and regular shortbread is the drying process. The cookies must dry on the pans for 12-24 hours before being baked at a low temperature. This drying and low temp baking preserve the designs in the cookies. I used a pizza cutter to cut apart my cookies, but for a really nice edge you can choose to use a pastry wheel and get a beautiful scalloped edge.

Anise is the preferred traditional flavoring but you can substitute just about anything. I think vanilla or lemon would be wonderful too! Grab yourself a Springerle rolling pin or mold and give these guys a try!

Springerle Cookies

A traditional German cookie with beautiful designs and a light anise flavor.

Ingredients

4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 Tbs. butter, softened
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. anise extract (or 1/2 tsp. anise oil)
4 cups all purpose flour

Cooking Directions

Line cookie sheets (non insulated) or half sheet pans with parchment paper.
In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat eggs on high speed until they are light in color and form a ribbon that slowly disappears when the paddle is lifted. Add sugar, butter, and baking powder; beat at high speed for 15 minutes, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in anise oil or extract. Gradually beat in flour until well mixed.
Lightly flour your springerle rolling pin; set aside.
On a lightly floured board, knead the dough a few time. The dough will be sticky so knead in just enough flour to make it manageable. Using a standard rolling Pin, roll into a rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. Make sure you don't roll the dough too thinly because it will get another roll with the springerle pin.
Using your floured springerle rolling pin, roll slowly and firmly over the previously rolled dough to make a clear design.
Using a sharp knife, cut cookies apart and trim off outside edges. Place cookies on your prepared cookie sheets.
Roll out scraps of dough and repeat. Be sure to flour the rolling pin and board before each pressing.
Place cookies on prepared cookie sheets. Let cookies stand, uncovered, 12-24 hours to dry.
Preheat oven to 325°. Place oven rack in middle of oven.
Bake one sheet at a time only. Bake 10 minutes until slightly golden on bottoms, but white on top.
Remove from oven and transfer cookies to wire cooling rack to cool. Let cookies stand 8-12 hours to completely dry before storing.
Store cookies in airtight container with a piece of bread so that they don't become rock hard. In 4-8 days they will be perfect for eating as the flavor develops and permeates the cookies.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Butterkuchen (Butter Cake)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 20:26:00 +0000

Ich koche eine Butterkuchen in meiner Küche.

Yes, that's German. It means: I am cooking a butter cake in my kitchen. A few months ago Michael and I started using a little online app for learning German. That's his heritage (Koch means Cook) and he also loves singing German lieder. So, it was natural for him to learn. I decided to join in so we could share learning the language.

For Christmas I got him Rosetta Stone German and we've been having fun really working our way through. Since we've been doing so much German lately, I figured I would try some German sweets. So far, I've done two. The first is the Butter Cake which is traditionally served with morning coffee or afternoon tea. It's sweet, but not too sweet and uses yeast for its lift. When I do this again, I will probably depart from tradition and utilize a large springform pan to give it something to cling to when rising. The traditional method, given here, uses a simple jelly roll pan which doesn't provide anything for the dough to grab onto when rising.

Regardless, this is a delicious sweet!

Butterkuchen

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups Unbleached Flour, divided
1 package Rapid Rise Yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk, lukewarm
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 cup unsalted butter, divided and softened
1 large egg
2 tsp. cinnamon

Cooking Directions

Spray a jelly roll pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment, add 7 Tbs. butter and 3/4 cup sugar and beat until combined. Add egg, milk, yeast, salt and 4 cups flour. Switch to dough hook and beat on low speed until dough comes together and forms smooth ball. Add a bit more flour if necessary.
Allow dough to rest for 30 minutes covered, then form into a ball and transfer to a greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Lightly flour a board or countertop and roll the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. Transfer to the prepared jelly roll pan. Let dough rest for another 15 minutes.
In the meantime, combine 1/2 cup sugar. When dough has rested, dimple the dough with your hands or back of a wooden spoon. Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon sugar mixture.
Cut 9 tablespoons of butter into small pieces and spread across the dough and cinnamon sugar. Place pan in oven and bake for 25 minutes until the topping has caramelized. If necessary turn on the broiler for last 2 minutes and watch closely to caramelize the sugar topping.
Remove from oven and allow to cool. Cut the cake with a pizza cutter or large knife into squares.

Prep time: 75 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Total time: 100 minutes

Yield: 20 pieces

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 23:48:00 +0000

If you're a regular visitor you know that in addition to baking one of my passions in life is dog rescue. Recently, we decided to start our own rescue group dedicated to helping people keep their pets in their homes and when that is not possible finding homes for those animals without the need to go to an animal shelter first.

It's a noble goal and it turns out some other folks had been thinking along those lines. I had a chance to have over Marcie Velan from No Kill Pima County over for coffee to talk about their efforts to save the lives of dogs and cats and how our groups can work together toward that goal.

For our coffee klatch I decided to make us something decadent to enjoy while we talked about such serious issues: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake. Now, my previous cheesecake experiences have turned out less than stellar. They've all been good but the presentation was not always what I wanted - cracked tops, crusts that fell apart, etc.

This cheesecake turned out to be easy to make and nearly foolproof. I've also learned a few tricks since my last cheesecake adventure. First, I actually bake them a little lower than called for in the recipe. Second, I dispensed with the traditional "water bath" which always seemed to make matters worse instead of better. This time, my crust was perfect and the cheesecake beautiful!

If you're cheesecake shy, give this one a try! You'll be glad you did.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

A decadent chocolate and peanut butter cheesecake that is amazingly easy to make!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Chocolate graham crackers, finely crushed
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
2 8oz. packages Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup smooth Peanut Butter
3 eggs
2 Tbs. milk
1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. espresso powder

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 300°. In a medium bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar. Press into a 9-inch spring form pan and 1 inch up the sides and set aside.
In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, 1 package of the cream cheese until smooth. Add the peanut butter and beat until well combined. Fold in 1 lightly beaten egg. Set aside mixture.
In a small sauce pan, heat the chocolate chips over low heat until melted. Add the milk, vanilla and espresso powder and stir until smooth. Cut the remaining cream cheese into cube and stir into the chocolate mixture until smooth.
Pour half of the chocolate mixture over the prepared crust. Spoon the peanut butter mixture over the chocolate and very carefully spread to edges. Pour remaining chocolate over peanut butter.
Place spring form pan on a rimmed cookie sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes or just until set. The edges will look slightly risen and dry while the center remains darker and shakes just slightly when the pan is moved.
Remove from oven and cool in pan for 15 minutes. Using a small sharp knife, loosen the edges of the crust from the pan. Allow to cool another 15 minutes then remove the sides of the spring form pan. Allow cheesecake to cool completely then cover and chill at least 4 hours. Remove from refrigerator 15 minutes before serving.
Sprinkle with chopped peanuts or drizzle with peanut butter ice cream topping.

Prep time: 40 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Total time: 95 minutes

Yield: 16 pieces

Retro Cinnamon Sugar Coffee Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 05:55:00 +0000

A couple weeks ago I got a Keurig K65 Coffee Maker. Normally, I'm not a big coffee drinker, but in our last six months in South Carolina, Michael and I lived in a very quaint guest house/cabin owned by a friend. We got in the habit of having coffee each morning during that autumn and winter. We really enjoyed that time sitting and sipping coffee each day.

So, when I had a chance to get a new coffee maker, I decided to try out one of these newfangled "single cup" brewers. I have to say I'm hooked. We don't drink coffee by the pots, usually it's a cup and then if we have another it might be hours later. Traditional coffee brewers entail a lot of waste therefore and as you know, I'm loathe to waste food.

I can have a cup in the morning and Michael can have one before work. Then we can share another when he comes home for lunch. No wasted pots of coffee and no horrible pots where I put in too much or too little. Each cup is delicious.

Anyway, enough with the advertisement. Along with the coffee I wanted something sweet. I've been doing really great with my diet and actually am having to remind myself to eat something so I don't shave too many calories during the day. A little calorie splurge on a sweet treat would be good.

I love old cookbooks and old recipes. I began leafing through a vintage cookbook from 1959 entitled The General Foods Kitchens Cookbook. It's a hefty tome full of line drawings and the odd color page. There are lots of little gems in this book, one of which I stumbled upon. The actual title of the recipe is "Novelty Coffee Cake." I don't know exactly what is novel about it, but it is easy to make and mouth wateringly delicious with your morning coffee.

The flavor profile reminds me of that Fair Food favorite, Elephant Ears. Lots of cinnamon and sugar that melt together for a great topping and a vanilla base that is somewhere between a doughnut and a cake. In fact, the batter or dough reminds me of a very sticky bread dough. You don't pour this cake in the pan, you pat it into the pan.

If you need a quick morning treat, this is perfect. About half an hour from start to finish and served warm with a great cup of Joe and a little whipped cream, well let's just say, your day will start off right!

Retro Cinnamon Sugar Coffee Cake

A great morning treat with coffee from the 1950's and reminiscent of a great Fair Food favorite- Elephant Ears!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup butter
3 Tbs. sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbs. milk
2 Tbs. melted butter

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease and flour a 9-inch round layer cake pan and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Add egg and beat thoroughly.
Add the flour mixture alternately with the 1/2 cup of milk, beginning and ending with the flour.
Pour the batter into the prepared 9-inch cake pan and spread evenly to edges. Using a sharp knife form deep ridges in the batter.
Sprinkle with mixture of 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Bake for 20 minutes.
Pour the milk and melted butter over the top of the cake and bake for another 10-15 minutes longer until a cake tester comes out clean.
Cut into wedges and serve warm.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Total time: 35 minutes

Yield: 6 pieces

Coconut Nougat Bon-Bons

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 23:05:00 +0000

Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. In this case I managed to both win and lose. My intention was to make a Brazilian treat called Cocada. I found a lovely recipe online at Yummly.com. It looked incredibly simple so I set to work.

I gathered all my ingredients and pulled out my trusty medium saucepan. In went the butter, in went the condensed milk, in went the whole milk and coconut. I turned on my stove burner to medium, pulled out my favorite wooden spoon and started stirring. About 3 minutes later I realized I'd forgotten to dump in the sugar. Whoops! Oh well, we weren't that far along what could it hurt? I dumped in my sugar and went back to stirring.

The directions told me that in 5-10 minutes my mixture would thicken and begin to pull away from the sides and bottom of the pan. OK....

Stirring the pot for what seemed forever!

5 minutes. Nothing.

10 minutes. Nothing

15 minutes. Nothing

20 minutes. Nothing

25 minutes. Maybe something? Or am I just wishing and hoping?

30 minutes. OK, I'm pretty sure it's getting thicker.

35 minutes. Bubbly and decidedly thicker. It's beginning to pull away from the bottom like a thick gravy. Is this where I'm supposed to be?

At 35 minutes I'd had enough. Stirring constantly my arm was aching and I was tired of standing. I poured out my mixture on the prepared cookie sheet as directed. It was sort of thick. Maybe it will thicken up more as it sits. Right?

2 hours later. It's sort of like taffy. 24 hours later. Still like taffy. I pull a piece off. Tastes great, but still not a crunchy "coconut bark" in sight. Hmmm....

What to do? Much like my Mama I'm loathe to chunk perfectly good food in the trash. Suddenly, inspiration hit. Why not pull out some melting chocolate and some powdered coconut and make bon-bons (or truffles or whatever you want to call them)? Would it work, though?

A little sprinkle of coconut, a little jelly roll log.

I stuck the nougat/taffy/coconut stuff in the fridge for a couple hours all rolled up in a log. Then I got out a bowl and hit the microwave with my chocolate bits. A minute later I was ready to go. I used a cookie scoop to portion out the nougat then rolled each into a ball by hand. I then dipped them in the chocolate and set them on a cookie sheet lined with non-stick foil to set up. Before each dried I sprinkled them with the powdered coconut.

Know what? They were dang good! Even Michael who doesn't care for coconut said they were great. Take that See's Candies!

So, when life hands you lemons make lemonade and when life hands you nougat instead of Cocada make Bon-Bons!

Coconut Nougat Bon-Bons

Recipe by Buck Bannister adapted from Vanessa Figueiredo

Soft chewy coconut centers enrobed in a decadent blend of dark and milk chocolate.

Ingredients

14 oz. Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 tbs. + extra for work surface butter
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
5 oz. + extra for sprinkling Shredded Coconut
2 cups sugar, sifted
16 oz. dark chocolate melting wafers
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder or instant coffee crystals

Cooking Directions

Line an even surface with non-stick foil and butter. It may be a baking sheet or a kitchen counter.
Over medium heat, in a medium sized saucepan place the condensed milk, whole milk, butter and coconut. Stir constantly for 3-5 minutes. Add the sugar to the mixture. During this time, keep stirring the mixture.
After 20-35 minutes, the mixture should begin to thicken. When the mixture starts to release from the bottom and from the sides of the saucepan, turn off the heat and spread, evenly, onto the prepared baking sheet/kitchen counter and sprinkle with a little coconut.
Let it cool for 1-2 hours or more. Once it is cooled, it should have a taffy like consistency. (If it is hard, you have successfully made Cocada. Pat yourself on the back and break it into pieces and serve.) Otherwise, roll the nougat up into a roll like a jelly roll, cover with the foil and stick in the refrigerator overnight.
When the nougat has chilled 8-12 hours, take it out of the refrigerator and prepare for the dipping.
Line a baking sheet or flat surface with non-stick foil or wax paper and set aside.
In a small bowl (preferably with steep sides) melt the chocolate and milk chocolate in the microwave. Use 30 second increments and stir between each one until chocolate is smooth. Stir in the espresso powder or coffee crystals.
Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop up some of the nougat. Roll into a ball using your hands. (It will be sticky.) Dip the ball into the chocolate and cover completely. Place the covered piece on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with a little powdered coconut.
Allow all pieces to cool and then store in a cool, dry area for up to 2 weeks.
Note: To make the powdered coconut place shredded coconut in a blender or spice grinder until finely chopped. If you want a crisper coconut you can toast it before grinding.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Total time: 60 minutes

Yield: 30 pieces

Banana and Chocolate Snack Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 05:53:00 +0000

It probably seems like I have abandoned everyone. I assure you that is not the case! For the past few months I have been trying to lose weight and eat a little better. That's sometimes hard to do when I'm baking every day or at least a few times a week.

For that reason, I've cut back on my baking a good bit as I've shifted my "treats" to more fresh ingredients and fruits. The results have been good. I've dropped almost 30 pounds and am feeling better. So, I decided to feature a little recipe that uses one of my favorite fresh fruits, bananas.

While the posts here aren't as frequent, you can always find great recipes, contests and more on the Facebook Page. Be sure to check it out!

This snack cake is really quick and easy. You can have it put together, baked and ready to serve in about 30 minutes. The chocolate and banana together is a delicious combo and adding some hot fudge sauce or caramel to top it off makes this a really nice dessert to share with friends and family. Add a couple banana slices on top or a dollop of cinnamon flavored whipped cream on the side for an even more elegant dress up to this simple cake.

Banana and Chocolate Snack Cake

Quick and easy snack cake made with fresh bananas and chocolate.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 medium)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup small chocolate chips

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8x2-inch baking pan; set pan aside. In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt; set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, beating until combined. Beat in egg until well combined. Beat in banana and vanilla until combined. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. (Batter may appear slightly curdled.) Stir in chocolate pieces. Spread in prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 20 minutes. If desired, serve warm with fudge or caramel topping and banana slices. Makes 9 servings.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Yield: 9 pieces

Calories per serving: 232

Fat per serving: 8g

Pennsylvania Dutch Ginger Snaps

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 03 May 2013 20:52:00 +0000

When I was a kid my grandmother used to buy these wonderful gingersnaps at our local grocery store. I have no idea what the brand was but they came in brown bags. They were very crisp and thin with a really big ginger burn.

I've always loved those gingersnaps and wondered how they got that "burn" on the back of the tongue. I've tasted all kinds of ginger and none of it had quite that kick. So, how do you accomplish a real ginger burn in a cookie?

The answer comes in the form of a tip I read long ago by a cookie chef: Cayenne pepper. Add a little cayenne to the mix wakes up the ginger and provides that delectable little gingery burn in the cookies.

I've made this recipe two weeks in a row. On week one I went strictly by the original recipe which is Pennsylvania Dutch. The second week I added the cayenne. The difference is simply amazing. With the cayenne you get a big hit of ginger flavor without "tasting" the cayenne itself.

Pennsylvania Dutch Gingersnaps

A wonderful gingersnap with a bit ginger taste courtesy a secret ingredient!

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup sugar + extra for rolling
1 large egg, beaten
3 Tbsp. unsulphured molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg or cloves
1 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Cooking Directions

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and molasses and beat until combined and smooth. Sift together the spices, flour and baking soda and add to wet ingredients. Beat on low speed just until combined. Form into balls (about 1 tablespoon size) and roll in granulated sugar. Place on prepared baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes or just until edges begin to brown. Cool on wire racks.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 12 minutes

Total time: 17 minutes

Yield: 2 dozen

Lafayette Gingerbread

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 22:13:00 +0000

Here's a wonderful gingerbread recipe that claims descent from one used by George Washington's mother, Mary. The story goes that when the Marquis de Lafayette visited her after the American Revolution she served this wonderful spiked gingerbread to him, thus the name.

I'm not entirely sure how true that story is. The recipe does align with many traditional gingerbread recipes from the southeast including the use of alcohol and brown sugar. There's an old recipe from Charleston that is quite similar that uses whiskey in place of fortified wine as well as a bit more sugar.

Regardless, it's a delicious recipe. I found that it was one of those that works best having "rested" overnight (or ideally 24 hours). This gives the lovely flavors time to meld and develop fully. Right out of the oven the taste of the wine used in the recipe can be a little strong, however by the next day the flavors are perfect.

You'll find this a moist gingerbread that has a delicate crumb. Be sure that if you use raisins that you flour them first and stir them in by hand. Over mixing the batter will turn out a gingerbread that is tough and too chewy!

The Marquis de Lafayette

The recipe calls for Ruby Port, Madeira or Cream Sherry as the alcohol content. All would be great. I chose a bottle of Madeira I had in my wine rack but I also think using some Grand Marnier could be delightful with the fresh orange zest and juice. Also, I think if you do use the raisins, giving them a soak in your alcohol of choice would make this even better!

Speaking of orange juice. I did something a little different with this recipe. Michael recently had to have a new juicer and decided on the Nutri-Bullet from the TV shows. First of all, it works great and I love that it doesn't take up half my counter space like his old one. Since it was sitting next to the mixer I wondered how it would do "juicing" my orange instead of me standing there squeezing out orange juice. Long story short - worked great. I got a wonderful juice (albeit thicker than hand squeezing) that added an extra pop of flavor to the gingerbread that I don't believe I would have gotten otherwise. So, if you have one, consider peeling your orange and using it instead of doing the juicing by hand.

Lafayette Gingerbread

A delicious gingerbread made with fortified wine and fresh orange juice.
Adapted from: From a Southern Oven by Jean Anderson

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup seedless raisins (optional)
1 Tbs. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground mace
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. fresh grated orange zest
3 large eggs
1 cup unsulphered molasses
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup ruby Port, Madeira, or cream sherry
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbs. warm water

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 350° and spray a 9x9x2-inch baking pan with non-stick spray and set aside. If you are adding raisins, toss them with 1/4 cup of the flour in a small bowl and set aside.
Combine flour with spices and salt in a large bowl and whisk lightly to mix.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together butter, brown sugar and orange zest until light (about 3 minutes). Beat in eggs one at a time and continue beating 2 minutes until light. Add molasses and beat just until combined.
With mixer on low, add milk, then Port, and then orange juice alternately with flour mixture. Begin and end with flour mixture. Dissolve baking soda in warm water and mix into batter. If using raisins, fold into batter with a spatula along with all remaining flour. Be careful not to overmix the batter at this point!
Pour batter into prepared pan and use a spatula to spread it evenly. Bake on middle rack of oven about 35-40 minutes or until the gingerbread begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes

Charleston Receipt's Defense Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 00:26:00 +0000

What an odd name: Defense Cookies. I've often wondered how this name came about and have never come up with an answer. This old recipe from the first edition of Charleston Receipts is really just a type of Chocolate Chip Cookie, albeit a delicious one. Still, Defense Cookies, what does that mean?

Maybe they're a defense against hungry guests or family. They're certainly tasty and quick to make. From start to finish you can be done in less than 15 minutes. I really don't know and none of my usual sources for learning the meaning behind strangely named baked goods has panned out on this one.

Oh, well, Defense Cookies are wonderful and a great recipe to have in your repertoire for those times when you need some tasty treats on the fly (you know, the inevitable call the night before a bake sale). The original recipe calls for making small cookies using a teaspoon. As you know, I like to know I'm eating something so I used my handy dandy medium cookie scoop. This gave me about 24 cookies filled with chocolate chip deliciousness. I've also updated the procedure a little bit using the stand mixer to speed up the process. The original also calls for shortening - which I use. However, for those who freak out over that, sub in some butter but don't come crying to me if your cookies aren't as thick or chewy. Speaking of chewy, it's better to under-cook these a little bit. You want them a little underdone in the center for that chewy texture. If you insist on super crisp cookies then leave them in the oven about a minute longer.

Defense Cookies

An old Charleston Receipts recipe for a delicious chocolate chip cookie with a really odd name.

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup shortening, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 350° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix together the brown and white sugars.
Add the shortening and beat until well combined.
Add flour, soda and salt and beat until mixture resembles corn meal.
Add the vanilla and egg and beat until mixture forms a dough.
Add chocolate chips and stir on low speed until incorporated evenly in dough.
Using a medium cookie scoop, drop about 2-inches apart onto prepared baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges of cookies are set and centers are still light in color.
Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a baking rack to cool completely.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 12 minutes

Total time: 17 minutes

Yield: 2 dozen

1-2-3-4 Cake for Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:01:00 +0000

Imagine my consternation when I noticed people posting on Facebook about a cake called a "1-2-3 Cake" that utilizes a couple box mixes, some water, a coffee mug and a microwave. There's so much wrong with that combination it makes my head hurt!

But what really got me was when I mentioned the classic 1-2-3-4 Cake to these folks and they were completely puzzled. They thought this staple of the baker's kitchen was actually this microwave abomination! To quote one of my favorite comedians John Pinette: "I say, nay, nay!"

The 1-2-3-4 Cake (I have heard it called the 1-2-3 Cake by people just too busy to add that "4") should be one of the first two cakes every good home baker should learn. Alongside the Pound Cake the 1-2-3-4 is the basis for nearly every other American cake you will ever make in your kitchen. It helps you understand the basic proportions of all successful cakes and the recipe is so simple you'll never need to refer to it again once you do it. From there you can whip out a cake at the drop of a hat for any occasion. Nearly all Southern cooks learn this recipe as kids.

In this version we take our basic 1-2-3-4 cake and update it for Spring. This is the beauty of this simple dish - you can flavor it, frost it and fill it to fit any season or occasion. We're using a little lemon flavoring instead of the traditional vanilla and then we're filling our cake with some strawberry jam and then frosting with a quick and easy store bought frosting that I find delicious - Betty Crocker's Pink Lemonade. I'm opting to decorate this with some pastel sprinkles and some little pansies from my patio garden. BTW: Pansies are edible and have a mild wintergreen flavor (although honestly I can barely taste it). They're beautiful on cakes!

1-2-3-4 Cake

A basic cake that should be in every good cook's repertoire. All you need to remember is 1,2,3,4.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 tsp. lemon or vanilla extract
1 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup milk (or half and half)

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 3 9-inch cake pans and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the room temperature butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time beating after each addition. Add the extract and beat on low speed until combined.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, salt, and baking powder and stir with whisk to combine.
Add the flour mixture to the bowl of the mixer alternating with the milk. (Begin and end with the flour.) Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the bowl and finish combining batter.
Divide batter evenly between the three prepared pans and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes then remove from pans and allow to cool completely before assembling cake.

Gooey Peanut Butter Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 22:33:00 +0000

Yes, it's been a long time between posts. During the holidays I was quite busy taking care of some dogs and afterwards I simply couldn't get back into the swing of baking. Turns out there was a good reason. I had a very nasty infection that finally landed me in the hospital for a week. No wonder I was feeling so out of sorts and tired!

But, we're back with a great new recipe. This Gooey Peanut Butter Bar is based loosely on an old Amish treat called Revel Bars. The main difference is the use of peanut butter and toffee in place of chocolate and nuts. This little dish is very rich and will be sure to set tongues wagging when you serve it. As one of my taste testers said: "Oh my God!" With the addition of some milk chocolate drizzled over the top, you can't go wrong with this great bar cookie.

The original recipe calls for an unusual sized pan: 12x15 inches. I decided to use one of my older 10x12 pans or you could use a standard 9x13. The bars will be a bit thicker than what the original recipe turned out, but I like cutting them a little smaller and having more of the gooey peanut butter and toffee filling.

In other news, since my last post we have officially adopted Tuffy and he has joined Snow with their very own Facebook page where they promote rescue dogs and adoptions. Check it out!

Gooey Peanut Butter Bars

Rich and delicious, this peanut butter and toffee creation will have your family and friends coming back again and again for more!

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 Tbsp. butter (for filling)
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
2 cups peanut butter chips
1 1/3 cups toffee pieces (bits of brickle)

Cooking Directions

In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth. Add the brown sugar and blend thoroughly. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the oatmeal and stir again. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the tablespoon of butter, sweetened condensed milk, and peanut butter chips. Heat until the chips melt, stirring often. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 3 or 4 minutes then stir in 1 cup of the toffee bits.
Line a 9x13 or 10x12 inch pan with non-stick foil to make a sling. press 2/3 of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of the pan. Spread the peanut butter mixture over the top and smooth. Dot the mixture with the remaining oatmeal mixture and press lightly with your fingers. Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup of toffee bits over the top.
Place in oven and bake at 350° for about 25 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. The peanut butter filling will still be moist when removed from the oven. Allow to cool completely then cut into bars or squares.
Optional: Swirl melted milk chocolate over the top.

Top Pot's Glazed Doughnuts

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 07:47:00 +0000

Finding a decent doughnut recipe can be one of the most challenging adventures any home baker can undertake. You might be surprised at the number of doughnut recipes that have been tried in my kitchen that never made the cut for the blog. You'd probably be shocked at the number that never made it into the fryer at all but were dumped because of texture or rising problems. But, a little book has helped me find not only a great recipe for a basic glazed doughnut but dozens of inspiring ideas for other types from cake doughnuts to devil's food to old fashioned doughnuts.

Top Pot Hand-Forged Doughnuts: Secrets and Recipes for the Home Baker provides excellent recipes and wonderful tips for creating incredible doughnuts at home. From how to create a moist proofing box in your oven to the best techniques for transferring doughnuts into the oil, the book will help you achieve success with doughnuts in your own kitchen.

For my test I chose the simple glazed doughnut. My intention with this recipe was to see if it actually was easy to follow and turned out an edible product. It scored high on both accounts. I also wanted to get a baseline for a good basic doughnut recipe to compare against one sent to me by my friend Sue Summer back in Newberry, SC. Sue managed to unearth the original recipe for a long closed local doughnut shop in my hometown. With the help of some baking enthusiasts and a food scientist the recipe was pared down for home use. That recipe will be coming up in the next few weeks.

With our basic, successful doughnut recipe in hand, it will be possible to compare and contrast a "modern" artisan shop recipe with one some 50 years old. But right now, let's take a look at Top Pot Doughnuts' excellent glazed doughnut recipe.

Top Pot's Glazed Doughnuts

Recipe by Top Pot Doughnuts

A wonderful recipe for yeast raised doughnuts.

Ingredients

3 Tbsp. Active Dry Yeast
1 cup warm water (105° to 110°)
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground mace
2 tsp. salt
4 to 4 1/2 cups bread flour (plus extra for rolling and flouring)
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
3 large egg yolks
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 to 6 cups canola oil, for frying

Vanilla Glaze

3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tsp. light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. hot water

Cooking Directions

Whisk the yeast, water, and 1 Tbsp. of the sugar together in the work bowl of a stand mixer and let stand for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, mace, salt, and 4 cups of the bread flour. Set aside.
Add the shortening, egg yolks, and vanilla to the foaming yeast mixture. Mix with paddle attachment on low speed for 1 minute to break up the shortening. Add about a third of the dry ingredients and mix until blended on low speed. Repeat with the second third of the dry ingredients.
Switch to the dough hook and add the remaining dry ingredients, mixing on low speed until no white spots remain. Add more flour as necessary until the dough is dry enough to clear the bottom of the bowl. Increase speed to medium and knead for 2 more minutes. The dough should be smooth like bread dough but still slightly tacky to the touch.
Transfer the dough to a baking sheet sprinkled with 1 to 2 Tbsp. of flour. Shape into a flat disk about 6 inches in diameter. Dust lightly with flour, cover with a tea towel and set aside.
To create a proofing box in the oven: Bring a large kettle of water to a boil. Pour 8 cups of the boiling water into a 9x13 pan set on the floor of the oven. Place the baking sheet with the covered dough on the middle rack of the oven, close the door and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured surface and roll into a roughly 12 inch circle. Cut into 12 doughnuts, flouring the doughnut cutter before each cut. (Reroll the dough for additional doughnuts if desired.) Gently transfer the doughnuts and holes to two baking sheets sprinkled with 2 Tbsp. of flour each, arranging them at least 2 inches apart. Let rise in the oven (with new boiling water) uncovered, for 30 to 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
While the doughnuts are rising prepare the glaze: Place the confectioner's sugar, corn syrup, salt, vanilla, and hot water in a large mixing bowl or the work bowl of a standing mixer. Using a whisk or with the machine's whisk on low speed, blend until the mixture is smooth and sugar has been fully incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl. If the glaze seems too thick add more hot water a teaspoon at a time.
Using a candy thermometer to measure the temperature, heat oil (at least 2 inches deep) in a deep fryer or large pot over medium heat to 350°. When the doughnuts have doubled in size, carefully place a few in the oil taking care not to overcrowd them. Fry for about 30 seconds. Carefully turn the doughnuts using chopsticks or skewers and fry for another 20 seconds on the second side. Transfer to a cooling rack set over paper towels to cool rounded side up.
While the doughnuts are still very warm, dip the rounded side in the glaze. Let dry on cooling rack, glazed side up, for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Prep time: 1 hour

Cook time: 10 minutes

Total time: 70 minutes

Yield: 12 doughnuts

Puppy Buddies Buns

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:20:00 +0000

I love making treats for my dogs. With the seemingly endless recalls of treats due to contamination by everything from salmonella to melamine, it's nice to know what your best friend is consuming. These little "cinnamon buns" are easy and quick to make and our guys just love them.

Tuffy

Speaking of "our guys," we have become what is termed in the foster community a "foster failure." That's someone who is fostering a dog (or cat) and decides they just can't part with them. In our case it has been our latest foster, Tuffy. He's a Cocker Spaniel who was in peril at the local shelter due to his age and a few health problems. The rescue group we work with asked us to get him out and foster him. Long story short, he stole our hearts (and Snow's), so we've decided to adopt him permanently. He's a sweetheart and keeps us laughing because he enjoys playing "tough guy" (hence the name).

Recently, I've started dog sitting for some extra income and I think these may become a nice little perq for clients. Maybe a small bag for the owners to give to their dogs upon their return. Maybe even for the owners to share themselves. After all, these are made with things that people like to eat too. While they aren't as sweet as a "real" cinnamon bun they are pretty good in their own right.

Puppy Buddies Buns

A great cinnamon roll treat for your best buddy!

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1 large egg
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. molasses
1 -2 tsp. cinnamon

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or non-stick foil.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a 2-cup or larger measuring cup combine the oil, eggs and water and whisk together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until combined and a soft dough forms.
On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a 8x14-inch rectangle. Lightly brush the honey and molasses over the dough, leaving about a 1/2-inch border on the sides. Sprinkle the cinnamon evenly over the honey and molasses.
Working form the long side, roll up the dough tightly like a jelly roll and pinch the edges to seal. Cut the dough into half-inch slices and place cut side down on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the buns are browned and spring back when lightly touched. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on wire racks.
Treats should be stored in an airtight container.

Note: I prefer to use Ceylon Cinnamon (available at Penzeys) for this recipe. You want to avoid particularly strong or pungent cinnamon. Ceylon Cinnamon is milder and less pungent.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Total time: 20 minutes

Yield: 24 buns

Alexandra's Double Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 13:41:00 +0000

Sometimes more is better. That's especially true of brownies. If you've ever pondered whether you really want some nice chewy chocolate brownies or maybe some luscious vanilla flavored blondies, we have your solution - make both!

This recipe makes a double brownie. The bottom consists of a chewy chocolate layer topped with a wonderful vanilla and brown sugar blondie layer. If that isn't enough for you then top the whole thing off with a white chocolate icing. Yum!

I actually had trouble getting a photo for the blog post because Michael was gobbling them down so quickly. When he starts taking them to share with other people I know I'm onto something good!

In case you're wondering about the name. I decided to name my adaptation of this recipe in honor of my new Great-Niece, Alexandra Harmon. Her parents are my nephew Andy and his lovely wife Cameron. It just so happened that I got news of her much anticipated arrival as I was putting the finishing touches on these great brownies.

Alexandra's Double Brownies

The best of both worlds. A chewy chocolate brownie layer topped with a vanilla blondie layer!

Ingredients
Brownie Layer

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup dutch process cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbs. water
1 cup + 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Blondie Layer

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted (optional)

White Chocolate Icing

1 cup white chocolate chips
2 Tbs. vegetable shortening

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9x13 pan with nonstick foil.
For Brownie Layer: In large microwave safe bowl melt the butter on high for 30 seconds. Repeat if necessary until melted. With a handheld mixer, beat in the sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla and eggs. When fully mixed beat in the flour. Spread the batter on the bottom of the prepared pan.
For the Blondie Layer: Rinse out bowl and mixer beaters. Melt the butter on high for 30 seconds. Repeat if necessary until melted. With a handheld mixer beat in the brown sugar, vanilla and egg. When completely mixed add the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually beat in the flour and nuts (if using). Drop the blondie batter onto the brownie batter and carefully spread into one layer.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs adhering. Let cool in the pan. When cool remove from pan using edges of foil sling and ice.
For the White Chocolate Icing: In a pyrex mixing bowl melt the vegetable shortening and white chocolate chips in the microwave on high speed for 1 minute. Stir and repeat until the mixture is smooth. Pour over cooled brownies and spread evenly with icing spatula or knife. Allow to set up before serving.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Spicy Chocolate Ginger Guys and Book Review

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 14:00:00 +0000

What would you do if you could have a new cookie recipe every day of the year? Would you bake a batch each day? Would you wait for a special holiday?

With The Daily Cookie: 365 Tempting Treats for the Sweetest Year of Your Life by Anna Ginsberg (Andrews McNeel Publishing), you could do both. Of course, the holiday option might be a challenge since Ginsberg's book includes holidays, remembrances, and special events for every day of the year! These holiday range from quirky to classic: Day of the Ninja (Chocolate "Ninjabread" Cookies), Squirrel Appreciation Day (Caramel Nut Bars), Christmas (Almond Ginger Toasts), and Valentine's Day (Mocha Chocolate Brownies). Each recipe includes a full color photograph as well as anecdotes, fun facts, tips, and tricks for creating incredible treats.

Anna Ginsberg is a self-taught cook and grand-prize winner of the 41st Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest as well as numerous other local and national contests. She has appeared on the Today show and has cooked onstage with Oprah Winfrey.

The book also doesn't just rehash the same old cookie recipes we've all made a million times. While you will find some old standbys like Oatmeal Cookies, you'll also find they have taken on a whole new life in this book. Other treats are simply one of a kind. As I flipped through the book my eye fell on Halloween (of course) and delectable brownies made with a splash of Absinthe! Yes, Absinthe in brownies. How unique is that? Maybe you're an Elvis fan and would like to try the Peanut Browned Butter Banana Bacon Cookies on the King's birthday (January 8th). No matter what you're craving there's a holiday and a cookie in this book for you!

Unlike so many cookbooks these days, the book is printed in a style that makes it easy to read while in the kitchen. The typeface is sufficient that you won't be squinting to figure out if it's supposed to 1/4 or 1/2 a teaspoon of something.

Of course, I had to try a sample recipe to test just how well crafted these recipes were. I chose the Spicy Chocolate Ginger Guys which are presented for Guy Fawke's Day on November 5th. Fans of "V for Vendetta" might have some inkling of that name, but probably have misconstrued the history. Guy Fawke's Day commemorates the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 when Guy Fawkes and his Catholic co-conspirators tried to blow up Parliament in London. Their goal was to place a Catholic monarch on the British throne and turn the country from Protestantism to Catholicism. The plot failed. Since then, each November 5th Guy Fawkes' Day is celebrated with bonfires and effigies of Guy Fawkes (the "Guys").

The "Guy" ready to be burned in
effigy at a Guy Fawkes' Day
in Great Britain.

Many years ago when I did Revolutionary War living history Guy Fawkes' Day always fell around the time of our largest gathering at Historic Camden, SC. It was the largest event of the year, bringing in people from around the United States and marked the end of the Fall season. As a British soldier (and later a Loyalist Civilian) I always gravitated toward the British camp where Guy Fawkes' festivities were on display. During the day the kids in camp would make their effigies called "Guys" and sit them in chairs in front of their tents. Then when visitors would pass they would ask for a "Penny for the Guy" - an old tradition in England. All during the day you would hear the 400 year old rhyme repeated: "Remember, remember the fifth of November. Gunpowder, treason and plot. We see no reason that gunpowder treason should e'er be forgot!" That night large bonfires would be lit and the kids would present the "Guys" to be burned in effigy. Muskets would be fired into the air and fireworks set off. Following that would be a big dance. So, I couldn't resist making some of these wonderful gingerbread cookies for Guy Fawkes' Day. (By the way, to take a look at a celebration here in America check out these folks in Rhode Island who hold a Guy Fawkes' Bonfire Night each November.)

You'll be amazed at the addictive flavor of these cookies. I was intrigued by the combination of cocoa and spices normally found in "hot" gingerbread. Of course, here in the southwest, chocolate and spices go hand in hand. Cocoa can be found in many spice combinations used in savory cooking here. I adored the cocoa flavor with the heat of the ginger and the complexity of several traditional spices.

I found when making these that my dough was a bit loose at first. I remedied this by placing it in the refrigerator for about an hour and then heavily flouring my work surface and hands. I gave the dough a few quick kneads and then rolled it out. The cookies turned out beautifully and were thick and chewy with a flavor that is unique and oh, so interesting. This is one cookie you'll want in your repertoire to impress folks who will be expecting plain old gingerbread around holiday time!

Give these a try and be sure to pick up a copy of Anna Ginsberg's The Daily Cookie: 365 Tempting Treats for the Sweetest Year of Your Life and get set for a year's worth of trivia and baking!

Spicy Chocolate Ginger Guys

Recipe by Anna Ginsberg

Spicy chocolate makes this gingerbread unique!

Ingredients

1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 cup hot coffee
8 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg
1 cup mild molasses
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Cooking Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and place a rack in the center. Line two baking sheets with nonstick foil or parchment paper and set aside.
Dissolve the baking soda in the coffee and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy. Beat in the salt, egg, molasses and vanilla. Add the cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg and stir until mixed. Using the lowest speed of the mixer, stir in the flour alternately with the coffee mixture.
Roll out the dough about 3/8 inch thick on a floured surface. Cut out gingerbread men and arrange them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the guys appear set. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Total time: 15 minutes

Yield: 2 1/2 dozen

An advance copy of the book was received from the publisher for review.

Olive Oil and so much more!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:56:00 +0000

Olive oil has increasingly become a necessity in every kitchen. While traditional southern kitchens used to turn to vegetable oil (if somewhat healthy) or artery clogging lard, now we find olive oils being used more and more. Certainly, here at Sugar Pies we love using olive oil for sautes as well as in some baked goods (our Italian Olive Oil Cake). But olive oil can be wonderful as a stand alone product. Used for dipping or as a flavorful enhancement to many dishes.

O&CO. has been cultivating tradition, expertise, and high standards for over 15 years, in order to offer customers the best selections of olive oils and delicacies from across the Mediterranean.

With a respect for tradition, O&CO. cherishes originality where tastes and smells converge to delight the senses. Emerging from the high Alpes-de-Haute, in the village of Mane, France, O&CO. became the brainchild of two men united around a common passion, the olive tree.

More than ten years since its creation, O&CO. has forged a new image of the olive tree, rooted in tradition but firmly anchored in the modern world. While olive oils serve as the foundation, O&CO. also offers an exclusive collection of vinegars, tapenades, spreads, crackers, and sweets as well as an organic skincare range that showcase the flavors and the spirit of the Mediterranean.

Wait, did I say sweets? Yes, O&CO. creates some wonderful sweet additions for your kitchen. I'm particularly entranced by the Lavender Honey which is harvested in August and contains the enticing flavors and aromas of Provence lavender fields.

If that doesn't get your taste buds excited how about the Clementine and Cinnamon Spread which brings together the marvelous taste of the clementine, "Queen of Winter Fruit" with warm cinnamon for a spread that hints of gingerbread? Simply unbelievable!

How about an Pistachio and Almond Torrone? Produced in the Piedmont region of Italy, O&CO's Torrone, otherwise known as nougat, is an artisanal confection made with pistachios from Bronte, honey, and well-whipped egg whites.

O&CO. is a destination for your own cooking experience as well as for gifts. Founded in 1996, O&CO's mission is to provide customer with the finest olive oils and Mediterranean food products in stores and online.

You simply must visit this wonderful destination and check out the range of wonderful flavors available from the Mediterranean region!

This sponsorship is brought to you by O&CO. whom we have partnered with for this promotion.

Butter and Brown Butter Bars Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 06:40:00 +0000

Let's stop for a moment and consider one of the basic ingredients of almost all baking - butter. Now butter gets a bad rap from some people (we won't mention names) if it's not slathered on in some fancy French or Italian dish. If it's in a good old American, particularly Southern recipe, well that's a bad thing.

Prejudices aside, butter is integral to baking. It's needed to coat flour to create a beautiful crumb in baked goods. It lends its flavor to delightful treats like shortbread and butter cookies. It even works as an emulsifying agent at times.

Of course, you can find all sorts of butters in the supermarket these days. There are the old standbys of salted and unsalted. Almost all bakers utilize unsalted butter because it allows us to control just how much salt goes into a recipe. But even in those two you'll find dozens of brands on the shelf. It's generally a good idea to pick the best butter you can find that fits your budget and your recipe. Sometimes, if I'm doing a recipe where butter is just a workhorse, say coating the flour and not contributing a whole lot to the taste profile, I'll choose the generic store butter. This is particularly true in recipes where there is the need for a lot of butter but not a lot of butter taste. However, if I'm working on a recipe where butter is going to play a starring role in the flavor profile, I'll opt for the best butter my budget allows. Amazingly, about the best supermarket brand (and this even backed up by Cook's Illustrated) is Challenge butter. Normally, it's only 25 cents or so more than the store brand, so certainly worth the slight upgrade in price. Now you can go all out and use imported butters from Ireland, Denmark and any other number of countries. Normally, I would reserve those for use in butter spreads where I want a spectacular butter flavor combined with herbs or something else.

Brown Butter Bars served with a
dollop of Cream Cheese Frosting
and Halloween sprinkles.

If you're very lucky you may find a store or farmer's market that carries fresh locally churned butter. If you have access to that grab it up! Many years ago when I did living history at a national park we often were blessed with fresh butter and buttermilk thanks to 18th century life demonstrations. One of our volunteers would bring in fresh milk and spend the day churning it into butter. To be perfectly honest, a lot of visitors and tourists spent the day churning it into butter. It's amazing what people find fun when they don't have to do it all the time. By the end of the day we would have wonderfully fresh butter and buttermilk to use in recipes. The taste is simply unmatched. So, if you can get fresh butter, get it and thank your lucky stars!

Regardless of what butter you choose, it is essential to baking. But there is one trick you can do that will take an ordinary recipe using ordinary supermarket butter and kick it to the next level. Anytime you run across a recipe where melted butter is called for, take a few extra minutes and make a brown butter. It's incredibly easy to do. Just pull out your light colored skillet, add the butter in small chunks, and melt it on medium high temperature. Swirl the pan from time to time and you'll see the butter foam and small brown bits begin to form. That's the butter fat. Watch closely and you'll notice the butter turn a delightful golden brown color and give off the most incredible buttery and nutty scent. Your butter is ready. Take it off the burner and use in your recipe as directed.

Brown butter imparts an incredible complexity to the flavor profile of a dish. It is both buttery but with a nuttiness that is hard to describe. If you ever have the chance to make two identical dishes - one with melted butter and one with brown butter you'll notice the difference immediately. It's much like adding a bit of coffee or espresso to chocolate - you won't miss it if you've never had it, but you'll notice the startling taste difference if you do it.

That's what sets these bar cookies apart. This recipe is based on a traditional Shaker recipe and is very, very simple - as are most of their crafts. It's simply butter, brown sugar, flour, eggs, leavening and vanilla. So, butter is carrying a big load for the flavor of this. Browning the butter instead of just melting makes this bar cookie incredibly decadent and delicious. The richness of good brown sugar and brown butter together can't be matched. It's like a perfect marriage of flavors that sends shivers down your spine. By the way, when you're looking for brown sugar for something like this go with a dark brown sugar which has a richer and more molasses like taste. Also, try to find sugar that is not made from sugar beets but rather real cane. There is a subtle difference in flavor and brown sugar and butter are what makes this dish.

So, brown your butter, choose a good sugar and enjoy these rich and delicious Brown Butter Bars!

Brown Butter Bars

Brown butter kicks this traditional Shaker recipe up a notch into a decadent and mouth watering treat!

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, browned
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 350° and create a foil sling for a 9x13-inch pan. Butter the pan or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a small light bottomed skillet melt the butter over medium high heat. Swirl the pan gently from time to time as the butter fat separates and forms a foamy surface. You will see the fat begin to form brown particle on the bottom of the pan. Continue swirling until the butter turns a golden brown and gives off a nutty scent. Remove from the heat immediately and set aside to cool slightly.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together the brown butter and brown sugar until well mixed. Add the baking powder, salt, and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the flour and mix well. The batter will be quite stiff at this point. Add the eggs and mix until incorporated. Give the batter one least stir with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Using a spatula, smooth out the batter into the corners of the pan and evenly across the bottom.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or just until the edges are brown and pulling away from the sides of the pan. Be sure not to over bake this. It's better a little underdone than overdone!
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in pan on wire rack. When cool, remove from the pan using the foil sling and slice.
This can be stored up to 3 days in an airtight container.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Total time: 40 minutes

Tupelo Honey Cafe Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 07:10:00 +0000

Van Morrison once sang: "She's as sweet as Tupelo honey. She's an angel of the first degree. She's as sweet as Tupelo honey. Just like honey from the bee."

Well, there's a restaurant I hear that's just about that sweet in Asheville, NC (one of my favorite places) called the Tupelo Honey Cafe. They have a great menu designed by Chef Brian Sonoskus a 2001 graduate of Johnson and Wales. He has created an incredible Southern Fusion menu that has my mouth watering. How could you pass up a dessert like Brown Butter Pecan Pie with Vanilla Bean and Caramel Sauce. Honestly, that just sounds sinful and beyond delicious. Chef Brian also has come up with some delectable sides and main dishes that meld the best in Southern food with international cuisine. How about some Appalachian Egg Rolls featuring pulled pork tossed in smoked jalapeno barbeque sauce rolled with braised greens, pickled onions and shredded carrots served with Dijon and smoked jalapeno barbeque dipping sauces and a garnish of seasonal greens? Doesn't that sound incredible?

Maybe this is more your style: Root Beer Molasses Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Green Apple Salsa. A succulent pork tenderloin takes on the wonderful hints of sassafras and sorghum with its marinade. It’s served with green apple salsa, smoked jalapeno barbecue sauce, smashed sweet potatoes and garnished with asparagus spears. Wow!

But here's the fun part. You have an opportunity to impress Chef Brian with your own creativity. Tupelo Honey Cafe is sponsoring a contest this holiday season where you can submit your own recipe(s) to see if they can make Chef Brian's mouth water! They have three categories: sides, desserts, and leftovers. To enter the contest just go to the Tupelo Honey Cafe Holiday Recipe Contest on their site and follow the directions.

Now here's the fine print, courtesy the good folks at Tupelo Honey Cafe:

The ‘Tupelo Honey Cafe - Holiday Recipe Contest!’

At Tupelo Honey Cafe, we’re dedicated to marrying Southern tradition & ingenuity with vibrant, refashioned flavors. We currently serve two locations in Asheville, NC. A third Tupelo Honey Cafe opens this month in Knoxville, TN, and an additional location is slated to open in fall of 2013 in Johnson City, TN!

With the holiday season fast approaching, we’d love to see what fantastic festive fare you can come up with!

The Contest:

Do your tasty recipes have what it takes to impress Tupelo top-chef Brian Sonoskus? This holiday season we're accepting creative and flavorful holiday-inspired recipes in three categories:

Sides
Desserts
Leftovers!

The Holiday Recipe Contest runs from October 1st through November 16th, and all entries will be judged by Chef Brian Sonoskus and his hungry team of taste-testers! The three winners will be announced on December 3rd, each receiving a $200 gift card to be used at the Tupelo Honey Cafe Online Store, or at one of our restaurants.

Each week during the contest a drawing will also be held where one lucky participant will win a copy of our cookbook: Tupelo Honey Cafe: Spirited Recipes from Asheville's New South Kitchen.

We can’t wait to see what delicious holiday helpings you’ve shared with us!

To keep up with additional news and offers please follow Tupelo Honey Cafe on Facebook.

Autumn Spice Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 23:51:00 +0000

You'll really love this spice cookie with its one spice that tastes
like a whole palette of spices! It's perfect for getting ready for
those cool Autumn nights. With a cup of spiced Chai tea
you'll be in spice islands heaven!

Well, here it is the beginning of October and we've had a heat break for about a week in the desert! It's only been in the 90's. Unfortunately, our weather report indicates some triple digit heat returning this week. Sigh.

To make it worse, my nephew posted on Facebook that he, his wife and my sister were on their way to the mountains of North Carolina to pick apples and get pumpkins. He even posted a picture and it looked so wonderfully cool up there. Oh well, we'll suffer through here. Honestly, though I still can't get used to 80 or 85 degrees on Halloween.

Regardless, I persevere with the Autumnal spirit by baking some delicious Autumn Spice Cookies. These guys are loosely adapted from an old Amish recipe. The best way to describe them is somewhat like a faux gingersnap but softer and chewier. Amazingly, they don't contain ginger. Instead I use an old standby spice - Allspice. If you aren't familiar with this handy little spice you should be. It's one of those spices that became a big part of the English spice palette in the 17th century.

While Allspice makes its appearance in other cuisine in savory dishes, in America and particularly the south, it is primarily used in desserts. That's mainly because the flavor closely resembles a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. But as the French say, there's a little je ne sais quoi to this spice. There's the faintest hint of pepper flavor. When used in this cookie that's what sets it apart from a run of the mill spice cookie. It's that little hit of heat you get as you chew. Of course, there's no mystery to that heat since it is known in other areas as Jamaican Pepper or Myrtle Pepper and in raw form resembles peppercorns.

You'll really love this spice cookie with its one spice that tastes like a whole palette of spices! It's perfect for getting ready for those cool Autumn nights. With a cup of spiced Chai tea you'll be in spice islands heaven!

Autumn Spice Cookies

Recipe by Buck Bannister

A spice cookie with its one spice that tastes like a whole palette of spices! It's perfect for getting ready for those cool Autumn nights. With a cup of spiced Chai tea you'll be in spice islands heaven!

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Total time: 20 minutes

Yield: 24 cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1/4 cup honey
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 3/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. maple extract
3-4 tbs. granulated sugar for rolling

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the egg, honey and maple extract and beat on medium speed until combined.
In separate bowl whisk together the flour, soda, salt, and allspice.
With mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture beating after each addition.
Finish combining ingredients with a wooden spoon and shape cookies into balls using a 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons cookie scoop. Roll the balls in the granulated sugar and place on baking sheets. (Note: cookies spread so on a standard half sheet pan do 3 rows of 3 to avoid the cookies touching when baking.)
Bake until cookies are browned on edges and tops are crackled - about 10-12 minutes. It's better to under bake these than over bake!
Allow cookies to cool on pan for about 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Maple Creme Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 07:52:00 +0000

Beautiful red and orange frosting highlight this delicious
cookie that hides maple creme inside!

It's September here in the desert and the temperatures have managed to dip into the low to mid 90's! Yes, this is what Autumn feels like in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona.

Of course, I'm still in tune with the seasons of the Southeast. With September and October comes a longing for brightly colored trees and cool days and cooler nights. When I was young my grandmother had a beautiful maple tree in her front yard. Each October I would eagerly await its transformation from green to flaming red and orange. I thought it was the most beautiful tree in the world. To this day the maple tree remains the ultimate symbol of Fall for me.

As with most families in our area, Fall also meant a pilgrimage to "the mountains." Like "the beach" that was shorthand for one destination - Western North Carolina. The trip would always involve mountain apples and one of my favorite things - maple sugar candy. That sickeningly sweet concoction remains a favorite treat. Each year, now that I'm far from those old mountains, I eagerly await the arrival of those little boxes of maple goodness at World Market.

Another Fall treat has been the maple sandwich cookie. These are usually available at grocery stores late in the season, but they're a joy to make at home. In fact, you can go the long route with real maple syrup which is super yummy or you can take a shortcut with maple flavoring.

I had intended to go the long route on my latest batch but her in the west maple syrup prices at about $7-$10 a bottle. That's a little steep for a cookie filling (figuring you'd need about two or more bottles to cook down into the maple creme.) So, I opted for the shortcut method which is faster and cheaper. It's really easy:

Shortcut Maple Creme

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbs. maple flavoring
1-2 tbs. milk

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir together until you get a nice smooth filling that can be easily spread on cookies.

It's that simple. The maple creme is a bit more involved and the recipe is included below. I also decided to frost my cookies with red and orange frosting which gives them a beautiful autumnal feel. These are super delicious and addictive.

I found with my cookie cutter that I needed to flip over half the cookies to make the tops and bottoms match. If you have a more symmetrical cutter you won't need to puzzle out those tops and bottoms! If you have an asymmetrical cutter just remember that even if you forget you can still make the cookies, the bottoms will just look like regular cookie bottoms though. (Does that even make sense?)

Eagle eyed readers will notice the cookie recipe closely resembles that for the Cinnamon Marble Cookies. Indeed, it is adapted from that recipe as the base cookie makes a terrific sandwich cookie for all types of fillings - just adjust your spices to compliment your filling!

Maple Creme Cookies

Maple leaf shaped cookies with delicious maple creme filling!

Prep time: 35 minutes

Cook time: 3 minutes

Total time: 60 minutes

Yield: 20-24 cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 Recipe Maple Creme
1 Recipe Red Frosting
1 Recipe Orange Frosting

Cooking Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add powdered sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl as necessary. Beat in egg and vanilla just until combined. Beat in flour in 1/4 cup increments just until combined. Cover and chill dough in refrigerator for at least one hour or until easy to handle.
Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a Maple Leaf shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Place cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or just until bottoms begin to brown. Cool cookies on wire rack.
Frost half of the cookies with Red and Orange Frosting. Using the red frosting coat the cookie top entirely with a paint brush. With a second paintbrush, brush the orange frosting over the red, swirling the colors together. Allow the frosting to set completely.
Once the frosting has set, take the unfrosted cookies and spoon a little of the maple creme and spread with a small icing spatula. Top the cookie with one of the frosted cookies, pressing down lightly to spread the maple creme completely.

Real Maple Creme

Ingredients

3 cups Grade A or B Maple Syrup
2 Tbs. butter
1/4 tsp. Salt (optional)

Cooking Directions

Fill a large bowl about 1/4 full with ice. Place a medium saucepan on the ice and fill in around the edges with more ice until it reaches at least the halfway point of the saucepan. Set aside.
In a heavy saucepan combine all ingredients and cook over medium to medium-high heat without stirring until temperature registers 235° on a candy thermometer.
Remove from heat and transfer to waiting saucepan in ice. When temperature reaches 125°, transfer to bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment and beat at medium to high speed until mixture becomes creamy and thick. Transfer to a clean covered jar if not using immediately and store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Orange or Red Frosting

Ingredients

1 cup Powdered sugar
1-2 Tbs. Milk
1/4 tsp. Vanilla
Red or Orange Food Coloring

Cooking Directions

Mix first three ingredients together in a small bowl until the mixture resembles a thick paint. Add the desired food coloring and mix well until the color is uniform and the shade you wish.Repeat with second color in a separate bowl.
Paint the frosting on cookies using a paintbrush or small pastry brush.

Cinnamon Marble Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 13:30:00 +0000

It's great when you create something that not only tastes great, but is pretty to look at too. These cookies fit the bill. The cookie itself is a wonderful buttery cinnamon spiced cookie that is delicate and delicious. The topping is a combination of white chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate that swirls and dances into lovely marbleized designs.

This cookie lends itself nicely to a central role as a dessert. If you used a larger cookie cutter it would make a lovely addition to a more formal dinner setting. Wouldn't that be interesting - a beautiful cookie for dessert!

While chocolate makes a nice combination in this cookie you could also use many of the other baking chips that can be found in the baking aisle at the grocery store. I swear, they seem to grow exponentially year after year. I've seen cinnamon chips (perfect for this), caramel chips, cappuccino, maple, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, mint, and butterscotch! Basically, any chip that will melt nicely will work to flavor your swirling bits of decadent goodness.

Note: This recipe makes a lot of the semi-sweet chocolate portion. I found I didn't need nearly that much - in fact I used less than a quarter of it. So, I would cut that by at least half if you want to save on ingredients. Otherwise, bake up something else that needs a nice glaze (cupcakes, maybe?) and have at it with the semi-sweet chocolate.

Cinnamon Marble Cookies

Buttery cinnamon cookies with an elegant chocolate marble glaze.

Prep time: 35 minutes

Cook time: 3 minutes

Total time: 38 minutes

Yield: 14 cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup white chocolate pieces
4 tsp. shortening, divided
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces

Cooking Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add powdered sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl as necessary. Beat in egg and vanilla just until combined. Beat in flour in 1/4 cup increments just until combined. Cover and chill dough in refrigerator for at least one hour or until easy to handle.
Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 3 1/2-inch fluted round cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Place cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or just until bottoms begin to brown. Cool cookies on wire rack.
For the glazes: In a small saucepan, melt together the white chocolate and 2 tsp. of the shortening, stirring frequently until melted and smooth. In a second small saucepan melt together the semi-sweet chocolate pieces and 2 tsp. of shortening, stirring frequently until melted.
Transfer the chocolate mixture to a heavy zip-lock bag.
To glaze the cookies, spoon the white chocolate over the cookies, spreading it to almost the edges.
Snip off a tiny bit of the corner of the zip-lock bag and drizzle two or three lines of the semi-sweet chocolate over the cookies. Swirl a toothpick or skewer through the glaze to create a marble effect.
Let cookies stand until glazes are set.

Caramel Swirl Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Moist and Luscious chocolate brownie topped with swirls
of decadent caramel!

I absolutely love the Milky Way Simply Caramel candy bars. There's just something about caramel and chocolate that makes me crave more. So, imagine my delight when I got a new cookbook for the holidays and found a recipe for Caramel Swirl Brownies. My copy of Better Homes and Gardens Very Merry Cookies is turning out to be a great read. Yes, I read cookbooks.

I used to think Mama was nuts because she would sit down in the evening with a cup of coffee and read through a cookbook like other people might a novel. Now that I'm enjoying my time in the kitchen I find myself doing the same thing. A new cookbook arrives and I just have to sit down and go over it cover to cover.

This new cookbook is a real treat because not only does it give you some wonderful holiday recipes but also gives you some great ideas about how to gift your creations. From decorative boxes made from old aluminum foil boxes that are perfect for little round cookies to tips and tricks for packing cookies for shipping, the book is a treasure trove of information for your holiday baking needs. I heartily recommend it.

But, back to our brownies. These little things are lush. They're wonderfully moist and chewy with a big chocolate flavor enhanced by the caramel swirls. They're also really attractive with their marbled pattern. I actually found these were better on the second day when the flavors melded. Right out of the oven the chocolate is very vibrant and you miss the nice caramel notes. After sitting overnight, the flavors were much more balanced and spectacular!

You'll want to keep these in an airtight container in the fridge and eat within 3 days. You can also store these in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just thaw before eating (or gifting).

This recipe calls for eggs meeting hot chocolate and caramel so remember to temper those eggs!

So, settle back and enjoy some lovely caramel and chocolate in this lush decadent brownie!

Caramel Swirl Brownies

Luscious chocolate and caramel in a rich moist brownie.

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Total time: 50 minutes

Yield: 12 to 16 brownies

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, cut up in pieces
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups + 1 tbs. sugar
3 eggs + 1 yolk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 ounces cream cheese
12 vanilla caramels (unwrapped)
1 tbs. milk

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 350° and line an 8x8x2-inch baking pan (or 9x9x2-inch) with aluminum foil, allowing the edges of the foil to overhang by 1 to 2 inches. Grease the pan and foil.
In a medium saucepan cook and stir the butter and chocolate over medium-low heat until chocolate melts. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour just until combined. Spoon batter into prepared baking pan spreading evenly.
In a small saucepan combine the caramels, cream cheese, 1 tbs. sugar and milk. Cook and stir over medium-low heat just until melted and smooth (be patient and resist the urge to crank up the heat!) Remove from heat. In a small bowl beat 1 egg yolk and gradually stir into mixture.
Drop the caramel mixture by spoonfuls over brownie mixture in pan. Using the edge of a small thin spatula or butter knife, swirl the caramel with the chocolate batter.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until top springs back when touched and edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. It's best to under bake a bit than to over bake! Cool the brownies in the pan on a wire rack. When cool, use the foil to lift the brownies out of the pan. Place on a cutting board; cut brownies into squares or rectangles.

Banana Nut Shortbread

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 07:11:00 +0000

Who doesn't love the taste of Banana Bread? Well, this delightful recipe gives you all that banana and walnut goodness in a buttery shortbread!

These cookies with their rich maple flavored icing are the perfect bite-sized treats. With the holidays approaching (yup, it's September already!) these are great cookies to file away for your holiday baking. They'd work great on a cookie tray or in a cute little box.

I loved the flavor in these with the classic taste of banana, brown sugar, and cinnamon topped off with a maple glaze. I sliced them in little rectangles but you could even use small decorative cookie cutters if you chose. Regardless, they'll be a hit!

Banana Nut Shortbread

The great taste of Banana Bread in a buttery shortbread cookie!

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup mashed rip banana (about 1/2 of a medium banana)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2/3 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts

Maple Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 to 2 tbs. milk
1/4 tsp. maple flavoring

Cooking Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat together the butter, banana and vanilla until smooth. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours in the refrigerator or until firm.
Preheat oven to 300°. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter mixture until the mixture resembles fine crumbs and begins to come together in clumps. Stir in chopped nuts. Knead dough with hands until smooth. Form into a ball and divide dough in half.
On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough half into an 8x6-inch rectangle. Cut each rectangle into 16 pieces (about 2x1 1/2 inch each). Place rectangles one inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake about 30 minutes or just until bottoms begin to brown. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool and drizzle with maple glaze. Let stand until icing is set.
Maple Glaze
In a medium bowl combine powdered sugar, 1 to 2 tbs. of milk and 1/4 tsp. of maple flavoring. Whisk together to make a smooth glaze of drizzling consistency.

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes per batch

Total time: 2 hours

Yield: 32 cookies

Gooey Lemon Butter Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:18:00 +0000

Somewhere between Lemon Bars and a Chess Pie, the
Gooey Lemon Butter Cake (based on a Paula Deen
recipe) is sure to thrill!

For many years Mama worked at Garner's Shoes in downtown Newberry, SC. Her co-worker there for all that time was a wonderful lady by the name of Mrs. Margaret Shealy. By the way, for my non-Southern readers that is pronounced, Mizz. Mama and Mrs. Shealy loved trading recipes and sharing homemade treats with each other. Many of Mama's recipes are actually written on old blank sales receipts from Garner's.

Mrs. Shealy was quite a card and she had a phrase she would use whenever she tasted something that was just incredibly delicious. She would take a bite and then say, "Hmmm... that's good enough to make you push biddies in the creek!"

Mrs. Margaret Shealy
1918-2011

To this day I have no idea what the actual meaning of that phrase might be. Biddies, of course, are small chickens but why something delicious would make you want to push them in the creek escapes me. Still, I can't taste something that is jaw droppingly good without thinking of Mrs. Shealy and hearing her exclaim about pushing biddies in the creek. This snack cake fits the bill. It'll make you want to "push biddies in the creek!"

I'd heard about Paula Deen's "Gooey Butter Cake" for several years but had never bothered to give it a try. Honestly, most recipes that start out with a cake mix I pass by. That's not really fair on my part because one of Mama's most incredible cakes starts off with a box of white cake mix and flies off the handle after that! Still, I'd heard so much about this cake I decided to pick up a box of cake mix and give it a try.

Admittedly, it's not a lot to look at. It sinks down a bit in the middle and doesn't rise high like you expect from most cakes. But, oh boy, when you bite into a piece it more than makes up for the lackluster presentation! Talk about pushing biddies in the creek!

I decided to do a lemon version which starts off with a lemon cake mix and uses some lemon juice and lemon zest in the filling. It really makes your mouth water! You can think of this somewhere between a lemon bar and a snack cake. It even has sort of the texture of wonderful chess pies - super moist and bright.

Paula's original calls for a yellow cake mix with vanilla in the filling, so you can go either way. In fact, you can pretty much do all sorts of stuff with this by using chocolate, peanut butter, or other fruit flavors.

I have to admit, my original skepticism with this recipe upon taking it out of the oven proved wrong. This little baby will definitely make you want to push biddies in the creek! Mrs. Shealy would be proud.

Gooey Lemon Butter Cake (Paula Deen)

Recipe by Paula Deen

A luscious and moist cake that is halfway between lemon bars and a chess pie in a pan!

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 50 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

Yield: 15 pieces

Ingredients

1 box lemon cake mix
1 large egg
8 tbs. unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

1 pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 tbs. lemon juice
1 tbs. lemon zest
8 tbs. unsalted butter, melted
16 oz. powdered sugar

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and set aside.
In large bowl combine the cake mix, egg, and melted butter and stir with large spoon until combined.
Pour mixture into prepared cake pan and smooth evenly into corners and all sides.

For the filling:

In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese at medium speed until smooth.
Add eggs, lemon juice, zest and melted butter and beat to combine.
With mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar in 1/4 cup increments beating well after each addition.
Pour filling over cake batter in prepared pan and smooth with a spatula.
Place in oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out with just a few crumbs adhering. Do NOT over bake! You want a luscious and moist cake!

Chocolate Hazelnut Toffee

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 22:26:00 +0000

Nutella fans will love the combination of chocolate and
hazelnuts with buttery toffee!

I love toffee. One of my favorite treats is the wonderful English Toffee sold at See's candy stores in the west.

I fell in love with that particular confection way back in the early 1980's when I would visit my brother in San Diego. There was a See's store in the little mall near his house and I wandered in one day and bought some of their toffee. I was hooked for life! Finally, I'm back in the west where I can get to a See's store from time to time. In fact, there's one in the mall near my house!

Of course, nothing beats homemade treats and toffee is no different. It's surprisingly easy to make since toffee consists of sugar and butter caramelized to a crisp consistency and then spread out and allowed to cool. What could be easier?

OK, so candy making can be a little daunting and working with hot sugar is not without its dangers. A hot splash can be painful and leave quite a burn. That's why I always have a bowl of ice water handy when working with hot sugar. If the worst happens I have a quick emergency cooling location to minimize burns.

But, hey, those events are few and far between. This recipe is very easy and a great start if you aren't used to candy making. Give it a try and you'll be delighting in your own buttery and chocolate covered toffee in no time!

Chocolate Hazelnut Toffee

Nutella fans will love the combination of chocolate and hazelnuts with a buttery toffee base!

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
4 tbs. unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp. vanilla
dash salt
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted

Cooking Directions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stick aluminum foil.
In a small heavy bottomed sauce pan combine sugar, water, and butter. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat without stirring until sugar begins to caramelize or temperature reaches 325° on a candy thermometer.
Working quickly, stir in the vanilla extract and salt. Be very careful as the vanilla has a tendency to cause a bit of sputtering in the sugar! Stir just to combine.
Quickly pour the sugar mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and use a spatula to spread it to the desired thickness (thin is crisper, thick is chewier). Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the warm toffee and allow to sit for 5 more minutes then gently spread the chocolate evenly across the toffee with a spatula.
Immediately sprinkle the hazelnuts over the chocolate and set aside the toffee to cool completely - at least 1 hour.
When toffee is completely cool, break into pieces.