Nut Brittle

I was in the mood to make brittle. Don't ask me why....I've never even made brittle before. Of course, I didn't have peanuts in the house, so I improvised with cashews. I love how it turned out! And it was actually easier to make than I feared. Thank goodness for a candy thermometer! Make sure you have all of your ingredients measured and set aside in advance because once your candy reaches the proper temperature you won't have time to measure everything.

I took a large cookie sheet and lined it with tinfoil and then greased the foil for easy cleanup. I also kept the pan warm in a 200 degree oven so that when I poured the brittle liquid onto it, I would have more time to spread it. When my candy reached 250 degrees I pulled the pan from the oven so it would be ready. I found that it didn't work so well to use a utensil for spreading, so I poured the mix and shifted the pan from side to side to help the candy distribute. I tossed in the pan in the fridge to cool.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup nuts
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Grease a large cookie sheet. Set aside.
2. In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in nuts. Set candy thermometer in place, and continue cooking. Stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard and brittle threads.
3. Remove from heat; immediately stir in butter, vanilla, and baking soda; pour at once onto cookie sheet. With 2 forks, lift and pull mixture into rectangle about 14x12 inches; cool. Snap candy into pieces.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I hate raisins. I love chocolate chips. So, logically, MY oatmeal cookies have chocolate chips. NOM!

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups uncooked oats
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugars.
3. Add eggs and vanilla.
4. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Stir in oats and chips.
6. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet (I always use a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool on tray and then move to wire racks.

I got 3 dozen of the above sized cookies (about a tablespoon of dough) from this recipe.

Breakfast Cookies

An interesting cookie with the consistency of an oatmeal cookie. The basic cookie is moist and flavorful. I like the corn flakes in them. I'd probably skip the bacon next time though (gasp!). While the bacon wasn't bad, per se, I just didn't feel like it was necessary. I'd drop the bacon and add a smidge of salt to compensate in the future. But even as is, this is a worthwhile cookie. This recipe only yielded me 18 cookies.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 c flour, sifted - 1/4 tsp baking soda - 3/4 c white or brown sugar              (I used 1/2 c white & 1/4 c brown) - 1/2 c bacon crumbles, not artificial bacon bits

- 1/2 c butter - 1 egg (can use egg substitute) - 2 c corn flakes

DIRECTIONS

1.   Mix flour, baking soda and sugar.

2.   Stir in bacon crumbles.

3.   Mix in butter and egg.

4.   Stir in cereal. Blend well but do not beat.

5.   Drop by tspful on ungreased cookie sheet.

6.   Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Cool slightly before removing.

Happy New Year 2012: Tiramisu

I must say, for not being a fan of coffee flavored anything, this turned out pretty tasty. It's not a strictly traditional tiramisu. I made it in a loaf pan. I used Kahlua only rather than espresso plus rum (again, not a coffee fan). Just seemed easier. Next time I would actually soak the ladyfingers in more of the Kahlua than the recipe calls for, as they were a bit too dry just being "drizzled." But overall the flavor was nice and the mascarpone layers are delicious -- and this from a woman who doesn't especially like tiramisu. :) For some reason, the ladyfingers were difficult to find. I had to look at three grocery stores and was on the verge of baking my own. I found them in the bakery department of the third and largest grocery store, next to the round shortcake shells.

The saran wrap pulled off some of the cocoa dusting on top. Alas.

Ingredients

• 6 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pound mascarpone cheese
• 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons rum
• 2 (3 ounce) packages ladyfinger cookies
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until well blended. Whisk in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Boil gently for 1 minute, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Cover tightly and chill in refrigerator 1 hour.
2. In a medium bowl, beat cream with vanilla until stiff peaks form. Whisk mascarpone into yolk mixture until smooth.
3. In a small bowl, combine coffee and rum. Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise and drizzle with coffee mixture.
4. Arrange half of soaked ladyfingers in bottom of a 7x11 inch dish. Spread half of mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers, then half of whipped cream over that. Repeat layers and sprinkle with cocoa. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, until set.

Was cuter before the cocoa powder top cracked in transit to the plate.

Christmas: Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Ingredients

• For The Crust

  • 1 box Nabisco NIlla Wafers 
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (plus some additional for pan)

• For The Filling

  • 2 packages bar cream cheese (8 ounces each)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin puree
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9" springform pan with melted butter.
2. In a food processor, blend cookies with sugar until finely ground (you should have about 1 cup crumbs); add butter, and pulse until moistened.
3. Transfer crumb mixture to prepared pan, and press gently into bottom. Bake until fragrant and slightly firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
4. Place cream cheese in food processor; blend until smooth. Add sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, flour, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt; process until combined. Set aside.
5. Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until melted. Add 1 cup pumpkin mixture; stir to combine. Set aside.
6. Pour remaining pumpkin mixture into prepared pan. Drop dollops of chocolate mixture onto pumpkin mixture; swirl. Bake until cheesecake is set but jiggles slightly when gently shaken, 40 to 50 minutes. (Mine needed over an hour, so watch your oven.)
7. Cool in pan. Cover; chill until firm, at least 2 hours (and up to 2 days). 

Christmas: Snickerdoodle Cookies

I love a good Christmastime Snickerdoodle cookie. This recipe was perfection. Easy. Delicious. Addictive.

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

For rolling:

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (my personal preference)

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with

an electric mixer on high speed. Add the egg and vanilla and

beat until smooth.

2. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and

cream of tartar.

3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.

4. Preheat oven to 300 degrees while you let the dough rest for

30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator.

5. In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the cinnamon for the

topping.

6. Take about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a

ball. Roll this dough in the cinnamon/nutmeg/sugar mixture and press it

onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining cookies.

7. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes and no more. The cookies

may seem undercooked, but will continue to develop after they are

removed from the oven. When the cookies have cooled they should be

soft and chewy in the middle.

Makes 16 to 18 cookies.

Cinnamon Vanilla Cupcakes with Cookie Butter Frosting

Perhaps you are not familiar with Speculoos Cookie Butter. It's ok. I was not acquainted with it until recently. Tales of it's addictive goodness were being spread (haha, get it, "spread" - because it's a spread...oh, nevermind) among a few of my fellow Facebook foodie lovers. The word on Cookie Butter is that it's a seasonal item available at Trader Joe's. My pusher, I mean, "good friend," bought me a jar. That's how they get you hooked: the first taste is always free (or so I've heard). Cookie Butter is a spread with the consistency of peanut butter but made from ground up gingerbread cookies and elven magic. It's like the Nutella of Christmas. Hell, Nutella is also the Nutella of Christmas. But this really does remind me a non-chocolate, non-hazelnut Nutella (trust me, if you tried it you'd understand exactly what I mean). Naturally, this stuff begs to be made into a frosting.

A luscious, finger licking frosting.

Enter the holiday party season. My contribution to the pot luck table: Cinnamon Vanilla Cupcakes with Cookie Butter frosting. NOM.

CINNAMON VANILLA CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Cream the butter in a stand mixer until smooth and light. Add sugar and continue to mix until fully incorporated and fluffy.
2. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
3. Preheat oven to 350° degrees F.
4. Combine milk and vanilla. Add portions of the flour mixture and milk mixture to the electric mixer, alternating, starting and ending with flour. Pour evenly into cupcake pans lined with paper liners, about ½ – ¾ full.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until cupcakes spring back to the touch. (Mine didn't take nearly this long to bake, so as always, be mindful that your oven times will vary.)

 COOKIE BUTTER FROSTING

Ingredients:

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup Speculoos Cookie Butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:

• Place the confectioners' sugar, Cookie Butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

I may or may not have licked leftover Cookie Butter from the piping tip after I was done frosting the cupcakes. I mean, not that I would DO such a thing....

Ready to party! Happy holidays!

(Note: The pink cupcakes are Cherry-Almond Vanilla with Cherry-Almond Buttercream Frosting, posted right 'thar.)