Pecan Pie Cheesecake

There are lots of dessert recipes in which the item is stuffed or filled.  The recipes that are more commonly seen are cookies and cupcakes.  However, it is not all that common to have a stuffed cheesecake.

Upon first reading the title of this recipe, I thought that it would be a complicated task. Surprisingly, it was very easy.  The other thing that crossed my mind is how would an already cooked item do being cooked a second time inside a cheesecake?  The only thing I noticed different in the pie inside the cheesecake rather than outside is that it became more compact, but the same flavor remained.

After tasting one slice of this cheesecake, I wished I had been the one to think of this delectable combination!  Velvety vanilla cheesecake with a center of sweet caramel and crunchy pecans...enough said- it does need a place at the top of your "to make" dessert list.

Pecan Pie Cheesecake
adapted from 2002 Southern Living Cookoff Winning Recipes

Ingredients/Candied Pecans
3 cups pecan halves
2/3 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
1/4 cup golden syrup or light corn syrup
6 tbs butter

Ingredients/Cheesecake
One 8 or 9 inch pecan pie
1 cup sour cream
3- 8 oz packages of cream cheese
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 tbs butter (melted)
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tsp cornstarch

For the candied pecans, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cover a baking sheet with foil and place pecans in a single layer on top.  Toast pecans in oven for about 5-7 minutes. Remove baking sheet and transfer pecans to a heat proof bowl and set foiled baking sheet aside.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Then brush the foiled baking sheet surface with some melted butter. Add 6 tbs butter, sugar and syrup to a saucepan. Place saucepan over medium low heat.  Stir the mixture until sugar dissolves.  Increase the temperature to medium and let candy simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and mix in pecans till coated.  Pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet and spread evenly.  Bake for 5-7 minutes then transfer and spread out on wax paper to cool.

Start on the cheesecake by heating the oven to 350 degrees.  Fill a 9X13 inch pan with 3/4 cup of water. Also, take and chop up enough candied pecans to fill 1/2 cup and 1 tbs.  Place these items aside.

Wrap the bottom and sides of a 10 inch springform pan with foil.  For the graham crust, mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and 1/3 cup of sugar together until blended.  Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and up 2 1/2 inches along the interior sides of pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, remaining 1 cup of sugar and vanilla extract on high speed for about 3 minutes or until completely smooth.  Add one egg and beat on low until blended.  Repeat process of beating in the rest of the eggs, one at a time.  Then blend in the sour cream and cornstarch.

Separate out 1 1/2 cups of cream cheese batter and stir in the chopped candied pecans.  Pour this batter into prepared crust.   Take the pecan pie and, if using an 8 inch pie, cut off the top border of the crust.  For a 9 inch pie trim 1/2 inch of the outer edge off.  Cut the pie into 6 pieces and invert each piece on top of the cheesecake batter, (crust side up) in the springform pan.  The pour the rest of the batter into the springform pan, covering the pie. 

Place the 9X13 pan of water on the bottom rack in the oven. Then put the cheesecake pan on the next rack up. Bake until the center of the cheesecake is set.  This should take about 70 minutes.   Once it is baked, turn off oven and leave oven door cracked open about 3-4 inches.  Let cheesecake rest in oven for an hour.

Remove cheesecake from oven and let cool.  Refrigerate overnight.  The next day, warm one cup of candied pecans in the microwave, just so the pecans are pliable and a little sticky.  Place candied pecan halves decoratively around the outer edge of the cheesecake.

Serve cheesecake slices with extra candied pecans. A scoop of whipped cream on top is also an option .

Tips and Notes:

1. To save time you can always purchase a pecan pie.  Usually the purchased ones flip out of their foil pans easily so there is no need to cut the slices to transfer, just flip into the center of the springform pan over the first layer of cream cheese batter.
2. Note that three cups of candied pecans is an abundance.  My pecans remained pliable in the candy coating at room temperature, so there was no need to microwave any to get them to stick to the top of the cheesecake.
3. The cheesecake did not crack, even though the 3/4 cup of water in the pan below evaporated at some time during the baking process.
                              **LAST YEAR: Chocolate Caramel Sandwich Cookies **

Peach Brandy Pound Cake

Peaches may not be in season but with a little help from peach brandy, you can still have that flavor.  Mother nature does impact how good the fruit season is and after a slice of this, I have hopes that this summer has the tastiest, juiciest crop of peaches yet.

As you can see, I left this cake very plain.  No glaze and not even a side of whipped cream.  Like most good pound cakes, they are best served plain so you are sure to taste the true flavor of the cake.I think it is better served the second day, when the flavor has had time to develop more.

Since most of us may have indulged in some rich decadent desserts over Valentine's, a slice is a nice change of pace.  Also, this Bundt cake does seem to belong right next to a hot cup of tea in the afternoon.

Peach Brandy Pound Cake
adapted from Cakes, 1001 Classic Recipes

Ingredients
1 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp orange extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup peach yogurt (I used greek style with fruit on the bottom)
1/3 cup peach brandy
4 eggs
2 cups flour and more for dusting pan
2/3 cup butter and 2 tbs for pan preparation
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sugar

Prepare a 9 inch Bundt pan by brushing the inside with 2 tbs of melted butter.  Then dust with flour, making sure all crevasses are completely covered.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.  Then beat in the 3 different extracts.  Add one egg and beat for 30 seconds. Repeat the process with the other 3 eggs.  Set aside.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda.  Fold in 1/3 of this mixture into the butter/sugar batter.  Stir in the peach yogurt and fold in the next 1/3 of the dry mixture.  Add the peach brandy and mix until blended and fold in the last 1/3 of the dry, sifted ingredients.

Fill the prepared pan with the cake batter and smooth the top so it is even.  Bake until golden brown and tester comes out clean.  Baking time should be about 55-65 minutes.

Remove cake from oven and let rest in pan for 20 minutes.  Then invert onto rack to completely cool.  Once cooled, move cake to serving platter.  


                                         **LAST YEAR:Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookie Pie**

Dutch Love Letter Cookies

With Valentine's coming up, I decided to take on a project.  Turning a tasty cookie recipe that is very basic in appearance to something more pleasing to the eye.  Granted these were not the easiest things to form and did take some practice batches, but I am happy with the end result.  If you are short on time, you can always just do these in logs or the "s" shape as the recipe instructs.

The cookies have a flaky, crunchy exterior with an almond paste filling.  The exterior is somewhat made like pastry dough, using water. Instead I used chocolate liqueur in its place.  However, there was no trace of this flavor in the cookie after baked.  Perhaps with something stronger like rum or bourbon, the flavor may remain.  I still want to experiment some more on these.  With regard to the the shaping of the dough, the filling does not ooze out when baking so cracks in the cookie dough is not a disaster.

The original recipe states to form these in large "S" shapes, brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.  As you can see, I dipped these in chocolate instead.  The recipe in its original state is below, but I encourage you experiment and add your own spin.  In making the large "S" shapes as per the recipe, it yields 16 cookies and takes about 2 1/2 hours to complete the process.

Dutch Love Letter Cookies
adapted from 100 Great Cookie Recipes/Ladies Home Journal

Ingredients/Cookie Crust
1 cup or 2 sticks cold butter, cubed
1 egg yolk
6-7 tbs ice water
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt

Ingredients/Filling
1/4 tsp grated lemon peel
8 oz can almond paste or 7 oz tube
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg

Ingredients/ Topping
1 egg white
2 tbs sugar

Sift together the flour and salt.  Then cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture is crumbly.  In a separate small bowl, whisk together 1 egg yolk and 2 tbs water. Drizzle mixture into the sifted ingredients and toss together with a large fork.  Add one tbs of water and toss together.  Repeat with additional tbs of water until the mixture comes together like pastry dough.

Separate dough into 4 equal sizes.  Place a square on lightly dusted wax paper and form into a 4 inch square.  Repeat with the other lumps of dough.  Peel wax paper off of squares and completely enclose in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.

During chilling time, prepare the filling by beating together all 4 ingredients listed above.  Once it is blended into a fluffy mixture, scrape out of bowl with a spatula and transfer into a plastic zip lock bag.  Seal and chill for one hour or overnight.

After the chilling time, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Lay a 20 inch piece of wax paper on a flat surface and lightly dust with flour.  Remove one pastry square from the refrigerator.  Test the dough by kneading to make sure it is can be rolled out without breaking.   Once it becomes pliable, roll into a 9 1/2 inch square about 1/8 inch thick. 

Trim the edges until you have a straight edged, 9 inch square.  Cut into 4 strips, each measuring 2 1/4 by 9 inches.  Brush each strip with water.  Take filling out of refrigerator and cut off a small section of the corner of the bag.  Then pipe 1/2 inch strip lengthwise down the center of the dough, starting 1/2 below small top of strip and ending 1/2 above bottom of strip.  Roll up pastry strips lengthwise and crimp seam and ends.  Place seam side down on baking sheet in the shape of an "S".

Brush top with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.  Continue with the forming of the 3 remaining strips for this pastry dough and sugarcoat as instructed.  Repeat the rolling, forming and topping instructions for the remaining 3 squares of pastry dough in the refrigerator.

Cookies should bake for about 20 minutes.  The finished letters should have a slightly golden hue on the edges. Let cookies cool on pans for 2 minutes then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
                                     **LAST YEAR: Lemon Limoncello Cupcakes**

Cherry Mahlab Muffins

While cranberry and orange is a familiar flavor combination, there are few bakery items that combine cherries and oranges.  While the cherry and orange does make for a tasty muffin, there is a third subtle flavor in these- it is a spice called mahlab.

Mahlab is more commonly found in desserts in the Middle East and Mediterranean countries.  It is actually made up of a seed or pit from the Saint Lucie cherry.  The pit is actually dried and then ground to a fine powder.  Due to its short shelf life, it is best to purchase the seeds and grind them yourself.  Adding the ground spice to desserts imparts a cherry almond flavor to your baked goods.

I was pleased with the moist texture as well as the pop of flavor that the dried cherries added to the cake.  This recipe is a keeper in my book, but the recipe only makes 18 so you may want to consider doubling it if you have company over.

Cherry Mahlab Muffins 
adapted from Moufflet

Ingredients/Muffins
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter melted and cooled
1 cup dried cherries
2 tsp orange zest
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground mahlab

Ingredients/Orange Glaze
2 tbs butter, melted and cooled
3 tbs orange juice
1 tbs orange zest
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Prepare muffin tins by filling 18 cavities with paper liners and greasing the top edge or spraying pan with non-stick spray.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, mahlab and salt.  Take 1/4 cup from mixture and place in small bowl.  Add the orange zest to the 1/4 cup of the dry ingredients.  Whisk or use a fork to blend, making sure that the zest is evenly distributed.  Then pour this back into the larger bowl of the sifted ingredients and add the sugar.  Mix until all is combined and set aside.

Fill a small saucepan with the orange juice and dried cherries.  Place over medium heat, stir a few times and then let mixture come to a boil.  Remove from heat and cover with lid.  Let sit for about 30 minutes so flavors will meld and cherries will soften more.  Then drain the cherries, reserving the cherries in one bowl and liquid in another.

In a medium size bowl add the melted butter, vanilla extract and buttermilk.  Whisk until smooth. Then add each egg, one at a time, continuing to whisk.  Once blended, stir in the orange cherry liquid.

Go back to the bowl of sifted ingredients and form a well.  Then pour in the wet ingredients and fold the both together until just combined.  To keep from over mixing, the recipe states that this process should take about 10 strokes. Fold in the cherries in 3 strokes.

Scoop the batter into the muffin cavities, taking care that they all are filled evenly.  Place in oven and bake until they are golden brown and spring back when lightly touched.  This should take about 18-20 minutes.  Let muffins cool in pans for 3 minutes and then transfer to a rack to completely cool.

To make the glaze, blend the melted butter with 1 tbs of the orange juice.  Sift the powdered sugar into the mixture and stir.  The glaze should be the consistency of corn syrup, so continue to stir in the additional orange juice until the right consistency is achieved.  Then stir in the vanilla and orange zest.  The glaze can be drizzled on the tops of the muffins or the muffin tops can be dipped into the glaze. The muffins will need to rest for 1 hour before serving in order for the glaze to set.
                                  **2 years ago: Coconut Macaroon Brownies**
 

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies

The cold weather here has had me craving a rich and spicy dessert.  Gingerbread was definitely in order.  In scanning several recipes, it became clear that there are many different variations on this classic favorite.  Some recipes had pepper and espresso powder, while others had candied ginger.

I settled on a recipe that produced a deeply spiced cake, but only reflected the traditional flavor.  The unique thing about this recipe is the use of stout beer.  The cakes turned out crispy on the edges and very moist.  Perhaps it was the beer, but I believe that the oil was actually the main factor for the texture.  The filling may be a basic cream cheese frosting, but I could not think of a better pairing.

The recipe is actually one for a 2 layer, 7 inch cake but the batter turned out to be the perfect amount for 12 whoopie pies.  So dig out all those ground spices from your cabinet for this recipe, you will be glad you did.

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
adapted from Miette

Ingredients/Cakes
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tbs stout beer (Guiness is recommended)
3/4 cup molasses
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cardamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbs and 2 tsp ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup flour

Ingredients/ Filling

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) and 1 tbs and 1 1/2 tsp unsalted butter at room temp
1 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

Topping
Mini Honey Teddy Grahams
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbs powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease the cavities of 2-12 cavity non stick whoopie pie pans.

Stir together the molasses and stout in a small saucepan.  Place over medium heat and continue to stir as the mixture comes to a boil.  While still stirring after the boil stage, sprinkle in the baking soda.  This will cause the consistency to become very foamy.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool.  Mixture is ready to use once it reached room temperature.

In a medium bowl sift together the dry ingredients: 5 different spices as listed above, salt, baking powder and flour.  Also put this aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 2 types of sugars and eggs.  Beat on medium speed until light in color, about 3 minutes.  Keep the mixer running and slowly pour in the oil.  Once the oil has been blended into the batter, change mixer speed to low.  Pour a steady stream of the molasses mixture into the batter.  Once blended, remove bowl from mixer stand.

Fold the sifted ingredients into the batter.  Once there are no streaks of flour, strain mixture into a bowl.  Then fill each pan cavity with 2 tbs of batter.  Place pans in oven and bake for 4 minutes, then rotate and switch racks with each pan.  Bake for an additional 4-6 minutes.  The cakes are done when they spring back when lightly touched in the center.

Remove pans and let cakes cool for about 10 minutes.  Then take a plastic fork and go around the edges of each cake and slip underneath to remove cake from cavity.  Place cakes on rack to cool.

Once completely cool, place 12 cakes on individual squares of wax paper.  Cakes will need to be refrigerated for at least one hour before filling.

To make the filling, beat together butter and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.  This should take about 3 minutes on medium speed.  Then remove cream cheese from package and place in microwave safe bowl.  Microwave for 2 intervals of 10 seconds each.  Add cream cheese to butter mixture and beat for 2 minutes. 

Place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling on top of the cakes on the wax papers.  Smooth the filling evenly over the cake.  Repeat process until all cakes are filled.  Then place one cake on top, creating a sandwich.

Then beat the cream and sugar together until it becomes very thick and holds its shape.  Using a star tip, pipe the whipped cream in the seam of where the edges of the two cakes meet.  Then pipe a rosette on top and place 1 mini honey graham bear on top.

Tips and Notes:

1. These cakes are very moist and stick to parchment.  I served each of them on the square of wax paper and they did not stick.
2. The pans I used were non stick and the recipes with them stated grease and flour the pans. I did not want flour residue on cakes, so I just used grease in pans.
3. Use caution when removing cakes from pan, they are delicate and moist.
4. The cakes, without filling, can be stored tightly wrapped for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
5. The filling, tightly covered, will last up to 2 weeks in the fridge.  However, it will need to be beaten for about 2 minutes prior to using.
6. The amount of filling for these cakes is based on personal preference, so feel free to increase it if you want more. 
                              **LAST YEAR: Tunnel of Fudge Bundt Cake**

Creme Bruleed Chocolate Bundt

Devils food cake is something that most of us can hardly turn down.  It is always one that is guaranteed to take care of any chocolate craving.  It is such a wonderful cake, trying to make it even better can pose a bit of a challenge.

It seems as if this particular recipe did succeed in that respect.  In addition to a rich fudgy cake, you have raspberries filling the center hole that are mixed with raspberry liqueur.  Then a thick cream brulee covers the top which sprinkled with sugar and then caramelized with a blow torch to form a shell.

My only issue with the preparation was the caramelizing of the cream on top.  I have a welders blow torch, so it was difficult.  Even though the sugar was heavily sprinkled on top, all the torch seemed to do was melt the cream off of the cake.  I am sure with practice and an actual kitchen torch, the caramelizing of the sugar would be a easier task. 

However, the blow torch problem did nothing to impair the great taste of this cake.  I do love wine and dark chocolate, but after this, the raspberry liqueur is my first choice. Also, the cream brulee on top brings in the third flavor which comes directly from a vanilla bean, creating one tasty trifecta of a dessert.  Please note that this recipe is for a 10 cup capacity bundt pan.

Cream Bruleed Chocolate Bundt
adapted from Baking with Julia

Ingredients/Creme Brulee
3 tbs sugar
5 egg yolks
1 vanilla bean
3/4 cup heavy cream

Ingredients/Cake
4 eggs, separated
2 egg whites
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup flour

Ingredients/Filling and Topping
1/4 cup raspberry liqueur
1 1/2 cups raspberries
3-4 tbs sugar

For the cream brulee, start by filling a saucepan with the heavy cream.  Then split the vanilla bean and scrape out all the seeds into the cream and put the pod in the cream as well.  Place the saucepan over low heat and mix.  Once the mixture comes to a boil remove saucepan from heat and set aside.

Set up a double boiler and let water come to a simmer in the bottom pot.  In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks.  Pour mixture into the top pot of the double boiler that has already been placed over the simmering water.  Let the mixture cook while continuously whisking.  Once the mixture turns pale yellow and is very hot, remove the top pot from the simmering water and turn off the heat. Leave the pot of simmering water on top of the original heat source.

Then slowly blend the warm cream mixture into the yolks in intervals.  Pour in some of the cream and whisk until mixed and continue with this process until all the cream is blended.  Place this pot back on top of the one filled with warm water.  Let mixture sit for about 5-10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. In the meantime, fill a large bowl with ice.  Once the custard is very thick, place the pot of cream in the bowl with the ice.  After the mixture cools, remove the vanilla pod and strain into a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.

As the brulee is cooling, the cake can be made.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare the bundt pan by buttering the inside and dusting with flour.  Take care to make sure all cracks and crevasses are covered.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a medium size bowl.  Then mix in 1 cup of sugar.  In another bowl, blend together egg yolks, vanilla extract, water and oil.  Add the dry ingredients to the egg yolk mixture, stirring until no dry streaks remain.  Mixture will be very thick.

Fill the bowl of a stand mixer with the 6 egg whites.  Beat at low speed until they reach a foamy consistency and barely hold a peak.  Continue to run the mixer, but increase the speed to medium.  Slowly pour in 1/2 cup of sugar, beating the whole time.  As the mixer is running the consistency of the whites will change.  They will become glossy and hold their shape as stiff  peaks.

Take 1/3 of the whites and blend with the chocolate mixture.  Then fold the chocolate mixture into the remaining whites.  Once blended, pour batter into prepared bundt pan.  Place cake pan on a baking sheet or jelly roll pan and put in oven.  Set timer for 35 minutes.  Check cake at the end of this time to see if a tester comes out clean.  The cake should already have started to pull from the edges of the pan and there should be some small cracks on the surface.  If the tester does not come out clean, bake for another few minutes until tester indicates done.

Remove and place on rack to cool for 25 minutes.  Then invert onto rack and let cool completely.  Invert again onto cake plate so decorative side is face up.

Once the cake is cooled, place raspberries in a small bowl and toss with the raspberry liqueur.  Then fill the center hole of the cake with the raspberries and pour all excess liqueur from the bowl on top of the berries.

Spoon the cold custard over the center and top of cake, making sure the raspberries are completely covered.  Sprinkle on the sugar and take a blow torch to the custard and let the sugar brown and  caramelize to form a shell over the top of the cake.

Tips and Notes:
1. The cake by itself can be made a day ahead and kept at room temperature. However, if filled and covered in custard, it must be served immediately.
2. The custard can also be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated.
3. The recipe states to spoon the custard over the top and drizzle down the sides.  The drizzling effect is hard to achieve with cold custard, but piping the custard down the sides is an option.
4. If I was to make this again, I would probably increase the custard recipe by 1/2 to insure that there is enough to drizzle down the sides.
                                      **LAST YEAR:Aristocrat Cookies**

 
 

Kiwi Pomegranate Angel Pies

Ok, so now that most of the holiday cookie season has passed us, time to move on to something a little more different.  Time for winter fruit, but not apples or pears.  Looking at the list of seasonal fruits, kiwi and pomegranate jumped out at me.  Then the hunt was on for a dessert that incorporated both of these delicious lovely fruits.

Not only did I find a recipe, but it also put me to the challenge of making something fairly new.  I have made a few things with meringue, but never like this.  The meringues were not as fragile as expected.  Also, regarding the pastry cream, I found the instructions particularly easy. Unlike this recipe, others involve standing and whisking at the stove for up to 20 minutes in order for the pastry cream to thicken.  Even though this recipe takes time, it is actually wait time, not working time.

This tri-texture dessert does please the palate as well as the eye. The combo of juicy fruit, thick rich pastry cream and the crunchy meringue makes for a wonderful way to end a meal. This dessert is one that will make an impression and be remembered long after your the dinner party is over.

Kiwi Pomegranate Angel Pies
adapted from Gourmet Magazine/Nov 2006

Ingredients/Meringue
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 tbs powdered sugar

Ingredients/Pastry Cream
2 tsp corn starch
1 1/2 tbs flour or 1 tbs and 1 1/2 tsp
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbs butter, melted
1/2 cup chilled heavy cream
4 egg yolks (reserved from meringue)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole milk

Ingredients/Fruit Topping
1/2 cup pomegranate(fruit from one whole peeled pomegranate)
8-10 kiwi fruit

The first part of this dessert is the meringue.  Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and prepare 2 baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.  Separate eggs by putting yolks in a small bowl, cover and place in refrigerator to reserve for pastry cream.  Pour egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer.  Beat the eggs whites at medium speed until they reach the foamy stage.  With the mixer still running, add the cream of tartar and salt and continue to beat until you reach the soft peak stage.  Then start beating in the sugar in one tablespoon increments until a total of 8 tbs or 1/2 cup has been added.

Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat for 5 minutes.  The end result should be meringue with a stiff glossy consistency.  Using a wooden spoon, fold in the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar.

To form the meringues, you can use a pastry tip.  Make a circle of meringue (about 3 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter and then form another layer with a circle on top.  Then put a little meringue in the center and smooth it out so it forms a bottom, like an empty pool.  This creates a nice base to put your pastry cream into.  The other method is to spoon out the meringue and use the back of the spoon to make an indention. Continue to form the meringues, making a total of 10 meringues, 5 on each baking sheet.

Using a sieve, fill with powdered sugar and lightly dust the surface of each meringue.  Place each pan in the oven and leave door propped open about a 1/2 an inch.  A wooden spoon is a good item to use for this purpose.  Let meringues cook for about 2 1/2 hours.  They should be very dry and crisp.  Turn the oven off and allow for an additional hour in the oven to dry completely. During the last 15 minutes, remove the egg yolks from the refrigerator to get to room temperature. After the baking process, remove pans from the oven and carefully peel meringues off the parchment paper.  Place each meringue on a cooling rack.

To make the pastry cream, start by sifting together the flour, cornstarch and salt.  Then whisk in only 2 tbs of sugar and set aside.  in a medium size bowl, beat the egg yolks with a fork or wire whisk.  Add the dry ingredients and beat again until all is blended.

In a small saucepan, pour in milk and add 2 tbs of sugar.  Place over medium heat and stir until mixture comes to a boil and all sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Working quickly, pour half of the milk mixture into the egg/flour blend and stir with a wooden spoon until it forms a batter.  Pour this batter back into the remaining milk in saucepan.  Place saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly until custard comes to a boil.  Remove from heat and mix in vanilla extract and butter.

Push all the custard mixture through a sieve, using a spatula or wooden spoon. Cover bowl of custard with wax paper and place in refrigerator to chill for 2 hours.

During the last hour of the chilling process, peel and slice the kiwi into 1/4 thick slices. Also, whisk or beat the whipping cream until it reaches the stiff peak stage.  Once the custard cream is completely chilled, remove it from the refrigerator.  Using a wire whisk, mix up the custard to make sure there is nothing sticking to the edges of the bowl.  Fold the whipped cream into the custard and blend until smooth.  Again, cover and place in refrigerator for 1/2 hour.

To assemble the angel pies, remove the chilled custard from the refrigerator.  Spoon about 3 tbs of pastry cream into each meringue shell and smooth the top.  Place slices of kiwi decoratively on top of the pastry cream center.  Then sprinkle on the pomegranate and lightly press with a spoon to adhere.
       
Tips and Notes;
1. Dessert should be served as soon as possible, otherwise the meringue will lose their crunchy texture.
2. When forming the meringues, make that the interior of your meringue has a thick enough bottom
3. The meringue itself is very sweet, feel free to omit the powder sugar dusting
4.  The tartness of the fruit is what offsets the sweet meringue so a liberal use of fruit topping is fine
                                         **LAST YEAR:Spice Donuts**                            

Evergreen Shortbread Cookies

Like me, I am sure you are wondering about the word "evergreen" in the title of this post.  The name comes from a special ingredient.  That ingredient would be Douglas Fir Tea.

Like the Earl Grey cookies made before, the measurement of the tea leaves is questionable.  The recipe states one packet.  Based on that, I used the amount found in 1 tea bag.  The end result was just a plain butter shortbread cookie - no tea flavor. This recipe is for 2 dz and the Earl Grey recipe for 3 dz indicated to use anywhere from 1-2 tbs of tea leaves.  Needless to say, this recipe will require more tweaking to get a more prominent flavor of the tea in the cookies.

However, everybody does favor plain shortbread cookies, so it was not a big issue.  Also, I have plenty of tea left for tweaking.  The recipe is versatile, so you can add any type of tea leaves that you want, according to your preference.

I still have to try the tea as a drink, so being able to actually taste the flavor is not going to be too difficult.  It is described as slightly bitter with notes of citrus.

Evergreen Shortbread Cookies
adapted from Organic and Chic
Ingredients
Douglas Fir Tea (measure to your preference)
2 sticks butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg white
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
green sanding sugar

Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.

Add butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer.  Cream together on medium speed for 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl at 1 minute intervals.

In another bowl, sift together flour and sugar. Using a wooden spoon, fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture.  Then mix in the tea leaves.

Shape dough into a log and roll up in plastic wrap and fit inside a cardboard paper towel holder.  To create my shape, I buttered the inside of an ice cream mold and lined the long sides with parchment, leaving some overhang. Place in fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

Remove dough from fridge. Take dough out of holder and remove plastic wrap.  Take the egg white and beat with a fork for a few minutes.  Then coat the dough log with the egg white and roll in sanding sugar.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Cut the dough log into 1/4 inch circles, yielding about 2 dozen cookies.  Place each circle on prepared cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.  After cookies are all formed and on baking sheets, put in the freezer for 5 minutes.  Remove and bake about 18-20 minutes.  Take pans out of oven and let cookies cool on pans for 2 minutes then transfer to rack to finish cooling.
                                     **LAST YEAR: Tiger Tea Cakes**

Maraschino Snowball Cookies

They say it is all about quality ingredients.  When I think of all the different things I have bought and ordered for the sake of creating something in the kitchen, there is a lot of unique as well as imported ingredients I can recall.  There is probably a blogger in another country that has the same situation.  The grass is always greener so we find ourselves coveting ingredients from another country who regards that ingredient as commonplace.

This particular recipe requires maraschino cherries which are imported from Italy.  I have made cookies before with maraschino cherries, called Cherry Bon Bon Cookies.  Between the two, I prefer this recipe over that.  This recipe has the added flavor of almond but the vast difference in the maraschino cherries is what won me over. The cherries in the US are more of a neon color and are stored in a watery liquid.  The Luxardo ones are black and packed in a syrup. The cherries taste much sweeter and stronger, which melds nicely with almond flavor of the cookie. I am hooked, so there are no plans to go back the red neon maraschinos that are so easy to find in the states.

I am adding this one to my holiday cookie recipes. Below you will find the original recipe as well as the tips and notes.  This recipe makes 2-2 1/2 dozen.

Maraschino Snowballs
adapted from Elizabeth Morris via Saveur Magazine

Ingredients
1 egg 
1 cup or 2 sticks of butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup or about 30 pitted Luxardo cherries, drained
1/2 cup almond paste
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups white sparkling sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and powdered sugar.  Add the almond paste, vanilla extract and egg.  Beat until all is blended and batter is fluffy.  Set aside.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder in another bowl.  Add 1/3 of sifted ingredients to butter mixture and mix in with wooden spoon.  Repeat the process two more times until all the dry ingredients are mixed into the batter.  The end result is cookie dough that should easily clump together with your hand.

Separate the dough into 30 pieces.  Center one cherry inside each piece of dough and form into a ball. Roll each cookie in the sparkling sugar and place 1 inch apart on the baking sheet.  Bake for about 20 minutes.  Cookies will toast on the bottom and the edges will turn golden when done.

Remove and let cool on pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool.

Notes and Tips:
1.  For less leftover ingredients, I doubled the recipe so my can of almond paste would be used as well as the complete jar of Luxardo cherries.
2. The amount of decorative sugar used application is based on preference and method.  In doubling the recipe and keeping about 3 tbs or less in a shallow bowl at any time for rolling only required 1 cup of sparkling sugar.  However, more of the sugar will increase the crunch and sparkle to your cookies.
3. These are a crumbly cookie so they should be bite sized.  They are best eaten by popping a whole one into your mouth.
4. For more color to your cookies, try colored sugar or drops of food coloring to the batter.
5. Amazon.com was the resource for the Luxardo Cherries
                                 **2 YEARS AGO: Hendrix Pie**   

Gooey Butter Cookies

This cookie recipe is one that has evolved through the years.  The recipe started out with the use of a boxed cake mix and then there was one created from scratch. That recipe used 1 cup of butter and three cups of sugar. Since then, there has been some variations on those two ingredient amounts and additional flavors incorporated such as Nutella and Red Velvet. However, I landed on the recipe created by by Mathew Rice and Gerard Craft of Pastaria Restaurant.  The recipe does cut back on the amount of butter and also incorporates glucose as an ingredient.

Since I have never ate or baked these cookies, the thing I wondered about was the name.  Would they be liquid and creamy inside or is gooey a misnomer?  After making them, I would say a misnomer. The texture of these cookies are right on the border between being doughy and being crisp. Not really "gooey" as the name states. They are fluffy and light, unlike standard sugar or butter cookies.

Even though there are lots of variations on the net, I thinks that the simple butter/cream cheese flavor is perfect when paried with any of the wintery beverages such as hot chocolate, flavored teas and coffees. This recipe makes about 3 dz. cookies.

All of the variations can be found on the net under different blogs and websites, such as Lottie and Doof, Eating up, Tasting Table, Delightfully Dowling.

Gooey Butter Cookies
adapted from Gerard Craft and Mathew Rice of Pastaria

Ingredients
1/4 cup glucose (substitution ingredient is light corn syrup)
2 1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 lb cream cheese (room temp)
1/2 cup or 1 stick butter (room temp)
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 1/2 cups of flour
1 tbs and 1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean
2 cups powdered sugar and more for final dusting

Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining with parchment paper and have a few extra squares of parchment on hand to fit the sheets.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Also, fill a shallow bowl with the powdered sugar and put aside for later use.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium size bowl and set aside.  Fill the bowl of a stand mixer with cream cheese, butter, sugar and glucose.  Then split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the bowl as well.  Cream ingredients together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl at 1 minute intervals.  Add the vanilla extract and one of the eggs and beat until blended.  Beat in the second egg.

Remove batter blade and bowl from mixer.  Fold the sifted ingredients into the butter/cream cheese mixture until a dough is formed and there are no more dry streaks.  Shape pieces of the dough into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Roll balls into powdered sugar and place on prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies about 12-15 minutes.  The cookies should be firm on the edges and soft in the middle and have cracks.  They should not brown on the edges.  Remove the cookies and let rest on baking sheets about 5 minutes.  Slide the parchment paper with the cookies off the sheet onto a cooling rack.  I was able to lightly transfer them off the parchment paper to a cooling rack by hand, but they are very delicate. A light touch is important if you want to do the hand method as opposed to sliding the parchment.

These cookies are best kept in the refrigerator and served cold. Before serving, as an option, you can dust again with powdered sugar. Store cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
                                    **LAST YEAR: Chocolate Tres Leche Cake**

Fruits of the Forest Pie

There are actually 2 types of fruits of the forest pie, one being fruit and the other being nut.  However the nut version is the more authentic type.

Since there is such a large group of pecan lovers out there, I decided to try a different type of nut pie.  The pie, as you can see, is quite packed with nuts.  It has very little liquid filling, but what is there does impart a lot of extra flavor to the nuts.  It includes nut liqueur as well as nut extract.

A little does go a long way but it is sure to please the nut lovers in the family. I especially liked how the liqueur flavors came through in the taste. There are some important tips to this recipe at the end, so be sure to read it completely before starting.

Fruits of the Forest Pie
adapted from Pie by Ken Haedrich

Ingredients
1 basic pie pastry, single crust refrigerated
1 tbs hazelnut liqueur
1 tbs almond liqueur
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
5 tbs unsalted melted butter
2 1/2 cups roasted salted mixed nuts chopped

Once the pie crust is firm enough to roll, roll out into a circle 13 inches in diameter.  Roll up around the rolling pin and roll out into a 9 1/2 inch deep dish pie pan.  Make sure it is centered and push the dough into the pan.  Then sculpt the upper edges as desired.  Place in freezer for 15 minutes and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Remove from the freezer and cover the interior with aluminum foil and place pie weights evenly in the center then bake for 15 minutes.  Slide the rack out of the oven with the pie pan on it.  Remove the pie weights and the foil.  Prick the pie all around the bottom interior.  Lower the temperature to 375 and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes.

Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Add the eggs to a large bowl and scramble with a fork.  Stir in the corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, liqueurs and extracts.

Pour the chopped nuts into the pie shell. Then pour the egg filling evenly over the nuts.  Using a spoon, make sure all the nuts in the pan are completely covered with the wet filling.  Bake for 30 minutes and turn pan halfway. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.  The pie should be firm in the center when done.

Serve at room temperature.

Tips and Notes:
1. The mixed nuts must not contain peanuts.  Peanuts have a very strong flavor, so strong that it can be overpowering in baked items or pastries.  I found the brand of Emerald has the mixed nuts without the peanuts.
2. Feel free to eliminate some of nuts, should the amount be too much for your preference, but remember that the liquid filling is sparse due to the amount of nuts.
3. The pie dough I used was a butter shortening mix.
4. The recipe ingredient list has salt, listing the amount to be 1/4 to 1/2 tsp, due to the salt in the nuts I eliminated it from the recipe.
                                **LAST YEAR: Cinnamon Roll Cookies**

Czech Nut Bars

It is that time of year again...time for the annual LA Times Cookie Bake Off.  I usually look at all the recipes closer to the end of the year because there is actually more variety to vote on.  After reviewing some of the recipes, I landed on this particular one. I thought that with all the shopping and getting ready for the holidays, these bars are perfect for those with little time but still wanting something homemade.

This is basically a shortbread type of bar with walnuts in the batter and raspberry jam in the center.  I do have a lot of recipes with this type of fruit in it but I never grow tired of it.  Paired with some hot raspberry tea, it hits the spot on a cold blustery day.

Czech Nut Bars
LA Times 2013 Cookie Bake Off

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup raspberry jam
1/2 cup butter
1/8 tsp salt
2 egg yolks

Preheat the oven 350 degrees.  Grease the interior of a 9 inch square pan and line the bottom and two sides of the pan with parchment paper.  There should be some overhang on the two sides to help you lift the bars out of the pan before cutting. Grease the face up side of the parchment paper.

In a medium size bowl, sift together the salt and flour.  Set aside.

Using a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar in a separate bowl, running the mixer on medium high speed for 2 minutes.  On low speed, beat in one egg yolk for 15 seconds.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for another 15 seconds.  Repeat the process for the additional egg yolk.

Fold the sifted ingredients into the butter mixture, blending until it becomes a dough that can be clumped together with your hand.  I found the mixture a little dry, so I added 1 tbs of water.  You want the dough to clump so the base can be formed but still be somewhat crumbly for the top layer.  Mix in the walnuts.

Take half of the dough and press evenly onto the bottom of the pan.  Then smooth the raspberry over the top, covering the surface evenly.  Lastly, crumble the rest of the dough on top of the raspberry layer.

Place in oven and bake for 40-50 minutes.  Remove and let cool in pan completely and then remove using parchment paper.  Cut with a sharp knife into squares or triangles.
                                 **LAST YEAR: Crisp Apple Kolachy***
 

Chocolate Orange Sweet Rolls

This is one of those recipes from my huge pile of must make. The rolls are a nice spin off from traditional cinnamon rolls.  After making these, my mind started thinking of all the different flavors and variations you could do with this base recipe. Lemon and white chocolate may be next....

The best thing about these is that they are not real bready like a lot of sweet rolls.  The dough is fairly thin which allows for more flavor to come through.  The orange is the prominent flavor with the chocolate being more subtle. This recipe makes 2 dozen rolls.

Chocolate Orange Sweet Rolls
adapted from Bon Appetit (prior to 2007)

Ingredients/ Rolls
4 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbs orange zest
1 tbs rapid rise yeast
2 eggs
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup or 1 1/4 stick of butter (room temp)
2/3 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Ingredients/ Cream Coating
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbs Grand Marnier or orange juice

Ingredients/Glaze
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tbs orange juice

Fill a saucepan with 1/4 cup orange juice, milk and 4 tbs of butter.  Place over medium heat and stir until butter is melted and it heats to a temperature of 120 degrees.  Remove from heat.

Using a stand mixer, whip together the eggs and orange zest. Add the 1/4 cup of sugar and continue to mix until blended.  With the mixer running on low speed, pour a steady stream of the warm orange/milk mixture into the batter.  Remove bowl from stand mixer when all has been mixed together.

Sprinkle yeast into the batter and stir.  Then sift together the flour and salt in a separate bowl. Fold sifted ingredients into the batter.  Once it has formed into a dough, prepare a flat work surface by dusting with flour.  Place dough on the work surface, knead for about 5 minutes and form into a ball.  Oil the interior of a medium size bowl and then drop dough in the bowl and turn 1 time.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft free place for about 30 minutes or until doubled in volume.  While the dough is rising, prepare 2 cake pans (9 inches in diameter) by buttering the interior.

Punch down dough and separate into equal halves.  Prepare a flat work surface and a rolling pin by dusting with flour.  Roll 1 piece of dough out into a 12X18 inch rectangle.  Cover surface with 3 tbs of butter, using a spatula or butter knife to spread evenly.  Then sprinkle with 1/3 cup of chocolate chips.  Pat down chips slightly into dough.  Finalize the filling by dusting the surface evenly with 1/4 cup sugar.

Start rolling up the dough into a log, beginning with one of the long sides.  Make sure it is not rolled too tight, for there is another rising time that will help the dough come together more.  At the end of the overlap, pinch the dough together and smooth the seam.  

Slice the log into 12 rolls, each cut 1 1/2 inches apart, taking care that you are not flattening the rolls. The recipe suggests using a serrated knife.  Place the two ends cut side down in the pan and put the other slices in the pan with the cut sides facing up and down.  Make sure the slices are evenly spaced. Cover loosely and let rise again for another 30 minutes. Repeat the whole process with the remaining half of the dough.

During the rising time, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Make the coating by whisking the Grand Marnier (or orange juice) with the heavy cream.  Once the rising time of the rolls is complete, drizzle the coating evenly over the top of all the rolls.  Place pans spaced apart in the oven, and let rolls bake until toasty and golden on top.  This should take about 25 minutes.  Remove and place pans on rack to cool for at least 15 minutes before proceeding with the glaze.

For the glaze, sift the powdered sugar into a bowl.  Stir in 1 tbs of orange juice. Continue to add orange juice until mixture reaches desired consistency.  Spread or drizzle glaze over the top of the rolls.  These can be served warm or at room temperature.
                                  **LAST YEAR: Banana Oatmeal Cookies**

Peppermint Patty Cake

In thinking back, I do have a number of posts with flavors of mint chocolate.  However, when it comes to all the types of mint chocolate candies, I will have to say that peppermint patties and andes candies are by far my favorite.  Because of that, I definitely made sure that I bought more candies than this recipe calls for.

The cake delivers the exact flavor of a peppermint patty and is very dense and rich.  This particular recipe had several toppings, but I only opted for the cocoa fudge sauce.  In reading the part about the ganache, the recipe stated it would take several hours to thicken so I declined to make it.  The mint syrup topping required 2 cups of packed mint leaves.  That is a lot of mint if you are buying it.  No doubt, if you were trying to use up a lot of leaves from your mint plant, this would be the recipe to go to.

The only real problem issue with making the cake is dealing with dicing the candies.  I tried to dice them after freezing, but they still were soft in the center.  After cutting a few candies I did re-freeze, hoping that the pieces would not melt together.  When putting the candies into the batter, I made sure to sprinkle small pieces all around instead of tossing the big clumps in.  Since the batter is warm when you add the candies,  it does help distribute the diced candy bits more evenly.

Peppermint Patty Cake
adapted from Sweet Dreams

Ingredients/Cake
1 cup diced peppermint patties (kept frozen until ready to use)
14 oz of semisweet chocolate (chips or chopped bar)
6 eggs, separated
1 cup butter
1/4 cup plus 2 tbs cream
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

Ingredients/Cocoa Fudge Sauce
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup of butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup brown sugar

Pepare a 9 1/2-10 inch springform pan by buttering the interior.  Also, line the bottom with parchment paper and butter the side facing up. Then dust with flour.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Fill the lower part of a double boiler 1/4 full of water.  Place the other pot on top and fill with butter, chocolate pieces and cream.  Place over medium heat and let contents melt together and stir until smooth.  Remove double boiler from heat and separate the two pots, setting both aside to cool.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add egg yolks and sugar.  Beat on medium speed until mixture reaches a frothy, pale yellow color.  This should take about 5 minutes. Then pour in the melted chocolate mixture and stir until all is blended. Mix in vanilla extract.

In another bowl, sift together flour and salt.  Fold into chocolate batter until no white streaks remain.  Sprinkle in 1/4 of the peppermint patties into the mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until evenly distributed.  Repeat process until all candy pieces are blended in.

Pour the egg whites in a medium bowl and beat.  Once the whites are at the soft peak stage, add 1/3 of them to the chocolate batter.  Take care to fold the whites gently into the batter.  Then empty all the egg whites into the mixture and fold in.

Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth the top.  Place in oven and bake until center is set and hairline cracks form around the edge of cake. This should take about 45-50 minutes. Remove and place pan on cooling rack.  When completely cool, invert onto cake round and remove parchment paper.

To make the cocoa fudge sauce, melt butter in a saucepan.  Add cream, cocoa and sugar and still with a wire whisk until smooth.  Let mixture simmer over medium temperature for about 10 minutes, checking and stirring about every three minutes.  The blend will get thicker as it simmers.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.  Let cool and spoon over cake slices when sauce reaches room temperature.
                                 **LAST YEAR: Chocolate Pumpkin Layer Cake

Brandy Apple Cake

Like most bloggers, when the season changes, certain flavors and ingredients come to mind. A little cold snap has arrived and with that came the thought of apple brandy.

This particular recipe makes good use of that ingredient.  Even though the recipe calls for regular brandy, I feel that apple brandy is a better way to tie flavors together. The other complimentary and main ingredients that make up this cake are dried as well as fresh apples, toasted pecans and raisins.  I am not really a fan of raisins in baked goods, but I was more agreeable to them after I tasted the cake.

As you can see by the above picture, there is a more fruit to batter ratio than normal.  The batter is just enough to hold all the spices and bind everything together.  Perhaps this should have been referred to as a bar recipe since there is so little batter.  It is not your big fluffy cake, quite the opposite- a chewy cake. Also, even though once piece is quite tasty as is, the brown sugar brandy sauce is something you should not omit.

Brandy Apple Cake
adapted from In the Sweet Kitchen Cookbook

Ingredients/ Cake
3/4 cup chopped pecans
2 medium or 1 1/2 large tart cooking apples (Rome Beauty, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp)
1 cup dried apple slices or half rings
1 cup raisins
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup apple or regular brandy
2 large eggs
1 cup butter (melted and cooled)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar

Ingredients/Brown Sugar Brandy Sauce
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 1/2 tbs brandy
1/3 cup cubed butter


Prepare a 9X13 inch pan by buttering the interior.  Line the bottom and long sides with parchment, leaving a 2 inch overhang. Butter the face up side of the paper as well.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Pour the brandy in a small bowl and stir in the raisins.  Let sit for 45 minutes then stir in the dried apple rings.  Do not drain and set aside.

In another bowl sift together flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and cloves.  Set this bowl aside as well.

Whisk two eggs together in the bowl of a stand mixer.  In another bowl, blend together both sugars.  Stir the melted butter into the eggs. Add the 2 types of sugars and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Batter should be thick and pale when done.

Toast the pecans in the oven until fragrant, about 5-7 minutes.  Remove and let cool.  Then core each apple.  Peel one and leave the other one ( or 1/2 one if using large apples) unpeeled.  Chop apples into 1/2 inch pieces. 

Reserve out 3 tbs of the sifted ingredients.  Add 1/2 of the remaining sifted mixture to the sugar egg batter.  Repeat with the 2nd half making sure there are no dry streaks.  Add the dried fruit and brandy mixture, pecans and apples.  Sprinkle the remaining flour on top.  Fold the ingredients together until no dry streaks remain and pecans and apples are evenly distributed.

Fill prepared pan with the batter and smooth it out evenly.  Bake for about 1 hr and 10 minutes to 1 hr and 20 minutes.  Cake is done when it starts to pull away from pan and springs back when lightly touched. Place pan on cooling rack for cake to cool.

For the sauce, place a saucepan over low heat and add butter.  Stir until butter is melted and add heavy cream.  Add both types of sugars and continue to cook, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.  Once dissolved, turn the heat up to medium and continue stirring.  Mixture should come to a gentle boil.  Let mixture cook for about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in brandy.

Lift cake out of pan, using parchment paper overhangs. Cut out pieces of cake and place each on a plate and then drizzle the warm brandy sauce over the top then serve.
                          **LAST YEAR: Streusel Topped Babka**

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

I have a huge bag of dutch processed cocoa.  I think purely the description won me over when I saw it.." luminous, intense red and very flavorful".  The bag is so big it always beckons when I open the cabinet.

My first source in order to find a recipe using this ingredient is a cookbook called Flour.  This particular cookbook makes note that all recipes that have cocoa as a ingredient actually call for Dutch processed.  None of them call for natural cocoa.  However, nothing there appealed to me so I cracked open the Martha Stewart Cookies cookbook.

I found a recipe for a big tasty chocolate cookie.  The flavor was very rich, but in my book the rich taste of chocolate never has its limits.  As far as the texture, the day these are baked they are crisp on the outside and every so chewy on the inside.  Probably very close to a brownie.  However, the down side is that the texture is not everlasting.  I brought them to work and they were very crumbly.  That did not phase the chocolate eaters, for they popped them in the microwave to warm them up which brought all that texture right back.

The recipe does say they last only for 2 days at room temp, so these are not ones to sit in the cookie jar to eat now as well as later.  That is, if you have an aversion to the step of reheating them in the microwave. This recipe makes eight cookies about 3-4 inches in diameter

Giant Chocolate Sugar Cookies
adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup or 1 stick of baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (melted and cooled)
1 egg
1/2 unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar

Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium size bowl, sift together the flour, salt , baking powder and cocoa.  Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the melted shortening and mix on medium speed until blended.  For a final 45 seconds, beat in the egg and vanilla extract.

Then using a wooden spoon or spatula, fold the sifted ingredients into the wet batter in increments.  Mixing in about 1/3 of the dry ingredients in each increment.  Finish blending in the last 1/3 of the flour mixture, making sure no dry streaks remain.  Drop by scoops evenly onto the baking sheet.  There should be 4 scoops per pan, each dough lump being about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and sitting on the pan 4 inches apart from each other.

Place pan in oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes, rotating pan at the halfway mark.  The edges will be crisp when done.  Remove pan from oven and transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.
                               **LAST YEAR: Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes**
 

Pineapple Squares with Coconut Streusel

Citrus..it seems to make me think of warm summer days in California.  Most likely due to the fact we lived right across the street from an orange grove.  Since it has been overcast and rainy, I was thinking back on those days and wanted something citrus for breakfast.  Not juice but a baked good.  However, I wanted something that was less common than a lemon poppy seed muffin.

Looking in a coffeecake cookbook, this particular recipe caught my eye.  I was quite happy with the 3 kinds of citrus included in the ingredients.  Being in the form of a bar and using sour cream as an ingredient did make for great texture.  Also, what better way to tie all the citrus flavors together by topping the bars with a chewy coconut streusel?

One important tip before going into the recipe, taste test the completed bar instead of the components. I did find myself sampling the streusel more times than I needed to prior to putting it on the cake!

Pineapple Squares with Coconut Streusel
adapted from Great Coffeecakes and More

Ingredients/Coconut Streusel
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
1 cup flour
1 cup sweetened coconut
1/2 tsp orange zest
6 tbs butter

Ingredients/Cake
2 large eggs (whites separated from yolks)
1/3 sour cream
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple (well drained)
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup plus 3 tbs sugar
1 tsp fresh orange zest
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cup cake flour
3 tbs orange juice

To make the streusel, start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees. Sprinkle the coconut evenly into a shallow pan and place in the oven.  Toast the coconut for about 8-10 minutes, but remove every two to three minutes and stir to make sure coconut does not burn.  The coconut should turn a golden brown when done.  Remove pan and let the coconut cool completely.  Then break up any large pieces and set aside.

Place orange zest and butter in a small saucepan.  Remove from heat once the butter is completely melted.  Let cool to a lukewarm temperature.  Add the 3 dry ingredients and the toasted coconut.  Let the mixture sit for about 10-15 minutes before using.

For the cake, turn the temperature up on the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a 9X13 inch size pan by buttering the interior.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.  Load a food processor with a metal blade and fill bowl with the crushed pineapple.  Run processor for about 10 seconds.  Place pineapple in a small bowl until ready to use.

Cut butter into 1 inch cubes and add to the bowl of a stand mixer.  Then add the lemon and orange zests.  Beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes until smooth.  Continue to beat mixture and add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time until the additions total 2/3 of a cup.  Add one egg yolk and beat for 30 seconds.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the other egg yolk, beating again for 30 seconds.  Fold in the crushed pineapple.

In a separate bowl, mix together the sour cream, vanilla extract and orange juice. 

Add 1/3 of the sifted ingredients to the butter/sugar/egg yolk batter and stir until no dry streaks remain.  Then mix in 1/2 of the sour cream blend to the batter.  Repeat the process, ending by mixing  the last 1/3 of the sifted ingredients into the batter.  Set aside.

Using a wire whisk or a small handheld mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Add one tablespoon of sugar and beat for 30 seconds.  Repeat this process 2 times, using the additional tablespoons of sugar.

Add 1/3 of the whipped egg whites to the batter and fold in, only making 20 turns with a flexible spatula.  Fold in the remaining egg whites for about 40 turns.  Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth out to an even layer.  Sprinkle streusel over the batter, covering top and edges equally. Pat down lightly using a metal spatula to get streusel to adhere to batter.

Bake until tester comes out clean, which should take about 30-35 minutes.  Let cake cool in pan for about 20 minutes.  Should you not want to serve from the pan, recipe suggests inverting twice onto foil covered cooling racks, so coconut streusel is still facing upward.  Either way, cake should be completely cooled before cutting and serving.
                                               **LAST YEAR:Bourbon Maple Bars**

 

Chocolate Caramel Candy

I have been thinking about getting a chocolate tempering machine.  They are great for preparing chocolate for dipping cookies into or drizzling on baked goods that need that extra touch.  However, it is one of those gadgets that you wonder if you will ever get enough use to justify the cost.

The recipe here does not require any fancy equipment, but it does deliver a lot of delicious flavor. A mix of different chips melted together makes up the bottom and top layers.  Then the filling in between is a nutty layer of nougat and a layer of caramel.  Consider this to be a homemade version of the famous Snickers bars.  The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for it to chill before eating!

Chocolate Caramel Candy
adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients/ Bottom layer
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
2 tsp butter

Ingredients/Filling
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups marshmallow cream
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups chopped salted peanuts

Ingredients/Caramel Layer
14 oz pkg of caramels
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Ingredients/ Icing
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Prepare a 9x13 size cake pan by lining with foil.  Then melt the 2 tsp of butter and use it the coat the interior of the pan.  Set aside and start making the layers.

For the bottom layer,  fill a saucepan with both types of chips and peanut butter. Place the saucepan over low heat.  Stir constantly until mixture is melted. Then spoon into prepared pan, smoothing out the top so it is even.  Place the pan in the fridge to chill for abut 30 minutes or longer.  This layer needs to set up firmly.

To make the filling, place butter in a small saucepan over medium temperature.  Once the butter is melted, add sugar and milk and let come to a gentle boil. Turn the heat to medium low and stir.  Let the mixture cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from the heat and add marshmallow cream, peanut butter and vanilla and mix until smooth.  Fold in the salted nuts.  Remove the pan from the fridge and spoon this filling over the top of the first layer.  Smooth out the top and place pan back in the fridge, allowing for at least 30 minutes for the the layer to set up.

Unwrap all the caramels and drop them into a small saucepan.  Then add the cream and place saucepan over medium heat for about 4 minutes, stirring until all the caramels are melted and mixed in with the cream.  Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.  Take out the pan from the fridge and spread the caramel layer over the filling, making sure all areas are covered evenly and the surface is smooth. Place pan back in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

For the top layer,  melt peanut butter in a saucepan over low heat. When completely melted, add milk chocolate chips and butterscotch chips.  Keep stirring until it is smooth and all chips are totally melted.  Pour mixture over the last layer and smooth it out on top.  Place pan in fridge for a minimum of 4 hours.  It will also be fine if left in the fridge overnight.

After the chilling stage, let sit at room temperature 20 minutes.  Pull candy out of pan by lifting up the foil liner.  Invert the candy slab and peel off all the foil.  Invert again and place on cutting board and cut into one inch squares.

Tips:
1. These are better left frozen until served.  Room temperature turns these into a mess of sticky chocolate and stringy caramel.
                                **LAST YEAR:Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Bread Pudding**

Chocolate "Ding Dong" Cake

We all remember the Hostess ding dongs..cakes shaped like hockey pucks filled with cream and coated in rich chocolate.  This is basically a large 2 layer cake version of that.

The name of this cake is actually called a "Salted Caramel Ding Dong Cake."  However, when I think of caramel I do not think of chocolate.  The "caramel" ganache is made with chocolate but it does cook up to a caramel-like consistency. 

One slice proved to be a tasty combination.  Also the sight of the rich chocolate layers filled with a fluffy whipped cream filling did attract a lot of attention.  The last piece of this cake created a secondary request from a group that missed out on the first one, so I went ahead and made it a second time.

Note that this cake is 9 inches in diameter and requires 2 nine inch layer cake pans and also one nine inch springform pan.  Even though it has chocolate in it, melting does not require a double boiler. The cake does have to rest in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight.  This process is prior to the last coat of ganache.

Chocolate "Ding Dong" Cake
adapted from Bon Appetit Oct 2012 Issue

Ingredients/Cake

1 cup hot strong coffee
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup or 2 sticks of butter (room temp)
4 oz chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
2 cups cake flour
1 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

Ingredients /Ganache

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
9 oz chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1 1/8 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Ingredients/Filling

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 vanilla bean
1 1/4 tsp unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Prepare all three pans by spraying the interior with non stick spray or oil.  Line the bottom of each with parchment paper and then oil or spray the paper.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Start making the cake layers by filling a medium size bowl with the hot coffee.  Then add the 4 oz of chopped chocolate, making sure it is even along the bottom of the bowl and not piled in the center. Sprinkle the cocoa on top and let the mixture sit for about 1 minute.  Stir until all the chocolate is melted and the cocoa is evenly distributed.  Once the mixture is smooth, blend in the buttermilk and vanilla extract, set aside.

Using a stand mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar.  The mixture should become light and fluffy after about 4 minutes.  Then beat in one egg at a time, running the mixer for about 1 minute for each egg and scraping down the sides prior to adding the next egg.

In a separate bowl, sift together the cake flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add one third of the sifted ingredients to the butter/sugar batter.  Stir with a wooden spoon until the dry ingredients are completely blended.  Pour in half of the chocolate batter and mix together.  Repeat the process, adding the last third of the sifted ingredients at the end.

Fill the cake pans with the batter, making sure the batter is measured evenly into each pan.  Place pans in oven and bake until tester indicates done.  Cakes should take about 35 minutes to bake.  Remove pans and let cool for 10 minutes.  After the 10 minutes, run a sharp knife around the edge and invert the cakes onto a cooling rack.  Peel off parchment paper and let cool completely and flip over again prior to assembly.  If cakes have a dome or are uneven, trim to a a flat, even surface.

For the ganache, fill one bowl with the 9 oz of chopped chocolate and salt.  Then fill a saucepan with sugar and water, place over medium low heat.  Stir mixture until the sugar dissolves.  Increase the heat to medium high and stop stirring.  Let the sugar cook for about 9 minutes.  At one minute intervals, swirl a wet pastry brush along the upper side edges of the ganache, preventing it from becoming a hard sugar layer.  Also swirl the pan at each interval.  Once the sugar becomes a deep amber color, removed from heat.

Add the cream to the sugar mixture, pouring it in a steady stream and mixing it at intervals. Since the cream is cold, the batter will seize into caramel.  Place the pan back on the medium heat and stir until it reaches a smooth consistency.  Add the caramel mixture and the vanilla extract to the reserved bowl of chocolate and salt.  Let cool for about 5-10 minutes.  The ganache is ready to use once it reaches the consistency of honey.

Place one cake layer in the springform pan and pour 1 cup of ganache over cake.  The ganache will need to set up.  Place the pan with the coated cake layer in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.  Let the remaining bowl of ganache sit at room temperature, covered with plastic.

While the ganache is setting up, the filling can be made.  Fill a heatproof bowl with 2 tbs of cold water and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the water.  Let rest for 10 minutes.  Take out a small saucepan and fill it 1/2 inch deep with water.  Place it over a medium high burner and place the bowl of gelatin into the water.  Stir and cook for about 2 minutes.  The two minutes should be long enough for the gelatin to dissolve.  Remove small bowl from saucepan and set aside.

Fill the bowl of a stand mixer with powdered sugar and heavy cream.  Then split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the same bowl.  Using the whisk attachment, beat the ingredients together until soft peaks form.  Continue to beat, pouring in gelatin in a steady stream.  Once the mixture reaches a firm consistency, the filling is ready.   Spoon out all the filling and place on top of the chilled ganache layer.  Smooth the filling over the top of the cake layer, making sure it is all even.  Carefully place the other layer on top.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for a minimum of six hours or overnight.

Once that stage is completed, remove the cake from the refrigerator and open side latch of springform pan.  Run a spatula along the outer edge of the cake, making sure that the filling is flush with the edge of the cake layers.  Keep the cake stationed on the bottom of the springform pan but place it on a wire rack set over a baking sheet.

Check the consistency of the remaining ganache.  It should be the same state as when used on the first layer, like honey.  If too thick, rewarm in the microwave, stirring and checking every 30 seconds.  If to thin, place in fridge to thicken up a little.  Once the ganache is at the right consistency, pour over cake letting it drip down sides.  By tilting the cake and using an offset spatula on the sides, the ganache should evenly cover the whole cake.  Chill cake for another hour for the ganache to set up, then it is ready to slice and serve.

Tips and Notes:

1. This cake is moist and fragile when warm, so be careful when inverting after 10 minutes of cooling.
2. The recipe suggests semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, so if you like dark chocolate consider using special dark Hershey brand of cocoa.
3. The recipe states you can chill for 2 days before serving, but I think the chilling can make it dry.  For the best texture, serve it the same day as you pour the coat of ganache over the top.
4. The cake layers do deflate upon cooling.
5. The filling is quite thick but remember that it is sweetened whipped cream, not buttercream frosting.
6. I let the remaining ganache sit covered in the microwave overnight.  Since it is an extended amount of time, you may want to place it in the fridge and rewarm the next day.

                                    **LAST YEAR: Red Velvet Cake Roll**

Dulce De Leche Cheesecake Bars

We all have those things that we have to have in the kitchen at all times.  For most bloggers, that item usually falls under a certain ingredient.  However, for people that do not cook, it is some type of choice food, beverage or sauce.

Whatever the choice may be, some will always perceive it as being strange. I heard of someone with a whole refrigerator drawer full of bouillon cubes.  That one, I think would probably fall into the strange category by many!  The latest I have come across inspired me to make this particular dessert.

Even though the dessert is made out of Dulce de Leche, it is not exactly what my friend requires to be in the kitchen at all times.  They must have the so called "magic shell" topping for ice cream, caramel flavor, of course.  I do like caramel, but the magic shell is not something that comes to mind when I think of caramel. However, dulce de leche always does.

Anyhow, on to the recipe.  The flavor of dulce de leche can be found in the cheesecake batter as well as the top layer of this dessert.  Besides the tasty double caramel flavor, the bars are a better way to go when serving a crowd.  You get all the taste of cheesecake without as much guilt as a 3 inch thick slice of a standard cheesecake....Oh and as for my friend who enjoyed the bars, they continue to stay in the foods of convenience area-which includes the magic shell.

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars
adapted from Bon Appetit June 2010 Issue

Ingredients/Crust
1 1/4 sticks or 1/2 cup plus 2 tbs butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tbs sugar

Ingredients/Filling
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
24 oz of cream cheese (3-8 oz pkgs)
1/2 cup dulce de leche
1 cup sugar

Ingredients/Glaze
3 tbs heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup dulce de leche

Prepare a 9X13 inch pan by coating the interior with a non stick spray.  Then preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  For the crust, stir together all the dry ingredients until evenly mixed.  Place the butter in a saucepan over low heat or a microwave safe dish and melt it. Once completely melted,  pour it into the dry ingredients.  Mix until all the crumbs are coated with the butter.  The crumbs will easily clump together.  Empty the mixture into the center of the prepared pan.  Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan, making sure it evenly covers the bottom interior of the pan.  Bake for about 10 minutes. It should have a golden hue when done.  Place pan on rack and let cool completely.

For the filling, beat together the cream cheese and sugar.  A hand mixer or food processor working for about 1 minute should thoroughly blend the two together.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat in each egg (one at a time).  Spoon in the dulce de leche and add the vanilla extract to the batter.  Beat for about 10 seconds until the additions are evenly distributed throughout the batter.  Spoon the batter over the crust, and spread until even.

Place pan in oven and bake for about 38 minutes.  The center will be set and the edges will be cracked once the bars are done baking.  Place pan on rack and let cool completely.

The topping starts out with heating together the dulce de leche and cream.  One option is to heat the mixture in a microwave in 30 second intervals, mixing with a spoon at the end of each interval. The other option is to melt the mixture together in a saucepan on low heat.  Once melted, the glaze should be pourable, if not, more cream is needed.  Add just one tsp of cream and then test its pourability. Continue with that process until you reach the correct consistency.  The variance of the cream can be attributed to the different brands of dulce de leche on the market.  Pour the glaze over the cheesecake and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour prior to cutting and serving.  For storing this dessert, cover pan and place in refrigerator.

Tips and Notes:
1. Dessert can be prepared 2 days ahead
2. Recipe recommends that the pan of bars be cut into 4 strips by 6 strips
3. Suggestion made to sprinkle each bar with sea salt.
                                **LAST YEAR:Rum Raisin Almond Tart**