christmas food gifts: part 2

this is a fantastic food gift. it makes a lot, it's in bar form so it's not messy, and there aren't too many who would turn down two kinds of chocolate and peppermint on a cookie. also, everyone at work liked them so, that's proof, right?

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped red-and-white striped hard peppermint candies or candy canes (about 3 oz - i beat up 6 medium sized candy canes to get this amount)
2 oz. high-quality white chocolate (i used white chocolate chips, cause that's all they had at the grocery store)

preheat oven to 350. spray 13x9x2 inch baking pan with nonstick spray. line bottom of pan with long strip of 9 inch wide parchment paper, leaving overhang on both short sides of pan.

whisk flour and salt in medium bowl. using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamed, about 2 minutes. gradually beating sugar. continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bow, about 3 minutes. beat in vanilla, then egg yolk. gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed just to blend.

drop dough by tablespoonfuls into prepared baking pan, spacing evenly. using moistened fingertips, press dough to form even layer over bottom of pan. pierce dough all over with fork.

bake cookie base until light golden brown and slightly puffed and edges begin to come away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes. place pan on rack; immediately sprinkle bittersweet chocolate over. let stand until chocolate softens - about 3 minutes. using small offset spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate over top of cookie in thin even layer. immediately sprinkle chopped peppermint candies over.

stir white chocolate in metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water - (with 2 tablespoons cream) - until melted and smooth. remove from over water. using fork, drizzle white chocolate all over cookies. chill until white chocolate is set - about 30 minutes. (make sure to make the white chocolate right before you use it or it will thicken up too much to drizzle)

using paper overhang as aid, lift cookie from pan and transfer to work surface. using large knife, cut cookie into irregular pieces (i just cut them in squares.)


**i got this recipe from my mom who got it from someone else, i'm not sure who the original source is, so i apologize.

christmas food gifts: part 1

with so many people to give to and the fact that i'm not rich, i'm giving almost everyone food gifts this year. i just hope everyone likes sugary foods as much as i do...

here is a foolproof food gift.

spritz cookies. easy, cute and perfect.

tomorrow: i'll share the chocolate peppermint bark cookies i made for work gifts.

ok, i've been crazy swamped so i haven't had time to make things and blog and take pictures, etc. but i did make this pumpkin black bean soup last night and it's delish! i highly recommend it. all i want to eat is soup lately, so i love finding new recipes.

also, i really, really want to make/eat this gingerbread apple upside cake. but i think i'll try it with pears. dreamy!

ok, i'll try to blog soon. i'm already dreaming of all the christmas food that is awaiting me when i visit home later this month.

holiday wish list

my parents are incredible gift givers. they shop year round and are very thoughtful in their purchases. i wish i was as good at gift giving as they were, but alas, i don't have the same patience for shopping. i'm totally wracking my brain to think of what to get them and my other friends and family this christmas. i did however think of a bunch of things i would like. so if you know anyone who is into kitchen gadgets and things of the like, these are pretty great gifts.

the pastry queen by, rebecca rather

progressive measuring flour sifter. found via thekitchn

 

and this really nice set of serving utensils from nigella lawson

what's on your wishlist?

guest posting: pumpkin dulce de leche pie

my november post on yourheartout. check it out! you won't be sorry.

refrigerator bran muffins

these muffins were a family staple growing up. they are so much lighter than most bran muffins i've had. and how convenient that you can just make a few each morning so they are always fresh. such a great and hearty morning treat. 

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoons salt

3 cups whole bran cereal (i use all bran original cereal)

1 cup boiling water

2 beaten eggs

2 cups buttermilk

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup raisins

in a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt. set flour mixture aside. in a small mixing bowl combine the boiling water and 1 cup of the whole bran cereal and set aside. in a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, sugar, cooking oil, and the remaining bran cereal. add flour mixture to the egg mixture; stir until just moistened. then add the soaked bran and stir till well combined. fold in the raisins. transfer the batter to a covered container and refrigerate it overnight or for up to a week. to bake, put in greased muffin tins. bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or till the tops spring back when lightly touched. makes about 24 muffins.

pecan pie bars

i made food for an event last night for mondo fine art. i was dumb and didn't bring my camera, but i took a couple of shots with my phone. i made pumpkin bread pudding with cinnamon caramel sauce, gingerbread chocolate cookies and pecan bars.

i've been wanting to make pecan pie bars for ages now, but whenever i've tried one of these bars at a bakery or restaurant, they seem to be really dry and not have the consistency anywhere near pecan pie, so i was put off. and as i've noted before, i looooooove pecan pie. love. (love). but i couldn't be daunted for too long, so i did some research and created a fusion between a few recipes. and someone in this room (me) is happy with the result.

i got the crust recipe from the lemon bars on brown butter shortbread recipe from tartine that i posted before. and i got the filling recipe from my mom who found it in but i doubled it and made a couple of tiny tweaks. use an egg wash on the crust to keep the filling from seeping into it too much. you just put an egg white on the crust and swish it around till it's covered the entire surface of the crust, then you pour off the excess then bake.

crust:
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temp.

filling:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup corn syrup
4 eggs, room temp.
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
6 tablespoons melted butter
2 1/2 cups pecans

pour the filling on top and bake for 50 minutes at 350°. after the bars cool for 15 minutes, run a knife around the edges to make them easier to get out later. i think these taste best when they are made the day before and served cold. 

 

halloween 2009: doughnuts and wassail

it seems as if i've become a bit of a party pooper in my old age. the last thing on the planet i want to do is don a costume and party hop on halloween. i want to make the traditional doughnuts and wassail and watch cheesy movies with friends. i really wanted to re-learn the thriller dance but that was as festive as i was feeling. the thing is, it was a ridiculously enjoyable day and night. which goes to show, it's not where you are but who you are with, and what you are eating. that's sort of a saying, right? i didn't get a chance to take images of these recipes last year so here is some photographic evidence of doughnuts and wassail.

the doughnuts actually turned out better than they ever have before, which was a nice treat for me.


here is the recipe:

beat till frothy:
3 eggs

add, beating well:
1 1/4 c. sugar

add, stirring well:
2 T. melted butter
1 c. milk

stir in:
1 t. baking soda
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 t. nutmeg
2 t. cinnamon (i like to add a little more)
4 c. flour (probably added more like 5 1/2 cups when all was said and done)

mix well—can chill for easier handling. Fry at 375° (i tried that first but it seemed too hot so i dropped it about 100°) until done.


here is the wassail recipe:

1 quart water
2 1/4 c. sugar
10 cloves
8 allspice berries
2 sticks cinnamon
1 piece of candied ginger
2 quarts apple cider or juice
1 quart orange juice (i like the extra pulp kind)
2 c. lemon juice

mix water and sugar; boil for 5 minutes. remove from heat. stir in cloves, allspice berries, cinnamon and ginger. let stand 1 hour or more. strain. stir in apple cider, orange juice, and lemon juice. serve warm.

flourless fudge cookies

i saw a post about cookies like these on thekitchn last week and not even a few hours later my friend julia sent me the same link. we discussed it and decided they needed to be made, so i found this recipe from the king arthur flour site that someone had recommended. this is one of the most unique recipes i've made and it seems sort of unnatural considering how little ingredients it has, and with no egg yolks or flour, it's practically good for you (yes, i think you should forget about the 2+ cups of powdered sugar it has in it and concentrate on no flour, butter or egg yolks! egg whites have protien people! and cocoa has flavonoids, right?)

anywho, my friends said they are divine (very rich so i can only eat a bite here and there, but for dark chocolate lovers, this is your scene.)

2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional but good
1 cup cocoa powder, dutch-process (european-style) preferred
3 large egg whites (i had to add an extra because my batter was too thick)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

preheat the oven to 350°F. lightly grease two baking sheets. or line with parchment, and grease the parchment (or use a silpat but if you do, make sure to cool the cookies completely before trying to remove them). stir together all of the ingredients till smooth. scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and stir again till smooth. drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets in balls about the size of ping pong balls, about 1 1/2"; a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here. bake the cookies for 8 minutes; they should spread, become somewhat shiny, and develop faintly crackly tops (they get more crackly when you remove them from the oven, so don't wait for them to be perfectly crackly while in the oven). remove the cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool right on the pan.

guest posting: pumpkin pancakes

check out my latest post on yourheartout.com. pumpkin pancakes and cinnamon syrup. the love affair with pumpkin continues...