Chocolate Sourdough Pretzel Shortbread with Milk Chocolate Buttercream

Let's just start things out by stating,  "I'm here but I might not be here", and if you can figure that one out you are much smarter than I am my friend.  I should probably just stay off social media and quit advertising my wares because it never fails that I'm hit up with the request for a recipe for said tantalizing item I dangle in front of you all.  I always feel kind of crappy when I don't hand it over, like I'm just hogging all the good stuff for myself or something.  I've come to realize over these past few years it makes some people happy that I bother to share and others annoyed and quite possibly pissed that I'm over here showing off my goodies while they are holed up on the couch with a bag of stale chips. But regardless of how anyone feels about it I've also come to realize it makes me happy in some small way so I guess I can deal with it.

I bought the book "Cookie Love" by Mindy Segal on the recommendation of the fabulous Patty from Patty's Food and I'm loving it.  So many things to try, so little time these days.  I've also come to realize I can't even keep the battery charged in my camera from lack of use, so a cell phone and little editing is something I'm more than content with.  I should probably warn you this recipe isn't for the faint of heart, but it is darn delicious and so worth the effort.

Chocolate Pretzel Shortbread with Milk Chocolate Buttercream

(Adapted from "Cookie Love" by Mindy Segal)

Shortbread:

2 cups sourdough pretzel nuggets

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes

1 ½ cups (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted (I was out and used granulated, worked fine, p.s. sifting is for sissy types.  I did make these a second time with confectioners’ sugar and the only noticeable difference was a little finer texture to the shortbread with the confectioners’ sugar.)

2 large egg yolks, at room temperature (She calls for extra-large eggs, but I don't ever use those so feel free if that is what you have.)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (Please forward the name of that one person still using imitation if you come by it.)

Milk Chocolate Caramel Buttercream:

1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature 

1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted (I didn’t sift, my bad, probably used a bit more than a cup also.  I just add sugar until I get the consistency I like, more like 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups.)

5 1/2 ounces milk chocolate, melted and cooled

1 ½ tablespoons whiskey (Didn’t use, not going to admit whether or not I drank any.)

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pinch of sea salt flakes

1/3 cup Caramel Sauce (She has a recipe for it, but I just used a couple of heaping tablespoons of a jarred Dulce De Leche I had on hand, because I can admit it, I’m a slacker.  Pst, don’t let it get around.)

To Finish:

6 ounces melted dark chocolate

A small amount of crushed pretzel nuggets

1. Make the shortbread: Put the pretzels in a food processor and pulse until its crumbs but not powder. Pulse in the flour, cocoa, and salts.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter on medium speed for 5 to 10 seconds. Add the sugar and mix on low speed to incorporate. Increase the speed to medium and cream the butter mixture 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the batter together.

3. Add the egg yolks and vanilla to the mixer and mix for a few seconds longer.

4. Add the pretzel-flour mixture all at once and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together. Divide the dough into two equal portions.

5. Put a sheet of parchment paper 13x18-inches on the counter and lightly dust with flour. Place one piece of dough on top and cover with another sheet of parchment. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough half into a rectangle approximately 11x13-inches and ¼-inch thick. Ease the rolled dough onto a sheet pan and place in the fridge. Repeat for the other piece of dough. Let chill at least 1 hour until really firm.

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a couple of half sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone mats.

7. Roll a dough docker (or fork) over the dough to pierce. (I don't own a docker, so fell free to dock at your own risk, sounds a little dangerous to me anyways.) Cut dough into 1 3/4-x 2-inch rectangles or 2-inch squares. Put the shortbread on the prepared sheet pans, evenly spaced, up to 16 cookies per pan. (Cut the cookies tightly so you don’t have as many scraps to re-roll, you also have to let the scraps get cold again, because the dough becomes really sticky once it reaches room temp.) I got about 56 squares out of the dough once the scraps were re-rolled.

8. Bake one pan at a time for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake until the cookies feel firm, 3-5 minutes more. Let the cookies cool completely on the sheet. Repeat.

9. Make frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter briefly on medium speed for 5-10 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy and pale, add the chocolate, (whiskey), salt, vanilla extract, and caramel sauce. Taste and add more sugar or salt as needed. Fill a disposable piping bag with frosting. (Using a piping tip is up to you, I didn’t bother.) Match the cookies to size and pipe one half of each set with frosting. 

10. Melt the chocolate in a shallow bowl on half power for a few seconds in the microwave and dip the cookie sandwiches in a little bit of the way, lay them on a baking sheet lined with parchment and sprinkle the chocolate with a little crushed pretzel. (Store them in the fridge till firm.)

11. Now go pour yourself a nice cocktail because you are going to be at this recipe for a good long while. (You should probably do this again for good measure.)

As for me I have summer to get back to, it has been filled with ups and downs (literally) a real challenge in so many ways.  So many miles logged and so much dust removed from my shoes.

I have to say the miles sure do go a lot faster and seem easier when you have good company in tow. 

So many cookies baked and shared with friends near and far.  Hard to believe my daughter's best friend had a little girl of her own.

A day well spent having a friend over and helping her learn the mysterious ways of the macaron.  

Okay, well maybe not every cookie gets shared.

So many wine country days still need to be had. 

Setbacks aside this year I'm writing this in hopes that things move forward and up from here.  

Happy summer!

Gina

Chocolate Pecan Chess Bars and Valentine's Crafts

It has been brought to my attention that I have been neglecting this space again.  While that may be true, I've been neglecting my homework also if that makes you feel any better.  I may have gotten a little carried away with all the craft preparations for the Valentine's party I had for the kids this weekend.  When glitter and gem stones are involved I somehow lose all track of time.

I sometimes wonder who the bigger kid is at these affairs.  I was setting everything up, getting all the packages open and before I knew it I was knee deep in decoupage and sequins.  I bought some vases at the dollar store and with a few tissue paper squares; sequins, mod podge (glue), and a little ribbon had quite the cute project ready for my little guests to make for themselves.

I had all the supplies necessary for the kids to make their own crowns.  I made a sample one for myself with no intention what so ever of sharing.  Imagine the horror when I saw my nephew running around with it manhandling it, hence the glitter all over it.  Let's just put it this way, he is lucky he is 1 and adorable or I may have to of had a little talk with him.  Crowns of this caliber don't just grow on trees you know. Wait a second; these were made of paper, so scratch that last statement.

Did I have fun with the desserts; let's just say there was homemade marshmallow fluff involved.  In my usual neglectful fashion though, photos were neglected to be taken.  So as an apology I'm offering you some decadent Chocolate Pecan Chess Bars that would be perfect for your Valentines.

Chocolate Pecan Chess Bars

Crust: 

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

Filling: 

1 cup granulated sugar 

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted 

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted 

3 large eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 cup milk 

Topping: 

56 pecan halves, (3 1/2 ounces) or more if you’d like 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Combine butter, sugar, flour, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is barely stating to come together. Press the crumbs into a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan and bake for 17 minutes. (If you don’t have a food processor, you could melt the butter and just mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and press in the pan.) Let cool for 10 minutes or so. 

Mix sugar, chocolate, butter, eggs, vanilla extract, salt, and milk together and pour over the baked crust. Place pecan halves evenly over the top of the chocolate batter. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes. 

Let cool and cut into squares for serving.

In the off chance I neglect you on Valentine's Day, let me just say how much I love having you stop by here.

Happy Valentine's Day,

Gina

"Tweaking" the Twinkie Recipe

I was so excited when I spied a Twinkie pan at my local craft store the other day; I came home and couldn't concentrate on work because I had Twinkies on the brain.  I have to admit to being behind the curve on some trends.  When I saw the news that Hostess wasn't going to be making the Twinkie anymore, my first thought was, "They still make Twinkies?"  Not that I didn't consume my fair share of Twinkies over the years, it's just that it was years ago.

Twinkies and the memory of my best friend are completely intertwined.  I had a funny story in mind,  but I've had a lump in my throat I can't shake.  I put a picture up of what I was working on for you guys the other day and when I went to respond to some comments I was stopped in my tracks by some very sad news that we had lost a blogging friend Elle from Elle's New England Kitchen.  Elle had friended me through Facebook early on and I enjoyed her spirited sense of humor and her beautiful beaded jewelry she was always working on.  She had these corgis that she loved sharing pictures of which always made me smile.

I have had my unfair share of experience with these types of things the last few years, and I really feel for her family and the grief they are going to go through.  I just want them to know Elle will be missed.

I had a hard time finding the right recipe to make Twinkies, I found quite a few that used shortening, cake mix or marshmallow cream in them.  If you are going to make something and call it homemade I think it deserves better ingredients than that or I would just buy them made, or at least that is my pet peeve.  So I set about on a "Tweak the Twinkie" mission.

Cake:
1 cup cake flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Cream filling:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoon granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray the pan with no-stick spray.  I bought the Twinkie shaped pan at my local craft store it is a Wilton brand, but I'm sure if you looked online there are more options.

Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer add the three egg whites and whip on high speed until stiff peaks are starting to form. Transfer the whites to another bowl and put the bowl back on the mixer.

Add the egg yolks and sugar and beat until the egg yolks get paler and lemony in color.  Add the vanilla extract and coconut oil and mix until combined.  Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix until it comes together on low speed.  Add one third of the egg whites and mix until combined.  Take the bowl off the stand and fold in another 1/3 of the whites until combined, then fold in the remaining egg whites.

My daughter insisted I keep half of them vanilla, but I needed a little more zing from my Twinkies so I poured half of the batter in another bowl and mixed in the following ingredients.

Lemon- Strawberry version:
Zest from 1 lemon (I used a Meyer lemon, but regular will work just fine)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons dried strawberries, minced

Pour the batter into each hole about 1/2 full.  You should get six vanilla and six lemon-strawberry Twinkies. If you want, you can increase the amount of lemon juice a little and up the strawberries and do all twelve that way.

Bake for 7-9 minutes, until they are just set.  You don't want to over bake them or the will dry out fast.  Let cool on a rack.

In the bowl of a mixer whip the heavy cream and sugar on high speed until stiff. (If you want lemon cream, just add a little zest and juice.)  Place the whipped cream in a piping bag with a tip and fill them from the bottom.  These are a little denser than spongy more like a Madeline, but I think I preferred this version, even though I certainly enjoyed trying the other versions I experimented with.

Note: I used a Wilton 230 tip to fill them, because it's longer and can be inserted from the side as well as bottom. Also on my bag when I use tips that I may want to change out I use a coupler, they are available where the tips are sold.  It makes things so much less messy.

Because these are filled with whipped cream you should store them in the fridge.

Peace and Twinkies,

Gina

Pumpkin Loaf Cake with Spiced Pepitas

I tend to underestimate things.  I forgot how delicious a slice of moist, spicy cake can be on a cool day in January. I have made this cake three times already since the first time I made it, I think I underestimated how little self-control I'd have around it.

One of the habits I'm trying to break this year is having big, big plans for something and having only a small window of time to get it all done.  You see I need some of my free time back because I have lots of other pans on the fire.  Besides the regular hustle and bustle around here, my daughter is graduating from college in May and I'm planning a 50th anniversary party for my parents.  It's going to be an exciting year, I just want to make sure I spread out the work and don't get all stressed out.

I already underestimated how easy it would be to pick a venue.  I spent way too many hours on the phone, internet, and scouting locations and still have more to look at this week.  You see I was married back in prehistoric times and I am not too hip on that stuff anymore.

This weekend my dryer finally gave up its fight. I've only had it for 8 years, but had both units repaired multiple times.  (Please don't make me go into my "they just don't make things like they used to spiel", I already feel ancient enough.) After having a heated argument with the dryer over whether or not it wanted to go for a spin I finally decided it wasn't worth it.  I figured I'd just run down and pick out a new set, in and out.  Except for when I got to the appliance store they had dozens of them and I knew my plan for a quick stop just flew out the window. Luckily a couple of hours later I had a set picked out, so much for all the other things on my list.

I totally underestimated how fast my dogs can stink up the sheets if I let them in the bed like I did this morning. There was no school today and I thought I'll just stay in here a bit and it will be relaxing and I can get a little work done.  Wrong, I usually ignore my dogs cries to join me, but I caved and now I have to wash the sheets again and forgot I don't get the new dryer till Thursday.  See how easy it is for plans to fall to apart.

Making another Pumpkin Loaf Cake however turned out to be a brilliant use of my time and made it seem like all things worked themselves out in the wash.  (I couldn't help myself the washer left itself wide open for that one.)

Pumpkin Cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup milk
6 tablespoon coconut oil, melted (or vegetable or canola oil will work too)

Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar 

2-3 teaspoons milk 

Cayenne spiced pepitas: 

1/3 cup Pepitas 

Coconut or No-stick spray 

Pinch ground cayenne pepper 

Pinch ground allspice 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Combine flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl and whisk together to combine. Add pumpkin, eggs, milk, and coconut oil and stir until well combined. 

Pour mixture into a greased loaf pan. 

Bake in 350 degree F oven for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool.

Heat pepitas in a small skillet on medium heat, spray the pepitas with a little spray and sprinkle with ground allspice and cayenne pepper.  The nuts only need a few minutes.  Set aside.

Mix powdered sugar and milk and drizzle over bread with a spoon. Sprinkle the nuts all over the top.

p.s.a.  Be sure and wash your hands after handling the nuts, I don't want any of you to touch and burn your eyes like some lady over here did.

Enjoy,

Gina

Ginger Cake with Candied Oranges and Orange Cream

I'm elated to share with all of you that the ongoing holiday bonanza around here has finally concluded. We had our second Christmas celebration on Monday complete with roasted pig, tamales, and 3 decadent desserts.

As happy as I am to be done with all the non-stop cooking and cleaning, I'm a little sad to see some things come to an end, such as putting away the tree.  I bought a new artificial tree this year, which I'm really enjoying.  You see there was this moving incident in which some unnamed person (HDD) was being too lazy to move our old one and it got given away.  So I decided last year to buy a fancy real one, it was tall, full, and looked glorious all decorated.  Until two weeks later when all of the branches fell like a cake yanked from the oven too soon.  Bulbs started falling off on the tile floor and I was cleaning up glass every other day so the dogs wouldn't cut their feet. 

In previous years I've left the tree selection up for family debate and usually I'm overridden, so this year I didn't leave the tree up for discussion.  You see sometimes you just have to be the head honcho in charge and boss around the minions.  I informed the troops I'm the boss around here for a reason.  I take all the decorations down from the garage, I hang all the ornaments in an orderly, perfectly spaced fashion, I'm stuck with making sure all the most breakable ones are located high enough from little fingers, I make sure the lights are spaced 1.48 inches apart, I pack it all away when the fun is over, I vacuum pine needles for three weeks, so back the hell off I'm the boss.  (I know, super adultish to throw a tantrum.)  (Probably from lack of naps I might add.)

So when it came to deciding on what desserts to serve for the 6th, I put my boss crown on and made some executive decisions. I knew right off the bat I would serve a lime, raspberry swirl cheesecake, a pan of chocolate, pecan chess bars, but for the third I just decided to wing it. This cake has a few steps, but all of them can be done the night before and the cake can be assembled when needed.   

I don't make resolutions, but I am resolute on making some changes this year.  Don't fret though; those changes have nothing to do with giving up dessert.

Ginger Cake with Candied Oranges and Orange Cream 

Cake: 

1 cup milk 

1/2 cup molasses 

3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil 

3 large eggs 

1 teaspoon orange extract 

1 cup light brown sugar 

1 cup granulated sugar 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 

1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons ground ginger 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

Pinch ground cardamom 

Pinch salt 

Candied Cuties (Mandarin Oranges): 

3 mandarin oranges, sliced 1/4-inch thick (ends discarded)

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1 1/2 cups water 

Orange Cream: 

1 cup heavy whipping cream 

1/2 teaspoon orange extract 

Zest from 1 mandarin orange 

2 tablespoons granulated sugar 

8 ounces mascarpone cheese 

Garnish: 

Candied Cutie 

Toffee bits 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Combine milk, molasses, oil, eggs, orange extract, brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt in a mixing bowl and mix until combined with no lumps. 

Pour the cake mixture evenly into two 8-inch or two 9-inch pans that are prepared with butter and flour or sprayed with no-stick spray and lined with parchment rounds (my favorite). I used two 9-inch pans and got thinner cakes, if you’d like thicker ones use 8-inch pans. 

Bake both pans on the same rack for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Note: 8-inch pans will take a few minutes longer to bake.

Add orange slices, sugar and water to a skillet and bring to a boil and let boil on medium-low heat for 20 minutes, until the liquid is thickened and syrupy. Remove pan from the heat, cover and let steep for a few hours. Remove the oranges to a rack to dry for a few hours and save the syrup. 

Combine heavy cream, orange extract, zest, and sugar in the bowl of a mixer and mix until stiff peaks form. Fold mascarpone into whipped cream. Set aside. 

To assemble cake, place one layer of cake on a plate, drizzle with half of the syrup, spread on half of the cream, add a layer of candied cuties (reserve 1 for top), add the second layer of cake, drizzle with second half of syrup, spread on the rest of the cream, top with a sprinkling of toffee bits and a candied orange. 

(The toffee bits added a little crunch, but are completely optional.)

Hoping all my friends caught in the Polar Vortex are keeping warm, I've seen pictures on the news and am reminded how grateful I am to live in a place that rarely dips below 30.

Gina

Blood Orange Crinkle Cookies

My friend Jean the lovely mastermind behind the scrumptious Lemons and Anchovies kept teasing me on Instagram with her Lemon Cookies she was cranking out.  Not fair I tell you when you are sitting down with your cup of tea and not a lemon in sight to make such glorious treats.

Lucky for me I had a couple of blood oranges sitting on the counter waiting for something good to happen to them.

A few tweaks here and there and my tea was no longer lonely.

Ingredients:
1½ cups (7½ ounces) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup powdered sugar
1¼ cups (8¾ ounces) granulated sugar
4 teaspoons grated blood orange zest

4 tablespoons blood orange juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, and cooled
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk 

1-2 drops red food coloring (optional, but the cookies will be much paler in color without it)

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350° F and line two or three baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Place powdered sugar in a small bowl and set aside. 

Process granulated sugar and orange zest in food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add melted butter, oil, orange juice, egg and yolk, and red food coloring and process until pale and thickened, about 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl with flour mixture and stir until incorporated. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill until dough is firm, about 1 hour.  Although I've found with this type of dough overnight chilling works best and then it is much easier and cleaner on the hands to roll.  

Roll a piece of dough about 1½ tablespoons into size into balls, toss in powdered sugar, and space them 2-inches apart on prepared sheets. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the cookies are cracked and set on top but still look moist within the cracks, about 10 to 12 minutes. Be sure to rotate the sheet halfway through baking.

Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 24-27 cookies.

Hot Dog Dude is usually my first line of taste testers and I busted out laughing when he told me, "These taste exactly like Fruity Pebbles!"  I haven't had that cereal since I was a kid, so I can't exactly confirm that.  Then again, I won't buy kids cereal for a grown man, so I think this means I am no longer the wretched wife who won't buy her husband children's cereal.  Either way I think I win here.

Either way you try these, in the lemon or blood orange I think you will be a winner too.

Enjoy,

Gina

Frosted Apple-Cinnamon Drops

I was feeling a bit nostalgic the other evening and reminiscing about apple cookies my mom used to make for us when we were little.  I did a little research and I found an old recipe in a Sunset Cookie book that sounded similar, but I felt it needed a little something-something to make it worthy of adding it to the cookie line-up this year.

Brown butter, oh yeah that ups the deliciousness factor.  Cinnamon Chips, heck yes, I saw Liren - Kitchen Confidante post a Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Muffin  recipe some time back and I swear I looked high and low for those darn chips.  I finally secured some at my local Tar-jay, you should have seen me it was ridiculous.  Here I am telling everyone in the isle, "Omg, they have cinnamon chips, do you know how long I've been looking for these?"  Of course they didn't, but I sure was proud of myself.  It was the equivalent of scoring the last talking Elmo (yes I'm acutely aware I'm dating myself here) the day before Christmas.  So if you see the chips in your local store, throw them in your cart a.s.a.p., or if you spot the last bag in someone else's cart and they somehow manage to work their way into your own cart (I saw nothing).

Frosted Apple- Cinnamon Drops

Cookie Dough
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups finely chopped granny smith apple (about 1 and a half apples)
1/2 cup cinnamon chips (I found Hersey's brand at my local Target)

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Add butter to a small saucepan and heat on medium-low heat until nicely browned.  Usually takes about 5 minutes.  To a large bowl add the brown sugar and browned butter, stir to combine.  Add the egg, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and milk and stir until combined.

Stir in the chopped apples and cinnamon chips.  If you can't find the cinnamon ones, I think semi-sweet chips would be great in these too.

Scoop tablespoon sized amounts of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silpat.  These spread a bit so leave a little room between each cookie.  Should get 27 cookies or more depending on size.

Bake for 12-14 minutes until browning slightly on the bottom.  If you press one with your finger and it doesn't start to spring back they need a little more time.  Let cool.  For the most even baking I like to rotate my pans from upper to lower and lower to upper halfway between cooking time.

Icing
4 tablespoons butter
2 ounces cream cheese
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
Zest from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Combine butter and cream cheese in a small saucepan and heat on medium-low heat until melted and whisk a little to combine. Whisk in powdered sugar, lemon zest and juice.  Should be a nice drizzling consistency.  If it seems too runny; whisk in more powdered sugar a spoonful at a time.  You can drizzle the icing over the cookies with a spoon or put it into a piping bag.  Let icing firm up and store the cookies in between layers of wax paper in an airtight container.

Like the cute red heart on these?  I just reserved a small amount of the icing and tinted it red and piped on a heart.  Adds just a little extra love I think.

Enjoy,

Gina

Candy Cane Shortbread Dipped in Chocolate

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas over here!  The tree is up and decorated, stockings are hung, and even my Christmas cards are here and awaiting signing.  I've decided to get an earlier start this year because if you can believe this, sometimes I procrastinate (sad, but true) and I'm baking all day and shopping at night the week before Christmas.  Not this year.  I've spread out all the requirements on the to-do list, have a few parties in the works, and the week nights before Christmas I planned to be sprawled out on the couch with a blankie.  At least that's my plan anyways.  I think we all know how the best laid plans go.

One of those requirements on my to-do list is get all my cookie recipes locked down before the holiday.  I have to admit, Peppermint & Chocolate Cookies aren't something I regularly make.  The reason is I'm not a fan of mint extract.  (Probably doesn't help I took a big swig of that stuff to see what it tasted like and almost lost it.)  Kim - Liv Life Too and Christiane - Taking on magazines asked me if I could share a recipe using these ingredients.  So I fooled around with a mint syrup to see if I could impart that mint flavor without the weird aftertaste.

Even Hot Dog Dude approved of these and that is saying a lot, because he hates mint.  I made the ones on the left for him, I called them "mint light", sans the extra peppermint bits.

Candy Cane Shortbread Dipped in Chocolate

Mint Syrup

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

5-6 sprigs fresh spearmint

Place sugar, water, and mint in a small saucepan and bring to a medium boil, let boil for 5 minutes.  Turn heat off and cover and let sit for 20 minutes or so until cooled.

Strain out mint leaves, should yield about 2/3 cup.  Set aside

Candy Cane Shortbread

3/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature

1 batch mint syrup

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup crushed peppermint candy canes + more for sprinkling on top

Also need 6 ounces milk or dark chocolate, finely chopped

Combine in a bowl of a mixer the butter and mint syrup and mix until combined.  Add the flour and salt and mix until combined.  Stir in the candy cane bits.  If you don't want to clean up candy cane bits from every corner of your kitchen; place the canes in a large ziploc bag and bash them with a flat heavy object.

Divide the dough into thirds and place a portion of the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into a log and then press it into a square shape.  You want it to be about 1 1/2 - 2 inches in diameter.  Repeat for the other two portions.

Place the logs on a sheet pan and place in the freezer for 40 minutes or so until firm.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice off 1/2-inch slices from the rolls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or silpats a couple inches apart.  Bake for 13-15 minutes.  Let cool.

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over low heat.  Dip the corner of each cookie in the chocolate and sprinkle with a little crushed candy cane.

Enjoy,

Gina

Boring Pumpkin Pie? Try "Pumpkin Pie & Crumb Cake in a Jar"

Perhaps I'm a little long winded at times and make you wait much too long to get to the good stuff. Well today is your lucky day and we are going straight to dessert.  Especially when that dessert involves pumpkin pie, crumble cake, and a chance encounter in the oven.  

Pumpkin Pie 

15 ounces pumpkin puree

6 ounces evaporated milk

3/4 cup milk (low-fat works fine)

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl combine pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, milk, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk until well combined.

Spray (7) eight ounce glass (heat-resistant) jelly jars with a little no-stick spray.  Divide the pie mixture evenly between the jars; they end up about 2/3 full.  Place them on a baking sheet and set aside.

Crumble Cake

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter, cold, cut into 1/2" sized pieces

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 of a vanilla bean, split and seeds removed or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch salt

In the bowl of a food processor combine the sugar, flour, butter, egg, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Pulse a few times until the mixture is still crumbly but starting to hold together.  If you don't have a food processor you can do the same thing with all your ingredients in a bowl and cut the butter in the bowl with two knives until it is in tiny pieces.

Divide the crumb mixture evenly over the pie mixture in the jars.  (I know I'm showing only 6 in the shot, but 7 does work a little better.  I was just out of jars and didn't want to dump a whole jar of jam.)

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 35-40 minutes, until the cake is set and you can see the pie in the bottom part setting.

Serve at room temperature with whipped cream or not, but really come on is there anyone out there that actually prefers their pie without whipped cream?

If you don't have any jars use an 8" x 8" baking pan.  You may need to adjust the baking time by a few minutes. When I'm unsure as to the bake time, I will start lower like 30 minutes and then add time as I see how it's coming along.

My Aunt has informed me I haven't been keeping up with my blog regularly.  I assure you I haven't gone rouge, it's just I had this very important painting to finish up for my niece.  That and a garage full of boxes to still deal with, but the boxes make my head hurt and I'd much rather deal with a unicorn and Rapunzel.

Seriously - call me if you don't like whip cream with your pie, we need to discuss this pronto because there is a whole world with whip cream in it that you are missing out on.

Enjoy,

Gina

Lattice-Topped Apple Pie Tart

I'm sitting here trying to write the story of the photos of an Apple Pie Tart I baked, yet my tired wrung out brain is fighting me tooth and nail.  I've been wandering as of late, my mind that as. My mind has been wandering to far away places, reading more and thinking about the future.  A future that includes a nephew due to arrive shortly and news today that twins are on the way from my other sister-in-law. I've been wandering to all the dark and dusty alley ways still untapped in the crevices of my mind.  I think sometimes in order to find yourself you must get lost, completely and utterly lost.

Funning thing is no matter how lost I get I or how much I fight the path my life is destined to be on, something gently guides me back in the right direction.  I wandered upon  Nick Malgieri's book Bake! and was guided straight to the kitchen where I set about baking his Apple Pie Tart on a leisurely Saturday afternoon.  I lovingly placed the apple bits in the pastry shell, sprinkled it generously with sugar, I placed a photo on Instagram and had my brother, sister-in-law and niece at my door in half an hour.  We ate pie and ice cream for dinner, played games and stayed up late.

Adapted from Nick's recipe.

Flaky Pastry Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon into a dry-measure cup and level off)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon cold water if necessary

In a food processor combine flour, salt, and baking powder and pulse to combine.  If you would like more detailed crust explanation there is one on my Dark Chocolate Cream Pie.

Add pieces of butter and eggs and pulse a few times until starting to combine.  Add the water if the dough isn't coming together enough.

Divide the dough into 1/3 and 2/3 sized pieces onto pieces of plastic wrap, flatten and wrap tightly in the plastic wrap.

Store in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours before rolling out.

Apple Filling

3 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, halved, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4" pieces

Finishing

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll out the bigger piece of dough on a floured surface and place the crust into an 11" tart pan with a removable bottom.  Use your fingers to make sure it gets into the sides and edges of the pan.  Cut off any excess from the top.

Put the apples in a large bowl.  In a small bowl mix the sugars, flour, and cinnamon.  Scatter 2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture onto the bottom of the tart crust.  Pour the rest over the apples and use a large spatula to mix together.

Scrape the filling into the prepared crust and redistribute the apple pieces so that the top of the filling is level rather than domed.  You really have to work those apples in with your fingers, but they should all fit.  Dot the filling with small pieces of butter.

Roll out the other 1/3 of the crust into a rectangle on a floured surface until it's about a 1/4" thick.  I had to go a little thinner, because I didn't have as much dough to work with.

Use a pizza wheel or serrated pastry wheel to cut dough into 1/2" wide strips.  Place 4 or 5 strips an 1" apart or so going in one direction and then the same amount, going the other.  I just pushed the edges down to the edge of the crust with my finger and cut off any extra.

Brush the top of the crust with a little water and sprinkle with the two tablespoons of sugar.

Place the tart pan on a baking sheet so it won't leak in the oven.

Bake for 45-55 minutes.

I've been fighting who I am as of late, rebelling if you will, and balking at the path I'm supposed to be on. It's funny though the harder I fight it, the more it seems futile.  This pie pulled me right back into a warm, comfy, familiar place, one that I have been many times and one that I want to visit many more times to come.  Matter of fact, I'm not sure if I can ever look at a traditional apple pie again and want it in the same way I used to.  This tart version was need I say, gasp, pretty impressive.

Maybe I can bake my way back and things will fall back into place, it's worth a shot anyways.

Do any of you have a way of finding your way back when you are lost?

Gina

White Asparagus - Bad; Zucchini Muffins - Good; the rest was In-Between...

The Good:

These zucchini, chocolate chip, and roasted salted sunflower seed muffins I made were a nice surprise. I was going to buy raw seeds like I usually do and at the last minute I threw in the roasted salted version.  Good choice it gave the muffins a little salt kick finish.

Zucchini, Chocolate Chip, Sunflower Seed Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup zucchini, unpeeled and grated

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

Zest from one lemon

1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup roasted salted sunflower seeds

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, sugar, zucchini, oil, egg, lemon zest, and chocolate chips in a bowl and stir until combined.

Spray a mini muffin pan generously with no-stick spray and divide the batter between the 24 cups, sprinkle each muffin with some of the sunflower seeds.

Bake 12-15 minutes.

Adapted from my ancient Better Homes Cookbook.

The Bad:
White asparagus have been on my must try list forever it seems.  I've seen dazzling dishes with them on the internet.  While I do enjoy reading some of these recipes, I somehow end up feeling like I'm the only one of the planet that doesn't consume 5-star meals every night performed in French precision.

I spotted bundles of white asparagus at my market the other day and my eyes popped out of my head, "yesss", was all I could think.  Some brussel sprouts were sitting in the adjacent bin giving me a little wave, "Take me, take me - I'll be good."

I washed the white asparagus and prepped them as I would green asparagus, except I used a peeler and took off a bit of the outer peel.  Placed them in my steamer for about 7 minutes and fixed the topping while they were steaming.

I had 8 brussel sprouts; I cut them in half starting at their stem and cutting down.  Then I sliced off the tender part of the leaves.  I turned the fire on and heated up my skillet and tossed in 2 ounces of diced pancetta, after the pancetta browned I added a couple of tablespoons of white wine and then I tossed in the shredded brussel sprouts, sprinkled them with a little salt and pepper and a couple of minutes later I plated the white asparagus and poured the brussel sprouts over the top.

Long story short, the topping was delish, both me and my hubs looked at each other and said the white asparagus were not so good, downright bland and a touch bitter to be more exact.  I'm going to chalk this up to the overhyped category.

The In-Between:
We buried another family member this week; he was only 1 year older than me.  He went to sleep and didn't wake up.  There is nothing worse in life than attending the funeral of a child who has gone before their parents; it's just not fair.

The homecoming game and dance is this weekend.  My daughter has invited everyone over for pictures and basically room and board for the weekend.  I'm sure food will be involved; teenagers can literally eat you out of house and home.  So I'm trying to get my energy back up.

Gina

Nectarine-Rosemary Crumb Bars - Summer Concert Grub

I can't get enough nectarines during the summer.  I was so sad when I went by my friends' orchard the other day and he said they were done.  What do you mean done!!!  I just moved back here and I planned on stuffing myself with them until I started to glow orange, "I bellowed."

I scurried home with the last few I could find and they were so ripe, I knew I would have to consume them faster than I had planned.

I don't know about you, but my summer was stolen away by moving and all the other life changes going on around here.  I decided I needed to take advantage of the last few remaining weeks and plant myself in our newly renovated park downtown, sit there in my lawn chair and soak in the free summer concerts they have been having.  But let's face it, you can't just sit there and relax completely without a little snack.

I happily parted with a few of my beloved nectarines to whip us up a little to dessert to enjoy with our music and I'm so glad I did, a sweet little summer dessert really did make the music sound that much sweeter.

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  Make the crumb mixture.  In a food processor combine:

1 cup old-fashioned oats

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces

Zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced (you can use 1/2 tsp. if you only want a hint of rosemary flavor)

Pulse until barely starting to stick together.  You still want a crumb consistency.

If you don't have a food processor you can cut the butter into the other ingredients with a pastry cutter or two knives.

2.  Spray a 7" x 11" baking pan with no-stick spray and place half of the crumb mixture in the pan and press down with your fingers.

3.  Bake bottom crust for 17-20 minutes.  You just want the crust to set up.

4.  While your crust is baking prepare jam filling.  Combine in a small saucepan the following:

2 pounds yellow nectarines, pits removed and diced in small pieces

Juice of 1 lemon

3-4 inch sprig of fresh rosemary

3/4 cup granulated sugar

5.  Cook the jam on med-high heat until thickened and reduced by half (about 15 minutes).  Turn the jam down a bit if it's boiling too hard; it's very easy to scorch a small batch of jam.  Stir every few minutes.  Remove rosemary sprig.

6.  Remove the crust from the oven and place the jam evenly over the crust.  Sprinkle the rest of the crumb topping over the fruit and return to the oven for 25-30 minutes, until nicely browned.

7.  Schlep your significant other, kids and friends to the park and park it for awhile, share some crumb bars and a bottle of wine, you will be shocked at how fast your stress disappears.

Don't let the "Queen" down - go enjoy the rest of summer, it will be gone almost as fast as these crumb bars were.

Enjoy,

Gina

I'm Bored - Muffins, Nectarines, Basil and a Table

I haven't had enough things to do to keep me out of trouble these days, so I decided I needed to make some muffins to occupy some idle time while I'm canning enough marinara sauce to get me through the year.

Nectarine, Basil, Cream Cheese Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2/3 cup milk

2 large eggs

1/4 cup cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups yellow nectarine, cut into 1/4" pieces

4 large basil leaves, minced

Streusel Topping

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 hazelnuts, chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and pinch of salt, set aside.

In a small saucepan melt butter on low heat and leave it on for 5-6 minutes until it starts turning color or browning a bit.

Add the melted butter, eggs, milk, cream cheese and vanilla to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.  A few lumps are okay.

Gently mix in the nectarines and basil.

Scoop the batter into lined muffin cups.  I filled 13.  I did need a sample muffin anyways.

In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, flour, hazelnuts and melted butter.  Sprinkle over the muffins evenly.

Bake for 18-20 minutes.

These muffins came out amazing, yet I still thought I needed one more thing to do so I'm not bored.

I sold my old dinette set when we moved the first time, so I scoured Craigslist and scored this maple gem - sans the 80's blue upholstery.

I've already removed the cushions and have decided on a red French toile, but I have another problem.

The problem is I'm torn between what color to paint the chairs and legs of the table.  I've been researching chalk paint and I know I want to use it, but I can't decide between cream or black!!!

Any votes??  Hurry, please before I'm forced to toss a coin.  

While I'm waiting for you all to let me know what color I should paint, I'll just be sitting here enjoying one of my muffins.  

Pretty please don't keep me waiting too long; I really don't need any more muffins to enhance my muffin top.

Thanks,

Gina

Speculoos Cookies - A'la Patty

This last month was a complete blur, beginning with packing up our house and moving.  On moving day I slipped out to attend a Jam Party hosted by the lovely Azmina, attended by Lisa, Stephanie, Jean, and Liren.  We had such a great time and made so many tasty jams, and it was probably a great thing I was there and not at my house with the movers because they brought too small of a truck and ended up leaving part of my belongings behind.  We have decided that the bad luck that is following us around is Rusty and I will have to elaborate more on what I plan on doing about that later.

In the midst of the chaos, I was asked by a friend who owns a local orchard to start supplying them with jams for sale.  I made 40 jars for him and they were gone in no time, so in the spring I will start again, and I'm thinking that is going to keep me pretty busy.

This month ended on a good note though, I dropped my daughter off this morning for her first day of high school.  It's been a much harder road with her than my older daughter, keeping her on the right path and steering her towards choices that will make her successful later in life.  But then again, I'm pretty sure it said nowhere in the parenting handbook that this was going to be an easy job.

One of the people who couldn't make it to the party was Patty, she has become a dear friend to me and while I was missing her I recalled the Speculoo Cookies with Nutella she gave me at Christmas time.  Spicy, crunchy and just try and stop yourself at one.  I was thinking of her when I wrote this recipe.

Speculoos Cookies - A'la Patty

1/2 cup Speculoos Cookie Butter

6 tablespoons vegetable shortening

1 egg

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon powdered ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Flake sea salt

6 ounces dark chocolate

Combine the cookie butter and shortening in the bowl of a mixer, mix for a few seconds until combined.  Add the egg, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves and mix until combined.

Make balls with the dough using a rounded teaspoon full of dough.  Place the 1/4 cup of granulated sugar into a small bowl and roll the balls into the sugar and place the balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silpat. I like to put one dozen per cookie sheet.

Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F for 9 minutes.  Cut a large bar of dark chocolate into small chunks, enough for each cookie.  Add a chunk of dark chocolate to the top of each cookie and press down a bit.  Return to the oven and cook for 3 more minutes.

When you remove the cookies from the oven sprinkle each one with a scant amount of sea salt.  5 or 6 pieces per cookie.  Let cookies cool on a rack.  You can omit the salt, but for me my favorite part of a chocolate chip cookie is when I get a hit of salt in a bite.

Makes 24-30 cookies, depending on the size of them.

Enjoy,

Gina