Baklava

Not anywhere near as difficult as people think it is to make!


Baklava

Syrup:
1 1/4 c water
1 c sugar
2 cloves
2 inch cinnamon stick
2 t lemon juice
Small piece of lemon rind
1/4 c honey

Place syrup ingredients in a saucepan and stir over heat until sugar dissolves.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.  Strain out solids and return syrup to pot.

Baklava:
2 c chopped walnuts
1 c chopped almonds
1/4 c raw sugar
2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1/4 t allspice
1 lb package of phyllo dough, thawed
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 c) butter, melted

Melt the butter and cut a piece of parchment for the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Use a pastry brush to coat the top sheet and the sides of the dish with butter.  In a bowl, combine the nuts, sugar, and spices and set aside.

Unroll the phyllo and place on a piece of plastic wrap.  Cover with another piece of plastic wrap and a damp towel.  Place 3 sheets of phyllo in the dish, recovering the rest of the stack.  Brush with butter.  Add 3 more sheet and brush with butter, repeating until about half the phyllo is gone.  Spread 1/2 the nut mixture, top with three more sheets, butter the top, and spread the other 1/2 of the nut mixture.  Continue stacking 3 sheets of phyllo and brushing with butter until you run out.  End with butter.

With a sharp knife, cut through all layers: 6 lengthwise strips and then 6 crosswise strips.  Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes until golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack.

When the baklava is cool, reheat the syrup and pour hot over the pastry.  Let it stand for at least 3 hours at room temperature before serving.

Cranberry-white chocolate chip monster cookies

Recently I made a batch of my monster chocolate chip cookies, shown below, and it occurred to me that some of my other recipes could probably be adapted to make over-sized delights like these.

I started my experiments with my recipe for Cranberry-White Chocolate Cookies, and it worked out so well that I think I'll probably try it again with other recipes!  Start with the basic recipe at the link above, and make these four adjustments.  Melt the butter and let it cool before beating with the sugar, add an extra egg yolk, lower the oven temperature to 325, and form and bake them according to the directions for the chocolate chip cookies.

Hamantaschen with chocolate

Why did I never think of this before?  The centers of the hamantaschen are the perfect size for Hershey's kisses.  I believe that means something...

My recipe is at the link above.

Pistachio crisps

Although we had these for an appetizer one evening, they'd also make a great dessert, maybe by just upping the sugar content a smidge...?

Pistachio Crisps

A batch of Thin Pizza Dough
Olive oil
1/2 to 1 c pistachios, chopped extra fine
Raw sugar
Kosher salt (optional - only use if pistachios are unsalted)

Preheat oven to 450 with the rack near the bottom.  Roll out the dough as thin as possible and place it on a parchment covered baking pan.  Spread a thin coat of oil on the top and sprinkle with the nuts and sugar.  Add salt only if needed.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, checking carefully after 15.  Cut into pieces and store in a tight container.

Black Forest cake

Mike's birthday is just a few scant weeks before Christmas, when I'm already in the cookie baking frenzy that becomes my life in December.  It would be sooooo easy (and tempting) to simply put some cookies on a plate and say "There you go!" to my sweetie, but that wouldn't be very nice.  This year it was a wonderful Black Forest Cake that his heart desired!


Black Forest Cake

Two layered chocolate cake - your favorite recipe.  Mine is at the link.
Chocolate frosting, glaze, or dipping sauce - I used the dipping sauce since it spreads so nicely.
Toppings:
2 c whipping cream
1/2 c powdered sugar
2 T brandy
21 oz can of cherry pie filling
1/2 t almond extract
Almonds for garnish, chopped

Mix up and bake the chocolate cake according to your recipe in two round pans.  Cool completely before assembling.  Make the chocolate dipping sauce and set aside.  In a small bowl, combine the cherries and almond extract and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the whipping cream until it starts to thicken.  Beat in the powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold in the brandy.

Place one cake layer top down on your serving plate (edged with waxed paper to be removed later).  Spread with 1/2 of the chocolate sauce, 1/2 of the whipped cream, and then about 1 c of the cherries, keeping them slightly back from the edge.  Add the second cake layer, top side up, and add the remainder of the toppings.  Sprinkle with the almonds.  Store in the refrigerator.

Cookies index

Amish raisin cookies

Bourbon balls

Brownies

Chai-pistachio sugar cookies

Chocolate chip cookies, show off

Chocolate cookies, fudgey

Chocolate cookies, Grammy's

Chocolate cookies, Mexican

Chocolate cookies, perfect chewy

Chocolate gingerbread

Chocolate matzo treats

Chocolate-orange cookies

Chocolate shortbread

Chocolate wafers with ginger

Cranberry cookie bars

Cranberry-chocolate cookies

Cranberry-white chocolate cookies (the monster version)

Cream cheese-apricot brownies

Cream cheese-raspberry brownies

Double chocolate chip and bacon cookies

Gingersnaps

Graham crackers

Hamantaschen

Hamantaschen with chocolate

Italian cornmeal cookies

Lavender biscotti

Lemon and lavender shortbread

Lemon-macadamia nut cookies

Lime and basil shortbread

Lime swirl cheesecake bars

Mandelbrot

Master mix for cookies

Matzo toffee

Molasses cookies, thin and chewy

Oreos, homemade

Peanut blossoms

Peanut butter-chocolate bark

Pecan and coconut shortbread

Pumpkin-chocolate chip-oatmeal cookies

Raspberry-mascarpone pastries

Shortbread, Mom's

Snickerdoodles

Sugar cookies with Earl Grey and lavender, rolled

Vanilla sugar cookies, perfect

White chocolate ginger biscotti

Pumpkin cornmeal cake

I was sort of hoping that this recipe would be appropriate to serve for dinner, but it's really too sweet as is.  I'm definitely thinking about redoing it in a more savory quick-bread form, but in the meantime, it really is quite delicious as a cake!  Check out the recipe for Pumpkin Cornmeal Cake in Hannaford's Fresh magazine.  I found that I needed to raise the temperature to 375 in order to keep the middle of the cake from falling.  

Cranberry-Chocolate Cookies

Using my recipe for Lemon-Macadamia Nut Cookies as a start, I worked up a way to make our Cranberry-White Chocolate Cookies a bit softer and chewier.  I love what the cream cheese does to the base of these cookies.  Both recipes are good, but personally I like this one a bit more than our old standby.

I used dark chocolate chips for this batch, but you could use white or milk if you'd prefer.  White chocolate with cranberries is a really good mix.
 

Cranberry-Chocolate Cookies
(makes about 3 dozen)

2 c flour
1/2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt 
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c butter, soft
4 oz cream cheese, soft
1 egg
1 1/2 t almond extract
1 c chocolate chips, white, dark, or milk
1/2 c dried cranberries

Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 300.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour through the salt.  In a large bowl, mix together the sugars, and then beat in the butter and cream cheese until thoroughly combined.  Add the egg and extract, and beat until all ingredients are smoothly combined.  Add the flour mixture, chips, and cranberries.  Blend together with a wooden spoon until just combined.

Using a 1-1/2 inch scoop, dip out portions that are not completely rounded.  Drop onto cookie sheets, about 12 per sheet.  Flatten the balls and bake for about 20 minutes, turning the sheets half way through.  Remove immediately to a cooling rack.

Pumpkin blondies

These autumn-inspired blondies were a bit too gooey for me, even though I baked them longer than the recipe called for.  Everyone else loved them, though, so what do I know?  I guess I'm just one of those people who prefers blondies and brownies that are a little cakier  :-)  See Pumpkin Brownies with Pecans at Baking Bites.

Baked apple cider donuts

I've been working on this recipe for quite awhile now.  The first was a great consistency but not enough apple cider flavor, the second had great flavor but was too puffy and light.  The third...?  Just right!  The trick was to combine the best qualities of hot oil fried donuts with the healthier elements of the baked donut.  Yeah, I know...neither one is really healthy, but you've got to admit that baked is a bit better!

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

1 c apple cider, reduced to 1/3 c
3 c flour
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 t cinnamon
4 T butter
2/3 c brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 c apple butter
1 t vanilla extract
1/3 c honey
1/3 c plain yogurt

Icing:
3/4 c confectioner's sugar
2 T plain yogurt
1 t cinnamon
Dash of vanilla


Preheat oven to 350 and spray two donut pans.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together.  Beat in the rest of the wet ingredients, including the apple cider, one at a time. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and stir until just combined.

Use a pastry bag or spoon the batter into the donut pans until each mold is about 3/4 full. Bake for approximately 12 minutes, turning and rotating the pans halfway, and cool on a wire rack.

Mix all the icing ingredients together and spoon onto cooled donuts.

Apple cider donuts

I have been working my way through all the great apple cider donut recipes that are designed for cooking in deep fat, and trying to adapt them for cake-style donuts.  I know that I'll never been able to replicate the fabulous crispy crust that surrounds the cakey inside without the deep fat, but each try is getting me closer and closer to my ideal.

My first try left me with donuts that were a really great consistency, but disappointing on the flavor front.  My second try (shown above) had a much better flavor, but were too puffy and light for me.  My next step is to attempt to combine them.  When (not if!) it works out, I will share the recipe with all of you.

Back to the drawing board!  Maybe tomorrow...

Pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal cookies

I was hoping for a bit more pumpkin flavor, so I was a little disappointed, but then I re-read the intro to this recipe where it states that it's designed to just use up a bit of leftover pumpkin.  Well, it's my own fault for expecting a recipe to be something that it isn't!  They are very good cookies; nonetheless, if I make them again, I plan to up the pumpkin content or just switch to applesauce.  Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies are at Baking Bites.

Apple chai muffins

When you end up with an apple harvest like we had this year, you've got to figure out what to do with all the Applesauce you make besides just slurp it down!  I always end up making several types of apple cake, apple dumplings, and apple pie, but this year I experimented with the spices a bit and made my Apple Muffins into chai spiced apple muffins.

Apple Muffins

3 c flour
2 t baking soda
1/2 t allspice
1/2 t ginger
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 c light brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c butter, melted
1/2 c sour cream
2 large eggs

Heat oven to 350.  Combine flour through sugars in a medium bowl.  Beat the applesauce through the eggs together in another bowl and add to the flour mixture, stirring until just combined.  Divide the batter into 24 muffin cups.  Bake for about 30 minutes.  Add a nut-based icing to make them into cupcakes.


For the Chai variation, reduce the brown sugar to 1/2 c and replace the allspice through salt with the following mixture:
1 t cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
1/2 t allspice
1/2 t cardamom
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

Pumpkin donuts...so much easier than you'd think!

Thanks to my friend Cherie Burbach, a woman of many many talents, I found out that Real Simple magazine has a recipe online for baked Pumpkin Donuts!  I've been wanting to make donuts again ever since I was a kid and Mom and I spent an enjoyable afternoon deep frying a ton-load of plain sugar donuts.  The biggest problem (besides the mess and the extra calories) was that they tasted soooo much better when they were still warm.  Thus, one on the plate, one down the hatch.  Repeat all afternoon!

Yikes!

Baked donuts are (usually? always?) of the cakey variety, which are my favorite anyway.  I'm not a big fan of Crispy Cremes...please don't yell at me, they're just not my thing.  But this recipe looked promising, and indeed, it was awesome.  I plan to use the base of this recipe to try some Apple Cider Donuts and maybe some other cake types.

Wilton Donut Pans, 2 of them stacked

They don't turn out perfect like deep fried donuts...
the batter is more like muffins

Plop them on a pretty plate...

...and add the glaze

You can eat them before the glaze hardens if you want,
and actually, it's pretty hard not to!

Godiva chocolate

Because you just can't beat it.  And a beautiful box like this makes an incredible gift...hint, hint :-)

Buttermilk cake

Nicole, over at Baking Bites, shared a recipe for a wonderful "every day" sort of cake: moist, delicious, and pretty quick to make!  Hers featured cherries instead of the blueberries I used above, but I've made it both ways now and believe me...both ways work just fine!  Visit her blog.  You'll be very glad you did.

Macaroons

I made these macaroons recently, and I just wasn't thrilled with them.  No matter how long I left them in the oven, I just couldn't get them dried out properly.  I decided that the culprit was just too many egg whites.  Other recipes that I've seen, including Paula Deen's, use only half the egg whites of this one, so I'm back to the drawing board.  I'll probably try Paula's next.

Rolled sugar cookies with Earl Grey and lavender

My friend Trish offered to teach a whole bunch of us how to decorate cookies on a Saturday afternoon. All we had to do was make a batch of sugar cookies and bring them along...Trish would supply the decorating stuff. What a great deal!

Trish shared a link to the recipe she likes from Glorious Treats. It was great, but I can't help messing with everything just a bit. See those spots? I added two tea-bags full of Earl Grey and lavender tea to the dry ingredients. Love it! Wish it was a bit stronger, but I wouldn't want much more spotting in my cookies ;-)

Whiskey chocolate peanut fudge

I found this recipe years ago, and when I went back to visit the original source, it was gone.  But fortunately, I had jotted down the ingredients and was able to find my scratchings on a napkin.  See?  Hoarding isn't always a bad thing!

Whiskey Chocolate Peanut Fudge

6 T whiskey
1 1/4 c powdered sugar
1 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 c dry roasted peanuts

Prepare an 8x8 glass pan with cooking spray and parchment paper.  Melt the chips on medium power in the microwave, stirring after each minute for a total of 3 minutes.  Your mileage may vary in your microwave.  Chop the peanuts coarsely and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the whiskey and sugar.  Add the peanuts and chocolate and stir well. Pour into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula through another piece of parchment paper.  Place in fridge for a few hours.  Remove fudge from the pan, cut and scarf down.

Pecan and coconut shortbread

Because shortbread is a wonderful thing.  Period.

I used my Mom's classic Shortbread recipe and made the following tweaks:
Toast and chop 1 1/2 c shredded coconut and 1 1/2 c pecans
Use 1/2 c regular sugar and 1/2 c brown sugar
Mix in coconut and pecans with flour so they are well-distributed