pecan pie muffins

These were tasty little bites. As promised, they were pecan pie in muffin form.

Pecan Pie Muffins
From allrecipes.com

1 c. packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. chopped pecans
2/3 c. butter, softened
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 18 mini-muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour, and pecans. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and eggs together until smooth. Stir into dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Spoon the batter into prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

popovers

These are great, right out of the oven, with butter and jam.

Popovers
From Gourmet, January 1991

1 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. milk
melted butter for brushing the popover pans

Into a bowl, sift together the flour and the salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and the milk. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture, stirring, and stir the batter until it is smooth. In a preheated 450 degree oven, heat a 6-cup popover pan for 5 minutes, or until it is hot. Brush the cups with melted butter, and fill them half-full with the batter. Bake the popovers in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees, and bake the popovers for 20 minutes more, or until they are golden brown and crisp.

chocolate mocha heath bar cake

I made up this cake for my Heath-loving mom to celebrate Mother's Day. It was my first time using this recipe for yellow cake, and I was not entirely satisfied with it. I was looking for a moister, more tender cake. I plan on trying another recipe next time. I loved the way the mocha frosting turned out, and I think it would be great to frost a chocolate layer cake.

Chocolate Mocha Heath Bar Cake

For cake:
via Smitten Kitchen

4 c. plus 2 tbs. cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter, softened
2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 c. buttermilk, well-shaken

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla. Add eggs, 1 at a time, until well-combined. At low speed, beat in buttermilk. Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until each addition is just incorporated.

Divide batter amongst pans. Bake until golden, about 35 minutes. Invert on rack and cool completely.

For chocolate buttercream filling:

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
4 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
1/2 c. cocoa powder
4 Heath Bars, chopped

Beat butter until fluffy. Add in sugar, vanilla, chocolate, and cocoa powder. Stir in chopped Health Bars.

For mocha buttercream:

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
4 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 tbs. instant espresso

Beat butter until fluffy. While chocolate is still warm, mix in instant espresso, to dissolve. Beat sugar, vanilla, and chocolate-espresso mixture into butter.

Layer cakes with chocolate-Heath filling. Frost top and sides of cake with mocha buttercream.

peanut butter kiss cookies

These are a tasty variation on the Chocolate Chip Kiss Cookies that I have made before. They melt in your mouth!

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

For cookie:
From Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies, epicurious.com

3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 c. creamy peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. packed golden brown sugar
1 c. sugar
2 eggs

Hershey Kisses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter, peanut butter, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Beat in both sugars. Scrape down sides of bowl. Stir half of dry ingredients into mixture. Add eggs, 1 at a time, stirring well after each addition. Mix in remaining dry ingredients.

Drop 1 tablespoon of dough into mini-muffin pan. Bake until edges are golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool for 5 minutes. Place chocolate in center of each cookie. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.

cranberry pistachio biscotti

These are my mom's favorites. The add-in's give this biscotti and nice, chewy texture.

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
From Bon Appetit, December 2003

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 stick butter, room temperature
3/4 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. dried sweetened cranberries
3/4 c. shelled natural pistachios

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift first 3 ingredients into medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl to blend well. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in vanilla. Beat in flour mixture just until blended. Stir in cranberries and pistachios (dough will be sticky). Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Gather dough together; divide in half. Roll each half into 15-inch-long log (about 1 /4 inches wide) Carefully transfer logs to 1 prepared baking sheet, spacing 3 inches apart.

Bake logs until almost firm to the touch, but still pale, about 28 minutes. Cool logs on baking sheet 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature. Carefully transfer logs to cutting board. Using a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, cut logs crosswise into generous 1/2 inch thick slices. Place slices, cut side down, on remaining prepared sheets. Bake until firm and pale golden, about 9 minutes per side. Transfer cookies to racks to cool.

pecan tartlets

The filling for these pecan tartlets comes from a recipe for pecan squares, which my family prefers over the traditional pecan pie filling.

Pecan Tartlets

For cookie crust:
From Chocolate and Mixed Nut Tart in Cookie Crust, Bon Appetit, February 2002
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 stick plus 1 tbs. chilled butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tbs. chilled whipping cream
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour and sugar in processor. Add butter and cut in, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tbs. cream and vanilla extract. Pulse until moist clumps form, adding more cream by tablespoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together. Press dough over bottom of six 5-inch tartlet pans. Pierce dough all over with a fork.

Place tartlet pans on baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and use 1-cup measuring cup to press down crust, if puffed. Let cool completely. Leave oven on.

For pecan filling:
From Pecan Pie Bars, Gourmet, March 1999
8 oz. pecans (about 2 cups) chopped
1 stick unsalted butter
1 c. packed light brown sugar
1/3 c. honey
2 tbs. heavy cream

In a heavy saucepan, melt butter and stir in brown sugar, honey, and cream. Simmer mixture, stirring occasionally, 1 minute and stir in pecans. Pour pecan mixture among tartlet pans. Bake until bubbling, about 15 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

challah

I strongly believe that homemade breads are better than their store-bought counterparts. In actuality, the preceding statement is probably overreaching in its absoluteness and would hold limited validity following a blind tasting. Nevertheless, I urge you to bake your own bread; it’s incredibly satisfying, and it usually yields great, if not infinitely superior, results.

I had come across this recipe for challah bread a while ago, but, given the large number of eggs required, I put it aside for another day. After mistakingly buying an extra dozen of eggs, I decided that today would be the day! Using an electric mixer made the process remarkably easy, and the dough became beautifully smooth and elastic when kneaded. As the challah baked, it developed a high sheen, which made for a very visually appealing final product. It took a while for the large loaf to cool, but it was fully worth the wait. The challah was soft, wonderfully chewy, dense, and slightly sweet. My family and I enjoyed it in a variety of ways: paired with sliced ham, cheddar, and spicy brown mustard, with a smear of sweet butter, and simply on its own.

The large size of the loaf ensures leftovers. Toast it up the next day, and serve with sweet butter and jam. Or better yet, dip in cinnamon-spiked vanilla custard, panfry in butter, and drizzle with pure maple syrup for some phenomenal french toast.

Challah Bread
From Martha’s Stewart Baking Handbook

4 1/2 c. bread flour, plus more for dusting
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/4 c. sugar
3 tbs. honey
1 tbs. salt
1/4 c. vegetable oil, plus more for bowl, plastic wrap, and baking sheet
8 large egg yolks, plus 1 large whole egg

In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, honey, salt, vegetable oil, egg yolks, and 1 c. water. Mix on low speed until the dough is smooth and stiff with slight sheen, 8 to 10 minutes.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead to make sure any loose bits are incorporated. Gently gather the dough and flip it over, seam side down. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Brush an unrimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil or line with parchment paper. Set aside.

Return the dough to a lightly floured work surface, and divide into three equal pieces. Roll each piece into an 18-inch log, and place the logs parallel to one another; pinch the ends together at the top. Weave the three strands into a tight braid, tugging gently as you go. Press the ends together to seal. Place loaf on the prepared sheet; Loosely cover with oiled plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly beat the remaining whole egg and brush gently but thoroughly over loaf, making sure to cover any seams and crevices. Bake until the crust is dark brown, 50 to 60 minutes. The bread should reach an internal temperature of 190 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, and should have a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. Transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Bread can be wrapped in plastic and kept at room temperature for up to 3 days.