Pecan Pie (TWD)

I was already planning on making a pecan pie the week before Thanksgiving, but hadn’t decided on which recipe to use.  I looked at a few possibilities, but then I saw that pecan pie was on the TWD schedule for December, so the decision was made for me!  Dorie says this is her favorite pecan pie, and it’s a twist on a classic pecan pie.  It has espresso powder (I used coffee) and chocolate chips.  I have always been a fan of chocolate and espresso together, so I was pretty sure I would like this.  And…I was right!  This was a delicious pie!  I increased the chocolate chips (I’m not sure by how much- I just added a few extra handfuls!) and kept the espresso amount the same, but next time I would probably increase the amount.  I thought the espresso was too subtle.  This was a great pie though, and I can see why Dorie likes it so much.  I’m starting to experiment with gluten free versions of traditional pie crusts, and I tried a recipe from Whole Foods for this one.  It wasn’t quite what I was looking for (and now I know that I need to stay away from tapioca and rice flour…I’m just not crazy about the taste), but I’m sure that I’ll make many more pies and experiment with more recipes   Thanks to Beth for choosing this pie for TWD!

German Chocolate Pie

My family loves German Chocolate anything.  It’s pretty common to see German Chocolate Cake at family celebrations, on both my mom’s side and my dad’s side.  In addition to cake, this German Chocolate Pie is family favorite.  It’s hard to think of a year where we haven’t had it at either Thanksgiving or Christmas.  Usually my mom makes it, but this year I decided to try it on my own.  I changed the recipe slightly, mostly stirring all the coconut into the mixture rather than sprinkling it on top. I added some chocolate chips to increase the chocolate flavor, but you can certainly leave them out.  The original recipe calls for only 1/2 cup pecans.  This didn’t seem like nearly enough to me, so I increased the amount to 1 cup.  I also made a mini version since I didn’t have a big crowd to serve this to.  This is a very rich pie, so a little bit goes a long way, but it’s worth every delicious bite!  My mom got this recipe from a newspaper.  I’m not sure which one, though.  I think it was from the Atlanta Journal and Constitution from when my parents lived in Atlanta in the early 1980s.  I hope that if you make this pie, it becomes a favorite of yours as well!

German Chocolate Pie
Source: adapted from a recipe my mom cut out from a newspaper

1 bar (4 ounces) German chocolate

¼ cup butter

1 2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 ½ cups sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 cups grated coconut

½-1 cup chopped pecans

1 recipe pie crust, partially baked and cooled (I recommend this one from Smitten Kitchen)

Follow recipe for your preferred pie crust.  Partially bake, and allow to cool before filling.

Melt chocolate with butter over low heat, stirring to blend.  Remove from heat.  Gradually blend in milk.  Stir in eggs and vanilla.  Stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt.  Add to chocolate mixture and stir until combined.  Stir in coconut and pecans.  Add chocolate chips, if using.  Turn mixture into pie shell.

Combine coconut and nuts.  Sprinkle over filling.  Bake at 375 for 45 minutes, or until top is puffed.  Filling will be soft, but will set while cooling.  Cool at least 4 hours before serving.

Peanut Brittle

When I was still living with my parents, our neighbor used to bring over a platter of Christmas goodies every year.  One of my favorites was the peanut brittle.  It also happened to be my dad’s favorite and we would each sneak pieces when we could.  This year I decided to try my hand at making my own for the first time.  I was looking through some cookbooks for holiday baking ideas and realized that one of my favorite cookbooks already had a recipe in it.  Peanut brittle is actually very easy to make.  You have to cook the  mixture to a very high temperature, so you do have to be careful, but the directions in the book made it so easy.  I would suggest using the longest wooden spoon you have to make sure you don’t burn yourself.  Once the mixture is combined, you need to work quickly to pour it over the baking sheet because it does set up quickly.  This peanut brittle came out just right- it had the hard, crunchy texture I was looking for, but wasn’t too hard to break into pieces.  This was the perfect treat to have around during the holidays!

Peanut Brittle
Source: The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, sifted

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup light corn syrup

2 cups sugar

½ pound shelled roasted peanuts

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into ½-inch pieces

BEFORE YOU START
Lightly butter a jell-yroll pan or lined cookie sheet.

In a small bowl, whisk together the baking soda and salt.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together the sugar and corn syrup and bring to a boil.  When it is boiling, cover for 3 minutes (this will melt any sugar crystals stuck on the sides of the pan, which will prevent crystallization).

Remove the cover and cook until it reaches 348 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Remove from the heat and stir in the peanuts.  Stir in the baking soda mixture.  (Be careful!  The mixture will bubble and is really hot).  When the mixture starts to settle, stir in the vanilla and butter briskly, until it disappears.

Pour the mixture into the prepared jelly-roll pan.  Spread evenly with a buttered spatula.  Let cool to room temperature.

Makes about 2 pounds peanut brittle

Cafe Volcano Cookies (TWD)

I was certainly intrigued by this week’s choice.  They were unlike any cookie I’ve ever made.  There is no flour, and you don’t even grind the nuts all that much.  It’s basically held together by the sugar and egg white.  It’s also incredibly simple and took almost no time to make.  You just toast the nuts in the oven, and while they are toasting, you can prepare the other ingredients.  After the nuts are done, just add them to the pot and heat through.  After dropping them on the cookie sheet, just bake and there you go!  I added more espresso powder than the recipe called for because I wanted a strong coffee taste.  I used a mixture of pecans and walnuts because that’s what I had on hand.  I also added some chocolate chips because adding chocolate makes everything better   Unfortunately, I overbaked them a little bit, but they were still pretty tasty.  You can view the recipe on MacDuff’s blog, who chose them this week for Tuesdays with Dorie.

Chocolate Espresso Toffee

I just love toffee.  I like the sweetness of the flavor and the crunchiness.  I’ve always been a fan of toffee in things like ice cream, but I’ve never made toffee just for eating.  I can’t remember how I came across this recipe, but I’ve had it bookmarked for a while and couldn’t wait to add it to my Christmas treat list.  Adding espresso to it made me want to make it even more.  I made coffee toffee ice cream last year, and was pretty sure I would like this as well.  This recipes takes toffee to a whole new level.  With the addition of cinnamon and espresso powder and the combination of chocolate and white chocolate for the topping, you really can’t go wrong.  It’s also insanely addictive!  It might be a good idea to plan to share these so you don’t eat it all yourself!

Chocolate Espresso Toffee
Source: Orangette
2 cups walnuts
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed golden brown sugar
2 tsp instant espresso powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup water
1 Tbs dark unsulfured molasses
4 ½ ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used Valhrona 64%)
4 ½ ounces fine-quality white chocolate, finely chopped (I used Callebaut)
1 ¼ cups (2 ½ sticks) unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread walnuts on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant, about 5-10 minutes, making sure they don’t burn. Allow to cool for ten minutes; then coarsely chop. Remove 1 ½ cups to a bowl. Finely chop remaining ½ cup; then place in a separate bowl.

Prepare your mise en place: in a medium bowl, combine sugars, espresso powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine water and molasses. Place chopped chocolates in their own separate bowls.

Butter a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Melt butter in a heavy 2 ½-quart saucepan over low heat. Add sugars, espresso powder, cinnamon, salt, water, and molasses; stir until sugar dissolves. Attach a clip-on candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat to medium; cook until thermometer registers 290 degrees (and no less!), stirring slowly but constantly and scraping bottom of pan with a wooden spatula, about 20 minutes.

Remove pan from heat, and quickly stir in 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped nuts. Immediately pour mixture onto prepared pan; do not scrape saucepan. Tilt sheet so that toffee spreads to ¼-inch thickness. Sprinkle chocolates by generous tablespoonfuls atop toffee, alternating bittersweet and white chocolates. Let stand one minute. Using back of spoon, spread chocolates slightly. Using the tip of a knife or the tongs of a fork, swirl chocolates to create a marble pattern. Sprinkle with ½ cup finely chopped nuts. Refrigerate until toffee is firm, about one hour. Break toffee into pieces.

Makes about two pounds. Can be made two weeks ahead and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Peanut Butter and Butterscotch Fudge

Peanut butter and butterscotch is not a combination I would typically put together, so I was intrigued when I saw this recipe.  I love peanut butter and I love butterscotch, but I wasn’t sure how they would be when combined in one recipe.  The best way to find out would be to just try it!  This is an extremely simple recipe.  All you do is melt butter, peanut butter, and butterscotch chips in a pot, remove from the heat, and then stir in the marshmallows.  Does it get any easier than that?  When you add the marshmallows, and entire bag seems like a lot, but it works really well.  I loved having the marshmallows, but I’m sure it would work fine if you want to add less.  The flavor combination was phenomenal.  The butterscotch and peanut butter balanced one another very well.  Neither flavor was overly dominant, and I would love to find more desserts with the unexpectedly delicious combination!

Peanut Butter and Butterscotch Fudge
Source: adapted from The Crepes of Wrath

1/2 cup butter

1 cup peanut butter

1 package (11-12 ounces) butterscotch chips

1 bag mini marshmallows

Directions:

1. Melt butter over medium heat in a large pot.

2. Add peanut butter and butterscotch chips; stir until melted.

3. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes so you don’t melt the marshmallows.

4. Stir in the marshmallows gently yet quickly

5. Pour into a greased 9×9 pan, and put into the refrigerator until set.

Buche de Noel (Yule Log)

I have been wanting to make this for a long, long time.  It’s really only appropriate around Christmas, so there  isn’t a whole lot of time to make it.  Every year I would talk about how I wanted to make a yule log, but I just never got around to it.  This year, I decided to make it one of my top priorities!

I’ve never made a jellyroll style cake before, and I was always intrigued by the way they roll up and if it would be hard to do.  I was worried that the cake would split, but since you roll it up using the towel right after it comes out of the oven, it works out well.  I was especially concerned about how this would work using gluten free flour, but it didn’t make a bit of difference.  I did this one night and then made the syrup, buttercream, and mushrooms the next afternoon.  The syrup and frosting were very simple, but I was so convinced that the mushrooms would be difficult.

The mushrooms actually turned out to be quite easy!  You just pipe them on a baking sheet (I used a #5 tip because I didn’t have the #6 tip called for in the recipe), let them bake for 50-55 minutes, and then put the stems and bases together.  I used the tip of a steak knife to chip away a small hole in the base, then used the meringue to glue the stem in.  Overall, this was a less complicated dessert than I anticipated, but a very fun one to make!  I was so happy to finally be able to make this and I’m so happy with the way it turned out.  It was devoured in a hurry (once people stopped being afraid to cut it!).  This would be a great dessert to make for Christmas dinner or another special occasion this holiday season!

Buche de Noel (Yule Log)
Source: Williams Sonoma Desserts, also found on their website (I also realized after deciding on this particular recipe that this was the same recipe the Daring Bakers made in December 2007)

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• Unsalted butter for greasing
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• Confectioners sugar for dusting

For the syrup:

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 to 3 Tbs. dark rum or coffee-flavored liqueur

For the frosting:

• 10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

For the meringue mushrooms:

• 3 egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup confectioners sugar
• Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting
• Chocolate curls for garnish
• Confectioners sugar for garnish

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease a 15 1/2-by-10 1/2-inch rimmed baking sheet and line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the paper and the pan sides.

To make the cake, in a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until blended. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the eggs until pale and thick, about 3 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and vanilla and continue beating until tripled in volume, about 3 minutes more. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the eggs and, using a rubber spatula, fold gently until just blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until the cake springs back when lightly touched, 13 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, lay a clean kitchen towel on the counter and sift confectioners sugar generously onto it, covering it evenly. When the cake is ready, remove it from the oven and immediately run a knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake. Holding the cake in place, invert the pan onto the prepared towel. Lift off the pan and carefully peel off the paper. Beginning on a long edge, roll up the cake and towel together. Set on a wire rack and let cool.

To make the syrup, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the water and granulated sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Stir in the rum and set aside to cool to room temperature.

To make the frosting, combine the chocolate and cream in the top pan of a double boiler. Set the pan over but not touching barely simmering water in the bottom pan and melt the chocolate, then whisk until well blended. Remove the bowl from the heat and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 2 hours. To speed this process, use an ice bath (see headnote above). When the mixture is cold, add the vanilla and salt. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the chocolate mixture briefly until firm enough to hold a soft dollop. The mixture will continue to firm up as it sits.

To make the meringue mushrooms, preheat the oven to 225°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Have ready a pastry bag fitted with a small (no. 6) plain tip.

In a bowl, using a mixer on medium-low speed, beat together the egg whites and cream of tartar until very foamy. Slowly add the granulated sugar while beating. Increase the speed to high and beat until soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Continue until the whites hold stiff, shiny peaks. Sift the confectioners sugar over the whites and, using a rubber spatula, fold in until well blended.

Scoop the mixture into the bag. On 1 baking sheet, pipe 48 stems, each 1/2 inch wide at the base and tapering off to a point at the top, 3D4 inch tall, and spaced about 1/2 inch apart. On the other sheet, pipe 48 mounds for the tops, each about 1 1/4 inches wide and 3D4 inch high, also spaced 1/2 inch apart. With a damp fingertip, gently smooth any pointy tips. Dust with cocoa. Reserve the remaining meringue.

Bake until dry and firm enough to lift off the paper, 50 to 55 minutes. Set the pans on the counter and turn the mounds flat side up. With the tip of a knife, carefully make a small hole in the flat side of each mound. Pipe small dabs of the remaining meringue into the holes and insert the stems tip first. Return to the oven until completely dry, about 15 minutes more. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.

To assemble the bûche, unroll the cake and brush it liberally with the cooled syrup. Using an icing spatula, spread one-third of the frosting over the cake. Gently reroll the cake and place, seam side down, on a cutting board. Frost the top and sides of the roll with the remaining frosting, using long, rough strokes. Using a serrated knife, trim each end on a sharp angle.

Transfer the cake to a serving plate and garnish with the chocolate curls, a sifting of confectioners sugar and the meringue mushrooms. Pass the remaining meringue mushrooms at the table for garnishing individual servings. Serves 12 to 16.

Homemade Refried Beans

David and I are known for cooking Mexican food.  We typically have a Mexican dish for dinner at least once a week.  I haven’t included many recipes in my blog because Mexican food can be so hard to photograph sometimes with the color of the tortillas and the oozing cheese.  However, I just had to share these beans with you.  Even though I’ve been making this recipe since March or April, I finally decided that I couldn’t wait any longer!

We love tacos for dinner.  Tacos may seem very ordinary, but they are made special by using homemade refried beans.  Making refried beans at home is surprisingly easy, and you can make a big batch and freeze leftovers for future use.  This recipe starts off by cooking onions.  It is important to cook the onions until they are very browned for the best flavor.  When you mash the beans, you can make them as chunky or as smooth as you want.  Once you make these at home, you will never go back to the can again!

Homemade Refried Beans
Source: Adapted from The Joy of Cooking

1 medium onion, chopped fine
canola oil
2 cloves minced garlic
2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, undrained

Heat canola oil on medium-high (I like to use my Dutch oven for this, but any medium-sized pot will work).  Add onion and cook until nice and browned, about 8-10 minutes.  Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Lower heat to medium and add pinto beans, about half a can at a time.  Using a masher, mash beans until desired consistency (you don’t need to completely mash before adding more beans).  Keep on heat until it reaches desired thickness (this should only take a couple of minutes).  Serve and enjoy!

Mississippi Mud Cake

I used to make Mississippi Mud Cake quite a bit when I was in college, before I really got into baking.  I had a recipe from Southern Living that I tried for Thanksgiving dessert one year and made it a few times afterward, but not again until now.  I was in the mood for baking something rich, and one of my friends recently mentioned wanting Mississippi Mud Cake, so I decided this would be it.  It’s pretty simple to make.  The base is basically a brownie, and these are really more like marshmallow brownies rather than cake.  The recipe says to melt the marshmallows on top of the cake after taking it out of the oven and then top it with the frosting.  I could just imagine that spreading the frosting over the marshmallows would be a huge mess, so I decided to frost it, and then place it in the oven to brown the marshmallows.  That seemed to work well.  It’s not a pretty dessert, but it’s supposed to be messy and fun!  These were a huge hit and definitely satisfied the craving for something rich and chocoalty.  The recipe was written in weighted measurements, which I would recommend using!  Those measurements are much more accurate, and it’s much easier in the process.

Mississippi Mud Cake
Source: adapted from Tea and Wheaten Bread

Cake

1 cup (2 sticks) butter cut into big chunks
2 1/2 ounces cocoa powder
4 eggs, well beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
14 oz sugar
9oz plain flour
pinch salt
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts ( I didn’t use these)

Frosting

1lb icing sugar
2 1/2 oz cocoa powder
½ cup (1 stick)  butter
125mls milk or evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (10.5-ounce) bag mini marshmallows

To Make The Cake

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour 13 x 9 pan (I lined it with foil).

In a medium saucepan melt the butter and the cocoa over a medium heat stirring now an dagain until the butter is melted and the mixture is well combined about 3-4 minutes.

Stir in the beaten egg, vanilla sugar, flour, salt, and nuts.

Beat with a wooden spoon until the batter is well combined and smooth

Quickly pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 – 25 minutes until the top is springy to touch and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan

Frosting

Prepare this while the cake is baking so you will be ready to pour it over the hot cake.

In a medium bowl sieve the icing sugar and cocoa powder and combine well.

Add the melted butter milk and vanilla.

Mix well

Set aside until the cake is done.

Pour frosting over warm cake.  Top with marshmallows, and then return to the oven for about 10 minutes, until marshmallows are browned.
Cut into small squares.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cake

I’m Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas by Marcel Desaulniers has so many drool-worthy recipes that when I look through it, I want to make almost everything.  I started looking through it again recently, and I saw this recipe that I bookmarked last year to make.  I thought it looked like the perfect recipe to make one night.  It’s an easy recipe, just like a quick bread, and took very little time to prepare.  After preparing the batter, you pour it into the pan and then sprinkle the walnuts and chocolate chips on top.  This was a great step and was key in creating a crunchy topping.  This cake was incredibly moist and flavorful.  I love the combination of oatmeal and chocolate together.  This would be a great dessert to take to a holiday potluck, and would be even better with a scoop of ice cream on the side!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cake
Source: I’m Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas by Marcel Desaulniers

8 tablespoons (1 stick) plus ½ tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1 ¾ cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup quick oats

1 ¾ cups boiling water

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup tightly packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs, whisked together

1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

¾ cup walnut halves, toasted and coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly coat a 13×9x2-inch nonstick baking pan with ½ tablespoon of the melted butter (I just used PAM).  Dust the pan with the tablespoon of flour and shake out any excess.

In a sifter, combine the remaining 1 ¾ cups flour, the cocoa, baking soda, and salt.  Sift onto a large piece of parchment or wax paper.

Place the oats in a large heatproof bowl.  Pour the boiling water over the oats and let stand for 10 minutes before adding the sugars, eggs, and remaining 8 tablespoons melted butter.  Stir with a rubber spatula until combined.  Add the dry ingredients, and use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients until combined.  Fold in 1 cup of the chocolate chips.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Combine the remaining ½ cup chocolate chips and the walnuts in a small bowl.  Evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips and walnuts over the top of the batter.

Bake on the center rack of the oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees halfway through the baking time.

Remove the cake from the oven and cool in the pan for 20 minutes at room temperature.  Gently turn the cake out onto a cutting board, then turn the cake chocolate chip-nut topping side up (this is easier if you use a utility turner or wide spatula).  Cool for an additional 10 minutes before serving.