Tag Archives: food

December 5, 2010 · 8:37 am

Twelve (More) Days of Christmas Cookies: Caramel Pecan Bars

12-4-10 021-1

DAY 10: Rich and chewy caramel coated pecans on a shortbread crust. Drizzled with melted chocolate and sprinkled with just a bit of coarse sea salt. I was a little short on pecans, so I ended up using about one cup of chopped almonds and 2 1/2 cups pecans. Thanks to Alice at Savory Sweet Life for a great cookie bar! The original recipe has you dip half of each triangle into the melted chocolate. I tried this, but I was not very happy with the results, so I ended up drizzling the chocolate over most of them.

To easily drizzle chocolate: melt chocolate slowly in the microwave. Pour into a Ziploc bag. Use a toothpick or skewer to poke a hole in one corner. Squeeze gently over cookies.

Cut into 24 squares while in the pan.

Remove bars from pan and place on waxed paper.

Cut each square in half to make 48 triangles.

Drizzle with melted chocolate (I used bittersweet) and sprinkle lightly with coarse sea salt.

RECIPE:

Caramel Pecan Bars

Servings: 48
Print

Crust:
½ cup salted butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Caramel Topping:
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
½ cup water
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
3 ½ cups coarsely chopped toasted pecans
1 cup melted chocolate chips (semi-sweet or bittersweet)
coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light. Add egg and vanilla and beat for one minute. Add baking powder and flour; mix well. Spray a 9×13” baking pan with non-stick spray. Press cookie dough mixture evenly throughout the bottom of the pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to brown. Allow to cool.

For the topping, combine water, sugar, and corn syrup in a large sauce pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is completely dissolved. Continue to cook until mixture turns a dark amber color (like a dark honey); turn off heat, but leave pan on the burner. Carefully add vanilla and heavy cream, stirring until smooth. Add toasted pecans, stirring and coating everything. Spread caramel pecan mixture over the cookie crust evenly. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or until cold. Cut bars into small triangles.

Drizzle bars with melted chocolate (or dip half of each triangle into the melted chocolate). Sprinkle sparingly with coarse sea salt.

Makes 48 triangles.

Recipe from Savory Sweet Life

NoEmptyChairs.me

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS COOKIES (2010) RECAP:
DAY 1: Raspberry Crumb Bars
DAY 2: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
DAY 3: Chocolate Nutella Cookies
DAY 4: Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
DAY 5: Almond Macaroon Brownies
DAY 6: Trail Mix Cookies
DAY 7: Cream Cheese Cut-Out Cookies
DAY 8: Chocolate Revel Bars
DAY 9: Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies

2 Comments

Filed under Cookies, Desserts

Tagged as baking, caramel, christmas, Christmas cookies, cookie bars, Cookies, cooking, dessert, drizzled chocolate, food, pecans, recipe, sea salt, shortbread crust, triangles, turtles

December 4, 2010 · 8:37 am

Twelve (More) Days of Christmas Cookies: Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies

12-1-10 041-1

DAY 9: The great American classic taste combination: Chocolate & Peanut Butter. This fun-looking swirl cookie was inspired by a cookie failure last year. Unlike last year’s Peppermint Swirl Cookies, which looked cute but tasted awful, this cookie is both delicious and fun to look at. The kids’ memories were better than I thought: they were leery of trying these after being so disappointed last year. One bite and they were hooked though!

I used my standard Peanut Butter cookie dough recipe and pieced together a chocolate dough from a few that I like. The textures of the two doughs swirled together nicely for a soft, fun cookie. Creating the swirl is an easy process:

12-1-10 015-1

Lay 2 logs of dough side by side.

12-1-10 032-1

Press together and gently twist.

12-1-10 035-1

Pinch off a tablespoon-size chunk of dough and roll into a ball.

RECIPE:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies

Servings: Makes about 4 dozen cookies
Print

Peanut Butter Dough
½ cup butter
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder

Chocolate Dough
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 ¼ cups cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)
2 tsp baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Peanut Butter Dough: Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Beat in vanilla and egg. Add dry ingredients and mix well.

Chocolate Dough: Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined. Add 1 cup flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt to mixing bowl; beat slowly until well combined. Mix in remaining 1 cup flour.

Roll half of each dough into a log. Press the two logs (of peanut butter and chocolate doughs) together and gently twist the doughs. Repeat with remaining halves of dough. Break off tablespoon-sized pieces of dough. Roll into balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes.

NoEmptyChairs.me

4 Comments

Filed under Cookies, Desserts

Tagged as baking, chocolate, christmas, Christmas cookies, Cookies, cooking, dessert, food, log roll, peanut butter, recipe, swirl, swirled cookie. log, twist dough

December 3, 2010 · 7:40 am

Twelve (More) Days of Christmas Cookies: Chocolate Revel Bars

091110 030-1

DAY 8: This bar cookie has been a long time favorite at our house. The recipe is from a Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook that I received as a wedding gift more than 20 years ago.

A layer of rich chocolate fudge sandwiched between oat-filled cookie layers: what more could you ask for in a cookie bar?

RECIPE:

Chocolate Revel Bars

Servings: 36
Print

1 cup butter
2 ½ cups flour (white or whole wheat)
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
4 tsp vanilla, divided
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups rolled oats
1 ½ cups chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbs butter
½ cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat 1 cup butter with mixer for 30 seconds. Add 1 ½ cups of the flour, the brown sugar, eggs, 2 tsp vanilla, and baking soda. Mix thoroughly. Beat in remaining 1 cup flour. Stir in oats.

In a saucepan, combine chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, and 2 Tbs butter. Cook over low until chocolate melts. Remove from heat. Stir in walnuts and 2 tsp vanilla.

Press 2/3 of the oat mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 15x10x1” baking pan. Spread chocolate mixture over oat mixture. Using your fingers, dot remaining oat mixture over chocolate.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until top is lightly browned (chocolate layer will still look underdone). Cool completely before cutting into 2-inch squares.

Makes about 3 dozen bars (2” square).

Recipe from Better Homes and Garden Cookbook

NoEmptyChairs.me

4 Comments

Filed under Cookies, Desserts

Tagged as baking, better homes and gardens, chocolate, christmas, Christmas cookies, cookie bars, Cookies, cooking, dessert, food, nuts, oats, recipe, revel

December 2, 2010 · 7:20 am

Twelve (More) Days of Christmas Cookies: Cream Cheese Cut-Out Cookies

8-15-10 (49)-1

DAY 7: A nice alternative to regular Sugar Cookies, this dough can be rolled flat and cut into shapes with cookie cutters, or rolled into logs and cut into circles (super fast and easy!). For decorated “log-rolled cookies”: either roll the entire log in sprinkles before slicing, or slice and then top with sprinkles (press sprinkles into dough slightly).

I made these during the summer, so they don’t look very Christmassy, but with some fun Christmas sprinkles (I love the large variety packs that they sell at Target and other stores with the shaped sprinkles-trees, gingerbread men, holly, snowflakes!), they are an easy way to add fun sugar cookies to your Christmas Cookie Plate.

I also like to use this recipe when I am using cookie cutters with an imprint on the top (one that shows on the face of the cookie). Frosting covers up all of those great details. For those cookies, I mix sprinkles directly into the dough. Chill and roll out like regular sugar cookie dough and cut out with your cookie cutters. That way you get the imprint on the face and some festive sprinkles throughout the cookie.

RECIPE:

Cream Cheese Cut-Out Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
About ¼ cup “sprinkles” candies

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer. Beat in sugar, egg, and vanilla. Add half of the flour and the baking powder; mix well. Beat or stir in remaining flour and sprinkles (**For round cookies, don’t mix in sprinkles; see note below).

Chill dough for 1-3 hours. Roll to ¼” thickness. Cut out with cookie cutters. Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes. For a soft cookie, be sure not to overcook! Cool on a wire rack.

**For round cookies: Do not mix sprinkles into dough. Divide dough in half and roll into logs. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill dough. For sprinkles on outside edges: roll entire log in sprinkles, then cut into slices and bake. For sprinkles on top of cookies: Cut logs into slices; top with sprinkles. Press sprinkles into cookies slightly; bake as directed above.

Makes about 4 dozen sliced round cookies.

NoEmptyChairs.me

2 Comments

Filed under Cookies, Desserts

Tagged as baking, christmas, Christmas cookies, Cookies, cooking, cream cheese, dessert, desserts, food, log roll, recipe, sprinkles, sugar cookies

December 1, 2010 · 10:28 am

Twelve (More) Days of Christmas Cookies: Trail Mix Cookies

112210 015

DAY 6: We’re half-way through our sugar-laden journey through Christmas cookies. Time for a cookie that at least pretends to be healthy. Packed full of everything you love in a good trail mix: dried fruits, nuts, 3 different seeds (and a little chocolate, of course); plus rolled oats, honey, whole wheat flour and wheat germ. I find these cookies very addicting. I love the hearty mouth-feel and chewy texture.

RECIPE:

Trail Mix Cookies

Servings: Makes about 60 cookies
Print

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour (white or finely milled whole wheat)
½ cup wheat germ
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups rolled oats
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1 cup slivered almonds
¾ cup sunflower seeds, unsalted
1/3 cup flax seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Cream butter and brown sugar; beat in honey, eggs and vanilla. Beat in flour, wheat germ, baking soda and salt. Stir in oats, fruits, nuts, seeds and chocolate chips. Mix well.

Drop by tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes.

Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before removing to wire racks.

NoEmptyChairs.me

1 Comment

Filed under Cookies, Desserts

Tagged as almonds, baking, chocolate chip, christmas, Cookies, cooking, cranberries, dessert, dried apricots, flax seeds, food, healthy, oats, recipe, sunflower seeds, trail mix, whole wheat

November 30, 2010 · 9:30 am

Twelve (More) Days of Christmas Cookies: Almond Macaroon Brownies

091110 013-1

DAY 5: An easy way to dress up a boxed brownie mix!

Brownies topped with a coconut and almond cheesecake layer: thick, rich and delicious. As a real nut-lover, this recipe is one of my favorites.

RECIPE:

Almond Macaroon Brownies

Servings: About 16
Print

1 brownie mix for 9×13” pan PLUS ingredients for preparing (usually water, oil, and eggs)
1 cup coarsely chopped almonds, toasted
16 oz (2 pkg) cream cheese, softened
½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp almond extract
2 Tbs. flour
1 pkg (14 oz) flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Prepare brownie mix according to box directions. Add half of almonds to brownie batter. Spread in two greased 8×8” pans (or one greased 9×13” pan: see NOTE below).

With a mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, and sugar. Beat in 2 eggs, vanilla and almond extracts, and flour. Stir in coconut and remaining almonds. Carefully spread over brownie layer. Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes (50-60 minutes for 9×13” pan) until center is completely cooked (cover with foil if top layer starts to get too brown). Cool completely before cutting.

NOTE: I usually bake this in 2 square baking pans because the center will set faster. You can use a 9×13” pan instead, but be sure the center is completely cooked before removing from oven.

NoEmptyChairs.me

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS COOKIES (2010) RECAP:
DAY 1: Raspberry Crumb Bars
DAY 2: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
DAY 3: Chocolate Nutella Cookies
DAY 4: Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies