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Tag Archives: Cookies and Bars
I have not had a chance to participate in one of my favorite virtual cooking events in a long time; this being the MacTweets Macaron challenge which is hosted by the lovely Jamie and Deeba. When I saw that their December challenge was not due until the 25th of December, I knew I would have time and it especially worked out as I was planning on making macarons for our clients. Killed two birds with one giant macaron.
Every year we put together homemade goodies for our very best clients. Macarons always make the list as they are elegant and well, just perfect for a holiday treat. The problem with making macarons is that I start to get a bit crazy as I am making them; thinking of all the flavors I could add to the package. For instance, last year I could not stop at just one, instead I had three different flavors: Eggnog, Ancho Chili and Chartreuse. This year I decided to focus on one flavor and to make it perfect. It just so happened to fall perfectly into the MacTweets challenge of Savory Sweet.
I used my fail-proof macaron recipe and added Scharffenberger unsweetened bittersweet chocolate that I spiced up with some chipotle chili powder. Then I made homemade vanilla bean marshmallow fluff; which was heavenly and I had to control myself from eating it all with a wooden spoon. I pulled together my spicy hot chocolate macaron with a dusting of crushed candy canes. It was like a steamy mug of spicy but sweet hot chocolate on a cold afternoon. All that was missing was the crackling fireplace.
Recipe: Spicy Hot Chocolate Macarons
* I used this recipe for the shell of the macaron and added 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili to the dry ingredients
Recipe: Vanilla Bean Marshmallow Fluff
*read all steps before starting the fluff
1/3 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon homemade cane syrup or corn syrup
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
1 packet gelatin
3 tablespoons warm water
2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
1 tablespoon sugar
In a small saucepan add the first four ingredients, bring to a simmer, stir. Using a candy thermometer, slowly cook the mixture until it reaches soft ball. Be careful not to bring the heat to high or you will burn the sugar and have caramel. Once you reach soft ball remove from heat and whisk in the gelatin mixture that you made while it was cooking.
While the sugar mixture is cooking, add the 3 tablespoons of water to the gelatin, in a small bowl; whisk and set aside.
After you have started the gelatin mixture but are still cooking the sugar mixture, start beating the egg whites with the cream of tarter until foamy, about 3 minutes. Add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and continue beating until peaks are almost stiff. At this point your cooked sugar mixture is finished and you have just whisked in the gelatin. Timing is everything. While the mixer is running on the lowest speed, slowly start pouring the hot sugar/gelatin mixture into the egg whites, continue beating on low speed for about a minute. Turn up the speed to middle range, about a 6 on a KitchenAid and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 – 5 minutes. Use as your recipe calls for or eat with a big wooden spoon.
Recipe: Crushed Candy Canes
*it is humid where we are and this trick worked perfectly to get a nice crushed powder
1 thick candy cane, broken into pieces
1 teaspoon tapioca or corn starch
2 teaspoons edible glitter in white, red and green – optional, I wanted sparkle, used all colors
Put candy cane and starch in a food processor and pulse to desired texture, about 30 seconds. Add the edible glitter and give one quick whirl. Pour into a shallow plate or bowl.
Putting the macarons together:
After the macarons are cool, gently spread a small amount of fluff on one side and top with another shell. You want a little of the fluff to poke out the sides of the cookies. Roll in the crushed candy cane. Chill for about an hour. Serve. Eat.
Last weekend we were invited to attend the Slideluck Potshow in San Francisco. What is a “slideluck potshow” you ask? Well, it is an amazing non-profit organization that brings together the food and art communities. It is a great way to meet artists that you may not normally know about. Our friend Bryan Alberstat was showing off some of his stunning photography, particular a road-trip with Missouri; we knew we had to be part of it!
 
I am going to be honest here; potlucks kind of freak me out. Especially when you are not sure who made it or where it came from. I also knew that I could not go wrong with bringing a dessert. My first thought was a cupcake. Or a cookie. Quickly my thoughts turned to seasonal “pumpkin” and then to brownies. When I started this recipe, I thought about a pumpkin brownie with cheesecake swirls; but as I started through the process, it turned into a cheesecake. The end result was exactly what I was looking for; easy to transport, creamy and a little zippy. The base of the bar was made from spicy gingersnaps, then a layer of creamy pumpkin that was warmed up with cardamon (my favorite fall spice) and then a swirl of maple cheesecake to wrap it all together. It was a hit.
Much to my surprise not only was the art breath-taking but the food was delicious. My fear of the potluck is gone. Thank you Slideshow Potluck!
What is your favorite Pumpkin Dessert Recipe?
Recipe: Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Crust
1 10 ounce package ginger snaps
2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling
2 8 ounce packages cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
14 ounce can solid-pack pumpkin
3 large eggs
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cardamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons pure dark maple syrup
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang on two sides. In a food processor pulse the gingersnaps with sugar until you have a fine crumb. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and pulse to combine. Pat the crumb mixture gently into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly firm. Set aside to cool.
Wipe out the food processor with a paper towel. Blend the cream cheese and the sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, flour and salt. Blend until combined. Remove 1/3 cup of the mixture and set aside. Add the pumpkin and cardamon and blend until combined. Pour over the cookie crust.
Mix the maple syrup in the 1/3 cup mixture of plain cheesecake batter. You can add a little more or a little less depending on how much of a maple flavoring you like. Place spoonfuls, that are slightly spaced apart, on top of the pumpkin mixture. Take the end of a sharp knife and gently swirl the two batters together to form a pretty pattern.
Bake until the cheesecake is set, about 45 minutes. It will jiggle slightly when gently shaken. Cool in the pan, then chill in the refridgerator until firm, at least 2 hours. With a sharp knife, cut into squares. Serve. Eat.
If you enjoyed this dish, you may enjoy these others as well:
Kat’s Kitchen Pumpkin Bars
Craving Chronicles Pumpkin Bars
Louanne’s Kitchen Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Back in April, Ella, asked me a question, that I never thought I would have to explain. She asked me, point blank, “what does it mean when you have your heart broken?” The first thought that came to mind, was probably, the same thing you are thinking, love. That first sweet tender love, when he never called or he “broke-up” with you on the playground, sort of love. I did not want to get into that topic, I wanted to keep it real. I told her, that someday, she would experience heart break; which is like getting your feelings hurt, it will hurt a little and she may cry a lot. That we all experience and that it may happen many times, but each time that it does she learn a new lesson, that will make her stronger. She was curious, so we kept talking about it. She wanted to know who would break her heart. I continued by saying, that it could a friend, or a love (like Lenny is to me) or maybe someone in her family. That it will just happen someday and she will know it. She smiled and I thought our conversation was over. Then she continued to tell me how she has had her heart broken and that I broke it. I was completely taken back. What did I do? What did I say? I asked her. She told me that two years ago when I cut my hair really short, that broke her heart. I smiled and thought she was lucky to only had that incident break her heart. To her it was a big deal and I apologized by saying that sometimes we do things we don’t know will hurt someone and that I was sorry. We were better!
I continued to think about that conversation many times after it happened, that sunny day in April, sitting on the back porch. I thought about all the broken hearts I have had over the years. And I pondered on how many did I break. There is no way around it heart break hurts; as I type these words it leaves a pit in my stomach.
Years have passed, hearts have been broken; but was it really heart break or just heart ache? May 2, 2010, I will remember for the rest of my being. This is the day I experienced heart break for the first time. No, it was not Lenny who broke my heart, nor was it a good friend. I wasn’t going to write about it, then I changed my mind, sitting here sipping tea, after all we learn from it, right? I had just told Ella this. Maybe it would make me feel better writing about it, no matter how vague. My family is going through heart break right now, all of us. This is true heart break. The kind that steals your soul. Leaves you breathless and wondering what could be next. Not a punch in the gut, leaving you standing on the play ground; the most swallow feeling. I had dinner, with my friend, Debbie, a couple weeks ago and the only way I could explain it was, that I imagine this is how death feels when someone really close leaves.
Everything is just floating these days, I can almost see it, above me like a billowy cloud. If I just could reach up high enough, on my tippy toes, I could grab it, put a band-aid on it and fix it. Some days I don’t think about how it is falling apart, those are great days. Then there are the days the heart break settles in, like the fog over the city and those are the days I need to escape; cuddle with Lenny (*wink* *big smile*), talk to a friend on the phone, see the big smiles on MEM’s faces, take a walk, go to Paris (smiles) or bake something sweet. After all, doesn’t chocolate always make the heart break a little easier.
How do you make your “heart-break” or “heart-ache” feel better?
Recipe: Salted Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup salted caramel
Heat oven to 375. Use an ungreased cookie sheet, or one lined with silpats or parchment paper. I prefer the silpats or parchment paper. Beat the butter and sugars together until creamy; add the vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until mixed. Gradually add the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in the chips and pecans. Gently fold in the caramel. Using two tablespoons, drop spoonfuls onto the cookie sheets. Bake for 8 – 11 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven. Let cool for a couple minutes and then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. Serve. Eat.
If you enjoyed this dish, you may enjoy these others as well:
Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
I am a huge peanut butter fan. I mean … HUGE. Nothing like two pieces of bread, slathered with a lot of peanut butter and a touch of jam; preferably strawberry or grape. Heck, let’s be honest here, nothing like a big soup spoon full of peanut butter and inserted into MOUTH. I am not choosy either, creamy or chunky, bring it ON.
I have not eaten a peanut butter cookie in years, except maybe an occasional girl scout one, if someone has them laying around their house (I don’t buy them for obvious reasons). Nor have I made peanut butter cookies, mainly because all of the recipes require you to chill the dough. You see, I like making cookies, I am just not into the chilling for at least 3 hours before baking. I want instant gratification.
I decided to make my nephews a big box of cookies for their birthdays and wanted to mix it up with the token chocolate chip so I have been working on a peanut butter recipe that did not require the “3-hour chillin”. The first couple times I made this recipe I used creamy peanut butter which worked out really nicely but I wanted texture. The next couple times I used an organic chunky peanut butter from Wholefoods. I not only loved the flavor of this peanut butter but I loved the slightly chewy and slightly chunky texture of the finished cookie. It was perfect. And the great thing …. neither way required any chilling time. Simply make the dough, roll into balls, flatten and bake.
Recipe: Peanut Butter Cookies
(this is a long post, please keep reading, you will not want to miss any of it ….. delicious news)
(photo taken by Sara Remington)
After months of searching high and low and endless talking about how hard it is to find digital classes up in the Bay Area, we took the matter into our hands. We looked at the resources in front of us. We have so many friends who work professionally in a creative space, from photography all the way to film making; we sat with them explained the situation and the playground was born - Digital Media Playground. We are going to keep the workshops, small and intimate. We feel the best way to learn is by actually doing what you want to learn. We won’t sit you in a room, hand you a manual and fly through a session. You will get to work side by side with the instructor. You will ask the questions. You will learn. We are currently populating the calendar with an agenda; but we currently have some exciting workshops scheduled with some very talented photographers. We are starting off with beginning photography, studio shooting and food photography workshops. We personally know each photographer who will be teaching and can tell you right here and right now …. you will be learning a lot!!!
Our featured workshop for May will be with Sara Remington (the photo of the berries was taken by her). I am really excited that Sara will be teaching this hands-on workshop about food photography. I mean, have you seen her drool worthy photography? She currently has 15 books out there featuring her work, the most recent being: The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook and My Nepenthe: Bohemian Tales of Food, Family and Big Sur . Sara believes in shooting organically, with ingredients and natural settings. If you want to learn how to shoot stunning photographs as well as how to style them, then this is the class for you. I caught a glimpse of the agenda a couple weeks ago ….. I am so excited for all of you. You are going to learn so much!!! You will not want to miss it! To sign up and for more information please visit this link. Or if you have any questions please do not hesitate to drop me an email or tweet me. As well be sure to check out some of her most recent work from shoot in Greece; but, prepare to become very hungry from these fantastic food scenes.
Now on to these delicious financiers….
I am so happy that berry season is lurking around the corner! Literally just waiting to burst into our lives. We are big berry eaters this time of the year, all the way to the last bite. Lenny and I don’t discriminate, we love them all, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, oallie berries. You name it, you will find throughout the season over at Chez Us. Not only are they the perfect ingredient, but they are the perfect snack. Come over on a weekend and you will find a big bowl of them on the counter.
I have fond memories of berry picking and summer is just not summer without a trip to the berry farm to pick. Since I don’t have kids to torture, I drag MEM (they do love it) and we pick berries and we eat berries. I love their little berry covered faces and fingers. All the way home we talk about how we are going to use the berries; ice cream, muffins, sauces for ice cream or the best way …. stuffed into our mouths! It really is a great way to bring the season into our kitchen.
I had some leftover egg whites the other day and needed some new creativity, so I put a tweet out. Normally I make macarons; but, Pim convinced me (which was not very hard to do) to venture over to Dorie’s kitchen and to make her financiers. If you are not familiar with them, financiers are a little square French cake. They were created by a French pastry chef by the name of Lasne in the nineteeth century. They are made of egg whites, ground almonds, sugar, flour and a lot of butter (the first time I misread the recipe and added 3 sticks). It is not quite time to hit the berry farm; but, I did manage to find a few pre-season raspberries that looked great and were slightly sweet. As well I had a few blueberries laying around, so I decided to add a little berry kiss to each of the financiers. As well I did not have the square little pans that are normally used and could not find them in San Francisco. Pim said to use a muffin pan which worked perfectly. These little cakes are delightful and you will definitely be seeing them more often over at Chez Us.
Recipe: Berry Financiers
(click the above link for a printable & down-loadable recipe)
Despite the last few crazy rain storms we have had out this way, spring is definitely in the air. When I open the back door every morning the first thing I smell is sweet succulent jasmine starting to bloom. I love the dewy fragrant smell and always wish I could bottle it up and bring it in. At our old apartment we had planted four big bushes of lavender and that is what we smelled mixed in with intoxicating jasmine. I love lavender as it takes me to a far away place …. this dreamy little farm house in the middle of France. There are a few chickens, a couple goats and yes, Jacqueline, a pig. As well there are fields upon fields of lavender. When we open the doors in the morning to enjoy the sunshine on our feet while making coffee the lavender wraps it sweet arms around us. This is spring!
For this months’ Mac Attack Challenge 5 (can you believe it has been 5), we are participating in “World Macaron Day, which is March 20. The lovely duo Jamie and Deeba challenged us to put a little bit of spring into our macarons. I decided to make a soft but sweet lavender macaron with a vanilla bean buttercream. I was very pleased with this round as every one of the macarons came out perfect. Beautiful little feet, perfectly round, slightly crunchy but still a little chewy – perfect! I am so pleased with myself as I feel I have finally, after 3 years of making these petite bisous, I have done it! I have Jamie and Deeba to thank for pushing me beyond the comfort zone and to keep with it! Be sure to check out all the lovely spring time macarons over at the MacTweet site.
Recipe: Lavender Macarons with Vanilla Bean Buttercream
I used my basic macaron recipe but I added a couple drops of violet colored paste. As well before drying the macarons I sprinkled a touch of culinary lavender. I filled them with a buttery vanilla bean buttercream – simply leave out the bergamont and add the beans from one vanilla bean pod. This macaron is definitely all about spring time.
My brother in-law, Shawn, makes these cookies during the holidays when we are all together; am sure he makes them even when we are not! I never really thought about it until this year, but, it is not really Christmas without these little buttery bites around the house. When we arrived in Boston last week, I had them on my mind, 24/7 and decided we should make them for a few of our favorite Bostonians. This recipe is so simple that you could even whip them up for those last minute hostess gifts during the holidays or for an extra little something sweet to have around the house. Be forewarned, you cannot stop at just one!
Recipe: Pecan Rum Balls
*inspired by Shawn Espinosa
1 cup flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup finely chopped pecans
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dark rum
confectioners sugar
Combine all ingredients except confectioners sugar, mix until thoroughly blended. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375. Using hands, roll dough into balls 1 inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until cookies are set, but not brown. Let stand 1 minute before removing from cookie sheet. Remove to wire rack and cool slightly. Roll in confectioners sugar while still warm; cool completely. Just before serving, reroll in confectioners sugar. Serve. Eat.
Chewy warm molasses cookies are spiked with allspice, ginger and pepper; this is the ultimate molasses cookie.
Pamela of Cookies with Boys picked this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) challenge and a good challenge at that. This post is going to be short, sweet and to the point (only because I am a bit sick and I have too much on my plate right now – not cookies either). I love ginger snap cookies. Now I love sugar topped molasses cookies even more. This cookie is slightly crispy but still chewy, spicy but warm and I love the addition of fresh cracked pepper, it really brings all the spice of this cookie together. I think we have found the cookie for the holidays!
Be sure to check out all the other TWD bakers, I am sure they have some goodies for you to be inspired by. Recipe can be found here – by the way the Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, is the only baking book you ever need to own, there is a sweet for everyone you bake for.
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