Pecan Tassies

Huzzah! I'm actually posting a Christmas cookie recipe before Christmas!! Minor detail: This photo is from last year. OOPS! Don't judge me. It's a miracle I remembered to post it this year! I will be making these this weekend, along with a slew of others that I will do my best to post pre-festivities.

So about the tassies! These are scrumptious little bites, and something different to add to your cookie tray for Christmas. They are essentially hand-held mini pecan pies…and there ain't nothing wrong with that!

From my recollection, I baked these a couple of weeks before Christmas and kept them in tins in a cool spot (e.g., unheated basement, garage). They're pretty sturdy too, so they travel well.


Pecan Tassies (makes 2 dozen)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temp.
3 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temp.
1 tbsp. butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
Pinch of kosher salt

Directions:
With an electric mixer, beat the stick of softened butter and the cream cheese until smooth. Add the flour and beat until fully combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 24-cup mini-muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Set aside.

Shape the chilled dough into 24 balls (about 1 inch diameter). Press each ball into the muffin cups, spreading evenly and pressing up the sides. Then spoon 1 tsp. of the pecans into each muffin cup. Finally, fill each cup with the egg mixture, about 1 tsp. in each cup.

Bake until the filling is set, about 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and remove from muffin pan.


Click here for a printable recipe!

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Brownies

Let's address the elephant in the room. It's been a year since I've posted anything. Yeah, so there's that. During that time, though, I have been happily preoccupied with this little cutie...

…my sweet little girl who is now a budding, running, talking, giggling toddler.

It's not that I stopped cooking. It's just that I've been leaning more on the "old reliables" rather than experimenting with new ideas and recipes. I've also been working hard to shed the last of my pregnancy pounds, so I've tried to fall out of love with food just a little. Just for a minute.

So the brownies.

It was my dad's birthday. I wanted to make him something delicious for dessert. But it's a little intimidating because my dad's a food snob (he means well!). Bless him and his tempered eggs, his braised and smoked everything, his mirepoix, and his mise en place. He started cooking maybe 10-15 years ago, and he never looked back. It was amazing that as a middle-aged husband, he suddenly found a passion for food (frankly I have enjoyed supporting this passion!!).

I finally got out of him that he wanted something that was chocolate and sea salt for dessert, so I started looking for ideas on Pinterest (aka my favorite website ever). I found a recipe for Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Brownies — bingo! I made some modifications and served up these beauties.

These brownies are special, simple, rich, and fabulous! There's only 1 cup of flour 3 eggs in the recipe, if that's any indication of how fudgy they are. 

And…

The best endorsement for the recipe? My dad called over a week later and said that they were still enjoying the leftovers. He may or may not have mentioned that they were the best brownies he's ever had. 

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Brownies (makes 16 squares)

Adapted from here

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp.) unsalted butter

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. unsweetened dark cocoa powder (Hershey's makes this)

2 cups sugar

1 cup flour

1 tbsp. instant coffee or espresso granules

3 eggs, beaten

2 tsp. vanilla 

1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks

3/4 tsp. sea salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter or use cooking spray on a 9-inch square metal cake pan. Line the pan with a piece of parchment (foil works too), leaving the edges hanging over the sides. Then butter/spray the top of the parchment.

In a saucepan, melt the butter with the unsweetened chocolate over low heat, stirring occasionally. When melted, set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, sugar, flour, and instant coffee/espresso. Add the beaten eggs and vanilla to dry ingredients and mix just to combine. Then slowly mix in the chocolate/butter mixture until fully incorporated. Stir in chocolate chunks.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and spread evenly with a spatula (batter will be thick). Sprinkle the sea salt evenly over the surface of the brownies, and gently swirl the salt into the batter.

Bake the brownies in the center of the oven for 35-38 minutes. You want the edges to be set and the center to be slightly fudgy and soft — when a toothpick is inserted into the center, it should come out coated with a little bit of batter. 

Let the brownies cool to room temp. and then refrigerate for at least an hour. Lift the brownies out of the pan and cut into 16 squares. Serve at room temperature.  

Click here for a printable recipe! 

Almond Joy Bars

These sweet treats were the perfect end to a lovely lunch with my parents and in-laws. Not to mention, they were quick enough to whip up with a 1-month-old and overnight houseguests!

From bottom to top: First you have a rich, buttery almond shortbread; that's essentially topped with a macaroon-like coconut layer; and the cherry on top is a layer of bittersweet chocolate and toasted almonds.

They're called Almond Joy Bars, but they are even more delicious because of the rich shortbread layer. It's even just a little bit salty, and counters the sweetness of the other layers perfectly!

Baked French Toast Casserole

Happy New Year! It was a super busy end of 2012, and I intended to post this recipe pre-holidays because it's a great recipe for Christmas or New Year's Day. Oops. Holidays or not, if you're having company or just want something simple but tasty for breakfast, this is a delicious, easy option.

My aunt and uncle were coming to visit Katy, and I knew I wanted to make some sort of french toast casserole — that's because I wanted something that I could prep the evening before after Katy went to sleep. I found several recipes online, namely Ina Garten's and Paula Deen's. I took my favorite parts of both recipes and morphed them into the hybrid version posted below.

One modification included removing an entire stick of butter from Paula's recipe — I don't know what that woman is thinking sometimes!

Gooey Butter Cake

My blog seems to have turned into Dessert Central lately. While I didn't want to post yet another sweet treat, it just happens to be a special occasion — my husband and baby daddy's 33rd birthday.

And he's a special guy, so for his birthday I made one of his favorites — Gooey Butter Cake.

Brad is from Kansas and I'm from New Jersey, so we had to be very purposeful when deciding to pursue our relationship. And when he permanently moved to Philadelphia five years ago, I knew I was a lucky girl! We've since gotten married and had a beautiful baby girl. He's supported me in amazing ways over those years — most recently as my "labor and delivery support person" (at least that's what the hospital bracelet he had to wear called it). He was so great in the delivery room that the nurses and doctor asked him what birth classes we took (shhh, we didn't take any classes!). And I just love watching him with Katy — she lights up when she hears or sees her daddy!

Banana Bread with Cinnamon Swirl

We've had a lot of visitors over the past couple of months, as Baby Katy is a very popular gal! It's been nice to have an excuse to bake something have something sweet to snack on when they're here.

I came across the original recipe on Pinterest and was wooed by the sounds of a "cinnamon swirl." I made a few modifications to add some fiber and reduce the fat, but followed the basic premise of the original recipe. Feel free to ignore my modifications if you want full-on indulgence!

And you know how the best part of a muffin is the top? Where all of the flavorful, crunchy goodness lives? Well, thanks to the swirl of sweet cinnamon in the middle, you get a little bit of that "best bite" throughout the bread. That's in addition to the nice crust it creates on top, of course.

It's tasty from top to bottom!

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

I haven't exactly been whooping it up this summer. I think it has a little something to do with the fact that I'm really pregnant and we've had several heat waves so far. But at least I can cook/eat like it's summer — and these treats are like summertime in a bar!

I do a lot of pursuing on Pinterest these days, and I came across this recipe there. Brad and I both really enjoyed it — it's light, refreshing, and so full of flavor. They're a snap to make, too, as long as you have a few lemons on hand. (And I highly recommend that you use fresh-squeezed lemon juice rather than store-bought. It'll make a huge difference in taste!)

Rhubarb Snacking Cake

I've already mentioned that I love me some rhubarb. And there's no better time than now to get in on the action while it's still in season. This rhubarb snacking cake is a great way to feature the unique, tart flavor, and I dig it!

I looked up rhubarb on wikipedia to get the low down. I was very interested to read this: "Rhubarb is usually considered to be a vegetable; however, in the U.S., a New York court decided in 1947 that since it was used in the U.S. as a fruit, it was to be counted as a fruit for the purposes of regulations and duties. A side effect was a reduction on imported rhubarb tariffs, as tariffs were higher for vegetables than fruits." Sorry, was that nerdy of me to find interesting?

I saw this recipe in a post from Smitten Kitchen. It caught my eye because she talked about how she took Martha's recipe, cut the cake portion in half, upped the amount of rhubarb, and threw more crumb on top.

YES. This is my kind of a recipe.

Shortbread Announcements

There are times in life when you have big news, but you just don't know exactly how to present it. At some point, I decided that the natural choice for our recent news was via cookie — shortbread to be exact.

And the news? My husband and I are expecting a baby girl August 1st! She'll be our first child, and we have the usual mix of emotions — mostly joy, excitement, and fascination. And maybe a dash of oh-my-god-but-will-she-come-with-instructions??-iness. Just a pinch. :)

I was finally able to try out a great birthday gift that I got last year — cookie cutters from Williams-Sonoma that give you the option to stamp messages into the dough (thanks Eve and George!). The cookie cutter was just large enough to fit the headline of our news story. How convenient!

Baked Berry Oatmeal

Breakfast is important! We all know that. You know what else is important? Not feeling like you're eating the same boring thing for breakfast all the time. And how about not feeling like you're having a carb fest to the tune of pancakes, bagels, waffles, or toast. That's important too.

You want protein? Check! Fruit? Check! Dairy? Check! A little fat (everyone needs a little fat!)? Check! And grains? Check, friends! It's a well-rounded breakfast delight that shouldn't send you into a carb coma an hour later.

I am in love with this recipe for baked berry oatmeal — something I found on Pinterest, my other new love. It's easy to throw together, and likely with items you already have in the pantry/freezer (assuming you have a bag of frozen berries lying around). I made mine with cranberries I had lingering in the freezer from the holiday season, but the original recipe called for raspberries. I think this is the kind of thing you can experiment with — I suspect any frozen berry will do!

Enjoy this item warm on the weekends or serve at a brunch. Or eat it leftover, as I did this morning at work, and enjoy it at room temp.

Chocolate Crack(le) Cookies

'Tis the season to bake cookies. Fa la la la la...la la la la. I wanted to make a crackle cookie, just because I love the way they look.

After doing some research, it seemed that a lot of folks were pretty pleased with Martha's Chocolate Crackle Cookie recipe. Though I modified it, mostly to save time and a couple of dirty dishes.

For some reason, my heart beats a little faster when I whip out the Scharffen Berger chocolate...the good stuff. Do yourself a favor and don't make these cookies with chocolate morsels. They contain additives that do a good job of keeping their shape but not so good of a job of tempering. Go for good old-fashioned baking chocolate (Baker's is probably the most common baking chocolate you'll find in your grocery store).

Gingerdoodle Cookies

When did Christmastime come around? I was barely keeping up with Thanksgiving, and then suddenly I had mere weeks until Christmas. And I'm not sure why I continue to be impressed each year about how quickly time flies...but I digress.

A great, snappy cookie to add to your holiday line-up are these Gingerdoodles. Soft, chewy, and spicy, with a little extra love. The cinnamon-sugar, groovy kind of love. Hence the "-doodle" portion of their name.

These cookies feature a motley crew of flavors — cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and molasses. But the coating of sweet on the outside softens the spice a little, distinguishing these treats from your average gingerbread treat.

Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie

Happy Thanksgiving! What a wonderful time for us to be reminded of all that we have to be thankful for. And this year in particular, I have so much gratitude. I'm so very thankful for:

• My wonderful husband, who I have so enjoyed being married to. Even though we lived together for a few years, there's just something that's a little different now. After all, we put a ring on it!
• Family and friends, especially after seeing the outpour of love and support for our wedding. Our hearts are so full!
• Employment. Enough said.
• My health and my family's health. May we always feel so great.
• Having a well-equipped kitchen! And it might sound funny, but I'm thankful for having the curiosity to continue experimenting and cooking. It's nice having a hobby that will nourish my family! 
• Gingersnap pumpkin pie. It's just so simple; and so good! 

Too obvious of a transition there? Anyway, let's talk about this pie. There is about a month's time each year between Thanksgiving and Christmas where pumpkin pie is relevant. So you've got to maximize on it while you have the opportunity.  

But PIE. Pie can be a little daunting. If you start to get hung up on crust and fillings that need to "set up", you might talk yourself out of making one. But this pie? This pie is a beginner's pie if there ever was such a thing — namely because I've eliminated the traditional dough crust (I was never a huge fan anyway) and replaced it with a gingersnap crust. That means you get a little dose of spicy goodness with each bite you take. (And it also lowers the calories, which is always welcome in my book!) 

Slightly Sweet Cornbread

In my last post I promised you a cornbread recipe. I know — the suspense has been killing you, right? Well take a deep sign of relief because the time has come. 

Oh, and I want you to know that every time I type "cornbread", I'm actually thinking "caaawnbread." Ya'll.

I don't know about you, but I like texture in my cornbread — gimme some corn, jalapenos, bacon, whatever! This is a simple, sweet cornbread recipe that you can add mix-ins to as desired — I made it with spicy ribs, so I kept it simple. And delicious (duh).

Lime Curd Tart

Every now and then I crave a good curd. A homemade curd. A lime curd to be exact.

Alright, I'm lying. I've never really craved a good curd; however I think I will now that I've made my own.

I remembered seeing Ina making lime curd one episode — I believe for dipping long-stemmed strawberries into for a brunch. As it turns out, she also turned the curd into a tart filling and got another episode out of it. Genius!

I threw together said tart for my parents' annual party for the Festival of Ballooning, a big event that has been going on in their little town since they moved there in 1985.

Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the lime curd tart before 1) the sun went down, and 2) people ate half of it. Just keep that in mind for the photo above, mm'kay?

So back to the recipe. It takes delicious lime curd and fills a sweet shortbread crust to the brim with it. And if you're willing to do some patient stirring, you're going to see how easily the lime curd comes together.

Banana Zucchini Walnut Bread

I spent a lot of time this past weekend bunkered up at home, hiding from the extreme heat that's been hanging around Philly. I know it's not the most logical thing to heat up the oven during a heat wave, but you have to go with it when the baking urge strikes!

I had an abundance of Jersey Fresh zucchini and some leftover bananas — have I mentioned that I can't eat bananas with any brown spots on them? They're just too...banana-y. Anyway, I was tossing around the idea of whether to make banana bread or zucchini bread when I thought to myself, "Self! Would it be possible to make a bread that uses both?" (FYI: Self said, "Try it!")

So I gave it a shot and really love the results! Maybe even more than your average zucchini or banana bread. With both of the ingredients thrown into one recipe, it has a nice balance of flavors without any one being too strong. I tried to limit the amount of oil and threw in some fiber for good measure too. All good things! (If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour, you can substitute regular white flour.)

All-American Flag Cake

In a city where the Fourth of July is celebrated from June 24th through July 4th, you might imagine that we take the holiday pretty seriously. Let's just say that there are at least three nights of fireworks, food and all-you-can eat ice cream events, parades, festivals, and free concerts (hello Aaron Neville, Philly Pops, Sara Bareilles, The Roots, BOYZ II MEN — swoon! I'm 13 again! — Michael McDonald, and Earth, Wind, and Fire!). It's a lot to live up to!

This year I wanted to find a festive dessert but didn't want to go the usual route of raspberry and blueberry rows on top of a cake or tart. Instead I came across a fun idea in my Googling and decided to run with it.

White cake on the outside, maybe jazzed up with a little red, white, and blue sprinkle action.

And then on the inside? That's the part that you don't tell people about. Just let them find it when they cut a slice...

Martha Stewart would totally stick a few sparklers in this puppy. 

Low-fat Papaya Coconut Muffins

With the wedding around the corner, I haven't been baking much. Maybe it's a little cliche, but I'm trying to watch my figure and also detox a bit from "the white stuff." I came across this tasty recipe when I was poking around Gina's Skinny Recipes and loved that it was so low in fat, lower in sugar, and used whole wheat flour.

Plus, let's be honest. I was thrilled to have an excuse to purchase a papaya.

They're not much to look at from the outside, but they're beautiful on the inside! Never judge a papaya buy it's cover! Isn't that what they always say?

The batter for these muffins was the loveliest shade of pink thanks to the papaya puree. They were good warm out of the oven and for a day or two beyond.

Monkey Bars

If you thought this post was about playground equipment, I hate to disappoint you! However, if you make this tasty bread, you might be willing to forgive me.

I brought this glorified (albeit delicious!) banana bread into work for our weekly staff meeting, where I made the mistake of calling it "monkey bread". Well, everyone got unusually excited, and I was confused by how my glorified banana bread managed to incite such a reaction. Turns out monkey bread is something else. Ever hear of it?

S'mores Birthday Brownies

Oh yeah. You read that right.

These chocolaty, homemade brownies with graham crackers and a toasted marshmallow top are pretty fantastic.

Now, I'm not necessarily a die-hard chocolate lover, but I had one in mind when I made the brownies. January 14th was the 2nd birthday of Tyler James, my soon-to-be nephew, son of my best friend since high school, and cutest little boy I know. And his momma is one of the biggest chocolate lovers I know, so I'm sure she has him in training!