Please Use A Pot Holder! Dutch Baby With Bacon Maple Syrup

Posted in Breakfast, Food by Shortbread

After a brief hiatus, Shortbread is back to life and ready to bring y’all some tasty recipes for your kitchen! First up is this Dutch Baby with Bacon Maple Syrup. If you haven’t ever made one of these before, you won’t believe how simple it is. The batter is made in the blender, just like my crepe batter, but is doesn’t need to rest at all and you just pour all of it in a preheated skillet and bake.

Dutch Baby

Which brings me to the post title warning: DON’T FORGET THAT THE HANDLE OF THE PAN IS HOT!!! Unfortunately, the deliciousness of this dish did not take away the burning in my hand, but it did take my mind off of it for a few minutes. Especially when generously covered with Bacon Maple Syrup. Let me just say that one more time…Bacon Maple Syrup. Which is also so easy and so delicious and not at all limited to use in this recipe only!

Dutch Baby

Dutch Baby with Bacon Maple Syrup

serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

3 eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 bacon slices, diced
1/2 cup maple syrup
confectioner’s sugar
whipped cream (optional)

Directions

Put an 11-inch skillet or oven proof sauté pan in a cold oven and preheat the oven to 475°F.
Put the eggs, flour, milk and vanilla in a blender. Blend on high until frothy, about 30 seconds, stopping the blender to scrape down the sides as needed.
When the oven is preheated, add the butter to the hot skillet and return it to the oven until the butter melts and browns, 2 to 3 minutes.
Carefully pour the batter into the hot skillet and bake until the Dutch baby is lightly browned and the sides have risen, 17 to 19 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a smaller pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Discard the fat in the pan. Return the bacon to the pan and add the maple syrup. Simmer over medium heat for 20 seconds. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
Remove the skillet from the oven and let the Dutch baby cool for 3 to 4 minutes. Cut the Dutch baby into wedges and dust with confectioners’ sugar. Serve immediately with the bacon syrup and whipped cream if desired.

adapted from Williams-Sonoma Recipes

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15May2012

{Tuesdays With Dorie} Baking With Julia Pecan Sticky Buns (Whew)

Posted in Breads, Breakfast, Desserts, Food by Shortbread

Whew! I have to say I feel like I just ran a marathon after making these Pecan Sticky Buns. It’s a good thing though, that these take so much time and effort to make because if it were easier I might be tempted to make them more often and that would not be good for my thighs.

The recipe for these buns (which was contributed by Nancy Silverton – love her) begins with making a brioche dough, which in itself is a fairly complicated and time consuming process with lots of rising and chilling and rolling. Then once the dough is made, it is made into buns with a lot more rolling and chilling and rising. And a lot of butter.

Even though there were a ton of steps in the recipe, they were all very easy to follow and really caused me no problems. And the end result was the best sticky bun I have ever put in my mouth, with super flaky layers of dough and a nutty caramel topping. Definitely worth the extra effort.

If you are tempted to try your hand at making this recipe you can visit this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie/Baking with Julia hostesses, Lynn of Eat Drink Man Woman Dogs Cat and Nicole of Cookies on Friday.

28Apr2012

Drumroll Please Shortbread Shortbread

Posted in Cookies, Desserts, Food by Shortbread

It would seem logical that one should be able to find a recipe for shortbread on a blog named Shortbread, right? Possibly even in the very first post one might think. Well, it just didn’t quite work out that way here.

I suppose the reason is mainly that I wanted to make sure that if there was a recipe for shortbread, that it would be the best one I could give you. So (drumroll) here it is! I give you my favorite Shortbread recipe that is buttery, crumbly, and perfectly sweet. I know, it’s about time.

Shortbread’s Shortbread

makes 16 pieces

Ingredients

1 cup (8 ounces) butter, softened
1/2 cup (4 ounces) granulated sugar, plus extra for top
1 cup (8 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (4 ounces) corn flour or fine semolina*
1/4 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Sift flours and salt (if using) together into a bowl. Set aside.
Beat together butter and sugar with a stand or hand mixer until creamy.
Gradually add flour mixture to butter/sugar mixture and blend just until it comes together as a dough.
Dump dough out onto a piece of parchment or a lightly floured surface and divide into two halves. Gently shape halves into discs and press each into two 8-inch round tart pans or cake tins. (Alternately, shape all the dough into a rectangle and press into a 9×13 inch baking pan.)
Using a fork, either prick holes all over the dough or press the tines around the outer edges (or both).
Bake for 35-45 minutes until pale golden all over.
Remove from the oven and dust top with sugar. Cut each into 8 triangles (or 16 squares) while still warm, then let cool completely before removing from pan.

*I use Bob’s Red Mill Corn Flour. If you can’t find or don’t have corn/semolina flour, the recipe will still work using just all-purpose flour.

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17Apr2012

{Tuesdays With Dorie} Baking With Julia Lemon Loaf Cake

Posted in Desserts, Food by Shortbread

Alright, this post is going to be short and sweet – not unlike this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie/Baking with Julia pick, Lemon Loaf Cake contributed by Norman Love. By that I mean that this cake couldn’t be easier to put together, and the result is a nice little lemony pound cake with a dense crumb that takes well to toasting, piling up with strawberries or peaches, or just eating as is.

No need to dirty up your mixer, this cake is made the old fashioned way with a whisk and a sifter. It only uses lemon zest, so if you’re after an extra shot of lemon flavor I would add in a little juice too. And it just begs for a little lemon glaze.

Please visit the blogs of our lovely hostesses, Truc of Treats and Michelle of The Beauty of Life for the recipe.

3Apr2012

{Tuesdays With Dorie} Baking With Julia Pizza Rustica

Posted in Appetizers, Food, Pizza by Shortbread

Pizza Rustica, this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie/Baking with Julia recipe, is not exactly what most people think of when they hear the word pizza. This is actually a traditional Italian dish translated as “rustic pie” that is made with a sweet pie crust and a cheesy, meaty, egg based filling. It is usually eaten at room temperature or even cold, and often as an appetizer according to Nick Malgieri, the contributor of the recipe. The Italian version of quiche maybe?

The major difference is in the crust. It is a basic Italian pastry dough called pasta frolla which is used in most of their pie recipes, either sweet or savory. It is made with a good amount of sugar added to the flour with eggs to bind it together. The recipe did not call for chilling the dough or pre-baking it, but it rolled out without problem and baked up just perfectly.

In the filling you will find ricotta cheese, eggs, mozzarella cheese and Pecorino Romano, along with prosciutto and parsley. This savory filling, especially with the salty Romano cheese and prosciutto, is used to provide a pleasing contrast to the sweet crust. I thought it was an interesting combination but I did feel like the filling lacked a little “oomph” which might possibly be cured by adding more of the Romano cheese, another salty meat, or a few more seasonings.

We had a slice warm with our dinner the night is was made, then I tried a bite once it was completely cool, and then had a cold slice for breakfast the next day and I liked it equally well at all temperatures! This was a really fun recipe to make and not extremely complicated either. I’m sure the other TwD’ers will provide a ton of ideas for additions and variations of it too.

If you’d like to try this one out, visit our lovely hostesses for the week, Emily of Capitol Region Dining and Raelynn of The Place They Call Home where you will find this recipe!

6Mar2012

{Tuesdays With Dorie} Baking With Julia Rugelach

Posted in Cookies, Food by Shortbread

The end is near, VERY near. The end of winter, I mean. I’ve already sworn off heavy sweaters no matter what. I’m getting ready to buy some colorful flowers for my porch. Daylight savings is about to begin. THIS IS IT!

As for my kitchen, this cookie will probably be the last of the winter warm-spiced sweets that will be coming out of it before the light citrus and floral flavors take over. Rugelach, with a cinnamon-sugar, nut and dried fruit filling, is the recipe for this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie/Baking with Julia.

The recipe was contributed by Lauren Groveman and is slightly different from Rugelach that I have tried in the past whereby it is rolled up lengthwise and sliced and then drenched in cinnamon-sugar-nut crumbs before baking. The dough is traditional, made with cream cheese and butter which is easy to work with and bakes up fluffy and tender and is really hard to mess up.

I used a natural apricot preserve for my filling, along with pecans and walnuts and a dried fruit mix from King Arthur Flour that includes apricots, raisins, pineapple cubes, dates, and cranberries. I didn’t need to plump the fruit at all and the mix of flavors with the sugar and cinnamon was delicious. I think the idea of rolling these in the cinnamon-sugar-nut mixture was brilliant. It gave these cookies that little something extra that causes them to be slightly addictive.

This is not a ‘throw it all together and bake’ recipe, however. It is fairly complicated and involves a lot of chilling. I spread it out over three days – making the dough on day one, filling and rolling on day two, and coating and baking on day three. You could do it in one if you started early enough, but it really needs at least two. And I would suggest if you want to store some to bake later, freeze the logs after rolling them up but before coating them, just make sure to put aside half of the coating mixture in a bag to freeze with them.

Thanks to the Tuesdays with Dorie/Baking with Julia hostesses for this week, Jessica of My Baking Heart, and Margaret of The Urban Hiker. You can find this fabulous recipe on their sites or in the lovely book Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

21Feb2012

{Tuesdays With Dorie} Baking With Julia Chocolate Truffle Tartlets

Posted in Desserts, Food by Shortbread

Today it’s Tuesdays with Dorie – Baking with Julia and this week we baked David Ogonowski’s Chocolate Truffle Tartlets. They’re made with a dark chocolate tart crust and a filling of butter, bittersweet chocolate, egg yolks, and sugar. White chocolate, milk chocolate, and biscotti chunks are added to the filling before baking to push these tartlets over the top.

The recipe makes six 4 1/2 inch tartlets, but I only had four pans, so instead of trying to do some complicated math or only making three and risking a fight amongst the children, I halved both the dough and filling recipes and divided them up into four portions. I had to roll the dough a little thinner but it still puffed up nicely when baked and made a significant crust. The recipe also instructs you to remove the bottoms from the tartlet pans, but I left mine in (’cause I was scared) and they came out just fine.

The filling didn’t completely fill up the shells either, but once I tasted the end product I was kind of grateful that they weren’t any thicker. These babies are RICH. I would describe the texture of the filling as a kind of brownie/fudge hybrid. They came out of the oven with that papery top you get on the best brownies and the inside was soft and a little fudge-y. I almost didn’t add the biscotti to them because the idea just sounded wacky, but in the end I did, and I almost think that is the best part. The whole thing is just so dang chocolatey that the biscotti adds that little bit of relief from chocolate overload.

I must admit that these tartlets had mixed reviews at my house, being deemed “too chocolatey” by the person who picks the chocolate chips out of the chocolate chip cookies (husband), and thoroughly enjoyed by another who was in the throes of some serious chocolate cravings (me). Ultimately, I think this is the perfect recipe for a true chocolate lover – someone who doesn’t simply enjoy a Hershey’s milk chocolate bar but who also really digs the deep dark 70% and higher chocolate.

Our hostesses for the week are Steph, Spike, Jaime and Jessica, just click on their names to check out the recipe or you can get this fabulous book yourself by clicking here.

6Feb2012

{Tuesdays With Dorie} Baking With Julia White Loaves

Posted in Breads, Food by Shortbread

I’ve had the lovely book Baking with Julia in my cookbook collection for a while and have made some very successful and delicious recipes from it, but it had somehow gotten buried under the ever-growing pile of newer cookbooks over time. When I discovered that the Tuesdays with Dorie group had chosen this book, which Dorie Greenspan put together from Julia Child’s PBS series of the same name, I dug it out and flipped through the pages thinking all the time “Man, I forgot how good this book is!”

I know the brioche and sticky bun recipes are fabulous, and I love the idea of baking my way through the book in order to try all the other recipes. So, here goes!

The first recipe chosen for the month of February was White Loaves, contributed by Craig Kominiak, which begins a chapter titled “Daily Loaves”. Regular Shortbread readers will know that I have made quite a few loaves of bread in my time, and it was difficult for me to keep from straying from the recipe and doing my own thing. But I tried to use the techniques it called for, and the only substitution I made was using instant yeast instead of active dry because it was all I had in the pantry. (If you find yourself in the same situation, skip the first step of mixing the yeast, sugar, and water together and just stir the yeast and sugar into the first half of the flour before adding the water.)

This dough was definitely on the wet side for me, but the loaves rose quickly and baked up tall and fragrant. It sliced easily and made tasty sandwiches, toast, and was even better with a layer of Nutella.

This week’s TWD/BWJ hostesses are Laurie of slush and Jules of Someone’s in the Kitchen, and on their websites you’ll find this recipe. Visit the Tuesdays with Dorie blog for more information!

31May2010

TENDER AT THE BONE Artpark Brownies {The Kitchen Reader}

Posted in Book Reviews, Books, Cookies, Desserts, Food by Shortbread

For the month of May, The Kitchen Readers read Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table, by Ruth Reichl. She is the well known restaurant critic for The New York Times, and in her book she shares the experiences growing up that she feels led to her great appreciation of food.

With her mother suffering from bouts of manic-depression, Reichl must intervene in her cooking “experiments” to keep her from making guests sick. When her parents are often absent, she finds herself cooking for others to make friends and keep from being lonely.

When she is then surprised by her mother enrolling her in a French school far from home, Reichl makes friends with a schoolmate who’s father introduces her to the joys of fine food. She spends much of her young adulthood traveling abroad experiencing the foods of the regions, and then joins a co-op restaurant as part owner where she learns about the restaurant business and acquires her first stalker.

It seems that Ruth Reichl naturally moved through her life on a path paved by food, as if it was destiny that she would eventually find herself surrounded by people like James Beard and Marion Cunningham. Tender at the Bone is filled with humorous, self-effacing stories that make this book fun and easy to read. And if all the recipes included are as tasty as these rich, fudgy brownies, that’s an even greater bonus. I strongly recommend serving them with a scoop of ice cream.

Thanks to the sweet and talented Jill of Jill’s Blog for this month’s book selection.

Artpark Brownies

from Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl

makes 12 brownies

Ingredients

2/3 cup butter
5 ounces unsweetened, best-quality French chocolate
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup sifted flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Butter and flour a 9-inch square baking pan.
Melt butter and chocolate in double boiler, over boiling water. When melted, add vanilla and set aside.
Beat eggs and salt in mixer. Add sugar and beat at high speed for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture is quite white.
Add chocolate and butter mixture and beat at low speed, just until mixed. Add flour and combine quickly, until there are no white streaks.
Pour batter into baking pan and put in oven. Immediately turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake for 40 minutes. (The normal toothpick test will not work on these brownies, but if you want to try pricking them with a toothpick, it should come out not quite clean.) Do not overbake; these brownies should be fudgy.

18Mar2010

In Your Dreams Whole Wheat Chocolate Croissants

Posted in Breads, Breakfast, Desserts, Food by Shortbread

How do you know when your kids are watching too much Disney Channel? That would be when you have a dream you’re a teenager and friends with the Jonas brothers, at a party at their house, and the girl who plays London on The Suite Life (Brenda Song) is trying to pick up your boyfriend.

I would probably be a little more worried about my mental state if I wasn’t going through a period in my life where I dream crazy dreams all night (or at least it seems like it). So, sadly enough, this isn’t the most disturbing dream I’ve had lately, but at least I can laugh about this one.

I’m sure I’ve dreamed about Chocolate Croissants before, because I LOVE THEM. I know I’ve daydreamed about them. In the past I’ve made chocolate croissants with store-bought puff pastry and later with homemade puff pastry. But this time I used King Arthur Flour’s recipe for Classic Whole Wheat Puff Pastry, from their giant tome, King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking.

Their recipe uses a combination of whole wheat pastry flour (usually found at a natural food store like Whole Foods or Earth Fare), and bread flour and is then made in a similar way as traditional puff pastry. The result is a dough that bakes up flaky and flavorful, with almost as much flakiness as that made from all regular flour (and perhaps a little less guilt?).

One batch makes enough for 24 croissants, but I divided mine into fourths and froze three parts for later. It’s a very nice thing to have in the freezer when you feel the craving for some pastry coming on, or if you start dreaming about them.

Chocolate Croissants

from Shortbread

makes 9

Ingredients

1/2 recipe Whole Wheat Puff Pastry (see below for recipe)
1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips, chocolate pieces or 9 chocolate batons
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Directions

Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12 x 18 inch rectangle. Cut into thirds lengthwise, and then into thirds across to make nine 4 x 6 inch rectangles.
Place about 2 tablespoons of chocolate or one chocolate baton in the center of each rectangle. Fold the rectangles like a letter and place seam side down on the baking sheet, pressing gently to seal.
Cover the croissants with plastic wrap or a towel and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Uncover and brush the tops of the croissants with the egg wash. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees, and bake until the dough is deep golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.

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Whole Wheat Puff Pastry

adapted from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

makes 3 3/4 lbs dough, enough for 24 croissants

Making the Dough

3 cups (10 1/8 ounces) whole wheat pastry flour
3 cups (12 3/4 ounces) bread flour
2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) nonfat dry milk
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (13 ounces) water, room temperature

Whisk together both flours and the dry milk in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the butter and mix with the paddle attachment until the mixture resembles oatmeal (or cut in with a pastry blender). Add the salt to the water and stir until dissolved, then pour into the flour mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together into a rough ball and pulls away from the sides. Add more water a tablespoon at a time if there is still flour at the bottom of the bowl.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead using a dough scraper to help lift it until it becomes smooth, about 2 or 3 minutes, trying not to add too much more flour (the dough needs a little extra moisture for the wheat to absorb).
Pat the dough into a square about 1 inch thick and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Preparing the Butter

2 cups (4 sticks, 1 pound) unsalted butter, softened but still cool to the touch
1/3 cup ( 1 1/8 ounces) whole wheat pastry flour
all-purpose flour for dusting

In a mixer or food processor, or with a spoon, combine the butter and pastry flour until smooth. Lightly flour a piece of plastic wrap and place the butter/flour mixture on it and pat it into an 8 inch square. Wrap the butter completely with the plastic and refrigerate on a flat surface for at least 30 minutes.

Rolling and Folding

You will need:

all-purpose flour for dusting
rolling pin
ruler or yardstick
pastry brush
small bowl of water

Unwrap the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll it into a 12 inch square. Unwrap the butter and place it in the center of the square at a 45 degree angle. (with corners pointing up and down and side to side).
Moisten around the edges of the dough with a pastry brush dipped in water. Pull the corner flaps of the dough over the straight edges of the butter until they meet in the middle, and press to seal the edges together, smoothing out any air pockets before sealing the last seam. Dust the top with flour, then turn it over and gently tap it with the rolling pin into a rectangle, adding more flour underneath if the dough starts to stick.
Continue to roll the dough into a 20 x 10 inch rectangle. Turn the dough so the short edges are at the top and bottom and brush off any excess flour from the top of the dough. Lightly wet the edges. Fold the bottom short end of the dough up 1/3 to the middle of the rectangle, and then fold the top short end down to line up with the bottom edge of the dough, like a business letter. Turn the dough 90 degrees to the right, so it looks like a book = First Turn.
If the dough feels warm or springs back when you roll it, cover it and return it to the refrigerator for 20 minutes. If the dough is still fairly cool and relaxed, repeat the previous step of rolling and folding = Second Turn.
Make two dents in the dough with your knuckle to record how many turns you have completed, then wrap and return it to the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (if resting more than an hour, let dough sit out 10 minutes before rolling again).
After an hour, roll and fold dough twice more = Third Turn & Fourth Turn. Rest dough in refrigerator another hour or more, then roll and fold two more times = Fifth Turn & Sixth Turn.
At this point you can use the dough to make any type of pastry you wish, or divide it into portions, wrap it tightly, and freeze.

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15Mar2010

Ray Of Sunshine Kaiser Rolls {The Bread Baker’s Apprentice}

Posted in Breads, Food by Shortbread

I dreamed last night that I woke up and it was snowing. The schools were on a two hour delay and my kids were getting their clothes and boots on to go outside. When I finally woke up, I realized it was just a dream, remembering that instead it was going to be sunny and in the 60’s. You know that grateful feeling you get – ‘thank goodness, it was only a dream’ – that’s what I felt.

How ’bout these Kaiser Rolls? They’re like a ray of sunshine, a light from above. The best thing about them is that they start out as a humble dough of just a few ingredients, and then somehow miraculously turn into gorgeous rolls with an intense depth of flavor.

Turkey, Havarti, Red Onion, Romaine and Lite Mayo

If you want to make a batch of these fantastic rolls, or any other recipe from Peter Reinhart’s terrific baking handbook, The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, you can preview or buy the book here.

19Feb2010

Snowball Coconut Cupcakes {Barefoot Bloggers}

Posted in Desserts, Food by Shortbread

I’m not really that outdoors-y. It’s not that I don’t enjoy being outside – I love to sit outside in the sun, to take leisurely walks, read on the porch – you’re getting the idea, right? When it comes to hiking through the woods or sleeping in a tent, I’m just not into it.

I have similar feelings about snow. I think it’s beautiful and love to watch it falling and walk through it, making the first tracks afterward. And I might throw a few snowballs and help build a snowman, or even sled down the hill a few times, but by that time I’ve had my fill and I’m done. I’m happy to go inside and make the hot chocolate while everyone else runs around for hours on end.

When we lived in NC, it actually snowed often enough that I could get away with not going out every time, but here in SC we only get snow like this every, I don’t know, 7 or 8 years. So I get guilt-ed into staying out longer than I’d like. Sometimes you’ve gotta ‘take one for the team’, I guess.

I know a lot of you are really tired of looking at this:

Hopefully it’s melting, like this did the next day, and the worst is over. If you can stay in at all from the snow, make your way to the kitchen and bake these Coconut Cupcakes from Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook – they’re like little snowballs themselves, but taste way better.

Unlike other coconut cupcakes I’ve tried that have coconut flavored cake and icing, these have real coconut baked into a vanilla/almond flavored butter cake with cream cheese icing. “How good does that sound?”, as Ina would say. Let me just say, “Soooo good!”

Barefoot Blogger Jamie, of Jamie’s Green Kitchen was responsible for encouraging us to make these ridiculously delicious cupcakes, and you can get the recipe for them on her blog, or at the Food Network.

Did I say how ridiculously good these are? Oh yeah, I just can’t help it.

11Feb2010

Squeeze Out Some Sweetness Macadamia Butter Cookies With Dried Cranberries

Posted in Cookies, Food by Shortbread

My super sweet, always agreeable, never give you a hard time child has finally reached the age of testing his limits. Now every direction is met with a resounding NO, every explanation is followed by but, everything on his plate besides peanut butter and jelly sandwiches gets an ewww, and socks are his worst enemy.

I had a feeling this time would come. I do know, however, that the sweetness will always be there waiting to be coaxed out with hugs and cookies.

These Macadamia Butter Cookies will surely do the trick for coaxing a little sweetness out of anyone this Valentine’s Day. They are especially perfect for those non-chocolate lovers out there! The trick is to process macadamia nuts into ‘macadamia butter’, and use it much like you would peanut butter. Use whole nuts to start and process until very smooth – when I bought pre-chopped macadamias for this recipe once, the dough came out too dry.

Macadamia Butter Cookies with Dried Cranberries

adapted from Cooking Light, October 2002

makes 30 cookies

Ingredients

2/3 cup macadamia nuts
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries, chopped
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°.
Place nuts in a food processor; process until smooth (about 2 minutes), scraping sides of bowl once. Combine macadamia butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add vanilla and egg; beat well.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and ground nutmeg, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed just until combined (mixture will be very thick). Stir in chopped cranberries. Chill 10 minutes.
Divide chilled dough into 30 equal portions; roll each portion into a ball. Place 1 tablespoon granulated sugar in a small bowl. Lightly press each ball into sugar; place each ball, sugar side up, on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
Gently press the top of each cookie with a fork. Dip the fork in water; gently press the top of each cookie again to form a crisscross pattern. Place 15 cookies on each of 2 baking sheets.
Bake cookies, 1 baking sheet at a time, at 375° for 9 minutes or until golden. Remove cookies from pan; cool on a wire rack. Repeat procedure with remaining cookies.

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5Feb2010

Let Someone Else Clean Nutella Swirl Pound Cake {World Nutella Day}

Posted in Desserts, Food by Shortbread

Apparently, there is a holiday for just about everything. Bell Bottoms Day, Cheese Fondue Day, Zipper Day, Cow Chip Day, closely followed by Freak Out Day. My personal favorite: Let Someone Else Clean Day. If only I could talk the husband into that one.

I didn’t have to talk anyone into observing today’s holiday, World Nutella Day, once I starting baking this delectable Nutella Swirl Pound Cake. The aroma from the oven was enough to make everyone a believer.

Nutella, a heavenly spread made from ground hazelnuts and cocoa, was first made in Europe, but has now gained popularity throughout the world and has thankfully made its way down to the Southern US. And what would be a better way to use it than adding it to a buttery, rich pound cake (other than just eating it from the jar)?

The recipe for this pound cake comes from Lauren Chattman’s Cake Keeper Cakes cookbook. The cake bakes up with a dense crumb and a lovely crust on top (my favorite part of a pound cake). I did find that I had to bake the cake a lot longer than the 1 hour and 15 minutes called for, more like 1 hour and 45 minutes. Also, most of the Nutella sank towards the bottom of the cake resulting in really only one layer of spread. So, the next time I make this I will just put 2/3’s of the batter in the pan, spread only one layer of Nutella over that, and then spread the other 1/3 of the batter on top. Then I’ll give it a good swirl up and down and side to side. Does that make sense? I hope so, ’cause it is very important that you try this cake.

I’m here if you have any questions.

Nutella Swirl Pound Cake

adapted from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman

makes one 9×5 inch loaf cake

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
One 13-ounce jar Nutella

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, tapping out any excess flour. In a glass measuring cup, lightly beat the eggs with the vanilla. In a medium bowl, whisk the 1 1/2 cups of flour with the baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl beat the butter with the sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the mixer at medium-low speed, gradually beat in the egg mixture until fully incorporated. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, beating at low speed between additions until just incorporated. Continue to beat for 30 seconds longer.
Spread one-third of the batter in the prepared pan, then spread half of the Nutella on top. Repeat with another third of the batter and the remaining Nutella. Top with the remaining batter. Lightly swirl the Nutella into the batter with a butter knife. Do not over mix.
Bake the cake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, turn it right side up and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut the cake into slices and serve.

*The pound cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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Lovingly organized by Ms Adventures in Italy and Bleeding Espresso.

2Feb2010

Super Bowl Subs Italian Bread Rolls {The Bread Baker’s Apprentice}

Posted in Breads, Food, Sandwiches by Shortbread

Rain, rain, go away . . . and don’t come again for a long time. It seems to be feast or famine with the weather here. Floods or drought. I vote for a little more balance, before we all just float away.

If there is an upside to all the rain, it gives me more time inside to bake. These Italian Bread rolls were the next recipe in my bake through of The Bread Baker’s Apprentice. The dough takes two days to make, mixing up half of it the first day, and the rest on day two. A little time consuming, but if you can work it into your day, so worth it. The bread rose and baked up beautifully, and the taste is fantastic.

Planning to serve sub sandwiches for your Super Bowl celebration? These would be perfect for them!

If you don’t have this book by Peter Reinhart, be sure to check it out here.

26Jan2010

I’ll Be In Australia French Bread {The Bread Baker’s Apprentice}

Posted in Breads, Food by Shortbread

It’s been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. My son woke up sick, my dog got off her leash, my oatmeal was runny, I put yeast in the flour canister instead of the mixing bowl, and my washing machine detergent dispenser is clogged.

I think I’m going to Australia.

I’ve hit a snag in my bake-through of The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, too. Peter Reinhart’s French Bread really gave me pause. I have made most of the recipes with relative ease, but this bread proved to be a little more ‘sensitive’. Making the dough was not difficult, but when it came to baking the loaves I couldn’t seem to get it right.

I started baking the loaves with my baking stone on the bottom rack of my oven. When I checked them, they had gotten way too brown and the tops were still white. So I moved the stone to the middle, but by the end of the recommended baking time they were still not brown on top. I turned off the oven and left them in until they were brown enough.

The result? Very tender with lovely holes on the inside, but a little too tough on the outside. But I’ll keep working on it.

Just not today.

Interested in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice? Preview it here.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

19Jan2010

No Substitution Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars

Posted in Cookies, Desserts by Shortbread

There are just some things that cannot be substituted or duplicated. Like ranch dressing, hazelnut spread, cherry pie filling, or Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups. Try as you might, it’s just impossible to make some things at home that work as well in recipes or taste the same as certain foods, whether you like it or not.