Monday, December 24, 2012

Sweet and Spicy Curried Nuts

Ingredients:
1 Pound walnuts, halves 
1 Pound cashews 
1 Pound pecans 
1 Pound almonds, whole 
1 Tablespoon cumin, ground 
1 Teaspoon ginger, ground 
1 Teaspoon curry powder, sweet 
1 Teaspoons pepper, cayenne 
1/4 Cup sugar, white 
2 Teaspoons salt, Kosher 
1/4 Cup oil, canola 

Directions: 
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a pan heat the oil and with all the spices on low heat and stir for about 2 minutes until they’re aromatic. 

Pour the mixture over the nuts and add the sugar and salt. Mix well. 

Spread the nuts in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. 

Cool completely.Pack them in small air tight jars!

Monday, December 17, 2012

Pecan Pie Bars

Ingredients:
1 Cup Crisco, butter-flavored sticks 
2/3 Cups sugar, dark brown, packed 
2 2/3 Cups flour, all-purpose 
1/2 tsp salt, table 
1/2 Cup butter, unsalted 
1 Cup sugar, dark brown, packed 
1/3 Cup honey 
2 Tbls cream, heavy 
2 Cups pecans chopped

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your 9 x 13 pan with tin foil, leaving a 2 inch overhang on all sides. 

To make the crust, cream together butter and dark brown sugar until light and fluffy. Then add in the flour and salt until mixture is crumbly. 

Pour the crust mixture into the lined pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes until nice and golden brown. 

Remove and set aside. Keep oven temperature. 

While the crust bakes, in a medium stockpot, melt butter, dark brown sugar, honey, and heavy cream. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down to a low simmer and pour the pecans in and stir to combine. 

When crust is ready, pour pecan mixture over the entire crust, using a spatula to make it a smooth, even layer. 

Return pan to oven and bake for another 20 minutes. 

When done, remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting into bars. 

Use the foil to lift out the bars and place on cutting board to slice. Peel down the foil sides and slice with a very sharp knife for a clean edge. 

Store in airtight container for up to 5 days.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Cinnamon Sugared Walnuts

Ingredients:
1 Pound walnuts, halves 
1 1/2 Cup sugar, white 
1 Cup milk, 2% 
2 Teaspoons cinnamon, ground 
1/2 Teaspoon salt, table 
1 Teaspoon extract, vanilla 

Directions: 
In a saucepan combine the sugar, milk, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk over medium high heat until all of the ingredients are combined completely, then stop stirring and bring to a boil. Boil the mixture gently until it reaches 235-245 degrees (soft ball stage) on a candy thermometer, about 15 minutes. I actually reached 240 for mine. 

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Add walnuts working as quickly as possible to coat them all. 

Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Break apart any big chunks and allow to cool completely.


Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Cookies 'n Cream Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Crisco, butter-flavored sticks 
6 Tbls sugar, white 
6 Tbls sugar, light brown, packed 
1 Large egg, whole 
1 tsp extract, vanilla 
1 1/4 Cup flour, all-purpose 
1/2 tsp baking soda 
1/2 tsp salt, table 
12 Each cookies, oreos broken into small pieces

Directions: 
Preheat the over to 350 degrees. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). 

Add egg and vanilla and beat until well mixed. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. 

With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. 

Gently fold in Oreo pieces. 

With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 1-2 inches apart. 

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges JUST start to brown. Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies


Ingredients:
2 1/4 Cups flour, all-purpose 
2 1/2 Tbls cocoa powder (unsweetened) 
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch 
3/4 tsp baking soda 
1/2 tsp salt, table 
13 Tbls Crisco, butter-flavored sticks 
1 1/2 Cup sugar, white 
1 Large egg, whole 
1 Large egg yolk 
1 1/2 tsp vinegar, white 
1/2 Tbls extract, vanilla 
1 Tbls food coloring, red 
1 1/3 Cup chocolate chips, white 

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda and salt, set aside. Add butter, shortening and sugar to the bowl of an electric stand mixer and mix on medium speed until very pale and fluffy about 4 minutes. 

Add egg and egg yolk and mix until combine. Add vinegar, vanilla and food coloring and mix until well blended. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Mix in white chocolate chips. 

Scoop dough out by the heaping tablespoonfuls (about 1 1/2 Tbsp) and roll into balls and place on buttered or Silpat lined cookie sheets. Gently press about 6 white chocolate chips into the top of each cookie, being careful not to flatten the cookies (if you do flatten them a bit just reshape them to the height they had before adding the chips) and bake in preheated oven 8 - 9 minutes. Allow to cool several minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool. 

Store cookies in an airtight container.