Greek Yogurt Cheesecake with a Chocolate Shortbread Crust

A few months ago, there was a good-looking recipe for Greek Yogurt Cheesecake with Pomegranate Syrup in Bon Appetit magazine.

But I was pretty sure I could make it better.

My first change was to ditch the graham cracker crust, and instead use mashed-up chocolate shortbread cookies. Then, I figured, why not go whole hog and add a layer of melted chocolate between the crust and cheesecake? So basically, the crust is a layer of these Million Dollar Shortbread Bars. Like for the bars, I used Walkers shortbread since I had a bunch of samples.

As for the pomegranate? Well, I'll tell you the truth. I didn't feel like going to the store for a pomegranate, plus, they're kind of expensive and messy. And would it really taste good with the chocolate? 

Basically, pomegranate amounted to "too hard". So I opted for toasted almonds on top, instead. And you know what? It tasted fantastic. Zingy and tangy thanks to the yogurt-cream cheese topping, it was mellowed by the dark, rich chocolatey crust, making for an unusual but quite nice flavor complement. Aforementioned crust, along with the toasty nuts on top, gave it a nice crunch. The only tough part was that the chocolate layer on top of the crust made cutting difficult, since the dessert must be chilled. So there may be a little hacking involved to ensure a prompt delivery of this dessert to your mouth.

I'm going to call this one a success. A little goes a long way with the powerful flavors of the dessert--a small slice will do. I think this makes it a perfect post dinner party dessert, for when people are fairly full but still want a decadent bite or four.

So while I really took some liberties with the recipe, I still thank Bon Appetit for planting the idea seedling in my mind for this delicious treat.

Greek Yogurt Cheesecake with Chocolate Shortbread Crust 

Crust

• 1 batch Million Dollar Shortbread Bars, prepared in a 9-inch springform pan and cooled

Filling

• 2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
• 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Special Equipment

• A 9-inch-diameter springform pan

Preparation

1. Prepare crust. Let set until cool.
2. Once you're ready to make the filling, place gelatin and 1 1/2 tablespoon cold water in a heatproof bowl. Let stand until softened, 5-10 minutes.
3. Pulse cream cheese, yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt in a food processor, scraping down sides as needed, until completely smooth.
4. Pour water to a depth of 1/2-inch into a small skillet over medium heat. Place bowl with gelatin in skillet; stir until gelatin dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove bowl from skillet.
5. With processor running, drizzle gelatin into cream cheese mixture; mix until well blended. Pour into prepared crust. Tap pan firmly on the counter to break up any big air bubbles. Smooth top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least 6 hours before serving. 
6. When ready to serve, toast almonds in 350 degree oven until fragrant. Let cool, and sprinkle on top of the cheesecake before serving.

The Story of Chiffon Cake

CakeSpy Note: Serious thanks to Sandy's Chatter and writer Joe Hart for sharing their stories and research with me!

If there was ever a cake to have a rags to riches, Lana Turner-type Hollywood discovery, it was chiffon cake, a light cake with a delicate crumb that physically resembles angel food cake, but with a far richer flavor. But even before being famously debuted and promoted as the “first new cake in 100 years” on its grand release to the public in 1948, the tale of the chiffon cake was unfolding glamorously in Hollywood . . . 

It all started with Harry Baker, who went to Hollywood in 1923, needing a fresh start. Exactly why isn't quite known, but some suspect it's because he was outed as homosexual in his hometown (sadly, not as OK then as it is today). He found work as an insurance salesman, but moonlighted as a caterer; it was during this time that he began to experiment with cake recipes. To describe Harry Baker as a “hobby cook” is an understatement--this cake was more like his Moby Dick. He later revealed that he tested over 400 recipes, seeking what he hoped would be a moister, more substantial version of the then-popular angel food cake. Was the recipe that finally worked a fluke, or a stroke of masterful baking? Perhaps a bit of both.

What finally ended up working, in 1927, is seemingly quite simple: he used vegetable oil (sometimes referred to as "salad oil") instead of solid shortening or butter in his recipe. The cake employs egg whites for lift, and the resulting cake is tantalizingly light, like angel food, but with a far richer flavor. Later, he would tell a Minneapolis Tribune reporter that the addition of the vegetable oil was "a sixth sense, something cosmic."

He approached the nearby Brown Derby restaurant (famous as the place where the Cobb Salad was invented) with this cake, and they agreed to sell it—it was the first (and for a time) the only dessert they offered.

As the Derby gained fame, so did the chiffon cake, and requests began to pour in from the likes of Barbara Stanwyck.

By the 1930s, he was having to turn away orders. (Wisely, Baker kept his methods and ingredients a secret; it was this mystery that made it a highly sought-out sweet treat for the elite.) He remained a one-man operation, mixing each cake to order; at the height of production, Baker was producing 42 cakes in an 18-hour day, which yielded him the equivalent of nearly $1,000 in today’s money.

How was it done, people (especially copycats) wanted to know? For two decades, Harry Baker wouldn't tell. Finally, in 1947, he approached General Mills, the food manufacturing giant, to see if they might have an interest in acquiring the recipe. (Even they had been unable to figure out the secret.) They eventually paid up with what is still an undisclosed price for the recipe. They unveiled it to the public a year later, making a huge to-do about it, calling it "The first new cake in 100 years" in a big article in Better Homes and Gardens. The first published recipe was for Orange Chiffon Cake, ;and it rose to stardom as quick as you can say "Lana Turner."

Later, an ad for Sperry Drifted Snow flour called it “The baking sensation of the century!," touting its richness yet simplicity to make--so easy that you could even "have your husband bake one."

This version of Harry Baker's famous cake, inspired by a Brown Derby recipe, is said to have been favored by a fat gossip columnist who considered the grapefruit cake acceptable diet food! It's a study in pleasant contrasts: light yet rich, sweet yet tart, simple yet layered in flavor.

 Grapefruit Chiffon Cake

Makes one 10-inch tube cake (12 servings)

For the cake:

• 2 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 7 large eggs, separated, plus 2 additional egg whites (7 yolks and 9 whites)
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (from 3 large grapefruits)
• 2 tablespoons grapefruit zest
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

For the filling:

• 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 2 tablespoons light rum (optional)
• 2 teaspoons grapefruit zest
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt

Procedure

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Have ready an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, 4 inches deep, with a removable bottom.
2. To make the cake, in a large bowl sift the flour, 3/4 cup of the sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, egg yolks, grapefruit juice and zest, and vanilla until lightly frothy. Add this mixture to the flour mixture, whisking until the batter is smooth.
4. In the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are foamy. Add the cream of tartar, and on medium-high speed, beat the whites until they hold stiff peaks. Add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar a little at a time, and on medium speed, beat the whites until they hold stiff, glossy peaks.
5. Stir one third of the whites into the egg yolk mixture to lighten it; fold in the rest of the remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
6. Spoon the batter into the tube pan, and bake the cake for 50-60 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Run a long, thin knife around the outer and inner edges of the pan. Invert the pan onto a rack and let the cake cool completely in the pan, upside down on the rack. Using a serrated knife, cut the cake in half horizontally.
8. To make the filling, chill a large bowl in the refrigerator. Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream, rum, grapefruit zest, sugar, and the pinch of salt until the mixture holds firm peaks. Cover the cream tightly and keep it chilled until you're ready to frost the cake.
9. To assemble the cake, transfer the bottom (wider) layer of the cake to a platter and spread about half of the frosting on it. Set the remaining cake half on top, and top it with the remaining cream. If desired, garnish with additional grapefruit zest or thin slices of grapefruit.
10. Serve immediately after assembling. This cake is best served the same day; store, loosely covered, in the refrigerator.

Funfetti Brownie Popcorn

Today, a highly magical phrase popped into my mind. That phrase was "brownie popcorn". 

Now, it's not like it came to me out of nowhere. As it happened, I had just returned from an extended trip, and I was surveying the contents of my cabinets and freezer to see if there was something, anything, that I could make into dessert. Among the "orphan" ingredients were several bags of microwave popcorn I found above the fridge; nearby, in the freezer, I found a well wrapped parcel of brownies. I didn't think much of it until the aforementioned highly magical phrase entered my mind.

Popcorn was also on my brain because I'd recently received these adorable popcorn buckets.

I wondered: could I--might I--combine them to make a sweet and salty dessert? And if so, how?

Well, I would certainly need something to make them stick together. Something more interesting than butter all by itself.

Naturally, my eyes gravitated right away to something else I had on hand: a can of Funfetti pink frosting! Complete with sprinkles! Well, that simply had to be it, since everyone knows that the most vital part of Funfetti is "FUN". Yes, I said that. I love Funfetti!

And so, dear readers, I made this thing happen. First, I made a bag of popcorn.

Then, I set a saucepan over low heat and gently melted the frosting. When it began to warm, I added two 3x3-inch brownies, which I had cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

Once melty (the pink of the frosting sort of went away), I stirred the brownie-frosting slurry together with the popcorn, making sure to get it all nice and coated.

And then I added the sprinkles (natch).

And then I spooned it all into my sweet little popcorn caddy. As you can tell, since it is personalized, this dessert was mine, all mine.

As you can see, the others remained empty (although they are cute).

And while you may be wondering if it was awful or awesome based on the unusual roster of ingredients, I am happy to say that as desperation desserts go, this one definitely hit the spot. Nice and rich and chocolatey and gooey sweet from the frosting and brownies...but then with a salty crunch from the popcorn. In fact, I had little problem polishing off this delightful treat, and since the brownies were so evenly distributed, it didn't feel at ALL like eating two brownies, frosting, and a bag of popcorn all in one sitting. Nope, not at all.

Make it yourself! Here's how.

Funfetti Brownie Popcorn!

• 1 bag Microwave popcorn, popped (lightly salted works best)
• 2 brownies, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (mine were about 3x3 inches each)
• 1/2 can Funfetti frosting with sprinkles (approx 8 ounces = half container)

Procedure

1. Place your popped corn in a large bowl. Set to the side.
2. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the frosting. Once it's beginning to get melty, stir in the brownie pieces. Stir gently to ensure even coverage. If the brownies melt into the frosting a bit, that's ok. Don't stir in the sprinkles with the frosting; reserve those.
3. Using a rubber spatula, spoon the brownie mixture on top of the popcorn, stirring to ensure even coverage. Add the sprinkles last. Serve still lightly warm. If someone sees you eating it, asks you what's in it, and makes a face when you tell them, tell them not to judge you.

Cake Mix Biscotti Recipe

I have a strange fascination with "doctored" cake mix creations. I love the idea that you can break the rules, so to speak, by using the mix in a way different than its simple intended purpose. In particular I love the recipes that have a finished product that is not cake at all, but cookies or pancakes or bars--it feels like the sweetest sort of kitchen science. So when I was leafing through a book called Complete Cake Mix Magic: 300 Easy Desserts Good as Homemade, I gravitated right toward the cake mix biscotti recipe. 

While the recipe in the book is for a hazelnut biscotti, I decided to go all holiday on this business and bake up some peppermint chip cake mix biscotti instead. Of course, this decision was also fueled by the fact that I had a bag of Andes brand Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips (I haven't seen them in many stores so there's the amazon link) which I thought would be festive and cute to use. 

I also used a smaller box of cake mix than suggested in the recipe, so I scaled the rest of the ingredients down. The resulting biscotti weren't completely beautifully shaped, but gosh, were they tasty. Nice and buttery, like a condensed yellow cake with a crunchy crust, the smattering of mint chips gave the cookies a very nice, rich yet refreshing creamy mint finish on the tongue. Not such a bad thing.

Cake Mix Biscotti

Makes about 18

• 1 package (9 ounces) Jiffy yellow cake mix
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup Andes peppermint chips

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, flour, egg, and butter. Beat on low speed for 1 minute or until well blended. Fold in the peppermint chips until incorporated. Divide the dough in half.
3. On a prepared baking sheet, shape the dough into a 10 by 3 inch rectangle that is 1/2 inch deep. Or you can make two shorter logs of dough, but make sure they have plenty of space as they will spread. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
4. Using a sharp knife, cut each rectangle into 1/2 inch slices. Place slices on their side on baking sheets. Bake, one tray at a time, for 10 minutes. Turk slices over and bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer or until crisp and golden. Cool for 1 minute on baking sheets, then remove to wire racks and cool completely.

Glad Cookie Exchange and Baking Ideas

Aren't you GLAD that cookies exist? After all, they make the world better in so many ways. From day-to-day treats to holiday extravaganzas, they have the power to make moments even sweeter.

So I was mega-excited to be chosen to host a GLAD "Cookies for Kids' Cancer" cookie exchange. Having been chosen, they provided a stipend for my baking ingredients and sent me a care package of GLAD containers for the giveaway...

as well as some stickers, promo items, and this snazzy apron:

You can find out more about the program at www.cookiesforkidscancer.org--it's a very sweet way to promote a great cause. You too can get in on the fun by exchanging a virtual cookie with a friend at www.glad.com/Glad-Cookie-Exchange. GLAD will donate up to $1.00 to Cookies for Kids' Cancer for each cookie sold, exchanged or given this November and December 2012 – up to $100,000!

So, in case you haven't gotten it yet--good cause. But having established that...let's move on to the good good better than good COOKIES. OH, the delicious things which were baked! It was a great way to share some sweetness with friends.

Now, because my crew wasn't completely comfortable with the sale method, we did ours as an exchange. There were about 10 types of cookies total. Everyone got a container, and set forth to filling it with each other's cookies--how sweet, right?

Everyone was told to bring 24 of their cookie, and since there were 10 batches, that means that a total of 240 cookies were exchanged (well, some were consumed right away. I will be honest.) I was honored that many of the guests hit me up for recipe suggestions, and was fascinated to see what people decided on.

In looking at the things people brought, which ranged from classic to creative, I wondered if we could define the hows and whys into several ideas for those who may host their own cookie exchanges this year: things that might act as great tips when deciding what to make! I decided to make this the focus of my post, along with some of my favorite recipes shared during the evening! 

IDEA #1: GO CLASSIC ALL THE WAY. 

Snowballs. Or Russian Teacakes. Mexican Wedding Cakes. Whatever you want to call them. While their name can vary, what does not is the fact that they are highly tasty and a traditional holiday favorite! This makes them a vital part of any cookie exchange! Of course, I did hear (adorable!) that sometimes these cookies are called Moldy Mice. Which makes this all the more appropriate:

This recipe is just about as simple and as classic as you can get. YUM.

Snowball Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups sifted flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts
• 1-lb. confectioners sugar to roll cookies in

Directions

1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix butter with sugar until very light and fluffy. Mix in flour mixture. Stir in walnuts. Refrigerate until easy to handle.
2. Make balls in the palm of your hand by tablespoons. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet, and bake in a 350 degree F. oven until golden brown, being careful bottoms do not burn.
3. Place confectioners sugar in a large bowl. Take cookies from oven and gently put into bowl. Carefully, they are hot, toss cookies in sugar until they are coated.

IDEA #2: TAKE A CLASSIC, GIVE IT A TWIST

Here's an idea: take a crowd pleaser, such as chocolate chip cookies...but add something unexpected! These cookies have two twists. First, one that is visual: the chips are tricked out! Second, instead of using vanilla extract, my friend Jill had the idea to use peppermint instead! This definitely gave the cookies a highly unexpected flavor. It's funny because on the first bite everyone was like "there's something wrong with these chocolate chip cookies!" but as it turned out it was just unexpected, that minty burst of flavor. But upon bite two, it started to taste pretty good. And then, suddenly, the cookies were gone!

Chocolate Chip Cookies, Ever so slightly adapted from the recipe in Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips or swirled holiday morsels such as these

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda together; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy. Scrape down bowl and add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Mixture will look light and fluffy. Add peppermint extract and beat for 5 seconds.
3. Add the flour mixture, bit by bit, mixing after each addition.
4. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Cover the bowl tightly and put in the fridge for several hours (Baked suggests 6; I did 2 and they were still delicious).
6. Preheat the oven to 375 F degrees.
7. If you want big cookies, use an ice cream scoop to scoop out 2-tablespoon sized balls. If you want smaller ones, use two teaspoons (one to scoop the dough and one to release it). Use your hands to shape into perfect balls and erase any imperfections. Place on prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1 inch between cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes for smaller cookies, 12-14 minutes for larger cookies. Make sure to rotate pans at the halfway mark to ensure even baking. They're done when the edges are golden and the tops are just starting to lose their shine.
8. Remove pan from oven and cool on wire rack. They are great warm, but you could also let them cool, if you're so inclined.
9. These babies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Doubt they'll last that long though.

IDEA #3: HIT UP MOM FOR IDEAS

Some of us are lucky enough to have moms that are really good bakers. Such as my mom, SpyMom! It's from her that this recipe was donated. While she couldn't physically make the event, she donated this recipe and I believe they'd probably ship quite well in a GLAD container...

Snowy Snickerdoodles

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• cinnamon sugar

Procedure

1. In a mixer bowl, cream together sugar and butter; beat in egg and vanilla
2. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt
3. Add to butter mixture
4. Blend well
5. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or till firm enough to roll into balls
6. Shape dough into small balls about 3/4-inch in diameter
7. Roll in cinnamon sugar to coat
8. Set cookies 1-inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheets
9. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or till the edges are lightly browned.
10. Cool slightly on pans, then remove to racks to cool completely.

IDEA #4: SEEK THE ADVICE OF AN EXPERT

It's never an idea to trust the expertise of a cookie expert. And luckily with Anna Ginsberg of Cookie Madness's new book, The Daily Cookie: 365 Tempting Treats for the Sweetest Year of Your Life, every day is a cookie opportunity. When one of the guests hit me up for ideas for what to bake, I said, why not pick a significant date to you from this book, which has a cookie for every day of the year, with fun facts about why each cookie is appropriate for the day? Well, said friend chose December 13, a date in the future which happens to be her birthday, as well as National Cocoa Day, and baked up some Chocolate Rum Crinkle Cookies from the book. Since she didn't use rum, I guess we'll call them "Chocolate YUM Crinkle Cookies".

Chocolate Yum Crinkle Cookies, adapted from The Daily Cookie: 365 Tempting Treats for the Sweetest Year of Your Life - makes 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon rum extract (we just used more vanilla instead of this)
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3.5 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup (more or less) confectioners' sugar

Procedure

1. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa together in a small bowl; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the eggs on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes or until light. Reduce speed to medium and gradually add the granulated sugar. Using the lowest speed of the mixer or with a mixing spoon, stir in the oil and extract(s). Add the flour mixture and stir until incorporated. Remove from the stand mixer (if using) and stir in the chocolate. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 40 minutes, or until firm enough to handle.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and place a rack in the upper third of the oven. Line two baking sheets with nonstick foil or parchment paper.
4. Pour or sift the confectioners' sugar onto a plate. Scoop up heaping tablespoons of cold dough and shape into 1.5 inch balls. Roll the balls in the sugar to coat generously. Arrange the balls 2 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time for 10 minutes or until just until they appear puffy and "set". Immediately transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

IDEA #5: GO COLORFUL

Why not deck the halls with holly jolly color? After all, people "eat" with their eyes first, and this brightly colored cookie is bound to make people smile. It was the recipe that I contributed to Go Bold With Butter recently, so I will let you click over there for the recipe, but basically it's an adaptation of this simple butter cookie. Yum. These are guaranteed to draw people's eyes to the cookie plate, and they will keep beautifully in airtight containers!

Click here for the recipe.

IDEA #6: CHOOSE HANUKKAH SWEETNESS

While I do not personally celebrate Hanukkah, through the years and experiencing some of the customs through friends who do, I have truly come to appreciate a lot of the delicious sweets from those "eight crazy nights". Though mandelbrot, which is somewhat like biscotti, is delicious any time of year, Cake Gumshoe Melissa reports that her (not super-traditional) family always enjoys them especially during this time of year. I think you will, too!

Cinnamon sugar Mandelbrot

Makes 30-40; recipe adapted from theshiksa.com

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (you can sub chopped nuts, candied fruits, etc.)
• Ground cinnamon and granulated sugar for dusting

Procedure

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set to the side.
2. Mix together oil and sugar until combined, then add eggs one at a time. After the eggs are combined, add the vanilla.
3. Add the dry ingredients slowly to the sugar/egg mixture.
4. Once the dough is smooth and sticky, fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least two hours, or overnight.
6. When ready to proceed, oil your hands and form 4 long rows with the dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Each strip of dough should be 3-4 inches wide. Leave space for spreading as these will spread during baking.
7. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, in a flat shallow dish, combine ¾ cup of sugar with enough cinnamon to turn the mixture light brown. 
8. Take the mandel bread out of the oven (they are not finished yet). Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees F. Slice the mandel bread into slices, like biscotti. Maybe like an inch thick.
9. Roll each cookie into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Put the pieces back on the cookie sheet on their sides.
10. Bake for another 15 minutes; if you like them softer, you might want to take them out at 12 minutes or so, as the longer they bake, the crispier they will be. Let cool completely on a wire rack; Store in an airtight container.

IDEA #7: POP OUT OF THE MOLD

Want to delight and impress your cookie exchange guests? I have three (is a hyphenated word like 2 words or one and a half?) words for you: HOLIDAY POP-TARTS. Yes indeed, these holiday-hued babies are bound to make your offering the most memorable. 

Homemade Holiday Pop Tarts

Makes 6-8 tarts, maybe even more, depending on size; adapted from wonderful, wonderfulCulinary Concoctions by Peabody

For the crust

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened and cut into cubes
• 3 tablespoons cold water

For the filling

Jam, about 1 heaping teaspoonful per pastry (your choice of flavor; I used blueberry)

For the icing

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
• heavy cream, to thin (you could use milk...but I like cream)
• food coloring, if desired
• colored sprinkles or mint chips for garnish

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set to the side.
2. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and blend with a fork, pastry cutter, or your impeccably clean hands. Blend until the mixture is fairly coarse. Add the water, bit by bit, gently mixing the dough after each addition, until the dough is cohesive enough to form a ball.
3. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out rectangles approximately the size of index cards (3x5 inches), or smaller if you prefer a more modest portion (I didn't). Make sure you have an even number of cutouts. I think that mine might have been a little thicker than 1/8 an inch, but I ended up with 12 rectangles (for 6 pastries).
4. On half of the rectangles, place a small spoonful of the jam of your choice in the center. You don't want it to be too thick or the top crust will mound on top of it.
5. Place the remaining rectangles of dough on top of the ones with jam. Crimp all four edges by hand or with a fork to ensure that your filling won't ooze out. I also poked the top of each with a fork, to vent them.
6. Place the tarts on your prepared baking sheet, and bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until light golden on the edges. Remove from the oven and let them cool completely.
7. While the tarts cool, prepare your icing; make sure it is fairly thin but not so thin that it will just drip off. If desired, tint with food coloring. Once the pop tarts are cool, drizzle it on top. Garnish with sprinkles or holiday-hued treats.

IDEA #8: JUST BE HONEST, YOU'RE LAZY

Not a baker? Nobody's going to be fooled if you show up with fancy-looking treats and try to pass them off as your own (well, unless perhaps you use this handy guide). Sure, you *could* get a slice and bake tube cookie, but yeah, that's just too hard. But you know what? Don't sweat it. Just head to the store and pick up SOMETHING so you're not empty handed! Because as much as we love homemade cookies that came from the result of love and hard baking labor, we mostly want to gather together. So go ahead and buy some Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes--we won't judge you. Too harshly. Just be sure to give a really big donation to the cause after, please!

Store-Bought Snack Cakes

1. Go to the closest grocery store (not a co-op or Whole Foods please, they won't have the kind of treats we're talking about here).
2. Go to the snack cake aisle, where you'll find Twinkies and stuff.
3. Buy the most holiday-tricked out ones you can find. In the picture, you'll see Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes.
4. Return home.
5. Unwrap, put in a GLAD container. Go to the cookie exchange, and hold your head up high. Give a big donation to the GLAD cause after!

I have partnered with The Glad Products Company through DailyBuzz to help promote their Food Storage products. I have been compensated for my time commitment to work with this product. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments. Thank you GLAD!

Billionaire's Shortbread Recipe for Peanut Butter and Company

Millionaire’s shortbread pretty much rules. I mean, it’s shortbread, already buttery bliss all by itself, rendered awesomer by topping it with caramel and chocolate for what amounts to a triple-threat of delicious. It makes for a treat so rich you can kind of see where it gets its name.

But of course, with inflation being what it is, why stop at a million when you can have a billion? And so I present Peanut Butter Billionaire’s Shortbread, wherein two types of peanut butter is added to it and its awesome quotient is upped exponentially.

This is my latest delicious creation for Peanut Butter and Company, too--I promise, you will enjoy eating this stuff.

You can find the recipe and more photos here!

Do This: Sugar Cookies with Peppermint Bark

There really is no reason to improve sugar cookies, because they're already perfect.

But...sometimes even a perfect food likes to get festive for the holidays.

So recently, when I was baking some sugar cookies (because, you know, I was hungry), I thought: why not add a heaping handful of this peppermint bark that Willamette Valley Confectionery sent me? 

While of course the bark and the cookies were both good on their own, I figured it might taste good to try them together.

And so, I did.

And when the cookies baked up, they were a wonderful thing to behold. They were awfully pretty, with chocolatey peppermint hued thingies poking through the creamy coloring of the cookies.

But they were even better to put in your mouth.

You know how sugar cookies are awesomely buttery all over, soft on the inside, and lightly crunchy on the outside? Well, add an essence of peppermint to the whole thing, but a nice one, not a toothpasty one. A refreshing minty hint paired with all that buttery flavor? Oh my, were they ever a joy to munch and crunch upon.

So really, this is a long and poetic way of giving you a good cookie tip. Coarsely chop about 2 cups' worth of peppermint bark and fold it into your favorite sugar cookie batter before baking. I'm pretty sure you'll thank me.

Here's the recipe I used.  

Sugar Cookies with Peppermint Bark

Adapted from Pop Rocks Cookies

• 1/2 cup (3 1/4 ounces) butter
• 2/3 cup (4 3/4 ounces) sugar
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar till smooth. Add the buttermilk and vanilla, again beating till well-combined. The mixture may look a bit curdled; that's OK.
2. Add the flour, baking soda and salt to the wet ingredients, and beat until the mixture forms a cohesive dough. Fold in the pieces of peppermint bark. Reserve some pieces to press on top of the cookies (they look cuter that way).
3. Drop the dough in round blobs onto a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet. They should be a bit bigger than a ping-pong ball, a bit smaller than a golf ball. Using a cookie scoop (or, if you have one, a small ice cream scoop, one that will hold about 2 level tablespoons of liquid) makes this task extremely simple. Leave about 2 inches between the dough balls, as they'll spread as they bake. Let the cookies chill (on the sheet) in the fridge for about 30 minutes before baking. They'll be nicer looking than mine, which I didn't let chill and they spread quite a bit.
4. Bake the cookies in a preheated 350°F oven for about 12-14 minutes, or when they are just starting to brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Almond Tuiles with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

If you're busting with sweet curiosity like I am, you're probably looking at the photo above and thinking: "what exactly are those thingies?".

Those lumpy little things are in fact a rather exquisite and refined cookie known as the Tuile.

Now, to say "Tuile", I have a cue to indicate how you should pronounce it. It rhymes with "wheel"; now, say it in your Frenchiest voice. 

I googled "translation of tuile" and the resulting word was "tile". Perhaps this refers to the gentle shingle-like appearance the almond bits give the cookies? Whatever the meaning, these tiles are tastier than your typical siding or bit of caulked home decor.

The recipe was adapted by Alice Medrich (who you may recall I interviewed a while back) who adapted a recipe from The Essential James Beard Cookbook: 450 Recipes That Shaped the Tradition of American Cooking, with olive oil incorporated (you know how I love olive oil and sweets!). Here's what she has to say about it:

Crispy crunchy and elegantly thin, these almond cookies were adapted from a recipe by James Beard, using California Olive Ranch Arbequina olive oil instead of butter, and with the addition of a bit of lemon zest and extra salt for a contemporary balance of flavors. Classic tuiles are cooled over a rolling pin to resemble the roof tiles they are named for, but you can skip that step and make them flat if you like, or use my shortcut for making curved tuiles.

Anyhow. As a tuile newbie, I found this recipe decidedly user-friendly. The olive oil makes them seem fancy, so if you have foodie people to impress this holiday season, definitely bring these cookies on. Gently sweet, they'd be just as at-home on a cheese plate as they would paired with ice cream. Now that's versatile.

The recipe below has my notes in BOLD. 

Almond Tuiles with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Makes about thirty 3- inch cookies I got 24 but mine were more like 3.5 inches

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons (60 g) California Olive Ranch Arbequina extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
• 1/2 cup (100g) sugar  
• 1 ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
• Scant ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4  (30 g) sifted* (before measuring) unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 cup  (90 g) sliced almonds

*if you measure with a scale, there is no need to sift flour before measuring

Equipment:

• Baking sheets
• Heavy-duty foil (optional)
• A rolling pin or cylinder for shaping ( optional)

Procedure

1. Grease baking sheets with olive oil, or line them with foil, dull side facing up, and grease the foil.
2. Mix the olive oil, sugar, grated zest, salt, and eggs whites together thoroughly (I used a whisk).  Add the flour and stir until well blended. Stir in the almonds.  Let the batter rest for while the oven heats or for at least 15 minutes.
3. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325 degrees.
4. Drop teaspoons of batter 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.  Use the back of the spoon to smear the batter into a 2 ½ inch round. Bake, watching carefully, for 12-16 minutes, until the tuiles are deep golden brown at the edges and paler golden brown in the center. (If the cookies are not baked long enough, they will not be completely crisp when cool.) I was able to fit 8 cookies per sheet.
5. As soon as you can push a slim metal spatula under the cookies without destroying them, transfer each cookie to a rolling pin (for curved cookies) or a cooling rack.  If using foil, you can simply slide the foil sheet onto a rack to cool flat, or (for curved) tuiles, grasp the edges of the foil when the sheet comes from the oven (without touching the hot pan or the cookies) and roll it into a fat cylinder, gently curving the attached cookies like potato chips (I think: cannoli shells!).  Crimp or secure the foil with a paper clip. When cool, unroll the foil carefully and remove the tuiles. Flat or curved, tuiles are always easiest to remove from the foil when they are either very hot or completely cool. Do not let them cool too much or they will crack when shaped. I found that it was easiest to bake one sheet at a time for this reason. I used a piece of foil around the round dowel-y part of several wooden spoons to curve them - I found that the curve around a rolling pin was awkward and they tended to break when cooled because they didn’t stack as well as the more curved, cannoli-shell esque ones.
6. Repeat until all of the tuiles are baked.  To retain crispness, put the cookies in an airtight container as soon as they are cool.  May be stored airtight for at least 1 month.

Post-Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie with Shortbread Cookie Crust

It's considered good form to know when it's time to leave a party.

But what if you stayed and it ended up being mega-fun?

Sometimes erring on the side of caution is just no fun. I figure this is probably true when it comes to baked goods, too. Even though Thanksgiving was last week and in many people's minds, Pumpkin Pie Season has come to an end, I guess I'm just not ready to let the good times end. I still want to get high on pie.

...aaaand, I happened to have an extra can of pumpkin. So I decided to make a sort of cookie-pie hybrid with all of those Walkers shortbread cookies I still have on hand (they sent me samples and I've already made Million Dollar Shortbread Bars and Holiday Magic Bar Cookies).

So I followed a basic graham cracker crust recipe, but used crushed-up shortbread cookies instead. And then I filled it with my favorite (simple) pumpkin pie recipe, with a dash each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. I sprinkled the top with almonds and baked it up. When it came out of the oven, I thought what the hey--and sprinkled it with more shortbread bits.

Now, I've got to say, even after Pumpkin Pie Prime Time, this pie definitely knew how to warm up a cold winter night. Impatient, I served it still slightly warm--the sweetened condensed milk helps it stay kind of solid even while slightly warm--and topped with some ice cream which promptly began a beautiful melting process. Good Thanksgiving Spirt of the Mighty was this thing good! This is a fantastic pie-to-cookie-season hybrid. Enjoy. 

Pumpkin Pie with Shortbread Cookie Crust

For the crust

• 2 boxes crushed Walkers Highlander shortbread (or similar)
• 3 tablespoons melted butter

For the filling

• 1 can unsweetened unspiced pumpkin puree
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 2 eggs
• a mighty dash of cinnamon
• nutmeg and cardamom to taste
• A handful of almonds, and a few more crushed shortbread cookies, for topping

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the cookie crumbs and melted butter. Press into the bottom and up the sides (as much as possible) of a 9-inch pie plate.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, and spices until smooth and incorporated. Pour into the pie plate on top of the crust, taking care not to disturb the freshly pressed crust.
4. Sprinkle the almonds on top. I added the shortbread cookies AFTER baking, but I don't think it would hurt to add them before baking.
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until just jiggly in the center but set on the sides. 
6. Let cool as much as you can before serving.

Holiday Magic Cookie Bars with a Shortbread Crust

It's been days, absolutely days, since the Thanksgiving feast, and you're looking awfully skinny.

Luckily, we have officially entered Christmas Cookie Season, so it won't be hard to remedy this situation. My esteemed sugary suggestion? Holiday Magic Cookie Bars with a Shortbread Crust. 

Now, if you already know what a Magic Cookie Bar (or 7-layer bar, or Hello Dolly Bar, etc) is, then you know that these decadent bar cookies, made with a buttery graham crust topped with a slurry of condensed milk, nuts, chocolate and/or butterscotch morsels, and coconut, are pretty much heaven on earth.

But there's always room for more magic, right? 

I got the idea for these bars when I spied Nestle Toll House Holiday Morsels (have you ever seen them? I hadn't!) in the grocery store, accompanied by recipe cards. Naturally I thought the bars would look adorable all dressed up for the holidays, and considering I still had a ton of shortbread from Walker's Shortbread (who sent me samples, and with which I've already made one of my new favorite things, Million Dollar Shortbread Bars), I decided to do a recipe mashup. 

And I can now report that yes, the bars get even better when you swap the graham crackers for crushed-up shortbread cookies in the crust. This magical union of shortbread, butter, and all of the delightful toppings makes for a sort of no-holds-barred extreme richness on all sides that will make your mouth and soul happy.

These are an ideal morsel for a cookie exchange or holiday party, as they're decadent to eat and festive to look at, too. As for the coconut haters? Sorry, but they're just not the same without!

Here's the recipe, adapted lovingly from "Yuletide Layer Bars" by Nestle Toll House.

Holiday Magic Cookie Bars with a Shortbread Crust

Makes about 24 - Active time 10 minutes, total time 1 hour 30 minutes, includes cooling

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• Shortbread crumbs (about 2-3 boxes' worth of Walkers Shortbread (I used this kind); less for a thinner crust, more for a nice fat crust)
• 1 1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used a mix of almonds and walnuts)
• 1 1/2 cup flaked coconut
• One bag Nestle Toll House Holiday Morsels
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Melt butter in a 13x9" baking pan in oven; remove from oven. Sprinkle shortbread crumbs over the melted butter; stir well, and press onto bottom of the pan (it might get hot, so press with a sheet of waxed paper or the back of a rubber spatula). Sprinkle the nuts and coconut (make sure they are evenly distributed). Gently, so it doesn't disturb your carefully laid-out toppings, pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over top in an even layer. If you need to distribute the milk, tilt the pan rather than stirring, as the crust might be torn up if you are too vigorous. Sprinkle the morsels on top.
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until light golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing into bars with a very sharp knife.

Morning Glory Muffins Recipe from Macrina Bakery

Oh, happy day! This is one of the few "healthy" muffins I deem delicious, and now, Macrina Bakery has shared the recipe. Be healthy for an hour or two on this post-indulgent day why don't you?

As Macrina says: "This is by far our most popular muffin, and customers have been requesting the recipe for years. I prefer fresh pineapple when possible, but the unsweetened, canned variety works just fine. Makes 12 Muffins."

Morning Glory Muffins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup seedless raisins
• 1/3 cup walnut halves
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2-1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated
• 3/4 cup chopped pineapple
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 1/3 cup coarse raw sugar

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Brush the insides of a muffin tin with canola oil.  
2. Place raisins in a small bowl and cover with hot tap water. Let sit for 10 minutes while raisins plump, then drain and squeeze out excess liquid with your hands. Set aside. Place walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool, then chop coarsely and set aside.  
3. Sift flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Mix gently with a wooden spoon and set aside. In a separate medium bowl, combine raisins, walnuts, carrot, apple, pineapple, eggs, canola oil, melted butter, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and coconut, and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Add dry ingredients and continue stirring just until all the dry ingredients are moistened. It’s important not to overmix.  
4. Scoop batter into oiled muffin tin, filling the cups to the top. Sprinkle coarse raw sugar on tops of muffins and bake on the center rack of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes. The finished muffins will be deep brown. Let cool for 20 minutes, then slide a fork down the side of each muffin and gently lift it from the pan.

Dessert Recipes from the Titanic

Erma Bombeck famously said, “Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the 'Titanic' who waved off the dessert cart.” 

Which begs the question--what was on the Titanic's dessert cart? 

 Recently, I had an opportunity to find out. I was contacted by a promotions company connected to Las Vegas's Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, inquiring if I'd like to post some Titanic recipes for Thanksgiving. Well, the recipes they sent were all savory, not quite right for me, but when I gently noted that I only post dessert recipes on this site, I got a most excellent series of recipes in response, from the fantastic book Last Dinner on the Titanic: Menus and Recipes from the Legendary Liner.

Below you'll find updated versions of sweets served in First, Second, and Third class on the Titanic; each recipe also features a picture of the actual dishware used in each class. Just to make it completely clear: the cupcake illustrations are not meant to trivialize the tragedy which occurred on the boat, but are more meant to celebrate the lifestyle on the boat before it hit the iceberg. 

First Class (image of dishware at the top of post). As the headnote reads, "Of the many authentic Edwardian recipes we researched for this book, Waldorf pudding was one that eluded us. The recipe here is a modern invention based on three of the essential ingredients in the famous Waldorf salad--walnuts, raisins, and apples." 

Waldorf Pudding

• 2 large tart apples, peeled
• 1/2 cup sultana (golden) raisins
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 4 egg yolks, beaten
• pinch freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts, halved

Procedure

1. Thinly slice the apples. Stir in raisins, lemon juice, and ginger. In skillet, melt butter over high heat; add apple mixture and cook for 1 minute. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes or until apples are lightly caramelized. Scrape apple mixture and syrup into 10-inch round glass baking dish. Reserve.
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk just until bubbles form around edges. Whisking constantly, add some of the milk to the eggs; mix until well incorporated. Add remaining milk, nutmeg, vanilla, and remaining sugar; mix well. Pour over apple mixture.
3. Set baking dish inside a large roasting pan; pour enough boiling water in roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Place in 325 F degree oven for 45-50 minutes or until custard is set, but still jiggly in the middle. Carefully remove baking dish to cooling rack; sprinkle with walnuts. Cool to room temperature before serving. Makes 6 to 8 servings. 

Second Class was still pretty fancy, just not as tricked-out. One of the things at their table at dessert-time? American-Style Ice Cream! "At the time of the Titanic's maiden voyage, ice cream was extremely popular in both France and the United States. In France, egg yolks were added to make the mixture both richer and smoother. The American style, without any eggs, was popularized by Dolly Madison after her husband became president in 1809."

American-Style Ice Cream

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• Pinch salt
• 2 cups light cream
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped grated lemon zest
• 1 cup whipping cream

Procedure

1. In a small pot or microwave-proof dish, combine sugar, lemon juice, and salt; heat over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Meanwhile, in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine light cream with lemon zest; heat over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until small bubbles start to form around the edges of the pot. Remove from heat. 
2. Whisk sugar mixture and whipping cream into lemon zest mixture until smooth. Place in refrigerator uncovered; cool completely, stirring often.
3. Pour mixture into ice-cream maker and proceed following manufacturer's instructions. Or, pour mixture into a chilled, shallow metal pan; cover and freeze for about 3 hours until firm. Break up into pieces and transfer to food processor; puree until smooth. Pour into chilled airtight container; freeze for 1 hour, or until firm. Soften in refrigerator for 20 minutes before serving. Makes 3 cups; serves 6.

Currant Buns:

"A staple of English Tea, these buns would have pleased the palates of the many british emigrants traveling in third class."

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 package active dry yeast (1 tablespoon)
• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup warm milk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup currants
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon water

Procedure

1. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine warm water and 1 tablespoon of the sugar; sprinkle yeast over top. Let stand for 10 minutes or until frothy.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, blend together remaining sugar, flour, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, butter, and eggs. Stir in the yeast mixture until combined.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients; using a wooden spoon, stir in yeast mixture until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto lightly floured board. Knead for 8 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.
4. Transfer dough to a large, greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Punch down; turn out onto floured surface; knead in currants. Shape into a 12 inch long log. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces.
5. Roll pieces of dough into smooth, seamless balls (I laughed when I read this part, btw). Place buns (I laughed again) on greased baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each bun. Cover loosely and let rest for 30 minutes. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Stir together icing sugar and water; brush over warm buns; let cool on rack. Makes 12 buns. 

Pom-tastic: Pomegranate Mousse Pie Recipe

A pomegranate is a pretty special thing. Once you get past the exterior, it's like a jewelbox full of rubies.

But if pomegranates are like little rubies, then this is the dessert equivalent of surrounding the rubies with diamonds and pearls and other sparkly wonderful stuff. Pomegranate Mousse Pie. Doesn't the name just make you tingle a little? It takes the pretty pomegranate, with its tart-sweet flavor, and gives it an awesome upgrade by way of mousse-ifying it to creamy perfection.

The creamy mousse is somewhat startling in its delightful tartness, which is a wonderful contrast to the creaminess. It works wonderfully together, and when paired with a crunchy cookie crust, you've got yourself a highly crave-able dessert.

I was lucky enough to sample this pie, created by Stacy Pearl of Walter Burke Catering, at the Pie Mania event in Santa Fe, NM; the pie-maker was generous enough to share the recipe. Lucky you! 

Pomegranate Mousse Pie

By Stacy Pearl, Executive chef,  Walter Burke Catering; recipe also appears here.

Makes two pies

Ingredients

Per pie crust (make this twice):

• 1 ½ cups cookie crumbs- Graham cracker, chocolate wafers, vanilla wafers, or gingersnaps
• 6 ounces melted butter

For the filling

• ¼ cup pomegranate juice
• 1 pack (2 ¼ teaspoons) gelatin
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 cup Pomegranate Molasses
• 2 cups heavy cream divided ( 2 tablespoons added to white chocolate)
•  4 ounces chopped white chocolate
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
•  ½ cup powdered sugar

Procedure

1. To make the crust, mix melted butter with the cracker crumbs and press into the bottom of two 9 inch pie pans. Refrigerate till needed.
2. To make filling, put the pomegranate juice in a small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over the top then stir a little with a spoon to mix it up.
3. In a small saucepan heat the pomegranate molasses with the cardamom till it comes to a boil. Pour over the softened gelatin and stir. Let cool to room temp.
4. In the meantime, melt the chopped white chocolate in the top of a double boiler with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Let cool. Whip up the remaining heavy cream till it starts to thicken and then add the extracts and the powdered sugar. Scrape down sides of the bowl and mix a little more. Now add the white chocolate and whip to incorporate. Next add the pomegranate gelatin mixture and mix till smooth.
5. Pour mixture into prepared crusts and refrigerate for at least 3 hours till firm. Best if made the night before. Serve with a drizzle of orange rosewater syrup ( recipe to follow) and a sprinkling of fresh pomegranate seeds. This recipe makes two 9 inch  pies. This pie may be frozen.

Orange Rosewater Syrup

Ingredients

• 4 cups sugar
• 3 cups water
• ½ cup rosewater
• ½ cup OJ concentrate
• ½ cup orange juice
• ¼ teaspoon orange oil

Procedure

Boil the water and sugar till sugar is dissolved and then add the other ingredients. Simmer 5 minutes to thicken.

Million Dollar Shortbread Bars

If you are what you eat, then I'm rich, good-looking, and incredibly easy. Wait, what? Well, luckily I'm not what I eat, but what I'm calling Million Dollar Shortbread Bars (as a sort of homage to Millionaire's Shortbread, to which I'd consider these a cousin) are all of those things and more. 

Let me explain. It all went down after Walker's Shorbread sent me a big box of their goodies to use in my inventive baking experiments (hard life, I know). Now, I consider their shortbread good already, but I thought I could really make it sing by mashing it together with chocolate and almonds. And butter. Because...

Oh, I should also mention that I needed something fast--with no dessert on hand, this was something of a dessert 911. But who knew that what began as a quest for a quick and tasty dessert would yield such a treasure?

Here's what I did.

First, I crushed a box of Quadruple Chocolate Crunch Biscuits and a box of Pure Butter Vanilla Shortbread, mashing them together on pulse mode in a powerful blender, along with 3 tablespoons of melted butter. On a whim, I decided to add about 3 ounces of almond paste (you know, the kind in the silver tube). I pulsed until it was all nicely incorporated. Then, I pressed it into a pan and baked until nice and toasty.

Meanwhile, I melted about 4 ounces of chocolate with half a stick o' butter. When I took the crust out of the oven, I poured the melty chocolate on top, then sprinkled it with some toasted almonds (I toasted them in the residual heat of the oven after baking the crust) and a sprinkling of salt. 

And Oh. My. God. How to describe the experience of biting into one of these nuggets of pure pleasure? They are the perfect marriage of chocolate and shortbread and almonds, all wrapped together in a big, buttery hug. Oddly but not unpleasantly, the almond paste in the crust paired with the chocolate almost gave it a cherry-ish taste. A single bite is a powerhouse, stopping you in your tracks because you simply don't know how to handle all the awesome in your mouth. How could such complexity come from such a seemingly humble bite? Moreover, this is a dessert that is surprising, sublime, and overwhelming--so decadent that you think you should probably stop, but you just can't. Proof is evident by the fact that a friend and I ate almost the entire pan in one sitting (no, really). That's why all the pictures are of the same two little pieces of the bars. They were all that was left!

As previously mentioned, I've named them to give homage to Millionaire's Shortbread, but I've changed the name because they're related, but not quite the same. 

Million Dollar Shortbread Bars

Crust

• 1 box Quadruple chocolate crunch biscuits
• 1 box Pure Butter Vanilla Shortbread
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 ounces almond paste

Topping

• 4 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• sea salt, for sprinkling on top

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan.

Combine the cookies and melted butter in a food processor or blender with a pulse mode. Press it into the pan and bake for about 10 minutes, or until lightly golden on the edges (hard to see because of the chocolate; look for a dull, toasty finish). Remove from the oven. You can toast the almonds at the same time for a few minutes during the baking (it will take about 5 minutes or so to toast 'em).

While this bakes, melt the chocolate and butter together over low heat. Gently pour over the finished crust (it's ok if it is still quite warm) and spread as gently as possible so you don't tear up the delicate crust. Sprinkle the toasty almonds on top, and add a generous sprinkling of sea salt.  Let them cool before serving for optimum prettiness, but if you're greedy like me, eat them right away with the chocolate still melty on top. 

Simply Sweet: Butter Cookies with Sprinkles

I came across a wonderful quote, which goes as follows: "Cookies are made of butter and love." What a wonderful sentiment! I love the idea that these little sweet mouthfuls of sugary stuff are not only snacks, but also lumps of love. 

Speaking of lumps of love, one of my favorite examples is a cookie called the Kaleidoscope Cooky, from the fantastic book (one of the top three in my rotation): Betty Crocker's Cooky Book. These cookies are a very pretty specimen, as you can see here.

They're also very easy to make, with a wonderfully soft dough that yields a buttery, crumbly-chewy cookie. The only time consuming part really is tinting the dough and putting the pieces together to form multicolored treats.

But as I recently discovered, they're equally tasty and can dress up quite nicely as a simple untinted butter cookie.

Really, all you have to do to add color is use some multicolored sprinkles on the sides of the cookies to make them all cute. They work quite well if you use toothpicks to draw shapes or letters on them too!

Butter Cookies with Sprinkles

adapted from Kaleidoscope Cookies, adapted from Betty Crocker's Cooky Book  

Makes many (like 60)

 Ingredients

• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 pound 6 ounces (about 4-½ cups) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup or so sprinkles or colored decorating sugar

 Procedure

1. In an electric stand mixer, beat the butter with a paddle attachment until it is creamy. Add the confectioners' sugar and salt and beat for several minutes, until all of the ingredients are well incorporated and no lumps of powdered sugar remain. Beat in the vanilla extract, then add the flour and beat until a soft dough forms.
2. Roll the dough into several logs about 1 foot long each. Place the sprinkles or decorating sugar on a large, shallow plate and roll each log to coat. Wrap the logs in wax or parchment paper and chill overnight or freeze up to a month.
3. Remove the dough from chilling--if it was in the freezer, let it warm up just until you can handle it, but not until it is soft Preheat oven to 375 F.
4. Unwrap the logs and, with a sharp knife, slice them into coins about 1/3-inch thick. Give 'em another roll in sprinkles for maximum coverage (optional). Place on ungreased cookie sheets (the cookies will not spread much as they bake).
5. Bake two sheets at a time for about 7-9 minutes, rotating halfway through baking, until the cookies have firmed up but are not browned. Remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Mega Fun-Size Candy Bar

Every year around this time, I feel the need to rage against Fun-Size candy bars. I mean, come on people! There is nothing fun about a teeny-tiny candy bar.

But then, I had the most incredible idea to make the tiny bars more fun: I'd melt together about 100 of the mini bars to form a monstrous Mega Fun-Size Bar! Now that sounds like fun.

After practically breaking a five-minute mile running to the store to pick up a bushel of bags of the tiny bars, I set to work. I lined a 9x13-inch pan with a patchwork of small Snickers, Nestle Crunch, Butterfinger and Baby Ruth bars, gently heated it in the oven until it melted together, smoothed over the top with melted chocolate chips to make it a cohesive chocolatey mass, and decorated it with some festive sprinkles. I consider it a masterpiece: the different textures and flavors of the candy bars meld together in your mouth to form a treat that is mega-fun to eat. Say hello to the new fun-size.

Mega Fun-Size Bar

Makes 1 bar

Ingredients

• 4 bags (approximately 12 ounces each) Fun-Size candy bars; about 80-90 bars
• 2 cups (about 12 ounces) milk chocolate or semisweet morsels

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a 9- by 13-inch pan with aluminum foil. Unwrap all of your fun-size candy bars. This may take a while.  
2. Line the bottom of the pan with your unwrapped candy bars. To keep things interesting, alternate the styles so that the different flavors are mixed up, forming a sweet sort of chocolate patchwork.  
3. Once you have lined the bottom of the pan with candy bars, make a second row, aligning the candy bars perpendicular to the ones below. This will help things melt fairly evenly.  
4. Place the pan in the oven until things start to get shiny and melty, about 10 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and scatter the chocolate morsels evenly on top of the candy bars. Return the pan back to the oven until the morsels have begun to melt, about 5 minutes longer.  
6. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a towel or heatproof surface. Very gently, so as not to burn yourself on the sides of the pan, use a butter knife or spatula to evenly smooth and spread the chocolate. You'll want to do this gently but fairly quickly.  
7. If desired, garnish with sprinkles. Let cool completely before serving (otherwise it will be very messy). Enjoy!

Candy Corn Muffins Recipe

I find corn muffins to be an exceedingly lovable food, especially when they contain fat kernels of corn. But since October is prime time for candy, I wondered—what might happen if I swapped real corn for candy corn?

Well, since I have now done it, I can tell you that depending on how you want to look at it, the result is either awful or awesome. Points for awful: the candy corn melts and forms a sticky, sugary well at the bottom of the muffin cup, making it sort of the muffin equivalent of a mullet: business on the top, party on the bottom. Points for awesome: well, actually, now that I think of it, pretty much the same. The candy corn definitely brings these muffins into dessert or sweet snack territory. So for those moments when the slightly gritty texture and light sweetness of a corn muffin strike you as entirely too healthy and simply won't satisfy your sweet tooth, go for the candy gold with these muffins.

Candy Corn Muffins

Makes 12

• 1 cup (about 4 1/4 ounces) flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup (about 10 ounces) milk
• 1/3 cup (5 tablespoons) butter, melted
• 1 cup candy corn

Procedure

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 400°F. Either line a muffin tin with paper liners, or generously grease each cup.  
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.  
3. In another large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and butter. Stir well.  
4. Using a wooden spoon, stir the wet mixture into the dry, taking care to only mix until the entire mixture is incorporated. Overmixing leads to leaden, hockey puck-like muffins.  
5. Gently fold in the candy corn, making sure it is evenly distributed. 6 Fill each of the cups about 3/4 of the way full. You should be able to fill 12 cups.  
6. Place the filled muffin tin on top of a cookie sheet (the candy corn may bubble and drip over the sides; this will keep your oven clean). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden on top. Take care when removing the muffins, as the candy corn may have bubbled over and this sweet mixture is quite hot.  
7. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

Candy Corn Boston Cream Pie

Happy National Cream Pie Day!

Wait, you did know it was National Boston Cream Pie Day, didn't you? 

Well, it's ok, because even if you didn't, I did. And I also had the foresight to notice that October 23 is pretty darned close to Halloween, and so in an effort of Seasonal Fusion, I'd like to present the famous pie all gussied up for the holiday! That's right. Candy Corn Boston Cream Pie! 

This recipe is pretty classic, but with a heaping handful of candy corn in every step for added awesome; also, I top mine with a ganache because I really didn't have the time to do a homemade chocolate fondant (and also, to be quite honest, I like the ganache better. It's a lot creamier. C.R.E.A.M. Yes!

Adding Candy Corn isn't necessary to make this Boston Cream Pie delicious, but it adds a fun lowbrow turn to a fancy-ish dessert. Plus, it's fun and sweet. VERY sweet.

Candy Corn Boston Cream Pie

Makes about 8 servings

For the Cake

• 7 large eggs, separated
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup candy corn (divided; use 1/2 cup for the cake, 1/2 cup or to taste for garnish)
• Pastry cream (recipe follows)
• Glaze (recipe follows)

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan.
2. Carefully separate the eggs, putting the whites and the yolks in a separate large bowls; make sure there are no specks of yolk in the egg whites (the whites won't whip properly if there are bits of yolk mixed in). Add ½ cup of sugar to each bowl.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they form stiff peaks; set aside. Using an electric mixer or by hand, beat the egg yolks until they are thick and pale yellow in color. Stir about one quarter of the whites in to the yolks to lighten the batter, then gently fold the rest of the whites into the yolk mixture.
4. Whisk the flour into the egg mixture using a large balloon-type whisk, working carefully to minimize the deflation of the batter. Then, still using a whisk, stir in the melted butter. Fold in the candy corn. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, filling it about ¾ of the way, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when it's inserted into the center of the cake. Let the cake cool in the pan for about one-half hour, then remove it from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. To assemble the cake, using a long serrated knife, slice the cake horizontally into 2 equal layers. Place one of the cake layers, cut side up, on top of a sheet of parchment paper (this will catch any drips, and allow easy cleanup before transferring it to a serving platter). Spoon the pastry cream onto the center of the bottom layer, leaving an inch and a half uncovered on all sides—the weight of the top cake layer will spread it to the edges. 
6. Place the second layer of cake on top of the pastry cream. Using a ladle, spoon the still slightly warm chocolate glaze on the top of the cake, allowing it to gently drip over the sides of the cake. Gently press the candy corn around the sides or on the top. Serve immediately at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 2 days, well wrapped, and bring to a cool temperature before serving.

Pastry cream

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cups milk (whole or 2%)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• ½ cup sugar
• 3½ tablespoons cornstarch
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup candy corn

Procedure

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the butter, milk, and cream. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar and cornstarch until combined. Add the eggs, beating until the mixture is light yellow and form ribbons when you lift the whisk, about five minutes.
3. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking until completely combined.
4. Pour the mixture into a medium-size pot and place over medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling, until the mixture begins bubbling. Continue whisking until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of a pudding; this will happen shortly after it comes to a boil, about 15 minutes. If any bits of egg have cooked, forming lumps, strain the mixture through a mesh sieve.
5. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the candy corn. They will "bleed", giving the cream a light orange color. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard, to keep a skin from forming. Let cool completely in the refrigerator before using.

Chocolate Glaze

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to a boil. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl; pour the hot cream over chocolate, stirring until chocolate is melted and well combined. Set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

Lemon Meringue Pie in a Chocolate Cookie Crust

Here's the thing about Lemon Meringue Pie. It's beautiful. It's like a skyscraper of a pie. A pie-scraper? It's an architectural feat of a dessert, and it even has clouds on top. It looks very pretty in diner cases. 

But when it comes to eating it, I so often find it a disappointment. The lemon part is way too sweet, the meringue part just has a weird texture, and the crust is gluey. It's like eating a slice of homework, that's about how much joy it gives me.

But while working on my upcoming book (to be released in spring of 2013, but in the meantime, please buy book #1, CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life), one of the recipes I worked on and researched was lemon meringue pie. It has a very long and interesting story, involving Quakers, Italians, watchmaker's wives, the Parker House Hotel, and diners. But you'll have to buy the book for that. Right now we're talking about the pie itself.

In baking this pie multiple times, I had a chance to experiment a little bit with it, and had one version that I tried mostly as a lark, because I had no regular pie crust on hand and didn't feel like making it. I thought, I wonder what the pie would taste like made with a cookie crumb crust? And then, even further, I thought, why not try it with a chocolate cookie crumb crust? This thought was likely brought on because I had about a dozen whoopie pie cookie shells which were slowly and gently becoming stale on my counter.

Well, I figured at least it would be interesting. 

So I crumbled up the cookies, mixed them with butter, and baked the crust until crispy. Then I topped with the usual lemon custard and meringue topping and baked it up. I thought that visually, it was quite pretty.

I was genuinely surprised by the end result. The chocolate crust gave the pie a certain depth--a dark contrast to the sweet, tart lemon. It was intriguing, and I enjoyed my slice thoroughly.

Don't get me wrong, if you are not a lemon meringue lover, this will probably not turn you around. But if you do like lemon meringue pie, this is a solid recipe, and the chocolate crust is something to try. 

Note: this picture was taken the morning after I baked it, and some of the condensation made little drips on top. Let it cool and dry completely before refrigerating!

Lemon Meringue Pie in a Chocolate Cookie Crust

For the crust:

• 2 cups' worth of crumbled chocolate cookies or wafers (I used unfilled, crumbled whoopie pie cookies)
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

For the pie filling

• 4 egg yolks
• 1½ cups sugar
• ⅓ cup cornstarch
• 1½ cups water
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2-3 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
• 3 cups Meringue Topping

Meringue Topping

• 3 egg whites
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. 
2. Prepare the crust. In a large bowl, combine the crumbled cookies with the melted butter. Mix by hand until it's incorporated. Press into a well greased pie plate. 
3. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crispy. Let cool completely before filling.
4. To make the filling, in a small bowl, beat the egg yolks with a fork. In a 2-quart saucepan, mix the sugar and cornstarch; gradually stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Continue stirring for 1 minute, until the mixture thickens.
5. Immediately pour about half of the hot mixture into the egg yolks; when well combined, pour this mixture back into the saucepan. Boil and stir for 2 minutes; remove from heat. Add the butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and food coloring. Stir until the butter is melted and everything is well combined. Pour the hot filling into the pie crust.
6. In a very clean medium-size bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and continue beating until stiff and glossy. Beat in the vanilla.
7. Spoon the meringue onto the filling. Spread it evenly over the filling, carefully sealing the meringue to the edges of the crust to prevent shrinking or weeping. Using a knife, form the top meringue into little peaks (think punk hairdo) or make swirls on the top for a pretty finish.
8. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the meringue is light brown. Set the pie on a wire cooling rack and allow to cool in a draft-free place for about 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate the cooled pie until serving. Store any leftover pie in the refrigerator.

Raising the Bar: Pumpkin Nutella Bars Recipe

I received this message from CakeSpy reader Jill S., who is currently ranking high on my list of favorite people:

I have come up with a pretty awesome recipe that I wanted to share with you! It's pumpkin baking season, and I love pumpkin, but I adore Nutella -- and I wanted a way to combine the two of them. I've seen pumpkin recipes with Nutella fillings and toppings, and I like to spread it on pumpkin bread, but I never saw anything that actually stirred them together as an ingredient. And then I made it all fancy, too. ;) So, here is my invention: Pumpkin Nutella Bars! I hope you enjoy!

Jill, I do enjoy. And you can, too! Here's the recipe.

Pumpkin Nutella Bars

Crust

• 1/2 cup toasted, salted pumpkin seeds, crushed in a food processor
• One 8.8 oz package Biscoff cookies, crushed in a food processor
• ½ cup butter, melted

Procedure: Press into a 9x13-inch pan. Bake 12-13 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Filling

• One 15 oz. can pumpkin + 1 Tbsp cinnamon + 1 tsp ginger + 1 tsp allspice + fresh grated nutmeg to taste (all of these to taste, really)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 12 oz Nutella

Procedure: Cook pumpkin, sugar, and spices on low heat 30-40 minutes until dark orange and reduced to about 60-70% of original volume. (This is pumpkin butter, and it tastes great on its own as a spread or topping!) When slightly cooled, stir in Nutella Spread cooled filling mixture over cooled crust, refrigerate while you make the ganache.

Ganache

• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 7-8 ounces dark chocolate

Procedure: Heat cream to a simmer, stir in chocolate and let stand. When the chocolate has melted, stir and allow to cool. Spread over the filling and sprinkle with topping.

Topping

• 1 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
• 2 tbsp toasted salted pumpkin seeds

Procedure: Sprinkle topping over ganache; refrigerate for at least an hour before slicing into squares.

Now, eat them all!