Holiday Desserts

WOW! The merry-go-round has finally stopped. What a month it has been for us. To say that life is and has been full is quite an understatement. However, I think everything is back on track. I know this post is way late. I just wanted to give my review of the two recipes we used for these holiday desserts.

Pumpkin Flan from "Daisy: Morning, Noon and Night" by Daisy Martinez and Pecan Pie from "Baking from my home to yours" by Dorie Greenspan. Let me start by telling you that Dorie titled this recipe "My Favorite Pecan Pie" which you can find here at Borders Recipe File. I can't say it was my favorite though. I followed the recipe exactly and was not overly happy with it. It was a bit "busy" for my tastes. I'll keep looking for "my favorite" Pecan Pie recipe. However I did think Daisy's pumpkin flan was sensational, and so did everyone else. You can also find it here at Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine. There you can find quite a few of her recipes. I can tell you that she has never failed me.

The top photo is obviously the ingredients for the pumpkin flan and the bottom for the pecan pie.Obviously.

  

So, this was excellent. It is going into my favorites files.

This, a bit much for my liking. Maybe I'll give it a try another time with just the addition of either the expresso or the chocolate, just not both.

I am linking these up to:

Mouthwatering Monday at A Southern Fairy Tale

Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Sundays at One Food Club at Cocina Diary

Delicious Dishes at It's a Blog Party

Tasty Tuesdays at 33 Shades of Green

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Recipes I Can't Wait to Try at At Home with Haley

Make it with...Mondays at Couscous and Consciousness

GCC Recipe Swap at Grocery Cart Challenge

Fridays Favorites at Whistlestop Cafe Cooking

Recipe Swap Sundays at Remodelaholic

Potluck Sunday at Mommy's Kitchen

This Weeks Cravings at From My Tiny Kitchen

Tasty Traditions at Coupon Cookin

Tasty Tuesday at Beauty and Bedlam

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World... EVER, Really!

  I was sceptical. I received my usual email from Tasting Table, and found this recipe simply titled Chocolate Chip Cookies. I read it and thought, Ah, no big deal. Then I noticed whose cookies they were and thought, I"ll bet these are pretty darn good cookies, after all they are from  David Lebovitz, former pastry chef for Alice Waters Chez Panisse. Ah, but yes, they were a big deal. These were absolutely bliss. These cookies far surpassed my expectations of what a chocolate chip cookie should be. Perfectly moist and fluffy on the top and a slight crunch to the bottom. They were exceptional in my book.

Ready to mix.

And fresh out of the oven. Ready for consumpton.

Buy Now

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Re-created from Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes, by Davis Lebovitz
as posted by Tasting TableIngredients
2½ cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups nuts (such as walnuts, pecans, almonds or macadamia nuts), toasted and coarsely chopped (I omitted)
14 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/2- to 1-inch chunks
 5 ounces White Chocolate Chips (I used in place of nuts)
 
 
Directions 
In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract at medium speed just until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly incorporated, then blend in the flour mixture, nuts white chocolate chips and chocolate chunks.
On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into quarters. Shape each quarter into a log about 9 inches long. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, preferably 24 hours. (The dough logs can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.)
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Slice the dough logs into ¾-inch-thick disks and place the disks 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. If the chips fall out, simply push them back in. Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking, until very lightly browned in the centers, about 10 minutes.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to handle, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack. The baked cookies will keep well in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
Carla and Michael

2010 with 2009's Last Dessert

  Hello again everyone.  I thought for my first blog in 2010, I would use the last thing that I baked in 2009.  I am not much of a sweets baker nor much of a sweets eater.  For Christmas Dinner my Mother cooked a most fabulous ham and I offered my Scalloped Potatoes and also to make the dessert.  (My Dad has the sweet tooth in our family.) So in my search for something different I came across a very old cookbook from Better Homes and Gardens "Treasury of Baking Recipes" circa 1978, yes 31 years old.  Well in it I found this recipe for Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake.  As Rachel Ray would say "YUMMO"! 

Ingredients for Cake
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup peanut butter
3 1oz. squares of unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups milk

Combine butter and peanut butter; cream or beat together with the sugar.  Blend vanilla, three 1oz squares of unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled, in with the eggs.  Add egg mixture to sugar mixture and beat at medium speed till light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape bowl frequently.  Thoroughly stir together flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with the milk, beating at low speed after each addition.  Turn batter into greased and lightly floured 13x9x2-inch baking pan.  Bake at 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or till cake tests done.  Allow to cool thoroughly while making the frosting.

Ingredients for Frosting
2 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk

Cream together 1 1/4 cups of powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla.  When creamed together and light and fluffy; add 1 1/4 cups additional powdered sugar alternatelywith the milk.  If necessary, blend in a little additional milkby tespoons to make speading consistency. 
When cake is completely cooled frost with Peanut Butter Frosting.

Ingredients for Chocolate Glaze
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1 teaspoon butter

Heat toghether the semisweet chocolate and the butter.  Drizzle over Peanut Butter Frosting.  Cut unto bars or diamonds.  Makes 12 to 14 servings.

I must add that the recipe called for chunky peanut butter and I preferred to use creamy.  I also upped the amount in the frosting from the 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup for more peanutty goodness.  And I must also tell you that this cake is VERY sweet, we had to cut our slices in half to eat.  Therefore having many more servings than we originally thought.  Enjoy.

Mike and Carla