Bakelist: Almond Butter Bars

I think I'm heartily sick of chocolate at the moment.  Good lord, I never thought I would utter such blasphemy.  But you can only eat so much before you start yearning for something a little different.  Something like these little slices of heaven.

Tons of butter?  Check.  Tons of sugar?  Check.  Awesome almond flavor?  Check.  These are amazing warm and still pretty awesome at room temperature.  I didn't attempt the chocolate dipping (for reasons stated above), but I can imagine that probably just about tips them over the top.  Definitely on my cooking bucket list.

Almond Butter Bars
Adapted from Bakelist and the San Francisco Chronicle

1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar, plus 4 teaspoons (divided)
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
4 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2½ cups flour
½ cup almond meal
A pinch salt
½ cup sliced almonds
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan generously with cooking spray.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter.  When the butter is melted, stir in the granulated and dark brown sugars, reserving the 4 teaspoons of granulated sugar. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until pale golden in color and completely blended. Stir in almond and vanilla extracts and salt. Mix in the flour and almond meal until batter is smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Sprinkle 4 teaspoons of granulated sugar over the top and then sprinkle with the sliced almonds, pressing them in slightly so that they won’t fall off after baking. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until dark golden on top, making sure not to burn the almonds. The bars will not be completely set in the center and will not test clean with a toothpick. Let cool completely before removing and slicing.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container up to 3 days, refrigerate for 1 week or freeze. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Optional: If dipping in melted chocolate, freeze the cut bars for at least 30 minutes. Melt 8 ounces of semisweet chocolate in the microwave.  Dip the frozen bars in the chocolate and place on a tray to either set out to cool or freeze. Let come to room temperature before eating.

Makes about 60 squares

Nestlé: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Muffins

Did you take home economics in school?  Do they even offer that anymore?  I did.  Even though my mom had already taught me to cook.  I figured that there's not much better than taking a whole class period to cook things and then eat them.  This is where all those guys went wrong.  Tons of girls + freshly baked muffins = AWESOME.  But I digress.

This recipe was one of the handouts from my home ec class, oh, let's just say a while ago.  You can tell that these muffins came from an older cookbook, because these are not those super sweet sugar bombs you get today.  And they are normal size.  No monster muffins.  So yes, I think you can call these relatively healthy and not feel an ounce of guilt stuffing one in your pie hole on a cold morning.

Tollhouse Chocolate and Peanut Butter Muffins
From Nestlé

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk chocolate morsels
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup whole milk
½ cup creamy peanut butter
⅓ cup canola oil
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a large bowl, combine flour, morsels, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, combine milk, peanut butter, oil, and egg; stir into flour mixture just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon into muffin cups, filling each ¾ full.

Bake 20 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan. Serve warm or cool completely.

Makes 12 muffins

Swiss Woods Bed and Breakfast Inn: Parmesan Cherry Tomatoes

Once winter comes along, you stop seeing all those pretty fruits and vegetables at the grocery store.  It's just masses of winter squash, potatoes, and cabbage.  And you can only eat so much of those.  Sometimes you just need something sun-kissed and sweetly tart.  Something grown in a friggin' hothouse.  Why should winter stop me from having my tomatoes?  I LAUGH in the face of winter.

This side dish is super easy, super fast, and super delicious.  Convinced yet?  It's a perfect balance of soft and crunchy, sweet and tart, rich and fresh.  And it certainly put a smile on my face seeing those pretty little yellow tomatoes just waiting for me to gobble them up.

Parmesan Cherry Tomatoes
From Swiss Woods Bed and Breakfast Inn

2 pints cherry tomatoes, red and yellow
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
Cracked black pepper
Sea salt
¼ cup chopped herbs (any combination of basil, parsley, and chives)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise. In a bowl, toss the tomatoes with the panko, Parmesan, herbs, cracked pepper, and salt. Spoon the mixture into six ramekins. Drizzle with the olive oil. Bake at 375°F until the tops of the tomatoes are slightly browned, about 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Makes 6 servings

Pinch of Yum: Crockpot Red Lentil and Spinach Curry

I love Indian food.  LOVE IT.  But it's pretty much a major production to make it at home.  And I don't know of any cheap little holes in the wall near my apartment.  So I've had a serious Indian famine lately.  Lucky for me, trying to be vegetarian means you start looking at Indian and Asian food with a certain longing.  After all, they know how to do vegetables right.

This is pretty easy to make, as you just through the whole mess into a slow cooker and hit GO.  I had to seriously tinker with the recipe though, as the original came out surprisingly tasteless.  After a bunch of spices and salt later, it's pretty darn good.  And I'm always a fan of something that cooks without my help.

Crockpot Red Lentil and Spinach Curry
Loosely adapted from Pinch of Yum blog

2 cups red lentils
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ginger, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons red curry paste
2 teaspoons garam masala
¾ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup coconut milk

5 ounces fresh baby spinach

Juice of 1 lime
Cilantro for garnishing

Rinse the lentils and place them in a large crockpot. Add the diced onions, garlic, ginger, butter, curry paste, garam masala, turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, cumin, curry powder, sugar, and cayenne. Stir to combine.

Pour the 2 cans of tomato sauce over the lentils. Refill the can with water once and add to the crockpot. Stir to make sure that the lentils are covered with liquid. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours.

Check once or twice during cooking to add more water if the lentils are soaking up all the liquid. The amount of water or tomato puree you add depends on how soupy your want your lentils to be. Taste and season with salt. The lentils will be soft when they are done cooking.

Stir in the coconut milk and spinach.  When the spinach is wilted, add the lime juice.  Sprinkle with cilantro just before serving. Serve over basmati rice.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Vegan Planet: Smoky Maple Mixed Beans and Kale

I'm trying to eat healthy.  Honestly I am.  I'm looking towards the end of the month and all of the holiday craziness and thinking...I am going to gain about 10 pounds if I don't reign this sucker in.  Everyday can't be a holiday after all.  So I'm going to try being a vegetarian for a little bit.  Maybe a week.  Maybe a month.  Maybe a day.  But at least I'm trying.

I saw this recipe online as I was desperately scouring vegan and vegetarian websites for something filling and tasty and meatless.  The dish is actually pretty fabulous.  I would definitely eat this next to my roast chicken.  And see all that green?  That's vitamins calling your name.  You'd better answer.

Smoky Maple Mixed Beans and Kale
Adapted from Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch kale, ribs removed and leaves chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 chipotle chiles in adobo, minced

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the kale and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the beans, then add the remaining ingredients, stirring to combine.  Simmer for 10 minutes longer to blend the flavors.  Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed.  Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings

Allrecipes: Light Wheat Rolls

Somehow whenever Thanksgiving rolls around, I manage to talk myself into making all sorts of big dishes that end up with a long suffering cook barely on her feet.  I really need to get control of my bravura, because this is getting out of hand.  But why have those nasty little pre-made shelf-stable rolls when you can turn these puppies out in a couple of hours?

These are really pretty simple to make, especially considering that they are in fact yeast rolls.  Whenever I'm struggling with a way to proof the dough (no, I don't have one of those fancy ovens with the proofing setting), I just pull out my handy heating pad.  Under the bowl it goes, and my dough is nice and toasty and happy.

Light Wheat Rolls
From allrecipes.com

2 (¼-ounce) packages active dry yeast
1¾ cups warm water
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg, beaten
2¼ cups whole wheat flour
2½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Mix the sugar, salt, melted butter, egg, and whole wheat flour into the yeast mixture. Stir in the all-purpose flour, ½ cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn the dough to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Punch down dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled again, about 30 minutes. Grease a baking sheet. Punch down dough and divide into two equal portions. Roll each portion into a 6x14-inch strip and cut into twelve squares. Roll the squares into balls and place in rows on the baking sheet. Bruch the tops with melted butter. Let rise, uncovered, in a warm place, for 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake the rolls for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush again with melted butter.

Makes 24 rolls

Recipelink: Blackberry Jalapeño Jelly

I first had jalapeno pepper jelly with cream cheese and crackers at a friend's dinner party.  I think I'm a little behind on this aspect of Southern cooking, because I didn't really know what it was until I put a delicious bite in my mouth.  The jelly had come from a small manufacturer who only sells her jellies in a small shop in downtown McKinney (that I know of), and the recipe is a closely guarded secret.  I hate when people keep recipes secret, so of course I had to make my own.

Okay, so I didn't really make jelly with fresh blackberries at the end of November.  I'm trying to be good about seasonality, so this lovely jelly was manufactured this past summer, at the height of berry season.  It's just been sitting pretty in jars, waiting for entertaining events to be rolled out to great acclaim.  You can certainly adjust the amount of jalapeños in the recipe, but as is, the jelly has a nice burn under the sweetness.

Blackberry Jalapeño Jelly
Adapted from recipelink.com

12 ounces fresh blackberries
½ pound green bell peppers, seeds and ribs discarded, roughly chopped
½ pound jalapeño peppers, including seeds and ribs, roughly chopped
1½ cups unfiltered apple cider vinegar
6 cups granulated sugar
2 (3-ounce) packets liquid pectin

Prepare seven half-pint canning jars.

Using a spatula, press the blackberries through a fine mesh screen into a large bowl. The screen should catch the seeds, which should be discarded. Add as much blackberry flesh as possible without introducing any seeds into the liquid. Set aside.

Put the green peppers and jalapeños into a food processor fitted with the steel knife blade. Pulse the pepper mixture until the pieces are about ¼-inch on each side. Pour the pepper mixture into a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the apple cider vinegar and the sugar, stirring to combine. Heat the mixture over medium high heat until the sugar melts and the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the mixture does not boil over.

Remove the pepper mixture from the heat and strain into the bowl with the blackberry juice. Discard the pepper pieces. Stir the blackberry mixture to combine and then return the mixture to the large pot or Dutch oven. Bring the mixture back to a boil. Add the liquid pectin and boil hard for one minute. Remove the mixture from the heat and ladle into the prepared jars. Screw on the lids and process in boiling water for 10 minutes. Let cool for 24 hours. The jelly may take up to a week to set.

Makes 7 half-pint jars

Momofuku Milk Bar: Crack Pie

I didn't really think this pie would live up to its name.  I mean, crack is pretty dang addictive.  People steal from their own mothers to get more.  That's a pretty big reputation to live up to.  Guess what?  It does.  I watched adults race each other to get another slice of this pie.  I've had people ask for more pie instead of saying good morning.  I haven't heard of anyone stealing from their mothers yet, but it wouldn't surprise me.

This pie is basically a giant puddle of butter and sugar.  If that sounds like your thing, you will love this pie.  If you are diabetic, stay as far away from this pie as you can.  I actually think it might put you into a diabetic coma.  It's that sweet.  But it might actually be worth it...

Crack Pie
From Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi

Crack Pie:
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 recipe Oat Cookie (recipe follows)
1½ tablespoons light brown sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 recipe Filling (recipe follows)
Dusting of confectioner's sugar

Oat Cookie:
½ cup unsalted butter
⅓ cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
Scant ⅛ teaspoon baking powder

Pinch baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt

Filling:
1 cup unsalted butter
1½ cups granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
1½ teaspoons salt

¼ cup milk powder
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 large egg yolks

To make pie:

Heat the oven to 350°F.

In a microwave, gently melt your butter on a medium/low setting for 15 to 30 seconds. Let it cool until it is not hot to the touch before proceeding.

Put the oat cookie, brown sugar, and salt in the food processor and pulse it on and off until the cookie is broken down into a wet sand. (If you don't have a food processor, you can fake it till you make it and crumble the oat cookie diligently with your hands.)

Transfer the cookie crumbs to a bowl and, with your hands, knead the butter and ground cookie mixture until the contents of the bowl are moist enough to knead into a ball. If it is not moist enough to do so, gently melt and additional 15 to 25 grams of butter and knead it into the oat crust mixture. Divide the oat crust evenly over two 10" pie tins (two pies is always better than one).

Using your fingers and the palm of your hand, press the oat cookie crust firmly into both 10-inch pie shells. Make sure the bottom and the walls of the pie shells are evenly covered. Use the pie shells immediately or, wrapped well in plastic, store the pie shells at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Place both pie shells on a ½ sheet pan. Divide the crack pie filling evenly over both crusts. The filling should fill the crusts ¾ way full. And bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. During this time, the crack pie will still be very jiggly, but should become golden brown on top. Know your oven, which corners bake your cookies or pies lighter or darker and take these nooks into consideration when placing your pies in the oven-use the shelf and corners that brown your baked goods best.

At 20 minutes, open the oven door and reduce the baking temperature to 325°F Depending on your oven this will take 5-10 minutes-keep the pies in the oven during this process. When the oven reads 325°F, close the door and finish baking the crack pie for 5 minutes.

At 5 minutes, the crack pie should still be jiggly in the bulls eye center, but not in the outer center circle. If the crack pie is still too jiggly, leave the pies in the oven an additional 5 minutes in the 325°F oven.

Gently take the half sheet pan of crack pies out of the oven and transfer to a rack to cool at room temperature. You can speed up the cooling process by carefully transferring the pies to the fridge or freezer if you're in a hurry. Freeze your pie for as little as 3 hours or overnight to condense the filling for a dense final product-the signature of a perfectly executed crack pie.

Wrap the crack pies if you are not serving them right away. Decorate your pies with confectioner's sugar through a fine sieve or the pinch of your fingers.

To make oat cookie:

Heat the oven to 350°F.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars on medium high for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy and pale yellow in color. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.

On a lower speed, add egg to incorporate. Increase the speed back up to a medium high for 1 to 2 minutes until the sugar granules fully dissolve and the mixture is a pale white color.

On a lower speed, add the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix 60 to 75 seconds until your dough comes together and all remnants of dry ingredients have incorporated. Your dough will still be a slightly fluffy, butter fatty mixture in comparison to your average cookie dough. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.

Pam spray and line a quarter sheet pan with parchment or a Silpat. Plop the oat cookie dough in the center of the pan and with a spatula, spread it out until it is ¼-inch thick. The dough won't end up covering the entire pan, this is okay. Bake the oat cookie at 350°F for 15 minutes.

Cool completely before using in the crack pie recipe.

To make filling:
In a microwave, gently melt the butter down in 15-second intervals. Make sure it is not hot to the touch.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low speed, mix together the dry ingredients until they are evenly distributed. If you try to mix the crack pie filling in on any higher than a low speed, you will incorporate too much air in the following steps and your pie will not be dense an gooey- the essence of the crack pie.

Add the melted butter to the mixer and paddle until all the dry ingredients are moist.

Add the heavy cream and vanilla and mix until the white from the cream has completely disappeared into the mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

Add the egg yolks to the mixer, paddling them in to the mixture just to combine. Be careful not to aerate the mixture.

Laura Rebecca's Kitchen: Spaghetti Squash Gratin

I'm a bit fascinated by spaghetti squash.  I mean, it shreds into strings.  Without the cook really having to do anything.  How cool is that?  And there's nothing wrong with playing with your food.  There's all sorts of fun food out there to be messed with.  This is just the tip of the iceberg.

But once you've got those fun strings, what do you do with them?  I'm not a huge fan of spaghetti (yes, I know I'm weird), so tomato sauce is out for now.  Plus, isn't that kinda boring?  Spaghetti squash to make spaghetti?  I've already made the squash with Moroccan flavors, but this is perfect for cold weather.  Warm, creamy, cheesy.  That is perfection, people.

Spaghetti Squash Gratin
Adapted from Laura Rebecca's Kitchen blog

1 medium spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, cut in half and very thinly sliced

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more if you like it spicy
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sour cream or crème fraiche

1 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds. Place in a covered dish with a ¼-inch of water and microwave for 10 to 12 minutes. In a medium-sized skillet over medium heat, add the butter, onions, red pepper, and thyme, and cook until the onions are slightly brown in color. Salt and pepper to taste.

Using a fork, scrape the insides of the squash and transfer to a small bowl. Combine the squash, onions, sour cream, and half the Parmesan cheese together and mix well. Transfer the mixture to a buttered baking dish and top with remaining cheese.

Place into a 450ºF oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top.  Sprinkle with cayenne pepper.

Makes 6 servings

BBC Good Food: Cranberry Sauce with Port and Star Anise

Do you remember eating cranberry sauce from a can for Thanksgiving?  How you would open the can and then desperately try to get that gelatinous blob to come out of the can in one piece without having to tear it to pieces?  And how it would sit there in the bowl, gently quivering?  Yeah, that is one of the essential experiences of childhood.  And now that I actually think back on it, it's very 50's and very yuck.  But you can't go without cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, so that means making something to replace it.

Even though I grew up with cranberry jelly, I liked the idea of actually having cranberries in my sauce.  You know, the stuff the sauce is actually made from?  I thought it would give it a nice texture and take away the scary blob-like molding.  So I searched my go-to cookbook (the internet), and I found a recipe that turns out a cranberry sauce that tastes a bit like the can, though richer and fresher, with none of the industrial gelatin.

Cranberry Sauce with Port and Star Anise
Adapted from BBC Good Food

1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries
Grated zest of 1 orange
Juice of 2 oranges
2 tablespoons red currant jelly
½ cup tawny port
2 whole star anise
½ cup sugar

Tip the cranberries into a saucepan, grate in the orange zest, then squeeze in the orange juice.  Add the red currant jelly, port, and star anise, and slowly bring to a simmer.

Cook gently over a low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the cranberries have burst and the sauce thickens and looks glossy.  Stir in the sugar and taste.  Cool and fish out of the star anise.  The sauce will keep in the refrigerator in a covered container for 1 week or for 2 months in the freezer.

Makes 10 servings