Briana Holt: Buttermilk Sugar Biscuits

Normally I'm super irritated when Facebook is trying to sell me crap, but when the advertisement for NY Times Cooking came up, and it was video of someone slathering these biscuits with butter and honey, I couldn't make my way to the website fast enough.  Biscuits are a bit of a difficult item to get perfect, but this being my first shot at the recipe, they turned out fan-friggin-tastic.  So many buttery layers.  I almost made these my entire Thanksgiving dinner.

Buttermilk Sugar Biscuits
From Briana Holt of Tandem Coffee + Bakery in Portland, Maine, as seen on NY Times Cooking

1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
3⅓ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2½ teaspoons kosher salt
1¼ cups cold buttermilk
Melted butter and flaky sea salt (both optional), for finishing

Heat oven to 375°F and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.

Coarsely grate the butter onto a plate, then freeze until cold and hard, at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the butter to the dry ingredients. Using a spoon, toss together until all of the butter is coated with flour.

Add half the buttermilk and toss with the spoon. When incorporated, add the rest of the buttermilk and gently toss again, without mashing together or overmixing, until the dry ingredients are lightly hydrated throughout. The mixture will be crumbly.

Flour a clean surface and dump the mixture directly onto it. Using your hands, gently press the crumbs together and then use a floured rolling pin or empty wine bottle to roll the mass gently but firmly into a 1-inch-thick rectangle.

Using a bench scraper, lift the top half off the surface and fold it over the bottom half. This step may be crumbly and messy at first, but just go for it and fold what you can down from the top. Repeat this roll-and-fold motion 5 times, flouring the surface and dough as needed and using the bench scraper to straighten the edges as needed. The dough will come together as you roll it. Rotate the mixture after each fold to create a square. Fold the dough in half one last time, then roll to about 1½ inches thick to create a 6-inch square, using the bench scraper to straighten out the edges.

Using the bench scraper or a sharp knife, cut straight down into the square to create a 3-by-3 grid of 9 squares, then place them on your sheet pan, upside down if you’d like taller biscuits. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until risen, golden brown on top, and slightly pale on the sides. Don’t worry if a couple of the biscuits tip over or if melted butter pools underneath. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using.

Makes 9 biscuits

Southern Living: Texas Trash Pie

First let's get this out of the way: this is a terrible name for such a fantastically delicious pie.  It's like all of the good things jammed into one buttery pie crust.  And even though pumpkin is the traditional pie for Thanksgiving, I just couldn't help myself.  It also doesn't hurt that it's stupidly easy to make.  Although you can certainly eat it cold or at room temperature, I highly recommend a quick trip through the microwave to get all those chocolatey and caramelly bits nice and gooey.

Note:  I used 60% bittersweet chocolate chips to offset the other really sweet ingredients a tad, and it was delicious.

Texas Trash Pie
From Southern Living

1 frozen (10-inch) piecrust or (9-inch) deep dish piecrust
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup pretzels, crushed
1 cup graham crackers, crushed
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup Kraft caramel bits
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Heat butter in a microwave-safe bowl until completely melted. Crush pretzels and graham crackers into small pieces.

Combine all filling ingredients (chocolate chips, pretzels, graham crackers, coconut, pecans, caramel bits, butter, and sweetened condensed milk) in a large bowl until well blended. Pour the entire filling into a frozen pie crust.

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the pie is set and the top is golden brown. Let pie cool for 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

Makes 8 to 12 servings

Alton Brown: Peanut Butter Fudge

Did you know that November 20th is Peanut Butter Fudge Day?  Yeah, me neither.  I had also never had peanut butter fudge, so that definitely needed to be remedied.  But since November 20th is a Monday, I opted to jump in a little early and whip up my batch today, on the 19th.  Holy moly.  This stuff is good - sweet, but you can still taste the peanut butter.  Super fast to pull together, and bonus points for using the microwave instead of making me mess with a pot on the stove and a candy thermometer.  Definitely a "holiday" I can get behind.

Note: I chose to sprinkle 60% bittersweet chips, chopped peanuts, and fleur de sel finishing salt on the top of my fudge.  Not required, but highly recommended.

Peanut Butter Fudge
From Alton Brown

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pan
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3¾ cups powdered sugar

Grease an 8-inch square pan with butter. Trim a piece of parchment paper to 8 inches wide and line the pan with the parchment sling, leaving enough overhand on two sides to cover the top of the fudge with later.

Combine the butter and peanut butter in a 4-quart microwave-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the plastic wrap to vent the steam, then microwave for 2 minutes on high. Stir and microwave on high for 2 more minutes. (Use caution when removing this mixture from the microwave, it will be very hot.) Add the vanilla and powdered sugar to the peanut butter mixture and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. The mixture will become hard to stir and lose its sheen.

Spread mixture into prepared pan. Fold the excess parchment paper so it covers the surface of the fudge and refrigerate until cool, about 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.