9 December 2015 Pepparkake – Spiced Cookies

Pepparkake – Spiced Cookies

December 9, 2015 By

Day 9 of my “12 Days of Baked Goods” series!

PepparkakeMy friend Kim Ihms is of Scandinavian descent, Norwegian actually, and has neat holiday dessert recipes that I’ve shared in the past (see Berliner Kranser Cookies she shared a couple years ago).

This year, her sister Karen shared a Scandinavian spiced cookie recipe that I know my Dutch hubby will enjoy as they’re similar to the Dutch Speculaas. These cookies can be cut in any shape and decorated like a gingerbread cookie would.

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 3 Tbsp. lard
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 4 3/4 cups flour, divided
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cloves
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions:

  1. Mix honey, molasses, lard, brown sugar and butter in large sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Do not scorch. Remove from heat and add to the bowl of an electric mixer. Add 2 ½ cups sifted flour and the spices and mix with a paddle attachment then allow to cool.
  2. Add the beaten eggs.
  3. Combine the remaining flour with soda and powder in a small bowl. Add to the cookie batter and knead to incorporate. Let rest 1 hour, then roll out dough on a floured work surface and cut cookies using any shape cookie cutter.
  4. Place the cookies on greased cookie sheets and bake at 425°F for about 5 minutes.

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: Desserts, Norwegian Tagged With: , , , , , ,
8 December 2015 Chocolate Silk Pie

Chocolate Silk Pie

December 8, 2015 By

Day 8 of my “12 Days of Baked Goods” series!

Growing up, my favorite dessert was chocolate silk pie. I loved it so much that y Grandma made it for me for my birthday instead of the typical birthday cake. Flaky, buttery pie crusts, rich, decadent chocolate and slightly sweet whipped cream topping – just what dreams are made of.

This version uses marshmallow fluff in the chocolate layer, reminding me of Fantasy Fudge a bit.

Ingredients:

  • 1 baked 8” pastry shell, homemade or store-bought
  • 1 7-ounce jar marshmallow fluff
  • 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
  • ¼ cup butter, cubed
  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
  • 2 Tbsp. strong brewed coffee
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped

Topping Ingredients:

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Directions:

  1. Melt the marshmallow fluff, chocolate chips, butter, unsweetened chocolate and coffee in a large bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring until smooth, about 5 minutes. Make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl, risking scorching. Cool completely then fold in whipped cream. Pour into the baked crust.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar to the cream in the bowl and continue beating until stiff peaks form, about 2 more minutes. Top the chocolate layer with the whipped cream and refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

Yields 6-8 servings.

Recipe from Taste of Home.

Filed Under: American, Chocolate, Desserts Tagged With: , ,
7 December 2015 Holiday Sugar Cookies

Holiday Sugar Cookies

December 7, 2015 By

Day 7 of my “12 Days of Baked Goods” series!

Sugar CookiesThis is a very simple recipe that yields the greatest cookies for holiday decorating. They’re a bit crunchy around the edges yet still chewy and bake perfectly flat for easy decorating.

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp. baking powder
  • Pinch of salt

Baked Sugar CookiesDirections:

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  2. Gradually add the sugar. Add the egg and vanilla, beating to just incorporate.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt.
  4. Using a wooden spoon, incorporate the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three additions – don’t overmix!
  5. Divide the cookie dough in two, flatten each portion in a circle, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
  6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  7. On a lightly floured surface, flatten each portion of dough to a thickness of ¼ inch using a rolling pin.
  8. Using a cookie-cutter (I used a round), cut desired shapes and place about 1-inch apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Use the scraps of dough to roll again for more cookies. Bake for 10-13 until very lightly golden, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through the baking process. Cool for a minute on the cookie sheets then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely.
  9. Ice with your favorite glaze and decorate.

Yields 3 dozen cookies.

Filed Under: American, Desserts Tagged With: , ,
6 December 2015 Flourless Chocolate Cake

Flourless Chocolate Cake

December 6, 2015 By

Day 6 of my “12 Days of Baked Goods” series!

Flourless Chocolate CakeA few weeks back, I had the pleasure of lunching at the adorable (and delicious) Choc-O-Pain French Bakery & Café in Hoboken, NJ (see my review for Jersey Bites). While there, I had the chance to sample the decadent Flourless Chocolate Cake that’s made with high-quality chocolate and creates a cake that’s both fudgy and cake-like.

I was able to get the scaled down recipe from the fine folks at Choc-O-Pain and am sharing with you. Note that I upped the chocolate to 6 ounces and it created a more fudgy than cake-like texture, which was also AMAZING. A light dusting of powdered sugar and you’ve got a perfect holiday dessert.

Ingredients:

  • 4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup butter
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • ½ cup pure cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp. powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Butter or coat in cooking spray an 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper.
  3. Melt chocolate and butter in a large bowl over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl, risking scorching.
  4. In a separate larger bowl, whisk together sugar, salt and eggs. When thoroughly incorporated, carefully whisk in cocoa powder until fully incorporated. Pour melted mixture into cocoa, sugar mixture, mix thoroughly.
  5. Fill the cake pan with batter. Bake until center springs back (about 25-30 minutes). Allow to cool.
  6. Dust the cake with the powdered sugar, if using.

Yield: Makes one 8-inch cake and can easily serve 8-10.

Filed Under: American, Chocolate, Desserts, French Tagged With: , , ,
5 December 2015 Chocolate, Peanut and Marshmallow Squares

Chocolate, Peanut and Marshmallow Squares

December 5, 2015 By

Marshmallow Treats

Day 5 of my “12 Days of Baked Goods” series!

My sister is a great cook and baker. She takes after a long line of good bakers in our family, yet, she doesn’t bake often.

One of the treats she enjoys making for her family is this simple-yet-yummy recipe for squares packed with mini marshmallows and peanuts.

Ingredients:

  • 2 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 14-ounce can condensed milk
  • 2 ½ cups roasted peanuts (not salted)
  • 3 ¾ cups mini marshmallows

Directions:

  1. Line a 13×9 pan with wax paper.
  2. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate with the butter, stirring every 30 seconds to be sure the chocolate just melts and doesn’t overheat. Remove the bowl from the microwave and add the condensed milk, combine well.
  3. Add the peanuts and marshmallows to the chocolate mixture, stir well to fully coat in chocolate.
  4. Add the mixture to the prepared baking pan. Allow to cool completely.
  5. Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours. Cut into 24 squares.

Yields 24 squares.

Filed Under: American, Canadian, Chocolate, Desserts Tagged With: , , ,
4 December 2015 Carrés aux Dattes – Date and Oatmeal Squares

Carrés aux Dattes – Date and Oatmeal Squares

December 4, 2015 By

Day 4 of my “12 Days of Baked Goods” series!

Carres Aux DattesWhen I was growing up in Quebec, my Grandma made these scrumptious date treats for us. They were my favorite and after a while, I think she was basically making them just for me.

The oatmeal topping recipe can be doubled if you like a thicker layer of the yummy brown sugar/oatmeal/butter toping – I sure do!!

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 ½ cups old-fashion oatmeal
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 500 gram package of dates
  • 1 cup water

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Butter, or coat in cooking spray, an 8×8 baking pan.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, oatmeal, brown sugar and butter until the mixture is coated in butter. Add half the mixture to the buttered pan, press lightly and set aside.
  4. In a small saucepan, cook the dates in the water over medium heat until the mixture is smooth, about 8 minutes. Add the date mixture over the crust in the baking pan.
  5. Add the rest of the oatmeal mixture over the dates, pressing lightly but not packing the topping.
  6. Cook the squares for 25 minutes.
  7. After the squares have cooled, cut into 9 or 12 pieces.

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: Canadian, Desserts Tagged With: ,
3 December 2015 Chocolate Éclair Squares

Chocolate Éclair Squares

December 3, 2015 By

Day 3 of “12 Days of Baked Goods”

Eclair CakeLast month, a group of us attended a harvest party at a winery where there was a LOT of wine being poured. When the 10 of us returned to our friends’ home, my friend Joan Gardner unpacked a dessert she’d made for the gang – chocolate éclair squares. She’s apparently seen a video of the dessert I’d shared on Facebook and made it. The recipe’s super simple to make YET, it’s decadent and a perfect ending to a boozy day.

This easy recipe would be perfect to make with the kids around the holidays!

Eclair Cake PieceIngredients:

  • 2 Instant Vanilla Pudding boxes
  • 16-ounce container of Cool Whip
  • 5-ounce box of Graham Crackers
  • 16-ounce container of dark chocolate ready-made icing

Directions:

  1. Line the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish with the Graham crackers.
  2. Prepare pudding according to package directions. Add Cool Whip to the pudding and spread half the mixture on top of crackers.
  3. Place another layer of crackers on top of the pudding mixture.
  4. Spread the other half of pudding mixture on top of crackers and top with another layer of crackers.
  5. Microwave the icing for 1 minute, stir then pour over the last cracker layer.
  6. Refrigerate for 12 hours before serving.

Yields 12 servings.

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: American, Chocolate, Desserts Tagged With: , , , ,
2 December 2015 Chocolate Cappuccino Cheesecake

Chocolate Cappuccino Cheesecake

December 2, 2015 By

Day 2 of “12 Days of Baked Goods”

Last week, I spent Thanksgiving with my friend Diane Biancamano and her family. I’m typically the person who gets assigned desserts for parties, but Diane’s a super baker and I was thrilled to be able to sample the decadent Chocolate Cappuccino Cheesecake she made. CheesecakeIngredients:

  • 1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
  • ¼ cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  • ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
  • 3 large eggs
  • 8 1-ounce squares semisweet chocolate
  • 2 Tbsp. whipping cream
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. instant coffee or Espresso granules dissolved in ¼ cup hot water
  • ¼ cup coffee flavored liqueur (Kahlua, Bailey’s, etc…)
  • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Butter (or coat in cooking spray) the bottom and sides of a 9” springform pan.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the chocolate wafer crumbs, the melted butter, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and the cinnamon. Mix well and press all but 2 tablespoons of the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the springform pan, reserve the 2 tablespoons of crumbs for later use. Set aside.
  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the remaining 1 cup of granulated sugar, mixing until well combined. On low speed, add the eggs, one at a time until very smooth, about 2 minutes.
  5. In a medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the semisweet chocolate with the whipping cream until smooth, about 3 minutes. Don’t let the bowl touch the water!
  6. Add the melted chocolate to the cream cheese mixture and blend well. Stir in the sour cream, the salt, the coffee, the coffee liqueur and the vanilla and beat until just smooth, about 1 minute. Pour batter into the springform pan.
  7. Bake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes. Note that the center of the cheesecake will be soft but it will firm up as it chills. Allow the cake to cool in the oven with the heat turned off and with the door ajar for 45 minutes. Remove cake from the oven and refrigerate for 12 hours.
  8. Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over the cheesecake before serving. 

Yields 16 servings. Recipe inspired by All Recipes. Cheers, Veronique

Filed Under: American, Chocolate, Desserts Tagged With: , ,
1 December 2015 Apple Pear Pie

Apple Pear Pie

December 1, 2015 By

Today begins my “12 Days of Baked Goods”.

Apple Pear PieLast week, my Facebook (and likely yours too) sort of blew up with all kinds of fantastic food photos from my friends and family. While many dishes looked incredible, one that especially caught my eye was my friend Marge Imms’ Apple Pear Pie. While I tend not to love apple pie, I like pears a lot, so I thought this combo would be perfect!

Many thanks to Marge for sharing this recipe she found in Southern Living from November 1998 and modified to her liking.

Ingredients for the apple/pear mixture:

  • 6-7 Granny Smith apples (Gala or Rome apples may be substituted for Granny Smith)
  • 6-7 Bartlett pears (Bosc or Anjou pears may be substituted for Bartlett)
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 tsp.
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 egg with a little water, whisked to combine
  • Two 9” pie crusts, homemade or store-bought

Apple/pear mixture directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Place the bottom crust into a 9” pie plate, place in the refrigerator.
  3. Peel and thinly slice the apples and pears
  4. Put butter and 1 cup of sugar in large skillet and melt over medium heat.
  5. Put in the apples/pears and cook about 5 minutes.
  6. Transfer the apples/pears with a slotted spoon over the crust in the chilled pie plate, leaving the sugar/butter mixture in the pan.
  7. Cover with top pie crust and brush pie top with egg wash and sprinkle the teaspoon of sugar.
  8. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the pie is golden brown.

Caramel sauce directions:

  1. Continue cooking the butter/sugar mixture for about 10 minutes more.
  2. Serve pie slices with caramel sauce and whipped cream (optional)

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: American, Desserts, Fruits Tagged With: , , ,
22 August 2015 S’mores on a Stick

S’mores on a Stick

August 22, 2015 By

Smores on a StickLast week was #NationalSmoresDay – who knew there was such a day!! I didn’t grow up doing s’mores in Quebec, we did roasted marshmallows, but s’mores just weren’t something we knew about.

While I love the gooey version right off the campfire, I recently made these cute s’mores on a stick for a party. They were super easy to make and looked even cuter on a serving platter.

Ingredients:

  • 10 marshmallows
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup Graham cracker crumbs

Directions:

  1. Place a Popsicle stick or other wooden skewer in the center of each marshmallows.
  2. Melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave for about a minute.
  3. Dip each marshmallow in the melted chocolate.
  4. Coat the chocolate with Graham cracker crumbs.
  5. Allow the chocolate to set in a cool place.

Makes 10 s’mores treats.

Filed Under: American, Chocolate, Desserts Tagged With: , , ,
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