Goodies! by anna

I have several adult friends that LOVE Rice Krispy Treats, you know the ones with melted marshmallows and margarine mixed with Rice Krispy Cereal? Well, I'm not quite a fan of the Rice Krispy Treat, I think they taste overly sweet with a plastic-like texture, so when I saw this recipe on the SmittenKitchen blog for a more "sophisticated crispy treat" I had to try it out! The key update on the old classic is in the browning of the butter before adding the marshmallows. Brown butter takes on a rich almost nutty flavor that is very distinctive and appealing. Add in a little coarse salt and you've taken lowly rice crispy treats and made Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats! I have to say, my Dad hates marshmallows and rice crispy treats....but he loved these! I bet you will too. Here is how you make them:
You can find the entire recipe for Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats here. Start by buttering an 8x8 inch pan or you can do like I did and line the entire pan with aluminum foil and spray with Pam for super easy cleanup. Set the pan aside.

In a large pot melt a stick of butter on medium-low heat stirring frequently making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan. The butter will become foamy and then start to get golden brown. Watch the butter carefully and stir constantly because it goes from golden to burned quickly! When the butter looks nice and golden brown remove from the heat and quickly stir in the 10 oz. of marshmallows until they become all melted and smooth. Add in 6 cups of Rice Krispies Cereal and 1/4 tsp. of sea salt or you can use coarse kosher salt like I did. Mix well to coat and spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Using a oiled spatula (or you can just spray some Pam on your hands like i did) press the mixture evenly into the pan. Make sure to press down very firmly as this will help ensure that your treats don't fall apart when you try to cut them. Let the treats cool completely in the pan. When cool, remove from pan and cut into small squares. To package mine for gift giving I simply cut some small squares of colored wax paper and placed in between the treats. I wrapped them up tightly in plastic wrap, taped the ends together and tied with a ribbon and added a tag. Easy and fun!

These cute little candy bites are a recipe that I found in the fun cookbook entitled "You Made That Dessert?" by Beth Lipton. The recipe calls for only four ingredients to make around 35 tasty candies. The candies are sweet and crunchy with a nice peanut butter butterscotch flavor. I added a little sea salt topping to mine for some extra flavor. The recipe is pretty basic and calls for rolling the candies into little balls. I decided to take it a step further and dress them up a little by using a candy mold and some melted chocolate. I think they turned out nice and would make a fun gift! Here is how you can make your own candies: You can find the basic recipe here.  After you crush the cornflakes, add them to the melted peanut butter and butterscotch chips and mix in some vanilla extract. I used an organic unsweetened peanut butter because I wanted a true peanut flavor and not a whole lot of sugar as the butterscotch chips are very sweet! After the mixture is well combined set aside. Because I wanted my candies to have a more uniform shape I used this handy-dandy plastic candy mold that i got at the hobby store for around $2. I wanted to use up the left over candy melts from my caramel apple post, so i melted the chocolate in a squeeze bottle and poured a little into the mold. Next I used a small paint brush to brush the chocolate up the sides. The chocolate filled mold went into the fridge for 5 minutes to set. When set, I scooped out a small mound of peanut butter butterscotch mixture into the mold and then topped it with more melted chocolate. I sprinkled a little sea salt over the top of the chocolate and chilled the candies again for around 15 minutes. When completely chilled I popped the candies out of the mold and drizzled a little melted white chocolate across the tops. I placed the finished candies  into individual mini-muffin cups that I found at the grocery store (73 cups for 99¢) and set them into a box for gift giving. You can also by-pass the chocolate and just scoop some of the peanut butter-butterscotch mixture directly into the molds and top with some chocolate sprinkles. Chill and unmold. Or even skip the mold by rolling the peanut butter-butterscotch mixture into small balls and then rolling the balls in chocolate sprinkles or chopped salted peanuts! Voila, you've got lots of yummy candies for you and your friends!

Here is a sweet, spicy and crunchy Halloween snack sure to please: Sweet & Spicy Popcorn Crunch! This easy to make caramel corn gets its spicy kick from a full 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper added to a sweet caramel syrup that gets poured over a big bowl of freshly popped popcorn and salted peanuts before baking in the oven until nicely crisped, browned and crunchy. The resulting popcorn crunch is delightfully addictive with its unusual crisp caramelized sweet/spicy flavor. To make this recipe really easy, use microwave popcorn! I used around 2 1/2 packages of buttered PopSecret Microwave Popcorn. The butter and extra salt in the microwave popcorn give the finished caramel crunch an even better flavor. Here is how you can make yours: You can find the full recipe for Sweet and Spicy Popcorn Crunch here. If you are using microwave popcorn, go ahead and pop up about 3 bags. Pour 2 1/2 bags worth of popped corn (minus the uncooked kernels) and 1 cup salted peanuts into a large bowl and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and line two baking sheets with silpat mats or parchment paper. In a medium pot over medium heat melt together the butter, sugar and corn syrup. Stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the heat up to medium-high and continue to cook until golden brown and bubbly. Swirl the pot occasionally so the syrup doesn't burn, this should take around 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the salt and cayenne pepper then immediately pour mixture over the popcorn and stir to incorporate. Try to cover as much of the popcorn with the syrup as possible. Divide the popcorn evenly between the two baking sheets and bake for around 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let the baked popcorn cool before breaking apart into crunchy pieces. Put into a big bowl, grab a blanket and turn on the spooky movies. Happy Halloween Everyone & Thanks For Checking Out My Blog!

Caramel Apples- the quintessential Halloween party treat. Flash-back to lots of sticky caramel stuck in little teeth and apple juice dripping down little chins. Lots of fun then but how to recreate that idea with a more grown-up twist for now? Hmmm....how about Caramel Apples with Bourbon Laced Caramel, White Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and for an extra spicy/salty kick: crushed Wasabi Peas and chopped Wasabi Almonds?! These are seriously good: the wasabi peas and almonds are the perfect spicy and salty compliment to the sweet white and dark chocolate while a touch of bourbon adds a little extra smoky flavor element to the buttery caramel before crunching down into the tart, crisp, juicy apple. Don't you just want one now? Here is how you can make your own:
This recipe will make approximately six small-medium sized caramel apples. You will need:
• 22 oz. (2 bags) Kraft Premium Caramel Bits (or 22 oz. of regular caramels unwrapped)
• 2 Tbls. of bourbon & 2 Tbls. water (or you can just use 4 Tbls. water)
• 6 small-medium sized apples, all appoximately the same size and shape
• 6 sticks (some bags of caramel will come with sticks/can also find at hobby shops)
• white chocolate candy melts or white chocolate
• dark chocolate candy melts or dark chocolate
• wasabi peas (can be found at Trader Joe's)
• wasabi almonds

Choose apples that are relatively small as they are easier to coat in the caramel. I used bright green Granny Smith apples because of their crisp tart flavor/texture and relatively uniform shape and smaller size.
Start by washing the apples really well in warm water with some vinegar added. The vinegar helps remove the wax found on the outside of the apples. If you leave the wax on the apples the caramel will slide right off! After scrubbing the apples remove the stems and dry them thoroughly. Using your sticks, carefully skewer each apple thru the stem end going down an inch into the apple to secure. Line a 1/2 sheet pan with parchment or silpat, set aside. Make sure you have room set aside in your fridge for this sheet pan! Mix together the 2 Tbls. of bourbon and 2 Tbls. water with the 22 oz. of Caramel Bits into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally with a silicone spatula or spoon until the caramel is smooth and melted. Hold an apple by the stick over the melted caramel and coat with the caramel by spooning over the apple letting the excess drip off back into the pan. Transfer the coated apple to the lined 1/2 sheet pan. Repeat process with remaining apples then place pan of apples in fridge to chill for 30 minutes to an hour. While the apples are chilling, crush the wasabi peas to a fine crumb using a food processor. I wanted to go for the texture of Shake-N-Bake so I made mine as fine as possible. Place the finely crushed wasabi peas in a wide shallow bowl. Using the food processor again, chop the almonds until they are fairly fine. Place the chopped almonds in a wide shallow bowl and mix with some of the crushed wasabi peas. (Of course you can always keep your peas and almonds chunky if you prefer!) Set bowls aside. When the apples have finished chilling, place the white chocolate candy melts into the top pan of a double boiler set over medium low heat- try not to let the water boil. Alternatively you can melt them in the microwave, following the instructions on the bag. When the white chocolate has become smooth and melted, remove the caramel apples from the fridge. Holding the apple by the stick, quickly pour the chocolate over the apple using a spoon. You will notice that the chocolate will start to melt the caramel. Just keep working quickly and transfer the apple back onto the 1/2 sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining apples and place pan into fridge for a minute or two  to lightly set the chocolate. Remove from fridge. Holding the apple by the stick roll/press it into the wasabi peas and/or almonds going all around the sides, about half way up the apple. Repeat with remaining apples. When finished, place the apples back into the fridge for another 20-30 minutes. While the apples are chilling, melt the dark chocolate melts in the top bowl of the double boiler (or use the microwave) until smooth and melted. I poured the melted chocolate into a large squeeze bottle to drizzle over the tops of the apples but you could easily just use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate over the apples. Remove apples from the fridge and drizzle the dark chocolate over the tops of the apples letting it run down the sides of the apple. Sprinkle chocolate with remaining crushed wasabi peas and almonds. Place apples back into the fridge to chill completely. When apples are finished chilling you can either serve them (they cut easier when left out to room temperature for a little while) or you can bag them up for gift giving or party favors. I made a "leaf" tag for my apples and tied each bag with a bright orange ribbon. For even more tips and ideas for caramel apples check out this great site: King Arthur Bakers. Whatever flavors you decide to use, everyone will love these caramel apples!

Decorated Sugar Cookies are a fun and festive way to celebrate the season. Who doesn't like getting a big colorful cookie with their own name iced across the top? Or how about a whole platter set out for a buffet? The cookies can be used as party favors or even place settings at a dinner. There are so many different cookie cutters to choose from, its best to start with simple shapes until you become more proficient at decorating. I made a bunch of these 5" pumpkins with this cookie cutter using a simple sugar cookie recipe and decorated with royal icing. While the whole decorating process can be time consuming, I have a few tips for making the process easier and that produce consistently good results. I thought I would pass them on to you:
• Sketch out a design for your decorated cookie before baking— This saves time by showing how much icing of each color will be needed and the placement of the icing when you start decorating. To make a design, trace the cookie cutter onto paper and use colored markers to indicate where the icing will go. Try to stick to two colors (three colors max!) and keep the design simple. For each color you will need an "outline" icing for piping and a "flood" icing for filling in between the outlines. The outline icing in firm and holds it shape when piped and is great for details. The flood icing in a more liquid version of the outline icing and spreads easily creating a smooth even surface.
• Roll out the dough to a precise thickness, usually 1/4"— A consistent thickness ensures even baking for all your cookies. You can use these handy rings that fit over your rolling pin or just use two slats of wood that are the correct thickness and roll dough out between them.
• Chill rolled dough before cutting— Chilling the rolled dough until firm ensures the cookie cutter will make perfect cutouts with nice crisp edges!
• Chill cut-out shapes- I actually freeze my cutouts before baking! The colder and firmer the cut out shapes, the better detail in your finished cookie and the cold dough really helps discourage spreading in the oven.
• Before mixing royal icing make sure all utensils are grease-free- Fat and grease are the enemy of royal icing as they break down its texture. To ensure a grease-free surface, wipe down your bowl and beater with some vinegar before washing thoroughly with soap and water. You can find an easy recipe for royal icing here.
• Use a squeeze bottle to decorate with flood icing— Flood icing is the thinner icing using to "flood" the main shapes on your cookie. Squeeze bottles are easier to use and fill than piping bags plus they are reusable. You can find squeeze bottles here.
• Let finished decorated cookies dry, uncovered over night before packaging or stacking—Letting the cookies dry thoroughly ensures that your masterpieces will not be smeared or dented when you place them on a buffet platter or into a cute gift bag.
• For lots of decorating ideas and more tips try this book: Cookie Craft by Valerie Peterson
Why not break out your rolling pin and your imagination and try some decorated sugar cookies this holiday season, remember you can always eat the mistakes!

I came up with this Hazelnut Linzer Cookie recipe by simply substituting some of the all-purpose flour called for in my standard sugar cookie recipe with hazelnut flour. Hazelnut flour (I found this flour at Trader Joe's) has a slightly nutty flavor and subtle texture that creates an aromatic dough with little flecks of ground hazelnut throughout. To further the hazelnut flavor I added in 2 teaspoons of Frangelico Liqueur (a hazelnut liqueur) along with the vanilla in the recipe. Linzer cookies are sandwich cookies that are usually filled with a fruit jam or spread. I decided to use Nutella Chocolate spread in most of my cookies. The Nutella intensifies the hazelnut flavor and who doesnt love chocolate?? Some of the cookies I spread with a seedless raspberry jam. This recipe makes 23- 2 1/2" sandwich cookies. They bake up slightly crisp and buttery with a nice hazelnut flavor accent and texture from the hazelnut flour. The addition of the Nutella or raspberry jam and a light dusting of powdered sugar is the perfect finishing touch to turn a regular cookie into something really special. Here is how you make them:
Rolled Sugar Cookies Recipe (adapted from the Cookie Craft cook book)
Makes approximately 23- 2 1/2" round sandwich cookies
• 1 cup (119 grams) of hazelnut flour
• 2 cups (357 grams) of all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur or hazelnut extract
• Nutella Chocolate Spread
• Seedless Raspberry Jam
• powdered sugar for dusting

Prepare baking sheets with parchment or Silpats and set aside. You will also need a 2 1/2" round cookie cutter and tiny cookie cutters for the center window cut-outs.
Whisk together the flours and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

In an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg, vanilla and Frangelico until well blended. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until well combined into a dough. Turn dough out onto a work surface and roll to 1/8 inch thickness. At this point I like to freeze the dough until stiff, it makes it easier to cut out the shapes. When the dough is fairly stiff, use a 2 1/2" round cutter and quickly cut out rounds—a top and a bottom for each sandwich—placing onto the prepared baking sheets. Use a tiny cookie cutter to cut a "window" from half of the rounds. These will be the tops. Re-roll scraps and repeat. When all the rounds are cut, place in freezer again for around 30 minutes and preheat oven to 350 degrees. When 30 minutes are up, bake the cookies for 12-16 minutes or until lightly brown around the edges. Cool the cookies on a wire rack. When completely cool you can lightly sprinkle powdered sugar over the "window" cookies for decoration. I left some of mine bare because I like the rustic look of the dough. Carefully spread a small dollop of Nutella or jam on the "bottom" cookie and top with the "window" cookies. If you are not eating them right away, store in airtight container in the fridge.
To give these as a gift, I used a 4"x2" plastic bag and cut out small squares of wax paper to place between each cookie, stacking them into the bag. I used a grosgrain ribbon to tie the top and made a tag to glue on the front saying what's inside!

Chocolate, Banana, Peanuts: They all come together brilliantly in this delicious Chocolate Banana Muffin! The author of this recipe featured in the cookbook Baked From The Heart says that this muffin "has all the great flavors of an ice-cream sundae" and I agree! These moist chocolatey muffins with sweet banana and a touch of salty peanuts are easy to make and a terrific treat. They are not overly sweet and have a rich velvety chocolate flavor. This is how you make them: Chocolate Banana Muffins (adapted from the Baked From The Heart Cookbook)
makes 12 muffins
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup Dutch-Process Cocoa (i used Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
• 2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (around 5)
• 3/4 cup chopped, salted peanuts

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake papers or you can use parchment squares like I did. If you would like to try parchment squares, cut out twelve 6" squares from a roll of parchment paper (you can find parchment paper in the grocery aisle with the aluminum foil and plastic wrap). Lightly spray your muffin tin with Pam then push the parchment squares into each cup, pushing the paper down to fill. The Pam will help the papers stay in the pan. After all the papers are in place, set the pan aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, dutch-process cocoa, baking powder, and salt (it is important to use dutch-process cocoa for this recipe or the muffins won't rise). Set aside. Cream the butter and sugar together in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the two eggs and vanilla extract until well combined. Mix in the mashed bananas. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Don't over mix! Spoon the batter into the cups. You can see in my picture that I filled the cups pretty full. If any batter gets on the papers or the pan try to wipe it off before baking so they don't burn. Bake the muffins for 12 minutes then remove from oven and top with the chopped salted peanuts. Return to oven and bake for another 8 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool. Don't let them cool in the pan or the papers will "steam" off of the muffins. Enjoy your muffins right away or pack them into zip-lock baggies to freeze and enjoy later!

When my friend Gigi heard I was baking bread she asked me to try a favorite of hers called Anadama Bread. This bread is well know in Massachusetts (where she lives!) and is very popular. I happened to come across the recipe in "The Bread Baker Apprentice" and decided have a try. Although it takes a while to make this bread, the process is easy and you will be rewarded with an absolutely delicious preservative free sandwich bread that freezes up perfectly (just cut into slices and freeze in a zip-lock bag) meaning you can have delicious toast whenever you want! This recipe will make 3 generous one pound loaves of amazing soft-textured bread made with cornmeal and molasses that is perfect for sandwiches and toast. If you have any leftovers, use to make croutons or french toast! Here is how you can make some: The recipe for Anadama Bread can be found here. This bread is a two day process, but it's not hard to make! The day before baking make the "soaker". The soaker is a simple combination of cornmeal and water that you let soak overnight. This is supposed to help bring out more flavor in the finished bread as well as softening the cornmeal. The next day, lightly Pam three loaf pans and set aside. Stir together 2 cups of the flour, yeast and soaker in the bowl of an electric mixer. Let ferment for about an hour then add the remaining flour, salt, molasses (i used mild molasses) and shortening (i used butter instead) and mix with the paddle attachment until it comes together into a sticky ball. Switch to the dough hook and mix until the dough becomes pliable and supple but no longer sticky. Transfer the dough to a large lightly oiled bowl and lightly coat the dough with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for around 90 minutes. When finished rising, divide the dough into 3 equal balls and shape into loaves. Place each into one of the three oiled loaf pans and coat the tops with a little more oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise again for around 60 to 90 minutes or until the dough rises just above the sides of the pan. During the last 30 minutes of proofing, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When the dough has finished proofing, place the three loaf pans on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown with an internal temperature of 185 degrees. When done, immediately remove the loaves from their pans and let cool on a rack for at least an hour before cutting. The bread actually continues to "cook" while it is cooling. If you cut into it too soon the texture will be soggy or gluey. When the bread has finished cooling completely, cut into slices and enjoy! This bread freezes very well, you can cut it into slices, put into a zip-lock baggie in the freezer and just pull out slices for toast when needed.

Another week, another bunch of overripe bananas that I absolutely refuse to throw out! I was tired of the same ol' banana bread when i came across this great cookie recipe: Banana Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies. These cookies have a terrific "banana bread" flavor with the toasty crunchy walnuts and the moist sweet banana, while the semi sweet chocolate chunks gives that perfect extra flavor twist that makes them a little more different that your average cookie. The key to the great flavor and texture in these cookies is keep the toasted walnuts chunky, don't over chop them. I used chocolate chunks (instead of chips or chopping my own chocolate) to keep with the "chunky" theme. When the walnuts and the chocolate are left "chunky" it gives these cookies their own unique style. Here is how you make them:

You can find the entire recipe for Banana Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies here. Preheat the oven to 375. Whisk together the flours, salt and baking soda. This recipe calls for 1 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour. This combination helps to make a nice, denser cookie. In an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add in the room temperature eggs and vanilla, then mix in the mashed banana. Slowly add in the flour mixture until just combined. At this point I take the bowl off the mixer and stir in the oats, chocolate chunks and walnut chunks by hand. This helps prevent the batter from forming too much glutten and will help keep the chocolate and walnuts "chunky" instead of broken down into little pieces by the electric mixer. I used a medium sized ice cream scoop to make these cookies. I have also used a small ice cream scoop to make cute little cookies that are great on a buffet or served with espresso for a snack. Either way, scoop up the dough and place each ball about 2 inches apart on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes or until just set and golden brown. Let the finished cookies cool completely on a wire rack. These cookies will stay moist and delicious for a several days (if they last that long!)... and the flavor gets even better a day or two after baking! Enjoy!