FFwD: Sweet and Spicy Cocktail Nuts

I couldn't decide whether to go fancy or rustic with this week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe, Sweet and Spicy Cocktail Nuts.





These tasty treats were fantastic. What I loved about them was that the flavor came at you in stages. While no one flavor overwhelms, the first sensation is warmth, probably from the cinnamon, then a sweetness, then a hint of savory and finally a tiny little kick from the cayenne.

I'm sorry we're not sharing the recipes for FFwD, because this is a recipe worth sharing. But cookbook authors gotta make a living too, ya' know? Check out Dorie Greenspan's book "Around my French Table" to get your hands on the recipe.

TWD: Peanuttiest Blondies

Nicole of Bakeologie chose Peanuttiest Blondies for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe.

This was basically a peanut butter chocolate chip bar cookie, with a little cinnamon thrown in for good measure.


Did you every watch Sesame Street as a kid? There was the "Which One of These is Not Like the Others?" segment that I remember liking.

I was reminded of it when I tried these blondies.

Chocolate chip cookie type base?

Check.

Chocolate chips?

Check.

Peanut butter?

Check.

Cinnamon?

(* * * buzzer sound * * *)

I don't know why I added the cinnamon. I knew I wouldn't like it.

Cinnamon just doesn't GO with chocolate and peanut butter. In my humble (or not so humble) opinion.

Oh well, these would have been perfect and well worth the effort without the cinnamon. I'll definitely try them again someday without it. (Don't get me wrong, I do love cinnamon. Just not when it's not coupled with chocolate.)

Thanks to Nicole for this promising pick. Check out her blog for the recipe, or Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking, From my Home to Yours".

TWD: Peanut Butter Crisscrosses

Sorry, Mr. Piggy, tell all of your sugary friends that the peanut butter cookies are all gone.


Sadly.

Because these Peanut Butter Crisscrosses were darn-near as good as my favorite recipe, my grandma's. Maybe even on par with hers. (I can't say "better" out of respect for my grand-mum, bless her dear departed soul.)

Thanks to Jasmine of Jasmine Cuisine, who selected them for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe.

I baked them only for as long as called for and they were delicious and soft, just the way I like them.

It was a busy holiday weekend, with cookie-baking falling on the heels of some fondant critter-making. I made these little guys for my friend to put on her two-year old's birthday cake.

May I present Mr. Pooch,


Sir Wrinkly Nose,


Mr Tiger (as opposed to Mr. Striped Cat),


and finally, Mr. Mon-kay.


I wish I would have done their eyes differently... maybe some white around the black. Oh well, I'm guessing little birthday boy didn't mind.

OK, that's that! If you'd like to see the recipe, please visit Jasmine's blog or find yourself a copy of Dorie Greenspan's book, "Baking, From my Home to Yours".

TWD: Peanut Butter Torte, Day 3 of "8 Days with Dorie"

Hi and welcome to Day 3 of my little Tuesday's with Dorie marathon. I've been a busy bee, baking up the recipes from before I joined TWD.

Today, I thought we'd stick with the chocolate theme, but mix it up a little bit. Let chocolate be the background, and peanut butter the star. Peanut Butter Torte was on the TWD menu May 6, 2008 and was chosen by Elizabeth at Ugg, Smell Food.

If you've ever eaten peanut butter pie, you'll have a pretty good idea of what this tastes like. Except this version is just a teeny, tiny bit better (the Dorie factor, I guess). There's the Oreo crust, the chunks of nuts and chocolate in the filling, and of course, real whipped cream. (Dorie... use Cool Whip? As if!)

It tasted fantastical! It was rich, but oh so good. Leave it to Dorie to improve on peanut butter pie.

If you'd like to check out the recipe, please get your hands on Dorie Greenspan's book "Baking, From my Home to Yours", or visit Elizabeth's blog.

Tomorrow, stay tuned for Black and White Chocolate Cake.

TWD: Caramel-Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was Caramel-Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake, chosen by Tammy of Wee Treats by Tammy.

For its big, complicated name, it really wasn't that difficult to make. Start with a brownie type cake baked in a spring form pan. Top with homemade caramel with salted peanuts mixed in and that's about it.

My experience was, well, let's just say there were some high points and some low points. I halved the recipe, but forgot to cut down the baking time, so my cake was over-baked. I bought what I thought were salted peanuts, but when I took them out of the bag I found they were "raw" peanuts. Blech! So then it was on to "Plan B" with the nuts.


I rummaged through the pantry and found some blanched, slivered almonds. Voila! Plan B! They didn't add a lot of taste, but I liked the crunch.

That leaves the caramel. This would be my third time making caramel. The first time, I burned it so badly that I ruined my pan (sniff). The second time, the pan survived without injury, but the caramel burned again and it tasted positively wretched. This time, lol, there I was, at the stove, testing my caramel color diligently with frequent drops of the dangerously hot liquid on a white plate. Then, as I was getting closer, closer, almost there, so close... wait for it... "ding, dong!" the door bell rings. *&^+**)&%#!! I RUN to the door, open it, RUN back, and in that time, there it is, that smell. That smelly smell. That burned smell.

Double *&^+**)&%#!!


I grab the pan and plunge the bottom of it in my dish water to stop the cooking. (I know, I know... it's an unsavory image, but it was the best I could do under the circumstances.) I take the pan out of the water and pour in the cream and butter, stir like a mad woman, and you know what? It wasn't bad. Just a whisper of a bitter taste, but I can live with that. I could actually eat it this time, so I'm calling it a success!

I think this cake would have tasted excellent if it had turned out as written in the book.

So there you go. I'm looking forward to next week's Lenox Almond Biscotti. See you then!

Peanut Butter Cookies

I've learned a thing or two over the years about bringing treats to my kid's school parties. Number one is that the amount of hours you spend slaving over some confectionary masterpiece bears no relation to how quickly it will be gobbled up by the little imps. My first eye-opening experience was my oldest son's kindergarten Halloween party, when I took decorated sugar cookies. They were adorable (if I do say so myself). Six different designs, all painstakingly outlined and filled with a modified royal icing. I even hand-cut the Frankenstein cookies, since I didn't own the cutter. Probably half a dozen colors of icing had to be mixed.

As I watched the children dig into their party plates, I was baffled when they not only didn't praise the heavens above for being blessed with the beautiful treats that were my cookies, but many kids didn't even touch them! No, they were too busy munching on rice krispy treats and store-bought chocolate chip cookies. Ouch!


Since then, I've stopped trying to impress the kids with beautifully decorated snacks. I've come to realize that you can't go wrong with either brownies, chocolate chip cookies, or cupcakes decorated with lots of fluffy, colorful icing.


I broke my own rule-of-thumb with these peanut butter cookies. They were for a Grandparents Dessert that was held at my son's school. I didn't have any chocolate chips left, but I figured the gramps and grannies would like these cookies, at least.

This is my grandma's recipe and they were my grandpa's favorite cookie. He liked them crunchy for dipping in his coffee. I like them soft. Either way, they are delicious.


Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 C. butter
1/2 C. peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. granulated sugar
1/2 C. brown sugar, packed
1-1/2 C. all-purpose flour

Cream butter and peanut butter. Add sugars, egg, and vanilla and beat until well mixed. Add flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix just until blended.

Roll into small balls, press tops with a fork dipped in sugar.


Bake 13 minutes at 350 degrees farenheit for soft cookies, or 20 minutes for crunchy cookies.

TWD: Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

As I was making this week’s Tuesday's with Dorie recipe, Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters, I kept thinking they tasted oddly familiar. I don’t know why it took me so long to remember a very similar recipe I tried when I first started blogging. Turns out, the “chunky peanut, chocolate, and cinnamon cookies” have the same ingredients, except for the oatmeal in Dorie’s and the peanuts in Martha’s.

I sometimes wonder if the “pros” start with each others recipes and just change them up a bit.

Anyway, have you ever seen that commercial for Tide to Go (I think it is) where a guy is interviewing for a job and he has a stain on his shirt? The interviewer can’t seem to pay attention to the interviewee because the stain has this big, obnoxious mouth right in the middle of it that keeps hollering every time the interviewee speaks (one of the funniest commecials on TV, if you ask me).

I don’t know... that’s how I felt about the cinnamon. It kept getting in the way of me enjoying the peanut butter and chocolate. Kind of a “three’s a crowd” thing going on here. I guess I'm a chocolate and peanut butter purist.


They did have a lovely texture though, soft and chewy on the inside and the most delicate crispy layer on the outside. I think they would be worth making again and either using just a smidge of cinnamon and nutmeg or leave the spices out altogether.

Anyway, many thanks to Stefany of Proceed With Caution for hosting this week. I am taking them to my monthly cake decorating club and I'm guessing they will be a big hit.

Coming down the pike next week are more cookies (woot!)... the Chocolate Whopper Malted Drops.

Chunky Peanut, Chocolate, and Cinnamon Cookies

Mmmmmm… more cookies. I LOVE cookies, can you tell?

I recently made the “chunky peanut, chocolate, and cinnamon cookies” from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, The New Classics. They’re like the humble chocolate chip cookies’ flashy, exotic cousin. Think Ginger versus Mary Ann.

Peanuts and chocolate have always been a winning combination in my book, but I wasn’t sure about the cinnamon. Turns out, the cinnamon is subtle, a background note that you can’t quite put your finger on. They’re quite yummy. Worth trying if you’re in the mood for something a little different.

They bake up beautifully... no disappointingly flat cookies in sight.

Oh, I almost forgot, I wanted to share one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. My Pampered Chef medium scoop (and no, I don't sell PC, I just indulge in a few pieces here and there.) It makes cookie forming a snap, especially for perfectionists who fret over misshapen and odd-sized cookie balls (not that I'm one... coughcoughsputter). One caution; don't use it with ice cream or real stiff dough. The tooth and cog mechanism tends to slip if your dough is too stiff.

Enjoy!

Here is the recipe from Martha’s site:

Chunky Peanut, Chocolate, and Cinnamon Cookies
Ingredients

Makes about 5 dozen .
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup roasted, salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Chocolate or vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Put butter and peanut butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Add sugars; mix 2 minutes. Mix in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips, peanuts, and vanilla with a mixing spoon until well distributed. Refrigerate dough until it is slightly firm, 15 minutes. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Space balls 2 to 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly. Bake until just golden, about 13 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool. Serve with ice cream.