Graham Cracker Toffee

This is a super easy and delicious snack that I stumbled upon when searching for "graham cracker" recipes online.  I had a mega-size box of graham crackers left over from a smores party and was looking for a fun way to use them. 

While it takes all of 15 minutes to prepare, it makes for a fun and festive treat for teachers, neighbors or to keep on hand in your freezer for those late night choco-cravings.

Ingredients:

16 graham crackers

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups semi sweet chocolate, chopped or chips

1 cup of pecans, chopped

First- Preheat oven to 250 and then line a 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking sheet or jelly roll pan with foil.  Arrange the graham crackers in the bottom of the pan.

Second- combine the butter and sugars in a sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is just bubbly- reduce the heat to low and let cook for 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and a pinch of salt before pouring the caramel mixture over the graham crackers.  Have a spatula handy to help spread the mixture evenly before it starts to set.  Bake the crackers with the toffee for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the pecans and the chocolate if using a bar.

When the pan comes out of the oven, sprinkle the chocolate over the warm toffee and let sit for a minute or two until the chocolate is melted.  Spread the chocolate with a spatula and then sprinkle the pecans over the chocolate, pressing gently to help them sink in.

Place the pan in the fridge (or outside if you've had cooler temps like us) for 10 minutes or until the chocolate has cooled and it is completely set.  Break the toffee into pieces and enjoy!  Store in an airtight container.  Again also freezes well. 

You could play around with various toppings.  You could add chopped pretzels, peanuts, M&M's, Reece's Pieces, etc. The same recipe using saltine crackers in place of graham crackers is also delicious!  The salty contract and thin crispiness also works well.

Cherry Pecan Shortbread Cookies

For seven years running- I look forward to an annual Christmas Cookie Exchange party with girlfriends.  This tradition started back in Charleston with a great group of women from my work.  When we moved to Kentucky - I decided to bring the tradition with me.  This year I had about 20 ladies and 100+ dozen cookies crowded in my dining room for sampling and swapping of our favorite holiday baked goodness.

I like to try a new recipe every year.  This year I went with a Martha Stewart classic shortbread recipe.  The simple recipe of essentially just butter, sugar and flour is fool proof and the combinations of flavors and mixins makes for an infinite number of variations.  I was also looking for a "no fuss" recipe as I was busy making appetizers and preparing to host- so the concept of having the dough waiting for me in the freezer- no rolling, scooping or shaping of dough required- was appealing.

I found some DELICIOUS dried Michigan tart cherries at Sam's club recently so I chopped some of those as well as some pecans to add to the mix.  I also dipped the ends in melted white chocolate to turn up the fancy a little bit.

Here is the basic recipe:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup dried cherries- chopped
8 oz good white or semi-sweet chocolate- chopped **don’t use chips, they don’t melt as well

1. Make the dough: In a mixer bowl, beat butter, sugar, almond and vanilla extracts, and salt until smooth. With mixer on low speed, add flour; mix just until a dough forms. Lastly, mix in pecans and cherries.

2. Freeze the dough: On a piece of waxed paper, form dough into a rectangular log, 12 inches long, 2 1/2 inches wide, and 1 inch thick. Wrap log in the paper, and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours (and up to 3 months.) If freezing longer than 1 day, wrap log again, in plastic wrap.

3. Bake the shortbread: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove dough from freezer. (If dough has been in freezer a long time and is frozen solid, let it sit at room temperature 20 minutes so it slices without crumbling.)

4. With a sharp knife, cut dough into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. (Keep them as close to the same thickness as possible to ensure they all cook evenly.)  Bake until edges just BARELY begin to turn golden, 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet; transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Note: I doubled the recipe above to make two logs of dough.

I dare you not to eat at least one raw cookie while you're slicing.... yummy!

5. Dip in white chocolate: put the chopped chocolate in a glass bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each one, until melted and smooth. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Dip the ends of each cookie into the chocolate and place on the parchment. Let sit until the chocolate dries (put in the fridge to speed up the process). Store in an airtight container.

Crispy, crumbly buttery deliciousness, I tell you.  Studded with a little chewy tang from the cherries and a toasty richness from the pecans- these are anything but boring .  The white chocolate adds another layer of creamy sweetness without overpowering the taste of the cookie. 

My ONLY complaint is that I was hoping the cookies would maintain their rectangular shape.  The definitely spread a little bit in the oven so they were more oval shaped in the end.  Also- once they begin to turn golden, they brown fast so keep a close eye and rotate your pans half way through if your oven bakes unevenly like mine.

Other flavor combinations to try:
*Orange zest and chopped almonds
*Lemon zest and chopped pistachios
*Hazelnut shortbread sandwiched together with nutella or jam
*Plain vanilla shortbread dipped in your favorite dark chocolate

Dulce de Leche Layer Bars

Magic Cookie Bars, Seven Layer Bars, Hello Dolly's... all the same delicious childhood favorite just called by different names.  They still hold a special place in my repertoire as one of the very first things I learned to bake.  This new grown-up version is made slightly more sophisticated - yet equally as decadent and addictive - with the addition of a gooey dulce de leche center. 

Makes 16 bars

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
7 tablespoons of butter
12 ounces of semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup of slivered almonds

1 1/2 cups of sweetened shredded coconut

1- 14 ounce can can of dulce de leche*

1- 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk

*Look for dulce de leche in the latin foods section of your grocery store.  You can make it from scratch by essentially caramelizing a can of sweetened condensed milk if you can't find it.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the butter into pieces and place in the bottom of a 9 x 9 square pan or baking dish.  Once the oven is hot, put the pan into the oven to melt the butter- takes roughly 4 minutes.  Meanwhile mix the cinnamon into the graham cracker crumbs.  Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the melted butter and press down to form a crust in the bottom of the pan.

Next sprinkle half of the coconut, chocolate, and almonds over the crust.  Then spoon the dulce de leche evenly over the top.  The dulce de leche was thicker in consistency than I expected.  I transferred it to a bowl and microwaved it for one minute or two minutes (stirring every 30 seconds or so) to make it a bit more pliable. 



Next, repeat the layers with the remaining coconut, chocolate chips, and almonds.  Lastly drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the top as evenly as possible.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown.  Let cool completely before cutting into bars or sampling.  I was not so patient and burned my mouth with hot caramel which I'm still paying for a day later...

They are delicious but very rich so small bars will go a long way.  The caramel and cinnamon gives them a little hint of something new and different from the bars you remember.  The almonds add a great toasty crunch in contrast to the smooth chocolate and sticky dulce de leche.  I bet you can't eat just one!

Chocolate Health Bar Trifle

With the Fourth of July weekend only a few days away, I have a great cookout dessert recipe to share.  I actually made this for our Memorial Day BBQ and it was a hit.  If you don't have a trifle bowl yet, I suggest you add it to your wish list.  Trifles (layered pudding like desserts) are super simple to put together but the presentation is elegant.  This recipe serve 10-12 people and can be made the day before which makes it perfect for entertaining.

Ingredients:

1 store bought chocolate angel food cake, cut into one inch cubes
1 recipe of chocolate custard* (or one box prepared chocolate pudding)
2 cups of heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of Kahlua
3 Heath Bars- coarsely chopped

*Chocolate Custard:

3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoons of flour
1 tablespoons of cornstarch
3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cups 2% or whole milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon of butter

Combine the dry ingredients in a sauce pan.  Whisk in the milk and eggs.  Cook the mixture over medium, stirring constantly, until gently bubbling and thick.  (4-5 minutes).  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and butter.  Transfer to a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap (touching the top of the custard), and refrigerate until cool.  At least one hour, up to overnight.

Prepare the custard or the instant pudding.  Whip the cream with the powdered sugar and Kahlua. 

Cube the angel food cake and chop the Heath Bars.  Now you are ready to assemble..

Start with a layer of cubed cake in the bottom of the trifle dish or a large glass bowl.  Next spoon a layer of chocolate custard or pudding (about a third of it) over the cake, following by a layer of Kahlua whipped cream and a layer of chopped candy bar.  Repeat 3-4 times until you've used up all the ingredients.  You want to end with whipped cream and chopped Heath bar.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.  It is best if you let it sit at least 3-4 hours.  The cake soaks up some of the custard and cream. 

A few other yummy trifle ideas:

Angel Food Cake with Lemon Curd, whipped cream, fresh Strawberries, Blueberries and Raspberries
Almond Pound Cake with Grand Marnier whipped cream, sweetened mascarpone cheese and macerated strawberries
Chocolate Angel Food Cake with Vanilla pudding, banana slices and chopped Reece's Cups

Cheesecake Marbled Brownies

Not much else to say here other than Make these. They are incredible. (I used 3 ounces of bittersweet chocolate instead of 2 ounces unsweet. I also added a scant half teaspoon of almond extract.) Picture courtesy of epicurious.com.

Bourbon Ball and Orange Ball Cookies

Orange Ball Cookies are one of the Lacy's Christmas favorites and they instantly became one of mine when I tried them. The simple, no bake recipe is fantastic just as it is but the method is something with which I've had fun experimenting. My Bourbon Ball variation is the perfect holiday gift for friends- especially here in Bourbon country! Ingredients: 4 cups vanilla wafer crumbs 2 cups confectioners' sugar 2 cups finely chopped pecans (I substituted lightly toasted chopped hazelnuts for 1/2 cup) 1 stick of butter melted Orange Ball Variation: 1 small container (approximately 1/2 cup) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed Bourbon Ball Variation: 1/3- 1/2 cup decent quality Bourbon (I used Maker's Mark, my personal favorite). *Note: These have a pretty bold bourbon flavor to them. If you're not a big fan, you might go with another variation. Other Variation Ideas: Dark Rum, Kahlua/Espresso, half bourbon and half orange juice concentrate, Amaretto, etc. You could substitute hazelnuts, almonds, etc. for the pecans or substitute graham crackers or chocolate wafers for the vanilla wafers too. I use the food processor to chop the pecans and the cookies. You want to process the cookies into very fine crumbs- removing any large pieces. The pecans should also be fine per the below picture.

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix to form a dough. It should be moist enough to easily form into a ball. I use a small ice cream scoop to portion the dough so that the balls are all the same size- rolling them into balls in my hands. For the orange balls, roll the balls in additional confectioners' sugar and store in an airtight container in the fridge. For the bourbon balls, skip the sugar and let set up in the fridge for at least 4 hours before moving to the chocolate dipping step:

Melt approximately 1 1/2 cup of high quality chocolate in a double boiler (glass bowl siting atop a pan of simmering water) until smooth. I used Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips in this case. Coat the bourbon balls one at a time in the chocolate. I found that dropping it in and using a teaspoon to roll it around worked well. I then scooped it up and set it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to cool (I put them in the fridge for an hour when finished). You'd probably want to store these in the fridge until serving as well.

(You'll see that I set them on a wire rack to cool/set. DO NOT DO THIS. Set directly on parchment to avoid losing chunks of chocolate from the bottom after the chocolate has hardened. =) I had to redip them after the fact to recoat the bottoms.)

I put the balls into little plastic treat bags tied with ribbon to give to friends/family. I bought a Holiday stamp and some red ink at Michael's and made little labels for each. Any variation of these scrumptious little morsels would be great to enjoy at home any time of year or as a tasty gift!

Holiday Sugar Cookies

John and I hosted an event for his department this weekend and I have a few great recipes to share. First up- my mother in law's Holiday Sugar Cookies. This versatile dough recipe is perfect for rolling and cutting into festive holiday shapes to be decorated with icings or sugars. I decided to make some fall inspired cookies for the kids that would attending Saturday. (Also, I thought the timing would be appropriate as we approach Christmas cookie season!)

The dough recipe is super simple:

1 cup of sugar

1 stick of butter at room temperature

1 egg

2 cups of self rising flour*

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/2 teaspoon of almond extract

* I used all purpose flour. To make your own self rising flour, mix 2 cups of all purpose flour with 1 tablespoon of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Cream the room temperature butter and sugar together until light. Mix in the egg and extracts until well incorporated and then mix the flour. Shape the dough into a disc and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least two hours before rolling.

I rolled the dough on a lightly floured counter top to a 1/4 inch thickness. I used a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter to cut roughly a dozen cookies. I baked the first batch on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees until BARELY turning golden. I prefer the cookies to be a little chewy versus crisp.

(I went the icing route this time, if you prefer to use colored sugars, you'd decorate them before baking. You can also sprinkle some sugar over the wet icing for a glitter effect.)

I gathered the dough scraps together and re-rolled the dough. I then used a pairing knife to cut some free form fall leaves from the dough. I didn't have any other fall shaped cutters so I had to improvise. It actually worked out quite well to have mismatched leaf shapes of different sizes.

I ended up with roughly two dozen cookies total.

While the cookies cooled, I made an extremely simple icing from confectioner sugar, orange juice, and food coloring. I used some small mixing bowls and filled them about half way with sugar. I then added orange juice (you could use milk or lemon juice, whatever you like) a tiny drizzle at a time until the icing was a spreadable consistency.

I mixed a few different shades of orange, yellow, and red/brown for fall. (I also ended up with a beautiful pistachio green by mistake so I threw a couple of those in there too.) I used a spoon to scoop some icing onto each cookie and then the back of the spoon to spread it out to the edges.

I came up with a fun way to "vein" the leaves as well. I used a toothpick to pull some icing of a contrasting color down the middle and out to the sides of the leaves. I did the same to make the pumpkin stems look more realistic.

I let the icing dry for an hour or two before arranging on a platter and covering with plastic wrap until serving.

Derby Day! The Perfect Mint Julep and Derby Pie Squares

Its DERBY DAY!!!!!! As a new/soon to be Kentuckian, I'm particularly excited about this year's running of the roses. The weather forecast in Louisville is looking rather grim with thunderstorm and flash flood watch warnings last I checked- so I'm not particularly bummed about watching/celebrating from afar here in sunny Charleston. Our friend Leslie is having a Derby party and I'm in charge of two CRITICAL items... the mint simple syrup for juleps and the derby pie.

As I was working on these items this morning, John suggested I get on the A.S. immediately to share the recipes with all of you in case you're looking for last minute ideas. After all, what good is a stellar julep and Derby Pie Square recipe the day AFTER the derby?? (or knowing me, a week after).

I remember my mom making juleps for her HUGE derby parties over in Saudi Arabia when I was a kid. Mom made the syrup, polished the silver julep glasses, and dad crushed loads and loads of ice in a little ice crushing machine. I remember wanting so badly to have one of my own... I'm fairly confident mine was some concoction of mint and ginger ale or something of the sort- but holding that frosty silver glass overflowing with crushed ice and sipping through that little straw felt festive and glamorous even then...

(Had to borrow a picture from the web as I haven't assembled one yet today...)

The Perfect Mint Julep:

Combine equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Meanwhile clean half a bunch of mint and remove all of the leaves. I put the leaves into a Tupperware container (you want something with a lid) and bruise the leaves with a muddle or the back of a spoon to release all of the oils. You don't want to make them black or anything, but just barely start to bruise them. Let the syrup cool 10 minutes in the pan and then pour it over the mint leaves in the container and stir together. Cover the syrup and refrigerate until you're ready to use. Its best if you give it a few hours though it will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

When you get ready to make your julep- use the real cups if you've got'em, if not, a rocks glass will do. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of syrup into the bottom of the glass and add 3-4 additional mint leaves. Muddle or crush it up together, then fill the glass to the brim with crushed ice. Pour over a generous shot of HIGH QUALITY bourbon (my favorite is Maker's Mark but Woodford Reserve, Knob Creek, Blantons, any top shelf brand will do), garnish with a sprig of mint and a straw cut to just peak out of the ice.

Derby Pie is also a festive Kentucky classic- its similar to a pecan pie, spiked with semi-sweet chocolate and bourbon... a HEAVENLY combination if you ask me. (Refer back to my post from last year for a pie recipe.) I decided to try a square/bar version for today. I figured it would be finger-friendly for a casual gathering and one recipe would serve more people than a single pie.

Derby Pie Squares (adapted from Epicurious.com)

The shortbread crust:

1 1/2 sticks of butter, cold and cut into cubes 1 1/2 cups of flour

2/3 cups of sugar

pinch of kosher salt

1 egg- slightly beaten

Combine butter through salt in a food processor and pulse until mixture resembles wet sand. Then add the egg and pulse until mixture forms a dough. Press into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan sprayed with non-stick spray and bake at 350 for 2-25 minutes until JUST starting to turn golden.

Chocolate-Pecan Filling:

1 stick of butter- softened

1 cup of light brown sugar- packed

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tablespoon bourbon (quality not as important here)

pinch of kosher salt

1/4 cup flour

3 cups pecan pieces

1.5 cups good quality semi sweet chocolate

Cream the butter and sugar in the electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well each time. Add the vanilla through flour and mix until combined. Lastly stir in the pecans and chocolate with a spatula at the end. Mixture will be very very thick.

As soon as the crust is done, spread the filling over top and place back in the 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on top.

The result is a butter crumbly base with a decadent chewy top layer. The bourbon gives it that little extra something to make it the perfect festive treat. Get your hats and have yourself a great Derby Day!

HINT: My pick for the race today is Paddy O'Prado. He had a very solid showing in the Blue Grass Stakes race at Keeneland in April (one of the Derby qualifier races) and has an affinity for racing in the mud.

Happy Birthday Granny! Thinking of you while celebrating today!