DESSERTS

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Necessity Is The Mother Of Inventing CRAN-YAM MUFFINS!

Cran-Yam Muffins

Cran-Yam Muffins

Although I’m generally not the most organized person around the house (open any closet or drawer in my home and you’ll know what I’m talking about), there is one area in which I do excel: I keep scrupulous records of holiday menus. Who attended, what was served and the quantity, if the amount was adequate, and how long things took to cook are all jotted down in my 3-ring binder.

Every year after Thanksgiving dinner I write the same note – that very little cranberry sauce and yams were eaten, and NOT to make them again. And every year I get guilted into making them because “it’s tradition”.

This year, in a vain attempt to be thrifty, I only used half the bag of cranberries to make my sauce, and didn’t use all the yams I bought. A wise move, but not wise enough. The majority of both dishes still went untouched. “I swear, I will never make cranberry sauce and yams for Thanksgiving again!” (You have to imagine me doing a Scarlett O’Hara impersonation while saying that.)

So post-Thanksgiving I had half a bag of cranberries and a yam unused. As you may know by now – I hate waste! Although I’m the self-proclaimed Queen of Freeze, I decided against freezing the cranberries – I knew they would get lost in the frigid abyss and I’d forget all about them. But what else could I do with cranberries?

Pulling out my trusty Joy Of Cooking (a must-have for any kitchen!), I looked up ‘cranberry’ in the glossary. There they were: cranberry muffins. Yes! “What if I added shredded yam and spices to the muffins?” I pondered. Perfect!!!

It took several batches to produce the look and flavor I’d envisioned. (And, yes, I actually had to buy more cranberries and yams. Oh, the irony!) But I’m now ready for future leftover cranberries and yams….even though I WON’T be making them next Thanksgiving. Really.

NOTE:  While paper liners for the muffin tin make life easier in the sense that you don’t have to grease the muffin cups (a job I kind of hate), I suggest you forego the liners for this recipe. The paper (and even foil liners) tend to stick to muffins, making it difficult to remove them without losing a good portion of the muffin. Again: hate waste! So bite the bullet and grease the cups.

CRAN-YAM MUFFINS – makes 12 muffins (standard size)

  • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 T cinnamon (notice the measure is tablespoon)
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 2 eggs
  • ¾ cup milk (I used nonfat)
  • 4 T salted butter, melted
  • 1¾ cups chopped raw cranberries (measure AFTER chopping), divided
  • 1 cup yam, shredded (I used garnet)

In a medium sized bowl put the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix well with a large spoon.

In another bowl (it can be a little smaller) beat the eggs well. Stir in the milk, 1½ cups of the cranberries, and the yams. Add in the melted butter and mix.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry. Using the large spoon mix together, working with as FEW strokes as possible. Over mixing will yield tough muffins. It’s fine if there’s some flour not incorporated. The batter will be thick.

Preheat oven to 400º Fahrenheit.

Spoon the batter into the greased muffin cups, dividing the batter equally. Sprinkle the reserved ¼ cup of chopped cranberries on top.

Bake at 400º F for about 23 minutes – the top will be starting to brown. Remove from oven and let cool in tin for 2 minutes. Run a dull knife around each muffin, lifting them up at the end of the circle to loosen. Remove to wire rack.

Let cool at least 15 minutes before eating so they’ve had time to set, but are still warm. Delicious with a cold glass of milk, hot tea, or coffee. To reheat, toast in toaster-oven for 1-2 minutes.

 

 

 

 

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Mom’s Fudge! A Holiday Indulgence!

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Best ever Chocolate Fudge

People love tradition – especially at holidays. It’s comforting as we hearken back to days of yore. (Yes, I said, “hearken” and “yore” – don’t judge!)

When I was a child, every Christmas Eve my Aunt Judy and Uncle Don came over. My dad prepared his cheese fondue and my mother made her famous fudge. It’s widely accepted that my mother’s fudge is the best ever. In fact, about three weeks before Christmas, she and I (when I got old enough) would make mass quantities of her fudge and give platefuls away to everyone we knew. Friends, family, teachers, the postman, the paperboy – all rejoiced with this delectable gift.

Now, when I say “my mother’s fudge”, I don’t mean my mother created the recipe. She was NOT an adventurous cook. But she did have the ability to find fabulous recipes that others developed. Fudge was at the top of her list. I wish I could credit the person who actually came up with this recipe, but all I know is mom found it in the newspaper.

An interesting coincidence occurred in college. I was bragging to a friend about my mother making the best fudge. She bragged back that HER mother made the best. We compared recipes and they were identical. We discovered that our mothers clipped them out of the same newspaper!

While this fudge recipe isn’t difficult, cooking the sugar liquid can be a little tricky. If you cook it at too high a temperature, the fudge will turn out hard. Follow the directions and you shouldn’t have any problems.

BONUS: When you pour the molten fudge from the mixing bowl into the casserole dish to set, there’s always some remaining in the bowl. Those of you who follow my blog will know that I hate waste. So my family and I always have spoons ready to scoop all the dregs. (Every year I seem to leave more of the fudge behind.) Try it and you’ll completely understand!

NOTE: This is not the time to try to reduce calories. Fudge is fattening! If you mess around with the ingredients, you’ll mess around with the consistency and taste.

MOM’S FUDGE

  • 18 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use Nestle’s) – this measures out to 3 rounded cups
  • 2 cubes salted butter (½ pound), cut into pieces so it melts quicker
  • 1 cup walnuts, chopped and lightly toasted
  • 16  1″ marshmallows, cut into quarters so they melt quicker
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 can evaporated milk, 12 oz can
  • 4½ cups granulated sugar

Put the chocolate chips, butter, walnuts, marshmallows, and vanilla into a large bowl. It needs to be ready to go when the syrup is done.

Into a Dutch oven (large saucepan) put the sugar and evaporated milk. Turn the flame to low-medium and stir – preferably with a flat-headed stirrer – until the sugar is mixed in. Then turn the flame up a bit and stir continuously until it begins to boil. Turn the flame down slightly, keeping the liquid at a slow boil for 10 minutes, continuing to constantly stir. Adjust the flame as needed.

NOTE: Rather than indicating a final temperature, the recipe directed the syrup to be cooked for 10 minutes. This isn’t a very accurate way to cook candy. So I measured the final temperature at the 10 minute mark when I made my last batch. It was 210º Fahrenheit. Use this as a guide. If your temperature is near 210º, you should be okay. If it’s a lot higher, you’ve cooked the syrup at too high a temperature. I’m not sure if cooling it before pouring it into the chocolate chips mixture will salvage it or not. A syrup too hot yields rock-hard fudge.

When the 10 minutes are up, IMMEDIATELY pour the syrup into the chocolate chips mixture and begin to stir with a large spoon. You have to work fast. The goal is for the butter, marshmallows, and chocolate to melt and blend together. If you stir too slowly, the liquid will cool before everything can melt, and it will begin to set. When the last streak of marshmallow (that’s usually the last thing to melt) disappears, IMMEDIATELY pour into a 9½” x 13″ glass casserole dish. Working quickly, spread the fudge evenly. Let cool before covering, then refrigerate overnight.

Now, grab your spoons and dig into the hot fudge that’s still clinging to the mixing bowl! Waste not, want not!

 

 

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Pumpkin Bread Pudding

pumpkin bread pudding

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

I promise – this is the last pumpkin related recipe I’ll be sharing with you….for awhile.  But the saver in me just had to post this. Let me explain.

As you may know, I like my twofers (recipes that can be used two different ways).  In October I posted my Pumpkin Rolls recipe (click:  Pumpkin Rolls) and strongly suggested making the whole recipe or even doubling it, then freezing the leftovers. At the time my reasoning was that you’d have ready-to-go homemade pumpkin rolls waiting patiently in the freezer for you to zap them warm when dinner could use a little something extra.

THEN I had a dessert epiphany! I asked myself (and I’m pretty sure it was aloud), “What if I substitute Pumpkin Rolls for the pound cake in my Mocha Bread Pudding recipe?” “Hmmm,” I replied to myself (again, aloud) as I imagined the blend of pumpkin, chocolate, coffee, and almonds. So without further ado, I baked the pudding and it was delicious!

Of course, being true to cooks everywhere, I wondered if there was something that would improve it. Butterscotch chips, in addition to the chocolate chips (or, in place of), came to mind. The beauty of this recipe is you can tailor it to suit everyone since the chips are sprinkled in the individual custard cups.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding can be baked in one larger dish rather than the 9 custard cups. But there’s a method to my madness! Two words:  portion control. When you have to scoop out a serving, we all know how easy it is to spoon a little more. With the cups, one cup = one serving. No guesswork. No sneaking a little extra.

NOTE:  For best results, Pumpkin Bread Pudding should be made the day before. This allows the pudding to properly set and its flavor will be markedly improved. This is a good dessert to serve company since it’s one less thing to worry about when you’re trying to tidy the house and prepare the food.

PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING – makes 9 custard cup servings

  • 3 cups pumpkin rolls, torn into ¾”-ish pieces
  • 1¼ cups chips (I used milk chocolate chips)
  • 2½ tsp instant coffee crystals
  • 1 T water, boiling
  • ¾ cup slivered almonds, toasted
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 3 cups milk (I used nonfat)
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ tsp almond extract
  • 1½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg

The custard cups are going to bake in a water bath, so put the cups into a large casserole dish(es). Use as many casserole dishes as you need – as long as they fit on the same rack in the oven. I use 2 casserole dishes.

Preheat oven to 325º Fahrenheit.

Divide the pumpkin roll pieces amongst the 9 buttered custard cups. Sprinkle in the chips. (Here’s where you can tailor to the taste of your family).

Fill a teapot with water and turn the burner on high.  Boiling water is going to be poured into the casserole dishes around the cups so the pudding can steam.

In a small cup, mix the coffee crystals with 1 T of the boiling water.

Into the workbowl of your food processor (please tell me you have one!), put the almonds and sugar. Pulse the machine until the almonds are ground. Add in the milk, eggs, almond and vanilla extracts, nutmeg, and coffee. Blend.

Pour the mixture evenly into the custard cups. I  find there’s less spillage if I transfer the liquid from the workbowl into a container with a spout, then pour into the custard cups.

Pour the boiling (or, at least, very hot) water from the teapot into the casserole dishes, so that the water surrounds the custard cups, coming halfway up the sides. Carefully place in oven. Bake at 325º Fahrenheit for 50 minutes. Remove cups from water bath, let cool, then refrigerate. Serve the next day for best results.

 

 

 

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CHOCOLATE RICE CEREAL BARS – What’s Life Without A Little Treat?!

choc-rice-krispies-textI know it can be a little confusing.  One minute I’m touting soups for lunch to help keep the weight down, the next I’m tempting you with chocolate desserts.  But, hear me out!

No one says you can’t have the fattening foods you love! You can. I, for one, HAVE to have dessert everyday. If I don’t, I feel deprived and it’s all I can think about. Then, in the vain attempt to fill the void an absent chocolate chip cookie leaves, I start eating pretzel sticks – lots of them. Or raisins, followed by pretzel sticks. I think you see where I’m going. I end up eating more calories trying  to avoid eating calories.

The key, of course, is portion control. We dessert lovers have to find a method to outsmart our sneaky ways. What sneaky ways, you ask? Let me paint a picture:  You make a pan of brownies. You decide to store them in the baking pan so you don’t have to dirty a Tupperware. And you also decide not to pre-slice them so everyone can cut out the size brownie they want. You cut yourself a piece that’s about 1½” square – a reasonable size, right? But, gee – another ½” would just hit the spot. Oh, no! That last slice was not quite straight – let’s just fix that up (brownies should be at 90º angles, shouldn’t they?). But now the rest of the row is too big for one person, but not enough for two – might as well fix that, too. Whoops – you broke off a piece when you were removing that last bit. No one’s going to want that. Pretty soon you’ve rationalized eating the entire row.

Been there, done that!

I’ve been around this earth long enough to get to know myself. As stated previously, I need my dessert everyday. I just do.  BUT, I’m also very vain and have always prided myself on my slim physique. It never came easy, but I always managed to keep my weight stable. Unfortunately, as time went on it got harder and harder.  Before I knew it I was wearing nearly 10 extra pounds. That’s 2 sacks of flour! Something needed to be done.

Besides being vain and needing dessert everyday, I’m also basically lazy. So instead of cupcakes I’d make a layer cake, instead of muffins I’d make a loaf, instead of individual pudding cups I’d make a large bowl, and so on. The problem was I always knew there was more when I took my serving. If I cut a ½” slice of cake, it was kind of flimsy, and I felt like I was short-changing myself. So I’d go back for a wee bit more. BUT, if I have a cupcake I feel complete – even though if you cut a cupcake in half and place one half on top of the other it becomes a VERY thin slice of cake.  Crazy! The mind is a funny thing. I guess when I grab a cupcake (or pudding cup, or pre-cut cookie bar) I know this is my dessert. But when face to face with a whole dessert, I can take as much as I want. And that’s where will power comes into play…..or doesn’t. Sigh!

So now I either make individual portions (such as cupcakes or pudding cups), or I pre-cut the dessert and remove them to a storage container. I’ve found if I leave it in the baking pan – even if I pre-cut – I’m tempted to cut off a little more.

This brings me to the No Bake Chocolate Rice Cereal Bars pictured above. The last time I made them I left them in the pan and didn’t pre-slice. I think I polished them off in 3 days BY MYSELF. I made my latest batch 6 days ago. There are still 2 left and I’ve had my husband and son to help me  eat them. So, ladies and gentlemen – PORTION CONTROL! It works for me.

CHOCOLATE RICE CEREAL BARS

  • 2 cups milk chocolate chips (I used Nestle’s)
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter
  • ½ cup light corn syrup
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 4 cups rice cereal (I used Rice Krispies)

Melt together the chocolate chips, butter, and corn syrup in a large pot over a low/medium flame.  Stir often so it doesn’t burn. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until blended. Turn off burner. Pour in the rice cereal and stir gently stir (you don’t want to crush them) until well coated.

Pour into any size pan you want, depending on how thick you want you bars to be.  If you want to make individual cookies, you can drop blobs onto waxed paper.  Either way, put them in the refrigerator to set.  You may want to store them in the fridge, depending on how hot it is in your house.

NOTE:  I line my pan with waxed paper – that way I can remove the entire slab and make nice clean cuts with a long knife. If you have trouble removing the bar with the waxed paper,  hold the pan WEARING OVEN MITTS and quickly run it over the stove flame to slightly melt the bottom. It’ll come right out.

Following the theme of this blogpost, cut the bars into whatever size pieces you want and store them in a covered container.

 

 

 

 

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PEANUT BUTTER/CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES: Thick & Chewy!

Thick. Chewy. Chocolate Chip. Peanut Butter. Cookies.  Five words (Yes – I’m counting ‘chocolate chip’ and ‘peanut butter’ as one word apiece!) that individually grab your attention.  But used together, they have the ability to initiate a mighty craving, sending you running for your cookbooks or a local bakery.

I love reading author Joanne Fluke mysteries.  Not only do the characters feel like old friends, but the main character, Hannah,  runs a bakery and Ms Fluke includes many recipes in each book.  One of the recipes in Red Velvet Cupcake Murder, a recent read, was Chocolate Covered Peanut Cookies.  Yummm!  Chocolate covered peanuts are a favorite of mine.  (Who am I kidding – chocolate covered ANYTHING is a favorite!)  Then my mind went a step further and thought that a peanut butter cookie with chocolate chips would be even better – more like a Reeses Cup.

The thing is, most peanut butter cookies are kind of dry, flat, and have those fork marks on top.  I wanted a peanut butter cookie that was thick and chewy – something I could sink my teeth into.  I experimented a bit with both the cookie part and the chocolate chips before coming up with the taste I had in mind.

NOTE:   A walnut sized ball of cookie dough will yield a cookie approximately 1½” in diameter.  If you want a larger cookie, then obviously use more dough.

UPDATE NOTE:  I changed the sugar from granulated to dark brown – EVEN BETTER!!!

CHOCOLATE CHIP PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES – makes 24 cookies 1½” in diameter

  • 56 (¼ cup) butter, soft (but not melted)
  • 123g (½ cup) extra crunchy peanut butter (I used Jif)
  • 127g (¾ cup) dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1 egg
  • 197g (1½ cup) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp cream of tartar
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 102g (2/3 cup) milk chocolate chips (you can use semi-sweet, if you like, but I didn’t think they worked as well)

Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, peanut butter, and sugar on medium high speed until fluffy. ( If you’re doing this by hand, your upper arm will get a nice workout.)

Beat in the egg.  

Add in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.  Before turning on the mixer, mix the dry ingredients with the spatula to kind of blend them.  Then turn the mixer on and mix.  Recipes often have you put the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and blend them before adding to the dough.  I would rather not dirty an extra bowl.  My way works fine.  You’re welcome. Pour in the chocolate chips and mix chips in on low.

Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit.

For a 2″ finished cookie, roll dough into walnut sized balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Using your fingers, press them to about ½” thick.  These cookies don’t spread much.  

Bake 8-10 minutes – until the edges are starting to brown. Remove them from the oven, letting them set on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes to set.  Then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to complete cooling.

There’s no way I can read one of Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swensen Mysteries without trying at least one of the her recipes.  My husband’s co-workers are reaping the benefit because when I make her cookie recipes, I send them to work with him…. Well, NEARLY, all of them. Hey, a girl has to eat!

 

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Looking At Oatmeal/Chips Cookies In A Whole New Light! Or Not.

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Oatmeal is known for its cholesterol lowering properties.  So can we go one step further and assume oatmeal cookies are good for you?  Hmmmm?  Well, I think you know the answer to that.  I AM the queen of rationalization but even I can’t make that leap.  That being said, a tasty dessert – in moderation – can be good for your mental well-being.

My philosophy is that if I’m going to indulge, the food better be worth it.  That’s why I cook from scratch – I tailor food to suit my family’s taste AND I know what goes in it.  No additives or cheap low-grade ingredients.  Baking from scratch is really not difficult nor is it as time consuming as you might think.  And, like anything, the more you do it, the faster it gets.  So pour that glass of milk and set it in the refrigerator, ready to go for when these OATMEAL/CHIPS COOKIES come out of the oven!

OATMEAL/CHIPS COOKIES – makes 2 dozen

  • ½ cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1 ¼ cups uncooked oatmeal
  • ¾ cup flour (I used organic all-purpose)
  • ½ tsp baking soda (make sure you use soda, NOT powder – they’re not the same)
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup shortening
  • ¼ cup butter, softened
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ¾ – 1 cup chips (I used half chocolate chips and half butterscotch chips)

Toast the walnuts until they just start to darken and you can smell them.  Toasting nuts and seeds enhances their flavor and makes them crispier.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the shortening, butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until everything is well blended.  If you don’t have an electric mixer (yet another kitchen item you really should have!), you’ll have to mix the cookies by hand – not too difficult with this recipe.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  Add the oatmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon to the bowl.  Before turning on the mixer again, use your spatula to mix the dry ingredients together.  (You could mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, but I do it this way to save dirtying an extra bowl.)  Then turn on the mixer and blend until the dry ingredients are ALMOST fully incorporated.  Finally, add in the walnuts and chips, and blend either by hand or on a low speed of your mixer – just until the chips are evenly dispersed throughout the dough.

Preheat your oven to 375º Fahrenheit.  Spoon the dough onto  nonstick or greased cookie sheets.  I prefer using a dark, nonstick cookie sheet – the cookies don’t spread as much so they’re thicker, and they bake quicker.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.  Set hot sheet on stove for 3 minutes, then remove cookies to a wire rack to completely cool.  Letting the hot cookies set for 3 minutes allows them to set – they’re still molten when you take them from the oven, and trying to remove them from the cookie sheet immediately will lead to a real mess – and probably a lot of bad language.

NOTE:  If you’re in the market for cookie sheets, don’t waste your money on those sheets that have 2 layers with air in between.  I’ve never found them to be as good as the inexpensive dark, non-stick kind.  Just my opinion.

Enjoy your cookies with a nice glass of ice cold milk, and hope that someday they’ll discover that oatmeal in cookies is still good for you.  I’d be glad to help with the research!