Salted Caramel Spritz Cooky

I   B E L I E V E  . 

Everyone has a repressed cooky press memory or two sealed away. Mine are somewhere back in the 60's with mom's green-tinted wreaths and pink-tinted stars. Or were those flowers? She made them with a MIRRO cooky press - one I've since inherited, complete with its tattered box featuring pastel-colored creations. I thought it a rather festive and nostalgic way to ring in the second annual Cookie Exchange from Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook.

I chose an authentic MIRRO recipe from the recipe booklet - Caramel Cookies. Made with all shortening, (what, no butter? what gives?), I figured the "caramel" flavor must come from using brown sugar in place of white. Hm... sounds good, but let's spice this up a notch. I made a thin caramel sauce with sugar, heavy cream, a dash of vanilla and a bit of Fleur de Sel. Once the cookies had cooled, I drizzled the caramel sauce and sprinkled more Fleur de Sel. They made for a tender cooky with a slight crunch. I'm sure an all-butter cooky would yield a more "melt-in-your-mouth" flavor and texture, but hey, shortening has its place.

Be sure to head on over to the Di's Round-Up site this coming weekend to view all the cooky entries. There's sure to be at least one, if not several recipes to add to your holiday baking list.

** And a special thanks to Nancy's of The Dogs Eat the Crumb's talented daughter, Allison (that's a mouthful, isn't it?) for creating with festive Exchange Badge - two years in a row! **

– mike

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*  C A R A M E L  S P R I T Z   C O O K I E S  * 

Time:  10-12 min.        Temp.:  375 degrees

1 cup shortening
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla exract
3 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soda

1. Cream the shortening; add sugars gradually and cream thoroughly.
2. Add beaten eggs and vailla extract
3. Sift flour, soda and salt and gradually add to creamed mixture.
4. Fill a MIRRO cooky press and form fancy designs on ungreased MIRRO Aluminum cooky sheets.  Bake.
Yield – 6 dozen

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Bite-Sized Baked French Toast

BREAKFAST IS SERVED.  There's something magical about 'going out for breakfast' when you're a kid. For me, it was Sambo's. Way, way back. When your dressed "up" to go "out". Pitcher holders featuring three flavors of syrups and large, rounded scoops of whipped Tiger butter. Back then, French Toast was made with good old, refined-and-bleached-white-flour bread. Nothing could beat it.  FAST FORWARD:  Times have changed and so has French Toast. 

SLICE. POUR. CHILL. BAKE.  For the bite-sized toast, a bag of "baby baguettes" caught my eye at Trader Joe's. A simple egg, cream, cinnamon and vanilla mixture is poured over the slices and chilled overnight. In the morning, sprinkle toasted almonds atop and bake - skillet free. To see the round-up of BAKED  French Toast, visit the round-up at BAKED SUNDAY MORNINGS. 

If you're a stickler for going by the book, you'll want to make the BAKED raspberry sauce as per the recipe. I'm a stickler for tradition. Nothing beats syrup on my new favorite French Toast - with your choice of maple, blueberry or strawberry. 

 – mike

Rice Pudding and Caramel Apples

F R E N C H   F R I D A Y S   W I T H   D O R I E
Thanksgiving. I'm hoping there were plenty of pumpkin pies, pecan pies, apple pies, pumpkin cheesecakes, and even a chocolate tart here and there. I'm betting Dorie's wonderful rice pudding was probably not found on many dessert tables this season. It should be.

This "two-parter" starts with a milk pudding - flecked with arborio rice. Visions of tapioca fill my head when rice pudding is mentioned, but the large grains of arborio make this a moist, tender and texturally-interesting pudding. 

My ever-flowing bowl of autumn apples were my one inspiration (nudge) to try this recipe. This apple & caramel compote combines the best of two worlds - caramel sauce and tender flavorful apples. Layered with a rich, rice pudding, it's a combination I would never think to pair, but the result is the perfect autumn dessert. Served warm, alongside my pumpkin pie, (for those traditionalists), it made for a delectable Thanksgiving dessert.

One can't help but be thankful for unique desserts like these.

– mike

Hazelnut Cinnamon Chip Biscotti

'TIS TIME FOR A BREAK.  A BREAK from your regularly-scheduled BAKED SUNDAY MORNINGS "Boston Cream Pie Cake".  Think of it as a coffee break. A trip to Denver with my parents to visit my brother and his family left me but a day to read up on the infamous Boston cake - and left me slightly panicked . I decided to draw upon the BAKED Bill of Rights - the Right to Substitute. To see all those wonderful  high-brow Boston Cream Pie Cakes, visit the round-up at BAKED SUNDAY MORNINGS. 

Oh Frangelico

Drawing upon and ancient recipe from the "BAKED - New Frontiers In Baking" archives - Hazelnut Cinnamon Chip Biscotti - the "chips" being chocolate chips. Studded with toasted, chopped hazelnuts and a healthy dose of cinnamon - they're accented with yet another BREAK in the repertoire . I substituted hazelnut liqueur in lieu of vanilla extract.

Objects are closer than they appear.

I might have been baking too hastily, but the recipe states to form "one log" with your dough - which will form a 3 1/2 inch wide loaf. Mine measured 9 1/2 inches. This BAKED recipe makes large biscotti. Wait, more like gargantuan-sized biscotti. Whether large or small, these are the most flavorful biscotti I've ever tasted. A must try - along with their alternative add-in:  dried cherries and pistachios replace the hazelnuts and chips.

If I must, I'd suggest another BREAK - do yourself a favor and split the dough in half. Make normal-sized biscotti. But that's just me - the Rule Breaker.

 – mike

Thanksgiving Roundup Cauliflower Potatoes

TIME TO GET YOUR TURKEY PLATTERS OUT. A bit early I admit. I'm serving this for Phyl's Thanksgiving Round-Up. Visit his blog (Of Cabbages & King Cakes) for the Round-Up - it's a "full-on turkey dinner for ideas and suggestions when planning your menu" type of Round-Up. With Phyl being the master of ceremonies, guess who's in charge of the big bird?

My contribution to Phyl's Thanksgiving table is neither a tart or pie. It lies somewhere within the side dish category. I call them fancy mashed potatoes. Faux potatoes is yet another I bounce around. Instead of the almighty potato, cauliflower takes center stage.  Cooked and then mashed (in either a blender or food processor for smooth texture), the addition of cream cheese and butter are all this dish needs - aside from a dash of salt & pepper.  It's a wonderful hybrid selection - and is a quick and easy dish for any occasion. This need not be served in such a fancy way, but after all, Thanksgiving is but once a year, is it not?

Give the lowly cauliflower a try this Thanksgiving - you'll find my recipe right below the Fancy Spoon.

Happy Thanksgiving!

– mike

Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins

BAKED HIJINKS

'TIS MORE OF THE PUMPKIN SEASON. It was rather fitting that these muffins came up on the baking schedule. And just when I thought a pumpkin recipe would be nice - one where I can use up that half of a can of pumpkin in the refrigerator.

Rather than tempt you with a traditional pie or a pumpkin whoopee pie, this week's BAKED recipe is a savory muffin flavored with pumpkin puree and shredded sharp cheddar cheese. They entice you to add a little cayenne and black pepper as well. What you end up with is a moist, spicy autumn muffin. 

As with most muffins, these are quick and easy to prepare. To give them a little more flair I baked them in a festive little seasonal muffin liner - the ones you stumble upon and think 'why did I buy these'? Right before they head for the oven, their tops get sprinkled with more sharp cheddar, along with a pumpkin seed. I bought some roasted, salted pumpkin seeds at the store, just for the occasion. To me they're hardly edible - unless I bought the wrong seeds. Flair, they add more flair. . .

For more cheesy, savory, spiked with pumpkin muffins, visit the round-up at BAKED SUNDAY MORNINGS. 

  – mike

Honey Almond Scones

T U E S D A Y S   W I T H   D O R I E

Special thanks to this week's host: 

Jeannette of The Whimsical Cupcake

Yet another scone recipe from Dorie. Is it my imagination or has there been an influx of scones in the past few months? No worries here - they're one of my favorite baked goods, and this one makes its debut with fresh alfalfa honey. 

There are actually two Tuesday with Dorie recipes each week until the end of the year. As we're baking our way to the end of this magnificent book, recipes are doubled. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get to the Far Breton (I didn't even get "near" the Far Breton), but it will most likely make an appearance among the upcoming holiday baking repertoire. 

These scones feature a combination of whole wheat and all purpose flour - the sugar was replaced by honey and the addition of ground nuts (almonds in my case) give these an earthy, wholesome flavor and texture. I spiced up the almond flavor by adding a quarter teaspoon of almond extract and, as usual, brushed them with cream and dusted with sanding sugar before baking. Natural, earthy scones always taste better with a little sparkle and shine.

– mike