Adriatic Sea Cookies

You may use walnuts, or pecans, or a combination of both.

Ingredients

1 cup of salted fresh butter, softened

3 tsp of vanilla extract

½ confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon water

2 cups of all-purpose unbleached flour

2 cups of chopped walnuts or pecans

½ confectioners’ sugar (for rolling)

 

Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and vanilla extract. Slowly add confectioner’s sugar and beat until fluffy. Add water and beat again. Then add the flour and continue to mix until the dough is formed. If the dough is very sticky, place it in the refrigerator for an hour before shaping the cookies.

2. Mix the chopped walnuts into the dough. Use a spoon to mold the dough in small balls.

3. Place the dough balls onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Place the remaining ½ cup of confectioners’ sugar onto a large plate. Roll each cookie in the cookie while they are still warm from the oven. Cool thoroughly before serving.

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Gurabia

Yields 24 servings

 

Ingredients

2.5 cups Flour
1 Greek Yogurt
2.5 Eggs 
1 cup Sugar
1 stick of Melted Butter 
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Drop Vanilla Extract
1 Drop Almond Extract
For Coating Before Baking
0.5 Egg
1 tbsp Melted Butter

 

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients and mix together until a dough is formed. The dough should not be sticky at the end so add more flour if needed. 

2. Chill dough in parchment paper for 30 minutes before handling.

3. Using the extra melted butter, rub some over your hands before breaking the dough into 20 equal sized pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Before rolling each ball, rub melted butter over your hands each time.

4. Place the balls of dough onto a greased / lined baking tray 2 inches apart. You will need to split the balls into two batches, cooking one batch at a time.

5. Brush each ball with beaten egg and place in the oven at 325 °F for 20 minutes. The cookies will be a light golden color and slightly squishy in the middle.

6. Place on a cooling rack to cool. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet to prevent them from crumbling apart.

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English Toffee

Yields 24 servings

 

Ingredients

2 cups butter

2 cups sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup almonds or pecans, finely chopped

 

Directions

1. Combine the butter, sugar, and salt in a large heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat and allow the mixture to come to a steady boil, stirring constantly. When it turns a dark amber color or reaches 290 degrees with a candy thermometer, it is done. You can also drop a small bit of the mixture into ice cold water, and if the drop turns hard and brittle it is done.

2. Carefully pour the mixture into a foil-lined baking sheet. Let harden for a minute or two, then sprinkle on the chocolate chips. Let them melt on top for a minute, then spread the chocolate evenly with a knife.

3. Sprinkle on the chopped nuts and press down slightly on the nuts. Let the English toffee candy cool and harden, then break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

 

Dawn's Torta Barozzi

Servings:  4

From my friend Dawn Dawl

Servings:  4

 

1 ounce hazelnuts or almonds, blanched if possible

2.5 ounces dark chocolate, broken into pieces

2 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces

4.5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks

2 eggs

½ cup (scant) of sugar

½ tablespoon rum

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon finely ground coffee

Whipped cream

              

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Toast the nuts until nicely browned and fragrant, about 6 to 7 minutes.  If necessary, remove the skins while still warm.  Chop and set aside to cool.  Line an 8- or 9-inch springform pan with parchment.

 

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler over gently simmering water; set aside to cool slightly.  Separate the eggs, putting the yolks into a mixer bowl and the whites into a large glass mixing bowl.  Beat the yolks with sugar until thick and creamy.  Add the rum, salt and coffee at low speed.  Stir in the chopped nuts.  Add the melted chocolate-butter mixture and stir again.

 

With the hand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff.  Gently fold whites into the chocolate mixture and pour into the lined pan.

 

Bake for 25 minutes.  Let cool on a rack for 20 minutes and then carefully remove from pan (it’s fragile).  Cool completely before serving.  To serve, cut into slices and top with sweetened whipped cream.

 

Sara's Plum Crumble

This crumble is shallow and top-heavy: a jammy layer of tart plums blanketed by a lumpy crust that can aptly be compared to a giant snickerdoodle cookie, warm with cinnamon. The plums are simply halved, pitted, and tossed with spices and a little flour and sugar. The dough is streusel-like—flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and a beaten egg—just pinched apart and scattered over the fruit. Its glorious cookie-cake texture comes from the final step: Before the pan goes into the oven, you'll pour melted butter all over the top. The butter binds clumps of dough together, so that they form a craggy crust that's got fluff and crisp, lightness and density.

 

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons plus 1 cup unbleached flour, divided

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, divided

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

10 to 12 Italian prune plums, halved and pitted

1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean powder or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extra (optional)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, well beaten

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

​

1. Heat the oven to 375° F.

2. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, and the ground ginger. Add the plum halves and gently toss to combine. Arrange, cut side up, in a 9-inch pie plate set on a baking sheet (to catch leaks!).

3. In another small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, baking powder, remaining 1 cup flour, remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, the vanilla bean powder (if using), and the salt. Stir in the egg and the vanilla extract (if using). Use your hands to squeeze and mix thoroughly to form soft clumps and bits. Scatter pinches of the dough evenly over the plums.

4. Pour the butter evenly over the topping and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is browned and the plums tender. Serve warm or at room temperature, with ice cream, crème fraîche, mascarpone, yogurt, or whipped cream.

 

Stilton Scones with Cranberries

6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter at room temp, plus more for greasing

2 ½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup sugar, plus more to coat

4 tsp baking powder

½ tsp fine sea salt

2/3 cup whole milk

1 large egg

2 tbs dried cranberries

6 oz Stilton blue cheese, broken into large chunks (about 1 1/3 cups)

 

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400F. Grease a sheet pan with a little butter.

 

In a large bowl, whish together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined and lump free.

 

Add the butter and use your fingertips to rub it into the dry ingredients until the butter is fully incorporated. The mixture should have the consistency of a coarse cornmeal. Add the milk, egg, and cranberries and mix with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until the dough comes together.

 

Gently fold in the blue cheese chunks until just incorporated (you want those chunks to remain intact, not break down into smaller crumbs). The dough will be fairly wet.

 

Using a tablespoon, take a heaping scoop of the dough (about 2 inches in diameter) and place it on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the rest of the dough, spacing the scoops 1 inch apart. (The dough spreads as it bakes, so if your pan isn’t big enough to space out the scones, you will need to use two.) Sprinkle with sugar sprinkles. 

 

Bake for 5 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for 5 more minutes. They’re done when they’re golden, with some browned bumps on the uneven surface. Bake for 2-6 minutes more, as needed.

 

Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the scones into a wire rack. (Some of the melted cheese will have escaped and gotten crispy on your baking sheet – that’s the cook’s treat to nibble on!) Enjoy warm or at room temp.

 

Michele's Snickerdoodle Cookies

Texture: airy, crunchy yet soft

Serving size: 36 cookies

Fun fact: My friend, neighbor, and grange partner in crime Michele shared this recipe at game night, over at our mutual friend’s, neighbor, and grange partner in crime Michelle. Michele is even keeled, kind, smart and always can be counted on to be the voice of reason. Michelle and I, on the other hand, are known to lose all common sense around any type of animal.

​

Ingredients

1 ½ cups white sugar

1 cup softened butter

2 eggs

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

Coating:

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

​

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease with butter.

2.  Beat 1 1/2 cups white sugar, butter, and eggs together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.

3.  Mix flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl then stir into creamed butter mixture until dough holds together.

4.  Mix 2 tablespoons of white sugar and cinnamon together in a different bowl.

5.  Form dough into 2-teaspoon-size balls and roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place dough balls, about 2 inches apart, on the prepared baking sheet.

6.  Bake in the preheated oven on the center rack for 7 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them over to a wire rack. When removing them from the over, they may look doughy still. That’s okay. By allowing them to continue to cook on the cookie sheet out of the oven prevents hard cookies.

7.  Once completely cooled, store cookies in a plastic container or plastic bag with a piece or two of bread to keep cookies soft.

 

Tony's Strawberry spoon cake

Ingredients

½ cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted, plus more for greasing.

5 oz/145 grams frozen and thawed or fresh, hulled strawberries (about 1 cup)

2/3 cup/150 grams packed light brown sugar

½ cup/120 milliliters whole milk, at room temp

½ tsp kosher salt

1 cup/130 grams all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp of vanilla extract

Vanilla ice cream for serving

 

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 inch square or round baking dish with butter. Set aside.

2.  Using your hands or the back of a fork mash the berries to release their juices, and stir in 1/3 cup of the brown sugar. Set aside.

3.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar, milk, and salt, then add the flour and baking powder and continue whisking just until the batter is smooth. Transfer the batter to the greased baking dish, and spread evenly into corners.

4.  Spoon the strawberries and all their juices over the top of the cake batter. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 mins, or just when a toothpick comes out clean in the center. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3-5 mins before spooning into bowls.

5.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

 

​

Lavender mini cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup of cornstarch

2/3 can of condensed milk

1/2 cup of melted butter (1 stick)

1 egg

1 tbsp vanilla powder

1 tsp of dried lavender

​

Directions

In a bowl, mix all together and pour dough into your preferred mold but I have great success with two mini cupcake trays. If you opt for mini cupcake, fill almost to the top. Bake in 400F for 8-10 mins. ProTip: wet paper towel with butter and coat each mold. Then to get the mini cupcakes out, gently push them from side to side between your thumb and pointer finger until they loosen and you can pull out. 

 

Blood Orange Rosemary Cookies

Yield: 24 cookies

 

Ingredients

For the cookies:

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon of salt

1 cup granulated sugar

Zest of 3 blood oranges (¼ cup)

2-3 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

½ cup EVOO

1 large egg, room temperature

¼ cup buttermilk, room temperature

 

For the glaze:

1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Zest from ½ blood orange (optional)

1-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed blood orange juice

​

Directions

Step 1

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt until well combined. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar, zest, and rosemary until it has the consistency of wet sand. Whisk in the EVOO and egg until smooth and well combined. Alternate mixing the dry ingredients and buttermilk into the wet until all the dry ingredients and buttermilk have been added. Rest the cookie dough at room temperature for 30 minutes.

 

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

 

Step 3

Scoop 1-tablesppon amounts of cookie dough onto the baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until a finger lightly pressed into the top of the cookie bounces back. Keep the cookies on the hot baking sheets for 3-4 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature.

 

Step 4

While the cookies cool, make the glaze. In a medium mixing bowl, add the confectioners’ sugar. Whisk in the lemon juice, zest if using and 1-3 tablespoons of blood orange juice, to taste. Spoon the glaze over the cooled cookies, and let it set for 30-45 minutes before serving.

 

Spiced Mexican Wedding Cookies

Yields 32 cookies

 

Ingredients

1 cup pecans

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, divided

Zest of 1 medium orange

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

 

Step 1

Place the pecans in a small skillet, and light toast them over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes, or until fragrant. Transfer the pecans to a food processor. Process until the pecans are fine like the texture of almond flour. Cool slightly before using in the recipe. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt until well combined. Add the butter, ¾ cup of confectioners’ sugar and zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. On medium sized speed, beat the mixture for 3-4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. On low speed, mix in the ground pecans and vanilla and almond extracts until smooth and well combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

 

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

 

Step 3

Scoop 1 tablespoon amounts of the cookie dough onto the baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown. Cool the cookies on the hot baking sheet for 15 minutes. While the cookies are slightly warm, roll them in the remaining confectioners’ sugar. Cool completely to room temperature and roll them once more in the confectioners’ sugar if you would like a double coat of sugar.

 

Almond cake with pecans & condensed milk

Ingredients

1 cup of almond flour

½ cup of all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ cup of melted butter (1 stick for dough) + ¼ cup of melted butter (half of the stick for the sauce)

1 egg

1 tbsp vanilla powder

Kosher salt

2/3 cup light brown sugar

½ cup of condensed milk

 ½ whole milk, at room temp

 

For the sauce

¼ cup of melted butter

4 cups of quartered pecans

½ cup of condensed milk

 ½ whole milk, at room temp

 

Directions

1. Soak pecans for 1 hour.

2.  In a bowl, mix all together with electric beater/mixer. Grease 6 inch round cake pan with butter.  Pour dough and Bake in 400F for 20 mins or until golden brown and the toothpick comes out clean from the middle. Set cake to cool.

3.  In a small sauce pan, brown butter, then slowly whisk in the milk. Then add the condensed milk and drained pecans. Turn heat off and cover with lid.

4.  Place cake in a serving plate. Pour the sauce over it before slicing into pieces.

5.  Garnish with powdered sugar (by pouring it over a sifter),  or sprinkles, or colored granulated sugar of your choice, or candied orange peels, or pistachio powder, or jam, or dates, or raisins.

 

Earl Grey Sugar Cookies

This recipe yields 24 cookies

prep time 15 MINUTES

cook time 8 MINUTES

additional time 1 HOUR

total time 1 HOUR 23 MINUTES

Amount Per Serving: 1 CALORIES: 130 SATURATED FAT: 5g CHOLESTEROL: 35mg 

SODIUM: 60mg CARBOHYDRATES: 14g SUGAR: 5g PROTEIN: 1g

 

Ingredients

 1 1/4 cups chilled butter, cut into 1/2" pieces

 3/4 cups granulated sugar

 1 large egg

 1 large egg yolk

 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 3 cups all-purpose flour

 3/4 teaspoon salt

 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

 3 tea bags of Tazo Earl Grey Tea

 

Directions

1. In a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the butter, tea leaves, and sugar on high speed for about 3 minutes until well combined.  

2. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl.  

3. Add in the flour, salt, and baking powder on low speed, mixing just until incorporated and the dough comes together.  Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.  Chill overnight in the refrigerator for the best result of tea taste.  

4. When ready to bake the cookies, heat the oven to 325 degrees.  Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes to soften slightly.  

5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the cookie dough to 1/4-inch thick.  Cut out using cookie cutters and bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges just barely start to turn golden.  Cool completely before decorating with royal icing or frosting.

 

Notes

These sugar cookies start with the slightly unorthodox approach of beating the butter and sugar together while the butter is still cold.  As long as you are using a stand mixer and cut the butter into chunks, this works really well and results in a better cookie texture than creaming softened butter together with the sugar.

​

There is 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder in the dough to make the cookies tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture without making them fluffy or causing distortions while they bake. Don’t overmix the flour into the dough when it is added. Once the dough starts to come together, it will be thick and similar to the texture of play-doh.

 

I DO recommend chilling the dough.  It helps the butter re-harden in the cut-out cookies before baking so that they don’t spread as much. It’s not like you have to wait overnight though – 1 hour will do it, and even then you could fudge it a little closer to 45 minutes if you needed to. I find that leaving the chilled dough out on the counter for just 10 minutes before attempting to roll it out makes a big difference in how easy it is to roll these out evenly.

 

Use a rolling pin with adjustable rings that go on each end of the rolling pin to help you roll out your sugar cookie dough to an exact thickness, depending on which ring you are using. It’s a game changer in getting consistent results in thickness and reliable baking times and worth the investment, in my opinion.

 

1/4-inch thick is my preference, but you can make these super thick sugar cookies if that’s what you like. The key is to rolling out the dough is to let the chilled dough sit out on the counter for 10 minutes, then rolling it on a lightly floured surface using light pressure on the rolling pin.

 

The secret to soft sugar cookies is slightly underbaking each batch. Mine typically are done right around the 12 minute mark, but I make large, 1/4-inch cookies. Small cookies might be done in the 9-11 minute range. The key is for them to look “set” because often, these won’t even brown around the edges (although the bottoms of the cookies will be lightly golden when lifted off the baking sheet). Use parchment paper on your pans so that the cookies don’t stick.

 

Frost with royal icing or buttercream. Or just press the unbaked cookies in sprinkles before baking.

​

Once frosted, the sugar cookies can be stored in an airtight container on the kitchen counter. Royal icing helps the cookies stay fresh longer, but even unfrosted cookies are good for at least a few days without going stale if stored in a well-sealed container. For longer-term storage, freeze the baked and decorated cookies by wrapping them up well in plastic wrap and freezing. Just give them time to thaw when you are ready to eat them!

 

Both the dough and the finished cookies freeze well.  If freezing the dough, transfer it to the fridge the night before you want to roll them out, then let the dough sit out on the counter for 30 minutes before rolling it the next day.

 

Cookie dough can be made 1 month ahead; freeze instead of chilling. Cookies can be baked (left undecorated) 2 weeks ahead; wrap tightly and freeze.

 

You can flavor the dough with a little almond extract or lemon zest, and I included amounts in the recipe notes. In my recipe testing, I experimented with each and liked them both.

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White Chocolate Cranberry Tart

Takes about 30 minutes to cook but total time A-Z will be about 4 hours. You will need a 9-inch tart pan. It will yield about 8-10 slices.

 

This tart is raw, dairy-free, refined sugar-free and gluten-free. Its crust is made with oats, almonds, coconut oil and maple syrup. The filling is a mix of cashews, coconut milk, vegan white chocolate chips, maple syrup and coconut oil. To make it look more festive way, coat cranberries with maple syrup and granulated monk fruit sweetener.

 

In a medium sized pan add water and maple syrup. Heat over medium to high heat until it starts to bubble. Simmer for a couple minutes, then add the cranberries. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes over low heat until almost now liquid remains. It will appear very stick, similar to caramel sugar.

Transfer onto a cooling rack and let them sit for about 1-2 minutes. Then place them in a bowl or onto a plate filled with either monk fruit sweetener or granulated sugars. Coat them well and transfer back onto a cooling rack. Let them dry until maple has hardened and sugar is stuck to the cranberries.

​

cranberries on top of tart

1 cup cranberries

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup monk fruit sweetener (or granulated cane sugar)

 

cranberry inner layer

2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)

1 cup water

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tsp agar agar (substitute with gelatin powder 1:1 ratio)

 

crust

1 1/2 cups gluten-free oats

1/2 cup raw almonds

5 tbsp coconut oil (melted)**

2 tbsp maple syrup

 

white chocolate layer

⅔ cup coconut milk (sub with cashew milk)

1 cup raw cashews (soaked*)

¾ cup cacao butter (sub with vegan white chocolate), melted and cooled

1/3 cup maple syrup

Pinch of salt

4 tbsp vegan white chocolate, melted and cooled

 

*soak cashews in water overnight or for at least 3-4 hours.

**use refined (vs unrefined) coconut oil to avoid coconut flavor.

 

For the crust add oats and almonds into a food processor. Pulse until combined and add maple syrup and coconut oil. Process into a moist mixture. Firmly press dough into the tart and press up on the sides as well. Bake at 350F for about 10-15 minutes until crust appears golden brown. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes and then transfer onto a cooling rack.

 

In a small saucepan add cranberries, water and maple syrup. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes over low-medium heat until cranberries have broken down. With a hand mixer puree cranberries and add a little bit of water if sauce is too thick. Add 1 tsp of agar agar powder (or gelatin powder) and simmer for another 5 minutes over low-medium heat. Set aside to cool for a couple minutes, then spread cranberry jam/sauce into the crust (½ way full) and let set in the fridge for another 15 minutes.

 

In the meantime prepare the white chocolate layer. Melt white chocolate and cacao butter in a small saucepan over low heat and set aside.

 

In a food processor or high speed blender add cashews, maple syrup and coconut milk. Process until completely smooth. Add melted chocolate/cacao butter and process until combined. Pour white chocolate mixture into the tart and let set in the refrigerator for about 2-3 hours. Garnish with sugar coated cranberries and white chocolate chips and serve immediately.

​

Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

​

Candied Pecans

YIELDS: 2 c.

PREP TIME: 10 mins

TOTAL TIME: 25 mins

 

Ingredients

2 c. toasted halved pecans

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

Zest of 1/2 orange

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

3 tbsp. orange juice or water

Kosher salt

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° and spread pecans in an even layer on a medium baking sheet. Roast, stirring occasionally, until nuts are fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Combine spices and orange zest in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

3. Line a medium baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, combine brown sugar and orange juice or water and bring up to a rolling boil. Boil, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.

4. Add pecans to skillet and fold into sugar mixture to coat completely. Cook, stirring frequently, until no sugar mixture pools in the bottom of the pan when nuts are stirred, 3 to 4 minutes. Working quickly, remove pan from heat and stir in spice and zest mix until nuts are fully coated.

5. Transfer nuts to prepared baking sheet and season with salt. Let cool completely before serving.

6. Storage: Store any leftover candied pecans in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week, or in the fridge for up to three weeks.

 

Pecan Pralines

YIELDS: 2 dz.

PREP TIME: 10 mins

TOTAL TIME: 10 mins

CAL/SERV: 155

 

Ingredients

1 c. (215 g.) packed light brown sugar

1 c. (200 g.) granulated sugar

1 c. evaporated milk

4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 c. raw or toasted, unsalted pecan halves

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

 

Directions

1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Have a tablespoon-sized scoop or measuring spoon ready to go.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, and butter. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until sugars dissolve and mixture begins to foam and boil, 5 to 7 minutes. Place a candy thermometer inside mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until thermometer registers between 235° to 240°, 5 to 8 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and immediately stir in pecans, vanilla, and salt just until mixture begins to thicken and lose its glossiness, 1 to 2 minutes. If you beat too long, it will start to seize up.

4. Working quickly, drop heaping tablespoons onto prepared sheets, spacing about 2" apart. If mixture begins to thicken, add 1 teaspoon hot water and stir to keep mixture loose enough to scoop.

5. Let cool to room temperature or until set, about 1 hour.

 

Notes

• Work quickly! This isn’t a recipe you walk away from, so have everything ready and nearby. You want to start scooping as soon as the mixture is ready.

• Use a candy thermometer. While you can eyeball, a candy thermometer will reduce your stress. Pralines go from a nice and silky texture to seized up in a matter of a minute or two, so it's important to monitor the temperature.

• Buy some spare ingredients if you're aiming for perfection. Pralines are finicky and temperamental, and you might have to make a few batches while you get used to making them. Be patient and enjoy the process!

• Have some hot water nearby if your pralines start to seize up. Adding a few drops of hot water can save your pralines when you overbeat the mixture and they start to harden up sooner than you wanted.

• Storage: Pecan pralines can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. No refrigeration needed. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.

 

 

Tahini Cookies

Recipe from my dear friend Nadia O'Dell. 

Yield: 3 ½ doz, or 5 if allowed to rest as below.

Ingredients

3 cups unbleached Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Kosher Salt

1 cup Unsalted Butter, softened

1 + cup Tahini, well stirred

2 tsp Vanilla

1 cup loosely packed Dark Brown Sugar

1 cup Sugar

2 large Eggs

​

Directions

1. Whisk Flour, Baking Powder, and Salt together.  Set aside.

2. Beat Butter, Tahini and Vanilla on medium speed until no butter streaks left.

3. Add sugars, beat.

4. Reduce to low speed; beat in half of Flour mixture. 

5. Add egg, beat.

6. Add rest of Flour, beat.

7. Roll into 1 ¼ inch diameter balls.  Place on baking sheet.

8. Lightly press each ball to flatten slightly and leave indentation.

9. Bake 14 (20 in gas oven?) minutes at 350°, rotating half way through.

10. Do not overbake – they crisp as they cool.

11. Optional:  Sprinkle with DeMara sugar before baking.

12. Dough is soft and sticky – let rest in fridge a few hours or overnight – easier to handle.  This also creates a greater yield. 

 

Apricot Bars

Recipe from my dear friend Nadia O'Dell. 

Ingredients

3 cups Flour

1 ½  cup Sugar

1 ¼ cup unsalted butter

1/2  tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)

1 cup unsweetened coconut

2 egg (beat before adding)

1 cup finely chopped or ground nuts

1  18 oz. Apricot (or other) preserves

​

Directions

1. Work first 7 ingredients as for pie crust

2. Press ¾ of mixture in ungreased 9x13 pan

3. Spread with preserves

4. Crumble remaining dough mixture on top

5. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes depending on oven. 

6. If using ground nuts the dough will me a little more dense and moist and will need more baking time. 

​

​

Bakllavë me 5 arra 

(5 nut Baklava)

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Baklava is an iconic pastry that defies borders: It’s beloved in Turkey, Greece, Central Asia, the Balkans and beyond, and each of these regions boasts its own variety. This version, my version, combines the Albanian, Greek, and Turkish versions.

 

Store-bought phyllo makes preparing a pan of homemade baklava much easier, but it does require patience, too. There are no cutting corners when it comes to buttering every couple of sheets of phyllo, but your efforts will yield shatteringly thin layers of pastry. Making and chilling the syrup in advance of pouring it on top of the pastry is an important step, as it allows the baklava to fully absorb the sticky sweetness, reducing pooling on the bottom of the pan. To thaw frozen phyllo, remove the rolls from the box but keep them in their plastic sleeves. Place it in the refrigerator overnight. Alternatively, you can thaw at room temperature according to package instructions.

 

Ingredients

3 cups of mixed nuts (1 cup of pistachio & 2 cups of pecan, hazelnut, walnut, cashew)

2 sticks of salted butter with sea salt

1 pound phyllo dough, defrosted overnight in the refrigerator (Kontos brand #4)

2 cups sugar and 1 tbsp of sugar

Juice of ½ fresh lemon

 

Directions

1. In a food processor, pulse the nuts until coarsely ground (or you can chop them by hand until very finely chopped). Don’t overprocess the nuts. You want to maintain some texture.

2. Clarify the butter by melting it over low heat, then letting it cook until the foam rises to the top and the milk solids fall to the bottom of the pan. This will take about 5 to 10 minutes depending upon how high your heat is, but don’t rush it or the butter could burn.

3. Line a fine-mesh sieve with a piece of cheesecloth, place it over a bowl and pour the melted butter through.

4. Heat oven to 400 degrees and brush the inside of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with a little of the clarified butter.

5. Prepare the phyllo dough by trimming the stack of it with scissors to fit the bottom of your baking dish. Packages of phyllo come in different sizes; some won't need any trimming, some may need an inch or two cut off a side, and some may need to be cut in half crosswise.

6. Place 1 piece of phyllo on the bottom of the baking pan; brush lightly with clarified butter. Layer phyllo sheets on top, brushing each sheet with butter as you go, until half the phyllo is used.

7. Spread nuts on phyllo in an even layer, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 2 of clarified butter, then layer with remaining phyllo, brushing each sheet with butter as you go (rewarm butter if necessary).

8. Cut the pastry into 36 pieces (6 by 6), using clean up-and-down strokes and rotating the pan if necessary. Make sure to cut all the way through to bottom of pan. Pour any remaining butter evenly over pan.

9. Bake baklava until the top is golden brown, and the lower phyllo layers beneath the nuts are thoroughly baked through. To test this, use a knife to lift up a corner of one of the pastry rectangles from the center of the pan so you can peek at the bottom layers. Start checking after 40 minutes, but it could take up to an hour. If the top starts to get too brown before the pastry is cooked through, lay 2 pieces of foil over the top and put another piece of foil under the pan. 

10. Meanwhile, prepare sugar syrup: In a medium pot, combine sugar with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in fresh lemon juice.

11. When the baklava is baked through, remove from the oven and immediately pour the cold syrup evenly over the hot baklava, including the corners. Set aside to cool completely before the pieces are removed from the pan. Baklava is best served after it has rested and the syrup has been fully absorbed, 4 to 6 hours. Cover and store at room temperature for 3 days, after which you can transfer to the fridge for up to 1 week.