Favorite Apple Crisp

I was digging through a folder of dessert recipes the other day and found an article on the closing of the Red Apple, an old SLC institution. It was housed in the basement of a building in the middle of the block on 100 South between State and Main, across from what is now the City Creek Center. They made great sandwiches and one of my favorites, Apple Crisp. The Red Apple was one of the only places I knew of where you could order house made apple crisp any time of the year, whether it was October or  April . After years of being in business, they closed the doors and moved on to other adventures.
I realized after looking at the article, I've never posted our favorite version of apple crisp. You probably have your own family favorite take on this classic dessert. Ours comes from years of testing out different recipes and then coming up with a recipe that is sweet, salty, caramely and heavy on the crisp.  I like a good amount of topping on my crisp, not a thin layer that leaves you wanting more to eat with the apple filling. I also like the bit of crunch the oats add, instead of using all flour. If you don't already have a version you love give this one a try. It may become your new favorite!
Hope you're enjoying the beautiful Fall weather .




























Favorite Apple Crisp
A Bountiful Kitchen
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4 lbs of apples, preferably Granny Smith, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup dark brown sugar*
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
dash of salt

Topping:
1 1/4  cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, dark or regular
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (not margarine) , cubed


Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Lightly grease a 9x13 pan or two-9 inch pie plates.
Place apples into a large bowl. Sprinkle the apples with one tablespoon of vanilla. Top with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and dash of salt. Pour apple mixture into prepared pan(s).
In same bowl, Place all dry topping ingredients.  Using fingers or a pastry cutter, cut butter into dry ingredients. Spread/sprinkle topping onto top of apple mixture.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until apples are bubbly and topping is golden brown.
Remove and let sit for 15 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Tips:
-*you may use regular brown sugar, dark will produce a more caramelized filling.
-Apple Crisp is best served immediately after baking. If you need to make this ahead, you may put the dish together and bake the dessert for about 30 minutes. Remove, but do not cover or topping will get soggy. Let sit on counter to cool.
Before serving, preheat oven to 425 and finish baking dessert on top third of oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly.

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Pumpkin Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Last Sunday, we had a flop in the kitchen. Notice me, using the term "we" loosely.
Here's the scene  (in case you care). It's ten minutes before church starts. I realize I haven't placed the meat into the oven so we can eat when we get home. It's a 6 lb pork roast, frozen solid. I throw it into a pan, pour some liquid and other ingredients over it, cover and place in the oven at 350 degrees. A little too high to slow cook meat, especially frozen meat. But that's what the directions said. Or so I thought...
The result? You know that scene on Christmas Vacation where they all sit down to eat Christmas dinner and the turkey is so so dry it lets out a huge puff of air/steam/smoke when Clark cuts into it?? The family's all chomping on it, trying to chew it up, and can hardly choke it down. Yes.  That was our Sunday dinner.  Luckily, I had broiled a piece of salmon, Corrine made a great salad, and of course, we had my friend over: Dessert.
DESSERT TO THE RESCUE!!

 I say, if all else fails, have a big helping of dessert. Or two.
Which reminds me. At one point in our marriage, very early on, Grant tried to tell me we didn't need to have dessert after every dinner.
Hello.
Have you lost your mind??? That was years ago.  He saw the light and here we are (still married). Thirty-one years and counting. Um, yes, there's hope for your marriage.
Dessert to the rescue:  This cake may be served as a cake or coffee cake.  Serve it warm out of the oven with a scoop of ice cream or some whipped cream for dessert. Or in the morning as coffee cake.  It's a one bowl, throw it all in the mixer type of cake. Get out your bowl. This could be in your oven in ten minutes.
Have a great day!

Pumpkin Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Coffeecake
A Bountiful Kitchen original recipe
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cake:
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
2 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Spiced nut topping:
2 tablespoons butter, cold
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup pecans*
two dashes salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set the rack in center of oven.

To make topping:
Place all of the topping ingredients into a food processor and pulse until nuts are chopped and ingredients are mixed well. If you don't have a food processor, soften the butter to room temperature and chop the nuts. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.


To make cake:
Place all cake ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Mix with electric mixer or stand mixer for about 1 minute or until all ingredients are incorporated.
I like to place the chocolate chips on top of all the dry ingredients so the chips will be coated with the flour and prevent sinking to the bottom of the pan. One bowl-one-mix cakes work best when all of the wet ingredients are placed in the bowl first, then the dry ingredients on top of wet ingredients.

Line the bottom of two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and grease the pans, or use one 10-inch Springform pan.
Mix together cake ingredients as directed.
Mix together topping ingredients in separate bowl.
Pour the cake ingredients evenly into the prepared pan(s). Sprinkle the topping evenly over the cakes.
Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes for 8-inch pans, or about 45 minutes for 10-inch pan.
Remove from oven and let cool. Invert onto a plate, then turn over again onto a platter to serve.

Tips:
-*For the pumpkin pie spice I used my simple, inexpensive, home made recipe for Pumpkin Pie Spice.
-**If not using nuts in topping, add 2-3 more tablespoons of flour to topping.
-If you want to give away a cake and keep one for yourself, use two 8 inch cake pans. You may also use disposable pans, then there is no need to turn the cake out of the pan before serving or giving away.

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Strawberry Shortcake with Whipped Cream Frosting

As a little girl, I absolutely loved strawberry shortcake. My mom used to serve us those little pre-packaged cakes with sliced strawberries and Cool Whip. You know what I'm talking about, right? There were 6 or 8 cakes to a package. I wished she would buy two packages so I could have one entire package to myself. I knew summer was just around the corner when we had those little cakes in the grocery cart.
A few weeks ago, I made a cake for Brett's (my BIL) bd dinner. I planned to take strawberry shortcake, but wanted to make the cake and whip the cream the night before, so we could just grab the cake and go when it was time to head out the door on Sunday. The wheels started turning and I thought it would be fun to create a strawberry shortcake with frosting, so it could all be prepared ahead of time, and seem more like a cake fit for a celebration. After some alterations to multiple recipes found online, I came up with this yummy twist to an old favorite.
Perfect summer birthday cake.
Love it.

Strawberry Shortcake with Whipped Cream Frosting
A Bountiful Kitchen
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4 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cup flour, sifted
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place rack in middle of oven.
Grease and lightly flour two-9 inch round cake pans, or grease and line with parchment.
Beat 4 egg whites until stiff in medium bowl, set aside.
Place baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour in a small bowl, mix with fork.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together for two minutes on medium speed with a mixer. Add one whole egg and vanilla. Beat for an additional two minutes.
Add half of the dry ingredients, mix well. Add 1/2 cup of the buttermilk, mix well. Repeat with both the dry and wet ingredients until all are mixed into the bowl, scraping down sides of the bowl after each addition. Gently fold in the egg whites.
Spoon the mixture evenly into the prepared pans.
Bake on middle rack in oven for about 25-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Watch carefully, so cake does not overcook.
Remove pans from oven when done, let sit for five minutes.
Invert onto cooling rack. Let cake cool completely before frosting.
Serves 12-15

Whipped Cream and Cream Cheese Frosting

1- 8 oz  package cream cheese, regular or low fat, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond (optional)
2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold

Beat the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Add vanilla and almond. Mix until smooth. Taste and add 1/4 cup of additional powdered sugar if you like it sweeter.
Slowly add the heavy cream and beat until frosting is light and fluffy.
Frost the cake with Whipped Cream Frosting and top each serving with strawberries.
Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Tips:
-This cake did not rise up very much at my altitude (abt 4400 ft.) . I'm going to experiment and will update the post if I am able to get a higher rise next time I bake.
If you are looking for a taller cake, double or 1 1/2 the recipe and make more layers. You'll have to increase the frosting as well to cover the cake. If you double the cake, 1 1/2 times the frosting.

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Kash's Red Raspberry Dutch Oven Cobbler

If you are looking for a simple treat for camping, and you're willing to step outside the S'more box, you've come to the right place.
Are you in charge of dessert for your Lake Powell trip or your family reunion?  The possibilities are endless with this basic recipe (see suggestions below).  If it were any more simple it would be take out.
This treat is perfect paired with fresh raspberries and cream, or stacked (Dutch oven talk) with Kash's Black Cherry Chocolate Dutch Oven Cobbler, for your favorite chocoholic.

Red Raspberry Dutch Oven Cobbler
Kash Castleberry
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one 12-14 inch Dutch Oven
2 cans raspberry pie filling
1 yellow cake mix
oil for cake mix*
fresh raspberries and mint for garnish (optional)

Line the Dutch oven with foil for easy clean up.
Heat briquettes in chimney for 15-30 minutes
While briquettes are heating, place raspberry filling in Dutch oven.
Mix cake according to package directions, omitting eggs and adding extra 1/4 cup water instead. (eggs make the cobbler puff up too much while baking).
Pour cake mix on top of fruit. Place lid on Dutch oven.
Place 7-10 coals below oven, and 16 coals on top of oven lid in a circular fashion.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes for 14 inch or about 35-40 minutes for a 12 inch Dutch oven, checking after about 15 minutes. If desired, rotate lid 1/4 turn to left and Dutch oven 1/4 turn to the right for more even heating.
Serve with cream or ice cream, garnish with fresh raspberries and mint if desired.

Tips:
See this post for more on Dutch oven cooking and heating up briquettes, etc.
*-We were at our cabin when I made this and I forgot to buy oil. So we melted a cube of butter instead of using vegetable oil. It baked up perfectly. Just in case you are worried about not getting enough sat fat in your diet. 
-If baking in an oven at home, I suggest baking in a large cast iron skillet or two 9 inch round cake pans at 350 for about 35-45 minutes, or until cake is done.
-Alternatives to the raspberry/yellow cake combo:
use a chocolate cake mix and raspberries.
lemon cake and lemon filling.
Strawberry cake and cherry filling.
Mix a few mini chocolate chips into the yellow cake mix.
Lay a few broken up Hershey bars on top of the cake after baking and let melt slightly.
Top with fresh raspberries, blueberries and serve with whipped cream for a red, white and blue dessert.
Use a spice cake mix and apple pie filling on the bottom layer.

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Kash's Black Cherry Chocolate Dutch Oven Cobbler

We purchased our Dutch ovens about twenty years ago, with the thought in mind we would use the Dutch ovens for cooking in the wilderness.
Grant is a big time: camper/hiker/backpacker/bowhunter/all around guy's guy. Whatever that means. He loves anything that has to do with the out-of-doors. Me, on the other hand...
Well.
Let's just say a couple of days at our cabin fills my quota for getting in touch with nature. That said, once every three or four years, I dust off the Dutch ovens and channel my inner pioneer.

While I was at Stake Girl's Camp last week, my new friend Kash (who I was privileged to work with in the kitchen) provided this recipe and all of the ingredients (right down to the briquettes) for all the Young Women and their leaders at camp. Yikes. That was a lot of work. Thanks Kash.
The recipe was a winner! Everyone loved the gooey, rich, chocolaty-cherry dessert. It takes about two minutes to throw in the Dutch oven and cooks in about 30-40 mins. We made this at our cabin for the Fourth, and everyone loved it. I also made Kash's Red Raspberry Dutch Oven Cobbler, which I'll post next.
Get on your pioneer. You'll love this dessert.

Kash's Black Cherry Chocolate Dutch Oven Cobbler
Kash Castleberry
print recipe

one 12-14 inch dutch oven
2 cans cherry pie filling
1 box Devils Food Cake
1-12 oz can Black Cherry Soda ( I used Shasta)
1-12 oz bag chocolate chips, semi sweet or milk
heavy duty foil (optional)

About 1/2 hour before cooking:
Heat briquettes in chimney for 15-30 minutes until briquettes turn white. Directions here.
Line the dutch oven with heavy duty foil*. Spray foil lightly with cooking spray.
Spoon cherry pie filling into foil lined pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly on top of fruit.
Pour Black Cherry Soda over dry cake mix. Mix gently with fork so the soda doesn't mix too deep into the cherry layer. Don't worry about mixing too much, the moisture will even out during baking.
Place the dutch oven lid on.
Place 7-10 coals below the oven, and 16 coals on top of the oven in a circular fashion.
Bake 25-35 minutes for a 14 inch oven and 30-40 for a 12 inch oven.
Check after about 15 minutes. When cake is done, remove from heat and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Place lid back on and allow chocolate to melt.  Serve warm with cream or ice cream.
Serves 15-18.

Tips:
-Dutch Oven purists will probably frown upon the use of foil to line the pan. I say easier is better while camping. You may make this dessert without lining the pan, but be prepared to clean up a sticky mess off the bottom of the pan :)
-I suggest preparing this dish before dinner. After the cobbler is done cooking, remove from heat.  It will keep warm for at least a couple of hours with the lid on.
-When we first started Dutch oven cooking, we (I use the term "we" loosely) thought if 10 coals on the bottom were good, 20 were better. Not so. If the recipe calls for 10 on the bottom and 16 on the top, follow the recipe suggestion. Or you'll have blackened cobbler.
-When baking in a Dutch oven, more of the coals should be on top (or on the lid) of the oven to prevent burning the bottom of the dish.
-Briquettes vs other brands-  Kash only likes to use Kingsford. I agree. We have experimented with other brands, Kingsford is best.

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(Almost) Swig Sugar Cookies and one long story behind them...

If you live in St George, Utah, or have visited St. George over the past few months you've heard about the buzz surrounding SWIG. It's a little cookie shack (two locations) rumored to be hauling in thousands of dollars each day. They sell cookies, ice cream, donuts, shaved ice and get this- "Dirty Diet Coke".  The Mormons in St. George are a pretty tame bunch ( I know this, bc they're my peeps). Slap the name "dirty" on a soda and you have a small stampede outside your place of business. This is about as wild as it gets if you're a Mormon :) The "dirty" in the soda, btw is a free add-in flavoring such as coconut, cherry, lime, etc.

Here's a pic of a famous St. George landmark, in case you haven't ever been there. It's a beautiful town located about 2 hours north of Las Vegas.

St George Temple

The skinny :

The big deal at Swig is the sugar cookie (which is actually baked by the folks at Dutchman's Market/Cravings Bakery in Santa Clara). Dutchman's has a FB page, if you scroll down their page, they show a pic of the cookies sold in their store, along with what they call "muddy" sodas. Maybe they call it a muddy soda after mud filled their shop? Dutchman's went under (literally) last year when there was a devastating flood in Santa Clara. They recently re-opened and are selling cookies in their bakery. It looks like they sell their cookies at room temperature, prefrosted. The Swig cookie is served cold and frosted with room temp frosting after you place your order. St George is a hot, dry place, so a cool cookie and Coke are a perfect combo.

My opinion:

I Pinned a recipe posted online that was supposed to be a knock off recipe of the Swig Sugar Cookie. After looking at the recipe, I knew it would not produce a cookie like the Swig cookie. It looks beautiful in the post, but doesn't have the Swig cookie texture. A few years ago, I posted this recipe, which is almost identical to the knock off recipe posted. It has a lighter, more shortbread-like texture than the Swig cookie. I've baked sugar cookies with cream cheese or sour cream in the dough, and thought the sour cream gave the cookie a (heavier) texture, similar to the Swig cookie.  Have I totally lost you yet?  I tried an entirely different recipe, altered a bit to create a heavier cookie. Still not quite right. I pulled up recipes and compared and decided the Swig cookie is so dense, it is likely to not have any egg in the dough. I altered the cookie again, and swapped the baking soda for baking powder. I also tried cream of tarter (see my note below about that experiment).  Yes, I feel like I should be auditioning for a job at America's Test Kitchen.  My final result is a cookie very similar to the Swig cookie. If you strip away the frosting on the Swig cookie, it is a very bland tasting treat. The cookie is so bland, that I added vanilla and sugar to make the cookie more flavorful. I couldn't help myself. 

The End. Almost:

For what it's worth, I've had better sugar cookies. This is coming from a person who has eaten hundreds of sugar cookies in my life, thus far. Not a proud moment. Anyway. I prefer a softer, lighter and more moist sugar cookie than the Swig cookie. After extensive taste testing on several of the Swig Sugar cookies, I've decided the cookie is more like a cross between a shortbread slash flattened out sweet biscuit than a cookie. It is not very flavorful and quite dry- which may be a good thing, since it is often served with a Coke or Dr. Pepper. And don't forget about the flavor shot in the drink. A bland cookie goes well with a sweet drink and/or a flavor-spiked soda. 

I'm standing by my theory that all the fuss is about a cold cookie, served in a hot climate, with a fun drink.
That said, I gave samples to lots of friends, fam, etc. Almost everyone loved this cookie. They all raved about how good it is. Was. Whatever.

Are you still reading? Wow. You get a prize. 

I'm going to bring you some cookies. Yes, some of the one hundred and twelve dozen test cookies I've made over the past few days. I'm not joking. 

Here it is, my version of the Swig Cookie, for your baking pleasure.

Oh, don't forget the Dirty Dr. Pepper. 

You'll need it. 

Update** October 2013
After making dozens of batches of this recipe for the last five months, I've altered the recipe again.
I will enter the updates in RED below. Tricia, a reader suggested (after trying to eat dairy-free for a month) to try substituting shortening instead of butter to get the desired crunch, and crumbly fall apart texture in the original Swig cookie. I tried and she is absolutely right! I still liked the flavor of half butter and half shortening, so I still use part butter in my cookies. Thanks for leaving a comment Tricia!

(Almost) Swig Sugar Cookies

A Bountiful Kitchen

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dough:

1/2 cup butter or  (1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup Butter Flavor or Regular Crisco)

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla (optional) or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

sugar 

frosting:

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon sour cream

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoons vanilla

dash of salt

1 drop red food coloring

1-2 tablespoons milk**

Preheat oven to 325 convection or 350 regular bake.

Take butter out of refrigerator and microwave for about 15 seconds. Place butter, shortening and cold sour cream in a mixing bowl. Mix for about one minute. Add sugar and vanilla, mix until smooth. Add all dry ingredients at once. Mix just until flour disappears and the mixture comes together in a ball of dough, about 1-2 minutes on very low speed. 

Spray the cookie scoop with a little cooking spray. Scoop the dough onto a  lightly greased cookie sheet. I use either a 1 3/4 inch or a 2 inch scoop. A two inch scoop will produce a cookie similar in size to the Swig cookie. If you don't have a cookie scoop, use an ice cream scoop or roll the dough into a ball about the size of a golf ball. It is best to use a scoop and overfill it a bit to get the desired jagged edge. 

Place about 1/4 cup sugar into a small bowl.
Spray the bottom of a flat glass with cooking spray. Flatten one cookie a bit then dip the glass in sugar Press the bottom of the glass against the cookie.  Press the cookies so they are flattened a bit, twisting the glass as you press to produce a jagged edge.  I bake 8 cookies per tray. Continue until all cookies are flattened. 

Bake in oven for about 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly golden and cookies are slightly firm to the touch. Remove from oven, let cool. Place the cookies in the fridge and chill. 

Prepare the frosting:

Beat together the butter, sour cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt. When all ingredients are incorporated, add the drop of food coloring and milk if the frosting needs to be thinned. 

Frost after the cookies are completely chilled. 

Makes about 14 small or 8-10 large cookies. I almost always double this recipe. 

Tips and (surprise) a few more comments:

-*If you want the cookies to taste more like the Swig cookies make this adjustment to the dough:

 omit the vanilla and reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup. I prefer the cookies to be a bit sweeter, so I liked 3/4 cup of sugar in the dough.
-I like the cookies made with about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of almond extract in the dough, along with the 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

-**The Swig cookie is frosted with quite a thin layer of frosting. I prefer my frosting to be a bit thicker. If you want to frost the cookie with a thinner frosting, add about 3-4 tablespoons of milk to the frosting.
 -The bit of crunch on the edge of the Swig cookie could be from the baking method, or from cream of tarter substituted for the baking powder. Cream of tarter adds a bit of a crunch, but also a hint of tang, which I didn't detect in the Swig cookie. In one of my test batches, I tried 1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter along with 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and thought the cookie was too tangy, not at all like the Swig cookie. ** See update above recipe on 10/2013
-This cookie stays quite well in the fridge for about a week if kept in an air tight container.

Disclaimer!
I read some of the comments left by readers on another knockoff recipe. Some of the comments left were (to put it mildly) not very nice. What's up with that? People. Relax. It's just a recipe. 

I posted this recipe because several people have asked me about the Swig recipe.
This is not the Swig recipe. It's a recipe similar in texture and flavor. If you want to try another knockoff recipe, which I mention in this post, you can check it out here.

My work is done. On to the dishes...

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Award Winning Chocolate Chip Walnut Brownies

This recipe comes from Amy's Bread in NYC. They started making brownies in the early days of the bakery opening, and were given the "Best Brownie" award in NYC. Really, THE best brownie? I've been to New York, and can testify that there are bakeries (lots of them great bakeries) on almost every block. Reading about this "award winning" brownie caught my attention. The method of melting half of the choc chips into the batter intrigued me. Reminded me of  my fave chocolate cake recipe. 

Oh my. These are killer brownies. At $3.50 a brownie (at Amy's), they'll leave a small dent in your wallet if you are buying for a crowd, but you can bake them up at home for a lot less, in not too much time.

The recipe is easily adapted to a no-nut version, if you aren't partial to nuts. I made them both ways and can testify both are amazing. My favorite was the original walnut-packed bit of brownie heaven. Last word on this brownie:  If you don't want to make these at home, you have to make a trip to NYC to buy one. 

You choose, a trip or bake. 

Award Winning Chocolate Chip Walnut Brownies

Adapted from Amy's Bread, NYC

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3 1/3 cups (20 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup unsalted butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup  all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
11/2 cup chopped nuts, toasted (optional)* recipe without nuts- see tips below

Preheat oven to 350°. Place rack in bottom third of oven. Line a  9″x 13″ baking pan with foil* or parchment paper. Grease lightly.
Melt butter, half of the chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler (or microwave). Let mixture cool to warm.
Whisk sugar, eggs, and vanilla just until mixed. Over-mixing will cause crumbly brownies. Fold in warm chocolate mixture.
Place flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and remaining chocolate chips into chocolate mixture all at once. Fold dry ingredients into chocolate mixture, then fold in chopped nuts just until combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread to an even thickness.  Place the pan into the oven. 

Bake for 10 minutes at 350, then lower the oven temperature to 325 (do not open oven). Bake an additional 15-20 minutes. The edges will be slightly firm and the center will be soft when they are fully baked. A toothpick inserted will come out with a few moist crumbs attached. Do not over bake. Cool completely in pan.

Brownies are easiest to cut after refrigerated. These will keep well in refrigerator for about a week, covered tightly. 

Yield 24 small or 12 large brownies. 

Tips:

-To toast nuts, place on baking sheet in 325 degree oven for about 7-10 minutes, or until fragrant. 

-I like to line the inside of the pan with foil for simple removal from the baking pan. It also makes cutting the brownies much easier. 

-This recipe is easily adapted to omit the nuts. If you are leaving out the nuts, use 1 cup flour instead of 3/4 cups flour as stated in the recipe. If you do not increase the amount of flour used, the brownies will take a long time to set up and be very wet in the middle and overcooked along the edges. I always compensate if I omit nuts in a recipe such as this one, which calls for a large amount of nuts, by increasing the flour just a bit. 

-Melting the butter and chocolate. I always do this on my gas stove.  If you have a stove that you are able to turn down to a very low temperature, you will not need a double boiler. Simply put the pan on the stove and turn to low. 

-Whenever I mix chocolate chips into a recipe, I throw the flour and other dry ingredients in at one time along with the chocolate chips to coat the chips with a bit of flour, this prevents the chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom of the brownie. 

-If you want a tender brownie, without having it fall apart, the key is to not over mix. This includes the beating of eggs and sugar together. Mix just until incorporated. 

-I love this cookbook from Amy's Bread, it is a collection of the sweet items they sell in the Bakery, along with fun stories about their customers, the history of how they came to sell certain items through trial and error, etc. Everything I've made out of this book I has been a ten on the yum scale.

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Billion Dollar Bars aka Homemade Candy Bars

Do you Pinterest?
Apparently everyone is Pinning these days.
Last week, Bonnie Oscarson was named the new General Young Women President of the LDS (Mormon) church. The lead line of a news story I read about Sister Oscarson stated that she is on Pinterest. Of course,  people weighed in on her activity online. Some of the comments stated were negative. Others positive. My thought?
Wow, she's one of us :)
Here's a recipe I found recently and Pinned. If you are a peanutbutterandchocolate kind of gal, you have to make this.
R I G H T  N O W .

Billion Dollar Bars

Twirl and Taste

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Bottom Chocolate Layer:

1 cup milk chocolate chips (or half semi-sweet)
1/3 cup butterscotch chips
1/3 cup peanut butter
Melt milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and peanut butter in a pan over low heat; stirring constantly. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13″ baking pan lightly coated with nonstick spray or lined with plastic wrap which is long enough to drape over sides of the pan. Spread mixture and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Nougat Layer

4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1-1/2 cups marshmallow creme
1/3 cup peanut butter
1-1/2 cups chopped salted peanuts (optional)
Melt butter over medium heat in pan; add sugars and evaporated milk; bring to a boil, and cook additional 5 minutes while stirring. Remove from the heat and add marshmallow creme and peanut butter. Pour over the bottom layer and gently spread mixture. If you use peanuts, scatter across the top. Place in the refrigerator for 15 - 30 minutes.

Caramel Layer

1 (14-ounce package) caramel candy
1/4 cup cream
1 tablespoon butter
Place the unwrapped caramel candy, butter, and cream in a medium saucepan. Place over low heat and stir until the mixture has completely melted and is smooth. Pour in the pan and quickly spread over nougat layer. Place in the refrigerator for 15 - 30 minutes.

Top Chocolate Layer

1 cup milk chocolate chips (or half semi-sweet)
1/3 cup butterscotch chips
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

chopped almonds
Melt milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter in a pan over low heat, stirring consistently. Pour over the caramel layer and spread. 

Sprinkle chopped nuts over top of chocolate while still soft. 

Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before cutting into squares. These are very rich, cut into small squares. If eating right away, place on platter and serve. If the bars start to get too soft, place in refrigerator to firm up a bit. 

Store in an air-tight container in refrigerator.

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Chocolate Raspberry Tarts

Looking for a decadent treat for your Valentine? Nothing says "I love you"  like a home made chocolate dessert.
Well, maybe diamonds.
Yeah, diamonds or chocolate.
In that order.
Love you.



Step by step instructions. Just for you :)

Make the crust, press into individual tart pans. Got mine at HomeGoods 6 for $4.99 .

Bake and remove from oven to cool completely.

After crust is cooled, spread with about a tablespoon of raspberry or strawberry jam.

Break up the chocolate...

Heat up heavy cream just until barely boiling, reduce heat and add chocolate.

Turn off heat and whisk until thick and creamy. 

Try not to eat all of the chocolate while testing. 

Spoon thickened chocolate mixture into the prepared crusts. Almost done.

Wash the fresh raspberries, drain on paper towels. 

Arrange raspberries on top of the filling, dust with a little powdered sugar just before serving. 

Chocolate Raspberry Tarts

adapted from David Lebovitz

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1 stick (4 oz) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
about 3/4 cup seedless raspberry or strawberry jam
8 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
6 ounces fresh raspberries
1/2 tsp water
powdered sugar for dusting

Beat butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the egg yolk, beat well, and scrape down sides of bowl.
Add the flour and cocoa powder, beat on the lowest speed until dough has just come together (but still has small to medium clumps) and looks moist with a dark uniform color. Scrape down the bowl and use the spatula to incorporate anything that isn’t mixed in.
Lightly grease the pans, then wipe out the excess grease. Divide dough and place into 6- 4 inch tart pans. Use your fingers to evenly press dough and spread along bottom of the pans and up the sides.  ( if the dough is too soft, refrigerate the dough 15 minutes before pressing). This dough may be made in advance*see tips below.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with  rack in the lower third of oven. Place dough filled pans on a cookie sheet and bake in lower third for 15 minutes. Remove and change to middle rack for 8 more minutes, for a total of 20-23 minutes baking time.
Remove tart pans to a cooling rack and use the rounded side of a spoon to press the center down and make more room for filling. Let cool completely (you can do this in refrigerator for faster results).
Set a tablespoon of the jam aside in a small bowl or glass. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of jam into each tart crust and spread to cover the bottom.
Heat the heavy cream over medium heat in a saucepan, taking care to not scorch. Put chopped chocolate in with the heavy cream in the saucepan. Remove from heat. Begin whisking gently to blend completely and melt all the chocolate.  Chocolate will blend into the cream and form a smooth, thick filling. Spoon ganache evenly into each crust.
Refrigerate the tarts for at least 1 hour, until the filling is firm. Remove from fridge and arrange raspberries on top of each tart.
Mix reserved tablespoon of jam with the 1/2 teaspoon of water and heat in microwave for about 15 seconds. Brush the jam mixture onto the tops of the arranged raspberries if desired**. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving. Use a mesh strainer to sift a dusting of sugar onto the tarts just before serving.

Tips:

-* The dough keeps 3 days in refrigerator and 6 weeks in freezer.

-**I did not take the time to glaze the berries after placing on the tarts. This step is important if you are keeping the tarts for more than a day, it will help the berries to stay looking fresh. Also, it gives the berries a nice shiny glazed look. 

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Cutler's Frosted Peanut Butter Cookies

It's January 15. Are you ready to break your New Years resolution? Read on.
Back in November, Curt Cutler taught a class on one of his best sellers: Frosted Peanut Butter cookies. The class was packed, and everyone left with little tricks and tips on how to make the perfect chocopeanutbutter treat. You've never had one of these delightful goodies? Think of chocolate chip cookie dough, only with peanut butter chips instead of chocolate. Add a thin layer of peanut butter frosting, topped with chocolate butter cream frosting.
Oh my.
Forget the diet.
Get out the mixer.
BTW - If you live in the area and want to learn how to make Cutler's famous Sugar cookies  Curt's teaching a class on Wednesday, January 30.  Two classes:
10 am  and 2 pm  (update-both filled as of 1/24). Ten dollars buys you: instruction, recipes, a sample and lunch. Pre-registration required. Hurry classes are filling up fast.
Where else can you get a deal like that?
Btown.
Love it.






Cutler's Frosted Peanut Butter Cookies
Curt Cutler
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1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3 1/4 cups cake flour ( he uses cake flour in all of Cutler's cookies)
1- 12 oz bag Reese's Peanut Butter chips (no substitutions)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven.
Cream together butter, sugars, salt, baking soda and powder.  Add vanilla and eggs. Mix well.
Add flour and peanut butter chips. Mix just until flour and chips are blended together.
Using a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop, or just a large spoon, scoop into 2 inch balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet about 4 inches apart.  I bake about 8 cookies per sheet.
Bake for about 12 minutes, or until set.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/2 cup butter, soft-room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (not natural)
milk to thin to proper consistency (whole milk is best)

Cream together room-temperature butter and powdered sugar. Add peanut butter and beat until smooth. Add milk a tablespoon at time, just until frosting is smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Chocolate Frosting
1 cup butter or 1/2 and 1/2 blend butter/margarine
5-6 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (or less if you like a lighter cocoa frosting)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 to 1/3 cup milk

Cream butter and 5 cups powdered sugar. Add cocoa and vanilla. Add milk a tablespoon at a time until frosting is smooth. If needed, add more powdered sugar.

After cookies are cooled, frost with peanut butter frosting. Then frost on top of the peanut butter frosting with the chocolate frosting. When spreading the chocolate frosting on top of the peanut butter frosting, be very gentle and leave a small space between the edge of the peanut butter frosting and the chocolate frosting for a layered frosting look (see photos).

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Chewy Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Question of the day. What could possibly make a simple Coconut Cookie recipe better?
One word. Chocolate.
I fiddled with Martha's basic cookie recipe (which I found on this site) and came up with this chewy, chocolaty nugget of goodness yesterday afternoon. If you love chocolate and coconut together...
Merry Christmas to you.



























Chewy Chocolate Coconut Cookies
A Bountiful Kitchen
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1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon coconut emulsion
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (add an additional 1/4 cup if you are high altitude)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
11/2 cup sweetened coconut, divided (1/2 for batter, 1 cup for rolling and topping)
1-2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack on center of oven.
Cream butter and sugar together in large bowl or mixing bowl fitted with paddle. Add egg and mix until smooth. Add coconut emulsion and vanilla, mix. Add flour, salt, soda and cocoa powder. Mix just until flour disappears and all ingredients are incorporated. Do not over mix.
Fold in 1/2 cup coconut. Mixture may be dry and not form together well. If this is the case, add one to two tablespoons of milk and gently mix, just until dough comes together. I used one tablespoon.
Scoop the dough out using a 1 1/2 inch cookie scoop or a spoon, form into balls.
Roll balls of dough into coconut on one side. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet or parchment paper.
Slightly flatten the dough. Bake at 350 degrees, for about 10 minutes.
When set, remove from oven and top with additional coconut while cookies are still hot. Lightly press the coconut into the top of the cookie.
Makes about 18 cookies.

Tips:

-Check out Cake Central for questions about emulsion vs extract.

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Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Day three of our CCE; this recipe won the LDS Living Best Cookie Recipe Contest in 2011. If you are baking for a lemon lover, they’ll love this treat. Some people say you either are a chocolate or lemon lover.
Really?
It’s like choosing which child is your favorite.
Always a fun discussion to have with your children.
Oh reminder, Christmas is 20 days away!
You’re welcome.
Happy baking :)

Lemon Crinkle Cookies
adapted from LDS Living Magazine

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Makes 1 dozen cookies ( I recommend doubling this recipe)

Ingredients:
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 cup cake flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (I use the convection setting).
Grease light colored baking sheets lightly with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Or use parchment lined baking sheets.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again.
Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly.
Pour powdered sugar into a bowl.
Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough (I use a 1 ½ inch cookie scoop) into a ball and roll in powdered sugar.
Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.
Bake for 8-9 minutes* or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies are set.
Remove from oven and let cookies cool completely.

Tips:
*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.
-The original recipe calls for 1 ½ cups all pupose flour. I baked these several times and found the cookies were not as puffy as I would like. We live at about 4400 ft above sea level and have to add additional flour to achieve a cookie that is not completely flat after baking. I tried adding additional all purpose flour, but found using a total of 1 ¾ cups of cake flour produced the result I wanted- a cookie that was still chewy and moist, but not flat.
-If you are baking in an oven that is a professional model (Wolf, Viking, etc) made for home use, bake at 325 convection, 6-7 minutes.
-My friends Jo, Diane and Nan made a recipe similar to this for a shower in our neighborhood. My other friend Jo (yes two friends named Jo) made lemon sorbet to go with the lemon cookies. YUMMY. Click on their names for links to some truly wonderful recipes :)

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