Pecan Praline Cookies

I've been in a fall frame of mind and I needed to make some cookies for a friend's birthday so I combined everything and pulled this recipe out of my "need to try" box.  I'm glad I did because they were delicious!

I think that I might go ahead and add these to my Christmas Cookie Exchange list.  I love the icing on top of these; it makes a lovely difference of texture on the cookie.

Pecan Praline Cookies:
(My Own Sweet Thyme)


1 cup butter, softened
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup finely chopped pecans
Brown Sugar Frosting (see below)
Pecan halves for garnish

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer. Gradually add sugars, mixing well. Add egg and vanilla; beat well.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, soda and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture, stirring after each addition. Stir in the chopped pecans and chill dough for 30 minutes.

When chilled, remove from the refrigerator. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place the balls of dough on ungreased cookie sheets or sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

After the cookies cool spread the brown sugar frosting over the tops of the cookies and top each cookie with half of a pecan.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.


Brown Sugar Frosting:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup half & half
1 Tablespoon butter
1½ cups sifted powdered sugar (plus a little more if needed)

Combine brown sugar and half & half in a saucepan.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil 4 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in butter. Add 1½ cups powdered sugar. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add a little more powdered sugar, if needed, to achieve a desired spreading consistency.

Spiced Fig Cake

I made fig jam this weekend and had some left over figs.  Figs are sweet and since I didn't have any bacon or prosciutto around I decided on a fig cake.

As I've said before chemistry is not my forte so I went looking for a basic cake recipe to use with my figs.  I came across this one on All Recipes and went nuts making to work for me.

I used Brown Turkey Figs for this cake (I used up all my Black Mission Figs in the jam I made earlier that day).  I don't honestly know what the difference is between them;  Publix didn't have a good explanation on the picture.

Spiced Fig Cake:
(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped fresh figs

Frosting:
3 figs, finely chopped
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fig jam (optional, but it's super good)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with vegetable oil spray.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter with the sugar until fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Add flour mixture alternately with the two milks. Fold in vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chopped figs.

Divide into two prepared 8 inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry.  Let the cake cool before trying to frost.

To make the frosting:

Using a mixer mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and jam (if using) together in a small bowl.  Fold in the finely chopped figs and the fig jam.  If you want the frosting to be thicker add more sugar.  If it's too thick add a couple teaspoons of water or cream, but be careful not to add too much.


This isn't going to be a frosting that comes out beautifully in a piping bag but it'll make a really pretty, homey looking cake (and it's delicious... so who the crap cares?!).

Lemon Rosemary Cake with Strawberry Frosting

This is one of the most interesting cake recipes that I've seen.   I associate rosemary with savory things, like chicken, not in a sweet dessert cake.  This cake is really good and a great surprise for me.  

I decided to put a strawberry frosting on it.  I think that the flavors in the cake can really stand up to the sweeter frosting.

Lemon Rosemary Cake with Strawberry Frosting:

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups turbinado sugar
4 eggs at room temperature
¼ cup lemon zest
2 tablespoons chopped rosemary leaves
3 cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup lemon juice
¾ c buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13x9 inch pan. Cream together the
butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy and a pale yellow color, approximately
5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time making sure they are completely incorporated before
adding the next one. Add zest and rosemary.

Sift together all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine lemon juice, buttermilk and
vanilla in another bowl.
 

Alternate adding flour and buttermilk mixture to the batter, beginning and ending with
the flour.
 

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until tester comes out clean.

Strawberry Frosting:
1 package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/4 sticks butter, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract4 tablespoons strawberry jam (not jelly)

Mix everything together in a mixer.  Taste as you and and feel free to add more extract, sugar, or jam as you go.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

It's almost Valentines day so I decided it was the perfect time to make some red velvet cake.  I also love whoopie pies and have been wanting to make some more this year.  I found this recipe on Annie's Eats and decided to give it a try.  I loved that Annie piped these into hearts.  It's just so cute.

Everyone that enjoys red velvet knows that you have to eat it with cream cheese frosting, there's no other way.  I used this recipe.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies:
(Annie’s Eats)

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 oz. red food coloring

Directions:
 
Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the egg until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Blend in the vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, beat in about a third of the dry ingredients, followed by half of the buttermilk, beating each addition just until incorporated.  Repeat so that all the buttermilk has been added and then mix in the final third of dry ingredients.  Do not overbeat.  Blend in the food coloring.
 

There are a couple of ways to get these on the cookie sheet.  If you use a piping bag the cookies will have a better chance of coming out even, however... don't worry if you don't have a piping bag or if you don't want to use one.  Use two spoons and just make little balls.

Bake 7-9 minutes or until the tops are set, rotating the baking sheets halfway through.  Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets at least 10 minutes, until they can be easily transferred to a cooling rack.  Repeat with any remaining batter.  Allow cookies to cool completely. 

Pair the cookies up by shape and size.  Pipe frosting onto the flat-side of one of the cookie of each pair. Sandwich the cookies together so the flat sides are facing each other and press gently to help the filling reach the edges. 

Looks like another one I can cross off of my 2011 To Do List!

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese frosting is the bee's knee's.  It's my favorite, by far.  It's a classic frosting and is good on everything.  It's also super easy to make.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
12 ounces cream cheese
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2½ cups powdered sugar

In a bowl beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth.  Mix in the vanilla extract.  Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until incorporated, beat until smooth. 

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Happy Day Before Halloween!  I thought this would be a good recipe in case anyone was still looking for ideas for Halloween snacks.

I used this frosting to top my Pumpkin Cupcakes.  According to Mr. T it's what made the cupcakes.  It's pretty basic but sometimes that's all you need.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:
(adapted from Baked)

3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp freshly ground cinnamon

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth with no visible lumps. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined.

Add the powdered sugar, syrup, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add cinnamon.

Peanut Butter Buttercream

I did a small catering event for my mom this weekend.  It was a two day painting workshop that she was teaching.  I provided lunch for both days.  One of the days I make chocolate whoopie pies with a peanut butter frosting.

Peanut Butter Buttercream:
(Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:

2/3 cup natural, creamy peanut butter
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
Fine salt (optional)

Directions:

Cream peanut butter and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed. 

On low speed, mix in sugar until combined, then beat mixture on high speed until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add salt to taste.

I really like this frosting.  It's not too sweet, which the older I get the more I appreciate.  I would not skip the salt, I think it adds another layer of flavor.

Coconut Cupcakes

Easter was this past weekend.  My family doesn't usually throw a big Easter dinner.  We're more of the Thanksgiving/Christmas people.  Anyways... my aunt e-mailed me to see if I would be willing to bring desserts for the dinner.  Since I love desserts and I love making them I said sure!

I got the idea for the Coconut-Key Lime cupcakes from nestie Marafaye.

Coconut Cupcakes

by Ina Garten; The Barefoot Contessa
Makes 18-20 cupcakes

Ingredients:
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Key Lime Buttercream Frosting:(Southern Living)

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons of Key Lime zest
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 Tbsp lime juice
1 (16-oz) box powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoon milk

Directions:

In a large bowl (or in a mixer), combine butter, vanilla, and lime zest. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add powdered sugar alternately with Key lime juice, 1 Tbsp. at a time, and 1 Tbsp. milk, beating at low speed until blended and smooth after each addition. Beat in up to 1 Tbsp. additional milk for desired consistency.