cranberry-pistachio nougat

I have seen many nougat recipes this year.  the idea of making it intrigued me.  When we were studying The Chronicles of Narnia, we made Turkish Delight to see what exactly the queen used to trick Edmund.  It was okay, but not fabulous.  We felt like we had missed something.  I have also made taffy, but all of that pulling- no thanks.  In my mind, I envisioned this silky, sticky substance that surely must be what nougat is.  Since we normally make a cranberry pistachio white chocolate bark, I figured why not try something new this year.  I will warn you, this recipe is a culmination of several attempts.  Some effort is required, but honestly, the cutting and wrapping is the most difficult part.  I have read that this process is similar to making marshmallows, so now, those are on my agenda!

 Cranberry Pistachio nougat

4 cups sugar

2 1/2 cups corn syrup

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup water

1 tsp salt

4 egg whites

2 cups pistachios

2 cups dried cranberries

2 tsp vanilla (use rosewater if you'd like)

3-4 drops red food coloring

Beat egg whites to stiff peaks.

Spray a 9x13 pan with spray, line with parchment, spray liberally again.  When you think it is sprayed enough, spray it again.  Get the sides too-trust me.

Meanwhile, place sugar, honey, corn syrup, water, and salt in a large heavy saucepan.  Cook, stirring constantly on medium-low heat until mixture reaches 250. (hard ball stage)  Use a candy thermometer or drop into ice water to see if sugar forms a hard ball.  Once this stage is reached, slowly pour about one cup of the hot sugar liquid slowly into the egg whites and whip on high speed until mixture is stiff peaks again.

Place the rest of the mixture back over the heat.  continue to cook, while constantly stirring to 300.  Hard crack stage.  Now, with mixer running, slowly drizzle the remaining sugar down the side of the bowl into the egg whites.  The bowl will become VERY HOT.  Be careful.  Add the vanilla or rosewater during this time.  When mixed well, turn to low, add the food coloring one drop at a time, until the desired color is achieved.  I was looking for a nice pink.  Add pistachios and dried cranberries.

Scrape the hot nougat into the prepared dish.  Spread it out with a spatula.  (Spray it with cooking spray first)  I let the pan sit in my unheated oven for a few hours to cool.  

When you are ready to cut, I found using a pizza cutter that has been sprayed with pan spray worked great.  To separate pieces for wrapping, dip your hands in some warm water, it goes much more quickly.  cut into 1 inch squares, wrap in plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator.

salted caramels

The further we get into my holiday baking obsession; you will see my love of caramel.  (Peanut butter is pretty wonderful also.)  So, today you get salted caramels.  If the idea of making caramel terrifies you, don't worry, it's not very difficult   I have made these with and without a candy thermometer.  Save yourself some trouble, use one!  Don't skimp in the ingredients here.  Real butter and whipping cream make a huge difference in flavor.

Salted caramels

1 cup white sugar

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup butter

2 cups whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp soy sauce

1 TBS sea salt

Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper and butter well.

Place sugars, butter, cream, corn syrup, and soy sauce in a heavy saucepan.  (Give it plenty of room to grow.)  Cook, stirring constantly on medium-low heat until the mixture reaches 250.  This is soft ball stage.  I tend to cook mine to 255 because I prefer a slightly more firm candy.  The choice is yours.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Spread into prepared pan, sprinkle with sea salt, allow to cool completely.

You can cook this to 240 and use as a caramel sauce.  That is wonderful also!

An entire box of wrapped caramels.

Caramel shortbread bars

These turned out so delicious!  A nice, buttery shortbread cookie with a gooey caramel layer.  add a little chocolate on top and there you go.  this recipe is pretty easy and very delicious.

Caramel shortbread bars

Shortbread layer
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup ground pecans or walnuts
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

Mix until this forms a dough.  this dough will be fairly soft.  press into a well greased 9x13 pan.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes until golden.  remove from oven and cool completely.


Caramel layer
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup butter
Mix together in a saucepan, cook on medium-low heat, stirring constantly until bubbly.  continue to cook to hard ball stage (260 on a candy thermometer or until mixture forms a hard ball when dropped into ice water)
Spread over completely cooled shortbread.
Top with chocolate chips, or an entire layer of chocolate if desired.
Allow to cool at least an hour before cutting.  You can do it!

It's almost December!

You know you are hoping we will be mailing you one of our delicious boxes full of treats.  today, I have made toffee.  It is carmely, buttery, crunchy deliciousness.  This recipe is super easy.  

Toffee

2 cups flour

1 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cup softened butter

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup chocolate chips

Put flour and 1/2 cup pecans in a food processor.  Pulse until the
pecans are ground.  Add 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter.  Pulse
until thee mixture forms coarse crumbs.
spread into a well greased 9x13 pan.
Combine 1 cup butter and 3/4 cup brown sugar in a saucepan.  heat on low, stirring constantly until boiling.  Continue to stir about 5 minutes until mixture turns caramel in color.  Do not burn!  (That is not delicious!)
Pour this lovely caramel over the crust layer.
Now, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup pecans.
bake at 350 for 18 minutes.  the caramel will bubble and mix with the flour level.  resist the urge to open the door and look at it.  just trust it to do the magic.
When the time is finally up, pull from oven, and sprinkle with chocolate chips.  (We also added some butterscotch chips just for fun.)
You can spread out the chips to make a chocolate layer or even use more chips if you would like it to be really chocolatey.  I just love the caramel flavor, so I went with the less is more approach.

Lemon Blueberry Zucchini bread

The holiday baking continues!

Lemon Blueberry Zucchini bread

2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini

2 cups sugar

1 cup canola oil

3 cups flour

3 eggs

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 TBS cinnamon

1/2 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp lemon extract

1 cup thawed, frozen blueberries drained

zest from 1 lemon

Beat together oil and sugar until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well.  Add all spices and extracts.  when well mixed, add baking powder, baking soda, and flour.  Do not over mix!  Fold in blueberries and lemon zest.

Pour into 2 greased bread pans.  Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.  

holiday whoopie pies

Continuing with the holiday baking extravaganza  I present whoopie pies!  I actually made 2 versions of these.  One with a chocolate cookie and vanilla filling.  Another with Andes mints.

Chocolate whoopie pies

Cookies:

4 1/2 cup flour

2 cups butter flavored crisco

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

4 eggs extract

1 TBS baking soda

1 TBS vanilla

1 large box chocolate instant pudding

Cream Crisco and sugars until fluffy.

Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix in flour and baking soda.

bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.  the center will still

be a little soft. Do not overbake.  To make whoopie pies, use a scoop so all are the same size.

I also added Andes mint pieces to the batter in another batch.  they were fabulous!

filling:

2 cups Rich's Bettercreme.

1/4 tsp mint extract

Whip together to stiff peaks.

We rolled these in sprinkles, but i think candy cane pieces would be lovely.

Cranberry cheesecake

The party went as great as I expected.  It is always nice to see the extended family and catch up.  I love my family and am blessed to have them in my life.  to continue with the holiday baking, i brought cranberry cheesecake to the party.  (and a ham, but that isn't nearly as exciting.)

Cranberry cheesecake

crust

1 sleeve of graham crackers

3 TBS butter, melted

1 TBS sugar.

crush graham crackers, mix with sugar and butter.  Press into the bottom and a bout 1/2 inch up the side of a springform pan.

Cheesecake

4 blocks of cream cheese at room temperature

5 eggs

1 1/2 cup sugar

2/3 cup half and half

2/3 cup sour cream

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

In a stand mixer, beat cream cheese until fluffy.  Add sugar and mix well.  Mix in eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated.  Add salt and vanilla.  After well mixed, add sour cream and half and half.  At this point, don't over beat, just mix until well combined.

Pour over crust.  Bake at 325 for an hour in a water bath.  (this prevents cracking.)  If you are not familiar with a water bath, just place a 9x13 pan of hot water in the oven.  Wrap the bottom and sides of your springform pan with foil to keep the water out, and place springform pan into the water.

Once the cheesecake is baked, turn off the oven, open the door slightly, and allow to cool in oven for 4 hours.  Transfer to the refrigerator for another 4 hours.

To remove from pan, simply pop the spring on your pan and remove the sides.  If it sticks a little, just run a butter knife around the edges and wiggle the pan gently.

Cranberry sauce:

1 package fresh cranberries

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup orange juice (the juice from one orange)

zest from one orange

Place water, cranberries, and sugar in a saucepan.  Simmer on low for a few minutes, stir in orange juice and zest.  Continue to simmer until thickened.  Pour into a shallow pan and place in the refrigerator for several hours until cooled

Balsamic whipped cream

Mix 1 cup whipping cream, 1 TBS balsamic vinegar, and 1/4 cup sugar in mixer.  Beat until stiff peaks form.

To assemble:

Place cooled cheesecake on serving platter, top with cranberry sauce, pipe whipped cream on the outside.

ENJOY!