Pecan Pie Bites

The Super Bowl is coming up in a little over a week, and, while I have never been one to turn up my nose at a delicious, hot, melty, savory dip (and will be making and devouring a few of those for the occasion, as a matter of fact), dessert is something that can never be ignored -- even when it comes to the Super Bowl.

Wow, that was a long sentence.

Anyway. I made these for Thanksgiving, but I think pecan pie is appropriate for pretty much every occasion, Super Bowl and random Tuesdays included. These little pecan pies using phyllo shells are perfect, because they can be assembled ahead of time, they're corn syrup-free, and they're as delicious as they are adorable. We topped ours with dollops of whipped cream, which I believe is a must when we're talking about pecan pie in any way, shape, or form. Yum.

Pecan Pie Bites

from Skinnytaste

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 large egg

4 teaspoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

15 miniature phyllo shells (1 package, from the frozen section)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except pecans. Mix well. Stir in chopped pecans.

3. Arrange mini shells on a baking sheet. Fill mini shells with one heaping teaspoon of pecan mixture. If any of the mixture remains, distribute evenly between all the shells.

4. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Turtle Cheesecake

Oh hi there! I have to apologize, once again, for my absence in this space. We’ve been dealing with some more sickness in my house, this time of the type that is not appropriate to speak of on a food blog. Needless to say, food has been the last thing on my mind as of late.

But let’s talk about more pleasant things, shall we? Let’s talk about cheesecake. Cheesecake is one of the most decadent, delicious, indulgent desserts I can think of, and in my opinion, the richer it is, the better it is. If you’re going to indulge in some cheesecake, you might as well make it the most luxurious piece of cheesecake possible, right?

I made this turtle cheesecake for a recent family gathering*, and it was a massive hit. Everyone absolutely loved it, and rightfully so. Turtles by themselves are already so rich, but when you add caramel, chocolate, and pecans to cheesecake? Well, the result is unimaginably delicious. There is absolutely no way to go wrong with that combination.

You know what I might try when I make this again? A pretzel crust, instead of a vanilla wafer one. How good would that be?!

Turtle Cheesecake
adapted from Allrecipes

2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
14 ounces individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1 5-ounce can evaporated milk
1 cup chopped pecans
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter one 9-inch springform pan.

2. Toast the pecans for 6 minutes. Remove pecans and set aside.

3. Combine vanilla wafer crumbs with the melted butter and press into the bottom of the prepared springform pan. Place the pan onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

4. In a double boiler, or a bowl set over barely simmering water, melt the caramels in the evaporated milk. Stir until smooth. Pour half of the caramel over the cooled crust. Sprinkle half of the nuts over the top, then 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips.

5. In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth, scraping down the bowl several times. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until smooth. Gently stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Pour the batter over the caramel layer.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until barely set. Let cool at room temperature.

7. When cheesecake is cooled, spread remaining caramel over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining pecans. Melt the final 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and drizzle over the top. Chill until serving.

*Christmas. I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to share this with you.

2011 Christmas Cookies Recap

As you know, I recently got done sharing all of the Christmas treats I made for last year’s cookie trays. Last weekend, I spent an entire day baking cookies for our family, neighbors, and friends. It was exhausting and stressful, but it was also incredibly rewarding when Andrew, Will and I delivered overflowing trays of goodies to everyone earlier this week.

Rather than saving the cookie recipes to share with you next year, I thought I’d go ahead and write about them now. I’m doing this for a couple of reasons: 1. Because I’ve talked to some people who aren’t doing their holiday baking until tomorrow (Christmas Eve), and this may give those people a few yummy last minute ideas; and 2. Because I didn’t have the time to take a picture of each cookie individually. Frankly, while I was baking these cookies, I didn’t even have time to stop and eat. (Well, aside from the baked goods and cookie dough I was sampling all day long.)

Before I started baking last Sunday morning, I wrote out my agenda on my trusty chalkboard door:

By the end of the day, all of these items except for two were crossed off – and one additional item was added (but I’ll get to that in a minute). My failures were the peppermint fudge, which never sat up for me properly, and the soft sugar cookies. I tried baking three different batches of them, but they came out incredibly dry and sort of flavorless each time.

The rest, though, were absolutely delicious, and so far I’ve gotten tons of positive feedback on all of these things. I already told you about the hot cocoa mix and dipping spoons and the hot chocolate popcorn. Here’s the rest of what I made:

Buckeyes and pretzel turtles: These are yearly staples for me, and they always go over well with everyone. This year my sister dipped the Buckeyes for me, and she did a much better job than I ever do, so that’s totally her job from now on.

Mint chocolate chip cookie dough truffles: Everyone has loved these so far. More than one person has told me that it’s so fun to bite into a truffle and see something that looks like mint chocolate chip ice cream on the inside. They’re pretty tasty, but they don’t have quite enough mint flavor for me. Next time, I’d add an additional 1/4 teaspoon of mint extract.

Nutter Butter snowmen: Are these little guys cute or what?! I usually make Santas, but thought these snowmen would be a fun change. They’re basically candy, coated with candy, and decorated with more candy. Needless to say, they’ve been a huge hit, and well worth the time it took to make them (nearly two hours for one package of Nutter Butters)!

Rugelach: This was the first time I’ve ever made rugelach, so I picked a popular recipe that was pretty highly rated and sounded simple enough for me to make. Well, I must have good recipe-picking skills, because these were perfect. The dough is so lovely and flaky and not too sweet, and the filling of walnuts, chocolate chips, and cinnamon sugar is just absolutely scrumptious. Everyone loves these, and I’ve had multiple requests for the recipe.

Chocolate caramel cookies: These are similar to the Snickers cookies I’ve made before, except the cookie base is chocolate and they’re stuffed with a Rolo instead of a mini Snickers bar. These cookies are rich and sweet, with a nice caramel surprise in the middle.

Lofthouse sugar cookie bars with easy buttercream frosting: When the soft sugar cookies failed me thrice, I did a quick online search for something sugar cookie-ish that didn’t involve a dough that I could make quickly. Thankfully, I had everything on hand to make these. And although they were a last-minute addition to the cookie trays, they’re actually my favorite thing I made this year. They taste exactly like a Lofthouse cookie, with a sweet, silky frosting and the soft crunch of holiday sprinkles. LOVE.

Oatmeal butterscotch coconut cookies: Annie said these are the best oatmeal scotchies she’s ever tried, and I agree. They’re definitely the best ones I’ve ever had. The shredded coconut and toffee bits just take them to a completely new level. I only had quick-cooking oats on hand, so that’s what I used for the cookies, and they turned out just fine. This is one loaded, delicious cookie.

Red velvet crinkles: These cookies start with cake mix, so immediately I love them, because I love easy things like cake mixes when I’m baking cookies for AN ENTIRE DAY. I added 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the mix and left out the lemon zest, but otherwise made the cookies as indicated. They came together in minutes, and they’re so festive and pretty, with that familiar red velvet flavor everyone loves.

Hot chocolate triple chip cookies: Joe had his eye on these cookies before they’d even been baked, when they were still just raw balls of cookie dough sitting on baking trays. They were the first thing he tried when presented with all of my day’s efforts, and were definitely his favorite of all of this year’s offerings. These cookies are gigantic and rich. You can really taste the hot chocolate flavor in them. I loved them, too, but because I’m not a huge fan of white chocolate chips in cookies, I’ll probably replace those with another cup of milk chocolate chips when I make these again (and I will, because they’re almost gone, and Joe will soon be clamoring for another batch, I have no doubt).

Chocolate cherry blossoms: This is a change-up of the traditional peanut butter blossom. It’s a cherry cookie instead, with both cherry juice and chopped maraschino cherries in the base. I really liked these cookies. The texture is really soft, and the cherry flavor is definitely there, and strong enough that the Hershey’s Kiss doesn’t overpower it. I thought these were definitely the prettiest cookies of all the types I made.

Are you exhausted, just reading about all of this? I was definitely exhausted by the time I finished baking all of it on Sunday evening! It was so worth it, though, to be able to give plates of delicious baked goods to the people I care about. And even while I’m recovering from all that baking, I’m already thinking about what I’m going to make next year…

I want to wish all of you Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I hope your holiday is merry, bright, peaceful, and spent as every holiday should be: with the people you love the most in the world.

Autumn Chopped Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

Like a lot of people I know, I’m addicted to Pinterest. I enjoy it not just for recipes, but also for crafts and home decoration ideas. But mostly, if I’m being completely honest, for recipes. The recipes I may actually do something with. Finding the time to craft and redecorate is much harder. But finding the time to make this salad was easy!

I absolutely loved all the flavors of this salad. It’s composed of pears, bacon, quick-candied pecans, dried cranberries, and feta cheese, all tossed with crispy romaine and drizzled with maple vinaigrette. The pears and pecans provide sweetness, the bacon and feta give it saltiness, and the cranberries and the vinaigrette provide another level of tangy sweetness. What a delicious ode to the flavors of autumn.

Joe was pleasantly surprised by the salad, too. I don’t think he expected to like it, but he really did – especially the dressing, which I threw together on a whim instead of using the poppy seed dressing and balsamic vinaigrette called for in the original recipe. I thought the maple would work really well with the other flavors, and it did. We both loved this, and we’d planned to eat the leftovers for lunch the next day…but there were none. That’s how good it was!

Autumn Chopped Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
salad adapted from Espresso and Cream; dressing is my recipe

For the salad:

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Pinch of cinnamon
8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 medium pear, thinly sliced
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
1 cup dried cranberries
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

For the maple vinaigrette:

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add pecans and cook until lightly toasted and fragrant. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook until slightly caramelized. Remove from heat to cool.

2. In a large bowl or on a serving platter, combine the lettuce, pear, bacon, cranberries and feta cheese. Stir in pecans.

3. To make the dressing, whisk together the vinegar and maple syrup. Whisk in olive oil until thoroughly combined. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Drizzle dressing over salad.

One year ago: Mint cookies and cream ice cream

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

I love all types of breakfast food, but the problem is that I’m not really much of a morning person. The last thing I want to do when I wake up in the morning is make a huge breakfast. So breakfasts around our house usually consist of yogurt, cereal, oatmeal, smoothies, or frozen waffles. (I’m surely going to food blogger hell for that last thing, right?)

But on one recent weekend I woke up feeling motivated, and I wanted to make something different for breakfast. I realized I had all of the ingredients on hand for these pancakes, so I decided to make us a special breakfast treat.

And what a treat these were! How do I even begin to describe the deliciousness? I could start with the pancakes themselves, which have the perfect amount of cinnamon-y spice and aren’t overly sweet. Or I could start with the toasted pecans, which are pulsed with sweet maple syrup. Or maybe I should start with the yummy vanilla glaze?

Tell you what: Why don’t you just make these this weekend? That would save me a lot of trouble trying to describe how good they are. Seriously, the only thing I would do differently next time is double the recipe.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
from Elly Says Opa!

1 egg

1 cup milk or buttermilk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon butter, melted

2/3 cup pecans

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Drop of vanilla

Milk

1. Preheat a griddle or pan and grease if necessary. Beat the egg and mix it with the milk, vanilla and brown sugar in a large bowl. Sift in the flour, cinnamon, and baking powder. Add the butter and mix lightly together with a spatula.

2. Spoon out the batter in equal amounts onto the hot griddle. Cook until you start to see bubbles forming around the edges and a little on the top. Flip the pancakes and finish cooking on the other side.

3. Meanwhile, toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat until they become fragrant. Put them in a mini food processor with the maple syrup and pulse until well combined and paste-like (adding more syrup, if you wish).

4. To make the glaze, sift the confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Add the vanilla and a little milk until you get the proper consistency.

5. To plate, place a little bit of the pecan-maple paste in between each stacked pancake and drizzle with the glaze. Add more pecans and some powdered sugar on top, if desired.