Maple Pecan Cookies

i love to bake cookies this time of year.  of course i made some old stand-bys: chocolate chip cookies and molasses ones.  but for me the best cookies are chewy, and in baking terms chewy means oatmeal.  last year i made white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies and i continued to make them all year long.  but this year i wanted to try something new.  i saw this recipe in a newspaper magazine, and then made my own adjustments and added butterscotch and chocolate chips. and after tasting them, i know i will continue to make these in 2011.

 

maple pecan cookies

3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tbs light corn syrup
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup boiling water
1 tsp maple or vanilla extract
2 cups chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

preheat oven to 300 degrees and position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  combine oats, coconut, flour, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a large bowl; whisk to blend. combine butter, maple syrup, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan.  heat over medium heat until butter melts, stirring occasionally; remove from heat. combine baking soda and boiling water, stirring to dissolve.  add to maple syrup mixture, stirring well.  add maple/vanilla extract.  stir into dry ingredients, add pecans; stir well.  place 1/4 cup size balls of dough on baking sheets, 3 inches apart, flatten slightly.  bake 18 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and set, rotating positions halfway through the baking process.  cool on the baking sheets 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Cranberry Pecan Bread

if turkey day taught you anything, you should know that it’s officially cranberry season.  you see the funny ocean spray cranberry commercials and see them stocked in your local grocery store.  as my brother put it, you can only wean yourself off pumpkin by eating cranberries. normally i like to share my own recipes, but this bread is too good to not share.  i made it a bit different than emeril’s original.  i hope you enjoy it.

Cranberry Pecan Bread
1/4 cup orange flavored liqueur
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick, halved
2 cups fresh cranberries
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a saucepan, combine the orange liqueur, sugar, water, cloves, and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the cranberries. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the berries burst, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the berries cool in the liquid. Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves and discard.

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. spray a 9 1/4 by 5 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray.

in a mixer bowl, using the mixer on high speed (or using a hand mixer), cream the sugar and butter. add the eggs and beat until light and fluffy. into a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. in a small bowl, combine the buttermilk and orange juice. alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk mixture to the creamed butter, beating after the addition of each. Fold in the reserved cranberry mixture, pecans, and vanilla. pour into the prepared loaf pan. bake until a tester comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes.

turn out onto a wire rack to cool. serve warm or at room temperature.

tips

• the bread can be made ahead of time. keep it by wrapping it tightly and store it at room temperature for 1 day or freeze it for up to 2 weeks.
• instead of using a cinnamon stick i just added some cinnamon, about 1 teaspoon.
• you can make your own buttermilk instead of buying it by mixing 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar.  let stand for 5 minutes, then add to the recipe.
• you can also use leftover cranberry sauce.  just skip the directions to start creaming your butter and brown sugar.
• i’ve always been tempted to add chocolate chips to this recipe.  if anyone does, let me know how to comes out.

Apple Pie

a few years ago when i decided i wanted to learn how to cook, i started by going over my aunt’s house for lessons.  she taught me how to cook lebanese dishes and how to really measure.  we don’t use measuring cups…we just guestimate.  and everytime i went over i would bring an apple pie.  it was the only thing i knew how to make and my uncle was a big fan.  so with all the apples i picked i promised him that i would make him an apple pie.   this recipe couldn’t be easier.

Apple Pie
6 golden delicious apples, cored, peeled and sliced
1 cup sugar
1/4 c flour
1 tbs cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 package of refrigerated pie crust
nonstick cooking spray
aluminum foil

preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  spray a 9-inch pie pan with nonstick cooking spray and then lay 1 pie crust against the bottom and sides of the pan.  in a very large bowl combine the apples, 3/4 tbs cinnamon, 1 c and 2 tbs sugar, and salt and then pour into the pie pan.  cover with the other crust and press the bottom crust over the top to make a seal.  spray the pie with nonstick cooking spray and then sprinkle the remaining cinnamon and sugar over the pie.  cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil and cook for 25 minutes.  then remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.  let cool then serve.

tips:

• you spray the pie with nonstick cooking spray to make it brown.  you could also brush it with egg wash.  an egg wash is when you whisk an egg with a tablespoon of water.  the protein from the egg allows the crust to brown.  the same is true from the spray.  essentially the spray is a fat and those fats also brown the crust.
• if you don’t cover the edges of your pie the edges will brown before the rest of the pie is done.
• salt in a sweet dish…is that a typo?  no it’s not.  you add salt to sweet dishes to enhance the flavors.  it won’t taste salty, it will just taste better.
• email me at avavmail@gmail.com with any other questions you have.

Stewed Apples

i went apple picking this past weekend, and got a multitude of varieties.  so i made a few things…apple crisp, apple pie, and stewed apples.  i’ve never made stewed apples before, but i’ve had them a billion times at cracker barrel…how hard could it be? i’m not sure how i came up with this recipe, i kind of just made it up as i went along.  hope you enjoy it as much as i did.

Stewed Apples
6 apples, different varieties, peeled, cored, and cut into slices
1/4 c sugar
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs cinnamon
1 tbs honey
1 tbs butter

add all of the ingredients except the butter to a pot and heat over medium high heat. cover and let the mixture come to a boil.  then uncovered, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until tender…15 minutes. turn off the heat and melt butter into the mixture.  serve hot, cold, or room temperature.

tips:

• these stewed apples pair perfectly with pork.  the pork tenderloin i ate with them was marinated in lemon juice, oil, garlic, thyme, parsley, and dijon.
• if you don’t have brown sugar just add more white sugar and add more honey (or if you have it: molasses).  brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses.
• stewed apples taste just like apple pie filling.  so you could also serve them over ice cream, waffles, or in some oatmeal.