Peppermint marshmallows

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  Nothing compares to a homemade marshmallow!  I used to be afraid of them, afraid to make them that is, until I came across one recipe.  One life altering recipe.  And you know what happened the other day when I went to get it?  It had disappeared -- the original blog where I found it gave me one of those error messages.  But then I realized something -- it's a good thing I type out all the recipes that I make on the blog (P.S. as of this morning the original site was back up and running....phew!).

Here's the thing.  This recipe is INSANELY easy.  No candy thermometer.  Just "boil for one minute."  I kid you not.  So.  Easy!

And adaptable.  Like these peppermint marshmallows I made last night.  I took a plain vanilla marshmallow recipe and made it a red-swirled fluffy peppermint marshmallow.  I even piped a little bit of the leftovers into a mini ice cream cone and made a super cute treat.  But I digress....fluffy pepperminty marshmallow pillows of deliciousness.  Make yourself a cup of hot cocoa and dig in!

Peppermint Marshmallows
Adapted by yours truly from this recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup of water, divided
3 envelopes unflavored powdered gelatin (3 Tbsp + 1.5 Tbsp)
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp fine salt
1 tsp peppermint extract (I used an organic peppermint oil that I had on hand)
5 - 10 drops red food coloring

3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup corn starch

Directions:

Spray a 9x9" pan with cooking spray.
Line with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, pour in 1/2 cup water.
Sprinkle gelatin on top.
Let stand.

In a medium saucepan over high heat, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and remaining cup of water.
Stir until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil.
Stop stirring and once mixture comes to a rolling boil, continue boiling for 1 minute.
Remove from heat.
Carefully pour mixture into a 2-cup measuring cup.

Turn the mixer to low.
Mix the gelatin to loosen a bit.
Very slowly and carefully add the hot mixture by pouring it gently down the side of the bowl.
Continue to mix on low until all the sugar mixture is added.

Turn the mixer to high.
Whip the mixture for 10-12 minutes until the marshmallow batter almost triples in size and becomes very thick.
If you have a smaller mixer bowl, you may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently to avoid the batter overflowing.
Stop the mixer.
Add the peppermint.
Whip briefly to combine.
Taste the mixture -- if it's not minty enough for your taste, continue adding peppermint, 1/4 tsp at a time, until you reach the level of mintiness that you want.

If you want yours to look like mine, add 5 drops of red food coloring over the top of the mixture in different places.
Turn the mixer on for a few seconds to incorporate the coloring.
It will look pink but still have some sections that are white.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan.  I used a rubber spatula for this.
Use the spatula or a bench scraper to spread the marshmallow evenly in the pan, pushing it down into the corners.
Work quickly, as the marshmallow becomes more difficult to manipulate as it begins to set.

Drop 1 drop of red food coloring in each of the corners and one in the center.  
Using a knife, or even your finger, quickly swirl the red drops into the marshmallow batter to get awesome red swirls (seen above).

Spray a sheet of plastic wrap liberally with cooking spray and lay it across the top of the marshmallows, sprayed side down.
Using your fingers, smooth the plastic wrap on top of the marshmallows to seal it smoothly and tightly against the mixture.

Leave the marshmallows to set at room temperature for at least 3 hours (can sit overnight).
They'll be too sticky and soft to cut if you try too soon.

Mix together the corn starch and powdered sugar.
Sprinkle some liberally onto a cutting board.
Remove the plastic wrap and flip the marshmallows onto the prepared board.
Rub more powdered sugar-corn starch mixture on top of the slab of marshmallow.

Using a pizza cutter or large knife, cut the slab into 1 x 1 inch squares.
Roll each in the powdered sugar-corn starch mixture.
Shake off excess coating and allow to dry slightly before packaging them up.

I think they're super cute tied up in a bag with a mini candy cane attached.  But that's just me ;-)

I know it's not technically baked but.....HUMMUS!

B and I were in Israel for a week at the end of August.  It was my first trip and it was absolutely amazing!  The food, the sights, the people, the culture....did I mention the food?!

One of the (many) culinary highlights of the trip was the hummus.  Honestly, it is worlds different than the stuff you buy off the shelves in the grocery stores here in the states!  It's much paler in color, and smoother in consistency, and the flavor....oh, the flavor....I can't even begin to describe!  We didn't get enough hummus while we were there (I know, it's hard to believe, but I was obsessed!), despite me telling people that in the seven days we were in Israel I ate at least 50 pitas with some sort of hummus or tahini.  I might be slightly over exaggerating, but I'm not entirely sure that it's not the truth.

So it was amazing that a few days after we got back from Israel, I saw a link on my Facebook feed titled "The Secret to the Creamiest, Dreamiest Hummus."  And even more fitting, it was a recipe from an Israeli guy who has a hummus restaurant in Philly, which B has tried and said was the closest to the hummus you can get over in Israel while here in the states.

And I knew I had to make it.  Now if only I could find good, fresh, authentic pita bread here to eat with it....guess that'll be up on the list of things I'll be needing to bake soon....(I served mine with pita chips and pieces of flour tortilla, but mainly because I forgot to buy pita at the grocery store, each of the three times I was there today).

Israeli-Style Hummus
Found on Bon Appetit, originally from Michael Solomonov

Ingredients:

1 cup dried chickpeas
2 tsp baking soda, divided
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/3 cup (or more) fresh lemon juice
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more
2/3 cup tahini
1/4 tsp (or more) ground cumin -- I despise hate cumin, so I left this out.  Next time I might up the lemon/garlic/salt mixture a little for a little extra flavor
Olive oil, paprika, and fresh parsley for serving

Directions:

Place chickpeas and 1 tsp baking soda in a medium bowl.
Add cold water to cover by 2 inches.
Cover and let sit at room temperature until chickpeas have doubled in size, 8-12 hours.
Drain and rinse (I didn't rinse them....oops).

Combine soaked chickpeas and remaining 1 tsp baking soda in a large saucepan.
Add cold water to cover by at least 2 inches.
Bring to a boil, skimming surface as needed.
Reduce heat to medium-low and partially cover.
Simmer until chickpeas are tender and really falling apart, about 45-60 minutes.
Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, process the garlic, lemon juice, and 1 tsp salt in a food processor until coarsely purred.
Let sit 10 minutes to allow the garlic to mellow.

Strain the garlic mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pressing on solids to release as much liquid as possible.
Discard the solids.
Return the liquid to the food processor.
Add tahini and pulse to combine.
With the motor running, add 1/4 cup ice water by the Tablespoonful and process (it may seize up at first) until the mixture is very smooth, pale, and thick.
Add chickpeas (and cumin, if using) and process, occasionally scraping down sides, until mixture is extremely smooth, about 4 minutes.
Then with more water, if you prefer.
Taste and season with more salt/lemon juice/cumin, if desired.

Spoon hummus into a shallow bowl, making a well in the center.
Drizzle liberally with oil, and top as desired (my preference is paprika and fresh parsley).

Challah

I've made challah twice in my life.  The first time, I had the perfect braid, but it was a bit dense.  The second time, I made an apple challah for Rosh Hashana, and I remember it being good, but not much else.  I thought I made it for the blog but I can't find it anywhere in the archives, which means it was either pre-JulieBakes or I just never posted it.  Oh well.  I was hoping this recipe would be a keeper, and I could just forget about the other two.  Looks like it was a success!

Every year for the Jewish High Holidays (Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur), I buy round challahs from a bakery in Crown Heights near my office.  (Round challahs are customary for Rosh Hashana and the high holidays, whereas other times they're usually long and braided.)  They are, in my opinion, the best challahs one can buy, -- and so well priced!  I like mine with raisins on the holidays, but my sisters don't.  So I end up bringing home a bunch of challahs, some with raisins and some without.  But this year, my schedule was such that my last day of work before Rosh Hashana was a few days before the holiday, and I didn't want so bring home challahs a few days before and have them be stale.  So since I was off the Friday before the holiday, I decided to attempt challah again.

I went with the recipe I found on SmittenKitchen, because, well, I think Deb's blog is amazing (I call her Deb though I don't know her at all; I assume if we did meet, we'd hit it off quite nicely) and everything I've made from it has been fantastic.  And plus, it was the first place I looked and I felt I didn't need to go any further.  Duh!  And added bonus, it makes two loaves -- so I went with one with raisins (for me!) and one without (for my sisters).

I had trouble with the braiding directions that she gave, so I ended up making a long 3-strand braided raisin challah (because it's not round, it won't be served on the holidays, but I don't mind that much since I can sample some today!) and a 6-strand braided plain round challah.

Challah
From Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

3 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (about 1.5 packages, but I ended up using two full packages)
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil, plus more for greasing bowl (believe it or not, I couldn't find vegetable oil at Whole Foods, so I used canola)
5 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp table salt
8 to 8.5 cups all-purpose flour (I ended up needing 8 cups)
1/2 cup raisins per challah, if using, plumped in hot water and drained, and blotted dry
Poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling (optional, I opted not)

Directions:

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1 Tbsp sugar in water (I used my stand mixer bowl).
Set aside for 5 minutes until a bit foamy.

Whisk oil into yeast.
Then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time.
Add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and salt.
Gradually add flour.
When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading.  (Deb says: You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading, but be careful if using a standard size KitchenAid - it's a bit much for it, though it can be done -- I used the stand mixer for mixing but ended up kneading the dough on the counter).

Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.
Clean out bowl and grease it (I used a different bowl since I needed my stand mixer for other things....stay tuned!).
Return dough to the bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap.
Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size (alternately you can let it rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150 degrees and then turned off).

Punch down dough.
Cover and let rise again in a warm place for another 30 minutes.

If using raisins, this is the point at which you should knead them in.

Smitten Kitchen talks about how to braid the challah but I had a really hard time following it, so I ended up doing a 3-strand braid and a 6-strand "fishbone."  Her directions on braiding are as follows:

"To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together. Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Start over with the outside right strand. Continue this until all strands are braided. For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. Make a second loaf the same way."

Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches between.  I did this but they rose so much they were touching.  I recommend doing 2 separate baking sheets, with one challah on each.

Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves.  If baking challahs immediately, save egg for second brushing later on.

If baking immediately, let rise another house.  If freezing, freeze them now.

If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375F.
Brush loaves again with egg wash.  I brushed them for the second time right before placing them in the oven.
If using, sprinkle with seeds.
If you previously froze the loaves, remove them from the freezer 5 hours before baking.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cool loaves on a rack.

Deb also says: Note: Any of the three risings can be done in the fridge for a few hours, for more deeply-developed flavor. When you’re ready to work with it again, bring it back to room temperature before moving onto the next step.

Dried apricot-studded shortbread cookies

I was kinda on a roll with those fruit-studded shortbread cookies.  I made them with cranberries for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap this past year, then I tried them out a few weeks later with a mixture of sweet and tart cherries, and in between I made them with some toasted coconut....and then I even went a step further and dipped those coconut beauties into some semisweet chocolate and sprinkled them with some salt.  But something was missing.  Namely one of my all-time favorite dried fruits....the apricot.  So, I set out one last time to make those shortbread cookies with some diced dried apricots.

Dried Apricot Shortbread Cookies

Adapted from this recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 - 1 cup dried (Turkish) apricots, diced or chopped

Directions:

Chop the apricots by hand into smaller pieces -- I diced mine to make sure they were more uniform in size.

Set aside.

In a large bowl, using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speech until fluffy.

Add milk and vanilla.

Beat to combine.

With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour and salt.

Continue beating until the dough forms.

Add the chopped apricots.

Mix with a spatula to combine.

Divide the dough into 2 portions.

Shape each piece into a log.

Wrap logs in plastic wrap.

Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Then, move to the fridge for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Using a sharp knife, cut each log into thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick.

Place cookies onto a ungreased cookie sheet (I used a parchment lined cookie sheet).

Bake until edges are just starting to turn brown, about 12 minutes (mine took about 10 minutes).

Remove from the oven.

Place cookies on a wire rack to cool.

Dried cherry shortbread cookies

Christmas came and went with nary a blog post by me.  It's a shame, really.  But work was insane (I mean INSANE!!!), and I was spending most of my time at work or charting for work, and spending some time with B, and I wasn't really able to blog much.  But that doesn't mean that I didn't sneak in a few cookies for the holidays.  Namely some (more) fruity shortbread cookies.

These dried cherry shortbread cookies were B's other favorite from the shortbread taste test from about a month ago (along with these toasted coconut ones).  I decided to make these with a combination of dried sweet and tart cherries, to give them a delicious intense cherry flavor, and it worked!   And I love the bright red flecks that the cherries lend to the cookies -- very festive for the holidays!

Sweet & Tart Dried Cherry Shortbread Cookies

Adapted from this recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 - 1 cup dried cherries (sweet, tart, or a combination of both -- I used half of each), chopped

Directions:

Chop the cherries by hand or in a food processor into smaller pieces.

Set aside.

In a large bowl, using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speech until fluffy.

Add milk and vanilla.

Beat to combine.

With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour and salt.

Continue beating until the dough forms.

Add the chopped cherries.

Mix with a spatula to combine.

Divide the dough into 2 portions.

Shape each piece into a log.

Wrap logs in plastic wrap.

Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Then, move to the fridge for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Using a sharp knife, cut each log into thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick.

Place cookies onto a ungreased cookie sheet (I used a parchment lined cookie sheet).

Bake until edges are just starting to turn brown, about 12 minutes (mine took about 10 minutes).

Remove from the oven.

Place cookies on a wire rack to cool.

Vanilla bean fudge

I didn't really grow up eating fudge. So as a result, it's really something that I simply don't crave.  But it always looks so good and rich and delicious when I see it -- as well as when I see the thousands (literally!) of fudge recipes posted around the holidays.  I made some fudge last year (it was super duper loaded with tons of  things including potato chips!), and there were white chocolate-Oreo and cookie dough varieties before that, but given how long I've been baking and how long this blog has been around, that's not a whole lot of fudge!

So I set out to make some fudge again this holiday season.  It was such a hit last year, and I wanted something I could make ahead.  So I went searching through the multitude of fudge recipes populating Pinterest and this one particular recipe caught my eye.  It was fudge....but it wasn't chocolate (I always equate fudge with either chocolate or peanut butter (or both!), but this one was neither)!  Also, seeing as I was planning on making a double batch, I was glad it was vanilla, since B loves vanilla (ie. I had someone to give fudge to to get it out of my kitchen, and therefore not on my hips)!

Vanilla Bean Fudge
From Chocolate Moosey

I doubled the recipe, since I wanted thicker but smaller pieces of fudge (so I used a 9x9 inch pan).  The ingredients listed below are for a single batch.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut in 1 Tbsp pieces
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup marshmallow fluff
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, cut lengthwise and seeds scraped

Directions:

Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.

In a large heavy-bottom saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, and milk.
Bring to a rolling boil, stirring until everything is smooth.
Boil for 5 minutes, stirring often (make sure you don't shorten this time, or the fudge may not firm up).

Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips, marshmallow fluff, vanilla extract, and vanilla seeds until melted and smooth (it will be thick!).
Spread into the pan (if the fudge thickens too much, put it back over the heat until it's easy to stir again).
Let cool until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.
Cut into pieces.
If not serving all at once, cut off what you want and leave the remaining slab of fudge, wrapped in a plastic bag, in the fridge.

Chocolate dipped toasted coconut shortbread cookies with salt

Remember those Toasted Coconut Shortbread Cookies I made recently?  The ones that B chose as one of his favorites when I forced him to taste test different kinds of shortbread cookies for my online cookie swap?  I decided that as delicious as they are, chocolate could maybe possible likely make them even better.  And a sprinkling of sea salt might just take them over the top.

So I defrosted that second log in the freezer that was just waiting to fill the void when I needed some last minute cookies, baked them up, and then dipped them in some semisweet chocolate and sprinkled them with sea salt.  Because really, when don't chocolate and sea salt make everything better?!

Toasted Coconut Shortbread Cookies
Adapted from this original recipe, also found on the blog here

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 - 1 cup toasted coconut

1 bag of semisweet chocolate chips, or chocolate of your choice

Sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions:

Toast the coconut on a baking sheet in an oven that has been preheated to 350F.

Watch the coconut closely as it tends to burn quite easily.

Stir often.

Mine took about 8 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.

Set aside.

In a large bowl, using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speech until fluffy.

Add milk and vanilla.

Beat to combine.

With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour and salt.

Continue beating until the dough forms.

Add the toasted coconut, crushing it slightly between your fingers as you add it.

Mix with a spatula to combine.

Divide the dough into 2 portions.

Shape each piece into a log.

Wrap logs in plastic wrap.

Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Then, move to the fridge for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Using a sharp knife, cut each log into thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick.

Place cookies onto a ungreased cookie sheet (I used a parchment lined cookie sheet).

Bake until edges are just starting to turn brown, about 12 minutes (mine took about 10 minutes).

Remove from the oven.

Place cookies on a wire rack to cool.

Once cookies are cool, melt half of the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments until melted and smooth.

Place a sheet of wax paper on the counter or a baking sheet.

Dip cookies half way into chocolate.

Shake off excess chocolate.

Place cookie on wax paper.

Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on the chocolate while it's still wet.

Repeat with remaining cookies.

Melt more chocolate as needed.

Once all cookies are done and the chocolate has hardened, place cookies in an airtight container.

Cookies will last at least 3 days in the container (if they'll even last that long!!).

Toasted coconut shortbread cookies

When I made the cookies for The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, I started off with four different flavors, and then employed B to do a taste test.  One of his two favorites were these toasted coconut shortbread cookies (his other favorite will make an appearance on the blog soon).  They're jam-packed with toasted coconut flavor and the buttery crispiness of a shortbread cookie.  They're absolutely delicious and insanely easy to make.  And like these - where I subbed the toasted coconut for the original chopped dried cranberries - you can add almost any kind of dried fruit (spoiler alert, I'll be making two more varieties of these for my doormen this holiday season), or even nonpareils like I did with these last month...

The nice thing about these is that you can also keep the logs in the freezer for last minute cookie baking, and then just thaw them in the fridge a little longer before slicing (take it from my experience -- if they're in the freezer for a long time, they're too hard to slice if you have to use your entire body weight on the knife and you don't even make a dent....).

Toasted Coconut Shortbread Cookies
Adapted from this original recipe, also found on the blog here

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 - 1 cup toasted coconut

Directions:

Toast the coconut on a baking sheet in an oven that has been preheated to 350F.

Watch the coconut closely as it tends to burn quite easily.

Stir often.

Mine took about 8 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.

Set aside.

In a large bowl, using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speech until fluffy.

Add milk and vanilla.

Beat to combine.

With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour and salt.

Continue beating until the dough forms.

Add the toasted coconut, crushing it slightly between your fingers as you add it.

Mix with a spatula to combine.

Divide the dough into 2 portions.

Shape each piece into a log.

Wrap logs in plastic wrap.

Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Then, move to the fridge for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Using a sharp knife, cut each log into thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick.

Place cookies onto a ungreased cookie sheet (I used a parchment lined cookie sheet).

Bake until edges are just starting to turn brown, about 12 minutes (mine took about 10 minutes).

Remove from the oven.

Place cookies on a wire rack to cool.

Cranberry shortbread cookies -- The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

This fall, I signed up for The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap.  It's really a fantastical event -- a cookie swap of epic proportions, so to speak.  The premise is this: sign up.  Get 3 matches emailed to you.  Bake 3 dozen cookies.  Mail 1 dozen cookies to each match.  Receive 1 dozen cookies from 3 bloggers who received your name as their match.  Blog about your cookies. (Check out the logo on the top right side of my blog.)

And the best part (the other best part, the best part besides receiving 3 dozen cookies mailed.  to.  your.  door!)?  Your $4 admission fee goes to Cookies for Kids' Cancer -- which really helps combine two of my passions: baking and helping kids (I am a pediatric nurse practitioner, after all!).

So here's the thing....you have to mail your cookies.  I was so afraid of my cookies breaking that I went out and bought cute tins to put them in.  Then, I sorta padded the tins -- in the bottom at least.  Then, I layered my cookies in the tin, topped them with a little more padding, and then packaged them up.  I went to the post office and mailed the cookies to my matches, and then prayed that they survived their journeys to Utah and upstate New York.  Fingers were crossed!!  (As a side note, as of the time I wrote this blog post, I heard from two of the cookie recipients that they received -- and loved -- their cookies....and that they arrived intact!!)

Now that you know about this fantastic event and what it entails, I'm sure you're wondering what kind of cookies I baked!  The answer is....a variety.  Well, sorta. You know me -- I never make things easy for myself!  So I made a variety of shortbread cookies and then made my poor boyfriend taste test the four flavors to decide what kind to mail to my matches.  Sometimes I'm just the meanest girlfriend ever, making him taste four different kinds of cookies.  I mean, seriously!!

In the end, I went with my original flavor choice, dried cranberries, because cranberries are oh-so-holiday festive.

Cranberry Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 - 1 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Directions:

Chop the cranberries by hand or in a food processor into smaller pieces.

Set aside.

In a large bowl, using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speech until fluffy.

Add milk and vanilla.

Beat to combine.

With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour and salt.

Continue beating until the dough forms.

Add the chopped cranberries.

Mix with a spatula to combine.

Divide the dough into 2 portions.

Shape each piece into a log.

Wrap logs in plastic wrap.

Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Then, move to the fridge for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Using a sharp knife, cut each log into thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick.

Place cookies onto a ungreased cookie sheet (I used a parchment lined cookie sheet).

Bake until edges are just starting to turn brown, about 12 minutes (mine took about 10 minutes).

Remove from the oven.

Place cookies on a wire rack to cool.

Shortbread sprinkle bites

Confession #1: I have been wanting to make this recipe since I pinned it on Pinterest over a year ago.  They just looked so cute and festive and fun.  Which brings me to confession #2...

Confession 2: I'm getting into the holiday spirit early.  I know, I know, it's not even Thanksgiving yet and I'm talking about a holiday cookie.  But truth be told, these cookies could be made for any holiday -- just change the color of the sprinkles.  It just to happens to be that earlier today when I was at the craft store, I bought red, white, and green nonpareils (and hence I had easy access to them.  So maybe I'm not getting into the holiday spirit as much as I had originally stated....).

But let's get back to these cookies themselves.  They're teeny, tiny, bite-sized 1/2-inch squares of pure buttery shortbread deliciousness, with a little extra crunch from the nonpareils!  The recipe makes at least 140 cookie bites...The only problem is that when they're this tiny and poppable, they likely won't last long!!

Shortbread Sprinkle Bites
Original recipe found here

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups flour
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cold, and cut into pieces
1 Tbsp nonpareils or sprinkles or baking bits, I used a little extra for good measure

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325F.

In a food processor (using the knife blade), pulse flour and sugar until combined.
Add in butter and pulse until dough becomes together.
Place dough in a medium bowl.
Using your hands, gently knead in the nonpareils (or sprinkles or baking bits) until evenly blended and the dough forms a ball.

On a lightly floured piece of wax paper, pat the dough into an 8" x 5" rectangle.
Freeze for 15 minutes.
Cut the dough into 1/2-inch squares.

Place the squares on an ungreased large cookie sheet (I used parchment paper) 1/2 inch apart.  You might need two cookie sheets...

Bake the cookies 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom (mine baked for 15 minutes and were a little more than lightly brown).
Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

The recipe says to then repeat with remaining dough.  I think using two cookie sheets would negate the need to bake them twice.  But thats's just me and my practicality.

Store the cookies in a tightly covered container at room temperature up to one week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Halloween treat #4: Spooky graveyard chocolate cupcakes

These were my original idea for a Halloween treat.  The idea that prompted the once-a-week Halloween treats that have graced the blog (some a little belated...oops!) this month.

Chocolate cupcakes...chocolate buttercream....covered in crushed Oreo "dirt" -- with the addition of ghoulish, spooky, totally Halloween-y bright green chocolate bones!  This was my vision.  I just had to make it happen!

I started with the chocolate bones.  A year or two ago I had purchased a Wilton candy mold with skeleton shapes.  It had been in my baking/craft closet since then just dying (haha...bad pun) to be used...and this was the moment.  I thought I had the original idea to make bright green chocolate bones when, on a recent trip to Michaels, I had come across some vibrant green candy melts.  When I fished the mold out of the closet, to my surprise, the packaging had those same bright green bones on it. So either great minds think alike, or my subconscious had stored that idea of green chocolate bones for over two years...

But I digress.  I started with the chocolate bones.  I made them two days before and let them set up in the fridge.  Since most of the cavities in the mold are long and skinny, I actually used a disposable piping bag with just the tip of the corner cut off to fill them.  Genius move, I tell you!  It was so easy and wasn't the least bit messy!  I just melted the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave at 30 second intervals until melted and then transferred it to the piping bag.

Next up were the cupcakes.  I wanted chocolate cupcakes since I was going for a dirt/ground/graveyard feel.  Same reason I chose chocolate icing, although any color or flavor would work since they're coated in finely ground Oreos to really make it look like diet.  Then, I strategically put the chocolate bones into the icing at different angles and viola, graveyard cupcakes!!

Spooky Graveyard Cupcakes

First, start with the chocolate bones....make them...

Then, make the cupcakes...

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
From Brown Eyed Baker
Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

8 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used semisweet since the store didn't have bittersweet.  They're basically the same thing anyway).
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F (325F if using a nonstick pan).
Line standard-sized muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in a medium heat proof bowl.
Set bowl over saucepan containing barely simmering water, and heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted.
Whisk until smooth and combined.
(...or you could microwave the mixture at 50% powder, stirring every 30 seconds, until completely melted.  Which is exactly what I did.)
Set aside to cool until just warm to touch.

Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a small bowl to combine.

Whisk eggs in another bowl to combine.
Add sugar, vanilla, and salt until fully incorporated.
Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined.
Sift about 1/3 of the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined.
Whisk in sour cream until combined.
Sift the remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is thick and fully incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners.
Bake until a skewer inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.

Cool cupcakes in muffin pan on a wire rack until they are cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes.
Place cupcakes on a wire rack.
Cool to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes

Then, make the icing.....I used chocolate buttercream:

Chocolate Buttercream
Originally from here

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 1/2 cups confectioner's (pwodered) sugar
1/2 cocoa powder (I used about 1/6 cup dark cocoa powder and 1/3 cup regular cocoa powder)
1/2 tsp table salt
2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 tsp almond extract (I use vanilla)
4 Tbsp milk or heavy cream

Directions:

Cream butter for a few minutes in a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed.
Turn off the mixer,
Sift 3 cups of powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl.
Turn mixer onto low speed until the sugar and cocoa are absorbed into the butter.
Increase the speed to medium and add vanilla, salt, and milk/cream.
Beat for 3 minutes.
If frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add a little more sugar/if it needs to be thinned out, add additional milk/cream by 1 Tbsp at a time.

Then, make the Oreo "dirt"...

20+ Oreos

Pulverize the Oreos in a food processor until they look like dirt.

Put Oreo "dirt" crumbs in a bowl.

Assemble the Cupcakes 

Pipe the icing onto the cooled cupcakes.

Put them in the fridge for a few minutes, so that the icing isn't too mushy.

Coat the icing in Oreo crumbs.

I usually roll the cupcake at an angle to get the edges covered in the crumbs, and then use my hand to pat some of the crumbs on top.

Put them back in the fridge for a few minutes (not more than 5).

Strategically -- and artistically, and spookily -- place the bones into the icing.

I liked mine coming out at an angle.  You could also rest them on top of the icing, if you'd like, but they won't stick well since there will already be Oreo crumbs on it.

Keep in fridge until about 30-45 minutes before serving.

Cream cheese stuffed carrot cake

This year, I baked a cake for Yom Kippur's pre-fast dinner and then also one for the break fast the following day.  The cinnamon apple pie cake I baked for the pre-fast baked up quite well, with the exception of a little smoke in my apartment.  I chalked it up to the extra cinnamon sugar I put on the cake.  I turned the oven off; let it cool a little.  I even turned on the air conditioning in the apartment and cracked the windows a little.

Then, it came time to bake this cream cheese stuffed carrot cake.  I started the cake and realized that I had run out of granulated sugar (I was about 1/4 cup short) so I subbed in a little extra light brown sugar.  No biggie.  I stood there and hand grated 3 cups of carrots.  I preheated the oven.  And then the oven started smoking.  This?  This was "a biggie."  Smoke (minimal amounts) was coming out from behind the stove top and then also when I opened the oven door.  Scratch that, I wasn't baking the cake in my apartment.  It was 11:25 p.m. on a week night.  I frantically texted my sister, who lives about 15 blocks away from me, to see if I could go to her apartment early the next morning to bake the cake, which she of course said I could.  Then, a few minutes later, B called me to chat, and I told him about my oven ordeal, and he suggested I go bake the cake at his apartment...then.

So I packaged up the cake -- already assembled and in the pan -- with layers of tin foil, then tied it in a plastic bag, and then put it in another plastic bag.  Then I -- and the cake -- hopped in a cab (at midnight) and took it 80+ blocks to B's apartment so that I could bake the cake.  So, basically, this is my very long winded way of saying that in case the cake doesn't look perfect, please forgive me.  This cake has been through a lot (not to mention it's trip to Brooklyn that morning and then to Westchester to my parent's house...and then to my aunt's house to break the fast).

Just a note -- this cake is nut and raisin free (nut free for my allergic cousin, raisin free because one of my sisters doesn't like raisins and also because I forgot them at the store).  Personally, I think it needed the raisins, but I won't forget them from the store next time I make it.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Carrot Cake
(Assembled by me, individual recipes get their credit below)

Carrot cake 
(the original recipe was for cupcakes, but I decided to make a bundt cake this time)

Ingredients (for 24 full-sized cupcakes):

4 large eggs
3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup apple sauce (I used unsweetened)
1 cup golden (light) brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 tsp (1 Tbsp) ground cinnamon
3 tsp (1 Tbsp) vanilla extract
3 cups grated carrots (hand grated....trust me.  Freshly hand-grated.  Don't buy the pre-shredded carrots)
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup chopped walnuts (like I said above, I subbed in 1 cup of raisins...but no one would fault you (or me, in the future) for using 1/2 cup each of chopped walnuts and raisins...however this time I left them both out)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Spray a bundt pan with baking spray.

Using an electric or stand mixer, mix the eggs, canola oil, applesauce, brown sugar, and sugar until smooth.
In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon until combined.
Slowly mix in dry ingredients until no clumps remain.
Stir in vanilla, carrots, pineapple, and chopped walnuts (or raisins, or both).

Pour about 1/2 to 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan.
Add the cream cheese filling here (see below for the recipe and directions). 
Add the rest of the carrot cake batter.
Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool.

Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar before serving.
(I didn't bring my powdered sugar home with me, and my aunt didn't have any, so I left it off this time.)

Cream Cheese Filling
From Alida's Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Add all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Add to cake in the step above.

Cinnamon apple pie cake

Confusing, right?  Pie....and cake?  I did it once before with those Key Lime Pie Cupcakes, which had a graham cracker crust with a cupcake baked on top, so I guess it's not that crazy.

This recipe is a pie-cake hybrid - it's filled with sliced apples, and then a yummy batter is poured over the apples and allowed to seep down between the layers of apple, and then the whole thing is covered in a healthy coating of cinnamon sugar.  I thought it would be a great dessert for our pre-fast dinner on Yom Kippur!

I ended up using different apples (I had planned to bake something else for that night but then last minute changed to this....after I had already bought 2 dozen apples of a different variety), but recommend sticking with the granny smiths, since my cake was a little wet (but delicious) inside

One thing is for sure -- this cake is a keeper!

Cinnamon Apple Pie Cake
From Recipe Girl

Ingredients:

6 to 8 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1.5 Tbsp cinnamon-sugar (1.25 Tbsp sugar plus 1/4 Tbsp cinnamon)
3 large eggs
1.5 cups superfine white sugar (if you don't have superfine sugar, you can pulse regular granulated sugar in a food processor a few times)
1.5 cups vegetable or canola oil
3 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups all purpose flour
More cinnamon-sugar to sprinkle on top (use the same proportions as above)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Spray a 9.5" or 10" springform pan with nonstick spray.
Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper.
Spray the pan again.

Layer the apple slices in the pan until they come up about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up the side of the pan.
Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar over the apples.

Prepare the batter by beating the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the oil and the vanilla and beat well.
Stir in the flour.
Pour the batter on top of the apples.
Sprinkle the top of the cake with more cinnamon sugar (I was not shy, I used a lot!).
Tap the pan on the counter a few times to allow the batter to sink down and around the apples.

Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. (Keep an eye on it....mine baked up in 1 hour and 5 minutes!)
Cool COMPLETELY in the pan.
I needed to run a knife around the pan so that it didn't crumble when I loosened the pan.
The original recipe states "If you try to remove the cake from the pan while it is still warm, it will tend to break apart.  I refrigerated my cake before slicing, and that worked out well."
Serve slices with ice cream (warm individual slices in the microwave, if desired).

Brownie-bottom cheesecake....with homemade hot fudge!

Cheesecake isn't my favorite dessert.  I find it too rich and too dense.  I don't mind the flavor, just the fact that the cheesecake experience is overall, well, overwhelming.  Unless I make mini cheesecakes, with individual crusts, in cupcake tins (which is kinda a pain in the you-know-what, but sometimes worth the additional work); then I will have some.  But overall, if I had to choose a dessert, cheesecake wouldn't be my first choice.  I'm not going to lie, I've had some delicious cheesecakes over the years (remember that spiced pumpkin swirl cheesecake?!, among others), it's just not my go-to dessert.

But with the Jewish holiday of Shavuot rapidly approaching, and talk of cheesecake (it's the unofficial/official food of the holiday) floating around the office, I had the urge to bake a cheesecake.  Doesn't help that I recently stumbled across a list of cheesecakes you "have" to make, and some of them actually sounded delicious.  Like this brownie-bottom cheesecake.....covered in homemade hot fudge.  Not gonna lie, even I was kinda drooling after I read that.

So fast forward to today - a short day at work, and I had all the ingredients on hand, and I had thoughts of cheesecake floating through my head - and a cheesecake was born.  Or rather baked.

Brownie-Bottom Cheesecake
From Fork vs. Spoon
(Homemade Hot Fudge Recipe follows this)

Ingredients:

For the Brownie Crust:

3 ounces unsweetend chocolate
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

For the Cheesecake Filling:

5 8-oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups of hot fudge (see below for homemade version, or use store bought)

Directions:

Make the Brownie crust.

Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pain with parchment paper.
Butter or spray the sides with cooking spray.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a double boiler (or in the microwave in 30 second bouts, stirring between each -- which I did) melt together the butter and chocolate.
Remove from the heat.

Stir in sugar until combined (it will look grainy).

Whisk in eggs and vanilla.

Whisk together salt and flour.
Fold dry ingredients into wet.
Mix until just combined.  DO NOT OVERMIX.

Pour batter into prepared pan and place in the preheated oven.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out nearly clean with just a few crumbs sticking to it.

Remove from oven and let cool (while preparing the filling).
Lower the oven temperature to 325F.

[The brownie crust can be made 1-2 days before the filling.  Keep at room temperature and cover tightly with foil/plastic wrap.]

Make the filling.

If you baked the crust before the filling, preheat the oven to 325F.

Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and flour until smooth.
Add vanilla.
Add eggs, one at a time.
Add yolks, one at a time.
Remember to scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl between each addition (I did it ever other addition, and it was fine).

Bake the cheesecake in a water bath.  It makes for more even baking.
Double wrap the pan in heavy duty aluminum foil (I placed 4 pieces of foil on the counter, overlapping horizontally and vertically, in a square.  I put the pan in the middle and then folded up the sides to make sure it was well wrapped.  Make sure not to let the foil overlap and go into the pan, since the filling will go to the tippy-top of the pan.).
Place the pan into a roasting pan (disposable works fine...actually my springform was a little bigger and the disposable pan was able to accommodate it).

Pour filling into the crust-lined pan.  The filling will reach the very tippy top of the pan.
Pour enough hot water into the roasting pain to reach about 1/2 way up the sides of the pan (I do this once the pan is in the oven....a heavy cheesecake in a pan filled with water is, well, pretty heavy.  And messy if the water splashes out.  So I put the pan in the oven and then add the water.  Just FYI.).
Bake for 75 to 90 minutes until the top of the cheesecake is browned/golden and the top is just barely firm to the touch (the center of the cake is just barely jiggly when the pan is nudged -- I didn't even use that as an assessment of done-ness, since the first two were spot on), and the top looks dry -- mine took 75 minutes.

Turn the oven off and open the oven door so that it is just ajar, and let the cheesecake sit in the warm water bath for an additional hour.
Remove from the oven and from the water bath and remove the foil from around the pan.
Let cool completely on a wire rack and then transfer the cheesecake to the fridge and chill completely for at least 6 hours.

If you're making the hot fudge from scratch, make it while the cake is chilling (see the recipe below).

Once the cake is chilled, remove it from the fridge and run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the sides of the pan, and remove the sides of the pan.
Transfer the cake to a plate.
Pour the hot fudge on the top of the cheesecake, spreading it to the edges, and allowing it to drip down the sides.
Return the cake to the fridge and allow the fudge to thicken/harden.
Let chill until ready to serve.

Homemade Hot Fudge

Ingredients:

2/3 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 oz chocolate, finely chopped and divided - milk, bittersweet, or a mixture
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a 1 quart pan, combine the cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and 3 ounces of the chopped chocolate.
Stir to combine.

Place over medium to moderate hear and stir mixture until chocolate melts and mixture comes to a boil..
Decrease hear and cook mixture at a low boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally - about a few stirs at each minute break works well.

Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, vanilla, and remaining chocolate (3 oz), and stir until smooth.

Let the sauce cool until it is warm (you don't want to pour hot hot fudge on a cold cheesecake).
Store any remaining (if there is any remaining...) sauce in a sealed glass container in the fridge.  It will keep for one week.

When ready to use leftovers, reheat the sauce in the microwave (1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds and again after the minute is up).