Pumpkin Butter Cookies

PUMPKIN ALL THE THINGS!  Cookie recipe modified ever-so-slightly from one on How Sweet Eats.  Also note that I haven't quite made this exact mod yet.  You can be my test kitchens!



Pumpkin Butter Cookies!  
Need:
1 1/2 sticks unsalted melted butter (cooled)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup pumpkin butter (basically cook a cup of pumpkin puree down til it gets pumpkin butter-ish, with like 1/2 cup brown sugar and some pumpkin-y spices--it should taste like pumpkin butter...)
2 cups flour
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
spices (2 tsp cinnamon, 3/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp each cloves, nutmeg)
1 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Mix butter and pumpkin butter with sugars.  Stir in vanilla extract and lightly beaten egginess.  Mix dry stuff (excluding choco chips) in a separate bowl.  Mix together!  Add chocolate chips.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven for 325° at some point.  Form dough into golf balls (complete with divets for a polished final cookie).  Seriously though, don't let the dough get too warm in between batches or they'll look funny.  Bake 12-15 minutes.

Note: I tried some with white chocolate chips, and I thought they'd be delightful, but they were just cloyingly sweet.

In conclusion, I did not notice a whit of difference between canned and home-roasted pumpkin in my muffins.  Though I did almost forget the sugar.

Also, I made some apple cider caramels, obviously from Smitten Kitchen's recipe.  Besides being photogenic, they are DELICIOUS!

Quick Brownie Pick-Me-Up

You guys.  The best thing to make when it's been rainy and chilly all week is spiced brownies.  Fudgy, rich, spicy, crunchy.  Yes.  With piping hot coffee, please.

Just follow Smitten Kitchen's recipe for Best Cocoa Brownies, but add some spices to the cocoa/butter/sugar mixture when you take it off the heat.  I added something like:
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp smoked paprika (or anything smoky like chipotle or adobo things)
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
random couple of shakes of crushed cayenne pepper

You can add anything you want, really.  Nutmeg (probably 1/4 tsp), ginger, black pepper.  I'd also use ground cayenne if you have it in place of crushed to get more of an even heat throughout.  I'm out, so the crushed cayenne I used made it so every now and then you end up with a spicy red pepper bit.  A bit disconcerting.

My standard with these brownies is to add white chocolate chips in place of the nuts, but this time I crushed up some toasted hazelnuts instead and threw in an extra 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips.  I am 99% against nuts in baked goods, but this was fine.  All in all, these brownies are delicious.  Highly recommended.

Knits and Corn

It's fall, so pumpkin ALL THE THINGS.  Usually, I'd like to roast and puree my own pumpkin, but right now I only have time to open a can.  Therefore, I will use this as an opportunity to compare home-roasted vs. canned pumpkin!  Last time I made these muffins was several months ago, so we'll see what I remember.  I'll get back to you on this soon, I promise!

Knit-wise, there has been nobody with a fancy camera (or even iPhone) who I have been able to convince to take too many pictures of my hands with mitts.  This is why there is only one hand in these pictures.  Believe me, I knit two (I love it when they drop the title of the blog into the post) fingerless mitts of each pattern, one for each hand.



The first are gorgeous, gorgeous Straightforward Mitts made from that Dirty Water Dyeworks Lucia in the Seaweed colorway I won in a giveaway for Holla Knits.  These were surprisingly fast and incredibly fun.  I think it took twelve hours per mitt or so.  I didn't use the chart for long.  In fact, I didn't use it at all for the second one.  I will wear these every day probably.  Forever.



The second pair are a scrappy version of Black Lodge Mitts made from very leftover yarn. Kind of odd colors but fun. Very slouchy. I used a bit of creative license with the increases and decreases (m1 either right- or left-leaning as needed, and slip2tog knitwise, k1, pass 2 slipped stitches over for a neutral non-leaning decrease). They're not the classiest mitts in my book, especially after those Straightforward'uns.



I went to the farmers market when it was still warm out and somehow ended up with a dozen ears of corn.  I get excited when surrounded by fresh vegetables.  So, I did the logical thing and made a Great Pyramid of Maize.  Then cooked it and froze it!  I've used it so many times so far, in soups, salsa, etc.  I can't wait til I make chili and share that recipe.  You should be excited.  There's a lot of spice-type ingredients, but whoa it's good.  Back to the corn.  Long story short, caterpillars and rot, a dozen ears becomes ten.



Then poof!  Suddenly ten ears of corn becomes four 1.5cup baggies of freezable quick corn!  Nommm.  Boil for about 4 minutes then plunge into ice water for about four more minutes.  Then slice the kernels off.



See you next time!

Pineapple Upside-Down Splatcake

My sister's birthday was two and a half months ago, yet somehow I only just got around to baking her birthday cake.  She requested a pineapple upside-down cake, and I was more than happy to comply.  The past three or so years I've been meaning to bake one.  Everything was beautiful, until the final moment.  Let's just say the moment where it actually becomes upside-down didn't go as planned...



Still an amazingly delicious cake!  I used Smitten Kitchen's recipe (noticing a pattern here?) with the only change being a brilliant addition of <1/4 tsp almond extract.  Since my kitchen is currently devoid of cast iron cookware, I used a cake pan which you can see in the top right of the photo above.  The caramel sauce was made on the stovetop, then poured into the cake pan.  Pineapple slices were arranged on top of that, then the batter was spooned on and smoothed over.  It was super, except it leaked over into the oven during baking.  Next time I'm going to leave out a spoonful or two of the batter.  The cookie sheet covered in foil was put in halfway through baking to catch any more drippings, and it ended up being the permanent home of the cake.  Alas.  Regardless of final presentation, this is one of my favorite things I've baked lately.

On to dinner!  I love CSA veggies.



I just boiled some whole wheat pasta, threw the green beans in for the last few minutes, and somehow whipped up a quick carbonara sauce.  Some eggs, Parmesan, oil, garlic, and I can't remember what else.  Topped with fresh tomatoes.

I also made some tasty Asian tilapia tacos recently.  Rub tilapia with hot curry powder, pan-fry tilapia in some butter and olive oil, then flake with forks and pour some nuoc cham over it.  Nuoc cham is my new favorite condiment.  Recipe as follows: equal volume fish sauce, brown sugar, and fresh lime juice with two or three thinly sliced birds eye chilis.  Stir it all up and let it sit for at least ten or fifteen minutes before you use it.  Fish sauce is such a necessary part of life.



This is a lovely picture of a Vietnamese rice noodle bowl I made with marinated carrots/tomatoes, chili lime chicken, cilantro, and peanut sauce.  My favorite part was the carrots and tomatoes.  They're just marinated overnight in nuoc cham.  10/10, would eat again.

Next time, expect some knit-talk!  I'm on my way to fight with my camera for some good pictures of some Finished Objects.  Here's a cute dog to tide you over.



Carlos is so dreamy.

Nessie's Baked Treats

Recently I became acquainted with monster cookies.  They're now my compromise between (tasty) cookies and (healthier) granola bars.  They're still probably substantially sweeter than granola bars though.  Basically, they are flourless oatmeal peanut butter-based cookies that, as far as I can tell, are called Monster because most people make them in a large size.  How's that for a descriptive cookie name.  Let it be noted that these are not gluten-free cookies--I learned that your garden-variety oats you buy at the grocery store can possibly have gluten residue on them, but you can easily buy gluten-free oats for that special food-allergic someone in your life!  You could also sub out the butter for a dairy-free alternative, or flax "eggs" for the real thing.  If you really had to.  [I just realized I forgot the cinnamon in the batches in the oven.  Dang.]



Loch Ness Cookies
(makes 36 3-inch cookies)

1/3 cup butter (softened)
2/3 white sugar
2/3 brown sugar
1 cup unsalted unsweetened crunchy peanut butter (or whatever you have)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp corn syrup (or honey)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp ground(ish) flax seeds
3 cups oats (old-fashioned, not quick oats)
1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
~1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
~1/3 dried fruit (e.g., craisins, berries)

Preheat oven to  350°F .  Cream together butter, peanut butter, and sugars.  Beat in eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and corn syrup.  Mix in everything else, ending with the choco chips and fruit.  Drop by 1/4 cup (or smaller) onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly brown around the edges.

Recipe End Note: I really want to incorporate seaweed at some point.  I love seaweed.



In baking those cookies, I have achieved what must be the high of my career.  Look at that perfectly executed parchment paper tear.  Look at it.  My crowning moment as a baker, captured in this picture.  I finally did it, Mom.



Also, I made my first pie!  It's about as photogenic as a clod of peachy blueberry dirt.  I don't know what I was thinking with those Xs and that creepy non-centered circular vent.  My next one will be heaps better.



Finally, I made PERFECT pancakes for the first time a few days ago.  I did not capture the moment in pictures, but they were still delicious, and slightly eccentrically-spiced.  Rosemary Cinnamon Pancakes.  Recipe is simple.  Add some rosemary and cinnamon to your favorite pancakes, and enjoy with a bit of butter and syrup.  The cooking process is what always caught me up on pancakes.  I suppose I had the heat too high and used too much oil or butter before the perfect pancake day.  I'd like to thank my housemate for opening me to the world of "medium heat" on the stove as it really should be, medium.  Not slightly above.  Just medium.  That's the secret.  Meeeeedium.

I love to bake.  And I'm lucky to have such accommodating friends and coworkers who volunteer to aid me in the dangerously delicious sugary consumption.  So guys, thanks.  Here's to many more tupperwares full of cooking experiments in the breakroom.

Morsels

Today I have for you some tasty little morsels that have made my summer grand.  First of all, a local company has sprouted up in Raleigh to create cold-brew coffee for all your iced summer caffeine needs.  Slingshot Coffee Company uses Counter Culture beans (roasted in Durham) to make some deviously delicious and convenient beverages.  I got mine from Tasty Beverage Co. in the downtown depot, and the full list of purveyors is on Slingshot's website.  Check them out.



I've made cold-brew coffee before (it's super easy), but this is just so convenient.  No planning ahead or filtering needed.  And the packaging!  I'm such a sucker for great graphics like this.  My favorite way to drink it was diluted with an equal amount of cold water and a decent sprinkle of salt.  I thought that was crazy to start with, too, considering I must have a bit of sugar and a significant amount of cream in my hot coffee to make it palatable, but cold is just best with some salt. 

Next up, another beverage!  Cantaloupe agua fresca (sort of).  A while back I had some cubed cantaloupe that was about to go bad right as I was going out of town, so I stuck it in the freezer with the intention of blending it into smoothies when I got back.  



Of course, I didn't end up doing that.  I had been reading about agua frescas all summer, and this was the perfect opportunity to try my hand at one.  All that is required is a quick blend in the food processor and a little straining to remove the bigger chunks.  However, I ended up simplifying the recipe so much that I really just ended up with cantaloupe juice, which is fine by me!  I wish I had some soda water and lime juice to jazz it up a little, but it definitely didn't need any sugar.

My latest lunch obsession is leftover-steak salads.  I had marinated some flank steak in soy sauce and brown sugar with tons of garlic, then pseudo-grilled it to about medium rare.  It was grand, but it was even better sliced up thinly and pan-fried (just to heat it up and fully cook it) over arugula with lime squeezed over the top.  Best summer lunch.  I love those caramelized bits.

Rosemary Banana Bread

These next few posts will be a collection of projects that have kept me busy over the last month.  Morsels.  I'll go ahead and tell you, if you don't like rosemary, you should probably browse on back to tumblr or pinterest or whatever it is the young kids do these days.  With their music.  And saggy pants.  But really, I have been rosemary-ing everything, from tea to banana bread to peasant bread!  Can't stop, addicted to the rosemary.  I should probably skip the music career and stick to baking and knitting...



Brown Butter Rosemary Banana Bread

3-4 superripe bananas
2 (3-inch) springs fresh rosemary + 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/3 cup salted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 lightly beaten egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
probably 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 C flour

Mash the bananas with the tablespoon of chopped rosemary, and let sit for a while.  [See Recipe Notes]

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Butter a loaf pan.  


Melt the 1/3 cup butter in a small saucepan with the rosemary sprigs and allow it to turn a medium brown over medium heat.  It should smell nutty, but I evidently have an immunity to aromatic nuttiness, in wine aromas and otherwise.  Take it off the burner immediately and allow it to cool.

Mix the brown sugar, cooled butter*, egg, and vanilla into the bananas.  Sprinkle the baking soda and salt on, then mix those in too.  Gradually mix in the flour, then transfer the whole deal to your loaf pan.  Sprinkle approximately 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp sugar on the top before popping in the oven for around 40 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.

Enjoy sprinkled with salt, or butter it up, or just eat it plain.


Recipe Notes: If it's going to be over an hour or so, I'd probably stick the banana-rosemary sludge in the fridge.  Be careful though--if it is too cold when you mix the batter, it may affect the baking time.  I convinced myself the bananas became infused with the rosemary flavor in the fridge, but it may not be crucial.   Also, my bread seemed to bake up a lot faster than other quick breads I've made.  I'd suggest keeping a weather eye on it.
*Note: if the butter is too hot when mixed in, the egg will cook, and no one wants scrambled eggs in their banana bread.  No one.


Coming up soon: rosemary peasant bread, monster cookies, oven-dried tomatoes, and knitted gloves!