Caramel Nut Bars

Have you ever looked at a recipe and known - just KNOWN - that you'd love it? I like to think that I feel that way often, but in reality, after executing the recipe (maybe not to the T, but pretty damn close), I'm disappointed. I was prepared for that to be the way with the Butterscotch Blondie Bars with Peanut-Pretzel Caramel (they really couldn't have come up with a shorter name?) in the December 2011 Bon Appetit. I added them to my list of holiday baking, making sure I had plenty of cookies that were guaranteed to be tasty, and I set to baking.

And holy CRAP, these things are good! They're a nice mix of sweet and salty (but not too salty), crunchy and chewy, love and more love. I changed the recipe a little bit (by adding almonds), and I would change it further to include more pretzels (I have done so in the recipe below). 2011 apparently was the year I became confident making caramel, and this was the perfect way to end the year on that account.

As far as serving goes, I ended cutting these up into tiny pieces because it's so rich. I originally cut 36 or 40 bars from the 13x9 pan, and I doubt I could have eaten one in a go. Cutting them up even further made them last throughout the holiday, as well.

Caramel Nut Bars (adapted from Bon Appetit)

Blondie bar

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter

2 cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13x9 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang so you can pull the bars out easily later. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

Heat butter in a medium pan over medium heat, stirring until browned bits form at the bottom of the pan, about 7-8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer). Add brown sugar and beat until combined and the mixture looks like wet sand. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan - it will puff as it bakes, so don't worry if you think you're spreading it too thin.

Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and edges pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool completely before moving on to the topping.

Caramel Nut Topping

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup honey

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 cups roasted peanuts (or a mix of peanuts and almonds)

2 cups salted pretzels, coarsely crushed

In a large saucepan, stir together sugar and water over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and boil without stirring (seriously, hands off!) until caramel is a deep amber (or caramel, if you will). This always takes longer than I think it should, but I'd rather it take a long time than burn the caramel right off the bat. Add honey and return to a boil, stirring, for about a minute. Add butter and stir until melted. Add cream and whisk until smooth (maybe wear a pot holder because this will steam and bubble A LOT). Add nuts and pretzels and mix until everything is covered in caramel. Pour over cookie and press down evenly. Chill until cool, then remove from pan and cut into bite-size pieces. Store in the fridge but bring to room temperature before serving.

Cashew Cookies

There's something so nostalgic about peanut butter cookies. I don't recall making them all that often with my mother (I think we made them more often in my Girl Scout troop), and yet, they call to mind the days when my mittens were clipped to my coat and my feet would dangle off the edge of my chair.



My favorite peanut butter cookies are barely cookies - just peanut butter and sugar bound together with egg. Regular peanut butter cookie recipes seem to lack that real nutty flavor, so I usually use this recipe and forget about using flour all together.



As I looked for a cashew cookie recipe to make for a coworker's birthday (she eats cashews all the time, so I thought it would be a nice touch), I came across a recipe in an old Martha Stewart magazine that looked good. A few tweaks here and there (what, you expect me to buy the right kind of brown sugar?!), and I had to stop myself from devouring them all straight out of the oven. I had found a cookie that tasted strongly of nuts but still had flour (so they're less fragile than the flourless ones). This might just be my new go-to for nut butter cookies.



For this batch, I followed the instructions for mixing in the crushed nuts, then baking as balls and flattening (I used the bottom of a glass) a few minutes into baking. That worked fine, but they're not very pretty. I would suggest a few ways of making them look nicer. Try omitting the chopped nuts, then press a whole cashew into the middle of the cookie after flattening. Or leave in the chopped cashews, but flatten with a fork (a la old school peanut butter cookies). The original recipe called for a drizzle of caramel (which would, of course, make these very pretty), but I think the caramel would make the cookies too sweet, and you'd miss a lot of the cashew flavor.



Cashew Cookies (adapted from a Martha Stewart cookie magazine) (specifically this issue)



2 1/2 cups salted cashews (or 1 cup cashews and 1 cup cashew butter)

2 Tbsp canola oil (omit if using cashew butter)

1 stick salted butter, softened

3/4 packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 2/3 cups flour



Preheat oven to 350°. Roughly chop 1 cup of cashews and set aside. In a food processor, chop remaining nuts until fine; add oil and process until creamy. (Obviously, skip this step if using jarred cashew butter).



Combine cashew butter, butter, and sugars in a bowl and beat until fluffy and uniform, about 2 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla. Slowly add in flour and chopped cashews.



Roll dough into walnut-sized balls and place evenly (about 2 inches apart) on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 6 minutes, then flatten slightly (see note above about different ways to flatten); bake for another 6 or 7 minutes or until edges just start to brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Almond Macaroons

I don't get confused easily (at least, I don't think I do), but there are a few things I can never get right. Using affect when I mean effect, for example (although I'm generally pretty snobby about my grammar, this one just doesn't stick). In that same vein, macaroons drive me crazy. Coconut vs. almond, macaroon vs. macaron - it's enough to drive someone to bake.

For years, I maintained that I didn't like macaroons due to a distinct distaste for coconut, and then these crazy chewy cookies made with almond paste appeared. But wait - almond macaroons are not the same as macarons, the fussy little cookies made with almond flour and sandwiched with delicious fillings? You know, I've stopped caring what I call them - these cookies are just plain delicious.

These almond macaroons turn out flat, with a crispy edge and a chewy middle. Use alcohol-free vanilla to make them gluten-free!

Almond Macaroons
3 1/2 ounces almond paste (half a 7oz package)
1/2 cup confections' sugar
pinch of salt
1 large egg white
1/4 tsp. vanilla
sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 300° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix together almond paste, sugar, and salt until crumbly, about 3 minutes. Add egg white and vanilla and mix until smooth and thickened, about another 3 minutes. Drop by teaspoon onto baking sheet, about two inches apart. It doesn't look like you have much dough at all, but this should make 12-13 cookies. Arrange two slices of almond on top of each cookie. Bake until golden, 20-25 minutes. Slide parchment off baking sheet and cool completely.

Pretty Sure I Asked for Pecan Sandies

My brother Ron has the amazing ability to create earworms and catch phrases. No, create is the wrong word - but he is able to pick phrases that stick with you no matter how hard you try to forget them. Usually, our friends and I are left repeating these phrases long, long after he's forgotten all about them. Case in point: At the supermarket this weekend, my friend Ann held up a bottle of Chi-Chi's salsa and asked if we could bring it into the house without guaranteeing a bout of Chicken and Chi-Chi's Cyborg.

Anyway, one of Ron's many earworms, and one that has yet to absent itself from even his own mind, is "Pretty sure I asked for pecan sandies." The line is from the first few minutes of the first episode of American Dad, which I think is even funnier than it's sibling, Family Guy. Roger, the alien that the Smiths keep hidden in their house, gets upset when he finds out the wife didn't buy him cookies (video below). And my brother has been repeating this phrase since 2005, when the episode aired. Somehow, we all still find it funny!



And so I've been meaning to bake pecan sandies for Ron for ages. I didn't actually get around to it until this Christmas, though, when I added it onto my long list of cookie requests. In all honesty, I made them as a joke, but almost everyone amongst my friends and family liked them the best (out of 10 or so different kinds of cookie!). I guess that means pecan sandies are now part of my regular rotation of cookies, so there's no way in hell this ear worm is going away anytime soon.

Pecan Sandies adapted from Food & Wine
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans (I like to use a nut chopper)

Beat together butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract, then slowly add the flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. When the dough starts to pull together, add the pecans and mix until the nuts are evenly incorporated. Divide the dough in half, form into 2-inch-thick logs, wrap in wax paper, and freeze at least two hours, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut logs into 1/4-inch-thick slices and arrange on baking sheets. Bake 25-30 minutes, until the edges begin to turn golden brown. Repeat with remaining dough.

Pomegranate Paklava

Paklava just doesn't photograph well, does it?

As a second entry into PAMA's Pomegranate Month recipe contest, I decided to update an Armenian classic with Pomegranate Paklava. Armenian paklava is usually less sweet and gooey than Greek baklava, which I am in favor of, but I've still never really liked it. My mother makes it with walnuts, possibly the worst nut out there (I'll eat Brazil nuts before I eat a walnut!), and I've always felt that pistachios are a more fitting nut for this pastry anyway. Adding pomegranate seemed like a natural step. I'm really happy with how this turned out, and although I'm still not a fan of paklava in general, I'd be much more likely to eat this fruitier version.

Pomegranate Paklava
2 cups chopped pistachios
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 lb. phyllo dough
2 sticks butter, melted
1/2 cup PAMA Liqueur
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar

Combine chopped pistachios, 2 Tbsp sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.

Unroll phyllo dough and cover with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying. Brush melted butter over the bottom and sides of a 13×9 pan. Lay one sheet of phyllo dough on the bottom of the pan and brush generously with butter. Repeat with two-thirds of the phyllo sheets, ending with a brushing of butter. Spread the pistachio mixture evenly over the dough, making sure to spread all the way to the edges. Top with the remaining sheets of phyllo dough, each brushed with butter. Cover the pan and refrigerate for an hour to let the butter harden.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cut the paklava into squares or diamonds, making sure to cut all the way through to the bottom. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown.

While paklava is cooling, combine PAMA Liqueur, water, and 1 cup of sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour hot syrup over paklava; if you like a paklava that is a little less sweet, use less of the syrup. Re-cut the paklava (the edge of a spatula may give you better leverage than a knife). Serve on a platter or in individual paper baking cups.

Friday I'm in Love... with KIND Bars

I've known about KIND Bars for a while now, but I've only recently fallen in love. I bought them years ago, but in an effort to cut out calories from nuts, I stopped buying them. (Now that I understand the nutrition in nuts, though, I try to eat a little bit every day.) I was given a few samples last week at the Natural Products Expo in Boston, and from the first bite, I was in love.

KIND Bars are filled with fruits and nuts, unlike their granola bar counterparts which don't always have a lot of substance. The best part? They actually taste like what they're named. The Mango Macadamia (above) tastes like mango and macadamia nuts (with a little coconut thrown in), the Almond & Apricot tastes like almonds and apricot, and the snozzberries taste like snozzberries! (Wait, no...) The Fruit & Nut Delight is probably my favorite, filled with peanuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, raisins, apricots, dates, and honey. And they're satisfying, thanks to the nuts and some added fiber.

KIND Bars are available at tons of locations, like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Shaw's, and Market Basket. They are also the gluten-free offering at Starbucks stores (now that Starbucks has done away with their awesome GF Valencia Orange cakes). Or, if you really love them, you can order them online through the KIND Advantage program.

Sweet 'n' Spicy Almonds

Last week, my student group (I'm co-chair) hosted a reception in honor of an art show opening on campus. Surprisingly, attendance was very high for a Friday at 5pm - clearly, students and staff don't mind hanging around so much if there's food! Of course, there was plenty of food, and I only added to the problem by bringing a big tupperware of these almonds (plus a few other things). Hopefully we'll be having more social events like this on campus, because I had a great time just sitting around, talking with everyone.

These nuts are super easy to make, although I had a little "oh shit" moment as the sugar started to caramelize faster than I was expecting. I just kept moving, though, and everything turned out alright. I love this combo of sweet and spicy - the spicy is not overwhelming, but will start to creep up on you after a while.

Sweet 'n' Spicy Almonds
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ tsp chili powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp sugar
3 Tbsp canola oil
½ cup sugar
1 lb almonds, unsalted

Mix together salt, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and ½ tsp sugar, and set aside. In a medium pot over medium heat, combine canola oil and ½ cup sugar. Stir until sugar is melted and just beginning to darken. Add almonds and stir to coat, until the sugar is caramelized. Sprinkle in spice mixture and stir to coat. Spread nuts onto a wax paper-lined baking sheet to cool. Break apart any large chunks before serving.

Butternut/Hazelnut Lasagna

It started when my friend Ann told me about a butternut squash lasagna that she had made - very tasty, but it had no structure. The squash was too loose, basically forming a mush that the noodles floated around in. Definitely not up to lasagna criteria. She was still craving the dish, though, so we went about trying to find a better recipe.

When I eventually stumbled across this recipe on Epicurious, I was intrigued. The hazelnuts, it seemed, would give the filling enough substance to stand up on its own, and I also tend to favor lasagnas that use bechamel, so I was sold. I did have to tweak the recipe anyway, though, because their rendition of bechamel - well, it just didn't work. We had to get out a strainer and there was lost garlic and - yeah, not worth it. I've subbed in a better (and easier) version of bechamel below.

We served with with some pan-fried kielbasa, and I think it was almost needed. The saltiness of the meat cut the sweetness of the lasagna and made for a more balanced flavor.

Also, my cheese measurements are approximate. I'm not one to cook with definite quantities (especially of things like cheese), so really, feel free to put in as much or as little cheese as you see fit (although, if you see fit to add less, we can no longer be friends).

Butternut/Hazelnut Lasagna

For the filling:
1 large onion, chopped
3 Tbsp butter
3 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, loose skins removed, and finely chopped

For the bechamel:
5 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
5 cups milk
1 bay leaf
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp salt

For layering:
2 cups coarsely grated mozzarella
1 cup finely grated pecorino Romano
1 lb fresh lasagna noodles, uncooked (you can use 12 sheets of no-boil lasagna noodles if you can't make or buy fresh pasta)

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes. Add squash, garlic, salt, and white pepper, and continue to cook until the squash is tender, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, sage, and half of the hazelnuts. Let cool slightly, then puree in a blender until smooth (if you like it a little chunkier, puree with an immersion blender). Set aside.

For the bechamel, using a small sauce pot on medium-low, heat butter until melted. Add flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture is golden, stiring constantly, about 6 minutes. In a separate pot, heat milk until almost boiling. Add milk to butter, 1 cup at a time, whisking until smooth. Bring to a boil, add bay leaf and garlic, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add salt and nutmeg; remove bay leaf.

To assemble the lasagna, spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 glass baking dish. Lay down pasta sheets to cover the bottom of the pan, making sure they do not overlap. Spread with 2/3 cup of the sauce, then a third of the squash filling, then a half cup of mozzarella. Sprinkle with pecorino and remaining hazelnuts. Repeat layering process two more times, going from pasta to cheese and nuts. Finish with a layer of pasta topped with the remaining bechamel and cheese.

To bake, preheat oven to 425°. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbly. Let lasagna sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Cashew Fudge

Mel and I have been friends forever - since kindergarten, I guess. And in that roughly twenty years, there have been few people that have been able to tell us apart. People we meet when we're out automatically accept that we're sisters. Her mother's coworker (my dentist when I was a kid) had no idea we were two different people (based on the fact that he ALWAYS called me Mel). Teachers would figure it out eventually. Of course, it doesn't help that we perpetuate the myth that we're twins.

You see, we don't actually look all that similar. It's just that we're vaguely "ethnic" in the Middle Eastern sense of the word, have long, curly, black/brown hair, wear glasses, and have long names that are hard to pronounce and begin with the letter A.

So when it comes to throwing birthday parties, for the past couple of years, we've thrown a joint party (since we're only a month apart anyway). Our party was back in September, but I just found this picture and thought I'd post the recipe. For this year's party, we went with an all-desserts theme. We had all kinds of cookies and treats, and I even made the most amazing chocolate cake ever. I also needed something for my gluten-free friend (GFF!), so I made this delicious cashew fudge, based on a recipe from Dozen Flours.

This fudge is so easy to make, and the unctiousness of the cashew butter lends a flavor that is fantastic but hard to pinpoint.

Cashew Fudge

2 cups sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup cashew butter, well mixed and at room temperature
7 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
1/2 stick of butter, at room temperature and cut into 8 small pieces

Line a 8x8 baking dish or cake pan with parchment paper so it comes up and over the sides of the pan.

Combine the sugar, cream, milk, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Once the mixture begins to bubble, stir frequently until it reaches 235° on a candy thermometer, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and cashew butter and continue to stire until the cashew butter is completely absorbed and the candy is smooth and thick. Transfer to the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with a rubber spatula. Set the dish aside for about 1 hour for the fudge to cool and harden.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter together. Mix until well blended. Pour the chocolate over the top of the fudge, smoothing and shaking the pan. Let sit at least 20 minutes in the fridge until solid.

Lift the fudge out of the pan using the overhanging parchment paper. Cut it into 1-inch squares. Store the fudge in an airtight container with layers of wax paper.

Baraze

When I had my first kitchen during college, I spent a relaxing spring break without housemates, doing whatever I felt like - such as cooking. My mother had recently given me a copy of our church's cookbook, and I decided that trying my hand at some of my favorite Armenian foods would be a good way to spend the break. That week, I made manti and lehmajun and simit for the first time, and I've since gone on to expand my repertoire a bit. I'm not sure when I first made baraze (a Lebanese cookie hiding out in my Armenian cookbook), but it's found its way into my rotation of cookies.

I first wanted to try making baraze because it uses mahleb, one of my favorite spices. Mahleb is the pit of the sour cherries, and has a fabulous nutty and slightly bitter flavor that is important to many baked goods in Armenia and other surrounding countries. It should be bought whole and ground just before using (although I usually get it ground at the store for convenience's sake).

Of course, once that I saw that the recipe included honey, sesame seeds, and pistachios, I was sold. These buttery cookies are slightly addictive, and the combo of the mahleb, sesame seeds, and pistachios is satisfying to any nut lover.


Baraze
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. mahleb
2 Tbsp. baking powder
2 sticks butter, melted
1/4 cup warm water
4 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. warm water
sesame seeds (about 3/4 cup)
pistachio nuts, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, mahleb, baking powder, butter, and 1/4 cup water. Mix until dough is firm. Refrigerate dough for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine honey and water and mix until honey is thinned. On a small plate, combine sesame seeds and chopped pistachios.

Preheat oven to 350°. To form the cookies, roll a piece of dough into a walnut-sized ball, then flatten between your hands. Brush on side with the honey, then dip honey-side down into nut mixture. Arrange cookies on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart and bake for 10-15 minutes, until edges begin to brown and the mahleb flecks in the dough begin to darken.

Game-Time Peanuts

Using my usual tactics of "just letting tickets fall into my hands," I went to the Red Sox game last night with a very nice invitation from my uncle. They were awesome seats, all the way in the top pavilion level, but sadly, we weren't seated together. Eh, it's a game, I'll take it. And my, was it an exciting one. Ellsbury and Pedroia are HOT! Plus, I found it funny that the woman in front of me kept yelling "Big Popeye!"

Foodwise, I've never been a fan of eating at the park. The food is passable, but I have a hard time paying over $10 for lukewarm chicken fingers. Plus, you can get Fenway Franks at any time at the Lower Depths! No, I grab dinner beforehand (UBurger, in this case) and munch of peanuts during the game.

Most people my age don't go for the peanuts, but for beer. I'm just not a beer drinker. But my peanut habit is something I've picked up from my dad (I think part of it is that he likes being able to throw the shells on the ground without having to worry about cleaning them up). We share a bag of peanuts every time we go to a game, and there are always nuts around when we watch or listen to the games at home. Just opening the bag up smells like summer, enough to make me forget that it was a little chilly last night. I just love the mindless action of getting them out of the shell and the dust that seems to cover everything by the end of a game. Forget those Cracker Jacks! It's just not a trip to Fenway without a bag of peanuts.

What's your must-order for ballpark snacks?

Thyme for Awesome Nuts

I realize that it's been a while since I've gushed about something from Trader Joe's. And honestly, it's been a while since I've found anything there that was transcendent. The other day, however, I was taking a closer look at the nut and dried fruit section and came across the Thyme for Rosemary Nuts. Since rosemary is one of my favorite flavors, I couldn't possibly pass these babies by.


The verdict? AWESOME! They're a little sweet, a little salty, with a touch of rosemary and thyme, but not enough to overpower. These would be the perfect bar snack at a cocktail party (I realize I'm being fanciful here; I ate them out of the bag during my lunch break at work). They're also a little pricy - $4 for a 5 ounce bag. They probably won't be making it into my shopping basket too often, but I'll definitely pick some up for Easter.