Caramel Pecan Cookies

Last week's entry for Brownie Squares yielded some interesting comments from readers. My friend Lisa said, "This looks so good I may get the apron out tonight." And my friend Myra said, "OMG! These look incredible!! :-)." I love that Myra included a smiley face with her comment.

Today I think I'll share another recipe using the same butter cookie base but adding caramel and pecans on the top. If you like sweet and gooey caramel, these cookies are TDF (to die for). I've made them every year for the past five years. I shared the recipe with my mom and she has been known to make them throughout the year.

If you have never made caramel before it's not too difficult but you do need to pay attention to what you're doing so that you don't burn yourself or your house down. Caramel is made by melting sugar, adding heavy cream, cooking until the caramel is smooth, and finally adding butter, vanilla, and salt. Be careful when adding the cream, as the melted sugar will bubble and steam vigorously. Make sure to use a 3 quart saucepan to avoid a catastrophic boil over.

Basic Butter Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 - 4 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Grease a 9 x 13 inch metal baking pan, then line with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on both ends. Then grease foil.

Press dough evenly into bottom of baking pan, using plastic wrap or wax paper on top to keep dough from sticking to your fingers. Chill until firm, about 20 minutes.

As crust chills, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake crust until golden brown, about 20 - 25 minutes. Do not over bake. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 20 minutes. Leave oven on.

While crust cools, make the caramel topping.


Caramel Pecan Topping

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter cut into bits
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups pecans, toasted, cooled, and coarsely chopped

Make topping while crust cools:
Cook sugar in a 3 quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar is melted to a deep golden caramel. Be careful not to burn. Tilt pan and carefully pour in cream. Sugar will harden and steam vigorously so be careful. Place back on burner and continue cooking over moderately low heat, stirring, until caramel is smooth. Increase heat as needed if caramel is not yet smooth after 2 - 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter, vanilla, salt, and pecans.

Immediately spread topping over cooled crust and bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for about 2 hours.

Lift cookies out of pan by gently loosening and lifting the foil. Place on large cutting board and remove foil. Run a knife (chef's knife works well) under hot water then wipe dry. Cut into 2-inch triangles, diamonds, or squares.

Cookies keep layered in wax paper in airtight containers for up to 1 week. They also freeze well for 2 - 3 weeks.

Cookie press rating: 5 cookies (out of 5)

Brownie Squares

Christmas is just two days away and I have to say that I'm very prepared this year. My shopping is done, cards mailed, and cookie assortment completed and shared. I have just one gift left to wrap and a dessert to make for Christmas Eve. I think that's pretty darn great for December 23rd. I could get used to not working. But I really shouldn't.

A few years ago Gourmet Magazine featured a basic butter cookie recipe and many cookies that you could make using the butter cookie dough as a base and adding a topping or flavoring to make a whole new cookie. I liked the idea of adding a brownie topping to the butter cookie base since I don't consider brownies to be very festive in and of themselves. By pressing the delicious butter cookie dough into a 9 x 13 inch pan, baking it, and then topping it with a chocolaty brownie and baking it again the normally dull brownie gets a starring role as a cookie. Omit the nuts if you want, but I think they give the cookie some needed crunch.

Basic Butter Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 - 4 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Grease a 9 x 13 inch metal baking pan, then line with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on both ends. Then grease foil.

Press dough evenly into bottom of baking pan, using plastic wrap or wax paper on top to keep dough from sticking to your fingers. Chill until firm, about 20 minutes.

As crust chills, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake crust until golden brown, about 20 - 25 minutes. Do not over bake. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 20 minutes. Leave oven on.

As crust cools, make the brownie topping.

Brownie Topping

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
10 1/2 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped (do not use unsweetened)
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped (toast walnuts by placing them on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for 5 - 6 minutes. Check often and shake pan during toasting.)

Melt butter and chocolate with brown sugar in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat, then whisk in eggs and vanilla until combined well. Whisk in flour, cocoa, and salt, then stir in walnuts (if using).

Spread brownie batter over cooled crust and bake until set, about 20 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack, about 1 1/2 hours. Lift from pan and using a heavy knife (Chef's knife), cut into 1-inch squares. Running knife under hot water and wiping dry will aid in making clean cuts.

Cookie press rating: 4 cookies (out of 5)

Fig Crumble Bars

I always liked Fig Newtons as a kid. I'm not sure why since they aren't particularly sweet or nutty or chocolaty. There is something about the filling coupled with the plain, soft outer shell that I simply like. Or it may be the fact that they came packaged in a sleeve all lined up neatly which satisfied my urge to keep everything tidy.

This recipe for Fig Crumble Bars in a better version of the original Fig Newtons that I loved so much as a kid. The rich fig filling contrasts perfectly with the buttery, crumbly topping and firm bottom crust. These were actually better the second day as the fig flavor intensified. After the third day, they became less crumbly and softer, but tasty nonetheless. Calimyrna figs are golden in color and are not always labeled as such.

I pulsed the butter into the crust mixture but it would not come together as the recipe instructed so I added about 2 tablespoons of cold water to the mixture. I added another teaspoon or two of water to make the topping moist and clumpy.

The recipe is from Everyday Food.

Fig Crumble Bars

Special equipment: food processor

1 1/2 sticks cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces plus more for pan
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
8 ounces dried Calimyrna figs (about 1 1/2 cups) stems removed
3/4 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon grated zest

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter the bottom of a 8-inch square baking pan, then line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang. Butter paper and set pan aside.

In a food processor, pulse 2 cups flour and 1 cup sugar. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse corn meal. Transfer half of the mixture to the prepared pan and press firmly into the bottom. Lightly flour fingers if necessary. Transfer remaining mixture into large, moist clumps (add a tsp. or two of cold water if needed). Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Wipe out bowl of food processor.

Make Filling
In the bowl of the food processor, blend figs, apple juice, lemon zest, and remaining 2 tablespoons of flour and sugar until a thick paste forms.

Using a small offset spatula or table knife, spread filling over crust. Sprinkle with topping and bake until topping is golden brown, about 60 to 65 minutes.

Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Lift out of pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into approximately 20 bars.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Cookie press rating: 4 cookies (out of 5)

Ready for the Oven














Baked and Cooled













Close Up

Butterscotch Blondies

My sweet tooth was acting up last week so I decided to satisfy it with a fresh batch of Butterscotch Blondies. The butterscotch chips and brown sugar combine to make these on the sweet side. Some of you will find these to be to bit too sweet. In small doses I think they're quite good.

I decided to see what Wikipedia had to say about Blondies, but was disappointed to find no information as to the origin of these treats. The entry did explain that sometimes the bars contain white or chocolate chips, but that the dominant flavor comes from the brown sugar and often there is no butterscotch in them at all. Who knew? I guess I did learn something from the Wikipedia entry after all.

I'd love to hear your comments on these cookies. Please email me at: tleader @ nyc . rr . com . Close up all the spaces in the address so that it reads like a normal email address. I'm trying to outsmart the spammers who automatically collect email address from websites to feed their lists. You can also leave comments on the bottom of this entry.

Happy baking.

Butterscotch Blondies

1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 9 x 9 inch baking pan with foil and spray bottom only with cooking spray.

Mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, egg yolk and vanilla.
Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a separate bowl, then stir them into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in butterscotch chips.

Pour into pan. Rap pan on counter to remove air bubbles and bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned around the edges. Cool in pan set on a wire rack.

Remove from pan when completely cool and cut into squares.

Cookie press rating: 3 cookies (out of 5)

Lemon Bars

No cookie screams summer more than lemon bars. The cool lemon filling all shiny and smooth set atop a crisp layer of a shortbread-like cookie instantly cools my body temperature a few degrees and increases my energy level. Okay, it's probably the sugar in the cookie that energizes my body, but my spirit is energized too. The dog days of summer have met their match.

To find a surefire recipe for lemon bars I went right to my fail-safe baking cookbook from Cook's Illustrated. Baking Illustrated is filled with tons of kitchen-tested recipes which turn out perfect pies, cakes, tarts, cookies and provide lots of instruction on how and why to follow certain procedures while baking. It's not a flashy book filled with color photos, but it's a book no serious baker should be without.

The recipe is a bit challenging since it requires several steps to make the lemon curd filling. For me the most difficult step was timing the filling so it was done at the same time the crust comes out of the oven. I juiced and zested the lemons and separated the eggs ahead of the time with help from my mom. My problem was that the lemon curd was ready almost 10 minutes before the crust was finished baking. To slow the process I turned down the flame under the lemon curd and hoped for the best. It worked out okay in the end but I probably would have browned the crust a bit more before I poured the filling on top.

This recipe calls for a thermometer to get the curd temperature just right and a fine mesh sieve to strain the curd. You can probably do without the thermometer by just following the cooking time listed in the recipe, but the fine mesh sieve is a must if you want a smooth lemon filling. And trust me, you do.

I served the lemon squares as dessert after a meal of hamburgers done to perfection on the grill with a corn and black bean salad. The lemon bars were magical. A buttery crust topped with a layer of silky lemon filling which made my lips pucker ever so slightly. My dad absolutely loved them, saying how they were delicious. My mom called them outstanding. And Mike called them light and delectable. My only complaint is that the recipe makes only 16 squares. I guess that's a good thing because I'd end up eating far too many. Try serving them with fresh blueberries.

If you have a favorite summer cookie, let me know. I'd love to hear what comes to your mind when you think about cookies in the summertime.

Lemon Bars

Crust
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus additional for dusting bars
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened but cool

Filling
7 large egg yolks, plus 2 large eggs
1 cup plus two tablespoons granulated sugar
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice from 4 or 5 lemons plus 1/4 cup lemon zest, finely grated
Pinch of salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces
1 tablespoons heavy cream

Make the Crust: Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Fold 2 pieces of foil to measure 9 inches wide. Fit 1 sheet into bottom of pan overlapping the sides about 2 inches. Repeat with second sheet so that sides hang over all four sides of pan. If foil is very thin, double up so that it won't rip when removing the lemon squares from the pan. Spray the foil with cooking spray or use non-stick foil.

Unbaked Crust














Place the flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a food processor and process briefly. Add the butter and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds, then process until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three, 1 second pulses. Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press firmly with your fingers into an even layer over the entire pan bottom. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While crust is cooling in the refrigerator, start preparing ingredients for the filling, but do not cook filling until crust is baking. The warm filling must be added to the warm crust.

Separate eggs, juice lemons, zest lemons, and measure sugar.

Egg Yolks













Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake crust until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Make the Filling: In a medium, nonreactive bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and whole eggs until combined, about 5 seconds. Add the granulated sugar and whisked until just combined, about 5 seconds. Add the lemon juice, zest, and salt and whisk until combined, about 5 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a medium, nonreactive saucepan, add butter pieces, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until curd thickens into a sauce-like mixture registering 170 degrees on an instant- read or candy thermometer, about 5 minutes. Immediately pour the curd through a fine mesh strainer set over a clean bowl. Force curd through strainer with wooden spoon. Be sure to scrape excess curd from the bottom of the strainer into the bowl. Take a taste. It's delicious! Stir in heavy cream and then pour curd into the warm crust immediately.

Bake for 10 - 15 minutes until the curd is shiny and the center jiggles slightly when shaken. Cool on a wire rack for about 45 minutes. Remove bars from pan by lifting foil by the edges and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares, wiping knife clean between cuts. Dust bars with confectioner's sugar if desired.

The Final Product













Cookie press rating: 5 cookies (out of five)