This can only mean one thing...

The candy making and holiday baking has begun. The next few days, this here kitchen will be cranking out fudge, caramels, peppermint bark, glazed pecans, cinnamon rolls, peanut brittle, and ginger cookies. Recipes to come!

Salty Or Sweet?

 Soft Baked Pretzels:

1 Tbsp. active dry yeast

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 1/8 tsp. salt

1 1/2 C. water (110 degrees)

3 C. all purpose flour

1 C. bread flour

In a large mixing bowl (I use my kitchen aid), add yeast, brown sugar and salt. Test temp. of water to be sure it's at 110. Add to bowl and whisk by hand to dissolve. Let sit a few minutes to foam. Add both types of flour a little at a time, slowly mixing with dough hook. Beat in Kitchen aid 4 minutes to knead or knead by hand 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Grease a large bowl. Place the dough in bowl then turn upside down to coat the surface. Cover with a towel and let rise 1 hour in a warm spot.

2 C. water (110 degrees)

2 Tbsp. baking soda

Combine to water and baking soda in an 8 inch square pan. After the dough has risen, divide it into 12 pieces (we do 6). Roll out an d twist into a pretzel. Dip each pretzel shaped dough into the baking soda mixture and place on cookie sheet with parchment paper and let rise 15-20 minutes (I just spray my pans).

Bake at 450 degrees for about 8 minutes, until golden brown. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt, cinnamon sugar, parmesan, ranch seasoning, whatever strikes your fancy.

If

If you want to kick things up a notch, these are my Cinnamon, Oreo, Cream Cheese Frosted Pretzels.. They kind of speak for themselves.

 

Round up room temperature butter and cinnamon-sugar. Make up cream cheese icing (recipe also below) and crush Oreo cookies (we remove the cream filling). When pretzels are fresh out of the oven, brush the butter generously, covering the whole thing. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar and drizzle the icing over top. Then add the crushed cookies on top of that, and BAM!

Heaven in your mouth!

Cream Cheese Icing:

1/2 C. butter, room temp.

1/2 C. cream cheese, room temp.

1 C. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbsp. milk

1/2 tsp. cinnamon, or to taste for a hint of cinnamon flavor

Cream butter, cream cheese, and vanilla together. Add the powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp. milk and blend until smooth. Make the frosting the consistency you would like by adding more powdered sugar or milk.

You're Not As Cool As You Think Pumpkin Pie.

 Recipe courtesy of Mrs. Shirley Bagley, my mom.

Ingredients:

1 Yellow Cake Mix

2 Eggs

1/4 C. Oil

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Ginger

1/4 tsp. Cloves

3/4 C. Water

1 C. Pumpkin

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Pour into an 9x13 pan and bake @ 350 degrees, about 25 minutes.

Whip 1 Pint of Heavy Cream with 1 tsp. Vanilla and 2/3 C. brown sugar. Top each piece with a very generous dollop.

Who's Betty Crocker?

I know I am not the only one to make brownies for the sake of licking the batter. Maybe I am, but I am not ashamed to admit that. Or that that is partly why I chose to bake some today. I have been so unimpressed with box mix brownies, or any brownie recipe I have tried. I love brownies, or any homemade dessert for that matter, but had yet to make a pan worthy of consumption. I have had this recipe for The Best Cocoa Brownies hanging on the side of my fridge for months now. After soulemama had posted several times about these little gems, I figured I must have hit the brownie jackpot. After all, everything soulemama does is amazahzing, in my opinion. And ya know, they are crazy good. For reals, yo. Forget Krispy Kremes or Peanut Butter M&Ms... I want something delectable when it comes to dessert; to truly enjoy my calories. These bad boys fit the bill perfectly. So, without further adieu, I present the Best Cocoa Brownies; recipe courtesy of the Smitten Kitchen and a big thank you to soulemama for spreading the love. 

Best Cocoa Brownies

Makes 16 larger or 25 smaller brownies (the size you see pictured yielded 25)

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks, 5 ounces or 141 grams) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (9 7/8 ounces, 280 grams) sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 7/8 ounces, 82 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon salt (or a heaping 1/4 teaspoon flaky salt, as I used)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, cold
1/2 cup (66 grams, 2 3/8 ounces) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup walnut or pecan pieces (optional)

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.

Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot. It looks fairly gritty at this point, but don’t fret — it smooths out once the eggs and flour are added. [Note, many people who have tried this recipe have found that this step works just fine in the microwave. Couldn't test this because we don't have one, but it sounds like it would work.]

Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.

Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes is Medrich’s suggestion but it took me at least 10 minutes longer to get them set. Let cool completely on a rack. (I go further and throw mine in the fridge or freezer for a while; it’s the only way I can get them to cut with clean lines.)

Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.

Sweet, Sweet Cherries

 Recipe (slightly altered) from 'The Lazy Days Of Summer Cookbook' by Jane Watson Hopping, The Pioneer Lady.

I made this during the summer with farm fresh cherries. Deliciousness! I learned from experience it makes a huge difference when you use chilled butter, rather than warm, or melted. Be sure it is cold!

Orange Is The New Awesome

  This is an old favorite of ours; a pumpkin version of the ole whoopie pie. Holy something, these bad boys are amahzing. Whether you're ready to take on the delectable pumpkin genre of desserts now or later, this is a recipe worth keeping. Really. 

 Pilgrim Pies

Recipe origin unknown. I've had it in my file for years. Many, many years.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

2 cups light brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin

3 cups flour

1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Filling:

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup butter softened

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 to 5 cups confectioners sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat the eggs, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla in a mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in the pumpkin. 

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture a half cup at a time, blending each time until smooth.

Dropping a heaping Tbsp of batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet (they expand), bake the cookies for 9 - 10 minutes. Watch them carefully so as not to overcook them. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool.

To make the frosting, beat together the cream cheese, batter, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in the confectioners sugar half a cup at a time, until the frosting is spreadable. 

To assemble pies is pretty obvious, but for the sake of being specific, here's the process: turn half of the cookies bottom side up and spread a generous amount of frosting between each one. Top them with the remaining cookies turned right side up.

EAT and refrigerate remaining pies.

Makes 12-14

Is It A Salad? Or Salsa?

I made this to go with our dinner and LOVED it! Even my (very picky) father-in-law liked it. It does need to be eaten fresh. Not so great as leftovers.
Fresh Corn, Tomato, Avocado, Black Bean Salad 

Basic recipe (I altered it a bit) found at kileejohnson.com; whole nutrition.
 

2 ears of fresh sweet corn

(I used canned sweet white corn)

4 tomatoes, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

1 lime

1 can of rinsed black beans

Small handful of fresh parsley

Large handful of fresh cilantro

Salt & pepper to taste.

(I added a diced jalapeno. I think chopped red onion would be delightful, too.)

Husk the corn and place it in a large pot of cold water. Bring the water to a boil and immediately drain the corn. Allow it to cool in the refrigerator, OR just open and drain the can of corn.

Dice the tomatoes and avocados. Chop the parsley and cilantro. When the corn has cooled off, slice it from the cob and put all the ingredients besides the lime in a medium sized bowl.

Squeeze the lime juice over the salad and gently stir until everything is mixed together. Add some salt and pepper to taste, and you have a refreshing summer salad. This could be served as a side dish or over a bed of fresh greens. We used Hint of Lime Tostitos and scooped it as a salsa.