Pumpkin Tiramisu

There isn't a lot that I miss about my old house.......except my stuff.  To be clear, I don't want to have all the space that it takes to house my stuff.  Nonetheless.....I want my stuff.  I like my stuff.  The other day I made hubs go with me to the three storage units that are currently holding all of my household stuff.  (That wouldn't include all of the wine that's in another storage unit in another part of town.  Oh and all of hubs' garage stuff which is in yet another unit in yet another part of town.  Yeah.)  I wanted to visit my stuff and maybe bring some of it back to an already cramped rental.  I don't always think clearly.  So I dug through one of the units and made hubs move furniture and boxes so that I could find my purses and cooking magazines.  I wanted all of my cookbooks too, but then we there wouldn't have been room for us in the rental and we would have had to move in with my parents.  I have a LOT of cookbooks.  So I just came home with four boxes of purses and three boxes of old issues of Bon Appetit, Gourmet (I miss them) and Food and Wine.  I have almost all issues of each one dating back to 1998 and random issues all the way back to '94.  Shush.  I don't care that they're probably all on the internet.  Those suckers have moved all over the world with me.  I love them.

Grandma Shields' Marshmallow Ice Cream

That's my Grandma Shields.  The big picture on the left is of her and my mother when my mother looks to be about 10 years old.  That would have made my grandmother about 50.  My mother was somewhat of an "oops" I assume as Grandma would have been 40 when she gave birth to her and in 1940 (sorry to reveal your age Mom!) that would have been a tad past prime child-bearing years.  My mom was the youngest of seven children and as she admits, a little spoiled by her mother.  (Not by Grandpa....he was a grumpy ole SOB.)  The bottom right picture is of Grandma at a much younger age and minus the rather wild hairdo looks EXACTLY like my mother.....right down to the expression on her face.  The picture above that is Grandma and Grandpa and that's how I remember my grandmother looking......old, and always wearing a boldly patterned dress and pearls.  Like she was on her way to church every day, despite being a tireless farm wife.  

Back row:  Kate, Grandpa, Ruth, Grandma
Middle row:  Chuck, Emma, Maxine
Front row:  Tom
(before my mom was born I assume, unless they left her in the coop for the chickens to look after)

My mom always told me that I was Grandma's favorite grandchild.....sorry to my millions of cousins out there, but I choose to believe that she's probably right!!  :)  I mean, why would that not be true??  And since Grandma was such a great cook, and I was the favorite, it only goes to reason that my love of food came from her.  Follow me? 

A couple of years ago, I hounded politely asked my mother to pass down Grandma's recipe book until I finally wore her down she gladly handed it over.

Yup.  That's it.  An old electrical co-op book that she had cut and pasted recipes in over the years.

Ohio farm wives had to be resourceful.  The ones pasted in there that are in her own handwriting are the ones I treasure.

Although some of the newspaper-clipped ones are pretty damn interesting with names like "Roman Holiday", "Mushroom Surprise" and "Gumdrop Salad".  I gotta wonder if she ever served any of those to grumpy Charlie (Grandpa) for dinner.

One of her handwritten recipes was for ice-cream that contained nothing more than marshmallows, milk, cream and "flavoring".  No eggs.  No sugar.  Which meant I didn't have to make a custard!  Boom. 

It required nothing more than melting marshmallows into some milk, adding cream and "flavoring" and freezing.  Even Jenny could do this.  (Inside BFF joke.  We'll see if she reads my blog like she says she does!)

 I decided to keep this simple on the first try and make my "flavoring" vanilla, but this is totally a blank canvas.  I infused one whole scraped, seeded vanilla bean into the warm marshmallow/milk mixture while it was cooling before I added the cream.  I halved the original recipe because I didn't have room for a gallon of ice cream in the freezer, plus my Cuisinart's capacity is just a quart.  The Cuisinart problem proved to be moot, however because this freezes just as well without a machine.  I put half of the cooled mixture into a tupperware container, popped it into the freezer and stirred it every few hours until it was solid and it's just as creamy as the half I froze in the ice cream machine.  Bigger boom.  This is not a sugar-sweaters-on-your-teeth sweet ice cream but its smooth and creamy the way really good ice cream should be.

I can't wait to try this again with other flavorings.....cinnamon, coffee, or some of that out of control mint that I fight with every summer.  Oh, and how about toasting those marshmallows before melting them then adding some chocolate chips and then topping with some crushed graham crackers??  See where I went there?  Endless possibilities.

Marshmallow Ice Cream

Celia Shields

makes 1 gallon

2 lb Marshmallows

4 cups milk

2 quarts cream

flavorings of your choice

Dissolve marshmallows into milk in a pan (I used a non-stick) over low heat.  Remove from heat and cool.  Add in cream and freeze.

"Fighting" Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

I made these for solely for my husband.  Not because he likes to hang out at the local pub dropping shot glasses full of Irish whiskey and Bailey's Irish Cream into an almost full pint of Guinness and chugging them.  He's almost 60 for the love.  And while he loves him some Bailey's he's not much into whiskey or chewing his beer Guinness.  Nope.  

Bless his heart, he grew up in South Bend, Indiana about 14 blocks from Notre Dame and he's a Fighting Irish fan.  Most (all) of our marriage, he's been an extremely frustrated Irish fan.  There was that one year, 2005 season I believe, where they were pretty decent but then they got matched up against my team in the Fiesta Bowl and this happened........

But since then, it's not been all that pleasant.

Until this year.  And frankly, no one thought this year would be any different.  They weren't even ranked in any of the preseason polls.  And the schedule looked brutal.  The "experts" all said there was no way they could run that table.  Would never go into Oklahoma at night and win that one.  Oopsy.  Then it took them three overtimes to beat Pittsburgh so there was no way they could take down USC in the Coliseum.  This expert was so sure they couldn't do it he offered to shine their helmets if they, by some miracle, pulled the unthinkable.  Another oopsy.

And now, no one is giving them a chance on January 7.  As hubs likes to say....."That's why they actually play the game."

So I made these for him.  They're everything he likes.....a really moist, chocolatey cupcake with a ganache filling and a Bailey's buttercream frosting.

Don't worry if you don't like Guinness.  I couldn't even taste it.  Pretty much ditto with the whiskey in the ganache.  I only added a tablespoon because I was afraid these would become a booze bomb, but it's pretty much indistinguishable.  If you want to taste it, I suggest added a little more than a tablespoon.

However, where I wanted to taste the booze, I did.  The Bailey's buttercream is amazing and the perfect counterpart to the abundantly chocolate cupcake.  These are really, really good.

So make these even if you're not a die hard Domer.  Even if you are gonna root for that other team on January 7 in Miami.  Make them if you like whiskey or Guinness or Baileys.  Hell make them if you think Liam Neeson is a total bad ass.  Just make them.

On a side note, if you do decide to make them, your kitchen may end up looking like mine.  Kinda like an Irish Car Bomb actually went off in it.  Just sayin.

I found the recipe over at Smitten Kitchen.  Click here.  While hers might look better than mine, (I really need to take a cake decorating class!)  I'm sure they don't taste better!!

Love you, Hubs.  And since my beloved Buckeyes are in a timeout this bowl season, Go Irish!!

Magical Marvelous Memorable Cookies

Yeah, so it's been almost a month since my last post.  October was stupid busy.  Hubs and I went on a 2200 mile road trip from Alabama to Ohio to DC to the mountains of North Carolina and back home again.  All in the span of 10 days!  We visited family, ate, drank, drove, ate, did touristy things, drank, ate and drove some more.  I'll tell you all about that in the coming days.  When we got home we were faced with a whole lot of cray cray in the form of a guy interested in our house....that's been dragging on for the last three weeks.  I swear I'm going to write a book about all of the crazies we've come across when we sell this place.  There has only been one normal family walk through here.  The rest have come from other planets.  If it's ever over, I'll tell you all about that too.

And speaking of crazy.  These cookies are crazy delicious.  I found the recipe over at Food52.com and while I'm not enamored with the name, the cookies are out of this world.  They're really just a compost cookie that's salty and sweet, crunchy yet soft, chocolaty and addictive.  

If you're looking for a way to kick up your basic chocolate chip recipe, try this one.  And it totally adaptable to whatever you have in your pantry.  The recipe called for pretzel pieces, but since I hate pretzels, I used potato chips.  If you don't have any, leave them out and use your favorite cereal.  It's your cookie, you decide.

 

Just make them.  I guarantee you won't be able to eat just one.  Oh, and a little warning.  You're going to have to restrain yourself from eating all of the dough before you get them baked.  Just sayin.

Have y'all seen the great crop of Fall cookbooks?  I've kept our UPS girl extremely busy over the past couple of weeks!!  This is my haul so far and I can't wait to get started.  Are there any that I'm missing??

 Here's the cookie recipe:

Magical Marvelous Memorable Cookies

Food52

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granola (or other cereal)
1/2 cup crushed salted pretzel pieces (or other salty snack food)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, chopped chocolate candies, or a small bar of good dark chocolate, chopped into chunks
1/2 cup chopped pecans or other nuts, optional (If you don't use nuts, you may want to add more cereal, snacks or chocolate to compensate.)
You may want to add a little cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, or whatever you fancy.  I didn't .

Instructions
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. In another bowl, beat butter and sugars at medium-low speed until just combined, about 20 seconds. Increase speed to medium and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute longer. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula. Add egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl again.

(For this step you can use a wooden spoon or your mixer on slow speed.) Add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated and smooth. Gradually add granola, pretzels, chocolate and nuts, and mix until well incorporated, ensuring that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

Scoop dough into balls, each about 1 1/2 tablespoons, then roll between palms into balls. Place cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 1/2 inches apart, 8-12 per sheet. Freeze at least 20 minutes, or refrigerate at least one hour before baking. (They will still spread a lot.) Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are deep golden brown, 13 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Let cool completely before gently moving cookies to wire rack. They will be fragile, especially on the edges.

Pumpkin Spice Gooey Butter Cake

Apparently I'm the last person invited to the Gooey Butter Cake party.  Everyone on the entire internet seems to know about Gooey Butter Cakes but moi.  Thank you, Pinterest for giving me my pass into the cool kids group.

Yes, I once again found my inspiration on Pinterest.  Someone posted a mouth watering picture that led me to the recipe for Paula Deen's Gooey Butter Cake which I incorrectly assumed was her invention.  Well just because it has butter in it and it's called dessert, doesn't mean Paula invented it.  Seems Gooey Butter Cake originated in St. Lous where the cake was supposedly first made by accident in the 1930's by an area German American baker who was trying to make regular cake batter but reversed the proportions of sugar and flour.

Paula's recipe called for a boxed yellow cake mix, which I didn't have on hand, BUT I did have a boxed spice cake mix (which I usually have on hand in the fall to make this recipe) so I decided to try to make a pumpkin version of the Gooey Butter Cake.  This just officially took the place of pumpkin pie at my Thanksgiving table for the sole reason of the "crust".  I'm not a huge pie crust fan.  Just too bland for me.  The spice cake mixed with a stick of melted butter and one egg is pressed into the bottom of the pan and forms an incredible tasty crust for the pumpkin topping.

There are hundreds of versions for Gooey Butter Cake out there and I can't wait to try to make one from scratch using this recipe, but I also found a Nutella version that I know hubs will die over.

Here's what I did:

Pumpkin Spice Gooey Butter Cake

Crust:

1 box Spice Cake Mix

8 tablespoons of butter, melted

1 egg

Mix ingredients together until it forms into a dough like consistency and press into a greased 13x9 glass baking dish.

Topping:

8 oz package cream cheese

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pie mix)

2 eggs

4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

In mixer fitted with paddle attachment combine cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time until well combined.  Add vanilla and spices and then add the powdered sugar one cup at a time.  Spread topping over the crust and bake 40-50 minutes in 350 degree oven.

Let cool on rack for at least an hour.

Pear Spice Cake with Walnut Praline Topping

This cake screams Fall.  It's got pears and cinnamon and allspice and nutmeg and it's everything I love and associate with my favorite time of the year. 

I'm well aware that here in Alabama we probably still have another couple of months of hot weather but at least the grocery aisles and farmers markets have started saying Fall.  My favorite Honeycrisp apples made their first appearance this week at Fresh Market and I've started seeing pumpkins and squash everywhere.  So at least I have Fall food, if not Fall weather.

I'm not sure how I came across this recipe, either Pinterest or another food blogger, but it's originally a Joy the Baker recipe and per usual, it's simply fabulous.  The cake is amazingly moist with all those warm spices I mentioned and that praline topping.....OMG.  I find myself sticking my finger under the plastic wrap every time I walk by and just "cleaning up the plate" a bit.  To die for stuff.

Click HERE for the recipe!

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

From the number of different Snickerdoodle recipes you can find on the web, it's obvious it's a favorite of many a peep.  It's one of those cookies I don't often bake because they suit my tastebuds more than hubs and we all know what that means.  This version of the nostalgic little cookie has a slightly sophisticated addition in the form of brown butter.  Brown butter is like bacon......it makes everything better and it gives these a nutty quality that perfectly counters the sweetness.

Don't be scurred of browning butter.  It's super easy but does require that you pay attention.  As soon as the foam subsides don't leave the stove.  It can go from wonderfully brown to burnt rather quickly!  If you're new to the process, I suggest using a pan with a light colored bottom so you can easily see the color of the butter changing.  It's really worth the extra effort in these cookies.

Here's the recipe:

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

BAKED Elements, Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tarter

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon whole milk

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat swirling the pan occasionally until the foam subsides and the butter turns nut brown, 8 to 10 minutes.  Pour the browned butter through a strainer directly into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Beat the butter on medium-low speed to release the heat and bring it to room temperature, 5 to 7 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the salt.

In a small bowl, combine the eggs and milk and whisk lightly.

Once the butter is cooled, turn off the mixer, add 1 cup of the granulated sugar and the brown sugar, and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again for a few seconds.  Turn the mixer to low and stream in the egg mixture,  Continue beating on medium speed until thoroughly combined, 30 to 45 seconds.

Add the flour mixture in three parts, beating after each addition for 10 to 15 seconds, or until just barely incorporated.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and gather the dough into a mound in the middle.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a wide-mouthed bowl, stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of cinnamon until the mixture is uniform in color.

Using a small 2-tablespoon-size ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, scoop the dough into balls and roll the dough balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture (Alternatively, measure the dough using a tablespoon and use your hands to form it into a ball before rolling in the cinnamon sugar mixture.)  Place the cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets and bake for about 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the cookies are cracked and the fissures are set. (We prefer our snickerdoodles chewy.  If you want a slightly crunchier cookie, bake for an additional  1 to 2 minutes, but still take care to not overbake the cookies.)

Set the pans on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes.  Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Bourbon-Spiked Banana Bread

This banana bread is about the only thing I've baked in the last few weeks.  Well not "about".  It is the only thing I've baked in the past few weeks.  The focus around here seems to have shifted a bit to all things house related.

Since we last spoke, we've purchased a lot up the street (we don't like to get too far from home) for our new house and have found an architect that I'm sooooo hoping we can afford!  He and I have spoken on the phone and texted back a forth and I really like his vibe.......I'm just hoping hubs wallet feels the same way!!  We've also had one (yes, ONE) showing of our current house.  Our realtor said that the couple practically vomited rainbows while they were here.....loved the house, wouldn't have to change a thing, have always wanted to live on this street, blah, blah, blah.  SHOW ME THE MONEY!  I'll keep you posted but don't hold your breath.

In a completely unrelated topic, this week starts the best two weeks in sports.  Have you filled out your brackets?  Mine are all filled out and people are dying to know!  So here's the scoop.  Since the trend among the experts seems to be "going chalk" (who the eff makes up these terms?) that's mostly the route I went also.  Here are my first round (technically the second round but feeder games don't count in my world) exceptions.....

South Region

UConn over Iowa State (not a huge upsent....it's a 9 over an 8)

VCU over Witchita State

East Region

West Virginia over Gonzaga

Midwest

Ohio over Michigan (suck it Wolverines)

My final four consists of Kentucky, Syracuse (I really wanted to pick my beloved Buckeyes, but as my dad said..."Sully really needs to pick up his game.") Kansas, and Michigan State.  I've got Michigan State beating Syracuse in the final.  I know everyone thinks this is Kentucky's year, but let's face it.....Calipari is a cheater and can't win the big one.  Plus they will have to get by a veteran MSU team that has a coach that can and HAS won the big one.

UPDATE:  When I found out yesterday afternoon that Fab Melo from Syracuse had been ruled ineligible from playing in the NCAA tournament (apparently because he's dumber than a box of rocks) a few things changed in my bracket.  The most important being that my beloved Buckeyes now have a legitimate shot to make the Final Four, which in turn really pisses me off because I had a chance for VIP tickets to the Final Four and TURNED THEM DOWN.  Grrr.  Anyhoo, my final four now consists of Michigan State, Kentucky, Ohio State and Kansas with Michigan State and Ohio State in the finals.  I'll let you figure out who I picked to win it.

Finally let's talk a little bit about this banana bread.  It's from the new cookbook from the highly successful blog Joy the Baker, whom I've followed for a few years now.  It's her grandmother's basic banana bread recipe to which she's added the always appropriate bourbon and chocolate!  I made three mini-loaves so I could share.  I took one of the loaves to my trainer who said he could smell the bourbon from a mile away and jokingly claimed he got a buzz after a few slices.  Rookie.   It amounted to one tablespoon of bourbon per loaf.  My highly trained alcohol taste buds could barely detect it.  It added the perfect amount of zip and you can never go wrong with bananas and chocolate.

Here's the recipe:

Mommom's Chocolate Bourbon-Spiked Banana Bread

Joy the Baker Cookbook

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons bourbon
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (I omitted)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a loaf pan.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.  In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition.  Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add bananas, lemon juice, and bourbon.  Beat until well incorporated.  Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture all at once.  Beat until almost incorporated.  Stop the mixer and remove the bowl from the mixer.  Add the walnuts and chocolate chips and incorporate the rest of the ingredients with a spatula.  Spoon mixture into loaf pan.  Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean  Remove from the oven and allow loaf to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Brown Butter Crispy Rice Treats

I temporarily lost my kitchen mojo last week.  It was terrible.  I couldn't find anything fun or interesting to make and when I finally did I totally screwed it up.  I burnt two dozen cupcakes and somehow screwed up two pies that had taken most of the day to make.

So I decided to go old school and keep it simple.  Rice Krispie treats.  A kindergardener can make those, so I figured even I could manage success.  Plus, who doesn't love these?

The addition of real vanilla bean and browned butter gives these a richer, nuttier flavor and takes them from a simple childhood treat to a sophisticated dessert.  Make these for your super bowl party or send them to school with your kids for a Valentines Day.  And if you've also lost your kitchen mojo, I guarantee they'll get you out of your funk.

Here's the recipe:

Brown Butter Crispy Rice Treats

flour, by Joanne Chang

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Two 10-ounce bags marshmallows
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
9 cups crispy rice cereal

Directions:
Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan, coat it with nonstick cooking spray, or line it with parchment paper.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat.  As the butter melts, use the tip of a knife to scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean directly into the butter.  (Reserve the pod for another use.  I throw mine into my sugar jar to make vanilla sugar).

Once the butter has melted, it will start to bubble and crackle.  Watch the butter carefully and you will see it slowly browning.  As soon as the bubbling subsides, after about 5 minutes, the butter will be fully browned and you will need to add the marshmallows.  (Be attentive, because if you don't add the marshmallows right away, the butter may burn.)  Add the marshmallows and salt and stir constantly over low heat, until the marshmallows are completely melted and the vanilla seeds are evenly distributed.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the cereal, and mix well with a wooden spoon to coat evenly.  Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and pat into an even layer.  Let cool for about 1 hour, or to room temperature, then cut into 12 pieces.

These treats can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Spiked Coffee Cookies

Are there two ingredients that bring out the best in each other better than coffee and chocolate?  OK.  There might be, but are there any more enjoyable?  They're like Batman and Robin, Ginger and Fred, Sanford and Son, Demi and Ashton.....maybe not the last one, but you get my drift.

These are intensely chocolatey, cakey cookies with just a whisper of coffee.  It's subtle, but it's there.  Perfectly.  As for the glaze, I may or may not have doubled the amount of Kahlua because that's the way I roll.

I think I'll make these this summer and forego the glaze and sandwich two cookies together with some coffee ice cream in the middle.  What the heck....why wait until summer!

Spiked Coffee Cookies

King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

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

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup coffee liqueur (such as Kahlua)

1 large egg

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon espresso powder

1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

glaze:

1 cup chocolate chips

6 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon coffee liqueur

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 deg. F.  Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

To make the dough:  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar,  Add the liqueur, egg, baking soda, salt and espresso powder, beating until smooth.  Beat in the cocoa and flour.

Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheets.  Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, until they appear set and you can begin to smell the chocolate,   Remove them from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.

To make the glaze:  In a microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl, or in a saucepan set over very low heat, heat the chocolate chips and cream, stirring until the chocolate melts.  Continue stirring until you made a smooth glaze then stir in the liqueur.  Spread the tops of the cooled cookies with the glaze.

Momofuku Milk Bar's Compost Cookie

If you don't leave this cookie out for Santa, you're making a mistake.  A big one.  I made these for Hubs this weekend and I've already been promised this, this AND this.  I'm just sayin!!   That's how good they are.

This recipe comes from the new book Momofuku Milk Bar, which is the desert arm of David Chang's Momofuku empire and all I can say is that it's simply genius.  I mean, who thinks of developing recipes from Cereal Milk?  Now there are many "recipes within recipes" and none are overly difficult, but you will have to plan on some extra time being involved.  Believe me....it's worth it.

Back to the cookies.  The name, Compost Cookies, is pretty self explanatory and accurate.  You pretty much throw in whatever is in the kitchen....including coffee grounds.  Suriously!  They're designed to be an oversized cookie which is genius, because you get a little something different in every bit, so you want a lot of bites!  It's also that perfect combination of crispy and chewy/salty and sweet.  I'm telling you they're quite possible The Best Cookie I've Ever Eaten.  I've already called The Food Network about getting on their TV show.  

Make the cookies.  You'll be richly rewarded!!

Here's the recipe:

Compost Cookies

Momofuku Milk Bar

Ingredients:

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

2 tablespoons glucose (you can substitute 1 tablespoon corn syrup if you don't have glucose)

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (I just had regular size)

1/2 cup mini butterscotch chips (ditto)

1/2 cup Graham Crust (recipe follows....this is an example of the "recipe within a recipe")

1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats

2 1/2 teaspoons ground coffee (This is pre-brewed ground coffee and any kind except instant works fine)

2 cups potato chips (Book recommends Cape Cod potato chips "because they aren't paper-thin, so they don't break down too much in the mixing process".)

1 cup mini pretzels

Directions:

1.  Combine the butter, sugars, and glucose in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes.  (Don't skimp on the time here.  It's really important to beat the mixture for the full time.)

2.  Reduce the speed to low and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute.  (Do not walk away from the machine during this step, or you will risk overmixing the dough.)  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

3.  Still on low speed, add the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, graham crust, oats, and coffee and mix just until incorporated, about 30 seconds.  Add the potato chips and pretzels and paddle, still on low speed, until just incorporated.  Be careful not to overmix or break too many of the pretzels or potato chips.  You deserve a pat on the back if one of your cookies bakes off with a whole pretzel standing up in the center.

4.  Using a 2-3/4 ounce ice cream scoop (or a 1/3 cup measure), portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan.  Pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat.  Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week.  Do not bake your cookies from room temperature  -  they will not bake properly.

5.  Heat the oven to 375 deg. F.

6.  Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or Silpat-lined sheet pans.  (I only got four cookies on each pan.  They really expand.)  Bake for 18 minutes.  The cookies will puff, crackle and spread.  After 18 minutes, they should be very faintly browned on the edges yet still bright yellow in the center.  Give them an extra minute or so if that's not the case.

7.  Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or an airtight container for storage.  At room temp, cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.

Graham Crust

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup milk powder (powdered milk....I tried to make "milk powder" more difficult that it actually was. Duh)

2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1.  Toss the graham crumbs, milk powder, sugar and salt with your hands in a medium bowl to evenly distribute your dry ingredients.

2.  Whisk the butter and heavy cream together.  Add to the dry ingredients and toss again to evenly distribute.  The butter will act as a glue, adhering to the dry ingredients and turning the mixture into a bunch of small clusters.  The mixture should hold its shape if squeezed tightly in the palm of your hand,  If it is not moist enough to do so, melt an additional 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons butter and mix it in.

Chocolate Truffles

Since last week was all savory it's only fitting that we sweeten it up this week!  Plus every cocktail party needs dessert, right?  You have to have something to nibble on while you're sipping your Sauternes!

It doesn't get any easier, or more versatile, than truffles.  Pick your favorite ganache recipe (I like Ina's, of course) and after that the possibilities are endless.  I went with peppermint (crushed candies and then chopped finely in mini food processor) and cocoa powder (with a hint of cayenne pepper).

But you could go with toasted coconut, chopped nuts, sprinkles.....use your imagination.  Like I said, I like the Barefoot Contessa's Grand Marnier truffle base recipe, but you could always replace the Grand Marnier with a drop or two of peppermint extract, or almond extract, or even infuse the cream with some coffee beans.  Whatever tickles your fancy.

Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Truffles

Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients
1/2 pound good bittersweet chocolate such as Lindt
1/2 pound good semisweet chocolate such as Ghiradelli
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, optional
1 tablespoon prepared coffee, optional
1/2 teaspoon good vanilla extract

Your choice of whatever you want to roll your truffles in!

Directions
Chop the chocolates finely with a sharp knife. Place them in a heat-proof mixing bowl.

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just boils. Turn off the heat and allow the cream to sit for 20 seconds. Pour the cream through a fine-meshed sieve into the bowl with chocolate. With a wire whisk, slowly stir the cream and chocolates together until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the Grand Marnier, if using, coffee, and vanilla. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.

With 2 teaspoons, spoon round balls of the chocolate mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, until firm. Roll each dollop of chocolate in your hands to roughly make a round ball. (I keep the palms of my hands slightly damp to keep the chocolate from sticking to me and making a huge mess!)  Roll in confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, or whatever you choose. These will keep refrigerated for weeks, but serve at room temperature.

Peanut Butter Brownies

It's been quite the news week, hasn't it?  Seems Herman Cain is quite the horny badger; Rick Perry is, well....Rick Perry; Penn State is in the middle of the most horrific scandal to ever take place on a college campus, and OMG did you see what Kim is dating on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills???  Scandalous.

And even more scandalous are these brownies.  These are creamy and gooey with the great combination of peanut butter and chocolate.  Throw in some crunchy peanuts and a rich caramel topping and these are durn near perfect!  Make these this Thanksgiving for the non-traditional dessert lovers in your family.  Like me!!

Here's the recipe:

Peanut Butter Brownies

King Arthur Flour

Ingredients
3/4 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Topping:
1/2 cup lightly salted peanuts, chopped
1/2 cup (14-16 pieces) caramel
1 tablespoon water

Directions:
Grease a 9-inch square pan and line with foil or parchment.  Preheat the oven to 350 deg. F.  Combine peanut butter, butter, and both sugars in a large bowl; heat in the microwave or over simmering water to melt the butter and sugars, cool to lukewarm.  Stir in eggs, vanilla and dry ingredients until the batter is smooth.  Stir in the chocolate chips  Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle half of the peanuts on top.  Bake for 28 minutes, until the center is set.  Remove from the oven and place on a rack.

For the topping:
Melt the caramel in a small saucepan with the water and drizzle over the top of the brownies; sprinkle with the remaining peanuts.  Cool completely before slicing.

Friday Five.....including Cupcakes!

1.  Chocolate Chip Banana Cupcakes topped with Peanutty Buttercream.  I was charged with bringing a sweet item to last week's tennis match and these were a huuuge hit.  They are a perfect combination of salty peanuts and peanut butter and on top of a moist sweet banana and chocolate chip cupcake.  I got the recipe out of The Butch Bakery Cookbook which is loaded with fabulous cupcake recipes "for dudes"!!  Their words, not mine.  All I can say is my entirely female tennis team must have "dude" taste buds.

2.  Everyone knows that football season is usually my favorite time of year, but let's face it, both of my teams totally suck it this year.  Did you see that complete CHOKE at Nebraska last week.  Our back-up quarterback was so bad he's the biggest joke on the internet.  And speaking of joke and quarterbacks, how about Tony Romo?  I've been a Cowboys fan for 40 years, but I've officially pulled my "fandom" until they get rid of Tony "Oh No".   Sooooo, football's been a bit of a bummer this season.

3.  But, the good news is, college basketball officially kicks off tonight with Midnight Madness and all of the "experts" are calling for my Buckeyes to be a contender.  Can't wait to see the newly buff, Jared Sullinger in action.  He better still have that booty to back those boys outta the box!  If not, I'm sending him some of those cupcakes.

4.  I've recently discovered the huge time suck that is stumbleupon.com.  You tell them your interests, click on the "stumble" button and it will find website after website that appeal just to you!  There's even a Stumbleupon app for your iPad.  Fabulous!

5.  And finally, unless you've been living under a rock for the past few weeks you've heard of "Occupy Wall Street".  I have my own opinions about all that which I'm sure you'd be interested in, but the best thing to come out of it has to be when one college football fan decided to join the movement and add his own hilarious twist in the form of  "Occupy Herbstreit".   One of the wittiest things I've found on the internet in ages.  His list of thirteen demands is downright genius!  Follow him on twitter @LostGamedayFan

Here's the recipe for the cupcakes:

Chocolate Chip Banana Cupcake with Peanutty Buttercream

The Butch Bakery Cookbook by David Arrick with Janice Kollar

Yield:  12 jumbo or 18 regular cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs, broken into a small bowl

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 cup mashed very ripe banana, about 3 medium

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, tossed in 1 teaspoon cake flour

Buttercream Ingredients:

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup creamy peanut butter (not freshly ground)

1 1/3 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted through a strainer

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup heavy cream

Pinch salt

Topping:  (Optional)

3/4 cup honey-roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Cupcakes:  Place a baking rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 deg. F.  Line two 6-cup jumbo-size muffin pans with liners and set aside.

Place a strainer over a medium-size mising bowl and sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In another medium-size mixing bowl, with an electric miser on medium-high speed, beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together until well combined, 2 to 3 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs and vanilla, beating until combined.  Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk and beat on low speed just until all the dry ingredients are incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Stir in the mashed banana, combining well and then the chocolate chips.

Fill each prepared muffin cup with a rounded 1/3 cup batter, about 3/4 full.  Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the tops are just firm to the touch and a tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean, about 24 minutes.  Leave the cupcakes in the pan on a rack to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack to cool completely before frosting, about 1 hour.

Buttercream:  In a large-size mixing bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and peanut butter together until creamy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, reduce the speed to medium, and add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, heavy cream, and salt, beating on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes until very smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Cupcake Construction:  Top each cupcake with a heaping tablespoon of the frosting and using a butter knife or small offset spatula, smooth the frosting on the top of each cupcake.  Sprinkle the tops with 1 tablespoon of the peanuts, if desired.  Cupcakes can be refrigerated for up to  days in an airtight container or frozen for 1 month.