Homemade Pecan Sandies

This recipe turned out more difficult than it sounds.  I would suggest trying this when you have lots of patients and time!

1 1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

In food processor, finely chop the pecans. (I bought pecans already chopped so there was no need for a food processor.)  Cream softened butter, confectioners' sugar, and brown sugar using an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy or about 3 mins.  Add egg yolk and beat until smooth.  Gradually stir in flour and salt until just incorporated.  Then add chopped pecans.  Divide dough into 2 equal portions.  (When I got to this point the dough was way to dry and would not stick together at all so I added more butter until it would stick together.)  Roll each portion into a log about 10 inches long and 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Wrap each log individually in a piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours or overnight (I think I refrigerated it only for 1 hour and it came out fine).  When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Slice dough into 1/3 inch thick rounds and place on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart.  HINT (this hint was in the original recipe): rotating the log of dough often to prevent it from becoming flattened as you cut.  Bake about 15 minutes or until edges are light golden but the top is still soft.  Leave cookies on baking sheets for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

I enjoy trying new recipes for the fun of it.  This time I choose Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting.

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups canola oil
4 large eggs
3 cups peeled and grated carrots
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 24 cupcake inserts with paper liners or butter and flour them.  (I prefer the paper liners because it's easier to clean.)  Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in medium bowl to blend.  In a separate large bowl, whisk sugar and oil until well blended.  Whisk in eggs 1 at a time.  Add flour mixture and stir until blended.  Stir in carrots, walnuts and raisins.  Divide batter among the 24 liners, filling each 3/4 full.  Bake cupcakes 14 to 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Let cool in pans for five minutes then transfer to cooling rack.  Let cool completely before frosting them.

Using this exact same recipe it will make one two-layer cake. (As you can see in the picture I made the cupcakes.  I have not tried the layer cake yet.)  Butter two 9 inch diameter pans.  Line bottom of pans with waxed paper.  Butter and flour paper; tap out excess flour.  Divide the batter between the prepared pans, bake the layers about 40 mins each, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool cakes in pans for 15 mins.  Turn out onto racks.  Peel off waxed paper; cool cakes completely.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:
I ran short on time so I just used cream cheese frosting (without the maple syrup) and piped it onto each cupcake.
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

In a stand mixer beat all the ingredients on medium until fluffy.  Chill the frosting for 10 to 20 minutes, until it has set up enough to spread smoothly.

To assemble a carrot layer cake, frost the top of one cake, place the other cake on top.  Frost the sides and top, swirling decoratively.  Refrigerate the cake for 30 mins to set up frosting.  For the layer cake, you will probably have a bit of frosting left over, which you can tint and use for decorating, or save and put on gingersnaps.

Home Grown Peanuts

This past spring while I was doing a little bit of flower shopping at Earl May's, I came across a package of peanut seeds.  I bought one package, and with John's help, got the peanut seeds (aka: they look exactly like a peanut) planted.  Soon enough they started sprouting and later developing flowers.  I kept waiting and waiting for a peanut to grow.  I finally realized peanuts have a long growing season so it would still be a month or so before peanuts started developing.  Later when I took a peak at them again there were these finger like things growing off of each stem.  Once this stem reached the ground it buried itself and began forming a peanut.  After letting them grow for quite a while and after the leaves started turning yellow, we dug them up.  And....wa la! peanuts!  The pictures below shows the plants with the peanuts still attached.

After letting them dry for a couple weeks, we (my boyfriend John, sister Tasha, and I) picked the peanuts off the plant and roasted them.

Roasted Peanuts Ingredients:

2 pounds in-shell raw peanuts (I don't think I got two pounds off the few plants we planted but we continued with this recipe anyways)
2 tablespoons peanut oil (I didn't have peanut oil so I replaced it with veg. oil)
1 to 2 tablespoons kosher salt (I didn't have kosher salt so I just used iodized salt)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Rinse the peanuts under cool water to remove excess dirt.  Pat dry and place in a large bowl and toss with the peanut oil and salt until well coated.  Place on a cookie sheet, making sure to spread them out into a single layer.  Roast in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating pans halfway through cooking.  Once you remove the peanuts from the oven, let them cool slightly before eating.  They will continue to "cook" and become crunchy as they cool.

I also wanted to make homemade peanut butter with the few peanuts that were harvested.  When I set my mind to something it will get done!  So, now on to making peanut butter, with John's help, using the home grown and roasted peanuts.

If using roasted peanuts to make peanut butter, remove shells and discard.  Remove the skin by rubbing the peanuts together in your hands held over a salad spinner, allowing the peanuts and skins to fall into the bowl.  Once the skin has been loosed from all the peanuts close the salad spinner and spin until all of the skin has been separated from the peanuts. (I don't have a salad spinner so we picked the skin off and put it in the garbage and put the skinless peanuts in a blender). 

Peanut Butter Ingredients:

15 ounces shelled and skinned roasted peanuts (John and I got tired of cracking open the roasted peanuts so we didn't end up with anywhere near 15 ounces)

1 tsp. kosher salt (once again, used iodized salt instead)

1 1/2 tsp honey

1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil (I just used veg. oil and I ended up using way more than 1 1/2 tbsp)

Directions:

Place the peanuts, salt and honey into the bowl of a food processor (I don't own a food processor so I just used a blender).  Process for 1 minute.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Place the lid back on and continue to process while slowly drizzling in the oil and process until the mixture is smooth, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.  Place the peanut butter in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Well, it did look like peanut butter when it was done.  Just not as creamy as the store bought peanut butter.  I tasted it and didn't like it one bit.  John tasted it and thought it tasted like peanut butter.  Others who have tried it have also liked it.  I don't know what it was about it, but it just didn't suit my fancy.

It was fun watching the peanuts grow but I don't think I will be growing anymore any time soon.  I will find something else interesting to grow next year.

Monkey Bread

I remember this from when I was a kid.  I had a coupon for biscuits so I decided to pull out this recipe.  It came from one of mom's old cook books.

4 cans biscuits, cut into fourth's  (I purchased the Grands biscuits so I only needed 2 tubes and I cut each biscuit into sixths)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 sticksmargarine
1 tsp. cinnamon

Cut biscuits and shake in a sack with the 3/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon.  Place the coated biscuits in a greased bunt pan (I use this) or angel food pan.  Melt margarine and combine with 1 cup sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon.  (I use the left over cinnamon and sugar mix that was used to shake each piece of biscuit in plus the 1 cup sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon, so when I make it, it turns out extra cinnamon and sugary).  Pour the melted mixture over the biscuits.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes.  After baked, tip upside down on a cookie sheet or large plate and remove the pan.  Let cool a bit, then chow down!  Personally I think it tastes better after it has set for a day.

Snickerdoodles Recipe

This recipe is one mom used to use when she was a kid.

Cookie:

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Coating:

1/3 cup granulated white sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place rack in the center of the oven.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Using hand mixer, beat butter and sugar until smooth (about 2-3 mins).  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla extract.  In separate bowl mix flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; stir into other mixture.  Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch round balls.  Mix coating in a separate bowl.  Roll balls in the cinnamon and sugar mixture.  Space cookies about 2 inches apart and gently flatten each cookie on the pan.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges.  Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.

Can be stored in airtight container, at room temperature, for about 10-14 days.