Some Simple Valentines Day Treats

I love Valentines Day. Always have. Even when I was single and didn't have anyone buying me flowers or taking me out to fancy restaurants. I just think that celebrating love in any of its forms is a good thing. Plus Valentines Day is a true chocoholic's dream, which is why I'm surprised that only one of the recipes below contains chocolate (and even then it's a humble rolo), but I guess that's because most of these treats were made with other people in mind. I think my own sweet tooth will be satisfied when I make my favorite chocolate covered strawberries this weekend.

Homemade Marshmallows (Gourmet, December 1998 via epicurious.com)

I mentioned these little guys in my previous post. Although I've never been too big on marshmallows, I have to say that I much prefer these to the store-bought version. They are light, fluffy, and perfectly sweet. Plus they were really fun to make, at least if your idea of fun is watching a sticky mess of gelatin and sugar syrup whip up into white fluffy deliciousness right before your very eyes. I cut these out with a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to make them festive, but if you really wanted to up the V-Day factor you could add a small amount of red food coloring to the marshmallow batter to make them pink. Oh, and I should probably tell you that these were fantastic dipped in chocolate (but really, what isn't?)

about 1 cup powdered sugar
3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup hot water (about 115°F.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites*
1 teaspoon vanilla

1) Oil bottom and sides of a 13- by 9- by 2-inch rectangular metal baking pan and dust bottom and sides with some powdered sugar.
2) In bowl of a standing electric mixer or in a large bowl sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand to soften.
3) In a 3-quart heavy saucepan cook granulated sugar, corn syrup, hot water, and salt over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to moderate and boil mixture, without stirring, until a candy or digital thermometer registers 240°F., about 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour sugar mixture over gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.
4) With standing or a hand-held electric mixer beat mixture on high speed until white, thick, and nearly tripled in volume, about 6 minutes if using standing mixer or about 10 minutes if using hand-held mixer.
5) In a large bowl with cleaned beaters beat whites (or reconstituted powdered whites) until they just hold stiff peaks. Beat whites and vanilla into sugar mixture until just combined.
6) Pour mixture into baking pan and sift 1/4 cup confectioners― sugar evenly over top. Chill marshmallow, uncovered, until firm, at least 3 hours, and up to 1 day.
7) Run a thin knife around edges of pan and invert pan onto a large cutting board. Lifting up 1 corner of inverted pan, with fingers loosen marshmallow and let drop onto cutting board. With a large knife trim edges of marshmallow and cut marshmallow into roughly 1-inch cubes.
8) Sift remaining confectioners' sugar into a large bowl and add marshmallows in batches, tossing to evenly coat.

Marshmallows keep in an airtight container at cool room temperature 1 week.


Red Velvet Cupcakes

I know that red velvet cake is probably the most overdone Valentines Day dessert out there but I can never resist it so I made these cupcakes for a friend's birthday this weekend. Well, I actually intended to make these whoopie pies but then the laziness factor kicked in so I considered making whoopie pies from cake mix instead but eventually ended up just baking a quick batch of cupcakes. Yes, I did stray from my "always bake from scratch" ethos on this one but I figure that most red velvet recipes call for about a full bottle of red food coloring anyway so using a cake mix isn't that big of a deal. I do, however, insist on homemade frosting. Frosting from a can is a sad, sad thing.

1 Red Velvet cake mix (Duncan Hines brand is best)
1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup water.

1) Using either a stand or hand-held electric mixer, mix all ingredients on medium speed for 3 minutes.
2) Spoon into paper-lined muffin tins (fill about 2/3 full) and bake at 350 for about twenty minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Frost with one of the following (I much prefer the cream cheese version- I only made the vanilla cause the birthday girl preferred it.)

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 stick butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2-4 cups sifted powdered sugar (depending on how sweet and thick you want the frosting to be- taste as you go)
2 tsp. vanilla

1) Beat butter and cream cheese together
2) Add sugar and vanilla and beat until of spreading consistency.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
1 stick butter, softened
4 cups sifted powdered sugar (depending on how sweet and thick you want the frosting to be- taste as you go)
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup milk

1) Cream butter, then add the sugar and beat for a minute or two.
2) Beat in milk and vanilla. Add more milk if necessary to achieve desired spreading consistency.

Pretzel/Rolo/Peanut Butter bites

I wasn't sure what to call these things. I considered "homemade Take 5", since their ingredients are essentially the same as the candy bar, but that didn't really fit. Neither does the term "pretzel turtle", which is what these are called should you choose to put a pecan in the middle instead of the M&M. Honestly, given their perfect blend of sweetness and salt I would say they should be called PMS lifesavers. But I don't think I'll refer to them by that name when I hand these out to co-workers on Monday.

Checkerboard pretzels
Rolos, unwrapped
Peanut butter M&Ms

1) Place pretzels on a baking sheet and put one unwrapped rolo on top.
2) Bake at 300 degrees for about 4 minutes, or until Rolo is fairly melted.
3) Remove from oven and let cool for 1 minute, then place M&M on top.
4) Let sit for about an hour, or until chocolate hardens.

If you're looking for a more sophisticated Valentines Day treat, might I suggest these cupcakes? And these molten chocolate babycakes would be a perfect ending to a romantic dinner for two.

Hope all of you have a happy Valentine's Day!

Cookies that contain candy.

OK so I know the holidays are almost over and most of you are sick of sweets, but I had to share a couple of cookie recipes that I made this Christmas season before I forget about them. Incidentally, both of these would be a good way to use up some of that candy you got in your stocking if your haul happened to include candy cane kisses or Rolos (neither of which are that great when eaten plain, in my opinion).

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies (adapted slightly from ourbestbites.com)

(Image courtesy of Our Best Bites)

I made these cookies for a Christmas party with my high school girlfriends and they were a hit. Since then I’ve made them using both the shortening and butter mixture the recipe recommends and just butter alone. I have to say I prefer the butter, since shortening freaks me out a little and it didn’t seem to make that much difference in the texture of the cookie.

1/2 c. butter-flavored shortening
1/2 c. real butter
OR
1 cup butter

1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp peppermint extract
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. dark chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
48 Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses, unwrapped

1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Cream together softened butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar for 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed or until light and fluffy.
3) Add the eggs and vanilla.
4) Meanwhile, combine the baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour, and cocoa powder. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.
5)Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the centers are set but still soft.
6)Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1 minute. Top each cookie with an unwrapped Candy Cane Kiss. Allow to cool completely, long enough for the Kiss to harden. If necessary, after the cookies have cooled, they can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer to re-solidify the Kiss

Rolo Cookies (from the Ivory Favorites cookbook)

I originally bought Rolos intending to make an entirely different treat, but after finding out that peanut butter is literally the only flavor of M&Ms not available in holiday colors (a fact that seriously baffled me) I had to put the kaibosh on that idea. These cookies were a more than adequate substitute.

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cocoa
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Bag of Rolo candies, unwrapped
2 Tbsp. sugar for rolling the cookie dough balls in (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees .

2. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Set aside.

3. With a mixer, cream butter and sugars together until smooth.

Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

4. Slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture and blend well.

5. Using your hands, shape dough into small balls (mine were about the size of a ping pong ball, maybe a little smaller).

6. Press Rolo into center of ball and cover with dough.

7. Roll dough ball in sugar ( I skipped this step because I’m not a fan of that sugary texture) and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

8. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, until tops of cookies are slightly cracked.

9. Remove from oven and let sit on cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes. Move to a cooling rack and cool completely.

A roundup of Thanksgiving desserts

OK, I know I probably should have gotten around to posting this sooner, before it was almost Christmas and you all still had Thanksgiving on the brain, but I am nothing if not the queen of procrastination. I am also the queen of stealing good ideas, so after years of hearing about people having pie parties the night before Thanksgiving in order to more fully enjoy the dessert portion of the holiday meal, I finally got my act together this year and had one of my own.

I’m not too big on pies, and I figured that most people would get their fill of them after Thanksgiving dinner, so instead I called my function a dessert party, and it was really just an excuse for me to bust out all the autumnal baked goods recipes that I’d had bookmarked for months but never made.

The party itself turned out to be quite fun, and, in my opinion, a perfect way to spend the night before Thanksgiving. It consisted of an assortment of friends and family dropping by to eat and mingle, with the Jazz game and baby Anna providing ample entertainment. On a cold, snowy night, our house felt warm and cozy as it was packed with people. This gathering might just have to become a tradition.

Of course I failed to take a single photo that night, including one of the dessert table. Luckily I found all of the recipes I made that night on the internet, so I’ve posted the links to the recipes (along with beautifully styled food photography that you sure won’t find on this site) and included my opinion of them, along with any changes/adjustments I made.

Pumpkin Brownies (via Smitten Kitchen and marthastewart.com)
I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen, but the original can be found on Martha Stewart’s site. The Smitten Kitchen version reduces the amount of sugar in the recipe, which I’m thinking is a mistake. As much as I normally like my desserts on the subtle side, this one could have used a little more sweetness.

Overall, though, these were very good. Moist, dense, and a great take on the pumpkin/chocolate combination. I did make them in a 9X13 pan instead of the recommended 9x9 (which I would suggest doing unless you like your brownies really thick) and if I were to make them again I would probably drop the final pumpkin layer onto the chocolate batter in big spoonfuls, then swirl in with a butter knife, rather than just pouring it on. I’m thinking I would get a better marbleized effect this way.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding (via foodnetwork.com)
Thing is, I love the flavor of pumpkin but hate the smooth, gooey texture of pumpkin pie. When I saw this dessert on an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay I knew it would be a perfect nontraditional take on the flavor of the season. It turned out delicious.

I skipped the caramel apple sauce on this one, and, due to a stove burner that likes to lie about its temperature, curdled the freaking crème anglaise. After losing my mind a little over the fact that I had just wasted a ton of egg yolks and a pricey vanilla bean, I set about googling ways to remedy the situation. I read through a bunch of complex solutions that would have been impossible given the temperamental state of the aforementioned stove before coming across a suggestion to just throw the sauce in a blender. Miraculously enough, it worked. A few whirls in the blender turned a curdled mess into a sauce as silky and creamy as any crème anglaise I’ve ever had. Thank goodness for the internet.

Other changes: left the bread out to dry the night before instead of toasting it, omitted the bourbon.

Pumpkin Cheesecake (via Smitten Kitchen)
Ah, the dessert that took 5 years off my life. After baking this cheesecake for ten minutes longer than the recommended time, the thing still jiggled like crazy. I gave it ten minutes more, then spent the next few hours obsessing over whether or not it would set. Luckily it did, and ended up looking exactly like the photos on the website. Crisis averted.

This cheesecake was good in terms of flavor, but I think I would like the filling to be a little more dense. Or maybe I did just underbake the thing. Who knows. I left the bourbon out of this recipe as well.

Rustic Apple Tart (via marthastewart.com)
I’m always looking for new apple desserts and this one seemed like a good variation on the traditional pie. I actually never got to taste this tart, as it was gone before I had a chance to, but everyone that tried it said it was good. However, if I had found it earlier I think I would have tried the Pioneer Woman’s approach to this dessert, as it seems infinitely easier and results in no pieces being left without those delicious puffed edges. Leave it to Martha to make things complicated.

Pecan Chocolate Pie (via She Wears Many Hats)
This was a “filler” dessert that I quickly threw together because I had all the ingredients and wanted to add something more traditional to the spread. I’m not a huge fan of pecan pie, but those that are said this one was great. Although the recipe doesn’t state this, I would recommend covering the edges of the pie crust in tin foil for all but the last twenty or so minutes of baking time. Oh, and in case you haven’t noticed a pattern already, my version of this pie was bourbon-free.

Baked Brie with Red Pepper Jelly (via Our Best Bites)
Ok, so I know this isn’t a dessert but I wanted to provide something not completely sugary in case people weren’t in the mood for sweets. So I served this baked brie and a mound of blue cheese drizzled with honey (sounds weird but is so good) alongside some sliced fruit and crackers. My only complaint about baked brie is that, unless you keep it warm somehow, it congeals fairly quickly, so I might not serve it next time I have a party like this. But I did love the combination of brie and red pepper jelly, especially when eaten with pear slices.