Mini Pecan Pies!

Finally, I'm caught up to the proper month! These Mini Pecan Pies were actually made by me in November  of 2012, the same month as this blog post! They were created as one final (and seasonal) treat for my coworkers at the public library to bring to the wonderfully sweet goodbye party they threw for me. The recipe basically comes from my Bourbon Pecan Pie recipe that I wrote about last year (which, incidentally, I also made this year for Thanksgiving just yesterday). Except I cut back on the bourbon (one Tablespoon instead of two so it wouldn't taste overwhelmingly alcoholic for those coworkers underage) and I used refrigerated pie dough cut into small circles about three inches in diameter to line a muffin tin sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. I also cut the baking time back to 12 minutes instead of 22. That seemed to do the trick and cause these treats to come out firm but not burnt.

So there's no real recipe needed to type here (check out my Holiday Feast post from last year for further details) and just spend your holiday weekend relaxing. Thanksgiving baking is over. You still have a few days before you have to start worrying about...Christmas cookies....  =)

Bibingka

As much as I claim to be a baking "experimenter," I don't always necessarily bake outside my comfort zone. You can tell from my previous blog posts that I love to make pies, muffins, cookies...pies, muffins and cookies...and, okay, the occasional something new--donuts, truffles and baklava were all new to me, for example. And out of all three of those, my baklava was probably the most successful. A good sign--that means I can (sometimes) bake international food. The treat that originated with the Assyrians and is now served at many a Greek restaurant, is one of my favorite dessert indulgences. I've learned that it's truly worth it to try something new.

But this post isn't about baklava.

Rather, one of my friends from the Philippines invited me over for lunch and confessed that while she loved to cook, she hated to bake. "Perfect," I thought. "I can do something about this." While I knew I wasn't the best cook, I could most definitely bake something for her in thanks for the delicious meal.

And so, after some searching, I stumbled across a recipe for a dessert called "bibingka" using one of my library's new databases called A to Z the World (I can't link to the exact page since it's a paid for subscription only accessible to employees and students of the college). The article said Bibingka is traditionally baked in a clay oven (which I don't have) and is a kind of pudding or cake (which sounded delicious). The recipe called for coconut milk (non dairy!) and rice flour (which my mom just happened to recently buy for a different recipe). It sounded easy enough, and I could only hope it was authentic--I wanted the dessert to be a surprise, so I wasn't about to ask.

"Okay," I thought. "Let's do it."

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
4 Tablespoons melted butter
3 eggs
1 cup reduced fat coconut milk (I found it canned)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups brown rice flour (this is what my mom bought, available at whole food stores--the original recipe just called for regular rice flour)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
Grated coconut for topping

Directions:


1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the sugar and melted butter. Add the eggs and stir. Add the milk and vanilla and stir again.

2.) Fold in the flour and baking powder. Mix just to combine.

3.) Pour the batter into a 9x9-inch brownie pan greased with nonstick cooking spray (the original recipe was doubled and called for a 9x13-inch buttered pan, but I didn't have that handy). Bake about 30 minutes (for the full version) until the cake is set (I baked it for about 22-25 minutes until the cake was just slightly browned on the top and set around the edges. A toothpick inserted in the center came out clean).

4.) Allow the cake to cool before removing it from the pan. Top with grated coconut and serve warm.

The results even got my mom addicted, and she can be a little hesitant to eat food outside her own comfort zone. So regardless whether or not the treat was perfectly authentic, I can attest to the fact that it was perfectly tasty! When I brought it over to my friend she was so pleased! And her own mom snagged the first bite before she even had time to try it. I call that high praise indeed.

Happy Halloween! (A little late)

Witch Hat Cookies (Oreos and Hershey's Kisses)

Pumpkin Cakes (Whoopie Pie recipe)

Mummy Wrapped Hotdogs

Cheese Wreath

It was my turn to host Game Night with my group of "bookish" library friends, and All Hallow's Eve was approaching fast. Why not make it a Halloween party? Snacks would need to be provided regardless, and I'm not ashamed to say I loved the idea of becoming a hostess in a princess gown. Everything on the menu had to be seasonal, of course. Which meant primarily "fall," "pumpkin" and just a little "creepy cute." With Fright Bites Halloween tortilla chips, Witch Hat Cookies (made just by "pasting" a Hershey's Kiss to the bottom half of an Oreo cookie with a dab of orange frosting) and Mummy Hotdogs (wrap turkey or beef hotdogs with strips of cut Pillsbury Crescent roll dough and bake about 12 minutes at 375 degrees) my "creepy cute" theme was complete. I displayed a wreath of cheese slices cut with leaf-shaped cookie cutters for the "fall" part of the theme as well. And as for pumpkin (my favorite, favorite, favorite), check out the recipes below:

Pumpkin Cakes (I found the recipe for this one on the back of a Whoopie Pie pan given to me for my birthday by one of my awesome coworkers--the perfect gift!  I adjusted the recipe just slightly because I didn't end up making the filling)

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
4 Tablespoons softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup buttermilk

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray your pan with nonstick cooking spray. Then in a bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cloves.

2.) In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until it's fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

3.) Fill the pan about 1/2 full, spreading the batter so it fills each cavity. Bake about 7-9 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let them cool in the pan about five minutes before removing.


Pumpkin Dip (a new recipe compared to the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dip of last year. I found this one on the Taste of Home website, but adapted it and used store-bought Stacy's Pita Chips: Simple Gingerbread instead of their "black cat dippers." Incidentally, gingerbread pita chips are AWESOME).

Ingredients:

16 ounces cream cheese (I used two 8 ounce packages of a reduced fat cream cheese)
1 can pumpkin (15 ounces)
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Directions:

1.) In a bowl, beat the cream cheese until it's fluffy. Then add in the pumpkin, sugar, spice, and maple syrup.

2). Continue to beat until the mixture is smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

For this dip I ended up doubling the amount of cream cheese and replacing the original Taste of Home recipe's honey with maple syrup to keep in the flavors of fall. I think it worked quite nicely whether you dipped pita chips, apple slices, or simply ate it with a spoon. Which I wouldn't dare do...while anyone was looking....

All in all, I'd have to say Halloween was a success! Though I didn't have time to make my favorite Caramel Apples for the party, I was able to make them the actual night before Halloween for some of my coworkers--thus even those not at Game Night (my parents only allow so many people over to our house at a time) could share in the deliciousness of October treats.

And with October over at last, it was time to start thinking about the hostess duties that come with entertaining for my family at Thanksgiving....

Single-Portion Pocket Pies!

Getting closer to the season we're actually in, I can now share a fall treat that's all about apples. Okay, I lied. While apples are seasonal, and are the filling for this treat, it's really all about the pie. For another library children's program...my last Bake with Me program at the public library :'(

 ...we made Single-Portion Pocket Pies that are such a cinch to make almost any age can do it. If you need a quick fall treat, they come highly recommended by my coworkers as well as the kids in my story time. I dubbed them "Pockets of Fall" and gave each child (well, parent) a recipe card with these simple instructions:

Ingredients:

Refrigerated pie crust dough
1 teaspoon canned apple pie filling (or pumpkin butter, jam, filling of your choice, etc.)
1/8 cup whipped topping
1/4 teaspoon maple syrup

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll the refrigerated pie crusts flat, then use a glass turned upside-down to trace & cut a circle out.

2.) Spread 1 teaspoon filling on one side of the circle, leaving a little space at the edge. Fold the circle in half and seal shut with a fork. Then use the fork to poke holes in the top of the pie.

3.) Place pie on a baking sheet lined with parchment (NOT wax) paper and bake about 13-15 minutes. While the pie cools, stir the whipped topping and syrup together. Use this as a dip or spoon it on top of the pie before eating. Enjoy!

You can also use this same basic concept to make Mini Apple Pies with pie crust dough cut to fit mini pie tins. The lattice design takes a little more time--I used a pastry cutter to cut strips of dough and then just layered them wherever they looked good--but the presentation is worth it. My coworkers at the academic library where I work were impressed!

Oatmeal Cranberry Breakfast Muffins

Whoops, looks like I went a little out of order here. I forgot I made these Oatmeal Cranberry Breakfast Muffins back some time in June (Another sign that my memory's going)? I also don't really remember how they tasted, but they are a healthier treat, with a recipe taken right off a bag of flour. This one I believe I followed almost to the letter, but if you can't read the directions in the photo, I'll still type it out below if you'd like to try recreating a healthy morning snack!

Ingredients:

2/3 cup whole milk (I'm pretty sure I used fat free)

1/4 cup vegetable oil (Canola)

1/4 cup molasses (I love me some molasses)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

1 Tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (my mom loves nutmeg)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup dried cranberries (I usually go with Ocean Spray Craisins, since they're easiest to find)

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees or 375 degrees if using a convection oven. Then in a bowl, combine the milk, oil, molasses, sugar and egg.

2.) In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and dried cranberries. Stir in the milk mixture until everything is just combined. (According to the bag, it's supposed to be lumpy, so don't worry).

3.) Line a muffin tin with paper liners and fill each about 1/2 full (should be enough for at least 12 muffins). Bake about 15 minutes (12 minutes for a convection oven) and let cool slightly before removing from the tin.

With the nutmeg and the cranberries, this would probably make a perfect fall treat, so I'm almost caught up to the season!

Oatmeal Banana Pecan Cookies

I can't remember why I made these, other than the fact that I felt like baking in the morning before a jog. Come to think of it, I can't remember how they tasted, or even where I got the recipe/idea from. Not necessarily a good sign in cooking (you want your concoctions to be memorable), but I like the look of them in the photo and the name (you can't go wrong with bananas or pecans in baking, really) that I've decided to share them anyway. Once I track down the recipe....

Oh, thank goodness I save everything! I found a sticky note with the recipe in my big orange recipe binder (yay for being somewhat organized!).

It turns out this cookie also came from the book Crazy About Cookies by Krystina Castella, where my Snickerdoodle recipe was from. Now I remember. I flagged about a hundred recipes (well, at least 35) in the collection of "300 scrumptious recipes for every occasion and craving" and wanted to try baking my way through the book. So far my progress on that has been: two. But now with only one job to worry about and the Christmas cookie season approaching, perhaps I'll be able to get even further in my goal!

But back to bananas and pecans. And oatmeal. Oh I do love a good oatmeal cookie. And it's healthy too. Add some fruit and heart-healthy nuts in there and you really can't call my Oatmeal Banana Pecan Cookies a "guilty pleasure," but rather just a "pleasure." I think. It has been quite a while since I tasted them....

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick softened butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup mashed banana
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup dried banana chips (I left this out, having no banana chips)
Optional 3/4 cup pecans (I put this in rather than the other options of chocolate chips or raisins).

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2.) In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy (again, you can use an electric mixer for this, or just your arm muscles). Beat in the banana, egg and vanilla as well.

3.) Slowly add the flour mixture into the butter mixture until it is well blended. Stir in the pecans. Then drop about 1 Tablespoon-sized mounds onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment (not wax) paper or greased with non-stick cooking spray.

4.) Bake about 8-12 minutes and let cool slightly before eating!

You'll have to let me know how these turned out. Even if my memory's going already, at least I have a blog of recipes and photos to document everything I make so that one day when my memory's really gone I'll still be able to recreate a few treats and pass them along to those with better memories than me.

Classic Snickerdoodles

This one's for my grandma.

No, my grandma (on my dad's side) never baked for us. I don't have hand-me-down recipes from her or memories of us with flour-dusted faces rolling out dough together in the kitchen. She was born in French Algeria and had to learn English and married my grandpa who was in the Navy, so she's got her own stories instead. But she loves the fact that I love to bake. So on our last visit she commanded me to bring her cookies the next time. I was happy to oblige.

My grandma doesn't really have a favorite type of cookie, but after consulting with my parents we decided something somewhat mild, soft, but still delicious was in order. I'd always wanted to try making Snickerdoodles, so this seemed a perfect opportunity. Following a recipe from the book Crazy About Cookies by Krystina Castella that my awesome coworker Miss Pat gave me, I was able to deliver a beautiful batch of cinnamon-dusted sweets!

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick of butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment (not wax) paper. Then in a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.

2.) In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until it's fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla (usually electric mixers are recommended for this, but I tend to just use a fork and my own muscle as best I can).

3.) Slowly add the flour mix to the butter mix and stir together. Use your hands to shape the dough into small balls, about 2-inches in diameter. Roll them in a mixture of the 1/4 cup granulated sugar and the 2 Tablespoons of cinnamon (I find stirring the two together in a small paper bowl ahead of time works well).

4.) Set the balls of dough on the cookie sheet and flatten just slightly. Bake for 12-14 minutes (that's what the recipe called for, but I did about 8-11 minutes so they wouldn't burn) until lightly browned around the edges. Let cool and top with more cinnamon sugar mix as needed.

These did receive praise from their intended recipient, and a request for more cookies at our next visit!

My brother's girlfriend, my brother, me, my grandma, and my brother.
On this visit I brought Peanut Butter Cookies!

Single-Portion Brownies!

It's Thanksgiving again--usually the time of year to put up my favorite fall recipes and showcase all the delicious feast items I've made for the big Turkey Day. But today, instead, I'm playing catch up. After six months without a single new blog post, I think it's time to finish all my "half-baked" blog post drafts so I can be ready for the holiday season of 2012 and all the delicious baking that entails.

There is a reason, of course, that I've been so behind. Since January I've been working two jobs--one as a full-time academic librarian and one as my usual part-time Youth Services Specialist at the public library. If you've read this blog before (or know me personally), you probably already remember this fact and have even seen a few single-portion recipes (cookies, Halloween treats, baklava, etc.) that emerged from public library children's programs I put together as well. This month, however, I decided it was sadly time to say goodbye to the public library (one can only work two jobs for so long before burning out), but not to my love of Youth Services, children's programs, or sharing yummy treats and recipes with my coworkers and friends.

Having just the one job now should allow me more time for blogging (I hope!), and more time to pay tribute to the awesome times I have had working with kids at the public library--such as with this Single-Portion Brownie that I made with the age 2-6 crowd back in...wow, it must have been June. I'm really behind here...

Ah, but I do remember (vaguely--thank goodness I took notes)...it took three tries to get it perfect. My first attempt at making this treat came out with the perfect color, but was too gooey and tasted just a little bit like alcohol from an overwhelming proportion of vanilla (not good for preschoolers!). Attempt number two was a bit more cakey, lighter in color and not quite sweet enough, though I liked that none of the flavors overwhelmed. I could have ultimately used that recipe in my children's program, but I thought I'd try one more time just in case. I cut back just a touch on the flour and chocolate chips. Suddenly the proportions were perfect. The flavor was awesome. I had to force myself not to finish every sample I created so that I could pass them out to my awesome teen volunteers and coworkers. The results of my efforts are below:


Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons flour

1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

1/16 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

2 Tablespoons white sugar

Drop of vanilla

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon egg or egg substitute

1 Tablespoon mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl or cut, combine the sugar, vanilla, oil and egg.

2.) Add the flour mixture to the oil mixture and stir until well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips.

3.) Pour the batter into an individual tin or cupcake liner and bake for about 9 minutes. Let cool briefly and enjoy!

Yes, it really is that easy to have your own individual brownie in a matter of minutes. You don't even have to share (That's what "single-portion" means!).

And now, to keep it short and sweet, I won't draw out the conclusion of this post, letting my heart dwell on how much I'll miss doing these programs in the library--because I'm sure I'll get the chance to do them again one day. Instead, it's on to the next post! If this recipe was from June, then there is much to blog before I catch up to November!