Cloud 8½

I’m a sucker for a great fudge, especially a peanut butter one. Any time I go to the beach or a fair, I end up coming home with at least one slab of cloyingly-sweet fudge, and I eat myself sick on it. For years now, I’ve been making the Crack Fudge peanut butter fudge recipe, and while it was a more crumbly fudge, it was still delicious. I’ve always wanted to find a recipe that resulted in a creamier candy, and when I saw this one over at Annie’s Eats, it caught my eye.

This recipe has two big things going for it: it’s SO easy to make (the other recipe requires a lot of time stirring at the stove) and it’s creamier! It’s just like the peanut butter fudge I get on vacation, and being able to make it at home is both a blessing and a curse. After I made the first batch I immediately made two more batches so that I could gift this fudge far and wide – it’s just that incredible!

Peanut Butter Fudge
Adapted from Annie’s Eats, who credits Alton Brown

8 oz. unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pan
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 oz. confectioners’ sugar

Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with foil or parchment paper, then lightly grease with butter.

In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, combine butter and peanut butter. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove, stir, and microwave for 1 minute. Repeat, microwaving for 1 minute more.

Note: Annie calls for two 2-minute sessions in the microwave, but I had issues with the mixture boiling over because my bowl was too small. Just watch it and do what works best for you.

To the now-melted peanut butter and butter mixture, add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until the mixture has evenly combined and no white from the sugar remains. It will be thick and no longer shiny.

Pour mixture into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer, smoothing as you go. Top with another piece of parchment or foil and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Use a sharp knife to cut into 64 1-inch pieces.

Fudge will keep for up to 1 week in airtight containers.

I cannot believe that Christmas is this Sunday. I’m so looking forward to my daughter’s delight on Christmas morning, spending the day with family, eating tons of yummy food, playing games and laughing harder than I do with anyone else – but man am I also looking forward to resting on Monday. On the bright side, I’m mostly-ready! I’m waiting for some presents to arrive, I have a couple more things to make, and we’ll do all the wrapping on Christmas Eve after the little one goes to sleep. How about you, are you ready?

In addition to decorating, sending holiday cards, and shopping for presents, I’ve spent a lot of time in the kitchen. As always, my To Make list dwindled as I was baking and began to lose steam, but I’m thrilled with everything I’ve made so far this season.

This first cookie is a new one to me, and it embodies one of the classic flavors of winter: peppermint! The cookies themselves are a basic sugary-buttery confection that’s brightened up with some peppermint extract and crushed candy canes (or, in the case of my batch, crushed peppermints). The cooled cookies are then drizzled with a sweet glaze and sprinkled with some more crushed mints. A rich dark chocolate drizzle would probably pair well, too, if you’re so inclined! Chocolate+peppermint=yumtastic.

Candy Cane Snowballs
Adapted from Cooking During Stolen Moments

3 cups powdered sugar, divided
1 1/4 cups butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract (can replace with more vanilla if desired)
1 egg
3 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups finely crushed candy canes or peppermints, divided
2-3 Tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350*. Line cookie sheets with foil, parchment, or a Silpat and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and the butter until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the extract(s) and egg, and beat until the dough is thoroughly combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the mixing bowl in increments, beating until thoroughly combined. By hand, mix in 1/2 cup of crushed candy canes.

Roll dough into small balls, about 1 teaspoon of dough each. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then cool completely on wire racks.

Once the cookies are cool, stir together remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar with 2 Tablespoons of milk. You’re looking for the consistency of a thick glaze, so if needed, add more by the 1/2 Tablespoon until the desired consistency is reached. Drizzle glaze over cookies, then sprinkle with remaining crushed candy canes immediately.

It feels as though I made this pie ages ago, but really, it was just at the end of November, for Thanksgiving. My Mom hosts Thanksgiving dinner every year and my sisters and I all contribute to the spread, helping take some of the stress off of her shoulders. This year my Mom’s been working even more hours than usual, so I asked her if she’d like me to make the menu and divvy up the assignments, which she took me up on. I genuinely wanted to help, but I’ll also confess that I wanted the opportunity to change things up just a tiny bit.

Our Thanksgiving meals are heavy on tradition. We eat Stove Top and canned-food-galore green bean casserole, and we don’t want people fancying them up or messing with them. It’s foodie blasphemy, but then again, we don’t claim to be foodies. We like the things we like! But I do like the chance to try new dishes now and then, and I look at family get togethers and parties as the perfect opportunity to dig into my files and find something fun, decadent, or both.

I’m not a huge fan of standard pies – pumpkin, apple, peach. I’ll pass if those are my options. So when I was deciding on my contributions to Thanksgiving dinner, I decided to try to find something that was a fun twist on the standards (which would be provided by others in attendance). It’s no surprise that I found what I was looking for in the wealth of deliciousness over at Annie’s Eats.

This pie is delicious and decadent, and a nice improvement on the standard apple pie that we see everywhere in the fall and winter months. There are multiple parts, but it came together easily and it was all worth it in the end. My family loved it, and I can easily see myself making this again in the future.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie
Adapted from Annie’s Eats

1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon
5 1/3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
½-¾ cup caramel (Annie has a recipe for homemade; I used store-bought without complaint)
5 tbsp. unsalted butter
½ cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
5-6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
8 oz. cream cheese
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ cup heavy cream
3-4 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
½ cup caramel

To make the crust
Preheat the oven to 375*. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round Springform pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracked crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter, tossing with a fork until the crumbs are moistened and evenly mixed. Pour mixture into the prepared Springform pan and press the crumbs into an even layer across the bottom and about halfway up the sides of the pan.

Bake for 6-8 minutes, until golden in color. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Pour a layer of caramel into the bottom of the crust and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

To make the apple filling
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Mix in brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon, and cook for 1 minute until bubbling. Mix in apple slices, tossing well to coat with the butter mixture. Cook over medium to medium-high heat until the apples are tender and most of the liquid has been reduced – about 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes, pour into prepared crust, set aside.

Reduce the heat of the oven to 350° F.

To make the cheesecake layer
Combine cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla, egg, and lemon juice until smooth and incorporated. Spread the cheesecake filling over the cooked apples in an even layer. Bake the pie until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-40 minutes.

Place pie, sill in pan, on a wire rack and allow to cool to room temperature (this may take awhile – leave yourself plenty of time!). Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. When ready to serve, remove the sides of the Springform pan.

Using the whisk attachment of your electric mixer, beat the heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar on medium-high until stiff peaks form, being careful not to over-beat. Spread the whipped cream over top of the chilled pie. Top with dollops of caramel and swirl with a knife to create a marbled effect. Slice with a long thin knife.

A few weeks ago, I saw Lindsey of Love & Olive Oil tweet a thought regarding a food blogger cookie swapped. I was one of (I’m sure) many who replied and said “yes, please!” In now time, Lindsey got together with Julie from The Little Kitchen and The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap of 2011 was born.

Sign-ups began and I didn’t even hesitate to throw my hat into the ring, one of over SIX HUNDRED people who joined what is bound to have been the biggest cookie swap ever. We each vowed to make 3 dozen cookies, sending 1 dozen to each of our 3 matches, which were coordinated and distributed by Lindsey and Julie. My 3 lovely matches were Tiffany from A Clove of Garlic, a Pinch of Salt; Jen from My Kitchen Addiction; and Darla of Bakingdom. Sadly, two of my lovely ladies have yet to receive the packages I sent off to them, but I’m hoping they’ll show up ASAP.

I’ve been lucky enough to receive cookies from Naturally Ella and Carly Klock so far, and the third batch seems to be lost in the wind. The post office says it was delivered, but I’ve not actually received them yet. Ah, the postal services and the holidays. What a mess! I hope the delicious-sounding biscotti from Mercer and Sage show up soon!

Delivery issues aside, the entire cookie swap has been an absolute blast and I’m eager to participate again next year. I’ll make different shipping choices, but otherwise, it seemed as though everything has gone off without a hitch – an impressive feat when you’re talking about 22,000 cookies winging their way across the country! If you’d like to participate in next year’s swap, please head here to sign up for the mailing list and you’ll be notified when Cookie Swap 2012 begins to gear up. I hope to see you there!

Now… about those cookies I made for the swap? Well. I didn’t make them. Not exactly.

You see, I have a terrible procrastination problem. Ask my mother, who often found me frantically finishing a class project the morning it was due, and threw her hands up in utter exasperation at my inability to begin my work earlier. So, in true procrastinator fashion, I’d put off making my cookies until the last moment and, of course, I got sick. I had horrible congestion and a cough and the idea of digging my hands into cookies that were going to others was horrifying to me.

The answer to my problem? Sous chefs.

My husband went to the store, bought all of the supplies, and then with our daughter, mixed up the dough and made the balls for baking. He was so very patient with her and she was utterly delighted to be able to help in the kitchen.

They did an incredible job, banging out a double batch of cookies that I could then bake and cool, and later, with LOTS of hand-washing, I assure you, package up for shipping to my recipients. Thanks to the congestion, I didn’t actually get to taste these cookies, which bothered me a great deal, but my husband swears that they were tasty!

Chocolate Cake Reese’s Peanut Butter Chunk Cookies
Adapted from Picky Palate

1 box devils food cake mix
8-10 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg
2 cups chocolate chips
25 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, crumbled (unwrap, stick in a Ziploc, and using your fingers, crumble them – you want big chunks)

Preheat oven to 350*. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat and set aside.

Place all ingredients into a large bowl and mix until combined. Use 8 Tablespoons of melted butter to begin with, and add more if the dough seems too dry and crumbly. This is a very thick dough, and mixing by hand will be messier, but so much easier.

Using a scoop or your best guesstimate by hand, measure out your cookie blobs and place onto sheet about 1 inch apart – they will spread! Use your fingers to press the dough ball down a bit before baking.

Bake for 13-15 minutes until cooked through. Allow cookies to rest for 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to cooling rack.

Makes 3 dozen cookies

Seven Wants
This one’s well-timed, with Christmas right around the corner! Here are some of the goodies on my wish list.

1. KitchenAid Food Processor – I’ve wanted to add one of these to my kitchen for years now, but it kept getting bumped for something more important. But this year, it’s tops on my list! Hummus, macarons, even Oreo Truffles will all be easier to make with this beauty in my kitchen!

2. The Complete Friday Night Lights Series DVDs – I fell in love with FNL this year, devouring all five seasons in a matter of weeks, and I’m ready to watch it all over again!

3. Swarovski Large Harley Earrings – I’ve been on the hunt for a lovely, simply, day-to-day bit o’ bling to wear in my ears, and have finally found something that I love. I saw these in person in the Swarovski store and immediately fell head-over-heels! As a bonus, they’re half the cost of the other pair I was eying up elsewhere!

4. OPI “Warm & Fozzie” Polish – I don’t know why I love this color so much, but it caught my eye the moment I saw the preview for “The Muppets” polish collection by OPI. There are a slew of other colors I’d like from the same collection, but this one’s definitely top of the list.

5. Outlander 20th Anniversary Edition – The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon is in my top 5 favorite books that I’ve ever read (I cheat and lump the series together), and I’ve read a lot of books. This year marked the 20th anniversary of the first book in the series, and to commemorate, this special hardcover was released.

6. Fold Over Cuff Boot – I was in Lane Bryant recently and overheard a woman in the shoe section raving about some shoes she was trying on that “felt like slippers!” I was intrigued, since I’m all about comfort in my shoes (a stiletto girl, I am not), I meandered my way over to check it out. She had a pair of these boots on her feet and raved about them, so I snagged a pair in grey and tried them on… and I was sold. Literally. I left with them and have worn them more often than not since that day! I need the black ones to round out my closet.

7. Paterson White Desk from Crate & Barrel – I’ve had this on my wish list for over a year now, but the price has prevented it from becoming mine. It’s the perfect desk for the vanity I long to have in my bedroom, and I have yet to find anything else that comes close. The height is ideal, the area is perfect, even the slim drawer is great for storing makeup. Here’s hoping that someday it will be mine.