What are you baking these days? October 2012, part 1 [OLD]

[buttertart]

We'be been busy little bees in the baking department these days, so here we go for a new thread in the new month. I have bread rising from the sponge I made last week, and made the pistachio cake again (I'm safe from it because it was served to a number of people at a party). Really prefer Rose's buttercream to the chocolate glaze I made at the behest of the birthday girls...

[karykat]

I made pumpkin financiers yesterday for a Halloween party. It was based on a recipe from the Sherry Yard book. I made them in mini muffin pans. They were fine. People liked them. But they seemed basically like pumpkin muffins. It had been a while since I had made regular financiers so I didn't remember them clearly. But I remembered them being a little creamy and a little caramelized on the outside and really good.

So I'm going to have to make some regular financiers with all the almond flour I have now.

[mcel215]

Not really baking this, but I make Ice Cream cakes for my family get togethers and Holidays.

They are always requested, yet so simple to make.

I'll paraphrase it.

10 oreo cookies and 2 tablespoons of butter in a food processor to crush together. Lately I've been using Birthday flavor of oreos (pretty). Line a bottom of a 9" spring form and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Bring a half gallon (is there really such a thing?.... lol! ) of your favorite ice cream to melt a little on the counter.

Let crust cool and spoon half of your ice cream into pan (don't fuss too much), just spread a little smooth. Add 8 more crushed oreos (no butter this time)

Have ready your ganache ready: cream, chocolate, butter. Pour ganache over the oreos.

You can place the cake in the freezer for about 10 minutes if it's getting too soft.

Spoon the rest of the ice cream over the top and smooth with an offside spatular. Take the two oreos that you have left (crushed) and spoon around outer edges of cake and decorate with candy on the top.

Here's my picture: This is peppermint stick, with crushed candy canes and mint chocolate M&M's.

Easy peasy to make and very popular.

http://saffron215.blogspot.com/2011/1...

[PatsyWalker]

I did a baking project with 8 yo granddaughter -- she loves to measure and cut and then serve.

We made pumpkin spirals -- sort of finger food pumpkin pie. Basically pumpkin puree, molasses, spices -- grated nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon,mace, ground cardamon, cooked down until it's no longer watery.

Rolled out premade pie crusts, slathered on the pumpkin mix, rolled it up and cut into spirals. Baked for 20 minutes.

Gone within an hour.

[buttertart]

Shall we go over to part 2? http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8735...

[Chocolatechipkt]

I made the oatmeal-chocolate chip cake from Cake Keeper Cakes today. Smells great ... and it's all for me now, since the dinner I was taking it to was rescheduled. Might have to share some with the office, I suppose.

I also made Good Morning Sunshine bars, tempted by a mention of them upthread. Yum!

[rstuart]

How was it?

[Chocolatechipkt]

After nibbling on a few edges of the bars (which I didn't love), I was out-sugared and ended up freezing the cake for another time.

[rstuart]

Ah well.. I was tempted by those bars as well. The new baked cookbook is definitely going on my Christmas list ;)
Always nice to have something good in the freezer...

[Chocolatechipkt]

My freezer is getting full! I think I'm going to have to have a dessert party soon, lol.

[rstuart]

An ex-boyfriend once called my freezer "the graveyard of baked goods". Humph.

[GraceW]

I am sorry to disagree, but I liked the bars. (I originally posted them above.)--but I am sorry if it wasn't good to you Chocolatechipkt.

[Chocolatechipkt]

I didn't dislike them, but I don't know if I'd make them again, yk? Sunday was an "off" day for me, though, so I should try them again tonight.

[blue room]

I made these bars this morning: http://www.savorsa.com/2011/07/aprico...
Lemon Apricot Bars with Hazelnut Crust from "Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy" by Alice Medrich.

They're very good but I can't say great -- I'm afraid some people would find them too sweet. The crust is wonderful and holds up well but the top seems too soft, though I baked to the no-jiggle point she recommends. I can taste both the lemon and the apricot, that pleased me. I don't have the book, found the recipe online, but I'm almost sure I saw these bars here in Chowhound.

[Caitlin McGrath]

Hi br, I made these last month so it may have been my post about them in the baking thread that you saw. I was very happy with them, but I didn't encounter the two flaws you mention. Mine weren't too sweet, but I used an apricot fruit spread that is mostly fruit (from http://mountainfruit.com/), and the topping wasn't too soft so I may have baked them longer than you did. OTOH, while I thought the texture of the shortbread crust was great, I couldn't really taste the hazelnuts. And as further proof that mine turned out differently, when I started to sift powdered sugar over the cooled bars, it all instantly sunk in and disappeared!

[blue room]

I found your post (September.) You know, I almost used fruit spread ! But thought no no, stick to the recipe, and so used Smucker's Apricot Jam. Now that they've set for awhile they're firmer (and the powdered sugar has disappeared.)
I could taste hazelnut, but I think I was um eating raw dough at the time.

[mcel215]

Yum these look delish.

www.saffron215.blogspot.com

[roxlet]

I made the Malgeri Supernatural brownies in a mini muffin tin. I think they're really great that way. It was an 11th hour request for a bake sale, and I wouldn't have had time to let them cool, so I tried them this way they were done in 14 minutes at 325. Grease the pan well -- some did stick even though it was a teflon pan and I had used Baker's Joy.

[janeh]

What a great idea - I think that I'll try that!

[Cynsa]

great tip, thanks! I made this for a potluck but I had to cut and plate it. The mini muffin tin is perfect.

[Chocolatechipkt]

Last night was homemade pizza and baked, stuffed apples topped with a mixture of oats, brown sugar, walnuts and butter.

[kattyeyes]

Ooh, nice idea on the apples--like individually baked crisps!

[GraceW]

I made the Good Morning Sunshine Bars... only using Biscoff instead of Peanut Butter (with a little extra butter, otherwise Biscoff can get stiff when melted)... they got a little too hard,... but they are also a little toooo good.

[Chocolatechipkt]

Where is that recipe from?

[GraceW]

From the Baked Elements Book.. but accessed on Serious Eats...
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20...

[Chocolatechipkt]

Thanks!

[rstuart]

Oh wow.. that's a great idea. That cookbook is so going on my Christmas list! I have their two previous cookbooks and love them.

[Cynsa]

monkey see, monkey do. whispers of puff pastry in my head. here it is with apples. sort of rustic, sort of free form. http://flic.kr/p/dj7bCy

[souschef]

Sort of very nice, Cynsa. I could use a large helping right now.

[Cynsa]

I liked the apple with its squeeze of lemon juice but this is sadly underbaked and only puffed on the edges. ;^( The pattern of apples is not uniform but it made it to the table and DH was very happy to proclaim deliciousness. He has been dessert deprived since my asthma attack curtailed the baking.
I will try buttertart's quick recipe.

[buttertart]

The traditional chocolate but not too vexation rears its head tomorrow...

[souschef]

You speak in riddles, Buttercup.

[bsims76]

King Arthur red velvet w/lemon cream cheese frosting - for my daughter's 1st bday ladybug smash cake! Wife baked, I decorated.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipe...

Couple of reviews said the cake was dry, but KAF altered the recipe to include less flour - and the version that is there was not dry at all. The frost wasn't bad and was different, but I could do without the lemon oil.

Since my daughter got to disembowel the ladybug, we had to enjoy it as cupcakes...

[bsims76]

And the aftermath....

[bsims76]

And the aftermath...

[roxlet]

Nicely done, but that poor, eviscerated ladybug!

[rstuart]

Ha!! Love the before and after!

[kattyeyes]

I love ladybugs--she's ADORABLE! As are her little friends on the cupcakes. Happy birthday, little one! Although look at that poor gutted out thing after the par-tay! One-year-olds are tough on cake, I guess. :)

Kitten-head biscuits for me tomorrow. That is, I'm going to make cat head biscuits JUST A LITTLE SMALLER (1/2 cup of dough per each is quite a bit)...planning to make 1/3 cup biscuits and see how that goes. MIAO.

[nomadchowwoman]

Adorable!!!

[roxlet]

Yesterday I made a new (to me) brown sugar cookie with Heath Bar Brickel and pecans. Very nice, not too sweet, and kind of adult tasting.

[soccermom13]

Hi Roxlet,
Would you be willing to steer me to the recipe?
Thanks very much.

p.s. Did you use the HB brickle with or without chocolate? I've got a bag of HB brickle sans chocolate that I'd like to use to good advantage :0)

[roxlet]

I used the one with the chocolate because that is what I had, but I think it would be better with the regular kind. I forgot to bookmark the recipe, and I am running out now, but I will search for it later and post it.

[soccermom13]

Thanks, Ms. Roxlet.

[roxlet]

Here it is.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/...

[soccermom13]

Thank you very much.

[tiffeecanoe]

Well. I've got the baking bug since recipe testing and I really wanted something sweet and non-vegan! So I decided to make cookies. Well, I must have screwed something up in halving the Tollhouse recipe and ended up with some ridiculously amazing, caramely, delicious cookies. I sprinkled with a bit of sea salt before baking and I'm really hoping, and so is my husband, that I can recreate my mistake again!

[buttertart]

The rolls...

[kattyeyes]

Nice!

[roxlet]

Very nice!!

[nomadchowwoman]

Indeed.
Does "freeform" mean you're doing your own thing or is this recipe from a book or other source? I (and DH) love potato rolls, but I've never attempted them.

[buttertart]

It's freeform, I posted the guideline/recipe in the mid-Sept thread, here you go...
Make a pre-ferment/sponge of about 2 c flour, 1 c water, tsp yeast (consistency about like pancake batter), let rise a couple of hours or more.
Add another couple of cups of water to it, plus about 1/2 c milk, and 1/2 c potato flour (or a microwaved, peeled, mashed potato), salt to taste i.e. 2-3 tsp, 1/4 c olive oil, plus enough flour to make a softish dough (should take 6-7 cups total including the preferment).
Let rise once or twice, make into loaves, round or pan. Let rise again.
Bake at 400 deg F for 45 mins or so.
You can do any of the rises in the fridge or let the shaped loaves rise overnight in it, the longer this goes, the better, within reason.

[nomadchowwoman]

Thank you, bt. It sounds easy enough (no kneading?) . . . but I know it's not!!!

[gingershelley]

buttertart - do you have a recipe for these I could crib? They look fabulous!
Oops - should have kept reading.... thank you!

[buttertart]

:)

[buttertart]

The rolls I made from the potato bread freeform recipe I've been making. This time I used KA bread flour and it rose like mad.

[germanpotatosoup]

Just made Julia Child's Gateau A L’Orange Et Aux Amandes (Orange and Almond Spongecake). It originally started out as a small dessert of pears with red wine to satisfy my sweet cravings but at the time, I realized how well spongecake would pair with it. Really craving macarons right now. I want to try Pierre Herme's arabesque macaron recipe later this week. Probably not the smartest idea given how busy I will be with midterms coming up but cant study on an empty stomach. xD

[rakeypakey]

Well with Cdn Thanksgiving just past I made baked some corn bread to use in the stuffing - although I was less than impressed with the stuffing (it was a new recipe for me). The corn bread was so delicious I wish I had just eaten it as it was. I also made a dutch apple pie since we had gone apple picking and have an abundance of apples (we also both don't like pumpkin pie...). Last week I made what I called Fall muffins - I basically adapted a 1 1/2 cup flour muffin recipe, using 1 cup of roasted pureed pumpkin, 1/2 cup homemade unsweetened apple sauce, 1/4 cup oil and 2 eggs as the wet ingredients. Threw in some cinnamon & nutmeg and only 1/2 cup sugar - and still found them a bit sweet!!

[rstuart]

Wow... that muffin recipe sounds great!

[zitronenmadchen]

I made apple struesel strudel from RLB's Pie and Pastry Bible. It came out ok, it was a little too sweet for my tastes, but my husband was his usual gallant self and said it was really good.

[roxlet]

Not quite baking, but I made caramel apples today. They're divine. The sugar might have gone a tad too long, but I like the fact that it's got a slightly bitter edge. Just a tinge, and it stops them from being cloying.

[kattyeyes]

Oooh! What recipe did you use and what kinda apples? I've got Macouns to caramelize tomorrow night. Am going to try a bit of a bourbon salted caramel twist on mine (fingers crossed). In my (limited) experience, the sugar going too long just makes the caramel harder. Are you saying it changed the flavor altogether? I'm psyched to try this--never made caramel apples before. :)

Do you have pics?

[biondanonima]

I haven't made caramel apples in a while, but the best trick I ever learned was to quarter and core the apples first, then put a stick in each quarter and dip. The presentation is less impressive, but the caramel to apple ratio is WAY better and they're a lot easier to eat that way.

[roxlet]

I used the recipe in the October issue of Martha Stewart Living. I bought a bag of small, very crisp gala apples today, and when I was reading the magazine, the recipe just struck me as being right for the apples. I thought I had some skewers or something, but all I could find were cocktail umbrellas on long, sharp picks, so they look kind of funny. This recipe actually called for some Maldon Sea Salt being sprinkled on, but I am not a huge fan of salted caramels, and I know I'm in the minority here. Don't get me wrong -- I love salty things -- but there is something about salt on caramels that interrupts the flavor for me. But I'm a purist in a lot of things (I want my creme brûlée to be creme brûlée, damn it!), so I'm sure that these would be wonderful with salt, if that's what you like.

[kattyeyes]

Ah, OK, I'm sure Miss Martha (AND YOU!) make a mean caramel apple. Now I want to see them more with their schmantzy umbrellas--that's funny! I requested some extra chopsticks for mine! I like JUST A TOUCH of salt. Some people go way the wrong way (to my taste, anyway) with salted caramel. I like the sweet salty combo to be a little flavor enhancer, not a salt lick. A man in town makes salted caramels that I would sooner feed to a deer. Or a horse. Or whoever else licks salt. :)

By the way, I read a tip that using fine-grade sandpaper to lightly sand the apples helps the caramel stick. What say ye? Did yours stick just find sans sanding? I am so hungry for a caramel apple right this moment and I am instead drowning in my own stuffed shells...

[roxlet]

The caramel stuck just fine, but you have to wait for it to be the right consistency before you dip, so that part's a little tricky!

[nomadchowwoman]

Bourbon salted caramel! Oh my, ke--I'm swooning thinking about them.

[kattyeyes]

Here they are. Minus one, which you see being demolished with my sticky fingers...

I really would love to know (and will continue to research) the absolute accurate temp to hit. The recipe I was following said 230 (soft ball), which is not soft ball on my thermometer! 240 is soft ball, so I split the diff and went just over 230. My best guess is maybe 220 would be a better target to hit so they wouldn't be quite so shhhticky!

[roxlet]

Very nice! I'm really impressed that you had the right sticks! I thought I had skewers, but I didn't have those, and the only long sticklike thing I had were party beverage parasoles, lol! So I have upside down umbrella's sticking out of my apples. But my son didn't really like them, saying that they were too sticky. Oh, well. WHo's the adult around here, anyway?

[kattyeyes]

Thanks! What top temp did your recipe call for? I did see those Martha Stewart apples while grocery shopping last night, but when I tried to page to the recipe, it said, "See the workbook" and I gave up looking. I wonder if that's what your son means, re the stickiness. I think the caramel shouldn't cook quite so high. When I made caramels in December, I ran into the same problem. I think it should be not so hard once it cools. I need to find another taster. :)

[sandylc]

Don't know if anyone is interested, but here is a recipe for Microwave Caramels that I have used for years to make a very soft caramel - no thermometer needed. Hopefully microwaves are similar enough these days that it will work for everyone else as well as it does for me! BTW, I normally avoid recipes with corn syrup in them, but this is an every 2 or so year exception (along with microwave nut brittle).

Line an 8-inch square pan with buttered parchment paper.

Combine the following ingredients in an 8-cup glass measure:

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 pound light brown cane sugar
1/2 pound unsalted butter
1 c. light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Microwave on high for 5 minutes.
Stir well.
Microwave on high for 11 1/2 minutes.
Done.

Pour into the prepared pan. Cool completely. Caramel is soft enough to wrap when cooled (playdoh-style) around apples, to use for making turtles, as a layer in a dessert, etc. Or, cut and wrap them in waxed paper squares - cut them smaller than you think you should.

[roxlet]

Interesting. I guess that's a sort of a dulce de leche with the condensed milk.

[sandylc]

Not quite. Definitely a caramel, just not a hard tacky one.

[tiffeecanoe]

Wow, interesting! I might try these today! I have quite the baking bug lately...well, this counts for banking, yeah!?

[tiffeecanoe]

Thank you, I think... I may be cursing you later after I polished off a tray of these... but these are currently cooling over here! Will wrap some around a few of the apples we picked up last weekend!

[nomadchowwoman]

How was the taste of that caramel?

[kattyeyes]

It was deeelicious! So said both tasters so far besides me. I'd make it again. But I'd like to make the other bourbon salted caramel I made at Christmastime to see if that would be even better. Because in my mind, it was. :)

The small remaining bit of caramel that was leftover, I reheated with a little cream and ate by the spoonful with an apple. MOO.

[tiffeecanoe]

Delicious! I topped with some sea salt! In a separate small bowl I poured what was left of a bag of chocolate chips on the bottom and put the rest of the caramel on top - also very delicious! Wish I had some pecans! Next time. I'll definitely be making this again. I actually used dark brown sugar instead of light. The texture is wonderful. Pretty sure I'll be making some up for Christmas gifts! I really can't believe they came out of the microwave!

[kattyeyes]

I think my favorite comment on these so far was from my cousin yesterday. "The caramel was good, but those apples were so excellent, it was almost a shame to put anything on them." LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Macouns. Next up, apple-cranberry crisp with almonds, a new twist on our grandmother's recipe.

[nomadchowwoman]

ke--would you mind pointing me to your favorite recipe for the salted bourbon caramel?

[kattyeyes]

I wouldn't mind, but apparently someone on this thread would, because my attempt to direct you is gone. Feel free to e-mail me.

[nomadchowwoman]

Will do; will wait until storm has cleared. Good luck to you and all affected. I hope this turns out to be less than it appears.

[buttertart]

As Elizabeth Ashley replied to an unrelated question on Treme, "You already know" what it can be like. Alas.

[alliels]

Some Gingerbread Biscotti to bring to work as a snack! I'll leave the cake/yeast baking for a weekend project.

[janeh]

I baked a batch of pumpkin cinnamon rolls from smitten kitchen - fragrant , beautiful and delicious.

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/1...

[roxlet]

That looked like a very interesting recipe. Glad to hear they worked out! I wonder how those would be as a Thanksgiving breakfast!

[janeh]

They'd be a lovely Thanksgiving breakfast - just what I'm planning! They can be prepped the night before, refrigerated and baked in the a.m.

[rstuart]

Gingerbread biscotti sounds great... recipe?

[roxlet]

Today I made a couple of loaves of bread, just a white with a preferment that I mixed up yesterday and left to sit in the fridge until I was ready. They look very nice.

[buttertart]

I have a couple rising now, and a pan of rolls, from the same recipe. Yum.
AND NICK MALGIERI'S BREAD BOOK CAME TODAY!!! Looks supah.

[roxlet]

I just ordered it!

[buttertart]

You will like. Not "just" bread but things to do with it. And at least one Swiss recipe I saw (I'd dearly love to get my mitts on a Swiss baking book.)

[souschef]

What's so special about the Swiss? They are known for their precision, but so are the Germans (and at least one American I know)....... :)

[buttertart]

There are breads that are only made in Switzerland, according to a former Swiss (German) boss. I figure they must have some nice cakes too.

[kattyeyes]

Are you looking for something in particular? I just happen to have a Swiss connection who will be visiting...tomorrow! So let me know. :)

[tiffeecanoe]

Today I am recipe testing vegan Black Bean Brownies. I'm not going to lie - they sound revolting, but none of the other testers were claiming it so I thought, why not me?!

[zitronenmadchen]

Those sound less than good.

[tiffeecanoe]

Unfortunately, I was right. They were pretty revolting. I mean, if you call them black bean cocoa bars, maybe they might be a hit somewhere. I'd try again and add an entire extra cup of sugar but that would defeat the purpose of these healthy brownies ;) And if I'm making healthy brownies, why on earth would I add the black beans? I'd just go the sugary and oil route!

[zitronenmadchen]

Blech, the thought of black beans and sugar is grossing me out.

[rakeypakey]

I have a recipe for brownies that use baby food dates (Pureed & strained)... I haven't tried them yet but they sound interesting....

[GraceW]

I have tried those Bean Brownies... I have hyper-senses so I could taste the beans. In my opinion, if you're going to indulge.. do it right or you will not be satisfied.

[rstuart]

Black bean brownies have been making the rounds for a while.. but I also fail to see the point! Apparently they were featured on Dr. Oz's show, and a friend's mother made them.. she said that they were awful. I've had pretty good low-fat brownies that use applesauce or yogourt for moisture, but they don't compare to the real thing.
Black beans belong in savory food.. not sweet food!

[kattyeyes]

I'm saying +1, but as -1: as in, I couldn't agree with you more. BLEAHHHH!

[rasputina]

Yesterday I made a pumpkin spice bundt cake, it came out great.

[tiffeecanoe]

Yum! I love this time of the years...there are very few, if any, pumpkin items that I won't eat ;)

[tinybites]

For Thanksgiving I made the pumpkin, sweet potato and coconut pie from Regan Daley's cookbook " In the Sweet Ktchen". It's a fall favourite and always a crowd pleaser!

[buttertart]

I keep meaning to get that book.

[rstuart]

Sounds like a really nice combination... I've got to check out that cookbook..

[Chocolatechipkt]

Bc we didn't have enough for brunch (ha!), I made choc chip-cranberry scones, too.

[sandylc]

I have to report back on my pre-fab apple pie. I had a fully-baked pie shell in the freezer that I refreshed briefly in the oven. I cooked apples (Jonathans), sugar, and a spec of salt on the stovetop until the apples were done and the liquid had evaporated. In the meantime, I made streusel and baked it on a baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Then I just assembled the pie and cooled it.

The most unique thing about this pie is that the filling had no thickener, yet it wasn't runny. The difference in texture was noticeable. Along that same line, the pie was not runny at all, just nicely moist with a crisp crust. The streusel was not as tender as I would like; maybe a different recipe is needed.

One of the other great things here was that I could taste and adjust the sweetness in the filling instead of guessing how much sugar this batch of apples needed.

All in all, a success, and hubby REALLY loves it.

[zitronenmadchen]

Neato. I like the idea of a pre-fab pie, and making the individual pieces at your leisure. I'm glad to hear it worked out.

[sandylc]

Thanks! I always pre-fab my pumpkin pie - have you noticed yet that I hate gummy bottom crusts? ha

[zitronenmadchen]

I have noticed that.

[sandylc]

Oh, the other great thing about this apple pie is that it cuts and serves beautifully - very neat.

[sarahjay]

I've got dough resting in the fridge for pumpkin doughnuts Sunday morning, but after making that I had left-over pumpkin, so I made pumpkin souffles, but I needed caramel sauce to go with, so I made that too. Then I had left over beaten egg whites, so I folded in melted chocolate and chopped nuts, dropped onto parchment lined cookie-sheets and baked. It's kind of like Alice Medrich's chocolate souffle cookies, but guestimated. They turned out great and my brother and his friends (teenage boys) ate all of them.

[biondanonima]

We took a fruitless (har har) trip to the apple orchard today that left us craving an apple dessert. Luckily I had some par-cooked sliced apples in the freezer (from last year and still tasty/not freezer burned!), plus a bit of pie dough, so I made a tiny pie in a 6" casserole dish. Not as elaborate an affair as my usual pie making endeavors but delicious nonetheless!

[Chocolatechipkt]

I'm making a cinnamon apple coffee cake for brunch tomorrow. Also a leek and goat cheese frittata.

[sandylc]

Yummy.

[maplesugar]

We're headed to a Thanksgiving potluck this evening. I'm bringing Peanut Butter Pie as an option for those who aren't pumpkin pie fans.

[kattyeyes]

Be-youuuuuuuu-dee-full! Chocolate cookie crust on that delightful creation?

[maplesugar]

Absolutely! There's also a layer of chocolate and chopped roasted peanuts hiding on the bottom. The decorating could be better--I was lazy and used a spoon instead of a bag/bottle :)

[kattyeyes]

Mmmmm. I love PB pie, but have never made my own. Used to order it at a BBQ joint I haven't visited in ages. I would be VERY interested in your recipe if you don't mind sharing. And as to better decorating? Not at all, some of the chocolate swirlies even look heart-shaped. Heck, if it were more perfect, no one would want to touch it. :) I wanted to grab a fork and dig in immediately when I saw it!

[maplesugar]

This is the original recipe from Jennifer Perillo--I haven't been able to access the original post, just the cache. This year has been a tough one for us--DH has been through a number of eye surgeries and is scheduled for a 5th in a month's time. Since it's Thanksgiving I thought I'd make this pie to remind me to be thankful of what I still have... DH and I are celebrating 12 years this weekend.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com...

[kattyeyes]

Ohmygoodness, thank you, maplesugar. That post looks familiar to me (I probably have it saved in a file somewhere)--very sad and very sweet. I wish you a happy anniversary and happy Thanksgiving as well. What a perfect way to celebrate with this pie. Sending a hug and all best wishes to you and your husband. Stay strong!

[kattyeyes]

I forgot to ask what chocolate cookies you used for the base. I'm not a big Oreo kid, but I would give them a whirl if that's what you used. Trying to think of a hard chocolate cookie that would work nicely.

[Caitlin McGrath]

Obviously, I'll defer to mapesugar's experience for this particular recipe, but I'd say Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers are ideal; they're sort of the original deal for chocolate crumb crusts and what I've always used.

[kattyeyes]

Thank you, it struck me after I posted (I think I saw a recipe where they popped up to help me arrive at the same conclusion). :) I like those wafers, too.

[buttertart]

I can never find the wafers. You could also take oreos and scrape off the filling...

[kattyeyes]

I wanna say they're readily available in my n'hood supermarket. I definitely want to try that pie when I have a crowd to feed. And I was just thinking of maplesugar b/c of your Canadian T'giving post. :) There's another chocolate cookie I used to be kinda hooked on a few years back that might work here, too. Next time I go to the store, I'll try to find it and post back in case you're interested. They're also good just for plain ol' snacking (which can be problematic).

[Chocolatechipkt]

I've had a hard time finding those wafers too. I tend to buy several packages when I do come across them.

[kattyeyes]

AHA--found 'em! I haven't eaten them in several years now, but I used to be very fond of them: MI-DEL All Natural Chocolate Snaps. They may be in the organic section in your supermarket. I think they'd be EXCELLENT as a chocolate cookie crust for PB pie:
http://www.midelcookies.com/products/...

[buttertart]

Uh oh. See that and raise you this...and there goes more leisure time not in front of the computer...
http://madaboutmaida.blogspot.com/201...

[kattyeyes]

buttertart for the win! Saving that, thanks! That is leisure time better spent (after carefully assessing recipes and ingredients here, of course). ;)

[buttertart]

Quite.

[maplesugar]

Daang those look good-Thank you buttertart! I can see a lot of experimenting in my future. Instead of crushing the cookies I can see layering them refrigerator cake like :)

[mcel215]

buttertart,

I substitute the butter and chocolate wafer cookies with oreos all the time. No need to scrape off the frosting, it helps them ahere. I kind of prefer the chocolate wafer cookies, but they are just so expensive and are never on sale, but find oreos on sale a lot.

www.saffron215.blogspot.com

[buttertart]

Makes sense to me.

[maplesugar]

Thanks for the well wishes all. :) Nabisco wafers would have been ideal but I sent Dh to get the ingredients this time and he came home with Oreo crumbs-they worked fine so I'd say you could use whichever you can get your hands on.

Cutting in was difficult because the chocolate on the bottom had solidified. Next time I'll probably go with a ganache.

[karykat]

Best Thanksgiving to the North for your family. And enjoy that beautiful pie!

[kattyeyes]

Oh, maplesugar! I thought I had copied/pasted or otherwise filed this link. And now it doesn't work, nor does the original from Jennie Perillo. :( If you still have it, I promise to paste it into Word or print it for safekeeping. I've been googling around a while now without success.

I hope you had a wonderful anniversary! ♥

ETA: Here is an adaptation. Do you know how it differs from the original?
http://guiltykitchen.com/2011/08/12/c...

[maplesugar]

I thought I lost it but I found a copy I made the first time I made the pie!

8oz. chocolate cookies(I think I used 8.5)
4Tbsp butter, melted
4oz. chopped chocolate or chocolate chips
1/4 c. chopped peanuts
1 c. heavy cream
8oz. cream cheese
1 c. peanut butter
1 c. confectioners sugar
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
t tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

Topping(optional):
2 oz. chopped chocolate, melted

Crush cookies and combine with melted butter, and press into a 9 inch springform pan.

Melt chocolate and spread over prepared crust. Spread peanuts over melted chocolate and put the pan in the fridge while you get the filling ready.

Pour whipping cream into a large mixing bowl, beat to stiff peaks and set aside. Transfer whipped cream to a small bowl and set aside. Place peanut butter and cream cheese in the mixer bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Turn the mixer to low and gradually beat in confectioners sugar (go too fast and there'll be a powdered mess all over your kitchen) :)

Add sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and lemon juice, turn mixer to medium and beat until smooth and well combined.

Stir 1/3 of the whipped cream into the mixture, then fold in the remaining whipped cream. Pour filling into prepared crust. Drizzle 2oz. melted chocolate over top if using. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight before serving.

[GraceW]

I really really want to try making this (non-creamy) peanut butter-CUP pie.. because I also do not like any of the traditional 'pies' for the holidays... if anyone has made it, let me know. It does look somewhat similar.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/20...

[kattyeyes]

You're the best! Thanks so much. I need to wait till the storm passes AND till I know I have people around to share with me, but I am definitely going to make this. AND I saved it in my own files so I won't lose it again.

As a bonus, here is the video to explain the story behind this beautiful pie:
http://vimeo.com/27654447

[buttertart]

I would be thrilled to get that instead of pumpkin pie.

[angelsmom]

Not ti high knack ths thread, but Buttertart could you look at the post below, I had a question or you. TY

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/872257

[buttertart]

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8722...

[sandylc]

Yummy!

[rstuart]

YUM!! Looks fab! I was out of Canada for Thanksgiving this year, so I missed my pumpkin pie fix. But if I'd been at your potluck, I would have had a slice of that too!

[zitronenmadchen]

In between trying to get a head start on packing up all my stuff, making a historically accurate 5th century British woman's dress (never a dull moment working at a museum) and training for the half marathon, I made a firm starter for potato, chive, and cheddar bread that I will be tackling on Monday. A glorious day off with nothing to but make bread and pork ragu, and maybe a dessert too if I'm feeling super ambitious.

[sandylc]

Wow, I want your life!

[zitronenmadchen]

There's a list on one of the walls of our office that lists the rediculous things that have been done in the name of a certain famous writer. Luckily working long hours doing strange things makes people more inclined to eat baked goods, so I don't eat them all myself.

[karykat]

That potato chive cheddar bread sounds fantastic. Can I trouble you for the recipe?

Only when you have time!

[zitronenmadchen]

It's a recipe from Peter Reinhart's Bread Bakers Apprentice. I found this link that gives the recipe with volume measurements. http://breadmakingblog.breadexperienc...

[karykat]

I took a look at your link. The bread looks fantastic!!! Absolutely fantastic.

Have you made it before? Does it taste real sour-doughy? It looks like it starts with the barm and seed culture.

If it is sourdoughy, I wonder if it's possible to adapt it for a nonsourdough-type. Or if that would be going too far. The texture looks amazing and the flavors sound great.

[zitronenmadchen]

I have made it before, the sourdough taste wasn't particularly noticeable, probably over powered by all the other stuff going on. It does make a really delicious bread that disappears quickly.
I don't see why it couldn't be adapted into a non sourdough bread, Peter Reinhart has a recipe for potato rosemary bread that could probably be easily used with cheese.

[zitronenmadchen]

My potato, chive, and cheddar bread. I couldn't find yellow cheddar, so the cheese is hard to see, but you can see where it was :-P

[buttertart]

Nice!

[sandylc]

I have a double batch of croissant dough in the fridge. For breakfast, I sliced a bit off one end, rolled it out, and lined some muffin cups with it. Then I filled it with eggs beaten with salt and cream, shredded gruyere, and ham cubes. Topped off with a bit off parm and baked - YUM! Served them for bkfst with baby greens in a tart vinaigrette. Nice start to the weekend.

In a bit I'll be making Momos (morning buns to some) from the rest of the dough. I'd like to use a bit of dough to try a pastry that I had recently in a restaurant - snails filled with ham, gruyere, and apricot jam. I'm thinking of using some jalapeno jelly with chopped dried apricots in them rather than just the apricot jam.

I have a blind-baked pie crust in the freezer. I'm thinking of cooking down some apples with sugar and baking some streusel solo and combining the three to make a prefab apple pie - I'm a fan of crisp textures and I'm hoping the crust will stay very crisp!

[zitronenmadchen]

What a great idea with the croissant dough! I'll have to try that the next time I make croissants. Was the finished pastry crisp on the bottom?

[sandylc]

Very! But I have dark-colored muffin pans, so that probably helped!

[AGM_Cape_Cod]

I haven't made croissant dough in years and I need to! When I did I used to make smoked salmon and cream cheese filled croissants. Just an idea.

[sandylc]

I'm not very much of a fish-eater (wait for collective gasp), but I am VERY sure that others will try your suggestion....very creative!

My ham-gruyere snails did not turn out very well - the jalapeno jelly was too overpowering and clashed with the gruyere. If I make them again it will be with just the ham/gruyere/apricot combo.

[big_girls_bake]

I have pumpkin bars planned and I want to try my hand at mini-lemon meringue tarts. I just made cranberry orange muffins. I love the fall, I can bake all I want without the worry of heating the house up.

[tiffeecanoe]

Oh my everyone! I baked three items in two days. I hadn't baked three items in the last year! Gotta say, this recipe testing project may very well make a baker out of me! I finally made that Cherry Oatmeal Quick bread.

It was REALLY good. However, I'd switch out the pricey dried cherries and use cranberries as I come from a pretty cranberry heavy area.

[karykat]

Cherries and oatmeal really sound good together.

[Emme]

pretty! probably really tasty spread with some hazelnut butter...

[sarahjay]

I made biscuits with the 9 year old girls I teach tonight. My co-teacher wondered how biscuits could take an hour, but it did! They turned out great and they were so proud. We ate some with jam and sent the rest home with them. They even "did dishes."

[tiffeecanoe]

Well! I baked two items today! Whaaaaat? I'm not a baker, it's not really something I've ever been good at or interested in. I mentioned in the previous thread that I'm recipe testing for a friend's sister. It's a low fat, vegan, non processed baking cookbook. Today I made some maple cookies and a zucchini cake.

The cookies - wayyyyy too sugary for me. I would make them again and cut the sugar big time. They were really nice and chewy! I have to say, I'm surprised they're vegan and without any oil, etc.

The cake - well, I cooked it 10 minutes beyond what the recipe called for and it's still very soft in the center. It needs more spice. Perhaps nutmeg, or even cardamom or something. It's begging for more complexity.

I hope she truly appreciates my honest thoughts. I can't share any recipes yet, I'm not allowed, but I will definitely share when her cookbook comes out if anyone is interested in it!

[karykat]

I think maple may be more sugary than we think it is. I made a maple creme caramel from one of my books and had the same reaction you did. I thought it sounded so good but it was way way too sweet.

Maybe inherent in maple?

[tiffeecanoe]

I absolutely agree! I'm not much of a baker and I'm not sure how much it would change the texture, but I actually think I'd add more maple syrup - because truly, they weren't too maple-y - to the recipe and cut the white sugar in half. Perhaps I'll mention that to the recipe creator and see what she thinks.

[karykat]

That sounds good. Because the mapley-ness of maple sugar is so so good.

[Emme]

what's the liquid in the cake? you could sub it out with chai tea (brewed strongly) and also supplement with more spice if necessary...

[jeanmarieok]

I made the Milk Bar chocolate chip cookies with corn flake crunch and marshmallows on Saturday - they were better than I expected (I mean, I knew thaey would be good, but jeez, these were absolutely incredible).

I baked off a bunch of Edna Lewis' Egg Custards - I had a quart of raw milk and some delicious farm eggs on hand. Just a little vanilla and nutmeg in them - my husband called them 'nursery food' - I called them delicious!

I made a loaf cake from a bunch of empire apples I had on hand - cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves for some spice. It was pretty good - disappeared in a day or two. No real recipe there.

[karykat]

Mmmmm. Your custards sound great. Such great ingredients would be good in the tapioca I've been making lately. With some fresh vanilla bean.

[jeanmarieok]

I like tapioca a lot, too. Do you use instant tapioca, or the real thing?

[karykat]

I use the real thing. It's super-easy and so good. With some (but not too much) sugar and vanilla bean. Even my sweetheart loves it and he's not a dessert guy.

(Recipe if you like.)

[jeanmarieok]

Yes please - and here's the link to the edna lewis custards -
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/eg...

[karykat]

Here's that tapioca recipe. Turns out it's a chow recipe: http://www.chow.com/recipes/30357-tap...

I may have used a little tad less sugar.

I may try this recipe with some maple syrup (since we were talking about that) based on a recipe that uses instant tapioca. The recipe I'm looking at uses 1/4 cup maple syrup for 3 cups of milk and no extra sugar, so I don't think it can be too sweet. Actually, looking more closely at this maple syrup recipe, I see it came from a book called Grandma's Wartime Kitchen about cooking during WWII when things like sugar were rationed. Anyway, the combination sounds good.

The custards look good. Thanks for that.

[jeanmarieok]

Thanks so much - I am looking forward to trying this!

[rstuart]

I've wanted to make those cookies.. glad to hear they're good...!

[blue room]

Made some lemon tarts yesterday, to eat while watching a political debate on TV. Thought something both sweet and sour might be needed. I was right.

I used Ina Garten's lemon curd recipe, it worked fine, and boxed pie crust mix for the little cups.

It was my first time making curd from scratch, I like it!

[kattyeyes]

You crack me up re sweet 'n sour! I love curd. :) NOM!

[zitronenmadchen]

I made apple crisp in individual servings in my cute little mini Staubs. I used a honeycrisp apple and a gala. The galas were on sale and I had forgotten that I don't really like them. They're not crisp enough for me, and I think they have an odd sort of banana-y flavor.I'm perfectly willing to accept that I'm the crazy one tasting things that aren't there, but I'm still not crazy about them.

[kattyeyes]

Photo, please! I'll bet those mini Staubs are adorable filled with crisp!

[zitronenmadchen]

The crisp was all hobbled up before I could snap a picture :-/

[buttertart]

I don't like Galas very much either. Blah. Crisps sound great, though!

[souschef]

I thought you didn't like Crisps, but liked Lobos. Lots of Lobos around these days.

[buttertart]

Man would I love some Lobos.

[zitronenmadchen]

Glad I'm not the only one who doesn't like Gala's

[buttertart]

Too sweet.

[rstuart]

They were my favourite for years, but now I cant' stomach them. I tend to bake with Granny smith (and make cheese, chutney and apple sandwiches with them!) I love Russets but they can be hard to find here...
We should have a thread called "Apple varieties I have known and loved" ;)

[buttertart]

Do it!

[roxlet]

Lovely cake, buttertart!

Today, my aim was to use up a lot of apples, which are sort of mediocre, and which no one seems to be eating. I had seen a photo of an apple cake somewhere that had layers of apples, but I was unable to find it. Instead, I found this deep dish apple pie. I don't know if I was sort of out of it today, or what, but the thing seemed like a massive PITA, but really, it's not. Anyway, it is now in the oven, and I hope it turns out to have been a good use of all those apples. The recipe called for 11, but mine were small, I think I used closer to 13 of them.
http://leitesculinaria.com/25584/reci...

[buttertart]

THAT looks great. I always find that the one apple pie I make every year sort of languishes, not himself's favorite.

[gembellina]

Oh wow, I've never seen a sour-cream apple pie before, that looks so delicious. Let us know how it turns out!

[roxlet]

I'll do that. I just pulled it out of the oven, and it looks pretty good. It's going to take forever to cool off, I think. It will be my son's breakfast tomorrow, but not his dessert tonight!

[kattyeyes]

LOVE apple pie for breakfast!

I've gotta run to the store for an orange (for juice) to make cranberry-orange muffins for t'marra morning.

[kattyeyes]

Note to self and friends: don't mess with what works. Swapping out some of the AP flour for white whole wheat flour was a BAD IDEA. And, sadder still, I made a double batch (which usually turns out great as my blueberry almond cream cake) so I have PLENTY of my failure to go around.

[roxlet]

Have you tried the King Arthur Flour white whole wheat? I find that it's easier to swap that than regular whole wheat.

[kattyeyes]

That's exactly what I used. :(

[buttertart]

I've had issues with it too, I prefer it in bread rather than sweet stuff. k-e, bin it, no point in eating subpar baked goods.

[roxlet]

That's right. I just used the white whole wheat it that bread with the preferment, and it was very good, and not too "whole wheaty," if you know what I mean.

[kattyeyes]

I know EXACTLY what you mean. :)

[kattyeyes]

It was just fine in the Raincoast Crisps (though may explain why, even when double-baked, they weren't quite as crispy as I wanted them to be). Believe me, I won't make that mistake again--I agree with you completely!

Have you swapped any of it into no-knead bread? My heart belongs to sourdough, but cats are curious.

ETA: In disgust, I threw the rest of the cranberry orange subpar baking in the trash last night. I love baked goods done right too much to waste calories otherwise.

[buttertart]

Yes, I'm sure the white ww would be good in no-knead, the people I gave my semi-no knead bread to this time are crazy about it (even no thank you to bread Himself.). The preferment was in the fridge in a cold spot for a week, by the way.

[buttertart]

And re calories, only eat the good stuff.

[rstuart]

Sour cream apple pie does sound good!! Yumm..

[nomadchowwoman]

That's quite a good-looking cake, buttertart.

[buttertart]

Thank you kindly, I still like it better in the pale buttercream.

[souschef]

Your pistachios are better-looking than the ones I get, which are so over-roasted and burnt that they look disgusting, hence cannot be used for decoration.

[buttertart]

Really? These were from Trader Joe's. Maybe that's why your cake wasn't as enjoyable as I found mine.

PS those were the best-looking pieces of this lot by far.

[milklady]

Yesterday I made three batches of "infinitely adaptable blondies" - one with chocolate chips, one with white chocolate and macadamia nuts, and one with reduced coffee and cappucino chips. They all turned out delicious, except the coffee ones kind of burned, and I needed to remove a layer from the sides and bottom.

Tonight I need to make a peach crisp, with the last of the fall peaches, and lots of oats and nuts.

Tomorrow I will make more blondies or chocolate chip cookies, plus a giant plum tart, with the last of the plums and pluots.

(Due to Jewish holidays, early fall is my busiest baking season!)

[rstuart]

Are those the ones from Smitten Kitchen (originally Mark Bittman?) That's my favourite quick square; since you melt the butter they are very quick with no planning involved. I have made them with white chocolate and dried cranberries, milk chocolate and dried cherries, and dark chocolate/cappuccino chips..

[milklady]

yes, exactly. This most recent batch was again well received - very appreciated by kids and adults like, with just chocolate chips and white chocolate chips.

[Ruthie789]

Very pretty cake buttertart.

[buttertart]

Thank you, it's prettier in my estimation in its pale buttercream.

[Ruthie789]

I love the contrast of the dark icing with the pistachios. Need a side by side picture of the lighter icing to imagine it can actually top this cake!

[buttertart]

Check the August thread, about 10 posts up from the bottom. Tried to link here but the computer didn't want to be nice and let me copy/paste.

[gembellina]

Just made 60 cupcakes for the bf's birthday, using Betty Crocker mix and a frosting made from veg crisco and wilton butter flavouring. Quite revolting. I shall stick to Italian meringue buttercream next time I want pure white.

On the menu soon are pumpkin swirl brownies, and probably a pumpkin pie and an apple pie - a good way to use up the crisco and to embrace my new North American habitat!

[jo_jo_ba]

I will be making three cakes for my gran's birthday, plus green tomato cakes, likely bread, and definitely baked doughnuts with my new pan!