Spiced Pecan Cookies

I am all for loading a cookie with pecans, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice. Perfect cookie on a fall day, plus your kitchen will smell wonderful. Bake some and have a nibble!

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 Tbl vanilla
2 Tbl cream or half-and-half
2 cups flour
1 Tbl pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
2 cups pecan halves

Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar with electric mixer. Add egg, vanilla, and cream; mix well. Add flour, pumpkin pie spice, corn starch, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until combined. Mix in pecans, the mixer will break them up a bit but leave large chunks (you can chop them if you want smaller pieces).

Original recipe at averiecooks.com says to scoop into balls and refrigerate at this point, click on link if you want to go that route. I am a rebel, not really, just wanted a cookie faster, and baked them immediately. Scoop onto silpat lined or sprayed baking sheet. I baked them at 375° for 8-9 minutes, don’t let them brown if you want a soft cookie. I smashed mine with the spatula as they came from the oven. Let cool.

One Year Ago: Pineapple Coconut Coffee Cake

Two Years Ago: Sweet Bread Rolls

Three Years Ago: Apple Raisin Pecan Muffins

Coconut Pecan Bread

I need a little something to take when I go visit a friend. A little loaf of bread is perfect!

2½ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbl butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 Tbl oil
2 eggs
1 tsp coconut extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325°. In medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In large bowl stir together melted butter, sugar, oil, eggs, and coconut extract. Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk to butter mixture, stir just until combined. Stir in coconut and pecans. Divide batter evenly between three well sprayed mini loaf pans. Bake 40 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

One Year Ago: Zucchini Bread

Two Years Ago: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

Three Years Ago: Frosted Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate Cookies

Giant Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I’m a little obsessed right now with BIG cookies. Yummy, 4″ in diameter, smile making, taste-bud pleasing cookies!

2 cups flour
2 Tbl corn starch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup butter flavor shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
3 Tbl sour cream
1 bag dark chocolate chunks (or Dark chocolate chips)
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
3/4 cup coconut

Preheat oven to 325°. In medium bowl, stir together flour, corn starch, baking soda, and salt. In large bowl, cream butter, shortening, sugar, and brown sugar with electric mixer. Add egg, vanilla, and sour cream; mix thoroughly. Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Stir in chips, pecans, and coconut. Drop 1/4 cup scoops of dough onto silpat lined baking sheet, flatten to make 3″ diameter discs. Bake for 14-15 minutes. Cookies will be 4″ in diameter after baking. Makes 14 cookies.

One Year Ago: Caramel Nut Bars

Two Years Ago: Double Frosted Milk Chocolate Malt Cookies

Three Years Ago: Lemon Pound Cake with Candied Lemon Frosting

If you are interested in Demarle bakeware and kitchen tools such as Silpat & Perforated Baking Sheet please visit mydemarleathome.com/kristenparker or simply click on the Demarle at Home logo below.

Orange Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls

Something that came to my mind that needed to be played out. I sent a picture of the rolls on my phone to my parents, my dad said, “We’ll be over and I’ll bring a gallon of milk”. That makes me happy!

Sweet Roll Dough:
1¼ cups warm water
2½ tsp (1 pkt) dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbl oil
3½ cups flour
1½ tsp salt

Orange Cream Cheese Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbl orange juice
1 Tbl flour
orange zest
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Make sweet roll dough – in bowl of mixer, sprinkle yeast over warm water.  Add sugar, oil, and 1 cup flour.  Mix until well combined.  Add remaining flour and salt.  Knead.  Let rise until doubled. Make orange cream cheese filling – by whipping cream cheese with electric mixer. Add brown sugar, orange juice, flour, and orange zest. Roll out dough to approx 18″x10″. Spread orange cream cheese filling evenly over dough. Sprinkle pecans over and roll from long end to long end, pinch seam.  Cut into 12 pieces (I use thread, place under dough, cross ends over and pull quickly through dough), put in sprayed 13×9 pan*.  Cover and let rise until doubled.  Bake in preheated 375° oven for 17-20 minutes.

Sweet Roll Glaze:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbl orange juice
orange zest

Mix butter, powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange zest.  Spread over warm sweet rolls.

* At this point you can cover the pan of rolls tightly with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator overnight. Take out in the morning, remove plastic wrap covering with towel, and let sit for one hour. Preheat oven and bake & frost as above.

One Year Ago: Oatmeal Creme Pie Cupcakes

Two Years Ago: Orange Cranberry Scones

Chunky Chocolate Jam Bars

A great recipe that uses ingredients usually on hand. A little crunch from the pecans, chewy from the oats and coconut, a bit of a shortbread taste in the buttery crust, and the sweet chocolatey jam center! Yum! The original recipe comes from recipebridge.com.

1½ cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cold butter
1½ cups oats
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup raspberry jam

Heat oven to 350°. Line 13″x9″ pan with foil, ends of foil extending over sides. Spray with nonstick spray. Stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add oats, coconut, and nuts; mix well. Press half crumb mixture into bottom of prepared pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over crumb mixture. Spoon jam evenly over top, dropping in small blobs. Spoon remaining crumb mixture over the top. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in pan until set enough to use foil overhang to lift bars from pan; place on wire rack. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

One Year Ago: Blackberry Sweet Rolls

Two Years Ago: Salami & Roasted Red Pepper Stromboli

If you are interested in Demarle bakeware and kitchen tools such as Silpat & Perforated Baking Sheet please visit mydemarleathome.com/kristenparker or simply click on the Demarle at Home logo below.

Chocolate Chip Toffee Shortbread Bars

Baked up a quick little something to add more smiles at work on a Friday!

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Base:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips (bittersweet, semisweet or milk chocolate)

Topping:
1 cup chocolate chips (bittersweet, semisweet, or milk chocolate)
3/4 cup toffee bits
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 375°. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. With electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Mix in vanilla. Mix in flour mixture until almost incorporated. Add the 1/2 cup chocolate chips and mix until dry ingredients are incorporated, do not over-mix.

Line 9″x 13″ baking pan with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Press shortbread mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until crust is bubbling. Remove from oven and sprinkle the 1 cup of chocolate chips over hot bars. Cover pan with foil and let sit 5 minutes to let chocolate melt. Spread melted chocolate chips over crust. Sprinkle toffee bits, chopped pecans, and coconut over chocolate and press down gently with your fingers.

Let bars cool to room temperature before cutting. Can be refrigerated to speed up the cooling. Use edge of foil to lift the bars out of pan and cut into bars. Original recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Two Years Ago: Chocolate Mint Marshmallow Brownies

If you are interested in Demarle bakeware and kitchen tools such as Silpat & Perforated Baking Sheet please visit mydemarleathome.com/kristenparker or simply click on the Demarle at Home logo below.

Pecan & Coconut Cream Popcorn

I am thinking about treats for the Superbowl, what to munch? How about Pecan & Coconut Cream Popcorn, why not! Once you start munching, you may not be able to stop!

1½ cups pecans
1 cup flaked coconut
10 heaping cups popped popcorn
1 (11 oz) bag white chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
1/2 pkg (3.4 oz) coconut cream instant pudding mix, (1/3 cup, save other half for next batch)
3 tsp shortening

Line baking sheet with Silpat, parchment, or wax paper. Toast pecans and coconut in fry pan over medium low heat about 3-5 minutes, watch and stir. In large bowl, mix popped popcorn, pecans, and coconut. In double boiler over LOW heat, slowly melt chips. Do not try to rush, white chocolate or white chips have a very low burning point, so slowly let it warm stirring constantly (melting white chocolate). Remove from heat just as chips are softening, stir in coconut pudding mix, it will be thick. Put mixture back on the heat and slowly stir in the shortening, one tsp at a time to loosen up or thin the mixture. Pour the mixture over the popcorn mixture in four batches, stirring gently after each addition. Between additions, set coconut cream mixture on the low heat. Make sure to stir all the way to the bottom of the big bowl to bring all the coconut and pecans up and mix them in. Gently stir until all is coated. Pour out onto prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes until coconut cream mixture sets up. Break apart into pieces and store in airtight container.

One Year Ago: Personal Chicken Pot Pies

Two Years Ago: Glazed Cinnamon Snack Cake

Cherry Winks

I wonder how many of you grew up with these cookies too? My mom used to make these cookies every year at Christmas time, it was tradition. Wondering where this recipe came from, I looked on the web and discovered it won the Pillsbury Bakeoff in 1950! So there you have it, probably many moms made these cookies for their families in the 50’s and 60’s and beyond. You can find the original recipe by Ruth Derousseau at pillsbury.com, I made a couple changes. Merry Christmas, Happy Traditions!

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 Tbl maraschino cherry juice
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 drops red food color
2¼ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup chopped maraschino cherries, patted dry with paper towels
1½ cups coarsely crushed corn flakes cereal
15 maraschino cherries, quartered

Preheat oven to 375°. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer. Beat in maraschino cherry juice, vanilla, eggs, and red food color. Mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in pecans and the 1/3 cup chopped cherries. Cover and refrigerate 15 minutes for easier handling. Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray or line with silpat. With cookie scoop, drop ball of dough into crushed corn flake crumbs; coat thoroughly. Place on cookie sheet and lightly press maraschino cherry quarter into top of each ball. Bake 10-15 minutes (depending on the size) or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

One Year Ago: Triple Chocolate Cookies

Two Years Ago: Nanaimo Bars

Cinnamon Glazed Nuts – Two Ways!

These nuts are a delicious snack. I usually make them around the holidays to give as gifts or just to have around for family and friends. There are two recipes I use, one I can’t remember where I got it and another from my mother-in-law. The first has a smoother texture with a hint of vanilla flavor. The second has a more granular texture with more of a toasted flavor. Both are yummy and what we called “morish”, you just have to have more! Try both!

4-5 cups nuts (I use pecans or walnuts or a mixture)
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1½ tsp vanilla

Spray a cookie sheet, set aside. Put nuts in heat safe bowl. In saucepan, combine water, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to boil over medium heat. Stirring constantly, cook to soft ball stage about 240°. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour hot syrup over nuts and stir to coat completely. Spread nuts out on prepared cookie sheet and cool to set up. Break apart. Store in airtight container.

4-5 cups nuts (I use pecans or walnuts or a mixture)
1 egg white
1 Tbl water
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350°. Put nuts in large bowl. In small bowl, whisk egg white and water until frothy. Pour over nuts and toss to coat well. In small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Sprinkle small amount over wet nuts and stir, sprinkle more and stir, continue until nuts are well coated. Spread nuts out on large cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes, remove and stir. Bake 10 minutes more, remove and stir. Bake 5-10 minutes more, stir. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Store in airtight container.

Two Years Ago: Golden Caramel Cheesecake Bars

Pecan Caramels

It is the holiday season, time for celebration and family. Decorating traditions, homemade delights, and heavenly aromas. Here is an old fashioned recipe to get things rolling.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans (can substitute other nuts)

Butter 9″x9″ square pan; set aside. Combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, milk, whipping cream, and corn syrup in heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted. Raise heat by slow increments to medium and bring mixture slowly to boil. This is the patience part, do not rush, you do not want mixture to heat too fast and burn on bottom of pan. Continue cooking until candy thermometer reaches 242°F, process may take 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and nuts. Pour into prepared pan. Cool completely. Cut with sharp knife into 1½”x1″ pieces (or how you want), wrap in wax paper.

One Year Ago: Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

Two Years Ago: My Favorite Apple Pie