Spiced Frosted Nuts

I have a problem. I make tasty treats, sometimes delectable, even. Alas, I don't know how to give them away in an attractive kind of way...tin foil or paper plates is my previous go-to, but for Christmas it hardly seems festive (and it can be dangerous, as we learned after the husband dumped a plate of steaming caramel sticky rolls on the ground on the way to make a delivery). So what to do?

Chocolate Almond Torte

We probably should have posted this in time for Valentine's day. It's the perfect kind of decadent treat we crave on the lover's holiday. But quite frankly, I've never been one to avoid making a dessert because it's too fancy for a weekday. If it tastes good, you should eat it. And you're definitely going to want to try this.

Chocolate, almonds, and a bit of orange zest combine to make a perfectly divine, and rich, chocolate torte. Can we say tasty? If you look at the directions, you might think this is a bit tricky. But it's really not. Melt some chocolate and butter together (on a double boiler or in the microwave on short bursts of heat, stirring in between). Combine lots of eggs, ground nuts, melted chocolate and the rest of the cake-making ingredients and stir. Whip some egg whites and fold them in. Bake. Done. 

Polvorones: Ground Walnut Cookies

These are the type of cookie that you really cannot eat just one - you have been warned. They are buttery, crumbly, and delicious. They are absolute jems in my mind, of course I love nutty-buttery cookies, so what more could I expect.

Pecan Shortbread

When I was a kid, I hated shortbread and butter cookies. Loathed them. I thought they were dry and crumbly and basically tasteless. And I had an old aunt or uncle or neighbor who always used to send us those blue tins of Royal Dansk cookies around Christmas time. My parents were probably happy to have more cookies to themselves, but I was disappointed not to have something better.

Then one day my tastes completely changed. I don't remember where or why, but I had a little nibble of shortbread and was hooked. And now I can't get enough. I think we should eat more shortbread and butter cookies. All the time!

People forget that shortbread is so amazingly simple to make. And it doesn't take any strange ingredients. I can almost guarantee that I will always have butter, sugar, flour and nuts somewhere in my cupboards...you probably do too. My assortment of nuts may vary (I always have loads of walnuts (thanks to the neighbor's walnut tree), usually have some almonds, and rarely have pecans), but you can always substitute a nut for another.

These shortbread cookies are light and buttery, slightly chewy in the center, and slightly crunchy on the outside. And the hint of nutmeg is exquisite. You probably shouldn't eat very many of these (being that they're all butter and sugar), but I don't know how you can resist.

Pecan Shortbread
Recipe from The Essential Baker*
Pictures by Caroline

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the white and brown sugar and beat until thoroughly blended, about 2 minutes. Add pecans and vanilla and mix until combined.
   
2. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt and nutmeg. Add to butter mixture in 3-stages, blending well after each addition.
3. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet. Press the dough evenly into the pan and the corners.** Using a sharp knife, score the shortbread into 1 x 2 inch rectangles. Use a fork to pierce each rectangle in 2 places on the diagonal (this is purely decorational). Chill for 2 hours.
4. Heat oven to 300 degrees F. Use a sharp knife to cut through the scored pieces of shortbread and place them on a baking sheet, leaving 1 inch of space between each one. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the shortbread is set and very lightly colored. Cool completely on wire racks.
   

*with directions slightly simplified and slightly reworded
**A double batch of dough just about filled a large baking sheet (about 18 inches). If you don't have a large baking sheet or you do, but only make a single batch, don't worry. The important thing is to press the dough into a nice rectangle, with clean, crisp edges, whether that means you press the dough into the side of the cookie sheet or cut it with a knife, it doesn't matter. It's your choice.

Black Walnut French Toast

This is a recipe that twolittlechefs reader, Kelly, submitted. It is a variation on traditional french toast, and it is delicious. Now I happen to love french toast, so I may be bias. However, when I make this again I will make it with my own french toast recipe and add the banana-nut topping. When I make french toast I don't use any milk, and I add a bit of vanilla and cinnamon. Anyway you make it though, the topping is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Thanks Kelly!


Black Walnut French Toast
Recipe from Southern Living Magazine (submitted by twolittlechefs reader, Kelly)
Picture by Caroline

Ingredients

2 tablespoons chopped black walnuts (or traditional walnuts or pecans)
1 tablespoon light butter
1 large ripe banana, sliced
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 white bread slices
Vegetable cooking spray
1/4 cup reduced-calorie maple syrup.

Directions

1. Place a small skillet over medium-high heat until hot; add chopped black walnuts, and cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until toasted. Remove from skillet.
2. Melt butter in small skillet over medium heat; add banana slices, and cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in toasted black walnuts and 1/4 cup honey, and remove from heat.
3. Meanwhile whisk together eggs and next 3 ingredients in a shallow dish or pie plate. Lightly press bread slices, 1 at a time, into egg mixture, coating both sides of bread. Cook bread, in batches, on a nonstick griddle coated with cooking spray over medium heat 2 minutes on each side or until done. Repeat procedure, if necessary. Transfer to a serving plate. Serve with banana mixture and syrup.

*From Kelly who submitted this recipe: “I love breakfast and so this was a great twist to a classic. I made it this morning for some family and they were asking for the recipe - always a good sign! We had it on corn cakes instead of French toast and it was good that way too.”

Contest Winner - Chocolate Turtle Cookies

After MUCH deliberation, we have finally picked a winner for our 100th Post Contest. There were recipes of all sorts and sizes from appetizers to desserts to dinner and breakfast submitted. Many of them were very good, making this a very tough decision for us, but we finally picked the winner.

We picked these cookies because they are first and foremost delicious. In addition to the taste they are unique and aesthetically original. So congratulations to our loyal reader and commenter, Jessie who submitted this recipe for Chocolate Turtle Cookies. She will be receiving The Essential Baker: The Comprehensive Guide to Baking with Chocolate, Fruit, Nuts, Spices, and Other Ingredients by CCP Carole Bloom.

Chocolate Turtle Cookies
Recipe submitted by Two Little Chefs reader Jessie
Picture by Caroline
Yield: approximately 2 dozen

1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg, separated, plus 1 egg white
2 T milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pecans, chopped fine
14 soft caramel candies**
3 T heavy cream

1. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt in bowl. With electric mixer on med-high speed, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture until just combined. Refrigerate dough until firm, at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment (hint from twolittlechefs: you need to line your tray or spray with a non-stick spray, otherwise the egg whites will firmly attach to your baking sheet). Whisk egg whites in bowl until frothy. Place pecans in another bowl. One at a time, roll dough into 1-inch balls, dip in egg whites, then roll in pecans. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using teaspoon measure, make indentation in center of each ball. Bake until set, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, microwave caramels and cream in bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Once cookies are removed from oven, gently press existing indentation again with teaspoon measure. Fill each with 1/2 teaspoon caramel mixture. Cool 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool completely.

**Note: the only adaption I would make to this recipe would be to add more caramel, and I would suggest making your own caramel, which will have a stronger flavor - mixing equal parts of brown sugar, butter, and a tablespoon or two of milk.

Baklava

We end our Greek feast with a Greek favorite, Baklava. This dessert is a layering of buttery phyllo dough and slightly sweetened nuts. Many cultures and countries claim it as their own, but the first real record of baklava comes from Turkey, which then spread it throughout the Mediterranean during the Ottoman Empire.

The ingredients used in baklava will differ depending on where in the world you are. Turks prefer pistachios while Syrians use almonds and walnuts. The filling might be flavored with cinnamon, cloves, or cardamon. The syrup usually incorporates the same spices as the filling, but may also include lemon juice, rose water, or orange-blossom water. But it is always nutty, buttery, and delicious.

Our recipe comes courtesy of my Greek-American friend's mother. She's tried just about every baklava recipe out there, and this one is her family favorite. Although baklava isn't very difficult to make, it can be time consuming, especially if you've never worked with phyllo dough before. So be sure to give yourself plenty of time if you're making this for a special occasion.



Baklava
adapted from the Lowe Family
Pictures by Caroline

1 pound phyllo dough*
1 pounds walnuts**
1 pound almonds
1 pound pistachios
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted

1. Heat oven to 350°. If phyllo sheets are frozen, bring to room temperature before using.
2. Grind all nuts together in a blender or food processor, leaving some pieces; do not grind them to a powder.
3. Combine nuts with cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg.
4. Brush a 9 x 13 inch pan with melted butter. Unwrap phyllo sheets and unroll them. Keep phyllo covered with a damp cloth, so they don't dry out.
5. Put one phyllo sheet in pan. Using a pastry brush, brush it lightly and evenly with butter. Top it with 4 more sheets, brushing each one with butter. Evenly cover the fifth sheet with the nut mixture. Cover it with another sheet of phyllo, brush it with butter, and top it with 4 more sheets, buttering each one. Cover with nut mixture and repeat process until you reach the top of your pan. Butter the top layer.
6. With a very sharp knife, cut pastry into square or diamond shaped pieces, 1-2 inches wide (cutting all the way through the layers of nuts and pastry). This will allow the syrup to sink into the baklava, and make it much easier to serve after it is baked.
7. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
8. While baklava is baking, make syrup.
9. When baklava is done baking, remove from the oven and immediately pour the syrup over the top. Let cool and then serve.

Syrup
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 cups water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2-3 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over low heat until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally.
2. Once sugar dissolves, bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and let cool.

*You will probably be left with about 8 sheets extra.
**The only criticism we received for this recipe was that some people felt there were too many nuts. If you're not crazy about loads of nuts, you may prefer to reduce the quantity of nuts to about 2-2.5 pounds.