pecan almond bars.

around the holidays i always find my self craving three things - cookies, chocolate and nuts. nuts. usually i am not a big nut person - actually there were years where i had no interest in them altogether. but more and more they have called to me and crept back into my life. i have wanted them back into my life.

the cold of winter to me means more rich foods - stews, chickens, hearty soup's, shepards pie - and the meaty plump flesh of nuts in baking fits that criteria to a "t". don't get me wrong, i eat them in the summer as well - beautiful toasted then tossed on salad's - but i don't have such a want for them as i do in the colder comfort-food months. when i make my plan for the holiday eating season - yes i call it that - i plan out what nuts we want to use and go from there. i don't think of what i want to make and then get that, i think of what ingredients i want to eat and source out how to get them from a to b. i am always trying to find new ways to fit them in and this one hits all the marks. caramel. butter pastry crust. thick layer of nuts.

this was a recipe passed to me by my mother and i believe to her by her mother - the legendary betty whyte {no, not that one}. i was always excited to get to my grandma's house to see what baked good she had whipped up for us for the duration of our stay. she was a mater at all things baked and mostly things that would fit into the 1950's era of baked goods. for years i thought that she made up the name for nanaimo bars because she always made them for us and she lived in nanaimo and that is the only place we ever ate them - that i had ever seen them. it wasn't until years later when i saw some in the grocery store in vancouver that the idea was squashed. but i have gotten off topic.

nuts. pecan to be more specific. and sliced almonds. a winning combination - the perfect pair. i made these a couple of weeks ago for two functions and had people asking me for the recipe so i have decided to cave and share. one tip though - add them to your dessert buffet last because they will be the first thing gone and then no one will have any room for anything else - they are that good!

pecan almond bars

for the crust:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 cups all-purpose flour

filling:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons of white sugar
2 tablespoons of heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup pecan halves - toasted
1 cup sliced almonds - toasted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1) make your crust: pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. put butter and brown sugar into a mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on medium until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. mix in salt. add flour, 1 cup at a time until fully incorporated. continue mixing dough until it begins to come together in large clumps.
2)press dough into a 9x13 glass cassarole dish {i run a strip of parchment under the crust to allow easy bar removal after baking - about 7 inches wide 16 inches long} making your layer about a 1/4 inch thick. pierce the dough all over with a fork and chill for 20 minutes. bake until golden brown 18 to 20 minutes {i do it for 20}. transfer to a wire rack to cool. reduce your oven to 325 degrees.
3) toast your nuts: place them on a cookie sheet in a single layer and pop them in the oven while it reduces for about 6 to 8 minutes giving it a shake at the 6 minute mark. remove from heat and let cool slightly.
4) make filling: place butter, brown sugar, honey, white sugar and heavy cream in a saucepan over high heat. bring to a boil, stirring, until mixture coast the back of a spoon, about 1 minute. remove from heat and stir in salt, nuts, and vanilla. pour filling onto the cooled crust.
5)bake until filling bubbles, 15 to 20 minutes {i do 20}. carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. run a paring knife around the edges of the pan to help release the bar and using the parchment overhang lift bar out of pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely. using a sharp knife cut into 1 by 3 inch bars. bars can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to one week.

chocolate dipped pecan shortbread.

well it is that time of year again..teacher present time!!! and since i like to go that extra mile in the holidays we are baking our gifts this year. so right now - much to my husbands dismay but if i manage my time he won't know - my kitchen is a disaster but we have been busy little elves! i will put up all the different recipes we are using throughout this week.

today we are making chocolate-dipped pecan shortbread. yum!! not much more to say - the name really says it all. how can you think about this? if someone offered you a cookie with this name would you hesitate lunging for it? yeah, no, you would not. so this is my gift to you. now go and make your sense happy.

go one now. go.

chocolate-dipped pecan shortbread.

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter - soft.
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg - room temp.
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 cup pecan halves (use all the broken ones and bits - save the nice one for spiced nuts! also you can use hazelnuts for this cookie.)
chocolate for melting.

pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

beat butter on medium speed with sugar until light and fluffy. add egg. beat until incorporated - don't forget to scrape down the sides! add vanilla; mix. sprinkle in baking powder and salt; mix. then with mixer on low fold in flour.

meanwhile toast your nuts in pre-heated oven for 8 minutes.

process your nuts till they are little bits - not too little though, you want to identify them. fold them into the batter and with wet hands roll out twelve balls and place on cookie sheet and press down into disks. bake for 15 minutes. remove, place on wire rack and cool completely.

to melt chocolate:
place a heat proof bowl over a pot of simmering water. place your chocolate in the bowl and allow to melt, stirring occasionally, until it's all smooth. remove promptly. dip each cookie in chocolate then place on a cookie covered in parchment. allow to cool and then eat!

**to make these cookies party-size still make your twelve balls then split each of those in half to get twenty-four balls. reduce your baking time to 8 to 10 minutes and keep an eye on them until done to your liking!

maple pecan scones.

this time we picked sunday morning. recipe #2.

the day was greeted with maple pecan scones. they were absolutely perfect and delectable. again to mimic all the sentiments from the lemon scones post only swap in maple flavour. i was prepared this time for the messy half-time show but that was not so much the case here. i definitely swapped ingredients around here to make them work for us as we are more pecan rather than walnut people - and as mentioned in an earlier post, i had pecans on hand and didn't want to buy a whole bag of walnuts solely for this.

they were not the husbands favorite - he preferred the lemon - but i loved these and will definitely be making them again!

maple pecan scones - adapted from baked: new frontiers in baking.
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cubbed and chilled
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk + 1/4 cup
2 taspoons maple extract - i used clubhouse.
1 cup toasted pecans
1/4 cup raw sugar (i used organic sugar cane)

preheat oven to 350 degrees f. line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

in a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. whish until combined.

add the butter. use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until the butter is pea-sized.

in a seperate bowl, whisk together the egg, 1 cup of the buttermilk, and the maple extract. slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and then gently knead the dough with your hands until the dough starts to come together. add the pecans to the dough and knead gently to incorporate. move the dough to a lightly floured surface. use your hands to shape the dough into two disks (about 1 1/2 inches in height). do not overwork the dough.

cut each disk into 6 wedges. place wedges onto the prepared baking sheet. brush each scone with the remaining buttermilk and sprinkle with the raw sugar (i had some of both of these left over). bake in the center of the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes (rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking time) or until the scones are golden brown. (i wish i had done mine to 35 minutes to get a real nice golden, crunchy sugar top - next time!)

transfer the scones to a cooling rack; they can be served slightly warm or completely cooled.

for the maple glaze

1/2 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons plus two teaspoons maple syrup

to glaze the scones:
line a baking sheet with parchment paper. place the wire rack with the cooled scones over the baking sheet.
whisk togeether the sugar and maple syrup until the mixture is smooth - i added a touch of water as mine with too thick. slowly pour the glaze over each scone in a zigzag pattern.
allow the glaze to set (about 10 minutes) and serve immediately.

scones can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days. (our were fine for 4 days then they were gone - poof!)

cooking: missing link.

While trolling the aisles of the local mega-center an old friend screamed at me from the shelf desperate to be plucked and become part of our pantry - pecans.

As I held the bag in my hand I envisioned all the wonderful dishes this could become a part of - but one stood out like a beacon in my mind. Something I have been wanting to try, just had to find the right moment.

I just found it.

What a discovery and what a taste sensation! Just the right balance of sweet and savory it filled the house with such an aroma I wanted to have them cooking there forever, or figure out how to bottle this scent and release it when one is feeling blue.

Although my kids came down and asked what the yucky smell was the husband came in intrigued about what the smell was. Definitely for the more grown up type.

They came and left in a flash and I have visions of the next batch dancing in my head.

Maybe today.....

Rosemary and Thyme Candied Pecans

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons cane sugar

1 teaspoon finely minced fresh thyme (dry okay, use same quantity)

1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary (dry okay, use same quantity)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 pound pecan halves

Fleur de sel or other sea salt, to finish (optional)

Preheat an oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line a standard half sheet pan with parchment paper.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the maple syrup and cane sugar. Once melted, remove from the heat and stir in the herbs, spices and salt.

Toss the pecans with the butter mixture in a large bowl, making sure to coat well. Spread nuts in a single layer on the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven, turning half way, until the nuts are glazed and shiny with a deep golden colour, around 15/20 minutes. Upon removing from the oven, sprinkle lightly with fleur de sel if using and stir again.

Cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

Makes 1 pound.

**thank you to seven spoons and nigella for the introduction to these beauties. a friend forever was made here.