the calm before the storm

Christmas cookie baking is looming and I hope to post the majority of what I make over the next couple of weeks.  I have made some bars and cookies already but everything else should be confections that I have not posted before. It will definitely be interesting because I plan on shaking up the cookie routine I have managed to form over the past few years of being a homeowner.

If you haven't noticed my family is the "go big or go home" type. Thanksgiving was nuts with its three days of feasting and Christmas will be just as crazy with its twelve days (at least) of cookies. My Mommy Dearest and I were going to combine cookie plates and stick to making five types each for ten scrumptious options. Believe it or not, that is cutting back on what we have done in the past. However, she informed me that there were certain cookies she couldn't part with and has since upped her five to six plus a pie and cinnamon rolls. Considering she only needs to give plates to three groups of people and Torren and I need to give away NINE plates for all of our work and family-related obligations, I need to up the ante. I have a couple of cookies up my sleeve but I would really like to shake it up this year. Does anyone have any funful options that are not your run-of-the-mill nut or rum ball? I am even more likely to love it if it ISN'T red and green because, well, I just harbor fugly feelings for that color combo.

In the mean time, I thought I would share a recipe for something that was NOT oven-baked or resembled a circle or square. With that, I bring you pudding. I avoided rice pudding like the plague because I assumed it was similar to tapioca (blech, no thank you) but when Torren professed his love for it after meeting him in college, I just couldn't pass up an opportunity to stick my finger in someone else's food. Yes, I am that person. If I love you enough, I will enjoy your dinner off of your plate. Consider it a compliment and move on. I discovered that, I, too could definitely down a bowl of Kozy Shack® (why the cutesy "K?") and have since used up much left over rice thanks to sugar, milk and an extra hour or so on my hands. This version is maple-fied (still have that jug of syrup) and I added nuts and dried fruit because that sounds enchantingly rustic, doesn't it? Did I just hear Martha call?

Maple Rice Pudding

Yield: 8 half-cup servings

INGREDIENTS
1 C uncooked white or brown rice, rinsed
5 C milk I use skim
2 large eggs
2 t vanilla
3/4 cup real maple syrup
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t ground ginger
1/4 C almonds, pecans and/or walnuts
1/4 C dried fruit I used cranberries and cherries

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine eggs, vanilla, maple syrup and spices in a small bowl refrigerate until needed.
2. Place rinsed rice in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, barely cover with water and bring to a boil.
3. Immediately add the milk to the rice. Let the milk scald, then reduce the heat and cover the pan with a lid. Let the pot simmer on low for about 40 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Watch the pot, and stir frequently. If the rice and milk thicken, or if the rice begins to stick, add more milk.
4. Turn up the heat to medium high, and stir the egg mixture into the rice. Continue stirring the rice until it thickens. Remove from heat and stir in nuts and dried fruit. can be served both warm and cold.

Nutrition: 287 cal, 4g fat, 107mg sod, 53g carb, 31g sugar, 1g fiber, 10g protein

what's shakin', bacon?

So now that you have digested the turkey and have vowed to avoid poultry for at least a month, why not make room for another farm fresh friend? Bacon has been riding the trendy train for the last couple years or so.  It has made appearances in everything from vodka to chocolate bars to band-aids (yes, Mommy Dearest, I will order these for you). The peanut butter bacon combo has seen a resurgence as a result. I have had it on "Skippy's Dare" pizza, "The King" burger and of course, the Elvis sandwich.  Various cookie, fudge and cupcake recipes have been popping up as well.  I felt that one tasty ingredient lacking, however: maple syrup.  As you know, I have it sitting around my house, but I felt like it was the finishing touch to the cookies (with a few small chocolate bits, naturally) and I beg you to suck it up and test these out.  I could see this working with fakey bacon, too, for all of the veggies.

Peanut Butter Maple Bacon Cookies

Yield: 20-24 cookies

INGREDIENTS
1/2 C reduced fat peanut butter
1/2 C unsalted butter, melted and browned
1/2 C dark brown sugar
1/2 C pure maple syrup
1 egg
1/2 T vanilla
2 C plus 2 T all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
7 pieces maple-flavored bacon, cooked, cooled and crumbled
1 oz. bacon drippings
1/4 C mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
1. In a large bowl, stir browned butter, bacon drippings, brown sugar, maple syrup, egg and vanilla together with a spoon.  Let sit for a few minutes.
2. Slowly stir in flour and baking soda until just incorporated.
4. Stir in chocolate chips and cooled crumbled bacon. Drop by rounded tablespoon two inches apart on baking sheet (twelve to a sheet). Bake for 7-9 min, remove from oven and let cool on sheet for two minutes before transferring to a drying rack to cool fully.

Nutrition: 170 cal, 9g fat, 119mg sod, 20g carb, 9g sugar, .3g fiber, 3.5g protein

tapping into maple

Once the apples and pumpkins have done us many favors, I find the longest lasting fall flavor is maple. Who couldn't nosh on pancakes or french toast smothered in local maple syrup through all of the cold weekends of winter? I, unsurprisingly, am also the type to keep chowing down on those warm, filling breakfasts through the spring and summer, but that is besides the point.

Torren thought it would be a good idea to purchase an entire gallon of Grade B (dark and robust in flavor) maple syrup so he could extend his brewing hobby to making maple wine. Well, I cracked open the jug in hopes of spurring him on and it has continued to sit in the fridge, taking up prime real estate from our milk and my obsession with Polar Seltzers (don't get me started on the weird drink concoctions I make with those). I decided that the jug was fair game and went on to bake various maple blondies and pumpkin cookies with the stuff and was happy with the moist, chewy outcome of these.

Maple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

adapted from Big Fat Cookies
Yield: 4 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 C unsalted butter, room temp.
1 1/3 C packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 C maple syrup (I used Grade B for a deeper flavor)
2 t vanilla
1 3/4 C oats, not instant
1 bag Hershey's© Cinnamon Chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
1. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a medium bowl and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until smooth. 3. On low speed, add the eggs, maple syrup and vanilla and mix until blended.
4. Blend in the flour mixture, until incorporated. Mix in the oatmeal.
5. Stir in the the chips with a spoon or spatula.
6. By rounded tablespoon, space twelve balls of dough on sheet, spacing them at least 21/2-inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. After a minute or two, move cookies from sheet to a rack to further cool.

Nutrition: 106 cal, 4g fat, 33mg sod, 16g carb, 11g sugar, 1g fiber, 2g protein

pairing autumn with peanut butter

Peanut butter and its bff's chocolate and banana have been executed often in this house. This is mostly because many of my loves have a soft spot for peanut butter. Actually, obsession is probably a better way to describe it.   I am always trying to think of combos with peanut butter to meet their standards while simultaneously feeding my need to experiment with new recipes in the kitchen.  I was wracking my brain for a twist on PB while using what I had stored up at home.   The pile of this season's apples and a gallon of maple syrup were calling. I thought the combo of peanut butter and apple slices as a diet mainstay for picky children all the way up through adults on the run could work in a baked good.  Who doesn't enjoy this combo?  Throw in some oats and perhaps this can even be considered a breakfast bite.

Peanut Butter Apple Crumble Bars

adapted from Foodologie, this recipe can also be made vegan with substitutions noted.
Yield: 32 bars

INGREDIENTS
base
1/2 C reduced fat peanut butter
1/2 C maple syrup
1 C flour, whole wheat or all-purpose
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 T unsalted butter or coconut oil at room temp.
1/2 t vanilla

apple filling
5 apples, peeled, cored and diced
1/3 C flour
1/2 C dark brown sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 T cinnamon
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t nutmeg

topping
1/3 C flour
1/3 C oats
1/2 C dark brown sugar
3 T reduced fat peanut butter
2 T unsalted butter or coconut oil

DIRECTIONS
apple filling
1.Combine all ingredients for apples, let sit for 10 minutes while you prepare the base and topping.

base
Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a 9×13-inch baking dish with foil
1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream butter and peanut butter until uniform in color. Add vanilla and maple syrup.
2. Add in flour, baking soda and salt and beat until a dough forms.
3. Press dough into base of pan and chill in the freezer while making the topping.

topping
1. Melt together butter in a saucepan or in the microwave for 30 seconds. Pour into a medium bowl and stir in peanut butter until combined.
2. Add in sugar, flour and oats.

assembly
1. Remove dish from freezer, spread apple filling evenly over peanut butter base.
2. Sprinkle crumble topping over apples.
3. Bake for 30-35 min. Can be served immediately with ice cream or allow to cool and store in an airtight container at room temp. for four days.

Nutrition: 112 cal, 4g fat, 96mg sod, 19g carb, 13g sugar, 2g fiber, 2g protein