Sophie Gee's Sticky Toffee Pudding

 Sophie Gee's Sticky Toffee Pudding 

Sophie - Madame Superstar! - is Camille's bestie and she joined us for Thanksgiving this year.  The night before she left, Sophie made us her favorite dessert.  We devoured it!  Soooo good.  Her mom got this recipe while living in England years ago.  

Pudding: 

1 C water

3/4 C chopped dates 

2 tsp baking soda

4 T butter

3/4 C sugar

2 eggs

3/4 C flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Butter a 9" square pan.  

In a saucepan, bring the water and chopped dates to a boil, then remove from heat.  Stir in the baking soda and set aside. 

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs one by one, beating after each one. 

Gently fold in flour and salt, then stir in the dates and vanilla. 

Pour into the prepared pan and bake 30-40 minutes, until cake is done.  The cake will be very dark. 

SAUCE: 

1 C brown sugar

1/2 C heavy cream

4 T butter

1/2 tsp vanilla 

Bring all ingredients to a boil and simmer 3 minutes.   Keep warm. 

Serve the cake over a bed of the warm sauce, and topped with whipped cream.  YUM.  

Spritz - Mary Lou version

 This is the Spritz recipe Grandma Mary Lou used.  In her notes she said "excellent" and "fills 2 lb coffee can".  Mom (Janis) remembered that they would cover coffee cans with wrapping paper, fill the cans with cookies, as gifts for church people. 

Spritz 

1 C butter, room temperature 

1/2 C superfine sugar (we just use regular sugar) 

1 egg yolk, slightly beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla 

1/2 tsp almond extract 

1 3/4 C all purpose flour 

Cream sugar and butter until smooth.  Add sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and almond extract.  Gradually stir in flour.  Use a cookie press to form cookies.  Sprinkle with colored sugars. 

Bake at 375 degrees, 10-12 minutes (9 minutes for me in Meadow Beauty oven)

2022 - Kaela has the Kuhn Rikon cookie press; Cynthia just started using the Oxo Good Grips cookie press. 

2023 with Charlotte:  

Scalloped Potatoes

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes 

from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook

I use a lot of potatoes - light on the sauce.  10 servings

prep:  25 min.  Bake: 70 min.   350 degrees

1 C chopped onion (1 large) 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
4 T butter 
4 T flour
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt 

2 1/2  C milk (2% or whole) 
1 1/2 C shredded white cheddar cheese 

6-8  medium potatoes - Yukon Gold (not baking potatoes) peeled and thinly sliced.  

1.  Grease a casserole dish.  For sauce, cook onion and garlic in butter until tender but not brown.  Stir in flour, pepper, salt.  Add milk, whisk over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.  Add shredded cheese, stir.  

2.  Thinly slice potatoes.  Place into casserole in layers, alternating with the sauce.  End with sauce. 

3.  Bake, COVERED, 40 min.  Uncover and bake another 30 minutes or more til potatoes are tender (check with fork).  Makes 8 - 10 servings.  

Great with ham, at Christmas time! 

xo 

Two's Sugar Jumbles

Two's and Tommy's Sugar Jumbles 

Simple, buttery, cakey, old fashioned, yummy.  My great-grandmother "Two"'s favorite cookie.  Tommy's favorite at Christmas and good any time of year! 

Makes 24. 

Ingredients: 

1 C butter

1 C sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 C flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Any flavor jelly or jam, or apricot puree. 

Directions: 

1.  Preheat oven to 375.  Use parchment paper or lightly grease two cookie sheets. 

2.  Cream butter, sugar in mixer.  Add egg and vanilla, beat well. 

3.  Stir dry ingredients into creamed mixture. 

4.  The dough will be quite soft and sticky. 

5.  Drop heaping spoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.  

6.  Make a well or thumbprint in each one, and add a bit of jelly. 

7.  Bake til lightly browned, about 10 minutes. 

8.  Remove and let cool on wire racks. 

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

This is from Cooking Light years ago.  At Kaela's request...

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

2 T butter
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C chopped pecans, toasted
1 12 oz package fresh cranberries (3 C)

1 1/2 C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
3/4 C granulated sugar
3 T butter, softened
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla

1/2 C milk

2 large egg whites

whipping cream

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt butter in 8x8 pan*, sprinkle with brown sugar, bake for a couple of minutes.  Remove pan and top with pecans and cranberries.
2.  Combine dry ingredients.
3.  Cream butter and sugar, add egg yolks and vanilla.
4.Add dry ingredients and milk, alternating, beginning and ending with the flour.  Mix after each addition.
5.  Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter.
6.  Spread the batter over the cranberries.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Cool just for  5 minutes or so, loosen edges of cake with a knife, and invert cake onto a plate.

YUM.  Serve with tangy whipped cream (cream, a dollop of sour cream, a pinch of salt, some brown sugar)

*you can also use a 9 inch deep dish pie plate.  Just consider the shape and size of the serving plate you are going to use.

English Toffee

English Toffee 

From my Mom who taught me;).  Original recipe from Mabel Hoffman's Chocolate Cookery.  Just about everyone's favorite at Christmas time.   

1 cup (2 sticks) butter (in Japan, 226 grams)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 T light corn syrup

2 T water

1 C finely chopped almonds 

4 oz chocolate, broken into pieces (Hershey Bar is what we prefer)

Directions in a nutshell: 

• Set candy thermometer into 2-3 quart heavy saucepan. 
• Melt the butter.
• Stir in sugar.  Add water and syrup.  
• Stirring occasionally over medium or medium high heat, let mixture bubble til it reaches soft crack stage, about 282 degrees.  
• Immediately Stir in 1/2 C nuts, spread mixture out on a cookie sheet, sprinkle the chocolate pieces on top, wait a few minutes, spread out the now melted chocolate and sprinkle with another 1/2 C nuts.  Let cool until chocolate is set. Break into pieces.  Freezes well. 

MORE DETAIL that you need, but here it is: 

Materials and set up (so that you can work quickly and efficiently):

• 2, 2 1/2 or 3 quart heavy saucepan - so important - do not use a lightweight saucepan
• wooden spoon
• small glass of water, tablespoon measure
• 1/2 c of the almonds measured and next to saucepan 
• large glass of very hot water, next to the saucepan, to quickly place the candy thermometer when you are ready to stir in nuts.
• rimless cookie sheet - slightly flexible 
• hot pad placed under the cookie sheet
• spatula for smoothing out the chocolate 
• Break up the candy bar while it is still in the wrapper.  Unwrap and have the chocolate sitting ready near the cookie sheet. 
• candy thermometer - this year I switched to a digital thermometer and it is GREAT!  What a difference! 

Directions: 
Set the digital thermometer in place in saucepan.  Tip of thermometer should fall a little above the bottom of the pan.  Melt butter over low heat; increase heat to medium high, stir in sugar, then the water and corn syrup.  Stir well.  Over medium high heat (or what works for you and your stove), let bubble gently, stirring now and then,  until it reaches soft crack stage on a candy thermometer.

Soft crack stage is between 270 and 290 degrees.  281-283 degrees seems to be the magic zone!

Once the thermometer beeps at 270 degrees, be prepared to act fast.  Have your nuts ready, the cookie sheet ready (sitting on a hot pad!).  Have the large glass of water right there.  Stirring almost constantly, watch the temp rise, and once it hits 280 or 281, quickly remove the thermometer to the glass of hot water (this is just to have somewhere to gently place the thermometer without going over to the sink - every second counts at this point), and in one motion, add the 1/2 C nuts as you take the pan off the stove, stirring the nuts and then immediately pouring the mixture onto the cookie sheet.  This all takes a matter of seconds.  Just in the few seconds during this process, the temp will rise a few degrees.  Very quickly stir in the nuts as you remove the pan from the heat and then immediately pour mixture onto flat cookie sheet.  Flatten out the mixture with the wooden spoon, as much as you can, within reason.  Immediately sprinkle chocolate pieces on top of hot toffee.  Wait a few minutes, then spread out with a spatula.  Sprinkle with the additional nuts.  Wait a few minutes for the cookie sheet to cool somewhat, and then finish cooling the toffee in the fridge.

The toffee can now be broken up into irregular pieces.  If I am packaging the toffee in a tin, I line the tin with waxed paper or parchment, and I don't wrap each piece of toffee.  If I am packaging the toffee into cellophane bags to give away, I usually loosely, casually, wrap each piece in plastic wrap.  This is pretty, practical (clean), and cushions the pieces somewhat.  From one batch of toffee, I can fill 3 decorative bags with a modest amount, plus a small reserve of "off cuts" for the family to enjoy.  Keep the toffee in the fridge or keep it in the freezer to give away later.  It freezes beautifully and everyone seems to love it!  Over time, you will learn that sweet spot of getting batches which are not underdone, but not smoky either.  Also, if you are sending the toffee in the mail, try if possible to send it when the weather is very cold!

xxoo
Mom

Notes from Japan 2020- 

soft crack is 132-143 degrees Celcius.   I went to 137/138 degrees.  

I used Land O Lakes butter a friend got for me from the commissary. 

David hand chopped all the almonds! 

Dinner rolls

Dinner Rolls
 - makes 24 (I usually double the recipe).  Essential at Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, but a special treat to make with any Sunday dinner.  Everyone's favorite!

Use a large mixing bowl and mix by hand.

2 T active dry yeast
1/4 C warm water
1 C milk
3 large eggs
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C vegetable oil
5+ C flour 
2 tsp salt


1.  In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water while you mix the other ingredients. 
2.  Heat the milk until hot.  
3.  In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, and oil with a whisk.  Stir in yeast mixture and milk. 
4.  With a wooden spoon,  stir in the flour and salt.  Add up to another 1/2 C flour to make a soft dough.  Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes, adding more flour to make a very soft, only slightly sticky, dough. 

5.  Cover bowl with a damp dishtowel and let dough rise in a warm place (proofing setting in oven if the oven is free) for 2-3 hours.  Dough will puff and become sticky again. 

6.  Put parchment paper on (or lightly grease) a large rimmed cookie sheet. 

7.  Turn dough out onto floured surface, punch down the dough, and divide in half.  Roll each half out into a large circle.  (Optional - spread circle lightly with softened butter).  With a bench scraper or pizza cutter, divide each circle into twelve wedges.  Roll each wedge from the wide side towards the point, and place on cookie sheet point side down.   24 rolls will fit nicely on one cookie sheet, leaving a little space in between to allow for rising. 

Alyssa Poth

9.  Cover cookie sheet with the slightly damp towel (or plastic wrap) and let rise til doubled, 15 min - 1 hour depending on the warmth of your kitchen. 

10.  Bake at 400 degrees for 8-12 minutes.  I set a timer for 8 minutes and then watch the rolls carefully!  Optional:  brush the rolls with butter as they come out of the oven. 

11.  Remove the rolls immediately to a cooling rack to prevent soggy bottoms;). 

12.  Enjoy!  If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, the rolls are so good the next morning - microwave a roll for a few seconds and spread with Nutella! 

Best Ever Sugar Cookies

Best Ever Sugar Cookies 
light and crispy 

1/3 C butter, softened 
1/3 C shortening
3/4 C sugar
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 C flour

Cream butter, shortening, and sugar.  Beat in salt and baking powder, then egg and vanilla.  Stir in flour. 

Divide dough in half and press into two disks.  Wrap in plastic and chill for 3 hours or until easy to handle. 

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness.  Cut out shapes.  Sprinkle with colored sugar (or wait and frost the cookies). 

Bake at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes til edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned.  Cool cookies on wire rack.  

Makes about 2 dozen.  Kaela loves these. 

Gingerbread PEOPLE

Gingerbread PEOPLE
This is the recipe I've used for 20 years.... soft and delicious.
Makes about 16 large men.  Dough needs to be chilled before rolling out

3 1/4 C flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves 
1 C (2 sticks) butter, softened 
3/4 C light or dark brown sugar, firmly packed 
1 large egg
1/2 C molasses 


Whisk together flour, salt, and spices. 

Cream butter and sugar.  Add egg and molasses; beat until smooth.  Stir in flour mixture.  Do not overmix. 

Form dough into 2 large disks - wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour or longer. 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness, on floured surface.  You will use a lot of flour to prevent the dough from sticking.  Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. 

Bake 8-10 minutes until set.  The cookies will appear puffy but the edges will be firm. 

Cool completely, then frost and decorate.  

Simple icing for gingerbread PEOPLE: 
Juice of one lemon
1 egg white
enough powdered sugar to make a good icing.  

Pecan Butter Balls

David, Kaela, and I really love these at Christmastime.  You don't need a mixer.  This recipe makes a small batch.  They are so good.  They can be frozen but be sure to bring to room temp before eating.  The recipe is from Lisa Yockelson in the Boston Globe 2005.  

edited 12/22 - Important to not make them too big, or they will taste of raw flour.   These are so yummy and easy.  

Pecan Butter Balls - makes 2 1/2 dozen, maybe 3 dozen if very small -

2 1/4  C flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
large pinch salt
1 C butter, melted and cooled to tepid  (227 grams)
9 T powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
5 T very finely chopped pecans 

1. Set oven to 350F (160C in Japan).  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt
3. In large bowl, stir butter and sugar until well mixed.  (I just melt the butter in a pyrex bowl in the microwave, and then add everything else to that same bowl.)  Blend in vanilla and pecans.
4. Stir in the flour mixture, mixing to form a firm, moist dough. 
5. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls.  Set them on baking sheets. 
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until they are set and golden brown on the bottom.  
7. Transfer cookies, still on the parchment paper, to cooling racks.  Cool 5 minutes. 

COATING: 

2 C powdered sugar

1/4 C finely chopped pecans. 

1. In a large shallow bowl or pie plate, combine powdered sugar and nuts.  Carefully toss/roll the warm cookies in the sugar, one by one.  
2. Set the cookies on the parchment again to cool.  Then dredge again in the sugar mixture. 

Buche de Noel

SMALL BUCHE DE NOEL 

Serves 8-10 - this is half of the original Martha Stewart recipe 

For the cake: 

1/2 C plus 2T cake flour

1 C plus 1 tsp sugar

1/2 C sifted unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs

1/2 C plus 1 T vegetable oil 

1 T vanilla extract

5 large egg whites 

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Butter a half sheet pan (12x17) and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang over the short ends.  Butter the parchment paper and the sides of the pan.  Lightly dust the pan with flour and tap out the excess.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, 1/2 C of the sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. 
3. In a large bowl, whisk the whole eggs, oil, and vanilla until frothy.  Stir in the flour mixture until blended and thick. 
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until frothy.  Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks start to form.  One teaspoon at a time, add the remaining sugar and continue beating until whites are stiff but not dry. 
5. Fold 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the egg and flour mixture.  One third at a time, gently fold in the remaining whites.  Do not overmix.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. 
6. Bake the cake for 12-15 minutes, until it springs back when gently touched in the center.  Run the tip of knife around the edges of the pan.  Cover the cake with a large piece of plastic wrap, and then cover the plastic with a damp linen towel.  Invert the cake onto a baking rack.  When it is just cool enough to handle, start at a long side and roll the cake, with the parchment paper and towel, into a cylinder.  Cool the rolled cake to room temperature. 

ESPRESSO CREAM FILLING

1/3 C heavy cream, scalded

2 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 

1 T  espresso or instant coffee, cooled (or hazelnut hot chocolate, also delicious)

1  C heavy cream, cold 

4 T powdered sugar 

1. Pour the scalded heavy cream over the chopped chocolate, let sit for a minute or two, then stir until smooth.  Add 2 T espresso and blend.  Set aside to cool.
2. In small bowl of electric mixer, whip cold heavy cream and powdered sugar until thick.  Add remaining espresso and continue beating at high speed.  Gradually add the chocolate mixture and continue beating until light and fluffy.  Set aside. 

To fill cake roll: 

Unroll the cooled cake slowly, carefully removing the parchment, plastic wrap, and towel. 

Spread cake evenly with cream filling. 

Re-roll the cake into a log. 

Chill the cake at least 1 hour before proceeding, preferably several hours.  (The cake may be made to this point ahead of time and frozen). 

SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM ICING

2 egg whites

1/2 C sugar

10 T butter, softened, cut into pieces

4 oz white chocolate, melted

1. Combine the egg whites and sugar in bowl and place over a pot of simmering water (bowl should not touch water) until mixture is warm and sugar is dissolved.  Remove from the heat. 
2. Using electric mixer, beat the mixture on high until stiff peaks form. Continue beating on medium speed until it reaches room temperature. Still on medium speed, add butter one piece at a time, until well blended. 
3. Scrape down sides of bowl, and add the melted white chocolate. Continue to scrape down the bowl from time to time.  You can refrigerate briefly until ready to use.  (Do not freeze). 

When ready to frost the cake, 

Cut off about 1/5 of the cake at an angle, to create a “branch” for the log. Cut another small slice for a second branch to lay on top of the log. 

Assemble and then frost the log (leaving cut ends exposed) with the buttercream frosting.  

Decorate with meringue mushrooms, and dust cake with cocoa powder. 

Meringue Mushrooms:

(can be made a week ahead and kept at room temp in airtight container.  Make on a dry day) 

3 egg whites

pinch of salt

pinch cream of tartar

1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 C superfine sugar (or run sugar in food processor)

3 oz semisweet chocolate, melted 

225 F oven

1. Line baking sheet with foil 
2. Beat ingredients til glossy, very stiff, smooth, but not dry. 
3. Pipe to make mushrooms (1/2 inch tip for stems; 5/8 inch tip for caps)See Martha Stewart detailed instructions if needed!
4. Reduce oven to 200 F and bake for 1 1/2 - 2 hours til dry to the touch. Remove and cool completely. 
5. Use melted chocolate to assemble mushrooms. Dust with cocoa powder. 
6. Dry on an inverted egg carton. 

Gingerbread with lemon glaze

1 2/3 C flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten 
1/2 C molasses
1/2 C boiling water
1/2 C vegetable oil 
lemon glaze (see below)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease and flour a 9x9 inch square baking pan. 
2. Combine dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.  Add egg and mollasses, and stir.  
3. Pour boiling water and the oil over mixture.  Stir thoroughly until smooth. 
4. Pour batter into the prepared pan.  Set on the middle rack of the oven and bake 35-40 minutes, or until top springs back when touched and the edges have pulled away slightly from the sides of the pan. 
5. While the gingerbread is still hot, pour lemon glaze over top and cool in the pan, set on a rack.


For LEMON GLAZE, whisk together:
2/3 C confectioner’s sugar
juice of one fresh lemon (3T lemon juice)

Notes: 

Adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook.  This was one of Grandma Janis’ favorite things to make at Christmas time.