Applesauce Energy Bars

I couldn't resist making another recipe using applesauce this week.  K-man loves oatmeal stuff and I am on a "healthy' bender with my 7th grade classes.
I kept getting compliments all day when I baked these in school twice today.  So the 'smells' I was putting out in the halls was driving kids and teachers insane.
It was driving me insane.
Look to my notes after the recipe for my slight tweak that I did after making this two times in a row.  You know, I had to make a batch before class to ensure that "TV magic" of pulling out the ready bars after I slipped the ones I demonstrated into the oven!!! LOL
  
Applesauce Energy Bars
Allrecipes.com sponsored by Mott's®

1 cup Mott's Natural Applesauce

3 cups quick oats

1 c. all purpose flour

1 c. sweetened coconut flakes

1 c. dried fruit bits

2/3 c. brown sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c (1 stick) melted butter, cooled

1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine oats, flour, coconut, fruit bits, cinnamon and baking soda in large mixing bowl.

 

2. In separate bowl, mix together, melted butter, brown sugar, applesauce, and egg. Stir applesauce mixture into dry ingredients until just combined. Spread mixture into lightly greased 9X13 pan.

 

3. Bake 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned.  Remove from oven and cool before cutting into squares or bars.

#AllstarsMotts

Baker's Notes:
1.  When I did the first batch, the cookie baker in me did not like how the brown sugar was NOT incorporated with the butter.  I mashed and mashed and stirred the flour mixture and those brown sugar lumps were impossible to break up.  I think those unincorporated sugar blobs encouraged the bars to break apart easier because they were not able to melt and 'glue' itself to the grains in the bar.
2.  I happened to have some pumpkin spice caramel dip left over and did a little drizzle on them to 'jazz' them up.  The kids love any additional sugar!  HA!  I didn't do it for that!  lol
3.  Compared to the tasty Apple Squares I did last time, these were not overly moist or "wet" as the squares were. The whole grain oats really helped absorb the 1 c. applesauce. 
4.  Next time I would add some nuts (almonds are my fave).  The coconut was not overwhelming however I wanted some crunchy bit like from a whole almond.

Flourless Almond Cake (Gluten Free!)

The holidays killed me and it's been a struggle to get back to my Paleo lifestyle.  But I swear that bread and sugar is like a crack to me....lol....Anyhow, I saw this cake recipe and had to try it.  I tweaked it a bit and it really turned out awesome.

Flourless Almond Cake
adapted by Jenny Mac's Lipsmack

1 1/2 cups whole almonds, toasted
5 large eggs, at room temperature, separated 1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping: 
Peach Preserves
1/4 cup almonds, toasted (they used sliced, I had only slivered ones to use up.)

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray the paper. (they suggested a springform, I used a regular cake pan with the parchment  and it popped right out).
2.  Beat 5 egg whites in large bowl with the electric hand mixer on medium speed until very foamy, white and doubled in volume, but not stiff enough to hold peaks, 1 to 2 minutes (they said to not over whip which will cause it to sink).
3.  Process whole almonds in a food processor or blender until finely ground. Beat 5 egg yolks, 1/2 cup honey, vanilla, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl with an hand mixer. Add the ground almonds and beat on low until combined.
4.  Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the nut mixture until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
5.  Bake the cake until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 28 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Cake should pull from the sides and be easy to pop out of pan.
6.  To serve, glaze the top of the cake with peach preserves (or whatever you have available or more honey) and sprinkle with toasted almonds.

Cook's Notes:

1. I loved how lightly sweet this was.  Not a sickening sweet like some Paleo stuff can be.  When you think about the 1/2 cup honey and how the cake sliced into 6 pieces...that is Tbsp and 1/2 of honey.  The topping is ridiculously thin (just to make the almonds on top stick really.).

2.  I've noticed something....I read alot about food 'stuff'.  I've been a Diet Coke drinker my WHOLE life.  Never a regular soda has touched my lips (unless by a careless server mixed up my drink order with my husband).  They say...Sugar Free drinks are just as bad....for it still makes your body crave sugar.  At work, I drink nothing but seltzer water.  I have no cravings and will make cookies with the club after school, no desire to eat them.  However when I go home I will allow myself a diet coke (trying to taper off) and will notice I am hunting around after dinner for something sweet....I really think there is something to this theory.  I am beginning to see this....OH HOW CAN I GIVE UP my FRESCA, DIET COKE and CRYSTAL LIGHT??  The TORTURE!!!

3.  Very light and spongy.  Great for breakfast too.  I passed some out to my Paleo Pals at work....still waiting on their opinion!

Enjoy!

Hmmm, is it worth it?

I know when you are hungry or having a craving for something you see on a blog, TV or Pinterest- not all that you want is right down the street.  Heck, I have Georgetown Cupcakes right across the river and even though I watch every episode and own both of their books....I still have not ventured.  I really avoid driving in DC at all costs.  I know I could take the metro but have you seen their long lines in front?....Anyhow....(paleo posting pals- stop reading now)
I decided to splurge and see was ordering from Carlo's Bakery worth it?  Like DC cupcakes, I watch all Buddy's shows, I own all of his DVD's (my students love them) and I have all his books.  UM, not taking a special vacation to HOBOKEN for some baked goods.  They have talked about going 'global' on the show and now with a large factory in Lackawanna, they finally started their delivery of their baked goods (some goods, not all). 
They are offering cookie trays, biscotti, rugelach and crumb cake.  All of which can withstand TRAVEL.  I can't see their flaky 'lobster tails' or cannoli being thrown in a Fed Ex truck.  I wasn't interested in the cookies (hello, we just finished the holidays) or the biscotti.  It was either the rugelach or crumb cake.  I like both but which.  I remembered printing off many a crumb cake recipe for it was not being published in his books.  I ordered the crumb cake, not thinking it was right before the holidays.  I realize that cake delivery was risky.  OMG all those crumbs....they are gonna be a hot mess.  It's going to be expensive.  Any cake delivered days after it's baking can't be as good as picking it up right from the store.  Online it said it would be made Monday or Christmas Eve but not sent until the day after Christmas.  Okay....perhaps I should wait....but what if I have 'drop-in' guests?.....It came today.
I immediately thought about the CRUMBS....eww would these be a HOT mess?  I opened the box and found the LARGE BUBBLE wrap.  Their was no room for the cake to bounce around in its box.  After I lifted the bubble wrap. I see the whole cake is sealed in plastic.  No one GOLF BALL sized CRUMB was out of place!







I closed up the box.  I'll try it for breakfast with an awesome cup of coffee.  I think I made it for an hour and said "What the hell?"  I cut into it.  If you are anything like me...when you cut into something baked you HOPE for stuff to fall.  Ohhh taste test!  I put it on a plate and took a forkful...um, ok.  I thought buying an Entennmann's crumb cake from the grocery would be softer.  The receipt tells you to go to their website for 'care instructions'.....This is essential.  I did not go but I did what my instincts told me.  All things taste better warm.  I nuked it for 30 seconds in the microwave. WOW....Huge difference!...Now I was singing and wiggling in my chair as I ate this.  It cost 29.99 online and with 2 day Fed Ex delivery it came to 41.99 (2 day delivery is your only option smack in the middle of a holiday, normally it's overnight, they provide you a schedule)

Here my picture of my slice made on Monday, sent on Wednesday, arrived on Friday.









This is a picture of Buddy's crumb cake from his webpage. I am SURE is it was freshly baked and the picture taken shortly afterward.  It looks all soft and fluffy.  You can tell that a cake that has been traveling sure does 'settle'.  This is what is written about the CARE Instructions:

"When you receive your crumb cake it is wrapped to maintain freshness and can be enjoyed immediately.
Store crumb cake at room temperature in covered container
Crumb cake should last about 5 days if covered properly
Freezing
Place crumb cake in freezer with plastic wrapper on.
When defrosting remove plastic wrapper, defrost until crumbs on top are soft (about 1 hour at room temperature)
Reheating
To reheat remove outer plastic wrapper and place into a preheated 350 degree oven for 5 minutes or 30 seconds on high in a microwave oven (exactly what I did!)
NOTE: Crumb cake can be reheated in paper tray

Buddy recommends reheating....as there is nothing like a warm crumb cake!" (this is HUGE!)

So, you have a decision to make.  Is it worth it to YOU?  To me....40 bucks can be the going rate for any upscale cake in our area.  Was it worth it to me?  Hell yeah, I love Buddy....this is the closest of a 'piece' of him I probably will ever get. LOOLOLOLOLOLL.  Would I buy it again?  Yes....but now I'd like to try the rugelach for I KNOW they have tons more moisture due to the preserves rolled in the dough.  I am excited to try it again.  So if you love crumb cake and don't have a problem forking out 40 bucks for a quality Crumb Cake, get one.  If anything, if you have Cake Boss fans in the family...it would make for fun conversation during a gathering!  I say go for it!

Who wants to eat CAKE?

Gluten Free Morning Glory Muffins

Moist- full of fiber from carrots, apples and raisins!  Perfect for breakfast, snacks or dessert.  Make sure to check out my notes at the end for suggestions.

Morning Glory Muffins
adapted from Paleo Comfort Foods

2-1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups shredded carrots (about one bag of carrots depending on thickness), grated
1 large apple, peeled, cored and grated
1 cup toasted coconut (adds nutty-ness)
3 large eggs (organic-omega-3)
1/2 cup organic liquid egg whites
2 Tbsp. honey
1/3 cup coconut oil (....see notes)
1 tsp. vanilla

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line standard size muffin tin.  I needed to line 20...depending on your 'scoop size'.
2.  Combine almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  Add carrot, apple coconut and raisins and combine well.
3.  In a separate bowl whisk eggs, egg whites, honey, oil and vanilla  together.
4.  Pour the wet over the dry and mix well.  Batter will be thick.
5.  Using an ice cream scoop place batter into lined muffin tin(s).
6.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the top comes out clean.
7.  Cool muffins for 8-10 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack.

Baker's Notes:

1.  I use Honeyville Almond flour from Amazon.com.  It is $36 for a 5 lb. bag.  Best bargain and works best than others I have used.
2.  I am not too fond of coconut oil that tastes like coconut.  It's too much or may be disconcerting to eat sauteed mushrooms that taste like coconut....ugh.  I prefer Spectrum.
3.  In using the organic coconut, I like the flakes over the finely grated.  This adds to the muffins giving it more chewiness as you would get from oatmeal (not used here).  Toasting will tone down the coconut flavor....giving it a subtle undertone.
4.  Go honey, don't substitute stevia for I find it will give a funny after taste.  Think about it....2 Tbsp of honey divided amongst 20 or so muffins?  That is about 1/2 tsp per muffin...not bad for sugar.  I love how these are lightly sweet not like I am eating cake.
5.  Although fat is not the enemy in the Paleo lifestyle, the recipe originally called for 1/2 cup coconut oil.  When peeling off the muffin papers, they absorbed alot of the oil.  What is the point for so much oil if it's only going to leech into the papers, right? I suggest 1/3 cup over using 1/2 cup.  For the muffins still stuck a bit to the papers.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins

Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins

Sometimes when I post, there's a story.  First, a lovely picture and it's recipe.  There is some background as to how and why this recipe came about, if you are curious....read on.

1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup strawberry preserves

1/2 cup dry biscuit mix
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons cold butter

2 cups dry biscuit mix('heart smart/lower fat version is okay)
3/4 cup white sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted
2-4 Tbsp. chopped pecans

1. Cream together the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar in a bowl.
2. Shape the cream cheese mixture into a log, then wrap with plastic wrap and place in the freezer.
3. Place the strawberry preserves in a small bowl and freeze while preparing the remaining ingredients.
4. Place 1/2 cup biscuit mix and 2 tablespoons white sugar in a bowl.
5. Cut 2 tablespoons cold butter into the biscuit mix-sugar mixture with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; refrigerate crumb mixture.
6. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
7. Line 6 extra large muffin cups with paper liners.
8. Whisk together 2 cups biscuit mix, 3/4 cup white sugar, milk, egg, and 1/3 cup of melted butter in a bowl.
9. Fill each prepared muffin cup half full of batter. Reserve remaining batter.
10. Divide the cold strawberry preserves evenly over the batter.
11. Cut the cold cream cheese log into 6 equal pieces, and place each piece on top of the strawberry preserves.
12. Top each muffin cup with remaining batter.
13. Sprinkle muffins with the crumb mixture and chopped pecans.
14. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. 

Cook's Notes:
1.  Freezing the cream cheese and jam keeps it from melting into oblivion during the baking process.  DO NOT skip this.
2.  The muffins will sink as the cream cheese cools.  Proteins expand.  The sinking of the cream is normal.

Now, for the story.

I submitted this recipe YEARS ago to allrecipes.com.  When I first became a member I submitted MANY.  Three were published (easy decadent truffles, blue cheese broccoli salad and pesto tortellini salad) and the rest sat in dust.  I am not even sure the dates of my submission but I know we are talking the 90's!!!  I had contacted them in the early 2000's and asked what was the hold up....they responded that they get thousands of submissions and for me to be patient.  I went on with my life.
Now allrecipes.com has really flourished.  Published cookbooks, video tutorials, links to big company sponsors....
A few days ago they emailed me saying I was published again.  This time is was my strawberry cheesecake muffins.  I had created these from going to starbucks and eating one of their pumpkin cheesecake muffins.  After a few failed attempts with oozy cream cheese and learning to FREEZE it beforehand, I came upon a successful recipe finally.  I have only two reviews for it.  The first one was not a good one for I realized I called for using the WHOLE brick of cream cheese when only half should be used.  WHAT was I thinking?  I submitted the second review giving the correction.  Hopefully people will notice that.

This recipe is a rich one, thank goodness it only makes 6.  I plan on giving some away.  You know, calories on someone else's hips other than MINE!  Let me know how it works for you!
 
Enjoy!

Easy Apple Strudel

This was K-man's request for a dessert. I asked him what he wanted for dessert...."something crunchy, appley, cinnamony, and raisiny"....I went 'trolling around' allrecipes.com to see what I could find under EASY. Always trolling for 'easy'. lol

I took a few ideas from this recipe, and from that recipe.

1. Puff pastry a must....very easy and flaky just like a strudel.
2. Recipes using panko crumbs....hmm good idea...helps absorb the juices so it's not all runny.
3. Plain apple filling or apple cinnamon...K-man likes apples and cinnamon so it won't be authentic strudel....who cares?

So my taking a bit of this and that....this is what I came up with.....

Easy-Peasey Apple Strudel
JennyMac Lipsmack Creation

1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored and coarsely shredded
3 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup raisins
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
sugar for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place apples in a large bowl. Stir in cinnamon, brown sugar, raisins and bread crumbs; set aside. Place puff pastry on baking sheet. Roll lightly with a rolling pin. Arrange apple filling down the middle of the pastry lengthwise (taking up 1/3) . Snip with kitchen shears, one inch strips on either side of filling. Fold the pastry lengthwise around the mixture, alternating strips. Left, then right. Repeat. Whisk egg and milk together, and brush onto top of pastry. Sprinkle with sugar.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cook's Notes:
1. These had to be made on two separate cookie sheets. Make sure you alternate the sheets midway through cooking time. Clearly I got a bit distracted and one was a lil darker than the other.
2. The panko was SPOT ON.....it absorbs the juices so it was not wet and drippy in the least....very moist, held together.
3. Used the large decorator's sugar for the "sparkly effect." Very pretty. K-man gave "three thumbs up" he said. LOL
4. Use whatever apple you prefer....we like the tart to offset the sweetness. Just recommend a firm apple so it doesn't go 'mushy' on you.

Yumminess!

Brownies on Steroids?

The Incredible Hulk of Brownies needs to be put in a glass jail for your safety?

Um, that is a definite YES....for the safety of your waistline....keep under lock and key. I found this recipe on the Cutting Edge of Ordinary. I saw them and said "these look a lot like those Magic 7 layer bars made with sweetened condensed milk".... Sure enough...they are. OH MAN a chocolate version of an already decadent bar cookie? My waistline is in TROUBLE.

I was in trouble alright when I was in the middle of making it and realized what I thought was sweetened condensed milk in the pantry was evaporated milk. OH SNAP! Quick run to the computer to look up how to make your own sweetened condensed milk (I'd seen it before yet never tried it).

These babies are rich. See the size of these squares?....Half of that will suffice a sweet tooth.... unless you are having a super stressful day, then eat TWO big ones.

Death by Black Magic Bars
adapted from Lisa's The Cutting Edge of Ordinary recipe

1 & 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/3 cup baking cocoa (I used the Hershey's Dark)
3/4 cup cold butter (1 & 1/2 sticks), cut into 1-inch squares
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk *(see recipe for emergency below)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup Coconut Cream Hershey's Kisses, chopped
1 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
1/3 cup English toffee bits or Heath Bar bits (toffee with chocolate)

Oven to 350. In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and cocoa. Add the butter and pulse just until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into the bottom of a well-greased 13×9″ baking dish. Bake on center rack at 350 for 10 minutes.

While crust is baking, combine condensed milk, vanilla extract and 1 cup of chopped Coconut Cream kisses in heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth. When crust has cooked for 10 minutes, remove from oven and pour chocolate mixture directly over crust, spreading gently with a spatula if necessary.

Sprinkle top with coconut, nuts, heath bar bits and 1 cup chocolate chips. Press down to set, and return brownies to oven to continue baking at 350 for 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool, and cut into squares of desired size.

*For the rare emergency that you don't have Sweetened Condensed Milk when you need it....

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk

Ingredients:
3/4 C. sugar
1/2 C. water
1 C. plus 2 T. powdered milk

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients. Heat to boiling. Cook until thick, this will take 15 to 20 minutes.
This equals one can.

Notes:
This is a great way to make this milk, especially if your recipe calls for it and you don't have any in the house. It is lot cheaper to make it this way, and it does work nicely for baked goods.

Thanks Lisa.....awesome recipe! I made sure I brought some to work and gave some to my neighbor for no way I was letting all that BLACK MAGIC hit my hips! Besides....it's good to share. Thanks for sharing Lisa, you DA BEST!

Enjoy!

That's the way the cookie crumbles...

And a HUGE one at that!

I saw these one my Cookie a day email from MarthaStewart.com. I love simple-quickie-like cookies but I also love a shortbread cookie. This was perfect.

Giant Nut Crumb Cookie
adapted from MarthaStewart.com

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups finely ground nuts, toasted slightly (I used almonds and pistachios)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I put the nuts on a cookie sheet while the oven preheated to get a little 'toast' on. Butter a 10-inch springform pan; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk almonds, flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter until mixture is crumbly. Work in butter until completely incorporated with no dry crumbs.
   
2. As you start to smell the nuts, take them out of the oven and whirl them around in the food processor until fine. Mix into crumb mixture.
   
3. Transfer all but 1 1/2 cups of mixture to pan. Press mixture into pan to compress dough (I used the bottom of a custard cup to make it easily even). Sprinkle with reserved 1 1/2 cups of mixture; transfer to oven.
4. Bake, rotating pan two to three times, until cookie begins to turn golden, about 25 minutes. Reduce temperature to 300 degrees. bake until golden brown and fairly dry, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Remove from pan. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

The recipe suggests to serve whole and break into chunks when serving for affect. I knew crumbs would be 'flying' all around if broken at the table. I used a pizza cutter to make it a bit neater.

Can you tell how many pieces above are missing that I had to sample for quality control?

I love the little bits of pistachio. So simple yet so delicious!

Enjoy!

Hermits are not always all alone....

These apple hermits are going to be in our tummies very soon!

I remembered my mom loving hermit bar cookies when I was young. I always turned up a nose to them. Gimme a chocolate chip cookie instead....ugh.

Now that I am older and wiser, my taste palate is more mature (cough, cough....er...developed). I am an equal opportunity cookie eater now! Well, only homemade ones.

I had a bunch of apples I needed to get rid of and wanted a new way to use them. Although, the hermit bars my mom always ate were strictly made with raisins, I liked the fact that the apples would not only keep these naturally moist longer but bump up the nutrition too. With the concern with the use of trans fat these days....kinda bothers me how man-made food can stay so moist so long from their additives when a homemade cookie will only stay moist a few days if you are lucky. Nowadays, I am sticking to the baked things I make rather the store bought just because of my concern for 'mystery additives.'

I am a huge fan of allrecipes.com where I found this recipe. I love the fact that all their recipes are tried and true and the creators think they are good enough to share. After you prepare the recipe it's just a matter of taste. Did this recipe tickle your fancy or not? Was it perfect as is or did it need a tweak from you to suit your tastes?

Instead of me typing the recipe up I will provide you the link and then some tips that I have used in making this recipe.

Apple Hermits
from allrecipes.com

Since I have made these a few times, here are some suggestions:

1. The picture/directions in the allrecipes.com version is done as a drop cookie. Been there, done that. I wanted some thing easy to drop ONCE and cook all together. BESIDES, a traditional hermit is a BAR cookie not a dropped one.

2. If you want the ease of doing a bar cookie, increase the cooking temperature to 20 minutes. I used parchment paper on a 10X15 cookie sheet (the smaller one). If you use the next larger cookie sheet your cookies will be thinner and you will need to reduce the cooking time. I have not tried making these any thinner for I enjoy them exactly how they are.

3. I have made these with regular apples and with dried apples in a pinch. They were wonderfully moist with regular apples but using dried apples means drier cookies. UNLESS you soak them in hot water. When I tried this....I thought...what the heck, soak the raisins in the hot water TOO! Of course, you will need to squeeze out the moisture before you put them into your batter. I starting soaking these at the start of the recipe and they were perfect and ready by it's time to add them into the mixture.

4. Shhhhhhhhhhh, I substituted the brown sugar blend Splenda in this recipe and K-man has no idea! Worked like a charm. They called for 1-1/2 cups of brown sugar and you use 3/4 cup Splenda brown sugar. Hee-heee.

5. I toasted the walnuts before I put them into the mixture. Toasted nuts taste sooooooo much better when put in the oven for a bit to bring out their flavors. It's easy to do. While you are preheating the oven. Place your nut of choice on the cookie sheet and place in the oven. When you are preparing the recipe and you start to smell the nutty goodness. Check on them. Rearrange them a bit if you need to and toast them about 2 minutes more. Let cool before you add them to your batter/mixture.

6. I've made these with and without the glaze. Depends on my mood really. Both are good. These pictured, I put the powdered sugar in a ziploc (about a cup) and added a Tbsp of milk and used spiced rum* to even out the consistency. I closed the bag and massaged out all the lumps. I kept adding a few drops of the rum until it was thin/thick enough to be drizzled. Just snip the corner and drizzle away. Let the drizzles dry before storing bars in a air tight container.

*Don't be concerned about the rum. Whether you use real rum or rum extract.....it's all the same, alcohol will evaporate. You can use vanilla extract and....I have homemade vanilla extract being brewed as we speak with 10 vanilla beans soaking in a liter of vodka. So it's all the same, no difference.

Please give the hermits a try. We love them. Although K-man can't seem to get used to the name "hermits" since it is foreign to him. He refers to them as those "spice cake cookies". I have reminded him many times of it's name and he still continues with the spice cake name. I think now he's just trying to be funny. Funny or not....he loves them. So will you.

Enjoy!

Putting the biscotti to bed... and gifting them...

Ok, time to wrap up the biscotti chapter with a perfect choice during the holidays:


Gingerbread Biscotti

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

Beat butter and sugars in a large bowl at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beating well; beat in molasses.

Combine flour and next 7 ingredients; add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended.

Divide dough in half; using floured hands, shape each portion into a 9" x 2" log on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake at 350° for 28 minutes or until firm. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°.

Cut each log diagonally into 3/4"-thick slices with a serrated knife, using a gentle sawing motion. Place slices on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes; turn cookies over, and bake 8 to 10 more minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.

I put a squiggle of white chocolate on some and white chocolate with sugar crystals on top for others. Very festive!

Now, for the gift idea....


Clearly label your gift bags (I got mine from Oriental Trading pretty cheap- search for 'goodie bag', the ones that are cellophane not paper)

This is in case your friend forgets which is which...






Make sure you have one of each flavor.

I put in two or three of each biscotti, depending on their size.


Yes, you are sneak peeking at some chocolate macaroons here!





Select some kind of beverage. Cocoa, tea, coffee, hot cider...










Bag the loot.....










Stuff in some tissue paper








These are great so your friends have something to snack on when they are wrapping their presents late with some coffee/tea. Your friends can use these for an emergency dessert for unexpected guests. These could also be eaten Christmas morning if you didn't feel like cooking! Don't wait until right before Christmas to give these, you want you loved ones to have the full range of advantage of having sweets around if they don't feel like baking themselves!

Happy Ha-ra-days! (lol)