Impromptu Sabbatical and Christmas Cookies

Posted on December 25, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

Over the past year or so, I have made an effort to post at least once a week. And for the most part, I have been successful.

However, this year’s Christmas season has totally taken over my life. No kidding.

I am talking hosting Christmas parties. Baking Christmas cookies. Wrapping Christmas presents. Even, singing Christmas carols. {Ok, so that last one was totally just in my kitchen, but still…}

And because of my severe Christmas obsession, I have neglected you. And I am sorry.

But today is Christmas and Christmas is all about love, forgiveness, and cheer. Amiright?

So Happy Christmas! I made you cookies!

When I was a little girl, I would watch my Mom bake in the kitchen for days during the holiday season. She would make all kinds of Christmas cookies. Ginger cookies for my brother. Chocolate peanut butter for my Dad. But my favorite were her sugar cookies. She would make a big batch just for me. She would roll them out very thin, cut them out into Christmas trees, stars, stockings, and candy canes, and then my brother and I would frost them.

She would make her own icing too. Mom would whip up several bowls and color them red, yellow, green, and white. We would have sprinkles and colored sugars to decorate on top. And the rule in our house was that if you broke the cookie while frosting it, then you had to eat it. You guys can see where this is going, right? By the time my brother and I were done decorating the cookies, we both had tummy aches due to large amounts of “broken” cookies.” We were so clumsy.. *wink wink*

These cookies are known in my family as bird’s nest cookies. My mom says they are my Mama’s{my grandmother’s} mother’s recipe. The same woman that I am named after, so you know they have got to be good. The thing is, these cookies aren’t just for Christmas. You could whip up a batch of these cookies any ol’ day of the year. They have only a few ingredients and are incredible easy to make.

Once you’ve got the dough mixed up, roll about a tablespoon of dough into a circle. Then give it a good egg wash and roll it in crushed pecans. When I do this, I roll out all my dough balls first, and then move on to the egg wash and pecan step. This prevents a big mess to clean up later. I also make sure that my egg wash is good and frothy. I keep a fork handy if I have to whip it up in between cookies.

To make the indentations for the nests, I used a small measuring spoon, but you could use the end of a wooden spoon too. You have to do this a few times while they bake to make them stick.

After the cookies have cooled for a minute or two , fill them with your favorite jam, jelly, or fruit spread. You can even fill them with Nutella. I choose to fill half of them with Nutella and the other half with the French black raspberry fruit spread above I received for Christmas.

From my kitchen to yours, I wish you the merriest of Christmases and the happiest of holidays!

Bird's Nest Cookies

Yield: 1-1/2 dozen

Recipe by Carrie

Ingredients

1/2 cup {1 stick}unsalted butter
1 egg yolk - save egg white in separate bowl
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cream butter and sugar in your stand mixer bowl.
Add slightly beaten egg yolk.
Add flour until dough forms.
Roll into balls and dip into hand beaten egg white {just beat with a fork until frothy} and roll in finely chopped pecans.
Make an indentation in the center and bake for 8 minutes.
Remove and press centers in again and bake another 10 minutes.
Remove them and indent one more time and fill with your favorite jelly.

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Apple Cider Cakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

I love the rain. I often tell the Hubs that I could totally pull off living in a London flat. All I would need is a super cute pair of Kate Spade rain boots and an umbrella that even Mary Poppins would approve of. Then I could go splashing through all the puddles on my way to the local bakery. Oh, and while I sat eating my chocolate croissant, I could check out the latest Doctor Who filming down the street. Cuz you know that would totally happen. Obviously.

So today was one of those days where I totally pretended that I lived in that imaginary London flat and baked while the rain came down.

I had some leftover apple cider from our orchard trip, so I decided to bake up these baby apple cakes. To spice things up, I topped them with a simple walnut streusel and added a drizzle of cinnamon cream cheese icing. Best. Fall. Dessert. Ever.

Apple Cider Cakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe by Carrie

Ingredients

Apple Cakes:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon extract
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup apple cider
1 medium apple, skin removed, chopped

Walnut Streusel:

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons melted butter

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces butter, softened
2 cups confectioner sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon extract
splash of heavy cream

Instructions

Apple Cakes:

Heat oven to 350° and line a standard muffin pan with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
In your stand mixer bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add your egg and extracts; scrape the sides of the bowl and continue to combine.
Add sour cream and mix well.
Alternating, starting and ending with the flour mixture, add a little flour mixture and then apple cider.
Fold in chopped apples.
Spoon mixture into your paper liners and bake for 15 minutes; total bake time will be 25-30 minutes, however you will need to pull them out early to top with streusel.

Walnut Streusel:

In a small bowl, combine light brown sugar, chopped walnuts, cinnamon and butter with a fork.
Top apple cakes with streusel after 15 minutes and allow them to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing:

In your stand mixer bowl, combine cream cheese and butter and mix until light and fluffy.
Add in your extracts.
Slowly add in your confectioner sugar and beat well.
If it is too thick, thin it out with a splash of heavy cream or milk.

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Cinnamon Brioche Bread Pudding

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

I have been a bit MIA lately and I promise I have a good reason. Sorta.

Life has been getting in the way. More specifically, ballet classes.

That’s right you guys…

I am taking ballet classes and loving it.

I feel like I am straight outta Dance Academy, although I am pretty sure that I look more like Bilbo Baggins trying to plié and what not, than an actual ballerina. But I love it and I feel pretty doing it, so the ballet slippers are staying on for awhile.

I used to be a dancer when I was a little girl and spent several years in ballet, tap, and jazz. I remember dance recitals and tutus and how nervous I would get when I had to stand up in front of allll those people {mostly just our parents and family members, but tell that to a 6-year old} and dance a 3-minute choreographed number to one of top 40′s greatest at the time. I specifically remember dancing to Janet Jackson, Ms. Jackson if you’re nasty, one year. I mean, seriously, what else would you be dancin’ to in 1990?! Rhythm Nation, am I right? Obvi..

Anyways, to make up for the time I have been away dancing, I made you some bread pudding –simple, delicious, and oh so comforting, Cinnamon Brioche Bread Pudding. Oh…and I also made you an amaretto drizzle to go on top. Your welcome.

This recipe uses Cinnamon Brioche from the amazing Amelie’s in Charlotte, but you can use any sort of hearty bread, like challah or even sourdough. If you can’t find challah or brioche in your area, like me, just ask your local bakery. Sometimes they will make a loaf or two for you or they might even make it a couple times a week and you might just be missing it.

The only thing that would make this cinnamon bread pudding even better would be the Amaretto drizzle. It takes minutes to make and the warm, sweet sauce is the perfect compliment to this ever-so-comforting bread pudding.

Just mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup Amaretto, and a stick of butter in a medium saucepan on low-medium heat. Stir together until the sugar has dissolved and then drizzle over the bread pudding. Easy Peasy. Lemon Squeezy.

Cinnamon Brioche Bread Pudding

Recipe by Carrie

Ingredients

2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups whole milk
4 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup mini-chocolate chips
3-5 cups 1 -inch cubed cinnamon brioche, allow to stale overnight
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° and lightly grease a 13 by 9 inch pan.
Place cubed bread in your greased pan, making sure all the cubes are even and level.
Whisk together your sugar, milk, eggs, extracts, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Pour over the cubed bread and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
Top with mini-chocolate chips.
In a small bowl, combine pecans, melted butter, and light brown sugar.
Sprinkle pecan mixture evenly over the top of your bread mixture.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until set.
Remove from oven and drizzle Amaretto sauce on top.
Serve warm.

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Pumpkin Spice Chai Hot Chocolate

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

We finally made our way up the mountain last weekend to pick a few apples. We took the Hubs ‘rents with us because they just so happened to be in town for the annual trip. After we walked around the orchards for a bit, we grabbed our apples and apple-cinnamon doughnuts{because you can’t leave Skytop without doughnuts, obvi..}, and made our way into town. A friend of mine had recommended the infamous French Broad Chocolate Lounge in the heart of Asheville, so after a quick lunch at Farm Burger, we stopped in for a bit of chocolate-y goodness.

The place reminds me of an edgy, little coffeehouse I used to go to in high school. It had local artwork on the walls, a giant chalkboard outlining all of its daily specials, and a very large case of truffles, cakes, cookies, and chocolate bars. Everything is handmade in-store and total amazeballs.

My friend said I just had to order a liquid truffle…yes, you heard me right, I said liquid truffle and it is exactly what is sounds like. It comes in a little espresso cup with an itty-bitty spoon. I ordered their masala chai, while the hubs ordered their maple with sea salt. It was so creamy and rich, that I almost couldn’t finish it…yeah, as if. I think if it had been up to me, I would have switched with the Hubs, but both were very good. His Dad ordered a masala chai hot chocolate and that got me thinking..

I love chai.

Even more so, I love the Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte that Tazo has available for the fall season.

And who doesn’t love hot chocolate.

So when we got home, I combined my love of pumpkin spice chai and hot chocolate.

I choose to make my hot chocolate creamy like the liquid truffle by using heavy cream and 3 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate and then adding 1/4 cup of Tazo Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte concentrate. Then I whipped up a batch of Pumpkin Spice Chai whipped cream to top my hot chocolate with. Who could ask for more? And if you could, why would you?

Except maybe if you wanted a small box of Pumpkin Spice Truffles courtesy of French Broad Chocolate Lounge to go along with your Pumpkin Spice Chai Hot Chocolate. Which I totally do..

Pumpkin Spice Chai Hot Chocolate

Yield: 4 8-oz. servings

Recipe by Carrie

Ingredients

3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups whole milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt
1/4 cup Tazo Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte

Instructions

In a double boiler, on medium-heat, add your semi-sweet chocolate and heavy cream.
Stirring constantly, allow it to melt into a ganache.
Slowly add your sugar, salt, and vanilla; mix well.
Whisk in your milk and pumpkin spice chai concentrate; stirring constantly, heat to serving temperature.
Top with whip cream or marshmallows.

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Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

I have been spending all my free time lately catching up on Breaking Bad. I was never a fan when it was on because, well, I am not a big T.V. person. But all the hubbub about the season finale a few weeks back caught my eye and I have been watching it on Netflix ever since. I mean, it is ridiculous. The other night I stayed up until midnight with an early wake up time of 5 am just to make sure if Hank, one of the characters, survived. Like I said, total crazy obsessed.

If you have never seen the show, it is about a high school chemistry teacher who finds out that he has stage 3 lung cancer. The doctors basically tell him to start making funeral arrangements and it is then that he realizes that he needs to find some way to provide for his family after he his gone. So he becomes a meth “cook” with a former student, Jesse Pinkman. After he goes to treatment and then into remission, he finds himself deep in the drug cartel and unable to escape. Gripping, isn’t it??

Anyway, it has totally taken over all of my free time. Well that, and a 14-hour Raleigh field trip and oh, preparing for first term conferences. Thus preventing me from making a post since the Monday before last.

But the wait is over, my friends. I have discovered the cookie of all cookies. The perfect fall treat. May I introduce you to…

Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Cookies

This recipe makes 3-3 1/2 dozen and let me tell you, they were gone in days. And it wasn’t just me. I swear.

I think it’s the combination of white chocolate chips, spices, and pecans that take this ordinary oatmeal pumpkin cookie to the extreme.

And that’s when they basically became my favorite cookies ever.

They are so addicting. It sorta reminds me of Heisenberg’s infamous blue ice. They are 99.1% pure awesomeness.

Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Yield: 3-31/2 dozen

Recipe by Carrie

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon baking spice or cinnamon and nutmeg
1 cup, brown butter, cooled to room temperature
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Instructions

Heat the bottom of a medium saucepan on medium heat and slice 3 sticks of butter into tablespoon-sized slices.
Add your butter to your pan and whisk continuously until butter has melted.
Your butter will foam up a bit, but continue whisking frequently until lightly browned specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan. Smell the butter; it should have a nutty aroma.
Remove from heat and place on a cool surface to help stop the butter from cooking further and perhaps burning.
Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together. Fold in the oats.
Once your butter has cooled to room temperature, pour into your standing mixer bowl.
Mix on low until light and fluffy; about 2 minutes.
Add brown sugar and granulated sugar.
Once combined, whisk in the egg.
Add the pumpkin and vanilla and mix until thick and completely combined.
Pour in your dry ingredients a little at a time and gently mix until combined.
Fold in your pecans and white chocolate chips.
Scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets; about 2 or 3 Tablespoons of dough per cookie.
Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes until very lightly browned on the edges, and still appearing soft in the centers.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

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Easy Banoffee Pie

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

I think the Hubs purposely doesn’t eat the bananas I bring home from the market.

Let me tell you the story.

Once upon a time, an amazing baking princess decided that her prince needed more potassium in his diet. She felt it was part of her royal duties to make sure he ate a somewhat nutritious breakfast, so she brought home a bunch of delectable bananas. For days, they sat on the royal counter, turning brown by every minute that passed by. At the last moment, to save the bananas from impending doom, the princess decided to use them to make his favorite dessert –Banana Pudding –but alas, she did not have what she needed to make it and the carriage was out at Best Buy.

Instead, she made him a traditional English dessert, well, sorta….

The original Banoffee Pie has a crust made of crumbled biscuits and butter. I decided to use a graham cracker crust because you know, I didn’t have any crumbled biscuits lying around the castle.

The key to the whipped topping is to make your own. If you try to use a canned whip cream, then it will deflate and make a mess. It is super duper easy, cheaper than store-bought, and tastes sooo light and fluffy that you might never go back to the can again.

Once the pie was presented to the prince, all order was restored in the kingdom, and all the townspeople rejoiced. The End.

Easy Banoffee Pie

Yield: 1 9-in. pie

Recipe by Carrie

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
9 tablespoons butter, softened
2 14-oz. cans sweetened condensed milk
4 medium bananas, sliced
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioner sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
cinnamon, for dusting
chocolate sprinkles

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F {177°C}.
In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and softened butter.
Press firmly into a 9 in. pie plate and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Let your crust cool on a wire rack while you prepare the toffee pudding.
In a medium, non-stick saucepan, pour the contents of both cans of sweetened condensed milk.
Heat on low, stirring frequently, for about 30-45 minutes.
Once it starts to thicken, take it off the heat and pour it over your graham cracker crust.
Top with sliced bananas.
Whip your heavy cream, confectioner sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy; about 3-5 minutes.
Top your bananas and toffee pudding with your whip cream.
Dust your pie with cinnamon and chocolate sprinkles.
Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.

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Butter Beer Pound Cake

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

Living in a small town has its ups and downs.

For example, I can go anywhere in town and it is almost certain that I will run into someone I know. We might grab a coffee or just catch up for a few minutes, but it’s nice to see a familiar face when I am out and about. That’s also a bad example because if you are au natural and in your sweats, then you are almost guaranteeing that you are going to run into someone you know. It has totally happened. On several occasions.

Another example is the festivals. We almost always have some sorta block party or festival going on. I love all the one-of-a-kind crafts, food vendors, and the classic rock bands you find at a small town festival. And they come up with all sortsa reasons to get together. It could be an art walk or a fall festival or even a party to celebrate the woolly worm. That’s happened too.

One of the worst things about living in a small town is that when you are a baker/girly geek/collector of all things nerdy, it is hard to find what you are looking for. A few weeks ago, I thought I would get a heads start on my Halloween baking. I wanted to buy a 4-pack of Butter Beer at my local grocery store. Before I even step foot in the store, I looked it up to make sure they would/could carry it. It is a bit of a hike to get to a good grocery store, so I wanted to make sure I didn’t go for nothing. I did. Go for nothing. They didn’t have it nor could they order it.

So I went home, did a bit more research, thought about ordering it online for a gazillion dollars, and then headed to my small town specialty grocer. As it turns out, they didn’t have it either, but they could order it. So I ordered two 4-packs…or so I thought. When they called me a few weeks later, they said my two cases were ready. Cases. As in six 4-packs in each case. A total of 48 bottles of Flying Cauldron Butterscotch Beer. As in more Butter Beer than the Hubs and I put together could drink in a month.

With all that Butter Beer, I thought about throwing a HP party. And I still just may, but for now I made you pound cake…with Butter Beer.

This pound cake reminds me of all the Sprite and 7-Up pound cake recipes that are out there. I have never made one with soda before, so I just took my ole trusty pound cake recipe and altered it a bit. You know. With Butter Beer. Because I have so many.

I even put some in my icing. Although it could totally stand alone.

Butter Beer Pound Cake

Ingredients

Butter Beer Pound Cake:

3 cups all purpose flour
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup {2 sticks} unsalted butter, softened
6 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup Flying Cauldron Butterscotch Beer
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon imitation butter flavoring
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt

Butter Beer Icing:

2 cups confectioner sugar
2-2 1/2 tablespoonsFlying Cauldron Butterscotch Beer
4 teaspoons heavy cream

Instructions

Butter Beer Pound Cake:

Preheat oven to 350° and spray desired pan with flour baking spray.
In your stand mixer bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy.
Add sugar and mix well; scraping the sides of the bowl and mixing again.
Add eggs, one at a time until combined.
Add milk, vanilla, imitation butter flavoring, and butter beer.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
Slowly add your flour mixture to your wet ingredients until blended.
Spoon into greased pan; level with a spatula to smooth out the top.
Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted comes out clean.
Let cool for 5-10 minutes before removing your pan.
Let cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Butter Beer Icing:

Combine confectioner sugar, butter beer, and heavy cream in your stand mixer bowl until desired consistency.
Spoon over pound cake and smooth over top.

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Pumpkin Biscoff Bread

Posted on September 8, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

It is no surprise to anyone who knows me, even a little bit, that the next three months are my favorite time of the whole year. All good things happen in the months of September, October, and November. Even Christmas couldn’t top all the wonderful things I am anticipating in the upcoming months.

September is when the Hubster and I head up to the mountains and pick apples for our annual apple pies. We drive on up to Flat Rock and spend the day at family run, Sky Top Orchards. It is literally on top of Mt. McAlpine and we go through fields and fields of orchards, picking our favorite gala, rome, and cameo apples. We also make sure to stop by inside where we can pick up 2 or 3 dozen of their freshly made apple cinnamon donuts, apple butter, and fresh apple cider. Then we take them all home and spend the day coring, peeling and preparing them for apple pies that I will freeze for the upcoming holidays.

October has not only Halloween, but also the Carolina Renaissance Festival. I had never been until last year and now the Hubs and I are considering buying season tickets. Well, not considering….we are. I love the food fare, shows and demonstrations, and the overall atmosphere of the whimsical and carefree lifestyle that makes up the Carolina Renaissance Fair. I even have my very own pair of elfish ears that I got last year. I swear it. And I will wear them this year. Because.

And November has the best holiday ever, Thanksgiving. In years past, the family has gotten together to have the traditional Thanksgiving feast. Mom and I get up early to get the turkey prepared and watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This year, we are putting away those pots and pans and Mom, the Hubs, and I are heading down to Savannah to celebrate.

But my absolute favorite thing about all three months is that it gives me an excuse to bake with pumpkins. I could totally go ona Forest Gump rant about pumpkins. You can bake it, broil it, saute it. There’s pumpkin cookies. Pumpkin cupcakes. Pumpkin Lattes. Get the idea?

How about one more? Like this Pumpkin Biscoff Bread.

I have not one, but two pumpkin bread pans. I tried to tell ya. Obsessed. I like this one best because of the baby pumpkins that are just beginning to grow. Cuteness in a pan.

In addition to adding creamy Biscoff spread to the batter, I also crumbled Biscoff cookies into my steusel. It was totally worth it. I love the flavor of pumpkim with biscoff. If you have never tried biscoff cookies or creamy spread, try your specialty stores, like World Market or Williams Sonoma.

I also drizzled a simple icing made from milk or cream, corn syrup, vanilla, and confectioners sugar. Although it would be perfectly delightful without it.

Pumpkin Biscoff Bread

Serving Size: Makes one 9-inch loaf

Recipe by Carrie

Ingredients

For the bread:

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking spice, or 1 teaspoon cinnamon & 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup pure pumpkin
1/4 cup biscoff creamy spread
1/4 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons{3/4 stick} butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the streusel:

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup biscoff cookies, crumbled
2 tablespoons baking spice {cinnamon & nutmeg}
2 tablespoons butter, cold

Instructions

For the streusel:

Combine the flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and baking spice in a food processor and combine.
Add the butter and biscoff cookies to the dry ingredients in the food processor bowl.
Process the mixture until the butter and cookies have broken down into small pebble pieces.
Set aside.

For the bread:

Adjust your oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat oven to 350°.
Spray the bottom and sides of your loaf pan with flour spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking spice, and salt; set aside.
In your stand mixer bowl, combine utter, pumpkin, biscoff spread, and sour cream.
Add eggs, one at a time.
Add vanilla extract.
Slowly add your dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Assembly:

Lightly dust the bottom and sides of your prepared pan with the streusel.
Scrape the batter into the pan.
Sprinkle the top with additional steusel. {You will most likely have extra streusel.}
Bake until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 55 minutes.
Cool in the pan for about 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

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White Chocolate Pecan Cupcakes

Posted on September 1, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

I love sugared pecans, but in all my years of baking on this planet, I have never had the opportunity to make them. I usually pick them up at a state fair or at a theme park, but it didn’t occur to me to make them myself.

Well…that is until these cupcakes.

Now, awhile ago, the Hubs and I had picked up a bag of whole pecans somewhere passing through Georgia, I think. I honestly can’t remember where or when because I am notorious for picking up random yummy things when we travel. You should see how many jars of jams and jellies I have in my pantry. It is ridiculous.

Anyway, seeing as how I have never made sugared pecans, I honestly didn’t know how to shell them either. So I asked my super-southern-grew-up-crackin-nuts Hubs to help me out. Well, that was a big mistake. He thinks that I am just crazy for never having the opportunity to crack me open some pecans{best southern accent}. And he has told everyone so for the past week.

Well now I know and I can check that off my baking bucket list.

Ok….time for the cupcakes.

This girl likes a thick layer of ganache, so I choose to dip each cupcake 2-3 times, letting them cool on a wire rack for a few minutes in between each layer.

White Chocolate Pecan Cupcakes

Yield: 1-1/2 dozen

Recipe by Carrie

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking spice or cinnamon
2/3 cup chopped pecans
8 tablespoons {1 stick} unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg, plus 2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

For the white chocolate ganache:

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions

For the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350° and adjust an oven rack to the middle position.
Line standard muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking spice/cinnamon, and salt; set aside.
In your stand mixer bowl, cream butter, sugar, eggs, and vanillas.
On low speed, slowly add 1/2 of your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients until just combined.
Add your sour cream and then add remaining dry ingredients.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and mix again on medium speed for 30 seconds or so.
Fold in your pecans.
Divide the batter evenly among the cups of your prepared tin using a ice cream scoop or spoon.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let cool completely on a wire rack before adding the white chocolate ganache.

For the white chocolate ganache:

In a double boiler or if not accessible, use a glass bowl atop a saucepan filled with 2-3 inches of boiling water, add your chocolate chips and heavy cream.
Stir until melted and smooth.
Carefully dip your cupcakes 2-3 times into your warm ganache and top with sugared pecan.

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Turtle cookies

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

Last night, the Hubs and I went to go see “The World’s End” with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. We are both pretty big fans of “Hot Fuzz” and “Shaun of the Dead”, {although undoubtedly he is a bigger fan than I} so this was a total no brainer. We decided to go to my favorite movie theatre in town because Terrapin Beer Co. was there hosting a beer tasting for opening night of the film.

We made sure to show up early so that we could see for ourselves what Terrapin Beer Co. had to offer. They are based out of Athens, Georgia and up until now, I had just barely heard of them. But by the time our theatre was being seated, we were huge fans. They had 4 very different types of beer for the tasting: Rye Pale Ale, which is their original, signature taste, the Hopsecutioner IPA, brewed with six different hops, the Tree Hugger, which is more of your amber ale, and my favorite, Pumpkin Fest, their seasonal and perfectly balanced pumpkin ale.

So we ordered our favorite brews, mine with a sweet, brown-sugared rim around the glass, and sat down at our table and lounge chairs….yes, lounge chairs, and happily waited for the movie to start. At one point, one of the ushers came in and announced they would be holding a trivia contest focusing on the Cornetto Trilogy. They had “The World’s End” posters and T-shirts to giveaway and so I told the Hubs I just had to have one. Thanks to his mad trivia skills, he was able to win me both. If you are at all a Simon Pegg fan or into SciFi or enjoy a little British humor, then you must go see “The World’s End”. It is totally worth it.

After the movie, my excitement for Terrapin Beer Co. got me thinking…

You have all heard of turtle brownies, right?

Ooey, gooey brownies filled with nuts and caramel?

Well I decided that to celebrate my new found love for Terrapin Beer Co., a batch or two of Turtle Cookies were in order.

Terrapin actually means turtle, so I thought these cookies were only fitting.

So I took my old fashioned recipe for the ordinary chocolate chip cookie and razzle, dazzled it up with chopped pecans, fleur de sel, and my homemade Salted Caramel Sauce.

Turtle Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup {2 sticks} butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 1/4 cup chocolate chips
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Salted Caramel Sauce
fleur de sel, for dusting

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° and line your cookie sheet with a silapat or parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
In your stand mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar on medium speed.
Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well until incorporated.
Add vanilla extract and paste.
On low speed, gradually beat in your flour mixture, a little at a time.
Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips and your chopped pecans.
Drop rounded tablespoon dollops onto ungreased baking sheet.
Use the additional 1/4 cup of chocolate chips to sprinkle the tops of the cookie dough.
Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
When cool, drizzle Salted Caramel Sauce and dust with fleur de sel.

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