Bakin-n-Bacon

Gratuitous Cat Photo

I can't deny it, I am a crazy cat lady. My cats usually stay inside, but sometimes I will let one of them out to play in the yard under strict supervision (we live on a fairly busy street). This photo was taken last weekend while we were enjoying the unseasonably warm temperatures.

I was so happy to get a shot of Tater Tot with him actually holding still and looking at the camera. Much like photographing children, it is difficult to achieve a shot that is composed, in focus and with a reasonable expression when a cat is your subject.

For example, most of my other shots looked like this:

 
Every time I would get in front of him when he was sitting down, he would come over to me. Of course if I had wanted him to come over he would have been sitting still as a statue. At least he had a good time in the beautiful weather. Snow will be here again soon.

Java Buttons

I made these cuties for an office event this morning. turns out the event is actually next week (DOH!). So I guess I will find something else to bring next Tuesday.

I started off making Flo Braker's Java Sticks from Sweet Miniatures, but then I remembered why I hadn't made that recipe again: the dough is way too stiff to pipe into sticks, as the recipe suggests.

Furthermore, as I tasted the dough, it occurred to me that Ms. Braker must be from the Upper Midwest. Those cookies are bland with a lowercase b. Even though I have enjoyed success with many of the recipes in that cookbook, none of them have knocked my socks off in the flavor department. Maybe I just expect too much; maybe my palate is jaded, but I really don't think so. I think that for most sweets and desserts, sweet is supposed to be enough. But dammit, I want flavor. The cookie's flavor should explode in your mouth and make you say "MMMMmmmmm" nom nom nom. 

So I tasted the cookie dough this morning before I baked it. It was insipid. I doubled up on both the vanilla and espresso powder, added a few more pistachios, and boosted the salt. They were then much, much better. I think next time I might add an egg white but that might take it too far toward chewy in the texture department. Still worth a trial, though.

The cookies were finished with a swirl of white chocolate and a pistachio garnish. Mmmm, yummy.

Recipe to follow (although it's still a work in progress).

 

Easy to make, but to package...not so much

Recently I made the Thousand Dollar Bars recipe from the King Arthur Flour website. The bars are supposed to be like Twix(R) bars, one of my all-time favorite candy bars.

Of course, I can never make any recipe just as it is written, so I made my own caramels for the caramel layer (the recipe instructs you to melt down store-bought caramels and add cream to achieve the right consistency). However, even major brands like Brach's are not made with butter, so of course I couldn't use them. (I am such an ingredient snob!) Besides, the recipe I have for caramels (received from an online friend, Pennie), is quite easy if a little time-consuming.

The recipe makes 5 pounds of caramel, so I had a lot left over. I cut the slab o'caramel into bite-size pieces and took them to work. If I had the time, I would have cut squares of wax paper and wrapped each caramel individually, since they tend to glue themselves back together if not wrapped. But wrapping takes a long time. I calculated once that if I made each caramel 1 x 1/2 by 1/2 inches, it takes over 3 hours to wrap one recipe's worth of caramels. Plus, my carpal tunnel gets aggravated doing it. It's times like these that I think maybe I should have had kids.

Since the caramels are so time-consuming to wrap, I rarely make them. Once upon a time I included  them in my holiday treats package, but it just got to be too much. However, after eating a handful of these perfectly soft, buttery treats (does 6 caramels constitute a healthy breakfast?), I have resolved to make them more often.

The Thousand Dollar Bars that prompted the caramel making were only 'meh.' The shortbread base was too crumbly. The ratio of chocolate was also a bit too high. My coworkers devoured them, as usual (although they also devour insipid store-bought treats that taste like cardboard). I've had requests to make them again. I probably will, but I am going to aim for a crunchier base. They weren't bad, by any means, but they didn't quite live up to my expectations.

I've fallen out of touch with Pennie, but I am sure she won't mind if I publish her recipe (she allowed it to be published on the Cook's Illustrated Bulletin Board a few years back).

Pennie's Caramels

1 pound unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 pounds light brown sugar
2 (15 oz.) cans sweetened condensed milk
16 ounces light corn syrup
2 tablespoons vanilla

Line a large rimmed baking sheet (I use a half sheet pan, 13 x 18) with parchment. Set aside.

In a large (6-8 qt) stockpot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Stir in salt and sugar until well moistened. Add remaining ingredients and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil.

Boil, stirring frequently, until mixture reaches firm ball (245-248 degrees F) stage.  This will take quite some time - I'd say 20-30 minutes.



Immediately pour into rimmed baking sheet. Do not scrape the pot (there may be scorched bits on the bottom). Let cool until firm, 6-8 hours or overnight.

Cut into squares and wrap in wax paper. Keep in the fridge if it is warm in your home or for longer storage. I have no idea how long these last because I either eat them all or give them away within a few days. I suspect they will last for several weeks in the fridge.