Sycamore Cookies

Sycamore Cookies  (Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997ed.), pg. 67.

These cookies were a mess (as Michael would say - a "I Maida Mess") and I expected them to be something to forget. However, they are quite delicious so perhaps they should be called a "Maida Redo"? They are delicately crispy and taste like a peanut butter cookie with peanuts.

Although a relatively simple recipe, the problems arise when spreading the dough in the pan and removing them. I would like to try it again with perhaps a parchment sling to remove it from the pan and maybe a smaller pan.

But here are the instructions, as written and the outcome.

1 cup salted peanuts
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 325.

Butter a 10 1/2" x 15 1/2" jelly roll pan and place it in the freezer. This is to make it easier to spread the batter.

Chop the peanuts finely (I probably should have chopped the nuts more than I did but that did not affect the outcome).

Sift together the flour, baking soda and cinnamon. 

Beat the butter and add the vanilla and sugar. 

Mix in two tablespoons of the eggs...

Mix in the flour mixture...

and half of the nuts (reserving the remaining nuts).

Place large spoonfulls of the batter over the pan.

Use the back of a spoon to spread the batter (I found that using my fingertips worked better).

Spread the batter thin and it doesn't matter if there are skimpy areas.

Drizzle the remaining butter over the batter and spread it with a brush.

Sprinkle the remaining nuts over the batter.

Bake for 25 minutes. The top will be lightly brown and soft to the touch.

Let stand for 5 minutes and cut with a small knife into oblong sections. (I did not want to use a knife on my pan so I used an off-set spatula to slide underneath the batter and remove it. I then broke it apart. They were very crispy and I don't believe cutting would have been possible).

Store the cookies airtight.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake (Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 81.

I have to confess that I'm not a big fan of pumpkin and especially pumpkin-flavored desserts. However, if I must eat it, what better way of doing so than with chocolate? It sounds like a winner and sure enough, this cake is really nice. I decided to skip the nuts in this one because I have two other desserts for Thanksgiving with nuts and I often get annoyed with Maida because 95% of her recipes call for nuts. If you haven't noticed, they are very expensive these days!

The original recipe calls for a baking time of 1 1/2 hours! I started checking mine at 55 minutes and felt that one hour was enough. I usually tend to underbake my cakes slightly because they continue to bake after you remove them from the oven. So, I give a baking time of 1 hour to 1 hour fifteen minutes, but use your best judgement and keep checking.

2 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process)
2 sticks sweet butter (softened)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups pumpkin
1 1/2 cups walnuts (chopped)

Preheat the oven to 325. Generously butter a 10" Bundt pan and dust with fine bread crumbs.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

Beat the butter until soft. Add the vanilla and the sugar. Mix well.

Add the eggs, one at a time, blending well.

On low speed, add half of the flour mixture...

Alternating with the pumpkin...

And ending with the last half of the flour mixture. Mix well and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Add the nuts.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 1 hour to 75 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. (See the note in the introduction. My cake was ready in 1 hour).

Let stand for 15 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Sprinkle with confectioners sugar if desired.

Jane Freiman's Brownies

Jane Freiman's Brownies 
Source: Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies (Random House, 1995 ed.), pg. 75.

These are very good brownies. I think they are best with ice cream. They are very fragile. The instructions to freeze them is a must and it requires some dexterity and patience to flip them out of the pan. Even after freezing, I had one to break as I was cutting them. 

The recipe calls for walnuts but I used pecans.

I was not familiar with Jane Freiman but found out she is a New York restaurant critic and food writer. In her introduction, Maida says that she is a friend and the author of "Dinner Party: The New Entertaining". The book was published in 1990.

1/4 cup sifted unbleached flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
8 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (broken into small pieces)
5 oz. walnuts (1 1/4 cup) (in medium-sized pieces)
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup sour cream
4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line an 8 x 8 inch pan with foil. Butter the foil and sprinkle it with dry bread crumbs.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler. 

Beat the eggs, vanilla and sour cream slightly.

In a quart (or larger) saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir until melted. Stir in the chocolate.

Transfer to a mixing bowl. Stir in the egg mixture, then the sifted dry ingredients. Add the nuts.

Transfer to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Stand at room temperature until cooled. Carefully invert from the pan when cooled and peel off the foil. Flip it again so that the cake is right side up. Freeze for at least one hour or refrigerate for several hours. Cut into squares as soon as you remove it from the freezer.

They can be wrapped individually or stored in an airtight container. They can also be kept frozen and served immediately after coming out of the freezer as they do not get too hard.