Texas Cowboy Bars

Texas Cowboy Bars
Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 150.

I had plenty of oatmeal in the pantry as well as dates that I didn't use for the holiday baking. I came across this recipe and decided to give it a try. These are quite scrumtous, a little crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. I thought they were better the next day. The recipe says that it makes about 24 bars but if you cut them into bite sized pieces, you will get much more than that.

Make the filling first:

Filling

8 oz. (1 cup) pitted dates
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon

Cut the dates into small pieces, put them in a saucepan with the water and sugar.

Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Let it boil for about 10-12 minutes until thick. Keep stirring occasionally and reduce the heat if it starts to splatter.

Stir in the lemon rind and set aside.

Crust

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 oz. (1/2 cup) walnuts or pecans, cut medium fine
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

Adjust oven rack 1/3 from the bottom and preheat to 350. Line a 9-inch square pan (bottom and sides) with aluminum foil. Butter the foil.

Stir together the flour, salt and sugar.

Add the oatmeal.

Add the nuts.

Add the melted butter and stir.

Remove 1 cup of the mixture and set aside for the topping. Place the remaining mixture in the pan and smooth it out with your fingertips.

Spread the date mixture over the crust.

Sprinkle the reserved 1 cup of crust over the top.

Spread it evenly.

Bake for 45 minutes. Cool in the pan for another 45 minutes. Cover with a rack and carefully invert it to remove the foil. Place in freezer for 10-15 minutes or just enough to get it firm. Use a sharp knife to cut into squares.

Sponge Roll with Bittersweet Chocolate Filling and Icing

Sponge Roll with Bittersweet Chocolate Filling and Icing
Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 47.

This is a soft, delicate sponge cake filled with chocolate icing that isn't too sweet. I had a few problems with the recipe and it was partly due to not following the rules. Do use butter for the pan as instructed as the cake doesn't come off the foil easily with cooking spray. This wasn't a complete disaster but I had to be very careful when removing the foil. Butter would have probably made this easier.

I also had problems with the filling getting to the right consistency but I just returned it to the heat and started over again and it turned out fine. 

I didn't use the chocolate shavings as I didn't have enough chocolate so I just used chocolate chips. 

Sponge Layer

1/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs, separated
3 TBS. sifted all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
3 TBS. confectioners sugar  

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a 15x10x1 jelly-roll pan with foil. Butter the foil.

Add 3 TBS. of the sugar to the egg yolks. Beat on high speed for about 5 minutes until the yolks are cream-colored.

Add the flour and beat on low speed.

In a separate mixing bowl (with clean bowl and beaters), beat the egg whites, adding the reserved 1 TSB. of sugar, until they hold a shape.

Transfer 1/3 of the egg whites to the egg yolks and gently fold in. Add the remaining egg whites, 1/3 at a time, and fold in.

Turn the batter into the prepared pan, making sure that you spread it to all four corners of the pan. Bake for about 15-18 minutes until the top springs back when lightly touched.

After removing from the oven, sprinkle the cake with confectioners sugar. Cover the pan with a cookie sheet covered with wax paper and invert the cake onto it.

Now carefully peel away the foil. 

Roll the cake and the wax paper together. Allow the roll to sit until it has cooled.
Prepare the glaze. 

Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze

6 oz. semisweet chocolate
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate
3 TBS. prepared coffee
2 TBS. light rum or cognac
1/2 to 1 cup of chocolate shavings
Confectioners sugar

Melt both chocolates with the coffee in a heavy saucepan or double boiler over low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum (or cognac). Sit aside and allow it to come to room temperature.

 

After the glaze has cooled, sit it over a bowl of ice water until it has thickened. It will thicken quickly - if it becomes too thick, return it to the oven eye and reheat. When it has reached the desired consistency, unroll the cake and spread about 1/3 of the glaze over it. Roll the cake again (this time without the wax paper!).

 
 

Use the remaining glaze to cover the outside of the cake.

Transfer the cake to the refrigerator for about 30 minutes so that the glaze can set. Then dust with confectioners sugar. Let the cake stand at room temperature before serving.

Christmas Brownies

Christmas Brownies
Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 118.

It doesn't have to be Christmas to make these brownies. They have candied fruit in them and I honestly had doubts before making them. The recipe just didn't sound that good. Well, they are actually quite yummy, very moist and chewy. They are fragile and will need to be handled with care to avoid cracking. Freezing them before slicing will remedy this but getting them to the freeze can be tricky!

The recipe doesn't make a lot - about 16 very thin brownies - so they will not last long. You might consider doubling the recipe. ;)

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/3 cup diced, mixed candied fruits 

Preheat oven to 300. Line a shallow 9-inch pan with aluminum foil. Brush the foil with melted butter.

Melt the chocolate and the butter in a double boiler, over barely simmering water.

Slightly beat the eggs.

Add the vanilla extract

Add the sugar, mixing well.

Add the melted chocolate/butter mixture.

On low speed, add the flour, scraping the bowl as necessary, to mix well.

Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and stir in the candied fruit. Pour into the lined pan and smooth evenly.

Bake for 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out barely clean. Let the cake rest in the pan for about 5 minutes before carefully inverting onto a piece of wax paper on a cooling rack.

Let this cool completely before transferring to the freezer. (It is very thin and fragile, so be careful!) Allow to sit in the freezer just long enough to chill and then remove and slice.

Pumpkin Cake

Pumpkin Cake 
Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.), pg. 94.

Another pumpkin recipe but hey, it is that time of year. This is an easy-to-make and assemble cake that is moist and delicious. Definitely not for the diet conscious! I thought the 2 cups of sugar sounded excessive and I might substitute some apple sauce to counter that. I may try that in the future. However, this is a great cake just the way it is listed.

I found that I did not have allspice in my pantry. Fret not - you can use equal amounts of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 TBS. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
1/2 tsp. powdered cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. salt
5 oz. (1 cup) raisins, dark, light or mixed
3 1/2 oz. (1 cup) walnuts, broken into medium sized pieces
2 cups pumpkin
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups safflower oil, corn oil, or other salad oil
4 eggs
Optional: Confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Butter or spray a tube or Bundt pan. Generously dust with bread crumbs. 

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and salt.

 

Add a tablespoon of the sifted mixture to the raisins in a small bowl. Use your fingers to toss the raisins to coat them. Stir in the nuts and set aside.

 

In a mixer bowl, mix together the pumpkin, sugar and oil.

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

Lower the speed and add the sifted dry ingredients, beating until smooth.

Stir in the nuts and raisins. Turn into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until cake tester comes out clean.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before removing. When cool, the top of the cake can be sprinkled with confectioners sugar.

Pearl's Southampton Fruitcake (Classic Fruitcake)

Pearl's Southampton Fruitcake (Classic Fruitcake)
Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.), pg. 152.

I've never attempted a fruitcake before so this is a first for me. First Michael said "why spend all that money on this - no one likes fruitcake!" Well, he still has not tried the finished product. I just took a bite after letting it sit in the refrigerator for one week after baking. It is good, very rich and boozy! A small portion is enough to satisfy because it is very rich. I think fruitcake is something that grows on you. I found myself craving another bite the next day. 

First of all, I decided to cut the ingredients in half - after all, I don't really think I need 16-18 lbs. of cake. If you do want that much, the recipe as written makes that much, enough for 4, 5 or 6 cakes.  If you need the full recipe, you can find it here on the Saveur website.

Making this cake is a time-consuming process and must be planned well in advance. I usually think of making fruitcake every year around Christmas time, which is too late to start. This year, I started early, however, I could have started even earlier.

The following is a list of the fruits I used and keep in mind that the recipe as written in the book doubles this. You can substitute other types of fruit for those that you cannot find (I can never find currants). Also, you can buy containers of ready-made "fruitcake mix" which consists of chopped lemon peel, orange peel and other ingredients. This makes it much easier and not as expensive (although this is an expensive cake!).

Phase 1 - Marinating the fruit

6 1/2 cups of fruitcake mix or a mixture of any of the following: currants, pitted dates, dried apricots, dried prunes, dried figs, candied ginger, candied lemon rind, candied orange rind, candied cherries, candied citron and candied pineapple. (The dates, apricots, figs, prunes and other large pieces of fruit should be chopped)
1 1/2 cups raisins
1/2 cup cognac or brandy
1/4 cup Grand Marnier

(These amounts can be doubled)

Place the fruit in a large bowl.

 

Add the brandy (or cognac) and the Grand Marnier.

 

Stir to mix well.

Store this mixture in an airtight glass or plastic container for one week or more (the recipe doesn't say it has to be stored in the refrigerator but a lot of similar recipes do. I've opted to let mine sit at room temperature). From time to time, shake the container from side to side and up and down to redistribute the marinate.

Phase 2 - Baking the Cake

1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 TBS. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. mace
1 tsp. powdered instant coffee or expresso
2 sticks unsalted butter (softened)
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
5 eggs
3/4 cup molasses
3 1/2 cups pecan halves
3 1/2 cups walnut halves or large pieces
Additional cognac and/or Grand Marnier (to be used after the cake has baked)

Preheat oven to 225 (if any hotter, the cakes will burn). Butter the sides only of two 9 or 10 inch cake pans (the pans should be at least 1 1/2 inches deep). Use a baking liner or cut aluminum foil to cover the bottom of the pans. Butter the liners or foil as well.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, cocoa, cloves, cinnamon, mace and instant coffee (or expresso) and set aside.

Cream the butter.

Add the brown sugar.

Mix well until it is light in color.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The mixture will look curdled.

Lower the mixer speed and add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with...

the molasses.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

Now it is time to add the fruit to the mixture.

Add the nuts.

Mix well with a wooden spoon.

Divide the batter evenly among the pans and pat down well to eliminate air pockets. The batter may come all the way to the top of the pans.

Ready to bake! Bake for 5  hours, reversing the pans once or twice during baking. Make sure the oven is at 225 - use an oven thermometer if you are unsure. After removing the cakes from the oven, let them cool for about 30 minutes on wire racks. Then carefully invert and remove from pans (you may need to take a sharp knife and cut around the perimeter of the pan to release).

Allow the cakes to cool completely. Then brush them with more cognac or Grand Marnier (or even better, use a mixture of both liquors). Wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator for at least one week. Every few days, take them out and brush them again with the liquors. The cakes can be stored in the refrigerator or frozen. (You may still brush them with liquor  - if frozen, allow them to stand at room temperature an hour before applying). 

If you are giving the cakes as gifts, tell the recipient to keep the cake in the refrigerator or freeze. It should be cut when it is very cold.