Pecan Passion

Pecan Passion
Source: Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies (Random House, 1995 ed.), pg. 48.

These were sinfully good and easy-to-make but I thought there was too much butter in it (they were greasy). I don't know how they would do with less butter but I may try cutting it back for the bottom layer the next time I try it. Once you start eating them, it is hard to stop!

You can also make these with walnuts if you prefer.
 

Bottom Layer:
3 oz. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (Dutch process)
1/4 cup sifted unbleached flour

Pecan Topping:
1 TBS. dark rum or cognac
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
3 oz. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
Scant 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
2 cups toasted pecan halves

Makes 24 bars

The bottom layer

Preheat oven to 375. Line a 9-inch square pan with foil and brush the foil with a tablespoon of melted butter (this butter is in addition to the amount called for in the recipe). Set aside.

Melt the butter and transfer it to a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, salt and vanilla.

 

Add the eggs. Beat to mix.

 

Mix in the cocoa...

and the flour.

Place the chocolate mixture in mounds in the lined pan. Take a spoon and smooth out the chocolate to cover the bottom.

Bake for 15 minutes until the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed. Let it stand while you prepare the topping.

The pecan topping

Add the rum (or cognac) to the heavy cream. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a 3-quart saucepan. Stir in the sugar, salt and corn syrup with a wooden spoon. Stir over medium heat until the mixture begins to boil.

Stir a few times and let the mixture reach 250 degrees (it will only take a minute or two). As soon as it reaches 250, immediately remove the pan from the heat.

Add the heavy cream mixture to the pan and stir.

Add the pecans.

Pour the mixture over the cake crust and spread evenly.

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes (she says to time this carefully as baking too long with cause it to become hard).

Remove from the oven and let stand for a few hours until it is completely cool. Then invert onto a cutting board and peel off the foil. If the foil doesn't come off easily, then it is still too warm.

Use a sharp knife to cut the cake into squares. Store in an airtight container with wax paper between the layers. They can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer but need to be served at room temperature.

Cuban Coconut Pound Cake

 
Cuban Coconut Pound Cake
Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.), pg. 163.

This is a dense, textured pound cake packed with coconut and nuts. It is not overly sweet. Delicous!

I did not use sliced almonds but instead just chopped whole ones in a food processor. I also used almond milk instead of regular milk.

You might notice that the hands in the photos are not mine! A friend was visiting and I was teaching her how to make a cake. She did a great job!

8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter (softened)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup milk 
7 oz. (2 2/3 loosely packed) cups shredded coconut
3 oz. (1 cup) unblanched almonds, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 325. Use a 10-inch tube pan (a deeper pan is okay too). Either nonstick or regular pans are okay - if using regular, butter the bottom and sides with butter and place pieces of wax paper on the bottom and around the sides. (Use the paper for a nonstick pan as well). Dust with fine bread crumbs.

Beat the butter until soft and add the vanilla and almond extracts.

Add the salt.

Add the sugar.

Add the eggs, mixing one at a time.

Lower the speed on the mixer and add the flour in three additions, alternating with...

the milk.

Remove from the mixer and fold in the coconut.

Fold in the nuts.

Transfer to the cake pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 75-80 minutes until the top is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.

Let the cake stand in the pan for about 15 minutes then carefully invert it and remove. Cool completely on a wire rack and remove the wax paper. The cake is best refrigerated overnight before serving. If that is not possible, put it in the freezer for about 45 minutes. It slices best when cold.

Neiman Marcus $250 Cookie Recipe

Neiman Marcus $250 Cookie Recipe
Source: Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies (Random House, 1995 ed.), pg. 148.

You have probably heard the urban legend about this cookie recipe. A lady has lunch at a Neiman Marcus restaurant and has some delicious cookies for dessert. She asks the waiter if he can get her the recipe from the chef and he says "no problem". A few weeks later, the lady is looking over her credit card bill and finds a $250 charge for the cookie recipe. She calls the restaurant and demands a refund, they refuse, and in retaliation she distributes the recipe to as many people as she can. 

A columnist at the New York Times got to the bottom of the story by calling the restaurant and they assured her that they have never charged anyone for the recipe. Of course it makes a great story and perks your curiosity to want to try one. I can attest that they are quite good. Michael says that these are his second favorite (his first being the Oatmeal Raisin cookies recipe that come on the Quaker Oats box).

At the end of the recipe, Maida suggests reducing the amounts of both sugars and that makes them taste like they are worth $350. Well, I did not notice this note until it was too late but I will try that next time. She does not say how much to reduce it! Anyway, they are pretty darn good with the amounts stated in the recipe.

2 cups sifted unbleached flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
4 oz. milk chocolate, broken into small pieces
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups walnuts, in medium-sized pieces

Preheat oven to 375. Line cookie sheets with parchment or aluminum foil. 

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a food processor, add the oatmeal and milk chocolate. Process for about 20-25 seconds until the mixture is almost powdered. Set aside.

Beat the butter until soft and then add both sugars.

Add the vanilla.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing well.

Add the sifted dry ingredients.

Add the oatmeal mixture. Beat only until mixed.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the chocolate chips.

Stir in the walnuts.

Stir (this will be a stiff mixture)

Form into balls (wet your hands for this) and place on the baking sheet, pressing them lightly to flatten them a bit. Bake two sheets at a time for about 12-14 minutes, reversing sheets halfway between baking. They are ready when the cookies are lightly browned and firm to the touch. Let them stand on the baking sheets for a minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate On Oatmeal Bars

Chocolate On Oatmeal Bars
Source: Maida Heatter's Brand-New Book of Great Cookies (Random House, 1995 ed.), pg. 71.

Amidst the tornado warnings and chaos going on outside, I made these yesterday and brought them to share at the library. Now you know that anything with oatmeal and chocolate is going to be good!

The recipe reads as written but I changed a few of the steps which I think makes it easier to follow. This calls for a 9-inch square pan but I only have an 8-inch so I used it. The only difference is that the bars might be a little thicker. Also, I only had almond milk on hand and used it in the exact proportion. It was fine.

I think these actually tasted better the next day. Just store them in an air-tight container.

Oatmeal Layer

3 oz. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup sifted unbleached flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal (not "instant")
3 oz. milk chocolate, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

Preheat oven to 350 and use lower rack.

Line a 8 or 9-inch square pan with foil. Spray the foil with a nonstick spray. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan.  After it has melted, cook an additional 30 seconds. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda.

 

Place in a large bowl and stir in the oatmeal.

 

Add the melted butter and mix.

Turn into the prepared pan and with floured fingertips, press the dough evenly over the bottom of the pan.

Bake for 10 minutes. (You can work on the chocolate layer as this is baking.)

As soon as it is removed from the oven, sprinkle the milk chocolate evenly over the crust and allow it to melt.

Chocolate Layer


2/3 cup minus 2 TBS. sifted flour
2 TBS. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
2 1/2 oz. (3/4 cups) walnuts, cut into small-medium pieces
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
2 oz. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt. Set aside.

Stir the vanilla into the milk. Set aside.

In a small double-boiler or saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate. Stir to mix and then transfer to a mixer bowl.

Beat in the sugar...

 

and the egg.

Lower the speed and add half of sifted dry ingredients...

then the milk,

then the remaining dry ingredients.

 

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the walnuts.

Pour the chocolate mixture over the crust and spread evenly.

Bake for about 25 minutes until a tester comes out with just a bit of the chocolate mixture clinging to it.
Let stand until cool.
Invert the pan by covering it with a board or cookie sheet. Cut the bars with a long, sharp knife into small squares.

Store in an air-tight container.