Category: sweets

Bacon Shortbread

Yes, you read that right – bacon shortbread.  I heard about this and had no intention of making it, but then I mentioned it to a few people and they said they’d really like to try it.  So I gave it a try, and . . . it’s actually good!  Sweet and Salty are a great combination!  Please comment if you try this recipe, as people might need a second opinion.

Really, I just made shortbread and added some bacon to part of the recipe, and made the rest regular shortbread.  So you can do that, using  just a few slices of bacon, or you can make the whole recipe below.

What you need:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (no substitutions!)

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 drops almond extract

1 & 3/4 cup flour

pinch salt

1/3 cup crispy bacon, finely chopped

What you do:

1.   Cream the butter, then beat in the sugar.  Add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat until light in colour.

2.  Add flour, salt and bacon and mix with a wooden spoon until combined.

3.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.  (If you make the dough ahead of time you can refrigerate it, but make sure you take it out of the fridge about an hour before you want to roll it out or it will be rock hard!)

4.  Roll dough to about 3/4 of a centimetre thickness, on a floured table.  Use floured cookie cutters to cut shapes, then place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

5.  Bake at 325 F for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool on racks, then refrigerate.

The Best Rum Balls in the World!

This is probably my favourite sweet treat in the whole world!  My mom usually makes them at Christmas, but not  this year . . . so it’s up to me to save the day!

The original recipe is actually twice as big, but this makes a big bowlful, and several dozen rum balls.

What you need:

4 cups crushed vanilla wafers (Mr. Christie’s Nilla wafers work well, about 1 & 1/2 boxes)

1 & 1/2 cups icing sugar

3/4 cup melted butter

1/3 cup cocoa

3/4 cup white rum

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

1/4 cup almond paste (grind your own almonds if you don’t have this)

1/2 cup sour cream

pinch salt

What you do:

1.  Combine the wafer crumbs, icing sugar, butter, cocoa, rum and pecans in a large bowl.

2.  In another bowl, combine melted chocolate, almond paste, sour cream and salt.

3.  Add the melted chocolate mixture to the ingredients in the large bowl and mix well.  You may want to knead it with your hands so everything gets mixed together completely.

4.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it is firm enough to form the balls.  I usually leave it over night, but it doesn’t need that long.

5.  After you have formed the balls you may want to roll them in chocolate shot or cocoa – I never do this, though.  They are so good on their own.

These rum balls need to be stored in the fridge!  They also freeze well.

Amazing Pecan Shortbread

I’ve been making this one for so long I can’t remember where I got the recipe from.  Probably Martha; she’s always good for Christmas cookies.

It’s easy, it’s delicious.  Need I say more?

What you need:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (no substitutions!)

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 drops almond extract

1 & 3/4 cup flour

pinch salt

1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans

What you do:

1.   Cream the butter, then beat in the sugar.  Add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat until light in colour.

2.  Add flour, salt and pecans and mix with a wooden spoon until combined.

3.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.  (If you make the dough ahead of time you can refrigerate it, but make sure you take it out of the fridge about an hour before you want to roll it out or it will be rock hard!)

4.  Roll dough to about 3/4 of a centimetre thickness, on a floured table.  Use floured cookie cutters to cut shapes, then place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

5.  Sprinkle lightly with sugar, then bake at 325 F for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Enjoy, and impress your friends!

Chocolate Rum Birthday Cake

I made this for my dad’s birthday the other day.  I wasn’t sure how the kids would like it because of the rum, but it was a hit with them too.  It’s safe, though, because the baking process removes most of the alcohol.

I found the recipe years ago in a magazine, calling for strong coffee rather than rum.  I’ve been making it that way for years, and recently tried it with rum – they’re both great!

What you need:

2/3 cup flour

2/3 cup cocoa, sifted

1/2 tsp salt

5 eggs, separated

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 & 1/4 cups sugar, divided

2/3 cup rum (or strong coffee)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the icing:

2 cups whipping cream

1/2 cup cocoa, sifted

1/2 cup granulated sugar

What you do:

1.  Prepare two 8-inch round pans by lining the bottoms with parchment paper or wax paper.  Cut them into circles so they fit right in the bottom of the pans.  Don’t grease the sides of the pan – the cake needs to be able to cling to the sides of the pan so it can rise properly.  This is why I prefer to use pans that don’t have a non-stick coating.  Preheat the oven to 325F.

2.  Combine flour, cocoa and salt.

3.  In a large bowl beat egg whites and cream of tartar, then gradually beat in 1/2 cup of the sugar.  Beat until stiff peaks form and set aside.

4.  Beat the egg yolks and the other 3/4 cup of sugar until it turns very light in colour.  Stir in the rum and vanilla.  Stir in the dry ingredients.

5.  Fold the mixture into the egg whites.

6.  Pour the batter into the pans, then bake immediately for 35-40 minutes.  Test the cake with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean.  If not, it needs a few more minutes.

7.  After removing from the oven, allow cakes to rest for 10 minutes.  Then run a knife around the edge and invert onto wire racks to cool.

8.  To make the icing, place the ingredients in a large bowl and give it a bit of a stir.  Refrigerate for at least an hour, then beat until stiff.  Ice the cake, then refrigerate before serving.  This one is best served straight out of the fridge so the whipping cream doesn’t get too soft.

Don’t forget the candles!

Fleur de Sel Caramels

These are to die for – sweetness balanced perfectly with saltiness.  I made some plain, just caramels and fleur de sel, wrapped in parchment paper.  The others were dark chocolate-covered, with a sprinkling of fleur de sel.  It’s hard to choose a favourite . . . but I’d have to say the chocolate ones win out.  Try it and see – it takes a bit of patience, as the cooking process can’t be rushed, but if you’ve got the time and some good music to listen to while you’re stirring, it’s totally worth it.

Listening pairing: Luluc’s album ‘Dear Hamlyn.’  Sweet and smooth like the treats you’re making!

What you need:

1 cup sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 & 1/2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

fleur se sel

3 oz chocolate (I used 2 oz semi-sweet and 1 oz bitter-sweet)

parchment paper

candy thermometer – helpful but not essential (you can test the accuracy of your thermometer by placing it in boiling water – it should read 212F)

What you do:

1.  Line a bread pan with lightly buttered parchment paper.

2.  Combine the sugar, syrup, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and half a cup of the cream in a pot.  Place on medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until it boils.  This may take a while, but make sure you don’t raise the heat to hurry it up – it needs to stay on medium.

3.  While it boils, add the cream slowly, continuing to stir.  Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to boil for 5-6 minutes, stirring little.  Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, and stir until melted.

4.  For the next steps you need to have patience, as you will be stirring for about 30-40 minutes.  Continue boiling over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.  You will begin to see the mixture turn a more caramel-brown colour.  If you’ve got a candy thermometer, you want it to read 250F.  If you don’t have one, you can get a bowl of ice water and place a drop of the mixture into it.  When it forms a “firm ball” in the ice water, take it off the heat right away.

5.  After removing from the heat, stir in the vanilla.

6.  Pour immediately into the parchment-lined pan.  Just pour it in and don’t scrape the caramel from the bottom of the pot, to avoid crystallization.  Of course you can scrape it out into another container and eat it up!

7.  Allow the caramel to cool, then remove it from the pan by pulling up the parchment paper.

8.  With a lightly buttered knife, cut into desired shapes.  Sprinkle the fleur de sel on the ones that you won’t be dipping in chocolate.

9. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler, or place a bowl on top of a pot of water.  Melt the chocolate, or read here for the more complicated process of tempering chocolate.

10.  Dip caramels in the melted chocolate, then sprinkle with a little fleur de sel.

11.  The caramel will stick to almost everything.  Parchment paper, however, is like magic when it comes to caramel. you can line your plate with it, or use it for wrapping the individual caramels.

I found this recipe on Not So Humble Pie.  I’ve just halved the recipe, as it was too much for me.  But it takes a long time to make, so you might want to double it – it’s not double the work until you get to the cutting and dipping.

Gingerbread Men with Candy Hearts

These are so cute, and fun to make!  I don’t actually like eating gingerbread – but I enjoy making them, and people love to get them.  They are a bit of work, so you can make them one day when it’s c-c-cold out and you want to stay in, or in three steps: 1. make the dough 2. roll and bake the cookies 3. have fun with the icing.

Recommended listening pairing: Over the Rhine‘s ‘Snow Angels’ album.

What you need:

2 & 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup unsalted butter or substitute (margarine or vegan “butter”)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

3/4 cup molasses

red candies

parchment paper

gingerbread man cutter

small heart cutter

for the icing:

2 & 2/3 cups icing sugar

2 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

just less than 1/4 cup of water

icing bag or ziplock baggie

What you do:

1.  Whisk together dry ingredients  (flour to nutmeg).

2.  In a large bowl beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat until fluffy, then beat in the molasses.

3.  Gradually add the flour mixture until it is just combined.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about an hour, or do this ahead of time.

4.  Smash up the candies into little bits.  I bought candies that were wrapped, then smashed them in their wrappers with a hammer on my wooden cutting board.

5.  Roll dough out on a floured surface to 1/2 to 3/4 of a centimetre.  I rolled onto parchment paper, then put them in the freezer for 15 minutes before cutting, and they came out all in one piece.

6.  Cut the hearts out and place them, along with the men, on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Fill the hearts with some candy shards.  If you don’t use parchment the candy will stick to your pan – not good!

7.  Bake at 350 F for 6 minutes, then take them out and tap the pan on the counter, and put them back in the oven to bake for 6-8 more minutes.  Let them cool on the pan for about 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack; this will give the candy time to harden.

8.  To make the icing, first sift the icing sugar.  Beat the egg whites with cream of tartar, then gradually add the icing sugar.  Add a little water at a time, but make sure it doesn’t get too runny.

9.  Fill icing bag part way with icing.  Place a damp cloth over the top of the icing bowl so the part you aren’t using doesn’t dry up.  If you don’t have an icing bag, put the icing in a ziplock baggie, then cut a very small hole in one of the corners.  Pipe the icing on in any designs you wish!

Plum, Chocolate and Frangipane Pie

This pie is heavenly!  Chocolate, almonds and plums work together beautifully.  I found it on christiescorner.com and knew right away I needed to try it.  I brought it to a potluck and forgot to take a picture of the finished product!  So here’s an image of it before it went into the oven.

What you need:

1 pie crust (click here for a patee sucree crust recipe-makes enough for 2 crusts)

10-12 small prune plums

4 ounces dark chocolate, shaved

1/2 cup ground almonds

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons Turbinado or white sugar

What you do:

1.  Preheat the oven to 400F.

2.  To make the frangipane, combine ground almonds, one egg, sugar and one teaspoon of vanilla.  Set aside.

3.  For the custard, combine the remaining egg, vanilla and whipping cream.

4.  Roll out your pastry until it about 3 mm thick.  If you use the rolling pin to put it into place it won’t stretch – stretched pastry tends to shrink back to its original size when baking.  Cut excess pastry off.

5.  Put shaved chocolate into the pie shell, then place the frangipane over top.

6.  Arrange cut plums over the frangipane, then pour the custard over top.  Sprinkle on the Turbinado or white sugar.

7.  Place the pie plate on a baking sheet, then bake for 10 minutes.  Lower the heat to 350F and bake for about 45 minutes, or until it is set and golden.

8.  Cool completely before serving, then enjoy the decadence!

Pate Sucree Pie Crust

This relatively simple crust is perfect for a sweet pie or tart.  It is a little more like a shortbread crust than a really flakey one.  This makes enough for two large pies.

I found the recipe on christie’scorner.com

What you need:

1 & 3/4 cups flour

just less than 1/2 cup butter, cubed and slightly softened

1 cup icing sugar

pinch of salt

2 medium eggs at room temperature

What you do:

1.  Place the flour on the counter and make a well in the centre.  Place the butter, sugar and salt in the centre and mix it together with your fingers so that the butter is in fine pieces.

2.  Make a well again and add the eggs, mixing with your hands until the dough holds together.  Knead a few times, then roll into a ball.

3.  The dough needs to rest before you use it, so wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or two before using it.  You can also freeze it to use at a later date, or use half and freeze the rest.

4.  When the time comes to use the dough, roll it out to about 3mm thickness, then fill to your heart’s content.

Chocolate Dipped Chocolate-Almond Biscotti

And the people thus spake, “We have tasted of this New Biscotti, and it is good.”

And so, upon the day of the Feast of Lights at English Bay, many ate of the biscotti and were satisfied.

Thus it came to pass that the people proclaimed the recipe to be of high quality, and henceforth deemed worthy of the masses.

And so it shall be revealed unto thee:

What you need:

1 & 1/4 cups peeled almonds, toasted

1/2 cup butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup flour

1 cup cocoa powder

1 & 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

2 eggs

3/4 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon almond extract

for the chocolate dip:

5oz chocolate

2 tablespoons butter

What you do:

1.  Use a coffee grinder or food processor to finely grind toasted almonds.

2.  Mix 1/2 cup of the butter and 1 cup of the almonds, along with the salt, until it is fluffy.

3.  Whisk eggs, sugar and almond extract in a large bowl.

4.  Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder and hand-mix into the egg mixture.

5.  Add the nut and butter mixture, and stir until it is just incorporated.

6.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and form the dough into two long, flat logs. I like my biscotti to be a bit smaller, so if you want larger cookies, then make one log and add about five minutes to the baking time.

7.  Bake at 350F for 25 minutes.  When it comes out of the oven, allow it to cool on the pan for about half an hour.

8.  Slice the logs into cookies, and put them back on the parchment paper.  Bake for 15 minutes more, then cool on wire racks.

9.  Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler (I use a pot with a bowl on top).  The key here is to make sure you don’t get any water into the chocolate; it will seize up and become clumpy.

10.  Dip each cooled biscotti in the chocolate (I had to spread it on a bit), then sprinkle a little of the remaining almond flour on top of each.

Brandied Cherries

In the middle of winter you are going to pull out a jar of these, and all the warmth of summer will come flooding back, just long enough to warm you up.

It’s really easy.  You just need:

a few canning jars (but we’re not doing proper canning, so don’t worry!)

some fresh, plump cherries (I used Bing and Rainier so it would look pretty)

a little maple syrup

vanilla bean

brandy

Here’s what you do:

1.  Wash your jars and lids.

2.  Stuff as many cherries as you can into each jar without squishing them.

3.  Cut small pieces of vanilla bean and put one in each jar.

4.  Drizzle a little maple syrup in each jar.

5.  Top up with brandy.

6.  Screw the lids on tight and wait a few months.

7.  Enjoy straight out of the jar, or on top of some vanilla pudding or ice cream in the dead of winter.