Cracked out corn

Ok...my dear friend Mandi raves of this recipe and I am pumped to make it! She had it and went home and made it, lol. I love her.

Caramel Puff Corn
Prep Time:  10 minutes Cook Time:  45 minutes Chill Time:  30 minutes Yield:  5 quarts 1 bag (8 to 9 ounces) puff corn (also known as hulless popcorn) 1 cup butter (no substitutes) 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup Karo® Light OR Dark Corn Syrup 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon Spice Islands® 100% Pure Bourbon Vanilla Extract From: http://www.karosyrup.com/recipe_details.asp?id=1701		Preheat oven to 250°F. Spray a large roaster with cooking spray. Pour puff corn into the roaster. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and corn syrup and mix well. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook for additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla extract; the mixture will foam and expand. Carefully pour syrup over puff corn and toss to mix. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Pour onto waxed paper or foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Let Caramel Puff Corn cool at least 30 minutes. Break into bite size pieces and store in closed container. Note: Puff corn is found in the snack/chip aisle of the grocery store.

Pumpkin Spice Cereral Treats

If there is one thing in the whole wide world I love, it's fall. And one of the best things about fall is pumpkin. You have complete license to add pumpkin to anything and everything this season, and no one thinks you are nuts. I fully support this, and to contribute to the madness I made these.

First, I didn't use "puffed rice cereal" because I have a Costco size box of Cinnamon Cheerios that the daughter decided she doesn't like (which is nuts, because that stuff is amazing; it does mean more for me, and I'm totally fine with that.). And when you have enough cereal to feed an army and only two adults, you need to make sacrifices. Like mixing them up with pumpkin and marshmallows.

I think that if I did this again, I would:

• 1.5x the recipe; the bars were thinner than I would have liked. I did use a 9x13 pan, and the author of this recipe used 8x11 (where do you get such a thing) so I understand why mine weren't as tall.
• Perhaps try it out with Golden Grahams, as that would also be tasty. But that would be on the third time I make it, not the next time.

What I did different:

• I used parchment paper instead of buttering the pan, in an effort to justify eating more treats later on. It worked pretty well. (see amazing photo to left)
• I used Cinnamon Cheerios, and I'd try it with the Rice Krispies next time to see if there is a big difference.
• Because life is short, and browned butter is delicious, I browned the butter for a deeper, nuttier flavor. 

Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats

serves 12

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 (10 ounce) bag mini marshmallows plus one cup

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of allspice

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of kosher salt

6 cups puffed rice cereal

Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish (or a smaller dish — see Note below).
In a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add the pumpkin puree and continue to cook until it is warmed through. Fold in 10 ounces of the marshmallows, stirring frequently until almost completely melted. Stir in vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt, and remove from heat.

Allow the marshmallow mixture to cool 10 minutes; fold in the remaining cup of marshmallows. Continue to cool the mixture for another 20 to 25 minutes until it is room temperature (failure to cool the mixture will result in soggy rice crispy treats.) Add the puffed rice cereal and stir, using a silicone spatula, until combined.

Press the mixture into the greased rectangular baking dish. Let set for 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

• Note: I call for a 9x13-inch dish here, but I often use an 8x11-inch because I like taller treats. Any size in this range should do.

Recipe found Apartment Therapy's Kitchn

I love Cooks Illustrated. I love that when I make one of their recipes I know that they are pretty much fool proof. I know it will be worth my time and effort. They stuck behind their promise with these yummy chewy chocolate cookies! I have to say, they were pretty easy. Not a one bowl recipe, but 3 bowls. But they look amazing.

CHEWY CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Published January 1, 2009.   From Cook's Illustrated.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

We wanted an exceptionally rich chocolate cookie recipe with a sturdy, not crumbly, texture. The fat in melted chocolate made our dough too soft, so we replaced the chocolate with cocoa powder. Eliminating egg yolks further improved the struct...(more)

MAKES 16 COOKIES

We recommend using the test kitchen’s favorite baking chocolate, Callebaut Intense Dark L-60-40NV, but any high- quality dark, bittersweet, or semisweet chocolate will work. Light brown sugar can be substituted for the dark, as can light corn syrup for the dark, but with some sacrifice in flavor. A spring-loaded ice cream scoop (size #30) can be used to portion the dough.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3cup even more sugar granulated sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces), plus 1/2 cup for coating
• 1 1/2cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)
• 3/4cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1/2teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4teaspoon table salt plus 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2cup dark corn syrup (see note)
• 1large egg white
• 1teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter , softened (70 degrees)
• 1/3cup packed dark brown sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces, see note)
• 4ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (see note)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Place ½ cup granulated sugar in shallow baking dish or pie plate. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl. Whisk corn syrup, egg white, and vanilla together in small bowl.
2. 2. In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, add corn syrup mixture, and beat until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping bowl once with rubber spatula. With mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture and chopped chocolate; mix until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl once. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no pockets of flour remain at bottom. Chill dough 30 minutes to firm slightly
   (do not chill longer than 30 minutes).
3. 3. Divide dough into 16 equal portions; roll between hands into balls about 11/2 inches in diameter. Working in batches, drop 8 dough balls into baking dish with sugar and toss to coat. Set dough balls on prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart; repeat with second batch of 8. Bake, reversing position of the baking sheets halfway through baking (from top to bottom and front to back), until cookies are puffed and cracked and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), 10 to 11 minutes. Do not overbake.
4. 4. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes, then use wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire rack; cool cookies to room temperature.

Cuatro Leches Cake

This week I have not been feeling well and wanted some comfort food. Well, I HAD to make this once I saw this recipe. The only problem was that I was exhausted (from not feeling well) by the time I was done baking the cake...and I was hungry. So we simply ate the cake (never made it to the glaze or frosting). I have to tell you...it was amazing. I am dying to try this again and finish the recipe. I love Sara Kate's blog. She always has the most beautiful and tasty recipes. She has a Harvest Cake with goat cheese frosting that I am looking forward to making this fall too!  The blog also features these really creative kitchen setups in small spaces. You will have to check it out some time.

Cuatro Leches Cake
makes one double-layer 9-inch cake

For the cake:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar, divided
4 large eggs, separated
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the leche glaze:
1 cup coconut mlk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the topping:
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 fresh coconut, flesh removed and shredded, about 1 cup

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Grease and flour a 9-inch x 2-inch round cake pan and line with a circle of parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Using either a stand mixer, electric mixer, or a wooden spoon, cream the butter and 3/4 cup of the sugar. Beat in the egg yolks until mixture is uniform in texture and pale yellow. Stir in the evaporated milk and vanilla until well-combined.

In another clean, dry bowl (if using a stand mixer you will need to use a clean bowl or transfer the egg mixture to a separate large mixing bowl) beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until glossy and stiff.

Fold in one third of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in one third of the dry mixture. Alternate in this manner until the ingredients are combined.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan. Bake 35-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the cake springs back when touched lightly across the middle. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes on a cooling rack then remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool completely.

Meanwhile, while the cake is baking, prepare the leche glaze. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat over medium until bubbling, stirring constantly. Remove the glaze from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

When the cake is cooled completely, slice it horizontally into 2 even layers. Place each layer on a large plate and spoon the leche sauce evenly over the cake layers, 1/4 cup at a time, waiting about 5 minutes between pours to allow the cake to absorb the glaze. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight if possible.

When layers are chilled, prepare the topping. In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream, sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.

Assemble the cake by carefully peeling each layer off their respective plates. Place three strips of parchment in a triangle on a cake platter. The triangle should be large enough for the cake to rest on top without sections of the plate showing between the cake and the parchment. Place the original bottom layer, cut side up, on a cake platter. Using an offset spatula or a wide knife, spread a thin layer of the topping across the cut side. Then dump about a cup of topping in the middle and spread evenly across the top right up to the sides. Carefully place the second layer, cut side down, on top and top the rest of the cake with the remaining topping, pushing the cream across the top and down the sides.

Decorate the tops and or side of the cake with the shaved coconut, pressing it carefully into the topping.

Carefully pull away the parchment strips, leaving a clean plate.

• Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan
• October 6, 2011 05:30PM

Our cake and my helper.