Roasted Nuts With Cinnamon, Brown Sugar, and Sea Salt

Sweet.  Salty.  Crunchy.  Every craving satisfied with one bite.

The bonus?  It only takes minutes to put together. 

These nuts are both tasty and healthy....Unless you've been munching all day and are now facing an empty bowl.  Sigh......

Let's get cookin', good lookin'

Roasted Nuts With Cinnamon,

Brown Sugar, and Sea Salt

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2 1/2 cups nuts of your choice

6 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons water

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

 

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment, foil or Silpat. 

Place the nuts in a medium bowl.  The bowl is larger than it should be because you are going to need some mixing room.

Place the brown sugar in a microwaveable bowl.

Add the water.  Stir.  Microwave for 1 minute until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture turns to liquid.  I ♥ my microwave.  It s the perfect kitchen appliance for the hopelessly impatient.

Add cinnamon to the hot sugar syrup.  Stir.  Let cool 5 minutes.

Add vanilla to sugar syrup.  Stir.  Stop a moment....take a whiff....there is nothing better than a little cinnamon/vanilla aromatherapy. 

Pour the sugar syrup over the nuts and stir to coat evenly.

Spread nuts over cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with coarse sea salt. 

Bake for 40 minutes. Let cool.  Separate any nuts that stick together or just pop those clusters in your mouth when no one is looking.  Store in an airtight container.

Moravian Pumpkin Maple Tart

I like to call this one the Lazy Gal's Guide to Homemade Pumpkin Pie.

You can change the name to suit your gender.

My inspiration is not having to roll out pie dough.

The crust has just three ingredients:  cookies, butter and sugar.

Moravian cookies are super thin and crispy molasses spice cookies.  They are very popular in our neck of the woods.  Don't let their dainty appearance fool you.....they pack a big punch of spice.

I'm using a tart pan for this recipe..  It looks fancier than a pie. It is a holiday after all. 

Combine the cookie crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and mix together with a fork until all the crumbs are coated in buttery goodness.

Place the crumbs in to the tart pan.  Use a cup to press the crumbs evenly into the tart pan. 

Bake on a foil lined cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. The foil will catch any escaping butter and clean up will be a breeze.  Told you this was a lazy recipe.   Cool the crust.   

For the filling:

Place pumpkin puree, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and maple syrup into a sauce pan. Stir.  Cook over medium/low heat for 10 minutes.  The heat will intensify the pumpkin and maple flavors.  It will smell divine.  

Don't be tempted to take a taste of the hot pumpkin.  You will get a blistered tongue..... plus you will talk funny.....and your mother will think you've been sipping too much wine during meal preparation.

Let the pumpkin cool.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.   Whisk some eggs in a medium bowl.  Add cream and flour. The flour binds the filling together and helps prevent the eggs from overcooking.  Overcooking causes cracks. 

Whisk in the cooled pumpkin.  Pour into tart crust and bake for 40 minutes.

The tart will be firm around the edges but jiggly in the middle.  It will continue to set as it cools.

Chill the tart for at least an hour. 

Serve with whipped cream and a smile....because you pulled off Thanksgiving dessert like a pro.

Moravian Pumpkin Maple Tart

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2 cups Moravian cookie crumbs*

1/4 cup sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs (room temperature)

1 cup heavy cream

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter and press into the bottom and up the sides of a 10 inch tart pan.  Bake for 10 minutes.
• Place pumpkin, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt in a medium saucepan.  Simmer over medium/low heat for 10 minutes. Cool.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until fluffy.  Whisk cream and flour into eggs.  Add to cooled pumpkin mixture.  Pour filling into crust and bake for 40 minutes.  Cool to room temperature then refrigerate for 1 hour.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Roll

Chocolate and peanut butter.

Never has there been a greater food combination. 

Here is a simple dessert for Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Roll.  It will look like you put a lot of effort into creating it.  You can add to the illusion by calling it something fancy and French....like chocolate peanut butter roulade.

It is perfect for Thanksgiving when everyone else is bringing pumpkin pie for dessert.  You will stand out and be extraordinary. 

Or save it for a yuletide dessert and call it chocolate peanut butter buche de noel. 

Let's get baking.

Sift together cake flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

Whip up some eggs and sugar until fluffy. Add a little vegetable oil for moistness and vanilla for flavor.   

Mix the dry ingredents with the wet ingredents and be forewarned:  the batter is very thin.  

Bake the cake for 12-15 minutes.  It will be poofy and cake-like.

Let the cake cool.  You can make the peanut butter filling/frosting while you wait. 

If you take anything from this recipe....for the love of God....take this frosting recipe with you.....it is creamy and silky and chock full of peanut butter.......it only takes 30 seconds......it is wickedly good.

Place some cream cheese, unsalted butter, peanut butter, confectioner sugar and a big dose of vanilla into a food processor. 

Pulse.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Pulse.  That's it! Isn't it dreamy?  Spread some frosting over the cake leaving a 1 inch border around the edges.

Roll the cake into a log.  Use the parchment paper as a guide.

Wrap the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.  If you are in a hurry, freeze it for 20 minutes.  You want the frosting to be cold for easier slicing.

To put this dessert in the over-the-top category.....pipe some rosettes on the top.....

Quarter a few peanut butter cups that you swiped from your child's Halloween stash....and garnish. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Roll

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non-stick baking spray

4 eggs at room temperature

3/4 cup cake flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

6 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick baking spray.
• In a large bowl whip the eggs with a mixer until double in volume (about 4 minutes).
• In the meantime, stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Slowly add sugar to the eggs. Whip until incorporated (about 2 minutes).
• Add oil and vanilla and mix until combined.
• Add dry ingredients to the eggs and mix until combined.
• Pour batter into jelly roll pan and bake 12-15 minutes or until the cake roll springs back to the touch. Cool.

Peanut Butter Frosting/Filling

8 oz. Cream Cheese, at room temperature

12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1 Tablespoon vanilla

3 cups confectioner sugar

1-2 peanut butter cups, quartered for garnish (optional)

• Place cream cheese, butter, peanut butter, vanilla, and confectioner sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Process for 20 seconds. Scrape down the side of the bowl with a spoon. Process for 5 seconds more until smooth.