My First Daring Baker Challenge!!

My first challenge as a "Daring Baker" was "Nananimo Bars"!

What???

Yup, I had never heard of them either! It is pronounced "Na-Ni-Mo".

They are a Canadian confection, that according to Wikipedia (my source for all important information, NOT!) originated in Ladysmith south of Nanaimo in the early 1950s. A local housewife from Cowichan Bay, by the name of Mabel Jenkins, submitted the recipe to the annual Ladysmith and Cowichan Womens Institute Cookbook.

The Nanaimo Bar is a no-bake chocolate-based bar cookie. It is named after the West-Coast city of Nanaimo, British Columbia. It consists of a graham cracker crumb-base enhanced with nuts and coconut then topped by a layer of light vanilla or custard flavored butter cream icing, which is then covered in chocolate made from melted chocolate squares.

Now that may seem really simple to most people who have made Magic Cookie Bars. HOWEVER, this is where the "challenge" part comes in to play. You HAD to make your own Graham Crackers!!! The other part, was to try and make the crackers gluten-free. I chose not do that because of the expense of all the different flours one would need to buy. But I did buy graham flour at AJ's.

Oh my goodness! I loved making the crackers. I learned so much! The butter has to be frozen, the dough well chilled. Parchment or wax paper was a must when rolling them out, and then you HAD to chill them again before baking. But the most important thing was...they tasted FABULOUS...and they made the best graham cracker crumbs I have ever had. I will make a couple of batches of these from now on, and process them into crumbs, whenever I need a graham cracker crust! Big Big difference!

Graham Crackers by Nancy Silverton’s Pastries from the La Brea

Makes 48 2-inch squares

Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350°F.

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (I used half AP and half graham flour)

1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt

7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen

1/3 cup mild-flavored honey, such as clover

5 tablespoons milk, full-fat is best

2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Make the dough: Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate.

Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.

Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it, and then chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

Roll out the crackers: Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8“ thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut the strip every 4 1/2 inches to make 4 crackers.

Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge or 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. Repeat with the second batch of dough. Finally, gather any scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and re-roll.

Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Truth be told. I burnt a batch...no, I didn't take a picture of that! But fortunately, Doug will eat most anything I make. Sooo....after the crackers are cooled, pulse in food processor to make lots of crumbs. You can freeze them in a tupperware at this point for quite a while.

The hardest part about making the bars, was the fact that I couldn't find the English product; Bird's Custard Powder. All the other Daring Baker's in Tucson must have cleaned World Market out of their supply. So I had to substitute with Dr. Oetker Original Vanilla Pudding. Basically, it seems to be cornstarch and flavoring??? Anyway, this worked well for me!

 

Nanaimo Bars

Bottom Layer

1/2 cup Unsalted Butter

1/4 cup Granulated Sugar

5 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa

1 Large Egg, Beaten

1 1/4 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs

1/2 cup Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped)

1 cup Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened)

Middle Layer

1/2 cup  Unsalted Butter

2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons Heavy Cream

2 tablespoons Vanilla Custard Powder (Such as Bird’s)

2 cups Powdered Sugar

Top Layer

4 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate

2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter

Directions:

1. For bottom Layer: Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.

2. For Middle Layer: Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light in colour. Spread over bottom layer.

3. For Top Layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.

Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bars

After reading the Daring Baker blog, with all the other baker's ideas (so many incredible variations for inspiration), I came up with my own version of a Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bar...It was a hit at our quilt class...sort of like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookie.

The peanut butter version was simple! In the cookie base I substituted peanuts for the almonds, and rice krispees for the coconut. Next time, I think I will cut back on the butter just a bit.. For the creme filling in the middle, I substituted peanut butter for the butter. I also added extra custard powder just to make sure it was stiff enough. And for the chocolate top, I substituted peanut butter for the butter! They were a big hit!

This has made me hungry...I think I will go make some more!

Coffee Cake for a Concrete Monday

We had the concrete for our new front porch poured today...got up at 0 dark 30...

........so I decided to make coffee cake.

Since the kids aren't really around much anymore, I am learning to make my recipes smaller. This coffee cake recipe fits in a nice 8"x8" pan. I like to line it with parchment paper...then I can pull it out of the pan easily

It has a lovely homemade raspberry filling...

and then a sprinkling of streusel....

Then you dollop the remaining dough on top and spread it around a bit...

Now, generously sprinkle the remaining streusel all over the top!

and, as my son use to say..."DAAHHLICIOUS!"

I forgot to take a picture before Doug started eating it!

Cathy’s Basic Coffee Cake Recipe
First, you make the Fruit Filling:

2 cups raspberries and or sliced strawberries

(Any fruit like this will make a good filling)

½ cup sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

¼ cup cold water

Bring fruit, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil. Boil for at least 3 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in the water and pour mixture into boiling fruit. Stir until mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat and let cool. Store filling in the refrigerator, in an air tight container for up to a month.

Next prepare Streusel Topping:

¼ cup butter

½ cup flour

½ cup brown sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 cup chopped pecans

Cut butter into flour. Mix in sugar cinnamon, nutmeg, and pecans. Set aside.

Now make the Coffee Cake Batter:

¼ cup butter, softened

½ cup sugar

1 large egg

½ cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

½ cup fruit filling

Cream together butter and sugar; beat in egg, sour cream, vanilla.

Dump in flour, b-powder, and soda, and beat until just incorporated. Finish mixing with rubber spatula. Spread half of batter into bottom of greased and lined 8” square pan. (Line the pan with parchment paper, and let the paper hang over two sides. This will make it easier to remove the cake from the pan.) Top with about ½ cup or so, of the fruit filling. Dollop and spread the remaining batter over the fruit filling. There will be gaps. Sprinkle streusel topping over all. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

"Father-in-Law house"? or "Bobcat Bungalow"?

I had just said to my Dad last night that I hadn't seen our bobcat in a while! Well, Mr. Bobcat has taken up residence in the kids old tree house or as we affectionately refer to it, "The Father-in-Law House". Doug was actually going to tear it down soon, but now we can't! We'll just have to let it fall down on it's own!

Having one javelina of a day!

Big Pig Papa just rootin' around by the bird feed!

Baby and young adult looking for a way for baby to get over the wall!

Two little pigs...looking for the third little pig???...well, maybe??!

My Mom, Cookies, and Cream Cheese Frosting

Mom and I are always brainstorming ideas for cooking and entertaining. We do some of our best thinking in the car on our way to some fun destination. Living in the Southwest, we were inspired to do a cookie rista on a pot shopping trip to Tubac. By "pot" I mean the legal kind...that hold plants, or just sit and look pretty. If you are ever in Southern Arizona, The Country Store in Tubac is the place to go! Anyway, now, one of the things I like to make each year for our Christmas party or any family fiesta, is a Chili Cookie Rista (c).

I asked my husband Doug, to cut a piece of 1/4" partical board into the shape of a rista to function as a tray. He sanded the edges for me and curved the sides...yeah, he is awesome!  I just cover it with foil or wrapping paper...whichever suits me at the time.

I make the cookies using a chili shaped cookie cutter (Ace Hardware has two sizes, I use the big one). Each one gets a good schmearing of red frosting. Then I use a decorating bag with a leaf tip and each cookie gets a green stem and a couple of leaves. It takes a little time, but it is so worth the effort! Over the years, with much trial and error, I have developed a pretty good recipe for sugar cookies. You don't even need frosting. But what really makes a sugar cookie great IS the frosting.

...and CREAM CHEESE FROSTING ROCKS! I think cream cheese frosting should be put on everything. Actually, I think cream cheese should be its own food group!

A little history; My mom taught me the joys of cream cheese frosting at a young age. Mom never gave us store-bought cookies...(we thought we were deprived...we were stupid...)the closest we came to store bought, were the Girl Scout Thin Mints mom ordered from me each year...then she would put them in the freezer thinking that would keep us from eating them! Ah! Have you ever had a frozen Thin Mint???...MARVELOUS! Anyway, I digress... if mom didn't have a batch of choco-chip cookies made, she would make my brother and me graham cracker cookies to put in our school lunches. Mom always had graham crackers on hand! She would take homemade cream cheese frosting and spread it between two whole graham crackers and then put it in a baggie. The cookie would get just a little soft as it sat in the bag all morning, next to our bologne sandwich with "the tangy zip" of Miracle Whip and half an apple. I would always eat my cookie first, just in case something happened; like if a game of dodgeball  or tag would get started before I had time to finish eating. Really, the saying should go: "School lunch is short, eat your cookie first!"

Cathy's Sugar Cookies

4 cups AP flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter

2/3 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

Sift together flour, b-powder, and salt. Beat butter, shortening, and sugar together until light and creamy. Add in eggs, vanilla, and almond extract; beat well. Add dry ingredients, and beat until well blended. If dough is too stiff, add in up to 2 tablespoons of milk. At this point you can freeze the dough in a freezer bag for up to a month.  Chill dough for at least 3 hours or overnight. Roll out dough on to lightly flour board. Cut into desired shapes. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Make about 6 dozen cookies.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz. package cream cheese

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2 teaspoons lemon juice

4 to 5 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla, almond extract, and lemon juice. Slowly add in powdered sugar,using as much as needed. Beat until light and fluffy.

The Daring Bakers

Well, I have been officially accepted as a "Daring Baker"! whoohoo You go to the Daring Kitchen Website http://thedaringkitchen.com/  and join either the Daring Bakers or the Daring Cooks. You can actually join both if you want. Then you have to wait until the next "challenge" recipe comes out and then they let you in...way to much fun. I just saw the challenge for January and am so excited. The only problem is, I can't tell you what it is until the 27th of the month. So stay tuned....