Recipes and article from the Detroit News
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130418/LIFESTYLE05/304180333/1463/LIFESTYLE05
Trail Mix
Trail Mix | Trail Mix, Biscotti Style
I like to eat trail mix while driving and hiking; however, I am destined to drop pieces in my lap and on the trail. As such, I decided to create a cookie that was secondarily a cookie and primarily a way to eat trail mix with one hand on the steering wheel or carrying a water bottle. You can use any favorite trail mix for this recipe. The biscotti-style bake gives the cookie a bit of crisp, although not as much as a true biscotti. My favorite trail mix has large pieces of almonds; yours may be completely different. In both cases, this light cookie satisfies in its supporting role.
Ingredients
Step 1:
½ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup brown sugar
Step 2:
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Step 3:
2¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt (a small amount of salt to taste since most trail mix is salted)
Step 4:
2½ cups trail mix
Baking Instructions
Step 1:
Cream butter and sugar.
Step 2:
Mix in eggs and vanilla.
Step 3:
Stir together and mix into above.
Step 4:
Stir into above.
Step 5:
Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
Shape into a loaf 10″ x 3″ x ¾”
Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes, until the dough begins to golden.
Cool for 30 minutes.
Slice with a large, sharp knife (to cleanly cut through nuts) into ½” sections so that each piece is ½” x 3″ x ¾”. For a biscotti appearance, slice at a diagonal. For a trail bar appearance, slice straight.
Lay each piece on its side on the cookie sheet.
Bake at 325° for 15-20 minutes, until golden.
Late Night Craving
Late Night Craving | Buttermilk, Maple Syrup, and Bacon.
Isn’t it strange how a brief thought about pancakes can become a true craving at the oddest hour? Late-Night Craving satisfies with both texture and flavor: pancakes and maple syrup with a chaser of bacon. You never know when the urge will strike, so freezing some scoops of cookie dough for baking anytime is a forward-thinking thing to do.
Prep: 8 large or 12 medium slices of bacon; cooked, drained, and cooled.
Ingredients
Step 1:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
Step 2:
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
½ cup buttermilk
Step 3:
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Step 4:
8-12 pieces of cooked bacon
Baking Instructions
Step 1:
Cream butter and sugar.
Step 2:
Mix in egg, maple syrup, and buttermilk.
Step 3:
Stir together and mix into above.
Step 4:
Crumble bacon and fold into the dough.
Scoop or drop rounded Tablespoon size cookies 2″ apart on a parchment lined or nonstick baking sheet.
Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes, or until bottoms are pancake gold.
Let sit for a couple of minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.
Craving more sweet? Top with either
Butter Frosting: 4 Tablespoons softened butter, 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup, 1 cup powdered sugar, mixed well.
Or
Cream Cheese Frosting: ¼ cup cream cheese, ¼ cup softened butter, 1 Tablespoon maple syrup, 1½ cups powdered sugar, mixed well.
Pesto
Pesto | Walnuts, Orange Zest, Parmesan, and Fresh Basil | Yield about 2 dozen.
Inspired by pesto I see on pizzas, pastas, and sandwiches, this cookie offers a familiar, savory flavor as it celebrates the cookie. Walnuts, orange zest, and Parmesan cheese add an interesting bit of flavor, and fresh basil finishes the cookie with a delicious closing taste. Refrigerated for a couple of hours or frozen for 30 minutes, the dough slices nicely and you can use a slice of basil leaf for decoration. The texture is between cookie and shortbread, a little dense and a little crumbly.
Ingredients
Step 1:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup sugar
Step 2:
2 large egg yolks
1 Tablespoon orange juice
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped fine
1 Tablespoons orange zest
Step 3:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup walnuts, chopped fine
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Step 4:
If desired, basil leaves for cookie decoration as shown in photo above
Baking Instructions
Step 1:
Cream butter and sugar.
Step 2:
Mix into above.
Step 3:
Stir together and mix into above.
Step 4:
Form dough into a 2″ log wrapped in parchment paper or waxed paper. Press log on counter so that it forms a rectangular shape rather than a round shape.
Freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate for 2 hours.
Slice dough ¼” thin.
Arrange slices on a parchment lined or nonstick baking sheet.
Use kitchen scissors or a knife to cut small decorative basil leaf, press onto cookie.
Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes, or until bottoms are a light golden brown.
Let sit for a couple of minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.
