It’s a little bit less my favorite this year, though, because I despise both teams playing in the Super Bowl. Can both teams in the Super Bowl lose? There’s a first for everything, right?

Anyway, I’ll still be stuffing my face with party foods – maybe even more than usual since I won’t be watching the game.

I knew I wanted to make something sweet (duh) featuring beer (yes!) for our upcoming Super Bowl gathering with friends. At first I thought cupcakes, but then I thought cupcakes are kinda prissy for football. Plus I’ve already made Guiness and Bailey’s Irish Cream cupcakes that I’m pretty sure can’t be topped.

So then my thoughts turned to cookies. And caramel. (Still obsessed.) And let’s see… what goes with beer? Pretzels.

All in one cookie? Sure, why not! It’s the Super Bowl, after all.

(Sorry to spoil the surprise, Super Bowl friends.)

These cookies are an addictive pairing of salty and sweet that I love love love. I used a double chocolate stout to make the chocolate cookies and they are indeed very chocolatey. But I didn’t stop there. Nope.

I topped those soft cake-like cookies with a luscious salted caramel frosting and some crushed salty pretzels.

Oh.
My.
Goodness.

It’s a salty and sweet, crunchy and soft match made in heaven.

With beer, pretzels, caramel and chocolate, these unfussy, easy-to-make cookies were born for the starting line-up at your Super Bowl party.

Chocolate Stout Cookies with Salted Caramel Frosting & Pretzels

Printable Recipe
Adapted from Butter Me Up Brooklyn
Makes about 2 dozen 3-inch cookies

I used Snyder’s Butter Snaps pretzels because they’re my favorite. After trying it two different ways, I discovered it’s best to dip the frosted cookies into the crushed pretzels – that way you pick up more of the salty pretzel flavor on the cookies.

And don’t worry, the salted caramel frosting is really easy to make! It doesn’t even require a mixer.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon dark cocoa (such as Hershey’s Dark Cocoa)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
6 ounces stout beer (such as Young’s Double Chocolate Stout or Guinness)
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

1 batch Easy Salted Caramel Frosting (below)
1 bag of salted pretzels

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powders, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

Beat butter with sugars with a mixer using the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and egg and beat to combine. With the mixer on low, add flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the beer. Beat just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips with a spatula.

Chill dough in the fridge for about 15 minutes, or until firm enough to scoop.

Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350°F for 15-17 minutes or until tops spring back lightly when touched. Cool on pan for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire wrack to cool completely.

To Assemble
Crush pretzels into small pieces in a plastic storage bag using your hands, or with a food processor. Spread pretzel crumbs out in a pie plate or on a small baking sheet.

Only frost cookies once they have cooled completely. Working with warm frosting still in the pan, spread frosting on a few cookies at a time. Dip each cookie frosting side down in the pretzel crumbs, pushing lightly to make sure they stick. Frosting will dry as it cools, so work with only a few cookies for best results.

Easy Salted Caramel Frosting

Printable Recipe
Adapted from Betty Crocker

The trick with this frosting is to not add too much powdered sugar or it will be thick, stiff, and too sweet. Add only as much as you need to make it spreadable without being runny. Leave the frosting in the warm pan as you frost the cookies to make it easier to spread. It will set up as it cools.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
pinch of salt
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup + up to 4 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, salt and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil unstirred for 1-2 minutes.

Remove from heat and immediately whisk in cream. (Careful! Hot caramel may spatter.) Whisk in vanilla. Cool 5-10 minutes, then stir in 1 cup powdered sugar. Whisk briskly to smooth out any lumps. If needed, add powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time (up to 4 tablespoons), whisking briskly between each addition, until frosting is firm enough that the whisk tracks don’t sink all the way back into the frosting.

Spread frosting over cooled cookies. (See instructions above.)

Cheese puffs, called gougères if you want to be all fancy and French about it, are just as easy to make as sweet pate a choux. Melt some butter, stir in some flour, eggs and cheese, and voilà! Cheese puffs.

A lot of recipes call for piping the dough into mounds before baking, but thanks to baking genius Dorie Greenspan I know of a shortcut – use a cookie scoop! No piping bag mess, which makes these easy puffs even easier to bake.

While you can use a variety of different hard cheeses to make cheese puffs, I opted to use asiago because it’s one of my favorites. Let me tell you, once these heavenly cheesy bites started baking my house smelled AMAZING. And once out of the oven, they reminded me of a lighter version of the asiago bagels I like to get from a certain bakery chain whose name starts with a “P” and ends with “anera”.

The cheese puffs are crisp on the outside and a bit creamy / chewy on the inside, making them delightful to eat on their own. They’re great for pairing with soups and salads, too.

If you’re entertaining you can step it up a notch: bake larger cheese puffs, slice them in half and stuff with deli meat, lettuce, a smear of spicy mustard and maybe an extra thin slice of asiago. In no time you’ll have mini sandwich sliders – which I happen to think would make excellent Super Bowl food.

Just sayin’.

Asiago Cheese Puffs

Adapted from David Lebovitz
Makes about 18-20 golfball-sized puffs

Any pate a choux puffs are best enjoyed warm within a few hours of baking. They lose their crisp exterior when stored. According to baking genius Dorie Greenspan, you can make and scoop/pipe your puffs ahead of time, freeze, and then bake straight from the freezer when ready to serve. Cheese puffs can also be re-crisped in a 325F oven for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Ingredients

1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons butter, unsalted
1/4 teaspoon salt
big pinch of chili powder
1/2 cup AP flour
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons minced fresh chives
3/4 cup grated asiago cheese, divided

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.

Heat water, butter, salt and chili powder in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. As soon as the butter has melted, using a spatula, stir in the flour all at once until a thick paste-like dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove from heat. Cool for 2 minutes.

Briskly beat the eggs in one at a time, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next, until dough is smooth and shiny. Dough may look lumpy at first – keep stirring and it will smooth out.

Set aside about 1/4 of the grated asiago. Add the remaining cheese and chives to the pate a choux dough and stir until well-mixed.

Place tablespoon-sized mounds of dough on the prepared baking sheet, evenly-spaced about 1 inch apart. (Use a 2 TBS cookie scoop to make bigger puffs for mini sandwiches.) With a wet finger, smooth down any peaks on the mounds of dough. Sprinkle each mound of dough with a little bit of the reserved cheese.

Bake puffs at 425°F for 10 minutes, then turn oven down to 375°F and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, checking after 15 minutes, until puffs are golden brown all around.

Serve immediately. Alternately, store in an airtight container at room temperature and re-crisp in a 325°F oven for 5-10 minutes before serving.

New years often mean new beginnings. We reflect on the previous year and make resolutions to become new, better versions of ourselves going forward.

It’s in the spirit of new beginnings that I’d like to announce that The Craving Chronicles will be turning over a new “leaf” on 2012: all vegetable recipes, all the time. I’m giving up sugar. No more cakes, cookies or chocolates. Just veggies.

Oh, don’t panic. I’m just kidding! Like I could ever give up sugar. Or chocolate? I mean, really. It’s like you don’t even know me.

(Don’t get me wrong. I love vegetables. But let’s be honest, none of you are coming here for vegetable recipes.)

I’m afraid this recipe is a bit late. I was hoping to share it with you earlier, but then I was striken with the plague. (I got better.) I suppose we’re all done with and over the holiday flavors and egg nog by now but I wanted to share this recipe with you anyway, before it gets lost in my archives, because it’s both easy and delicious.

The bread pudding tastes like a cross between french toast and a lightly spiced gingerbread. It’s fine alone, but paired with the eggnog sauce I wanted to lick all the creamy spiced goodness off my plate.

Gingerbread Bread Pudding with Eggnog Bourbon Sauce is packed with holiday flavors, making it an ideal sweet ending to your big family feast. It can also double as a holiday breakfast treat because it’s somewhat like french toast!

Gingerbread Bread Pudding

Serves 4-6

My favorite way to eat this was with warm bread pudding and chilled egg nog sauce, for that irresistible hot and cold combination. This bread pudding could also be made in individual ramekins for cuter presentation – just shorten the baking time appropriately.

Ingredients

10 slices thin-sliced cinnamon raisin bread
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash allspice
dash cloves
1 teaspoon ginger
1 large egg
2 egg yolks

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 1 1/2 quart baking dish with butter or baking spray.

Lay cinnamon raison bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes, watching carefully, until bread is lightly toasted. Remove from oven.

While bread cools, in a large bowl whisk together remaining ingredient, milk through egg yolks.

Slice toasted bread into roughly 1-inch cubes. Toss toasted bread cubes in milk mixture, making sure to coat all the bread. Dump soaked bread and any remaining liquid into prepared baking dish. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, or until set.

Serve warm topped with Bourbon Egg Nog Sauce.

Bourbon Egg Nog Sauce

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Egg nog
2 egg yolks
1 to 2 Tablespoons bourbon
dash of cinnamon (optional)

Directions

In a medium saucepan, whisk eggnog and egg yolks combine. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until thickened, 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in bourbon and cinnamon to taste.

Serve warm, or chilled for a thicker sauce.

I wanted a cookie packed with the maximum amount of chocolate allowed by law. I wanted a cookie so rich and fudgy I would be satisfied with one, but would eat two anyway because they’re that good.

I baked these cookies to share with friends and family. I love making people happy through baked goods, but I’ve got to be honest here – I immediately regretted giving them all away. I should have kept them all for myself! Fortunately they’re easy to make and believe me, I have plans to make more very soon.

The name says it all. Fudgy Triple Chocolate Bliss Cookies. Here’s some math for you:

Melted chocolate
+ 2 kinds of cocoa powder
+ chocolate chips
= a chocolate overdose in the best possible way.

They’re a little chewy on the outside, but the inside stays dark and moist, almost like brownie batter.

These cookies are so packed with chocolate they probably should be illegal. Lucky for you, they’re not!

Fudgy Triple Chocolate Bliss Cookies

Adapted from Leela Cyd
Makes about 24 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder (such as Hershey’s Special Dark)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (such as Ghirardelli 60% chips)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, cocoa powders, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.

In a small saucepan, melt butter and chopped bittersweet chocolate over low heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs and sugar at medium speed until light yellow in color and satiny, about 3-4 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour in chocolate mixture and mix until well combined. Add flour mixture and beat on low just until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips by hand with a spatula.

Scoop out dough with a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop and place 2-inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake at 325°F for 12 – 13 minutes. (The outside will be set but the centers should still be soft and slightly under-baked.) Cool on baking sheet for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container. Best enjoyed within one week.

My family decided to do mini desserts for Thanksgiving this year. I highly recommend this approach to holiday desserts. Everyone is always so stuffed after dinner they can barely choke down a whole slice of pie, let alone two. But mini desserts? Somehow everyone managed to find room for two or four of those.

Especially these bite-sized cranberry caramel filled shortbreads topped with chocolate ganache. I’ll give you a minute to really take all that in.

I took this amazing sweet tart cranberry caramel, …

dolloped it into crunchy, salty chocolate shortbread shells, and then topped it all off with a rich, creamy, decadent dark chocolate ganache.

If your mouth isn’t crying for one of these right now, you should probably see a doctor ASAP.

I know it probably sounds like I think everything I make is the Best Thing Ever, but these mini tarts are now near the top of my favorites list. They’re so good, my family advised me to quit my day job and open a bakery. I highly recommend you make some of these for your next holiday gathering.

Mini Cranberry Caramel & Dark Chocolate Cookie Tarts

Printable Recipe
Makes 24 or more bite-sized tarts

I had some trouble figuring out the best way to get these tarts out of the pan. Baking spray in my first, slightly less non-stick pan yielded some stuck shells that broke when I tried to get them out. Generously buttering my other very non-stick pan the second time had the shells pop right out, but left them somewhat crumble-y around the top. Whatever you do, generously grease your pan. If you have a mini cheesecake pan with removable bottoms, that would probably work best.

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus 3 tablespoons
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder plus 1 tablespoon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
15 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3/4-inch cubes, at room temperature

1/2 to 3/4 cup Cranberry Vanilla Bean Caramel

1/2 heaping cup bittersweet chocolate chips, such as Ghirardelli 60% Bittersweet Chips
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions

Prepare the Cranberry Vanilla Bean Caramel according to directions. Chill. Can be done up to a week ahead.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter or coat with baking spray one 24-cup mini muffin tin, two 12-cup mini muffin tins, or a mini cheesecake pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add sugar, flour, cocoa powders, baking soda and salt. With the paddle attachment, mix on low speed (with a towel over the mixer to keep the dust down) until combined. With the mixer is running on low, add butter a few pieces at a time, waiting a moment after each addition. Once all butter is added, continue to beat until sandy mixture gathers into a ball of dough.

Dump the dough out onto a floured or parchment/wax paper covered counter. Using your hands, form dough into a roughly 5 x 7-inch block. Cut block in half. Working with one half at a time, roll out dough to between 1/6 and 1/8 inch thickness. Using a 2-inch round cookie / biscuit cutter (or one slightly larger than your muffin tin cups), cut out rounds of dough. Gently place each dough round into a cup in the prepared muffin tin(s), folding over dough and smoothing sides as needed to form a shell. Gather scraps, re-roll, and cut out more circles just once. Using a small fork, lightly prick the dough at the bottom of each shell to prevent it from puffing up too much.

Bake at 350ºF for 12 minutes. Remove from oven, cool 1 minute. While tart shells are still hot, use the bottom of a slender glass (I used a shot glass) or the handle of a wooden spoon to reshape the hollow space in the shells for maximum filling space. Cool to room temperature.

With the tart shells still in the pan, spoon about 1 teaspoon of previously prepared cranberry caramel into each cup. Chill until caramel firms up. (You can speed this up by popping the whole thing in the freezer for 15-30 minutes.)

While caramel chills, make ganache. Warm chocolate chips and heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently, until a smooth chocolate ganache forms. Remove from heat and cool for about 5 minutes.

Place a dollop of warm (not hot) ganache on top of each filled tart. Chill until ganache is firm. Tap pan upside-down to release tarts.

Refrigerate tarts until ready to serve. Can be assembled 1-2 days ahead and kept refrigerated. The tarts can be enjoyed straight out of the fridge, but are best when set out at room temperature for about an hour before serving.

I can’t stop making and eating caramel this fall. On cupcakes. With pudding. In my morning breakfast yogurt. With my fingers. (What?)

In the last recipe I mentioned that I made cranberry caramel, but I think it got a little outshined by the pumpkin pie pudding. So I decided to feature the caramel on it’s own because, you guys – this stuff is amazing. Life changing. Soul saving. Heavens open up and sing when you taste it. It’s that good.

I know it’s the day before Thanksgiving and you already have a million things to make between today and tomorrow, but if you find yourself with a spare hour or so, make this cranberry caramel. It’s sweet and tart. Flecked with vanilla bean. It has so many layers of flavor and it tastes great on almost anything. If it was legal, I would run off to Vegas and marry it. (Sorry, husband.)

This caramel is extremely versatile because i’s firm, yet soft and spoonable straight out of the fridge, making it a perfect topping for cold desserts (like pumpkin pie pudding). Warmed, it would be fantastic drizzled over pumpkin or pecan pie, or just plain vanilla ice cream.

Or if you come back next week I’ll give you another recipe you can use it for. One with chocolate.

That is, if you don’t eat it all with a spoon first.

Cranberry Vanilla Bean Caramel

Adapted from Annie’s Eats
Makes about 1 1/4 cups

A word of caution: Making caramel is tricky. Have patience and have all of your ingredients ready to go. Caramel also gets very, very hot. Much hotter than boiling water. It will spatter, so be careful. Wear long sleeves, use a deep pan or pot, and do not try to taste the hot caramel no matter how much you want to! David Lebovitz has some great tips for making caramel.

Ingredients

1/2 vanilla bean
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup fresh cranberries, chopped

Directions

Split vanilla bean, scrape seeds into cream. Chop cranberries. Set aside.

Cook sugar in a deep saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a spatula until sugar has melted. Once melted, STOP stirring. Continue to cook sugar until it is deep amber in color and smells caramelized. Remove from heat and immediately add cream. (Caution: Sugar will bubble violently, be careful!) Sugar will likely sieze and harden at this point. Place back over med-low heat and stir occasionally until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

Add chopped fresh cranberries. Return to low heat (do not boil) and cook, stirring frequently, until caramel darkens and tastes slightly tart from cranberries, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat, cool 5 minutes. Use as is with cranberries, or strain through a mesh sieve for a smooth caramel. Use immediately or store in a covered, heat-proof container in refrigerator. Keeps for several weeks.

I haven’t had much time to do fall baking this year which makes me sad, because fall flavors are my favorite. Thinking this might be my only chance to make anything with fall flavors before Thanksgiving, I reasoned that I should make something with ALL of the fall flavors. Pumpkin. Ginger. Cinnamon. Caramel. Cranberry. Apple. Cloves. Pecans. Pears. All of it.

Crazy, I know.

The good news is that I did manage to cram most of those flavors into one little glass. The bad news is that I had to leave a few of them out and that it took a few tries to get it right. If you think I’m some sort of sugary genius, you should know that my first attempt was a spectacularly gross failure. The gingersnaps and pumpkin pie pudding came together brilliantly, but the cranberry caramel was a mess. Literally. It was too sweet, too fruity and too runny, and when layered on top of the silky pumpkin pudding it turned the whole thing into a cracked, soggy, gelatinous blob that resembled organs (according to my husband). Ew.

Lucky for you I have stubborn Irish/Scottish genes and I don’t give up easily. As I was staring bleakly into the fridge at my Failure Caramel, my eye fell on a different jar full of golden, delicious caramel – the same vanilla bean caramel from my Caramel Apple Pie Cupcakes. (Side note: that caramel lasts practically forever in the fridge.) It’s got a great, rich caramel flavor and more importantly it stays creamy even when cold – ideal for pairing with pudding. All it took was heating that caramel and steeping some fresh cranberries in it to create my new favorite thing ever – creamy, rich, slightly tart cranberry caramel. I couldn’t stop tasting it.

Even better, it didn’t even turn my pudding into an organ-like mess overnight. Served with a dollop of barely sweetened whipped cream and some cranberries tossed in sugar, this dessert is all of my most favorite fall flavors in one little glass. Heaven.

Pumpkin Pie Pudding with Crushed Gingersnaps
and Cranberry Caramel

Adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes roughly 4 6-ounce servings

I wanted this dessert to have layers of flavor, but honestly, the pumpkin pie pudding is good enough to stand on it own. To make the sugared cranberries, I tossed slightly damp cranberries in granulated sugar until coated.

NOTE: This is definitely a make ahead dessert. Plan to make this at least one day ahead of when you will be serving it.

Ingredients

12 gingersnaps, crushed

1/4 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup half-and-half
2 large egg yolks
1/2 tablespoon molasses
pinch of salt
1/4 cup boiling water
1/4 cup Pumpkin Puree
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch cloves
pinch allspice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Cranberry Caramel Ingredients

1/2 cup vanilla bean caramel sauce (below)
1/4 cup (heaping) fresh cranberries, roughly chopped

Whipped Cream Ingredients

1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

DO AHEAD

Break gingersnaps into large pieces with your hands and place into food processor. Pulse until crushed into fine crumbs, pea-size or smaller. Divide evenly among 4 6-ounce or 7-ounce ramekins or glasses. Set aside.

Whisk together brown sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Over low heat, add milk, cream, egg yolks, molasses, and salt. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture starts to thicken. Slowly pour in boiling water while whisking. Stir in pumpkin puree. Continue cooking while whisking until very thick. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. (For the smoothest pudding, pour pudding through a fine mesh strainer at this point.) Spoon pudding over gingersnap crumbs in prepared ramekins / glasses. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Make the vanilla bean caramel sauce (below) for the Cranberry Caramel and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

TO SERVE

Once pudding is cool and set, and vanilla bean caramel has cooled, make the cranberry caramel. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine 1/2 cup vanilla bean caramel sauce and chopped fresh cranberries. Continue to cook over low heat (do not boil), stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes or until caramel darkens and you can taste the cranberry flavor in the caramel. (Careful – it’s hot!) Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. Strain caramel into a small bowl, pressing on cranberries to extract all flavor. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until cool but still stirrable. (If it gets too stiff, pop it in the microwave for 8-10 seconds on High until it’s stirrable but NOT hot.) Gently spoon cool Cranberry Caramel over chilled puddings. Can be served immediately or refrigerated overnight.

Just before serving, top with barely sweetened whipped cream (if desired): combine heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a mixer and beat on high with whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Toss damp whole, fresh cranberries in granulated sugar for garnish.

Vanilla Bean Caramel Sauce

Printable Recipe
Adapted from Annie’s Eats
Makes 2 1/2 cups

A word of caution: Making caramel is tricky. Have patience and have all of your ingredients ready to go. Caramel also gets very, very hot. Much hotter than boiling water. It will spatter, so be careful. Wear long sleeves, use a deep pan or pot, and do not try to taste the hot caramel no matter how much you want to! David Lebovitz has some great tips for making caramel.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Directions

Measure heavy cream in a measuring cup. Scrape out vanilla bean seeds and add to cream. Set aside.

Spread sugar in an even layer on the bottom of a heavy, tall-sided sauce pan or pot. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring gently with a heat-proof spatula or whisk to promote even browning, until sugar melts. Once the sugar melts, stop stirring.

Watch carefully. When the caramel turns a rich amber color and smells like caramel, remove from heat and immediately whisk in cream. (Caution: Caramel will bubble violently!) If any sugar has hardened, return to low heat and whisk until smooth.

Cool to room temperature. To store or make ahead, transfer to an air-tight container and keep refrigerated. Caramel can be re-warmed in microwave or in a saucepan over low heat, if needed.

New York was gorgeous. Positively glowing with fall colors.

We spent our days hiking to plunging, splashing, cascading waterfalls and the evenings dining on the culinary gems of the Finger Lakes region. We ate so much good food – wines, cheeses, waffles with peanut butter and banana, brie stuffed French toast, and more. But my favorite meal of them all was at the place I least expected: Moosewood. Don’t get me wrong – I had heard Moosewood has excellent food, but I had also heard that they were all about healthy, natural, vegetarian foods. I’m not opposed to any of those things. They just aren’t really words that get my mouth watering in anticipation, you know? However, the hype intrigued me so I decided we should check it out anyway.

I am so glad we did. I loved everything I ate that night, from the tea to the roasted dumpling squash. In fact, I loved it so much I asked for the recipes right then and there and then bought two of their cookbooks as soon as I got home. Who knew vegetables could taste so fantastic?

The tea. Wow. That chilly night there were several really good sounding drinks on the menu but when my husband noticed the ginger tea, I just had to have it. It was sweet and citrus-y with a warm, slightly spicy finish from the ginger. At the first sip I immediately I knew I would need the recipe to make at home again and again.

Once we got back home to Virginia, I thought I would have a few more weeks before the weather really cooled enough to try making ginger tea. I mean, it was still nearly 70 degrees during the day.

And then it snowed. Wait, what?

Yeah, that happened. Snow. In Virginia. In October. The only way I was going to get through this was with some ginger tea.

To my delight, Moosewood’s Ginger Orange Tea is utterly simple to make and takes only slightly longer than steeping a regular tea bag. This tea is packed with vitamin C and flavor, making it perfect for whenever you’re feeling under the weather. It can be served chilled over ice, which mellows the flavors some, but I prefer to enjoy it piping hot next to a window with a view on a snowy day.

Ginger Orange Tea

Adapted from The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health Cookbook
Serves 4

Fresh ginger can be found in the produce section of most grocery stores. While fresh squeezed orange juice is ideal, I took the lazy way out and used store bought, not from concentrate, 100% orange juice. After some experimenting, I discovered ginger is best grated with the large holes of a box grater, but a microplane zester can be used in a pinch.

Ingredients

2 heaping tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
2 cups water
2 cups fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons honey, to taste

Directions

Place water and grated ginger in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Steep for at least 5 minutes. Strain tea with a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the ginger with the back of a spoon to squeeze out all the liquid. Return tea to pot. Stir in orange juice, lemon juice, and honey. Reheat to serve warm, or chill to serve over ice.

I only discovered I even liked butternut squash two years ago. I had never tried it before. Since then though, I’ve eagerly looked forward to roasting the slightly sweet orange squash as soon as the weather cools every year. It’s my new favorite fall vegetable.

This year, I decided to try something a little different with my butternut squash. I roasted it as usual, then pureed it and turned it into a fantastic soup. This soup has just a hint of pumpkin pie-like flavor, while remaining savory and not tasting, you know… like pumpkin pie. It’s fall in a warm, cozy bowl and it’s healthy too!

Well, except for maybe that extra crisp bacon I topped it with.

Yeah, that happened. Salty sweet heaven. You need to eat this.

Butternut Squash Soup with Crumbled Bacon

Serves 4-6

While the soup is simmering, cover a baking sheet with foil, lay bacon strips in a single layer on sheet and bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes, or until bacon is crisp. It’s my favorite way to cook bacon.

Don’t be scared by the tales of how hard it is to cut up butternut squash. By roasting the squash in quarters, it only requires a few quick cuts. You don’t have the mess with peeling and chopping it. I made my soup on the thicker side. If you prefer thinner, add more chicken broth. I only added a few dashes of each spice to the soup – start with a little and adjust to your taste.

Ingredients

1 3-lb butternut squash
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 shallots, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups finely diced carrots
3 ribs celery, finely diced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced
3-4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
salt to taste
dashes of cinnamon, allspice, chili powder

crisp cooked bacon, for garnish

Directions

With a sharp, strong knife, slice roughly 1/2 inch off the top (stem end) and bottom of butternut squash. Cut squash into quarters lengthwise, first slicing in half from top to bottom, then cutting each half in halves. Place squash on a foil lined baking sheet (for easy clean up). Using your fingers, break 1 tablespoon butter into small pieces and dot over squash. Sprinkle evenly with salt. Cover with foil and roast at 400°F for 45-50 minutes, or until squash is tender and easily pierced. Cool on pan.

In a large soup pot, saute shallots, garlic, carrots, celery, and apple over medium heat until tender, about 5-8 minutes. Add enough chicken broth to cover (about 3 cups) and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Remove soup from heat.

Using a spoon, scoop softened roasted squash from skin and puree in food processor until smooth, working in batches if necessary. Transfer to a bowl. Carefully ladle soup into food processor and puree until smooth, again working in batches if necessary. Repeat until all soup is pureed.

Combine pureed soup and butternut squash in pot and return to medium-low heat. Cook just until hot. Add cider vinegar. If needed, add additional chicken broth to thin soup to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt & spices.

Serve warm, topped with crispy, crumbled bacon.

I wanted chewy pumpkin cookies.

Once I get an idea in my head, there’s no letting it go. Molasses cookies are my favorite chewy cookies. Obviously they could only get better if I added pumpkin! So this past weekend I made 60+ cookies and spent several hours trying out recipes to get chewy pumpkin cookies. In the end, the recipe I came up with was only kinda chewy (-ish). It’s hard to make non-cakey pumpkin cookies!

I’d like to revisit the idea sometime to see if I can make them even chewier, but I’m sharing this recipe now because even if they were still a little cakey, these cookies were irresistible. They’re packed with fall flavors and spice, plus a little crunch from the sugar coating. My friends and I polished off nearly all of them in one weekend. Even my dog, who was refusing to eat over the weekend, ate a few cookie pieces. They’re that good.

Chewy (-ish) Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

Makes 24-36 cookies, depending on size

There is one somewhat time consuming step to these cookies – dehydrating the pumpkin – but it’s essential for the chewy (-ish) texture. These cookies have the best flavor and texture a day or two AFTER you bake them, so they’re ideal for baking ahead. They barely spread in the oven. To get the chewiest cookie, flatten the dough balls and underbake them a little. For a cakier, poofier (and still addictive) cookie, don’t flatten the dough balls and let them bake a little longer.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
3/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) of butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup of dehydrated pumpkin puree** (see recipe below)
2 1/2 tablespoons of molasses
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup granulated sugar + 1/4 cup raw sugar + 1/2 tsp cinnamon for rolling cookies

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and spice. In a saucepan or a microwave safe bowl, melt 11 Tablespoons of butter.

Combine melted butter with remaining butter in a large bowl. Add sugars and whisk to combine. Add pumpkin and molasses, whisk again. Whisk in egg yolk and vanilla. Using a spatula, fold flour mixture into wet ingredients just until a dough forms and all flour is incorporated.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup raw sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Roll dough into balls, 1-2 tablespoons in size. Roll each dough ball in the small bowl of sugar until coated and set on baking sheets, 8 to 12 cookies to a sheet.

For the chewiest cookies, completely flatten dough balls with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup and bake for just 7-8 minutes, until edges are set but centers still look a little wet. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.

For cakier cookies, bake round dough balls for 10-13 minutes, until edges are slightly browned and cookies are set. Cool on a wire rack.

Store covered at room temperature. Best served 1-2 days after they’re baked.

Dehydrated Pumpkin Puree

Makes about 1 1/4 cups

Removing the water from pumpkin puree helps yield a chewier cookie. It couldn’t be easier, but it is a little time consuming. You’ll only need about half of this recipe to make a batch of cookies.

Ingredients

15 ounce can pumpkin puree (not pie filling!)

Directions

Dump pumpkin puree into a medium saucepan or saute pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently and spreading out pumpkin with a spatula, for 50 minutes to 1 hour or most of the water has cooked out. Pumpkin should darken in color and be the consistency of clay or a stiff cookie dough. Cool to room temperature or refrigerate overnight.