Grain-free apple cinnamon muffins with pecans {paleo, gluten free, dairy free}

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Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post and I didn't get anything for free. I paid for the product mentioned below with my own hard-earned money and am mentioning it because I really like it and love supporting my fellow food entrepreneurs.

I love to bake. Because I now follow a low-carb diet to control my type 2 diabetes, I mostly bake for other people. But my family has gotten so used to keto, sugar-free, low carb meals that they actually prefer baked goods made without grains and with much less sugar. These Paleo Apple Cinnamon Muffins are full of shredded apples and nuts and contain a little bit of coconut sugar, so they're perfect for those of us who prefer less sugar in our lives.

Recently I discovered Birch Benders Paleo Pancake & Waffle Mix, which I adore. The primary ingredients are cassava starch, coconut flour and almond flour. It's not completely low carb, but it's much lower than similar baking mixes made with wheat. This mix makes an excellent base for muffins. I've also used it for savory pancakes and savory waffles.

Because of my diabetes, these Paleo Apple Cinnamon Muffins are a "once in a while" treat in my own diet. But I'm happy to feed them to my family anytime!

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Paleo Apple Cinnamon Muffins

by Erika Kerekes December-10-2017

Healthy grain-free muffins that aren't too sweet. Paleo, gluten free, dairy free, low in sugar.

Ingredients

• 1 large or 2 medium apples, peeled
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup avocado oil
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cups Birch Benders Paleo Pancake & Waffle Mix
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 12 whole pecans, for decoration

Instructions

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick baking spray.Using a hand-held cheese grater, shred the apple into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the eggs, oil, coconut sugar, almond milk and cinnamon. Whisk together until well combined.Add the Birch Benders Paleo Pancake & Waffle mix and chopped pecans. With a large spoon, mix gently until all ingredients are combined. Let the batter stand about 5 minutes.Scoop the batter into the muffin tin, dividing evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Lay one whole pecan on top of each muffin.Bake 20 minutes, or until the edges are brown and the muffins are cooked through. Let cool in the muffin tin 3 minutes, then use an offset spatula or knife to remove the muffins to a rack for cooling. Eat and enjoy.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 12 muffins

Passover matzoh kugel with bananas and chocolate chips

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I can't seem to escape the combination of bananas and chocolate. Not even at Passover.

Then again - why would I want to?

Banana chocolate chip bread pudding is a favorite in our house. (By the way, there's a reason I named it Better Than Make-Up Sex Banana Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding. Because it is.)

The matzoh left over from last night's Passover seder got me thinking: Could I make a Passover dessert with bananas and chocolate chips?

Here you go. You can thank me later.

P.S. I made this version dairy, but if you wante a pareve dessert kugel to serve after your seder meal, substitute coconut milk or almond milk for the half-and-half.

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Banana Chocolate Chip Passover Matzoh Kugel

by Erika Kerekes April-15-2014

Just like our favorite banana chocolate chip bread pudding - but made with matzoh for Passover. This delicious Passover dessert will get you through a week without bread with no problem at all.

Ingredients

• 4 squares matzoh
• 4 cups half-and-half
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 ripe bananas
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• whipped cream (optional)

Instructions

In a large bowl, crush the matzoh into little pieces with your fingers. Warm the half-and-half in a measuring cup in the microwave or in a small pot on the stove until hot but not boiling. Pour over the matzoh pieces. Let sit 30 minutes.To the bowl, add the eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the bananas, either slicing them or crushing them with your fingers as you put them in the bowl. Pour in the chocolate chips and stir again.Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.Spray a medium-sized baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pour in the matzoh mixture and smooth the top. Let sit in the pan another 15 minutes.Bake the matzoh kugel for 45 minutes, until the edges and top are golden brown and the center is set. Serve warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream if you like.

Details

Prep time: 35 mins Cook time: 45 mins Total time: 1 hour 20 mins Yield: 8 servings

Smoky Date #NotKetchup chocolate truffles - make them for your smokin' hot Valentine!

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When you start a food business and make a new food product, you spend a lot of time thinking about ways people might want to use it. Today, as it's so close to Valentine's Day, I woke up thinking about Not Ketchup paired with chocolate.

Here's the great thing about Not Ketchup: Because it's made with fruit like cherries, blueberries, and dates instead of tomatoes, it's a lot more versatile than tomato ketchup. You'd never think of putting traditional tomato ketchup into chocolate truffles. (I wouldn't, anyway. There may be ketchup fans out there who will differ.)

I mixed up a quick batch of chocolate truffles this morning and added a few tablespoons of Smoky Date Not Ketchup to the mixture. When I tasted them later, I was blown away by the combination. The Smoky Date Not Ketchup adds fruit overtones that enhance the dark chocolate perfectly, but here's what I wasn't expecting: The tartness of the vinegar in the Not Ketchup balances the bitterness in a really unusual way. Combine that with the hint of smoke from the smoked paprika in the Not Ketchup and the smoked salt I sprinkled on top and you have one killer chocolate treat.

Make a batch of these for your Valentine and I guarantee you'll like the results - of both the chocolates and your date.

Want to learn more about Not Ketchup, my brand-new line of gourmet sauces? Head over to www.notketchup.com for recipe ideas, nutritional information and online ordering.

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Smoky Date Not Ketchup Chocolate Truffles for Valentine's Day

by Erika Kerekes February-12-2014

Smoky Date Not Ketchup adds exotic notes of fruit and smoke to dark chocolate truffles. Made with Not Ketchup, Erika's new line of gourmet sauces.

Ingredients

• 1 cup good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
• 2 Tablespoons Smoky Date Not Ketchup
• smoked salt, for garnish

Instructions

Put the chocolate chips, butter and 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder in a small bowl. Set the bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted, then remove from the heat. Stir in the Smoky Date Not Ketchup. Leave the mixture at room temperature for 1 hour to firm up.Sift the remaining 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder into a small bowl. Roll the chocolate mixture into 1-inch balls, using about 1 teaspoon for each truffle. Roll each ball in the cocoa powder, then place on a serving plate or in a small paper candy cup. Sprinkle with a few grains of smoked salt.Serve at room temperature.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 20 mins Yield: 1 dozen 1-inch truffles

Antioxidant chocolate bark: My favorite homemade holiday gift

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Every December the members of Food Bloggers Los Angeles get together at my house for our annual Cookie and Cookbook Swap. I love hosting this gathering because everyone's in a great mood (SUGAR! BUTTER! CHOCOLATE!) and it's a festive way to start off the holiday season.

There's only one problem: I don't make a lot of cookies.

This year, short on time and motivation, I defaulted to my favorite chocolate bark. I call this Antioxidant Chocolate Bark because it's full of things that are good for you: very dark chocolate, dried cherries, dried blueberries, and nuts. It's gluten-free, dairy-free (if you choose dairy-free chocolate), delicious, and extremely easy to make. In fact, I put together the super-size batch for our cookie swap last Friday in the 20 minutes between when my alarm clock went off and when we had to leave for the school bus stop.

Feel free to use whatever combination of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit you have in your pantry. Sometimes I even crush amaretti (crisp Italian almond cookies) and add the crumbs in for an extra crunch. Do use salted nuts; the salt brings out the flavor of the bittersweet chocolate perfectly.

Scroll down for links to all the amazing cookies made by FBLA members at our 2013 Cookie and Cookbook Swap!

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Antioxidant Chocolate Bark

by Erika Kerekes December-8-2013

One of the easiest and healthiest homemade treats you can make for holiday gifts. Very dark bittersweet chocolate with dried cherries, blueberries, and apricots, plus pistachios and almonds.

Ingredients

• 1 pound very dark chocolate (72% cocoa solids), chopped
• 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 3/4 cup dried tart cherries
• 3/4 cup dried blueberries
• 1/2 cup shelled pistachios, roasted and salted
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, roasted and salted

Instructions

Line a half-sheet baking pan with parchment paper.Break the chocolate into pieces and put into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high 45 seconds, then let stand 1 minute. Stir and microwave again for 30 seconds. Repeat until the chocolate is nearly melted, with just a few little chunks remaining. Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir continuously until the residual heat in the bowl melts the rest of the chocolate. (Alternatively, melt the chocolate in a double boiler on the stove.)While the chocolate is melting, chop the apricots and cherries into smaller pieces, roughly 1/4 inch. You can also chop the pistachios if you like (I usually don't).When the chocolate is melted and smooth, dump in all the dried fruit and nuts. Stir until everything is coated. Pour the chocolate mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread into a thin, even layer with a spatula or the back of a spoon.Leave the chocolate bark at room temperature to set. The temperature in the room will determine how long the chocolate bark will take to harden - the cooler the room, the quicker the bark will be done. Don't refrigerate it, though, or the chocolate will lose its glossy shine.To serve, break into pieces, working quickly so the heat of your hands doesn't melt the chocolate (always a problem for me).

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 15 mins Yield: 20+ servings

FBLA 2013 Cookie Exchange Recipes

• Chai Tea Cookies -- Cathy Arkle of She Paused 4 Thought (She also got tired of rolling the dough and refashioned the rest into Baby Hedgehog cookies.)
• Butter Pecan Fudge -- Dorothy Reinhold (me!) from Shockingly Delicious.
• Antioxidant Chocolate Bark -- Erika Kerekes (our hostess) of In Erika's Kitchen.
• Sweet Potato Marshmallow Bars with White Chocolate Chips -- Jennifer Richmond of Kitchy Cooking.
• Chocolate Chip and Apricot Walnut Rugelach and Vegan Chocolate Mini Cupcakes ("Naughty & Nice Cookies") -- Dana of Foodie Goes Healthy
• Vintage Sponge Drops with Double Fudge Filling -- Leslie Macchiarella of Bake This Cake.
• Sicilian Christmas cookies -- Judy Lyness of Two Broads Abroad.
• Cranberry Orange Walnut Sugar Cookies -- Patricia Rose of Fresh Food in a Flash.
• Brown Butter Praline Chocolate Chip Cookies -- Valentina Wein of Cooking On The Weekends.
• Mini Chocolate Nut Sandwich Cookies -- Kelly Page of Tasting Page.
• Rosemary Raisin Cocktail Shortbread -- Sharon Graves of Cheesy Pennies.
• Saketini Christmas Balls, Chocolate Macarons with Japanese Wine Cream Centers, and Matcha Green Tea Cookies with Chocolate Centers & Espresso Cookies with Caramel Fillings -- Kim Watkinson of Ninja Baking.
• Blueberry Coconut Mini Cupcakes, Rainbow Chocolate Bark, and Vegan Gingersnaps -- Judy Weintraub of Bumbleberry Breeze.
• Chocolate-Dipped Apricots with Pistachios -- Adair Seldon of Lentil Breakdown.
• Spumoni Shortbread -- Nancy Rose Eisman of Adventures with Nancy Rose.
• Crispy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies and Cardamom Gingersnap Cookies -- Alison Ashton of Nourish Network .
• Gluten-Free Pumpkin Oat Bars -- Alanna Waldron of Eats Real Food.
• Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cookies -- Tanaya Ghosh of Tanaya's Table. (Tanaya's Table, the blog, will launch in 2014.)
• Black and White Cookies -- Tina Kil. (Her blog isn’t up yet, but watch for her contributions in the future!)

Non-Cookie Items

• Chiang Mai Chicken in Endive Spears -- Cathy Arkle of She Paused 4 Thought.
• Seasonal salad -- Nancy Rose Eisman of Adventures with Nancy Rose.
• Barrel-Aged Sazerac -- Jennifer Richmond of Kitchy Cooking.

A Very Blueberry Thanksgiving: Pumpkin blueberry trifle

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Add this pumpkin blueberry trifle to your Thanksgiving dessert table (photo: Karen Ard) 

When I started planning the menu for A Very Blueberry Thanksgiving, the twist-on-tradition Thanksgiving dinner I hosted last weekend for Los Angeles food bloggers, I had no trouble pairing blueberries with pumpkin soup, turkey, roasted butternut squash salad, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts.

(Yep, that was the twist - every one of the 10 courses served included fresh, dried, or frozen blueberries.)

But I couldn't decide on dessert. I wanted to do something with pumpkin, but pumpkin pie with blueberry sauce felt underwhelming.

It was Julie Stas, the lovely woman who leads the public relations team for the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (one of the event's sponsors), who suggested a trifle. I'd never made a trifle before, but it sounded like a good idea: cake or cookies, fruit, custard, whipped cream. Pumpkin blueberry trifle. Sure. Why not?

Give it up for Julie. She is a genius. This pumpkin blueberry trifle came together easily, looked absolutely stunning in the bowl, and tasted heavenly. The warm spices in the pumpkin bread played perfectly off the tangy blueberry sauce and the smooth, creamy vanilla pudding.

And while a decade ago this dessert would have been impossible to pull off at Thanksgiving because fresh blueberries were nowhere to be found, now we can get excellent fresh blueberries from Chile and other South American countries from October until March. The blueberries I bought at my local grocer to top this pumpkin blueberry trifle were plump, juicy, and sweet. Click here to learn more about winter blueberries.

Add this pumpkin blueberry trifle to your Thanksgiving dessert list - you'll be glad you did.

Note: I made my own pumpkin bread (recipe included below), but feel free to use a prepared loaf from your favorite bakery or grocery store.

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Pumpkin Blueberry Trifle

by Erika Kerekes November-16-2013

Spicy pumpkin bread and fresh blueberries make this traditional English trifle a delicious and impressive Thanksgiving dessert.

Ingredients

• 2 cups pure pumpkin puree
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup grapeseed or canola oil
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 32-ounce bag frozen blueberries
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 4 cups vanilla pudding (buy prepared or try this recipe)
• 2 cups fresh blueberries

Instructions

Make the pumpkin bread: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, 2 cups sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Sprinkle the salt, flour, baking powder, and baking soda on top of the pumpkin mixture, then stir with a large spoon just until combined. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and pour in the batter. Bake about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool, then crumble the pumpkin bread into large chunks with your fingers. (Alternatively, you can buy a large loaf of prepared pumpkin bread.)Make the blueberry sauce: Put the frozen blueberries, remaining ½ cup sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer about 1 hour, until the sauce is thickened and glossy. Remove from the heat and let cool.Just before assembling the trifle, whip the cream with an electric mixer (or by hand if you’re sturdy) until it is fluffy and glossy.Assemble the trifle: In a large glass bowl, put down a layer of pumpkin bread crumbs, a layer of pudding, and a layer of blueberry sauce. Repeat once more, ending with a layer of crumbs. Pile the whipped cream on top and scatter the fresh blueberries on the whipped cream. Let sit at least 2 hours before serving to give everything a chance to meld.Note: Trifle can also be made in small glasses for individual servings.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 50 mins Total time: 1 hour 10 mins Yield: 12 servings

Cracker Jack ice cream sundae, a dessert my dad would have loved

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My dad was a sugar addict. I don't use the word "addict" lightly, but when it came to my dad and candy, addiction is the only way to describe it.

Daddy pretended he never ate candy. He hid his stash where he thought none of us would find it: the desk drawers and credenza in his office, the bathroom, the trunk of his car.

I think I was a teenager when the family finally caught on. We were sitting at the kitchen table after dinner craving a little something sweet. My mom, ever calorie-conscious, suggested an apple. Daddy went out the door to the garage and came back with jelly beans. "Where'd you get those?" my brother and I asked. "Doesn't matter," he replied with a smile, tossing them on the table. The next time I followed him out to the garage and found him rummaging in the back of his Corvette. I looked over his shoulder and saw his impressive stash - the Corvette's trunk isn't that big, but it holds quite a bit of candy when it's packed to the brim.

Daddy loved licorice all-sorts, jelly beans, Boston "baked beans," and Cracker Jack snacks, but he also kept lollipops and hard candies in a rainbow of flavors. I try not to eat a lot of candy now - my teeth, my waistline! - but sometimes, especially when I'm missing my father, a sweet treat is just the thing. When I do indulge, I always reach for my dad's favorites.

When the folks at the Cracker Jack brand asked if I'd be interested in trying some of their new flavors, I had to say yes. My dad passed away almost five years ago; their email felt like a sign. And when the samples came and I opened a bag and took my first bite, I started to cry. I ate the whole bag without stopping, thinking about the baseball games, fishing trips, and summer family dinners of my youth - many of which included Cracker Jack snacks.

Whether you buy original flavor Cracker Jack popcorn snacks or the delicious new Kettle Corn or Butter Toffee flavors, I bet many of you will experience the same rush of nostalgia I felt. The sweet crunch of the popcorn punctuated by the occasional salty peanut - Cracker Jack snack is one of the iconic tastes of my childhood.

I'm always happy to eat Cracker Jack snack on its own, but for a twist try tossing them on top of an ice cream sundae. This one has rum raisin ice cream because it was my father's favorite, although judging by how many stores I had to hit to find rum raisin, I'm guessing it's not such a popular flavor these days. If vanilla is more your style, go right ahead.

Note: The team at the Cracker Jack brand provided me with free samples of Cracker Jack snacks to use when writing this article. No other payment changed hands. All memories and opinions are, of course, my own.

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Cracker Jack ice cream sundae

by Erika Kerekes June-24-2013

This ice cream sundae combines three of my dad's favorite sweet flavors: rum raisin ice cream, gooey caramel sauce and Cracker Jack snacks as a crunchy topping.

Ingredients

• 3 scoops rum raisin ice cream
• 2 Tablespoons caramel sauce (make your own or buy a bottled brand)
• 1/2 cup Cracker Jack snack (Original, Kettle Corn or Butter Toffee flavor)

Instructions

Scoop the ice cream into a bowl. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the ice cream and top with the Cracker Jack snack. Serve immediately.

Details

Prep time: 3 mins Cook time: 2 mins Total time: 5 mins Yield: 1 serving

Fresh cherry cobbler

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Every June the kids and I head up to Leona Valley to pick cherries. It takes a bit more than an hour to get to Leona Valley, a tiny town in a long, thin valley cozied up against the mountains that separate the Los Angeles basin from the high desert of the Antelope Valley.

For five or six weekends each spring the town is crawling with urban tourists like me who come to pick cherries. There are a dozen pick-your-own orchards, one huge and borderline industrial, the rest small and dusty. We like the dusty ones.

This year we went to Rolling Thunder Cherry Ranch because I've been following them on Facebook and I like to reward forward-thinking businesses that embrace online marketing. They could not have been sweeter, and that goes for both the people and the cherries. Ten pounds of Bing cherries later, we drove home, dusty, happy, stomachs filled with cherries that didn't quite make it into our buckets.

I got up early this morning and made cherry cobbler. Sweet syrupy red cherries with a fluffy biscuit topping - in my book there's no better breakfast.

Note on preparation: Pitting cherries is a pain in the neck. There's no way around it. Sometimes I use my OXO Good Grips Cherry Pitter. Other times I rip the fruit apart with my fingers and endure the stains on my skin. There are larger cherry pitters with handles that look cool, but they do miss pits and I'm never in the mood for broken teeth. I'd rather do it by hand and make sure the pits are gone.

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Fresh cherry cobbler

by Erika Kerekes June-11-2013

Sweet, syrupy red cherries with a fluffy biscuit topping - there's no better way to enjoy the season's best fresh cherries.

Ingredients

• 6 cups fresh cherries, pitted
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 2 Tablespoons coarse raw sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.In a large bowl, toss the cherries with the cornstarch and 1/3 cup granulated sugar. Let sit 15 minutes. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and pour in the cherry mixture. Slip the baking dish into the oven and bake about 20 minutes, until the cherries are hot and the juices bubble around the edges.Meantime, while the cherries are in the oven, whisk together the remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Quickly stir together the melted butter and buttermilk in a bowl or measuring cup, then pour over the dry ingredients. Mix with a fork until the dough just comes together. Using one hand, knead quickly by flipping the dough over on itself three or four times in the bowl, then turn the dough out onto the counter. Pat the dough into an 8-inch square.Pull the cherries out of the oven. Using a large spatula or your hands, lay the biscuit dough on top of the cherries. Sprinkle with the coarse raw sugar and return the pan to the oven. Bake another 30-35 minutes, or until the biscuit topping is golden brown, the fruit is bubbling furiously, and the house smells wonderful.Let cool at least 20 minutes before serving to let the juices firm up a bit. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream or whipped cream.

Details

Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 55 mins Total time: 1 hour 25 mins Yield: 6-8 servings

Kinhaven's legendary butterscotch brownies

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When I was a teenager I spent July and August at The Kinhaven Music School, a small summer music camp in Weston, Vermont.

At Kinhaven, there were things you could count on. Bare feet from the moment you arrived until your parents came to pick you up seven weeks later. Mosquito bites. Making beautiful music with people you knew would become lifelong friends (hi Andrew, Shari, Wendy, Sarah, Kirsten, Andrea). And really good food.

The cooks at Kinhaven made every loaf of bread, every bowl of granola, and every sweet treat from scratch, using local butter, milk, and eggs. Above all other desserts, I loved the butterscotch brownies, a gooey bar cookie studded with nuts and chocolate chips made in huge sheet pans.

When my thoughtful friend Jeannie tracked down a copy of The Kinhaven Cookbook, once owned and since misplaced, she bought it and sent it to me. I made butterscotch brownies immediately - and I haven't stopped. Once you taste them, you'll see why.

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Kinhaven's legendary butterscotch brownies

by Erika Kerekes May-7-2013

Gooey bar cookies studded with chocolate chips and walnuts. Adapted from The Kinhaven Cookbook, published long ago by The Kinhaven Music School in Weston, Vermont.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a quarter-sheet pan or a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil, then spray the paper/foil with nonstick cooking spray.In a medium saucepan, melt together the butter and brown sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture smells like caramel. It may still be a little grainy; that's okay. Set aside for a few minutes to cool.Add the eggs and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix about 1 minute, until the eggs are lighter in color. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and continue to mix about 1 minute. Normally, when you're making baked goods, you don't want to develop the gluten in the flour, but in this cookie you do, which makes the finished product a bit chewy.Scrape the butter-sugar mixture into the mixer and continue to whip another minute or so, until everything is well combined and you see ribbons starting to form as the paddle goes around. Stop the mixer, add the chocolate chips and nuts, and mix briefly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake 30-35 minutes. Do not overbake; you don't want the center to be liquid, but you don't want the brownies fully set, either. The quarter-sheet pan is shallower and will require less baking time than the 9x13.When the brownies are done, remove the pan from the oven. Cool completely before attempting to cut or you will end up with a sticky mess.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 35 mins Total time: 50 mins Yield: 12 large or 16 medium-sized brownies

Chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with Craisins

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The secret to soft, chewy oatmeal cookies loaded with chocolate chips and tangy Craisins: Conquering my fear of raw cookie dough

It took me 46 years to learn how to make soft, chewy oatmeal cookies.

Hi, I'm Erika, and I'm an overbaker.

Until this week, I've always overbaked my oatmeal cookies. Chocolate chip cookies, too. Any cookie that was supposed to be soft and chewy cooled down crisp. Always a disappointment.

I know why it happens. I know I'm not supposed to wait until I see brown around the edges. But somehow (probably something to do with my fear of raw eggs) they never felt done until I did.

This week I was craving soft, chewy oatmeal cookies. So I forced myself out of my comfort zone. I pulled the cookies before the edges colored at all, despite the fact that inside my head I was screaming "NO! THOSE ARE RAW! RAW COOKIES! YUCK YUCK YUCK!"

And once they cooled they were perfect. So there, voice in my head.

You all must think I'm pretty silly, right?

This is one of the simplest cookie recipes ever. I used Craisins because I happened to be out of raisins, but either will do. Dried sour cherries would also be great.

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Chewy oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips and Craisins

by Erika Kerekes April-14-2013

These old-fashioned oatmeal cookies are loaded with dark chocolate chips and tangy Craisins. The secret to a chewy cookie: Be brave and pull them out of the oven when they still look raw.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup grapeseed or canola oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup Craisins (substitute raisins or dried sour cherries)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.In a small saucepan, melt the butter.While the butter is melting, add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, water, egg, and vanilla to a stand mixer. (Alternatively, use a large bowl and a hand-held mixer.) Mix until all ingredients are well combined, then add the melted butter and mix again until combined. Add the oats, flour, baking soda, and salt and mix again until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add the chocolate chips and Craisins and mix briefly just to combine.Drop clumps of the cookie batter at least 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake 11-12 minutes and not one second longer; do not let the cookies brown. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and use a spatula to transfer the cookies carefully to a rack to cool. Let cool (at least most of the way) before eating.Note: You can mix the batter ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator up to 2 days before baking. The cookies will be just as good, although they won't spread as much during baking.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 12 mins Total time: 22 mins Yield: about 24 cookies

Chocolate caramel matzoh crunch, aka Stuff From Hell

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Passover has come and gone, but I bet a few of you have leftover matzoh sitting around.

Chocolate caramel matzoh crunch is a really good way to use leftover matzoh. Possibly the best way. There's only so much matzoh brei a girl can take.

This recipe was inspired by the amazing cooks at The Kinhaven Music School in Weston, Vermont. I went there as a teenager and Emery has attended the junior session for the past three summers. Good music, good friends, and very good food - including Stuff from Hell.

I don't remember eating Stuff from Hell as a Kinhaven student, but Emery raves about it. Chocolate, caramel and crunch - what's not to like? During the summer they make it with saltine crackers, but matzoh worked very well.

I prefer homemade caramel sauce, but feel free to use caramel sauce from a jar. The caramel doesn't quite set in the freezer, but that's part of the charm.

P.S. I don't know why they call it Stuff from Hell.

P.P.S. Did you wonder about the fact that Kinhaven is in the town of Weston, Vermont and I have a son named Weston ? It's no coincidence.

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Chocolate caramel matzoh crunch, or Stuff from Hell

by Erika Kerekes April-4-2013

Make this sinfully sweet chocolate caramel dessert treat during Passover or after the holiday to use up leftover matzoh.

Ingredients

• 4-5 sheets unsalted matzoh
• 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup caramel sauce

Instructions

Line a half-sheet baking tray with parchment paper. This is going in the freezer, so if you have a side-by-side like I do, you'll need two quarter-sheet pans instead.Pour the chocolate chips into a large Pyrex mixing cup and zap them in the microwave for 1 minute. Let stand 30 seconds, stir, and zap for another minute. Stir until completely melted.Spread about half the melted chocolate on the parchment paper. Line the pan with matzoh, breaking the pieces as necessary to fit them into the pan. Spread the caramel sauce on top of the matzoh and put the tray(s) in the freezer for 1 hour. This will firm the caramel somewhat, although it will probably not freeze solid.After an hour, zap the remaining chocolate for 30 seconds to loosen it up again. Remove the tray(s) from the freezer, quickly spread the chocolate on top of the caramel, and return the tray(s) to the freezer until the chocolate on top is firm, 1 or 2 more hours.Break into pieces and serve with many napkins.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 3 hour Total time: 3 hour 10 mins Yield: 8 servings