Day 7 Of Rosie's Christmas Baking.

It is Day Seven of Rosie's Christmas Baking. Alas, I did not rest. Didn't work too hard though. Only made two things: Pecan Squares and Lemon Bars. First up, Pecan Squares:

My mise en place: 2 cups flour 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 cup butter, cut up 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 7.5 ounce package almond brickle chips 1 cup chopped pecans

I combined the flour and powdered sugar in a medium bowl.

And cut in the butter pieces with a pastry blender until crumbly.

I pressed the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 pan.

And spread the mixture out. Baked for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Meanwhile, I made the topping.

Combined sweetened condensed milk with beaten eggs.

Added in vanilla.

Stirred in brickle chips.

Stirred in chopped pecans.

Poured over top of cooked base and baked at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden.

Here's the pan of Pecan Goodness.

Cooled and cut into squares. Next up, Lemon Bars!

For the crust: 3/4 cup flour 1/3 cup powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup toasted almonds, finely chopped 6 tablespoons, unsalted butter, chilled, cubed

I combined the flour, sugar, chopped almonds, and salt.

Whisked together, and added the almond extract.

I added in the butter, pieces at a time, working with my pastry blender.

I pressed the mixture into my prepared pan - an 8-inch square baking pan with foil.

I sprinkled with the reserved 3 tablespoons almonds over top of the base. Baked at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until edges were golden. Next, the lemon filling:

My ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1/4 flour 3 eggs 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 2 teaspoon lemon zest powdered sugar for dusting

I combined the sugar and flour.

Then added in the eggs, whisking.

Lemon juice went in.

And the zest.

Poured the mixture onto the cooked crust.

Sprinkled with powdered sugar, then returned to the oven to bake for 18-20 minutes, or until filling no longer jiggles in the center.

Cut into squares after cooled.

Lemon Bars!

I'm ready for my close up.

Rosie's Cooking Schedule for Tuesday, December 4.

Here are today's offerings:

At top left, we have Snickerdoodles. Continuing clockwise we have Peanut Brittle, then Pecan Squares, ending with Peanut Butter Cookies at bottom left.
And boy, I'm some kind of tired today.


Let's start off with Snickerdoodles, one of my family's favorites.

Cream:

1 cup Crisco
1 1/2 cups sugar

May I just stop right here and say, "Bravo" to the Crisco people. Finally, you got it right. Take the damn shortening out of the can and put it INto stick-sized lengths like buttah comes in. BRAVO!

Also, if anyone still has the old cans of Crisco and needs to measure it, take a large measuring cup, fill it with water, add the Crisco and see how much water is displaced to get an accurate measurement of the Crisco.

Add: 2 aigs

Hee. I thought that was a neat picture of the aig going in.

Sift: 2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

Stir flour mixture INto creamed mixture. Chill.

Roll INto small balls.

Roll in: 2 TB sugar
2 TB cinnamon

Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake until light brown and still soft.

400 for 8-10 minutes.

Usually at 8 minutes, I take the baking sheets and plop them on the racks, then continue for two more minutes.

And here are my lovely Snickerdoodles.
By the way, I doubled the recipe.

Next up on today's menu is Peanut Brittle.

Here's my mise en place:

We have:

2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups raw peanuts, skins on
2 TB butter
2 tsp baking soda

In a heavy sauce pan, heat sugar, syrup, water and salt to a rolling boil.











Add the peanuts.

Llllllast llllittle peanuts go INto the pot.

Now, here's the fun part. Reduce heat to medium and stir constantly until hard crack stage. (300 to 310 degrees)
This took me approximately 15 minutes.

As you can see in the picture I put a digital thermometer on the side of the pot. I used to have a glass thermometer but I just don't care for glass in case it breaks and I have to throw out a whole pot of candy. I saw this digi-therm in a cooking store down here and thought it would be a nice accoutrement to my batterie de cuisine. It's a Pyrex. Now, I love me some Pyrex, but WHAT WERE THEY THINKING (or smoking) when they made the clip on the handle to the thermometer OUT OF PLASTIC? My pot is getting hotter and hotter, and the clip on is getting looser and looser. I finally had to hold the damn thermometer up by hand.

When it gets to hard crack stage, add in the butter, stir, then add the baking soda and WORK FAST!
The baking soda makes it go all foamy and light-colored. Continue beating rapidly and pour ONto a buttered surface (10" x 15" x 1" baking pan). Tilt the pan to get even coverage.

When cool, break INto pieces.

Here's the candy poured INto the pan. Let it cool, then just twist the pan a bit. The brittle will crack. Just pick up the pieces, crack a bit more, and ....

Wallah!

Peanut Brittle!

Now, here's my mise en place for my
Pecan Squares.

We have:

2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter, cut up
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed melk
1 large aig
1 tsp vanell aigstrakt
1 7.5 ox. package almond brickle chips (Bits o' Brickle)
1 cup chopped pecans.

Combine flour and powdered sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until crumbly. Press evenly INto a greased 13 x 9-inch pan.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Combine sweetened condensed melk and rest of ingredients. Pour over baked crust.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until golden. Cool and cut INto squares.

Here's the finished dish.

Let cool and cut INto squares.













And here are my yummy Pecan Squares.

Now, my last offering for today is:

Peanut Butter Cookies.

Here's my mise en place, and everything's there except for the damn aig.
My bad!

Just imagine there's an aig up there.

OK, on to the arrrrussssipppeee:::::

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter 1/2 cup Crisco
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 TB melk
1 TB vanella
1 aig
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine peanut buttah, sugar, melk, and vanella. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add aig. Beat until just blended.

Combine flour, salt, and soda. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix until just blended.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls ONto ungreased baking sheet.
Flatten in crisscross pattern with fork tines.

Bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes.

And ... Peanut Buttah Cookies.

And now, it's 7:04. So just figger how long it took me to LogON and UPload to post all of this.
But, no matter about me. I do it for YOU. My FANS.
I wouldn't be here without you.
And I am deeply grateful for you.