Key Lime Pie with an "Almond-Spiked" Crust

Wow. It has been a LONG time since I've posted. So long that as I perused the pictures that have been piling up on Picasa, I couldn't remember what half of them were!  Clearly, I have not stopped cooking or baking in the months that Chez Smokey has been dormant -- I have just been lazy about posting!

As a "welcome back," I present to you a recipe for key lime pie that I baked back in May, but remember like it was yesterday. This was such an incredible pie, the pictures simply do not do it justice. The filling-to-crust ratio is beautifully high, and it is just a tart and creamy as you can imagine. The almonds in the crust, while not overpowering, certainly "take it up a notch," and set this creation apart from any I have made in the past. (I have this vivid memory of using a pre-packaged graham cracker crust for my first key lime pie however many years ago. It's hard to believe that I ever thought such a short-cut was necessary!)

Just remembering this pie is making my mouth water -- and making me slap myself (metaphorically) for not making it again this summer! Of course, summer isn't over yet, so there is still time to whip out another one. Anyone want to come over for pie???

Key Lime Pie with an "Almond-Spiked" Crust
(from Gourmet via Epicurious; adapted from Town Hall Restaurant in San Francisco)

yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

active time: 25 min

total time: 10 hr (includes chilling)

For crust:

• 7 (5-by 2 1/2-inch) graham crackers, broken into small pieces
• 3/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

For filling:

• 2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
• Grated zest of 2 Key limes (I used regular limes, and it worked out fine)
• 1 cup Key lime juice (the recipe calls for you to make it fresh, from about 2 pounds fresh Key limes, but I think bottled is just as good)
• 4 large egg yolks

Make crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter a 9-inch pie plate.

Pulse together graham crackers, almonds, and sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and stir in butter. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and up side of pie plate. Bake until lightly.

Make filling and bake pie:
Gently whisk together filling ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth and pour into crust. Bake until just set in center, 15 to 20 minutes.

Cool completely (filling will set as it cools). Chill pie, loosely covered, at least 8 hours.

Top with sweetened whipped cream, if desired.

S'mores Cookies

I don't know why, but I did not expect to like these cookies. I had seen this recipe dozens of times over the past year or so, and for some reason, barely gave it a second glance. Maybe it's because I associate s'mores with sticky. Maybe it's because I'm not a huge fan of milk chocolate Hershey's bars. Whatever the case, I never bookmarked the recipe, and I never expected to try it.

Well, never say never.  One day, the stars aligned. I had a box of graham crackers and half a bag of marshmallows in the pantry, and I was jonesing to bake something I had not tried before. Suddenly, this recipe popped into my head, and like an "earworm," I simply could not get it out. I did not have any Hershey's bars, but I figured dark chocolate Ghiradelli bars would make a fine substitute. I was absolutely right.

I don't think words can truly express how happy these cookies made me. Seriously. I was giddy. I couldn't wait to share them, and I had an absolute ball watching faces light up as they gazed upon these (non-sticky!) bites of nostalgic marshmallowy goodness. And the taste! My favorite part is the graham cracker crumbs mixed right into the batter. It's such a subtle, but delicious addition -- one that I just might use again and again.

I simply don't think it's possible not to have fun with these cookies. Just. Not. Possible.

S'mores Cookies

(from Make and Bake) 

• 3/4 cup softened butter (1 1/2 sticks)1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup mini marshmallows (I used slightly more than a cup)
• 2 chocolate bars, chopped up  (Hershey's are recommended, but I used Ghiradelli and LOVED it)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a stand mixer, ccombine the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla until combined. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, graham crackers, salt, and baking soda, and then gradually add to the butter-sugar mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop by the rounded tablesppon onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8 minutes, and remove from the oven. Push 3-4 marshmallows and a few pieces of chocolate bar into each cookie. Return to oven and bake for an additional 3-4 minutes until fully cooked. Cool cookies on a wire rack.
 

Golden Rum Cake

I generally stay away from cake mix cakes. Not because I don't enjoy them, but because I like to challenge myself when I bake, and it just seems like a cop-out to start with a box of Betty Crocker.

When time is short, however, and outcome important (e.g., when you have only an hour or two to put together something for a girls' get-together 45 miles away), nothing beats a short cut. Combine that with a hearty helping of booze, and you have what I like to call "magic."

For this particular occasion, I turned to Allrecipes, typed "rum cake" into the search field, and sorted by rating. This one came out squarely on top, with a perfect 5-star rating and 866 reviews. I figured, 866 can't be wrong, right?

The reviews around the dinner table are in, and I can officially add my rave to the mix. Easy, moist, rummy and delicious. What could be better than that?

Golden Bundt Cake
(adapted a tiny bit from Allrecipes)

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

4 eggs

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup dark rum

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup water

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup dark rum

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over the bottom of the pan.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Mix in the eggs, 1/2 cup water, oil and 1/2 cup rum. Blend well. Pour batter over chopped nuts in the pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let sit for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto serving plate.

While cake sits, make the glaze by combining butter, 14 cup water and 1 cup sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup rum.

Pour half the glaze into the bundt pan. Reisert cake. Using a meat fork, a skewer, or a chopstick, poke holes in the bottom of the cake. Carefully pour the rest of the glaze over the cake, and let sit for at least an hour.

Chocolate Chip Thin Mint Cookies

I have a confession to make. I was never a Girl Scout. I never made it past Brownies.

I did, however, sell Girl Scout cookies. Back in the day, Samoas were my favorite, closely followed by Tagalongs. I couldn't understand why we couldn't get them year round. No matter how many boxes my parents bought, it was never enough to last through the year...

Fast forward 25(-ish) years, and both the times and my tastes have changes. Now I'm a sucker for Thin Mints, preferably straight from the freezer. And pre-ordering is a thing of the past. Now, we can simply walk down the street any day in March and pick up a box or two from the corner Girl Scout.

This innovation in delivery is what makes cookies like this possible. In the past, I would be too afraid of wasting precious Thin Mints to bake them into cookies. Now, I feel assured that if I use them up, I can buy more.

That deserves a big HUZZAH.

As for these cookies, I can see them becoming a yearly tradition. Consistency-wise, they remind me a LOT of the Mexican Chocolate Chip Cookies already on this blog -- soft, delicate, and buttery. I had to omit the peppermint extract, as I accidentally dumped my last bottle in a batch of ginger shortbread (oops!), but I didn't miss it a bit. The Thin Mints added plenty of mint all on their own.

Chocolate Chip Thin Mint Cookies
(from Sweet Pea's Kitchen)

¼ cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick butter, softened

6 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons brown sugar

1 egg

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract (or sub an extra 1/4 teaspoon vanilla)

11 broken pieces Thin Mint Cookies

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, and sugars until combined. Reduce speed to low and add egg, vanilla (and peppermint extract, if using); mix until combined. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and Thin Mint Cookies until just combined.

Drop by rounded tablespoons of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets spacing 1 1/2-inches between each. Bake cookies until edges have just begun to set but centers are still very soft, 8-10 minutes.

Let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Mexican Chocolate Mousse with Burnt Rum

 Ah, chocolate and booze. Two of my favorite things, together again. A perfect -- PERFECT -- conclusion to an extremely satisfying Valentine's Day dinner.

The recipe, an Epicurious 4-forker, was fun and surprisingly, easier than I expected. Imean, is there anything more exciting than playing with fire in the kitchen? Or any better excuse for getting a man to help you?

I think not.

As I look at this picture, I realize that I probably should have placed the goblet in front of a bottle of rum, but c'est la vie. It's a nice commemoration of a truly special chardonnay, from one of my favorite wineries to visit in Sonoma. If you're ever in the area, it's THE place to plan a picnic lunch.

Just sayin'.

Mexican Chocolate Mousse with Burnt Rum

(from Epicurious)

• 1 18.6-ounce box Mexican chocolate,* chopped
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup white rum
• 4 cups chilled heavy whipping cream, divided

Stir chocolate, milk, and salt in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until chocolate melts. Stir constantly until all sugar in chocolate is dissolved, about 13 minutes. Add rum to chocolate; using long match, immediately ignite rum. Carefully stir chocolate mixture with long spoon until flames subside.

Transfer chocolate to large bowl. Cool to room temperature.

Using electric mixer, beat 3 cups cream in large bowl until peaks form.* Working in 2 batches, fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture.

Divide chocolate mousse among 12 glasses, about 3/4 cup for each. Chill mousse until set, at least 3 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

If desired, beat remaining 1 cup cream until peaks form. Place dollop of whipped cream atop mousse in each glass.

Serve with Cinammon Almond Cookies (recipe to follow).

*I highly recommend chilling both the bowl and the beaters before whipping the cream. It makes the process a breeze.

Crispy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Notice a theme here?

Yes, after purchasing an entire box of Rice Krispies to supply the small amount required for the Crispy Bacon-Cheese Puffs, I was left with a LOT of leftovers. Not being a huge-fan of either Rice Kripies in a bowl or those marshmallowy Rice Krispies treats, I was faced with the challenge of finding something tasty to do with them. Something "out-of-the-box, if you will.

The recipe, courtesy of Joy of Baking, fit the bill PERFECTLY, and has earned a permanent spot in my recipe book. I didn't change a thing and ended up with  an incredibly satisfying batch of cookies. I loved that they were simultaneously familiar, yet unique; comforting, yet exciting. Best part -- they stayed unbelievably fresh when stored in an air-tight container for at least 5 day. Not that it was easy to make them last that long...

Crispy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

(from Joy of Baking)

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted buttter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla  extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups crisp rice cereal
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugars until smooth and creamy (about 2 - 3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat until incorporated. Stir in the oats, and then gently stir in the rice cereal and chocolate chips. 

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the  prepared baking sheets, and bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. For chewy cookies, slightly under bake. For crunchy cookies, bake a few minutes longer. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

Makes about 60 cookies.

Blueberry Crumb Bars

What is it with boys and blueberries? It seems that every time I read a blog post about a blueberry dessert -- be it pie, muffins, or the aptly named "boy bait" -- there is some mention about how much it is appreciated by whichever lucky male(s) happen to have tried it. I know, growing up, my father always requested blueberry pie on his birthday. And now, I am struck by how easily the "boy" in my life passes on anything chocolate, and yet devours every last crumb of a blueberry-filled pastry.

Needless to say, these blueberry crumb bars were a big hit in my house. There was even a little resistance when I packed up a few bars as a thank-you to a friend who graciously MacGuyver-ed my car after a nasty run-in with a pothole earlier this week. I did not alter the recipe at all, and think it's perfect as is. Hope you like it as much as we did.

Blueberry Crumb Bars                    (from Smitten Kitchen)

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Zest and juice of one lemon
• 4 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

 Bake in preheated oven for 45-60 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Mexican Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adding to my list of all-time favorite cookies are these spicy little gems, which I stumbled across on one of my favorite blogs, Cookie Madness.

Once upon a time, I brought a batch of these to work, along with a batch of those infamous New York Times' Chocolate Chip cookies, which (in case you didn't know) are supposed to be the best things ever. Just take a guess as to which cookies were the first to go...

I see little need to comment further on the recipe, except to encourage you to have fun as you take a mallet (or a hammer... or some other blunt object) to the Ibarra chocolate. It takes some strength to break it up into little pieces, but so worth the effort.

And so, without further ado:



Mexican Chocolate Chip Cookies

(adapted --slightly -- from Cookie Madness)

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 slightly rounded teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 8 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (Mexican vanilla is suggested, but regular works, too)
• 8 oz dark chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli) 
• 4 oz Ibarra chocolate (broken up into bite-sized chunks using a mallet)

Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and pepper.

Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl using high speed of an electric mixer; Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir until absorbed, then mix in chocolate chunks and chopped Mexican chocolate.
Refrigerate dough for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto sheets, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake cookies until golden brown and set – 10-12 minutes. Let stand on sheets 3 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool.

Makes approximately 32 cookies

Pumpkin Cheesecake

I hate to brag, but I'm a bit famous for this cheesecake. I use the words "a bit" deliberately, though, as there are really only a handful of people who associate me with this creation. Still, when a co-worker asks daily for a whole year, "Where's your pumpkin cheesecake?," it's hard not to overestimate it's popularily...

The recipe itself is supposedly a "copycat" of the Cheesecake Factory's version, which I've never actually sampled, but imagine is extremely tasty. I've made it 3 years straight for my company's Christmas party, and this year, it made a special appearance at Thanksgiving, too.

A few comments on the recipe after considerable experimentation. First, this cheesecake rises VERY high, so it's imperative to use a springform pan that is at least 2.5-3'' inches high (lest it rise over the pan and explode like a volcano -- a lesson I learned the hard way). Second, if you're fool enough to try this in a high-altitutde setting, be prepared to bake for at least an extra 25-30 minutes (lest you end up with significant cracks due to repeated checking -- another lesson I learned the hard way). Finally, while it is not technically necessary to bake this in a waterbath, it sure does taste great if you do. Enjoy!

The Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake
(adapted from food.com)

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 5 tablespoons butter , melted
• 1 cup sugar , plus
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• whipped cream (if desired)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Make the crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and 1 T sugar in a medium bowl. Stir well enough to coat all of the crumbs with the butter, but not so much as to turn the mixture into paste.Keep it crumbly.

Put foil partway up the outside part of an 8-inch springform pan. Press the crumbs onto the bottom and about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the springform pan. (You don't want the crust to form all of the way up the back of each slice of cheesecake.) Bake the crust for 5 minutes, then set aside until you are ready to fill it.

In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, 1 C sugar, and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and continue beating until smooth and creamy. Pour the filling into the pan. Place pan in a larger pan (e.g., a roasting pan or 9x13 baking dish) and fill about half-way up with boiling water. Bake for 60-70 minutes.