TWD: Devilish Shortcakes

I just made these this afternoon. When the kids got home from school, they WANTED TO EAT THEM. I made them wait until after dinner. I'm such a mean mom.

I forget how much I like shortcake. I also forget how easy it is. I halved the recipe, and I still got nine pretty decent sized shortcakes. I did make one substitution. The girl is on a total eggnog kick. I found chocolate eggnog at our local Trader Joe's. I thought she would like it. I was wrong. Ah well. I didn't have whole milk, but I did have chocolate eggnog!

The fillings were kid's choice. The Boy chose my mom's pear and cranberry relish. The Girl chose hot chocolate ice cream. Both asked for whipped cream. Both enjoyed it a lot. The real taste comes from the filling. The eggnog flavor is not really discernible. There is a slight eggnoggy taste, but nothing you'd be able to pick out.

I'm not sure that I'd make these again unless I had some really good summer berries. The kids would like it if I made them all the time. Then again, they aren't that picky.

This is a photo of last week's treat:

Thanks to Tania of Love Big, Bake Often for this week's treat.

TWD: Rewind!

Happy Thanksgiving week, everyone! This week we were allowed to choose any of the recipes that have already been made. Scanning through the list made my mouth water. In the end, I decided on some traditional(ish) favorites.

At my house there will be apple pie (this one's not a Dorie recipe), Cranberry Upside Downer (p. 206, The link will get you to a peach version. You'll have to use your imagination for a few more days), and All in One Holiday Bundt Cake (p. 186-187 ) See, since it's only Tuesday, the baking hasn't happened yet. I'll have new photos of the new food on Friday.

Have a wonderful, happy, healthy, thankful holiday!

Not a TWD: I was on a business trip

And this weekend was crazy busy. Fabulous friends in from out of town. A great tailgate (mmm, pumpkin cinnamon rolls!) My birthday ;-). But no TWD.

I'll be back next week!

Go to Celestial Confections to see the recipe.

TWD: Not Just for Thanksgiving Cranberry Shortbread Cake

That is a very long title. Very long. The dessert? Very good. I had a much different picture in my head of what this actually was. Then I read the recipe. Oh! It's two layers of a shortbread cookie with cranberry orange jam sandwiched in between. Yum!

This was a simple recipe. The cranberry jam was a snap to make and could easily stand alone. I didn't have an orange (oops) so I used orange juice that I had and a drop of orange oil. I like a tart counterpoint to the shortbread, so I only used a half cup of sugar. The shortbread was also a cinch. I made the dough, divided it into two disks and stuck it in the fridge.

Dorie calls for a springform pan, though I could easily see making this in a square pan and cutting it into bars instead of slices. I pressed the bottom layer of dough into the pan and then spread the cranberry jam on top. I pressed out the top layer between two sheets of plastic wrap and then placed it on top of the jam. I sprinkled the top layer with coarse sugar.

The baking times messed with me a little. The edges were a nice golden brown, and the top was lightly golden. What I didn't realize was that the middle was still a bit squishy. Definitely needed a few more minutes in the oven. The layers weren't exactly even, which may also have contributed to the underdone middle.

The presentation of the cake is lovely. The Boy said that "It was one of the most delicious things in the world." I really liked it as well. We brought it to a friend's house for dinner, and it was universally enjoyed. Funny enough, I have a similar recipe for a shortbread bar with jelly/jam in the middle that I make in a 13 x 9 pan. This is sort of a more refined cousin to that one.

I could see this making a return trip to our table. Especially if The Boy has anything to say about it. Thanks to Jessica of Singleton in the Kitchen for this lovely recipe.

TWD: Peanuttiest Blondies

Yowsa. Yes, that's a word. As in, "Yowsa, these were amazing!" Seriously, though, when you have a blondie made with peanuts, peanut butter, and chocolate, what could be bad?

This was a simple recipe to put together. I used my favorite chunky peanut butter, lots of chopped peanuts and mini chocolate chips. The recipe calls for a 9 x 9 pan which makes a very thick blondie. I could see making these in a 13 x 9 for a thinner bar. I wholeheartedly agree with the use of the mini chips in this recipe. The peanuts are the star with the chocolate adding a little flavor note.

I was a little worried about the baking time because these smelled done while they were still a bit jiggly in the middle. They were pretty brown looking on the top, too. I ended up baking them for about 45 minutes and leaving them in the turned off oven for about another 10. Perfect. They were chewy without being soggy. The peanuts gave just the right amount of crunch.

The Husband had some friends over the day I made these, and they were a huge hit. I won't say how many each person ate, but there weren't too many leftovers.

These are absolutely going to be made again in my house. Thanks Nicole of Bakologie for picking such a great recipe.