Sugary Treat
So, who’s ever experienced maple taffee on snow? And who’s ever had that sweet smirk my niece has on her face after a taste?
28 February 2010 
Chocolate Crackle-Top Cookies
February 28, 2010 By
Crackle-Top Cookie Ingredients
The name for these easy-to-make and succulent cookies comes from the fact that the baking of the cookies causes ‘crackles’ in the powdered sugar coating. Kids LOVE to help roll the unbaked cookies in the powdered sugar, so summon help!
Crackle-Top Cookie Batter
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 tbs. butter, at room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Crackle-Top Cookie Dough Balls
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Microwave 1 cup chocolate for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave at 10 seconds intervals until completely melted.
- In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and vanilla. Add melted chocolate until well blended. Incorporate eggs, one at a time. Gradually incorporate flour mixture in the chocolate mixture. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
- Shape cooled dough into 1 ½” balls (about 1 teaspoon). Place powdered sugar in a shallow dish and roll dough balls into it to cover completely.
- Place balls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 13-15 minutes ( the cookies won’t be set in the center! ).
- Cool cookies for 5 minutes on the cookie sheets, then transfer to a rack to completely cool.
Makes 24 cookies.
26 February 2010 
Quebec White Cookies with Cooked Glaze
February 26, 2010 By
Quebec White Cookie
When we were small kids, my sister and me attended a birthday party where our friend’s mom made these cookies. For years, we talked about them and how great they were and a few years ago, our childhood friend got her mom to share her recipe with us.
These types of cookies are popular in Quebec, where I grew up, to eat along tea or coffee. They are not overly sweet and keep well in a cookie jar in a dry place.
Cookie batter ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup melted vegetable shortening (microwave 1 minute)
- Pinch salt
- 3 cups flour
- 3 tsp. baking powder
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ tsp. vanilla
Quebec White Cookie Batter
Cookie instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar and Crisco with an electric mixer to incorporate.
- In another bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder.
- Incorporate flour mixture to egg mixture. Combine well.
- Add milk and vanilla to batter.
- Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet about ¼ inch in interval.
- Bake 15 minutes.
Glaze ingredients:
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ½ whole milk
- 1/3 cup corn starch
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Glaze instructions:
- Bring all glaze ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan until thickened, approximately 3 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes.
- Thicken glaze further with powdered sugar if needed to reach a thick spreadable icing.
- Glaze cookies while they are still hot.
Makes about 20 cookies.
Notes: For the glaze, you may dissolve corn starch into the milk until smooth before adding to the saucepan to help prevent lumps in glaze.
10 February 2010 
Very Berry Cobbler
February 10, 2010 By
Berry Cobbler
This is one easy and delicious dessert that anyone can make at the last minute using frozen mixed berries. Obviously, don’t skip the vanilla bean ice cream.
Filling Ingredients:
- 1 pint (2 1/2 cups) mixed berries (blackberries, blueberries and raspberries are ideal)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tbs lemon juice
- 1 tbs cornstarch
Crust Ingredients:
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbs cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375F. Coat 1-quart baking dish with cooking spray or softened butter.
- Combine berries, 1/3 cup sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch in a small bowl. Spoon into the prepared dish.
- Stir together the flour, 2 tbs sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or two knives, until mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Whisk together milk and egg. Stir egg mixture into the flour mixture until just blended – do not overmix.
- Drop batter by tablespoonfuls over the berry mixture.
- Mix cinnamon and remaining 2 tbs sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle sugar mixture over the batter.
- Bake for 40 minutes.
Makes 6 servings.
7 February 2010 
Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
February 7, 2010 By
Shortbread
These cookies are rich, buttery and simply perfect to satisfy a chocolate craving.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 2-1 ounce squares semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
- 2 cups flour
- ¼ tsp salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 300 F.
- Lightly butter a 13x9x2 baking pan.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the chocolate, mixing well. Add flour and salt; stir until completely incorporated. Spread the dough into prepared pan and bake in the center of oven about 40 minutes or until firm. Cool slightly in the pan, cut into squares then cool completely in the pan overnight.
Makes 2 dozen squares.
Caramel Turtle Cheesecake
January 10, 2010 By
Cheesecake
Caramel and pecan cheesecake – how can you go wrong!? This cheesecake is light and creamy, features a wonderful texture due to the addition of pecans and is perfectly caramel-topped.
Crust Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
- 1 cup Graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
- 4 tbsp light brown sugar
Filling Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 2 – 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Topping Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Garnish Ingredient:
- 1/2 cup good quality, store-bought Dulce de Leche (I used La Salamandra from Argentina)
Crust Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir in Graham cracker crumbs, chopped pecans and tbsp brown sugar. Press the cracker mixture onto the bottom of an ungreased 9 inch springform pan.
Filling Directions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the brown sugar and the cream cheese together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one, until blended (do not overmix).
- Hand stir in almond extract, vanilla, sour cream, and chopped pecans until well combined. Pour filling into pan over crust.
- Bake for 55 minutes, until set. Remove pan from the oven while the topping is being prepared.
Topping Directions
- In a small bowl, combine sour cream, brown sugar, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Cover the cheesecake with topping mixture. Return the cheesecake to oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and run a small knife along the pan to ensure the cheesecake isn’t attached to the pan wall. Unlatch the pan wall. Cool until room temperature, then remove the pan wall and refrigerate.
Garnish Directions
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat the Dulce de Leche for 30 seconds, until it’s in a liquid state.
- Using a small fork, drizzle Dulce de Leche on the surface of the cheesecake.
Cheesecake Slice
Serves 10.
Maple Taffee on Snow (Tire sur la Neige)
December 28, 2009 By
Maple Taffee on Snow 2
As my family began getting ready for the food frenzy my visit to Quebec would bring on, one thing that my oldest niece, Maude, wanted to be sure my sister would fix for us is Tire sur la Neige, or Maple Taffee on Snow. This treat is one most popular at sugar shacks during maple syrup season, but great anytime there’s snow outside.
Ingredients:
- 2 – 3 cups maple syrup
- Freshly gathered snow packed tightly into a wide, low container
Directions:
-
Maple Taffee on Snow
Pour the maple syrup into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until it reaches 240°F on a candy thermometer, approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Using a ladle, drizzle some of the hot syrup onto the snow, making certain not to cover the entire surface (you can re-pour additional syrup after the first round of taffee is gone).
- Let the taffee set for a minute then pick up by rolling on a fork or wooden chopstick.
Notes: Don’t have snow where you live? Finely-crushed ice from a blender would work!
Grandma's Chocolate and Peanut Butter Treats
December 28, 2009 By
Chocolate and Peanut Butter Treats
These treats come straight from my childhood as my Grandma made them for the holidays as far back as I can remember. She’d make a double batch and freeze the finished treats so we’d have them well into the new year.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup grated paraffin wax
- 8 ounces milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 cups puffed rice cereal
Directions:
- Melt paraffin and chocolate in a glass or metal bowl placed over a pot of simmering water over medium-low heat. Don’t allow the bowl to touch the simmering water.
- Add peanut butter to the melted chocolate and blend well until fully incorporated.
- Stir the powdered sugar into the mixture. Remove from heat and add the puffed rice cereal, making certain that the cereal is fully coated with the chocolate mixture.
- Drop spoonful of the mixture on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet and cool. Refrigerate cooled treats.
Makes approximately 24 treats.
Notes: Paraffin wax can be found at most grocery stores in the canning section where Mason Jars are found. Only use consumable wax such as Gulf Paraffin Wax. Grate the paraffin using a box grater or microplane.
Cherry Blossom Treats
December 15, 2009 By
I’m Canadian and one of the candy bars I loved as a kid was the Cherry Blossom. This treat features a thick chocolate, peanut butter and coconut shell with a tasty cherry syrup and maraschino cherry center. The Cherry Blossom is a treat I always look forward to having when I go visit my folks in Quebec, and my mother shared the recipe we’d made when I was a kid.
Cherry Blossom
For the chocolate treat:
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup grated paraffin wax
- 1 cup confectioner sugar
- 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup grated coconut
- 12 whole, red maraschino cherries
Chocolate treat directions:
Combine all the chocolate treat ingredients in a microwaveable dish and microwave in 1 minute increments, stirring after each minute, until the mixture is nearly completely melted, 2-4 minutes. Stir mixture thoroughly to ensure any un-melted bits are completely melted.
Cherry syrup:
- 1/2 cup cherry liquid from a red maraschino cherry jar
- 1 cup confectioner sugar
Cherry syrup directions:
In a small bowl, combine the liquid and the confectioner sugar, stirring until a thick syrup is created.
Assembly directions:
- Wash and dry a Styrofoam egg container, cut off the lid with scissors then oil each egg compartment well.
- Take melted chocolate mixture and cover each egg compartment with a thick coating using a spoon. Work fast as the mixture will harden quickly. If the mixture gets too hard, microwave it for 30 seconds.
- Add a cherry and about 1 tablespoon of cherry syrup to each egg compartment, then use additional chocolate to create a ‘lid’ for each treat. Ensure the chocolate ‘lids’ seal in the syrup completely to avoid leaks. Cover the egg container with cling wrap.
- Refrigerate overnight or at least 12 hours. Unmold each treat carefully, then wrap each treat with aluminum foil. Keep refrigerated.
Yields 12 treats.
Notes: You could use a cardboard egg container, but you’d need to line it with cling wrap that you’d then oil thoroughly. Paraffin wax can be found at most grocery stores in the canning section where Mason Jars are found. Only use consumable wax such as Gulf Paraffin Wax. Instead of using oil on the egg container, you could also use cooking spray.
Koulourakia – Greek Cookies
December 13, 2009 By
Koulourakia
I dated a Greek guy for three years when I was younger and absolutely loved the holidays at his parents’ home. Tons of cooking and baking and I learned a lot about simple, tasty food from his mother and Yia Yia (his Grand-Mother). Every Easter, his Yia Yia would come to the house and bake her Koulourakia cookies. She didn’t have a recipe, just memories from the old country but was willing to let me write down the ingredients and her techniques for the enjoyment of the next generation. I’ve come up with the measurements in the following recipe as I didn’t think many people would appreciate the “put enough flour so that the dough will be okay”. These cookies are dry and almost tasteless, but are addictive and you’ll want a dozen at-a-time. Here’s to Theodora!
Ingredients:
- 2 sticks butter
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 ounce of whiskey mixed with a pinch of baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla
- flour (approximately 3 1/2 cups)
- 1 large egg beaten with ¼ cup milk
- sesame seeds (approximately 5 tbsp)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a large bowl, whip the butter until creamy, approximately 1 minute. Add sugar and blend. Add eggs, beating well after each one. Add baking powder. Add whiskey mixture and vanilla. Add flour. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
- On a lightly-floured surface, form a tbsp of dough into a ball then roll it into a 7-inch long rope (sprinkle dough with some flour if too sticky). Take the two ends of the rope, join them then twist to form a braid (watch video on how to do this).
- Line 4 cookie sheets with wax paper. Place cookie braids about 2 inches apart on the wax paper-lined trays and brush tops with the egg and milk mixture. Sprinkle the top of each cookie with sesame seeds.
- Place two cookie sheets on the top rack of the oven and bake until tops of cookies are browned, approximately 10 minutes, then switch the cookie sheets from the upper oven rack to the bottom oven rack and bake an additional 10 minutes. Repeat process with additional baking sheets.
- Take cookies out of the oven and cool for 2 minutes, then transfer them to a kitchen towel and cool completely.
Makes 48 cookies.
Notes: You’ll need 4 cookie sheets for this recipe (can cool and wash the first 2 cookie sheets after the first batch of cookies have baked). You’ll likely need to re-refrigerate the dough after you roll and braid enough cookies for 2 baking sheets. Not into braiding? Koulourakia can also be made into a circle using a 7-inch long rope! Do not store cookies before they’ve cooled completed or they’ll lose their crunch.
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