Like a Snickers, but more extravagant...
Butterscotch Blondie Bars with Peanut-Pretzel Caramel
Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez for Bon Appetit, Dec 2011
Ingredients
Blondie:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teapsoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 2 cups (packed) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups roasted unsalted peanuts
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups 1 1/2"-wide thin twisted pretzels, coarsely crushed
For blondie:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1" overhang on long sides of pan. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Stir butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until browned bits form at bottom of pan, 7–8 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add brown sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat until well combined and mixture resembles wet sand, 2–3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until fluffy and well combined, about 2 minutes. Add dry ingredients; beat until smooth (batter will be thick). Using an offset or regular spatula, evenly spread batter in prepared pan.
- Bake blondie until golden brown, edges pull away from sides of pan, and a tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 20–25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
For peanut-pretzel caramel:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread peanuts over sheet in an even layer. Bake, stirring frequently, until golden brown and fragrant, 5–7 minutes. Set aside.
- Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until caramel is deep amber, 12–15 minutes. Add honey; return to a boil, stirring often, about 1 minute longer. Add butter; stir until blended. Add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously); whisk until smooth. Stir in peanuts and pretzels. Pour over cooled blondie. Chill until cool, about 30 minutes.
- Run a knife around short sides of pan to release blondie. Using parchment-paper overhang, lift from pan. Cut lengthwise into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 10 bars.
Fall flavors in a neat little package...
Pumpkin Pie Bars
Allison Ruth
Ingredients
Crust Ingredients:
- 1 1/3 cup unbleached flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 8 tablespoons butter (softened)
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Filling Ingredients:
- 8oz cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a food processor, combine crust ingredients and pulse two or three times until mixture is crumbly. Reserve 2/3 cup of the mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture evenly into the bottom of an 8x11 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, combine filling ingredients. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, blend until mixture is smooth. Pour mixture over baked crust. Sprinkle with remaining crust topping. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until firm.
Pretzels, snack size...
Pretzel Bites
Bobby Flay adaptation
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1pkg active dry yeast
- 6 Tbsp butter, melted
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 1/2 – 5 cups flour
- 2 quarts water
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1 egg, beaten plus 1 tbsp water
- Course sea salt for topping
Directions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (personal preference, you can use the dough hook if you prefer), combine brown sugar, yeast, melted butter and water. Give a quick mix, then let sit for 5 minutes or until slightly puffy.
- Add salt and flour to wet mixture. Mix on low speed, gradually increasing the speed to medium. Continue mixing until all flour is encorporated and the dough is pulling away from the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add additional flour until the dough pulls away from the bowl and is no longer super sticky. Transfer dough to a clean work area, knead by hand for 3-5 minutes, shaping into a ball.
- Grease a medium bowl with oil. Toss dough into bowl, then flip to coat all sides with oil. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm location for an hour or until dough is doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large stockpot, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Carefully and quickly, add baking soda – this may splatter.
- Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long snake. Using kitchen sheers, cut 1″ pieces. Transfer pieces to a clean plate. Repeat process with all pieces of dough. Slightly more than a quarter of the full recipe should fit on one standard size baking tray. If making the full batch, work a quarter of the dough at a time, keeping the remaining dough covered with plastic wrap until ready to roll and cut.
- Prepare a baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper. Whisk one egg together with 1 tbsp water, set aside. Boil 10-15 pieces of cut dough at a time for 30-45 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon, transfering to your prepared baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining dough pieces.Brush egg wash over dough pieces. Immediately sprinkle with course sea salt.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Continue process with any remaining dough.
- Serve warm with dipping sauces, such as mustard or cheese. Store any remaining pretzel bites in an airtight container.
Lizzy Bee's Note: This would be great with warm peanut butter!
Happy baking!
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