Ready For Some Footbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall!

Happy Monday everyone! Football season has officially begun and with that comes tailgating, house parties, and the Super Bowl. To get you started on the path to being loved by all of the other guests (and maybe a pardon for liking the other team), here are a few recipes to satisfy the sweet, salty, and in between.

Less muss, less fuss...

Platinum Blondies
Al Roker

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 4 ounces white chocolate, chopped, or 3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Directions

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking pan with sides at least 1 1/2 inches high. Using an electric mixer or mixing by hand, beat together the sugar and egg until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and butter and beat to mix well. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt and add to the butter mixture, beating until just incorporated. Do not overmix. Using a spoon, stir in the pecans and white chocolate.
3. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and use a flat metal spatula or a butter knife to smooth the top. Bake the blondies for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is dry and golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached (not wet, but not perfectly dry). Remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Cut the blondies into 2-inch squares. The blondies can be stored, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 3 days (these seem to get better as they sit) or frozen for up to 2 months (thaw before serving).

Meat lovers rejoice...

Bacon-Bourbon Brownies with Pecans

Kat Kinsman

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/2 pound sliced bacon
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 packed cup light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons bourbon
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing 2 inches of overhang on 2 opposite sides. Spray the paper with vegetable spray. Spread the pecans in a pie plate and toast for about 8 minutes, until fragrant. Let cool, then coarsely chop the nuts.
2. In a skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat, turning once, until crisp, 6 minutes. Drain on paper towels and let cool; reserve 3 tablespoons of the fat. Finely chop the bacon.
3. In a saucepan, combine both chocolates with the butter and stir over very low heat, until melted; scrape into a large bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat in both sugars with the reserved 3 tablespoons of bacon fat. Beat in the bourbon. Add the eggs and salt and beat until smooth. Sift the cocoa and flour into the bowl and beat until blended.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the bacon and pecans on top. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the brownies are set around the edges but slightly wobbly in the center; a toothpick inserted into the center should have some batter clinging to it. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the brownies cool completely. Lift the brownies out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into squares or rectangles and serve.

Just add salt...

Pretzel Bites with Quick Cheddar Dip

Elizabeth Green, Gourmet Live

Ingredients

Pretzel Dough:

• 1 cup warm water (100° to 110°F)
• 1 (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast
• 3 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour plus more for work surface
• 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, well softened
• Vegetable oil for bowl

Baking Pretzels:

• 8 cups water
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• Pretzel salt (see Cooks' Notes) or coarse kosher salt

Cheddar Dip (see Cooks' Notes):

• 12 ounces good-quality Cheddar cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 6 to 8 tablespoons dry white wine or water

Directions

Make Pretzel Dough:

1. Stir together warm water and yeast in a large bowl and let stand until a creamy beige foam develops on the surface, about 10 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, start over with new yeast.)
2. Meanwhile, in a smaller bowl, stir together flour, salt, and light brown sugar.
3. Add flour mixture and butter to yeast mixture, and stir together first with a wooden spoon and then with your hands, until it forms a dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until it is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes, dusting with more flour as needed if dough sticks to work surface.
4. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled large bowl and turn over to coat with oil. Cover with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let rise in a draft-free place at room temperature until doubled, 2 to 3 hours.
5. Alternatively, after kneading, let dough rest at room temperature for 15 minutes, then transfer to oiled bowl as above, and let rise in the refrigerator overnight (12 hours or up to 2 days).
6. Punch down dough and divide into quarters. Form each quarter into 4 balls. Roll each ball into a 12-inch-long rope. Cut each rope into six (2-inch) pieces, and transfer to wax paper–lined rimmed baking sheets.

Bake Pretzels:

1. Heat oven to 450°F with racks in upper and lower third. Well oil 2 large baking sheets (about 17- by 12- inches).
2. In a 4- to 5-quart saucepan, bring water and baking soda to a boil (mixture will be foamy at first, but foam will dissipate). Add 12 pretzel bites and cook 30 seconds (they will rise to the surface almost immediately), then transfer with a slotted spoon to baking sheets. Quickly sprinkle pretzel bites lightly on both sides with pretzel salt before they dry (so salt sticks). Repeat with remaining pretzel bites, returning water to a boil between batches.
3. Bake pretzel bites in oven, switching sheets between racks and rotating sheets halfway through baking, until deep chestnut brown, 8 to 10 minutes (watch closely toward end of baking; bites brown quickly in last few minutes). Immediately transfer pretzel bites to wire racks to cool.

Make Cheddar Dip:

1. Purée cheese with 6 tablespoons wine or water in a food processor fitted with knife blade, stopping and scraping down sides with a spatula occasionally, until mixture is creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Thin to desired consistency with additional wine or water, adding it 1 tablespoon at a time. Serve immediately, or chill, covered, and return to room temperature before serving.

Cooks' Notes:•You can buy pretzel salt in some specialty food stores or online.
•Pretzel bites are best the day they are made, but they can be made 1 day ahead and kept in a resealable plastic bag or frozen 1 month. Thaw, and rewarm, if desired, in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes.
•Cheddar dip is delicious plain, but you can flavor it with your favorite prepared mustard (we used grainy Dijon). Start with 2 teaspoons, adding more to taste, as desired, and/or caraway seeds (2 to 3 teaspoons, or to taste), coarsely ground in an electric coffee/spice grinder. Caraway seeds will be even better if you lightly toast them first (before grinding) in a dry heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant and a shade darker, 2 to 3 minutes.

Happy baking!