Harvey Morris

Desserts

tea cake cookies

These tea cake cookies utilize chocolate hazelnut spread for the cookie batter. If you don’t have a hazelnut spread readily available, such as Nutella® or the new Jif® Hazelnut Spreads, you could substitute ground almonds.

Preheat oven to 325° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine the butter, granulated sugar, chocolate hazelnut spread and vanilla. Beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and stir until the soft dough comes together in large clumps.

Roll a level tablespoon of dough between your palms into a 1-inch ball. Place the balls 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the bottoms are light brown and the tops are lightly colored. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Sift confectioners’ sugar and ground cinnamon together into a bowl. Gently roll the cookies in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat them evenly. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Adapted from Cookie of the Day: Russian Tea Cakes.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Number of servings: 24

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Breads

sweet potato-bacon biscuits

Sweet potato-bacon biscuits are perfect for pairing with a hot bowl of soup, and special enough to serve with any holiday or celebratory meal.

Preheat oven to 450° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, brown sugar, kosher salt, cream of tartar and cayenne pepper. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cheddar cheese and bacon. Make a well in the center of flour mixture.

In small bowl, combine milk and sweet potato. Add sweet potato mixture to flour mixture. Using a fork, stir just until combined. Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface. Knead gently for 12 strokes. Roll dough to a 3/4-inch thick rectangle. Cut into 8 square pieces.

Place biscuits one inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm with honey butter or your favorite fruit preserves. Makes 8 sweet potato-bacon biscuits (2 biscuits per serving).

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/3 cup butter
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sweet potato, cooked and mashed
4 slices bacon, cooked crisp and coarsely chopped

Number of servings: 4

Cooking time: 12 minutes

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Desserts

Peppermint Brownies

December 26 is National Candy Cane Day (and my sister’s birthday)! Don’t throw out those broken candy canes; use them instead to make these delicious peppermint brownies.

Preheat oven to 425° F. Lightly grease bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan with butter or shortening.

In medium heatproof bowl, set over pan of simmering water, stir dark chocolate and butter until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.

In bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip eggs, vanilla, salt, espresso powder and sugar on high speed until foamy and stiff (about 10 minutes).

Stir in the chocolate mixture by hand, followed by the flour.

Spread half the batter in the prepared baking pan. Place a layer of peppermint patties candies over the batter. Pour remaining batter over the peppermint patties and smooth the top. Sprinkle crushed candy canes over top of brownies.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a firm crust is formed on top. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out moist. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into 8 rows by 4 rows to make 32 peppermint brownies.

Brownie Points: This recipe is extremely rich and dense. If you’re serving this at a party, offer smaller portions for your guest by cutting the 32 squares in half diagonally to make 64 “brownie bites.”

Ingredients:

8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup butter, cut into cubes
5 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
3 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
6 peppermint candy canes, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound chocolate-covered peppermint-flavored patties, unwrapped

Number of servings: 32

Cooking time: 20 minutes

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Beverages

eggnog latte

Happy National Eggnog Day! And a Merry Christmas Eve, too. Personally, I’ve never been a huge fan of eggnog. Too sweet for my tastes. But I love a good latte. This easy-to-make eggnog latte is the perfect balance of strong espresso and sweet, creamy eggnog. So if you ever shunned eggnog because of it’s too sweet taste alone, give this blend a try. You might be surprised how much you like it. I was.

Mix together the eggnog and milk. Heat up (either on a stove top or in microwave). Pour espresso into a mug and fill the mug with the hot eggnog mixture. Stir and sprinkle with ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon. And voila! You have eggnog latte.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup eggnog
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup espresso
pinch of ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cinnamon

Number of servings: 1

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Snacks & Candies

sugar and spice nut mix

This nut mix is special enough for the holidays, but simple enough that you could make it on any Thursday night for the book club. Or would that be the Kindle Club? This recipe has four kinds of nuts, but you can easily include your favorite nut by swapping out an equal amount of your least favorite. But keep the almonds: the crunchy texture is a nice balance to the sugar-and-spice mix. Your mouth will thank you.

Preheat your oven to 300° F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the brown sugar with salt, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. In a large bowl, beat the egg white until frothy. Add the cashews, almonds, pecans and pistachios. Add the spiced sugar mix and toss.

Spread out the nuts on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until browned, stirring at least twice. Let the nuts cool on the baking sheet, stirring occasionally to avoid clumping. This sugar and spice nut mix may be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Adapted from Sugar-and-Spice Nuts Recipe – Bronson Van Wyck | Food & Wine.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 egg white
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup raw pecans
1 cup raw pistachios
1 cup raw almonds

Number of servings: 10

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Desserts

chocolate and pistachio biscotti

Dark chocolate and pistachios are perfect for pairing in a crunchy, savory cookie. This chocolate and pistachio biscotti recipe requires some patience when you get to the part of the second baking. Personally, I get a little impatient around then but you have to let the biscotti bake in its own time. And each oven is so different, don’t be surprised if you find the baking time takes a bit longer. But no matter what, don’t turn up the oven’s temperature in the first baking or the second. If you try to rush the baking process, the pistachios (and most likely the entire biscotti) will burn. You don’t want that now, do ya!?!

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat in the eggs at low speed until a crumbly dough forms.

In another bowl, beat the brown sugar with butter and vanilla, coffee and almond extracts until combined. Scrape the mixture into the crumbly dough and beat at medium speed until a soft, sticky dough forms. Add the chopped dark chocolate and pistachios. Beat at low speed just until combined and evenly distributed.

Divide the dough into 4 sections, and transfer 2 of the sections to each baking sheet. Form each section into an 8-inch-long log. Pat down the logs until they are about 2 inches wide and 3/4 inch thick.

Bake initially for 22 minutes, or until the logs are puffed and springy to the touch. Rotate the pans halfway through baking. Transfer the logs to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Then lower the oven temperature to 200° F.

Using a serrated knife, cut the logs crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Return the slices to the baking sheets and bake for an additional 30 minutes, flipping the biscotti at least once after 15 minutes, or until crisp. Transfer the chocolate and pistachio biscotti to wire racks to cool completely. The biscotti will last in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. Unless you’re going to eat them all in one day, I always suggest storing in a refrigerator to better preserve and prolong the freshness.

Adapted from Chocolate & Pistachio Biscotti Recipe – Michelle Myers | Food & Wine.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of kosher salt
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coffee extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup pistachios, shells and unsalted

Number of servings: 78

Cooking time: 52 minutes

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Desserts

graham cracker pound cake

What makes this graham cracker pound cake recipe so special? The graham cracker crumbs. Pound cakes typically are easy to make, but take long to bake (compared to other cakes). But the wait is definitely worth it because of the added texture the graham cracker adds. Occasionally, I mix in key lime juice into the batter to mimic the flavors of key lime pie.

Preheat your oven to 325° F. Butter and flour an 8-inch loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the cake flour with the graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, eggs and vanilla.

Beating at medium speed, add the dry and liquid ingredients to the butter mixture in 3 alternating batches. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan.

Bake for about 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the graham cracker pound cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Graham Cracker Pound Cake Recipe – Megan Garrelts | Food & Wine.

Ingredients:

12 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs, finely ground
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla

Number of servings: 8

Cooking time: 55 minutes

Desserts

Eggnog Brownies

Eggnog isn’t just for drinking. You can also eat your eggnog in this easy holiday recipe for eggnog brownies.

We’ve all done it: we buy a quart of eggnog at the grocery store during the holidays thinking it will be a great treat. You get home and put it in the fridge. Then you forget that it’s there until after the holidays have past by. The good news is that eggnog is a great ingredient to bake with. So before the holiday season totally passes by, challenge yourself to find creative ways to use any leftover eggnog in holiday recipes like these delicious eggnog brownies. This recipe for eggnog brownies is perfect for turning any leftover eggnog into holiday treats that kids and adults will gobble up.

Can I use homemade eggnog to make these eggnog brownies?

What exactly is eggnog? It’s simply a drink made from a mixture of beaten eggs, cream, and sugar, often with alcohol. For a kid-friendly, non-alcoholic version of eggnog brownies, substitute milk or water for the rum. And if you can’t find eggnog in your local market or would prefer to make your own, here’s a great eggnog recipe from Food Network’s Alton Brown. For a more decadent version of eggnog brownies, substitute unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder and dark chocolate chunks.

Eggnog Brownies

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 16 servings

Eggnog Brownies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk, divided

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup plus 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup milk chocolate chunks

1/4 cup rum

16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup eggnog

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

confectioners' sugar for dusting

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a 9x9-inch baking pan with butter or shortening. Set aside.

Melt butter in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl. Add rum and 2 eggs to the melted butter. Stir in the flour, baking powder, kosher salt, cocoa powder, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, dark brown sugar and milk chocolate chunks just until combined.

In another medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolk until frothy. Stir in 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, eggnog, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Beat in the cream cheese until the mixture is smooth. The consistency will be like a creamy yogurt.

Spread half of the batter in the prepared baking pan. Top the brownie batter with the cream cheese eggnog mixture, using a spatula to level out the mixture. Spoon the remaining brownie batter over the cream cheese eggnog layer, again using the spatula to spread evenly. Drag the spatula through pan to create a marbled effect.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the edges start to move away from the pan. A toothpick inserted in the center of the eggnog brownies should come out almost clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Lightly dust the brownies with confectioners' sugar and cut into 4 rows by 4 rows to make 16 eggnog brownies.

http://bakedchicago.com/eggnog-brownies/

Desserts

Rum Raspberry-Almond Mini Tarts

Raspberry-almond mini tarts are fun to make – and eat. The reason is that I love, love, love the flavor of raspberry. So when I first saw this almond tarts recipe, I knew raspberry would be the perfect addition to provide a brighter flavor contrast. If you don’t love raspberries, then swap out the raspberry jam for your favorite fruit jam. Yes, it’s that simple.

Rum Raspberry-Almond Mini Tarts

Rating: 51

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 30 mini tarts

2 mini tarts

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1/2 cup butter, cubed

4 teaspoons butter, softened

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 eggs

1/2 cup almond paste

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon rum

1/3 cup raspberry jam, melted

1/3 cup almonds, sliced

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine the flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and lemon peel. Cut in 1/2 cup cold butter until crumbly. Add the slightly beaten egg and toss with a fork until a dough ball forms. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray, and set aside.

To make the tart filling, beat the almond paste in a food processor until crumbly. Add the remaining sugar, softened butter, vanilla, rum and two eggs. Mix until smooth and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut the dough into 30 circles about 2 1/2 inches wide. Press the dough into the prepared mini muffins pan.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and spoon 1 teaspoon of the tart filling into each shell. Sprinkle with sliced almonds. Bake for 10 minutes longer or until the filling is set and pastry is lightly browned. Brush raspberry jam over tarts. Cool for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Notes

Adapted from Almond Tartlets Recipe in Taste of Home

http://bakedchicago.com/raspberry-almond-mini-tarts/

2,248

Appetizers

Parmesan Black Pepper Cookies

Who said cookies had to be sweet? This recipe for Parmesan black pepper cookies is anything but. Some might argue that these aren’t really cookies at all, but rather crackers or biscuits. All I know is when a cookie (or cracker or biscuit) tastes this buttery, cheesy and has a crisp bite of black pepper, I don’t really care what you call it. I’ll just call for seconds, please.

Parmesan Black Pepper Cookies

Cook Time: 18 minutes

Yield: 4 dozen cookie

Ingredients

16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 cups Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cracked black pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

In medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter with Parmesan, flour and black pepper at low speed until a stiff dough forms. Divide dough into 3 pieces, then roll each piece into a 9-inch log, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.

Slice logs 1/3 inch thick and arrange slices on prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 18 minutes, or until golden. Shift baking sheets halfway through baking for even browning. Let cookies cool for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. These Parmesan black pepper cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Notes

Adapted from Parmesan Cookies Recipe by Marc Murphy, as it appeared in Food & Wine.

http://bakedchicago.com/parmesan-black-pepper-cookies/

4,492

Desserts

honeycrisp apple strudel

When winter hits, all I want to do is stay inside the house, keeping warm and nesting more than usual. And certain foods – like apple strudel – are just so comforting that it makes the cold more bearable. My favorite place for apple strudel is The Berghoff Restaurant. At home, I put my own spin on this classic by using Honeycrisp apples. Yum!

Honeycrisp Apple Strudel

Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Beat egg and water in small bowl with a fork and set aside.

In medium bowl, stir together dark brown sugar, flour and ground cinnamon. Add the apples and raisins in the sugar mixture, tossing to coat.

Sprinkle additional flour on a flat work surface. Unfold pastry sheet on the work surface, then roll pastry sheet into a 16×12-inch rectangle. With one of the shorter sides facing you, spoon the apple mixture onto the bottom half of pastry sheet to within 1 inch of the edge. Roll up the dough like and place the seam side down onto the prepared baking sheet. Tuck ends underneath to seal, then brush pastry with egg mixture. Cut several slits on top to vent during baking process.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until golden brown. Let pastry cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack. Let cool completely and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.

Ingredients:

1 egg
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons raisins
1 sheet puff pastry sheet, thawed
confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Number of servings: 6

Cooking time: 35 minutes

Beverages

cinnamon dark chocolate cocoa mix

Hot cocoa is my winter indulgence. Nightly, if possible. And always made with milk, not water. This cinnamon dark chocolate cocoa mix is rich and delicious. Perfect for a romantic winter rendezvous, don’t ya think?

Combine all the ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl and incorporate evenly. In a small saucepan, heat 3 cups of whole milk. Fill two 12-ounce mugs half full with the cocoa mixture and pour in the hot milk. Stir to combine and sprinkle with ground cinnamon on top. Better yet, add in a handful of miniature marshmallows. Sip slowly and breathe deeply. The perfect nightcap before bed.

Store any remaining cinnamon dark chocolate cocoa mixture in an airtight container.

For another great hot cocoa option, try Baked Chicago’s Aztec Hot Chocolate recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Number of servings: 12

Cooking time: 5 minutes

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