Saturday, August 26, 2017

CHOCOLATE KISSES MACAROONS

1/3 cup butter, softened
1 pkg (3-oz) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
2 tsps orange juice
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 cups sweetened flaked coconut, divided
1 pkg (10-oz) chocolate candy kisses, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl beat the butter, cream cheese, and sugar at medium speed of an electric mixer until blended. Add the egg yolk, orange juice, and almond extract; beat until mixture is blended.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture; beat until blended. Stir in 3 cups of the coconut. Cover mixture and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Shape chilled dough into approximately 1-inch size balls. Place the remaining 2 cups of coconut on waxed paper and roll the balls in the coconut. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes for soft chewy cookies or 13 minutes for crispy cookies. Remove cookies from the oven and press one candy kiss in the center of each cookie while the cookie is warm. Cool for about a minute on the baking sheets then remove to wire racks to continue to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

 Note: File Photo

Thursday, August 24, 2017

TEXAS PECAN PIE POUND CAKE

This cake recipe and photo are from Texas Hill Country.

4 sticks butter
4 cups sugar
4 cups flour (cake or all purpose)
8 large eggs
8 oz. cream cheese
2 to 3 tsp of vanilla flavoring
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup brown sugar
1 jar of caramel ice cream topping
 
Leave cream cheese, butter, and eggs out to reach room temperature.

In mixer, cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time. Then, add flour, one cup at a time. Last, add vanilla flavoring.

Grease and flour tube/bundt pan and pour in batter. Pour in batter first, then sprinkle pecans and brown sugar on top (a cup or little more of each). Lightly press into the batter.

Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. (You may want to tent the top with foil to keep the nuts from scorching.) Then, increase the temperature to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Test the cake with a fork or wooden skewer to check for doneness. The utensil should come out dry and clean (no batter). Bake 5 more minutes if not quite done.

Remove from the oven and allow a few minutes to cool before removing from pan. When you invert onto a plate, you may lose a few nuts, but most will bake into the top layer of crust. Then, turn the cake onto another plate so that the nuts are on top. Drizzle with jar of caramel ice cream topping. Heat from the cake will make the caramel melt over the pecans. Enjoy!
Recipe by cookyourfood1.blogspot.com.

Disclaimer: This recipe and picture were sent to me to share with you. I do not believe this is the correct picture. I did go to the Texas Hill Country website to see if this was a mistake. This is the same as the picture they have posted with this recipe. That does not look like caramel to me. Anyway I am told by those who have made it that it is delicious. As a diabetic, I have not made it.