OLD FASHION BROWN SUGAR CANDY

Whenever I think about brown sugar candy I think about one of my favorite uncles.  He has been gone for years and I seldom saw him the last 20 or 30 years of his life.  He loved brown sugar fudge so anytime I make brown sugar candy I am reminded of him.  Sometimes I wonder what is better, the candy or the memories.

3/4 cup butter
3 cups packed light brown sugar
1 can (5-oz) evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped black walnuts*

Butter a 9-inch square pan or dish; set aside.

In a heavy saucepan bring the butter, brown sugar, and milk to a boil.  Cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.  Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and walnuts.  Beat the mixture just until it begins to thicken.  Pour candy into the prepared pan or dish.  Let stand until cool; this candy sets-up quickly.  Cut into 36 squares and place on plate, in a candy dish or may be kept in an airtight container.

*If you do not have black walnuts or just don't like them, substitute English walnuts.

file photo

DARK CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

This is a recipe from an old Country Woman Magazine.

1 9-inch baked pie shell
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups milk
3-oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
3 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In large saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt; stir in the milk and chocolate. Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until thick and bubbly. Reduce heat and cook while stirring for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Stir a small amount of the filling mixture into the egg yolks then return mixture to the pan while stirring constantly. Bring mixture to a gentle boil; cook, stirring for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
Gently stir the butter and vanilla extract into the filling. Transfer filling into the baked pie shell and cool on a wire rack.
Chill pie for three hours before cutting to serve.
To serve, dollop with whipped cream, if desired.
Option: Dark Chocolate Meringue Pie - After transferring the filling into the shell, cover with your favorite meringue and bake until meringue is lightly browned.

the file photo

BLUEBERRY CINNAMON BUNS

Ingredients

Dough:

• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1/2-2/3 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3-1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Filling:

• 1 1/2 pints blueberries, divided
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 tablespoons cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions

1. For the filling: combine 1 pint blueberries, 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add water and lemon juice and stir frequently, until sauce thickens. Let cool.
2. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 pint blueberries with 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon and 2 tablespoons flour. Toss to coat well.
3. To make the dough: mix whole milk, oil and sugar in a pan over medium-high heat. Cook the mixture until almost boiling (150º F), then remove from heat and let cool until slightly warmer than lukewarm. About 45 minutes.
4. Add yeast and let sit, then pour in 4 cups flour and stir well. Cover and let sit 1 hour.
5. After 1 hour, add remaining 1/2 cup flour and baking powder, soda and salt, and mix together.
6. Divide the dough in half and roll out each half onto a lightly floured surface until they are each about 30x10-inches wide and very thinly spread.
7. Over each rectangle of dough, pour on blueberry sauce mixture, then sprinkle cinnamon blueberries over the top.
8. Picking up the long edge closest to you, gently roll the dough over itself and form a long log.
9. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 3/4-1-inch thick pieces and place closely together in 1-2 greased baking dishes. Cover the rolls and let sit 30 minutes.
10. Preheat oven to 375º F.
11. Uncover and place rolls in oven and bake for 15-17 minutes.

Yield: 24 Buns

 Recipe adapted from Bean Town Baker

REESE GOOEY CAKE BARS

1 chocolate cake mix

1 egg
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 regular sized peanut butter cups, frozen and unwrapped
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup mini Reese's Pieces

Combine the cake mix, egg, butter, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Beat until a soft dough forms. Press half the dough into an 8x8x2 baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.

Arrange the frozen peanut butter cups over the top of the dough. You may need to trim the edges of a few. Press the rest of the dough over the tops of the peanut butter cups evenly.

Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the top of the dough. Sprinkle with the Reese's Pieces. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. They will look very gooey and undone. Let the bars cool completely before cutting into 16 squares. Store in a sealed container on the counter.

NOTE: Make sure you freeze your peanut butter cups at least a few hours before you start to make these bars.

*Make sure you also let these bars set completely before cutting into them. They will appear very gooey and undone, but do not worry. They will set up.

Note: A friend sent me this recipe several years ago.

HUMMINGBIRD BUNDT CAKE

This is a great cake recipe I got from Southern Living around ten years ago. It is a great twist on the Southern favorite Hummingbird Cake.

Cake Batter

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

3 cups all-purpose flour 

2 cups sugar 

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs, lightly beaten 

1 3/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 large) 

1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple (do not drain) 

3/4 cup canola oil 

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Glaze

4 ounces cream cheese, cubed and softened 

2 cups sifted powdered sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 to 2 Tbsp. milk 

1. Prepare Cake Batter: Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.

2. Stir together flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in eggs and next 4 ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Sprinkle 1 cup toasted pecans into a greased and floured 14-cup Bundt pan. Spoon batter over pecans.

3. Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 2 hours).

4. Prepare Glaze: Process cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 Tbsp. milk in a food processor until well blended. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. milk, 1 tsp. at a time, processing until smooth. Immediately pour glaze over cooled cake, and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup toasted pecans.

BUTTERSCOTCH APPLE PIE WITH CANDIED BACON SPRINKLES

Wow! When I saw this several years ago, I knew I had to share it with you! I saw this on Pots and Pans.

Ingredients

•  Apples:
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups (2 large apples) baking apples, peeled and sliced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
•  Butterscotch Custard:
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
•  Candied Bacon Sprinkles:
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 8 strips bacon crisply cooked and crumbled
•  Pie:
• 1 unbaked pastry shell
• whipped cream

1. For Apples, melt butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat; stir in apples. Cook and stir 5 minutes until apples begin to soften; stir in brown sugar and cinnamon; cook and stir 1 minute longer or until sugar has melted and clings to apples. Let cool at least 5 minutes.
2. Heat oven to 425°F. In medium bowl, beat eggs with wire whisk or electric mixer 1 to 2 minutes or until light yellow. Beat in brown sugar and flour until combined. Gradually whisk in half-and-half.
3. For the candied bacon, In medium skillet, heat 1/3 cup sugar over low heat without stirring until sugar begins to melt, 3 or 4 minutes. Swirl pan and stir until sugar begins to turn golden brown. Stir in 8 strips crisply cooked and crumbled bacon until coated in caramel. Remove from heat and spread on baking pan to cool; separate pieces by pulling apart with 2 forks. When cool, break apart large pieces that have stuck together.
4. Place apple mixture in pastry shell; pour custard mixture over apples. Bake 10 minutes; reduce heat to 325°F and bake until custard is set, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool before serving. Serve with Whipped Cream and Candied Bacon. Refrigerate leftovers.

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE PIE

1 9-inch single pie crust

cheesecake filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup mini diced ginger (optional, but good)

pumpkin filling

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 15-ounce can pumpkin purée
• 1 cup light cream or evaporated milk
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• coarsely chopped pecans for topping, if desired
• 1) Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  2) Remove the crust from the refrigerator, and allow it to rest at room temperature until it's warm enough to work with, 10 to 30 minutes, depending on how long it's been refrigerated.
  3) Flour your work surface, and roll the crust into a 13" round. Transfer it to a pie plate that's at least 9" wide and 1 1/2" deep; a giant spatula works well for this task.
  4) Gently settle the crust into the plate, and crimp the edges.
  5) To make the cheesecake filling: Combine the room-temperature cream cheese and sugar, beating slowly until the mixture is fairly smooth. It may appear grainy, or a few lumps may remain; that's OK.
  6) Stir in the egg, vanilla, and ginger, if you're using it.
  7) Spoon the filling into the pie crust.
  8) To make the pumpkin filling: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt, and spices.
  9) Add the pumpkin, cream or evaporated milk, and eggs, and whisk gently until smooth. (You don't want to beat a lot of air into this mixture; just be sure it's thoroughly combined.)
  10) Gently spoon the pumpkin filling atop the cheesecake layer, filling within 1/4" of the top of the crust. Note: Do this carefully at first, so as to not disturb the cheesecake layer; once you've covered the cheesecake, you can be less careful.
  11) Bake the pie for 15 minutes.
  12) Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F, and continue to bake for 40 to 45 minutes, covering the edges of the pie with a crust shield or aluminum foil if they seem to be browning too quickly. The pie is done when it looks set, but still wobbles a bit in the center when you jiggle it. If you have a digital thermometer, the pie will register 165°F at its center when it's done. If using pecans add them after you reduce oven temperature or you may even add them after removing pie from oven.
  13) Remove the pie from the oven, allow it to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate it until serving time. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream flavored with a pinch of ginger and teaspoon of vanilla.
  Yield: 10 to 12 rich servings.
• Note: This recipe requires a 1 1/2" deep dish pie plate. If you have a more shallow pan all the pumpkin filling will not fit. Bake the extra in a small baking dish and serving as a pudding.
• This is a King Arthur Flour Photo and Recipe with a bit of Linda touch.
• 

White Chocolate-Almond Blondies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup butter or margarine

1 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup whole natural almonds, coarsely chopped and toasted 

1 cup (6-oz) white chocolate morsels

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add coffee granules, stirring until dissolved. Remove from heat. Add brown sugar and eggs; stir well. Gradually stir in the flour mixture. Add almonds and white chocolate morsels, stirring well.

Spread batter in a lightly greased 13" x 9" x 2" pan. Bake at 350 degrees 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 30 squares.

From Christmas with SL 1998

SWEET POTATO BREAD PUDDING WITH VANILLA SAUCE

A friend sent me this recipe to share with you readers.

• 5 cups torn French bread pieces
• 1 sweet potato
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, divided
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• Vanilla Sauce
• 7 oz sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp. milk
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Rinse sweet potato and poke holes in it using a fork. Microwave for 12 minutes, until cooked through.

Peel potato and place in a large bowl. Smash using a potato masher until smooth.

Add eggs and mix using the potato masher again. Add sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Stir with a spoon.

Add marshmallows, 1/4 cup pecans, bread, and milk. Gently stir until combined.

Spray an 8 x 8 pan with non stick cooking spray. Add bread pudding mixture. Top with remaining 1/4 cup pecans.

Bake for 55 minutes at 325 degrees.

Vanilla Sauce: Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over warm bread pudding.

GLUTEN-FREE SAUCEPAN BROWNIES

I do not cook gluten-free as it works against my health issues. However, I know some of you do and here is a recipe from The Cake Doctor that you might enjoy.

• Vegetable oil spray, for misting the baking pan
• 1/4 cup cornstarch, plus cornstarch, for dusting the baking pan
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (see Note)
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist an 8-inch square baking pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust it with cornstarch. Set the baking pan aside.
2. Place the butter in a medium-size saucepan over low heat and stir until melted. Add the cocoa powder and stir until thickened and smooth, about 15 to 20 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Break the eggs into the pan and stir to combine well. Add the 1/4 cup of cornstarch and the salt and stir until the batter is smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and place the pan in the oven. Bake the brownies until the edges are firm, the top is shiny, and the center is just set, 25 to 30 minutes. If you like your brownies gooey, bake them for 25 minutes and if you like them more chewy, bake them for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the baking pan from the oven and let the brownies cool for 1 hour before slicing them into 1-inch squares, if desired. (Some people eat them straight from the pan!) Store the brownies, covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, at room temperature for up to 5 days.

CARAMELS

This is from a school cookbook. The recipe belongs to my friends. I would add butter the cookie sheet.

OH MY! CHOCOLATE-CARAMEL-PECAN PIE

1 1/2 cups pecan halves and pieces

1 (14.1-oz.) package refrigerated piecrusts 

1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

1/2 cup whipping cream, divided

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened 

1 cup sugar, divided 

1 large egg 

28 caramels

1/4 cup butter 

2 large eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted, stirring halfway through. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 30 minutes). Increase oven temperature to 425°.

2. Unroll piecrusts; stack on a lightly floured surface. Roll stacked piecrusts into a 12-inch circle. Fit piecrust into a 10-inch deep-dish tart pan with removable bottom; press into fluted edges. Trim off excess crust along edges. Line piecrust with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Place pan on a foil-lined baking sheet.

3. Bake at 425° for 12 minutes. Remove weights and foil, and bake 4 more minutes. Cool completely on baking sheet on a wire rack (about 15 minutes). Reduce oven temperature to 350°.

4. Microwave chocolate morsels and 1/4 cup cream in a microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 minute or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals.

5. Beat cream cheese and 1/4 cup sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Add 1 egg, beating at low speed just until blended. Add chocolate mixture, beating just until blended. Spoon batter into prepared crust.

6. Microwave caramels, butter, and remaining 1/4 cup cream in a large microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals. Whisk together 2 eggs, vanilla, salt, and remaining 3/4 cup sugar; whisk into caramel mixture until blended. Stir in pecans; spoon over chocolate mixture in prepared crust.

7. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes to 1 hour and 5 minutes or until center is almost set, shielding edges with aluminum foil after 45 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 2 hours).

This is a Southern Living recipe a few years ago.