Peanut Butter Blossoms

Why have I never made these cookies before? How are they so delicious? Why do I now love chocolate and peanut butter together, when I never have before? I don't have all the answers for you. Regardless, these cookies are excellent and you should make them right now. They tend to pop up at parties and in cookie tins around Christmastime, perhaps because they resemble Santa hats? But really, they could should be made and enjoyed year round. This recipe, from the NY Times, makes close to 5 dozen cookies.

INGREDIENTS
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup smooth-n-creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar (plus more for rolling)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 dozen hershey kisses, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, peanut butter and sugars until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes). Add the egg, milk and vanilla and beat again to incorporate. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt and then slowly mix into the wet ingredients and beat just until combined. Refrigerate dough for 30-60 minutes.

Roll the dough into small 1-inch balls and then roll them in sugar (if you have turbinado sugar or slightly larger granulated sugar, it will look beautiful after cooking) and then place them on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for approximately 6-8 minutes, remove from oven and lightly press a hershey kiss in the middle of each cookie, allowing it to crack slightly. Return to oven for another 2-3 minutes until very lightly browned. Let cool, serve and enjoy!

Cranberry Curd Tart

Citrus tarts/pies are some of my favorite desserts. Cool and refreshing, tart and sweet. I had never heard of a cranberry curd tart until about a year ago when I came across this recipe*. I've been wanting to make it ever since, but put it off last winter due to the number of steps and then the season passed and I couldn't find fresh cranberries anymore. BUT, 'tis the season again and I had some extra time this weekend and thought I'd give it a whirl. The cranberry curd is insanely delicious and although this dessert requires multiple steps, none of them are particularly challenging. The bright pink color is a show-stopper and it is delicious. Just do it!

*I've adjusted the original recipe a by making the crust easier and upping the volume of the cranberry curd so that the tart is filled completely.

INGREDIENTS

Almond Tart Crust

2 cups almond flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Cranberry Curd

16 oz fresh cranberries

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup of blood orange juice and the peel of 1 large (or 2 small) oranges**

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

2 eggs plus 3 egg yolks

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a mixer or food processor, blend together the butter and sugar for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Add in the salt and flour and mix together. Pour dough into a 10" tart pan and press the dough into the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Use a fork to prick the bottom and then freeze for 30 minutes (or a day, if making ahead). After the tart shell has chilled, cook in oven for 15 minutes until the dough is lightly browned. Remove and let cool completely. 

Meanwhile, make the cranberry curd. In a medium saucepan combine the cranberries, sugar, orange juice and peel and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the cranberries pop open, approximately 10 minutes. If you'd like to help this process and get a brighter colored tart, use a spoon to press some of the berries against the side of the pan, helping to release their juices. You can also take an immersion blender and give it a pulse 2-3 times (you don't want to blend the entire thing). Transfer to a fine mesh strainer and press cooking liquid into a glass bowl. Whisk the butter into the warm liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time until combined and melted. 

Put eggs and egg yolks into a bowl and beat lightly. Slowly whisk a cup of warm cranberry liquid into the eggs to temper, then combine both and whisk together. Return the liquid to a medium saucepan and cook over low heat until nearly bubbling and thickened, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

Once cool, pour into prepared tart shell and smooth the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes until tart is just set. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Store at room temperature same-day.

**I tasted the curd as it was cooking and thought it would benefit from a little extra zip, so I squeezed in about a half a lemon. Do or don't, I trust you.

Katharine Hepburn Brownies

These are the easiest brownies to make, but also some of the most deliciously rich and gooey. They are good enough to make for company, but quick enough to make when you're craving chocolate right now, which I currently am, hence the reason I made them this afternoon. I always have the ingredients on hand and they come together in about half an hour, start to finish. * Recipe adapted, slightly, from the one posted in the NY Times.

INGREDIENTS
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup toasted and chopped pecans
2 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a 9x9 inch square baking pan (or 8x8 inch).

In a small saucepan melt the butter and cocoa powder, whisking constantly until smooth. Pour into a large bowl and add the sugar, whisk and let cool. Add the eggs, one at a time, and whisk to combine. Stir in the vanilla extract.

In a small bowl mix together the flour, pecans, chocolate and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Pour into the prepared baking pan and cook until a toothpick comes out mostly clean from the center of the pan (~ 20-30 minutes, on the shorter end if using a 9-inch pan and the longer end if using a 8-inch pan). Let cool, cut into squares, serve and enjoy!