Cookie Extravaganza! S'mores Cookies

Wow.

There are two events worthy of a wow today:
1) These cookies.
2) This is also our 100th blog post!

Quick celebration for #2: yay!!!!

Back to #1: S'mores are one of the best treats ever created.  I really don't think you can go wrong when you combine marmallow, graham cracker, and chocolate.   Unless you combine them with like, asparagus. 

That would definitely be wrong.  Please don't defile chocolate like that. 

Anyway, when you combine s'mores ingredients with cookie ingredients, do you know what happens?  Magic.  It's like cookie-campfire-chocolate-childhood-gooey-delicious-magic.   

Once upon a time there was... Watermelon Sherbet

Technically, it's still summer. We realize that school has started and leaves are starting to fall in some places, but it's still summer for another 2 weeks... That means you still have time to make this sherbet! You can still find juicy watermelons in the grocery store and the weather is warm enough to crave an ice cold treat - but only for a few more weeks!

Once upon a time there was... Mango and Pineapple Sorbet

Since we were making an Indonesian Beef Stew, we decided we would stick with the Southeast Asian theme and make a complimentary dessert. We found this recipe for a sorbet at Williams-Sonoma's website and it is perfect because mangoes and pineapples are pretty much the only fruits in season right now! Plus, we always like an excuse to use our ice cream maker. We also like excuses to eat delicious things. So really this all worked out very well for us.

You will find these instructions are not very specific because they depend a lot on your model of ice cream maker. We have the Kitchenaid mixer attachment, so if you have any questions for this, leave us a comment.

Once upon a time there was... Passover Cheesecake w/ Fruit Sauces

It' always difficult to find good Passover desserts with all the ingredients you are not allowed to use. There are only so many macaroons you can eat...

(...but an unlimited amount you can play basketball with...)

(...and slam dunk!)

That's why we were so excited when we discovered the Passover Cheesecake recipe - every bit as delicious as regular cheesecake because all that changes is the crust. This recipe comes from Philadelphia Cream Cheese (which is really the only kind of cream cheese we use because the other cream cheeses are stupid and come from inferior places - go phillies!)

Once upon a time there was... Hamantaschen

Today is Purim - the celebration of the Jews escaping the evil Haman. Haman wore a funny looking triangular hat, so to celebrate/make fun of him, we eat delicious triangular Hamantaschen cookies! This recipe is from Cal's Jewish mother and makes about 30 cookies.

ingredients

2 eggs

3/4 c sugar

1/2 c vegetable oil

2 3/4 c flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1 jar dessert filling

Cal's tip: The exact dessert filling is very important! Jams and jellies will not work, and we havent had good luck with anything but this brand:

We also recommend making this recipe three times - a good excuse to make many flavors of Hamantaschen!

Once upon a time there was... Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie

Phew. Just writing that long title is exhausting. And that's nothing compared to the effort involved in making this pie. Of course, that has a lot to do with our two culinary disasters associated with it (see story below*). To give you an idea, from bottom up, this pie is 1) graham cracker crust, 2) caramel and pecans 3) slow cooked apple slices 4) thin layer of cheesecake 5) fresh whipped cream with caramel swirls.

*We tried to make our own caramel. Our first attempt used Annie's recipe, and we thought it went well until it started to cool. Then it started to separate and basically got worse looking the longer it sat. So, we decided to scrap it and try again. We found a different recipe that starts out by melting dry sugar. Well, our sugar started to melt, slowly and nicely. Just when we thought all the crystals had melted, within a matter of seconds it turned into black liquid billowing smoke. Billowing and billowing. We ran around opening windows and turning on fans. We melted our trash can. (In case you were wondering, dumping burnt sugar outside is probably a better idea than into a rubber trash can. But if you have already done this, all you have to do is fill the can with water and it will dissolve!) So you see even when we are failing, we learn things. But the most important lesson we learned was to never make caramel without a candy thermometer.

But even culinary disasters couldnt stop us from trying this amazing recipe. We found it at Annie's Eats and knew immediately that this was something we were going to have to make. So we bought a jar of caramel and made the recipe later in the week.

We think that we will try some modifications next time we make this (we'll tell you our thoughts as we go). And there will definitely be a next time, because the resulting pie is pretty fantastic.

supplies

9" springform pan

good knife to cut it (crust is hard and sticky)

parchment paper

crust ingredients

1.5 c graham cracker crumbs

3 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

5 Tbsp butter, melted

1/2 c caramel (from a jar, trust us)

1 c chopped pecans

apple filling ingredients

6 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced

5 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 c packed light brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

cheesecake layer

8 oz philadelphia cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 c sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Cal's note: the cheesecake layer is very thin, if you are looking for more cheesecake, double this part, but note that you will have to bake it for longer. Check out our pick at the bottom of what a slice looks like before you decide. This is a very rich pie without doubling it.

topping layer

3/4 c heavy whipping cream

4 Tbsp confectioners sugar

extra caramel and pecans for garnish

Cal's tip: instead you could choose to double this layer. a little extra whipped cream makes for a more dramatic topping!

instructions

1. prepare the crust.

a. preheat the oven to 375.

b. line your springform pan with parchment.

c. chop up your graham crackers and melt your butter

d. combine crumbs, cinnamon, sugar and butter in a bowl and mix with a fork

e. press into the springform, so the crust reaches up about halfway around the pan

f. bake for 6-8 minutes until golden brown

Cal's tip: you can turn off the oven. it'll be a little while before we need it again.

g. let cool for 10 minutes.

h. pour caramel into crust. top with pecans. refrigerate while you move on.

Cal's tip: While caramel is delicious, the amount of caramel you add will affect how easy it is to cut your pie later.

2. prepare the apple filling

a. peel, core, and thinly slice your apples (we recommend a food processor, or this could take a while)

Cal's tip: you can also use this opportunity to creative festive portraits with the apples.

b. melt butter in a really big skillet (we had to do 2 batches) over medium-high heat.

c. Add sugar, salt and cinnamon and heat until just bubbling, 1 minute

d. Add apples and cook, stirring occasionally, 15-20 min until tender and most the liquid is gone.

e. let cool slightly and then pour into your prepared pan.

it smells delicious...

3. prepare the cheesecake layer

a. preheat the oven to 350.

b. use an electric mixer to combine cream cheese and sugar until smooth .

Cal's tip: use a hand mixer. the kitchenaid stand can't reach the small volume very well.

c. mix in egg, lemon juice, and vanilla for 1-2 min until well blended and smooth.

d. pour/spread the cheesecake layer over the pie.

4. bake for 30 min or until a toothpick will come out clean. Allow to cool completely before refrigerating.

5. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

6. prepare the topping.

a. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar and beat until peaks are stuff and sugar is incorporated.

b. spread on top of pie

c. swirl caramel on top, and sprinkle pecans.

7. To serve, remove from springform and cut with very sharp knife!

This pie was really delicious. Thanks again to Annie's Eats for the amazing recipe.

moo!

Once upon a time there was... Amaretto Cake

On the day we made amaretto cake, we had some culinary disasters.  We failed at making caramel for a different recipe, twice.  More on that later... So, when we had a party to go to, a dessert we needed to bring, and not a lot of time left to do it, we turned to our trusty amaretto cake!  Now, castle farm cookbook blog readers probably know about our aversion to box cake mixes.  To summarize, we don't like them.  How can one properly cream the butter with the sugar? Or add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping after each, if everything in the box just gets dumped.  But this is one recipe where we accept that sometimes a cow and/or pigs gotta do what a cow and/or pigs gotta do, even if that means buying baking products from a box.  It's really worth it.

ingredients
1 18.25 oz yellow cake mix
1 5oz package instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1/2 c water
1/2 c canola oil
1/2 c + 2 Tbsp amaretto
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 c sifted confectioners sugar + more for sprinkling

instructions
1. preheat oven to 350.  grease and flour a bundt pan.

2.  combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, oil, 2 Tbsp amaretto, and almond extract and blend together.

us, ashamed of the boxes

us, with the only ingredient we can be proud of

thats right, just dump it all in there and mix it up.

3. pour into prepared pan.  bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

4. near the end of the baking time, whisk together the 1/2 c amaretto and confectioners sugar to make a glaze.

5. when the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes everywhere, using a fork, knife or toothpick.  be liberal with the poking and make them deep.

6. pour glaze all over cake while it is still hot (this is important).  now let it sit for 2 hours.

7.  remove cake from the bundt, you might have to nudge it a bit, especially if you let it sit longer than 2 hours.

why is there a hole in my cake?

8. sprinkle with powdered sugar to look pretty.

For all of our complaining about box mixes, etc, there is one very good reason we make this cake.  it is one VERY good cake.

pig, out.

Once upon a time there was... Cheesecake

Cheesecake, oh cheesecake. There really are few things in life finer than a cheesecake. Strawberry or oreo, chocolate or vanilla bean, however you dress up a cheesecake, we will certainly eat it. In this case, we made this very special cheesecake for a very special thanks-christmas family gathering. What you won't see is that we also made cherries jubilee (yes, we got to light things on fire, and no we did not burn anything we weren't supposed to). Because we had such a fancy and flaming cheesecake topping, we made a plain and simple cheesecake. This recipe is excellent because you can make the cheesecake and then also make all kinds of toppings, so everyone can have exactly the kind of cheesecake they would like. I could really keep talking about the joys of cheesecake for a while, but I think you want to know how to make your own. So here it is, recipe adapted from copykat.com.

ingredients

3 8oz packages Philadelphia cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/3 c sugar

5 eggs

16 oz sour cream, room temperature

1/4 c flour

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp lemon juice

1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs (about 24 crackers)

6 Tbsp melted butter

instructions

1. preheat the oven to 325.

2. prepare crust. combine melted butter and crumbs in a bowl. Press into the bottom of a 9" springform pan.

3. beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. slowly add sugar and beat until creamy. add eggs, 1 at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.

4. add flour, vanilla, and lemon juice, mix well. Add sour cream and mix well.

5. pour mixture into the prepared crust.

6. Place on the top rack and bake 1 hour 15 minutes. When time is up, open oven door to let slowly cool for 1 hour.

Cal's note: see how ours is kind of sinking? We thought we knew better and took it out too early. Do not think you know better. If you have already taken it out, do not worry, it will still be delicious. Also, the slowly cooling is important to prevent cracking.

7. Now put it in the refrigerator and do not even think about eating it for at least 24 hours. If you try to eat it sooner you will say, "that pig and cow don't know anything about cheesecake. this is the blandest cheesecake i've ever had." but if you wait you will say, "the cow and pig are masters of cheesecake knowledge." You can see from our faces below that we did wait, and that the cheesecake was delicious.

Moo!

once upon a time there was... Pumpkin Tartlets

When Cornelius and I heard about the nationwide pumpkin shortage, we panicked. Would this be a fall season without Cornelius' Favorite Pumpkin Pie? Or Pumpkin Cheesecake? It was almost too much to take. Luckily when we arrived at Wegmans we discovered that they were out of Libby's brand but had plenty of Wegmans brand pumpkin. We loaded our cart, so never fear Castle Farm Cookbook blog readers, there will be plenty of pumpkin recipes to go around. And now that we were no longer facing a pumpkin shortage, we decided to try a new recipe instead of one of the usuals. We have been meaning to use our mini tartlet pans that we just had to have (but 2 years later still hadnt used) so we found a recipe for Jack o' Lantern tarts at Martha Stewarts site. So here it goes...

ingredients

- you will need 12 3-4 inch mini tart tins or 6 mini tins and one 9-10 inch tart pan

crust

3.75 c flour

1.5 tsp salt

1.5 tsp sugar

3 sticks butter, chilled, cubed

.5-1 cup cold water

pumpkin filling

15 oz can pumpkin puree

3 eggs

1/2 c honey

1/4 c packed light brown sugar

1 c heavy cream

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp salt

wash

1 egg yolk

2 Tbsp heavy cream

instructions

1. make the crust dough. combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add butter and process until the mixture is coarse - about 10 seconds. With machine running, add water slowly until dough just holds together without being wet or sticky - no more than 30 seconds. it will still be a little crumbly.

2. chill dough. divide dough into 3 equal balls. flatten into a disc and wrap each in plastic. chill at least an hour.

3. prepare crusts. on a floured surface, roll out one disc of dough to 1/8 inch thickness. cut out 6 6-inch circles. (Cal's tip: if you dont have 6-inch cookie cutters, be creative and look around your kitchen. we used the lid to our flour canister.) Repeat with second disc to do anther 6 tartlets or one big tart.

4. fit circles to tart pans, trimming and shaping overhanging edges. Put all the prepared tins on a cookie sheet and chill for 30 min.

5. roll out third disc and cut out 12 3-inch circles (or 6 3-inch circles and a bigger one for the big tart). place circles on a parchment lined baking sheet and chill 30 min.

6. preheat oven to 375.

7. prepare the pumpkin filling. whisk together pumpkin, eggs, honey, sugar, 1 c. cream, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt.

8. prepare for the baking! in a small bowl, beat egg yolk and 2 Tbsp cream. Brush chilled tart tins with glaze. Divide pumpkin filling among the tarts.

9. bake about 30 min or until crust is golden and filling is set. (if you are cooking a large tart it may take an additional 10 min). cool on wire rack.

10. Remove pastry circles from refrigerator. Using a paring knife, carve jack o lantern faces or whatever design you would like into the circles. Brush with egg glaze. Bake until golden, about 12 min.

11. When tarts and tops are cooled, place a top on each tart. Chill before eating.

Cal's tip: the 3", 6", and 10" measurements are approximate. Make sure to measure your actual bakeware or else your pies will come out silly like ours.

Here we are with our finished product!

Here in the Castle-Farm Cookbook, we are not going to lie to you - these pumpkin tarts taste pretty much the same as pumpkin pie. Now, we really like pumpkin pie, but we have some recipes for the pumpkin filling that we like even better. So if you are looking to make something cute, or are trying to use your mini tart pans for the first time, this is the recipe for you. If you are going for maximum pumpkin deliciousness - stay tuned for our thanksgiving pumpkin pie.

Until next time,

Moo.