Cookie Cups (For Ice Cream Sundaes, of course)

Want a REALLY good ice cream sundae? Ice-cream, fresh fruit, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, maybe a few sliced almonds...in a Cookie Cup! The Cookie Cup transforms a familiar, really good dessert a to a special, really GREAT dessert. People swoon. People moan. People linger.

This recipe has been in my files since I was a newlywed in 1981. I have only a photocopy of a page from a cookbook, no notations. I am pretty sure the photocopy is from a Sunset cookbook from the 1980s, but I am not certain.

Use any nuts you want, but I have specified my favorite combination. Other than that, I have made no changes to the original recipe.

Cookie Cups

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar (Light or dark brown sugar was not specified. I've used both, and prefer the dark)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
7 Tablespoons flour
1 cup finely chopped nuts (I use half pecans and half sliced almonds--both chopped finely)
2 teaspoons vanilla

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add in brown sugar and corn syrup and bring mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. When liquid boils, remove from heat and stir in flour and nuts until well blended. Stir in vanilla.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a cookie pan with Pam for baking (or any other method you prefer). Make 2 cookies on one cookie sheet. For each cookie, pace 2 Tablespoons of batter in a puddle on the cookie sheet.

 Batter  before baking, above.  After baking, below.  See how it spreads?  Only bake two cookies on one sheet!

Cookies will spread A LOT. (you can bake 2 sheets at one time, if you move the sheets around after 5-6 minutes). Bake in 325 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies are lacy and have a rich golden brown color. Remove from oven and let cookie cool on the tray for a minute or two (but not much longer).

Turn a glass or very small bowl, with a flat, 2-inch diameter bottom, upside down onto counter. When the cookie edges are firm, but the cookie is still somewhat stretchy, with a wide metal spatula, transfer cookie from sheet to OVER the upside down glass on the counter. With your fingers, quickly press the cookie into the shape of the glass. The cookie will harden almost immediately. Leave the cookie there to cool a minute or two (while you get the next batch in the oven).

One cookie cooling over an upside down glass, one cookie completely cooled and removed from glass and standing straight and firm.

Remove cookie cup from glass. Cookie cups can be stored in "rigid" (I use tin) container for up to a week, or frozen for longer storage....but they are delicate, so be careful.

Just before serving, place ice-cream, fresh fruit, whipped cream...whatever your hear desires...into the cookie cups and serve. You'll see joy in your guests eyes.

Thanks for visiting my kitchen today.  Stop by again for some homemade ice creams, sherbets, and sorbets to put in the ice cream cups!

Microwave Marmalade

You can make marmalade for breakfast. Yes you can! It's amazing! I have made orange, lemon and lime marmalade with this recipe. It's so QUICK! I am so impressed. I have had better marmalades, but they weren't made in 15 minutes from the citrus in my backyard. This recipe is a winner.

The original recipe was found here
http://www.putsup.com/2010/01/microwave-meyer-lemon-marmalade.html

Notes from original recipe:
Do not double the recipe, the microwave will not like it and you will end up with a giant mess.
Use a high-sided microwaveable container (I used an 8 cup Pyrex measuring cup) to microwave the marmalade
After you get the basic technique down, play a bit...add a touch of booze or spice!

Microwave Marmalade
Thinly sliced zest (with no white stuff) from 1 lb of citrus
3/4 lb citrus (all peel, white rind and seeds removed)--tangerines, lemons, limes, oranges or combination
1 1/4 cup white sugar
1-tablespoon rum (optional) (I used Cointreau)
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Peel and seed fruit, removing and discarding all the whit pith, and white stringy bits from the outside and down the center of the fruit. Weigh the peeled fruit and removed zest, you'll need 3/4 lb. of pulp and zest. Place zest, pulp and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Puree, making sure all the peel and section skins are reduced to a pulp. Pour pureed mixture into a high-sided microwaveable bowl, adding optional alcohol and nutmeg. Cover tightly with plastic wrap pierced a few times to vent. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Stir; remove platic wrap and return to microwave for 7 minutes. Remove, stir and check thickness. At this point, depending on the juiciness of your fruit (oranges mainly), return mixture to the microwave for another 2-3 minutes. Marmalade will thicken as it cools. Makes 2 cups. Keep in refrigerator for up to three weeks. Can be frozen for longer storage.

Thanks for visiting!

Tropical Salsa and Baked Cinnamon Chips

I know it's a strange time of year to be posting this...but this salsa is so good I couldn't wait to share (plus my friend Julene asked me to). I found this recipe on epicurious.com, where I went to look for recipes to use up the two dozen kiwis I bought on a whim at Costco. This recipe used two of them plus I had to go out and buy a pineapple and a mango BUT, I will go to great lengths if I think I am onto a GREAT recipe. Thank goodness my instincts were right this time! Here's a GREAT recipe for GREAT salsa! I'm sure I will make this again, and again, and again (after all, I do have enough kiwis to make twelve batches...) The original recipe said to serve with "Cinnamon Chips", I have posted the recipe for those also (DELISH). Tonight I served the salsa to three nineteen year olds with "Spicy-Sweet Chili" Doritos (they added quite a kick--the chips did, not the kids!) All three kids did give the salsa a "thumbs up", as did 25 year old in the room. The original recipe (which I adapted) also mentioned spooning this over grilled chicken or fish...mmm, maybe later, right now, I just want to savor "as is". Later this week...Kiwi-Coconut-Lime muffins...to use up a few more of the Kiwi in the kitchen

Tropical Salsa

1 cup chopped peeled fresh pineapple (in a pinch, could sub orange for pineapple)
1 cup chopped peeled fresh mango
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
2/3 cup chopped peeled fresh kiwi fruit (about 2)
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
juice of ½ fresh lime

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Season with salt, to taste. (Can be made 3 hours ahead--but also tastes and looks fine the next day.)

Baked Cinnamon Chips

1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 flour tortillas
3 tbsp. butter, melted

In a small bowl combine sugar and cinnamon. Brush tortillas with melted butter. Then sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar mixture. Cut each tortilla in 8 triangles. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tortillas sugar side up on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until crisp.

Thanks for being a fan,
Polly

Pear Berry Pie

I love pie..., but I am not very good at making the baked-in-the-oven kind. The crust causes me the most trouble. Something always seems to go wrong. I under-cook the bottom crust on a regular basis. When my food processor died a few years back I started using the red box of Pillsbury rolled pie crusts. I have a new food processor now, but I haven't gone back to making my own crust yet. It's the filling that makes a pie for me, mmmmmm... warm, sweet, dreamy, fruity pie filling... Is there any better dessert for the cold winter months? Fortunately, I have a lot of recipes for GREAT pies that focus on fabulous fillings. This is one of my favorites. Make it quick while pears are still in season! If you have a great pie crust recipe, use it. If not, unroll some of those Pillsbury pie crusts and master the pie filling, which is the best part of the pie anyway...

Pear Berry Pie

Single pie crust, baked in a 9 inch pie pan and cooled

For Filling
3 lbs. firm but ripe pears (I use a variety-usually 2 each of 3 varieties)
1/2 cup sugar (divided use)
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice (have used lemon before, too...just up the sugar by a tablespoonful or so)
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups fresh blueberries or raspberries or combination (can use frozen, but fresh results in a less mushy product)
1/3 cup plus 1 T. flour

Peel, core and chop pears into 3/4 inch chunks. Combine pear chunks, orange juice salt, and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a large frying pan. Saute until pears are tender, stirring often, about 6 minutes. Transfer pears to a large bowl and let cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While the pie crust and the pears are cooling, prepare the streusel. Stir berries, flour, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar into pear mixture. Toss to blend. Pour filing into cooled crust and then sprinkle with streusel topping. Press down slightly. Place pie in preheated 350 degree oven and bake for an hour. If streusel gets too brown, cover lightly with foil. Cool pie on rack until lukewarm. Cut into wedges and serve, which I like to do with a blog of freshly whipped cream. Serves 8.

For Streusel
1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar (dark is best)
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup cold butter
1/4 tsp salt

Put all ingredients into a food processor and using on/off turns process until coarse crumbs form. Alternately, using a pastry blender (or fingers) work cold butter (grated or cut into small chunks) into flour, salt and brown sugar. Stir in chopped nuts. OR, melt the butter, pour over flour, sugar, salt and chopped nuts. Stir with fork until large crumbs form. (texture is a bit different on finished pie, but I enjoy it)

Original recipe is from epicurious.com

Thanks for being a fan,
Polly