Lavender Biscotti with Dried Cherries and Pistachios

Lavender: isn't it lovely? I've wanted to bake with it again but last time I stopped at a farmer's market to pick some baking lavender up they were all out. Then I forgot about it until last week when I passed by a lavender stand in Union Square. I happily whipped up this recipe which I had waiting patiently in the wings (aka my "to make" folder.)

 

It was worth the wait. The slight hint of lavender mixed with lemon zest, dried cherries, and pistachios is a perfect combination.  



Lavender Biscotti with Dried Cherries and Pistachios (adapted from u Try.it)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon dried lavender
Zest of 1/2 a lemon, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup dried cherries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat, set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder together. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment on medium speed, cream the sugar, butter, lavender, lemon zest, and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. Turn mixer to low, add the flour mixture slowly until just combined. Fold in the pistachios and cherries with a rubber spatula.

Slightly flour both hands and transfer the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Form the dough into a log. Approximately 14-inch in length and 3-inch in width. Bake for 35 minutes or until light golden on the edges. Let it cool on a wiring rack for 30 minutes.

Transfer the log onto the cutting board. With a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2-inch thick slices. Return biscotti to the same baking sheet, arrange the biscotti cut side down. Bake the biscotti for another 15 minutes or until they are pale golden. Transfer the biscotti to a wiring rack and let them cool completely.

Bake well and prosper! 

Chewy Double Chocolate Whiskey, Cherry, Macadamia Nut Cookies

Whew! That is a mouthful of a title. I had a recipe from online that I kept changing/adding things to and thus the long recipe name.

How is every one's January going? This week most of America had incredibly cold weather and NY was no exception. The past couple of days have been below freezing with single digit wind chill.

I grew up in TX. There wasn't much cold weather and hardly any snow ever so I just thought if the temperature reached below freezing it would snow. As a 7 year old this made sense to me. I guess I never figured out that there would need to be clouds with rain as well...

If it's extremely cold where you live I have a suggestion. Bake bake bake! The oven will keep your place warm and smelling great. (And if you make these cookies, maybe have a little side drink of whiskey to keep your insides warm for a little bit!)

Chewy Double Chocolate Whiskey, Cherry, Macadamia Nut Cookies (adapted from Delicieux)

Ingredients:
(Erika's Extras: I bought a kitchen scale for Christmas and used it for the first time with this recipe!)
150g of dark chocolate, broken into pieces
50g of butter, cut into slices
80g of plain flour
1/4 tsp of baking powder
2 eggs
250g of caster sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract
100g of dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup of macadamias chopped
3/4 cup of dried cherries (optional)
2 tablespoons of whiskey

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Soak cherries in whiskey. (This step is optional if you don't use cherries.)
4. Melt the chocolate pieces and butter in a double boiler over a stove.
5. In a mixer, beat together the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract until thick and pale.
6. Pour the melted chocolate into the beaten eggs and sugar and stir thoroughly before adding the whiskey and cherries.
7. Sift in the flour and baking powder and stir thoroughly before adding the chopped chocolate, chopped macadamias and mix until combined.
8. Using a mini ice cream scoop, scoop the mixture onto the lined baking trays. The cookies will flatten out when baked.

9. Bake in the oven for 8 to 9 minutes and cool on the tray before transferring to a cooling rack. If you put the cookies onto the cooling rack while hot they will become marked by the wires from the rack.

Bake well and prosper!

Cherry Hazelnut Nutella Fudge

Here's another recipe I made for my birthday party. I just had to have something chocolaty at my birthday!

 

This is the third time that I've made fudge. Each time keeps getting better. This is my favorite by far! And all my guests loved it.

My birthday guests also loved the "party favors" I made. Mustaches on the end of candy canes!

And I must admit that I had a lot of fun making them. I saw a post on craftgawker and then found out how to make them via Morena's Corner. Pretty simple. Get candy canes and brown pipe cleaner aka bump chenille sticks. Hold two together and cut in the middle. Take the halves that match each other in length and twist the ends together. Then twist the middle onto the end of a candy cane and use any type of glue to glue on. Style as you wish. (For best shape, curl the ends around a pencil.)

 

Back to the fudge: The combination of dried cherries, hazelnuts, and nutella with some sea salt on top was just perfect. If you want to impress guests, try this easy and yummy fudge recipe.

Cherry Hazelnut Nutella Fudge (found on Annie's Eats)

½ cup hazelnuts
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract (or 1 tablespoon coffee-flavored liqueur)
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread, such as Nutella
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ tsp. coarse sea salt flakes, plus more for sprinkling
½ cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped

 

Preheat the oven to 250˚ F. Place the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly toasted and the skins have cracked. Transfer the hazelnuts to a clean kitchen towel. Fold half of the towel over the top of the hazelnuts and roll them around gently to help remove the loosened skins. Transfer the skinned hazelnuts to a cutting board and chop coarsely. (Erika's Extra: I used a paper towel and had a hard time getting the skins off. Keep with it though. They will come off!)

 

Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with foil and grease lightly with butter. Set a heatproof bowl over a pot with a few inches of simmering water (do not boil). In the bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, chocolate, Nutella, butter, and salt. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is fully melted and smooth.

 

Remove the bowl from the heat. Add the toasted hazelnuts and dried cherries to the bowl and fold in until evenly combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and spread into an even layer. After it has cooled for a few minutes, sprinkle lightly with additional sea salt. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 3-4 hours.

 

Use the foil to lift the fudge from the pan. Remove and discard the foil. Use a large chef’s knife to slice the fudge into 1-inch squares. Store in an airtight container.

Bake well and prosper!