Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

These chocolate chip cookies use ground pecans and coconut in the flour mixture and the darkest chocolate to give them a deep, sophisticated taste.  This is a cookie for the adults, no kids allowed. Unless they've been really good...

I wonder how many chocolate chip cookie recipes I can possibly fit on this blog?  The funny thing is, I'm not anywhere near done yet.  As long as different variations on this ultimate classic exist, I'll keep baking 'em.  It's hard work, but someone has to do it.

I'm definitely team nut (and team raisin, I'll fight anyone who disagrees) when it comes to cookies, I'll always choose a pecan studded number over a plain chocolate chip.  Nuts add a wonderful texture to a cookie, or muffin, or any sweet treat if you ask me.  It works out perfectly in my house as Kris is an avid nut (and raisin) hater, so I know that if I want a treat and not have to worry about it vanishing, I can always whip up a big batch of these pecan chocolate chip cookies.

At least that's what I thought. I made a batch of these cookies, smugly knowing they were just for me, when I noticed Kris loitering around the kitchen. He was a little too interested in what was going on for my liking. 'They're full of nuts, you won't like them!' I shouted, brandishing a wooden spoon protectively.  He simply shrugged and popped a full cookie in his mouth.  Over the next few days I'd say he ate around 80% of the batch, I still haven't decided whether it was a failure or a success.  I'd failed in making something just for me but succeeded in making something so delicious that even a nut hater would renounce his stance and devour the lot.  

Nope, I'm still thinking....

So, are you a fan of nuts in cookies, and more importantly, will you be giving these babies a go to test your alliance?   Give them a go; you never know, they might change your mind.

Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 75g desiccated coconut
• 150g pecans
• 125g plain flour
• 1/2tsp baking powder
• 1/4tsp salt
• 125g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 80g light brown sugar
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 large, free range egg
• 2tbsp black treacle
• 200g best quality dark chocolate, chopped

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 175C and line two cookie sheets with baking parchment. Spread the coconut and pecans onto each of the lined cookie sheets and bake for 8 minutes until lightly toasted and fragrant. Allow to cool.
2. Take 50g of the toasted pecan nuts and transfer them to a food processor and pulse until they form fine crumbs. Chop the remaining pecans roughly and set aside.
3. Stir the toasted coconut, pecan crumbs, flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer mix together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, around 5 minutes. Beat in the egg followed by the black treacle then dump the flour mixture in and mix slowly until just combined. Stir through the chocolate and chopped pecans then cover the bowl with cling film and rest in the fridge for 1 hour or up to overnight.
4. When you're ready to bake the cookies scoop out heaped tablespoons of the dough and place on the prepared baking sheets from toasting the nuts, giving the cookies a little room to spread. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, allow to cool slightly on the baking tray before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.

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Orange Blossom & Pistachio Cake

My it's been a busy week for us Brits hasn't it?!  At least, it has been for poor little me.  Markets to attend, Birthdays to celebrate, cake clubs to partake in, jubilee street parties to organise and last but not least a fierce cold to fight off.  All this in the space of a week has lead to a very tired Katie, the only thing to perk me up is knowing I discovered this gem of a cake.

I made this cake for the Newcastle branch of the famous Clandestine Cake Club movement currently taking the UK by storm.  The theme was English country garden and despite the fact you'd probably never find pistachios nor oranges in a typical English garden I felt it sounded too delicious to overlook.  To tie it into the garden theme I decided to crystallize some beautiful yellow roses to adorn the top of the delicious cake, but if you can't be bothered to paint flowers don't worry, this cake is just as yummy without them.  

Pistachio & Orange Blossom Cake

(from Bake & Decorate - Fiona Cairns)

Ingredients:

For the cake:

175g unsalted butter, softened

100g unsalted pistachios, toasted

70g self raising flour

1tsp baking powder

200g golden caster sugar

zest of 1 large orange

4 large eggs

70g ground almonds

2tsp orange blossom water

For the syrup:

Juice of 1 orange

45g golden caster sugar

1tbsp orange blossom water

For the frosting:

250g mascarpone

zest of 1 large orange

1/2tsp vanilla extract

1tsp orange blossom water

30g golden caster sugar

Method:

Preheat oven to 170C fan.  Lightly butter and line a 20cm springform cake tin.  Grind the toasted pistachios in a food processor till fine.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.  In an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and zest until light and fluffy and slowly add the eggs, one by one mixing between each addition.  If the mixture begins to curdle add 1tbsp of flour between each egg.  Fold in the almonds, pistachio and remaining flour followed by the orange blossom water.

Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 40 - 50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Meanwhile, make the syrup: tip the orange juice, sugar and orange blossom water into a small saucepan and heat till boiling.  Reduce the liquid until thickened and syrupy.

Immediately after the cake comes out of the oven prick it all over with a skewer and drizzle over the reduced syrup.  Leave in the tin till completely cooled.

Turn the cake upside down on a cake stand so the bottom now forms the top.  Beat together all the ingredients for the frosting and spread it on evenly with a palate knife.

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Sticky Apple and Gingerbread Pecan Loaf

The best thing about the colder months just has to be the food.  Everything gets so rich, so deep and so delectably, rib stickingly comforting.  I'm choosing to ignore the fact that there is heat wave on its way and the sun is currently bleating through my back door, instead closing my eyes and imagining howling wind and rain beating upon the window.  My imaginary land is the perfect place for this cake, screw you sun, I'm Autumns girl!  

This loaf is just so delicious and if you can't face eating it all yourself right away, wrap it in cling film and it should keep for up to five days.  Not only that, but it actually gets taster with age.  Much like Alan Rickman.... mmmmm!

Sticky Apple & Gingerbread Pecan Loaf

Ingredients:

150g unsalted butter

150g soft dark brow sugar

150g golden syrup

200ml milk

250g plain flour

1tsp cinnamon

1tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 large free range eggs

50g pecans, roughly chopped

3 balls of stem ginger, chopped

2 eating apples, peeled, cored and chopped into chunks.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C / 160C fan.  Grease and line a 2ltr loaf tin.  Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a small pan, stir through the milk and allow to cool.

Sift the flour with the dry spices and baking powder into a bowl, make a well in the center and pour in the cooled milk mixture.  Stir through with a wooden spoon using a circular motion. Fold in the eggs, pecans, ginger and apple.

Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes. Cool for five minutes in the tin, the remove to a wire rack.  Serve warm, cold, toasted or slathered with cream. However you will :)

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Did I tell you?

I think I may have forgotten to mention.  One of my recipes has been featured in a real life cook book, one you can actually buy on the shelves of real shops.  How exciting!

The wonderful Thinkfood cookbook is filled with brain fueling recipes to really get your mind working at it's fullest capacity!  The book is filled with awesome recipes fro some of the best foodies on the bloggesphere and I even have an extra copy for my you, my darling readers.  My recipe is filled with brain boosting cranberries and pecan nuts. The perfect breakfast muffin to get your day started. Especially in the current climate :)

So, if you fancy trying out my published (oh yeah) recipe get your fine little booties along to my Pecan, Cranberry & Orange Muffin Thinkfood page. If you're feeling really saucy you could even do a sudoku while you're eating them ;)

Do you fancy getting your mitts on a copy of Thinkfood? Well here's your chance!  This competition is open  to readers from all over the world so get entering.  You get one entry for each of the following:

• You must be a follower of Katiecakes! So get following and leave me a comment to let me know.
• Tweet your socks off with: My brain needs food, let @Katie_Cakes feed it with her awesome giveaway http://tinyurl.com/27jt86w.
• Mention this giveaway on your blog, twitter or facebook for another entry. Don't forget to let me know by leaving a comment.

The competition will close on Jan 3rd (once my New Year hangover is gone). Good luck.

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Almond and Pistachio Bundt Cake

Have I mentioned my new favorite magazine yet?  I probably have, you're probably sick of hearing me tweet about all of the delicious things I discover within its pages.  No, it's not Delicious, nor is it BBC Good Food (although I hold both dear to my heart), it's actually the Sainsbury's Magazine.  I know, it's mad!  Every month I pick this little beauty up with my shopping and drool over the scrumptious recipes the whole car ride home, bookmarking the best for consumption.  Last month one page I just kept flicking back to was the page containing this almond and pistachio bundt cake.  You all know my love of bundt cakes, my love of pistachios and of course, my love of cake.  What was I waiting for?!

This cake certainly lived up to all of my expectations.  The taste was just out of this world and I was in visual heaven with the bright green frosting.  I just wish I'd coloured my pistachio swirl a little more vivid.  Well, there's always next time. And yes, there bloody well will be a next time!

Marbled Pistachio Cake
(Adapted from Sainsbury's Magazine)

175g soft, unsalted butter
225g golden caster sugar
3 medium eggs
100ml skimmed milk
225g self raising flour
1 1/2tps baking powder
50g ground, unsalted pistachios
50g ground almonds
1tsp almond essence
green food colouring

For the icing
100g icing sugar
1/4tsp almond essence
green food colouring
1tbsp ground unsalted pistachios

Preheat the oven to 190C, fan 170C and butter a 22cm nonstick bundt tin.  Cream the butter and sugar together before adding the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition.  Add the milk, don't worry if the mixture curdles at this point.  Combine the flour and baking powder and add to the mixture, beat until creamy then divide between two bowls.

Fold the ground almonds & almond essence into one half of the cake mixture and the pistachios & green food colouring into the other.  Drop alternating spoon fulls of each mixture into the tin. Gently smooth the surface and bake for 30 - 35 minutes.  Let cool in tin for 10 minutes then run a clean knife around the edges of the cake and turn out to finish cooling on a wire rack.

Blend the icing sugar with a tablespoon of water, the almond essence and the green food colouring.  Keep adding a few drops of water at a time until you reach a nice, thick consistency.  Drizzle over the cake before scattering the top with the chopped pistachios.  Leave to set for an hour.... if you can.

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Walnut Brownies, an ode to nuts

You know what really grinds my gears.  People not liking the idea of something rather than not liking the actuality of it.  Brownies with nuts fall right into this category.  I'm sure you've all experienced this scenario before:

Mr Hungry: Ohhh, are those brownies?
You: Sure are!
Mr Hungry: Oh, but are those nuts?
You: Uh-huh....
Mr Hungry: Urgh, I'll pass.
*Mr Hungry walks away shaking head*

Now, if you've tried nuts in your brownies and just can't get away with them, that's fine. Each to their own and all that jazz.  But, if you just assume you don't like nuts to roll with the majority, you're no friend of mine!

Come on guys, lets unite, lets be friends even.  Just give nuts a chance.  For me.

Thanks to Tiffany of A Spoonful & A Heap for these delightfully nutty beasts! You're slowly helping me convince my boy that nuts are tasty too :)

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Caribbean Brownies, put a little sunshine in your food!

The sun is shining in Newcastle and we can finally dust off the barbecue and join the alfresco eating craze that seems to be sweeping the rest of the country.  But, along with mountains of sticky ribs, honey roasted chicken drumsticks and haloumi skewers we need something sweet to satiate our ever demanding dessert tummy.  Thanks to Levi Roots' excellent sunshiney book Caribbean Cooking Made Easy, I have found the perfect garden sweet treat, Caribbean Brownies.  Take a pretty normal brownie recipe, add ginger, pecans and the special ingredient rum, yes rum and you've got yourself a special Caribbean brownie treat! Delicious.

So, what are you waiting for.  Drag your barbecue to the patio, give your garden furniture a wipe down and have yourself some fun in the sun.

Caribbean Brownies
Caribbean Cooking Made Easy

250g plain chocolate, minimum 70 per cent cocoa solids, broken into pieces

250g butter

5 free-range eggs 

350g dark muscovado sugar

1-2 tbsp rum (optional)

150g plain flour sifted

125g pecan nuts, roughly chopped

4 pieces of stem ginger (from a jar), chopped 

Icing sifted, for dusting (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line a 30cm x 20cm/12in x 8in, deep-sided cake tin with greaseproof paper.

Bring a little water to the boil in a pan, then reduce the heat until the water is simmering. Suspend a heatproof bowl over the water (do not allow the base of the bowl to touch the water). Add the chocolate pieces and butter to the bowl and stir until melted and glossy. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar using an electric whisk until pale, fluffy and thick.

Add the melted chocolate mixture and rum, if using, then whisk again until smooth and well combined.

Carefully fold in the flour, using a metal spoon. Add the pecan nuts and stem ginger and fold into the mixture, then pour the brownie batter into the prepared cake tin.

Transfer the brownies to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is firm to the touch but a skewer inserted into the centre of the brownies comes out slightly sticky. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly in the tin.

When the brownies have cooled slightly, cut them into 18-20 squares or triangles and carefully remove from the tin. Pile onto a plate and dust with icing sugar, if using.

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SMS Hazelnut Truffles

Well, I think this is the very first Sweet Melissa Sunday I had an easier time locating ingredients than my American and Canadian counterparts. I'm usually on the P&Q fretting over course corn starch or asking what shortening is but not this time. One trip to Tesco and I not only found hazelnuts, but I found ready roasted and chopped hazelnuts for £1 whilst everyone over the pond were hunting high and low only to discover a bag for $8! For once, I lucked out!


These truffles were so so simple to make, just a case of melting chocolate and cream together and letting it set. As I've mentioned many times before, I live in a world of nut haters so rather than having to eat a whole batch of hazelnut truffles, I made more than half of them plain. But, to mine, and everyone else's surprise, the nutty truffles actually turned out to be the favored of the two, even among the nut haters. They were like little Ferrero Rocher's.

I subbed the hazelnut liqueur for almond extract as I didn't really fancy spending £10 on a bottle of booze I'd probably never use again. Check the delicious blog Living Life Foodcariously by the lovely Annie for this simple and delicious recipe! And, get yourself over the the SMS girlies to check out some more truffletastic entries.

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