Yes, in spite. In fact, I almost resent it for being so easy, I like a challenge. I like to work for it. I like beer pizza dough that takes 24 hours and I love that it takes all day for me to make raviolis from scratch and even my chocolate chip cookies take 72 hours from start to finish. And then this bread takes about ten minutes, and really it only takes that long because I force you to make caramel sauce to go on top. Which, incidentally, turns all toffee like and beautiful in the oven, making that extra 6 minutes more than worth it.
So damn this bread for being so easy and far more than worth the "effort" it takes. I’ll just have to find another way to slave away in the kitchen.
1large granny smith applepeeled and chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
12ounceswheat beer
4tbsmelted butter
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350.
In a pot over high heat add the sugar, water and butter. Stir until the butter has melted. Allow to boil without stirring for 5 to 6 minutes or until the sugar has turned an amber color.
In a large bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, walnuts, cinnamon, and apple pieces. Pour the beer and butter into the dry ingredients, stir until just combined. Pour into a greased 1.5 qt loaf pan. Pour the caramel over the top of the loaf.
Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes back clean.
Today, September 18th, the book I spent months creating, turning myself into a figurative nightmare, pouring blood, sweat, tears and beer into each recipe, hits mailboxes and store shelves across the land. While I should be feeling excessively accomplished now that I can officially slap a Publish Author tittle after my name, there is also a thin film of vulnerability draped over today. Because more than I want it sell like Funfetti Cronuts, I want it to be well received, I want you to love it. I wish all the recipes to be Home Runs, every step to make sense to ever cook, and every Amazon reviews to be glowing.
What you think matters to me, probably more than it should. So if you buy this little book of mine, The Craft Beer Cookbook (affiliate link), and you have a question about a recipe, email me: [email protected]. If you make a recipe and love it, tweet a picture to me @TheBeeroness. If you make a recipe on your own blog, share it on my Facebook page. I want to know what you think (let’s be honest) especially if it’s good.
While I spent the weekend worried about the release of cookbook, and working out the details of the book tour, I decided it was a great idea to stress eat caramel corn. I even made two batches. The first batch I used a hoppy brown ale, which gave the caramel a mild beer flavor that was a bit lost once it coated the corn. The next batch I used an imperial stout, a big bold beer with enough monster taste to give the caramel corn notes of beer in every bite.
Place the corn kernels in a brown paper bag. Fold the top over. Place in the microwave (long side down), microwave on high for 4 minutes. When the popping starts to slow to about one pop per one second, remove from microwave. Measure out 7 cups of popcorn (if there is less than 7 cups, pop additional kernels in the same manner, if there are more than 7 cups, reserve the remaining popped corn for another use).
Spray a large baking pan with cooking spray.
Add the corn kernels to the baking sheet in an even layer, place in the oven until the caramel sauce is ready.
Add the brown sugar, light corn syrup, ½ cup stout and butter to a saucepan over high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, stop stirring. Allow to boil for 7 minutes, without stirring. Remove from heat, immediately stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons stout.
Spray a silicon spatula with cooking spray (except the handle).
Gently pour the caramel sauce over the corn, stirring to coat.
Bake for 20 minutes at 250, stir, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and spread evenly onto a sheet of parchment or wax paper, sprinkle immediately with salt. Allow to cool, until hardened. Store in an air-tight container.
Three Ingredients, No Ice Cream Maker, Crazy Delicious Ice Cream Sandwiches was the first name for this recipe, although that did seem a bit long for a recipe that’s so short.
If you know me at all, you’ll know that I’m not a girl that goes for the Quick & Easy recipes, but sometimes I hear of a recipe that just seems too tempting not to try. I stole this recipe for an 80 year old woman I know. She made a version of these (that involved Cool-Whip) for a bingo game she was hosting, and told me all about how easy they were, and how everyone loved them. Easy, you say? None left, you say? I must try these easy and delicious treats, although I will be skipping that blue and white plastic tub.
She was right: easy, delicious and none left. The moral of the story is always listen to your elders.
And eat ice cream.
Easy Homemade Caramel Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream, chilled
2/3 cup prepared caramel sauce, room temperature
12 standard sized graham crackers
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the cream, whip on high until soft peaks start to form, slowly add the caramel sauce, mixing until well combined.
Spread the caramel whipped cream in a thick layer between two graham crackers, scraping off excess with a butter knife.
Place ice cream sandwiches on a large plate or baking sheet. Freeze until set, about 1 hour.
You aren’t always aware of the nexus of a true obsession. It may only be in hind sight that the catalyst is revealed upon agonizing inspection of your past. For me, however, the spark was breathtaking, an obvious birth of a fixation that lead to this blog. That trigger was Bison Honey Basil Ale. A beer that begged to be turned into Beer Creme Brulee, my first post.
If you enjoy this little blog that I have, and are as fascinated as I am with turning beer into chewable treats, you don’t have me to thank, you owe the lovely folks at Bison Brewery a debt of gratitude. As do I, or course.
For this post, I used Bison Chocolate Stout, an excellent example of the genre.
In a large sauce pan over medium high heat, add 1 cup beer (reserve the remaining beer). Allow beer to boil and reduce until thick and syrupy and only about 1 tsp remains, about 20 minutes. Set aside. (Note: if you want a lower level of beer taste, skip this step and substitute the "extract" you have just made with 1 tsp of vanilla extract in the later step that calls for the beer extract)
Line a loaf pan with parchment paper, making sure the paper goes up and over the sides of the pan, set aside.
In a large sauce pan over high heat add both sugars, butter, cream, corn syrup and remaining 1/2 cup beer. Stir until butter has melted and then stop stirring while the candy boils (you can occasionally swirl the pan), clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pot, taking care that the tip doesn't touch the bottom. Allow to boil untouched until the liquid reaches 244 degrees. The caramel will reach 200 degrees rather quickly,but will take 15-20 minutes to reach 244. The last few degrees climb quickly so stay close to your pot.
Once the caramel has reached 244, remove from heat. Add the reduced beer "extract" that you have set aside and stir until the bubbling has subsided. Pour it into prepared loaf pan, allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, then refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. Cut into squares.
In the top of a double boiler add the chocolate and the stout, stir over low heat until melted and creamy, about 5 minutes. Don't over heat or your chocolate will seize.
One at a time, place the squares into the chocolate with a fork. Roll around until covered, remove and add to a piece of wax paper, sprinkle with sea salt if desired. Once the squares been covered in chocolate transfer the to the refrigerator, repeat with remaining caramel. Chill until set, about 10 minutes.
I had a couple of crack dealers show up at my door the other day. Looking all smug in their green little uniforms, pretending to be nothing more than just innocent little children. But they knew what they were doing, trying to force me to buy their crack. Or Girl Scout cookies. Whatever. I don’t need this guy with his cartoon gun to help me choose my favorite cookie, that’s easy: Samoas.
And you need to get creative when you have 17 boxes of cookies because you remember what it was like to try and sell stuff as a kid, and people shut their door in your face or calculated the cost per ounce and then told you it wasn’t a "good buy" as if that was the point, then once you grow up, you are a total sucker for kids selling crack. I mean cookies.
I’ll tell you my brilliant selling strategy I used when I was a kid.
Picture this:
Late 1980’s, tiny, blond, innocent looking elementary school kid with huge blue eyes outside the grocery store. My target was hip looking men in their early 20’s.
Me: "Sir, will you help us raise money for Rick Dees?"
Him: "What happened to Rick Dees?"
Me: "He’s in the hospital, he fell off the Top 40."
Worked every time. They laughed and then bought cookies. Humor and crack cookies are a dangerous combination.
Another dangerous combo? Waffles and crack cookies.
Girl Scout Samoas Waffles With Coconut Caramel Sauce
The phrase, "If I had a gun to my head, and was forced to choose between [A. non-imporant thing] and [B. non-important thing]…" is hilarious.
Maybe it’s because I’m all hopped up on caffeine and DayQuil, but the thought of some masked man running around with a fire arm demanding that someone choose between Ryan Gosling and Ryan Reynolds fills me with the giggles.
The image I have is of a cartoon man, a hybrid of The Hamburgler and a bank robber from Ducktales running rampant through a mall, guns flying: "EDWARD OR JACOB!?!" It’s like a real life game of Would You Rather? with disastrous consequences.
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So lets say that I someday meet this striped shirt, leather newsboy cap wearing, eye-masked character and he forces, yes, FORCES me to choose between chocolate and caramel…my choice would be caramel. * Sigh * I’m so sorry chocolate, but I had a GUN to my HEAD.
Coconut Caramel Sauce
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tbs butter
1/2 cup coconut milk
In a pot over high heat, melt the sugar and corn syrup. Stir until melted, then stop stirring, allowing to boil untouched. You will start to see the edges of the sauce turn a dark amber, while the center is still clear. Swirl the pan, without stirring, to redistribute the sugar so the edges don’t cook faster than the middle. Once the entire pot is an amber color and you can smell the caramel flavors, remove the pan from the heat (about 8-10 minutes). Stir in the butter, the sauce will bubble up furiously. Add the coconut milk and stir until well combined. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving. Store in the fridge in an air tight container.
The where so cute, slightly chewy and a little crunchy.
And they are even healthy. Only about 7 calorie each. But, no one eats ONE, that’s insane. So, think of it like 70 calories if you have 10, or 140 if you have 20. And it makes you think that you are eating something that’s bad for you, which makes it taste better.
But of course, I got to thinkings. About how much I like to dip things.
And how in love I am with sauces. Even though this Cinnamon Caramel Dipping sauce makes it SO much less healthy, its super yummy. And it’s a good example of that balance thing I’m always running my mouth about.
Baked Sweet Potato Chips With Cinnamon Caramel Dipping Sauce
2 large sweet potatos
Olive oil flavored cooking spray
1/4 tsp sugar
Caramel Sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs honey
4 tbs unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 375
Slice the potatoes as thin as you can possibly make them. Using a mandolin slicer is the best way to do this, as it insures that your potato slices will cook evenly. If you don’t have a slicer, use this as an opportunity to practice those knife skills! Remember that thick slices will yield much different results.
Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil, shiny side up. Spray with olive oil spray. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet, making sure they don’t touch each other. Spray lightly with olive oil spray and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Flip the slices over and repeat. Bake at 375 for ten minutes. flip over and continue to bake until the potatoes are browned, about 8-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on your chips, they go from done to burned very quickly.
Make the sauce:
In a pot over high heat, add the sugar and the honey. Stir until the sugar is disolved, do not stir again while the caramel is cooking, but swirl the pan every 30 seconds to redistribute the caramel sauce. Allow to cook until the sugar is an amber color and about 220-225 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Add the cream, vanilla and cinnamon and stir until combined and the sauce stops bubbling. Allow to cool a bit before serving.
Firefighters are a rare beast. The perfect combination of rugged bravery and compassion driven sensitivity. A sports watching, beer drinking guys-guy, who is also the first in line to pull a shivering puppy from a frozen river and then make a batch of tender homemade scones.
So what do you do if you find yourself on the daylight side of a fantastic evening, eye to eye with one these hungry beasts?
Make waffles.
Not just any waffles, beer waffles. With beer caramel sauce.
Somehow, it seems to be a rule that every fire house has at least two resident fire fighting chefs, ready for a culinary battle at all times. Making it a near certainty that the beast you woke up with is used to eating, or cooking, great food on a regular basis. Your average breakfast just won’t do.
And keep a healthy stock of Fireman’s Brew handy. Not only is it made by real life Firefighters, they even donate a portion of their profits to causes that support families of fallen Firefighters. Craft beer with a cause.
Great beer and a warm fuzzy feeling. Fireman sold separately.
Beer Waffles with Amber Ale Caramel Sauce
What To Make A Fireman For Breakfast: Beer Waffles with Amber Ale Caramel Sauce
12ozBlonde Ale or Pilsnersuch as Firemans Blonde Lager
Caramel Sauce:
12ozAmber Alesuch as Firemans Amber Ale
2cupsbrown sugarpacked
3/4cupheavy cream
1tspvanilla
2tbsbutter
Instructions
Make the caramel sauce: Add the beer to a pot over high heat and bring to a strong boil, reducing the beer to about 1 cup, about 6-10 minutes.
Remove from heat and add the brown sugar, stir until dissolved. Add a thermometer with a clip to the side of you pan, submerging the tip in the liquid, but making sure it does not hit the bottom of the pan.
Boil, without stirring (swirl the pan occasionally to redistribute the caramel sauce), until the temperature reaches between 230 degrees. Remove from heat and stir until the bubbling subsides. Add the cream, vanilla and butter, stir to combine. Allow to cool.
Make the waffles:
Heat your waffle iron according to manufacture directions.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. In another bowl, stir together the butter, milk and egg yolks, in a third bowl add the egg whites and a pinch of salt.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the milk mixture. Stir to combine. Add the Pilsner (there will be significant bubbling) stir until just combined, a few lumps are to be expected.
Whip the egg whites until light and fluffy and tripled in volume. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, whip until well combined. Stir the egg whites into the waffle batter.
Using the waffle iron, cook waffles according to manufacture directions (make sure to use butter flavored cooking spray, if called for).
I’m reading What Alice Forgot. It’s about a woman who has no memory of the past ten years of her life. She thinks she is a blissfully in-love newly wed, pregnant with her first child when she is really a mother of three going through a nasty divorce. And she isn’t proud of the type of woman she has become: "a point-making hussy who went to the gym and upset her beloved sister and hosted cocktail parties…"
It got me thinking. What would the 2001 version of myself think of the 2011 me? Would she be proud? I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t think of myself as a point-making hussy. So that’s a win.
What would surprise me? What would disappoint me?
I’m pretty sure I would be shocked that I make Linzer cookies and have a food blog. Ten years ago I was just trying to figure out how to cook, skipping steps and trying to cheat recipes.
Am I going to be proud of the 2021 version? That older model with the inevitably fancier techno-gadgets and an 11 year old daughter? What would she tell me? What would I remind her?
She: "Even though you want to kick people in the shins when they tell you to "enjoy the baby years, they go by fast!" They are right. ENJOY chasing your naked toddler around the house before bath time because that will end"
Me: "Don’t forget how much work it took you to get where you are an appreciate it."
Who knows what else.
Where do you want to be in 2021? Or even the end of 2012?
What is stopping you? Make yourself proud, that 2001 version, the 2008, 2010 version. 2021 is going to come whether you like it or not. Where do you want to be?
Think about those goals you have neglected, like books on a dusty shelf. Those ones you would be embarrassed to have to answer to 2006 for not having even attempted.
They seem overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it all right now, just take a step. One today, one tomorrow. Order a catalogue from a college that has the major you have been thinking about. Start a business plan for that small business you want to start. Or just buy the domain name (about $10 at godaddy.com) for inspiration.
Leave that boyfriend that treats you like crap.
Take that photography class because you know that photo is in your blood you just have to figure out what aperture means.
Take on a part-time job so you can save for that trip to Europe that you are always talking about.
Actually volunteer.
Be the person you wanted to be ten years ago.
It takes work, but it’s worth it. If was easy it wouldn’t make anyone proud.
Linzer cookies are a sign of progress in my life, I never would have tried this ten years ago. And the look so fancy!
Salted Caramel Pecan Linzer Cookies
Cookies:
1 cup (2 sticks) of Butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
Filling:
4 tbs butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tbs light corn syrup (like Karo)
2/3 cup chopped pecans
2 tbs heavy cream, brought to room temperature
1/4 tsp kosher or sea salt plus 1/8 tsp salt, divided
Plus 1/4 cup powdered sugar for topping, if desired
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and the vanilla and beat until well combined. In another bowl, add the flour, baking powder and salt, mix with a fork until combined. Add the flour to the stand mixer and mix until the flour is just incorporated into the butter mixture.
Form into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour. It is important that the sugar cookie dough is cold or the cookies will spread too much during making.
Preheat oven to 350.
Once the dough is chilled, roll out and cut into 2 1/2 inch circles. Use a small cookie cutter to cut out a small window in the middle of just half of the cookies.
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until the edges just barely start to brown. It will probably look as if they need another minute or too, but cookies continue to bake once they are out of the oven and you don’t want these to be too crispy.
Allow to cool. Top the window cookies with powdered sugar, if desired.
In a large sauce pan over medium high heat, combine butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently until the sugar has dissolved. Allow to boil, without stirring, for about 5-7 minutes or until the sauce has turned an amber color. Remove from heat, stir in the pecans, vanilla and the cream and stir until combined. Allow to cool until thickened, but not hardened.
You don’t want to make the caramel sauce too far in advance because it will harden in the pan once cooled, making it impossible to add to your cookies.
Add about 1 tsp of the caramel mixture to the middle of the solid cookies (the ones without the cookie cutter windows) be very careful not to touch hot caramel, it will burn the crap out of your fingers. Use two spoons to get it into place without needing to touch it. Top immediately with a cookie with a cookie cutter window. Sprinkle a few grains of salt in the window. I used a super fancy large grain salt my sister bought me for my birthday. Yes, I am now the sort of person who gets excited to receive a box of super fancy salts from all over the world as a present. Take that 2001.
Allow to chill in the fridge until the caramel has set, about 30 minutes.
There has always been a problem with caramel apples. The ratio is off, backwards even. There just isn’t enough caramel and you’re left with, well, a half eaten apple on a stick.
I’m in a book club. I know, such a grown up, right? When I was on my way to my very first Book Club meeting my husband asked, "So what REALLY goes on there? There has to be some type of illicit element? You can’t really just be sittin' around talking about a book, can you?" Other than the calorie content in my version of Minny’s Caramel Cake: Cupcake Edition, noting illicit at all. Just a bunch of girls sittin' around chatting.
When I finished the book, I made a full size version of Minny’s Caramel Cake. For the cupcakes, I made some alterations. I wanted a frosting that could be piped on, so I added some powdered sugar. AMAZING. I really liked this version of the caramel frosting. I also substituted buttermilk for heavy cream, just because I felt like it.
Minny’s Caramel Cake: Cupcake Edition
1 cup of butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 tbs molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup whole milk
3 cups of flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Caramel Frosting:
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup of cream
3 tbs butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
Pre heat oven to 350.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, brown sugar and white sugar, beat on high until well creamed. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add the molasses and vanilla and mix until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk, oil and milk and mix until well combined. In a seperate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix until combined. Add the flour mixture to the batter and stir until just incorporated. Add to muffin tins (lined with cupcake papers) filling each about 2/3 of the way full (about 1/4 cup).
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until the top springs back.
To make the frosting, combine the brown sugar and cream in a pot. Stir over medium high heat until it starts to boil. Allow to boil, without stirring (this is the hard part for me) until the temperature reaches about 210 (about 7-10 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the butter and the vanilla. Allow to cool until thickened. Add to a stand mixer, along with the powdered sugar and beat on high until well combined. This frosting will continue to harden and thicken until cooled.
S’mores are great, right? Evoking memories of summer, campfires and near misses with open flames. Those little treats have been popping up in Blog Land all summer. I even had my little fling with a s’mores makeover. Caramel apples are the new s’mores. Really. I swear. As fall gets closer, and apples pop up more and more in stores, farmers markets and bloggers imaginations, the memories of school carnivals and Halloween parties will throw this sugary fruit treat into the baker makeover spot light. Here is my jump start on caramel apple makeover, falls new, hot, must have.
Caramel Apple Pie
Pie Dough:
3 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbs sugar
10 tbs butter (1 stick, plus 2 tbs), cut into cubes
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup vodka
1/4 cup cold water
Apple Filling:
5 cups of granny smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into thin slices
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbs flour
1 tbs cinnamon
1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
2 tbs apple sauce
Caramel Filling:
1 cups brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup of cream
1 tbs butter
1 tbs corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
Crust assembly:
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tbs granulated sugar
I’ve done this before and I’m about to do it again. Pie dough lecture. After my years of pie dough research, I feel confident that this recipe is near perfect. I love it. If you are thinking about skipping this step and going with store bought, Stop. Right. There. The food processor method makes your active time about 8 minutes. That’s it. For an investment of only 8 minutes you can make the Worlds Most Amazing Pie Crust and when people ask, "Did you make the crust yourself??" You can sigh, wipe your brow and say, "It was a lot of work, but, yes. I just believe that it is worth all the hard work." They’ll never know.
First, food processors are great at getting the job done as quickly as possible, and as previously mentioned on this blog, the more you mess with dough the tougher it becomes. So break out that food processor and add 2 cups of the flour, salt and sugar and give it a quick pulse until it’s combined.
Add the cubes of butter and the shortening and pulse until combined, about 1 1/2 minutes. A mixture of butter and shortening gives great texture and great flavor.
Add the remaining flour and process until it’s all combined. Move dough to a large bowl, then add the water and the vodka and knead gently until its all combined. Vodka makes your crust flaky. It cooks off completely, unlike water, so you have a great flakiness that will hold up to whatever you put inside of it. Your dough will be very moist, but you can add a bit of flour if it is too moist to hold together. Then split into two evenly sized disks and wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours. If you need to, this can be made up to three days in advance, just store the plastic wrapped disks in a large zip lock bag.
Preheat your oven to 375.
In a large bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice and salt, toss to coat. Let stand at room temp for about 30 minutes, drain. Add the sugar, flour, cinnamon, apple sauce and nutmeg and toss to coat.
In a pot over medium heat, add the brown sugar, corn syrup and cream. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and allow to boil, untouched, until it reaches 225. Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla, stir to combine and allow to cool.
Roll out one of your pie dough disks in a circle large enough to fit into your greased pie pan with a bit of over hang. Add the circle to the pie pan and press into shape. Pour the caramel on the bottom, then the apples on top of that. Roll out the remaining pie dough circle. I like to cut out cute shapes with a cookie cutter and layer them on top, adhering with melted butter. You can do this, or you can make a top crust a round circle with slits cut in the top. brush the top with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Allow the pie to rest before serving, the caramel needs time to thicken or your will be serving apple pie soup.
