From Caitlin’s Kitchen: Peppermint Meringue Cookies

Number of Ingredients: 4

Number of Mistakes: 0

Adapted from: Martha

Just in time for Valentines Day, or a little early for that matter! Go me! I usually post holiday themed desserts after said holiday, which I believe is a very un-blogger like thing to do. See, I’m learning!

I had my first foray into meringue several months ago, and it turned out wonderfully. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures. These cookies are my second attempt at meringue and I must say I am even more pleased than the first. 

I was a little nervous to try making meringue, but then realized there is nothing to be nervous about at all! One important tip though, if you don’t have a kitchen-aid mixer, the mecca of all baking tools (as I do not), then be prepared to work! I used a hand mixer and it seemed to take forever to whip my egg whites, but it was well worth the wait. 

These cookies were light and fluffy on the inside, with just a slight crunch on the out. I was worried they may have too strong a peppermint flavor, but Martha knows best, as the flavoring was just perfect. You can play around with the amount of red food coloring you put in, but I was quite pleased with the certain hue of pink I was able to obtain. Meringue away!

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

1/4-1/2 teaspoon red food coloring (depending on the color you desire)

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray and then top with parchment paper.

In a medium sized heat proof bowl, heat egg whites and sugar over a double boiler for about 3 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is warm to the touch. 

Remove from heat and beat egg mixture until light peaks form. Add peppermint extract and red food coloring and beat until you get stiff peaks. You should be able to hold your bowl upside down and the meringue will not fall. 

I initially made tablespoon sized cookies, but I think I would make teaspoon sized ones next time. That being said, drop teaspoon sized amounts of meringue onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake until meringues are crisp on the outside, but not browned. About 1 hour and 30 minutes. Transfer meringue to a wire rack to cool completely. 

From Caitlin’s Kitchen: Pumpkin, Banana, Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops

Number of Ingredients: 13

Number of Mistakes: Possibly 1, but it turned out fantastic.

Recipe Courtesy of: How Sweet It Is

My muffin top is all that, whole-grain, low-fat, I know you want a piece of that, But I just wanna dance. 

Alright, all 30 Rock jokes aside, these are the best muffin tops I’ve ever had. I didn’t expect these to be muffin tops, in fact the original recipe calls them cookies, but either my my own error or by mislabeling they by golly are muffin tops, indeed. I’d never encountered one before, but as soon as I tried these I knew exactly what they were. They are extremely cake like, tiny little soft pillows of pumpkin-banana goodness. They are incredibly moist, and oh so fun to share with friends.

I felt like these almost had a little too much banana in them, as the banana overpowered the pumpkin flavor. I nixed the pumpkin pie spice, as I prefer not to use it, and simply added nutmeg instead. My changes are reflected in the recipe below. 

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 banana, mashed

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add oil, pumpkin, banana, and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop tablespoon sized portions onto prepared baking sheets and bake for 12 minutes. Cool on racks for three minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. 

I know you want a piece of that. 

From Caitlin’s Kitchen: Raspberry Cheesecake

Number of Ingredients: 12

Number of mistakes: 0

Recipe Courtesy of: Ina

Oh Ina, you continue to wow me. This year for Thanksgiving we decided to do everything Ina. The turkey, the sides, the dessert! I know this post is extremely late, but I had to post it. This cheesecake is perfect for any occasion, not to mention it is visually stunning. I brought this over to a friends house and everyone was blown away when I brought it in, and they were just as amazed after they tasted it.

This is a traditional cheesecake, that is oh so rich. The flavors in the cheesecake are simple and elegant because the topping packs all of the flavor. This could truly be made with any berry, blueberries, strawberries, and I bet blackberries would be spectacular. 

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 tablespoon sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake filling:

5, 8 oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature 

1 1/2 cups sugar

5 eggs

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the topping:

1 cup raspberry jelly

3 half pints fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make crust: Combine the graham crackers, sugar and melted butter until moist. Pour into 9 inch spring form pan. Press the crumbs up the side for desired height of crust. Bake for 8 minutes and cool to room temperature.

Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees.

To make cheesecake filling: Cream together the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and egg yolks, two at a time, mixing together well. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl and make sure everything is incorporated well. Add the sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix well and then pour into prepared crust.

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 225 degrees and bake for another 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and open the oven door half way. Allow the cake to sit in the oven for another 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to sit at room temperature for another 2 to 3 hours. Refrigerate overnight. 

To make the topping: Melt the jelly in a saucepan over low heat. In a bowl, toss together the jelly and the raspberries and arrange over the top of the cheesecake. 

Serve and amaze. 

From Caitlin’s Kitchen: Hugh Acheson’s Pie Crust

Number of Ingredients: 4

Number of Mistakes: 0

Recipe courtesy of: Hugh Acheson

Isn’t he dreamy? I’m a big Top Chef fan, and also a big fan of the food scene in Athens, so Hugh is basically meant to be my husband, right? For those of you who don’t know who he is, Hugh Acheson owns several restaurants right in my own back yard, including Five and Ten, The National, and his newest, Empire State South, in Atlanta. He was a contestant on Top Chef Masters last season, and has become my new chef crush.

My lovely sister gave me Hugh’s new book, A New Turn in The South for my birthday, and I am so excited to start cooking from it! Lucky me, she got my copy at Five and Ten, so it is autographed! My work Christmas party was only a few days after I received this book, and I was already intending to make my Bourbon and Orange Pecan Pie, so I decided I would try out his pie crust. 

Funny story, I made the pie crust earlier in the day and then ran to the store for a few last minute ingredients. I was driving down Boulevard, and to my surprise, there was Mr. Acheson standing outside of his home. I shrieked like a little girl as I passed, but I’m sure to him I looked a little crazy. I wanted to pull over and say, “I just made your pie crust!”, but I thought he might find that a little odd. It got a little more awkward because I drove the same way home, and he was still outside his house. 

Now, his recipe makes two pie dough’s. This is rather normal, it makes both the crust and then the topping. But for my pecan pie I only needed a crust, so I halved the recipe. Below is the original recipe, yielding enough for two pies.

5 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 pound cold unsalted butter, cubed

1/2 cup cold water

Place four or five ice cubes in a small bowl and add 1 cup of cold water.

Mix the flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Add the cubed butter and mix together with your hands (or in a food processor if you’re a wuss), until the butter is the size of peas. 

Measure out 1/2 a cup from the ice water and add to the flour and butter. Mix wth your hands until the dough starts to come together. Give the dough a few kneads and form into two even balls. Let dough rest in the fridge for at least and hour, or up to three days, or freeze for up to two weeks.

From Caitlin’s Kitchen: Bourbon and Orange Pecan Pie

Number of Ingredients: 9

Number of mistakes: 0

Recipe Courtesy of: Kate Merker

I can’t believe it has taken me this long to share this recipe with you! This is hands down my favorite holiday dessert. I have been making it for years, before I even started this blog, in fact. I love pecans and the sweetness from the orange zest combined with the robustness of the bourbon make this pie sensational.

After moving into my apartment in Athens, I discovered I had a pecan tree in my front yard, and man was it a good year for the tree, and for me! I made this pie for Thanksgiving, my work Christmas party, and for Christmas dinner, and I still have pecans left over! 

You can either make your own pie crust, or you can buy one of the frozen pie crusts. I will admit, I usually buy mine, but I am going to post the recipe for the pie crust that I like to make. 

1 cup light corn syrup

3/4 cup light brown sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 eggs

2 tablespoons bourbon

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the corn syrup, sugar, butter, eggs, bourbon, orange zest, and salt. Stir in the pecans. Pour into prepared pie crust.

Bake until the center is set, about 50 minutes to one hour. Insert a knife into the middle, and if there is a thin layer of clear liquid, your pie is perfect. 

Let cool before serving.