Election Night Squash Soup with Brown Butter Apples and Bacon

I know, this isn’t technically a baked good – but I figure that since you roast the squash in the oven, it’s close enough. Plus I came up with this recipe all on my own from scratch so I’m proud of it and wanted to share. This was a hearty, warming meal to enjoy while watching the election results roll in… but with the savory bacon and super fall flavors of apple and squash, it would make a great meal on any cool afternoon or evening. Oh, it’s also Paleo! (If you’re strict, leave off the bacon or butter.) Enjoy!

Sorry this is the only picture I took – wasn’t really planning on posting this one until I tasted it!

Election Night Squash Soup with Brown Butter Apples and Bacon

Cooking time: 90 minutes (about 45 minutes active)
Servings: 4 large bowls

•  2 medium sized butternut squashes
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 apples, chopped (reserve 1/4 of one apple for topping)
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil (or other fat… like bacon)
• 2 cups of low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 can of coconut milk
• Nutmeg
• Curry Powder

Optional for toppings:

• 6-8 pieces of bacon, baked and chopped into pieces
• 4 tablespoons of grassfed butter

Preheat oven to 400. Carefully cut squash in half lengthwise and place face down on a cookie sheet. Roast for 35-45 minutes or until squash is soft when poked with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a large stock pot, sauté onion and apples in coconut oil over medium heat until apples are soft and onions are starting to turn clear. Transfer onions and apples into a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth.

Carefully remove squash from oven and scrape the flesh into the now empty stock pot. Using a potato masher, mash the squash until it forms a nice smooth puree. (Alternatively you could use a hand blender or use your food processor.) Turn heat on to medium and add back in your apple/onion puree. Add coconut milk and stock to reach your desired consistency. Add in spices to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp of nutmeg and about 1 tsp of curry). Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare your toppings. For the brown butter apples, use a small pan and melt the butter. Once it starts to foam up and turn slightly brown, add the remaining apple (chopped into very tiny pieces) and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and serve immediately over the soup; sprinkle with bacon bits if desired.

Paleo Blackberry Cobbler

Did you know there are still places where you can pick wild fruit, and it’s actually edible? I sure didn’t, until we found some wild blackberries on a paddleboarding expedition on the Stockton delta. These berries had been hanging out in the freezer for a while so I decided it was time to bake!

This recipe could easily be made with any fruits, fresh or frozen, that you have lying around. You can also make your own almond meal with almonds and a food processor if you’re enterprising like that, but I use Bob’s. Next time I want to serve this with some coconut milk “whipped cream”, not that it wasn’t amazing on its own.

Paleo Blackberry Cobbler
(Adapted from La Petite Maison Verte)

Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 small servings

• 2-3 C blackberries (if frozen, allow to thaw)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1 1/2 C almond flour/meal
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp honey

Preheat the oven to 350.

Distribute fruit evenly in a medium baking dish and sprinkle with cinnamon.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients until it makes a thick paste.

Using your fingers, spread the paste, I mean topping, over the fruit. Warning: this part gets messy!

Sprinkle the top with a bit more cinnamon if you want, then bake at 350 for 30 minutes (or until the topping is golden brown). Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly; serve warm.

Paleo Protein Cookie Bars

Hi blog readers – it has been a while since I’ve posted anything, and I apologize for that. I’ve been spoiled by the professional baked treats at my wonderful job, and swamped by the work they get me to do in return. Anyway, that’s the excuse I’m going to use.

If you know me in real life, you can’t miss the fact that I recently made a huge change for my health by adopting the Paleo lifestyle. It’s more than a diet (I know, that’s a super cheesy line, but it’s true). If you don’t know anything about Paleo, I highly encourage you to visit RobbWolf.com, BalancedBites.com, Whole9Life.com, or MarksDailyApple.com. The quick and dirty version is this: eat meat and vegetables, seeds and nuts, and some fruit. Avoid all processed food, starches, grains, beans/legumes, dairy, and sugar. YES, you read that right, this means I no longer eat sugar. That’s quite a conundrum for a baking enthusiast, right? Wrong! There are some amazing Paleo bakers out there (I’m looking at you PaleOMG.com), so I’ve decided to start chronicling my adventures in Paleo baking. I may also still post a recipe here and there for you non-Paleo folks too, since I do love to bake for my friends and loved ones.

With that – here’s my first, from scratch, completely original Paleo recipe: Paleo Protein Cookie Bars! These are chewy, just sweet enough, and full of healthy fats with a kick of protein from the almonds, pepitas, egg, and protein powder. I completely improvised here based on what I had in my kitchen – feel free to do the same!

Paleo Protein Cookie Bars
(Somewhat adapted from PaleOMG.com)

Cooking Time: About 14-16 minutes
Servings: About 18 1.5″ x 1″ bars

• 8 Medjool dates
• 1/4 C almonds
• 1 C unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 2 large scoops of vanilla protein powder (chocolate would also work)
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 C raw pepitas
• 1/2 C mini chocolate chips (I use the Enjoy Life dairy, nut, and soy-free brand)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 C coconut chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Line a glass baking dish or cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In your food processor, pulse your pitted dates until they form a paste and come together into a ball. Remove from food processor.

Add your almonds and pulse until coarsely ground. Add the coconut, coconut oil, and protein powder and process until blended. Add the date ball (you may need to break it up in order for it to process back in with the rest of the ingredients). Once fully combined, add egg and pulse until you get a nice sticky dough-like product. Remove the dough from the food processor and place in a separate bowl.

With a large spoon, mix in pepitas and chocolate chips. Spread dough onto parchment linked dish/baking sheet until it’s about 1/2 to 2/3″ thick. (I used my hands.) Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and coconut chips.

Bake at 350 for about 14 minutes or until dough is firm and browning on the edges. Remove from dish/baking sheet to cool and then cut into bars.

Brandied Cranberry White Chocolate Orange Cookies

These cookies were not in my original holiday baking plan, but Little Bayley gave me a hard time about it because she liked them so much last year and I capitulated. You can use just about any kind of brandy for the cranberries – I use a Vanilla Cognac that I’ve had for ages, but you could really use anything you have on hand. They are a really fun twist on a basic white chocolate chip cookie, and don’t worry – there’s nearly no alcohol flavor left by the time you bake these delicious treats.

Brandied Cranberry White Chocolate Orange Cookies
(Adapted from SimplyRecipes.com)

Cooking Time: 10-12 Minutes
Servings: About 2 1/2 Dozen Cookies

• 1 cup brandy
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Grated peel of 1 large orange
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

Soak the cranberries in the brandy in a wide, shallow bowl/dish. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Strain the cranberries, reserving 1 1/4 teaspoons of the brandy.

Preheat oven to 375. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Cream together the butter and sugars.

Add the eggs, vanilla, 1 1/4 teaspoons of the brandy, and grated orange peel. Mix well, scraping down sides of bowl to ensure even mixing.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to the creamed mixture, mixing well after each addition.

Fold in brandied cranberries and white chocolate chips.

If you want thicker, softer cookies, chill dough in the fridge for 15-30 minutes. If you want thinner, crispier cookies you can skip this step like I did this time.

Place by rounded tablespoons on to your lined baking sheets. Bake cookies at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Allow to cool for 1-2 minutes on baking sheet and then remove to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy, preferably with a glass of brandy!

Lemon Snowballs

I really wanted to make a fruity cookie to complement the other cookies I was baking for the holidays, and these looked so cute in my holiday cookie book that I had to make them. They turned out to be cute little sandwich cookies with crispy lemon shortbread and a tangy lemon filling.

Lemon Snowballs
(Adapted from Taste of Home)

Cooking Time: 10-12 Minutes
Servings: About 3 Dozen Sandwich Cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Lemon Butter Filling

• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 4 1/2 teaspoons butter, room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the lemon extract and rind.

In a small bowl, combine flour and salt. Gradually add to the butter mixture and beat well.

Roll teaspoons of the batter into small balls and place on lined baking sheet.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Meanwhile, prepare the Lemon Butter Filling.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the egg, sugar, lemon juice, lemon rind, and butter. Cook until thickened, about 20 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from heat and refrigerate until fully cooled.

Spread Lemon Butter Filling on half of the cookies, pressing cookies together to create sandwiches. Tip: lay out all of the cookies round side down on a cookie sheet and sort into those that are flat and those that aren’t. Use the flatter ones as the bases for the cookies.

Sift extra powdered sugar on to the sandwich cookies to create the “snow” topping.

Gingerbread Cookies with Sugar Cookie Frosting

I had never made gingerbread from scratch before, so I knew it was something I wanted to try for the holidays. I found this recipe in my holiday cookie book and decided to give it a shot!

Gingerbread Cookies
(Adapted from Taste of Home)

Cooking Time: 12 Minutes
Servings: About 5 Dozen Cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

In a very large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in the molasses and water.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flours, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the molasses mixture and mix well. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thick slabs. (I did this with about 1/3 of the dough at a time.) Use cookie cutters to cut out your cookies and place them on the lined baking sheets. Tip: To keep your cookies from sticking to the cookie cutter, dip your cookie cutter into a dish of flour every 3-4 cookies.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are firm. Allow to cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Sugar Cookie Frosting
(From AllRecipes.com)

• 4 cups of powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 5 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• food coloring as desired

In a medium bowl, beat the shortening until light and fluffy.

Beat in the powdered sugar until well combined.

Add the milk and vanilla, beat until smooth. Add more milk or powdered sugar to achieve desired consistency.

Divide frosting and mix with food coloring (gel or liquid food colorings work well with this recipe).

Decorate the cookies as desired.

This frosting is great because it will harden nicely, so your cookies can be stacked without lining in an airtight container for storage/gifting. Enjoy!

Pecan Lace Cookies

I first made this recipe last year at the holidays, and I was unsurprised that Hannah S. specifically requested them again this year. These cookies are delicate but delicious, and this year I added some nonpareils to the chocolate coating to make them extra festive!

Pecan Lace Cookies

Cooking Time: 8 Minutes
Servings: About 3 Dozen Cookies

• 1 cup pecans
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon shortening
• Nonpareils or sprinkles (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (this is essential to this recipe).

In a food processor or by hand, finely chop pecans.

In a medium size bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar.

Beat in the egg and vanilla.

Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix very well.

Stir in pecans. Place by teaspoons on your lined baking sheets. Note that this dough will look very different from regular cookie dough. Make sure not to make the cookies very large or too close together as these spread out quite a bit.

Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes, or until the cookies are dark golden brown. They may look a little puffy – they will sink down as they cool. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before removing to wire racks.

If you don’t allow the cookies to cool completely on the sheet, when you remove them you may end up with cookies that look like this:

Whoops! Anyways…

When the cookies are completely cooled, you can start working on the chocolate coating. In the microwave, melt the chocolate chips and shortening.

Stir every 30 seconds until smooth and fully melted.

Using the back of the spoon, spread chocolate over half of each cookie and then place on waxed paper to dry. If desired, add sprinkles to the chocolate side.

Store in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container.

Vanilla Peppermint Cupcakes

Vanilla and peppermint are two flavors that I love, and I love them together–especially around the holidays! I modified a recipe from the owner of Sprinkles Cupcakes (found here on Oprah’s web site), adding my own twist to make them EXTRA vanilla-tastic. They turned out adorable, and were a huge hit at the holiday party!

Vanilla Bean Peppermint Cupcakes
(Adapted from Sprinkles Cupcakes)

Cooking Time: 22 Minutes
Servings: 18 Cupcakes, or 12 Cupcakes + 16 Mini Cupcakes

• 1 vanilla bean
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 1/2 cups flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 2 egg whites, room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350. Line your cupcake pans with liners and set aside.

Prepare your vanilla bean by splitting it lengthwise down the center. Using the side of your knife, scrape out the vanilla beans.

In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the vanilla beans, the shell of the vanilla beans, the milk, and both flavoring extracts. Stir well until the milk is warm, about 5 minutes – don’t let the mixture boil. Remove from heat and remove the vanilla bean shell. (This can be washed, dried, and then inserted into a container of sugar to create vanilla sugar – yum!)

In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and cream together. Next add the egg and egg whites. Beat well until fully mixed.

Add half the flour mixture and mix well.

Add in the vanilla milk mixture and beat until combined. Do not wash the saucepan! (You will use it again for the frosting.)

Add the remaining flour and mix again. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure that the mixture is fully incorporated.

Using an ice cream scoop or measuring cup, fill your cupcake liners until about 2/3 full.

(Look how nice the vanilla beans look in the batter!)

Bake for 22-25 minutes (15-16 minutes for mini cupcakes), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool in cupcake pan for 2-3 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Vanilla Bean Peppermint Frosting
(Adapted from Sprinkles Cupcakes)

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/2 teaspoon milk

In a medium bowl, beat the butter and salt until light and fluffy.

Sift in 1 cup of the powdered sugar and beat well.

Grab the saucepan used for the vanilla milk mixture for the cupcakes. Add the vanilla and peppermint extracts and the milk. Swirl them around the saucepan, using a spoon to help pick up some of the remaining vanilla beans. Alternatively, you could just save some of the original vanilla beans, but I found that this method gave just enough vanilla beans to the frosting mix. Add this to the bowl and beat well.

Add the remaining powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency. If you accidentally add too much sugar, you can add a little bit more milk.

Now you have frosting ready to pipe onto your cupcakes! If you don’t have a nice piping bag set, you can use a great little trick: scoop your frosting into a ziploc baggie and then cut off a tiny bit of one corner.

Add sprinkles (in this case I used peppermint flavored mini candy cane sprinkles) or any other decorations.

Enjoy!

Pistachio Cranberry Biscotti

Earlier this season, I was killing time at a bookstore and stumbled upon the Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies & Candies 2010 magazine. Flipping through the pages and pages of recipes and adorable decorated treats, I knew that the magazine was coming home with me and that I was going to have some fun trying new recipes out this season. This was my first new recipe, and I am very happy with the results! My only deviation from the original recipe was to substitute whole wheat flour for part of the regular flour – I just wanted them to be a bit healthier and chewier.

Pistachio Cranberry Biscotti
Adapted from Taste of Home

Cooking Time: 36 Minutes
Servings: About 24 Cookies

• 1/3 cup butter, room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup pistachios
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and eggs together. In a separate bowl, combine all of the remaining ingredients.

Gradually add the dry ingredients into the large bowl and mix well. Note that the dough will be sticky. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.

Aren't the colors pretty?

Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a 10″ x 2″ x 1″ box or log, like below.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until firm. Err on the longer side of this time amount if you’re unsure. Remove your baking sheet from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.

Transfer the logs to a cutting board and slice diagonally into 3/4″ slices. Place the slices cut side down on your baking sheet again.

Bake for 5 minutes, flip the slices over and bake 5-6 minutes longer. The edges should be nice and golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool for 3-4 minutes on the baking sheet, then let them cool completely on wire racks.

Store in an airtight container, and serve with a festive cup of coffee or hot chocolate.

7 Layers of Heaven Cookie Bars

These cookie bars are deceptively simple to make, but absolutely heavenly! They’re always one of my first choices for holiday baking, and can easily be modified based on who you’re making them for or what you have on hand.

7 Layer Cookie Bars

Cooking Time: 25 Minutes
Servings: About 18 2″ x 3″ bars

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped coarsely
• 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk (fat-free or regular)
• 1 1/3 cups shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 350. You’ll notice that I lined my 9″ x 13″ baking pan with waxed paper – I do NOT recommend this, and you will see why later. I think, for this particular recipe, you don’t need to line the pan at all.

Place the stick of butter in the pan and put it in the oven for a few minutes until the butter is melted. Be careful not to let the butter scorch! Remove the pan and make sure the butter is swirled around the full bottom of the pan.

Sprinkle the butter evenly with the graham cracker crumbs. Next layer the semisweet chips, the butterscotch chips, and the walnuts.

Poke two holes in the can of sweetened condensed milk so that you can drizzle it all over the top of the other layers. You should end up with a very solid coating of the condensed milk. Top this all with the shredded coconut. The layers should look something like below.

Put the layered pan into the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the coconut starts to brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely. If, like me, you used wax paper, you can lift it up out of the pan to make your bars easier to cut; however, the wax paper will not remove from the edges so you will need to leave a “shell” as I did below. Cut the bars into your desired size and enjoy!