Caramel Pretzel Cookies: Whom do you thank during the holidays?

When best friend CY began teaching, I pulled her aside, and told her, "When the holidays come, every single year, make sure you remember the custodian as well as the secretaries of your school. Your remembering them during the holidays is important.  Show them your appreciation."

This was a lesson I learned when I was teaching - the importance of appreciation those who help you all year long. And when the holidays come now, as I am a mother of three children, let's just say that the list of people to whom I have to present some sort of thank you to is an insane list and one that doesn't get smaller.   Perhaps next year it may shrink a little as Son and Daughters will hopefully be at the same school, but one can never be completely sure.

But with the lists so long, and money only able to go so far, I have to be economical while covering a wide base of gift recipients.  This year I opted to go with small boxes of homemade cookies and a $5 Starbucks card to all the teachers (more than 30 of them) who work with Son and Daughters in any sort of capacity.  I also thank the secretaries and office staff at both schools and I also remember the wonderful woman who is the office manager at the music school.  People don't forget your appreciation for their efforts.  I guarantee it.  In fact, when I handed the music school office manager my small token of appreciation this year, she said, "I wondered this morning, who might give me a present and I knew that you would."  She remembers that I appreciate her.

And I do.  To all the teachers who have touched my child's life, thank you.  Thank you to all those who serve them in the classroom, as their tutors, teachers, mentors, models - all the wonderful things you give to my children, from the bottom of my heart I truly thank you for your kind service and your work for them.  Even though my gift is not big, nor extravagant, nor expensive, know that I give it to you because I know, and appreciate all that you do.

This is my cookie of choice to give this year.  I'm a little bit addicted to them.  I love the combination of salty and sweet and chewy and crispy.  Everyone that I've given them to thus far say that they are delicious, and yes, I will be entering them in a contest in hopes that I WIN!  But winning aside, these are a deliciously scrumptious cookie and one, if you present them to the people who deserve it, will go very much appreciated.

Happy Holidays all!

Caramel Pretzel Cookies
Makes 5 dozen

Ingredients
2 sticks of butter, room temperature
1 ⅔ cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup old-fashioned oats
1 ½ cups caramel bits (or regular caramels, unwrapped and cut into bits)
2 cups mini pretzel twists, left whole

Method
Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl  (either in a stand mixer or in a bowl where you can use a hand mixer) and cream on medium high for 2 to 3 minutes.   Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla and beat until all ingredients are mixed together, another 3 to 4 minutes.

Reduce speed to low, and add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Beat until just mixed, about 1 minute.

Add oats and caramel, and mix until just blended.  Finally, add pretzels and allow them to be mixed in.  Do not over mix, or you will completely crush the pretzels.  (A few large chunks are rather nice.)

You can wrap the dough up, refrigerate and bake another day or bake immediately..

When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 375.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Scoop tablespoon scoops and lay them about 2 inches apart on your baking sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are golden and firmed up.

Allow cookies to cool in pan for 5 minutes, before removing them to a cooling rack.  Enjoy.

Printable recipe

I bought my package for $2.54 and this is a set of 12 is cheaper than what I bought.  But you'll be using these all up if you make these cookies several times.

Quick! Some fun stocking stuffers before it is too late

I know - I have been remiss.  I will only say that I've been sleeping very little, working very long, cooking lots, raising kids, which means that you, poor reader, have fallen much to the wayside.  Mea culpa.  It's been a hard trek these past few weeks and it doesn't look like it will get easier in the immediate.

However - I did have some fun stocking stuffers I wanted people to think about getting for some loved ones - these are great gifts and fun things to throw in all the holiday mix.  I'm probably too late to help most of you, but maybe this list will help one of you and it will be well worth the time I put in to put it together.

Cookbooks

Ted Allen's Cookbook - Love this book.  Love the layout.  (recipe and photo for almost every single page.) I love his voice, his writing style, and his FOOD.


Kimchi Chronicles -You've seen the series and here is the book. I love the personal connection that Marja Vongerichten clearly feels for the food of Korea.  The recipes are comprehensive and the photography lush and gorgeous.


The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook - Famous blogger (WAY more famous than I) gets her recipes in a book, that she says has more of her timeless recipes in it.  If you love her blog, you'll love this book.


The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook - I am always studying and thinking about new baked goods.  here is a book that I've been drooling after, but haven't gotten...yet.


Gadgets and Tools

Candy Thermometer -  if you ever plan on making any of my caramel bars, you'll need one of these to help facilitate the candy making.  If you're a fudge maker or any sort of caramel/toffee maker, this is a necessity.


Liquid Measuring Cups - My friend gave me these as a hostess gift and I LOVE them.  I've been using all three sizes just to measure things out before I have to cook and just to facilitate quicker more precise measurements.  The three different sizes means that you have options in terms of how big of a cup you want to wash.


Half Sheet Pans - this is one of my favorite hostess gifts to give because no one ever thinks to themselves that they want to buy new cookie sheets or sheet pans. (I am this way as well.)  I love gifting these because these are designed to go the distance and any time your gift recipient uses it they'll think of you.  These are durable, reliable, and oh so pretty and handy to have around in any kitchen.


Utensil Set - Husband recently gave me these as he knows of my obsession with good kitchen utensils and the color red.  It's a nice color pop in an otherwise pretty drab kitchen and I love the wooden handles and all these utensils.  So pretty and so functional.


Mini-prep Food Processor - I love mine as it is small enough to leave on the counter and it is powerful enough to chop up herbs, garlic and ginger, and can even be used to process small amounts of protein.  Since it is so small and easy to clean, sometimes I just power through all my garlic and ginger chopping (of which there is a lot in my kitchen) in this piece of equipment.

A Little Christmas Cheer: A Giveaway

I thought I might give some small little items for my loyal readers, some who have been reading about me from 2008.  It's been a wonderful journey and during the holidays, I'm always very thankful that I have a core readership, I have still have an ability to impact others, and I still finding cooking food and interesting others to do the same still inspiring.

To celebrate, I thought I'd give out a few fun kitchen gadgets - a Microplane zester, a Wustoff boning knife, and some really cute food packaging labels from Studio Oh! designs.  All of these will be helpful to you during the holiday season, so I hope to end the raffle and get the prizes out to my winners ASAP.

Use the Rafflecopter Widget below to enter and let's just all have a bit of fun with Christmas Cheer!

Please note that this giveaway is only open to those with a US mailing address.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Maple Pumpkin Pie: A simple life

As the holidays draw closer, and the pace of life become frantic, frenetic, and frenzied (not to mention fraught with frustration), I find myself withdrawing into my shell, much like a turtle does when he feels the enemy approaching.  I'm looking for the sanctity of peace and space all alone, away from the dangers of crazy holiday stuff.

So imagine me as this turtle, hanging out in my shell, only to have my shell knocked on repeatedly, time after time, with request after request.  Such is my life, where retreat is not only unlikely, but impossible.  Therefore, I find myself having to poke my head out from the safety of my shell and do whatever is being asked of me.

Don't get me wrong, I love the holidays - but I like the part of the holidays that involves sitting by the fire, relaxing with family, and eating food prepared by my family, friends or me.  I don't like fighting traffic, sitting and arguing over the "price match" of some insane toy, or jostling with people for parking spaces at the mall.

Especially during the holidays I like my life to be simple and filled with gorgeous simple pleasures like this pumpkin pie.  It's nothing fancy, doesn't have a meringue, doesn't spontaneously move across the table, nor does it promise to fulfill your deepest darkest fantasies - except perhaps the simple fantasy of delicious, pumpkin goodness. This recipe uses not sugar in the filling, but instead using maple syrup, which adds an extra lovely layer of complexity and mild sweetness.

This pie tastes better with a pre-baked crust, which is a minor extra step.

Maple Pumpkin Pie
Makes 9 inch pie, serving 8 to 10 people

Pastry (adapted from Williams-Sonoma)
Ingredients
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoons salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Method
Preheat oven to 375.

To make the dough in a stand mixer, fit the mixer with the flat beater, and stir together the flour, sugar and salt in the mixer bowl. Add the butter and toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture. Mix on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the water and mix on low speed just until the dough pulls together.

Transfer the dough to a work surface and flatten into a disk. (Although many dough recipes call for chilling the dough at this point, this dough should be rolled out immediately for the best results.) Take ball and lightly flour the work surface, then flatten the disk with 6 to 8 gentle taps of the rolling pin. Lift the dough and give it a quarter turn. Lightly dust the top of the dough or the rolling pin with flour as needed, then roll out into a round at least 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick.  Lay crust into 9 inch pie pan; trim overhang.

Place a piece of parchment or aluminium foil on top of the pie crust and fill with dried beans or weights.  Bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven, remove weights and parchment, and bake for an additional 15 minutes more.  Remove from oven and set aside.

Maple Pumpkin Pie Filling and Construction
Ingredients
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin
¾ heavy cream
1 partially baked 9 inch pie crust (recipe below if you want to make your own)

Method
Preheat oven to 375.

Mix together syrup, ground cinnamon, ginger, salt, eggs, vanilla extract, pumpkin.  Whisk in cream.

Pour into pre-baked pie shell.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until center of pie is still jiggly, but just set. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Printable recipe