SMS: Top 5

Wow. The Sweet Melissa Sundays group is over. Complete. I missed it since I was working, but the last recipe was baked last week. I joined this wonderful group of ladies later in the game (circa March 2010), so there are still many recipes that I have not made. Nevertheless, I definitely was able to try some new things, meet some new bloggers (several of I would consider friends), and eat some great food. 

When Gloria suggested that we do one last round-up including our favorite recipes from the book, I was all in. I am excited to see what some of the other ladies pick as their top recipes, so without further ado, here are mine in descending order:

Honorable mention: Pavolva Peach Melba 

5) Chocolate Walnut Brownies -- or in my case Chocolate Brownie Bites. I know that I've said that I am not much of a chocolate person, but these have to make it in the round-up for the shear reason that my dad and brother couldn't stop popping them in their mouths! Even in my opinion, these made a pretty good brownie.

4) Cinnamon Peach Preserves - All the preserves really. I was only able to make 2 - the strawberry rhubarb and cinnamon peach, and they were both fantastic. Never knew homemade preserves could be so easy.

3) Honey Cream Caramels - My husband's step-father makes the best caramels every Christmas, and while the recipe is a little different, these completely remind me of his! I didn't cook mine quite long enough the first time, but that is easily remedied next time :)

2) Butterscotch Pralines - I had never had a praline prior to these, but knowing we love butterscotch, I was sure these would be a hit.

1) Brown Sugar Vanilla Ice Cream - I actually didn't make this with the group, but it is a recipe from the Sweet Melissa Baking Book so it counts. I have made this several times, and it may be my favorite ice cream. Ever. That's a serious statement.

Hope you've enjoyed the round-up and the desserts over the past year and a half. Be sure to stop by the SMS page today to check out the favorites from the other ladies as there is sure to be some good eats over there :) 

SMS: Cinnamon Peach Preserves

It is getting to be peach season for much of the country. When we were living in Nebraska, a local church would sell boxes of Colorado peaches. It seems like they always came around the end of August, and I always looked forward to those things! Our local peach season here is actually May to early June, and I'll be looking forward to it next year as we planted a new peach tree in our yard late this spring. I really think I need to learn how to can because these preserves will be a great way to save some of them!

This recipe for SMS is actually the second to last recipe for our group. The group has made this base recipe for preserves several times (there are 5 variations), and they have always been a big success. This is only my second time along, and I love Melissa's method! I am not sure why I had it in my head that jellies and preserves were hard to make, but this one is not. You cut up your fruit. Throw it in with a peeled cut up Granny Smith apple and some sugar and boil it until it sets up. Easy peasy. Melissa mentions using a candy thermometer, but I don't think you even need it. Just start your timer after it begins to boil. The only note I would add would be to use a bigger pot than you think will be necessary. I can speak from experience that splattered, burnt sugar is not fun to clean (last time around, not this time).

Be sure to stop by the round-up to see the others' preserves. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Cinnamon Peach Preserves
From The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

Ingredients:
8 cups of peaches (about 8-12 peaches depending on size), peeled and cubed
2 cups peeled and cubed Granny Smith apples (2-3)
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon and/or orange juice (I used orange)
3 cinnamon sticks

To easily peel the peaches, cut an 'x' with a knife on the bottom of each piece. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Drop the peaches in for a couple of minutes. When the peel looks like it is starting to pull away, remove them to a colander and rinse in cold water. The peels should pull of easily. 

In an 8-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the fruit, apples, sugar, juice, and cinnamon sticks. Cook, until the mixture reaches 212 degrees F (boiling temperature) on a candy thermometer, stirring often to prevent scorching. You may mash the fruit slightly with a potato masher, if necessary. Once the preserves have reached boiling temperature, continue to cook for 30 minutes more, stirring often until thick. You can check the consistency by placing a dollop onto a plate and setting it in the freezer until just cool. If it is runny, continue cooking; if it is thick, you're good to go.

Can the preserves in clean canning jars as directed by the manufacturer, or cool to room temperature, tightly cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 6 months.

SMS: Peanut Praline Sundaes

We're nearing the end of the Sweet Melissa Baking Book. We only have 6 more recipes left with plans to finish up by the end of August. This week's recipe was peanut praline hosted by Ruby of I Dream of Baking. The group has made Melissa's brittle a couple of times now, but this was my first time along. The peanut praline in the book is basically the peanut brittle crumbled up and served over ice cream. I have never made brittle before from any recipe, so I thought it may serve me well to go back and read the posts from the other recipes. Thank goodness I did! It seems like many had problems with the recipe in the book - chewy and burned were many of the comments. Neither of these are good things for a brittle. 

I still wanted to participate, so I decided to look through the recipes that a couple of the ladies in the group had posted. It seems that the Sweet Melissa recipe has a lot more butter and no water compared to the other recipes? In the end, I choose to go with Margot's version that she posted here on her blog in October. The brittle came out just the way a peanut brittle should be without any trouble. I didn't measure my peanuts and think I may have added a few too many (user error on that one). The inclusion of the cayenne pepper gives the candy a bit of a kick as an aftertaste, and while some may prefer the sweet-spicy combo, I think I would leave it out next time. 

In her post, Margot added her brittle to ice cream. I had planned to make the brown-sugar vanilla ice cream in the Sweet Melissa book to pair with the peanut praline and thought about copying her idea. In the end, my husband talked me out of mixing it in because the ice cream is SO GOOD plain. This is the second time that we have made it, and I will never make another vanilla ice cream recipe. We served the ice cream and praline with caramel syrup (I like caramel much better than chocolate), and it was awesome! Definitely one to keep in mind for a "fancier" ice cream treat. Thanks Ruby for a great pick and for a recipe I may have never attempted on my own! Check out Ruby's attempt and the other bloggers on the SMS blogroll page!

SMS: Cherry (or Blueberry) Clafoutis Tart

So I think I may have failed hosting a baking group 101 this week. It is 2:00pm local time, and I am just now getting my post up having just finished baking MY assignment a little bit ago. I certainly have my excuses as I've been out of town more than home in the past couple of weeks. But those aside, I should have planned a little better and for that I apologize!

Excuses completed, Happy Mothers' Day to any mom's out there (including my own!). Hopefully, you all were able to have a wonderful day with your families! This is my second time hosting SMS, and I always find it a little bit nerve racking to choose the recipe. No doubt, it is a little bit fun, but both times I found myself worrying about which recipe would fit in with what people are doing in their lives right now. May is often a busy month, so I wanted a recipe that wasn't too complicated but was also pretty enough that it could be served at any of the gathering opportunities that this month provides. In addition, my other requirement is that I wanted to pick something that is different from the types of desserts I usually make on my own. Since I have never had nor heard of a clafoutis and it seemed like a dessert that would have a great presentation, this was the recipe I chose.

As is typical, whenever you are in a hurry to make a recipe, nothing seems to go right. You might notice that my "cherries" are less than red in the pictures. Oddly enough, the store we stopped by to pick up my last minute ingredients did not carry frozen cherries. After a quick google search for clafoutis on my phone, I settled on using frozen blueberries, but I would really like to try this again using cherries. Cherry-almond is such a classic combination, and it sounds like they would pair well together here. My other problem came in the shape of a large crack in my cookie crust while it was baking. My tart pan has a removable bottom to make it easier to take the tart out of the pan after baking. As you can imagine, the crack combined with the non-sealed bottom of the pan lead to a dripping tart after I poured in the custard mixture. Thank goodness for an old cookie sheet under my pan! 

Despite my lack of planning, the tart looks like it turned out quite well. We haven't cut into it yet because it is still cooling, but I am excited to try it after dinner. My husband and I both really enjoy custard-type pies, so I'm hoping it will be as good as it looks! Even though I was a less than stellar host, thanks for baking along with me this week ladies! Be sure to stop by the blogroll to check out tarts from the other members!

(Printable Recipe)

Cherry (or Blueberry) Clafoutis Tart
From The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

Ingredients:
Cookie Crust (enough dough for two 9- or 10-inch tarts):
14 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
zest of 1/2 lemon
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:
1 pre-baked tart shell
2/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean
3 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
pinch kosher salt
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 cup frozen cherries, thawed and drained, or 1-1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted
3 Tbsp. sliced blanched almonds, toasted for sprinkling
powdered sugar, for sprinkling

For the crust, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, zest, and slat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine. Add the flour and mix until combined. Be sure to scrape down the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Pat it together into one piece. Divide the dough into two equal parts, flatten into 6-inch round disks, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Put what you will use today in the fridge and place the other in the freezer for another time. Chill the half in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes before rolling.

When the dough is chilled through, remove it from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes, until it is malleable. Lightly flour a work surface. Lightly flour the top of the dough, and using a rolling pin, press gently on the dough from the middle upward, and the the middle downward. Turn the dough disk a quarter turn and repeat the light pressing process. Add more flour if needed to prevent sticking. The dough should now be a round, flatter version of the original dough disk. Sprinkle lightly with more flour if necessary, and gently roll the dough so that it is in an inch wider all around than it was. Make a quarter turn, lifting the dough if it is sticking and lightly flouring the work surface below. Repeat until the dough is roughly 12-inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Place the dough in a pie plate or tart pan and press lightly to fit. Do not stretch the dough.  Instead, push the dough with your fingers until it is in place. Trim the edge of the dough so that there is 1/2-inch of dough hanging over the edges. Turn the excess dough under itself, creating a nice uniform edge to crimp. If you have any cracks or holes, patch them by pressing the dough together with your fingers. Refrigerate until firm, 20 to 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the crust with parchment paper or lightly greased aluminum foil, and then fill it to the top with pie weights  (dry rice or beans also work). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until lifting the liner, the crust appears "dry" and no longer has the appearance of raw dough. Remove the weights and liner. If the edges are getting brown, lightly tent with aluminum foil. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the crust is lightly golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool before filling.

For the custard filling, in a heavy saucepan, stir together the heavy cream and the milk. Using a small paring knife, split the vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and the pod to the cream mixture. Place over medium heat and bring to scalding (180 degrees F on a candy thermometer). Scalding liquid will be steaming, and tiny bubbles will form on the edges of the pan. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside to seep for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. After the seep time, in a slow steady stream, whisk the still warm cream mixture into the egg mixture. Stir in the almond extract. Strain the mixture through a fine-meshed strainer into a clean bowl.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the tart shell on a rimmed cookie sheet. Scatter the cherries evenly over the bottom of the prebaked shell. Pour the custard over the cherries. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the custard is set. Remove to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Sprinkle the almonds around the edge of the tart and dust the almonds with powdered sugar. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. This clafoutis is best eaten the day it is made.

SMS: Strawberry Rhubarb Preserves

This week's SMS was hosted by Tracey at Tracey's Culinary Adventures. The group has made the master preserves recipe from the book a couple times, but this was my first time cooking along. With the surplus of strawberries that have been around our place lately, it certainly was a timely recipe for me! What can I say? I ended up with two of these after stopping by the market after a hard gym session. They just spoke to me =)

While I had no problem finding strawberries, the rhubarb was a tougher search. Having lived most of my life in the Midwest, rhubarb is something that I have never had to buy from the store. You can usually find someone with a plant in their yard who is begging people to take some, and while I never had a plant of my own, I usually had a bag of it hanging in my freezer. I ended up calling around to most of the stores in the area, but no one here has any fresh rhubarb yet. Thankfully, a couple of people suggested looking for it in the frozen fruit section. Success. Now, I know where to look if I can't find any fresh! 

As for the recipe, I never knew that making preserves could be this easy! Melissa's recipe uses apples as a source of natural pectin, so the recipe consists entirely of fruit and sugar. The texture ends up a little less "jello-ey" than store purchased jellies, but it still thickens up nicely. In fact, I enjoyed the change in texture as it made the preserves much easier to change. While the recipe called for a little more sugar than the master recipe, the resultant preserves did not end up too sweet. I halved the recipe and also froze half the resultant preserves. If it says anything about how much we've enjoyed it, the portion that I kept in our refrigerator is almost gone. Check out the SMS page to see how the other bakers did, and a big thanks Tracey for a great, seasonal pick!

SMS: Honey Cream Caramels

Caramel... If there is one ingredient in a dessert that will immediately have me interested, caramel is it. Because I love caramel, there was no doubt that I would be in the mix with this next SMS recipe, honey cream caramels! This SMS was hosted by Carmen of Baking is my Zen, and it might be one of my favorite recipes yet.

Making the caramels was relatively simple. My husband's step father has an old family recipe that he always makes around Christmas that is really similar, and although his has fewer ingredients, I knew the basic idea of how this process would go. He has made his so long that he doesn't even need a candy thermometer anymore. We tried this one Christmas and ended up with more of a caramel syrup than caramel candies. Oops... =)

One thing I noticed was that 250 degrees F and the hard ball stage were not at the same point on my candy thermometer. I went ahead and took the sugar mixture off the stove at 250 degrees as directed, and my caramels ended up just a little bit chewy. In the end, this was fine because we like them better that way, but I definitely did not have the crumbly caramel that others indicated. Did anyone else notice this? 

After halving the recipe, I ended up with about 30 caramels. My only change was that I wrapped the caramels in aluminum foil rather than in waxed paper as that has always worked well for the family's recipes. I "tested" one to make sure it would come off the foil, and so far, so good. Head over to the SMS page to check out the other bakers' posts and enjoy your caramels!

SMS: Irish Soda Bread

Well, it's been several months at best since I've been able to make a recipe with SMS. I have to say that I've really enjoyed participating in the group and getting to know many of you wonderful ladies a bit better. I really appreciate the fact that you've let me tag along while I was finishing school, but if this post means anything, it means that I'm home! In reality, I've been here for about 3 weeks now, and it's been great getting back in my kitchen. We definitely have been eating well =)

This was a fun first recipe to get back in the swing of things. This bi-monthly recipe was hosted by Julie of Little Bit of Everything. I love reading Julie's blog, so check it out if you get a chance! I've never actually had Irish Soda Bread, but it has been one of those recipes that has been on my "to make" list for awhile. I am glad this gave me the little shove I needed. We were having corned beef for St. Patrick's Day anyway, so this fit right in with the theme. 

In her post, Julie mentioned that her bread dough was pretty wet. I noticed this as well and also added a little extra flour. I did bake mine on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and my loaf really spread out when cooking. In fact, the cuts that I made before baking it just opened up rather than staying indented. I also ended up needing to bake it for 6 minutes longer than the time called for in the recipe before my toothpick came out clean. The resulting loaf was really good but also really crumbly. I feel like soda bread is traditionally a little bit crumbly, but it went from wet to crumbly really quickly?

Neither of us ever having soda bread, both my husband and a I really enjoyed the flavor of the loaf. Because it was crumbly, it didn't cut into pretty slices, but I've never been one to care much about how my food looks when it tastes good =) Head over to Julie's blog to check out her post and the SMS blogroll to see how the other bakers fared. I know we liked it enough here that I'm already looking for a different variety to test out next year!

SMS: Coconut Pecan Frosting on Brownie Bites

This week's SMS was hosted by Eliana at A Chica Bakes and she chose Coconut Pecan Frosting. In case you are wondering, this is that wonderful ooey gooey frosting that is traditionally found on German chocolate cakes. Interestingly, the book doesn't contain a German chocolate cake recipe, and for the first time since I've been a member, our weekly recipe mandated some creativity unless, of course, you wanted to make the frosting and just eat it with a spoon (and I briefly considered this...)

I knew that I really wanted to participate this week because I love most things coconut, but I had the worst mental block about how to use it. The only thing I could think of was German chocolate cake. Finally this afternoon, I called my mom, and we brainstormed for awhile. She thought that it should be served with something chocolate, so I finally settled on brownie bites. Not too different than chocolate cake but just different enough =) I ended up using Melissa's brownie recipe that we made with the group back in July as I had great success with it back then.

As for the frosting, it was just as gooey and delicious as it should be. It really was a pretty simple recipe. The only thing I wondered about was how long I really should cook it until it looked "thickened." I ended up cooking it until it coated my spoon, and it turned out great. I was a little disappointed in my brownies this time around. They rose up really high while they were cooking and had almost a little "air bubble" in them. They still taste great, so I just filled the air pocket with the frosting and called it good. Not sure why they raised up so much since they didn't do that last time? 

A big thanks to Eliana for hosting this week! Be sure to stop by the SMS blogroll today to see everyone's creations. I know I'm looking forward to see how everyone used their frosting! 

SMS 1 Week Rewind: Bosc Pear, Blue Cheese, and Walnut Muffins

Well, it's been quite awhile since I've been in on the weekly SMS bake-alongs, and I'm still not quite there. I was able to make an impromptu trip to Phoenix last weekend over my birthday to see my husband. Exciting, I know!! Unfortunately, it was only after making these muffins that I realized I had forgotten my camera cord. Thus with sincere apologies to Andrea (and to Melissa of Lulu the Baker for not having this week's pie), my muffins are a week late.

Andrea from Nummy Kitchen was our host for last week's SMS. Melissa's muffins seem to have been problematic for the group in the past, and it seems that each of us has fiddled with the recipe to make them a little less heavy and dry. After reading last week's posts, the consensus seems to be substituting sour cream for either the milk or the heavy cream. 

I started out similarly using fat-free plain yogurt in place of the milk, but ended up having to add some milk anyway to thin out the batter. The muffins did turn out quite moist with the addition of the yogurt, so I'm thinking that when we make these again in October that I'll add the yogurt in place of the heavy cream to take advantage of the more liquid milk. On a side note, I halved the recipe, and still ended up with 14 muffins! I'm sure that I added a few more "wet" ingredients than were called for, but I can't believe that I got that many extra muffins!

As far as flavor was concerned, I think my husband enjoyed them. I've never quite been the biggest fan of blue cheese, so I'm not quite sure what I thought. I was definitely more on the fence. Maybe with a different variation and a big bowl of soup I'll change my mind on the whole idea of a savory muffin =)  

A big thanks to Andrea for hosting and to the rest of the group for putting up with my sporadic posting! Head over to the SMS blogroll to check out the others' muffins as well as this week's lemon blueberry buttermilk pie!

SMS: Chocolate Brownie Bites

This week's SMS bake was hosted by Tiffany from A Spoonful of Laughter and a Heap of Love. Her pick was a classic one - chocolate walnut brownies. I promise that my original intent was to make this recipe as written. Melissa's recipe is a simple one with only a handful of ingredients, but somehow I managed to go off on my own tangent. 

For various reasons including traveling for a wedding and baking in my mother's kitchen, I ended up with chocolate brownie bites instead. Due to the ingredients we had on hand, I needed to halve the recipe and the only pan we had smaller than a 9x9 was the mini-muffin tin. Thus, the brownie bites were born.

I suppose all well-used cookbooks end up looking like this? Whoops... =)

Because I used a different pan, I decreased the heat to 325 degrees. My mini-brownies baked for about 12 minutes, but I checked them often at the end to make sure they weren't over-baked. The end result? These little babies were good, and the fact that they were mini made them that much easier to pop in your mouth! The texture was definitely more fudgey than cakey which we like. My family definitely enjoyed them, and I can assure you that we will be making these again in both the mini and traditional form! Thanks for the great pick Tiffany!

Head over to the SMS blogroll if you want to check out how the other bakers' brownies ended up!

SMS: Sour Cherry and Almond Biscotti

It's been a couple weeks since I've been able to bake along, so I was glad to be back with the gals at SMS this week. This week's recipe was hosted by Tracey at Made by Tray-Tray.  The first time I made biscotti was just this past year for The Cookie Carnival, and my husband loved them. He's a crunchy cookie guy, so it's not too surprising that he likes them. He's also been bugging me for the past couple months to make some more biscotti, so I thought these would make the perfect treat to leave for him after I had to come back to NE.

I wasn't for sure what I would think of these. Normally, I'm not much for nuts in my dessert. I like nuts, just not in my cookies, brownies, etc. Nevertheless, I have to say this dough was AWESOME! I'm quite sure that I could have sat down with the bowl and a spoon :-)

As for my verdict on the final cookies, I'm not quite sure. I really, really liked the flavors in these, but I'm still a chewy cookie girl at heart. Even my self-proclaimed crunchy-cookie lover husband thought that these would be a little better if they hadn't been quite so done. They weren't too brown, just a little hard for our tastes. Nevertheless, this dough has a lot of potential! I think we'll be trying these again soon, but it may be in more of a traditional cookie form next time :-) 

A big thanks to Tracey for hosting this week. Check out the comments on the blog post to see how the other ladies did this week!

SMS: Chocolate Orange Macaroons

This week's SMS was hosted by Ellen of Blue Tree Green Heart. I don't have a lot of experience with making coconut macaroons, and I was glad to see this recipe seemed pretty simple. Five ingredients, one of them being coconut, what's not to love?

Overall I think they came out pretty well. Mine seemed to spread quite a bit while they baked but I'm attributing this to the lack of a cookie scoop. I just tried to pack them into a little ball as well as I could with my hands. Check out the picture below. They almost look like an oatmeal cookie if you don't look close enough to see the coconut :-) The other problem that I encountered was that they stuck like crazy to the aluminum foil. I had to stick the entire pan in the fridge, macaroons and all before I could get them peeled of the foil. I'm not sure if spraying the foil with cooking spray would help or not, but I would definitely try out the parchment paper next time.

I saved a couple for myself and took the rest of the batch to my brother. He's here in town doing research at the medical center for the summer and is living with several other college-aged boys. I haven't heard anything directly from him, but after talking to my mother on the phone tonight, I guess she heard about them. Sounds like they enjoyed them :-) 

Check out Ellen's blog for the recipe or pick up the Sweet Melissa Baking Book instead for tons of other great recipes! 

SMS: Pistachio Linzer Thumbprints

This week's SMS was graciously hosted by Tracey at Tracey's Culinary Adventures. However, my SMS assignment almost wasn't this week. 

The whole thing was a comedy of errors starting with the fact that my cookbook was in the wrong state :-( For the last couple weeks, I've been in the process of moving my husband and most of our stuff to Arizona from Nebraska. In the hustle, I realized that I didn't have my book in AZ - it was still in NE (I had to come back to finish up school). Knowing that my opportunities to bake in my new kitchen will be pretty limited until I finish up school next spring, I really wanted to bake along this week. Thankfully, Tracey was able to email me the recipe, and off to the grocery store I went as our new pantry was quite bare.

After I got home, I realized I had forgotten the pistachios. Fail again. Back to the store I went. At least I was getting to learn my way around town in AZ :-) The final straw was realizing that I left the butter out on the counter after my first trip to the grocery store. As it turns out, butter left out when it is 100+ degrees outside is no longer cold. 

Finally, my fourth shot at making these cookies went surprisingly well. Maybe the 4th try is the charm? I, like a couple others, noticed that my dough was a little dry and crumbly. While I chilled it like the recipe stated, I wasn't sure it needed it because I ended up with lots of cracks while thumbprinting my cookies. Dough aside, these cookies are quite good. I think they surprised my husband a little bit. I think they look "Christmasy" with the green pistachios and red colored jam. 

I wasn't sure what fine but not powdery was suppose to look like? This is where I ended up stopping :-)

A big thanks to Tracey for hosting and assisting my baking this week! I'm quite sure my husband appreciates the cookies ;-)

SMS: Butterscotch Pralines

Recently, I've had the privilege of baking along with several members of a baking group called Sweet Melissa Sundays. Each week one of the members chooses a recipe from the The Sweet Melissa Baking Book, and the plan is to keep going until we've baked all the way though the book.  The recipes thus far have been great, and I've really enjoyed getting to know several bloggers in the group a little bit better.

This week is was my week to pick a recipe out of the book. Since I've only been a member since March, I was both excited and a little nervous to pick a recipe knowing that 48 other bloggers would be scheduled to bake my pick. Out of the beautiful layers cakes and delicious sounding pies, I ended up choosing butterscotch pralines for 3 reasons:

1) It sounded like a pretty quick, simple recipe, and I knew that we'd be packing to move to Arizona over Memorial Day weekend.

2) I love butterscotch anything

3) Melissa describes that they are great crumbled over ice cream. 

SOLD! Both the hubby and I are suckers for anything that goes with ice cream :-) Having never actually eaten pralines before, I did a quick google search to check out the history of pralines. It sounds like the idea originated in France and was first made with almonds, but despite the French origins, the candies now consist of pecans and are most associated with New Orleans. I did wonder a little bit because it seems like most other recipes for pralines call for either butter, cream, or both, but I proceeded with Melissa's recipe as written.

The recipe basically consists of cooking a sugar mixture to a soft ball temperature and then stirring in the butterscotch chips and the pecans. As I thought, it went pretty quickly.  I only made a half batch at first, but I was done with the first recipe start to clean up in about 30 minutes (my husband begged me to make more a couple days later). I'll give you a short pictorial presentation below :

Don't the butterscotch chips look yummy! I love butterscotch!

 
Cooking the sugar mixture and making sure I cooked it exactly to soft ball stage. See the word soft just above the metal piece of the thermometer below  :-)

The praline mixture in the bowl. Sorry, this one isn't the greatest picture, but I was trying to work quick. They set up fast!

The verdict: we really enjoyed them! They are pretty sweet on their own, but as promised, are GREAT served over vanilla ice cream. I don't have an ice cream freezer to make my own ice cream, but I can only imagine that it'd be that much better over homemade ice cream. I hope everyone enjoyed them as much as we did! Be sure to stop by the SMS page and check out everyone's treats!

Butterscotch Pralines
From The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

Ingredients:
2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 c. water
1/4 c. light corn syrup
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 c. butterscotch morsels
1-1/4 c. pecan pieces

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, stir together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, water, corn syrup, vinegar, vanilla, and salt. Bring to a boil, without further stirring, until the mixture reaches 238 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.

Immediately transfer the hot mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat in the butterscotch morsels on medium speed until the morsels are melted and the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in the pecans.

Immediately drop by tablespoonfuls (or a 1-ounce (#40) cookie scoop) onto parchment paper or aluminum foil. (If the mixture gets to firm, you can put it back in the saucepan and melt it carefully while stirring over low heat.) Let the pralines stand at room temperature to set, 5-10 minutes. 

Pralines keep in an airtight container at room temperature, layered between sheets of wax paper, for up to 2 weeks. Makes 2 dozen.