two pies are better than one

as if the tradition of the thanksgiving day meal wasn't gluttonous enough already, i'm here to bring one more decadent addition to a day guaranteed to be filled with family, friends, football and feasting. our chocolate bourbon pecan pie.

this will be the fourth (or fifth?) year that i've made this dessert for our thanksgiving dinner. the first year that i made it, i was completely disappointed. the center of my pie didn't set and it was a runny, gloppy disaster. despite my dismay at my failed attempt, the pie was a hit. the flavor was so good that no one minded the mess (or at least they were all kind enough to pretend not to care). fortunately the recipe (not unlike the bourbon) has improved with age, and there haven't been any pie soups served since that first year.

this chocolate bourbon pecan pie is now a standard on our holiday table, faithfully earning its spot beside our traditional pumpkin and pecan pies each year. bug and i made two of them today in preparation for thursday's festivities.

our first pie, headed into the oven...



and cooling on the rack...



the pie puffs up nicely in the oven, and will fall back to typical pie height while cooling. serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or (if you're feeling super indulgent) a scoop of butter pecan ice cream drizzled with chocolate sauce. so good.

chocolate bourbon pecan pie
adapted from southern living, november 1998

what you'll need: mixing bowl, wisk, measuring spoons and cups, pie pan, and the following ingredients

1 refrigerated pie crust, 9 inch
4 large eggs
1 cup light corn syrup
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons bourbon
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup pecan halves, cut into large pieces
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. place pie crust into pie pan, crimping edges as desired

3. wisk together eggs, corn syrup, butter, sugar, brown sugar, bourbon, flour, and vanilla

4. stir in pecans and chips

5. pour filling into pie crust

6. bake on bottom oven rack for 65 minutes

7. cool

8. serve with fresh whipped cream, butter pecan ice cream, or with a drizzle of chocolate sauce

happy thanksgiving, everyone

what's your favorite holiday treat?

best laid plans

as if you couldn't already surmise from the luluandbug recipes i've posted to date, i have a massive sweet tooth. i enjoy wine too. so if i was ever given a lifetime choice between wine and chocolate, i might hesitate for a moment, but chocolate would inevitably win out for me.

on one recent cool fall night, my sweet tooth showed its sharp fangs. and i relented. i snuck a few chocolate chips from the pantry. but it didn't satisfy the craving. i needed something warm and soft. and i wasn't yet tired enough to walk away from the kitchen and attempt to sleep off the craving. so, armed with the trusty recipe from the back of the bag, i gave in and made chocolate chip cookies. i dutifully measured and mixed, i used my small scoop to make perfect rounds on the cookie sheet. may i present exhibit a...



i was thrilled by the prospect of being only ten minutes away from my cookie prize, the race nearly completed. unfortunately, it was apparently a little too late for my tiny brain by that time of night (around ten pm) because my efforts went a little haywire. i even set the timer for one minute prior to the suggested baking time to ensure that i would get that perfect gooey center i was after. so what did my cookies look like when i retrieved them from the hot oven?



hmm, not quite what i was after. they resembled flat, thin crepes of the crispy overcooked variety. what a disaster. aren't you glad i took a picture? proof that we all get it wrong sometimes. our best laid plans take a turn we're not expecting and the whole thing turns messy. bummer. my sweet tooth wasn't impressed.

when i re-read my recipe (for the seventh time), sure that i had gotten it right, it finally hit me. i had added only one cup of flour. not two. oops. good thing there was still time to save the rest of the batch, which was patiently waiting at the bottom of the kitchen aid mixing bowl for its turn on the cookie sheet. and so i added the missing flour and (thank heaven) the next sheet turned out perfectly.



they were everything i had been craving. perfection.

have i mentioned before that i have absolutely zero willpower? it's true. willpower and i very, very rarely occupy the same zip code... now that twelve perfect cookies were waiting on the cooling rack, i eyed the remaining batter suspiciously. should i bake the rest? would i be able to resist eating thirty six of them tonight? or perhaps i should tuck a spoon directly into the batter? no, no. not tonight. i instead (for once in my life) showed the tiniest bit of restraint. i wrapped the remaining cookie dough in plastic wrap, put it inside of a freezer bag, and placed it in the freezer for another cold night when the chocolate craving would invariably come calling.

i may not have gotten it right the first time, but perseverance does pay off. i fell asleep with a smile on my face that night. and the rest of the family enjoyed the treat the following day (no, i did not eat all twelve cookies by myself that evening). sometimes the simple pleasures in life - like a warm fresh baked cookie - really are the best.

toll house chocolate chip cookie recipe

what you'll need: measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls, electric mixer, cookie sheet and the following ingredients

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chip morsels
1 cup chopped nuts, optional

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl

3. beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl

4. add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition

5. gradually beat in flour mixture

6. stir in morsels and nuts

7. drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets

8. bake in oven for 9 to 11 minutes, or until golden brown

9. let stand for 2 minutes

10. move to wire racks to cool completely

what's your favorite sweet tooth fix?

birthday crack (er, cake)

the results are in... and it was a landslide victory. we're celebrating our one month birthday (or is it anniversary?) with s'mores bars today!

bug and i made them together last night (prep in ten minutes flat) so they would be ready for our big day today... and they've been tempting us from the kitchen counter ever since.

the recipe for our so-good-they-should-be-called-crack s'mores bars follows... happy one month, luluandbug!

oh, and for those of you hoping the orange chocolate cheesecakes might win out... not to worry. we'll circle back to that recipe sometime soon too.

thanks to all who voted for our birthday treat... on the blog and on facebook too.

s'mores bars

what you'll need: 9x13" baking pan, fork, sharp knife and the following ingredients...

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup (6 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1.5 cups miniature marshmallows

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees (for glass dish, preheat to 325 degrees)

2. cut butter into chunks and melt in 9x13" baking pan in preheated oven

3. when butter is melted, remove baking pan from oven

4. sprinkle graham cracker crumbs evenly over butter

5. pour sweetened condensed milk over crumbs

6. sprinkle chocolate chips over milk

7. using fork, press chips down gently

8. bake 25 minutes

9. remove baking pan from oven

10. sprinkle marshmallows

11. return to oven to bake an additional two (2) minutes

12. allow to cool

13. cut with sharp knife. our family prefers bite-sized squares

14. (for colby) pour tall glass of milk

15. gooey chocolately-marshmallow-caramel goodness... no special occassion required

what's your favorite dessert indulgence?