BROWN SUGAR BUNDT CAKE

Okay, Okay. I know that the picture sucks. But I'm tired, so there.

I'm starting to think that all the cake recipes in this cookbook are just variations of the same cake. The flour, sugar, butter (always two sticks, MY GAWD) and egg quantities are always the same. The only change for this particualar cake is that it calls for only light brown sugar, no granulated sugar, or for my British fan club, caster sugar.

This is more of a fruit cake, but in a good way, and the brown sugar really just takes a back seat to the pears, and the raisins and/or prunes you mix into the batter. I opted for prunes. What?! Prunes are delicious, and I feel they get a bad rap in the fruit world. The cake turned out really moist, and I didn't even bother adding the glaze I had planned on. I'm getting a little too "glaze happy" with my desserts lately anyway, so it's just as well.

The baking time on this recipe was actually spot on, at 55 minutes. I think Mr. Icequeen liked this one a little more than me. Don't get me wrong, it was good, it just wasn't anything you couldn't find at your local church social, or weekly meeting of a cake cult (please see previous posts). I do see where you could swap out the pears and/or raisins for dried cherries or even dried cranberries and this would make for a passable dish. I give it a two out of four licks of the bowl.

DULCE DE LECHE DUOS

I haven't been posting many finished recipes lately because I've been a little depressed and I haven't felt much like baking, but... I'm back bitches. And I must say this is a good recipe to start off my comeback with.

These little cookies are easy to make ( I know that I say that about most of the recipes I post, but it's true).

It's really just a basic chocolate chip cookie dough, without the chips and the addition of 3/4 c. of dulce de leche. Then after baking, you fill the centers with the lefter over dulce. The cookies are soft and tasty and the filling is creamy and delicious without being too sweet. I think this is a cookie that kids would really enjoy too because it's so unfussy and easy to eat and what kid doesn't love a cookie sandwich? One with caramel no less? I mean, I would eat my old sneakers if they were slathered in caramel.

Dulce De Leche Duos

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup store-bought dulce de leche, plus more for filling

3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs



Getting ready: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.



Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.



Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat butter at medium speed until soft. Add the Dulce de Leche and both sugars and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Don't be concerned if the mixture looks a little curddled, it will smooth out when the flour mixture is added. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the batter.



Spoon the dough onto the baking sheets, using a heaping teaspoon of dough for each cookie and leaving 2 inches between them.



Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The cookies should be honey brown with a light sugar crust, but they will be soft, so remove the sheets from the oven but don't touch the cookies for another minute or two. Then, using a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a rack to cool to room temperature.



Repeat with the remaining dough, making sure you cool the baking sheets before spooning the dough onto them.



When the cookies are completely cool, spread the flat bottoms of half the cookies with a small amount of dulce de leche, and sandwich with the flat sides of the remaining cookies

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GINGERED CARROT COOKIES

Don't be fooled by the look of these cookies. I know that they're ugly, but they taste really good. They have a moist crumb and the ginger flavor stands out without overwhelming the rest of the flavors. I'm sure that I'm a little biased on this one because carrot cake is one of my favorite cake flavors and these are really just carrot cakes in cookie form.

As usual, this was a really simple recipe that doesn't take much time to throw together. It has your usual carrot cake ingredients, you know, carrots, raisins ( I used golden), coconut (hail the coconut coven) and nuts. It called for pecans instead of walnuts, which is a little unusual, but the oddest thing about this recipe is that there's no cinnamon in it, I'm guessing that that's because the recipe is designed to make ginger the starring spice of this show. I didn't miss the cinnamon at all, but there was one thing that could have really amped this cookie up... a very light schmear of cream cheese frosting on the top. Those who know me know that I abhor excessive frosting, especially the supermarket bakery type, royal frosting. But I could see myself with a tub of the white stuff, dipping each cookie into it, before popping it into my mouth, like the fat American that I am.

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