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In our 119th video Stephanie demonstrates how to make Cheesecake Squares.

New York Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts. Cheesecake Squares are just a modified version of this cheesecake, combining the grainy texture of a graham cracker crust with a thin layer of cream cheese filling. This recipe makes a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) pan which is perfect for large gatherings. Lovely served with fresh berries or fruit sauces.

These Cheesecake Squares begin with a Graham Cracker Crust. Graham Crackers are a flat, rectangular-shaped, slightly sweet whole wheat cookie (cracker) that are named after their creator, Rev. Sylvester Graham (1794 – 1851), who was a United States dietary reformer. When crushed and mixed with a little sugar and melted butter, graham crackers make a very nice pastry crust, especially when paired with a creamy filling. There are two ways to set the crust. One is to simply chill it in the refrigerator, the other way is to bake it (used here) just until set. When making this crust, always press the crumbs evenly and firmly into your pan and while the crust may seem loose, it will harden after it bakes and cools.

The main component in a cheesecake filling is cream cheese, which is a white, soft and spreadable cheese with a slightly tangy flavor. It has a 33% butterfat content so its texture is wonderfully smooth and creamy. To ensure a smooth texture, free of lumps, always bring the cream cheese to room temperature before beating. After adding the other ingredients the filling is poured over the crust and baked just until it sets. Chill the squares before cutting into individual slices. Make sure to use a sharp knife and have a damp cloth nearby so you can wipe off the knife between cuts. These squares are excellent plain or with fresh berries. You could also serve them with chocolate, blueberry, raspberry or strawberry sauce.

Note: If you live in a country where graham crackers are unavailable, use crushed Digestive Biscuits or even crushed butter cookies.

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Article by Stephanie Jaworski

Photo by Rick Jaworski

© 2011 iFood Media LLC

In our 124th video Stephanie demonstrates how to make Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti.

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti are wonderfully crisp and crunchy and they are dressed for the holidays with bright red dried cranberries and lovely green pistachio nuts. These biscotti are lower in fat than most cookies as they do not contain butter which makes them a nice alternative to all the other rich baked goods during the Christmas season.

The name ‘Biscotti’ is used to describe a long, dry, hard, twice-baked cookie with a curved top and flat bottom designed for dunking into wine or coffee. It is derived from ‘bis’ meaning twice in Italian and ‘cotto’ meaning baked or cooked. Some biscotti do contain butter, but for these Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti beaten eggs are used to bind all the dry ingredients together. This sticky dough is first rolled (dust counter with lots of flour) into a log shape and baked until firm. After a short cooling period, the log is then cut into diagonal slices and baked again to draw out the moisture which produces a crisp, dry textured cookie that has a long shelf life. Perfect for holiday gift giving.

Now, we have used dried cranberries instead of fresh in this recipe. Dried cranberries are just cranberries that have most of their moisture removed (up to 80%) through drying, either by machine or by the sun. The advantage of drying any fruit is to prolong its storage but it has the added benefit of concentrating the fruit’s sweetness and flavor. The texture of the fruit becomes all soft and chewy which makes it ideal for both eating out-of-hand and in baking. Dried cranberries can be found in most grocery stores as well as health food stores. You can substitute dried cherries for the dried cranberries.

Click here for the video and recipe.

More Recipes at Joyofbaking.com

Article by Stephanie Jaworski

Photo by Rick Jaworski

© 2011 iFood Media LLC

In our 121th video Stephanie demonstrates how to make Meringue Ghosts.

Meringue Ghosts are haphazard mounds of sweetened meringue studded with cute little candy eyes. Although it is obvious that children enjoy the look and taste of these ghosts, I find that adults are not immune to their charms. I love how the outside of the meringue ghosts are so light and crisp that they immediately dissolve on the tongue, while their insides are soft like a marshmallow, and oh so sweet. Serve these at your next Halloween gathering and watch them disappear.

If you look at this recipe and find yourself a little nervous about making a meringue, don’t be. Meringue is simply a mixture of stiffly beaten egg whites and superfine (caster) sugar. The trick to making a good meringue is to get the egg whites to reach their maximum volume. This is achieved by first having your mixing bowl and whisk clean and free of grease. Next, you want to have the egg whites at room temperature. It is easier to separate the eggs while they are still cold, and once separated, cover the egg whites and let them come to room temperature before using (about 30 minutes). (Cover and refrigerate the egg yolks for another use.) Make sure that there are no little specks of egg yolk in the egg whites as this will prevent the whites from reaching their full volume when beaten. The recipe calls for superfine sugar which dissolves easier in the whites than regular granulated white sugar. Because superfine sugar can be hard to find in grocery stores, just make your own by taking 1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar and processing it in your food processor until very fine.

There are a few more things to keep in mind when making these meringue ghosts. The standard ratio when making meringues is 1/4 cup (50 grams) of sugar for every egg white and this amount of sugar is needed to give the meringue its crispness. Now you want to add the sugar gradually to the egg whites as this ensures that the sugar completely dissolves and does not produce a gritty meringue. Cream of tartar is also used in the whipping of egg whites to stabilize them, helps them to reach maximum volume, and prevents over beating. The meringue is ready when it forms stiff peaks (looks like marshmallow cream) and when you rub a little between your thumb and index finger it does not feel gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth between your fingers.

Once the meringue is made, the next step is to pipe the ghosts. I like to do this with a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch (1 cm) plain tip. When piping the ghosts, have the bag perpendicular to the parchment paper-lined baking sheet and, using even pressure, pipe about 2 inch (5 cm) high mounds of meringue. You can make the mounds any shape you want. Then carefully press two candy eyes (you can find candy eyes at cake decorating stores or you can order them online at http://www.candylandcrafts.com/) or two miniature chocolate chips or edible silver dragees into each mound and bake the meringue ghosts in a slow oven for about 1 – 1 1/2 hours or until they are crisp and dry to the touch. The slow oven allows for gradual evaporation of the moisture from the meringues. If you decide to make meringues on a rainy or humid day, you will probably have to bake the meringues longer (could be up to 30 minutes more).

Click here for the video and recipe.

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Article by Stephanie Jaworski

Photo by Rick Jaworski

© 2011 iFood Media LLC

In our 123nd video Stephanie demonstrates some ideas for packaging your Christmas Cookies for gift giving.

Most of us have favorite cookie recipes that we like to bake at holiday time. They are the ones we look forward to baking and serving as they are part of our family traditions and invoke pleasant memories. But, if you are like me, I always like to try something new and a little different. Sometimes they will get added to the next year’s “must bake” list and sometimes not. So I hope you will browse through these cookie recipes and give a few a try.

Notes on Storing Cookies: Freshly made cookies always need to be cooled completely before storing in airtight containers or the cookies will become soft from the steam they produce while they are still warm. For frosted cookies, always let the frosting dry completely before storing so the cookies will not stick together. It is best to store filled and frosted cookies in a single layer or between layers of parchment or wax paper. Always store each type of cookie separately. If you store different flavored and textured cookies together they will end up taking on the characteristics of each other i.e. a dry crisp textured cookie stored with a soft textured cookie will absorb its moisture and become soft. Likewise, a shortbread stored with a spice cookie will end up tasting like a spice cookie.

Notes on Cookie Containers: For gift giving try to choose a container that matches the personality or hobbies of the recipient. Ideas for containers are: new or antique cookie jars, hatboxes, flowerpots, baskets, cookie tins, cellophane bags, lunch bags, gift bags or boxes, festive paper or glass plates, bakery boxes, plastic containers, jam jars (mason jars), or bowls. Adorn them with ribbon, raffia, or metallic twine and attach a pretty gift tag or label.

Notes on Shipping Cookies: If you plan to ship cookies, choose cookies that keep well and are not fragile. The last thing you want is for the cookies that you spent a lot of time making and packing, to end up stale or in a pile of crumbs. Generally, the cookies that have a dry crisp texture tend to last longer than cookies that are soft and moist. Some good examples of cookies to ship: Amaretti, Snickerdoodles, Biscotti, Gingersnaps, Mexican Wedding Cakes, S’More Granola Bars, Sables, Shortbreads, Spice Cookies, Chocolate Wafers, or Plain Sugar Cookies. Any baked good that needs to be refrigerated and therefore is perishable should not be shipped, unless you are going to ship them overnight with an ice pack. If you are not sure of the shelf life of the cookies you want to send, make a test batch, store them in an airtight container and see how many days they stay fresh.

The container you use for shipping your cookies should be airtight. If there is the possibility of the lid coming unsealed (like a cookie tin), use clear packing tape to seal the lid shut. Place the container of cookies in a heavy duty corrugated container or box that is larger than the package of cookies to allow for about 2 inches (5 cm) of packing materials (popcorn, newspaper, bubble wrap, Styrofoam peanuts) all the sides of the cookie container.

Click here for the video and recipes.

More Recipes at Joyofbaking.com

Article by Stephanie Jaworski

Photo by Rick Jaworski

© 2011 iFood Media LLC

In our 122nd video Stephanie demonstrates how to make Peppermint Patties.

Peppermint Patties are the perfect confection. Perfect because when you bite through that thin layer of shiny dark chocolate you can almost hear it ‘snap’. Perfect because the filling is so soft and creamy, and the peppermint gives a nice blast of ‘cool’ that tingles the mouth.
Now that ‘cool’ feeling comes from the oil (menthol) in the peppermint. Harold McGee tells us in his excellent book “On Food and Cooking” that this ‘cool’ feeling is actually because the “Menthol, at low concentrations, raises the threshold temperature at which the cold receptors in our skin begin to discharge: that is, it makes our warm mouth feel cool”.

This particular recipe for Peppermint Patties is modeled after York Peppermint Patties, that popular commercially made confection invented by the York Cone Company. Peppermint Patties were introduced in 1940, but only in the Northeast, Ohio, Indiana, and Florida, and it took until 1972 before they were distributed nationwide.

Peppermint Patties are a combination of confectioners sugar (powdered or icing), butter, flavorings, and evaporated milk. In order to get that real authentic peppermint taste, peppermint oil must be used, not peppermint extract. Peppermint Oil has a much stronger and more concentrated flavor than peppermint extract so only a small amount of the oil is needed to give these patties that cool and refreshing mint flavor. Unfortunately, peppermint oil is not found in grocery stores. You can find it at some pharmacies, health food stores, or you can order it online from the bakerscatalogue.com. Once the batter is made it needs to be chilled before rolling into balls. Then the balls are flattened into a patty shape and refrigerated again until firm. All that is left to do is to dip each peppermint patty in melted chocolate that has been combined with a little vegetable shortening or butter. The shortening keeps the chocolate shiny even when refrigerated. It also means we do not have to temper the chocolate; a step that most of us like to avoid. These patties will keep in the refrigerator for up to a month and make a unique and welcome holiday gift.

Click here for the video and recipe.

More Recipes at Joyofbaking.com

Article by Stephanie Jaworski

Photo by Rick Jaworski

© 2011 iFood Media LLC