Cooking
Page 109 in the old book / page 148 in the new book
These Pecan Festival Bars had a firm, crunchy texture that I liked very much, but I thought the taste was a little flat. A little additional salt or maybe even some cinnamon might have perked them up. Even though I wasn't completely won over, these cookies went quickly and were generally well received.
What was unusual about these cookies was the baking time - one hour and fifty minutes at 250 F. I don't know if the purpose of cooking them this way is to develop the texture or enhance their flavor. The ingredients for Brittle Peanut Bars from a few weeks back are quite similar - they call for the same amounts of butter, flour and sugar - but the Brittle Peanut Bars bake for about 25 minutes at 375 F. I would describe the texture of the Pecan Festival Bar as crunchy, but less candy-like than the Brittle Peanut Bar.
For the second time in this book, Maida specified that the brown sugar should be strained. When I first encountered this instruction (in the recipe for ButterscotchWalnut Bars), I gave it the old college try, but was completely unsuccessful. Perhaps there is a strainer out there that is suitable for straining brown sugar, but mine isn't it. Unlike the Butterscotch Walnut Bars, these cookies are prepared with a mixer, so straining the brown sugar seems an unnecessary precaution.
Here's the panel...
Suzanne: "The cookie was a little messy to eat. It breaks into a million pieces when you bite into it. I loved the crunchy, nutty texture. It had just the right amount of sweetness. It was worth going off my diet for this cookie. Rating - 4.0"
Denny: "Good, but would be better if they were Black & Gold**. They were a little too brittle for me, but still good. 3.0 this time. Rating - 3.0"
Laura: "Crunchy, nutty, DELICIOUS! Rating - 5.0"
Phil: "These crunchy and denser bars while not brittle tended to work out those back molars. Buttery with moderate sweetness. Rating - 3.8"
Overall rating by the panel - 4.0
** Denny is still reveling in the Steelers' Super Bowl win.
Next week - Pecan Chews
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Pecan Butterscotch Icebox Cookies
Page 139 in the old book / page 174 in the new book This week brings another very easy to make butterscotch cookie, but this cookie gets its butterscotch flavor from butter and brown sugar alone. The flavor in these is more subtle and though crunchy,...
- Mondays With Maida - Aspen Date-nut Fingers
Page 115 in the old book / page 153 in the new book I am certain that Suzanne has now become conditioned to fear all cookies shrouded in confectioner's sugar. The moment I approached her with these she recoiled. She ate one - reluctantly - but I'm...
- Mondays With Maida - Pecan Chews
Page 110 in the old book / page 149 in the new book Typically these bar cookie recipes have each called for one or two sticks of butter. I did a double-take when I looked at the list of ingredients for these Pecan Chews - they have no butter in them....
- Mondays With Maida - Georgia Pecan Bars
Page 108 in the old book / page 149 in the new book I'm a sucker for anything resembling pecan pie, and this cookie certainly qualifies on that count. I particularly liked these Georgia Pecan Bars because, like my mom's pecan pie, they're...
- Mondays With Maida - The Farmer's Wife's Pecan Cookies
Page 47 in the old book / page 81 in the new book What a difference a cup or so of flour makes! These cookies have the same ingredients as last week's cookies, but with more flour, less sugar and less butter. While last week's Praline Wafers...
Cooking
Mondays with Maida - Pecan Festival Bars
Page 109 in the old book / page 148 in the new book
These Pecan Festival Bars had a firm, crunchy texture that I liked very much, but I thought the taste was a little flat. A little additional salt or maybe even some cinnamon might have perked them up. Even though I wasn't completely won over, these cookies went quickly and were generally well received.
What was unusual about these cookies was the baking time - one hour and fifty minutes at 250 F. I don't know if the purpose of cooking them this way is to develop the texture or enhance their flavor. The ingredients for Brittle Peanut Bars from a few weeks back are quite similar - they call for the same amounts of butter, flour and sugar - but the Brittle Peanut Bars bake for about 25 minutes at 375 F. I would describe the texture of the Pecan Festival Bar as crunchy, but less candy-like than the Brittle Peanut Bar.
For the second time in this book, Maida specified that the brown sugar should be strained. When I first encountered this instruction (in the recipe for ButterscotchWalnut Bars), I gave it the old college try, but was completely unsuccessful. Perhaps there is a strainer out there that is suitable for straining brown sugar, but mine isn't it. Unlike the Butterscotch Walnut Bars, these cookies are prepared with a mixer, so straining the brown sugar seems an unnecessary precaution.
Here's the panel...
Suzanne: "The cookie was a little messy to eat. It breaks into a million pieces when you bite into it. I loved the crunchy, nutty texture. It had just the right amount of sweetness. It was worth going off my diet for this cookie. Rating - 4.0"
Denny: "Good, but would be better if they were Black & Gold**. They were a little too brittle for me, but still good. 3.0 this time. Rating - 3.0"
Laura: "Crunchy, nutty, DELICIOUS! Rating - 5.0"
Phil: "These crunchy and denser bars while not brittle tended to work out those back molars. Buttery with moderate sweetness. Rating - 3.8"
Overall rating by the panel - 4.0
** Denny is still reveling in the Steelers' Super Bowl win.
Next week - Pecan Chews
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Pecan Butterscotch Icebox Cookies
Page 139 in the old book / page 174 in the new book This week brings another very easy to make butterscotch cookie, but this cookie gets its butterscotch flavor from butter and brown sugar alone. The flavor in these is more subtle and though crunchy,...
- Mondays With Maida - Aspen Date-nut Fingers
Page 115 in the old book / page 153 in the new book I am certain that Suzanne has now become conditioned to fear all cookies shrouded in confectioner's sugar. The moment I approached her with these she recoiled. She ate one - reluctantly - but I'm...
- Mondays With Maida - Pecan Chews
Page 110 in the old book / page 149 in the new book Typically these bar cookie recipes have each called for one or two sticks of butter. I did a double-take when I looked at the list of ingredients for these Pecan Chews - they have no butter in them....
- Mondays With Maida - Georgia Pecan Bars
Page 108 in the old book / page 149 in the new book I'm a sucker for anything resembling pecan pie, and this cookie certainly qualifies on that count. I particularly liked these Georgia Pecan Bars because, like my mom's pecan pie, they're...
- Mondays With Maida - The Farmer's Wife's Pecan Cookies
Page 47 in the old book / page 81 in the new book What a difference a cup or so of flour makes! These cookies have the same ingredients as last week's cookies, but with more flour, less sugar and less butter. While last week's Praline Wafers...