Crazy Cocker Spaniel’s least favorite holiday is here! The one where not only does she get stuck in a costume but where people come and ring the doorbell over and over again. And boy does she hate that. In case you are too young, CCS is not just a shark, but a Land Shark, ala vintage Saturday Night Live. If I could just teach her to say “candy gram” the outfit would be complete.

So I haven’t been around. I know. That whole taffy thing is still around. And so is cheese. Cheese, cheese, cheese. I am so anti cheese right now. I was shooting cheese for a magazine article. I am cheesed out. If that is possible.

Jessie over at Cakespy Tweeted about getting The Grand Central Bakery book. They are a Portland and Seattle Bakery. I immediately grew jealous of not owning it and two days later thanks to the evil that is Amazon.com, I owned it.

These are suppose to be like Nutter Butters, and to some extent they are. I photographed quite possibly the worst looking ones. Totally my fault though. I put them into baggies to keep fresh. Not thinking. See, once something goes in a baggy, that means my husband gets to eat it. And eat them he did. The other half of these went to the refs and hockey teammates. So I was left with the ugly ones. Oh well.

I hope every one has a great Halloween. We are getting lots of rain so I doubt it will be much fun for our local kids. But hey, free candy is free candy!

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
12 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer (or with a hand-held beater) with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Add peanut butter and beat for another minute.

Reduce mixer speed to low and add the egg and vanilla, and mix until just combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until they disappear int the dough. Chill the dough for 30 minutes so it will be easier to work with.

Dived the dough into 2 equal piece and roll each into an oblong log 8-10 inches long; aim for a cross shape of a biscotti and a peanut (I just made a square because I am lazy). Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 3 days (or freeze up to 3 months).

Preheat oven to 325F. Line 2 baking sheet with parchment paper.

Slice the cookies ¼ to ½ inch thick and place them about 1 inch apart, in 3 by 4 rows, on the prepared pans. Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. The cookies should be dry, firm to the touch, and deep golden brown. Let the cookie cool completely while you make the filling.

Filling:
5 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup peanut butter
pinch of salt
2/3 cup powdered sugar
splash of milk or cream to make a spreadable consistency
Using a stand mixer (or with a hand-held beater) with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, peanut butter, and sugar on low speed until evenly combined. Add the cream if you need to thin out the filling. You want a spreadable consistency.

To Assemble:
Turn half the cookies upside down, then use a small tsp to put a dollop of filling about the ehsize of a nickel on the inverted cookies (I used way more filling ). Cover with the remaining cookie and press together gently so the filing spreads to the edges of the sandwich.

Adapted from: The Grand Central Baking Book by Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson

First off, let us congratulate #62 Jen T of Not Microwave Safe is the winner of the mini loaf pans. I used Random.org if you are wondering how the winner was chosen. If you aren’t Jen and didn’t win, not to worry I am sure since so many people have been converted to the way of the mini loaf that I will be giving them away from time to time.

I am sure you are surprised to see something savory up. It’s been awhile. But sometimes it’s good to throw people off. It also happens to go nicely with this soup. It also happens to coincide with what happened to me today while running errands.

Today I went to workout. I was dressed to workout. Yoga pants, baggy t-shirt, hockey sweatshirt, no make up. On the way home I decided I would quick run in and get something at the drug store, facial cleanser and some tea (only people who carry it around here) if you must know. I’m looking for my facial cleanser when I notice this guy staring at me. I did recognize him, but wasn’t sure why. I figure I just must know him from hockey. I know a lot of guys from hockey. And in a very round about way he was from hockey.

He was a goalie. That I used to date (briefly). In Arizona. Many, many, many years ago. Great. One of the advantages of moving to another state after you get married is so you don’t have to have the I am looking like crap while running in to an ex.

He was up here visiting his sister, who I do recall him saying he lived in WA state. But back then I lived in AZ and never planned on living in WA so what did I care, eh? But low and behold there he was…yay.  My only saving grace was why he was at the drug store. He was sent on a tampon run by his sister. So, at least there was that.

Normal people wouldn’t relate that experience to food. But right away, I was like, I need to make beer bread. I had planned on making bread to go with my leftover soup. Why beer bread? Have you looked at beer bread? It’s far from pretty. Which is of course, how I felt today.

Beer bread is always easy (I am not, so let’s not tie me in with that metaphor) and usually tastes good. I have tried a few recipes that weren’t that great. I used part beer and part hard cider. I had some, as a referee friend of mine had made some and I was drinking it at the time (one needs a drink when you run ugly into your ex). You could use just all beer. I threw in some white cheddar and some Gouda that I had in the fridge. You could use any cheese, but I would stick with a cheddar if you are using the hard cider in the bread. They go nicely together.

I play hockey tonight. I think I might go run the other team’s goalie just to let out some pent up anger. Or I could just eat bread.

Cheesy Beer-Hard Cider Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 TBSP granulated sugar
¾ cup white cheddar cheese, shredded
¼ cup Gouda cheese, shredded
8 fluid oz beer
4 fluid oz hard cider (you can use all beer if you want)
½ cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350F.
Butter a 9-x-5-inch loaf pan (amazingly I did not use mini)

In a large bowl sift the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together.

Add the cheeses and mix with a wooden spoon.

Add the beer and cider. Mix until incorporated but not much more. Don’t over mix.

Pour half of the melted butter into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spoon batter into pan. Top batter with remaining butter.

Bake for 50 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean.

Beer bread is best when eaten warm. I also like to let it get stale and make savory stuffing with it.

Adapted from The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather

So I got an email from the people of Challenge Dairy. In the email they wrote, “after reading your blog I noticed that you like to cook with unsalted butter”…ha, ha, you could say that again. I certainly could give Paula Deen and her love of butter a run for her money (or maybe should could just give me her money ).
They also asked if I wanted some free coupons for some unsalted butter. Um…YES! Along with some coupons I got nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla from Spice Islands and a whisk from OXO. See they are having a contest. If you win the grand prize you get a 7 day/6 night trip for 4 people to the incredible Mountain Sky Guest Ranch (mtnsky.com) in Montana’s Paradise Valley, just North of Yellowstone National Park. That sounds pretty awesome to me! Especially since it includes airfare, food, and accommodations! If you don’t win that you could win the other prize which is from Spice Islands and OXO. A prize package worth $850. The contest ends December 31st, 2009. The drawing is in the first part of January 2010…wouldn’t that be a great way to start the new year! There seems to be some confusion in the comments. I am not entering the contest. It’s not a baking contest. I am just telling You about it, so that You have the chance to win.

If you don’t live out West you might not be all that familiar with Challenge Butter. I know them as the people with the Elk on the box. I guess you could be known for worst things. I mainly use their European style butter (mmm 83% butterfat), but their unsalted is good quality as well.

Since I was sitting there with butter, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla, I figured I would make something that highlighted the butter but also used the spices that were sent to me. And so we return to my old friend the Snickerdoodle. But of course, as always, I put a twist on it. What better to showcase butter than shortbread. And so I came up with Snickerdoodle Shortbread. Yes, I’m evil. Yes, it will make you fat. There are 3 sticks of butter in this baby. Yes, it’s worth it.

So if you live out here in the Wild (or Mild if you live at my household) West be sure to look for the Elk on the box and pick up some Challenge butter for your holiday baking.

Speaking of contests, don’t forget I’ll be giving away some mini loaf pans. You have until Friday at noon (my time…that’s PST) to enter. Good luck.

Snickerdoodle Shortbread

3/4 cup granulated sugar
¼  cup powdered sugar
1 ½  cups unsalted butter, at room temperature (3 sticks!)
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 ¼  cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup white rice flour
1 TBSP Cream of Tartar
1 tsp salt

1 cup cinnamon sugar, divided

Preheat oven to 350F.
Butter a 9-x-13-inch baking pan. Take ½ of the cinnamon sugar and sprinkle it around the pan making sure to cover both the bottom and sides of the pan. Set aside.

In a standard mixer (or with a hand-held beater), cream together the butter and the sugars until light and fluffy on medium-high speed, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat an additional 30 seconds.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, Cream of Tartar, nutmeg, and salt.

Turn the mixer speed to low and add  flour mixture and combine until it starts to come together. You still want it to be a little on the crumbly side. Not to worry, as it bakes it will form together nicely. Place dough into the pan and break up any large clumps, spreading evenly. Press dough down gently and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar on top.
With a rinking glass, roll out the dough evenly. Or you can press down with a greased spatula.

Prick dough with fork to help the shortbread rise evenly.

Bake for 22-25 minutes or until it turns golden brown (which is a little hard to tell with the cinnamon on there ).

Remove from oven and while warm either cut into squares or use a round cookie cutter. Remove when cool.

No, this cake has nothing to do with Taffy. But taffy is what I feel like. I feel like I am being pulled in 20 different directions lately. And what does that leave me, besides being tired? It leaves me doing a whole lot of stuff mediocre and all round half ass. And oh how I hate that.

I focus on one thing, all the others go on the back burner. So then I start to concentrate on something else, but then the first thing I was focusing on is now going to crap. And it seems to be a never ending cycle as of late. I’ve got cookbooks to review, magazine pictures to shoot, products to feature, a insanely dirty house to clean, a large pile of laundry that mocks me daily, baking for my blog, baking for my side project. And well, none of it is being done.

So with my life in perpetual mediocrity I decided to stick with something simple. Yes, I know, another loaf cake. What can I say, they are easy, and you don’t have to frost them. One thing people always bug me about is why don’t I make a full size loaf ( I usually use 6 x 3.2 x 3.4 inch loaf pans). Perhaps we can clear this up once and for all.

Peabody’s Reasons for Baking In Smaller Loaf Pans

1. When you make mini loaves, you can share the love. More loaves, means more people can get them. Not just you. Stop being greedy.

2. You hardly ever get the problem of a gooey middle when you bake in mini loaf pans. I like people to actually be successful when they bake my stuff, so go mini, you have better odds of it working out. Which means less emails/hate mail to me telling me something didn’t work out.

3. Portion control. Eating a whole mini loaf is way better than eating a whole regular size loaf. Therefore I don’t have to buy bigger jeans. So really, it’s helping my budget.

4. They fit in my freezer so much easier.

5. Mini food is cute.

6. Makes your hands feel huge when looking down and holding a whole loaf of bread in your hands. Which in turn makes you feel powerful. Well, okay, maybe not powerful.

7. I’m holding out one day that they fine people of Chicago Metallic (along with the Jif people) will give me kick backs for always using their mini pans.

8. They photograph way better than a full size loaf.

So there you have it. My reasons for using mini loaf pans. And with that I will giveaway a set of 4, Chicago Metallic Professional Mini Loaf Pans, in hope of shutting up one person about my use of mini loaf pans.

Sorry to say that this contest is for US residence only. I know, I suck. Simply leave a comment and the winner will be chosen at random. You have until Friday October 23rd, 12:00pm (PST) to enter. Good luck.

As for this cake, it is a simple yogurt cake (I used Greek) with both vanilla beans and vanilla extract and coated in orange glaze. This has both oil and yogurt so it is super moist. Simple. Moist. Good.

Vanilla Yogurt Cake with Orange Glaze

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, seed scraped out, pod discarded
1 ½ TBSP vanilla extract
7 oz Greek Yogurt
½ cup vegetable oil
4 TBSP orange juice, divided

Spray two 6 x 3.2 x 3.4 inch loaf pans with baking spray. Or coat with butter and flour.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Using a stand mixer (or a large bowl and and electric hand mixer), beat together the egg, egg yolk, and sugar on medium-high speed, until it turns pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla beans, vanilla extract, and oil, beat another minute, until fully incorporated.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

With the mixer on low speed, add half the amount of dry ingredients. Then add half the amount of Greek yogurt, and 2 TBSP of the orange juice. Add remaining dry ingredients and followed by the remaining yogurt. Remove from mixer and finish mixing by hand using a spatula until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Pour into prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Remove from oven. Using a toothpick or large wooden skewer poke holes into the cake. Using a pastry brush, brush orange juice over hot loaves.

Let cool for 10 minutes and remove from pan. Place on wire rack to finish cooling. When cool, glaze cakes.

Orange Glaze

2 cups sifted powdered sugar
6 TBSP orange juice

Combine the two ingredients together with a whisk. Pour over cakes.