Sweet, sweet TWD.  It’s been too long.

I have been a major slack-a-saurus with my Tuesdays with Dorie baking.  I think I just got burnt out on all the sugar.  Then I saw the words “honey nut brownies” and stopped in my tracks.  I had to make them.  Love me some honey!

-they’re sweetened with (mostly) honey.  there’s a little white sugar as well, but i think i would leave it out next time, they’re plenty sweet with the honey alone.

-they are cake-like brownies, if you’re into that kind of thing.

-i easily subbed whole wheat pastry flour (Bob’s Red Mill!) for the white flour with no problems.
-you should use good honey for these. by good honey, i mean honey that tastes good to you- doesn’t have to be expensive. i used Trader Joe’s Desert Mesquite Honey for these, but i also love Savannah Bee (really love).

Try these if you’re looking for a little something different in the brownie department.

Thanks to Suzy Homemaker for these delicious treats!

*Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) is a group of bloggers baking through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours.

**Find the recipe here on Suzy’s blog.

Are you relieved that there’s no pumpkin in this post?  I feel like you might be.  Joke’s on you, though- I still have lots of pumpkin inspiration that I plan on slipping in during the winter months.  You’ll be pumpkined when you least expect it!

Back to today’s little treat.  Let me introduce you to these Peanut Butter Pecan Blondies.  They were supposed to be “Peanuttiest Blondies,” but my stash of airline peanuts was not looking promising this time around.  What was promising was the big bowl of fresh pecans on my counter; picked from a friend’s pecan tree and hand cracked by my sweet husband (who, by the way, is amazing at nutcracking.  He turned out perfectly intact pecans like some kind of secret nutcracking ninja).  It’s not just about peaches down here, people.  The nuts are for real.

This is one of Dorie’s easier recipes (did I mention this is a TWD?)- always a welcome surprise when I leave it to the last minute.  I’ve always been a fan of blondies (they have more fun), and am trying very hard not to eat them.  I did have a teensy taste, and it was basically blondie heaven.  Whatever you do, do not bring vanilla ice cream into this house or I will break. down.

I liked the mix of peanut butter and pecans.  It gave the blondies a little depth, and I usually prefer the texture of pecans to peanuts (I’m a creamy PB person.. something about those peanut chunks..).  I might up the cinnamon next time, though.  Or maybe cinnamon ice cream!?  Game over.

Thanks to Nicole at Bakeologie for this excellent pick!  You should definitely visit Nicole’s blog– she’s adorable.  Her blondies look soooo good, you’ll just die.

*Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) is a group of bloggers baking through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours.

**Find the recipe here.

What luck!  This week’s Dorie pick fit right in with my Pumpkin Palooza.  The original recipe is for a caramel pumpkin pie, a basic pumpkin pie with a deep caramel mixture swirled in.  I was in no mood to make a pie crust, so I went a different way.  I made a half recipe of the filling, split it between these two pots, and covered it with Dorie’s almond streusel.

I have to say, the caramel taste was a little too strong for me.  Dorie suggested that the caramel get to a deep mahogany color, but next time I wouldn’t take it as dark as I did.  I think I’m more of a purist when it comes to pumpkin filling.  I would definitely do the streusel topping and the individual portions again, though- very cute for an autumn dinner party.

Janell at Mortensen Family Memoirs made this week’s pick.  Thanks for choosing something I wouldn’t have normally tried, Janell.

Oh, and here’s Dorie’s almond streusel recipe:
In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons butter (cut into bits), 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 2 tablespoons chopped almonds with your fingers.  Store in the fridge until ready to use.
(I used the full recipe for two pots.)

*Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) is a group of bloggers baking through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours.

**Find the recipe here.

I hope you’ll stick around for the rest of Pumpkin Palooza 2010.  If you’ve got any must-make pumpkin recipes for me, comment below with links or email me at ovenloveblog@gmail.com.

I’m always so surprised with myself when I make a Dorie recipe before the posting day.  This is one of those months where I feel like I’m in the Dorie groove (the Tuesday groove, anyways. I have been majorly slacking on FFwD.  I’m just not used to it yet!).  

This torte was surprisingly delicious.  I love the ease of the fold-over crust.  This would be really great with apples, too- either way, it’s perfect for fall.  I think it’s unique- something a little special, rather than your average apple pie.  Make sure your pears aren’t too firm, though- mine were too firm from the start and I would have liked them a little softer in the torte.

Nice choice!

*Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) is a group of bloggers baking through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours.

**Find the recipe here.

Peanut butter cookies.  This was a nostalgic baking session for me, as I’m sure it was for many other TWD bakers.  I can remember having these cookies at my aunt’s house every Christmas.  She used to make tons of Christmas cookies, and this was one of my favorites in her holiday line-up.

Jasmine of Jasmine Cuisine picked this week’s cookies.  The recipe looked very similar to my aunt’s, but Dorie’s recipe called for chopped peanuts.  The only peanuts I had on hand were airline peanuts.. talk about being resourceful in the kitchen!

When the cookies came out of the oven, I was afraid they had spread too much, but it didn’t end up being a big deal.  I rolled them in sanding sugar for the extra crunch, and I’m glad I did.  These cookies are perfect dunked into some milk, and will disappear quickly from the cookie jar, just like Dorie says.

Thanks, Jasmine, for a great trip down memory lane.

On a Dorie-related note, there is a new group forming called French Fridays with Dorie.  The group will be cooking through Dorie’s new book, Around My French Table.  The fun starts on October 1, and it’s much more lax than TWD as far as posting goes.  Read more about it and think about cooking along with us!

*Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) is a group of bloggers baking through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours.

*Find the recipe here.

This week’s TWD pick was actually called Espresso Chocolate Shortbread, picked by Donna of Life’s Too Short Not to Eat Dessert First.  I decided to go with Dorie’s “playing around” version, removing the espresso and chocolate and adding oatmeal and yummy spices.

Dorie’s shortbread recipes are pretty basic as far as ingredients go.  The only real issue is making sure you don’t over-mix the dough and that you chill it long enough.  If you don’t worry about those things, you might see some spreading when your cookies come out of the oven.  I had a little spreading, but not too much.

For some reason, my brain miscalculated and I made 64 teeny tiny cookies instead of 32 larger ones.  It’s okay, though, since they look super cute and I can eat more of them!  Of course, I love anything with oatmeal in it, but it was the spices that really made this recipe for me.  The fresh nutmeg was intense and flavorful, and got me ready for fall, even though it’s somewhat far off for this Georgia girl.

Everyone’s versions look delicious, whether they went with espresso chocolate or oatmeal spice.  Make sure to check out the TWD blogroll to see all the different creations!

*Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) is a group of bloggers baking through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours.

**Find the recipe here.

The time has come!

My Tuesdays with Dorie pick!

I chose Dorie’s Oatmeal Breakfast Bread.  As I was contemplating my pick, I tried to act like I was going to pick something decadent and chocolatey and sinful, but in the end, I kept coming back to this recipe.  I guess I’m sort of granola.  I like oats.  It’s a small obsession.

The recipe was simple to put together.  Mix the topping, mix the wet ingredients, mix the dry, coat the fruit, and mix it all together.  I chose to go the muffin route instead of baking a whole loaf, because

a) I wanted you to see my pretty muffin (cupcake) cups.

b) The oven in my new house is sketchy, and I didn’t want to burn a whole loaf.

c) I thought they would rise up beautifully and make for great photos.

d) Portion control.  Oats are like crack to me.

Just before the bake:

Here’s a secret: I didn’t have any baking soda, so I used a ton of extra baking powder.  I wasn’t sure they would come out right.  (I am very anxious to see how the recipe turned out for everyone else.. hopefully my muffins aren’t completely flat in comparison).  As far as the fruit goes, I used dried apricots and peaches.  So good.

Dorie was right; it was hard not to dig into these right out of the oven!  I was able to wait, but not for too long.  Though my muffins are flatter than I expected, I still think they taste great.  I kind of wish I would have put some more fruit in, or tried something a little tartier, like cranberries, but like I said, they still taste great.

These are nice and moist, and I’m hoping their flavor develops even more over the next few days.  There seemed to be a lot of positive feedback on the TWD boards for this recipe, so hopefully everyone who baked along with me enjoyed this recipe, too.

PS.  As I was getting ready to take more photos for this post, a salamander scattered across my sun room floor and I immediately ran into the other room and shut the door.  Who let a salamander into my house?  I plan to leave the door shut until my husband returns in two days to catch the little scoundrel.  Ridiculous.

A big thanks for all of my TWDers for baking with me this week!  I have had such a great time baking with the group and have learned so much. 

Please visit the TWD blogroll and check out the other amazing TWD bakers!

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from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours

-makes 12 servings

Serving: Although you might be tempted to dig into this bread before it cools, don’t.  The bread is soft when it’s at room temperature, but it’s too soft when it’s warm.  So, wait until the bread is fully cooled, then cut it into medium-thin slices and serve with coffee.

Storing: Because of the bread’s soft texture, it’s a good keeper.  You can hold it, well wrapped, at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.  It can also be frozen up for 2 months.

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup flavorless oil, such as canola or safflower

1/4 cup buttermilk or whole milk

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used 3/4 cup all-purpose, 1/2 cup whole wheat)

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

pinch of ground cloves

1/2 cup diced dried figs, apples or apricots or moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) 

1 cup old-fashioned oats

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a 9-x-5-inch loaf pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess.  Put the pan on a baking sheet.

In a small bowl, using your fingers, toss together the sugar, nuts and cinnamon until evenly mixed.  Set aside.

Whisk together the eggs, applesauce, oil and buttermilk until well blended.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cloves.  Remove 1/2 teaspoon of the mix and toss it with the fruit, just to coat; set aside.  Stir the oats into the bowl.  Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and, using a large rubber spatula, stir just until everything is evenly moistened- this is a case in which less is more, so don’t overdo the mixing.  Scatter the dried fruit over the batter and stir to blend.  Scrape the batter into the pan and sprinkle over the topping, tamping it down very lightly with your fingers so it sticks.  

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is beautifully browned and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  Transfer the bread to a rack to cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pan and unmold.  Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

Nicole from Cookies on Friday is this week’s host.  I’m sort of jealous that she got to pick this because I totally would have picked it myself.***  I was all set to make these today so they’d be ready to take to a get-together tomorrow.  Then disaster struck, and I was left stranded at home, with all my ingredients except the eggs.  Two measly eggs was all I needed. 

You see, sometimes the hubs steals my eggs without knowing it, since he makes an open-faced egg sandwich for breakfast every. single. day.  It’s like his ritual.  I guess I need to start marking my territory.  Maybe now I will write “TWD” on my eggs and claim them for my own.  Back to the blondies.

I finally got to put all of my ingredients together and bake the darn thing when hubs arrived with eggs and saved the day.  I was sort of frightened at the dry and crackly/still kind of gooey look of them, but I trusted Dorie and served myself a square.  Let me just put it this way: Dorie’s got game.  (Do people still say that?)

PS.  I left out the toffee bits, which I didn’t want to do, but I don’t miss them.  (Okay, I sort of miss them, but I was not about to wait another half hour while hubs attempted to search for toffee bits at the grocery store.)
PPS. These are not pretty at all, but they are sooo tasty.  Thanks, Nicole, for the delicious pick!

**Find the recipe here.

***My pick is coming up in August!  I am beyond excited, and I’ll probably talk about it for the whole month.  Can you guess what recipe I picked?

It’s TWD time, people!

This week’s pick is Dorie’s Brrrownies, chosen by Karen of Welcome to Our Crazy Blessed Life.  This was an easy recipe for me to complete, especially while out of town, and I am so thankful for that!  We’re staying with a dear friend (and bachelor) who is a little low on the baking necessities, so I was glad that all I needed was a bowl, a pan, and a whisk.  The recipe called for York Peppermint Patties, which I’ve always enjoyed (another Hershey’s product making me nostalgic for home).  I used the York pieces instead of the actual patties, though, because

a) I was too lazy to unwrap all of the patties.

b) The pieces were cheaper.

c) They’re sort of whimsical.

d) People seemed to have problems with the patties melting.

e) They’re Penn State themed?

f) I stole the idea from The Baking Sisters.

It was a split decision.  I had to go for it.  And it worked!  I had no problems, aside from a little light blue residue from the candy coating on the edge of the brownies, which I cut off anyhow.

I tried the brrrownies warm and cooled, and I definitely prefer them cooled.  They’re too fudgey at first.  Wait for them to cool, and all this minty deliciousness comes through.  Perfecto.  I took them over to a friend’s just to get them out of my grubby little paws.  I sort of wish I could feed them to the dog, they’re dangerous!

P.S. I heart Weight Watchers.  Who else lets you eat brownies on their weight loss plan?
P.P.S. I’ve lost 20 lbs in two months!

Fun Fact: I just made this a few hours ago.  Dorie says to let it sit overnight before you taste it, so I can’t really tell you if it’s great or not.  I tried a little piece before hand, and it was just okay. 

I promise I’ll report back after it sits a little bit.  I’m sure by then, it will be better than okay.

It was very easy to make, though.  My favorite part was not having to wait for butter to come to room temperature before I started the recipe.  Love!

My least favorite part was the calories.  You’re killing me Dorie.

Meanwhile, you should visit sweet Wendy’s post for the recipe.   She’ll actually tell you about the cake.