Alfajores

I'll start off by saying these alfajores aren't the most authentic but they are quite delicious nonetheless. I had my first encounter with these cookies many years ago when I visited Buenos Aires.  One taste of the little sandwich filled with dulce de leche and I was hooked.  

My alfajores use shortbread but the true version that you'll find in Argentina uses a softer cookie made with cornstarch.  The real star though, in my opinion, is the delicious dulce de leche.  Sure, you can make your own milk jam but since I had a jar in my fridge I took the easy route. 

Salted Caramels and a Giveaway

My holiday candy making has pretty much been limited to cashew toffee, a well loved favorite among my family and friends.   Ironically, for me not so much.  I guess after all these years of making it I've become immune to the crunchy, buttery candy and was actually on the lookout for new inspiration.  

Lucky for me the very kind folks at America's Test Kitchen sent over a copy of one of their latest publications, DIY Cookbook.   Score!  I'm one of those people who's all about giving homemade food gifts for the holidays.  What better way to show you care than with something from your own kitchen?  I immediately headed to the sweets chapter and gravitated towards the Salted Caramels.  

There's nothing I love more than a sweet/salty combination and these candies fit the bill perfectly.  As with all of ATK's recipes this one was easy to follow and the results were fantastic.  I think my friends and family will definitely welcome to new addition to my candy repertoire.

Now to the giveaway....

One lucky blog reader can win their own ATK DIY Cookbook.  (Special thanks to  ATK for sponsoring the giveaway!)

Here's how to enter:

Just leave a comment to this post, as well as your email address, by 12PM PST Thur Dec 20 11:59 PM PST Thur Dec 20.  IMPORTANT: You must leave an email address, otherwise  there's no way I can contact you!  (Only open to residents of the US...sorry!)

Good luck and happy cooking!!!

UPDATE: The winner of the DIY Cookbook is #22 - tdlzing@gmail.com.  I'll be contacting you directly with instructions on how to claim your prize.  Thanks to everyone who entered!!  

Jam Thumbprints

These jam thumbprints are the latest addition to my holiday cookie repertoire.  I first saw the recipe on America's Test Kitchen's Feed and knew I had to make them.  The secret to the rich and tender cookie is cream cheese, definitely a good thing.   On top of that, if you're looking for a kid-friendly recipe look no further!

I filled my cookies with raspberry, apricot and pineapple jam and I  love how the centers look like  sparkling jewels.  

Deep Dish Apple Pie

No, no, I didn't drop off the face of the earth!  My three month absence from the blogosphere can be easily explained.  Basically, I was without a kitchen - no kitchen, therefore no baking.  See?  But now I'm back and making up for lost time.  Thanks to all of you who haven't given up on me.  

This Thanksgiving I hosted fourteen of my family.  If ever there was a reason to freak out that may have been it.  Luckily, with some pre-planning, preparation and lots of help from my mom and sisters things went as smooth as could be.  The 19-lb turkey was brined and roasted in three hours using a fantastic Cook's Illustrated recipe.  I've made it for the last few years and it always comes out absolutely delicious - so plump and juicy with super crispy skin every single time.  

As for Thanksgiving dessert, pumpkin pie is my all-time favorite but apple is definitely the runner-up.  I had been waiting to make CI's Deep Dish Apple Pie specifically for this occasion.  The recipe can be found at their online cooking school.  [You may recall that I was lucky enough to win a 1-year scholarship to the school many months ago.  I highly recommend checking it out if you're really interested in learning to cook or becoming a better cook].    

The crust uses vodka along with water to make it super flaky and pre-cooking the apples on the stove avoids the common issue of a soggy filling.  Accompanied with vanilla ice cream it was absolute bliss.