Honey Cardamom Caramel

The smell of this caramel cooking smelled familiar to me and the first taste reminded me exactly why.  This is one of the things I love about food (or in this case honey cardamom caramel).  I love how it can evoke memories and take you back to a place you haven't visited in awhile. 

Every Christmas, my Grandma Pinegar makes honey candy.  Honey, cream, and sugar cooked together, then pulled and pulled and pulled until it can be pulled no longer, then cut into bite size pieces.  Each piece is then wrapped in small squares of wax paper.  (I have yet to try making honey candy after a taffy pulling incident that happened at my 8 year old birthday party at the Lion House that left me unsure about my pulling abilities. Just ask my mom. Hahaha!)

Those little wax paper wrapped honey candies show up every year in our Christmas goodie bags and are always a special treat.  I remember being young and hiding mine in a special spot so no one would steal mine.  I remember rummaging through my bag filled with empty wax paper wrappers hoping to find just one more piece of honey candy hidden in the wrapper aftermath that filled my goodie bag.

Along with the memory of the candy came memories of family, chicken dumplings and broccoli salad, a nativity scene, a white stocking, and simple primary songs about the Savior's birth.  Memories of my Grandma wearing her long red dress with a green necklace, peppermint ice cream with hot fudge on top, and giant elf ears and Santa hats.

It's magical to me how something as simple as a honey caramel sauce can carry with it a goodie bag of memories filled with so much joy and love and of course...honey candy.

Honey Cardamom Caramel

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups honey
3/4-1 teaspoon kosher salt (start with 3/4 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

In a large saucepan combine the cream, honey, salt, and cardamom over medium heat.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.  Continue to cook caramel until it reaches 235-240°F.  Transfer caramel to a heat resistant container and let cool slightly (or to room temperature if not using right away).  Store in the refrigerator for up to a month.

We use this caramel for apple dipping.  I'm sure it would be delicious over ice cream, but we just love it so much with sliced honey crisp apples.  You could leave the cardamom out, but I've made this numerous times (always using the cardamom) and everyone loves it just the way it is.

Recipe and instructions (slightly adapted) from Food 52

The Day After Halloween

This morning I woke to the sound of rustling candy wrappers.  Stella had poured all of her Halloween candy out of her witch bag and onto the floor.  Noah was helping her organize it.  I remember doing the same thing when I was little.  Last night before she went to bed, she kept telling me to make sure the boys didn't take her candy.

Yesterday was spooktacular :)  It was filled with pumpkin waffles and apple cider syrup, a Halloween parade, a witch, my very favorite sugar cookies, a vampire, trunk-or-treating, a "chick" magnet, frosting and sprinkles, family, chili and of course, Provo bakery doughnuts (glazed with chocolate frosting), Halloween wouldn't be the same without them.      

My Favorite Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon pure almond extract

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  Place shortening, butter and sugars in a large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color.  Add egg, vanilla extract and almond extract and beat to combine.  With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and mix until combined.  If dough seems too sticky add a little more flour.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.  Remove dough from refrigerator, sprinkle rolling pin lightly with flour and roll out dough to desired thickness (about 1/4-inch).  Cut into desired shapes and place on baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to brown around the edges.  Cool completely on wire rack before frosting.

Sugar Cookie Frosting

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/8 teaspoon salt (heaping)

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Milk or cream

Place butter in bowl of electric mixer and beat until smooth.  Add vanilla and almond extract and salt.  With mixer on low, gradually add powdered sugar.  Add enough milk or cream to reach desired consistency.

Recipe from my mom

Grammy's Chocolate Cookies

These cookies remind me of the Christmas season and are my favorite holiday cookie.  I love this chocolate cookie enough to make all year long, but for some reason I always wait until after Thanksgiving to start making them.  I like to make the dough and keep it in my fridge, this way it's ready to bake whenever I need a chocolate treat.  Throughout the month of December my little family and I enjoy many nights filled with warm chocolate cookies and hot chocolate to keep us nice and toasty while it is freezing cold outside.  Beware, these cookies are very easy to eat and I have been known to eat more then I should on many occasions!

Grammy’s Chocolate Cookies

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar, plus more for dipping

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs and vanilla, and beat to combine.  Reduce speed to low, and gradually add flour and cocoa mixture; beat to combine.  Form dough into a flattened disk, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch-diameter balls.  Roll each ball in sugar.  Place on prepared baking sheets and flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass.  Bake until set, 10-12 minutes.

*I always make my balls of dough smaller then 1 1/2-inch-diameter.

Recipe from Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies Magazine

Gingerbread Boy Cookies

I love this time of year!  There is something magical about Christmas that makes me feel all tight inside.  I love that with this season comes traditions, traditions that I have grown up with and the new ones that I have started with my own little family.  Gingerbread boys are a tradition that started when I was small by my Grandma Pinegar and is now one that I do with my little ones.  Every year at the beginning of December my Grandma Pinegar would have all of the grandkids come to her house to make gingerbread boy chains.  In the "Big Room" there would be stacks of gingerbread boys, plastic wrap, curling ribbon, piping bags of icing and small bowls of red hots and chocolate chips.  With a little (or a lot of) help, all of the grandkids would make their own gingerbread boy chains to take home.  It was our own little advent calendar and every day we would get to eat a little gingerbread boy until Christmas day finally arrived.  The extra gingerbread boys were decorated with icing, chocolate chips, red hots and then eaten.  I am grateful for Christmas memories and traditions that make this time of year so wonderful and for a Grandma who loved us enough to make soooo many gingerbread boys!

Gingerbread Boy Cookies

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 cup molasses

3/4 cup butter

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare cookies, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife.  Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and spices, stirring with a whisk.  Place butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at high speed until light and fluffy.  Add egg, and beat until well blended.  Beat in vanilla and molasses.  Reduce speed to low.  Add the flour mixture to butter mixture; beat just until combined.

Shape dough into a 4-inch round and cover with plastic wrap.  Chill for 1 hour.  Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface.  Cut out cookies with a gingerbread boy cookie cutter, rerolling scraps as necessary.  Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 350 for 9 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool on wire rack.

*I like my gingerbread boys crispy and so I rolled them a bit thinner than a 1/4-inch.

Recipe adapted slightly from Cooking Light Magazine