Every Thanksgiving I look forward to my cousin Gary’s Sweet Potatoes. As sure as there will be a turkey on the table, his sweet potatoes will also be there. Drenched in butter and brown sugar and covered in a blanket of toasty mini-marshmallows, it is the veggie-carb highlight for me. As I make my way around the table, I’ll squish everything else to one side of my plate to make room for those bedazzled yams. I’ll angle the spoon just so as to get “more than my share” of warm, gooey, toasty marshmallows. I’ll go back for seconds and then pack a little box (ok, not so little) to take home.
I LOVE those Sweet Potatoes, so does everyone in our family and anyone who has shared a Thanksgiving meal with us.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a shallow baking dish or casserole (9x13 pan)
Prepare and boil whole yams or sweet potatoes until soft but not falling apart. Drain, set aside to cool. Once cooled, peel and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
Arrange slices, overlapping, in a buttered, shallow, baking dish or casserole
Dot with butter, sprinkle lightly with salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Drizzle with orange juice or rum.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until bubbly or glazed looking
Remove from oven and scatter the marshmallows over the top.
Bake again until the marshmallows are warmed through and start to brown.
Serve immediately.
Rice Krispy Treats (Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun)
It’s the last day of January and in order to avoid total embarrassment… here is the last cookie to complete my 12 Days of Cookies list. I give you the stupid easy, childhood favorite- Rice Krispy Treats! Wait, do not roll your eyes and think “lame”. This is not your mama’s, on the side of the Snap, Crackle and Pop box, recipe. This is Rice Krispy Treats with a twist that is not for the faint of heart.
Little Crackle
No, there isn’t booze in these treats. The recipe comes by way of Smitten Kitchen (love that site). I had been looking for a way to jazz up this childhood favorite (not just add multi-colored sprinkles) and bring a bit of pizazz to them. I found a couple of recipes that were just crazy, too much stuff, too complicated, just yuk. At the end of the day, a riff on Rice Krispy Treats should still transport you back to the ones you ate as a kid but at the same time your brain should be going “holy cow-what did she do to these!”
The Pop
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you…
SALTED BROWN BUTTER RICE KRISPY TREATS
Yep, the exact same ingredients as the original recipe plus a sprinkle of flaked salt and well, DOUBLE the amount of butter. Yep, mo’ buttah, mo’ betta.
And if that wasn’t enough, you kick it up another notch by browning the butter! Great balls of butter! You end up with a Rice Krispy treat that is gooey, sweet and salty, nutty and buttery. YES, scream it from the rooftops, DOUBLE BUTTER!
Up your Krispy Game, reserve half the salt to sprinkle on the treats at the end. Use Fleur de Sel or grey salt, your hipster friends will ooh and aah. Oh, snap.
That’s it folks, cookie number 12. Drop the mic, done.
These went to a Bake Sale for a Bird Sanctuary that would be obliterated by Trump’s stupid wall. Jason renamed them Double Buttah “R-aah-ce” (he’s from Tennessee!) Krispy Treats.
Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispy Treats (Smitten Kitchen)
Not your mama's Rice krispy treats! Brown butter and more marshmallows madke these devilisly delicious
Course bar cookies, cookies
Cuisine American
Keyword rice krispies
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 5 minutesminutes
Ingredients
1stick unsalted butter 4 ounces
1/4 -1/2teaspoonflake salt such as Fleur de Sel or Grey Salt or coarse kosher salt
1 10 ouncebag of miniature marshmallowsDO NOT BY FANCYSCHMANCY ONES, they don't work
6cupsRice Krispy cereal
Instructions
Butter a 9x9 inch square pan, set aside.
In a large saucepan or pot, melt butter over medium heat, The butter will begin to foam and the milk solids will start to brown. Watch it like a hawk, you don't want it to burn. It will smell nutty and toasty. Serious Eats has a great tutorial on brown butter
Remove pan from heat, add marshmallows and salt. Stir continuously until the marshmallows melt and blend with the butter into a homogenous mixture.
Add Rice Krispies and stir until well coated.
Pour into 9x9 inch prepared pan and press firmly to compress. If you want, decorate with Sprinkles on top.
Cool, run a knife around the perimeter of the rice krispies, invert pan and tap the bottom. The rice krispies should release fairly easily from the pan. Cut into approximately 2 inch squares.
For as long as I can remember, I have loved graham crackers. Picture a kindergartener fidgeting in her chair, hands clasped on my lap (trying to look angelic of course), waiting for the carton of milk and graham crackers. Once I got my milk and cookie, I would break the cracker in half, dip it in my milk, and quickly pop it into my mouth and feel it dissolve on my tongue.
Stepped up Grahams
The cookie of choice, Honey Maid Graham Crackers, and not just in school. My mom always kept a box of graham crackers in our pantry. The perfect after-school treat or bedtime snack.
One of my favorite farmer’s market stands is the 2nd Story Bake Shop (sadly gone now). I usually stop by for my favorite indulgence, their pie cookie. A delicious bite-size treat of a buttery crust filled with seasonal fruit- fall apples, spring strawberries, summer peaches.
Cracker Craft
On my last visit as I grabbed my pie bite, their cookie jars caught my eye. The first one contained almond sticks. The second had graham crackers. The graham crackers were slightly darker than golden brown, round not square with none of the characteristic markings. They looked rather unassuming. The vendor exclaimed it was her favorite cookie. Ok, I’ll give it a go. It was DELICIOUS, crispy, buttery, with a hint of cinnamon and honey. Wow, not your mama’s boxed graham crackers.
After some cajoling, banking on me not knowing the book or pastry chef, they revealed the source of their recipe. The Craft of Baking by Karen DeMasco (Tom Colicchio’s pastry chef). Wouldn’t you know it, I own a copy! No big surprise there.
Homemade graham crackers. I know, who would have thunk it that you can actually make graham crackers at home. Of course, you won’t have that familiar blue box with the honey bee on it, but you won’t miss it after you try these.
Making these cookies is similar to shortbread cookies. I opted not to roll out the dough but to form a slice and bake log. Easy peasy. The dough is pretty soft, chilling makes it easier to form a log. I used clover honey which is very mild in flavor. I’m sure you can experiment with other kinds of honey. I am waiting for my embossed rolling pin to arrive so I can roll and stamp the dough before baking, an idea I saw on food52. The cookies looked amazing. The embossed version in a delicious dessert can be found here!
I couldn’t resist turning some of these homemade graham crackers into the quintessential campfire treat, S’mores. I can almost hear all of you going hmmm, I remember making S’mores! So keep this recipe in mind, and when summer rolls around travel back to your kid days, get out the marshmallows, Hershey’s Chocolate bars, whip up a batch of these grammies, and enjoy!
2cupsunbleached all-purpose flourplus more for rolling
1/2cupwhole-wheat flour
3/4teaspoonkosher salt
1/2teaspoonbaking soda
1/2teaspoonground cinnamon
Cream Mixture:
8ounces2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature
1/4cuppacked dark brown sugar
1/4cupgranulated sugar
1/4cuphoney
Instructions
In a bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and honey. Mix on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute. In two additions, add the dry ingredients, letting the first fully incorporate before you add the second.
Flatten the dough into a rectangular shape, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes or up to 2 days. (The dough can be frozen, well wrapped, for up to 1 month.)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
Unwrap the chilled dough, and on a lightly floured surface, roll it out into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Using a ruler and a pastry cutter or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1-1/2-by-3-inch rectangles; use a spatula to transfer the rectangles to the prepared baking sheets as you go. Reroll the scraps of dough once, and cut out more cookies. Using a fork, pierce each rectangle with two rows of four to six marks.*
Bake the graham crackers, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until they are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
The graham crackers will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
*Or alternatively, shape dough into a log 3x3 square or 3 inch round, chill until dough is firm enough to cut. Slice 1/8 inch thick slices. Place on cookie sheet approximately 1 inch apart. Bake 11-12 minutes until golden brown. Optional" sprinkle with cinnamon sugar before baking.
