Baking is something that I really enjoy the only problem I find with baking is that I really don’t want to have all the baked goods in my house.  I am weak when it comes to sweets and I know that I would eat them all and I am really trying to be good over the holiday season.  My solution to that problem is to bake lots of things and then give them away to either family or coworkers.

For a second weekend in a row I did some serious baking, but this time I was fortunate enough to go over to friends house and use her big kitchen for all things baking.  We weren’t sure what we wanted to make since we are tired of making all the usuals, so I set out on the internet to get some good ideas of holiday treats and came across Martha Stewarts suggestions.

I am not normally a Martha Stewart fan, but she had some really good ideas so I thought I would make our baking afternoon a Martha Stewart themed day and make 4 of her top holiday recipes.  The recipes for the day were black bottom coconut bars, pecan bars, ginger cookies and almond ginger biscotti.  All of these recipes seemed to have really good potential but as with any recipe you start coming up with the ways you would do them differently the next time around.

Since these recipes pretty much called for basic ingredients there were only a few things we had to pick up at the store.  So after a quick trip to the store we were ready to start baking.  As the recipes were coming together they were both quick and easy, which is always nice.

I find that baking is much more fun when you have a warm cup of coffee and a friend to visit with.  We had a great time baking and ended up with two really good recipes and two duds.  I would definitely make the coconut and pecan bars again but pass on the ginger cookies and biscotti.

The unfortunate part about the ginger cookies was that they ended up very flat and tasting a bit too much like molasses.  The biscotti didn’t cook all the way through so when we cut it up it just never got crunchy.  I am beginning to wonder if I am destined to keep making bad biscotti, considering my biscotti last weekend didn’t turn out either.

We had a great time regardless of the results and look forward to doing some more baking together in the future.

Black-Bottom Coconut Bars

Courtesy of Martha Stewart.com

For Chocolate Base

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup all purpose flour

For Coconut Topping

2 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1 package sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place butter in a large microwave-safe bowl; melt in microwave. Add sugar and salt; whisk to combine. Whisk in egg, then cocoa and flour until smooth. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake just until sides begin to pull away from edges of pan, 10 to 15 minutes (do not overbake). Let cool slightly while preparing coconut topping. Keep oven on for topping.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with sugar and vanilla. Gently mix in flour and coconut (except 1/2 cup reserved for sprinkling). Drop mounds of mixture over chocolate base; spread and pat in gently and evenly with moistened fingers. Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup coconut. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Lift cake from pan, peel off foil, and cut into 24 bars.

Pecan Bars

Courtesy of Martha Stewart.com

For the Crust

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

For the Filling

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 ounces  pecans

1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil. In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg; pulse just until a dough forms. Transfer dough to prepared pan; with floured fingers and an offset spatula, press firmly into bottom and 3/4 inch up sides. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Prick bottom of dough; bake until lightly golden, 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool while preparing filling.

In a large saucepan, bring butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over high heat, whisking constantly, until smooth; continue boiling, without stirring, until slightly darkened, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Whisk in cream and salt; mix in pecans.

Spoon hot filling evenly over crust, using spoon to arrange and press in nuts so they fit snugly (create as flat a surface as possible). Bake until bubbling and amber-colored, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Using foil, lift cake from pan; peel off foil. With a sharp knife, trim edges (if desired). Cut into 6 even strips; cut each strip crosswise into 4 even strips to make 24 bars.

Ginger Cookies

Courtesy of Martha Stewart.com

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

6 tablespoons molasses

1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, allspice, and pepper. With an electric mixer, cream butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. With mixer on low, gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic, and freeze for 20 minutes.

Divide dough into twelve 2-inch balls. Place remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a bowl. Roll balls in sugar to coat; place at least 4 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Flatten into 3-inch rounds. Sprinkle with sugar remaining in bowl. Bake until brown, rotating sheets halfway through, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Almond Ginger Biscotti

Adapted from Martha Stewart.com

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups slivered almonds

1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, zest, and salt. Stir in almonds and ginger. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla; stir into flour mixture. (Dough will appear very dry but will come together when kneaded.) Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface; knead until smooth. Divide dough in half; shape into two logs, each about 1 inch high and 3 inches wide. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet; sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake until logs are puffed and outside is firm (the tops may crack), about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Using a serrated knife, thinly slice the logs crosswise,1/4 inch thick. Lay slices on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until crisp and lightly golden, rotating pans and turning biscotti over halfway through, 20 minutes total. Cool completely before serving or storing.