Cluck, Muck & Cook

Baking & Foodie Blog From Sunny Brentwood Essex

Pecan

3 Bake with the kids

Salted Caramel and Pecan Blondies

I loved Blondie, the late 70’s Punk/New Wave singer but I never really got blondies though. The non chocolatey/white chocolate alternative to brownies. Why would you have a brownie that was not full of rich and unctuous dark chocolate. That is just plain crazy.

Once I had a love and it was a gas

Soon turned out had a heart of glass

Seemed like the real thing, only to find

Mucho mistrust, love’s gone behind

Blondie- Heart of Glass

Or at least I thought until a baking and Jenga playing buddy of mine converted me with some fabulous blondies. That set me on a journey to create my own delicious gooey but not too sweet version. I dropped the white chocolate in place of a salted caramel and paired that with my favourite nut, the pecan. Whilst the macadamia may be the king of nuts and the cashew the queen. the pecan is resolutely the prince of nuts in my opinion.

Blondies slated caramel and pecan

The sweetness of the caramel from the brown sugar, set against a lovely salted caramel with the crunch of pecans is tough to beat. I tested it on my guinea pigs, sorry my work colleagues and they were a resounding success. They can be a tough crowed to please.

These are amazingly simple to make and will be demolished in seconds.

Makes: 18 blondies
Oven Temp: Gas 4, 350F, 180C (160C Fan)

Ingredients:
100g melted butter
60ml rapeseed oil
250g light brown sugar
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
200g sifted plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
100g chopped pecan nuts
175g salted caramel sauce

Instructions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 180c (160c) fan and line a square 9 inch baking tin with baking parchment.
  2. Melt the butter gently in a saucepan along with the oil.
  3. Once melted, whisk in the soft brown sugar and vanilla together until combined. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and pour into a mixing bowl.
  4. Whisk in the egg and additional egg yolk.
  5. Add the flour and baking powder to the wet ingredients and fold in gently until combined.
  6. Gently fold in the chopped pecan nuts.
  7. Press half of the batter into your tin.
  8. Drizzle the salted caramel all over the base and spread in an even layer.
  9. Blob the remaining batter over the caramel sauce and gently spread to cover the caramel evenly.
  10. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden on top but still a little squidgy in the middle.
  11. Leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes then remove and cut into 9 squares. Then divide the square in half to make 18 triangles.

Salted Caramel and Pecan Blondies
 
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Delicious sweet , salty , nutty blondies
Author:
Serves: 18
Ingredients
  • 100g melted butter
  • 60ml rapeseed oil
  • 250g light brown sugar
  • 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
  • 200g sifted plain flour
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • 100g chopped pecan nuts
  • 175g salted caramel sauce
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 180c (160c) fan and line a square 9 inch baking tin with baking parchment.
  2. Melt the butter gently in a saucepan along with the oil.
  3. Once melted, whisk in the soft brown sugar and vanilla together until combined. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and pour into a mixing bowl.
  4. Whisk in the egg and additional egg yolk.
  5. Add the flour and baking powder to the wet ingredients and fold in gently until combined.
  6. Gently fold in the chopped pecan nuts.
  7. Press half of the batter into your tin.
  8. Drizzle the salted caramel all over the base and spread in an even layer.
  9. Blob the remaining batter over the caramel sauce and gently spread to cover the caramel evenly.
  10. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden on top but still a little squidgy in the middle.
  11. Leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes then remove and cut into 9 squares. Then divide the square in half to make 18 triangles.
Notes
Makes: 18 blondies
Oven Temp: Gas 4, 350F, 180C (160C Fan)

 

 

 

1 Pastry and Pies

Pecan Pie

Thanksgiving week has passed, Winter is taking hold and my mind turns to those rib sticking recipes that fortify you through those dark, cold winter months and long, cold, wet and muddy dog walks.

pecan pie

As a Brit, the traditional family winter favorite is the treacle tart. But from my few years living in the States, I was converted to the Thanksgiving favorite, the humble but delicious Pecan Pie. A rich, sugary pie which gives a nod to our favorite treacle tart but filled with creamy pecans which caramelize and toast on top, giving a rich nutty flavor that is absolutely delicious.

pecan pie

Then I came across Nigella Lawson’s “Pecan Pie Plus” recipe, where she dares to change up the classic with a bag of Christmas mixed nuts. This got me thinking and in this recipe I decided on a mix of pecans, walnuts and macadamia nuts. All deliciously creamy but each with its own flavor that complement each other perfectly.

Whether you go traditional or mixed up, I like to serve it warm with a big dollop of cream or ice cream.

 

Makes: 1 x 23cm pie
Oven Temp: Gas 6, 400F, 200C (180C Fan)

Ingredients:
225g plain flour
150g butter, chilled
25g icing sugar
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
150g golden syrup
100g soft butter
200g soft light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
350g pecans ( or 200g pecans, 100g walnuts, 50g macadamia nuts)

Instructions:

1.Sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Or blitz in a food processor. Then mix in the icing sugar.
2.Add one egg and 2 tablespoons cold milk, and mix until it forms a dough. Try not to overwork the dough.
3.Wrap the ball of dough in cling film and chill for 15 minutes.
4.Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to about the thickness of a pound coin.
5.Carefully transfer the pastry to a 23cm flan tin, line the tin with pastry and transfer to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
6.Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan.
7.Blind bake the pastry. Line the pastry case with non-stick baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the beans/rice and paper.
8. In a pan melt the syrup, butter, vanilla and brown sugar over a low heat until melted and everything is combined, leave to cool for about 10 minutes.
9. Fill the part baked pastry case with the nuts.
10.Whisk the eggs into the sugary syrup until fully combined, then pour it over the nuts.
11.Turn the oven down to 180C/160C Fan.
12.Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until the filling has set.

 

Pecan Pie
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
the humble but delicious Pecan Pie. A rich, sugary pie which gives a nod to our favorite treacle tart but filled with creamy pecans which caramelize and toast on top, giving a rich nutty flavor that is absolutely delicious.
Author:
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 225g plain flour
  • 150g butter, chilled
  • 25g icing sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 150g golden syrup
  • 100g soft butter
  • 200g soft light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 350g pecans ( or 200g pecans, 100g walnuts, 50g macadamia nuts)
Instructions
  1. Sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Or blitz in a food processor. Then mix in the icing sugar.
  2. Add one egg and 2 tablespoons cold milk, and mix until it forms a dough. Try not to overwork the dough.
  3. Wrap the ball of dough in cling film and chill for 15 minutes.
  4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to about the thickness of a pound coin.
  5. Carefully transfer the pastry to a 23cm flan tin, line the tin with pastry and transfer to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
  6. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan.
  7. Blind bake the pastry. Line the pastry case with non-stick baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the beans/rice and paper.
  8. In a pan melt the syrup, butter, vanilla and brown sugar over a low heat until melted and everything is combined, leave to cool for about 10 minutes.
  9. Fill the part baked pastry case with the nuts.
  10. Whisk the eggs into the sugary syrup until fully combined, then pour it over the nuts.
  11. Turn the oven down to 180C/160C Fan.
  12. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until the filling has set.
Notes
Cook time- 15 Mins blind baking the pastry case , 40 Mins for the filling
Do not forget to Turn the oven down to 180C/160C Fan to cook the filling.