Grayasat – Thai nuts & sesame caramel bars

• 1.5 cup (300g) palm sugar
• 1 cup (250ml ) honey
• 1 cup (250ml) coconut cream (I used coconut milk)
• 1 cup sesame seeds, roasted
• 1 cup unsalted peanuts, roasted
• 1.5 cups Khao Tok, or substitute organic rice puffs
• 1 cup Khao Mao, roasted in a dry pan until slightly puffed and crispy (I couldn’t find this so I added an extra cup of rice puffs) (substitute with an organic rice flakes)
First, take an 8×8 cake pan, cut two 8×12 pieces of parchments and line one horizontally and the other vertically so you completely cover the inner surface of the pan with parchment overhangs on all four sides.
Then you make the caramel, in a large 6-8qt pot over medium heat, add the palm sugar and the honey. (Put out a bowl of cold or iced water near the pot to test the readiness of the caramel.) Bring the sugar and honey mixture to a boil and reduce the heat a little bit, continue to cook, stirring to make sure you don’t have hot spots, until the mixture turns a deep, dark color and thick. Drop a couple droplets of the mixture into the bowl of water to test, when it’s ready the caramel shouldn’t dissolve or spread in the water but should stay in a somewhat round ball.
Add the coconut milk (watch out for the splash), stir to mix, and let the mixture cooks down until thicken again. Refresh the cold water in the bowl and test the caramel again, as soon as the drop in the water keeps in the round shape and not just splay out, turn the heat off and add the about 3/4 cup of the sesame (reserve the rest for a bit later) and all the peanuts, stir to blend well. Add the puffed rice, stir again to distribute evenly. If the mixture hardens too quickly, making it difficult to stir, just put the pot back over the heat to warm up the caramel and loosen up the mixture a bit.
Pour or spoon the mixture into the parchment-lined pan, pressing down and spreading evenly. Let it cool down, uncovered, until room temperature. When ready to cut, dip a knife into hot water, wipe it off, and then use the warm knife to cut the Grayasat into desired sizes. I first cut mine into quarters, then each into 6-8 pieces. Dip just the bottom part of each piece into the bowl of (the rest of your) sesame seeds, the seeds will prevent the bars from sticking to whatever they’re sitting on. Serve or store in airtight container. If you stack them, line each layer with a piece of parchment so they don’t stick.

If you want to coat them in chocolate, melt about 350g of dark chocolate in a medium bowl, let cool a bit, then dip each piece into it until completely coated. Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment or wax paper. When all the pieces are coated, put the sheet pan in the freezer to quickly harden the chocolate, just a few minutes will do. Meanwhile, put 4-5 tablespoons of cocoa powder in a bowl, when the chocolate hardens, toss each piece in the bowl until coated. Shake off the excess cocoa powder and serve or store in and airtight container.

When mine came out it was too soft so I made it like cookies (about a teaspoon each until it darkened slightly (about 9 minutes) same temp as loren’s orange lace cookies that should also be in the blog (I believe 300 degrees). They came out looking like lace cookies but tasted like brittle. Also, the rice puffs melted in the oven. Also due to the honey they had a a crunch but then a little chewy at the end.

Potato Chip Cookies

From foodnetwork.com: Emeril Lagasse, 2005

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup finely crushed potato chips
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
Chocolate Sauce, for dipping, optional, recipe follows

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and vanilla. Add the toasted pecans and potato chips and stir well. Add the flour and stir to combine.

Place the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a shallow bowl.

Form the mixture into small balls, about 1 tablespoon each, and place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Dip the bottom of a heavy flat-bottomed glass in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and flatten the cookies on the baking sheet, dipping in sugar before flattening each cookie. Bake the cookies until light golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes.

Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. (The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.) When cookies have cooled, dip 1 half of each cookie in the chocolate sauce, if desired. Let harden on a wire rack.

Chocolate Sauce:
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place the chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl.

Bring the cream to a bare simmer over low heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk the chocolate mixture until smooth and thick. Add the vanilla and whisk to blend.

Use warm for dipping edges of cookies, reheating gently over barely simmering water as necessary.

Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies

Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies
from food blog: Picky Palate

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups sugar
  • 1 Cup butter, softened
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 Cup sour cream
  • 6 Cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons softened butter, (slice 2 Tablespoons 6 times totaling 12 tablespoons)
  • 1 1/2 Cups packed light brown sugar, divided into 1/4 Cups
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon, divided
Frosting
  • 8 oz softened cream cheese
  • 1/2 Cup powdered sugar
  • 2-4 Tablespoons milk, to thin icing

Directions

  1. In an electric or stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter. Add eggs, vanilla and sour cream until well combined. Slowly add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined.
  2. In 2 batches, place in plastic wrap in a disc shape and chill for at least 2 hours for best results.
  3. Once chilled, cut each disc into thirds and roll into a 1/8 inch thick oval, about 12 inches X 5 inches. Spread each rolled pieces of dough with 2 Tablespoons softened butter, 1/4 Cup packed brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Start rolling from the long end closest to you, rolling into a log shape. Using a sharp knife, cut 1/2 inch pieces of dough then placing onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before removing from baking sheet.
  4. To prepare frosting, beat the cream cheese until softened and smooth, slowly add powdered sugar and milk until desired consistency. Frost cookies then place in refrigerator until ready to serve. These are 100 times better chilled, trust me!!

Makes at least 6 dozen