Gooey Butter Cookies from The Blue Owl

I've decided to have a fabulous array of desserts at my annual Christmas Dinner.  I bought a three-tier plate holder at World Market and found I liked it so much at Thanksgiving when it held all three swoonably delicious desserts, that it would be the perfect venue for serving dessert at Christmas.  The top tier, I've decided, will feature mousse shooters (This idea comes from the "Tasting Party" section of the Pier 1 website, recipe and all.  Clearly, I spend waaaaay too much time on the Pier 1 website!)  The second tier will hold the molded and shaped cookies that are always so delicious and eye-catching, and the bottom tier will hold traditional holiday offerings such as pecan tassies, mini whoopie pies, Mexican wedding cakes, and other family favorites.

The delicious-looking cookies pictured above, derive from the Gooey Butter Cake*, a St. Louis, MO creation, and are hugely popular in this area. As much as I do like the Gooey Butter Cake, I'm not sure I like the cookies quite as well. They are soft and cake-like, and I prefer a crunchy cookie, but people seem to go wild for them here, so I'm making a batch for the holidays.

This recipe comes from The Blue Owl, a delightful restaurant and bakery in Historic Kimmswick, Missouri, located 25 miles south of St. Louis.  It is family owned and operated and has been for the past 24 years.  They specialize in an incredible assortment of desserts (along with serving a delicious lunch); their "Levee High Caramel Apple Pecan Pie" (truly a sight to behold) was featured on The Food Network's "Paula's Party" program.

GOOEY BUTTER COOKIES

The Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery (Kimmswick, MO)

(Printable Recipe)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened (no substitutions)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 (about-18-ounce) box yellow cake mix

1 cup powdered sugar

In large bowl of electric mixer, beat together butter, vanilla, egg and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add cake mix; beat until well blended. Cover dough and chill 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in powdered sugar. Place about 1 1/2 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet (see note). Bake 12 minutes; do not let brown.

Let cookies cool, then sift additional powdered sugar over the tops.

Yield: About 4 dozen cookies

Note: Recipe may be doubled.

Tester's note: It isn't necessary to shake off excess powdered sugar after rolling. Baking on a greased sheet results in just enough spreading to make the cookies a perfect two-bite size. If you bake on parchment paper, the cookies spread a bit less and are more ball-shaped. These should not brown; baking 12 minutes allows the cookies to stay soft. I also tested this with chocolate cake mix with good results.

*The St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake story and original recipe.

Seasoned Toasted Pecans

With the fast approach of the holiday season having the larder well stocked with drinks and snacks for drop-in guests is a must, not to mention a great way to treat yourself after a long day of shopping, decorating, or trimming the tree.  Here is a recipe that is quick and easy and always a hit.  Watch your guests as they reach for a couple.  They'll pop them into their mouths expecting the traditional pecan, but instead will make satisfying yummy sounds, and reach for more.  This is usually followed by, "Boy these are good," a note of surprise in their voice.  It never fails. I served these with drinks before dinner and the Rams game yesterday and they elicited the usual response.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Measure out 4 cups of pecans
 and place into a large bowl.

Melt 1/2 cup butter in a medium saucepan and add:

 4 teaspoons Worchestershire Sauce
 1 Tablespoon garlic salt
 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
1-1/2 teaspoons cumin

Mix well.

Drizzle melted butter and seasonings over
pecans and toss to coat.





Sprinkle pecans with 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar.  Toss again.

When completely coated with seasonings and sugar, pour onto rimmed cookie sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes, stirring periodically to assume uniform toasting.

When toasted, remove from oven and pour
onto paper towels to allow excess butter to be absorbed.  Cool.  Store in airtight containers.

Bet you can't eat just one!

This post is linked to Tuesdays at the Table.

Challah French Toast

How delicious does this look?  Well, let me tell you I've not had French Toast that tasted any better.  It was superb! I attribute part of it to the homemade challah that I made yesterday, and the other to Ina Garten's Challah French Toast recipe.  It's from her book Barefoot Contessa Family Style and it's worth buying the book for this recipe alone.  

Challah French Toast

6 extra-large eggs

1 1/2 cups half-and-half or milk

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon good honey

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 large loaf challah or brioche bread

Unsalted butter

Vegetable oil

To serve:

Pure maple syrup

Good raspberry preserves (optional)

Sifted confectioners' sugar (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, orange zest, vanilla, honey, and salt. Slice the challah in 3/4-inch thick slices. Soak as many slices in the egg mixture as possible for 5 minutes, turning once.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a very large saute pan over medium heat. Add the soaked bread and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Place the cooked French toast on a sheet pan and keep it warm in the oven. Fry the remaining soaked bread slices, adding butter and oil as needed, until it's all cooked. Serve hot with maple syrup, raspberry preserves, and/or confectioners' sugar.

Slicing for French Toast making.