Cashew Caramel Cookies

 My Dad loves cashews.  Whereas my Mom had chocolate stashes all over the house, my Dad usually had an enormous can of cashews somewhere in the couch/TV vicinity.  Unfortunately, I inherited both their loves.  A happy Christmas was when I got my OWN can of cashews in my stocking.  Then I'd stop sneaking Dad's for a week or two. 

As I got older, my nut interests moved on, to peanuts, then pistachios, and most recently smoked almonds.  But biting into these sweet & nutty cookies from Dessert Club member C.D. hurtled me back to Christmases of my childhood, when a little candy and my own cashews were all it took to feel the joy of the season.

Didn't hurt that she also served them with a huge bowl of extra caramel sauce, for dipping.  You should have seen me, I had caramel all over the place.  Luckily, we don't take pictures of faces at Dessert Club.  What happens at Dessert Club usually stays at Dessert Club.

Cashew Caramel Cookies (print recipe)
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups roasted salted cashews
2 T plus 1 tsp canola oil
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
24 cubes soft caramel candy (7 ounces)
1/4 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour and salt together. Coarsely chop 1 cup cashews; set aside. Process remaining 1 1/2 cups cashews in a food processor until finely chopped. Pour in oil. Process until mixture is creamy, about 2 minutes.
2. Put cashew mixture, butter, and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low; gradually add flour mixture. Mix in reserved chopped cashews.
3. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls; space 2 inches apart on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 6 minutes; gently flatten with a spatula. Bake until bottoms are just golden, 6 to 7 minutes more. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
4. Melt caramels with cream in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring. Let cool. Using a spoon, drizzle caramel over cookies; let set. Store airtight in single layers.  Serve with extra caramel sauce, if there is any.

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Peanut Butter Cashew Brownies

Can any of us be surprised that these won Dessert Club this month? Their creator found this recipe on How Sweet It Is via foodgawker. In fact, several DC members find their stuff through foodgawker - do you know it? I admit, I spend what little free time I can scrounge up either baking or writing - I almost never surf or browse, though I know just how much I am missing. But after these brownies, I am bookmarking it. Maybe for stuff like this I can come up with a few minutes to gawk once in awhile.

Peanut Butter Cashew Brownies (print recipe)

1 batch brownies (boxed mix or homemade)
1/2 cup salted cashews
1 cup chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups
1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies Cereal

Mix brownies according to directions, and bake for 20-25 minutes in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Remove and top with peanuts and peanut butter cups, and bake for 4-6 minutes more.

While they are finishing baking, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Stir in cereal. Remove brownies from oven and evenly pour chocolate mixture over top.

Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Top each brownie with a dollop of Peanut Butter Frosting and a bittersweet chocolate chip.

Peanut Butter Frosting
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Put sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt in mixer. Mix on medium low until creamy, scraping with spatula as you work.Add the cream and beat on high until the mixture is light and smooth.

1 year ago: Dark Fudge Bundt Cake
2 years ago: Chocolate Chip Crunch Cake

Gateau Sans Rival

Here is the amazing winner of Dessert Club Internationale. Dessert Club member CC got the recipe from a friend that makes it every Christmas. "I always can't wait for her holiday party so I can gobble this up!" It was equally sans rival at Dessert Club, winning with a landslide 5 votes.

From City Muse - "It means "without equal". Sans Rival is a type of mille feuille or cake napoleon with alternating layers of meringue, buttercream icing and ground nuts. Biting into this flourless cake is a combination of crunchy, creamy, chewy goodness. Pure decadence." Even though it has a French name, it comes to us from the Philippines, probably via Spain.Gateau Sans Rival
Meringue:

5 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped cashews (I added a bit of Kosher salt to the cashews)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat egg whites until stiff. Add sugar gradually. Add cashews and vanilla. Spread thin on well-greased pan in the size you want for layers (at least 4 layers). (I usually line a baking sheet with foil, and butter well before spreading each layers.) Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.

Filling:
2/3 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup water (less 1 tablespoon)
1/2 lb butter

Boil sugar and water until it spins into threads. Beat egg yolks well. Pour sugar into yolks and continue beating. Allow to cool. Cream butter, then add egg mixture a little at a time, creaming all the while. Spread layers and sides of cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

(The meringue layers are really fragile, but if a layer cracks while you work with it, you can just use that layer in the middle. Served the same day you make it, the meringue stays crunchy. If you serve it the next day, the meringue and filling have had a chance to meld flavors, which is better, but the meringue isn't as crunchy anymore. I use a serrated knife to cut it, since a regular knife will just crush the meringue layers as you try and cut it. If it stays out of the refrigerator too long, the filling will become really soft and the butter might start to separate.)