Brown Sugar Pecan Meringues Food

BROWN SUGAR PECAN BEARS

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Beat the brown sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg, then the vanilla until completely combined, scraping the bowl as necessary. Add the flour mixture and mix on medium-low speed until completely incorporated, about 1 minute. Divide the dough in half, then pat or roll each piece into 1/4-inch thick sheets between pieces of plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Position 2 oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, remove the plastic wrap and transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper. Place a second piece of parchment on top and roll out the dough between the parchment to 1/8-inch thick, being sure to smooth out any creases. Cut out 20 to 22 bears by pressing a 2 3/8-inch bear cookie cutter into the dough, sliding a small offset spatula underneath the cutter and dough and lifting to release from the paper. Place the bears on one of the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. (If the dough becomes too soft, put it in the freezer to firm up a little so it is easier to work with.) Reserve the dough scraps wrapped in plastic at room temperature.)
• Place a pecan between the arms of each bear and fold the arms up around the pecan to make it look like the bear is hugging the nut (the arms may crack at the shoulder; that's okay as long as they sit on the nut). Put the baking sheet in the freezer to firm up, 10 minutes. Repeat with the second piece of dough, adding the scraps to the reserved scraps to roll later. After 10 minutes, take the first baking sheet out of the freezer to bake it and put the second baking sheet in to chill.
• Bake, 1 baking sheet at a time, rotating it 180 degrees halfway through, until the cookies are beginning to become golden at the edges but are still slightly soft to the touch, 14 to16 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 10 minutes. The cookies will firm as they cool.
• Knead together the reserved scraps and reroll, chilling if necessary; repeat the forming, chilling and baking process until all the dough has been used.
• Melt the milk chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval, about 2 minutes total. Use a toothpick to draw chocolate eyes, noses, ears and feet on the bears. Alternatively, put the melted chocolate in a resealable plastic bag, snip off a corner and pipe the features onto to cookies. Let the chocolate set completely before serving, about 30 minutes.

BROWN SUGAR MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until golden and aromatic, about 8 minutes. Shake the pan halfway through baking to make sure the nuts toast evenly. Remove from oven; cool. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees. Line two 11-by-17-inch baking sheets with parchment; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites and sugar. Place bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm, 3 minutes.
• Transfer the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high, whip mixture until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix to combine. Remove bowl from mixer, and fold in the toasted almonds.
• Place 1/3-cup ovals of meringue on prepared baking sheets, about 6 per sheet. Bake 1 hour. Turn off heat; dry meringues in oven overnight. Store between layers of parchment in an airtight container in a cool, dry place up to 3 days.

BROWN SUGAR PECAN MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add brown sugar and continue beating on high speed until stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla. Fold in chopped pecans. Using a teaspoon, dollop the meringue into 11/2-inch rounds onto parchment paper-lined pans. Bake 1 hour. Turn oven off and allow meringues to cool completely in oven. Optional drizzle: Place semisweet chocolate chips in a 1-cup glass, microwave-safe measuring cup. Microwave on high power 30 seconds. Stir and continue to microwave in 15-second intervals until chocolate is melted. Place melted chocolate in a sandwich bag. Clip a small piece off one corner and drizzle chocolate over cookies. Per cookie: 22 calories (41 percent from fat), 1 gram total fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 3 grams carbohydrates, trace protein, 9 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.

BROWN SUGAR PECAN MERINGUES

Steps:

• First, mix both sugars, set aside. Whip whites on med. up to a soft peak. Add sugars one tablespoon at a time, while mixing. When all sugar is added, turn on high and whip to a stiff peak. Fold in pecans and vanilla. Drop by spoonfulls onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Smooth with the back of the spoon into rounds a half to 3/4 inches thick. Bake at 300 for 30-40 minutes or until dry and a light golden brown. Makes 24 big cookies.

PECAN MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
• Beat egg white until stiff. Add brown sugar to egg white and beat until smooth. Fold pecans into mixture, using a large wooden spoon and stir until nuts are well coated. Drop by spoon onto un-greased cookie sheets. (About 2 pecan halves per spoonful).
• Bake until golden brown and meringue is completely dry - about 1 hour.

PECAN MERINGUE COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 250°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• 2. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg white until stiff and gradually add the sugar, salt, and desired spice. Beat until the mixture looks shiny. Stir in the nuts.
• 3. Using two spoons, place full teaspoons of the mixture on the sheet, leaving 1 1/2 inches between each cookie. Flatten out the tops.
• 4. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cookies appear dry on top. Use a spatula to gently remove the warm cookies from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Store in a sealed jar.

BROWN SUGAR PECAN CANDIES

Steps:

• In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugars, milk and corn syrup. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer reads 238° (soft-ball stage)., Remove from the heat; stir in marshmallows and butter until smooth. Add pecans and vanilla; stir only until mixture begins to thicken. Quickly drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper. Cool until set. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

BROWN SUGAR PECAN BRITTLE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir brown sugar in hot butter until dissolved. Add cinnamon and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir vanilla into brown sugar mixture; cook and stir until vanilla stops sizzling, about 30 seconds. Add pecans; cook and stir until pecans are fragrant and lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Pour pecan mixture out in a layer on parchment paper. Let cool to room temperature before breaking into pieces, about 20 minutes.

PECAN-MOCHA MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Line heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Press brown sugar and cocoa powder through sieve into small bowl to remove any lumps; whisk to blend. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites, coarse salt, and cream of tartar in medium bowl until very soft peaks begin to form. With mixer running, gradually add sugar, then espresso powder; beat until medium peaks form. Beat in brown sugar mixture by tablespoonfuls. Continue beating until meringue is very stiff and glossy, 2 to 3 minutes. Fold in chopped pecans and chocolate chips, if desired. Drop mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart. Place 1 pecan half atop each meringue, pressing very lightly to adhere.
• Bake meringues until dry but still slightly soft when pressed with finger, about 25 minutes. Turn off oven. Cool meringues in oven with door closed until crisp, about 1 1/2 hours. DO AHEAD: Meringues can be made up to 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.