Slightly Healthy Salted Oat Fudge

I thought about naming this post Almost Healthy Salted Oat Fudge.  But these chocolate-y, nutty, and no-need-candy-thermometer pieces of delight are indeed a step up from that label.  There is not so much sugar (and it's honey), not so much butter (and it can be coconut oil), and an abundance of oats, chocolate, and nuts.  A miracle candy?  I would not go that far, but these are very, very tasty.  They are simple to prepare, easy to cut and transport, and liked (perhaps more than liked) by those who know me (p.s. thank you bridge club :)

With that said, they could also be called Fudgy Cookie Bars.  But if you had the option of tasting fudge or a cookie bar which would you pick?  Right!  And that's why they are called fudge.  Seriously, this sweet has some heft and some cookie-ish-ness to its profile (thought I'd be up front with this news).  Hereafter though, I am going to refer to this recipe's end product as fudge...because it looks like fudge, tastes a lot like fudge, and your enthusiasm will go a long way to convince others that it is fudge.

Notes:

1.  I used butter rather than coconut oil, but I plan on remaking again soon to see the difference.  I did not add any extra salt because the butter was salted.
2.  I used natural ground peanut butter which is not so smooth.  I thought the finished product had a more granular appearance.  The taste was not affected, however.  I would like to try the almond butter next time since really smooth peanut butter has more than peanuts on the ingredient list.
3.  To toast the pecans, I used a cast iron skillet and my stove top (no need to turn on the oven).  With the pecans in the skillet, using medium heat, I had toasted nuts in about 7 minutes.  Remember to give the nuts a stir or two and keep your eye on their progress.  Depending on your heat, they can go from fragrant to burnt quickly :(

3.  I used honey rather than maple syrup this time around.  So many reasons to make this again!!
4.  The heated mixture goes into the prepared pan easily and was fairly easy to spread with an offset spatula.
5.  I used a 9-inch square pan.  After spreading the fudge into the pan, I refrigerated for about 3-4 hours before lifting out and slicing.

Slightly Healthy Salted Oat Fudge
(mentor recipe here)
Yield: 3 dozen, but dependent upon size of cut

3/4 cup natural ground peanut butter
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup honey
4 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 and 3/4 cups of oats, ground into flour
1 cup pecans or other nuts, chopped up a bit or whole
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling on the top (optional)

Directions

1.  Toast your pecans, using either the method noted above or in the mentor recipe.
2.  After toasting, spread the nuts on a cutting board and allow to cool.  Then chop into small pieces.

3.  Prepare your square baking pan.  Cut two strips of parchment paper to fit across the bottom of the pan with enough extra length to be able to fold the strips up the sides.  These will help lift the fudge out of the pan.

4.  Prepare your oat flour, if necessary.  Place the oats into a processor and blend until you have a fine flour.

5.  Prepare the fudge.  In a medium-sized sauce pan, combine the peanut butter, chocolate chips, honey, butter, and cinnamon.  Stir until the mixture is melted and thoroughly combined.  Remove pot from heat.

6.  Stir the vanilla extract into the pot.
7.  Then add the oat flour and stir.
8.  Add in the toasted and chopped nuts.  Stir.  The mixture will be thick by now.

9.  Drop the fudge into your prepared baking pan.  Use an offset spatula to move the fudge across the pan to level it.  If you wish, sprinkle the top with some flakes of sea salt.

10. Cover with saran and chill a couple hours or longer.
11. When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator, lift fudge out of pan, and place on a cutting board.
12. Use a chef's knife (or one with some blade length) to slice the fudge into rows and columns according to your size needs.  Mine were about 1" x 1.5" rectangles.
13.  Leftovers keep nicely in the refrigerator for a week (or longer).  They can be eaten cold or allowed to come to room temperature.  Either way, they are a keeper!

Holy Hamantaschen!

What are you looking at, you ask?  Any guesses?  Well, they are little Hamantaschen cookies gone very wrong :(

I wanted to make these buttery triangular gems as soon as I read their backstory.  As a non-Jew, I was intrigued by the persistence of Queen Esther and her relative Mordecai in foiling the plot of King Haman to massacre Jews in his kingdom.  Nowadays Jews eat these cookies on Purim to commemorate the derailing of Haman's plan.  There is also the side-story that Haman wore a three-cornered hat, and so there you have it...Hamantaschen (Yiddish for Haman's pockets).

Right before Purim, a well-known bakery in my area (Patisserie Florentine, Englewood, NJ) published its recipe for these pastries.  It just so happens that my bridge group was meeting on the day of Purim (and you know I always bring some kind of treat).  Therefore you can understand that the stars were aligned for a successful endeavor in my kitchen.  I wish...

Now I need to mention that culinary mistakes aren't necessarily the worst thing that can happen.  A failed Hamantaschen journey (as is depicted in the photo above) can provide a path forward and have an eventual happy ending.  Though I had high hopes for these little nuggets, I had to show patience and persistence to succeed, starting with a do-over.  And, let me be the first to tell you that I served the bombs right along with the blessings and both were well received. Conclusion?  They are that good!

Notes

1.  Traditional fillings include poppy seeds, dried fruits, or preserves.  I used a rhubarb and strawberry preserve for some of mine and Hershey kisses (dark chocolate) for others.  The sheer variety of fillings that can hang out in the center of this cookie are reason enough to make these again and again.

2.  The recipe calls for adding one tablespoon of water if the dough does not come together when mixed.  I used 2+ tablespoons on each trial.

3.  I had a bit of extra dough left on trial #1, so I just rolled little balls and plopped them into the filling.  See picture at bottom of posting ;)

4.  I made this recipe twice in a 24-hour period, and never once was frustrated, even on the first disastrous try. I figured that my cookies were too small (I used a 2 and 5/8" circle and the mentor recipe said 3").  And though I kept the filling volume in check to account for the smaller-sized cookie, they still opened up and spilled the preserves.  So then I thought that I had not pinched the corners tight enough.  So many variables to reconsider!

5.  I was not very scientific about tweaking the recipe on the second trial.  I should have changed only one variable, but I didn't.  I used a 3" cookie cutter (no scallops this time) and really worked on the three triangular seams.  So who knows which variable made the difference?  My advice?  Use a 3" cookie cutter and work on the seams.

6.  As a preventative for preserve over-spillage, I also used individual Hershey kisses as filling since I figured they would hold their shape while baking.  Yes, you are right to note that this was yet another distinct manipulation of variables.  Good call!

Holy Hamantaschen
(courtesy of Patisserie Florentine)
Yield:  First time:  19      Second time:  13

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 stick of butter, room temperature soft
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
Filling of your choice (see Notes)

Directions:

1.  Place all the ingredients (except for the filling) into an electric mixer and combine until uniform.  Add a tablespoon or two of water if the dough does not come together.  You can place all ingredients into a large bowl and use a hand mixer to combine or even combine by hand.

2.  Remove the dough from the mixing bowl, give it a couple of squeezes, flatten into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap.

3.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

4.  Meanwhile prepare baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.

5.  Preheat oven to 350ºF.

6.  Lightly flour the surface where you will be rolling out the chilled dough.

7.  Remove dough from refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap.

8.  Place dough on floured surface and roll out, lifting and turning as you go to make sure the dough is not sticking.  Add a bit more flour if necessary.  Roll to a thickness of 1/4 inch.

9.  Cut out circles with a 3-inch diameter cookie cutter or beverage glass.

10. Place one teaspoon of filling (or one Hershey kiss) into the center of each cut-out.

11. Lift the dough from two opposite sides and pinch together to form the top corner of the triangle.  Then fold up the base of the triangle and squeeze the two corners to complete the triangle.  Make sure that the corners are well-sealed.  Compare the picture above and the one below.  Which one opened?

12. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until just turning golden.  Remove from oven to cooling rack.

Enjoy!

P.S.  I know you want to see more of my tasty mistakes, I have that photo for you 😬

P.P.S.  Persistence paid off! 😊