Chocolate Chestnut Tart with Vanilla Chestnut Syrup

This is going to have to be a quick one…both in writing and for you to read.  It is a busy week…barely got this one squeezed in.  🙂

I was really excited to make this tart after hearing from those who chose to make this recipe first!  It seemed like everyone loved it.  Finding the chestnuts was a challenge, so I opted to order off of Amazon after the tip on our P&Q page…who knew!?

So here is my take-away:

• I made the syrup since others said it was amazing…I did something wrong because mine seized up after pouring it into my jar…I mean totally solidified!!  I had such a hard time getting it out!
• The tart was still delicious even without the syrup!
• The crust gets too done cooking for so long at 400, I would lower it next time or lessen the time. (I even tented the crust!)
• Having never had Chestnuts, they are weird!  More on the soft and chewy side..not what you would expect.
• The actual tart is easy to make and so delicious and decadent
• I used the tip and served this with Coffee Blast ice cream and we all have to say this was a perfect pair!!  Totally recommend!

That is all folks, gotta run!

Oh, one more thing…I have made our Chocolate Toffee Break-ups two more times…that recipe is a total hit!!

 

Stained Glass Cookies

Cue music…”It is the most..wonderful time..of the..year”…and the busiest too!  I love to bake…as we all do who are in this baking group.  🙂

I anxiously await the “assignment” each month wondering what we will be cooking up.  Being pressed for time, these Stained Glass Cookies were an interesting one: basically sugar cookies with crushed up Lifesavers in the middle creating a “stained glass”.  They looked super cool when you hold them up to the light, but just on a plate; not so much.

To be honest, these were a bit messy, time consuming, tasty; although not as tasty as a regular sugar cookie with icing…and my tasters for the most part thought they were a weird combination.  I heard back from a few that it was either like eating a sticky, chewy cookie or that they ate around the candy part and sucked on that after eating the cookie…so what it the point?

This is what I learned:

• You can use a hammer, ziplock baggie, and cutting board in place of a mortar and pestle
• Your arm can get quite tired pulverizing 5 different colors of Lifesavers
• The pulverized Lifesavers are sticky and messy

• I did like the dough, it was easy to work with!
• Filling in the cutouts with the pulverized candy was a messy job!
• The cookies look best when held up to a light
• For the most part, my tasters thought they were an odd combination

I had higher hopes for these than what they actually came through to be.  Like always, the new recipe was fun to try out, but for this one, I won’t be repeating it. I will just stick to my Grandma’s iced sugar cookie recipe.  🙂