Candied Pecans

 

CANDIED PECANS

yield: 16 SERVINGS

 

prep time: 10 MINUTES

 

cook time: 45 MINUTES

 

total time: 55 MINUTES

A ridiculously crunchy Easy Candied Pecans Recipe for a sweet and salty treat with just a hint of heat. The perfect snack, salad topper, or edible gift!

INGREDIENTS

•  1/2 c. granulated sugar
•  1/2 c. light brown sugar
•  2 tsp. cinnamon
•  1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
•  1 tsp. kosher salt
•  1 large egg white
•  1 T. pure vanilla extract
•  1 lb. pecan halves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 300° F. Line large rimmed pan with parchment paper sheet and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, vigorously whisk egg white and vanilla until light and frothy.
4. Add pecans to whisked egg white mixture, folding gently until pecans are completely coated.
5. Pour sugar mixture over coated pecans and fold gently until all the mixture is adhered to the pecans.
6. Spread coated pecans in an even layer on prepared baking pan.
7. Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until pecans are fragrant and evenly browned, about 45 minutes total.
8. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

 

LEMON POPPY SEED DRESSING

yield: 12 SERVINGS

 

prep time: 15 MINUTES

 

total time: 15 MINUTES

A quick & easy Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing with bright lemon flavor and a lightly thickened consistency. It's versatile, fresh, and delicious!

INGREDIENTS

•  ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
•  ⅓ cup honey
•  ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
•  1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
•  1 tablespoon poppy seeds
•  2 teaspoons finely minced yellow onion
•  2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
•  ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
•  ⅛ teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add all ingredients to a small bowl or quart jar. Then use an immersion blender to blitz until smooth. You could also use a blender or food processor. (see Notes below for not blitzing)

Winter Apple Salad

 

WINTER APPLE SALAD

yield: 8 SERVINGS

 

prep time: 25 MINUTES

 

total time: 25 MINUTES

This Winter Apple Salad features fresh apples and pomegranate arils, plus crunchy, sweet & salty candied pecans. And a bright lemon poppy seed dressing brings it altogether!

INGREDIENTS

•  8 to 10 cups spring greens mix - or use baby spinach or torn butter lettuce
•  1 medium/large Honeycrisp apple, cored and thinly sliced
•  1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
•  half of a medium red onion, thinly sliced
•  1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
•  1 cup candied pecans
•  ½ cup pomegranate arils
•  freshly cracked black pepper
•  lemon poppy seed dressing

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small bowl, toss the apple slices with the lemon juice until all slices are evenly coated. Drain away excess juice.
2. Place half of the fresh greens in a large salad bowl. Layer half of the apple, onion, Swish cheese, candied pecans, pomegranate arils, and some black pepper over the top. Then top with the remaining fresh greens, followed by the remaining apple, onion, cheese, pecans, and pomegranate - finish with some freshly cracked black pepper.
3. Serve with lemon poppy seed dressing on the side.

Homemade Bagels

 

Homemade Bagels Recipe

★★★★★4.9 from 426 reviews

• Author: Sally
 
• Prep Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
 
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
 
• Total Time: 3 hours
 
• Yield: 8 bagels

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Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (between 100-110°F, 38-43°C)
• 2 and 3/4 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast*
• 4 cups (520g) bread flour (spoon & leveled), plus more for work surface and hands*
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar or packed light or dark brown sugar (or barley malt syrup)*
• 2 teaspoons salt
• coating the bowl: nonstick spray or 2 teaspoons olive oil
• egg wash: 1 egg white beaten with 1 Tablespoon water

For Boiling

• 2 quarts water
• 1/4 cup (60g) honey (or barley malt syrup)*

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Instructions

1. Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm water and yeast together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
2. Add the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. The dough is very stiff and will look somewhat dry.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 4-5 minutes. The dough is too heavy for the mixer to knead it!
4. Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel.  Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes or until double in size.
5. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
6. Shape the bagels: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. (Just eyeball it– doesn’t need to be perfect!) Shape each piece into a ball. Press your index finger through the center of each ball to make a hole about 1.5 – 2 inches in diameter. Watch video below for a visual. Loosely cover the shaped bagels with kitchen towel and rest for a few minutes as you prepare the water bath.
7. Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
8. Water bath: Fill a large, wide pot with 2 quarts of water. Whisk in the honey. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high. Drop bagels in, 2-4 at a time, making sure they have enough room to float around. Cook the bagels for 1 minute on each side.
9. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash on top and around the sides of each bagel. Place 4 bagels onto each lined baking sheet.
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. You want the bagels to be a dark golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow bagels to cool on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. Slice, toast, top, whatever you want! Cover leftover bagels tightly and store at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Notes

1. Overnight Make Ahead Instructions: Prepare the dough through step 4, but allow the dough to rise overnight in the refrigerator instead of at room temperature for 60-90 minutes. The slow rise gives the bagels wonderful flavor! In the morning, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let the dough rise for 45 minutes at room temperature. Continue with step 5. I don’t recommend shaping the bagels the night before as they may puff up too much overnight.
2. Freezing Make Ahead Instructions: Baked bagels freeze wonderfully! Freeze them for up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then warm to your liking. You can also freeze the bagel dough. After punching down the dough in step 6, wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then punch the dough down again to release any air bubbles. Continue with the rest of step 6.
3. Special Tools (affiliate links): Stand Mixer | Baking Sheets | Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Mats | Large Pot (such as a large 5.5 quart dutch oven) | Pastry Brush
4. Yeast: Use instant or active dry yeast. If using active dry yeast, the rise time may be up to 2 hours. 1 standard packet is about 2 and 1/4 teaspoons, so you will need a little more than 1 packet of yeast. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
5. Bread Flour: Bagels require a high protein flour. Bread flour is a must. Here are all my recipes using bread flour if you want more recipes to use it up. All-purpose flour can be used in a pinch, but the bagels will taste flimsy and won’t be nearly as chewy.
6. Barley Malt Syrup: This ingredient can be a little hard to find, but truly gives bagels that traditional malty flavor we all know and love. Most natural food stores carry it. I offer alternatives such as brown sugar in the dough and honey in the water bath; I’ve made bagels with these alternatives AND with barley malt syrup and honestly love both versions.
7. Bread Machine: Place the dough ingredients into the pan of the machine. Program the machine to dough or manual, then start. After 9-10 minutes, the dough will be quite stiff. Allow the machine to complete its cycle, then continue with the recipe.
8. By Hand: If you do not have a mixer, you can mix the dough together in a large bowl then knead by hand for 10-15 minutes.
9. Bagel Varieties: See blog post above for various add-ins and toppings. Note that the toppings are added after the egg wash in step 9. Some readers have used this bagel recipe to make whole wheat bagels by replacing half of the bread flour with whole wheat flour. I haven’t tried it, but let me know if you do!
10. Halve or Double: You can halve this dough recipe by simply halving all of the dough ingredients (do not halve the water or honey for the boiling step). No changes to the recipe instructions. For best taste and texture and to not overwhelm your mixer with excess heavy dough, I do not recommend doubling this dough recipe. Instead, make separate batches of dough.
11. Adapted from a mix of recipes I’ve tried: King Arthur Flour, Cook’s Illustrated, and Complete Book of Breads