Caramelized Pecans

Almonds, cashews, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts were always part of my diet while growing up, in both sweet and savory dishes. Pecans on the other hand were a late discovery for me. Ever since my first pecan, I fell in love with their flavor and texture. Nowadays, I go to sleep feeling better knowing that I have a batch of pecans resting in my fridge or cupboard!

Pecans were not always easy to get by in Madrid. but lately, thanks to more specialty shops opening around every corner, stacking up on pecans is no longer a tricky affair.

Being rich in fats, all nuts pair well with sugar. In Spain, caramelized nuts are a popular treat. During local festivities you are always guaranteed to be swept away by the indulgent and enticing aroma of caramelized nuts being freshly prepared in market squares and fairs across the country.

Though caramelized nuts are more popular during winter times, there's no reason not to prepare them at home any time of the year. That's why I decided to make a batch of caramelized pecans to nibble on to ward off hunger pangs or to sprinkle on cakes and more for that buttery sweet crunch they deliver.

To make a small batch of caramelized pecans, you need:

• 110 lightly toasted pecans (put them in a preheated oven at 100 C just until fragrant)
• 75 brown sugar
• pinch of salt
• 25 g coconut oil (for a vegan option) or butter
• pinch of cinnamon (optional)

In a saucepan combine all the ingredients but the cinnamon. Over a gentle flame, slowly mix everything until the sugar melts and coats all the pecans, once everything is combined add the cinnamon and mix again.

Quickly drop the pecan on a parchment paper and with a spatula try to separate each pecan and set aside to cool.

Once cooled down, put in a glass jar and store in a cool and dry place.

Caramelized pecans are a wonderful treat. Perfect as a light snack on their own, they can also be crushed and sprinkled over plain yogurt, or added to cakes, pancakes and muffins for added flavor and texture.

Enjoy!

Blueberry, White Chocolate and Cardamom Bondies!

One of the reasons why I love baking and cooking is that it allows me to experiment with new flavors and create my own version of popular sweets. I may lack courage in some aspects of my life, but when it comes to the kitchen, I just love to play around with different flavors. After all, if the result is not what I wanted, I can start again.

Brownies and blondies are 2 easy recipes that everyone can make whenever craving for something sweet. The base recipes call for only few ingredients and from there you can take the recipe the way you want by adding spices, fruits, nuts, chocolate chips or any other ingredients you could think of.

The blondies featured in this recipe combine between the sweetness of white chocolate and the tart flavor of the blueberries. These two ingredients alone would give you a wonderful flavor, however, I wanted to add a spice and I was not sure which one. I surely didn't want to use cinnamon as I have used quite a lot recently  even if it would have been a great combination. Instead, I went with cardamom, a deeply aromatic spice with a citrusy character that goes well with the tartness of blueberries and complements it. 

Though I had a feeling the combination of these three ingredients would work, but I wasn't sure as I had never tried it before. Now I am happy to say that the flavors are complementary, well balanced and utterly delicious. I couldn't have asked for more! 

Once baked, the blondies had such an enticing aroma that I had to refrain myself from eating the whole batch before I finished photographing them. 

And now let´s start with the recipe.

For this recipe you need (18 x 18 cm pan):

• 100 g fresh (or frozen) blueberries 
• 100 g butter
• 120 g flour
• 1/4 tsp of salt and another 1/4 tsp of baking soda
• 1 egg
• 100 brown sugar (for optimum results use dark brown sugar)
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground cardamom (depends on how strong you want the flavor)
• 100 g white chocolate cut into small pieces 

Start by combining the flour with the salt, cardamom and baking soda.

Melt the butter in a sauce pan; you want to melt the butter and not to heat it, just warm it through. Add  the butter to the sugar  and whisk until well combined.

Now add the egg and mix well again.

Slowly fold in the flour. Finally, mix in in the chocolate and the blueberries.

Pour the batter in a pan (previously lined with baking paper), and bake them in a preheated oven (180 C; 350 F) for about 20 to 25 min, or until the edges and the top have a golden brown color.

Let the pan cool down. Remove the blondie and then cut into squares or rectangles. 

Enjoy the tasty spicy, tart, and sweet little squares of decadent blondies with coffee or on their own.