Polk County Living Polk County Itemizer-Observer • December 23, 2015 7A Baking for the holidays The I-O staff tries out three new holiday recipes with mixed results By Jolene Guzman Anytime you have to eat fudge with a spoon, there is something wrong. That is how my assigned recipe (self-assigned, I might add) turned out — spoon re- quired. I failed at making fudge. But my generous co- workers, the guinea pigs in our newsroom exper i- ment, complimented the flavor. They even poured it over Lukas Eggen’s brownies (which turned out fantastic, for the record) and said if I put it in a jar, I could pass it off as sundae topping. Kind-hearted souls. Actually, it did taste like fudge — it would have been better if it had resembled a solid — but at least I fol- lowed the ingredient-mixing part of the recipe OK. Helping it set up was the problem. I think I was fine until I reached the part of the recipe that said “beat until entire mixture has thickened it loses its gloss.” I’m still not certain I know what that means. I’m guessing I didn’t mix it long enough. Oh well. You can’t succeed (or fail) if you don’t try, right? I can always use it for top- ping on vanilla ice cream. By Lukas Eggen I spent a rather large number of nights watching Iron Chef as a child. Add to that Chopped, Kitchen Nightmares, Hell’s Kitchen and Restaurant Impossible, and you’d think I’d have a fu- ture in cooking. I even had a few dreams of stepping into a TV kitchen and doing battle, showing off my culinary skills. Alas, over the years I found out cooking talent cannot be passed telepathi- cally. My cooking ability ex- tends to a few dishes and promptly ends there. This baking challenge was a chance to prove myself. When I proudly an- nounced to my parents I would be baking something for the first time, their reac- tion was not to give me any tips. Instead, they laughed. Who needs baking tips? It was time to show off Iron Chef Lukas. I’d love to say I spent hours in the kitchen, per- fecting my craft. Honestly, I used Betty Crocker brownie mix. I wasn’t going to stop there. In a moment of artis- tic inspiration, I decided to try and add strawberries covered with green icing and M&Ms to give the illusion of tiny Christmas trees. The photo made it look so delicious! And it didn’t seem too hard. I took out my first straw- berry, began to put the icing on it and quickly realized I made a big error. As a young child, art was never my favorite class. I was always the kid who peo- ple said, “Oh that looks in- teresting, tell me about what you made?” At the time, I mistakenly thought people just took a great interest in my artwork. Years later, turns out not even I could tell what I was attempting to portray. My “Christmas trees” looked more like green blobs with chocolate on them. Turns out in 25 years, my artistic ability hasn’t im- proved at all. As for the brownies, they turned out pretty well if I don’t say so myself. Apparently not spraying the pan beforehand is a bit of a no-no, as I found out (as is leaving fresh strawberries out over the weekend). But, all in all, I’d say my foray into baking was a (semi) success. Look out Iron Chef. A new challenger is coming. By Emily Mentzer When discussion of holi- day baking came up in a news meeting (full disclo- sure: I may have brought it up), my co-workers and I got the idea that we could try out some recipes and see how they work. I expected a “Pinterest Fail.” The only way they would let me play along is if I promised to try something tricky. Well, this Swedish Sand- wich Cookie is something I’d been wanting to try for a few years, and definitely fits the bill. I would not recommend it to a beginner, but I would highly recommend the cookie. The texture is very like shortbread, very rich with flavor, but the dough, while easy to assemble, is difficult to work with. Not only is it sticky, it crumbles under the slightest pressure from a rolling pin. I had to use a lot of flour to get it to stop sticking, and even then, it was a constant fight. Once I got them complet- ed — made easier with my husband’s suggestion of adding a splash of water to the dough, similar to what you might do to a pie crust — it was clear that these cookies are definitely a “win,” and worth the ef- fort. The cookie was good the day of baking with a crisp texture, but almost better the next day, having soft- ened up nicely. I love holiday baking in our home, not just for the smells, but giving away bags of handmade goodies to neighbors and friends, mak- ing old favorites of loved ones who have gone, and trying new recipes such as this one. Happy baking and Merry Christmas! Fabulous Failed fudge One-half cup butter One cup semisweet chocolate chips One teaspoon vanilla extract two cups white sugar One (5 ounce) can evaporated milk 10 large marshmal- lows One cup chopped wal- nuts For directions, go to www.polkio.com Source: Allrecipes.com. JOlEnE guzman/Itemizer-Observer Fudge is not a candy for the faint of heart, and doesn’t always turn out quite as planned. Brownies in a box Betty Crocker brownie mix two eggs Water Vegetable oil strawberries green frosting m&ms mix the brownie mix with the eggs, water and vegetable oil. Coat the strawberries with frosting and m&ms and place on the cooked brownies. lukas EggEn/Itemizer-Observer Brownies from the box are easy for a beginner. but cre- ating a forest out of strawberries proves challenging. Swedish Sandwich Cookie (Syltkakor) 1 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup plus 2 table- spoons sugar, divided 1 large egg yolk 1 large egg, separated (I used both egg whites) 2 to 2 1/4 cups all-pur- pose flour 3 tablespoons ground almonds (I used pecans) 3 tablespoons red cur- rant, strawberry, (apricot, blackberry) jelly (jam). (I probably used closer to half a cup) For directions, go on- line to www.polkio.com. EmIly mEntzEr/Itemizer-Observer Swedish Sandwich Cookies are delicious and lovely, but tricky to make because of a sticky and fragile dough. Happy Holidays We appreciate your business. from all of us at Les Schwab Inside Central Plaza 1343 Monmouth St, Independence • 503-838-1544 Hours: Mon-Fri 10:00-5:30 • Sat 10-4 We look forward to serving you in 2016 and keeping you safe on the road. —Sincerely, Les Schwab Staff Wishing you happiness and prosperity this holiday season and the coming year. We appreciate your business. 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