Hot Buttered Rum

I’m filled with an eager excitement thinking on all the things I want to do, see and accomplish this time of year: Twinkling lights of red, green, blue and yellow to be seen while drinking hot chocolate. Gifts to be bought and gifts to be made. Cookies to be enjoyed and vegetables eaten to balance it all. Then there’s the great responsibility and joy of trying to teach the kids that even though there are lists to be made and there will be gifts for them that that is not really what this time of year is about. So we bring cookies to the neighbors, read stories, build tradition and try the best we can.

All of this in the midst of teaching classes, creating cookie recipes, and putting dinner on the table. It’s busy – particularly last week, which is why you didn’t see much of me around here.

In the midst of all the chaos there have been little pockets of quiet and rest – moments that mark this season as my favorite. Nestled next to a blazing fire, a towering pine scented tree casts a gentle shadow on the book I’m reading (Jane Eyre – so perfect for this season). I sit across from a dear friend as she pushes fabric through the sewing machine casting perfectly lined up stitches as she works on a present for a friend. I put my book down and cut out a stocking pattern from soft flannel in red, black and gold lines intersecting throughout. We each take warming sips of Hot Buttered Rum in between stitches and cuts.

Before we set out to work on our projects she creamed butter and brown sugar together along with a few spices that are no stranger to this time of year. I tried not to notice the amount of butter and sugar actually going into the recipe. This was my first Hot Buttered Rum and nothing was going to spoil it.

 

Once combined a spoonful of the mixture went into our mugs. Rum covered, then hot water poured on top releasing the scent of cinnamon and nutmeg under its heat. The butter melted and the sugar dissolved as we stirred briskly.

Since then there have been more Hot Buttered Rum, in fact in my freezer there is a roll of the butter, sugar and spice mixture should the craving suddenly hit for this comforting cocktail – after an evening of viewing Christmas lights, perhaps? Or while wrapping gifts, opening up another window on the advent calendar or while eagerly anticipating the season’s first snow. I’m sure I’ll manage to think of many more reasons to pull out that sweet, spiced butter and start the kettle boiling throughout the season.

 

 

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Hot Buttered Rum

Hot Buttered Rum adapted from Emeril Lagasse   1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon cardamom 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1 stick unsalted butter, soft 2 cup dark brown sugar   Cream together the butter, spices and sugar. At this point you can roll up the mixture with parchment into a log. Cover well and refrigerate or freeze for later use. In the fridge the mixture will keep for two weeks, in the freezer a couple of months. In a mug add a tablespoon of the butter and sugar mixture (the original recipe called for 2 tablespoons but we found 1 was great). Top with a couple ounces of rum and roughly 1/2 cup of hot water. The ratio of the ingredients is really preference. If possible, enjoy this cocktail near an open fire.

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Brown Butter Ginger Cookies with Mascarpone Cream

Consider this your fair warning: This blog is about to become sugar laden.

“What’s new?” You may say. To that I say, “Hey, remember last week when I fed you Brussels sprouts? Okay then, we’re ready for sugar.”

I know for a fact that there is at least one sweet reader eager for this recipe. She sent me a friendly reminder as I promised to share the recipe after I posted an Instagram of these very cookies. Steadily the weeks passed and still no recipe from me. Instead there was turkey, brussels and eton mess. (We eat well around here, don’t we?)

Now it’s finally time for Brown Butter Ginger Cookies and there are others in the works, I simply can’t help myself this time of year.

The kids donned their costumes while I browned the butter. It was Halloween and I knew that warm cookies would go nicely with the thrill of a candy haul and the excitement of their cousins nearby. The butter bubbled and spurted as Ivy tucked into her freshly sewn butterfly wings. Roman wore some mash up of Darth Vader and Batman while Baron went to school as Spider Man then in the evening decided he’d rather be a Jedi.

The spicy dough came together before the costumes were complete. A few rounds in and out of the oven and the house smelled of a spice market rich in exotic scents. Their domed exterior sparkled in its sugary coat standing tall and lining up neatly in rows on the cooling rack. As they cooled I combined mascarpone with a bit of honey and threw in a vanilla bean for good measure because cookies are great but a sandwich cookie is something special.

We came home from a hectic, yet successful trick-or-treating adventure and while the kids tore into their candy, Gabe and I ate cookies and drank spiced cider. And once the kids were in bed we may have had some of their candy too – shh.

 

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Brown Butter Ginger Cookies with Mascarpone Cream

These cookies are cake-like in texture, complex in flavor and easy to throw together quickly. If you don’t have mascarpone I imagine cream cheese would fill it’s place nicely, in fact I suppose cream cheese would hold up a bit stiffer than the mascarpone, although I love the rich creaminess of mascarpone - tough choice. I recommend filling only what you plan to eat now then keeping the rest of the cookies in an airtight container and the filling in the fridge - both will keep for a few days. 3/4 cup butter, browned* 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg 1/4 cup molasses 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon kosher salt Additional sugar for rolling . * To brown the butter simply melt in a sauce pan. Let the bubble come to a boil. The milk solids will foam up and as they do watch for them to turn golden. If you have a dark pan you will need to swirl the butter carefully and maybe spoon some on to a white plate to notice the color. You will notice a gently nutty smell wafting from the pan as the solids in the butter start to caramelize. As soon as you see deep golden bits at the bottom of the pan turn off the heat. The butter will continue to brown even as the heat is off so do not let the butter get too dark. Let the butter cool slightly before proceeding with the recipe. Combine the just warm browned butter with the sugar in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add the egg and molasses and mix well. Whisk together the remaining ingredients in another bowl then add to the butter and sugar mixture. Stir until just combined. Use a spoon to scoop tablespoon size balls of dough. Roll the dough in your hands to form and ball then roll in sugar (I prefer Organic sugar for many reasons, one of which being the granules are bigger and more pronounced on the cookie). Place on a baking sheet (12 per sheet) and bake at 350*F for 10-12 minutes until puffed and set. If you prefer flatter cookies to the ones you see in my images you can gently press them down before baking.   Honey Mascarpone Cream 8 oz mascarpone 1 - 2 Tb honey 1 vanilla bean   Combine everything in a bowl. Start with 1 tablespoon honey then add more if you'd like. A vanilla bean isn't necessary but a lovely addition.

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