Texas Peach Pecan Cobbler

When the good folks at Ozarka Water contacted me to see if I'd write a little bit about what I love about Texas, it took me about a nanosecond to say yes.


We love Texas. Neither Mr. E or I were born here, but I've lived most of my life in Texas...and we've spent 18 of our almost 20 years of married life here. (Wow. I can't believe I just typed that sentence.)


Mr. E's job took us out-of-state for a few years and while it was beautiful, it was not our beloved Texas. I would go to the grocery store and think...they don't have tortilla chips and crackers and hamburger patties shaped like their state? What does the state flag here look like anyway? (You can't go far in Texas without seeing a Texas flag.)

Here's a short list of what I love about Texas:

• Tex-Mex: this includes a long list of tacos, queso, salsa, and chips...my life (and my tummy) would be empty without it. 
• BBQ: this is NOT a backyard cookout. BBQ is beef (do you hear that, Carolina?) slow cooked over low heat and served with a spicy tomato-based sauce. And pickles. And a slice of white bread. 
• The Texas flag: When you're out-of-state and you see a Texas flag, it brings you right back home. 
• Bluebonnets: If you've never seen a field of Texas bluebonnets, well, check out social media in the springtime. It's in our contract at Texans that we must plop our children in a field of them and take pictures...even if it's on the side of the highway. 
• Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett: Texas boys with a purely Texas sound.
• Boots and Beer: I don't care where you are in Texas...a wedding, a 5-star restaurant, the symphony, a quinceanera...it's never too fancy for boots and beer. 
• Whataburger, Blue Bell Ice Cream, Chuy's, Torchy's, Pappasitos: and a thousand other Texas food establishments and companies that know that it doesn't have to be fancy to be delicious. 
• The people. We've lived in Dallas and Houston, and a few months in Amarillo for me. Texas people are friendly people. 

Two other things I love? Texas peaches and pecans. Be still my heart. 

This Texas Peach and Pecan Cobbler is easily the best cobbler I've ever made. Pecans are not typically found in cobbler, but I think they should be...they add texture, crunch, and flavor. The cobbler batter, sweetened with brown sugar so it's rich and caramel-y, bakes up a bit like a cake. The Texas peaches are coated in a warm almond syrup before adding them to the batter. Divine.

Serve it warm, topped with vanilla ice cream, preferably Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla. 

I don't know about you, but I am constantly drinking water. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and all the hours in between. It's always water for me. Ozarka® Brand Natural Spring Water comes from three Texas springs and has a uniquely Texan taste.


Can't find it? Check out Ozarka delivery.

As part of Ozarka's #FromHereForHere campaign, they sent me a box of Texas goodies:

Paqui tortilla chips, Snow's BBQ sauce, Yellowbird serrano sauce, The Jelly Queens BBQ sauce and rub, Taste Elevated mustard seeds, and Cookwell & Company queso.


Texas Peach and Pecan Cobbler

1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 TBSP salted butter, room temperature
2 eggs
3 TBSP milk
3/4 cup chopped Texas pecans
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
juice of half lemon
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups peeled and chopped Texas peaches
vanilla ice cream

Grease an 8 x 8" pan. Preheat oven to 375.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.

Beat the brown sugar and butter together until combined, then beat in the eggs. Mix in the milk. On low speed, add the flour mixture just until incorporated. Stir in the pecans.

Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Heat the water and granulated sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Once the mixture comes to a simmer, lower the heat and keep at a simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the lemon juice and almond extract. Turn off the heat and stir in the peaches.

Spoon the warm peaches and syrup over the batter.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, tenting with foil after 30 minutes.

Serve warm, topped with vanilla ice cream.

Do you live in Texas? Have you visited Texas? 

What do you love about it?

Chocolate Pecan Tartlets

What is it about mini desserts? Do our brains just not register that eating several of them might equal a regular size portion? I’m pretty sure I could eat an entire BATCH of mini desserts with no problem, but give me a big slice of pie and I’m reaching for my stretchy pants.

*this post is sponsored by Wholesome!


Picture this: whole wheat (!!!) cream cheese crust, piled with toasty pecans, an agave-based vanilla butter filling, and a surprise hit of bittersweet chocolate.


These little tartlets bake up golden brown and are pretty near impossible to resist. For those people who claim some desserts are “too sweet” (I am not one of those people), these will hit just the right note. Sweet, but not cloying…the perfect little bite. Or seven.


A three-ingredient crust is a snap to make and filling them couldn’t be easier.

Share them with your family and friends this holiday season…of keep them all for yourself. I’ll never tell!
*Stretchy pants optional.


Chocolate Pecan Tartlets 

Crust:
1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sifted whole wheat pastry flour (can substitute all-purpose)

Filling:
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1 egg white
1/2 cup Wholesome! Organic Blue Agave 
1 TBSP salted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash fine sea salt
Bittersweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli recommended)

Preheat oven to 325.

With the paddle attachment of a mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth and combined. Stir in the flour until a dough forms. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, spread the pecans onto a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the sheet and set aside. Beat the egg white until slightly foamy. Beat in the agave, butter, vanilla, and salt. Mix until combined. (You’ll still see bits of butter.)


Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll into 24 balls. Place the balls into an ungreased mini muffin tin. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of each cup.


Place 2 bittersweet chocolate chips in the bottom of each crust. (Ghirardelli chips are larger than normal chocolate chips. If using smaller ones, add 3.) Place half of the pecans into the tins on top of the chips.


Use a teaspoon to spoon the filling into the cups. (Don’t be tempted to overfill.) Top with the remaining pecans.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and set. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. The tartlets should lift out easily. If there is any sticking, run a thin knife along that edge.

*post contains Amazon affiliate links, thank you!


{It’s always a good idea to test one before serving.}

Star-Spangled 4th of July Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

Guys, let me introduce you to my helper in the kitchen today. 
This is my friend, Cecilia...

...she's 7. Cecilia was SUCH a big help making these cookies. She also helped me taste-test, which is really the most important part of making cookies.


Not only was Cecilia a help in the kitchen, she also kept me entertained. Such as, when Mr. E came home from work and rang the doorbell instead of using his key...Cecilia said, "Oh NO! Is that your husband???" Haha! I think she was afraid he would eat all of our cookies.

Now, I've never been a fan of the milk chocolate chip. Hershey's Kisses, I love. Milk chocolate chips...not a fan.

Until, I tried these...

...Guittard Milk Chocolate Chips. I can (and do) eat them straight from the bag.

I always associate milk chocolate with the younger crowd, so since Cecilia was helping me, and our 8-year-old nephew is coming for a visit for the 4th, I thought milk chocolate was the way to go here.


These cookies are soft and cakey. If you want a chewier or crispier cookie, feel free to substitute your favorite cookie recipe and swap out the chips and add sprinkles.



4th of July Soft Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies
{makes about 2 dozen}

2 & 1/4 cups unbleached, all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup salted butter, cut into chunks
1 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 TBSP vanilla
1 TBSP white vinegar
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1 bag milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup sprinkles, plus more for the tops

Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment.

Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter with the sugars. Once combined, light and fluffy, beat in the eggs, vanilla, vinegar, and corn syrup. Beat until thoroughly mixed, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

On low speed, mix in the flour mixture in three additions. Stir in the chocolate chips and 1/4 cup sprinkles. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to dollop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets (refrigerate remaining dough between batches). Add more sprinkles onto the tops of each cookie.

Bake for 12 minutes. The center of the cookies may appear just slightly underdone, but will firm up. Leave on the cookie sheets for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Miss Cecilia took a lot of time with her masterpiece cookie, getting the sprinkles just so.

I think we may have a food photographer on our hands as she had many suggestions on the different angles we could use in photographing her cookie...



You can expect the cookies to spread and puff up in the oven.


Between her expert sprinkle placement and her eye for photography, I may have to put Cecilia on the payroll! ;)