Fresh Corn Chowder, Lemon Bar Cookie Cups, Peanut Butter Nutella Cookie Cups

While searching online for a fresh corn chowder recipe, I found Barbara Bakes. I found the recipe for dinner tonight (11.17) and sweets to try for book group at my house end of November.

I'll update later with opinions.

Fresh Corn Chowder

6 ears fresh corn

1 medium potato, diced

4 slices bacon, cooked and diced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 T. butter

1 /2 c. chopped onion

1 /8 t. ground red pepper (cayenne)

1 /4 c. all-purpose flour

4 c. milk or half-and-half [I used half kefir.]

Shuck the corn. Stand each ear up in a bowl and use a knife to scrape off the kernels. Put the corncobs and 2 cups water in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the water bubbles gently, cover, and cook, checking occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Leave the cobs in the pot until you are ready to make the soup, then discard them and save the corncob broth.

Put the butter or oil in a large, deep pot over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 1 minute. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly with a whisk or a wooden spoon, until the mixture starts to turn golden and the flour no longer smells raw, just a couple of minutes. Add the milk and the reserved corncob broth and raise the heat to medium-high. Stir or whisk constantly until the flour is dissolved and the soup starts to thicken, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the cayenne pepper, corn kernels, diced potatoes and bacon and bring to a boil, then lower the heat so that the soup bubbles gently. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potato is tender and the soup has thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve. (Step-by-step directions here.)

Lemon Bar Cookie Cups

1-3/4 c. all purpose flour*


1/2 c. whole wheat flour


1/2 t. salt


1/2 t. baking soda*


1/2 t. cream of tartar


1/2 c. butter, softened


1/2 c. sugar*

1/2 c. confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)

1/2 c. canola oil

1 egg

1/2 t. lemon extract

1/2 t. vanilla extract

3/4 c. lemon curd (recipe below)

powdered sugar for decorating, optional

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine the flours, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the oil, egg and extracts. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and stir until combined. Drop one tablespoon dough (I used a #50 scoop) into each cup of a greased mini muffin tin. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Fill with a teaspoon of lemon curd. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 4 minutes, or until cookies are firm and lightly browned on the sides. Remove to wire racks to cool. (Step-by-step directions here.)

Lemon Curd

6 T. unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 c. sugar

2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2/3 c. fresh lemon juice
1 t. grated lemon zest 

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, about 2 min. Slowly add the eggs and yolks. Beat for 1 min. Mix in the lemon juice. The mixture will look curdled, but it will smooth out as it cooks. In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth. (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter in the mixture melts.) Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes. (Once it was completely melted, mine thickened and reached 170º in just a few minutes, so watch it closely.) It should leave a path on the back of a spoon and will read 170°F on a thermometer. Don’t let the mixture boil. Remove the curd from the heat; stir in the lemon zest. Transfer the curd to a bowl. Press plastic wrap on the surface of the lemon curd to keep a skin from forming and chill the curd in the refrigerator. The curd will thicken further as it cools. Covered tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for 2 months.

Peanut Butter Nutella Cookie Cups

1 1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 t. vanilla extract

1 c. chunky peanut butter

Turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw), optional

1/2 c. Nutella

Chopped peanuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the peanut butter and continue beating on low speed. Add the sifted dry ingredients and beat until just blended. Form dough into 1-1/2 inch balls. Roll balls in turbinado sugar. Place each ball in a cup of a greased mini muffin tin. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until edges are browned and crackled, the centers will not be completely set. Remove the cookies from the oven and using the end of a thick-handled wooden spoon make a small, deep well in the center of each cookie and fill with Nutella. Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top of Nutella. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Tip: Don’t worry about smoothing the Nutella at first. After you’ve put Nutella in each cookie go back and spread it. It will have melted a bit and be much easier to spread. (Step-by-step directions here.)

by Dee, wife of Barbara's son Scott