I IMed Brian at work today to nag him about going to the gym tonight. Why, you may be asking, would I go ahead and redeem one of the precious few nagging vouchers that are so sparingly distributed to recently-engaged women during these happy pre-wedding plan days? I nag, because I care. I nag because he had eaten at least two of these in the span of 24 hours.

Scroll to the bottom and you’ll see what I mean. The recipe needs no review, there is simply no way that something that calls for this much butter, sugar, and pecans could ever in a million years be bad, no matter the skill level of the baker.

These are a-m-a-z-i-n-g. The crust, i.e., the most rich and buttery shortbread you have ever tasted, is covered in a layer of pecan pie-esque topping that is slightly more chewy with honey-caramel complexity than any pecan pie I’ve ever tasted.

But be warned. These are not for the faint of heart, and I mean that in the most literal sense.

Share one with someone you love, and then go for a very long run together.

Pecan Bars
Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

I cut the recipe in half for this attempt and used an 12 by 7 by 2 inch pan.. Be sure to note the proper pan size for the full recipe below (18 by 12 by 1-inch baking sheet), as it yields a whole lot of love.

For the crust:
1 1/4 pounds unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 extra-large eggs
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the topping:
1 pound unsalted butter
1 cup good honey
3 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 pounds pecans, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

For the crust: Beat the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, until light, approximately 3 minutes. Add the eggs and the vanilla and mix well. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the batter with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Press the dough evenly into an ungreased 18 by 12 by 1-inch baking sheet, making an edge around the outside. It will be very sticky; sprinkle the dough and your hands lightly with flour. Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is set but not browned. Allow to cool.

For the topping: Combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, and zests in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat until the butter is melted, using a wooden spoon to stir. Raise the heat and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the heavy cream and pecans. Pour over the crust, trying not to get the filling between the crust and the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold. Cut into bars and serve.

I went out in the heat first thing this morning to meet my friend Nora for breakfast, and was delighted to see all the signs that summer has (temporarily) arrived in the East Village. Steam was rising from freshly-hosed pavement and the bodegas were already putting down the shades over their flower selections to protect the delicate petals from burning up in the sun. I happily flipped and flopped in a sundress all the way to Veselka.

With temperatures this high, I know I run the risk of not doing these brownies justice, which would be a tragedy. I made them weeks ago – to round out the honeycomb cannelloni that I prepared when Graig and Alice came to visit. Back then, the weather felt like winter, extended. A heavy, Sunday supper of family-style comfort foods seemed entirely appropriate.

Of course in a heat wave,  nobody wants the thickest, most dense, fudgy, delectable, heavy-duty brownies that ever lived. Perhaps if I freeze them and put them on a stick you’d be interested? Or give them a spin in the ice cream maker? Quickly sear them on the grill?

But in a few days, when we are back to more natural seasonal temperatures hovering in the 40s at night, I hope that you will remember these amazing brownies. They are dangerously decadent and not for the faint of heart.

Oh, so speaking of moist, dense, and amazing, I’m soooo excited to share that my original recipe for Cheesecake Sweeties was chosen as one of six finalists in a blogger recipe contest sponsored by the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission! I’m all aflutter! Check out Sara Bonisteel’s commentary of the contest on Slashfood, including a gorgeous photo of her interpretation of my recipe.

Rick Katz’s Brownies for Julia
Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put a 9-inch square baking pan on a baking sheet. Line the baking pan with parchment (it’s ok if it hangs over the sides).

Whisk the flour and salt together.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, put the butter in the bowl and top with the chopped chocolate. Stir frequently until the ingredients are just melted – you don’t want them to get so hot that the butter separates. Add 1 cup of the sugar and whisk gently just to incorporate it, then remove the bowl from the pan of water. Stir in the vanilla and transfer the warm chocolate to a large bowl.

Put the remaining 1 cup of sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer or a medium bowl and, using a whisk, stir in the eggs. Switch to a rubber spatula and, little by little, add half of the sugar-egg mixture to the warm chocolate, stirring very gently but without stopping – you don’t want the heat of the chocolate to cook the eggs.

With the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the remaining sugar and eggs on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, or until they double in volume. Using a spatula and a light touch, fold the whipped eggs into the chocolate mixture, stopping just short of blending them in completely. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the batter and delicately fold them in, working only until the disappear. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the spatula.

Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until the top looks dry. Poke a thin knife into the center and take a peek; the brownies should only be just set and still pretty gooey. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature.

The brownies are fragile and best cut in the pan. Cut into 18 1 1/2×3-inch bars.

Last night I baked a few too many sweet potatoes which I put away in the fridge with every intention of reheating for tonight’s dinner.

Then tonight, after toweling off from getting caught in the rain on the way home from work, I was overcome by a pickle craving. One thing let to another, and there I was, eating a tuna sandwich (full of delicious pickles) and neglecting my leftovers.

When the last bite of sandwich had disappeared, I was bored and home alone, which led to an inevitable case of baking itch (ew!), and began taking inventory of my ingredient options. And there they were again, my lovely baked sweet potatoes, all cold and wrapped in foil. 

They made me think of the sweet potato pound cake that we used to get at our county fair each fall when I was growing up. Mmmmm that sure would have been amazing, but alas, I was down to a lone egg, a stick of butter, and a package of cream cheese. Hard times in the East Village Kitchen.

When life hands you leftover sweet potatoes, a stick of butter, an egg, and some cream cheese, well, it becomes quite plain that one must suck it up and make: these.

I love cheesecake and cake blended together, especially when the cake is super-dense and moist, like in a cheesecake swirl brownie. And I figured, well, chocolate is sweet and dense. Sweet potatoes are (obviously) sweet, and dense… and there was just one way to test my hypothesis. 

The microwave made my task incredibly simple. I sliced the sweet potatoes in half and nuked them for a minute to soften them up a bit, and to my surprise, they slid right out of their skins! It also came in handy for quickly melting the butter, which I combined with the mashed sweet potatoes and whisked with a fork.

From there on, it was as simple as making brownies, and it was fun artfully swirling the cream cheese, egg, and sugar mixture on top of the batter before popping it into the oven. They smelled so amazing as they baked, I could hardly wait for them to cool so I could try one. It was totally worth the wait, the results were heavenly! The mellow sweetness of the dense, moist, and rich sweet potato cake is offset by a light delicious pillow of creamy, tangy cheesecake in every bite. In the grand tradition of adorable bar/cookie/dessert names (the brownie, the blondie, etc.) I’m calling this creation “the sweetie”. I can’t wait to unveil them for my friends this weekend!

Cheesecake Sweeties

For sweet potato bottoms:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) melted, unsalted butter, plus a bit more for the pan

1 and 1/2 cups whisked, cooled sweet potato

1/2 cup light-brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

For cheesecake swirls:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 large egg yolk

5 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8 inch square pan with 2 inch high walls with butter. Trim two pieces of baker’s parchment so they can sit flat on the bottom the the pan and so they are long enough to hang over the sides by a few inches. Butter the paper.

Microwave your sweet potatoes. If you are using leftover baked sweet potatoes, remove them from foil, cut them in half and microwave them for 30 seconds to a minute, depending on thickness. If you are starting with raw sweet potatoes, poke holes in the skin with a fork and microwave on high for 4 to six minutes, or until they are soft and easily mashed. Discard skins and mash and whisk with a fork until they are smooth. Microwave the butter completely in the microwave (for about 30 seconds), and whisk into the mashed sweet potatoes until the mixture is smooth with very few bumps.

Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, a hand mixer or a whisk, add sugars and beat until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until they are fully integrated. Add flour and salt and mix just until the liquids have absorbed them. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spreading it evenly.

In a separate bowl, using a whisk or hand mixer, combine cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth and uniform. place 6-8 large dollops of the mixture on top of the batter in the pan. Use a knife to swirl the cream cheese mixture into the batter. Rap the pan flat against the counter a few times to level, then place in the preheated oven, on the middle rack. 

Bake until the cheesecake swirls are starting to turn golden, and a toothpick inserted into the batter part comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Use the parchment to pull the cake from the pan and transfer it to a cutting board and cut into 16 squares. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.