Cashew Brittle

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 12 ounces roasted salted peanuts, cashews, pistachios and/or pecans

• Toast nuts and keep aside to cool (I toast these in the oven at 350 F, for 10 minutes).
• In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, water, butter and corn syrup and bring to a boil. 
• Cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the caramel is light brown and registers 300° on a candy thermometer. 
• Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the baking soda. The mixture will bubble. 
• Stir in the nuts, then immediately scrape the brittle onto a large rimmed, nonstick baking sheet. Using the back of a large spoon (oil it lightly if it sticks), spread the brittle into a thin, even layer. 
• Sprinkle with salt. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Break the brittle into large shards.

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Pound Cake with Nutella Swirls

1 cup butter, softened
  1/2 cup shortening
  1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
  2-1/2 cups sugar
  5 eggs
  3 cups cake flour *
  1 teaspoon baking powder
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  1 cup buttermilk
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* Substitute for cake flour : For every cup of cake flour, take one cup of all purpose flour, remove two table spoons of flour, and add two table spoons of corn starch.

Optional : 
 1 13 oz jar of Nutella
OR
  1 13 oz container of any fruit preserves
OR 
  Any fruit/ chocolate spread you like

• In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening, cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extracts. Combine the dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.
• Warm nutella (if using nutella) for 30 seconds in microwave.
• Pour one third mixture in a bundt cake pan, apply a ribbon of nutella/ fruit preserves in the layer, pour another layer of cake mixture, apply the rest of nutella/ fruit preserves and scrape off all the cake mixture into the bundt pan.
• Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Optional : serve with fresh strawberries or ice cream.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Truffle center

2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 ounces butter, melted, not hot
7 ounces (1 packed cup) brown sugar
3 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 egg yolk, room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
8 ounces (1 1/3 cup) chocolate chips

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (162 C). Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside for now.
• In the large bowl of a stand mixer, combine the melted butter and both sugars, and mix them on medium speed with a paddle attachment until the sugars are moist. Add the egg and mix until it is well-incorporated, then add the yolk and mix well again. Add the vanilla extract. 
• With the mixer running on low, add the dry ingredients and mix just until they are almost fully incorporated and there are just a few streaks of flour remaining. Add the chocolate chips and stir them by hand, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula until everything is well-mixed. 
• For the best results, chill the dough for 45 minutes, until it is firmer but still able to be rolled into balls. If it’s too hard straight from the refrigerator, let it warm up on the counter for a few minutes once you’re ready to use it.
• To form the cookies, use a cookie scoop or a large tablespoon to form a 1.5-inch ball of dough. Press your thumb in the center to create an indent and spread the cookie out a little bit. Set a chilled truffle in the center of the cookie, then place a little more dough—about the size of a quarter—on top of the truffle. Pinch the bottom and top of the cookie dough together, then roll it between your palms to make it round. Place the cookie on an ungreased parchment-lined sheet, and repeat until the sheet is filled, leaving 2-3 inches between the cookies.
• Bake the cookies at 325 F for 17 minutes, rotating halfway throughout. They’re done when the cookies have spread, have a touch of color along the outer edge, and the raw sheen is off in the center. They should still be soft in the middle.