nutty

• Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Cut a piece of parchment to fit the base of a 9-inch springform pan. Spray pan with nonstick spray, place paper cut-out inside, then spray that as well. Set aside.
• Make the frangipane. In a bowl, beat the butter until it’s creamy. Add the rest of the ingredients to combine well. Set aside.
• Make the batter. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until they are fluffy. In a stand mixer, this will be 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg followed by the extracts,
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the butter-batter alternatively with the milk. Scrape the bottom of the bowl often.
• Scoop about 1 cup of the batter into the pan and even out with an offset spatula. Measure out about 1 cup of the frangipane. Use two spring-loaded cookie scoops (tablespoon or teaspoon-sized, or without those, use a normal tablespoon and get your fingers dirty), scoop from the 1 cup frangipane and the batter to create a checkerboard pattern of dollops atop of base. Continue to alternate in a second layer, using up the rest of the batter as well as the 1 cup frangipane. Use a butter knife to swirl through them to create a slight marbled effect. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to knock out bubbles.
• Use a scoop to place the rest of the frangipane on the top of the cake. Even out with offset spatula. Place the berries atop the frangipane, then sprinkle the almonds all over to coat.
• Bake until the cake has set edges, about 50 minutes to 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer plunged into the middle should read over 202-degrees. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then release the side clasp. Continue to cool the cake on the metal base until room temperature. Add a sprinkle of confectioners' sugar to pretty it up for serving.
• Cake will keep covered for up to 2 days at room temperature. It can also be individually sliced and frozen for later enjoyment.

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• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Apply nonstick spray to pan; place parchment round inside, then spray to coat that as well.
• In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. whip the eggs at high speed until they are foamy, about a minute. Reduce the speed to medium to add the white sugar. Continue to beat until it becomes thick and pale, about 2 minutes.
• With the mixer going, pour in olive oil. Pause to scrape sides of bowl. Add the almond flour, half & half, all of the lemon zest, and both extracts, mixing until combined.
• In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the moist mix. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Prep the apple. Core it, leaving the peel intact. Cut into thin slices of equal size. Pour reserved lemon juice over the apples, tossing them to coat.
• Place apple slices on top of batter in fanned-out groups of about five, having them face different angles all around the top. NOTE: as the batter is very sticky, the apples will be nigh impossible to move after they are placed, so make careful decisions. Sprinkle the sliced almonds around the edges and in the gaps between the apples.
• Bake for about 50 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Set on rack for 15 minutes before removing the ring from the pan. Serve warm, or cool completely, keeping the cake on the round base. When slicing the cake, be aware that the peel is pretty but may resist the blade–it’s easier to snip through with a pair of kitchen shears.
• Cake can be sliced and frozen for later, but it will taste best at room temperature or warmed.

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• Prepare a large cookie sheet, or several sheets, with waxed paper. In a bowl, stir together the pecans and coconut.
• In a saucepan on medium-high heat, stir together the sugar, milk, corn syrup, and butter. Continue to stir while bringing the mixture to a rolling boil. Stabilize the heat so that it continues to boil for 3 minutes.
• Remove pot from heat. Pour in the vanilla. Follow up with the pecans and coconut, stirring well to coat everything in goopy hot sugar.
• Use a tablespoon scoop to dole out cookies on the waxed paper. If they fall apart a bit, carefully use a spoon or the scoop to shape them again. Let cookies set, at least 15 minutes. Carefully peel them away from the waxed paper; note that the first scoops may be more prone to stick.
• Store cookies in a sealed container.

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Make the crust:

• In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and chop until it’s pea-sized. Add the egg and pulse until it comes together; if it doesn’t, add tiny drizzles of water until it does–just make sure the dough ends up cohesive, not wet. Turn out the dough onto a big piece of plastic wrap and compress the dough to form a disc. Wrap it up and chill it in fridge for a few hours, minimum, or a few days.

Make the frangipane:

• Use a rubber spatula to combine the almond flour, sugar, flour, butter, egg, apple brandy, vanilla, pie spice and salt, making it smooth. Stash it in the fridge until ready to use.

Assembling the galette:

• Preheat oven at 400-degrees. Prepare a big cookie sheet with a piece of parchment. Bring out the dough to warm for a few minutes, then lightly flour a surface and roll it out to about a 12-inch round. Move it to the parchment paper.
• Spread the frangipane over the dough, leaving a blank 1 1/2-inch border. Set the baking sheet in the fridge while preparing the apples.

Prepare the apples:

• Peel the apples and slice to 1/4-inch thickness. In another bowl, stir together the brown sugar, sugar, lemon juice, and pie spice. Add this to the apples, and toss them to coat. Bring out the galette dough. Arrange the apples on the frangipane starting from the middle, spiraling them outward while slightly overlapping them. Fold the blank edge over the apples to form a thin, pleated crust. Brush the beaten egg over the crust, then sprinkle it with coarse sugar.
• Bake galette for 35 to 40 minutes. Apples in middle should be fork-tender when done. Cool for about 30 minutes.

Make the glaze:

• In a small saucepan on the stovetop or in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave, warm the honey and brandy until it is loose and spreadable. Using a clean pastry brush, brush glaze over the apples.
• Let galette cool another 30 minutes, minimum, before cutting it–a pizza slicer is great for this. The galette is best eaten the day it is made, or promptly frozen in slices to be eaten soon after it thaws.

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• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Cut a parchment round to fit the bottom of the springform pan. Apply nonstick spray or butter on bottom of sides of pan, add the parchment, then grease it as well.
• In a big bowl, mix flour with 3/4 cup of sugar. Cut in butter until it is crumbly. Measure out 1/2 cup crumb mixture for topping; set aside.
• To the bulk of the flour mix, add baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in yogurt, 1 egg, and almond extract, until blended. Spread batter onto bottom of the springform pan.
• In a small bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and egg, to make it as smooth as possible. It's okay if it still has some clumps. Pour it onto the pan and smooth out. Spoon the preserves all across the top. Sprinkle with the reserved crumb topping and the sliced almonds.
• Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. The middle should no longer be jiggly, the top a nice golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes then unlatch and life away the pan's ring to let the cake cool for another hour. Then place cake in fridge to complete set and cool for a few hours.
• Cake can be eaten cold or after slices are brought to room temperature after about 30 to 45 minutes. Do remember to store cake in the fridge, as it does contain cream cheese! Slices can also be individually wrapped and frozen, and will thaw in the fridge with no issue.

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• Line a 13x9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
• In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt together the peanut butter and butter by zapping in short increments and stirring well between each pass. Once they mix together, stir in the graham cracker crumbs and confectioners' sugar. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Use a hands or maybe a piece of waxed paper and a heavy glass to compress the layer as much as possible.
• Use the same microwave-safe bowl to bowl for the chocolate chips and peanut butter, again zapping in brief increments and stirring well between each burst. Once they can mix together smoothly, dump dollops atop the layer in the pan. Use an uneven spatula to even out the chocolate to the edges.
• Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
• Use the foil to lift the contents onto a cutting board. Let sit for about 10 minutes, enough time to soften the chocolate so that it doesn't shatter when sliced. Use a long knife or sharp bench knife to cut bars. If desired, cut off edges first to produce neater pieces to share.
• Store bars in a sealed container in the fridge with waxed paper between the layers. Keeps for days.

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