Bready or Not

• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9×9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
• In a big bowl, beat butter, vanilla, and salt until it is smooth and creamy. Slowly beat in the confectioners’ sugar followed by the flour. Fold in the chocolate chips and cocoa nibs.
• Dump dough into the prepared pan. Lightly flour hands and pat dough flat and smooth. Score through the dough with a floured knife to make rectangular wedges, then prick surface all over with a floured fork.
• Bake for 30 to 33 minutes, until shortbread is set and the edges are browned. Let set in pan for 20 minutes, then use the foil to lift contents onto a rack to completely cool. Move them to a cutting board and slice into pieces along original score marks.
• Store in a sealed container at room temperature.

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• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9×5-3 loaf pan with a parchment paper sling along the long side, with enough paper sticking up on each side to grip it.
• In a medium bowl, stir together cornmeal, flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, and salt.
• In a big bowl, beat together oil, sour cream, honey, and eggs. Add in the dry ingredients until just mixed. Pour batter into the pan.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Let cool at least 10 minutes before using paper sling to set cornbread on cutting board.
• Cornbread keeps well for days well-wrapped at room temperature. It can also be frozen for later enjoyment.

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• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
• In a big microwave-safe bowl, in short bursts melt together the butter and 1 1/4 cups of the bittersweet chocolate chips, stirring well between each pass, until everything is melted together and smooth.
• Whisk sugar into the chocolate. It’s okay if it still looks somewhat grainy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, following up with the flour and salt. Once no streaks of white remain, fold in the last 3/4 cups of chocolate chips.
• Pour batter into the pan and use an uneven spatula to spread it to corners. Sprinkle the cocoa nibs evenly all over the stop.
• Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Set out to cool completely. Use the foil to lift the contents onto a cutting board, and slice into pieces. Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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• First of all, brown the butter. (Note that this can be done a day ahead of time with the butter stashed in the fridge; set at room temperature to soften again or briefly and carefully, zap in microwave before mixing into recipe.) In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on medium-low heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until it becomes brown and embodied by a nutty fragrance. Remove from heat and cool for a while, then transfer to a small bowl. Cover and chill in the fridge for 2 hours, at minimum, to make firm.
• Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Apply nonstick spray with flour to coat inside of a large bundt pan. Soften the browned butter a bit.
• Prepare the filling. In a small bowl, mix together 3/4 cups of chopped pecans, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons of flour. Add 3 Tablespoons of the browned butter and work it in with a fork until it makes a crumbly mix.
• In another bowl, mix together the 3 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In a big mixing bowl, beat together the remaining browned butter with the rest of the brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Take turns mixing in the dry ingredients and the yogurt until just combined. Fold in the remaining 1 1/4 cups pecans.
• Pour about half the batter into the prepared pan and even it out. Sprinkle filling over it all the way around. Pour in the rest of the batter and spread it even again.
• Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test in the middle. Let cool for about 20 minutes, then invert it onto a rack to completely cool.
• Make the coffee icing. Stir together the milk, espresso powder, and confectioners’ sugar, adding more milk or sugar as needed to make an icing of a good consistency. Drizzle over cake.
• Store at room temperature. Can be sliced and frozen for later enjoyment.

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Make the Frangipane

• (This stage can be done as much as 3 days ahead of time. Cover the finished frangipane and store it in the fridge. There will be leftovers, but it’s great toasted on bread or mixed into other cookie dough recipes.)
• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a small rimmed baking sheet with foil. Spread out the pecans on it to mostly be in a single layer. Lightly toast them for a total of 6 to 8 minutes, with a pause in the middle to stir them. Let the pecans cool. Set aside 1 1/4 cups to go into the cookie dough.
• Pulse the 3/4 cup of pecans and white sugar in a food processor until nuts are very finely ground, which will take less than a minute (don’t let them become paste!). Divide the egg, adding the egg white to the processor; place the yolk in a small bowl, add a sprinkle of sugar to help preserve it, then stash it in the fridge to go into the dough later.
• Into the food processor, add the butter, espresso powder, salt, and almond extract. Pulse until everything is smooth and combined. Scrape the frangipane into a small bowl and chill for anywhere from 30 minutes (minimum) to 3 days.

Cookie Dough

• In the clean food processor, pulse the flour, salt, baking powder, and 1 cup of the reserved pecans until nuts are very finely ground, about 1 minute. (Note that there is still 1/4 cup of pecans reserved for topping the cookies.)
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, white sugar, and 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add in egg yolk and vanilla. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until just incorporated, about 1 minute.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill dough until it is firm enough to be scooped and hold its shape, 30 to 45 minutes.

Make the Cookies

• Set oven racks in upper and lower thirds, and preheat at 350-degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Place 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar in a bowl. Scoop out dough by the tablespoon and roll into balls, then roll in confectioners’ sugar, knocking off any excess. Set balls on baking sheets, spaced a few inches apart.
• Bake cookies for 6 to 8 minutes, until puffed but edges are still soft. Remove sheets from oven. Make an indentation in the center of each cookie with the handle end of a wooden spoon or a similar heatproof object. Spoon a heaping 1/2-teaspoon of frangipane into each well and top with a pecan half from the reserved 1/4 cup.
• Return cookies to oven and continue to bake until edges are set and very lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes more. Let cool on baking sheets.
• If desired, serve with a dusting of extra confectioners’ sugar on top. Cookies keep well in a sealed, room temperature container for up to 5 days.

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Prepare the frangipane

• This can be made up to a day ahead, but needs at least an hour to chill before assembling the galette.
• Beat together the butter and sugar until they are creamy and light. Add the almond flour and salt. Add one whole egg. Divide the other egg, adding only the white–reserve the yolk for later. Mix in the rum, if using, and the vanilla extract.
• Transfer to a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it against the top of the mix, then place in fridge to chill.
• Mix the reserved yolk with 1 teaspoon of cold water, and cover it and set it in the fridge as well.

Assembling the galette

• Set out a complete sheet of puff pastry. Cut a 9-1/2 diameter circle out of the middle; if a 9-inch tart pan insert is available, use that as a handy guide. Set aside scraps from edges. Place the cut round on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Repeat the process with the second sheet of puff pastry. Place all of the cut-off bits aside in the fridge for now.
• Return to the pastry round on the baking sheet. Spread the frangipane evenly over the dough, but leave a 1-inch border bare. Place the almond somewhere on the filling. Moisten the border with some cold water. Set the second round of pastry on top and press it down around the edges to seal them together.
• Use the back of a butter knife to scallop the edges by creating an indentation about a quarter-inch deep, spaced out about a half-inch apart. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven at 425-degrees.
• Pull out the chilled galette. Brush a thin layer of yolk over the top, but be very careful that it doesn’t drip down over the edge, or the galette won’t rise. Use a paring knife to etch a design on the very top of the galette while taking care not to cut too deeply. Add 6 small slits spaced out to act as steam vents.
• Drop the oven temperature to 400-degrees. Bake the galette for 30 to 40 minutes, until it is puffed and golden brown. Keep an eye on it. If filling starts to ooze out, scrape it away so that it doesn’t drip off the pan. If the galette is browning too fast, cover it with aluminum foil.
• Transfer it to a rack to cool for at least 15 minutes. Expect it to deflate some, as that is the way of puff pastry. Best eaten when fresh, served warm or at room temperature, but can be chilled and eaten over the coming days.
• Bonus: As soon as the galette is out of the oven, put the puff pastry scraps on the parchment. Brush the remaining yolk atop. Then add a topping like pearl sugar, turbinado sugar, or maple sugar. Bake scraps for 15 to 20 minutes, until pieces are puffed and golden. Like the galette, they are best eaten the same day, but are still quite edible after that.

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