What do you eat when you're alone? For me, it invariably starts with a cup of tea. And with the tea, a little something sweet (unless PMS is rearing its head and demanding something fatty and salty)...
But since I try NOT to keep sweets on hand all the time, this means whipping up that little something. Just a single sugary serving, quick to make, that will satisfy my sweet tooth but not leave behind any leftovers to tempt me later. (Rather like Lucy at Make Hot Cookies, who sometimes dips a spoon in peanut butter, then brown sugar, and eats the resulting concoction. I feel that Lucy is a kindred spirit.)
So I've developed a small repertoire of sweet little somethings to have with my solitary tea. Often, like Lucy's ersatz p.b. cookie dough, they're an abbreviated version of a more complicated recipe. At other times they're just something I dreamed up.
Some of them are pretty tasty, so I've decided to share them with the world. (Or at least with you.) I've even come up with a fancy name for them: Toot Sweets. Which is of course a corruption of the French phrase tout de suite (pronounced toot-sweet, and meaning "right away"). Très apropos, non?
If you like raw cookie dough, and eating the pan scrapings from things like marshmallow treats, you'll probably like Toot Sweets. (Maybe you have Toot Sweets of your own. If so, tell all. The comment box awaits.)
Here's my latest:
Crackers that Kind of Taste Like a Heath Bar
Mix together a little brown sugar and room temp butter (maybe a tablespoon of sugar to a little less butter). Spread a bit on several saltine crackers (salty side down). Pop into the toaster oven (set to 350º) for a minute or two, until the sugary butter is bubbling. Pull out of oven, sprinkle 4 chocolate chips on each cracker, wait a moment, then spread the chocolate around a bit.
The tea has of course steeped by now. Take tea and toot sweets into favorite reading spot. Sit down and enjoy.
Sometimes I even make them for Mr. Micawber.
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Great post!
ReplyDeleteI, too, try to keep nothing sweet on hand, but then we get that sweet tooth. Or finish a killer ride...
I keep a bit of super dark Lindt in the fridge, and sometimes I like a spoonful of chocolate hazelnut butter.
Oh, and I've been working on a favorite climbing songs post ever since I found Fat Cyclist's favs! Soon... soon...
Oh goodness- I love the name! My fave Toot Sweets in the past have been a spoonful of peanut butter with chocolate sauce (read: Nesquik syrup) or a handful of dried cranberries with white chocolate chips. I seriously never thought of preparing a little somethin-somethin while my tea steeped, duh!!! I'm going to try this Very Soon. Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link. :) I felt the same about you when I first read your blog. And by the way, only a true kindred spirit would use the term "kindred sprit". Yay Anne of Green Gables.
ReplyDeleteI love the name "Toot Sweet" too. It would make a great name for a bakery or even a blog. Your cracker recipe reminds me of another Toot Sweet. When I bake a cake and have leftover frosting, I like to spread it on graham crackers. It makes a good reward for baking when you can't eat the cake right away.
Ah...frosting on graham crackers. That has to be the best Toot Sweet of all time. We put it on saltines too.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know anyone would pick up on the Anne reference. Isn't L.M. Montgomery a fantastic writer? I re-read a lot of her books this winter. Some people might think of it as kid lit, but a good book is a good book to me whatever the age of the target audience. (I could go on about this, but should probably save it for a post.)
Snowcatcher - Lindt Chocolate is my fave. Their 70% bar is the absolute best for baking and cooking and eating. But I sometimes flirt with Green & Black's Toffee Bar. It's "only" milk chocolate, but powerfully good. It's been so long since I took a long bike ride I'd forgotten those sweet cravings at the end. (I just do short 15-20 milers these days with intervals. Dang, now I want to go for a ride. But work is calling...)
ReplyDeleteClaire - Cranberries and white chocolate chips sound like a very elegant Toot Sweet! Your tastes are obviously refined. :)
Medjul dates stuffed with cashews or stilton cheese and a cup of hot tea!
ReplyDelete