Holi-Baking With Friends: Glazed Cranberry Chocolate Scones

I have three key things to tell you about this recipe. 1: these scones are not what you think. 2: This is one of the easiest recipes you will ever make. 3. I am brilliant. I'll explain, in order.

1: These scones are not what you think.

While they might look like they were freshly baked by an Irish grandma, these scones actually start out with an unexpected base: cookie mix. That's right: I have "doctored" Among Friends Baking Mixes' (the sponsor of this post) "Phil Em Up" Chocolate Cranberry cookie mix. With a little kitchen wizardry, I repurposed this cookie mix to make delicious scones, which just so happen to be gluten-free. 

2: This is one of the easiest recipes you will ever make.

All you have to do to make these scones is this: combine the cookie mix with Greek yogurt. What?!? Yep. It really is that easy.

Simply mix until it has come together into a cohesive dough, shape into a circle, score into triangles, and bake them up. In less than 20 minutes, you'll have delicious scones. 

3: I am brilliant. 

I am brilliant! This is so simple and so effective. But as is often the case, the route which led to this simple perfection was a bit more complex.  I experimented with more traditional scone-making methods including folding in cold butter and cream, but the dough was so moist that I had no choice but to put it in a pan and bake it up. It came out delightfully as a sort of cookie pie, but as scones, this was not a success.

It wasn't until the third try that I thought about how fluffy baked goods made with Greek yogurt can be. So I experimented with adding a little at a time to the cookie mix, until I found the perfect consistency. I definitely patted myself on the back for the simplicity yet complete effectiveness of simply adding yogurt. 

Now, with a recipe this healthy, and this simple, you have time to think about a topping. I have two suggestions.

One is a confectioners' sugar glaze, which adds additional moisture and sweetness.

Another is a chocolate drizzle. I don't have to explain why this is a good idea, do I?

Or, you could glaze and then drizzle. Why not? It's the holidays. 

This recipe is awesome for a Thanksgiving weekend breakfast, or really any time you want to make a breakfast treat in a hurry. They're a wonderful teatime treat, too. The scones freeze very well, too--they will keep for up to a month in the freezer, so you can make a batch and then freeze, and have breakfast all week long. 

Glazed Cranberry Chocolate Scones 

Makes 8 - Printable recipe here 

Ingredients:

Optional toppings: 2 ounces melted chocolate, or a confectioners' sugar glaze composed of 2 cups confectioners' sugar mixed with enough cream or milk to thin.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or a silicone mat.

In a large bowl, combine the cookie mix and 1/4 cup of the yogurt. Work the mixture together with a wooden spoon or impeccably clean hands until it becomes a cohesive mass that is moist but can be handled without being too sticky. You may or may not need the additional 2 tablespoons of yogurt. I'm leaving this option open because I know that different brands of yogurt can vary slightly in consistency. 

Form the mixture into an approximately 8 inch circle. Using a bench scraper or a sharp knife, cut into 8 equal portions, but don't separate them on the sheet. 

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Bake in the preheated oven for 12-16 minutes, or until browned to your liking.

Remove from the oven, and transfer the sheet to a wire rack to cool. If you like your scones plain, you're done! Since they have chocolate, do not let your pug have any bites. 

If you like some glaze, set up the scones on a wire rack with something below to catch any drips. Whip up either a confectioners' sugar glaze or melt 2 ounces of chocolate, and drizzle or glaze your heart out.

Have you ever made a "doctored" cake or cookie mix recipe? 

What Happens When You Make Pie Crust with Melted Butter?

The question is this: what happens when you make pie crust with melted butter? But before I tell you what happens, let me explain a bit. 

Listen. I find the generally finicky, fear-filled approach to making pie crust to be totally annoying.

There are so many rules. Your butter MUST be chilled! Your water MUST be ice-cold! Do NOT overwork the dough! It's no wonder that so many people beeline to the pre-made pie crust in the frozen aisle of the grocery store.

Often, when people tell me they are scared of making pie crust, I ask them this question: "what's the worst that could happen?". Well...ok. You add too much water and the pie crust is a little mushy. You don't work the flour in enough and it's hard to roll. You overwork the dough and it's a little tough. Honestly, these things aren't so bad, and the fact that it is a homemade pie crust, even with minor flaws, makes it a leg above anything you would buy.

So my advice is this: just make the pie crust. Even you mess it up when measured to pastry chef's standards, it will probably still be good enough to delight your family and friends. 

This pie dough? Made with melted butter.

This pie dough? Made with melted butter.

In my desire to rage against the pie dough fear machine, I began to wonder: what would be the worst thing that could happen if I used non-chilled butter? In fact, what if I just used melted butter? 

So, I gave it a try. Here was my approach. 

The recipe

I decided to stick with my favorite pie dough recipe from King Arthur Flour. I knew that there would have to be some alterations, since melted butter couldn't be squished with the fingers. 

As for the water in the recipe, I decided to stick with just room temperature water since using ice water didn't seem important when the melted butter was already warm. 

How it went down:

I started by assembling the flour and salt in a large bowl, and then melted the butter in a saucepan. 

Is there anything finer than butter gently melting on the stovetop?

When it melted, I added it to the dry mixture and stirred. It became very apparent very early on that I wasn't going to need the water called for in the recipe--the melted butter was more than sufficient in saturating the dry ingredients. So I didn't add the water.

The mixture was sort of like a cookie dough, and it smelled heavenly. 

Rolling it wasn't really an option, so I pressed it into the pan. Interestingly, while this recipe is usually sufficient for two pie crusts, this version was more like 1 1/2 pie crusts. So I pressed as much as I needed in the pie plate, and reserved the rest. 

I placed the pie plate in the fridge for a while, because I didn't want it to be warm when I added the filling. It was malleable enough to be fluted.

Meantime, I knew exactly what to do with that leftover portion of pie dough: try out roly polies!

I've often said that roly polies are the best part of pie. I was anxious to see if it worked with the melted butter crust.

Well, these portions of dough really didn't like to be rolled like regular pie dough, so I separated the dough into little logs. I spread each with sugar and cinnamon, and then rolled them up. Rolling them was not easy--the texture was like shortbread and they cracked. But with some patience I worked them into submission. They looked sort of messy, but serviceable.

I baked them at 400 degrees for 10 minutes; this is how they looked.

They were very delicate and crumbly, but they tasted great. 

Now, I was ready to get back to the pie. I prepped a pumpkin pie filling (recipe for that coming soon) and poured it in the shell. Then I baked it as normal.

Once baked, the crust looked beautiful. It was lightly browned. The filling was set. It all looked lovely.

It was a pie that required chilling before serving, but after a while, it was ready to be sliced.

Right away, I noticed that the melted butter crust was more firm than a typical pie crust, and required a sharp knife to slice. But it did slice cleanly. 

The crust itself was crispier than a typical pie dough, not soft and yielding in spite of the fact that the filling was quite moist. The taste was fairly similar to a regular pie crust, which makes sense because the ingredients were pretty much the same...but the texture was very different.

I would actually say that the texture was almost cracker-like. However, I never found it to be too hard. I think that were the crust pre-baked and then filled, it might have been too crispy and hard, but with the baked filling it never veered into "break your teeth" territory. 

Personally, I think I still prefer the texture of the more traditional, tender pie crust. But I am glad that I tried it the melted butter way, because it was definitely not a recipe failure. It was just a different texture. I think that it could actually be considered a success if some sugar was added to give the crust a bit more cookie-like appeal. 

So listen to this, those with fear of making pie crust: even if you made your pie crust with totally melted butter, the pie crust still tastes pretty good with the right toppings. 

So pie-crust fearers, hopefully that can take some of the fear out of the process! Basically, I broke all of the rules of making pie crust and it still turned out OK. I think that means that even if you mess up a little bit, your results are going to be just fine for where you are in your baking journey. 

Melted butter pie crust 

Printable version here

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted 
  • (water omitted)

In a large bowl, sift the flour and salt together. Set to the side.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Once melted, pour on top of the dry ingredients.

Stir until totally combined. It will come together into a cookie dough like mixture.

Press the mixture into a greased (that's important here) 9-inch pie plate. You will likely have some left over, but not quite enough for a second crust. Use this to make roly polies as detailed in the post, and baking them at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Once your pie dough is pressed into the plate, continue with your pie recipe as usual. 

Have you ever experimented with pie crust?

Care for a Pecan Pie Baked into a Cake? Also, it Pairs Well with Beer.

Well, if that title didn't intrigue you, I don't know what else you want from me. Oh! I know! How about a recipe for pecan pie baked into a cake, plus a nice little beer pairing? Say what?!?

This recipe comes via pastry chef Melanie Diamond-Manlusoc of an award-winning Chicago restaurant called Spiaggia, in partnership with the blog Let's Grab a Beer. I received it from a public relations company, but given my personal interest in cake, pies, and beer, I definitely had to feature this one. 

Moist pumpkin cake with a pecan pie surprise inside? Awesome. And according to Let's Grab a Beer, better with beer. The suggested pairing: Belgian-style pumpkin-flavored white beer like Shocktop Pumpkin Wheat. Not only does a beer like this bring similar flavors to this unique pumpkin dessert, but also will cut through the richness and add zesty, citrus flavors to lighten this dish allowing all the flavors and its unique seasoning to shine.

I'm all about this delicious pairing. How about you? 

 

Pump-Can Cake Recipe

For the pastry

  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, cubed and frozen
  • 1 large egg

For the filling

  • 3/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups whole toasted pecans
  • 3 tablespoons bourbon
  • 2.5 teaspoons vanilla paste
  • 3 large eggs, beaten

Spiced pumpkin cake

  • 6 large eggs 
  • 1 can (16 ounces) canned pumpkin
  • 3/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cream cheese frosting

  • 9 ounces cream cheese, room temp
  • 4 1/2 tablespoons butter, room temp
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla paste
  • 3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt 

Pastry

  1. Make the pastry. Pulse the first four ingredients together in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse peas. Add egg and process until dough forms into a ball.
  2. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and press into ½” thick disc; put dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Roll dough out into a 12” circle approximately ⅛” thick
  3. Put into an 8” cake pan, trimming dough, leave 1” overhang
  4. Tuck overhanging dough underneath itself to form a thick crust
  5. Freeze pie crust for 30 minutes.
  6. Cover pie crust with foil and fill with beans or pie weights. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 20 minutes or until crust is set (start cooking pecan pie filling while the crust is baking).                                               Cook until crust is light brown and remove from the oven. 

Filling

  1. Make the filling. Bring the first four ingredients to a boil for one minute.Remove the pot from heat; add the next three ingredients. Let cool for five minutes.
  2. Whisk the eggs into the filling mixture. 
  3. Place the pie shell on a sheet pan; pour the filling into the shell.
  4. Bake for 45 minutes or until the edges are set and the center just barely jiggles.
  5. Let the pie cool completely before proceeding. 

Cake and assembly

  1. Whisk the first six ingredients together. Sift the remaining ingredients together, and whisk into the wet ingredients.
  2. Spray a 10 inch springform pan with nonstick spray. Place parchment in the bottom of the pan.
  3. Pour batter into the pan, about 1 inch thick.
  4. Place the pecan pie in the pan, making sure it is centered. Pour the remaining batter on top and on the sides of the pie. SUBMERGE IT!
  5. Place the entire pan on a sheet tray, and place in a 350 degree oven.
  6. Bake 60-75 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean (don't stab the pie, please)
  7. Remove the cake from the oven. Let it cool in the pan for several minutes.
  8. Remove the cake from the pan, and place on a wire rack. Let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

  1. Make the frosting. Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth; frost the cooled cake. 

Wow! You deserve a beer, and cake! Enjoy!

Can Carrot Peel Be Candied?

It's #whathappenswednesday! And today, I'd like to address an important issue: why does candied citrus peel get all the glory? After all, there's a whole world of other foods out there that are just dying to be candied. For instance, carrot peel. 

So what would happen if you used the same candy-ing method used for citrus, but for carrot shavings? This was a question on my mind when I was making carrot cake recently and had plenty of time to think about this and that while grating carrots for the recipe.

A minimal amount of online research informed me that I wasn't the first one to wonder this, and in fact, according to some actual respected food websites, it is a Bona Fide Thing.

Not one to simply rely on what I read on the internet, though (especially when clear pictures aren't available!), I needed to see for myself. And so after I finished grating carrots for my cake, I swapped tools and used a peeler to shave some carrots and see what would happen when they were candied.  

So I played around with an Epicurious recipe, and in under two hours, I had myself a nice big ol' batch of candied carrot peel.

You know how the idea of carrot cake, when you really think about it, sounds strange? But how it's so ingrained in society that you kind of hear it and think "oh, that's normal"?  It's the same way with candied carrot peel. It sounds odd at first, but once you taste it, it just makes sense. The natural sweetness of the carrots is simply augmented by sugar, and the texture becomes very interesting in this crispy, candied format. You know, this would actually be a good snack just on its own.

I did enjoy some just as a snack...but mostly I used the candied carrot to decorate a carrot cake (natch) and it won me many new friends.

So what happens when you candy carrot peel? You'll dismiss the idea that citrus is the only produce that can be candied, that's what!

How to candy carrot peel - step by step!

Based on a recipe from  Epicurious - printable version here

2 to 3 medium carrots
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Supplies:

a medium saucepan; a vegetable peeler; two baking trays and parchment paper or silicone mats to line

Procedure

Start by peeling the carrots. Try to get as wide, flat, and fat portions of peel as you possibly can. I tried to peel as much of the carrots as I could. Set the carrot peels to the side. 

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. The sugar should have dissolved. 

Add the carrot peel, and simmer the mixture for 15 minutes.

Strain the mixture (the carrot peel will be limp and moist). Let it hang out for a few minutes while you preheat your oven.

Oh yeah! The oven. Preheat it to 225 degrees F, please.

While the oven preheats go ahead and line your baking pans with parchment or silicone liners. Arrange the carrot peel on the sheets, so that the pieces are not touching. Bake for about 30 minutes.

At this point, you can remove the peel from the oven and shape it a bit, if you like. I found, however, that I really enjoyed the whimsy of the more free-form shapes, so I mostly left them that way. 

Return the carrot peel to the oven and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes, or until firm and lightly crisp. Let cool completely on your baking sheet before using. 

Have you ever made a candied fruit or vegetable?

Red Hots Candy Apples

Candy apples made with a coating made from melted Red-Hots will warm your heart and make your mouth happy. 

In my opinion, Fall can be summed up in three words: apples, candy, and pumpkin. This recipe for Red Hots candy apples contains no pumpkin, but it's got enough apple and candy superpower that I'm willing to shrug and say "two out of three ain't bad". 

Actually, far from "not bad", these are really quite great. Personally, upon bite #1 I found myself wondering why everyone isn't making candy apples with Red Hots all the time. The sweet-spicy cinnamon candy makes a perfect complement to tart-sweet apples--it is a million times more interesting and tasty than a plain old sugar coating, which is what most candy apples have. 

As candy-making goes, this recipe is pretty straightforward. The only difficult part is waiting for the candy mixture to get to the right temperature; this is important in ensuring that it will set up firm and stick to the apples. If you don't, this will happen:

They will still be delicious, but they're better when fully coated. :-) 

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Red Hots Candy Apples

Makes 4

  • 4 apples (Granny smith work great; try to get unwaxed ones)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • pinch salt
  • 1 box (6 ounces) Red Hots cinnamon flavored candy
  • Supplies: skewers, popsicle sticks, or "candy apple" sticks

Thoroughly wash the apples. Dry, and remove the stems. Skewer the tops, inserting the skewer deep enough so that you can hold the apple upside down and it feels secure. 

 

In a medium saucepan, heat the water, butter, and salt until the butter has melted and the mixture comes to a low boil.

Add the Red Hots candy and reduce the heat to low. Simmer the candy mixture until it reaches 290 degrees F. This will ensure that the candy is thick enough to coat your apples. 

Remove from heat, and dip the apples in the candy coating.

 Place them on your parchment-lined baking sheet. If you'd like, press additional candies on the apples before the candy coating hardens. 

Enjoy!

Neapolitan Trifles: So Sweet

Is there a happier dessert confabulation than the Neapolitan triplet combination of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry?

Me, I'm a sucker for Neapolitan. Oddly, the ice cream doesn't quite do it for me, but everything else labeled Neapolitan really, truly does. Like blondies. Or cupcakes. or cake.

So when I received a review copy of Something Sweet by Miriam Pascal, I was super excited to see Neapolitan trifles. They are not only adorable, but sound like a perfect, travel-friendly, palate pleasing dessert. So let's get to it! 

Neapolitan Trifles

Dairy or Pareve Yield 12‐14 (6‐oz) trifles

This recipe was created out of necessity. I needed a dessert recipe that looked pretty, traveled well. and could be made ahead and frozen when fully completed. This one fits all of those criteria. It freezes well, can be stored frozen and transported in a sealed jar, looks gorgeous, and tastes great. It was a hit, and surely will be a hit at your parties too!

CHOCOLATE CRUMBS
1 cup flour
1⁄2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2⁄3 cup brown sugar
1⁄3 cup oil


STRAWBERRY MOUSSE
1 cup heavy whipping cream or nondairy whip topping 1 cup strawberry pie filling, puréed
8 oz cream cheese or soy cream cheese
1⁄3 cup sour cream or soy sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar


VANILLA CREAM
1 cup heavy whipping cream or nondairy whip topping

1⁄3 cup powdered sugar

Prepare the chocolate crumbs: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.


Combine all crumb ingredients in a bowl. Mix until combined and the texture of coarse crumbs. (I found it easiest to mix this with my fingers.)

Spread the crumbs in a single layer on prepared baking sheet; bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven; cool completely before assembling the trifles.


Prepare the strawberry mousse: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, on high speed, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Remove whipped cream to another bowl. There’s no need to wash the bowl before continuing. Add pie filling, cream cheese, sour cream, and vanilla to mixer bowl. Beat on medium speed until combined and smooth. Add powdered sugar; beat until incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold whipped cream into strawberry mixture until combined. Set aside.

Prepare the vanilla cream: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, on high speed, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until combined.

Assembly: Place crumbs into a 6‐ounce jar or cup, filling it about one‐quarter full. Spoon or pipe strawberry mousse over crumbs, filling container a little more than three‐ quarters full. Pipe on vanilla cream, filling container almost to the top. Repeat with remaining jars.

Note Use canned pie filling, or use the filling for Strawberry Rhubarb Hand Pies (p. 118), using additional strawberries to replace the rhubarb.
Variation Substitute a container of strawberry ice cream for the mousse to create an ice cream trifle.

Plan Ahead These trifles freeze beautifully (see introduction)! Move them into the fridge for a couple of hours before serving to allow them to soften a bit. 

Recipes from Something Sweet by Miriam Pascal. Reproduced with permission from the copyright holders, ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications; http://artscroll.com/Products/SSWH.html

Peanut Butter Blossoms, Unblossomed

Peanut butter blossoms.

Photo via Flickr member Dan4th

Photo via Flickr member Dan4th

You've definitely seen these cookies, even if you don't know them by that name. Well, they got that name because that is how they were entered in the 1957 Pillsbury Bake-Off. They weren't the winning recipe: that honor went to "accordion treats", a sort of tuile-like cookie, which took home nearly $50,000. But even though peanut butter blossoms didn't win big money wise, perhaps they were the true winner because they would go on to become a classic cookie. Everyone has seen or tried these cookies--when is the last time you picked up an accordion treat cookie, though?

I became re-acquainted with the blossoms when I dug up an old recipe book of my late grandma--a self published church cookbook from the 1980s. I love these kinds of books. And peanut butter blossoms have become an enduring classic partly because of their popularity at bake sales and in books like this. 

Of course there was a recipe for peanut butter blossoms in this book. It was a fairly straightforward recipe, but I decided to veer off from tradition. The reason is that I needed some peanut butter cookies, but I was actually primarily using them to crumble for a most awesome cookie pie crust, so I didn't want the chocolate kisses included.

So I made the cookies, but...unblossomed.

Turns out, the peanut butter blossom sans blossom is still quite good. It's a solid cookie recipe, and the results taste like the peanut butter cookies you remember as a kid (or at least the ones I do). 

It feels like maybe there's a life lesson in that: even if we're not fully "bloomed" in life, there can still be delicious stuff going on even if our life isn't in full blossom. 

Ponder that one over a cookie, lets?


Peanut Butter Un-blossoms

Makes 24 or so cookies - Printable version here

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter 
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 3/4 cups self-rising flour

If you want to blossom-ize them: 24 Hershey's kisses

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line or grease two baking sheets.

Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter, and salt until really nice and fluffy. Add in the milk, vanilla, and egg; stir it until everything is combined.

Add the flour, and mix gently until combined into a cohesive dough. 

Portion out the dough into balls, about 1 inch in size. Place them on the baking sheets with a little space between. Use the tines of a fork to gently flatten the cookies by pressing once vertically and once horizontally, leaving a cross-hatch pattern. OR, if you must blossom these cookies, don't do the fork thing--simply press a hershey's kiss on top of each cookie. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Let cool on the sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Enjoy!

I Will Actually Eat Homemade Frozen Yogurt

I freaking despise frozen yogurt. In general.

Part of it dates back to my disordered eating days, when I felt that frozen yogurt was what I "should" eat instead of ice cream. I think that since entering recovery, I've had a huge sense of wariness about anything perceived as "virtuous" or "low fat".

Since ditching my eating disorder, I also ditched anything that is manufactured to be low fat (naturally low fat foods are fine by me). I don't want a "lower fat" alternate to ice cream. Give me the full fat stuff. I want to LIVE, and I want ICE CREAM.

And as my final word on the matter--I am fine with fruit being healthy. I am fine with salad being healthy. But stop trying to make dessert healthy. When I want dessert, I want DESSERT, not health food. To put it simply:

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But I will tell you this: when frozen yogurt is homemade, I don't despise it quite as much. In fact, I don't despise it at all.

Maybe it's because I can employ a really good quality (FULL FAT) yogurt. Maybe it's because I can flavor it how I want. Or maybe the sense of achievement is just intoxicating and makes me want to like the flavor, and therefore I do.

This homemade froyo is awesome. I used the fancy $8 thing of Greek yogurt from the health food store, which is just full of fat (I made sure before proceeding). The fat gives it FLAVOR.

Added flavor comes from the mix of honey and lavender. The lavender in this recipe isn't such a great quantity that it gets perfumey (I don't like that) but it works to make the honey more interesting. The tanginess of the yogurt helps tame the lavender, too, so it acts as a nice scent but not an overpowering floral flavor.

This is an adaptation of a recipe I developed for New Mexico magazine. I used local lavender and honey, and I think that also added to the "story" of this yogurt - as in, everything tastes better with a story, right?

So here's a recipe for frozen yogurt that doesn't suck. It's perfect for these last few warm days of summer. 

HONEY-LAVENDER FROZEN YOGURT

Lightly adapted from the version seen in New Mexico Magazine
makes 6 servings

1/3 cup honey 
1⁄2 cup granulated sugar 
2 tablespoons dried lavender 
1⁄4 teaspoon salt 
2 tablespoons water 
1 quart plain regular or Greek yogurt

Combine the honey, sugar, lavender, salt, and water in a saucepan.

Heat on medium until it begins to bubble at the edges and the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan  from heat; pour through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the lavender; it will get gummy and chewy if you leave it. Let the mixture cool to room temperature before proceeding.

In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt and the cooled honey mixture. Stir just to combine.

Chill in the refrigerator, or using an ice bath, until the mixture registers 45° F or slightly lower.

Transfer the mixture to your ice cream maker; churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. To make it without an ice cream maker, follow the steps in this post (even though it's not ice cream, the method is the same).

Transfer to a freezer-safe container before storing.

Enjoy!

Not Sweet, But Totally Sweet: Sweet Potato Noodle Bun

OMG. I love this idea. So much that I am featuring something savory rather than sweet on this site (it has happened, but you know it's not frequent!). Buns made from spiralized sweet potatoes!

SweetPotatoNoodleBunSpiralizer.jpg

I feel fairly certain that any and every sandwich would be better served this way. I have fantasies of eggs Benedict served atop a couple of these, too!

It's not my primary concern, but these do happen to be (naturally) gluten-free, meaning they are a fun alternative to bread if that is something you're avoiding. 

Sweet Potato Noodle Bun

These handy‐dandy little gems are a surprising way to eliminate a traditional bun. They are crunchy, tasty and gluten‐free. You will find yourself making these buns and their variations for all of your sandwiches, burgers and breakfast‐sandwiches.

Recipe courtesy of 150 Best Spiralizer Recipes by Marilyn Haugen & Jennifer Williams © 2015 www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission. Available where books are sold.

MAKES 2 BUN HALVES

Two 3/4‐cup (175 mL) ramekins, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray

  • 1 medium to large sweet potato, peeled and ends cut flat
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 large egg
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • pinch of freshly ground black pepper
  1. Using a spiralizer, cut the sweet potato into thin strands.
  2. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 teaspoon oil over medium heat. Add sweet potato and cook, stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes or until softened. Let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk egg. Stir in sweet potato, salt and pepper. Divide between prepared ramekins, filling each about halfway and pressing the sweet potato down into the ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and place a heavy can or jar on top of the wrap to weigh down the sweet potato. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  4. Lightly coat a skillet with the remaining oil and heat over medium‐high heat. Remove plastic wrap and invert ramekins to slide noodle buns onto skillet. Cook, turning once, for 3 to 5 minutes per side or until golden brown on both sides and hot in the center.

Tip

Store cooked noodle buns, wrapped individually in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Or prepare through step 3, then refrigerate for up to 24 hours before cooking.

Variation

Instead of the sweet potatoes, you can use russet potatoes, rutabagas or kohlrabi. Cook each of these for 5 to 7 minutes or until softened. 

Courtesy of 150 Best Spiralizer Recipes by Marilyn Haugen & Jennifer Williams © 2015 www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission. Available where books are sold.

How to Slow-Roast Cherry Tomatoes

I know, this isn't sweet. But it's a useful tutorial that I want to remember, and I think you may benefit from, too: how to slow-roast cherry tomatoes.

To cut or not to cut? If the cherry tomatoes are tiny, I don't cut them. If they are larger, I cut them either in half or in quarters. You use your own judgment here.

Why slow-roast cherry tomatoes? Um, because it makes them delicious. As they slow roast, you reduce some of the moisture and basically boil down the flavor into a concentrated form. It makes the tomatoes less watery and more...interesting. The olive oil, salt, and pepper act like supporting actors to the oscar winning performance of the tomato flavor. 

Ok. So here's how you do it. 

How to slow-roast cherry tomatoes

Printable version here.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

You can line your baking sheet with parchment or not. I like to because it keeps cleanup easier.

Scatter the tomatoes or slices evenly on the sheet. Generously drizzle with olive oil, then generously season with salt and pepper.

Put the sheet in the oven. I used a spatula to move them around every 20 minutes to even out the baking. What you're going for is not completely dehydrated, but wilted, a bit soft, and a little toasty. For me this took about an hour, maybe a bit more.

I enjoyed mine on top of these cute little appetizers, but really, they can be used as a condiment, and they make everything from sandwiches to salads taste better. 


Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Plum Pudding

Forget figgy pudding til December, why don't you. At this time of year, it's all about plum pudding. And this version is spectacular, because your slow cooker will do all the heavy lifting for you. 

It's true. Usually, steamed puddings are all day affairs, but this version comes together quite easily, and then can cook for several hours in your slow cooker while you attend to other things. Sounds like a winner to me!

This recipe is excerpted from the new book 175 Essential Slow Cooker Recipes by Judith Finlayson © 2015 www.robertrose.ca; the recipe is reprinted with publisher permission.

Plum Pudding

8 to 12 servings

Here’s a lightened up version of a traditional holiday favorite. Allow a week for the mixed pudding to soak in the refrigerator. I like to serve this warm with a simple lemon sauce or store­bought lemon curd, but if you’re a traditionalist, hard sauce works well, too. Don’t worry about leftovers. It reheats well and with a steaming cup of tea will take the chill off even the most blustery winter day.

• Large (minimum 5 quart) oval slow cooker
• 6­cup (1.5 L) lightly greased pudding basin, baking or soufflé dish

  • 1 cup seedless raisins
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped mixed candied fruit
  • 2 tablespoons chopped candied orange peel
  • 2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger
  • finely grated zest of one orange
  • finely grated zest of one lemon
  • 1/2 cup brandy or dark rum
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup fine dry white bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons ground toasted blanched almonds 
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons molasses 

1. In a bowl, combine raisins, candied fruit, orange peel, candied ginger and orange and lemon zests. Add brandy and stir well. Set aside for 1 hour.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, bread crumbs, ground almonds, cinnamon, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

3. In a clean bowl, beat brown sugar and butter until creamy. Add eggs and molasses and beat until incorporated. Stir in soaked fruit mixture. Add flour mixture and mix just until blended. Spoon batter into prepared dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit in refrigerator for a week, spooning additional brandy or rum over the top two or three times in 1 tbsp (15 mL) increments. 

4. Remove plastic wrap. Cover with foil and secure with a string. Place dish in slow cooker stoneware and pour in enough boiling water to come 1 inch (2.5 cm) up the sides of the dish. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pudding comes out clean. Serve hot. 

Courtesy of 175 Essential Slow Cooker Recipes by Judith Finlayson © 2015 www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission. Available where books are sold.

DIY Almond Butter Chips

You know all about peanut butter chips. I mean, they're delicious. But have you ever even dreamed about almond butter chips? 

Well, I have, and I want to tell you how to make them happen in your very own home.

Inspired by Heather's French Press, the other day I set out to make some PB chips. But my sweetheart, who doesn't care for peanut butter (WHAT!? I know), lamented, "If only you could do that with almond butter."

Well...why the heck not?

So I made up a batch. Of DIY Almond Butter Chips. Or Almond Butter Morsels. Whatever you want to call them.

The almond butter mixture was a little hard to pipe since I had a "Natural" almond butter that was somewhat chunky, but other than taking a little time to pipe the morsels, the recipe is a breeze. 

And OMG, these things are so simple, but SO FREAKING GOOD. Like, "I can't make myself stop eating these" good. 

They make a fantastic dessert topping, a tasty snack by the handful, and they can be used for baking. They don't hold their shape quite as well as store-bought peanut butter or chocolate morsels, but as long as they are frozen before being added to a cookie dough, they will hold their shape. To illustrate, here is an example of a cookie that I baked with some of the morsels on top. See how they get melty, but don't melt entirely? 


DIY Almond Chips 

Makes 100+ morsels - printable version here

  • 1/3 cup almond butter
  • 1 tablespoon softened unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons milk 
  • pinch sea salt

In a large bowl (or in a stand mixer) cream the almond butter, butter, and confectioners' sugar until everything comes together. Chances are it's a somewhat mealy mixture.

Now, pause your mixing and add the milk, a touch at a time, until niiiiice and creamy and as smooth as it can be considering the texture of the almond butter. It should be thick, but have a consistency where you feel like you can pipe it. I say 1-2 tablespoons of almond butter because you may not need it all.

Oh, and stir in that salt. It makes the morsels extra-royale tasty. 

Go ahead and load the mixture into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with a corner cut off (as you see here I have not yet cut off the corner). 

Pipe onto a parchment-lined or silicone sheet. Place the finished morsels in the freezer until completely set; store in an airtight container in the freezer until ready to use. 

 

Have you ever made DIY morsels?

Buy the Book, Make the Cake: 7-Up Cake via Grandbaby Cakes

Anyhow, my friend Jocelyn (she's kind of famous, you probably know her website, Grandbaby Cakes) wrote a book. It's called Grandbaby Cakes: Modern Recipes, Vintage Charm, Soulful Memories. And I think you should buy it. 

I could tell you about how funny and cool Jocelyn is, and how we clicked instantly when we met last year at the Pillsbury Bake-Off. I could tell you how we instantly decided that Oprah owed us both a check (for what, other than being awesome, I'm not 100 percent sure). 

But I'm sure that as fascinating as our mutual funniness and complete cuteness is to you, you're in it for the cake. So here, I present an excerpt from the new book, a fantastic recipe for 7-Up Pound cake. Enjoy!


Mama’s 7-UP Pound Cake

SERVES 12–16

This is a vintage recipe that has been in my family for decades. It was actually the very first cake I ever learned to bake, which I suspect is not only because it is my mother’s absolute favorite cake but also because it was an unintimidating induction into the baking world, with results that even a nine­year­old girl could master. If you are a beginner baker, this is an excellent recipe to start your journey with. You may even get bitten by the baking bug like I did. Mama’s 7-UP Pound Cake is a classic and decadent treat complemented by the subtle flavor of citrus soda. The juxtaposition of the crunchy crust to the moist inner texture makes this cake simply irresistible. It melts as soon as you taste it.

GRANDBABY NOTES

This recipe doesn’t have a leavening agent, but it doesn’t need one. A significantly longer creaming process adds more air to the batter, giving it the lift it needs. Don’t skip this step. The results are a golden­brown, perfectly filled-­out cake, no leavening necessary. My mother has always been adamant about using the original 7-UP and nothing else. She says you can really taste the difference. While I have used other lemon­lime soda brands ranging from Sprite to Sierra Mist, I try my best to follow my mother’s advice.

INGREDIENTS

CAKE

  • 1 1⁄2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 5 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3 cups sifted cake flour
  • 1⁄2 cup 7UP soda, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon lemon extract

GLAZE

  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 3 tablespoons 7-UP soda
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon lemon extract

FOR THE CAKE

Preheat your oven to 315°F. Prepare a 10­-cup Bundt pan with the nonstick method of your choice.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 2 minutes on high speed. Slowly add the sugar and salt. Cream together for an additional 7 minutes, until very pale yellow and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, combining well after each addition and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

Turn your mixer down to its lowest speed and slowly add the flour in 2 batches. Be careful not to

overbeat. Pour in the 7UP and lemon extract. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix the batter until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 75 to 85 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Let cool to room temperature. Lightly cover the cake with foil or plastic wrap so it does not dry out.

FOR THE GLAZE

In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until the mixture is pourable. When the cake is completely cool, spoon the glaze over the cake and allow it to harden. Serve at room temperature.

Reprinted with permission from Grandbaby Cakes by Jocelyn Delk Adams, Agate Surrey, 2015. 

Raspberry Crumble Bars

I'm so into these raspberry crumble bars.

I personally have a long history with the fruit and oat bar: a few years ago, finding out the history of the Mazurka bar (and it's an interesting one) became my Big Project. While I always loved the flavor of fruit and oat bars, delving into how they became so firmly planted in Seattle culture was fascinating to me. 

But I've learned something since leaving Seattle: fruit and oat bars taste good everywhere. And this version, from the new book The Yellow Table, is stellar: simple, and perfectly flavored with brown sugar to complement the oats and nuts in the crust/topping. I hope you'll enjoy as much as I did!


RASPBERRY CRUMBLE BARS

Makes 16 bars

Come summer, these raspberry crumble bars are on regular rotation at our house. To keep things simple, the shortbread dough that’s used for the base doubles as a crunchy topping.

  • 1 cup all‐purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick), plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes 3/4 cup old‐fashioned rolled oats (not quick‐cooking)
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
  • 1/3 cup raspberry jam
  • 1 cup fresh raspberries

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter an 8 x 8‐inch baking pan, or spray with non‐stick cooking spray.
In a food processor, pulse together the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture comes together to form a dough. Turn the dough out into a bowl and use your hands to gently knead in the oats and pecans.

Set aside 1/2 cup of the dough and press the rest into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/4‐inch‐thick border. Arrange the raspberries over the jam, then sprinkle with clumps of the reserved 1/2 cup of dough.

Bake until the edges are golden brown, about 30 minutes. It will be a bit gooey in the center when you take it out of the oven, but it firms up as it cools. Set the pan on a rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting.
Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bars. Make one cut down the center, rotate the pan and make a second cut down the center to create four large bars. Using a large spatula, lift the bars out onto a big cutting board and cut them into smaller squares.

These are best when served the day they are baked, but you can store any remaining bars, in an airtight container, layered with parchment, at room temperature, up to 1 day. 

Reprinted with permission from The Yellow Table published in 2015 by Sterling Epicure, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. © Anna Watson Carl. Photography by Signe Birck