Peach Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies are more in the realm of healthy instead of indulgent.  If you crave a healthy treat, these cookies are quite satisfying.  If you crave something rich and chocolatey, this is not the recipe for you.

However, someone at work did make the suggestion of ice cream with these.  Perhaps using these cookies and sandwiching vanilla ice cream between them may get closer to the mark for those that are wanting something more sweet.

After some of the decadent desserts, this is a nice change of pace.  The cookies are soft and chewy with an occasionally bite of dried peaches. These cookies, since they have molasses, bake up to a dark color, but the molasses is something I would not skip in the recipe. I am not a big fan of raisins, so the dried peaches were very suitable for my taste. This recipe makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Peach Oatmeal Cookies
adapted from Desserts from Loveless Cafe

Ingredients
3 oz dried peaches (1/4 inch chopped pieces)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbs of molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/4 cup of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup or 1 stick of butter (room temp)

Prepare two baking sheets by lining with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and cinnamon.  Then stir in the oats and set aside.

In another bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar. Add the vanilla extract and the molasses and beat for 1 minute, scraping down sides of the bowl at the 30 second interval.  The end result should be a fluffy light batter.  Beat the egg into the batter, scraping down the sides of the bowl again to make sure all is blended. 

Using a wooden spoon, fold the dry oat mixture into the batter.  When only a few streaks of flour remain, add the dried peaches.   Stir until there are no streaks of flour and peaches are evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Drop heaping tablespoons of batter two inches apart on prepared baking sheets. You can use a scoop or a spoon.  Place pans in preheated oven and bake for 8 minutes and rotate and bake for another 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cookies cool on pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a rack to completely cool.

Tips and Notes:
1. The recipe states you can also use sorghum in place of molasses.  The end result will be the same dark cookie but sorghum has more sweetness than molasses.

2. When I baked these, they took about 12 minutes to get done so keep a close eye on your baking time.
                                   **LAST YEAR: Barista Brew Pie**

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

I am a big fan of cinnamon and nuts, especially when it comes to pastry.  However, the idea of having a special pastry every time I crave the flavor combination would be excessive indulgence.  So what is a person to do?  Looking around for the solution, I landed on the perfect item- a cookie with all the flavor of a cinnamon roll.

This cookie is thick and packed with pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Also, the creams cheese icing is a must when it comes to cinnamon rolls and it was not left out of this recipe. The good thing here is that the icing is put on right before serving.  However, and even more convenient idea is to serve the cookies on a plate with the icing in a bowl for dipping.

Please allow plenty of advance time to make these, the dough does require a lot of chilling time.  The first session is for 1 hour but the second states 1 hour or overnight, noting that overnight is preferred.  Also, leave your cookie sheet in the cabinet, these are actually baked in muffin pans. The recipe makes 2 dz cookies. 


Cinnamon Roll Cookies
adapted from The Cravory in San Diego via nymag.com

Ingredients/Cookie Dough
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup or 2 sticks butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 cups plus 1 tsp flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup brown sugar packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Ingredients/Filling
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
1 tbs cinnamon
1/4 cup or 1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup light brown sugar

Ingredients/ Icing Drizzle
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
3 tbs milk
2 oz softened cream cheese
2 oz softened butter
1 vanilla bean (scraped)
Zest of 1/2 orange (optional)

To make the dough, cream together the butter and the three types of sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Once smooth, add one egg and beat for about 30 seconds.  Continue with the process on the rest of the eggs, adding each one by one.  Then beat in the vanilla extract.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the cornstarch, flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

Add 1/3 of the sifted ingredients to the egg batter and mix on low speed until no streaks remain. Add the additional flour in two increments, blending after each addition.  Form dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

While that is chilling, you can prepare the filling.  Melt the butter in a small saucepan.  Remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon.  Lastly, mix in the pecans until evenly distributed.

After an hour, remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to form a 10X10 square. Spread the filling over the dough evenly.  Then roll it up and wrap with plastic wrap and chill again at least one hour or overnight, preferably overnight.

Once the chilling time has completed, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the cavities of 2 one dozen muffin tins.  Remove the dough roll from the refrigerator and slice evenly into 24 pieces.  Place each piece into one of the muffin cavities.

Put pans in oven and bake until lightly golden, which should take about 15 minutes.  At the 7.5 minute mark, rotate pans for even baking. Remove the muffin tins and place on rack to cool. Cool cookies completely in pan before removing.

Once you are ready to serve these, prepare the icing by beating together the cream cheese and the butter until smooth.  Then beat in the powdered sugar in 3 increments, scraping down bowl after each time.  Then beat in the vanilla bean and the orange zest (optional).  Lastly whisk in the milk until the icing reaches a smooth consistency.  Drizzle the icing on top and enjoy.
                            **LAST YEAR: Coconut Apple Walnut Bread***  

Crisp Apple Kolachy

I can remember the day when a salesman brought kolachy to a girl at work who had requested that he bring some by.  The salesman did bring some but they were prune filled.  Not exactly what she had wanted.  Prune filled as well as poppy seed are the traditional fillings of this Czech pastry.  Those fillings did not appeal to me either, so kolachy pastries were forgotten about.

However, as I was skimming through a cookbook, I found a recipe for apple kolachy.  With fall here, the apple filliing was a perfect choice. Concerning the dough, my first thought was that the process of making it would involve overnight refrigeration.  In this recipe, the dough chills in less than an hour.  The other thing I was worried about was all the sticky runny syrup that the apples are cooked in.  Then I read that the syrup was only to be used to cook the apples, not baked with the pastry.

Besides the chore of peeling, slicing and coring the apples, the whole process of making these was fairly easy.  It is great when something gives the impression that a lot of effort was made and in reality it was not.  The word "pastry" and "easy" rarely come together, but this time they did.

The cottage cheese in the dough did make the pastries quite flaky.  I had my doubts, seeing the white curds showing in the dough. I have never used cottage cheese in dough and was surprised at the wonderful results. This recipe makes about 16 pastries and is the perfect way to serve up some apple pie flavor to a group without the all the trouble of a traditional pie.

Crisp Apple Kolachy
adapted from Classic Home Desserts

Ingredients/Pastry
1 cup creamed style cottage cheese (I just used small curd)
1 cup or 2 sticks cold butter cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg or ground mace
ice water, if needed
pearl or sparkling sugar (for topping)

Ingredients/Filling
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
4 medium sized apples (peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 an inch thick)***
***feel free to use more if you prefer a really packed kolachy
1 egg beaten with 2 tbs milk (for egg wash)

To make the pastry dough, place flour and butter in the bowl.  Use a pastry cutter to blend the two ingredients together until it becomes the consistency of coarse crumbs.  Then stir in the mace or nutmeg.  Add the cottage cheese and mix until it is evenly distributed throughout the dough. Your dough should be able to be formed into a big ball.  If not, add 1-2 tbs of ice water so the ball can be formed with the dough.

This particular dough will be slightly sticky, but take care that you do not "over flour" the dough when rolling out or it will make the dough dense.  Lightly dust a flat surface with flour along with the ball of dough.  Pound the dough into a disc and then roll out, forming a 16 inch square. Fold it up like you would fold a business letter.  Then pound it out again and roll. into a 12X7 inch rectangle.  Repeat the same business letter fold and tuck in the uneven edges.  Wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

To make the filling, melt the butter in a medium size skillet.  Put the sliced apples in the pan and let cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes.  Remove the skillet from heat and sprinkle sugar on top of apples.  Let cool.  Once the apples are back to room temperature, sprinkle with cinnamon.

Take pastry dough out of the fridge and roll out on a floured surface.  The dough should be rolled into a 16 inch square again.  Then cut the dough into 16 four inch squares.  Place each piece on a flat cutting board or platter and put back in fridge for 10 minutes.

While the pastry is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Take the pastry squares out and place a few tablespoons of apple slices on the center of each.  The syrup mixture that formed while cooking the apples should remain in the skillet. Once all the pastry squares are filled, discard the syrup mixture.    For each square, take two opposite corners and overlap ( about 1/2 an inch) in the center and pinch the dough to seal.

Place each pastry on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart.  Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with pearl or sparkling sugar.  Bake each pan of kolachy for about 15-20 minutes.  They will be lightly golden on the edges when done.

Remove baking sheets from the oven and place pastries on a rack to cool.  These can be served slightly warm or room temperature.  Also, to really indulge you can add a small scoop of ice cream on top.
                  **LAST YEAR: Sinbads Basra Treats***

Streusel Topped Babka

I am a little late with this post, but this past week has been hectic.  I decided I would rather wait until I could post without being rushed.

Since the last few posts have been very rich and indulgent, I decided I would go with something lighter and more in the cake family for this week.  This particular recipe is for a breakfast or coffee cake.  The bread part made from a wonderful brioche dough.  Brioche loaves are a favorite around here just simply served with butter.

However, I have no aversion to the additions to this bread.  Cocoa, cinnamon, pecans and walnuts swirl through the middle of the dough.  They are actually made like cinnamon rolls but the swirled dough slices are put in a loaf pan and shaped slightly.  The rising and egg wash is what actually brings the dough slices together.  Also, if that was not enough to hold the loaf together, it has been topped with quite a bit streusel.

The slices of this cake went over well at work and actually drew out a few introductions from some of the people.  I am glad the recipe made 3 loaves. Please note that the dough has to rest overnight prior to baking, so plan in advance.

Streusel Topped Babka
adapted from Great Coffeecakes

Ingredients/Babka dough
3/4 cup sour cream
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup or 1 stick butter ( in between temp/consistency, not soft and not hard)
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup plus 1 tsp sugar
1 tbs and 1 1/2 tsp or 1 1/2 pkgs yeast
3/4 tsp salt
3 3/4 cup flour

Ingredients/Filling
3/4 cup pecans, chopped and toasted
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup dark brown sugar (lightly packed)
2 tbs plain bread crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbs dutch process cocoa powder
1/2 cup very soft butter
1 large egg beaten with 2 tsp water for egg wash

Ingredients/Streusel
3 tbs finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
6-7 tbs butter

To make the dough, warm a small bowl by rinsing in warm water.  Then fill with 1 tsp of sugar and warm water.  Sprinkle the yeast on top-do not stir.  Cover the bowl with a saucer and let sit for 2 minutes. After it sets, uncover and swirl the bowl.  Repeat again with the time being 2 minutes. Cover for an additional minute, then uncover and stir.  Cover for one last interval of 3 minutes for yeast to get bubbly and foamy.

Using a stand mixer, blend the flour, sugar and salt.  Once mixed, add the butter and run mixer on low for about 3 minutes.

Take out a separate bowl and blend sour cream, eggs and vanilla.  Then add the dissolved yeast.  Take this mixture and pour it into the butter flour blend in the stand mixer.  Turn the mixer on low and let run for about 3-4 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl.

Place the dough on a floured surface and knead a few times until it is no longer sticky.  Divide into 3 pieces and place each in a small plastic bag and seal.  There should be enough room in the bag to allow for dough to expand and rise.  Refrigerate overnight.

The next day. prepare 3 of the 8X3 3/4 inch loaf pans by brushing the interior with some of the butter.  Then place a strip of parchment 3 inches wide by 15 inches long in each pan, making sure the long length hangs outside of the long sides of each pan.  It should be like a cross. Also line a baking sheet (with a slight lip on it) with parchment paper.

To make the filling, stir together the cinnamon, cocoa, bread crumbs and both type of sugars.  Set aside. 

Take one piece of dough out of refrigerator.  Place on floured surface and knead a few times.  Add 1/3 of the pecans.  Knead them into the dough evenly until the dough is no longer sticky.  Roll the dough into a rectangle.  It should be 12 inches and parallel to the counter with the left and right sides measuring 9 inches.

Spread surface of the dough with 1/3 of the remaining butter, leaving a 1 1/2 border at the top of the 12 inch length.  Sprinkle top with  1//3 cup of the cinnamon cocoa blend, leaving the top border blank.  Sprinkle with 1/3 cup chopped walnuts.  Press filling slightly into the dough.  Brush the 1 1/2 inch border with the egg wash.

Starting with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough up toward the egg wash side.  Once a log has formed, pinch the egg wash edge against the log. After the initial roll up, roll a few more times on a floured board to tighten the dough and keep it sealed.  The log should be the same length as the original dough length of 12 inches.

Cut the log into eight pieces.  Then brush egg wash on the uncut outside dough of each piece, leaving one side without the egg wash to put up against the pan.  Place the pieces ,with the cut side down, in two rows of four going down the length of the pan.  Then push down slightly.  Also push from the sides inward to make it into a loaf mound.  Repeat the steps in this is paragraph as well as the 3 prior for the other two mounds of dough in the refrigerator. Once completed, cover each loaf with a clean towel and place in a warm area to rise.  Rising time should be about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

To make the streusel place the butter in a small sauce pan over low heat until almost all is melted. Remove and let cool.   In another bowl, mix together all the rest of the ingredients.  Stir dry ingredients into melted butter.  Stir until mixture has coarse crumbs and can clump in your hand.

Let the mixture sit for about 10-15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Brush the tops of the loaves (that have completed rising) with egg wash and sprinkle the streusel on top. Place the loaf pans evenly on the parchment lined baking sheet and bake until done about 30-35 minutes.  Check at the mid point to make sure loaves are not browning to fast.  You can slow down browning process by placing foil over the areas that  are toasting too fast.

Remove pans and let loaves cool.  When cooled, lift out by using the parchment paper in pans.  Slice and serve.
                      **LAST YEAR: Renegade Cookies***

M & R Pie

Well I have been looking all over the net concerning pies trying to come up with a name for this one.   Interestingly enough, I came across a site called Pies Across America.  It is actually a program set up by two people, Micah and Rick with the idea of sending pies out to people that are in need of some uplifting, such as those affected by natural disasters.  Their base site is in Facebook which I am not a member of, so I am not sure how active the site is.

I have really been on a peach kick lately, I think it was all started with a mixed drink called a Peach Freeze.  Frozen pureed peaches was the base of the drink and it was heavenly.  This particular pie is full of spices and sliced ripe peaches.  In addition, for a little extra zing, I have added some peach schnapps as well.  Also, pecan pieces were lightly pressed into the bottom of the pie crust before filling.  One slice topped with a scoop of vanilla really makes for a great summer dessert.

M&R Pie
by flourtrader

Ingredients
Pie crust for 9 inch double crust pie
1/4 cup chopped pecans
8-10 peaches, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3 tbs peach schnapps
3 tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
sugar for sprinkling

Prepare pie crust dough as directed and cover and place dough disks in the fridge to chill prior to rolling.  Place a sheet of wax paper on a flat surface and lightly dust with flour.  Using a rolling pin, roll dough out to a 13 inch circle.  Then invert and center dough over pie pan and peel off wax paper and tuck the pastry into the pan.  Do not stretch the pastry, but flatten against the pan.  Then lightly press the pecan pieces into the bottom of the dough.  Leave overhang and place back in fridge for 15 minutes.

Then fold the peaches, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, sugar and flour together in a separate bowl.  Stir in the peach schnapps.  Take the pie pan out of the fridge and fill the pie pan with the mixture, making sure it is all even.  Then drop the small pieces of butter in places on top of the filling.

Take out the the second piece of dough and place on floured wax paper. Roll into an 11 inch circle.  Moisten the top edge of the dough in the pie pan and invert 2 piece of dough over the top.  Press to seal.  Make a decorative top edge according to your personal preference.

Sprinkle sugar over the top of the dough.  Then make steam vents in the top of the pie with a paring knife.  Place in oven and let bake for 30 minutes.  Then lower heat to 350 degrees and rotate pie 180 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Remove and place on rack to completely cool.
                       
Tips and Notes:
1. amount of filling will vary, depending on the size of your peaches.  Mine were fairly small
2. Peach flavors develop more within time, so waiting a day before serving would be better
                        **LAST YEAR: Aztec Treasure Cookies**
 

Michel's Spa Muffins

Well its finally Friday and today I am off to Dallas for some appointments as well as visits to a few specialty stores.  After that indulgence on Wednesday, I decided I would turn to something a bit more on the healthy side.

The particular recipe comes from a chef at spa located north of San Diego called Cal-a-Vie and found in the RSVP section of Bon Appetit.  The muffins are a good example of some of the healthy cuisine that this place has.  I have been looking around at the spa's website.

If you glance at the ingredient list below, you will realize that they are packed with all that a person needs to get going in the morning and to stay satisfied until lunch.  The muffins really do have some great textures and flavors.   A few things that you really will not miss with these is the butter, eggs and sugar.

I am particular about "healthy" muffins and too much grain or bran can really be a turn off.  However, this muffin does have a good balance, so it will be added to the healthy favorites here.  Also, they are a cinch to make, which is even more of a motivator to pull this recipe out.  This recipe makes about 14-16 muffins.

Michel's Spa Muffins
adapted from Bon Appetit, prior to 2005

Ingredients
1/4 cup honey
2 tbs vegetable oil
2/3 cup plain non fat yogurt
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1 tbs lemon zest
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1 cup shredded bran cereal (I used all bran)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare your pans according to your preference.  You can grease the top edges and line, grease the whole cavity or use a non stick pan.

Boil about 1 1/2 cups of water and place raisins or dried cranberries in a bowl and pour over the top.  Let sit to soften for about 15 minutes.  Then drain and use a paper towel to pat dry.  Set aside.

In a medium size bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Stir in the bran and sesame seeds.  Form a well in the middle of the dry mixture.

Then take out a smaller bowl and mix together the first eight ingredients listed above.  Pour this mixture into the well of the dry mix.  Fold together until no more dry streaks remain.

Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, fill muffin cavities with batter.  Place pan in oven and bake until tester comes out clean.  Baking time is about 18-20 minutes.  Remove and let cool for one minute then transfer to rack to finish cooling.  These can be served warm or at room temperature.

Tips and Notes:
1.  I found that these do stick to the liners, so when baking you may want to opt not to use liners.
2. The batter does not rise like cake batter would, so you can fill the cavities full.
3. I mashed my banana but I think it would be better distributed throughout the muffins if the banana was pureed.
                         **LAST YEAR: Amaretto Choc Chip Bundt Cake**

Ginny Bee Breakfast Cake

Well I am sure one thing that comes to mind is who is Ginny Bee?  Ginny Bee is actually the creation of  John Edwards.  Ginny is a citrus picker, mostly used for oranges.  Before Johns invention, there were other pickers on the market but they were plagued with the problem of  causing tree damage when harvesting. However, in 1976, John came up with a well functioning machine that did not damage any part of the tree or limbs.  With the tree damage not being an issue, his machine was found to be quite handy to have in the groves.  It could pick a 90 lb box of oranges in one minute, which was a real time saver.

This particular recipe is basically an orange breakfast cake.  The cake part has a citrus tang and is moist, having both sour cream and yogurt as ingredients.  Also, there is no skimping on the streusel-it is thick crunchy and has a drizzle of orange glaze.  Since we all seem to enjoy orange juice in the morning, I thought that orange in a breakfast cake would be a good way to start the day.

Ginny Bee Breakfast Cake
by flourtrader

Ingredients/Streusel
1 cup or 2 sticks melted butter
1 tbs plus 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour

Ingredients/Cake
2/3 cup orange yogurt
2/3 cup sour cream
4 tbs orange zest
1 tsp orange extract
2 eggs
3/4 cup or 1 1/2 sticks of butter, room temp
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Ingredients/Drizzle
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbs orange juice

To make streusel, stir together the cinnamon, both sugars and salt.  Then pour in the melted butter and mix until all is blended.  Then blend in the flour until no dry streaks remain and the mixture clumps together.  Set aside.

For the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degress.  Butter the inside of a 9X13 baking dish.  Then line the bottom and along 2 sides with overhang.  Butter the face up side of the parchment.

Beat the butter in a large bowl until creamy.  Add the sugar, beating again until mixture is completely blended.  Add one egg and blend, running mixer for about 30 seconds.  Repeat the process with the other egg.

Put the sour cream, yogurt, orange zest and orange extract into the batter and blend until all is smooth.  Set aside.

In a different bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Then, in increments of 1/3, fold the ingredients into the wet batter.  Mix until no dry streaks remain.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth with spatula so bottom of pan is evenly covered.  Take some streusel into your hand and clump together, then sprinkle on batter.  Continue with the clumping and sprinkling until all the batter is covered.

Place in oven and bake for about 1 hour or when tester comes out clean.  Streusel should be a deep brown and be crisp.  Let cool in pan on rack for 30 minutes.

While cooling, you can prepared the drizzle.  Beat the ingredients together until the texture becomes a smooth glaze.  You can add more of either ingredient until you reach the desired consistency.

After the cake has cooled for 30 minutes, drizzle glaze on top.  Cake is tasty served warm as well as cold.  Use parchment handles to lift out of pan and cut into squares.

Tips and Notes:
1. I like streusel and the recipe here probably yields over 4 cups, so if you are not that big on this topping, you can cut down the recipe.
2. You can add nuts to the streusel if you want.
3. The topping is very crumbly, so it will be hard to get a clean cut..
4. Bake time is for a glass pan, other pans may have some variance in the baking time.
                     **LAST YEAR: Jamaican Coin Cookies**

Elixir Wage Cake

Back in the 15th Century in Britain the labor force was under a truck system. The truck system was a manner in which payment was made for services in the form of commodities.  This in turn meant that those commodities had to be exchanged for the actual true needs of the laborer.  Also, the place of exchange would be a company owned store that controlled the value.

However, when it came to farm workers and cider, the average wage was 4-5 pints a day.  This system soon was became a way to rate a laborer. The more a man could drink, the more valuable he became. So a man that put away 2 gallons a day was considered a great worker.  Then in 1887 came the Truck Act which put a stop to payment in commodities and the drink fest came to a close.

Perhaps payment in the form of hard cider was a bad thing, but I decided that this particular cake would make for a nice company bonus!  This spicy cake takes a whopping 1 1/2 cups of hard cider.  Along with that, you include dark brown sugar and some apple juice.  The rich moist crumb of the cake is delicious enough on its own, but I couldn't just leave it at that.  Hard cider does deserve an apple chaser, so I included a tunnel of apples as well.

Elixir Wage Cake
by flourtrader

Ingredients/apple tunnel
1 cup dried apple pieces, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Ingredients/Cake Batter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups hard cider (open can or bottle and leave sit overnight, covered, to get flat)
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup or 1 1/2 sticks of butter
3 1/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar

To make the filling, fill a saucepan with the apples, water, orange juice and apple juice in a medium size saucepan and place over medium heat and stir.  Let mixture come to a simmer and then cover and let cook for about 10 minutes.  You want the apples to become very soft and a lot of the liquid to be absorbed.  Then add the sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Simmer uncovered, stirring constantly for about 5-8 minutes, the water should now be very thick and syrupy.  Remove and set aside to cool to room temperature.  After it reaches room temperature, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Generously grease the inside of a 10 cup bundt pan.  Then dust with flour.   Sift together baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and flour and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.  Then beat in vanilla extract and salt.  Add one egg and beat for 30 seconds and then do the same with the second egg.  Using a wooden spoon, fold 1/3 of the sifted ingredients into the batter.  Then add 1/2 cup apple juice and 1/2 cup hard cider, stir until blended.  Add 1/2 of the remaining flour mixture and blend with wooden spoon.  Pour the last of the hard cider (1 cup) into the bowl and mix.  Follow with the rest of the sifted ingredients and blend until no dry streaks remain.

Now, to fill the cake pan.  I used 3 cups for the first layer, but you can see how much sinking the apples did.  I would say put 5 or 6 cups of batter into the pan.  Then take out the apple mixture and spoon it around in a circle in the center of the batter, making sure none touches the edges.  Spoon the rest of the cake batter on top and smooth out evenly.

Place pan in oven and bake for about 55 minutes or until tester comes out clean.  Place pan on a rack and let cool for 20 minutes.  Then invert and let completely cool before slicing.

Tips and Notes:
1.  Cake is better the next day because the spice flavor develops more.  I liked mine served slightly warm.
2.  The sinking factor is unpredictable,  but the apples may land dead center even if you place them on top of all the batter before baking-the process does need some experimenting for placement..
3.  Caramel sauce would be a great accompaniment.
                         **LAST YEAR: Triple Quake Bars**
                                 

Pecan Chocolate Squares

Well since it is Friday, I wanted to make something that was tasty but not too difficult.  Something that would be good as an afternoon snack.  I started looking at the recipes for squares and bars.  Most of them I had already seen or tasted before.  That is until I landed on this one.

It was fairly easy to prepare, with a cookie base and a pie top.  Also, the squares do have a special twist of the cinnamon in the base with a thin layer of chocolate, which brings you back to the thought of Mexican chocolate.  The pie topping is made with dark brown sugar and toasted pecans.  Actually, 3 cups of pecans and the pan is only 9 inches square.  No skimping in that respect!

These are great served with coffee as well as tea.  Also, if you find yourself lacking in calcium, a dollop of whipped cream on top would also be good!

Pecan Chocolate Squares
adapted from Fine Cooking Cookies

Ingredients/Cookie Base
2 cups flour
2 oz grated bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup cold butter cut into cubes

Ingredients/Pecan Topping
1/3 cup honey
2 tbs heavy cream
1/2 cup butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
3 cups toasted chopped pecans
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Fill food processor bowl with all the cookie base ingredients except chocolate.  Pulse about 15-20 times until mixture becomes crumbly. Empty food processor bowl into 9 inch square pan.  Press crumbs into pan, forming an even crust over the inside.

Place pan in the oven and bake about 25 minutes.  Crust should be firm and golden when done.  Remove pan and place on rack.  Then evenly sprinkle the grated chocolate all over the top of the crust.  Set aside.

For the pecan topping, fill a saucepan with butter  and place over medium heat, stirring until melted.   Add heavy cream, salt, brown sugar and honey.  Mix together as it cooks, letting it come to a simmer.  Then cook for and additional minute, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and fold  in the pecans.  

Pour pecan mixture over the chocolate coated crust.  Smooth out so layer is even.  Place in oven and bake about 16-18 minutes.  It is done when you open the oven and see all the topping bubbling-not just the edges.  Place pan on rack and let cool completely before cutting and serving.
Enjoy!

Tips and Notes:
The method of sprinkling the grated chocolate is not good enough for even distribution, I took a spatula and smoothed it out after it melted a little.

                           **LAST YEAR: Cajun Chicken Carter** 

Zero Hour Cake

I recently went through a review of my posts and found that I do not have any many easy to prepare desserts.  With the busy lifestyle that some people have, a lot are looking for something less gourmet and quick.  This particular cake is a breeze to put together and includes ingredients that most people have on hand.

I would say this is a good snack cake to have around for when the kids get home from school as well as an after dinner treat during the week.  The cake is very moist and since it includes cinnamon, it does make you think of a coffee cake.  However, the addition of the chocolate chips brings you back to the idea of a snack cake.  I did not frost it, for I felt the flavor of the cake was rich enough.

The picture above is deceiving, most of the chocolate chips sank to the bottom of the cake. However, I did not have any issues when trying to release the cake from the pan.  Since the chips did sink, I think placing them on top of the batter before baking is much better than mixing in the batter.  These were mini chips and were coated with flour before mixing in, so putting them on top of the batter I see as the only remedy if you use them as an ingredient in this cake.

Zero Hour Cake
by flourtrader

Ingredients
4 eggs
1/3 cup mini choc chips
1/2 cup or 1 stick butter
1 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
confectioners sugar (for dusting cake)

Preheat the over to 350 degrees.  Prepare a 9 inch square cake pan by buttering all inside surfaces.  Then line the bottom and two sides of inside of the pan (with extra overhang on the sides) by using parchment paper and butter the face up side.  Then dust the all the insides with flour.

In a medium size bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon and baking powder.  Set aside.

Then cream together butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy.  Add one egg and beat for 20 seconds.  Continue to add the eggs, one by one, and beat until blended.  Using a spatula, fold in the sifted ingredients into the egg batter until no dry streaks remain.

Place the batter into the pan, smoothing the top so all is even.  Then sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the batter (see third paragraph above).  Then place pan in oven and bake for about 23-28 minutes or until tester comes out clean.  Cool cake in pan.  Once cool, you can either lift out of the pan or leave in the pan for cutting and serving.  Lightly sprinkle with confectioners sugar.
                             **LAST YEAR: Blackout Cookies**

Zucchini Slices with Chocolate Glaze

I have seen a lot of carrot cake recently and it did get me to thinking that it had been some time since I posted a cake made with a vegetable. While I was reviewing recipes, I was thinking how most of the time, cakes like this really have a great topping that compliments the flavor of the cake.  However, there are a lot of creations that have a bunch of add ins with the vegetables.  I have seen pineapple, coconut as well as white chocolate chips in carrot cakes.  Nothing wrong with that, but the more add ins, the lesser it becomes an actual carrot cake.

This particular cake is one layer, so in regards to the density, it lands in between a fluffy 2 layer birthday cake and a pound cake. The ground walnuts and grated zucchini in the batter bake up with a surprisingly smoother texture than you would think.  Besides the smooth texture, your taste buds will  experience a pop of cinnamon. Then the final flavor phase is the topping, which is the Viennese trademark, a silky coat of apricot glaze doused with bittersweet chocolate glaze.

The topping is a must. The apricot glaze has just the right amount of acidity to tone down the sweetness of this dessert.  In addition, the undercoat helps add that extra sheen to the ganache glaze on top.

Even though this is a zucchini cake, the topping puts it into a more upscale category than the standard.  I like that it can be made in a 9X9 pan, so it is a good one for small gatherings. Also, since the zucchini is not prominent in the taste, the unsuspecting veggie hater will also enjoy this dessert.  As a blogger, I rarely make anything twice.  However, after tasting this I have decided that it is worthy of a repeat-maybe sooner rather than later!

Zucchini Slices with Chocolate Glaze
adapted from Kaffeehaus by Rick Rodgers

Ingredients/Cake
1 tbs honey
1 tbs golden rum
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs melted butter
bread crumbs (for dusting pan)
pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups finely shredded zucchini (about 2 small zucchini)

Ingredients/Topping
1/2 cup and 2 tbs apricot preserves
1 tbs rum or water
1/3 cup plus 1 tbs heavy cream
3 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.   Brush the interior of an 8X11 or 9x9 inch cake pan with the melted butter.  Then dust with the bread crumbs.  Set aside.

Take a food processor bowl and attach a standard metal blade.  Then fill with walnuts, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Turn processor on and run for about 30 seconds or until the nuts are processed to a fine texture with the flour mixture.  Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar.  Then mix in the rum, honey and vanilla extract until blended.  Then stir in the vegetable oil.  Fold the walnut/flour mixture into the batter until no dry streaks remain.  Lastly, mix in the shredded zucchini.

Pour ingredients into prepared pan and smooth the top so it is even.  Place pan in oven and bake until tester comes out clean.  This should take about 25-30 minutes.  Remove pan and place on a rack to cool for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes invert cake onto rack. Place rack over baking sheet lined with wax paper.  Let cake cool completely before topping.

To make the apricot glaze, place preserves and rum or water in a saucepan.  Put over medium heat and stir continuously.  Let come to a boil and cook for about 2-3 minutes.  The end result is a smooth glaze and there should be drops that cling to the spoon  Remove pan from heat.

Pour mixture into a sieve placed over a heat proof bowl.  Let drain and then push the remainder through the sieve with a spoon.  Then using a pastry brush, brush glaze all over the top and sides of the cake, making sure that edges are covered.  Then let cake sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes for glaze to set up.

For the ganache, place heavy cream in a saucepan and let come to a boil and remove.  Put all chocolate into saucepan with cream and do not stir for 1 minute.  Then whisk the chocolate into the cream until well blended.  Then pour over cake and smooth chocolate over top and sides with an offset spatula, letting excess drip off.  Place in refrigerator for 20 minutes to allow glaze to set.  Once set, you are ready to slice and serve!

Tips:
Do not use jam or jelly for apricot glaze, the sugar ratio is different so preserves are a must.
You can substitute with different preserves, depending on your preference.
For a non alcoholic version for the cake use 1/2 tsp rum extract or water in place of the rum.
Should you want to put any decoration or nuts on top, do that prior to chilling the cake.
You can prepare the cake one day in advance.
Cake should be served chilled.
It is easier to chop the chocolate right before pouring into cream.
I peeled the zucchini before shredding to insure there was no green coming through in the batter.
                      **LAST YEAR:Orange Chicken**

Crunchy Rooftop Cupcakes

This particular recipe is a creation of a craving I had for a certain combo of flavors.  I wanted something that had the rich taste of graham and cinnamon with a pop of tart lemon.

The graham/cinnamon combo was easily found in the biscoff spread and the cookies.  To add the lemon, I poked holes in the cakes and soaked them with a lemon syrup.  Then the topping is made even better when it is dipped in the sugary cinnamon.  Lastly a touch of whipped cream holds half of a Biscoff cookie on top

As you bite into one of these, you will have the crunch of the cinnamon topping, the tartness of the lemon and then the deep graham flavor of the cake. The syrup is an exact mimic of the flavor your get in a lemon drop. Needless to say, this recipe hit the mark in what I wanted in flavor as well as texture.

Also, I had to quickly pack them away so I would have enough for the pot luck.  It seems that I am building a reputation at the monthly event , for upon arrival it is "what did you bring this time?".  There is a lot of curiosity around the creations I bring, mainly due to the fact the attendees are people that stick with making the tried and true classic recipes.  A small country town does not have that much exposure to the big variety that exists beyond the classics.

Crunchy Rooftop Cupcakes (makes 16-18 standard cupcakes)
by flourtrader

Ingredients/Cakes
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup Biscoff spread
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2/3 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup ground Biscoff cookies (do not pack)
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Ingredients/Topping & Syrup
juice from 2 lemons
zest from 1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar (for syrup)
1 tbs cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
whipped cream
8-9 cookies broken in half

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the top edge of muffin cavities and line with cupcake papers

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.  Then stir in the ground Biscoff cookies. Set aside.

 In a mixing bowl, cream together sugar, butter and Biscoff spread. Then beat in one egg and vanilla extract for 30 seconds.  Add the additional egg and beat for another 30 seconds.  Take a wooden spoon and fold in 1/3 of the sifted ingredients.  Take 1/3 cup of the sour cream and fold into batter.  Continue with the process of adding and mixing, ending with the last 1/3 of the sifted ingredients.

Using an ice cream scoop or a spoon, fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter.  Place in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until tester indicates cupcakes are done.

While the cupcakes are baking, make the simple syrup.  Place the lemon, lemon zest and 1/2 of sugar in a sauce pan and place over medium high heat.  Let the mixture come to a boil.  Turn down heat and stir until mixture turns to a syrup type consistency.  Remove from heat.

Remove cupcakes from the oven and let rest for 2 minutes then transfer to a rack.  Let cool for about 5 minutes.  Using a wooden skewer, poke holes in the top of the cupcake about 1 1/2 inches in depth.  Then take a pastry brush and brush syrup on cupcakes.  Brush twice and then let set for another 5 minutes.  During this time the syrup will get thicker.  Then brush the tops again. All cupcake tops should be coated.

In a small bowl mix together the cinnamon and 1/2 cup of sugar.  Take each cupcake and dip the top in the mixture, making sure it is well coated.  Place cupcake back on cooling rack.  Continue until all cupcakes are topped with cinnamon.

Then take 1/2 cup of whipped cream and pipe or drop a dollop on the center of each cupcake.  Stick 1/2 a cookie upright into the whipped cream.

Tips:
Cupcakes do need a day for flavors to meld, so do the whipped cream and cookie the following day prior to serving.
Keep a careful eye on the syrup while cooking as well as cooling, the consistency can become too thick very quickly.
The baking powder and baking soda do react quickly, so it is wise to only prepare what you can bake at one time.
I was not pleased at the taste of these warm from the oven, so reserve your taste testing for the next day when all the flavors have melded.

Enjoy!                    

Amber Tweed Bundt Cake

Have you ever had a hobby that you started and then went all out and then straight to the point of burn out?  Well I certainly did when I go my sewing machine years ago.  I did save a lot of money, making my own clothes, but my machine is retired now. I probably made at least 50 sets of clothes, if not more.

One thing I do still have a love for is all the wonderful fabrics out there.  One of them, of course, is tweed.  I made a lot of lined business suits for work and I had a thing for the heavier fabrics.  However my tastes are not perfectly suited for the climate since I live in Texas.

I do remember finding my favorite fabric mecca in Dallas.  I walked in and there were bolts stacked to the ceiling of a vast array of fabrics. Woolens, silks, cottons-you name it, they had it.  I used to spend hours in there just trying to decide!  Then I found another specialty place that had unusual and really stylish buttons, so I frequented there often too.

That was many years ago and now that I am blogging, I am waiting to find the same in a kitchen shop.  Until then, I will make due ordering from here and there and shopping at various places.

This particular bundt cake is speckled with chopped cinnamon chips and has no sugar in it.  It is sweetened with honey. The cake is moist with a tender crumb and goes well with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning.  For a dessert, it can be served with cinnamon whipped cream and your favorite berries.

Amber Tweed Bundt Cake
by flourtrader

Ingredients
1 2/3 cups honey
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup plus 4 tbs butter
1 tbs baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
3 egg yolks
1 egg
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1 cup chopped cinnamon chips
3 cups of flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Melt 2 tbs of butter and brush the inside of a 10 cup bundt pan.  Then dust with flour.

In a medium size bowl, sift together the baking powder, salt, cinnamon and flour.  Set aside.  In another bowl, beat 1/2 cup and 2 tbs of butter until smooth and creamy.  Add the honey and beat for 2 minutes.  Add one egg yolk and beat for 30 seconds until blended.  Follow the same process for each egg yolk and the egg, beating after each addition.

Then fold 1/3 of the sifted ingredients into the batter.  Add 1/2 a cup of milk and stir until blended.  Fold in another 1/3 of the sifted ingredients and then stir in 3/4 cup milk.  Take the chopped cinnamon chips and stir it into the last 1/3 of the sifted ingredients.  Fold that into the batter.

Pour or spoon the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 55-65 or until tester comes out clean.  Cake is done when top springs back when lightly touched.  Let cool in cake pan for 20 minutes and then invert onto rack to finish cooling.

                    **LAST YEAR: Thin Mint Cupcakes**

I am off to the doctor today to take care of this nasty sinus infection, so I will try to catch up with all of you later this afternoon!

Bleeding Heart Cakes

Well it has been some time since I used my spike pan, so I decided to pull it out for another go round.  This particular recipe has a little bit more work to it than just regular cupcakes, but I think it is well worth it.

The batter comes together with a mix of blood orange juice and zest, ground pecans, cinnamon and orange liqueur.  The inside heart is a blood orange segment that is coated in a mix of cinnamon sugar and pecans.  On top is a dusting of confectioners sugar and piped lattice icing with the flavor of blood oranges and cinnamon.

I really do like the distinctive taste of blood oranges. These little cakes definitely give you a pop of that great flavor with the orange segment cooked inside. This recipe makes a little over 1 1/2 dozen.

Bleeding Heart Cakes
by flourtrader

Ingredients/Filling
13 blood orange segments, pith and membrane removed
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup ground pecans (I used a blender to grind mine)
1/4 cup sugar

To prepare your filling, line a baking sheet with waxed paper.  In a shallow bowl, mix together cinnamon, pecans and sugar.  Cut each segment in half, cutting the width.  Then roll each piece in the cinnamon mixture and place on the baking sheet.  Place in fridge while the rest is prepared.

Ingredients/ Cake batter
1/2 cup orange liqueur ( I used Grand Marnier)
1/2 cup blood orange juice
2 tbs blood orange zest
1/2 cup ground pecans
3/4 cup butter, room temp
3 eggs, whites and yolks separated
2 cups sugar
4 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare spike pans by greasing top edges of cavities and putting in cupcake liners, letting the spike poke through the center.

 In a medium size bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir in the ground nuts.  Set aside.  In another bowl, cream together the sugar, orange zest and butter.  Then beat in the egg yolks one by one.

In a small bowl stir together the orange liqueur and the orange juice.

Then fold in 1/3 of the sifted ingredients into the sugar mixture.  Mix in 1/2 of the orange liqueur and juice mixture.  Continue with the same mixing process, ending with the last third of the sifted ingredients.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Then fold the whites into the batter.  Using a scoop, fill each of the cupcake cavities with a heaping tablespoon of batter.  Then take the orange segments from the fridge and slide a piece onto the spike so it just touches the top of the batter.  Segment should be on its side rather than upright.  After all the segments are spiked, place another scoop of batter on top.  Cavity should be about 3/4 full.

Place pan in oven and bake for 12-18 minutes or until tester (poked outside of the orange segment in the center) comes out clean.  Mine took exactly 15 minutes.  Remove pan and let cool for 1 minute and then transfer to rack to finish cooling.

Ingredients/Lattice Icing
2-3 tbs blood orange juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbs grated zest
1 cup powdered sugar (more for dusting)
3-4 drops of red food coloring
Stir together cinnamon and zest in a small bowl.  Sift in the confectioners sugar, then add 1 tbs orange juice and stir.  Add red food coloring and more orange juice until it reaches the desired consistency and color.  I used a squirt bottle to make the lattice, so my icing was not as thick as you would need if you piped it.

Once cupcakes are cool, dust with powdered sugar and frost, making a design on top of the cupcake with the icing.

             LAST YEAR: Boardwalk Cinnamon Rolls

Celebrity Factor Cookies

There are actually two main factors that celebrities have to deal with when it comes to the public.  One is all the people that adore or love them.  The other is the people that want to be them.  These cookies are about those two factors.  They have cranberries for the love and pistachios for the green with envy!

Yes, today I have taken a trip away from chocolate to bring you something a little bit different.  As I explained before, I am not a big fan of raisins, but if it is to be dried fruit give me cranberries, pineapple or dates!  Cranberries was also chosen since we are on the eve of Valentine's.

Outside of the two factors, this cakey cookie offers hints of cinnamon and orange. The end result is one tasty cookie.  Delicious with a healthy slant.  I said no to thoughts of drizzling with white chocolate.  So here you have it, healthy bits in this cookie and no chocolate.  This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Celebrity Factor Cookies
by flourtrader

Ingredients
1/3 cup plus 2 tbs orange juice
1 cup (2 sticks) butter at room temp
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp grated orange peel
3/4 cup chopped unsalted pistachios
2 cups dried sweetened cranberries
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda

Prepare cranberries by soaking in orange juice for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Also, butter 3 cookie sheets.

Sift together salt, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and baking powder in a medium size bowl.  Set aside. In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.  Add egg, orange zest and vanilla extract to the butter sugar mixture.  Beat for about 2 minutes until all is blended and evenly distributed.

Fold in the sifted ingredients with a wooden spoon.  Once there are no dry streaks remaining, stir in the cranberries as well as the orange juice that they soaked in.  Lastly, add the pistachios and mix until evenly distributed.

Then cover and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.  My butter was real soft, so I let the cookie batter cool for about 30 minutes to firm up.  While the batter is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Remove batter from fridge.  Using a spoon or cookie scoop, drop batter by rounded teaspoon onto cookie sheet.  Cookies should be spaced about 1 1/2 inches apart.  Place cookies in oven and bake until outside edges have turned golden, about 10-15 minutes.  Mine took about 12 minutes.  Remove cookie sheet and let cookies cool on sheet about 5 minutes.  Then transfer to rack to finish cooling.

Nokota Sweet Bread

As I was cutting into this sweet bread, I was looking at all the specks of color running through it.  My mind wandered to the lovely speckled horses that the Native Indians used to ride.  Today you may see many paint horses and appaloosas, but nothing like the beautiful speckled Nokota horses.

After searching the net, I found an organization that is devoted to keeping this beautiful and rare breed of horse alive.  It is called the Nokota Horse Conservatory. It is nice to see that there is something out there that supports this magnificent breed that used to roam the Northern Plains.

Now onto this bread recipe!  The bread has a batter that reminds me of a chocolate chip cookie muffin.  However, even though it has chocolate chips and nuts, the inclusion of the shredded apple and cinnamon and nutmeg does make for a very unique taste.  I hardly ever see apples with chocolate in baked goods, but we do see chocolate dipped apples around the Halloween season, so I wanted to try it.  I am glad I did.

The slices turned out moist and tasty.  It makes for a great afternoon snack.  However, if you want to indulge a little bit more, serve with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream on top.

Nokota Sweet Bread
by flourtrader

Ingredients
1/2 cup of chocolate chips
1/2 cup of chopped toasted pecans
1 large Granny Smith apple**
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

** 1/16/12-due to one reader's issue with the amount of moisture in this recipe, I will now say that the green Granny Smith apple is the required ingredient.  Other types of apples have a higher moisture content.  I only bake with Granny Smith, so I did not know what the result would have been with another apple, but now I do.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease one 9X5 inch loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper and grease face up side.

Beat egg and egg yolk together until fluffy.  Then beat in the sugar and set aside.

In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt,  nutmeg and cinnamon.  Then peel the apple and grate in a food processor with a fitted blade.  Your grated apple should yield about one cup.

Stir the apple into the sugar/egg batter.  Then add the vegetable oil, pecans, vanilla and chocolate chips.  Once that is all blended fold in the sifted ingredients until no dry streaks remain.  Pour into prepared loaf pan.

Bake until tester comes out clean.  Mine took about 35 minutes and I used a dark pan, a lighter or glass pan will take a little longer.

Remove pan from oven and let bread cool for about 5 minutes.  Then invert onto rack and turn face up to let cool completely.  Due to its moist texture, the bread should be covered and refrigerated about one hour before slicing.

Cinnamon Topped Immortality Bars

The name of these particular bars are based on Chinese mythology that the consumption of peaches will give you longevity.  The legendary effects were depicted in a novel called "The Journey to the West" in which the protector of the peaches learned that a single peach would add 1000 years to your life.  1000 years is a long time...makes you wonder what a thousand year old person would even look like.  The youthful thing would have be included with the 1000 years to make it even worth while to me!

These particular bars are a cakey bar.  The base is made of a blend of peaches and peach schnapps.  Toasted pecans were included to add texture as well as another level of taste.  It is all topped off with cinnamon powdered sugar.  The peach flavor is more evident if eaten the second day.

Cinnamon Topped Immortality Bars
by flourtrader

Ingredients
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup fresh or frozen peaches (thawed)
1/4 cup peach schnapps
1 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the inside of a 10 inch springform pan.

Sift together flour, salt and baking powder.  Set aside.  In a food processor, add peaches and peach schnapps and puree together.

In a separate bowl, cream together shortening and brown sugar.  Stir in peach puree mix and vanilla extract, beating until all is blended well.  Then fold in sifted ingredients until no dry streaks remain.  Then fold in nuts.

Spoon batter into springform pan.  Using a spatula, smooth the batter evenly on top.  Then place pan in oven.  My pan was dark so baking time was 20 minutes, if you use a clear or light pan the baking time may be more.  Bars are done when tester comes out clean.

While bars are baking, put powdered sugar and cinnamon in a zip lock bag and seal.  Shake well to mix.  Set aside.

Once the bars are done, remove the pan and let cool about 10 minutes.  Then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture over the top and remove ring.  Let bars cool completely and then cut to serve.

Just a note to say that I will be away tomorrow taking care of some business that I have been putting off for some time now.  I should be back sometime on Wednesday to post, hopefully before noon.  I will be positive and say things should be back to normal by Thursday.

Citrus Sri Lanka Cookies

  The above cookie is made with simmered spices and orange extract. Since Sri Lanka is the major source for cinnamon, I have named the cookies accordingly.

In preparing these, I tried different sources for flavoring. Dried orange zest, orange juice, Grand Marnier as well as orange extract.  However, nothing held the orange flavor as well as the extract.  The only other thing I have considered is orange oil, which may give it a fresher flavor.

The cookies have a cinnamon/clove spice taste with a tart orange flavor.  The spices are picked up in the simmering process along with the coating after they are baked.  This cookie would be perfect for an afternoon tea.  This recipe makes about 2 1/2 to 3 dozen cookies.

Citrus Sri Lanka Cookies

Ingredients/ Cookies
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp whole cloves
2 sticks cinnamon
1 1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter flavored shortening
1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 tsp orange extract

Ingredients/Topping
2 tbs ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
4 tbs sugar

Sift together flour, salt and baking powder.  Set aside.  Fill a small saucepan with water, whole cloves and cinnamon sticks.  Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.

In a medium size bowl, cream together sugar, butter and shortening.  Then add orange extract and beat for 1 minute at medium speed. Add 1/4 cup of the spice water and beat for an additional minute. Discard the remaining boiled cloves and cinnamon sticks, but keep the spice water in reserve.

Using a wooden spoon, fold the sifted ingredients into the batter, forming a dough that holds together.  If it is too dry, add a teaspoon of the boiled spice water and mix until it reaches the correct consistency.  I had to add two teaspoons to mine.  After that, you can discard the remaining spice water.

Shape the dough into a ball inside the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge 20-30 minutes or until dough can hold its shape and be easily formed.

While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Also, mix the topping ingredients together in a small bowl.

Once the chilling time is complete, take dough out of fridge and shape into several 1 inch round balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet about 1 inch apart.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the bottom edges start to brown.

Remove pan from oven and take each cookie and roll gently in the cinnamon sugar mixture and place on rack to finish cooling.
                                 **LAST YEAR: Banh Mi Sandwiches**
Please note that this is the last of my vacation and I will be back blogging as normal tomorrow afternoon and the comment option will be available on new posts after today.  While vacationing with the family is enjoyable, I know I will probably be missing all my foodie friends by now and be anxious to get back into the swing of blogging.             

Peach Bread Pudding with Amaretto Sauce

I have never made bread pudding before nor eaten it, so I was not sure what to expect.  I was wondering if it would be like french toast or something a little different.  After making this recipe and tasting it, I was pleasantly surprised.

While baking, the bread transformed to a custard.  You could not even tell that there was any bread in the dish at all.  It has a creamy almond custard taste for the bottom component and is topped with peaches, cinnamon, almonds and brown sugar.  The picture above does not show the dish with the sauce, but to me it was a vital component to making this dish complete in taste.

In the picture the peaches look to be on top of the custard.  I did skip the step of pressing down the slices into the pan, so that task may help to envelope the peach in the bread pudding instead of having it only on top.  Either way, I am sure the dish is just as delicious as the other.

Peach Bread Pudding with Amaretto Sauce
adapted from Recipes from American Inns and Bed & Breakfasts

Ingredients/Bread Pudding
1/4 cup and 2 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
15 oz can sliced peaches in heavy syrup, drained
3 1/2 cups cubed bread (1/2 inch square), crusts removed
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
4 1/2 tsp ground almonds

Grease an 8 inch square baking pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together milk, eggs, sugar and almond extract.  Place cubed bread evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan.  Pour in egg mixture, making sure all bread is covered.  Then place peach slices on top, distributing evenly and pressing down with a spoon.

In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon and brown sugar.  Then sprinkle on top of the bread pudding.  Lastly sprinkle with the ground almonds.

Place pan in oven and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, which is about 45-55 minutes.  While this is baking, you can prepare your sauce.

Ingredients/Amaretto Sauce (makes 1 cup)
1/4 cup half and half
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp flour
1/4 cup or 1/2 a stick of butter
2 tsp Amaretto

In a small saucepan, stir together flour and sugar.  Add butter and half&half.  Then place over medium high heat and stir until butter is melted.  Once the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat and stir in Amaretto.

Place a serving of warm bread pudding in a bowl.  Then ladle with some of the sauce and serve.
                                   **LAST YEAR: Shortbread Squares**
Please note that this post is not open to comments since I am on vacation due to the Thanksgiving holiday and am unable to reciprocate or answer any questions.

Snappy Rhizome Cake

A rhizome is defined as a horizontal, usually underground stem that often sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Also called a root stalk.  One type of rhizome is ginger which is the main flavoring for this cake.

Ginger does have a very distinct flavor and I feel it is one of the stronger spices in my spice rack.  I was reading an inquiry about the taste of ginger. This spice would be one you have to taste for yourself, there is no proper description since it is so unique.  The replies on the inquiry were not so great-someone said that it tasted like soap and there was one weird reply saying it tasted like shame and self loathing.  Well Queen Elizabeth would not have been happy with that comment-history has it that she invented the "gingerbread man" cookies for gifts!

Anyhow, besides ginger, I have managed to squeeze in cinnamon chips, molasses and a few other spices.  The top is laden with orange segments and brown sugar.  This cake is moist and has a deep rich spicy flavor that does linger after eaten. I used regular molasses, but for those fans of the strong stuff, you are welcome to use "blackstrap" style.  Cream or ice cream on the side is a great pairing against the strong spices. 

Snappy Rhizome Cake
by flourtrader

Ingredients/Topping
2 oranges (separated into segments, seeds and membrane removed)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter melted

Ingredients/Cake
3/4 cup of buttermilk
3/4 cup molasses 
6 tbs maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda 
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups plus 1 tbs flour
3/4 cup cinnamon chips


Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Pour the melted butter into a 10 inch cake or springform pan.  Sprinkle the inside of the pan with brown sugar.  Then lay the orange segments in a circular pattern (see picture above) on top of the brown sugar.  Set aside.

Sift together 2 cups of the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and ginger.  Set this aside also.

Using an electric mixer, beat together molasses, egg, extract, butter and maple syrup until well blended.  This should take about 2 minutes.  Fold in half of the flour mixture.  Then mix in the buttermilk and fold in the remaining flour mixture until no dry streaks remain.

In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour with the cinnamon chips.  Then fold into the batter. Spoon out the batter into the pan, smoothing it evenly over the orange segments.

Place in oven and bake until tester comes out clean, approximately 40 minutes.  Remove pan and let cool for 5 minutes.  Then run a knife around the edge and invert onto a platter.

Cake tastes best served the next day slightly warmed up with a dollup of whipped cream or ice cream on the side.
                          **LAST YEAR: Teriyaki Pork Sliders**