Category Archives: DESSERT RECIPES

NO BAKE FRUIT AND NUT GRANOLA SQUARES

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For those of us trying to be good (that is staying away from cookies, candy, and the like), we still deserve a treat occasionally. And for those of us getting older and faced with the possible onset of diseases (like diabetes) that often hit as we hobble into our golden years, we have to be particularly careful what we put in our mouths.

So, I decided to look for a treat recipe for myself that packed a wallop. Wallop in this case defined as having “a big flavor bang, in a small package, that’s reasonably healthy”. (Not an easy task.) So, when I discovered a recipe for a 5-ingredient granola bar on the minimalistbaker.com site, I decided this treat would work for me with a few minor ingredient adjustments. And the recipe you find below is the result. Plus, I cut the pieces much smaller than the original recipe suggests. Actually, about a third the size. But as it turned out, one piece is absolutely enough. Because these babies are rich.

But OMG, they are delicious. Perfect for those times when nothing but a bit of sweet will do! But I try not to eat one a day. They aren’t vitamins after all!  Even if they do contain healthy ingredients. According to healthline.com “Dates boast an impressive nutrient profile but are quite sweet. Yet, they’re packed with fiber, which helps your body absorb its sugars more slowly. When eaten in moderation, they’re a safe and healthy choice for people with diabetes.”

And maple syrup, which again should be eaten in moderation, according to food.ndtv.com states “the glycemic index of maple syrup is around 54. Foods with glycemic index lower than 55 get digested slowly, enabling slow release of sugar in the blood stream, prevented chances of abnormal blood sugar spikes.”

And then there’s the peanut butter. (Oh, how I love peanut butter!) According to the nationalpeanutboard.org “Individuals with diabetes need foods that can help manage blood sugar and weight. Peanuts and peanut butter can be a powerful ally to reaching success. Peanuts and peanut butter have a low glycemic index, which means they don’t cause blood sugar to rise sharply.”

And to top things off, these squares also contain almonds and rolled oats. But everyone knows the health benefits of these two incredible ingredients, so I will skip describing their many glorious assets.

Final analysis – these granola squares are easy to prepare, contain healthy ingredients, and taste really, really good. Oh, and they’re crunchy. And who doesn’t love crunchy!

No more to say except – stay healthy, stay kind, stay involved, and stay safe. Oh, and stay informed. It’s natural to want to protect ourselves from all things unpleasant. But it’s not wise to forgo information that is not to one’s liking. Especially on current events. But we should always choose wisely how and where we gather information. And to my thinking, reliable sources don’t just state their own feelings on a subject. They try to give only the facts and allow the reader or listener to use their own critical thinking abilities. For me, this is the foremost criteria for good reporting. I don’t appreciate being talked down to. Or being told what to believe. But when someone is an expert, or reporting on what was said by an expert, it allows me to come to my own conclusion. For this type of reporting, I am most appreciative. And the only kind that truly holds my interest. Or for which any attention is received by me at all! 

Peace and love to all.

1 c. (packed) roughly chopped dates (I use Medjool dates)

2-3 tsp. water

1 c. toasted* slivered almonds

1½ c. toasted* rolled oats

½ c. finely chopped dried apricots (or dried fruit of choice)

¼ c. real maple syrup  

¼ c. creamy salted peanut butter (not natural)

½ tsp. vanilla  

Process dates and water in a food processor until only small bits remain (about 1 minute). Transfer to a mixing bowl. Stir in the toasted almonds, toasted oats, and dried fruit until well blended.  

Warm the maple syrup and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour over the oat mixture and mix well.  Scoop mixture into an 8×8-inch baking dish or other small pan lined with parchment paper. (Be sure to use enough parchment paper that you can lift the bars out of the pan.)  

Press down firmly with your fingers until the mixture is uniformly flattened. This helps the squares stick together better.

Cover with plastic wrap and let firm up in fridge for 45 minutes or more.

Remove cold contents from the pan and cut into desired size squares.  

Store in an airtight container in your fridge.

*To toast almonds and oats, place on a rimmed baking sheet and place in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

  

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIES    

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Well, if I’m lucky, I learn something new that ups my baking game every month or so. It doesn’t always happen that often. Mores the pity. But every once in a while, a new baking revelation smacks me in the face. And not only do I feel blessed by my new bit of knowledge, more often than not, I also feel frustrated. Because it’s usually a very simple tip that I should have been made aware of years ago. Either I simply don’t pay close enough attention when I peruse recipes or cookbooks, or I think I know it all, and have all the answers. And I truly don’t want to be that much of a doofus!

But up to now, I thought I had it about covered when it came to baking cookies. Wrong! Because I just learned there is a simple technique for producing a better cookie. But now that I am blessed with this knowledge, I am ever so excited to pass it on to you. So, pay attention. (This is one of those do as I say, not as I do moments!) (And if you already were aware of this trick, I don’t want to know about it! I feel stupid enough thank you very much!)

Anyway, the 2 secret ingredients required for making a better cookie are cold and time. Yup, a bit of quality time in your refrigerator can turn a good cookie into a fabulous cookie. (Read all about why that is at the bottom of this post.) So, the only thing left to say is that you should bake a batch of these cookies at your earliest convenience.

I came up with the idea of adding peanut butter to an oatmeal cookie a few days ago when Mr. C. was planning a band rehearsal to be held at our home. I always try to come up with some kind of sweet to keep the musician’s energy level in the red zone. So, I went on-line and found this recipe for the cookie I envisioned, on the bakingmischief.com site. I messed with Tracy’s recipe a tiny bit, but that’s what I almost always do. That’s why I get the big bucks! Yah, that’s it!

Anyway, you really do need to make these cookies. They are really, really delicious. And ever so easy to prepare.

As always, have fun in your kitchen. Keep learning, and never, ever think you know it all. That can only lead to a great big old fall on your face. And no one deserves that!

Peace and love to all.

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 c. creamy peanut butter (not natural peanut butter)

1 c. brown sugar, packed

¾ c. granulated sugar

2 lg. eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

2 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. fine sea salt

1½ c. old fashioned, rolled oats

2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (12-oz. package)

Line a large baking sheet with waxed paper. (The baking sheet will be going into you’re your refrigerator, so make sure it’s not too large. If so, use a second sheet.) Also, line a couple of large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, beat butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until completely mixed.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium sized bowl. Stir in the oats. Add to the butter mixture and beat just until well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips.   

Using a #40 (1½-inch diameter) ice cream scoop, plop balls of dough right next to each other on the smaller baking sheet(s) lined with waxed paper. If you don’t have an ice cream scoop, roll the dough into balls roughly the size of a golf ball. Place the pan(s) in your refrigerator and walk away for at least 2 hours or longer*.

After two hours, transfer the cold dough balls onto the prepared baking pan(s) at least 3-inches apart. (They will spread as they bake.)     

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 12 to 13 minutes, or just until cookies are browned around the edges and the tops look mostly set. (They will still feel squishy if you tough them. That’s what you want.) Do not overbake! (They will finish baking on the baking sheets as they cool.) Allow cookies to cool on the baking pans for at least 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

*Why you need to chill your cookie dough

According to Camille Berry on the Taste of Home cooking site “For starters, chilling prevents cookies from spreading out too quickly once they’re in the oven. If you use a higher fat butter (like Kerrygold) chilling your dough is absolutely essential. Popping your dough in the fridge allows the fats to cool. As a result, the cookies will expand more slowly, holding onto their texture. If you skip the chilling step, you’re more likely to wind up with flat, sad disks instead of lovely, chewy cookies.

Cookies made from chilled dough are also much more flavorful. This is thanks to a few different factors. The dough becomes hydrated as the dry ingredients soak up moisture from the wet ingredients. This subtle hydration makes the dough less wet, concentrating the flavors. The result is cookies with a nice even bake and lovely golden-brown color. 

While this hydration is taking place, the flour also breaks down into sugar, making the dough taste sweeter. After as little as half an hour, your dough transforms into a bowl of goodness with an additional kiss of sweetness. Is it worth the wait? You bet.

According to an in-depth video by TikTok user @bromabakery, how long and whether you chill your cookie dough can have a significant effect on your final product. As she says, not chilling the cookie and baking at 350-degrees can result in a more-crackly cookie, since the dough hasn’t had enough time to absorb the flour. Chilling it for half an hour, however, gives you thicker, chewier dough. Chilling for 2 hours, however, resulted in the best cookie—giving it a deep flavor, crispy edge, and the optimal amount of spread.”

My thoughts. In some of the better cookie recipes I have tried, I always wondered why the instructions usually called for some time for the dough to chill. But there was never a reason given. (Either that, or I failed to read that part.) And the recipes asked the reader to chill the dough before forming it into balls or whatever the shape was meant to be. But with my arthritic old hands, I find it much easier to shape the dough and then do the chilling. If, of course, you aren’t making 400 gingerbread men, for example. If that’s what you are making, chill the dough in one big ball. And God’s speed!   

MOCHA CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CARAMEL CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

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So, what kind of a cake do you build for someone’s birthday who loves both chocolate and caramel? Well, this conundrum took me all of 60 seconds to resolve. You build a chocolate cake, and slather it with caramel frosting. Done deal!

The chocolate cake part was easy, except I needed to bake a smaller cake than I usually produce. So, I halved my trusty, well tested recipe (Mocha Chocolate Cake), which BTW produces one of the tastiest and moist cakes you could ever hope to eat. That done, I needed to figure out how to build a rich caramel frosting worthy of being paired with this delicious chocolate cake. But still have a presence of its own. So, the first ingredient had to be cream cheese, and the second ingredient had to be butter. No brainer! Then of course a bit of vanilla, a pinch of salt, caramel sauce, and powdered sugar. And there you go – caramel frosting.

Now I was lucky. Mr. C. always has Dilettante Caramel Sauce and Dilettante Semisweet Chocolate Sauce on hand for doctoring his coffee. So, I asked permission to use a bit for the frosting and to decorate the cake and he was all over that. (The man has many more than just one sweet tooth!) So, I didn’t have to make my own caramel sauce. (I usually make Bourbon Caramel Sauce anyway, so that might not have been the best choice for this frosting.)

Anyway, the result was just fine. Nice tender cake with a lovely soft caramel frosting. And it had been quite easy to prepare. And not too much left over for us 4 older people to handle.

So, next time you want to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or even that you made it through another week, this would be a good choice for a celebratory offering.

So, again, happy birthday Mark, and here’s to many more birthday cakes for the 4 of us to enjoy together.

Peace and love to all.

For the cake:

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1½ c. packed brown sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

1½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

6 T. good cocoa powder

1½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. instant espresso powder (I use Medaglia D’Oro Italian Roast Espresso Style Ground Coffee)

¾ c. water

½ c. + 3 T. sour cream

chocolate sauce, for drizzle, opt.

Cream the butter and brown sugar together until very soft. (This takes at least 5 minutes.) Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder together. Add to butter mixture alternately with water and sour cream, beating well after each addition. Pour into 2 9-inch parchment paper and greased round cake pans.

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 25-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. (Don’t over-bake!) Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely before frosting. (I plopped one of the cakes directly on to my cake plate. The other got plopped on the cooling rack parchment paper side down.)

Cool completely before frosting. (I used half of the frosting to glue the 2 layers together. Then the rest was spread on top. To make things pretty, I drizzled a bit of caramel sauce and chocolate sauce on top. I didn’t frost the sides because I wanted to see the dark chocolate color of the cake in contrast to the light tan colored frosting.)    

For the frosting:

8 oz. (1 pkg.) cream cheese, room temperature

4 T. (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

pinch kosher salt

generous ¼ c. caramel sauce, plus more for drizzle  

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1½ c. powdered sugar, or more as needed

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add the salt, caramel sauce, and vanilla. Beat until well blended.

YELLOW CAKE WITH FRESH HUCKLEBERRY FILLING AND CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

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When Mr. C. arrived home recently after a day long jaunt up on Mt. Baker, he arrived not only with a smile on his face, but also with a small container of blue huckleberries. Now if you have never been hiking and picked wild huckleberries as you plodded along, then you have missed out on one of life’s most pleasant experiences. Because there is just nothin’ finer than hiking along nibbling on nature’s bounty. (Except of course if nature’s bounty comes to you!) (And nothing better to turn your fingers blue either, I might add!) So, with my gift of fresh huckleberries in hand, I set about thinking of ways to use the berries to full advantage.       

Unfortunately, there weren’t enough berries to build a pie. But being the cake lover that I am, I immediately thought about using the berries in a filling. But not a large cake, because it’s just the two of us. (Even though we did end up sharing some of the cake with our neighbors Mark and Vicki.)

So, the result of my plotting and planning is the recipe you find below. And thankfully, the lovely huckleberries with their “blueberries on steroids/sweet and tart at the same time” flavor came through very well in the filling. And the cake part itself was delicious and very simple to make. All in all, a very delectable dessert.

So, I hope you give this recipe a try. You and your family are sure to like it. And if you have never eaten a huckleberry, get yourself up into the mountains. Huckleberries grow best as an under crop in subalpine forests. They are generally found on moist, moderately deep, well-drained soils. But watch out for bears. They love huckleberries too.    

As always, have fun dreaming up new and delicious ways to provide great food for not only yourself, but for your entire family. Even if you live alone, you need to treat yourself to special dishes or “fancy food” occasionally too. One easy way to make sure this happens, is to invite a friend or friends over for dinner. Then do it up with style. Fix your favorite dishes, set a beautiful table, offer dessert, and don’t forget a few nibbles set out when your guest or guests first arrive. Sets the tone for the whole evening. And then, you will probably have wonderful leftovers. Yippee-skippy! And you will have had the pleasure of treating your friends to a wonderful evening. And nothing feels better than that!

Peace and love to all.

Huckleberry Filling: (plus flavoring for frosting)

 1 c. huckleberries, whole

3 T. granulated sugar

3 T. water, divided

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice (cuts the sweetness & brings out the berry flavor)

2 tsp. cornstarch

Combine the berries, sugar, 2 tablespoons of the water, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Simmer until the berries start to burst. Mash the berries a bit, then add the remaining tablespoon of water mixed with the cornstarch. Simmer until thick and glossy. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before using as filling for cake and flavoring for frosting.

Cake:

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.

1 c. granulated sugar

2 med. eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. fine sea salt 

½ c. sour cream

Preheat the oven to 325-degrees. Grease, flour, and line 2 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Set aside. 

Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating with sour cream, beating batter briefly after each addition. Don’t over-mix. Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared pans.

Bake for 23-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Check after 23 minutes to be sure.) Don’t over-bake.

Remove from oven, turn one of the layers onto a cake plate. The other onto a wire rack. Slowly remove the parchment paper and allow to cool completely before assembling the cake.

Huckleberry Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 oz. (½ lg. pkg.) cream cheese, softened

¼ c. (½ stick unsalted butter, softened

¼ tsp. vanilla extract

pinch kosher salt

1 T. of the huckleberry filling

2 c. powdered sugar, or more to achieve desired thickness 

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth and no lumps remain, about 3 full minutes. Add the vanilla, salt, and tablespoon of the huckleberry filling.

Reduce the mixer speed to low, then add the powdered sugar. Once the sugar begins to incorporate, increase the mixer to high speed and beat until soft and creamy. Add additional powdered sugar as needed. Frost the cake as soon as it’s completely cooled.

To Assemble the Cake:

If you haven’t already prepared the frosting using a tablespoon of the filling, reserve 1 tablespoon of the filling to flavor the frosting at this time. Spread all the rest over the layer that is on the cake plate. Then carefully place the top cake layer over the filling. Spread the frosting over the entire cake.

 

MOIST AND TENDER LEMON SHEET CAKE WITH LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

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OK, confession time. You see that picture above, that was my attempt at making a lemon Bundt cake with a lemon drizzle. And as experienced as I am at baking Bundt cakes, this one came apart on me.

My first thought was that the cake must have fallen in love with the Bundt pan while they were in the warm, intimate environment of my oven. Because a good 1/8th of the cake was still clinging to the bottom of the pan as the rest of the cake lay topless on my cake dish. And even then, as I went after the recalcitrant bits, I almost destroyed the pan in the process! But I got even. I drowned the remaining bits and sent them down to visit Gritsner (the name I have given to our garbage disposal), and by now they are drowning in (never mind)!

My more reasonable second thought about why my cake refused to cooperate was because I floured the pan with 7 or 8-year-old Wondra flour. I have subsequently learned that instead of using flour of any kind, I should have used finely ground nuts or granulated sugar. (You learn something new every day.) But I’m not taking any chances the next time I build this cake. (And believe me, there will be a lot more times I build this cake.) The batter is going into a 9×13-inch glass pan that I know I can use a heavy spatula if necessary to release pieces from their rectangular enclosure!

So, back to yesterday’s fiasco. You know what they always say about lemons: If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Well, my version now goes like this: If a lemon glaze won’t cover up your Bundt cake disaster, make a thick creamy frosting instead. So, of course, that’s exactly what I did.

But even with all the trials and tribulations, the cake turned out to be very delicious. And with a perfect moist and tender crumb. And oh, so easy to prepare. And the frosting, well, I’d give myself 6 stars for this one.

As always, just when I started feeling a bit over pleased with myself, the God’s decided I needed a lesson in humility. And you know what? They must keep their eyes peeled on me all the time, because I get these lessons frequently. And for that I am extremely thankful. Because the last thing this world needs is another conceited (your word) taking up space. There are far too many (your word) already.

Peace and love to all. And please make this cake. It is really, really tasty.  

Lemon Cake:

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.

2 c. granulated sugar

3 lg. eggs

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour , fluffed

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. fine sea salt 

zest of 2 lg. lemons

1 c. sour cream

Preheat the oven to 325-degrees. Grease and flour a 9X13-inch baking pan. (Glass is best.) Set aside. 

Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest together. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating with sour cream, beating batter briefly after each addition. Don’t over-mix. Scoop batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Check after 23 minutes to be sure.) Don’t over-bake.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack before frosting.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 oz. (½ 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened

½ stick unsalted butter, softened

1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ – 1 tsp. lemon zest

½ tsp. vanilla extract

pinch kosher salt   

2 c. powdered sugar, or more to achieve desired thickness 

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth and no lumps remain, about 3 full minutes. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and salt.

Reduce the mixer speed to low, then add the powdered sugar. Once the sugar begins to incorporate, increase the mixer to high speed and beat until soft and creamy. Add additional powdered sugar as needed. Frost the cake as soon as it’s completely cooled.

  

CREAM CHEESE DANISH WITH HOMEMADE PUFF PASTRY

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Here I go again offering another recipe some of you would never consider building. But if truth be known, I love Danishes (OK, pastry of any kind), so I keep on trying new ones. And this recipe produces what is undoubtedly the best example of a true cheese Danish that I have ever prepared. (And yes, I think about cheese Danishes way too much!) And maybe that’s why I already have three Danish recipes (Individual Jam Filled Cream Cheese Danish Pastry, Cream Cheese Danish, Dried Cranberry and Almond Braided Danish) already on this site.

When I say I consider the results of this recipe to be a true Danish, it’s because it’s made with puff pastry. Homemade puff pastry. Now don’t panic! Believe me, if I can make this easy puff pastry, you can too. All you need is some flour, butter, and a willingness to try anything once! And trust me, after you’ve made this puff pastry, you will wonder what the big deal was all about. And granted, a “real” pastry chef would probably laugh at this recipe. Chuckle all you want, is all I have to say. Because this recipe produces a pretty darn good puff pastry. Of course, I have had better in Paris, but for homemade, it’s darned acceptable. And don’t even get me started on the puff pastry that comes from the frozen section of your grocery store. Not an ounce of real butter in the whole thing. (For more on the reality of what you are really getting when you buy frozen puff pastry, read my post for Cinnamon Twists.)

So, now that I have you chomping at the bit to build your own puff pastry, let me further tempt your taste buds with the filling. It’s luscious. There’s nothing more that needs to be said. And the tiny bit of drizzle over the whole pastry – yum!

As always, treat yourself every so often to a new or lovingly remembered treat. We are only on this planet for a very short time. Religiously restricting yourself to only foods that are healthy and good for you is not going to prevent the onset of old age or prevent you from getting a debilitating disease. Of course, using moderation or not eating something that is truly harmful to you is simply being responsible. But a pastry or French fries or a cookie once in a while, simply makes life worth living.

Peace and love to all.

And thank you Sam at sugarspunrun.com for this marvelous recipe. And sorry for the couple of minor changes I made.  

Homemade Puff Pastry: (equivalent of one box of puff pastry)

2¼ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

1 T. granulated sugar

1 tsp. sea salt

1 c. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter   

8-9 T. ice water, or more as needed

Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Using a box grater, grate the butter into the flour mixture, briefly tossing the butter each time you’ve shredded about ½ stick so that it doesn’t clump together.

Once you’ve grated all of your butter, stir briefly until all of the butter is evenly mixed into the flour mixture. (A table knife works great for this step.)   

While stirring by hand, (do not use an electric mixer or over-mix this recipe) slowly drizzle ice water into the flour/butter mixture. Add just enough ice water so that if you pinch the dough it will hold its shape and not fall apart. (Start with 8 tablespoons.) All of the flour should be mixed into the dough, but the dough should still appear very dry and shaggy. If the mixture is still dry and crumbly and not sticking to itself when pressed after you have added 8 tablespoons, add additional water one teaspoon at a time. (My dough took 9 tablespoons.) Take care not to overwork the dough or it will be tough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and work the dough together with your palms to make dough cling together. Work (with your palm) into a 6×3” rectangle (it will almost look like a brick!). The dough will not look perfect. In fact, there should be chunks of butter showing. Cracks in the dough are fine too.  

Wrap dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Once dough has chilled, roll into an 8×12-inch rectangle.

Fold dough into thirds (like you are folding a letter), rotate 90 degrees, and then roll dough into an 8×12-inch rectangle again. (Use as little flour on your rolling surface as possible,)

Fold into thirds again and repeat this process of folding and rolling until you have done four turns of your dough.

Wrap dough with plastic wrap and return to refrigerator to chill for at least 30 more minutes before using as directed below. While the pastry is resting, prepare the filling and egg wash.

Please note: This puff pastry may be stored in the refrigerator for several days or it may be frozen (make sure to wrap it well) for several months and then thawed in the refrigerator before using.

Filling:

8 oz. (1 pkg.) cream cheese, room temp.  

½ c. granulated sugar 

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

¾ tsp. vanilla extract

Stir all the ingredients together until smooth. Set aside.

Egg Wash:

1 egg white

1 tsp. water

Whisk together. Set aside.

Build the Danishes:

Divide the puff pastry into 2 even parts (If using homemade puff pastry cut the dough widthwise. If using store-bought dough it will already be divided into two even sheets for you).

Roll first half of puff pastry into a 12×12” square (about 1/16” thick). Cut into 4 even-sized squares. (I use a pizza cutter for this step.)

Transfer squares onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Using a #30 ice cream scoop (teal handle), drop balls of filling onto the center of each square of dough. If you don’t have an ice cream scoop, dollop about two tablespoons filling into the center of each square. Spread the filling out a bit using the back of a spoon. Fold the corners over the center of the filling, leaving a space about ¼” thick in the center and between corners. Brush egg wash generously over the top of the puff pastry dough.

Place in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 18-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Pastries will puff up considerably while baking but will settle as they cool. Repeat steps with second half of puff pastry dough. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze.

Remove from oven and allow to cool before drizzling with glaze.

Vanilla Glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar

½ tsp. vanilla extract

3-5 tsp. whole milk

Whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla, and enough milk together until you have reached desired thickness. Drizzle glaze generously over cooled cheese Danishes.

Chocolate Glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar

2 T. cocoa powder 

½ tsp. vanilla extract

3-5 tsp. whole milk

Whisk the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and enough milk together until you have reached desired thickness. Drizzle glaze generously over cooled cheese Danishes.

      

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES WITH TOASTED COCONUT (Levain Bakery knockoff, if they made this kind of cookie)

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One ingredient that rocks my socks is toasted coconut. Now I know, not everyone likes coconut, but I happen to love it. And remember, this site is really just all about me! And this recipe is absolute proof of that statement. And I figure you must like coconut too if you are even bothering to look at this recipe. But if you aren’t really interested in cookies, but are a friend just reading about our life here on Camano Island, hello, and love to all from Mr. C. and me. But if you are a devoted fan of chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and toasted coconut, have I got a deal for you.

Some of you know that I have already worked up knock off cookie recipes from the Levain Bakery in New York City. Even if I haven’t ever actually tasted one of their cookies. And I got to thinking, they should offer a coconut, chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. So, being the good gal that I am, I went ahead and glommed a recipe together for them. Was that not kind of me? I thought so too.

But because I am not as gifted as the bakers in New York City, I baked the cookies too long. Oh, they’re still delicious, but they don’t have that trademark crunchy outside, gooey middle that sets Levain Bakery cookies so far apart from your regular, run of the mill cookie. But I can learn, and you can profit from my mistake. Never, ever, under any circumstances, over-bake these cookies.

Oh, you will be tempted as I was today. But I should have trusted myself. I should have pulled them out of the oven after only 8 minutes, instead of 10 minutes. Sure, they would have been lightly browned and very soft to the touch after only 8 minutes. But they would have finished baking as they cooled. And then they would have been perfect.

So, if you too happen to over-bake them a bit, you are excused. I, on the other hand, should have known better. After all, I have baked hundreds of cookies over the 65 years I have been actively and religiously playing with cookie dough. But, in my defense, these cookies, and my other Levain Bakery knock-off cookies are decidedly different. And it’s that very difference that makes them the best cookies I have ever tasted. So, I hope you too enjoy this recipe. And don’t skip the step of toasting the coconut flakes. It truly does make a difference.

As always, have fun in your kitchen. Make every day a fun day. Laugh out loud. Smile at everyone you meet. (I know. Doesn’t really show when you’re wearing a mask!) But do it anyway. You will know you are smiling, and that matters to your own well-being.

Peace and love to all.

½ c. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

½ c. brown sugar, packed

¼ c. granulated sugar

1 lg. egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract 

¼ c. cake flour (fluffed)

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour (fluffed)

1½ tsp. cornstarch

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. coarse sea salt

1 c. old-fashioned oats 

1 c. toasted coconut flakes (I use Bob’s Red Mill unsweetened coconut flakes)

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Place the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium low speed until smooth and completely blended, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat just until the egg and vanilla are incorporated with the butter/sugar mixture.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the cake flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and oats together. Add to the wet ingredients and mix only until combined. Add the coconut flakes and chocolate chips. Slowly mix until combined. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.  

Using an ice cream scoop (I use a #40, 1½ tablespoons, orchid handled scoop), place the balls of dough on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet 2 inches apart. 

Bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 8-11 minutes or until the cookies appear dull and light golden brown on top.  Do not over-bake. The top should look done, but the cookies should not be fully set. 

Remove from oven. Cookies will continue to finish cooking as they set and cool on the baking sheets for at least 8 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies are quite delicate after just baking, so handle them carefully. They should still be plenty gooey inside.

Store in an airtight container.

Me in our kitchen last evening trying to decide if I would prefer a before dinner martini or a Margarita. Not an easy decision. But my apron made the decision for me. And please excuse the messy pantry. And of course, Miles had to be in the photo. His house, his rules!

    

ANISE BISCOTTI WITH SLIVERED ALMONDS (traditional Italian favorite)

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When I think of biscotti, I always envision traditional anise flavored biscuits. Because I happen to be someone who truly loves a strong, licorice-like taste. But if you are familiar with this site, you know I have several biscotti recipes already posted that do not include anise. So, if you happen to fall in the category that is not anise addicted, I still have you covered. (Just search under “biscotti”, and all will be revealed.)

And I should mention that I already have an anise biscotti recipe on site that is the same as this one except for the addition of anise seed in this recipe. I could have simply updated the original recipe, but I thought it would be more fun to publish this version too. (After all, choices are always nice.) Anyway, these are now my new favorite traditional anise flavored biscotti.

So, lets talk a bit about how easy biscotti biscuits are to build. The dough is basically like many cookie doughs. Cream the butter and sugar together, add eggs and flavoring. Then whisk the flour, leavening (in this case baking powder), and salt together. Then combine the whole mess. But where in drop cookies you simply plop balls of dough on a baking sheet, or rolled cookies, where you cut the rolled-out dough into various shapes, with biscotti you form logs. Then you bake the logs for a short time, remove them from the oven, let them cool a bit, then cut the logs into slices, and bake them a second time until they are done. It may sound like more work then plopping or rolling, but it actually takes very little skill to make perfectly formed biscotti biscuits.

And I’m telling you true, there is just nothing better than a biscotto (singular of biscotti) dunked in your morning coffee or tea. So, you simply must give biscotti a try. And if you have been making biscotti for decades – Saluti!

As always, stay safe and stay focused on the well being of others. If you haven’t been vaccinated against covid, please consider the health of those with whom you make contact. You may be extremely healthy, but you can’t tell from just looking at someone whether or not they too share your good fortune. They could have an immune deficient condition that is not apparent. And even if they have been vaccinated, it would still be very unhealthy for them to contract the disease. So, please don’t make this all about you. Because it is not all about you or your personal rights or about your being a faithful member of your chosen political party! Politics has absolutely nothing to do with fighting a disease. Covid-19 has no affiliation with any political party. It has no political agenda. It’s only mission, if you care to define it as a mission, is to attack people’s lungs and possibly cause an overactive immune response which can lead to increased inflammation throughout our bodies. So, getting vaccinated is necessary if we hope to stop the spread of this deadly disease. Getting vaccinated is simply about saving lives! Yours included. Nothing else. Please do your part.

Peace and love to all.

½ c. unsalted butter, room temperature

1 c. granulated sugar

3 lg. eggs, room temp.

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. good anise extract

2 tsp. ground anise seed

3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 T. baking powder

½ tsp. kosher salt

1 c. slivered almonds, lightly toasted  

Cream butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Add the eggs, vanilla, anise extract, and ground anise seeds. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine with butter mixture. Stir in the slivered almonds.

Using your hands liberally coated with flour, divide the dough into 4 pieces on a floured surface. Pat each piece into a 12×1½-inch rectangle. Place on a large lightly greased baking sheet about 4 inches apart. (Use more than one baking sheet if necessary.) Bake the logs in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until a light golden brown. Remove from oven.

Cool for 15 minutes. Then cut each roll on a slight diagonal into ¾-inch thick slices. Turn the slices cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-13 minutes or until each piece is firm and nicely browned. Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheet(s). Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Note: I suggest baking biscotti with straight oven heat. Convection baking browns them too quickly.  

 

SWEET AND SALTY SHORTBREAD COOKIES

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Ok, I’m going to mess with your perceived ideas about Scottish shortbread a wee bit. We all know how wonderful traditional shortbread is with its crunchy, buttery goodness. But what if you added a bit more powdered sugar and coarse kosher salt to the mix? Well, you’d get this cookie, that’s what would happen! And I have to say, for a new way of enjoying plain shortbread, this is so very tasty. The extra sweetness combined with the tiny bits of coarse salt, is a fun new taste sensation. Especially since no one’s taste buds are expecting the cookies to be as sweet or as salty. (And isn’t that fun!)

So, I guess the only thing left to say is – next time you want to prepare a simple shortbread cookie that will be a hit with your family and friends, give this recipe a try.

And if you are wondering why I chose to make tiny heart shape shortbread cookies, well, they were for a very special event. The marriage of my son Sven to Jill, a truly wonderful woman and just the perfect fit for my son. Both being intelligent, athletic, successful, delightful and caring people, and devoted parents. I could not be happier for either of them. (Or for me, if truth be known.)

As always, have fun in your kitchen and always keep thinking positive thoughts. Things do have a way of working out, even if it appears to the contrary as you wait for some type of resolution. So, practice patience. Not easy, I’ll grant you that. But if you continue to have hope, most often, time will take care of whatever situation has held you in its grip.

And again – congratulations to Sven and Jill. And to the many family members on both sides who attended the wedding – thank you for being a part of this special celebration. I love you, one and all.

Peace and love to all.

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. baking powder

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

Cream the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until light and creamy. Whisk the salt, baking powder, and flour together in a separate bowl. Add to the butter mixture just until well combined. Form dough into a ball.

Place on a lightly floured surface and roll to approximately ⅓-inch thick. Cut into your favorite shapes.

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 17-18 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies are a nice golden brown. Don’t under-bake. (Please note: the cookies will not expand very much, so they can be placed quite close together on your baking sheet.)

Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.   

   

CHOCOLATE CHIP AND NUT BLONDIES

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Sometimes I’m almost embarrassed to post a recipe as simple as this one. But maybe, just maybe, you never thought of putting chocolate chips in your blondies either. I say either, because I never thought to do so until our good friend Keith made some to sell at his wife Sheila’s choir fund raiser. One taste told me that I had been missing out on a really good thing. And as some of you well know, I’m getting quite lazy in my golden years. So, a butterscotch flavored chewy bar cookie that is very simple to build, (no mixer required), chocolaty, and crunchy is excellent in every regard! (Including the short amount of time this cookie takes to prepare.)

Absolutely perfect to feed hungry children and starving musicians. (I don’t have kidlets in the house any longer, but sometimes jazz musicians can be found huddled around the baby grand in our living room. And of course, they must be fed frequently to ensure that they keep up their strength. And for whatever reason, cookies and strong coffee are their preferred method of securing sustenance. Imagine that!)

Anyway, these bar cookies are terrific. And like I mentioned above, very easy to make. And I promise not to be offended, in any way, if you already have a favorite blondie recipe you would prefer to use. Just add some chips (chocolate, mint chocolate, peanut butter, white chocolate, M&Ms, etc.) and whatever nut you happen to have around (or not), and you have a whole new bar cookie with which to thrill and delight your family and friends. Drum roll please!  

So, as always – have fun in your kitchen. Make some cookies. Because cookies are the only food group that everyone, of every age enjoys. And I know cookies aren’t the healthiest thing to feed your children. But as an occasional treat, there is nothing finer.

Peace and love to all.

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

2 c. brown sugar, packed

2 lg. eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

1½ c. semisweet chocolate chips

1 c. chopped walnuts, lightly toasted pecans, hazelnuts, etc.  

Stir the melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and salt together using a whisk. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the flour just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.

Spread the dough out evenly in a lightly buttered 9×13-inch pan (glass is best). Bake in a pre-heated 325-degree oven (350-degrees if you are using a metal pan) for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few fudgy crumbs and the top looks set. Resist overbaking.   

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Cut into whatever size pieces you want. Store in an airtight container at room temperature or freeze for longer storage.