I wish I could say I first tasted biscotti on one of my trips to Italy. But alas, that is not the case. In fact, I don’t believe I ever saw biscotti offered on a menu. Of course, it probably was available, and my eyes just skipped over it because there were so many other choices that I knew I wouldn’t find when I returned home. Like a licorice flavored gelato or bomboloni (a traditional Italian pastry similar to a doughnut and filled with a rich vanilla cream). All I know is that I never actually enjoyed a biscotto (the singular of biscotti) while traveling. But that’s OK, because I so love making these little darlings and filling our very own biscotti jar with one type or another of these beloved biscuits.
Our very own biscotti jar brought home from Italy in our luggage many years ago.
When and by whom I was first introduced to biscotti, I have absolutely no recollection. All I know is that I have been making biscotti for many years. Decades, actually!
I think one of the main reasons I enjoy baking this very traditional Italian delight is because they are just so stinkin’ easy to build. Plus, this double baked cookie stays fresh much longer than most cookies. And biscotti is dunkable. (And who isn’t into dunking their food?!) In fact, biscotti is designed to be dunked in your favorite beverage. Absolutely perfect dunked in coffee or Vin Santo*, or as Mr. C. recently discovered, a wee dram of really great Scotch. (Our good friend Jim will back Mr. C. up on the joys of dunking biscotti in Scotch!) But if you are the one in a billion who doesn’t like to dunk your food, you can always just gnaw away on a biscotto until only tiny crumbs remain. Your cookie, your choice!
As always, take delight in the food you concoct for yourself and others. Be open to new ingredients and new dishes, but don’t forget about those foods that you and your family love. For most of us, we live to eat. We don’t just eat to live. So, continue to make healthy and nutritious food, but don’t forget about those special once in a while treats either. Now, if you will excuse me, I’m off to build a new comfort food from a recipe I threw together yesterday. Baked Egg Noodles in a Creamy Garlic, Spinach, and Cheese Sauce. Wish me luck!
Peace and love to all.
2 c. all-purpose flour, fluffed
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ c. granulated sugar
zest of 1 lg. orange
1 tsp. vanilla
2 lg. eggs, room temperature
1 c. raw unsalted pistachios, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
coarse decorating sugar, opt.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small mixing bowl.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, orange zest, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches with the mixer on low speed. Beat just until blended. Stir in the pistachios. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 60-90 minutes.
On a well-floured surface, using your hands (also well-floured if you know what’s good for you), divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a log 1-inch in diameter. Place at least 3-inches apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven until light golden, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes. (Keep the oven on go.)
Place the logs on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife (I use my big old butcher knife, but a serrated knife works well too), cut the logs on a slight diagonal into ¾-inch thick slices. Arrange cut side down back on the baking sheet. Bake until a nice golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool right on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
*Vin Santo is a late-harvest Italian dessert wine generally produced in Tuscany from white grapes, namely Trebbiano or Malvasia. After picking, the grapes are semi-dried before being pressed and fermented. Then the wines are stored in small barrels for up to 10 years, usually in attics which turn hot and cold with the seasons. There is a wide diversity in Vin Santo styles, from sweet dessert to dry, Sherry-like versions.
Now, a couple things you should know before I expand on the glories of this recipe. This is not a fancy-schmancy dessert. So, if you are entertaining the queen, your boss, or Helen Mirren, choose something else to serve. But if you are feeding your family and/or friends, this is a simple dessert that looks beautiful and tastes really, really good.
The second thing I should reveal, is that making the raspberry preserve for this tart is a real pain in the patootie. (And yes, patootie is a real word.) But the good news is – you can replace the raspberry preserve with any kind of jam, jelly, preserve, compote, fruit butter, or curd that suits your fancy. Cool, huh?!
So, now that I have been perfectly frank with you about this dessert’s limitations, let’s get on to why you should make one of these tarts at your earliest convenience.
As I stated above, this tart is mighty tasty. And if you use an already prepared filling, like most rational and intelligent people would choose to do, this dessert comes together with very little effort.
But if you are as passionate as I am about preparing most of the food you eat, and truly believe that everything homemade is intrinsically of higher quality, then I hope you will make the raspberry preserve too. Because with the tartness and intense flavor the preserve brings to the mix, it provides a perfect counterbalance to the sweetness of the crust and crumble. But regardless of my pleading and high handed rhetoric regarding preparing the raspberry preserve filling from scratch, just make the damn tart. And make it any old way you want.
So, as always, have a blast in your kitchen. Keep trying new dishes. Keep striving for excellence. And above all, keep enjoying your life.
I know we all get hung up on the bad that is happening around the world. But please don’t forget to embrace the good that is happening too. Look around you. Most people are decent human beings. They care and they make sacrifices, just like you do. So, do what’s right. Lift them up in any way you can. Even if its’ just by offering up one of your beautiful smiles. You never know how much just that simple gesture can mean to someone in need.
Peace and love to all.
Raspberry Preserve Filling:
4 c. fresh or frozen raspberries
¾ c. granulated sugar
2 tsp. lemon zest
1 T. fresh lemon juice
½ c. water, divided
¼ c. cornstarch
Place the raspberries, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and ¼ cup of the water in a heavy saucepan. Heat over medium high heat. Stir the mixture until it begins to boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and allow the filling to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Remove from heat and pour the filling into a metal strainer suspended over a medium sized bowl. Using a spatula and a decent amount of pressure, push the liquid through the sieve. You should be left with a little over ½ cup of seedy pulp. Discard the pulp. Pour the strained liquid back into the pan.
In a separate small bowl, whisk the remaining ¼ cup of water with the cornstarch together until the cornstarch has fully dissolved in the water. Add to the strained raspberry filling; stir until well combined.
Over medium heat, stir the filling constantly to prevent burning. Cook until the mixture begins to boil, then reduce the heat to low. Continue cooking for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside while you prepare the other parts of this recipe.
Please Note: If you want to make the preserve ahead of time, remove from heat and pour into a bowl to cool. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
Oatmeal Crust (and ingredients for crumble)
1 c. rolled oats, divided
1¾ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
½ c. brown sugar, packed, divided
¾ c. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, divided
1 T. water
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix ¾ cup of the oats, 1¼ cups of the flour, salt, and ¼ cup of the brown sugar together. Melt ½ cup (1 stick) of the unsalted butter, then stir in the water and vanilla. Add to the oat mixture until well combined.
Press the mixture into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Make sure there is about a ¼-inch rim around the edge.
Bake in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for 12 minutes or until a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
Spread the raspberry preserve over the bottom crust making sure there’s complete coverage. The filling should be about ¼-inch thick. Bake at 375-degrees for about 30-35 minutes. The outside crust should be a nice golden brown when the tart is ready to come out of the oven.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with the baked oatmeal crumble. (See recipe below.) Press the baked crumble gently into the hot filling so it will have a better chance of actually sticking to the surface of the tart.
Allow tart to cool before serving with Chambord Whipped Cream (see recipe below) or vanilla ice cream and fresh raspberries for decoration.
Oatmeal Crumble
While the tart is baking, mix the remaining ¼ cup rolled oats, remaining ½ cup flour, remaining ¼ cup brown sugar together. Using your fingers, cut the remaining ¼ cup (½ stick) butter into the oat mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Squeeze the crumbs together to form larger clumps before placing on a small, ungreased baking sheet.
Bake at 375-degrees for 12 minutes. Then using a spatula, beak up the crumble and allow to bake for 3 more minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Use as directed above.
Chambord Whipped Cream
1 c. heavy whipping cream
2 T. powdered sugar
2 tsp. Chambord (black raspberry liqueur), opt.
Whip the cream to stiff peaks. Add the powdered sugar and Chambord and whip until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve the tart.
Additional Note: If you should choose to use a different filling (jam, jelly, curd, etc.), you will need between 1½ and 2 cups.
First of all, you should know that this recipe produces the best yellow cake I have ever tasted. EVER! And through the years, I have baked a lot of cakes. But until my dear friend Vicki made her amazing Southern Caramel Cake for one of our JazzVox concerts, I had no idea a yellow cake could taste so good. And be so tender. And I should know, because I have tried many recipes for yellow cake that have left me wanting. Wanting everything this recipe delivers – in spades. So, the really good news is that now you too have a recipe for the perfect yellow cake. Because really and truly, where other cake recipes might be considered mandatory only as the excuse for eating frosting, this yellow cake can hold its own with pride.
And just because I chose to frost the cupcakes in this post with raspberry cream cheese frosting, doesn’t mean that other frostings wouldn’t be equally delicious. I just wanted a raspberry frosting this time.
And luckily, both the cake part and the raspberry frosting are very easy to prepare. No fancy ingredients in the cake, but you need to plan-ahead and purchase some freeze-dried raspberry or strawberry powder for the frosting. (Trader Joe’s carries the powder at a reasonable price.)
So, as always, keep playing in your kitchen. And even if you think you don’t like yellow cake because you often find it dry and tasteless, you need to build these cupcakes or cake to realize how delightful a truly great piece of yellow cake can be!
Peace and love to all.
Cake Batter:
½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 T. vegetable oil
1¼ c. granulated sugar
3 lg. eggs, room temperature
1 lg. egg yolk, room temperature
1 T. pure vanilla extract
1½ c. fluffed up or sifted cake flour
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
½ c. sour cream
In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the butter, oil, and granulated sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 5-6 minutes. (Do not skimp on the time for this step. Very important.)
Add eggs and egg yolk one at a time until well incorporated. Scrape the bowl as needed. Add in the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
In a medium sized bowl whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together.
With mixer on low speed, alternate adding in flour mixture and sour cream. Do not over mix.
Cupcakes:
Using a #16 (¼ cup, 2-oz.) ice cream scoop, drop batter into cupcake lined muffin tins 7/8 full. (Makes about 16 cupcakes.)
Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the internal temperature reaches 210-degrees. Don’t over-bake.
Remove from oven and let cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting each cupcake. Store in the refrigerator. Decorate with fresh berries just before serving.
Layer Cake:
Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans. Pour the batter evenly into the pans. Shake to help even off the batter.
Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the middle of the pan comes out clean and the internal temperature reaches 210-degrees. Do not overbake. Check after 17 minutes to be sure.
Remove pans from oven and place on cooling racks for 10 minutes. Then gently remove cakes from pans and allow to cool completely before icing.
To frost the cake, place one of the cakes upside down on your cake plate. Spread icing over layer. (Not too much.) Add the top layer and frost just the top. Store in refrigerator. When ready to serve, decorate with fresh berries.
RASPBERRY (OR STRAWBERRY) CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
3 T. freeze-dried raspberry or strawberry powder
pinch salt
1 tsp. Chambord (black raspberry liqueur), opt.
1¾ c. powdered sugar, plus more if required
fresh raspberries or strawberries, for decoration
Cream butter, powdered sugar, and freeze-dried raspberry powder together until light and fluffy. Add the salt, Chambord, and enough powdered sugar to make a firm but not stiff consistency. Beat until smooth and easy to spread. Spread as described above.
OK, I know most of you already know how to make strawberry shortcake. But for those of you who have yet to master this classic American dessert, have I got a simple yet exceedingly delicious recipe for you. The biscuits themselves are yummy without being too sweet. And the bit of turbinado sugar baked on top of each biscuit gives them just a lovely little crunch that is super appealing. And the orange liqueur is just heavenly combined with the strawberries and as an additive in the whipped cream. Transforms the whole dessert from ordinary to amazing. And the best part – this entire dessert is totally easy to prepare. Even for a complete novice. And each part (the biscuits, berries, and topping) can be prepared ahead. So, when it comes time to serve the dessert, all you have to do is split the biscuits, heap on lots of berries and juice, and dollop the whole mess with the flavored whipped cream. Nothing could be easier or produce yummier results. And since strawberries are at their finest right now, I say – go for it.
As always, have fun preparing food. And don’t ever be intimidated by any culinary skills you feel you lack. None of us was born knowing how to do anything in the kitchen, even a supposedly simple task like frying an egg. But please consider, we all had to break that first egg and plop it in a pan. And then get it back out of the pan without breaking the yolk. If you figured out how to do something as skillful as frying a perfect over easy egg, you are going to have no trouble developing other culinary skills. Because most recipes, even though they may contain a lot of ingredients and at first glance appear to be difficult, take much less finesse than getting that egg you fry every morning on a plate intact.
Peace and love to all.
Shortcake Biscuits:
2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed
1 T. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 T. granulated sugar
½ tsp. kosher salt
6 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 c. buttermilk (I use full fat Bulgarian style buttermilk)
turbinado sugar (or any coarse finishing sugar)
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar, and salt.
Add the pieces of cold butter. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized clumps of butter within. Add the buttermilk and stir with a regular table knife until the dough comes together into a sticky, shaggy mess. Do not overmix.
Using a #24 (1.75 oz.) ice cream scoop, form the dough into balls (really shaggy blobs) and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. (If you don’t have an ice cream scoop, use a large serving spoon. The blobs should be bigger than golf balls but smaller than tennis balls.) Don’t worry about making them perfect. It’s best if they are a little rough around the edges. (That gives the baked shortcakes more nice crispy bits.) (And do not be tempted to pat the blobs down. They will flatten nicely as they bake.) Sprinkle the tops liberally with turbinado sugar.
On the middle rack of your oven, bake the biscuits for 16 to 18 minutes in a pre-heated 425-degree oven. The biscuits will be a nice golden brown when they are done, and the internal temperature should register between 205-210 degrees.
Remove from oven and place the biscuits on a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Strawberry Mixture:
2 T. granulated sugar
2 T. Cointreau or other orange-flavored liqueur, or more to taste
6 c. sliced fresh strawberries
Combine the sugar and Cointreau in a covered bowl. Add the strawberries, cover the bowl, and place in your refrigerator for a couple of hours.
Whipped Cream:
1-pint heavy whipping cream
3 T. powdered sugar
1-2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1 T. Cointreau, or more to taste
Whip the cream to stiff peaks. Whip in the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, and Cointreau. Cover the mixing bowl and place in refrigerator until needed.
Put it all together:
Using a serrated knife, split the biscuits in half horizontally and transfer the bottoms to rounded dessert plates or bowls. Spoon the macerated berries and their juice evenly over the biscuit bottoms. Let some of the berries spill out onto the plate or bowl. Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and cover with the biscuit tops. Spoon more berries and whipped cream over the tops and serve immediately.
OK, I know I should not be eating cookies, but I always build a batch (or two) before we leave on a trailer trip. And of course, this time was no exception. There was a difference, however. We didn’t go on our planned outing. Not because of health concerns, thank goodness, but because our destination was in Eastern Washington and the predicted weather while we would be camping in the desert was somewhere around 112-degrees. Yikes! That is just too hot to be sitting in our travel trailer waiting for the air conditioning or the motor on our refrigerator to experience a full-on meltdown. Not to mention that if that happened, I’d be right there with our appliances having my own tearful meltdown! (I do not do well in hot weather.) And hiking or even taking a nice leisurely walk would have been completely out of the question. Not to mention the conniption fit my dermatologist would have thrown had he found out that I had spent 12 hours a day in a lake, even with 50 SPF sunscreen slathered all over my body! (I simply can’t be in the sun more than 2 minutes anymore. I have become a sensitive flower in my golden years. Not by choice, believe me. But by necessity. Grrrr) Anyway, we cancelled our trip. Which of course left us with an abundance of these amazing cookies calling my name every time I got within 10 feet of our home cookie jar.
But I must say, if I have to be corrupted by cookies, I’d like it to be by the likes of these cookies. Because they are wonderful. Full of peanut butter and Peanut M&Ms. And who can resist Peanut M&Ms? Not me, that’s for darn sure!
So, next time you want to treat your friends or family to homemade cookies, I would advise giving this recipe a try. You will not be unhappy with the results. And to their credit, these delicious cookies contain a bit of rolled oat action. Even though you would be hard pressed to find anyone who could discern the presence of anything as healthy as rolled oats in the mix. But no one could possibly miss the abundance of Peanut M&Ms. They are forefront for all to appreciate.
As always, tackle your culinary endeavors with zest and zeal. Appreciate the fact that you not only have a kitchen, but the knowledge and skill to provide delicious and nutritious food for not only yourself, but also for your family and friends. Cooking takes time and effort, but the rewards far outweigh any alternative such as most prepared food found at your local grocery store or frequent visits to local restaurants. At least for me, going out to eat is great about once a week. More than that, and I find myself thinking about the quality of the food I can produce at home, compared to what we can find in most of our local dining establishments. And even as I am eating out, I often torture myself by wondering why I didn’t just stay home and cook dinner in the first place. (And yes, I am an enigma.) But then I must acknowledge that I probably like to cook more than a lot of folks. So, I’ll get off my high horse now and just stick to once again telling you how great these cookies are and how much you would enjoy biting into one. (Or two, if you’re like me.)
Peace and love to all.
½ c. rolled or quick oats (see note below)
½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ c. brown sugar, packed
¼ c. granulated sugar
¾ c. creamy peanut butter (not natural)
1 lg. egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1¼ c. unbleached all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. kosher salt
2 c. Peanut M&Ms (I use the 10.57 oz. Fun Size for this recipe)
In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter and mix until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and oats together. Add to the wet mixture just until incorporated. Do not overmix. Gently mix in most of the Peanut M&Ms.
Form the dough into about 2-inch diameter balls. (I use my #30 teal blue-handled ice cream scoop to form the balls.) Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and gently press the balls down slightly. (They won’t spread very much while baking, so they can be placed fairly close together. About 1½ inches apart works fine.) If there are any of the cookies that appear to need an additional Peanut M&M or two, gently poke the remaining M&Ms into the dough balls. (We want all our cookies to look pretty, now don’t we!) Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before baking in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 13-16 minutes. (Cookies will be a bit soft and look undone. But don’t fret. They will firm up nicely as they cool.)
Remove from oven and allow to cool a couple minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Makes about 35 cookies.
Note: If using regular rolled oats, place in a food processor. Pulse a few times to break the oats down a bit. Set aside. Or use quick oats. (Quick oats don’t have to be messed with at all.)
Now as much as I love me a good pie, I don’t bake pies very often because they are a lot of work, and then it only takes about 5 minutes for a small group of diners to consume an entire pie. That is, if I still baked regular sized pies. (Which BTW, I never do anymore.)
Because about 25 years ago, I was lucky enough to find a potter who made wider and deeper than normal pie plates. Not only are these pie plates lovely to look at; they are constructed of heavy clay. So, my pies always bake evenly. And they hold a lot of pie. Which for us is imperative. Because basically I don’t bake pie unless it’s a holiday or I’m having company. But back to my wonderful pie plates.
I bought 3 for myself and gave several away as gifts. Because of the size of these masterpieces, the pies I bake are almost half again as large as a regular sized pie. So, with that in mind, I have provided you with the same recipe, only proportioned to fit both my need and the needs of those of you who are normal and only make reasonable sized pies.
But regardless of the size of the pie you plan to build, you are going to love this recipe for a simple rhubarb pie. But if you want to build a fancy rhubarb pie, this is not the recipe for you. There are no unusual ingredients in the filling, and the filling always sets up beautifully. The bottom crust is not soggy, if that is something you strive to achieve. The filling isn’t too sweet, again an attribute I appreciate, but may not be to your liking. And there is a lot of top crust, which BTW is pretty darn tasty. But those of you who don’t particularly like crisp and flaky crust might want to look elsewhere for something a little less perfect.
But if you want a recipe that shouts rhubarb with every bite, then stick with me on this one. Because this pie is all about the rhubarb. And since its still fresh rhubarb season, I say build a rhubarb pie while supplies last. There is simply no other dessert that smacks of good home cooking like a rhubarb pie. Or any pie for that matter!
I can still remember walking into my grandmother’s kitchen and seeing a pie on the counter that I knew we were going to be enjoying that evening. I always felt like the luckiest little girl in the world. And I still feel that way. Even if I am far from being a young girl and the pie is on my own kitchen counter, and I’m the one who expended all the effort to prepare the darn thing! Seeing, and of course smelling a homemade pie, simply makes me exceedingly happy.
As always, keep thinking of great ways to bring your family joy. Even a simple pan of brownies can help a kid whose had a rough day feel better about the world. I cannot remember a day when the first thing out of my teenager’s mouths when I walked in the house after work was – what’s for dinner? There must have been some connection in their minds between feeling safe and secure because I was home, and the fact that they probably had escaped starvation for yet another day. Whatever triggered this feeling of being loved and feeling safe, I know it had a lot to do with food. And good food is such a simple way to prove your love. So, take time in preparing the food for your family. Believe me, your adult children will remember their childhood with a great deal more fondness if good food was the standard in their childhood kitchen.
Peace and love to all.
Pie Crust: (for 10 to 11-inch pie pan)
6 T. very cold water
3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. kosher salt
heaping 1 c. Crisco
2 T. granulated sugar (for use later), plus more for the top crust
Step 1 – Pour cold water into a small bowl.
Step 2 – Measure flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
Step 3 – Take ½ cup of the flour back out of the mixing bowl and stir it into the water. Make a paste. Set aside.
Step 4 – Add the Crisco to the flour and salt mixture. Mix together. (I use my KitchenAid mixer.)
Step 5 – Add the water/flour paste to the flour/shortening bowl and mix just until blended. Do not over-mix.
Filling: (for 10 to 11-inch pie pan)
8 c. diced rhubarb
1 c. granulated sugar
¼ c. brown sugar
½ c. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
2 T. unsalted butter
Combine the diced rhubarb, granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, and vanilla together in a bowl. Let sit for about 10 minutes.
Put the Pie Together:
Roll out ½ of the dough and place in your pie plate. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (shown under pie crust) evenly over the bottom and sides of the crust. (You will have to gently pat the sugar into place on the sides of the pie plate.) Scoop the rhubarb mixture into the pie pan. (And yes, it will seem like too much rhubarb, but it will be fine.) Dot the rhubarb with butter. Roll out the top crust. Place over the rhubarb and dotted butter. Crimp along the top edge as desired. Cover edge of crust with thin strips of aluminum foil to prevent edges from getting too brown. Make a few slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Sprinkle with a bit of granulated sugar. Not too much. Just a light sprinkle.
Please note: If you don’t want a top crust on your pie, roll out some of the remaining pie dough fairly thick. Cut out fun shapes with cookie cutters. Lightly sprinkle with granulated sugar. Place on top of the pie.
Place the pie on a rimmed cookie sheet. (The hot filling might escape over the sides of the pie pan. Probably not, but just in case…… Believe me, it’s a whole lot easier to clean a baking sheet than the bottom of your oven!)
Bake in a pre-heated 425-degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350-degrees and continue baking for 45 to 50-minutes more, or until a bit of pink juice bubbles up through the slits or around the decoration pieces on the crust. Remove the aluminum foil covering the edge of the crust and continue baking for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving. Great topped with vanilla ice cream.
Pie Crust: (for 9-inch pie pan)
4 T. very cold water
2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
heaping 2/3 c. Crisco
2 T. granulated sugar (for use later), plus more for the top crust
Step 1 – Pour cold water into a small bowl.
Step 2 – Measure flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
Step 3 – Take ⅓ cup of the flour back out of the mixing bowl and stir it into the water. Make a paste. Set aside.
Step 4 – Add the Crisco to the flour and salt mixture. Mix together. (I use my KitchenAid mixer.)
Step 5 – Add the water/flour paste to the flour/shortening bowl and mix just until blended. Do not over-mix.
Filling: (for 9-inch pie pan)
5-6 c. diced rhubarb
¾ c. granulated sugar
3 T. brown sugar
⅓ c. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
2 T. unsalted butter
Combine the diced rhubarb, granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, and vanilla together in a bowl. Let sit for about 10 minutes.
Put the Pie Together:
Roll out ½ of the dough and place in your pie plate. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (shown under pie crust) evenly over the bottom and sides of the crust. (You will have to gently pat the sugar into place on the sides of the pie plate.) Scoop the rhubarb mixture into the pie pan. (And yes, it will seem like too much rhubarb, but it will be fine.) Dot the rhubarb with butter. Roll out the top crust. Place over the rhubarb and dotted butter. Crimp along the top edge as desired. Cover edge of crust with thin strips of aluminum foil to prevent edges from getting too brown. Make a few slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Sprinkle with a bit of granulated sugar. Not too much. Just a light sprinkle.
If you don’t want a top crust on your pie, roll out some of the remaining pie dough fairly thick. Cut out fun shapes with cookie cutters. Lightly sprinkle with granulated sugar. Place on top of the pie.
Place the pie on a rimmed cookie sheet. (The hot filling might escape over the sides of the pie pan. Probably not, but just in case…… Believe me, it’s a whole lot easier to clean a baking sheet than the bottom of your oven!)
Bake in a pre-heated 425-degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350-degrees and continue baking for 35 to 45-minutes more, or until a bit of pink juice bubbles up through the slits or around the decoration pieces on the crust. Remove the aluminum foil covering the edge of the crust and continue baking for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving. Great topped with vanilla ice cream.
Helpful hint: Use a pastry cloth to roll out your pie crust. It really makes a difference when you go to move the rolled-out crust onto the pie plate. You can find pastry cloths in almost any kitchen wares shop. Well worth the $10 or so.
Because I am always trying to find an even better (insert name of culinary item here), in this case the crisp part of this crisp, I learned once again, another valuable culinary lesson. DO NOT MESS WITH A GOOD THING! (The good thing here being the crisp topping recipe I have been using for the last 30 years or so.) So in full disclosure, the topping you see on the picture above is not what the recipe below produces. Oh, it looks the same, but the end result is quite different.
The new recipe I tried simply did not turn out as good a product as my old standby. It was OK, but for my taste it contained way too many oats and not enough butter. And I know. Oats are better for us than butter. But for an occasional indulgence, I say go for it. Do it right! But don’t get me wrong. I like oats in my crisps, just not so many that all you notice are the oats. And the new recipe didn’t have that lovely crunchy brown sugar flavor I love. So, that too was a contributing factor in deciding to go back to my original recipe. But as the old saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained. (In this case the gain was knowledge. Positive affirmation that my original crisp recipe was by far the superior product.)
Now if you are expecting this rhubarb crisp recipe to be a new and exciting take on an old standard, then get ready for a disappointment. There are no new tricks, novelty ingredients, or special enhancements (except of course caramel sauce in the whipped cream) that make this recipe unique. It is just a great recipe for rhubarb crisp. But if you are new to rhubarb or have never turned it into a crisp, you are in for a treat. Or even if you have been making rhubarb crisp since God was a child, I believe this simple crisp is about as good as it gets. Because, in my opinion, rhubarb dishes don’t require as much sugar as is often suggested in other recipes. Rhubarb is inherently tart. And that tartness should be highlighted rather than disguised. So, you may wonder that I only use ¾ cup sugar for 8 cups of rhubarb. But trust me, it is the perfect amount. Because the topping has plenty of sugar in it and so does the whipped cream. And when you take a bite of the crisp, you want to taste the tartness of the fruit in combination with the sweetness of the topping and whipped cream. In other words, a perfect combination of tart and sweet in every bite. And this crisp delivers that wonderful combination in spades. So, give this recipe a try. You will love it and so will your family.
As always, play with your food. Try new things, but don’t ignore the dishes or parts of a dish you know are fabulous. And make this rhubarb crisp while rhubarb is still in season. And yes, you can freeze rhubarb. But for a dish like this, fresh rhubarb is still your best choice.
Peace and love to all.
1½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1½ c. brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 c. + 3 T. unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
1 c. rolled oats
8 c. diced fresh rhubarb
¾ c. granulated sugar
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
Cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the cinnamon. Mix in the 1 cup flour and rolled oats until crumbly. Set aside.
Stir the rhubarb, granulated sugar, the remaining 3 tablespoons of flour, and vanilla extract together in a bowl. Spread the mixture in a buttered 13×9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle the topping mixture evenly over the rhubarb.
Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven on the middle rack for about 40 minutes or until the topping is browned and the rhubarb is bubbling.
Remove from oven and let cool at least 30 minutes before serving. This allows the rhubarb mixture to set a bit. Serve the crisp dolloped with Caramel Whipped Cream or if you must, vanilla ice cream.
CARAMEL WHIPPED CREAM
2 c. (1 pint) heavy cream
¼ c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 T. caramel sauce
Whip the cream to stiff peaks. Whip in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and caramel sauce. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Hurray, it’s fresh rhubarb season again! And we happen to be dedicated fans of this very delicious vegetable. Yup, rhubarb is a veggie and a very undemanding perennial veggie to boot. Apparently, rhubarb originated in Asia and although the stalks resemble celery, they are wildly different from celery. Celery is part of the parsnip family and the leaves are not only edible but cherished for their intense flavor. (I actually pick celery based on the bunch that contains the most leaves. If possible, I use the leaves in every soup I build that calls for celery.) While rhubarb belongs to the buckwheat family. And you should only eat the stems of the rhubarb plant. Both the stalks and the leaves contain oxalic acids which are toxic. However, the stalks contain much less of the toxin and therefore are considered safe to eat. But, it is recommended that you harvest rhubarb stalks before the 24th of June. Apparently, after that, the stalks also contain too much oxalic acid to be considered safe to eat. (This has never been a problem for me. I harvest my rhubarb way before that time, because I can’t wait to make it into a dessert – like, for example, this rhubarb coffee cake.)
I have been making a rhubarb coffee cake very similar to this one since the late 90’s. (Before that I had never been fond of coffee cakes. Usually too bland for my taste.) But, as my baking skills have improved, I reviewed my old recipe and decided to change things up a bit to make the cake even tastier. So, this is what I came up with.
I served this cake to members of the jazz group Seabreeze, who had not met indoors since the beginning of the covid crisis. They had met three times out-of-doors, but for one reason or another, had not been allowed to complete a full rehearsal. But since all the members and Mr. C. and I are fully vaccinated, the group met in our living room yesterday. Although Mr. C. practices classical pieces most days, it was wonderful hearing jazz performed in our home again. I just sat and listened. And of course, I had to serve them a treat. They are all such wonderful and talented guys, that it was actually my treat to fix something special for them. And they loved the cake. As did I.
So, if you are lucky enough to have some rhubarb on hand, consider building this moist and delicious coffee cake. And no, you don’t have to serve it dolloped with whipped cream. But I’m telling you true, it doesn’t detract from the pleasure either.
As always, enjoy your time in the kitchen. Take pleasure in whatever you fix that makes your family or your guests happy. And even the times when you try a new recipe and it doesn’t come out as delicious as you expected, keep going. Not every recipe is going to result in perfection. But you can learn from those recipes. And at least for me, learning is half the fun.
Peace and love to all.
For the cake:
½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.
1 c. granulated sugar
½ c. brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 c. buttermilk
4 slightly rounded c. diced fresh rhubarb
½ c. chopped walnuts
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together in a small bowl. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk just until thoroughly combined. Stir in rhubarb and chopped walnuts. Pour into a lightly buttered 13×9-inch baking dish. (Glass preferred.) (Don’t bother to wash the mixing bowl. You can use it to assemble the topping.) While the cake enjoys it’s first 25 minutes in the oven, prepare the topping.
Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 25 minutes before adding the topping. After 25 minutes, remove from oven, reduce the heat to 325-degrees, evenly sprinkle on the topping, return to oven, and continue baking for another 23-25 minutes or until the topping is a nice light brown and a pick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Do not over-bake. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
Serve room temperature or slightly warmed in the microwave. Cointreau Whipped Cream is perfect with this coffee cake. See recipe below.
Topping:
1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
½ c. brown sugar, packed
1 T. baking powder
¼ tsp. kosher salt
6 T. (¾ stick) unsalted butter, room temp.
¼ c. finely chopped walnuts
In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (I use my fingers for this not-so-delicate operation.) Mix in the finely chopped walnuts. Set aside until needed.
Cointreau Whipped Cream
2 c. (1 pint) heavy cream
¼ c. powdered sugar
½ tsp. vanilla paste or extract
2-3 tsp. Cointreau (or other orange flavored liqueur)
Whip the cream to stiff peaks. Whip in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and Cointreau. Dollop on pieces of cake just before serving.
KNOCKOFF LEVAIN BAKERY DARK CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CHIP COOKIES
And yes, I am a copy-cat. But the Levain Bakery knockoff cookies I have made so far are all the best in class as far as I’m concerned. (And isn’t it really just all about me?) Of course, it is! (Believe me, excluding various recipes for adult beverages which Mr. C. happens to like that I wouldn’t drink even if I could replace some of the jerks in Washington DC with intelligent, well informed, capable people of my choice, I would never consider posting recipes for dishes I don’t like myself and hope to enjoy again in the future!) So, yes absolutely – it’s really just all about me! And these cookies are the best chocolate peanut butter cookies I have ever tasted!
Anyway, just trust me. These cookies are amazing, and very easy to build. Of course, you must love chocolate and peanut butter. And in combination. But then if you didn’t like this terrific duo, you wouldn’t be reading this recipe to begin with. So, never mind. The only thing left to say is – make these ASAP.
I made a batch for the trailer trip we just completed, and they were a smashing success. The smashing primarily happening because, for the trip, I stored them in a gallon freezer bag. Not my best idea. So, I certainly would not recommend that you store them the same way. A nice sturdy box like airtight container would have been such a better choice. In the bag they became a bit crumbled while riding in the microwave. (One of the areas in our trailer used for storage until such time as the original purpose is required.) But Mr. C. assures me the crumbs were wonderful on ice cream. (I wasn’t offered a taste, so I only have his word on the subject. Ahem. But I trust his judgement, so I’ll take his word for it. This time!)
Anyway – make these cookies, you will be glad you did.
As always, take joy in whatever you are doing. We have such a short time on earth, and then, well who knows? If there is a heaven, and I sincerely hope there is, I plan to bake and eat cookies every day. (I’ve heard you can’t gain weight in heaven.) So, I figure I had better have a few great recipes, like this one, memorized for all eternity. Because my plan is to make and eat these babies on a regular basis. (My idea of heaven!)
Peace and love to all.
1 c. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 c. brown sugar
½ c. granulated sugar
2 lg. eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
½ c. good dark cocoa powder
1 c. cake flour, fluffed
1½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed
1 tsp. cornstarch
¾ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. coarse sea salt
1½ c. peanut butter chips (I use a 10-oz. pkg. Reese’s Peanut Butter 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, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat just until the eggs are incorporated with the butter/sugar mixture.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk the cocoa powder, cake flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together. Add to the wet ingredients and mix only until combined. Add the peanut butter chips, and again, mix only until combined. Chill the dough for 10 minutes.
Divide the dough into 16 equal parts, about 3-ounces each, or as equally portioned as possible. I cheat. I slightly round the dough in my #16 (¼ cup) ice cream scoop. (My scoop has a green handle.)
Drop dough onto parchment paper or silicone mat lined baking pans about 3 inches apart. (I use three half sheet (roughly 18 x 13-inch) baking pans. Six cookies on sheets 1 & 2. Four cookies on sheet number 3.) Refrigerate for about an hour. (To make life easier on myself, and because I don’t have room in my refrigerator for 3 sheet pans, I plop the balls of dough close together on one of the parchment paper lined pans. Then I refrigerate the whole mess. When I’m ready to bake the little darlings, I take 6 from the fridge and place on another of the parchment paper lined baking sheets. The others dough balls I just leave in the fridge until I am ready to bake them off.)
Press down ever so gently on the top of each cookie before baking in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 9-11 minutes or until the top looks set. The inside will still feel quite soft or under-baked. That’s exactly what you want.
Remove from oven and let the cookies rest for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Now, the first thing you should know about these cookies, is that they are not for the faint of heart. These incredible cookies, compliments of the ifyougiveablondeakitchen.com site, are for true lovers of gingerbread and ginger cookies. They are simply the best soft ginger cookies I have ever tasted. And because they are crinkle cookies, they are beautiful as well as delicious. And doesn’t everyone appreciate a beautiful cookie? Of course, we do!
But I must emphasize that these are strongly flavored cookies. The word wimpy could never be applied to them. They are gingery with a capital G. And the texture too is perfect. But because of their pronounced ginger flavor, I doubt they would be the preference of say, a 5-year-old. So, don’t share them with a 5-year-old! Simple solution. Keep them for yourself! (That’s OK to do, you know!) Give the child an animal cracker. (That is, if they even make them any longer.) If not, find some other innocuous cookie to pawn off on the kid. And no, I never did that with my own children, but I think it’s OK if you do! I always made cookies that everyone in the family would enjoy. But I’ve since learned that doing something just for myself is OK. The earth will not stop spinning, summer will still follow spring, and no one really gives a rip anyway! But, whatever you do, make a batch of these cookies. They are really, really tasty.
As always, have fun baking. Have fun cooking. And if you’re like me, try to enjoy preparing salads rather than thinking of them as endurance contests. Because veggie salads are our friend. And don’t forget to make your own salad dressings. First of all, fresh dressings are delicious. And if you build your own dressing you know exactly what you are eating rather than depending on the kindness of strangers not to include unpronounceable ingredients like Phosphoric Guanylate, Disodium Inosinate, Sorbic Acid, and Calcium Disodium Edta! (Whatever they are!) Manufacturers simply have no choice but to add various stabilizers, preservatives, and even synthetic flavorings. It’s what they do! But that doesn’t mean you have to buy their products. You can fight the system and build you own dressings. I call it – using common sense!
Peace and love to all.
3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed
¾ c. brown sugar, packed
¾ tsp. baking soda
1 T. ground cinnamon
1 T. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. kosher salt
12 T. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into ½-inch cubes
¾ c. molasses (not blackstrap)
2 T. milk
granulated sugar
powdered sugar
In the bowl of your stand mixer, stir the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt together until combined. Add the butter pieces and beat until the mixture is sandy and resembles fine meal.
Reduce the speed to low and, with the mixer running, gradually add the molasses and milk. Mix until the dough is evenly moistened and thoroughly combined. Don’t over mix.
Using an ice cream scoop (I use my #40 – 1½ tablespoons ice cream scoop), drop balls of dough right next to each other on a waxed paper lined baking sheet. (Make sure the baking sheet you use will fit in your refrigerator.) After you have scooped all the dough, roll each scoop in your hands to form smooth compact balls. (This takes no time at all and is a necessary step.) Place the pan uncovered in your refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Meanwhile put a bit of granulated sugar in one shallow mixing bowl, and some powdered sugar in another shallow bowl. (I don’t give specific amounts here because you should start with a small amount of each and add more as required.)
After the two-hour cooling off period, roll each ball in granulated sugar then in powdered sugar. Place 1-inch apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 12-14 minutes, or until the top feels set, but you would swear on a bag of Cheetos that the middle was not done! Truly, the cookies will feel a bit squishy in the middle. That’s what you want. Do not over bake.
Remove from the oven and cool on the sheets 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Windy and stormy weather while I was baking these cookies. Notice how the trees in front of our house are bent to the North.Alpenglow on the upper clouds
