Chocolate Cherry Almond Cookies

Published January 21, 2012 Cookies Leave a Comment

I’m not saying emotional eating is a good thing, but sometimes you just want need a cookie. It makes you feel better and it helps you realize you can face whatever issue you are working through…so maybe it is kind of a good thing (as long as you don’t eat your way into tomorrow).

I found a recipe for chocolate cherry cookies, and decided to add sliced almonds and some more almond flavor – a great addition when there are cherries involved. And what I really love about this recipe? It doesn’t involve a ton of butter. You can have a few cookies and not feel as though your emotional eating has left you with 5 pounds of regret.

Chocolate Cherry Almond Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2/3 cup dried tart or sour cherries (if they are large, give them a rough chop)
  • 4 tablespoons semisweet or milk chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
  • fleur de sel, if desired

How To:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and almond extract. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Fold in cherries, chocolate chips and sliced almonds. The almonds will break up.

Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on to baking sheets coated with cooking spray or lined with a silpat or parchment paper. Bake for 12 minutes or until set. Remove from oven; cool on pans 5 minutes. Sprinkle with fleur de sel if desired. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Chicken Corn Chowder

Published December 31, 2011 Soups, Stews, and Chilis 4 Comments

It’s been too long since I’ve posted, but it was the holidays after all. To make up for it, I’m posting a real gem (woah, I almost spelled that jem…like the 80s cartoon) of a recipe – Chicken Corn Chowder. Its a stick to your bones kind of soup that we ate every last bit of – the entire pot.  I can’t say that about every soup I’ve made.

In addition to the corn and chicken, it has roasted red peppers and potatoes and a little kick from a jalapeno. If you don’t finish the entire pot I’d be mighty surprised. Add in some biscuits and you have a great winter dinner.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 2 medium potatoes, chopped
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups reduced-fat milk
  • 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts, rotisserie chicken works great here (vegetarians can omit the chicken and its still a great chowder)
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (about 3 ears, but you can use frozen)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • salt to taste
  • 2 roasted red peppers from a jar, chopped
  • 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn

How To:

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, celery, potato and jalapeño and cook for 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add flour; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and cook until thick (about 5 minutes). Reduce heat and serve (biscuits work great as a compliment).

Festive Garland Blondies

Published December 4, 2011 Dessert, Pies and Cakes Leave a Comment

I do love blondies – a rich vanilla brownie – and I love them even more with white chocolate. I thought my recipe needed to stop there, but I was wrong (so, so wrong). There is so much more to add like dried cranberries, popcorn, and then some more dried cranberries, thanks to my enlightenment from the Whole Foods “Whole Deal” booklet.

I think back on my days of just plain blondies with white chocolate, and think how naive I was. To think that was all there is.

I changed up the recipe from the Whole Foods version because I like a thicker blondie base. There are also some keys in the recipe to helping make the added toppings stick that I’ve included below. Tis the time of year for Festive Garland Blondies. *teaser* next recipe will be a brownie version!

Festive Garland Brownies, adapted from the Whole Deal newsletter

Ingredients:

  • 1 sticks plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries, divided
  • 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups white chocolate chips or chunks, divided
  • 2 cups light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup salted popcorn (from a microwave bag)

How To:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9 inch square baking pan with non-stick spray, set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add 3/4 cup cranberries and 1/2 cup of the white chocolate chips or chunks and toss to coat. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar with a hand mixer until fluffy. Add egg and beat until incorporated. Add flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until just cooked through and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Set aside for 5 minutes (but you want to work with it still warm so topping will stick). Melt remaining white chocolate. Spread 2/3 of the melted chocolate over bars and immediately scatter remaining cranberries and popcorn over the top, pressing down gently to help stick. Drizzle remaining chocolate over bars. Set aside until chocolate sets, about 15 minutes. Cut into squares and serve. Store in a sealed container for a few days.

Bavarian Apple Torte

Published November 8, 2011 Dessert, Pies and Cakes Leave a Comment

Another mommy recipe (by which I mean a recipe from my mother) with a few of my touches. Not that it wasn’t perfect to start with.

I love this dessert/breakfast/snack. It’s perfect for fall, and a great “thing to have on hand” when you are going to be having many guests or if you are in need of a hostess gift.

The ingredients list is not long and you will find you have most in your pantry. The prep is a cinch and before you know it, your house will be smelling “perfectly wonderful appley baking like” (something that was actually said upon opening our front door).

I feel I am using the term perfect way too easily here, but Bavarian Apple Torte is just, well, kind of perfect.

Ingredients:

crust:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 14 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
cream filling:
  • 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened (can use Neufchatel cheese)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
topping:
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch nutmeg
  • 4 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples (about 2 large apples – use a baking apple such as Mcintosh or Empire
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped almonds

How To:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. For crust, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in vanilla. Gradually blend in flour and salt. Mixture will be crumbly. Pat onto the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. Bring crust up about 1 1/2 inches high around the sides.

For the cream cheese filling, beat together the cream cheese and sugar. Add egg and vanilla, blending well. Pour into pastry lined pan and spread filling to the edges.

For topping, combine the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Toss apples in the mixture. Place over cream layer in a domino pattern (or just spoon them on top – totally fine. Tastes the same). Sprinkle with nuts.

Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Continue baking for 25 minutes. Loosen torte from the rim of the pan. Cool before removing and serving. I prefer it chilled.

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

Published October 30, 2011 Comfort Dishes 2 Comments
Trick or Treat? Both please, thank you. It’s macaroni and cheese, but with a trick – the squash. You wouldn’t take a bite and say “ew, squash in my mac n’ cheese.” Instead you say “delicious, this is amazing and say what? It has whole wheat pasta and butternut squash? I think I will have two helpings and feel no guilt.” The treat is you can.
I am not here to convince, however, merely tell you the tale of the best fall macaroni and cheese. It starts with a simple onion saute, goes on to cozy up with butternut squash and is topped with a blanket of melty cheese. It takes no time to prepare and even less time to bake. And, it’s delicious – seriously delicious.
If you are still reading instead of gathering the ingredients, I have tricked you into thinking there was anything more to say.
Ingredients:
  • 1 pound macaroni noodles, can use whole wheat
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, mashed
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup chicken stock or broth
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • salt, to taste
  • black pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 2 10-ounce packages frozen diced butternut squash
  • 1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano blend, divided
  • 1/2 cup shredded muenster cheese
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
How To:

Bring water to a boil, season with salt and cook macaroni to according to package directions, leaving the macaroni with a slight bite (al dente). Heat butternut squash in microwave according to package directions (or use stove top). Set aside. Squash should be very soft – turn into a puree with the back of a spoon.

Preheat broiler and place rack in middle of the oven.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic until soft, about 6 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Whisk in flour, then add stock and milk. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add to onions and garlic. Stir to combine. Add butternut squash, mix and reduce heat. When sauce comes to a bubble, stir in 3/4 cup parmigiano and muenster cheeses. Combine the sauce and macaroni, transfer to a casserole dish and top with remaining parmigiano-reggiano, shredded cheddar and paprika. Brown the macaroni under broiler, about 5 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and deliciously brown.

Caramel Apple Bars

Published October 19, 2011 Dessert, Pies and Cakes 1 Comment
Since my experiments in making caramel apples with homemade caramel all backfired, I found a new method of delivery for caramel apples – in the form of bars. This recipe brings all those flavors into an oat filled, crunchy, gooey, yummy little (or big) square.
I find eating caramel apples to be a little difficult. The caramel gets all over, I have the tendency to bump the apple into my chin, and the stick in the middle is hard to navigate. At the end, the apple often falls off into pieces.
With bars, there is no mess, no fuss, no muss. They are very sweet and a little bit salty, something lacking in caramel apples unless they had a sprinkling of sea salt (which would be a great addition). And now that I have the ideas flowing, adding peanuts or peanut butter would be awesome in this recipe. Some crunchy chopped peanuts on the top or using peanut butter instead of butter in the crust…I might have to revise this recipe at some point, but for now the caramel and apples work mighty well.
Ingredients:
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
  • 1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped (or 1 recipe homemade caramel)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 4 1/2 cups peeled, cored and diced apples (small dice)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • sea salt or fleur de sel for sprinkling (as much or as little as you want, I used about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
for caramel:
  • 1 stick unsalted butter butter
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 3/4 cup half and half
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or fleur de sel
How To:
If you are making the caramel, take out an 8″ X 8″ glass baking dish. Your caramel will cool here. Dice butter into even sized cubes. Add sugar to a medium sauce pan and add 3 tablespoons water. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Add butter and stir slowly until combined. Add corn syrup and half and half; mix.
Cook and stir on medium for one minute, then to medium to high heat until boiling. Once boiling, clip on a candy thermometer. Reduce heat to medium and keep a steady boil, stirring occasionally. Watch the temperature – you want to reach 240 degrees. Remove from heat, add vanilla and salt and stir. Pour into baking dish and set aside. and pour into baking dish.
For the bars, preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the brown sugar, butter and pumpkin until smooth. Combine flours, oats, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended. Set aside 2 cups of this mixture. Press the rest of the mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 9″ x 13″ baking pan.
In a medium bowl, toss diced apples with lemon juice. Add the 3 tablespoons flour and toss again. Spread apple mixture evenly over the crust. If caramel has set at all, microwave for 10 to 20 seconds, or until pourable. Spread over apple layer. Sprinkle the reserved oat mixture over the top of the caramel layer. Press down lightly. Sprinkle with sea salt or fleur de sel.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the apples are tender. refrigerate and cut when room temperature or cool. Refrigerate left over bars.

Pumpkin Muffins with Mini Chocolate Chips

Published October 12, 2011 Bread, Muffins, etc. Leave a Comment
If you love fall as much as I do, you will find yourself making anything apple, pumpkin, cinnamon and squash related. I can’t help it. It’s basically automatic as soon as that first chill of Autumn is felt in the air. This pumpkin muffin recipe makes the most tender, moist and delicious muffins. I made pumpkin muffins before, but they more donut-y than muffin-like. If you’re looking for a breakfast pumpkin muffin, this is it.
Mini chocolate chips are better than regular chocolate chips. I don’t need to go into depth about this, they just are. I encourage those of you who bake often to keep whole wheat pastry flour in your pantry. It can be used in place of or with all-purpose flour, and you won’t be able to taste a difference, but you’ll be adding some whole wheat. I added some bran cereal as well because a little bran never hurt anybody.
If you aren’t looking for a breakfast muffin, add a little cream cheese frosting (or just add it anyway…). With some pumpkin pie spice. And a cup of hot cider alongside.
Ingredients:
  • Cooking spray
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/4 cup bran cereal
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unsulphered molasses
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (can also use regular chocolate chips)
How To:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a regular muffin tin with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole wheat flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, molasses, oil and eggs until combined. Add the pumpkin and vanilla and whisk to combine. Stir in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Add mini chocolate chips. Do not over mix, just make sure everything is incorporated.

Spoon batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup to almost the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and remove from pan.

Peach Pie

Published August 29, 2011 Dessert, Pies and Cakes Leave a Comment

My inner Southern bell wanted to make an appearance this week in the form of peach pie.  Although peaches are great on their own this time of year, peach pie is a fantastic way to use them as well. They soften and sweeten even more, and when blanketed in buttery crust they become dreamy.

This recipe incorporates a crumble, and I am not sure if anyone can turn down a crumble, consisting of flour, butter, sugar, and some spice. Everything nice.

A lattice crust seems like it might be a tough task, but it’s actually not bad. You just weave the pie crust strips. Crimping the edges…that takes practice and I am not a professional by any means. Just try your best because once you start eating the pie, you’ll forget about what it looks like, whether your crimping is perfect or slightly imperfect.

Ingredients:

for pie crust:

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour, plus more for rolling
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, very cold and in a 1/2″ dice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 4 to 7 tablespoons water
for pie filling:
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • pinch salt
  • 6 to 8 large fresh peaches, pitted, peeled and sliced
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
  • 1 egg, whisked
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • course sugar for topping

How To:

For pie crust, place flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor and pulse to mix. Add butter and mix until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size granules of butter. Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until mixture begins to clump together. The dough will be ready if you pinch some and it holds together. If the dough doesn’t hold together, add a little more water and pulse again.

Remove dough from processor and place in a mound on your work surface. Slightly knead dough into 2 disks, but do not over knead. Wrap disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

When ready to roll out dough, remove crusts from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes in order to soften. Roll out on a lightly floured surface (with a lightly floured rolling pin) to fit a 9″ pie plate, about 1/8″ thick. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the filling, in a medium bowl, use a fork to combine flour, sugar, cinnamon and butter. Mix until crumbly.

Mix almond extract with peaches gently to coat. Spoom half of the peaches into the pie crust. Top with half of the crumbly sugar mixture. Layer more peaches and more crumble mixture. Top the pie with second pie crust by making a lattice top. Roll out pie dough and create slices with a pastry wheel or knife (you can also roll out dough as a double crust, cut four slits and skip the lattice).  Weave slices on the top of the pie to create lattice and crimp edges to seal. To crimp edges, pinch thumb and index finger with index finger on opposite hand.

Combine the whisked egg and tablespoon water. Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse or granulated sugar. Bake on the center rack in the oven for 40 minutes to 1 hour. Pie is done when crust is golden brown and peach pie filling is bubbling.  Allow to cool slightly. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Breakfast Cookies

Published August 17, 2011 Cookies 1 Comment

You can have cookies for breakfast. They can be something you look forward to when you go to bed at night and still be nutritious.

They aren’t a guilty pleasure even though they kind of feel like it. With coconut, almonds, dried cherries and dried dates, these cookies are full of good stuff.

I love that they are chewy, crunchy, oat-y and yummy. You can grab one and be on your way. So I am telling you they are not only tasty and fairly healthy, but easy as well. Are you still thinking? You should just be baking.

Ingredients:

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups regular oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
  • 1/4 cup chopped almonds
  • 1/4 cup sweetened coconut
  • 1/4 cup dried cherries

How To:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Melt the butter in the microwave, about 1 minute. Remove and add the brown sugar, stirring until smooth. Combine the flours, baking soda, oats and salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter sugar mixture to the dry ingredients. Whisk the egg in a small bowl and add to the mixture. Add vanilla and mix to combine. Add the dates, almonds, coconut and cherries. Mix well. Place onto baking sheets, about a tablespoon per cookie. Bake for 12 minutes or until tops are lightly golden and dry to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Tomato Bean Salad

Published August 11, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Tis the season for tomatoes. They are in the markets, super fresh and perfectly ripe. You can find them in all colors and shapes, which means it’s time to make colorful salads.

Multicolor cherry tomatoes with white beans is the base for this salad. You can add any other vegetables you choose. I decided on some diced crunchy green pepper. Add some herbs, fresh or dried, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil and vinegar (balsamic works great) and you have a terrific side. It could also be a main dish because you have so many nutrients coming just from the beans.

But what is really great about this salad? It’s incredibly tasty. The tomatoes are refreshing, the beans are creamy (and satisfying), the herbs make it fresh and the dressing brings it all together.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, multicolor if available (they’re prettier!!)
  • 1/2 green pepper, diced (optional)
  • 1 can Northern beans
  • 1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste
How To:
Cut medium to large cherry tomatoes in half; leave small ones whole. Drain and rinse beans. Combine tomatoes, green pepper and beans in a medium bowl. Add herbs, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Stir, making sure every tomato and bean is coated. Serve room temperature or chilled.

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