Rhubarb Crisp

I'll admit it. I'm a bad blogger sometimes. Nevermind the months of absence - but occasionally, I forget to photograph my treats. I guess that means I'll just have to make this one again!

Rhubarb is one of my many loves - I think made even more so since we really only can have rhubarb a few short months of the year. So, imagine if you will, my joy when my CSA box the first week came with some exceptionally beautiful rhubarb. Of course, the first CSA box (which ... I can go on and on about my life for my CSA) coincided with a cleanse I was doing. No sugar or carbs for Becky for 10 days. What am I to do with my rhubarb then? The answer ... freeze it and wait 10 days.

Finally, a couple of days ago, I heard the rhubarb calling to me from my freezer. So I found myself a crisp recipe and headed to the kitchen.

This crisp is amazing - it's a nice balance of sweet and rhubarb-y goodness. And! It's super easy. I will be making this again, some day. And then I will take photos - if I don't eat it too quickly.


Rhubarb Crisp

prep time: about 10 minutes
baking time: 45 - 55 minutes

Yields: 8x8 pan of crisp

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup oats (quick cooking or old fashioned)
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• 4 cups sliced rhubarb (about 1/2" pieces)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 TBS cornstarch
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking dish.
   
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, oats, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix together until crumbly.
3. Press half of the brown sugar and oats mixture into the buttered baking dish. Top with the sliced rhubarb.
4. In a saucepan: combine the granulated sugar, cornstarch, water and vanilla. Cook together until clear, stirring frequently.
5. Pour water/sugar mixture over the rhubarb (distributing evenly) and then top the rhubarb with the remaining crumb mixture.
6. Bake for 45 - 55 minutes

Enjoy by alone, with ice cream or whipped cream!

Citrus Glaze

For your spice cupcakes and all your cupcake & muffin glazing needs...

Citrus Glaze

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Yields: 1/3 cup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
  
• 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Directions

• Whisk all ingredients together until well combine. Spoon onto muffins / cupcakes immediately.

Enjoy!

Becky's Special Spice Cupcakes w/orange citrus glaze

Okay, so I'm doing a ton of baking this weekend. Nibbley Bits has some orders! Yup - it's been awhile, but people still ask sometimes.

Sitting here right now, I already have baked 94 cupcakes and 40 macaroons this morning. There are some meringues in the works tonight, but am waiting for the general humidity and the heat in my oven to go down. This is my new weight-loss plan. Bake when it's hot out and sweat off the weight. The key: don't eat everything I bake.

These are a new recipe that I'm super excited about. Hope you enjoy!

Spice Cupcakes

Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 20 minute

Yields: 2 dzn cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for tins
• 4 cups cake flour, sifted, plus more for tins
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Pinch of ground ginger
  
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups milk, room temperature

1 recipe orange glaze


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush standard muffin tins with butter; dust with flour, tapping out excess. Alternately, you can use muffin liners
   

2. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, salt, and spices three times. (This makes for a really well mixed, super fine mixture.
   

3. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each.
4. Divide batter evenly among prepared cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.
5. To finish, place cupcakes on a wire rack set over a baking sheet; spoon glaze over cupcakes, and let set. Cupcakes are best eaten the same day they are glazed; keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

Enjoy for a nice light, delicate cupcake!

Well ... it's been awhile (and here's a recipe for coconut macaroons!)

Sorry for the long delay!

The baking bug hasn't been gone, but I've had a busy couple of months in the world of theater and some how blogging has fallen to the wayside. I've been all over the off-Broadway map lately. Well, not really. I've been hovering around midtown making appearances (and baked goods) at a few different theaters.

In the process of all this theater work, I decided to make my own macaroons for Passover this year. The ones in the tins are just so expensive! And I discovered something astonishing. Macaroons - super easy to make. In my almost 30 years on this earth, I didn't know that macaroons didn't need to be dry! I'm ruined. I will never be able to go back to the sad, dry, canned macaroons.

So, here you have it:

Coconut Macaroons

Prep time: 5 minutes
Baking time: 15 minutes

Total time: about 25 minutes
Yields about 4 dzn cookies

Ingredients

• 5 cups flaked sweetened coconut
• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• (optional) 2/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped semi-sweet chocolate

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
3. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl
   
4. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
   
5. Scoop out 1 inch mounds, placed about 1 inch apart, on a lined cookie sheet.
   
6. Bake for 15 minutes, until just turning brown.
   
7. Cool and store in a sealed container between sheets of waxed or parchment paper.
   

The macaroons will keep well in an air tight container for several days.

Holiday Pop-Up at Variety Coffee in Brooklyn!

Okay, I'm joining forces with some local bakers and we are creating a holiday pop-up at Variety Coffee in Brooklyn NEXT WEEKEND! (12/18 & 12/19). We will be manning the coffee shop from 10am - 5pm. Stop by and visit, check out the wares and perhaps walk away with something delicious for yourself. Please check out the poster!

Simply ... Blondies

Apparently I was wrong when I said I'd be blogging more. I don't know where the crazy idea I would have time came into my head. The act of touring a play to prisons, homeless shelters, etc. is actually quite a time-consuming and exhausting process. Add on-to that the terrible illness that laid me out for the count this week, and I'm slowly refinding my kitchen (and various parts of my apartment that are buried).

But, in exchange for a lovely hoodie I promised a butterscotch treat for a friend. So, I found this (delicious) recipe for blondies. Don't you love the barter system?

Blondies can be dressed up a number of ways ... this is just a very simple, straight-forward recipe.

Simply Blondies

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 - 25 minutes

Yields: 1 - 8x8 pan

Ingredients

• 8 TBS butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup of butterscotch chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8x8 pan.
2. Mix melted butter w/brown sugar - beat until smooth (I used a whisk)
3. Beat in egg. Then the vanilla.
4. Add salt, then stir in the flour. Mix in butterscotch chips.
5. Pour into the prepared pan.
6. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until set in the middle.

Be sure not to overcook!!

Enjoy with a glass of milk or cup of coffee.

Pumpkin Caramels

As you may have previously guessed ... I'm a little obsessed with all things squash come the cooler months. I've been on a HUGE squash kick lately. You may have noticed by all the recent pumpkin recipes ... heck, I've had squash for dinner the last two nights! Last night was spaghetti squash with pasta sauce. Easy, delicious, healthy. Tonight was just the opposite ... butternut squash risotto (recipe to come...)

And, Thanksgiving is seriously around the corner (we're in the home stretch!!) which means even more pumpkin. So, I've got a taste for pumpkin. Sue me.

For years upon years, I was terrified to make candy. It seems like a really daunting task. Everybody says that candy is difficult. Last year, however, my squash brain and curiosity got the best of me. Pumpkin caramels? I had to try it! These are DELICIOUS. Chewy, pumpkin-y, caramel-y. A nice crunch with the pumpkin seeds. Honestly, what's not to love?

So ... they aren't the easiest thing to make. Not because they are difficult, though. Just because you have to keep your eye on them. And it takes some time to cut them up and wrap them all. But overall, they're pretty easy to make.

If you feel like you have some time, and want to wow your friends (or have something sweet and delicious), then I'd recommend giving these a go.

Pumpkin Caramels

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 45 Mins
Yields: Approx 30 candies.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
  
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 1 tsp pumpkin or apple pie spice *
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree, room temperature (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 TBS unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Special Tools: Candy Thermometer

Directions:

1. Line an 8" x 4" loaf pan with waxed paper or aluminum foil. Brush the sides, but not the bottom, lightly with butter and sprinkle the pumpkin seeds in the bottom.
2. Whisk the maple syrup, brown sugar, cream, corn syrup, pie spice, lemon juice and salt together in a heavy bottomed medium saucepan. Brush down the sides on the saucepan with water to remove every grain of sugar. Set the candy thermometer into the sugar. Cook the mixture over medium heat, without stirring, until the mixture reaches the firm ball sage, 248 degrees F, about 18 to 20 mins.
3. Carefully stir in the pumpkin puree.
   
4. Return to the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the caramel reaches the soft ball stage, 240 degrees F, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
5. Pour the caramel over the pumpkin seeds in the prepared pan. Smooth to an even layer. Cool to room temperature.
6. When full cooled, peel from the waxed paper or foil and cut into 30 (1-inch) squares. Wrap individually in parchment or waxed paper and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

*NOTE: As I've stated before and will probably state again, I just don't use pie spice. So I use my own mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves & ginger.


Give as a gift or enjoy on your own!!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Muffins

I don't think I've adequately lauded just how much I love fall. It's my favorite season. Sometimes I miss the longer days and the sunlight, but there's nothing like a good cup of tea (coffee, hot chocolate, apple cider...) while sitting under a blanket, with a good book and perhaps a cat. Maybe a fire place in the background, crackling away. I love apples. I love squash. And I love all things pumpkin.

So, this morning we were getting ready to head to some friends to meet their new baby (A. Dorable.) and I really just couldn't show up empty-handed. So, I found this recipe and made some changes and this is what we got. Pumpkin-y, chocolatey goodness.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Muffins

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Prep time: about 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 - 25 minutes

Yields: 12 medium-size muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15 ounce can)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice*
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• approx 3/4 cup chocolate chunks or chips
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Put oven in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Put liners in muffin cups.
2. Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chunks.
   
3. Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl.
4. Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about three-fourths full), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Cool in pan on a rack five minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

*Okay, I don't really "believe" in pumpkin pie spice. It's just one more thing to clutter my spice cabinet with. I mixed cinnamon (which was the major spice included), nutmeg, cloves & ginger together ... which, is essentially pumpkin pie spice. So ... if you don't have any on hand, make your own!

Enjoy with some coffee or a nice glass of milk!!

Apple & Cheddar Scones

Apple and Cheddar Scones

based off of the Smitten Kitchen recipe

Time (start to finish): approx 1 hour

Makes: 6 scones

Ingredients:

• 2 firm tart apples (1 pound)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar plus 1 1/2 tablespoons for sprinkling
• 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt plus additional for egg wash
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes plus additional for baking sheet if not lining it with parchment
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar, shredded (white is recommended)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 large eggs

Directions:

1. Position a rack at the center of oven and preheat oven to 375 °F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Peel and core apples, then cut them into one-sixteenths. (I made them into chunks as suggested) Placed them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them until they take on a little color and feel dry to the touch, about 20 minutes. They will be about half-baked. Let them cool completely. (You can speed this up in the fridge, as I did.) Leave oven on if baking right away.
3. Sift or whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
   
4. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, along with cooled apple chunks, cheese, cream and one egg. Sprinkle flour mixture over the top and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together. Do not overmix.
5. Generously flour your counter top and place the scone dough on top of it. Sprinkle with flour. Use a rolling pin to gently roll (or use your hands to pat) the dough into a 1 1/4-inch thick, 6-inch circle. Cut circle into 6 wedges. Transfer them to a baking sheet that has either been buttered or lined with a fresh sheet of parchment paper. Leave at least 2 inches between each scone.
6. Beat remaining egg in a small bowl with a pinch of salt. Brush the scones with egg wash and sprinkle them with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake until firm and golden, about 30 minutes. With a spatula, lift them to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
   
7. 
   

Do ahead: Scones are best the day they are baked. However, they can be made ahead of time and stored unbaked in the freezer until you need them. Simply brush them with the egg wash and sprinkle them with sugar, and bake them still frozen for just a couple extra minutes. This way they are always freshly baked when you want them. These scones were passable on day two and terrible on day three.

**I made them ahead, not baking any right away. I baked up 2 of them the first morning and the next for the next morning - delicious and perfect for the fall!!**

Fall is in the air...

Looking back, I somehow realized just how long it's been since I've blogged! For which I apologize.

Summer came, I went to Peru (go, go, go to Peru should you ever have the chance!) and when I returned ... it was hot. Like, seriously hot. And a bit humid. And I love my New York apartment and kitchen, but what happens in a small kitchen when you bake? It gets ... hot. So, for the sake of myself and my cats I didn't really bake. I made sorbet. I made salads. I ate out. Summer turned to late summer, I went home for a spell, worked 15+ hour days on events, went to Calgary and had a nice road trip back. While I was away, fall hit. Then I went to New Orleans.

Now, fall is in the air ... crisp, cool nights, beautiful sunny days, leaves changing. I hear my kitchen calling to me and the cracking of the whip for me to blog again.

So ... soon my friends. Soon I will update you to my baking (and perhaps some cooking!) escapades. There are new recipes to try, old recipes to revisit and love. Many delectable treats in-store. Now if only I remember to tell you all about them!

I warn you, it may not happen this week ... I am in training for my first ever karate tournament (wish me luck!), so lots of my spare time is going towards training and worrying. But once that is past, the kitchen will be taken over and treats will start spilling out into various offices around the city, helping put on winter weight to help keep the cold at bay.

My apologies for the delays!

Herbal Dynasty Chai Scottish Shortbread

The time has come. I've infused my butter, and now I get to make tea treats!! First up: shortbread cookies. These seemed like the perfect first foray into tea-infused treats. (Don't worry, I have big plans for cupcakes too!) So, I went through my tea selection and pulled out my Herbal Dynasty Chai from Sereneteaz . This is a really delicious, light chai made with roobios tea, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon & vanilla. It's almost floral, and a good introduction for the non-chai drinkers out there.

I'm pleasantly surprised how these turned out since I've never fully adapted a recipe for myself before. But, they have an excellent, delicate texture with a sweet, tea flavor. I'm thinking over the next couple days the tea flavor will become slightly more pronounced, but it unfolds nicely in your mouth as you eat the cookie. I would like to try this with some other tea varieties.

Tea-Infused Scottish Shortbread
recipe adapted from The Joy of Cooking 75th Anniversary Cookbook

Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus time to infuse the butter with tea)
Total Time: About 1 hour
Yields: 24 - 2" x 1" bars

Ingredients

• 3/4 Cup (1 1/2 sticks) tea-infused butter, softened
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (plus 1 to 2 tsp, reserved for later)
  
• 1/4 tsp salt
• splash of good-quality vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, beat together butter, powdered sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, salt & vanilla.
3. Gently stir-in the all purpose flour.
4. Lightly knead the mixture until it is well blended.
5. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 8-inch square baking pan. Pierce the dough deeply with a fork all over in a decorative pattern. Then sprinkle with 1 to 2 tsp of sugar.
6. Bake until the shortbread is lightly browned and darker at the edges, 45 to 50 minutes.
7. Immediately cut into bars while still warm, then cool in the pan or on a rack.

Enjoy!!

Tea Infused Butter

I've been talking about it for months...baking with tea. For those of you here in NYC you know that tea is HUGE. I mean, everywhere you turn there are tea baked goods. Small, local shops. Big, more trendy corporate tea houses. Everywhere you turn, a new tea boutique. (well...maybe it's not THAT big. That may just be wishful thinking on my behalf).

So, I've been wondering "How do you make these delicious tea treats?". The decision I came to, and will blog more about, is that infusing butter might just be a good starting place. Extract all the tea-y goodness from the leaves into your butter and then use this. The theory that I'm working under is that in lighter flavored treats (shortbreads, yellow cupcakes, perhaps sugar cookies?, please post suggestions...) will take that tea flavor now in the butter and run with it.

Infusing the butter is a fairly simple process so, here you have it:

Tea Infused Butter
Prep Time: 3 1/2 minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: about 15 minutes plus cooling

Ingredients

• 1 Stick of Butter (8 TBS)**
• 8 - 14 tsp tea (depending on how strong you want it)

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan.
2. Add tea directly to the butter, simmer for about 5 minutes.
3. Remove butter/tea concoction from the heat and let steep for an additional 5 minutes, until the butter is tinted by the tea.
4. Pour butter/tea mixture through a sieve, squeezing as much butter from the tea as possible.
5. Let cool to room temperature and use as you normally would in your baked goods!!

**A few Notes:
For a recipe calling for multiple sticks of butter, just multiply the recipe.

There is a certain amount of butter that you will lose as it will stick to the tea leaves. One
cup of this recipe (2 sticks of butter) will actually yield closer to 3/4 cup of butter. Keep
this in mind and make a little more butter than you think you will need!!

Enjoy!

Yellow Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream Frosting

Happy June everybody!! The sun is shining through the trees leaving me in a dappled sunlight and good spirits (for the most part) this June morning. Yesterday I was looking to make something to take to a Memorial Day shindig and so I feel back on cupcakes...because that is my go-to dessert. Who doesn't love a cupcake? (I mean...there are people, I don't think I care much about them...)

Now, I've never been a big fan of yellow cupcakes. They often are dry and tasteless. They are actually quite easy to over-mix (a problem I had yesterday). But this recipe (despite my over mixing) had a wonderful buttery taste with a hint of delicious vanilla.

I must admit that I had an ulterior motive for trying this particular recipe yesterday. I wanted to find a good base for my tea experiments and I think this cupcake will be perfect for flavoring with my infused butter concoctions that I will be creating.

The coffee buttercream comes from my favorite frosting recipe, which is extremely versatile. This time around it did not disappoint!! It actually goes quite well with this delicate, buttery cupcake.

So, if you need something quick and a little simple go ahead and take a batch of these in. I promise, they are not your average yellow cupcake.

Easy Yellow Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream Frosting
adapted from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 18 - 22 minutes
Total Time: about 45 minutes, plus cooling
Yields: 24 medium-sized cupcakes

Ingredients (Cupcakes)

• 3 cups of cake flour (If you don't have cake flour handy, replace 1 cup cake flour with 7/8 cup all-purpose flour and 2 TBS cornstarch)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 12 TBS (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted & cooled
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Ingredients (Frosting):

• 2 TBS heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 1 TBS instant espresso (or 4 tsp instant coffee)
• 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda together in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the sugar until combined. Whisk in the melted butter in three additions, until completely combined. Whisk in the buttermilk.
4. Sift one third of the flour mixture over the batter and whisk it in (there should still be a few streaks of flour remaining). Repeat twice with the remaining flour mixture and continue to whisk the batter gently until most of the lumps are gone. DO NOT OVER MIX.
   
5. Fill the cupcake liners about two-thirds full. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with a few crumbs attached, 18 to 22 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
6. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from the pans and let cool completely on the racks before frosting, about 1 hour.

MEANWHILE ... make the frosting while the cupcakes cool:

1. Stir the cream, vanilla, salt & coffee or espresso together in a small bowl until the salt dissolves.
2. Beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, 30 to 60 seconds.
3. Reduce the speed to medium-low, slowly add the confectioners' sugar, and beat until smooth, 2 to 5 minutes.
4. Beat in the cream mixture. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, 4 to 8 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Crisp Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies

With some free time on my hands I've decided to give some new recipes a try. In the coming week (or weeks ... depends how much time I have on my hands!) I'm finally going to delve into recipe testing some new items for myself. I have grand dreams of infusing butter with tea and seeing what that will bring me.

In the meantime ... I had to try out a new recipe I came across in my reading. If you check my blog at all, or know me, you've probably realized that I borrow recipes from a lot of other bloggers. Some are better than others. This one ... the crisp salted oatmeal white chocolate cookies ... is like crack. Seriously. I was skeptical. I have some variations I'd love to try , but that will probably wait until after I get through this tea phase I've been dying to try.

This recipe compliments itself rather nicely with the combination of white chocolate & salt. The cookies are, in fact, somewhat crispy ... which is just lovely. They're easy and quick, I mean, what more could you want in a cookie? If you need something to whip up to take to your Memorial Day party tomorrow I would say whip a batch of these up and you won't be sorry!!

Crisp Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies
(yes, the name is long but descriptive!)
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 12 - 15 minutes
Yields: 24 good size cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 6 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 tsp seasalt
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and table salt in a medium bowl.
   
2. Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then add egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down bowl again. Add flour mixture gradually and mix until just incorporated and smooth. Gradually add oats and mix until well incorporated. Fold in the chopped up white chocolate until well incorporated.
   
3. Divide dough into 24 equal portions, each about 2 tablespoons. Roll between palms into balls, then place on lined baking sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart. Gently press down each ball to about 3/4-inch thickness.
4. Sprinkle a flake or two of sea salt on each cookie
5. Bake until cookies are deep golden brown, about 13 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool.

These are great dipped in your cup of coffee, with a cup of tea of just by themselves.

Enjoy!!

Toffee Cookies

Who loves toffee? I do! I do!

So, these have quickly become a favorite of mine ... and many people I know. It's a very simple cookie (really just a variation of a chocolate chip cookie), but somehow seems more ... exotic with the addition of toffee rather than the standard chocolate chip.

About a year ago I had much debate as to the best type of coffee to use for this venture and I made two batches, which we had to taste test. I know, a terrible job, right? So I tried both Heath & Score bars. They're pretty much the same, when put in a cookie. I think I liked the Heath slightly better for these purposes, because it has a slightly thicker layer of chocolate which melts nicely into the cookie. Any chocolate covered toffee bar should work nicely.

Okay, without further ado...


Delicious Toffee Cookies

Prep Time: about 10 minutes
From ingredients to plate: about 1 hour 15 minutes
Yields: 3 1/2 - 4 dzn cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups unsifted flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter at room temperature
  
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 to 5 toffee bars chopped into small pieces (I use either Heath or Score, though you could use a toffee bar without any chocolate coating)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
   
2. Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside.
   
3. In large mixer bowl, cream butter with sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in toffee bits.
   
4. Drop 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie onto ungreased cookie sheets.
5. Bake at 375ºF for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!!

Double-Crust Pie Dough

I realize every time I make pie that I end up typing out this recipe. It's actually a super simple, really great pie dough recipe. I didn't think I'd be able to make pie crust on my own ... or at least not make it well.

At any rate, I know me, and I wouldn't want to read through a different pie recipe every time I wanted to make pie. And I'm getting tired of putting this in every pie recipe I make. So ... it gets it's own post, and a link from now on.

Good luck with your flaky pie crusts!!

Double-Crust Pie Dough
(courtesy of The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook)

Yields: enough crust for 2-single crust 9" pies, or 1-double crust 9" pie
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes (includes 1 hour of chilling time)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
• 2 TBS sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 8 TBS vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
• 12 TBS (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled
• 6 to 8 TBS ice water

There are two methods here - one is using a food processor, the other is a hand-mixing method. I've only done this by hand.

1. Food processor method: Process the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Scatter the shortening over the top & process until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds. Scatter the butter pieces over the top and, using short pulses, process the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Hand-Mixing method: Freeze the butter in its stick for until very firm. Whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar and press into the flour, using a fork. Grate the frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater into the flour mixture, then cut the mixture together, using two butter knives or a pastry blender, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Continue for both methods: Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture. Press the dough together, using a stiff rubber spatula until the dough sticks together. If the dough does not come together, stir in the remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does.
4. Divide the dough into two even pieces and flatten each into a 4-inch disk. Wrap the disks tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Let the chilled dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling it out and fitting it into a pie plate. (Note: I like to flour 2 pieces of wax paper and roll the dough out between them, it leads to easier clean-up).

TO MAKE AHEAD: The dough can be refrigerated, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up
to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Let the frozen dough thaw on the counter top until
malleable before rolling.

Spring is in the air with Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

I love love love strawberry-rhubarb pie. If you've read other posts, you know it's hard for me to find people to eat fruit pie with. (well ... not hard, but nobody that lives in my apartment will eat a cooked fruit pie with me) But I was having a girls day the other day, and I had some rhubarb that I had picked up at the lovely and vibrant Union Square Farmer's Market. The rhubarb was just calling to me, I had to cook it.

I've never made a strawberry-rhubarb pie, but it's one of my favorites. Now, when I mentioned I was making this I got many questions asking "what exactly is rhubarb?". Basically it's a plant that is reddish green. Stalk sizes vary, the smaller the stalks the more tender. The leaves are toxic, but I've never bought it with the stalks on. Rhubarb has a nice tang to it, which is why it is usually paired with something sweeter such as strawberries. And there you have it in a nutshell. If you really want to know more, here is the Wikipedia article.

This pie is nice and light and tasty. And I forgot to take pictures. I guess you know what that means, I'll just have to make it again while rhubarb is still in season! But I wanted to share this with you now. So stay tuned. I'll get you pics.


Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Prep time: 20 minutes plus time to prepare the crust
Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes plus cooling time

Ingredients

• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds rhubarb, trimmed, peeled, and cut into 1-inch lengths (5 - 6 cups) [NOTE: if the rhubarb is about the size of celery or smaller, you don't need to peel it]
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups plus 1 TBS sugar
• 1 recipe Double-Crust Pie Dough
• 1 quart strawberries, hulled and quartered
  
• 2 tsp grated orange zest (optional, but really .... is it?)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 TBS arrowroot (this is a thickener ... you can get it in the spice section of the grocery store)
  
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten

Directions

1. Adjust the oven rack to the lowest position, place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Add the rhubarb and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rhubarb has shed most of it's liquid but is still firm, about 5 minutes. Spread the cooked rhubarb out over a plate and refrigerate until cool.
3. Meanwhile, roll out the crust to two 12-inch circles. Place the bottom crust into the pie plate.
   
4. Toss the cooled rhubarb, strawberries, orange zest and vanilla together. Mix 3/4 cup of the sugar, the arrowroot and the salt together. Then sprinkle the sugar mixture over the fruit and toss thoroughly. Add up to 4 more tablespoons of sugar if the fruit tastes tart.
5. Spread the fruit mixture in the unbaked pie crust bottom and pack it tightly.
6. Lay the top crust over the fruit, seal and crimp the edges, and cut eight vent holes (as opposed to the usual 4). Brush the crust with the egg white and sprinkle with the remaining 1 TBS sugar.
7. Place the pie on the heated baking sheet and lower the oven temp to 425 degrees F. Bake until the top crust is golden, about 25 minutes.
8. Rotate the baking sheet and reduce the oven temp again to 375 degrees F, and continue to bake until the juices are bubbling and the crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes longer. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool to room temp before serving.

The pie can be stored at room temperature, wrapped tightly in aluminum foil, for up to 2 days.

A NOTE ABOUT PIE CRUST:
So, I've started enjoying making pie crust. It's pretty simple (or at least I think). Though, sometimes it's difficult to get a nice crusty dough and it's really easy to overwork the dough. That, and it does take some time. Some days I just don't have the time or desire to make my own pie dough. When that happens I like to use the Pillsbury Just Unroll and Bake pie crust. You can find it in the refrigerated section. It's pretty cheap and quite good!

Okay...enjoy this pie! You can have it plain, with a nice vanilla ice cream, or perhaps some whipped cream. It's really amazing just slightly warm.

Lavender Shortbread; a delicious tea treat (or anytime)

Lavender shortbread?!? Crazy sounding, I know. But delicious. When I first came across this recipe last year I was quite skeptical. But then, I happened upon some lavender and thought "Why not?" I was pleasantly surprised! This is the perfect spring/summer treat. It's an amazing shortbread recipe with a hint of lavender.

Ever since I made it last year I've been longing to make it again. With the spring weather I was racking my brain trying to think of where I could get cooking grade lavender. It theoretically isn't that hard, apparently you can pretty much get it at any Chinese market in the tea section. Cooking grade lavender is also used for tea, who knew? (The answer: lots of people, I'm sure. I was not one of them). However, I've been busy and haven't been able to get to Chinatown and explore. Low and behold, I'm randomly strolling around the Union Square Farmer's Market last week and there is now a lovely gentleman who sells lavender in all forms .... sprigs, sachets and yes, bags of cooking grade lavender. I'll tell you what - his stand smells WONDERFUL. I could just spend all day standing there and sniffing. Instead, I bought myself a 2 oz bag of lavender so I could enjoy the scents at home. Of course, 2 ounces .... that's a lot of lavender!

Ok, so, this recipe is a delicate balance ... you want to be able to taste the lavender, but you don't want it to taste like you are eating the sachet out of your clothing drawer. Its a beautiful and delicate recipe. Even if you don't like how it tastes (in which case, I would question your taste), it will make your apartment smell like a wonderful mix of butter & lavender.

Lavender Shortbread
adapted from Renee's Garden

Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus 30 - 45 minutes chilling time)
Cook Time: 20 to 25 minutes
Yields: about 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (3/4 pound, or 3 sticks) butter, at room temperature (no substitutes)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 TBS finely chopped lavender florets (fresh or dried)
• 1 TBS chopped fresh mint
• 2 1/3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, lavender, and mint with an electric mixer. Mix until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour, cornstarch, and salt and beat until incorporated. Divide dough in half. Flatten into squares and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm.

2. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 325°F. Cover bottoms of two baking sheets with parchment or brown paper.

3. On a floured board, roll or pat out each square to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Cut the dough into 1 1/2 -inch squares or rounds. Transfer to baking sheets, spacing cookies about 1 inch apart. Prick each cookie several times with a fork. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until pale golden (do not brown).
   

4. Cool slightly, then transfer to a rack. Sprinkle with lavender powdered sugar.

5. Garnish with lavender powdered sugar: Put a 4 or 5 sprigs of lavender flowers in a sealed jar with powdered sugar for a day before using the sugar. **

**[NOTE] Okay, let's be honest. Usually when I bake my thought process is "ooo! I wanna make that! Now!" And since I keep my kitchen pretty well stocked with the basic baking items I need, that usually works. Or I run to the store and pick something up real quick. It's only specialty items, orders, or events that I really plan for. So, when I want to make this shortbread and happen to have lavender sitting in my kitchen...I make it. And don't have a day to make the lavender powdered sugar. The first time I made this I just used plain powdered sugar. This time around, I muddled a teaspoon of lavender florets with my powdered sugar. So there you have it.**

Enjoy this with some tea, coffee, or lemonade!!

White Sangria

I. love. sangria. It's the perfect spring/summer drink. For those of you that know me, however, know that I can't really drink red wine (it's the tannins, I get migraines and then I'm sad). But, I love love love white wine. And I love fruit. So what could be better then a white sangria? Oh yea....a white sangria with my new favorite liquor, St-Germain.

St-Germain has quickly become my new favorite liquor. It's an elderflower liquor from France and it is tasty! It's lightly sweet and just plain tasty. You should check it out if you get a chance (and are of the appropriate drinking age, of course). They have a bunch of drink recipe recommendations on their website, I've tried quite a few of the recipes and have yet to be disappointed.

Okay, so here's the recipe for the St-Germain Sangria.


(For those folks 21 and over)

Sangria Flora
courtesy of St-Germain

Prep Time: 10 minutes or so (however long it takes you to chop up fruit)
Inactive Time: at least 3 hours

Ingredients

• 1 bottle Sauvigon Blanc or other dry white wine (I used a Pinot Grigio - it was delicious!)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups St-Germain
• 2 Fresh Peaches, sliced
• 1 Fresh Orange, sliced
• 5 - 6 Strawberries, halved or quartered
• A handful of Fresh Raspberries
• 1 bunch Fresh Grapes

Directions

1. Stir ingredients in a pitcher or carafe. Allow fruit to soak in the mixture between 3 and 8 hours. Serve in an ice-filled glass.

Enjoy responsibly!! This is really tasty and before you know it you may have had many many glasses.

Almond Spritz Cookies

These may not sound like a lot ... but they are like crack. And incredibly easy to make. But mostly like crack. It's hard to eat just one!

This is a simple cookie press recipe that you can whip out in a very short amount of time. Don't have a cookie press? I'm sure you could find a way to make these anyhow, but the dough is incredibly soft and sticky. I'd reckon that these would be perfect for a nice afternoon tea, or with a dollop of sorbet for a light summer desert!

Almond Spritz Cookies
adapted from my Cookie Press Cookbook

Prep Time: 10 - 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Yields: 3 dzn cookies

Ingredients

• 8 TBS (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 6 TBS granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the flat beater (or with a hand mixer), beat together the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and almond extract on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour a little at a time, beating until well blended.
3. Fill the cookie press with dough according to the instructions and fit with the desired-shaped disk. Press the dough out onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing the cooking about 1 inch apart.
4. Bake until the cookies are firm to the touch, about 10 minutes.
5. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool. Cookies may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Yum!!