Two of my favorite ingredients in on delicious tea bread, pumpkin and cranberries! Tea bread or loaf bread is easy to make and can be frozen for up to two months. I love to bake and freeze then I can always have a delicious treat to serve with a cup of hot tea.
“Tea makes everything better. ” Bindi Irwin
I just love blueberries and blueberry pie. While traditional blueberry pie is mouthwatering delicious sometimes I just like to change it up so I created this sinful decadent Pecan crumb topped sour cream blueberry pie. They say a picture is worth a thousand words but even this picture can only go so far in capturing the nutty topping with blueberry juice bursting from the fruit all in a creamy custard. I want another piece just writing this! Don’t forget to top with Bryers French Vanilla ice cream.
Pastry
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter
2-3 tablespoon water
1 egg, beaten
Filling
1 cup sour cream
3 ounces cream cheese
1 large egg
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups blueberries, washed and picked over
Crumb Topping
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1. To prepare pastry, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. With pastry blender cut in butter to consistency of coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle water one tablespoon at a time, mix until pastry holds together. Shape pastry into a ball.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into an 11-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Turn extra dough at the edge into rim and flute or crimp raised edge. Just before placing the blueberry filling in pie shell, brush with beaten egg.
3. To prepare filling, combine sour cream, cream cheese, egg, brown sugar, flour and vanilla in a bowl. Beat thoroughly until smooth. Preheat over to 450F. Fill pie shell with blueberries. Pour cream mixture over blueberries. Bake 10 minutes at 450F, reduce temperature to 350F and bake 35-40 minutes.
4. Prepare crumb topping by mixing flour, sugars, cinnamon, salt, butter, and nuts. Blend to form a crumbly mixture.
5. After baking the pie, remove the pie from oven, cool, then distribute crumb mixture evenly over top. Return to oven and bake 10-15 minutes more.
Enjoy!
Greek Butter Cookies just melt in your mouth. Koulourakia is usually served at Greek Easter along with other delicious baked delicacies. I like these butter cookies for their flaky buttery taste along with a hint of orange and brandy.
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup of vegetable oil
2 tablespoon vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup orange juice
3 eggs
2 tablespoons brandy
7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Sesame seeds
Beat butter, oil and shortening in a large bowl of the electric blender until well blended.
Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time blending well. Stir baking soda into orange juice, stir. Add to butter mixture. Add eggs and brandy, mixing well.
Combine flour and baking powder.
Add flour 1 cup at a time to creamed mixture. Remove from mixture when the dough is heavy. Knead by hand until the dough is smooth.
Tear off a piece of dough a little larger than a walnut. Roll between palms to form a pencil shape 6 to 7 inches long, cross dough to form a twist. Place twists one inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake 350 F for 20 minutes or until golden. Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies
Enjoy!
My love affair with making Christmas Cookies started when I was a little girl helping my mother bake cookies at Christmas. We made large quantities of my mother’s favorite recipes. To this day I have continued the tradition of baking, baking and more baking of delectable cookies. Today I made a favorite cookie of my children when they were little. Peanut Blossoms are a fun cookie topped with a chocolate kiss. Who does love a peanut butter cookie with a chocolate kiss in the center. I love the taste of peanut butter meeting chocolate. I’ve tried different versions of this cookie but always return to the Hershey’s original recipe that I made so long ago.
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
48 chocolate kisses, unwrapped
Preheat oven to 325 F. In large bowl mix beat shortening and peanut butter. Add sugars mixing until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat flour mixture into peanut butter until all the ingredients until combined and dough forms. Shape a teaspoonful of dough into balls. Roll balls in additional sugar(1/2 cup). Place on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden. Remove cookies from oven and immediately top each cookie with a kiss, pressing down so the cookie cracks slightly around edges of the kiss. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet letting cool completely.
Makes 48.
Enjoy!
gooddinnermrsmellen@blogspot.com
In New England, we celebrate Autumn with gusto like the strong winds creating falling leave whirlpools on front lawns then whisking the colorful leaves away to decompose in the woods. Fall is a glorious season inviting all to partake in the cornucopia of scents and tastes indicative of the season. I love to bake aromatic cakes, pies, and cookies filling my home with spicy fragrances; a perfect companion to falling temperatures complimenting the change from summer to fall. On a brisk fall day what could be more appropriate than a piece of spice cake with a cup of tea sitting by the fire watching the changing jewel-tone leaves float quietly to the ground.
PREPARATION
The cake can be made 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container
Enjoy!
In New England, we are love to celebrate the fall season. Cool morning with warm sunny days, jewel-tone leaves, farm roadside stands bursting with the last of summer’s bounty all signal the change in the seasons. Nature’s premier show on display for all to enjoy. Fall baking is one of my favorite past times and I especially love to make apple desserts. Going through all my post I realized I’m kind of obsessed with apples, cakes, pies, cupcakes and more. When I’m creating a new cake or pie the fall just inspires me like nature to give it my all and go wild! Here are a few of my fall favorites that I have posted over the years.
Candied Apple Fudge Bundt Cake
Candied Apple Fudge Bundt Cake
FANTASTIC APPLE PIE
CANDIED APPLE CRUMB CAKE
FALL APPLE PIE
Enjoy!
I have made this apple pie for over 30 years with some changes along the way. A disclaimer this pie is very rich but sometimes you just have to let go and indulge. You can’t each low fat cottage cheese and fruit every day. I just tell myself an extra hot yoga class and this piece of the pie has my name on it.
French Custard Apple Pie
Crust
1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 lb of butter
2/3 teaspoon salt
6-7 tablespoon apple cider or water
Filling
6 large Granny Smith or Macintosh apples pared and diced (you can use a combination or just one kind of apple. I like the Granny Smith because they are tart and this is a sweet pie)
1 2/3 cup sour cream
1 egg(2 if small)
1 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla or 1 tablespoon Brandy
1/3 cup flour
Topping
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 stick butter
Crust: Combine all the ingredients except the apple cider in a food processor, pulse until combined. Add one tablespoon of cider at a time and pulse after each addition. The dough will form a softball. Roll dough out on lightly floured surface 2 inches larger than the pie plate, fit a 10-inch pie plate. This is a soft cookie-like dough so I lightly dust the pie plate with flour before I fit the dough. This will prevent the pie crust from sticking when you cut the pie. Fold and roll pastry under and flute.
Filling: Mix filling ingredients together and fill the pie shell. Bake for 450 10 minutes, then 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Blend topping ingredients together and place on top of the pie . bake for additional 15 minutes.
Enjoy!
LUSCIOUS NECTARINE BLUEBERRY PIE
Luscious end of the season ripe fruit makes the most delectable pies. Who can resist a delicious piece of pie with vanilla ice cream simple but oh so good! I especially love the combination of nectarine and blueberries. I made my own pie crust and the recipe follows. But for a quick and easy pie, you can buy the refrigerated pie crust. I like the Pillsbury brand. Don’t be intimidated by a homemade pie crust, as I’ve always said, the more you practice the better you become. If time is an issue you can make the pie crust the day before and refrigerate overnight, then just roll out the dough the next day, add the filling, bake and in no time you have a wonderful homemade pie.
Pie Crust
Makes 2 crusts
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 ” cubes
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
Process flour, butter, vegetable shortening, sugar and salt in a food processor until butter is crumbly, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl. Gradually add 3/4 cups ice water, using a folk stir mixture until dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Filling
6 ripe large nectarines(halved, pitted and sliced 1/2-inch thick)
1-pint blueberries washed and picked over
3/4 cups sugar
3 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
Glaze;
1 egg
1 Tsp. milk
1 Tsp. sugar(for sprinkling)
Heat oven to 425 F and adjust rack to lower to the middle position. In a large bowl toss nectarines, blueberries, sugar, tapioca, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Set aside for 15 minutes.
Divide dough into two balls, one slightly larger. On a lightly floured surface roll larger pastry ball into a circle about 2 inches larger than the 9-inch pie plate. Line pie plate with pastry, trim edge leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fill the pie plate with the fruit. Roll out smaller pastry ball for top curst. Place on top of the fruit pie. Trim pastry edge leaving an inch overhang. Fold overhang under, then bring up over the pie-plate rim, pinch to form fluted edges. Brush top with some of the egg glaze. Make a few decorative slits in the top and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 and bake for 40 minutes. Then brush again with remaining egg glaze, sprinkle sugar and bake for about 5 minutes more until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack before serving.
I serve with my favorite vanilla ice cream Breyers!
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Fall at it’s best with fresh-picked apples baked in a rich pound cake with a crumb topping and caramel drizzled on top. Richly flavored with just a hint of orange juice, cinnamon, and crisp tart apples. I used Granny Smith Apples in this cake for their tart flavor along with a firm consistency after baking. As gorgeous as this cake looks it is quite easy to make. Delicious, dazzling, easy to duplicate, what could be better.
Candied Apple Crumb Cake
4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup oil
1 cup orange juice
3 large eggs (4 if small)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Apple Filling
4 Granny Smith Apples peeled and slice
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoon cinnamon
Crumb Topping
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Caramel Sauce
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fleur de sel (or another sea salt)
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease tube cake pan and set aside. Sift together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Place in a large mixing bowel making a well.
2. Combine oil, orange juice, eggs, and vanilla. Pour into the center of the well and beat for three minutes.
3. Combine sugar and cinnamon in the small bowl and set aside.
4. Pour a third of the batter into prepared pan, add half sliced apples and half cinnamon-sugar. Cover with half the remaining batter. Top with remaining apples then cinnamon-sugar. Add remaining batter on top.
5. Combine ingredients for crumb topping blending until thoroughly combined. A pastry blender works best to make the crumb topping but you can cut the butter in with two knives.
6. Sprinkle over cake. Bake 1 hour 30 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
7. Cool for 1 hour before removing from the tube pan.
8. Make caramel sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat combine the sugar with 1/4 cup cold water and stir to combine. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar has turned a deep amber color about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, warm the cream in a small saucepan. When the caramel is ready, slowly, whisk in the warm cream and continue simmering for another 2-3 minutes until the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat, then whisk in the butter,, and then salt. Slowly drizzle over cake.
Serve with Vanilla ice cream or just plain.
Enjoy!
August is peach month with beautiful ripe peaches coming to market in New England. Peaches
are a favorite with my family from sliced peaches topped with yogurt and granola to elaborate
peach pies, tarts, cakes, cobblers, and crumbles. So many choices with to bake with delicious
summer fruit to delight family and friends. A crumble differs from a cobbler, a biscuit topping
while a crumble a topping of loose ingredients combined and place on top of the fruit. Don’t forget
to serve with rich vanilla ice cream.
Perfect Peach Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream
For the peach filling:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 cups peaches, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
1 lemon, juiced
For the crumb topping:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup oats
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
Vanilla ice cream* or whipped cream, for serving
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. To make the peach filling: In a large bowl, stir together sugars, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Add peaches and gently toss to coat. Mix together cornstarch slurry and lemon juice and stir into peaches to incorporate. Butter a 12 by 8-inch oval dish and add to peach mixture.
To make the crumb topping: In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. Top peaches with crumb topping. Pour melted butter over crumb topping. Place in oven, bake uncovered for 35 – 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream
* I love Breyer’s Ice Cream!
Enjoy!
