Summer Strawberry Dessert

Saturday mornings means a trip to the local Farmers' Market, and early June means a promise of fresh, juicy strawberries!

I wanted to make a easy dessert ~ but not just strawberry shortcake.  A look through the pantry, and I had an idea.  Store bought biscuits, instant pudding, whipped cream, and strawberries served in a margarita glass would be a combination of simple and fancy.

The biscuits were baked following the directions on the can.
The pudding was prepared and refrigerated.
I then washed, hulled, and quartered the strawberries.

Once I added a little sugar, I mashed the berries lightly.

Right before serving I separated the biscuit in half, and put the first half into my glass.   I topped it with a couple of spoonfuls of pudding and then the strawberries.  I added the second biscuit half and repeated the layers.
A little whipped cream and a whole strawberry, and my dessert was complete ... and completely delicious!

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Wish List Wednesday Summertime Chocolate Treats

Well, Memorial Weekend is here ~ unofficially the first day of summer.  And in the Northeast it is actually in the 80's with lots of sunshine!!

For my wish list post, I thought I would share some great looking treats...with my favorite ingredient ...Chocolate!

 Smores cupcakes

a chocolate and pretzel dessert

Chocolate Raspberry Mousse cake

Chocolate lasagna cupcakes

I

and Frozen Hot Chocolate

Think there is something here  to satisfy everyone's sweet tooth!!

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Stawberry, Blueberry & Lemon Scones

Spring means the opening of the Farmers' Market in town ~ my favorite trip on Saturday mornings.  Although it was still early for many of the vegetables and fruits, the blueberries and strawberries looked enticing.
They were perfect to add to pancakes, and with the remainder, I decided to make scones ~ a delicious treat!

Ingredients:
1/2 pint blueberries
1/2 pint strawberries (cut into small pieces)
zest from one lemon
2 cups of flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 stick cold butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
raw or granulated sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
With a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until it resembles a coarse meal.
Stir in the lemon zest, strawberries, and blueberries.

In a measuring cup, whisk the buttermilk, 1 egg, and vanilla.  Add to the dry ingredients, and mix until a soft dough is formed.
Turn out the dough onto floured waxed paper, knead gently 1 - 2 times.

Form dough into a round circle about 1" thick.

Cut into wedges ~ 8 - 12 depending on the size you would like.
With a fork, mix the 2nd egg and a teaspoon water.  Brush onto the scones, and sprinkle with raw sugar (or granulated sugar).

Carefully move the scones onto a Silpat covered baking sheet.  Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!  ♥


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Chocolate Chip & Cranberry Biscotti

Loving biscotti! 
I have posted a recipe for Coconut Biscotti ~ today is it a perfect combination of chocolate and dried fruit ~ DELICIOUS!!

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Whisk together 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl.
In a mixing bowl, cream together 6 tablespoons softened unsalted butter and 1 cup sugar.
Add 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, and beat until combined.  Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until a soft dough is formed.
Add 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and 1/2 cup dried cranberries; mix by hand.

Form the dough into a rectangle on a Silpat covered baking sheet. 
Brush on a mixture of 1 egg and 1 tablespoon water.  Sprinkle with raw sugar (or white sugar).

Bake for 50 minutes.

Remove from oven, and allow to sit for 5 minutes.

 

Cut 1 inch diagonal slices.  Return to oven for 10 minutes.  Flip slices, and allow to bake for an additional 10 minutes until lightly brown on both sides.

Cool, and enjoy!  ♥

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Cranberry Almond Muffins Topped with Raw Sugar

A delicious muffin with fruit, almonds, and a sugary topping ~ perfect for breakfast or anytime you crave a sweet treat.

Ingredients (for 12 muffins):
1 3/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup slivered almonds + 1/4 cup for topping
2 teaspoons raw sugar (or white sugar)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.

In a measuring cup, mix oil, eggs, and almond extract.  Add to dry ingredients.  Stir only until combined.

Add cranberries and slivered almonds.

Spoon into greased muffin cups or line with paper.

Bake for 20 minutes or until done.  Cool and Enjoy!  ♥

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Coconut Biscotti

As much as I love to bake, I have never tried making biscotti.  There are so many wonderful recipes available ~ French Toast, Lemon, Brown Sugar .... Kendra makes a delicious biscotti using Dark Chocolate Almond.
Well, I decided that baking biscotti would be on my To Do List this weekend.  I love coconut pizzelles, so what about a coconut biscotti! 

Oh, my goodness ~ deliciousness!!!

Ingredients:
6 tablespoon softened unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/3 cups of shredded coconut

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

Thoroughly cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.

Add one egg and the yolk.
Slowly add the flour ~ it will form a soft dough.  Mix in 1 cup of coconut.
Shape the dough into a long log, about 10" x 3" and place on a Silpak baking sheet or parchment paper.
Brush with a beaten egg mixed with 1/2 water.  Sprinkle with additional coconut.

Bake for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven.  While still warm, cut 1" slices diagonally.
Place back in the oven for an additional 15 minutes.

Cool, and enjoy with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

Makes a great breakfast treat ♥
Printable recipe


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Delicious Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

Guess I have written enough about chocolate for everyone to know that I am definitely a chocoholic!
Today's recipe is a cake with bananas and banana yogurt and, of course, lots of chocolate chips!

Ingredients:
 Cake
 3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup sugar
2 sticks butter, softened
2 eggs
2 large bananas, mashed
1/2 cup banana yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla
 Topping
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, melted

Extra 1/4 chocolate chip (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a spring form pan by spraying it with non stick spray.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Add the chocolate chip, and stir.
Beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the eggs.  Beat in the mashed bananas, vanilla, and yogurt.
Add the dry ingredients ~ stir with a wooden spoon until mixed completely.
Spoon into the prepared pan, and spread out evenly.

Sprinkle on the topping:
   Mix together the chocolate chips, brown sugar, oats, and flour.  Stir in the melted butter until large crumbs are formed.

Add a few extra chips for good measure!

Bake 1 hour or until done.  Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, and remove the spring form.

Enjoy!  ♥  Printable recipe

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No-Knead Needed Bread

When my children were young, I would make yeast bread occasionally, but I haven't made it in years!  When I saw this recipe for a bread that didn't require kneading on Williams-Sonoma's site, I truly didn't think it would work.  Boy, was I wrong!  My son-in-law said it even tasted like one of the breads served at Panara's. 

It's one of those easy recipes that truly turns out perfect.  And you can add your own creativity with the addition of herbs and spices.

Easy recipe:
In a large bowl whisk together 3 cups of flour, 1/4 teaspoon yeast, 1 3/4 teaspoon salt. (I also added approximately 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary and 2 teaspoons of chopped lemon zest.)  Add 1 3/4 cups of water.  Stir until a dough forms.

 

 

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit overnight ~ 12-18 hours ~ in a warm spot (I used the top of my stove.)  It will rise and bubbles will appear on the top.
In the morning, preheat oven to 450 degrees. 
Once the temperature is reached, put your cast iron pan with a lid into the oven ~ I used my Le Creuset pot ~ for 30 minutes.
While the pot is heating, flour a surface, and form your dough into a ball, allow to rest.

At the end of the 30 minutes, CAREFULLY remove the lid and put the dough into the pot.

Cover and allow to bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the lid, and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

The result will be a crusty bread that is delicious to eat!

Enjoy!  ♥

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Pumpkin Quick Bread

While "spring cleaning" my kitchen cabinets, I found a lonely can of pumpkin.  And since I always love the smell of spices baking, I decided to make two loaves of pumpkin bread.  The addition of a great streusel topping made it a perfect treat!

Ingredients for bread (for 2 loaves):  Printable recipe
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable (or canola) oil
4 eggs
1 can (approx. 2 cups) pumpkin puree
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
   Streusel topping
Mix 1 cup flour and 2/3 cup light brown sugar. With a pastry cutter (or 2 forks) add butter until crumbs form. 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Prepare two loaf pans.
Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
Beat together sugar and oil.  Add eggs, one at a time.  Beat until light and fluffy.
Add pumpkin puree.  Mix.
Slowly add flour mixture.  Beat only until the flour is incorporated.
Spoon into pans.  Top with streusel.
Bake for 1 hour.
Cool for 10 minutes, and remove from pans.

A great addition to a bowl of beef and barley soup!

Enjoy!

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