Apples & Dried Cherry Honey Cake

Adapted from the Joy of Kosher Magazine

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 40-45 minutes

Serves 10 - unless you have my four year old grandson over.  He loved it so much, he had 3 helpings!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup canola or grape seed oil
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (I even used the pulp)
2 large eggs
1 cup dark honey
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tsp hot water
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg (I like to grate my own.  A whole nutmeg lasts forever and the fresh grating gives a heavenly aroma)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 cup shredded apples (I love MacIntosh)
1/2 - 1 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped (raisins, currants, cranberries are other good choices)
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/175 degrees C and prepare a 9x13" baking pan.  Lightly grease the sides and line with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine the oil, juice, eggs, honey, vanilla and coffee.  Whisk well.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.  Add the dry mixture to the liquid until well mixed and no lumps.

4. Fold in the shredded apples, dried cherries and pecans,( if using).

5. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick test in the center of the cake comes out dry.

6. Rest on a rack in the pan until cool.  To remove from the pan, loosen around edges, place a large cutting board or bottom of a baking sheet over the top and invert.  Gently let the cake release.  Peel off the parchment and place the serving platter on top.  Flip and VOILA!  Now just cut the cake into squares for serving.

Coriander, Rosemary & Black Pepper "Cookies"

Adapted from LCBO's Early Summer Issue

Printable Recipe


Prep time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 20 minutes or so
Makes 20-36 cookies  

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

4 oz Italian blend of grated cheeses (the magazine used Havarti)

1 tbsp lemon juice (about 1/2 small lemon)

1 tbsp ground coriander seed

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup pecan halves

Pinches of coarse sea salt
  Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 325F/160C oven and line rimmed baking sheets with parchment or foil.
2. Arrange racks above and below the middle of the oven.
3.  Pulse the butter, cheese, lemon juice, coriander seed, pepper, rosemary and salt in a food processor until well mixed.  Sprinkle flour over top and pulse until crumbly mixture is formed.  Add the pecans and pulse to chop but pieces still visible.  
4. Transfer to a mixing bowl.  I used my little "ice cream scoop" that I use for my cookies.  It's obviously a bit larger than the 1" balls described in the recipe.  I only made 22 cookies.  
5. Use a fork to flatten (like you would classic peanut butter cookies - like #)  Sprinkle with a coarse sea salt.
6. Bake for 15 minutes and switch trays so the baking ends up even.  Bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the cookies are lightly golden.
7. Cool on a rack

The magazine says to serve within hours or store airtight at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for up to a month.  To restore crispness, place on an unlined sheet in a preheated  325F/160C oven for 10 minutes or until hot.   Cool on a rack.    

That said,  I could barely get everyone to wait until they cooled enough to handle!

.

Ginger Pumpkin Muffins

From Joy Bauer's Food Cures: Eat Right to Get Healthier, Look Younger, and Add Years to Your Life

PrintableRecipe

Hands on time: 5 minutes

Baking time: 15 minutes

Makes 12

Ingredients

½ cup brown sugar, packed

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp kosher salt

1 egg

1 cup fat-free milk (I used 1%)

½ cup canned 100% pure pumpkin puree

¼ cup canola oil

½ tsp grated orange peel

¼ cup flaked hazelnuts (my own addition – for a crunchy topping)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C and lightly coat muffin tins with cooking spray.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger & salt.

3.  In a small bowl beat the eggs for 30 seconds or until foamy.  Add the milk, pumpkin, oil and orange zest. Beat well.   Add the egg mixture to the dry mixture and stir until the flour is blended in.

4.  Fill muffin tins ¾ way full with batter.  Sprinkle with hazelnut flakes.

5.  Bake 15 minutes or until top springs back when touched or toothpick test (stick in center of muffin and should come out dry).

6.  Turn out onto wire rack to cool.  Once cool can be frozen for 2 months.  Mine never lasted long enough to freeze.  

Nutritional note:  131 calories, 3 g protein, 19g carbohydrate, 5g fat (0g saturated), 18 mg cholesterol, 20 mg sodium, 2g fiber, plus 463 mcg beta-carotene, 75 mg beta-cryptoxanthin (Ruth’s note, given that I used 1% rather than 0%, mine were probably a bit higher all around)

Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream Icing

Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream Icing
From The Craft of Baking: Cakes, Cookies, and Other Sweets with Ideas for Inventing Your Own

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Chill time: at least 1 hour, up to 2 days in the fridge, up to 1 month well wrapped in the freezer Counter time before slicing : 5 minutes
Bake time: 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven
Cooling time: as long as you can hold out

Makes 30 cookies

Ingredients:
Cupcakes:
¾ cup sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
¾ cup mashed ripe bananas (about 1 ½ medium bananas, mashed with a fork)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp buttermilk
¾ tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tbsp unbleached all purpose flour
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt

Buttercream
2 large egg whites ( ¼ cup)
¼ cup sugar
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces at room temperature
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp kosher salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C and line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil. Whisk in the banana, egg, egg yolk, buttermilk and vanilla.

3. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Using a whisk, mix the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined.

4. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling them three-quarters full.

5. Bake, rotating the tin halfway through the, until a cake tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean (about 20 minutes).

6. Invert the cupcakes onto a wire rack, turn them top side up and let them cool completely before icing them.

Buttercream:
1. Fill a medium saucepan with 2” of water and bring to a simmer.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the egg whites and sugar. Set the bowl on top of the saucepan, and whisking constantly, heat the egg mixture until it is warm to the touch (about 3 minutes).

3. Transfer the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on medium speed until the whites become translucent and shiny and form soft peaks (about 5 minutes more).

4. With the machine running, ad the butter, one piece at a time and mix until combined. Increase the speed to medium high and add the peanut butter, vanilla and salt. Scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, beat until the Buttercream becomes shiny and creamy (about 10 minutes).

Note: The buttercream can be refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat for a few minutes until smooth.

5. Spread the buttercream over the tops of the cupcakes, swirling decoratively.

The cupcakes can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

I personally love my buttercream icing hard, so my preference is to eat them from the fridge…what about you?

Seriously Montreal Style Bagels

Seriously Montreal-style Bagels
From The New best of BetterBaking.com

Printable Recipe

Total bagel making time: 90 minutes or so
Prep time: 10 minutes
Kneading time: 10-12 minutes
Rest time: 10 minutes
Shaping time: 5-10 minutes
Rest time: 15 minutes
Boiling time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 20-25 minutes

Makes: 12-14 bagels

Ingredients:
1½ cups warm water
2¼ tsp instant yeast
4 tbsp white sugar
1 ¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp beaten egg
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp malt powder or firmly packed brown sugar (I used the malt powder)
6-7 cups bread flour

¼ cup honey
1½ cups sesame seeds or poppy seeds (or half of each) for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (for resting raw bagels). Stack 2 large baking sheets together and line the top one with parchment paper (for baking) and set aside.

2. Hand whisk the warm water and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer and let it stand for 2-3 minutes to dissolve the yeast. Stir in the white sugar, salt, honey, egg, oil, malt powder and 6 cups of flour. Mix to make a soft mass. Knead with the dough hook on the lowest speed of the mixer for 10-12 minutes, gradually adding more flour as required to form a very stiff, smooth dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise for 10 minutes.

Note: my daughter doesn’t have a stand mixer with a dough hook so we started with her food processor and dough blade. That worked okay for the first mixing, but was too much work for the kneading, which we had to do by hand. They still turned out amazing, just required more elbow grease. The only reason I mentioned this is so that even those who don’t have stand mixers can enjoy Montreal style bagels.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into
12-14 portions. Roll each portion into a 10 inch rope. Make each rope into a ring and gently rock back and forth on the counter to seal the ends. Place the rings onto the single baking sheet and let them rest for 12-15 minutes or until slightly puffy.

Naked bagels resting

4. Preheat the oven to 450°F/220°C (Ruth’s note: my daughter and I placed a pizza stone on the bottom shelf to increase the heat and do the final 5 minutes of baking).

5. Fill a large soup pot or Dutch oven ¾ full with water. Add the ¼ cup of honey and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a good simmer and add the bagels a few at a time (you really don’t want to crowd them). Boil for 1 ½ -2 minutes, turning them over at midpoint. Using a slotted skimmer, transfer the bagels to the single parchment lined baking sheet to drain.

6. Put the sesame (or poppy) seeds in a shallow but wide bowl (or platter with raised sides – or the seeds will end up all over the place). Dip each bagel in the bowl to coat all sides with the seeds and then transfer them to the parchment lined, double stacked baking sheets.

Dressed in sesame seeds and waiting for the oven

Dressed in poppy seeds (My Honey said I got carried away with the seeds, so many fell off when we ate them)

7. Place them in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 425°F/218°C and bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn the bagels over and bake for 3-5 minutes longer (this is when my daughter and I placed them on the pizza stone) or until they are well browned on both sides.

8. Transfer to a wire rack and let them cool for 15 minutes before serving….which was the hardest part in our house.

The results had us, especially the ex-Montrealers in the group, moaning with delight. Serious thumbs up for authenticity.

Dried Fruit Maple Squares

Dried Fruit Maple Squares
From The Mixer Bible: Over 300 Recipes For Your Stand Mixer

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 35-40 minutes

Makes 24 squares
Note: if you don’t have a stand mixer, use a hand electric mixer.

Ingredients:
Base:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 large eggs
Filling:
¾ cup lightly packed brown sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup pure maple syrup
4 eggs, room temperature work best
1 ¼ cup chopped pecans
1 ½ cups dried fruit (the book called for cranberries, I used a mix of dried cherries & dried blueberries)
Pinch of salt

Directions:
1. Pre heat the oven to 350°F/180°C and prepare 13”x9”x2” metal baking pan (butter sides and parchment sheet to fit over the bottom of the pan).
Base:
2. Place flour, sugar, cold butter, baking powder & salt in mixer bowl. Using the flat paddle, set to speed 2 and beat until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat in eggs, one at a time until the dough forms a ball.

3. Roll out the dough on a floured work surface into a 13”x9” rectangle. Carefully fold twice (envelope style across) to transfer to the prepared pan. Press evenly up the sides and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

4. Place brown sugar and softened butter into the mixer bowl and using the whisk beater, set the speed to 4 and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the maple syrup and then add the eggs, one at a time, until smooth.

5. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the nuts, dried fruit and salt until evenly incorporated.

6. Pour the filling into the dough and spread evenly in the pan.

7. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden around the edges and the filling is set.

8. Cool completely in the pan on a cake rack. Cut into squares

Store in an air tight container in the fridge for 3 days or freezer for 4 weeks.

Marty's Cranberry Orange Loaf

Marty's Cranberry Orange Loaf
From Marty's World Famous Cookbook

Prep time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 60 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out dry and clean)

Makes: 1 loaf

Ingredients:
Loaf:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp orange zest (from one large orange)
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
1 ½ cups fresh cranberries (I used frozen)
½ cup pecan pieces
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 large orange)
Glaze:
2/3 cup icing sugar
Zest and juice of 1 orange

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C and grease a 9”x5” loaf pan

2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the cranberries and pecans. Set aside.

3. In a separate large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and egg. Stir in the orange juice. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Pour into the prepared loaf pan.

4. Bake for one hour or until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the glaze:
Combine the icing sugar, zest, and juice. (Ruth's note: It looks much thinner than most glazes I've tried, but don't be fooled...and don't mess around trying to thicken it up...it's perfect as is)
Brush over the loaf while it’s still warm in the pan and allow the glaze to soak in.

Cool in the pan for 1 hour, cut and serve.

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
From The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Bake time: 10 minutes

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
½ cup smooth peanut butter
1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 large egg, at room temperature
1¼ cup all purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp kosher salt

Directions:

1. Place one rack in the top third and one in the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 325°F/170°C. Line the bottom of 2 rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together peanut butter with butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Beat in the egg.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

4. With the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and mix until combined, scraping down the sides a few times.

4. Scoop the dough by rounded tablespoonful (I used a small ice cream scoop) and form into balls. Place them about 2” apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. To shape into the traditional cross hatched design, use a fork dipped in flour and press down on the cookies first one way and then perpendicular.

5. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden . Don’t over bake, or they’ll be crunchy rather than chewy. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the cookies cool for a few minutes before eating.

Double Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Double Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies
From The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Refrigeration time: at least 4 hours (could be overnight or even frozen)
Bake time: 15 minutes

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 large egg, at room temperature
¼ tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup semi-sweet (58%) chocolate chips
1/3 cup dried sour cherries

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add the egg, mixing well. Stir in the vanilla.

3. With the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture n three batches, mixing until incorporated after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips and cherries down the sides of the bowl.

4. Refrigerate the dough for a few hours until firm.

5. Turn the dough onto a clean work surface and divide it in half. Roll out into 2 uniform logs about 12” long. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate again until firm enough to slice. (I left mine overnight). The book suggests at least 1 hour. At this stage you could wrap the log again in foil and freeze for up to 1 month.

6. Place one rack in the top third and one in the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 350°F/180°C. Line the bottom of 2 rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place the slices 1½” apart.

7. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the dough looks just bake . Don’t over bake, the cookies should be tender. (I switched positions half-way). Transfer the pan to a rack and let the cookies cool for a few minutes before eating.