by Kathy Douglas | Jun 7, 2020 | Desserts
The delicious sweet and sour flavors of summer in a super easy recipe made with seasonal fresh strawberries, a quick rhubarb pulp, pecans, and crispy butter cookies. Then baked to bubbly perfection and served topped with whipped cream.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound fresh rhubarb chopped into ½” pieces
½ cup sugar
4 cups ripe fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
1½ cups coarsely chopped crispy butter cookies, homemade or premium store-purchased, we like Pepperidge Farm Chessmen
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
½ cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Whipped Cream, for serving (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
To make rhubarb pulp, cook the fresh, chopped rhubarb in the sugar with ¼ cup water in a saucepan over medium heat until very soft. Crush to a pulp and simmer for 10-15 minutes longer or until thickened. Set aside.
In a bowl, toss the strawberries with warm rhubarb pulp. Rest for one hour on the counter at room temperature.
Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter four 12-ounce ramekins. Add ½ cup cookie crumbs and ¼ teaspoon of salt to the strawberry rhubarb mixture. Mix well and add evenly into the ramekins. In another bowl, toss the remaining 1 cup cookie crumbs with the chopped pecans, melted butter, and brown sugar; sprinkle evenly over the berries. Place on a parchment-lined baking tray and bake until the berries are bubbling out of the ramekins, about 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes to serve warm or serve at room temperature.
Serve topped with freshly whipped cream.
by Kathy Douglas | May 27, 2020 | Desserts
It’s strawberry season and these cookie bars are as delicious as they are festive! Our simple, sweet base is topped with strawberry jam then a crunchy streusel topping that browns lightly in the oven.
INGREDIENTS:
½ cup butter, melted
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
8-ounce container mascarpone cheese, room temperature
zest of one lemon
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of kosher salt
1 cup flour
1 cup strawberry jam, homemade or high quality
For the streusel topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup butter, room temperature
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350°F Lightly butter and flour an 8 x8” pan. Whisk together the melted butter and sugar in a bowl. Add the egg and vanilla extract, mascarpone cheese, lemon zest, and mix thoroughly until smooth batter forms. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Add the flour mixture in three amounts to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Pour into the pan and spread evenly. Then top with the strawberry jam, spreading evenly over the batter.
Make the streusel:
In the bowl, use your hands to combine the butter, flour, sugar, and vanilla until your crumbs have a coarse and clumpy texture – about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Using your hands sprinkle the streusel evenly on top of the jam.
Place in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the center is set and the streusel is lightly brown. Allow cooling on a wire rack.
by Kathy Douglas | Apr 27, 2020 | Desserts
Just because the Kentucky Derby isn’t the first Saturday in May this year doesn’t mean we can’t add bourbon to our chocolate ganache tart! We make our tart with a ground pecan crust filled with bourbon chocolate ganache. Topped with a dollop of fresh cream, it’s perfect for any spring treat.
INGREDIENTS
Crust
1 cup pecans
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon cold water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
6 tablespoons sugar
Filling
8 ounces fine chocolate, like Scharffen Berger or Ghirardelli
1 cup cream
6 tablespoons of softened butter
2 tablespoons bourbon
Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Bourbon Tart
INSTRUCTIONS
Butter a 9” square or round tart pan with fluted sides and a removable bottom. Place on a baking tray.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pecans on a baking tray and toast the pecans for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Place in a food processor or mini chopper and grind until fine ground.
In a large bowl, combine the ground, cooled nuts, flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside. In a separate bowl add the butter and sugar. Using a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together, mixing for about 3-4 minutes on medium speed, scraping the bowl down as needed. Add the egg and water and beat for another minute. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Add the dough to the buttered tart pan and press to fit the bottom and all the way up the sides. Cover with plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line the tart pan with buttered foil (butter side down on the dough) and fill with pie weights or beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and the weights. Return the crust to the oven and bake 10 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
In a bowl, add the chopped chocolate. In a small saucepan, heat the cream to very hot. Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and stir to melt the chocolate completely. Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, melting completely before adding the next tablespoon. Stir in the bourbon. Pour the chocolate ganache into the tart shell and smooth the surface. Chill until set. Remove and bring to room temperature before cutting.
Fresh Whipped Cream
INSTRUCTIONS
In the refrigerator, chill a medium metal bowl and the beaters to an electric mixer for 20 minutes. Add the cold cream to the bowl and using an electric mixer, beat the cream with the sugar until soft peaks form. Add bourbon (if using) and vanilla and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
Serve with the tart.
by Kathy Douglas | Feb 10, 2020 | Desserts, Holiday
These bright red Valentine Brownies are a delicious fudgy treat for your loved one! Colored to match the holiday with a crunchy exterior, they’re a rich chocolaty brownie topped with a smooth cream cheese icing and shards of white chocolate.
INGREDIENTS
¾ cup butter, plus more for the pan
4-oz. high-quality dark chocolate such as Guittard
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1-oz. bottle red liquid food coloring, we used McCormick
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon expresso powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
Topping (below)
cream cheese icing
white chocolate
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°. Using butter, lightly grease two 12 cavity nonstick brownie bar pan.
In a bowl set over simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter whisking until smooth. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until light in color Slowly, a small amount at a time, temper the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Whisk in the red food coloring and the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, expresso powder and salt. Add to the chocolate mixture and combine well. Add to the prepared pan.
Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely on a wire rack for ten minutes, then remove the individual brownies from the pan to a wire rack and cool completely for about an hour.
Cream Cheese Icing
INGREDIENTS
8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla beating until blended. Add the icing to a piping bag and pipe a small amount of icing on top of each brownie. Top with shards* of white chocolate.
*using a vegetable peeler with a bar of white chocolate, peel off thin pieces of chocolate.
by Kathy Douglas | Feb 3, 2020 | Desserts, Holiday
It’s the perfect combination for Valentine’s Day – all in one cookie. These heart-shaped shortbread cookies are flavored with delicious floral rose water, then filled with crushed rose petals, and topped with a sprinkle more of dried rose petals. It’s a delicious combination for your special Valentine.
INGREDIENTS
3 cups flour
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoons rose water
1 ½ teaspoons lemon zest
¼ cup crushed rose petals
INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk together the flour and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Using a stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the eggs, rose water, and lemon zest until blended. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour mixture in to create a stiff dough. Add 3 tablespoons crushed rose petals and gently combine. Remove dough from bowl and wrap tight in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat your oven to 300˚ F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the wrap and roll on a floured board to ¼” thick. Using cookie cutters, cut heart shapes, rerolling the dough until completely cut. Sprinkle the remaining rose petals over your rolled dough, pressing into the dough so the petals stick. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 20 – 25 minutes or until bottoms are just golden. Cool completely.
by Kathy Douglas | Dec 16, 2019 | Desserts, Holiday
Who needs fruit cake when you can have this updated version of fruit jammy cookies? Our Holiday Fruit Cookies are filled with delicious apricot, cherry, and orange jammy bits along with candied ginger, pecans, and rum-soaked raisins. Rolled in sparkling sugar before baking, they have a super crispy, crunchy exterior and a soft jammy fruit filled interior.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup golden raisins
¼ cup dark rum
¾ cup cherry jammies*
½ cup apricot jammies*
⅓ cup diced orange jammies*
¾ cup pecan, broken into pieces
⅓ cup diced crystallized ginger
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
2 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, we prefer White Lily
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sparkling sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Place the raisins and rum in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, tossing often, until liquid is almost absorbed about 6 -7 minutes. Cool completely gently pressing down into any remaining liquid. Add the cherry, apricot, and orange jammies to a bowl along with the pecans, ginger, and cooled raisins.Toss to combine.
Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time and then the extract. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add into creamed mixture. When completely combined, Stir in the fruit mixture.
Place the remaining sugar in a shallow bowl. Shape 2 tablespoons of dough into balls; Roll in the sparkling sugar to coat. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough balls from the refrigerator as needed, keeping the others cold, and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake until just golden brown and set, about 15-17 minutes. Cool on the pan for five minutes then move to wire racks and cool completely.
* Fruit Jammies can be found on-line at KingArthurFlour.com
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