Dark Chocolate, Hazelnut & Anise Cookies
Thank goodness it’s not so hot out. I’ve been missing turning my oven on to bake delicious cookies. I just don’t feel right without a cookie jar full of cookies.
INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Cup Softened Butter
3/4 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon Anise Extract
2 Large Room Temperature Eggs
2 Cups Dark Chocolate Chips
2 Cups Chopped Roasted Hazelnuts
Preheat your oven to 350° F. In a medium size bowl combine the flour, baking soda and kosher salt. In a separate large size bowl add the butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla & anise extracts. Beat on a medium speed until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Do not overbeat. Stir in the dark chocolate chips and hazelnuts. Drop by rounded tablespoonful onto a parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. Remember that all ovens heat differently so make sure to check at 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheets for 4 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
Blackberry Cheesecake
Today is National Cheesecake Day!
I love cheesecake. Growing up I would go blackberry picking in my neighborhood. There was always some area with overgrown blackberry bushes. Picking up my childhood sandbox bucket I would set myself to the task of bringing home a bucketful of blackberries. Not many would make it home and the evidence would be all over my face.
INGREDIENTS
40 Crushed Vanilla Wafers
6 Tablespoons Melted Butter
16 Ounces Softened Cream Cheese
3/4 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Unbleached Flour
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Creamed Cottage Cheese
1/4 Cup Cherry Brandy
3 Eggs
4 Cups Fresh Blackberries
Preheat your oven to 375° F. In a medium size bowl stir together crushed vanilla wafers and butter. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of an 8 inch spring form pan and set aside. In a large bowl stir together cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, flour and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low until smooth and set aside. Place the cottage cheese in a food processor and blend until smooth. Incorporate into the cream cheese mixture. Next, stir in the 1/4 cup cherry brandy. Beat in the eggs on low speed until combined. Don’t over mix as you don’t want to incorporate too much air into the batter. Pour half of the cheese cake mixture into the crust lined pan. Spread 1 cup of the blackberries on top. Top with the remaining cheese cake mixture and 1/2 cup of the blackberries. Place in a shallow baking pan in the preheated oven. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until center appears almost set. Remove from the oven. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Loosen the sides and cool completely. Cover and chill for 2 hours. To serve cut the cheesecake into wedges and top each with the blackberries. Serve with additional blackberry sauce if you like. Serves 10
Peach & Blueberry Crisp
Peaches and blueberries? What could be better? You could serve this dessert with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or English clotted cream.
INGREDIENTS
8 Ripe Peaches (Sliced)
2 Cups Fresh Blueberries
1 Cup Butter
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1 Cup Unbleached Flour
1/2 Cup Chopped Almonds
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
Preheat your oven to 400° F. In a large size baking pan place the sliced peaches. Add the blueberries to the top of the peaches. Set aside. In a medium saucepan melt the butter over a low heat. When the butter has melted turn off the heat. Stir in the oats, flour, brown sugar, almonds, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spread the oat mixture over the top of the blueberries. Place into the oven for 35 minutes. Remember that each oven heats differently so check at 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Serve warm or cold. I served mine warm with English clotted cream, but you could serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or plain. Serves 4 to 6
Baby Eggplant Salad
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Unpeeled Baby Eggplants
2 Garlic Cloves
1 Teaspoon Ground Paprika
1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
3 Tablespoons Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Bunch Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley
Fill a large size pot with water and salt. Cut the eggplants into quarters (lengthwise). Place the garlic cloves and eggplants into the water and bring to a boil over a high heat. Boil until the eggplant pieces are tender. Drain and throw away the garlic. Place the eggplant pieces into a large size bowl. Combine with the paprika, cumin, lemon juice, olive oil and chopped parsley. Mix gently and place into the fridge for 2 to 4 hours. Remove from the fridge when ready to serve. Serve chilled. Serves 4
Tzatziki Sauce
I love making Tzatziki Sauce because it’s so easy to make and homemade is so much better than store bought. It seems like the store bought stuff is sugary which is horrible. All you need is a food processor or a blender and a few ingredients.
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Garlic Clove
1/4 Cup Minced Red Onion
1/4 Cup Diced Cucumber
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
Place all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor. Pulse for 30 seconds to 1 minute. You want to keep it just a bit chunky. Pour the Tzatziki Sauce into a bowl, cover and place into the fridge for 2 to 4 hours. Remove from the fridge when you are ready to use. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve. Makes about 2 cups.
Blueberry Cookies
If you’re tired of the same old chocolate chip cookie then give my scrumptious Blueberry Cookies a test run. I wouldn’t quite put them in the “healthy” category, but close enough.
INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Cup Softened Butter
3/4 Cup Sugar
2 Large Eggs
3/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Dried Blueberries
Preheat your oven to 375º F. In a small size bowl combine the flour, baking soda and kosher salt. In a large size bowl beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well after adding each egg. Slowly beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the blueberries. Drop by teaspoonful onto parchment paper line baking sheets. Place into the oven and bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Remember every oven heats differently and if you like your cookies soft then you may want to take them out just a bit early as they will continue to cook for a bit after leaving the oven. Remove from the oven and let cool for 4 minutes on the baking sheet. Remove from the baking sheet and transfer them to wire racks and let cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
Peachy Peach Crisp
This ridiculously easy Peach Crisp recipe is just peachy. Take advantage of all those delicious peaches out there. Farmers’ markets are a great place to get local peaches or take a day and find a pick your own place.
INGREDIENTS
6 Cups Sliced Peaches
5 Tablespoons Sugar
1/2 Cup Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Butter
Preheat your oven to 350º F. In a large size bowl combine the peach slices and 5 tablespoons of sugar. Set aside. In a separate large size bowl combine the rolled oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in the butter. You will want the topping to look like coarse crumbs. Pour the peaches into a rectangle baking dish that holds about 2 quarts. Sprinkle the topping over the peaches and place into the oven. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until the topping is golden. Remove from the oven and let cool or serve warm. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Serves 6
Kentucky Benedictine
I love this Southern spread made popular by Louisville’s Benedict’s restaurateur, Jennie Carter Benedict, who opened her restaurant in 1893. It can be used as a dip or for a sandwich and is perfect for either an afternoon tea or a light meal.
INGREDIENTS
1 Large Cucumber
8 Ounces Softened Cream Cheese
4 Tablespoons Grated Onion or 2 Minced Green Onions
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise
Remove the cucumber skin and then grate it into a medium size bowl. Drain the cucumber and onion juice (unless using minced green onions). Add the cream cheese, grated onion, kosher salt and mayonnaise. Beat with a hand mixer on medium until all of the ingredients are combined. Place plastic wrap over the bowl and put into the fridge for 2 to 3 hours. If you are using for a vegetable dip then thin it out with a bit of sour cream. Makes about 1 1/2 Cups
Honeydew Melon Gazpacho
This cold soup is extremely refreshing. The sweet honeydew mixes well with garden fresh cucumbers and onions for a sweetened spin on the traditional tomato gazpacho. Oh and by the way, it’s super easy to make too!
INGREDIENTS
3 Tablespoons Minced Red Onions
3 Tablespoons Sherry Vinegar
1 Large Honeydew Melon (About 8 Cups)
1 Large Peeled & Seeded Cucumber
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
Put the minced onions into a small size bowl and add the sherry vinegar. Let the onions soak for 20 minutes. Peel and seed the honeydew. Cut the honeydew into 1 inch cubes and place into a medium size bowl. Chop the cucumber and place into the honeydew bowl. Put the onions with the vinegar, honeydew, cucumber and kosher salt into a food processor or a blender. Pulse until pureed. Pour into a large size bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours until the gazpacho is completely chilled. Remove from the fridge when ready to serve and ladle into individual bowls. Serves 4
Oatmeal Cherry Cookies
Over the weekend I was in the mood for oatmeal cookies. I looked all over my pantry for the box of raisins that I could have sworn was in there, but couldn’t locate them. BUT I did see a container filled with dried cherries. The jury is in and I must admit that I like oatmeal cookies better with cherries. Just sayin’.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 Cup Softened Butter
3/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
3 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
1 Cup Dried Cherries
Preheat your oven to 350º F. In a large size bowl, beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar on a medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Beat well. In a separate medium size bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and kosher salt. Mix well Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix well. Add the oats and dried cherries and mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool for 1 minute on the baking sheet and then remove to a wire rack. Cool completely. Repeat until you have baked all of the cookies. Makes about 4 dozen.
