green tea almond cookies

ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp matcha
• 1 cup finely ground almonds
• 2-1/4 cups all purpose flour
• confectioner's sugar for sprinkling

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and the sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the vanilla extract and the ground almonds and mix until all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Slowly mix in the flour and matcha. Make a ball with the dough and flatten with the ball of your palms. Place onto un-greased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion.
4. Bake 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.
5. Cool the cookies on the sheet for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely. When cooled, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

peachy chai tea cheesecake

I made this cheesecake for Gary's cousin and her husband's birthdays. I've been making one too many "plain cheesecakes" so this time I wanted to experiment with tea-infused cream and different spices. First of, I knew I wanted to make a fruit cheesecake but not just as a topping but also a filling. I found a few very ripe yellow peaches in our fridge that would work well in a cheesecake. After browsing through our pantry, I decided to go with a mixture of chai spices: cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. For the tea, I picked out a Darjeeling from my collection, a quintessential Indian tea flavor. Overall, I think I used too much spice and not enough tea but not a bad combination of flavors.

spiced peach compote
ingredients:

• 3 ripe peaches, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cardamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• honey

direction: 

1. place peaches in a medium saucepan over medium heat. cook for a few minutes while stirring occasionally. add spices and cook until the peaches become very soft, about 10 minutes. mash the peaches down with a wooden spoon and add honey to taste.

peachy chai tea cheesecake
ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cinnamon graham cracker crumbs 
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons sifted cornstarch
• 22 ounces cream cheese, softened 
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream 
•  2 tbsp Darjeeling tea leaves
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

 directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter the bottom and sides of an 9-inch springform pan. 
2. Mix graham cracker crumbs with butter. Press graham cracker crumb mixture into the bottom of prepared pan and refrigerate. 
3. Place cream in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add in tea leaves, cover pan with lid and remove from heat. Allow the tea leaves to steep for 10 minutes. Pour cream through a strainer to remove tea leaves. Set aside cream. 
4. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and the cornstarch. Beat in the cream cheese. Beat in the egg. Slowly drizzle in the tea-infused cream, beating constantly. Add the vanilla and stir well.
5. Spread about a third of the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Spread about 1/2 cup of peach compote evenly over the mixture. Then carefully pour in the rest of the cheesecake mixture over the peaches. Bake until the top is golden, 45 to 50 minutes. Turn oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven for 1-2 hours. Remove and cool on a wire rack. 
6. Once completely cooled, spread the leftover peach compote over the top.

banana pudding bars

My brave husband decided to train for a marathon in the midst of summer in good ol' Alabama. I have to give it to him, he's been doing an extraordinary job with his long training runs despite the 99% humidity and temperatures we will not mention now that it's nice and crisp out these days. I'm afraid I'll jinx myself and bring those horrific temperatures back. He admits one of his secrets are bananas. Not only does it fuel him before, they are high in potassium to prevent cramps during his runs. So we always grab a bunch whenever we're at the grocery store. However, we're often left with one too many over ripened bananas; mushy and powdery, they are not too good to eat but perfect for baking with.

I felt a little experimental lately. Without any research or recipe, I just sort of threw this together with a few ingredients I found in our pantry and refrigerator. I originally imagined cheesecake bars but it turned out to be more of a pudding. The filling was very soft, so some of my colleagues mashed the bars up in a cup to eat. Nonetheless, it was oh-so-yummy.

banana pudding bars.

ingredients:

• 2 cups chocolate chip cookies, crushed
• 6 tbsp butter, melted
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• a few tablespoons of sugar, to taste

directions:

1. combine crushed chocolate chip cookies with butter and press into a greased 9x13 pan. chill in freezer for 10 minutes.
2. in a bowl, combine bananas, cream cheese, and confectioner's sugar, mix until well combined. 
3. in a separate bowl, whip cream until soft peaks. fold into cream cheese mixture.
4. pour over prepared crust. 
5. refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

gluten free double chocolate chip cookies

My friend, Elyse, made these delicious cookies as favors for her beautiful Hawaii wedding. I confess, at the wedding I sneaked a bit into my mouth when I first found my table. I ended up eating my whole favor bag... and my husband's. Of course, I asked Elyse for the recipe and she told me it was from babycakes, vegan bakery based in New York City.

double chocolate chip cookies
adapted from babycakes

ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut oil
• 1-1/4 cups evaporated cane juice 
• 1/3 cup applesauce 
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract 
• 3 cups gluten-free baking mix
• 1/4 cup flax meal 
• 1 cup chocolate chips

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, evaporated cane juice, applesauce, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour and flax meal. Using a rubber spatula, carefully add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and combine until dough is formed. Gently fold in the chocolate chips just until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
3. Using a tablespoon, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1-inch apart. Gently press each with the heel of your hand to help them spread. Bake on the center rack for 14 minutes, rotating the trays 180 degrees after 7 minutes. The cookies will be crispy on the edges and soft in the center.
4. Let the cookies stand on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely before covering. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

crepes with ricotta filling

 

These are a few things that make a perfect lazy Sunday: my husband, pajamas, sunshine, and fruit crepes. I absolutely love these moments in my life.

crepes with ricotta filling
from bills food

crepe ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 oz butter, melted
• salt
• extra butter, for greasing the pan

filling ingredients:

• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 tsp grated lime zest
• 1-1/2 tsp powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• strawberries, quartered

directions:

1. to prepare the crepes, put the flour in a large bowl, add the egg, milk, butter, and salt and whisk until smooth. refrigerate for 2 hours before cooking.
2. while the crepe batter is resting prepare the filling by heating the milk in a small saucepan over a low heat for 2-3 minutes. remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. transfer the milk to a bowl and add ricotta, zest, powdered sugar, and vanilla and stir to combine.
3. heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and brush with a little butter over the base. ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the pan and tip the pan slightly to quickly and evenly spread the batter. after a minute, lift the outer edge of the crepe and flip it over and cook for a couple of seconds on the other side. repeat with the remaining batter.
4. place a heaped tablespoon of filling in the center of each crepe, top with strawberries. fold the crepe into thirds. top with more strawberries.

red velvet sandwich cookies

The week long Alabama National Fair just started this past weekend. Other than ferris wheels, funnel cake, cows, and clowns, there are several competitions, like photography to home canning. Well, just last night, I found out the fair has a competition for home baking. That's is so my cup of tea. It was a last minute decision, but I decided to submit an entry this morning. And to my surprise, I got second place in the cookie division with my red velvet sandwich cookies.

red velvet sandwich cookies
cookie ingredients:

• 1-1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp red gel food coloring
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 large egg

filling ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 8 oz butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar

directions:

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees F
   in a food processor, mix the flour, cocoa baking soda salt, and sugar. then add in vinegar, food coloring, butter, and egg. process until the dough comes together.
2. drop tablespoons of batter onto an un-greased cookie sheet. with moist fingers, flatten the dough.
3. bake for 9-10 minutes. 
4. to making the frosting, cream together the cream cheese and butter with a mixer. gradually add the sugar, then beat with mixer until light and fluffy. 
5. to assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag, pipe frosting into the center of one cookie. place another cookie of equal size, on top of the frosting. continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream.

french macarons

My second attempt at tartelette's base macaron recipe. I'm getting close but not quite perfect just yet. I used the same recipe from my previous post. It's pretty amazing how whipping it a little more or less can make a world of a difference.