Tag: baked goods

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, cookies

Easy Pistachio Cookies

Posted on by lmc

This is one of the easiest cookies you’ll ever assemble.  These little gems are melt-in-your-mouth delicious and take no time to prepare.  The festive green color makes these cookies a great addition for a spring or Easter dessert, a spring wedding or baby shower luncheon, a St. Patrick’s Day celebration, or even a Christmas holiday table. I often add a lightly drizzled glaze with lemon zest to the top of each cookie but this is completely optional. 

Easy Pistachio Cookies 

1 pouch (1 lb. 1.5 ounce) sugar cookie mix

1 box (4-serving size) pistachio instant pudding and pie filling mix

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup roasted and salted pistachios, chopped

(Optional: Powdered Sugar Glaze)



Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In large bowl, stir together cookie mix, pudding mix and flour. Stir in melted butter and eggs until soft dough forms. Add pistachios and mix well. Using small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on lined cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with your fingers.

Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. 

Optional: Prepare glaze and drizzle over cookies. I often add some fresh lemon zest for a tart addition.  Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature.



Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Bread, Food, Gifts, holidays

Sweet Irish Brown Bread

Posted on by lmc

I was recently given a collection of old community cookbooks.  The “giver” was doing a house remodel and was cleaning out her kitchen for a more updated look.  She had too many cookbooks and was looking to send a few of them my way.  Naturally, I was thrilled.  I love looking through old interesting recipes.  I stumbled across this brown bread recipe that looked quite tasty.  The ingredients reminded me of one of my favorite Irish bread recipes, with perhaps a bit more sugar that I am used to.  I quickly baked up a few loaves and my family was pleasantly surprised.  A simple loaf with a sweet, mellow flavor.  A great base for butter and jam.  

The Brown Bread recipe is pictured below…





The flavor was so wonderful, I baked up a load of loaves for Christmas gifts and packaged them with my Christmas Jam.



Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Bread, breakfast, Cake, Desserts, Food

Easy Peasy Pound Cake

Posted on by lmc

This week marks the beginning of the official holiday season.  Like many of you, my calendar is filled with holiday commitments, most of which require a carry-in dish or baked treat to bring along to the party.  I really enjoy this time of year and I do my best to take advantage of a few stress-free tips that can really simplify things.  One such tip would be to choose recipes that are easy yet flavorful.  The recipe below includes ingredients that are nearly always on-hand in my kitchen. It’s adapted from a recipe that I found in an old community cookbook many years ago.  This one’s a no brainer for me… It always turns out perfect.  A few simple ingredients bake up a moist and flavorful, good ole’ fashioned, pound cake.  

Easy Peasy Pound Cake

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups butter

6 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla or almond extract

3/4 cup milk

Grease and flour a Bundt pan (take your time with this step, getting all of the softened butter and flour into all the nooks and crannies). DON’T PREHEAT THE OVEN.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla/almond extract and continue mixing well.

Add flour mixture alternately with milk. Beat until smooth batter is smooth. Pour into prepared pan.

Place cake into the oven, set the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for approximately 60 to 90 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Bread, breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Food

Back To School Blueberry Bread

Posted on by lmc

It’s that time of year again… Back to school!   This is a great quick bread loaf to bake in quantity and pop in the freezer for lunchbox treats throughout the year.  We recently visited our daughter who has started her clinical year at a hospital in Illinois.  I brought along an assortment of quick breads that I carefully sliced and individually wrapped for the freezer.  This way, she can take out one slice at a time and pack it into her lunch bag for a morning snack or a lunchtime treat. As I think back to all of the blueberry recipes I’ve made for the family, this one is surely a winner!



Back to School Blueberry Bread

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

2 tablespoons grated fresh lemon peel

GLAZE:

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup sugar or 1 cup powdered sugar

In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, lemon juice and eggs. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir into egg mixture alternately with milk, beating well. Fold in the blueberries, nuts and lemon peel.

Transfer to a greased 9X5″ loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.  Continue to cool on a wire rack.  

Combine the glaze ingredients and drizzle over warm bread. Cool completely before slicing.



Posted in Baked goods, Baking, cookies

M’s Triple Chippers

Posted on by lmc

 
This is a great basic cookie recipe that is truly scrumptious as the mix of chips adds a special taste to the batter.  Have you ever started a recipe only to find that you didn’t have all of the ingredients needed? 

Well, resourceful M found herself in this situation and took a simple recipe and added a mixture of chips that we had available on the baking shelf, turning this into an absolutely delicious treat.
M’s Triple Chippers

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons hot water

3 cups all-purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup peanut butter chips

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter; stir completely.  Stir in flour, salt, and chips.  Use large ice cream scoop to drop onto cookie sheets.  Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Desserts, holiday

Blueberry Pie with Oat Crumble Topping

Posted on by lmc

This past holiday weekend was mild and breezy…the perfect opportunity to head up the road to a local farm to purchase some plump, ripe blueberries.  The trip was inspired by my niece who had been “baking up a storm” to celebrate her mother’s (my sister’s) birthday.  My sister celebrates her birthday on Independence Day so her daughter prepared a few festive goodies for the occasion. After seeing a few pictures of the table setting for the party, I was inspired to uncover our vintage Mustang convertible and take a drive down the country road to pick up a five-pound box of freshly picked berries.  This is one of my favorite pie recipes as it is super simple, made with fresh, bright flavors and ingredients. There is nothing like sharing a piece of blueberry pie after dinner on a Sunday evening with the family before starting another busy work week.

Blueberry Pie with Oat Crumble Topping

1 pre-made pie crust

1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

5 cups fresh blueberries

Topping:

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

6 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Press the pie crust into the bottom and up the sides of a 9″ pie plate. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and flour, lemon zest and lemon juice. Gently stir in the blueberries. Carefully, pour blueberry mixture into the pie crust.In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Mix in butter using a pastry blender or fork until crumbly. Spread the crumb topping evenly over the pie filling.

Bake for 40-45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until browned on top. Cover with foil if crust starts to get too dark before baking is complete.  Cool before slicing.

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Gardening, Home Food Preservation

Iced Sour Cherry Muffins/Quick Bread

Posted on by lmc



One of my co-workers sent me a text the other night.  She wanted to know if she might be able to successfully dry some of her sour cherries in the oven.  Her cherry tree had produced a bumper crop of fruit and she was creatively thinking of ways to preserve the bounty.  I quickly suggested she borrow my dehydrator as it is super easy to dry fruits and vegetables in this portable unit.  In return, she offered me some of those beautiful sour cherries.  I felt like one lucky girl!  

I quickly pitted, chopped and bagged the fruit to put in the freezer as I wasn’t quite sure what I would make with them.   Cherry pie filling… sour cherry jam… muffins … scones?  I settled on Iced Sour Cherry Muffins. What a great choice as these muffins are tart and sweet, packed with a good dose of sour cherries. The recipe only needed two cups worth of fruit so I froze the rest of the cherries for another day, another recipe.  I used some of the batter for muffins and the rest for a small loaf of quick bread.  Again, I am one lucky girl! 

 
Iced Sour Cherry Muffins/Quick Bread 

 ¾ cup buttermilk 

 ¼ cup orange juice 

 ⅔ cup canola oil 

 1 large egg 

 1 teaspoon orange extract 

 1 heaping tablespoon orange zest 

 2 cups flour 

 1 cup sugar 

 1 tsp baking powder 

 2 cups sour cherries (pitted and chopped) 

 2 tablespoons brown sugar and cinnamon instant oatmeal (optional) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If making muffins, line pans with paper liners or use silicone muffin cups.  If making quick bread, spray small loaf pans with cooking spray.   

In a medium bowl mix together buttermilk, orange juice, extract, canola oil and egg; mix well.  Next, add the orange zest, flour, sugar, and baking powder; mix well.  Carefully fold in the cherries, just until combined.  Scoop batter into muffins cups about ¾ full. Sprinkle with instant oatmeal mix (optional).   

 Bake for 25 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean.  (If making 7×3″ loaves, fill and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.)

Let rest for a few minutes, and then transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before icing. 

 For glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon milk or orange juice

In a medium mixing bowl, combine ingredients and mix well. If glaze is too thick, carefully add extra juice or water (a 1/2 teaspoon at a time) until mixture is smooth and creamy. Lightly drizzle glaze over cooled muffins.

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Bread, breakfast, eggs

Classic Pancakes for a Crowd

Posted on by lmc



During the summer months, when our children are home from college, I am often amazed by the amount of food that passes through my kitchen.  While we all have a responsibility to report to work every morning, the never ending supply or food provided for breakfast, lunch, and dinner amazes me.  We are not a family that chooses to eat “out” very often so packing or making quick meals can be a challenge. The weekends are used as a time to prepare foods that can be reheated during the week for a quick start to the day. We’ll make a crockpot full of steel cut oats that will be divided up into serving sized containers for a week’s worth of breakfasts or sometimes I make omelette muffins for a handy, bite-sized meal. This recipe for Morning Glory Oatmeal is devine. This weekend, I made Pancakes for a Crowd that would feed the group during our Saturday morning breakfast with leftovers for a “re-heat” during the week. 

I love the ole’ fashioned tradition of actually gathering around the kitchen table for a home cooked meal.  We all have busy schedules but this ritual  is incredibly important to me.  It gives us a chance to catch up, talk about our week, and come together as a family.  Then, it’s out the door and off in our separate ways to tend to our busy lives…



This recipe is adapted from an old Betty Crocker Cookbook that I have had for over twenty five years.  I triple the ingredients to make enough pancakes to feed a family of five with about ten left over.  I make sure to have on hand a small jar of homemade maple syrup from the trees on our land.  During the week, a full breakfast is a bit much so I notice the children will spread a dollop of peanut butter or homemade strawberry jam on a flapjack, roll it up and head out the door with a hand held meal for the road.   A healthier version of these pancakes can be found here.

Pancakes for a Crowd

3 egg, beaten

3 cup all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour

3 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cup milk ( more or less for a thinner/thicker batter)

6 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter

In medium bowl, stir  together ingredients just until flour is moistened (batter will be slightly lumpy); do not overmix or pancakes will be tough. 

Heat a non-stick griddle or skillet over medium-high heat; use cooking oil if necessary. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto griddle for each pancake. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until bubbly on top and dry around edges. Turn; cook other side until golden brown.

Pack up extras after the meal for leftovers during the week…



Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Bread, breakfast

Semi-homemade Scones

Posted on by lmc

Well, another school year is over… Yesterday we made our annual trip down to campus to load up the car with dorm room accessories and furniture that will be stored away for the summer. Packing and unpacking can make for a long day!  Sometimes it’s hard to find a break to stop for a meal as parking is limited and the anticipation of the heavy traffic on the return trip home makes everyone anxious. 

Having said this, I was prepared for the worst as I loaded up a goodie bag with scones, yogurt, cold pizza, bottled water, sandwiches, homemade applesauce and a few energy bars as we started out on our daylong voyage.  I have a recipe that combines just a few ingredients to make a batch of tasty scones so I got up early to prepare them for the trip.  I must say, I had to slap a few hands as I took the scones out of the oven for everyone wanted to nibble on the treats before leaving the house. I quickly covered the tray with a light tea towel and told everyone to find something else to eat.  These little gems were to be packed in with the other goodies we would eat after a long day of packing and pitching.  Here’s the recipe for the tasty 4-ingredient scones.  They are made using a muffin mix which is super convenient, quick, and easy!  I had an egg white left over from another recipe so I brushed the tops of the scones and sprinkled them with a bit of sugar before popping them in the oven.

Edit
Semi-Homemade Scones

One 18-ounce box of cranberry-orange muffin mix. 

(Krusteaz or another brand with canned berries included)

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla)

2 tablespoons water

Extra flour for dusting

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Use non-stick spray to lightly coat a cookie sheet.

Pour the muffin mix into a large bowl.  Add egg, yogurt and water. Stir to mix batter. Batter will be thick. Rinse and drain the cranberries that come with the mix and stir into batter. Pour mixture onto a lightly floured surface on pat together to make a flat round about 1″ thick.  Add flour if needed.  Cut the round into 8 triangles by slicing in half, then fourths, then 8 triangles.  Carefully place onto a lightly greased baking sheet.   Bake for 15-20 minutes. Slightly cool; remove to a baking rack to cool completely.

Posted in Baked goods, Baking, Food

Cranberry Walnut and Buttermilk Muffins

Posted on by lmc

After an enjoyable St. Patrick’s Day holiday, I am often faced with a bit of leftover buttermilk as it is one of the main ingredients in my Irish Scones and Irish Bread recipes. This year was no different. Over the last few days, every time I open the fridge, I notice a half-filled jug of buttermilk that will need to be used before it expires. 

As spring is just around the corner,  I decide to make one of my favorite muffin recipes.  This recipe is moist and flavorful due to the addition of buttermilk. The sweet taste of cranberries and walnuts combined with the buttermilk and orange juice concentrate make for a fresh start to the day. Substituting yogurt or sour cream is definitely an option if you don’t have buttermilk on hand.  Remember, you can always add an acidic ingredient like vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk in order to make your own substitute for buttermilk.  Don’t miss the recipe for cranberry butter at the bottom of the post as it is DELICIOUS and really makes this muffin recipe extra special.

Cranberry Nut and Buttermilk Muffins

1 cup cranberries, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

3⁄4 cup sugar, divided

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder

1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 cup butter

1 egg

1 1⁄2 cups buttermilk 

2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

2 tablespoons old fashioned oats (optional)

2 tablespoons sunflower seeds (optional)

Combine cranberries, walnuts, and 1/4 cup sugar; set aside.  In a large bowl, mix together flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  With a fork or pastry blender, cut cold butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  In a medium bowl, beat together egg, buttermilk and orange juice concentrate.  Add the liquid and sweetened cranberries to dry ingredients, stirring until just moistened; do not over mix.  Spoon batter into greased or paper-lined muffin cups. Lightly sprinkle with old fashioned oats and seeds (optional). Bake at 350 degrees for 23-27 minutes.  For mini-muffins, bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

If you are so inclined, here is a recipe for cranberry butter that tastes delicious slathered over the warm muffins…

Creamy Cranberry Butter
1 cup cranberries, finely chopped
1 cup powdered sugar

1⁄2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 tablespoon lemon juice or orange juice

Purée cranberries in a blender; add remaining ingredients and  process until smooth.  Refrigerate.