Archive for the ‘Sweet Stuff’ Category

With school starting back, we took the opportunity to straighten a few areas around the house for a more organized attempt at a new school year. The pantry was one of the areas haunting me. So I did what only any reasonable mother would do, I stuck my daughter on that job. What will I do when she’s grown and gone?

I’ll have a messy pantry until she comes for a visit I suppose.

Anway, after a half hour she resurfaced to inform me that we had not one or two, or even three, four or five, but six bags of dried cherries on hand. What a nice surprise. But what was I thinking? Hopefully now that the pantry is neat (at least for this week) I’ll be able to keep better track of our inventory. But what to do with all those cherries?

A number of things popped in my mind, but cookies ranked at the top of the list. Cherries with what? Chocolate chips of course. And nuts. Walnuts. Definitely.

So I began hunting for a cookie recipe that could handle the heavy load. And, once again, Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours didn’t disappoint. Her recipe for Chockablock Cookies nearly jumped off the page as the perfect place for me to start. I made a few changes, exchanging the shortening for more butter, instead of molasses, I used honey, and dropped the coconut altogether.

My kids like basic chocolate chip cookies, and with the addition of the cherries and walnuts, I was already pushing it, so the coconut was out. But doesn’t chocolate chip, walnut, cherry and coconut cookies sound fabulous? Totally trying the coconut with the next batch.

Even though I deviated from Dorie’s original recipe, the cookies turned out just fine. More than fine really. Quite tasty indeed. And they were gone in a flash. It’s a chewy cookie, with a slight crunch, and totally satisfying for that sweet tooth. This would be a fantastic cookie to have for the holidays, but I’m not waiting until then to make another batch.

Thank goodness I have more cherries.

Chocolate, Cherry, and Walnut Cookies Recipe
(makes about 48 cookies)
inspired by and adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup honey

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats

12 oz. (2 cups) chocolate chips

1 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped

1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Line baking sheets with silicon baking mats or parchment paper.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together by whisking.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, (or large bowl using hand mixer) using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the honey and beat for 1 minute.

Add eggs 1 at a time, beating a full minute after adding each egg.

Lower the mixture speed, add the oats and combine well.

Add the dry ingredients mixing only until just combined.

Gradually add the chocolate chips, cherries and walnuts, turning the mixer on and off quickly to combine. Or stir in the last 3 ingredients with a heavy duty spoon or rubber spatula.

Place rounded tablespoonfuls of dough onto the lined baking sheets about 1 1/2-2 inches apart.

Bake in 325°F oven for about 15-18 minutes, turning once halfway through baking time.

When cookies are done, let cool on baking sheets for a minute or so, then carefully place on cooling racks until you can safely touch them to gobble them down with a nice cold glass of milk.

Enjoy!

Here’s another favorite recipe that I found in one my Aunt’s cookbook. There’s a bunch of good stuff in those cookbooks y’all. It’s called Meeting Street Cake in her cookbook, but you may know it by another name. It’s similar to a cobbler, a buckle or even a Dump Cake.

This cake is simple to assemble and versatile too. Use any berry or berry combination, peaches, nectarines, plum, pluots or other stone fruit. This summer I’ve made it with nectarines, peaches and blueberries, separately of course. But now that I think about it, peaches and blueberries would go together fabulously in this cake.

A few simple ingredients are needed for this Meeting Street Cake: butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, fruit filling of choice (homemade or can of pie filling).

And oh, almost forgot, milk. Don’t forget the milk.

Let me mention here that for the fruit filling I use this recipe for Fried Nectarines and just substitute whatever fruit I choose. Of course you can use canned pie filling too instead.

Begin by preparing the fruit, or opening a can. Again, here’s a step by step photo tutorial on making the fruit filling.

While the fruit is cooking (if you’re preparing from fresh fruit), preheat oven to 350°F, and melt 1/2 cup of butter in the bottom of your baking dish in microwave or oven.

Next, in a mixing bowl, add the flour and baking powder.

Then the salt.

Granulated sugar is next.

Mix all dry ingredients together well.

Finally the milk.

Combine well but don’t over mix. A few bumps and lumps are okay.

Pour the mixture over the butter. Don’t mix. Just leave it alone.

When the fruit filling is ready, top the batter mixture with the fruit. Don’t mix that either. No mixing! None. Nada.

You’re done now, except for the baking, and the eating, and the “ooohing and ahhing.” Bake in a 350°F oven 40-45 minutes until top is slightly browned.

Can you smell it?

It’s mighty good all by itself but with a little vanilla ice cream or whipped cream?

Oh dear…

Enjoy!

Meeting Street Cake Recipe
(serves 8-10)
adapted from Carole Radford’s Hospitality Southern Style

Ingredients:

1  3/4–2 cups of fruit filling (see recipe) or 1 can of pie filling

1/2 cup butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1  1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup milk

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Melt 1/2 cup of butter in the bottom of your baking dish in microwave or oven.

Next, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, granulated and sugar. Add the milk a combine. Don’t over mix.

Pour the mixture over the butter. Don’t mix.

When the fruit filling is ready, top the mixture with the fruit. Don’t mix that either. No more mixing. You’re done with the mixing. The mixing part if over.

Bake in a 350°F oven for 40-45 minutes, until top is slightly browned.

Enjoy!