Category: Desserts (Page 11 of 21)

Maple Molasses Cookies

March 3, 2016 / Jenny / 25 Comments

These cookies are delicious. Downright delicious. They are soft and moist, with the deep, rich flavors of maple syrup and molasses blending together beautifully.

Since it is maple sugar season here, I thought I would share a recipe with maple syrup in it. One of my favorite cookie recipes of all time is one of the first ones I ever posted on this blog–the recipe for molasses snaps. I modified that recipe just a bit for these cookies, and put in some maple syrup in place of some of the brown sugar. This change made the cookies even moister and gave them a richer flavor.

There is something so satisfying about using natural sweeteners like molasses (especially blackstrap molasses, which I like to use) and maple syrup. Maybe it’s because I know they contain important minerals found in the good earth (potassium, zinc, manganese, and iron, to name a few), so it feels like these coookies are quite healthy. Or at least nourishing. Perfect for a snack or to stick in the kids’ lunches. They have definitely been disappearing quickly around this house.

It’s March now, and outside my windows the snow is lightly falling. We had another snowstorm a couple of days ago, resulting in another snow day for the kids. Much of our half of the world is thinking about spring, yet we in Michigan are still blanketed in snow. For now, I will take the soft snow. It will be gone soon enough, and my upper body feels stronger from all of the shoveling!

I hope you all have a great weekend!I’m going to take a plate of these cookies over to Angie’s Fiesta Friday, co-hosted this week by two great bloggers–Josette @ thebrookcook and Lily @ Little Sweet Baker.

Maple Molasses Cookies

Servings: about 40 cookies, depending on size
Time: approximately one hour
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Ingredients:

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup of brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup of pure maple syrup
1/4 cup of dark molasses (preferably blackstrap molasses)
1 egg
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 cups of all-purpose flour, unbleached
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Beat (or stir vigorously) the butter in a large bowl until creamy. Gradually stir in the brown sugar, maple syrup, and molasses until fluffy. Add the egg, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Stir well to blend.

In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking soda. Slowly add this mixture to the butter mixture, stirring well until just combined.

Drop the dough by rounded teaspoon onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven (375 degrees) for about 7 minutes, or until cookies are firm, yet still moist. Let cookies sit on the baking sheet for a minute or two, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat until all the dough is baked. Enjoy!

Cherry Almond Crumble

January 8, 2016 / Jenny / 21 Comments

It’s cold and dark outside, and maybe you are craving something warm and bright. Or maybe you want to serve a dessert that is homemade, but one that doesn’t take a lot of time to prepare. Brighten up a dark winter evening with this cherry almond crumble. The warm, baked cherries are a burst of flavor and color, just when you need it. Quicker and easier than a pie, the crumble still allows you to enjoy the warm sweetness of baked fruit, but with a lightly sweet and crunchy topping, and only about fifteen minutes of prep time.

Tart cherries freeze beautifully, so frozen tart cherries are available and delicious all year round. This recipe (which I adapted from some of my other fruit crumble recipes, which I adapted over time, from countless sources) allows you to put the frozen cherries right in the baking dish, so you don’t even need to pre-cook them. I especially like the tart Montmorency cherries from northern Michigan, because they taste amazing. They are tart and sweet at the same time, and even after they are baked, they somehow still taste fresh to me.

My feelings for Michigan cherries run deep, and cherries are connected to many cherished memories for me, some of which I have already written about in previous posts. But even without the memories, these cherries are so full of health benefits! They have serious anti-inflammatory properties that are said to help soothe arthritis and sore muscles, among many other things. Also, the topping, with its oats and almonds, has some good nutrition in it too. The crumble is a more humble dessert than the pie, and it perhaps doesn’t look as glamorous (and it can be somewhat difficult to photograph too). But it tastes just a good, and sometimes comfort, ease, and economy of time win over glamour. I love it, and so does my family!

I hope you all have a great weekend, and stay warm! I am sharing this recipe with the great group of bloggers at Angie’s Fiesta Friday, co-hosted this week by Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook and Mr. Fitz @ Cooking With Mr. Fitz.

Cherry Almond Crumble

Servings: 6-8
Time: about 15 minutes of preparation, about 30 minutes for baking
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Ingredients:

For the fruit filling:

1 pound of frozen tart cherries (preferrably tart Montmorency cherries)
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of flour
a pinch of salt

For the topping:

1/2 cup of flour
3/4 cup of old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of raw almonds, chopped or slivered
6 tablespoons of unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, and almonds for the topping.

In a 9 inch x 9 inch baking pan, spread out the frozen cherries. Gently toss them with the 2 tablespoons each of sugar and flour, plus the pinch of salt, until well combined.

In the bowl with the topping ingredients, cut in the butter with a fork or a pastry cutter. Continue to work in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the cherries.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the cherries are bubbling.

If you want the crumble to set, allow to cool for about 30 minutes. Serve alone or with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Gingerbread

November 12, 2015 / Jenny / 16 Comments

Ginger, molasses, cinnamon, and cloves give this bread a deep, rich, classic gingerbread flavor. The addition of whirred oats to the flour increases the nutritional benefits, as well as making each slice hearty and substantial. Serve it with your favorite hot drink, and possibly some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream , and it is the perfect snack or dessert. (It works for breakfast too!)

Below, I am sharing another recipe based on one I found in Susan Wittig Albert’s fascinating book, “China Bayles’ Book of Days: 365 Celebrations of the Mystery, Myth, and Magic of Herbs from the World of Pecan Springs.” The recipe is for a form of traditional Scottish oatmeal gingerbread. I substitute blackstrap molasses for the treacle and bake it in a standard-sized loaf pan instead of a 7-inch square baking pan, but other than that, I stick pretty close to the recipe in the book. And my gingerbread has come out delicious every time. I love the fact that this gingerbread tastes sweet and full of richly spiced flavor, yet has good nutrition in it too. The molasses and oats contribute all kinds of good things, including iron, magnesium, manganese, not to mention fiber and protein from the oats. When I cut a slice of this bread, it is dense and substantial. I feel like I am doing something good for both my taste buds and my body. And my soul too, because gingerbread is a delicious solution (however temporary) to a soul’s longing for comfort. The smell of gingerbread baking is the iconic cozy smell, and it brings back all kinds of memories for me, of wandering through my mother’s kitchen after spending time outside in the cold.

This is the perfect time of year to make gingerbread. (Actually, any time between now and spring is a good time.) When the wind is gusting right through our coats and the leaves are swirling around, we need something warm and comforting. As I am writing this post, the wind is blowing so hard that it is rattling the windows and making the house creak. We lose electricity quite frequently out here where I live, among so many trees, so I am hoping to get this post done before we lose power. And hopefully, we won’t lose power. All this dramatic weather is enough to make one feel kind of moody, wistful, nostalgic, and excited, all at the same time. It’s a good time to indulge in the more complicated aspects of our personalities. Maybe that’s why the multi-layered spicy taste of the gingerbread is so appealing.

There is something cleansing about going out in the crazy, windy weather, especially if there is something warm waiting on the other side of the door. This quote by L.M. Montgomery, author of the Anne of Green Gables series (one of my favorite sets of books when I was a girl), says it perfectly: “It was November–the month of crimson sunsets, parting birds, deep, sad hymns of the sea, passionate wind-songs in the pines. Anne roamed through the pineland alleys in the park and, as she said, let that great sweeping wind blow the fogs out of her soul.”

I hope you all have a great weekend, and that the wind blows the fogs out of your souls as well. And that you have a hot drink and a warm piece of gingerbread waiting when you come in! This recipe will be shared at Angie’s festive Fiesta Friday, co-hosted this week by Judi@Cooking With Aunt Juju and Stef@The Kiwi Fruit.

Oatmeal Gingerbread

Servings: 8-12 pieces
Time: about 20 minutes for preparation and about 45 minutes for baking
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Ingredients:

1/2 cup of unsalted butter
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
2 tablespoons of molasses (I prefer blackstrap molasses)
1 and 1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 cup of whirred oats (make this by whirring 1/2 cup of uncooked, old fashioned rolled oats in your blender)
1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon of powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
3 tablespoons of milk
1 large egg, beaten

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a standard-sized loaf pan with butter. (You can also use a 7 inch square baking pan). In a medium saucepan, heat the butter, granulated sugar, and molasses over medium to low heat until the butter is just melted. Stir to combine.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and baking soda. Add the whirred oats, brown sugar, and spices. Stir to combine. Add the melted butter mixture and the milk, then stir in the beaten egg. Stir until all combined. Pour into the greased pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then cool completely on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired. Enjoy!