Mini Party Tarts

Mini Party Tarts with strawberry filling

This is an easy one! Just whip up some homemade pie crust dough first. I hate store bought dough, it has too many weird ingredients in it! Then open a can of pie filling…I know, I know that should be homemade too! But I didn’t have time and I have a couple cans kicking around that need using up. You can use jam too, I did for a bunch too.

Oh yummy, a sea of tarts waiting to be eaten!

You roll out your dough, cut circles, push them into mini muffin tins and fill (not too full!) and bake! Easy! See my directions below with the photos. At the end I included pictures of tarts ‘not so mini’ made with regular size muffin tins too.

Big muffin size tarts!! Oh wow, more yummyness!

The picture above shows larger tarts you can make using a regular muffin tin. This makes nice big tarts that when you put a swirl of whipped cream on top they look really marvelous. Um…yes, I ate one warm from the oven…then later had some vanilla ice cream with one! haha…gotta enjoy what you do!

Mini Party Tarts

Easy Flaky Pastry (my usual pie crust recipe, enough for two crusts)
2 1/4 c flour (I don’t pre-sift, just fluff it up before you measure)
1 t salt
3/4 c shortening
5 T cold water

Filling = one can pie filling or some jam.

1. Mix flour and salt in bowl with whisk.

2. Cut in shortening with hand pastry blender.

3. Sprinkle very cold water on top quickly. Toss lightly with a fork before you start to push it together. Or you can use a bowl scraper and toss it then start to push it together to form dough.

4. Roll it into a ball then on counter cut in half. Pat each out into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

5. When ready to use, roll out one half on floured counter, rolling a few strokes then take edge of dough and give it a twist to turn it…add flour to table and pull dough back onto it. Keep repeating and rolling always making sure you can move the dough on the table. You’ll know it’s about to stick when it doesn’t freely spread as you roll it. OR you can put some between two pieces of plastic wrap and roll it, I tried it when the scraps got smaller, it kept it from getting tough with too much flour.

6. Cut circles, mason jar lid was perfect size, and push into mini muffin pan cups. (ungreased) Pat sides to make even and it helps to use my wooden tart mold thingy to push bottom and sides to make it thinner and even.

7. Put a bit of jelly or canned pie filling in each, fill NO MORE THAN HALF WAY! Maybe even less, it will bubble up and over if too full. I also noticed that if you cut a small decorative piece of pastry to put on top, it seems to make it bubble up over edges worse. Nothing on top and they didn’t boil over, look at the pictures and see what I mean.

8. Bake 425 for 10 or more minutes. Watch them, I forget if it’s more. They won’t really get golden, the filling would get too hot if they do. I could try baking them at 375 and see how it goes too?

A few pictures of my steps and finished tarts.

Lay dough on top then gently push it down into tin with finger tips.

Large muffin tin with some filled and dough waiting to be pushed in.

Use your fingers to press sides and bottom, watch out for tears with your fingernails!

You can use your fingers and if you have a wooden dough press thingy…(I need a picture of mine!)…then that works great at smooshing the dough up the sides and into bottom.

We're getting there!

Experimenting with tops…Don’t overfill them, they bubble up over the edges.

Muffin cup sized tarts...I want one now.

When they were done I sprinkled them with confectioners sugar and they looked a real treat! Sorry no pics of that. I can’t wait to try more varieties.

• To take with you, just put cooled, sugar dusted tarts on a jelly roll pan or any pan with sides. If sides are low use a sheet of waxed paper on them then cling wrap. They keep really well in the fridge a few days too, just not as crispy.

Braided Whole Wheat Bread

Braided Whole Wheat Bread

Lately I’ve been on a bread baking kick. I’m determined to keep trying recipes until I come up with a few that I feel are my ‘old standbys’. I don’t like reading ingredients on store bought bread like ‘mono + digi steroids of fatty acids’, or something like that! eww…shudder! Remember the more you bake the quicker you get at it.

I especially want to find that perfect whole wheat recipe that uses mostly whole wheat flour and not white, it’s hard to do. I’ve baked a few loaves already that though they tasted great, they didn’t rise up as nicely as I’d have liked. This one seems to be a good one! I’ll try it as a loaf next time.

All golden brown and crispy!

This recipe is from Hodgson Mills but I changed the amount of wheat gluten and went more by what the ‘Vital Wheat Gluten’ box suggested.  I made half a recipe to test it, you’ll see I put the recipe here in half (one loaf like mine) and double. You don’t have to braid it but isn’t it COOL? Try it, impress your family!

Hot from the oven on the cookie sheet

If you notice there’s a few spots that looked pinched, that’s where the towel stuck a bit after the second rise. I learned, don’t use a towel! Use plastic wrap sprayed with oil on second rise. Also it’s a bit darker than I’d like, I put it in for recommended time and had a workman here distracting me so it was a little darker than I’d like. But it is fine and very nice and crispy when you cut it…oh yummy!

I have given the ingredients and detailed instructions for making one loaf and how to braid it. Then following that I have the recipe for two loaves and I cut all the extra blab out, so if you’re used to baking you can just look at that. Here’s the recipe for you:

Whole Wheat Bread – from Hodgson Mill package

* My Notes: I altered the amount of vital wheat gluten the original recipe called for. Also I mixed this by hand.

ONE LOAF:

1 c warm water
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast – MEASURE the YEAST! I found there wasn’t the right amount in one package, go by measuring it!  You may need two pkgs to get what you need.
1 1/2 T brown sugar
1 T + 1 tsp vital wheat gluten (you can buy this at the supermarket, it’s a powder that helps the loaf rise better)
1 1/2 c whole wheat graham flour (I used reg. whole wheat flour)
1/8 c vegetable oil (2 T)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 – 1 3/4 c white Bread flour (mine took 1 1/4 c only)

1. Measure yeast into a large bowl, make sure bowl is not cold. Add the warm water and stir to get wet and dissolve. Let it develop 10 min. while you mix next step.

2. Mix in the bowl you’ll let the dough rise in (just so we don’t mess up too many bowls): brown sugar, wheat gluten and wheat flour. Make sure there are no little hard lumps of sugar, just mix it around with your fingers. If your flour is cold from being in the fridge or the house is cold, put this bowl of mixture right in a warmed oven to take the chill off. NOT a hot oven, turn it to warm, let it warm up then turn it off…put bowl in.
Add this mixture to the yeast mixture and beat for 200 strokes! Yes…200. Believe me it’s good exercise if your doing this by hand…but with all the goodies I like to bake I figured it’ll help me burn calories! haha

3. Add oil and salt and mix it in well.

4. Add 1 c white bread flour and beat well, work in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough, not sticky. Do all this in the bowl, you can use your bowl scraper and push flour into the dough, then use your hand, use a kneading motion to work flour in.

5. Turn onto floured counter and knead 6-8 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Time to meditate. Take that bowl you used to mix flour in and wipe it out, oil it and put the dough in it. Roll the ball around to get it oily then use your hands to make sure it’s oiled. Leave in bowl, covered with a slightly damp tea towel and let it rise in a warm place. I like to warm the oven, turn it off and let it cool a bit then put it in. Close the door only if it seems cool enough, if still pretty warm don’t close it. Set your alarm for one hour and let rise (or until it doubles). Wash your dishes now and if your smart, get a family member who wants the honor of punching the dough down, to wash them for you!

6. Punch dough down. Plop out on counter and pat it out to push gas out of dough.
To make a braid:
a. I patted it into a circle like a pizza, then with a really large knife just cut into thirds like a peace sign.

b. Take each section and pat it out more into a long shape then roll it so it forms a thick rope. Pinch the seam and now roll it more on the counter, to make it stretch longer. Mine ended up about 18″ long. Do this with all three, it’s not hard, really! It’s like playing with play-dough!

c. Lay them side by side on the floured cookie sheet and at one end pinch together and sort of tuck it under so it looks nice.

d. Now braid it like hair…ahmm…I braid my hair every day but doing it on something else can be confusing (it did me!) so don’t give up. Just pick up one outside rope and cross it over the center one. Now pick up other outside rope and cross over the ‘new’ middle one. Keep repeating. If there’s a tiny bit of flour on them and your hands they won’t stick and you can keep rearranging them till you ‘get it’.

e. At the end just pinch together and tuck under. Now look how COOL that looks!!!

Braided and ready for the second rise!

If you’re putting it in a loaf tin just pat it out into a rectangle shape then roll up, pinch seam and ends to seal and put in greased loaf tin.

7. Cover with plastic wrap (towel can stick to dough now) that you spray with oil, just enough to keep it from sticking. Let it rise again (back in the oven) about 45 min or until nearly doubled. * If you like, when you make your roll, dampen with water then roll it in oats or seeds before putting in tin or on cookie sheet, they stick, look nice and the family will think you’ve turned pro!

8. Carefully take out of oven (if that’s where you let it rise!) and leave covered while you pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Uncover dough and bake 30 min. (Directions say 35 and this was too much, so keep an eye on it at the end) Done when it’s golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool on wire rack, don’t cool in the tin.

TWO LOAVES!

2 c warm water
5 tsp / or 1 T + 2 tsp. active dry yeast
3 T brown sugar
2 T + 2 tsp vital wheat gluten
3 c whole wheat graham flour (I used reg. whole wheat flour)
1/4 c vegtable oil
1 tsp salt
3 – 3 1/2 c white Bread flour

1. Measure the yeast into a large bowl. Add 2 c warm water and stir to get wet and dissolve. Let it develop 10 min. while you mix next step.

2. Mix in another bowl, brown sugar, wheat gluten and wheat flour. Add this mixture to the yeast mixture and beat for 200 strokes!

3. Add oil and salt and mix it in well.

4. Add 2 c white bread flour and beat well, work in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough, not sticky.

5. Turn onto floured counter and knead 6-8 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Take bowl you used to mix flour in, wipe it out, oil it and put the dough in it. Roll the ball around to get it oily then use your hands to make sure it’s oiled. Leave in bowl, covered with a slightly damp tea towel and let it rise in a warm place.

6. Punch dough down and divide in half. Form each into a loaf or round by first pushing out on counter to push gas out of dough, then roll up. Put in greased loaf tin or for a round or shaped loaf put on cookie sheet dusted liberally with flour. Cover with plastic wrap that you spray with oil, just enough to keep it from sticking. Let it rise again (back in the oven) about 45 min or until nearly doubled. * If you like, dampen dough with water then roll it in oats or seeds before putting in tin or on cookie sheet.

7. Carefully take out of oven (if that’s where you let it rise!) and leave covered while you pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Uncover dough and bake 30-35 min.  or until top is golden brown. Done when it comes out of tin easily and sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool on wire rack, don’t cool in the tin.

I hope you try it and let me know how it goes for you. I’m still learning how to bake good yeast bread and would love to compare notes.

Old Fashioned Apple Cake

This is what I believe is an old traditional recipe, I adapted it from a blog post here.

Old Fashioned Apple Cake with my Cinnamon Sauce

I dropped some of the oil and used applesauce, I also topped it with my own cinnamon sauce creation, SCRUMPTIOUS!

Still warm from the oven, I couldn't resist cutting it!

You don’t need any glaze really but you can make up a simple confectioners sugar, milk and vanilla glaze if you want.

Is that piece for me? I don't mind if I do!

It makes a nice big cake and is SUPER easy to make! A good one for beginner bakers.

A warm slice cut...filled with moist apples.

Old-Fashioned Apple Cake

3 apples peeled and chopped (2 ½ c or more, use tart apples)
2 1/2 cup sself rising flour (or plain flour plus 4 tsp of baking powder and 1 tsp salt)
2 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ c oil (original recipe called for 1 c oil, I cut it and added the applesauce)
½ c applesauce
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

I’ll add pictures here along with the directions:

Simple Ingredients

Gather your ingredients together; this cake is made with just a few.

1. Peel and chop about 3 apples, 1 1/2 c or more, using tart apples. Set aside. Grease and flour your pan now too so it’s ready.

2. Mix s.r. flour, sugar, cinnamon in a bowl with a whisk. Add nuts and or raisins now if using.

3. Measure oil into large glass measuring cup then add spoonfuls of applesauce to make the level rise to 1 c. Now add two eggs and carefully mix eggs in well. (Saves getting more cups dirty!) Add to dry ingredients and mix.

Oil and applesauce in measuring glass.

4. Add apples and finish mixing by hand; it’s a thick, heavy batter.

The Apple Cake batter is thick and heavy.

5. Spoon into well greased and floured bundt or angel food pan. I used an antique pan called “Re-Kul Pan O Cake”, I LOVE that, Pan O Cake! haha…More about that later.

My "Re-Kul Pan O Cake" pan.

6. Bake at 350 F 45 min – 1 hour. It comes out with a nice sort of crust on top, I think because of the sugar in it.

Apple cake finished!

Let cool 10 minutes in pan then remove to rack to cool by turning upside down. Or after removing, put on plate and drizzle with glaze made from confectioners sugar, milk and vanilla. Original recipe said to put it on cooled cake, but I liked putting it on warm, made it all melty.

Here it is unmolded and warm.

My Notes:

• The original recipe called for 1 c oil, I cut it to 1/2 c and added 1/2 applesauce; it was great.
• Try cutting the sugar back too if you like, I’ll try it next time and let you know how it goes.
• Raisins are really nice in this!
• Make sure ingredients are at room temperature, it helps.
• I bet this would be really good baked in loaf pans too because the top came out with a lovely sort of crispiness.
• I also baked this as a half recipe in a 9×9″ pan, plenty for one or two!
• Gosh don’t you just love an easy recipe that comes out so great?!

So you’re wondering about that pan? Well I bought mine at a thrift store, must be ages ago, and never used it. When I was cleaning out my lower cupboards I pulled it out and thought it was interesting with the writing engraved on the sides. I guess a baker named Jackson M. Luker in Urbana, Illinois, was in competition with another bakery across the street. They started selling angel food cakes cheaper, this made him so mad he left ALL his cakes to sit and spoil. When they sat in the pan so long he thought they were ruined but actually, because of being made with egg whites they formed a sort of hard crust and it kept them quite fresh inside. He had the brilliant idea to offer them this way in the pan and was able to ship them all over the USA. You send the pan back in for a refill cheaper! You could buy one for $2.50 then the refill was $1.25.

Read the article here to learn more about this inventive baker: http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/1940s/1947/08/foodflashes . I saw a pan like mine for sale on EBay for $69!! No Way! Then I saw one on a site called “Proxibid” and it sold for $1, so hey, maybe you can find one?

Irish Soda Bread – my St. Patrick’s Day bread

Irish Soda Bread

This is the recipe I always used for St. Patrick’s Day. Usually I make one big round loaf using my largest pyrex bowl from the set of three.

I made two loaves with the full recipe.

This time though I decided to make two smaller loaves so I could share one with my friend Ann Marie, shh, it’s a surprise!

The two loaves cooling, gosh the house smelled wonderful!

After 10 minutes cooling, you can take the bread out of the bowls to finish.

Oh deliciousness!

If you can resist, it tastes best the day after you make it. Let it cool totally, wrap up tightly the RESIST! Well I usually can’t do that…resist that is, so I have a nice slice after dinner with coffee. Well you do have to test it to make sure it’s good enough for everyone right?

Irish Soda Bread – Makes one big loaf or two smaller ones.  Directions also follow for mixing it up for jar mixes.
Preheat oven 375 F and grease your bowl(s).
4 c flour
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 T caraway seeds
1/4 c butter, (1/2 stick) softened
1 c raisins
1 1/3 c buttermilk (or 1 1/3 c milk with 1 T + 1 tsp of vinegar or lemon juice added to the measuring glass first. )
1 egg

1. Put your sifter into or over a bowl then put in it- flour, sugar, salt and baking powder, baking soda, then sift into bowl.

2. Cut in butter with pastry blender until like course crumbs, rub in with fingers if you need to also.

3. Mix in caraway seeds and raisins.

4. Combine the milk, egg and baking soda and mix well. I measure the milk into a large liquid measuring cup then add the other things to it.

5. Stir into the flour mixture, mix with fork first then use bowl scraper or big rubber spatula.

6. Turn dough onto floured surface, I do it right on my counter top. Knead lightly until smooth, really hardly at all, just to form a ball shape, dough will be soft.  Shape into a ball then spray a pyrex bowl (the large one of a set of three) with spray vegetable oil. OR divide dough in two and put each in medium sized bowl.

7. Put dough in and cut a deep cross or X into it with a knife, (to release the fairies!) gently push it apart so it’s slightly open. Take one egg yolk and brush (or use fingers) on top and into cracks.

8. Bake one hour, (for two smaller loaves bake 50 minutes) cool in bowl 10 min. then remove to finish cooling.

This tastes best the next day, if you can resist! Wrap well and store in ziplock bag as you use it up.

Click the picture above to see a glossy recipe post card you can order for your self or send to a friend. (Or put your own favorite recipe and photo on it using my template!)

Full sized loaf of whole wheat soda bread I made another time using this recipe.

** Another version: 1/2 golden raisins, 1/2 regular raisins,  no caraway seeds, 1 1/2 c white whole wheat flour, 2 c regular flour, 1/2 c oatmeal.

** Another version I tried: leave out the raisins and seeds, cut sugar to 1/8 c, use 2 c whole wheat flour, 2 c white whole wheat flour, add a bit more of the baking soda, I added a LOT of Italian seasoning and parsley, some basil this was good, but I also added dried cut up tomato and this was ok, wouldn’t add next time, but mine were quite dry.

** The original recipe has you add the baking soda with the milk and egg, then add it all at once to the dry mixture. I found no difference really by adding it with the dry ingredients, the mix the egg and milk and add. Just have your oven ready because with soda breads and scones you want to get them into the oven right away.

** For putting into jars to mix small loaf when you want it. I love doing this with recipes because I’m only baking for one or two and this way I can make smaller amounts and have it ready quicker!

1. Mix in a big bowl:
4 c flour
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Write out instructions on a small paper, tape to the jar.

2. Divide between two (2 c) mason jars, about 2 c + 3-4T each or divide putting some in a jar and some into a bowl to make into bread right away.
3. Put these instructions on the jar (cover the paper with wide clear tape totally and it will last longer): To make put contents into bowl.
4. Cut in 2 T (1/4 stick) softened butter, then rub in till like crumbs.
5. Add 1/2 c raisins + 1 1/2 tsp caraway seeds (if adding these things)
6. Mix 1/2 an egg with 5 1/2 oz OR 1/2c + 3 1/2 T of Buttermilk (or add 2 tsp. vinegar or lemon juice to milk) Mix in with flour with fork then use bowl scraper to get into a dough. Put on floured cupboard and lightly knead into a ball. Put in greased Med. Bowl cut X in top and brush with remaining egg. Bake 375 for 50 min.

I also add the dry ingredients list to make new batches on the back side.

I also put the dry ingredients list on the jar so I can easily make new batches and refill. Try all kinds of variations with your soda bread. Decrease sugar if making a savoury bread for dinner.

Enjoy baking and let me know if you try this bread!

Don’t forget to check out my shop on Zazzle, lots of spring cards and gifts and glossy recipe cards you can send. GO HERE

Blueberry-Raspberry Muffins

Fruit filled muffins! This is using the basic muffin recipe from my mom’s (Grandma McAndrew) old black book.

A dozen fruit filled muffins...not for long!

This is an old black binder that she put together when first married, my sister said some of the recipes were written in her mother’s hand (my Grandma Judge). I just love that and am so happy that I inherited it. Many of the recipes I share here are old favorites of our family and I hope my own boys or nieces and nephews will find the instructions and recipes here helpful. My mom and grandma would like knowing there recipes were being passed down as it were.

ahmm...need I say more? Let me at it!

This recipe is an old favorite but I added the fruit, which was great!

Cooling cinnamon + sugar topped muffins

You can sprinkle the tops with cinnamon and sugar.

Split fruit filled muffin, waiting to be eaten.

Mom’s Plain Muffins                     400 F    20-25 minutes

2c Flour
1/2 c sugar
3 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 c shortening
1 large egg
1c milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c frozen or fresh blueberries, raspberries

1. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl then give it a good mix with a whisk to make sure it’s blended. You can store it in a jar at this point for when you need it.

2. Cut the shortening into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender, till it’s all crumbly looking.

3. Measure out 1 c milk and  into a glass measuring cup, then add egg and vanilla and mix well. (TIP: I take a wire whisk and stand it up in the glass; by holding the handle between your hands (like your praying) rub your hands back and forth and the whisk will twirl without splashing, like a mini mixer!)

4. Add wet to dry and mix only a little, DON’T mix lumps out, you want it lumpyish. Now fold in the fruit gently. If your fruit has icy frost chunks on them put in a small bowl and run some water on them and drain quickly, repeat until the ice is gone. Now pat them relatively dry before adding to batter. (I had to do this, I guess I have neglected my frozen fruit stash! But they all tasted just fine.)

5. Have oven pre-heated and spray or grease a 12 muffin pan. Fill cups dividing batter up between them. If you want add a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar to the top before baking, I did on half to see if I liked it; I liked both ways. Bake 20-25 minutes, mine took 23. When done and after cooling a bit, take a knife and gently go around each muffin while they’re warm. Then gently turn each one a bit in the pan to make sure they’re loose. Remove from pan while a bit warm to finish cooling on a rack.

Here’s some pictures of the muffins being prepared for baking and after.

Batter in the cups and ready for baking.

The batter fills the cups right up when there’s fruit in it. The ones on the right have the cinnamon and sugar on top.

Blueberry - Raspberry muffins hot from the oven!

Oh the house smelled wonderful when these came out!

Blueberry - Raspberry Muffins without cinnamon and sugar.

Loosen muffins with a knife while they are warm.

Take a knife and gently go around each muffin while they’re warm. Then gently turn each one a bit in the pan to make sure they’re loose. Remove from pan while a bit warm to finish cooling on a rack.

Here’s some old notes I had on the recipe:

Take peeled, chopped apple and put some batter in a cup, then liberal amount of apple topped with more batter. Put liberal sprinkling of cinnamon on top and sugar on top. YUM.

Try other add in ideas:
raspberry or strawberry jelly -1 tsp on top before baking.
maybe coconut (try combining with raspberry jelly?)
1 1/2 c frozen or fresh blueberries, raspberries
1 T cinnamon + 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 c (or more?) chopped apples and more sugar
1 c shredded cheese
1 T savory spices or herbs of your choice.

Chocolate Soda Bread

What a delicious way to start the day! Chocolate Soda Bread with coffee!

I love playing around in the kitchen with recipes and lately it’s been scones and soda breads. I like baking scones to compare the recipes and have one, “Rachel Allen’s soda scones” that I like because they raise up so nice and there’s no butter to rub in so they’re quick, (and lower in fat!). They have a different texture that’s not as tender and crumbly as other scones though, BUT it’s that slight chewyness that makes them excellent cut and toasted with butter! oh yummm, it reminds me of Ciabata bread.

You can bake the bread in a small bowl.

Because I’m baking for one or two people, I mix up the dry ingredients for a full recipe, then I put half away in a mason jar to use another day for fresh scones. Just jot down what to add to make the recipe and tape it to the jar, easy!!

Hot from the oven, let it cool 10 minutes in the bowl.

This chocolate soda bread I made using that saved half of dry ingredients. I made scones the other day that were half white flour and half wheat, so that’s what I used to make this bread.

The house smells of warm chocolate, can anything be as nice?

It makes a nice little loaf and I think merits more experimenting on my part! I’ve baked plain soda bread and put it right on the cookie sheet as a loaf and added seeds and nuts; there’s so much you can do with it!

The slits I cut really spread open on this loaf!

The recipe I give here has you mix up the full dry ingredients then divide it. I suggest using all white flour first so you can try the recipe another day and make simple soda scones and see how nice and easy they are. After that try what you like! ps. I always use unbleached white flour and have found no difference in using the cheaper brand from my local supermarket, just make sure it’s unbleached.

Sliced and ready for butter!

Chocolate Soda Bread (by me!)

1. Mix up the first 4  ingredients and measure 2 c + 1 tsp of flour mixture into a jar with a tight lid, put aside to use for another batch of scones.

450g (1 lb) (4 c)  Flour (can use 2 c white 2 c wheat)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp – 1 T sugar (depending on how sweet you like your scones, for dinner or savoury scones I only use 1 tsp)
__________________________________________________________________________
3 T sugar
4 T cocoa powder
1/2 c choc. chips
1 egg
200 ml buttermilk (or add 1 T lemon juice to reg. milk)
1 tsp vanilla

2. To what’s left in the bowl add and mix well:
3 T sugar
4 T cocoa powder – I used my measuring spoon but didn’t level it and if you sift the cocoa in, it won’t have any lumps.

3. Add 1/2 c chocolate chips and mix around.

4. In a glass measuring cup put:
1 egg (beat egg in the cup then measure out 1 T and put in a small dish to use for brushing the top of the loaf)
1 T lemon juice (leave out if you use buttermilk)
add enough milk to make 200 ml total (use buttermilk if you have it)
add 1 tsp vanilla mix well.

5. Now add liquid to flour all at once and stir with fork or spatula to get all ingredients wet. Then use spatula to start to push it together while scraping the sides of bowl clean. Now use your hand to push it together into a ball as you keep turning it in the bowl and picking up flour, use a kneading motion by folding the dough gently too. You can do the whole thing in the bowl if you like. Don’t overwork it, just get it smooth. Now use both hands to form a ball.

6. Put in a small greased (spray) pyrex bowl and cut an X in the top with sharp knife and gently push apart. Brush top with the 1 T of egg, getting into the cracks too.

7. Bake at 420 F for 5 min. then turn down to 375 F for 45 min. Let cool in bowl 10 min. then remove to cool completely on rack.

Don’t forget to read my notes below about the recipe.

Why don't you try making some today?

MY NOTES:

•  I think next time I’ll just bake it at 375 for 45 minutes, it should be hot enough.
• For scones bake at 450F / 230C oven 10-12 min. Pat dough out thick, cut, bake on floured pan.
• I haven’t tried it yet but you should be able to bake loaf right on a pan too, floured…maybe shaped like a log with slit cut down centre, or ball with X cut. I think it would make unbelievable scones! My friends will be begging me to have tea and invite them!
• It would be nice with dried cherries or nuts added!
• Also in this bread I used 1/2 an egg but have since changed it so it’s a bit more egg and you take out a tad for the top. It should help it be moister, it’s such a tiny amount it shouldn’t matter. Even using one whole egg is probably fine!
• About cutting the X in the dough, Rachel Allen says that’s to ‘release the fairies’! I love that, I’ve always done it because it’s just traditional and I think it helps it open as it raises but I love her poetic and very Irish explanation!
• Remember this is a soda bread, it smells like cake but isn’t. Though it’s yummy it’s sturdy but the great thing is there’s hardly any fat or sugar in it like a cake. It’s great in the morning with your coffee while you wait for your oatmeal to cook and I bet the kids would love it as a snack with butter. I haven’t tried it toasted yet but if you do, don’t toast it too long and remember those chips will be HOT! (don’t want the little ones burning their mouth)

Click the picture below to see glossy recipe post cards you can send in the mail! You can change and add your own recipe and photo if you want.

Chocolate Soda Bread Recipe Post Card by MaryMcandrew
Sell art online at Zazzle.

And for the UK click picture below!

Chocolate Soda Bread Recipe Post Card by MaryMcandrew
See other Recipe Postcards

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Cookies!

I have a good friends who every few months have “Movie Night” at their house.  It’s well organized as he does themes for the year and usually starts with some interesting information about the film that I never knew.  The folks who come are all interesting to talk to as most are interested in culture; there’s a few retired professors from the local University and even some that come down from Canada just to attend!

Glazed and waiting to be eaten

This year it’s Sci-Fi and last night was “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” by Jules Verne, a Walt Disney film. I won’t go into the detail of cool things I learned about the movie but just tell you about the cookies I made. They were a real hit and everyone loved them! It took a bit of effort on my part but I’m glad I took the time as everyone had a good time talking about them (and eating them!)

Use waxed paper between layers.

It’s a basic Butter Cookie dough that I’ve used for cut out cookies, and you can too. But you can also play around with the dough as I did and shape them by hand. I’ll give you tips under each photo that will help you make them successfully. I do hope you try them or at least creating something then let me know how it went for you.

Glazed with yellow sugar-milk-vanilla glaze

To glaze the cookies wait until they are totally cool, this insures less breakage when you handle them. Make a drippy glaze in a cup by putting about 1/2 c confectioner’s sugar in then drizzle in some vanilla (I didn’t measure, just don’t overdo it) maybe about 1 tsp or so, and start mixing; now add a drizzle of milk, just a tad! Mix it up and you’ll be surprised at how little milk will make it runny. You want it sort of runny so it glazes easier. Add a drop or so of food coloring and mix. Using  a spoon gently touch the cookie as you let glaze drizzle out, I keep contact with the spoon and it helps to guide the glaze where you want it to go.  Don’t put so much that it runs down the sides only because it’ll make it harder to move them without breaking tentacles later!

Dusted with powdered sugar for something different

Besides glazing you can leave the cookies plain or dust with confectioner’s sugar. With any you can still taste the yummy goodness of this basic butter cookie. My favorite part was nibbling off the tentacles! They are crispy golden and when you pick up a cookie it’s the first thing you want to eat! How fun! If the cookies aren’t too ‘detailed’ you can also brush with egg white and sprinkle with colored sugar then bake; this is usually what I do for cut outs.

whoa...a whole bunch of squid monsters!

These are cooling from the oven…can you see how each one is different? This is what makes them so fun. Now my boyfriend saw them and said if you look at them upside down, they could be a Medusa head! Oh…what a fun idea! Can you picture it?

So, onto the cookies! I’ll put the recipe here then below pictures with detailed explanation and tips.

Butter Cookie Dough (for cut outs or hand shaping):

1 c butter (2 sticks or 8 oz) softened
2/3 c sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c sifted flour

1. Preheat oven to 350F / 180C.
2. Cream butter and sugar well.
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
4. Sift the flour, measure and add a bit at a time mixing in well each time.
5. On floured surface roll dough out and cut with cookie cutters. Lift the dough and move it around a bit and re-flour if needed before you cut out, this way they don’t stick to the counter as much. Or just follow my directions below to hand shape them.
6. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 8-10 minutes depending on their size, look for edges to get golden . For shaped cookies, let them cool for 3 minutes on the pan before removing them.

I sifted flour right in my flour container

I’m pretty laze about sifting flour first for recipes, especially cookies, but for this one it says ‘sifted flour’ so I just sifted a pile into my container then gently scooped up to measure. I then sifted more and repeated until I had enough, it wasn’t a big deal to do it this way.

Start with a walnut sized ball

Ok, so first step is to start with a walnut sized ball. See how my hands are floury and the ball slightly floury? That’s how you want it, NOT sticky.

With flour dusted hands roll it into a log

Roll the ball into a log with your hands, if it feels at all sticky, just dust your hands with flour again or roll the log on the counter to pick up flour then roll it in your hands and the flour will disappear. It shouldn’t feel sticky is the point.

On a floured counter pat it out into an oblong shape making it wider at one end.

Now place the log on the floured counter and using your finger tips gently pat it out flat. You will coax it into shape by patting flat with fingers of one hand while the other hand will push the edge to make it into a shape. Like here my left hand is keeping the bottom from spreading and the dough will go wider as I press with my right hand (fingers). Of course I’m holding the camera so you can’t see it in action!  You can see it looks a bit squareish on the right, I then used my fingers to push it in and round it.

(I’m sorry if it seems I’m over explaining this to those of you who ‘get it’, I like to give a full description for those who have little experience in the kitchen, I guess it’s the teacher in me!)

Cut in the middle leaving 1/3 uncut.

Lift the piece of dough and lay it near the edge of the ‘floured’ counter like so. It helps to lift with an icing spatula, you can see mine in the picture above showing the ball of dough. Take a sharp knife or use the edge of the spatula to cut the dough up the middle, cut 2/3 up. The top is the head so how ever long your shape is will determine how long the tentacles are.

Cut each side piece into three

You’re going to cut each side into three parts, just keep the dough straight and make two cuts. BUT first! Here is the important tip!! When you cut, the dough will want to stick to your knife. As you lift it out, lift from the handle first in a rocking motion so the dough falls away from the knife and won’t pull on the dough near the tip of the knife. This is important because the trickiest part of making these is not pulling the tentacles off! You don’t want to ever pull the dough at the base of the tentacles, you’ll see what I mean when you do it. Wipe the blade off between cuts and use some flour on it if you want.

Six tentacles for a squid, but I don't think it matters, they are what you tell people they are, squid or octopus!

It’s really not that hard once you start doing them.

Lift gently and lay on cookie sheet

Use your icing spatula to help you lift the head then it’s easy to get your fingers under and lift the whole thing up. Gently lay on an ungreased cookie sheet. I put four on each sheet only because while some were baking I’d be working on them and it’s hard to get more done than that.

Gently pinch tentacles to make them more rounded.

After you lay it on the COOLED sheet, start with the outer legs and gently round each tentacle by lightly pinching with your fingertips then curve them up by the head. Then you do the rest of the legs being careful always not to pull on the legs at all.

Make eye holes with the end of a chop stick.

Use a pointed end of a chopstick or something similar to make holes for eyes. Stick it into the dough then make a circular motion to push the dough aside and create a hole, don’t make it too small or it’ll puff shut when you bake it. I found it helpful to hold the dough in place with the other hand while doing it. Do one cookie start to finish because the dough may get sticky if you let it sit on the cookie sheet waiting.

Put them in the oven for 8-10 minutes, mine took 10. Check to see if they are golden on the tips of the tentacles, give the cookie sheet a turn when you check them for even baking. When you remove them from the oven, set the timer for three minutes and let the cookies cool for that long. I found they were cooled enough to let them slide off easily but still just warm enough that they didn’t want to stick to the pan. Use the icing spatula to lift them off, making sure first that every tentacle etc is loose.

Close up of a scary squid...I'm not afraid, I'll eat his arms off! mmwahahahaha

I hope you’ll try to make something with this dough and let me know! I’ve even used it at Christmas or St. Patrick’s Day by tinting some of the dough then making striped candy canes or shamrocks….hm…I may have to make them again just so I can photograph them and show you. Click the picture below to see the recipe and photos as a glossy note card you can send or keep!

Octopus Butter Cookie Recipe Card by MaryMcandrew

The next movie night is March 31 and it’s Ulysses so my imagination is already having fun thinking of what I can make! Sign up on the left sidebar to follow my posts if you like and leave me comments if you want! Now time to get back to my painting…and eating cookies…

“Spice is Nice Apple Cake”

Now here’s a nice little something you could serve for tea. It has yummy apples, a crunchy spiced crumb topping and a cake like bottom that has a hint of fresh lemon.

"Spice is Nice Apple Cake" is great with whipped cream!

I got the recipe from my favorite all time food blog “The English Kitchen” where Marie made it but with plums. I changed a few things, I wanted to try apples instead of plums, didn’t have Cardamom so I just used mixed spice, and I didn’t have sour cream on hand so I used vanilla yoghurt. It came out fine and dandy, I think I’ll add more apples next time though!

Oh Yeeaaaah...where's my fork?

Isn’t everything better with whipped cream?

I loved the spiced crumb topping

Here’s the recipe as Marie presented it and my notes of what I substituted in case you want to try it either way.

4 ounces butter, softened (1 stick in the US)
1/3 cup caster sugar (regular white sugar)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1 TBS sour cream (or thick yoghurt)
pinch of salt
the grated zest of one lemon
1 3/4 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups plums, pitted and sliced into wedges (or 2 – 2 1/2 c peeled, sliced apples. See my notes at end)

for the streusel:
6 TBS cold butter, cut into bits
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup caster sugar (plain white sugar)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (or mixed spice is what I used and a dash of nutmeg)
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

To serve:
Spooning cream, Clotted cream, vanilla ice cream, or whipped cream!

Pre-heat the oven to 375F/180 C. Butter the bottom of a 10 inch cake tin with a removable bottom. Cut a circle of parchment or baking paper to fit bottom and stick it on, then grease over it again. Grease the sides of the pan with butter now; the cake won’t rise much so don’t go crazy with greasing up the sides high. (as I found out).

This is my wonderful lemon zester

This is my lemon zester, the recipe calls for grated zest but I used mine which makes shreds of peel. It was fine but I am guessing grated zest would be better.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, lemon zest, vanilla, sour cream and salt. You can use a mixer for this step. Whisk the flour and baking powder together and then add it to the creamed mixture, the dough does get really stiff when you add the flour, you may need to go by hand at some point! It’ll be stiff like cookie dough, plop it into your pan and pat it out with your hands, if it sticks to you just rub a bit of butter on your hands and try it.

Pat the dough evenly into the pan.

Liberally spread the apples over top of the batter to within 1/2 inch of the edges, keeping the slices flat on the dough.

2 cups of sliced apples

To make the streusel, whisk together the sugar, flour and spices. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender then use your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over top of the apples.

Sprinkle the spiced streusel crumbs on top

Bake in the pre-heated oven on a middle rack for approximately 45 minutes to one hour, until the topping is nicely golden brown and the cake tests done. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for about 15 minutes on a wire rack, before you remove the sides of the pan and the paper.

Baked golden brown and crispy on top!

The house was filled with the great smell of apples and spice! It was actually bubbling a bit from the juices.

You can see it's a short cake, 'cake/tart/crumble' !

Delicious on it's own too, you can even pick it up to eat in your hand.

Serve warm, cut into wedges with some whipped cream or ice cream. I’m’ thinking it’d be good even with an apple cinnamon sauce around on the plate!

**My Notes:

• I made this using apples, 2 cups peeled and sliced which was two regular good sized apples, Cortland + Macintosh. I think Granny Smith for one would have been tastier. Next time I’ll try more apples, like 2 ½ c?

• It was excellent but the cake I found a bit dry….I did bake it 59min., maybe it was too long? Top was perfect and crust perfect…so I don’t know. Is it because I didn’t use the plums? Anyways, after covering it and trying a piece later on it was better! I am a fuss pot.

• I didn’t have sour cream so I substituted vanilla yoghurt.

• I also didn’t have Cardamom so I used ½ tsp of mixed spice and grated a bit of fresh nutmeg in.

• I also used a hand mixer which I hardly ever do now…the base dough is REALLY stiff, like cookie dough, might not use it again.

"Spice is Nice Apple Cake"

“Spice is Nice Apple Cake”, I hope you try it, let me know how you’re comes out if you do!

Bird Nest in Winter Poem and Card

Birds Nest in Winter sketch in ink with poem by MaryMcandrew
See other greeting card templates on zazzle.com

This is a sketch I did the other day while out walking in my field, I posted on my website blog about it here. After I created a card for it and wrote a poem, inspired by this drawing of a birds nest. Please click to see it in my shop, you can add whatever words you want inside and change the color on the front!

One Dough, Many Cookies!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a great recipe using my favorite Peanut Butter Cookie dough that was my Grandma Judge’s. It’s perfect for busy mom’s or artists!  You use the basic dough without the peanut butter and make several kinds all in the same baking. All very nice, crispy cookies!

Here’s the ingredients for basic dough:

1 c shortening (6.7 oz)

1 c sugar (7.1 oz)

1 c brown sugar (8.9 oz)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3 c flour (13 oz)

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

1. Cream the shortening and sugars well, then add the eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Wow when I was in England I missed this baby! Had to do everything by hand.

Creaming with my stand electric mixer

2. In another medium size bowl sift the flour, baking soda and salt.

Sifting dry ingredients

You can sift it first then use a whisk to mix it together well.

Mix dry ingredients well with a whisk

Now add it to the creamed mixture a little at a time and mix well, if using an electric stand mixer stop once or twice to scrape the beaters and bottom of the bowl, try to resist licking your fingers!

Depending on how many kinds of cookies you want to make will depend on how you divide the dough up.

Golden Crunch (Butterscotch): 

Just using the dough as is makes a nice crispy cookie. Make balls on ungreased cookie sheet, press with the fork in two directions to create a criss cross pattern. If it starts to stick to the dough, dip in water between squishes. Try baking just a few, let them cool and see if you like them. These may spread a little more than when you add the peanut butter.

*My mom told me that when my Grandma Judge made Peanut Butter cookies she’d mark them with the fork in one direction (like my pictures) but she’d criss cross the fork to make Butterscotch cookies and they were Grandpa Judge’s favorite! I never ever had a recipe for these Butterscotch cookies but because I like to experiment in the kitchen, I tried baking some of the dough without the peanut butter, thinking maybe that’s what Grandma did…well I was excited to discover that it worked and I think it’s just what she did! I love learning about that kind of family history and I think about them every time I make these butterscotch cookies, making the criss cross. I never knew my Grandpa but I think of him all the same when I bake these.

Peanut Butter:

Ohhh Yummy Peanut Butter Cookies!

For every 1 cup of dough (9 oz), you add 1/4 c of peanut butter; just scoop out 1 or 2 cups of dough and put in a small dish for now.

Use measuring cup or weigh the dough

After I mixed the chocolate chip cookies, I used the mixer bowl and just put this measured dough back in, added the peanut butter and mixed well. I used 2 cups of dough so I added ½ c peanut butter. Make balls on ungreased cookie sheet and squish gently with a fork. If it starts to stick to the dough, dip in water between squishes.

Use fork to squish in one direction

*Try whatever nut butter you want. I experimented once with ground sunflower butter, almond butter, and I think tahini (sesame seed), all as separate cookies. The sunflower one was strong flavored, I think the almond was nice…a good thing to know if you have someone allergic to peanuts!

Chocolate Chip:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hey it’s not rocket science! Whatever you have left in the mixer bowl you can throw nuts and chips in till it ‘looks’ right to you.  If you want to make other types of cookies take some dough out now and put in another little bowl. If you took 2 cups of dough out for the peanut butter or other cookies then add 1/3 c chopped nuts and ½ c chocolate chips. (both were heaped a bit). You can use walnuts or pecans.

You don’t have to make balls, just pick up blobs of dough with your fingers and pinch off rounded pieces that ‘feel’ about right. Put on ungreased cookie sheet.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough....oh tasty all by itself!

You can make them any size you want, just make them all the same so they bake the same amount of time. Forget scooping with spoons, this way you get to nibble on bits as you go! Whoops I didn’t say that did I??  ;-)

Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip:

(00ps! no picture, I ate the ones I experimented with before taking a picture! Sorry, guess I’ll have to make them again, they were really good though!)

Ok, so if you’re like me you know that every cookie is better with chocolate chips in it! You can make these without the chips if you want but think of how easy it is to use half the chocolate chip dough, add some more stuff and you have another type of cookie! When I bake again I’ll do some measuring so you’ll know exactly how much spice and oats to add per 1 c of dough. For now just bake a bunch of chocolate chip cookies then with the dough left in the bowl, throw in some oatmeal flakes, raisins, a good shake of cinnamon and a little shake of nutmeg. Look at the amount of dough you have and add about ½ that in oats, ¼ that in raisins. Really just do it till it looks right, but if you add too much the dough won’t hold together.  Not to confuse you but if you also want to add peanut butter to these, leave out the spice and ohhh they’re yummy!  Form balls with your fingers and hands, pinching off same size pieces and pressing together if it’s crumbly. Put on ungreased cookie sheet.

For ALL Cookies:

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

*After the first 10 minutes I turn the cookie sheet around to help front and back bake evenly, then finish baking till golden. Don’t overbake. Remove from oven, pop next sheet of cookies in that you have ready and waiting, then remove them from the hot sheet. This way you keep things moving along.

Yum, waiting for company!