Cherry Crisp

My mom gets all the credit here.

I took the pictures and gave her two thumbs up with a full tummy of this deliciousness.

You can't really go wrong with fresh cherries, a homemade crisp and dinner at mom's house, can you?

This was fantastic (so was the homemade ice-cream she topped it off with!) and was a perfect way to end a warm summer night with family.


Cherry Crispy
By: My mom

Ingredients

6 cups sweet, pitted cherries
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup rolled oats (regular)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup sliced almonds

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare filling: Combine cherries, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, almond extract and salt in a large blow, toss gently.  Spoon cherry mixture into an 11 x 7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Prepare topping: Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, leveling with a knife.  Combine flour, oats, brown sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk (or whatever!).  Cut in chilled butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Stir in sliced almonds.  Sprinkle oat mixture evenly over cherry mixture.  Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is crisp.  Let stand 5 minutes, serve warm.

 

Raspberry & Lemon Curd Tart

I've told you about my mom before. She's amazing. And she made this delicious wonderfulness.

The sunshine lemon curd and vivid red raspberries paired perfectly with the flaky buttery crust.

We topped our slices with a dollop of whip cream and homemade raspberry sauce.

It was dee-licious. So were the left overs.

I love my mom. I hope you're celebrating your mom extravagantly this Mothers Day weekend!


Raspberry & Lemon Curd Tart
Adapted from: My Mom & Best of Bridge

Ingredients

Lemon Curd

3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice ( 2 to 3 lemons)

Crust

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup confection’s (icing) sugar
2 tbsp grated lemon zest
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 cups blueberries or raspberries (optional)

Directions

Lemon Curd: In a medium saucepan, whisk eggs and sugar until foamy and light-colored. Add butter, lemon zest and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, whisking, until the mixture thickens and forms a ribbon on the surface when drizzled from a spoon. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate or at least 1 hour, until chilled, or for up to 3 days.

Crust: In a large bowl combine flour, confectioner’s sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs (you can also do this in a food processor). Gradually add lemon juice, stirring with a fork until dough forms a ball.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

If dough is stiff, let it stand at room temperature for 10 minutes, until it is more pliable.  On a floured work surface, roll out dough to an 11 inch circle.  Lift dough into a 9-inch tart or flan pan with a removable bottom and press to fit the bottom and sides.  (If the pastry tears, gently pat it in the pan; it’ll be fine once it bakes.)  Trim the edges.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 F. Prick bottom and sides of crust to prevent shrinkage. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce over temperature to 350 F and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Let cool completely.

Remove crust from pan and place on a serving plate. Spread lemon curd inside. If using, sprinkle blueberries/raspberries over top.

Mom's note: The crust is very finicky and is difficult to lift into the tart pan. Just press it together with your fingers in the pan and it will be good to go. I have to admit the crust was kind of tricky to work with.

Banana & Pecan Waffles

Our waffle maker has been put to very good use. 

If you've been to our home on a Saturday morning, you know we love our waffles. Dessert for breakfast? Yes please!

I don't think there is anything better than fresh, hot, slightly crispy, sugar infused waffle.

This is my favorite recipe as each bite is loaded with bite size pieces of banana and crunchy pecans.

Drizzle (or bathe) your waffles in maple syrup, butter and icing sugar and you are in a for a delicious breakfast!


Banana Waffles
Adapted from: Cooking Nook

Ingredients

2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
2 ounces butter, melted (1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons cold water

Directions

Beat egg whites until you get firm peaks. Beat egg yolks and milk lightly together.

Add sifted dry ingredients and beat until smooth.

Add melted, cooled butter and the water. Blend well. Fold in the firmly beaten egg whites.

Heat the waffle iron. Brush both top and bottom surfaces of waffle iron with a bit of oil. Spoon approximately 4 tablespoons of the waffle mixture into the center of the iron. Close the iron and cook until golden brown.

Note: For fruit waffles, add 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind to the sifted ingredients. Before adding egg whites, beat in 1 cup thinly sliced and chopped banana or 1/2 cup drained crushed pineapple or 1 cup of blueberries.

Upside Down Banana Toffee Cake

Upside down banana toffee cake, you stole my heart.

This is a decadently sweet dessert. This cake is topped with rows of bananas which are gooey and caramelized in a pool of brown sugar topping.

Serve this heavenly dessert warm from the oven and top each slice with vanilla ice-cream as the sticky brown sugar caramel drips down the sides of the super moist and lightly spiced cake.


Upside Down Banana Toffee Cake
Adapted from: Foodess via Gourmet Magazine

Ingredients

For topping:
1/3 cup (3 ounces) butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp rum
3 large, ripe bananas, laved lengthwise and cut into 1 1/2″ pieces

For cake:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup (3 ounces) butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp rum
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup whole milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Add sugar and rum; stir briefly then allow to bubble and caramelize for about 5 minutes, until it becomes rich golden brown in colour. Remove from heat and arrange bananas over toffee.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In the large bowl of a standing mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each. Beat in rum, and vanilla extract.

With the mixer speed on low, add one-third of the flour mixture, then one half of the milk. Repeat, ending with the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Bake in centre of preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown on top and toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan 5 minutes before inverting onto a plate.

The back view...

Pumpkin Apple Spice Muffins

I love this combo of flavors. And I love muffins. A lot.

I had one can of pumpkin left from Christmas and decided to put it to good use.

These are full of soft, sweet apple bits and beautiful paired with pumpkin pie spices. These are especially delicious when paired with a hot cup of tea or coffee.


Pumpkin Apple Spice Muffins
Adapted from: Mels Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice**
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 Granny Smith apple, peeled and finely chopped

Topping:
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice**
3 tablespoons sugar


Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine pumpkin, butter, and eggs in another bowl and add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Fold in chopped apple and spoon into greased muffin pans, filling two-thirds full.

Combine 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice; sprinkle evenly over muffins.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans immediately, and cool on wire racks.

**Tip: If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, use the following combination: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon cloves. Mix together and voila - you have the equivalent of 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.

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Valentine's Stickers

Twig & Thistle made these adorable downloadable fruit stickers for Valentine's Day. How cute would it be to surprise your significant other and add these to the fruit in their lunch on the fourteenth?

{Via A Cup of Jo}

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Apple Cranberry Cobbler

Cranberries and apples are a welcome addition in my kitchen anytime so I'm not one to complain about the abundance of them at this time of the year. The sweetness of the apples paired with the tartness of the cranberries is a wonderful combination and the baking possibilities are endless. For this cobbler, rather than opting for my usual favorite crumb topping I made the biscuit topping and it certainly did not disappoint.

This was delicious, with all the the festive spices, and tasted best served warm out of the oven and topped with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!


Apple Cranberry Cobbler
Adapted from: Sugar Plum

Ingredients

6 cups thinly sliced peeled apples
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground clove

3 cups cranberries
1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 ounces cold reduced fat cream cheese, cut into chunks
2 large eggs
2/3 cup milk

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. Butter bottom and sides of a 13x9-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, stir together apples, 1/2 cup sugar, and spices until well combined; set aside.

Stir together cranberries and 1/3 cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat; cook 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until cranberries start to break down and get juicy.

Pour apple mixture and cranberry mixture into baking dish and stir until combined.

To make the biscuit topping, in a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt until combined. Knead in butter and cream cheese using fingertips or a pastry blender until well incorporated and mixture starts to clump together. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk until well combined; add wet ingredient to dry ingredients, and stir until just combined.

Drop spoonfuls of biscuit topping evenly over fruit. Bake 45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Raspberry Crumb Breakfast Bars

Guess what?

These are breakfast bars (and they have brown sugar and butter in them).

I normally think of breakfast as a healthy meal (when I'm not eating waffles, pancakes or crepes) but can easily be swayed.

The crumbly oats, tart raspberries and hint of lemon make these bars irresistible.

The title told me these are for breakfast and let me tell you, I ate a lot of breakfast today.


Raspberry Crumb Breakfast Bars
Adapted from: Sweet Pea's Kitchen via Baked

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

Raspberry Mixture
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch glass or light-colored metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up the two short sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment.

Put the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until combined. Add the butter and pulse until loose crumbs form.

Reserve 1 cup of the mixture and set aside. Pour the rest of the mixture into the prepared pan and use your hands or the back of a large wooden spoon to push the crust into an even layer at the bottom of the pan. The crust should touch the sides of the pan. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let the crust cool. Keep the oven on while you make the raspberry filling.

In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon and flour together. Add the raspberries, lemon juice and butter and use your hands to toss gently until the raspberries are evenly coated. Spread the raspberry filling evenly on top of the cooled crust. Sprinkle the reserved 1 cup crust mixture evenly on top of the filling.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan every 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling starts to bubble around the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then cut into squares and serve. The bars can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two days.

Delicious and nutritious...

Enjoy!

Creamy Grape Dessert

This recipe calls for simple ingredients and is delicious and highly addictive. The tartness of the grapes pairs wonderfully with the sweet dressing and topping.

This takes no time to throw together, easily doubles for more people and is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser!

Unsurprisingly, the next time I make this I will double the topping as it was absolutely divine.

You have to try it this weekend. Or just make it for breakfast.


Creamy Grape Dessert
Adapted from: Skinny Taste

Ingredients

1 lb green seedless grapes, washed and dried well
1 lb red seedless grapes, washed and dried well
8 oz sour cream
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping
4 tbsp brown sugar, packed
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Cut grapes in half and set aside. Mix sour cream, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until blended well. Stir grapes into mixture, and pour in large serving dish. Combine brown sugar and crushed pecans. Sprinkle over top of grapes to cover completely. Chill overnight or until ready to serve.

Lemon Raspberry Bars

Raspberry and lemon. Two ingredients that just go together and haven't failed me yet. Going along with my "bake with berries or anything that is in season" theme, I knew I had to try these and oh!my!goodness!me! these are tasty morsels.

These bars have a thick graham cracker crust and are topped with a creamy lemon raspberry filling. The fresh raspberries add a hint of tartness to the luscious lemon filling. Top this with a dollop of whip cream and some additional fresh raspberries and you are in for a treat!


Lemon Raspberry Bars
Adapted from: Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients

For the crust
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
Zest of one lemon

For the filling
2 large egg yolks
1-14 oz. can fat free sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
6 ounces fresh raspberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray a 8 by 8 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Stir until graham cracker crumbs are moist. Press crumbs into the prepared pan, pressing the crust mixture one inch up the side of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

Once the crust is cool, combine the egg yolks and condensed milk until well mixed. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir until mixture begins to slightly thicken.  Gently fold in the raspberries. Fold carefully so you don’t break the raspberries.

Pour the lemon raspberry filling evenly over the graham cracker crust.  Bake for 15 minutes, or until just set.

Cool to room temperature, then chill for at least one hour before serving. Cut into bars and serve. Keep bars in the refrigerator-up to five days.

*Note-use fresh raspberries and make sure you gently fold the berries into the lemon filling or you will have pink bars.

BlackBerry Pie Muffins

It's no secret that I love crumb toppings and muffins tops. Edible muffin tops, of course. Not the unnecessary spillage over my waistline that occurs with all of these treats ;)

If the opportunity presents itself I will likely add a streusel or crumb topping to any baked good. The additional butter and sugar has yet to disappoint me. These muffins were no exception and are likely the reason I was drawn to this recipe.

On top of having delicious tops (pardon the pun) these tender muffins were bursting with fresh, delicious, tart blackberries.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I love baking with all of the fresh fruit the summer season provides. Blackberries are a great source of antioxidants. Did you know you’re more likely to stay younger, healthier, and live longer with lots of blackberries? Thus, no need to justify why you eat one or twelve of these... they're benefiting your youthfulness!

Will I make these moist, fabulous, large muffin top pie tasting delights again? Absolutely! Especially if there is the chance that I could live one day longer and look that much younger!


Blackberry Pie Muffins
Adapted from: The Hazel Bloom

Ingredients

Topping
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Muffins
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
12 ounces fresh blackberries, cut in half

Directions

Heat your oven to 350° F, and line 12 muffin cups with liners (or grease the cups).

In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients until crumbly. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg and then stir in the sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, along with the buttermilk, and stir just until moistened. Add the blackberries and stir until well incorporated.

Fill your muffin cups almost to the top with the batter. Sprinkle the topping evenly over each cupcake. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes, until they're golden brown and the tops spring back when you poke at 'em. (I look mine out at 23 minutes).

Nectarine and Strawberry Crisp

I hope you’re enjoying your summer! We’ve been enjoying some ridiculous amounts of glorious sunshine here in Vancouver so we’ve been busy BBQing, beaching and picnicking! With all of the delicious fruit in season, I’m trying my best to put a healthy twist on summer… thus, I give you the fruit crisp.

I love crisps of any kind. Apple in the fall, strawberry rhubarb in the spring, and any combo of fresh fruit in the summer. They're quick and easy to put together. The hardest part of making a crisp is waiting for it to come out of the oven!

This is a basic crisp recipe. You can use any combination of fruit that you'd like or have on hand. I used nectarines and strawberries and paired it with an addictive crumb topping. Naturally, it was absolutely delicious and with all that fruit, dare I say, it is verging on healthy.

Serve warm and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.


Nectarine and Strawberry Fruit Crisp
Adapted from: Food Woolf

Ingredients

½ cup pecans
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
a pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 ripe nectarines, pitted and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup strawberries
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons unbleached flour
zest of one lemon, chopped fine

Directions

Preheat oven to 375° F.

For the Topping
Chop the pecans to a medium to fine consistency. Combine the flour, the sugars, the salt and spice in a mixing bowl. Add the chilled butter in pieces and mix with your fingers until it becomes mealy. Add the nuts and mix until the flour mixture holds together when squeezed. Put aside.

For the Crisp
Mix the fruit in a medium-sized bowl and then add the sugar. Taste and adjust for sweetness (don’t over sugar the fruit). Dust the flour over the mixture and stir gently. Spoon the topping into a small cooking dish that is just big enough to hold the fruit. Mound a small amount in the center of the dish. Then, gently add the crisp mixture on top. Lightly push the crumble on top of the fruit mixture.

Place a cookie sheet on the middle rack of the oven (to catch any overflow juices) and put the crisp dish on top. Bake in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and the fruit juices are thickened and bubbling. The delicious smell of baked fruit will help you know when it’s close to being ready. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Chocolate-Dipped Frozen Banana Bites

I start to panic if I don't have baking in the house. It's possible that you'll see me emptying the pantry to find anything with sugar to fix my hourly daily craving. The result? Empty marshmallow bags, chocolate chips scattered everywhere and caramel sauce stuck to the kitchen counter. I do, however, freeze a lot of what I bake. One, because it would just be wrong if my husband and I finished everything in one sitting and two, it's always nice to know that there is something delicious waiting in the freezer. These chocolate-dipped frozen banana bites are the perfect treat and are meant to be frozen! How could I not try these?

Although I thoroughly enjoyed eating these as I made them (banana, warm melted chocolate and a crunchy chocolate bar exterior, yum!) they were equally delicious as a frozen treat the following day. For coating the banana I used Coffee Crisp, Skor Bar and Oreo crumbs (separately). The chocolate bar toppings seemed the be the popular choice but be creative and see what you can come up with. Also, if you're like me and think that you should squish the sliced banana into a ball before coating it in chocolate and you're favorite topping, don't. I tired this and recommend against it :-)

Oh, and of course, the bonus? I think it's safe to say that this tasty treat is on the healthy side as the nutritional information says these are under 80 calories. Love that!

Chocolate-Dipped Frozen Banana Bites
Adapted from: Bon Appétit

Ingredients

2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 ripe bananas, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
Assorted toppings for coating bananas (use your favorite nuts, candies or cookies to coat the bananas such as crushed chocolate sandwich cookies, Skor Bar, Coffee Crisp, toffee bits, chopped salted peanuts, or toasted shredded sweetened coconut)

Directions

Stir chocolate and oil in heavy small saucepan over low heat just until smooth. Let stand 15 minutes to cool.

Place each topping in separate shallow dish. Line baking sheet with foil. Arrange banana slices on foil. Using fingers, dip 1 banana slice in chocolate, coating completely. Shake off excess chocolate. Drop dipped banana in one topping. Using a spoon, sprinkle more topping over banana to coat; transfer to foil-lined sheet. Repeat with remaining bananas, chocolate, and toppings. Freeze until firm, about 3 hours, then serve and enjoy.