Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yesterday I experienced something I haven't experienced since I was a senior in high school. I was stung...bitten...whatever...by a yellow jacket. That little bugger flew up my pant leg somehow and got me right on the ankle bone. I remember they used to get me all the time when I swam in my best friend's pool in the summertime. OUCH! Thank goodness for baking soda...and cookies! Cookies make everything better. Right?!


This is one of my most favorite cookies. I make these at work and they are a huge hit with campers...and staff. These cookies are also fantastic in bar form!

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies
by theUngourmet

makes about 5 dozen cookies

Print recipe

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups dried cranberries
2 cups white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars until creamy. Add the vanilla and eggs. Gradually add the flour mixture. Add the cranberry and chips.

Scoop tablespoon sized portions onto a baking sheet (spaced about 1" apart) and bake for 9-11 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Hope you all had a fabulous week. Remember to steer clear of those darn bees! ;)

Happy Weekend!




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Zucchini Granola Muffins

I never thought I'd say this but...I'm so over the summer heat. I'm so ready for crisp, clean, rainy, blustery, snuggle up with a piping hot bowl of soup or a cup of hot cocoa with mini marshmallows time of year. I'm ready to break out my Snuggie! Who's with me?

Autumn always puts me in a muffin mood as well. I hope you aren't zucchini-ed out quite yet because these muffins are fantastic! They are so moist, hearty and delicious...perfect for a quick breakfast or afternoon snack. The addition of the granola really makes these muffins sing!

Give these a try soon!

Zucchini Granola Muffins
by theUngourmet

makes 2 dozen muffins

Print recipe

1 cup granola
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 large egg
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup shredded zucchini

In a small bowl, combine the milk and granola. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight.

In another small bowl combine the flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger. In a medium bowl whisk together the egg, oil and vanilla. Stir in the zucchini and granola/milk mixture. Stir in the dry ingredients just until combined.

Fill muffins cups 3/4 full.

Bake at 375 degrees for 16-18 minutes.


I also wanted to say a big Thank-You to all of my bloggy friends who wished me well during my time away. A lot of big changes have come my way and I'm still adjusting. It feels good to be back to blogging. I plan on hopping over your way for a visit soon.

Hugs,


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Stawberry Mango Trifles

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful 4th of July with family and friends. Summer has finally arrived here and I'm just loving all of the blue skies and sunshine. Life is good!

Dessert is good too...of course. This is a quick and easy...and pretty dessert that is perfect for summer get-togethers. It's especially easy to throw together last minute if you bake a couple of cakes ahead of time and stick them into your freezer. Then you just pull out your cake, cut it up and make layers of fresh fruit of your choice and fresh sweetened whipping cream. I think it looks so nice when layered in a wine or champagne glass.



Strawberry Mango Trifles
by theUngourmet

serves 40+

Print recipe

1 13 x 9 inch vanilla cake, chilled and cut into bite sized pieces
6 fresh mangoes, diced
4 pints fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2-2/3 cup sugar
1/2 gallon heavy whipping cream
1/2-3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp vanilla extract

Place the fruit into a large bowl and toss with the sugar. With and electric mixer,whip the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla. In each wine or champagne glass layer cake, whipped cream, fruit, and more whipped cream.

We actually ended up garnishing these with a strawberry fan and they turned out just beautifully.

Hope you are enjoying your summer. :)






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Chai Spice Cupcakes

I'm still alive...I promise! Life has been moving at breakneck speed for me lately. I have been busy at work. Busy baking, baking, baking. Baking cinnamon rolls, cinnamon swirl bread, buns, muffins, scones, berry crisps, cookies, bagels, pita bread, cake and cupcakes. Recently, I baked about 125 of these scrumptious Chai Spice Cupcakes. These were a huge hit. They are laced with mini chocolate chips as well as bold and fragrant chai spices and chai tea. They are topped off with a delicious swirl of cinnamon chocolate buttercream frosting. Yum!

I found this recipe over at The Sweetest Kitchen. They used a chocolate cinnamon ganache frosting on top but I was feeling lazy so I went with the butter cream for this time. I'll try the ganache next time.

Please click HERE for the recipe. Trust me, you won't want to pass these up! ;)

Hope you all are having a wonderful week.






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Gluten-Free Lemon Cake

As some of you know I recently attempted to go gluten-free to see if it would help with some digestive issues I was suffering from. I managed to avoid anything with gluten for about a month. I have added it back into my diet now and it seems to be going just fine. Maybe my body needed a break. Hmmm.

Last week at work we needed a recipe for a gluten-free dessert. I knew just where to find a good one. I cruised on over to visit Karina at Gluten Free Goddess and sure enough I found this lovely lemon yogurt cake. It uses rice flour and almond flour in place of wheat flour. It's moist and delicious and best of all it's a snap to make...always a good thing. My only change to the original recipe was the substitution of white rice flour for sweet rice flour.

Hop on over HERE for the recipe. Even if you aren't on a gluten-free diet I know you'll love this cake! ;0)

Hope you all are having a terrific week! Thanks for stopping by to visit.






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Cinnamon Rolls and Tupperware Finds

I made cinnamon rolls for my work meeting this morning. I also brought in a nice plate of Tuscan Cantaloupe and grapes. It was quite a challenge carrying it all inside and setting it down on the table. I ended up tipping my fruit platter and dumping half of that deliciously sweet cantaloupe on the floor. Darn! Well, at least it wasn't the cinnamon rolls.



This is my second time making cinnamon rolls from scratch. I found a gorgeous and oh so scrumptious recipe for Finnish Cinnamon Rolls over at Rosa's blog. I really wish mine would have turned out as beautifully as hers. They still tasted fantastic but I don't quite have the hang of the technique for these...yet. I'll be trying again very soon. Despite the shape not coming out quite right, I found these yummy rolls disappeared at record speed. ;0) Hop on over to Rosa's place to see how they should look.



I also wanted to show you part of my recent Tupperware order. When I spotted these cute salt and peppers shakers I just knew I couldn't live without them. I remember seeing these when I was a young girl, only back in the 70's they didn't come in pretty pink. Who can resist pink Tupperware salt and pepper shakers?? Not me!

Hope the sun is shining over your way this week!






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Mixed Berry Buttermilk Muffins

Last June I had an opportunity to review The Berry Bible by Janie Hibler. I decided to try the recipe for Mango Raspberry Summer Soup. It was wonderfully light and refreshing. I'm so delighted that berry season has rolled around once again. I dusted off my Berry Bible and took another peek through. I found a terrific raspberry buttermilk muffin recipe. I had a meeting to get to the next morning and I thought these would be perfect to bring along. Unfortunately, my raspberries were a bit past their prime. Fortunately, I still had some frozen organic mixed berries from Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value . I chose to pull out the strawberries and use the blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.

As some of you know, I recently attended a Baker's Conference. It was a fantastic learning experience for me. One great tip the Chef shared with us was to grate the butter into the flour mixture instead of using hands or a pastry cutter.


I love this! It's quick and easy... I love quick and easy!


I love the buttermilk in this recipe. Buttermilk makes just about everything yummier.

Do you have a favorite go-to muffin recipe?

Mixed Berry Buttermilk Muffins
adapted from The Berry Bible

makes 10-12 muffins

Print recipe

Ground cinnamon for sprinkling
1/2 cup sugar, plus sugar for sprinkling
2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
6 tbsp cold unsalted butter
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup frozen blend of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin pans and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon and sugar.

Whisk together 1 3/4 cup of the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Grate the butter into the flour mixture and give it a good toss. Whisk together the egg and the buttermilk in a separate bowl. Combine the egg mixture with the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Toss the frozen berries in the remaining 1/4 cup flour and fold into batter. Fill muffin cups and sprinkle generously with cinnamon and sugar.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean. Serve warm.

Give these a try soon!






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Simple Raspberry Cake

Some days can be overwhelming. Some days I wonder if I will ever get a post up on my blog. Some days I wonder if I should quit blogging all together. Just when I start to think this way I take a peek back over the past two plus years of posts and I see just how far I've come and how much I've learned and how much I've cooked and grilled and baked and... and then I realize I must press on. I must "Keep on Bloggin'". Do you ever get to feeling this way?



I stumbled onto a recipe over at Martha's place for Raspberry-Almond Blondies. Well, I am completely crazy for raspberries so I thought I'd give it a go. I decided to go with toasted pecans instead of the almonds. No real reason...just because... Now I don't mean to question Martha but I have to tell you, this recipe didn't come out much like blondies. It is really more of a cake. Maybe even a breakfast-y kind of cake.



One thing I can tell you for sure, it is scrumptious! And so very simple to throw together. Give it a try if you have time. You'll love it!

Simple Raspberry Cake
adapted from marthastewart.com

serves about 9

Print recipe

9 tbsp softened butter
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup toasted chopped pecans plus 1/4 cup for topping
1 pint fresh raspberries
Confectioner's sugar for dusting (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray oil a 8x8 baking dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until combined, scraping down sides with spatula as needed. Fold in pecans.

Spread batter into baking dish. Scatter berries and pecans over top of batter and press gently into top of batter. Bake 45-55 minutes until toothpick comes out with a few crumbs but not wet. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 20 minutes in pan. Carefully remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners sugar, if desired. Cut into squares.

Have a fabulous week!!






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Luscious Lime Curd

I've been wanting to make lemon curd for quite some time now. Yes, I realize the title says lime curd...I'm getting to that. Lemon curd has been on my list. The "Things I'd Like to Make if Only I Can Get Up the Nerve" list. For some reason I've always thought it would be difficult to make. Cooking eggs for purposes other than my breakfast eating pleasure has always intimidated me just a bit.

I've been put in charge of desserts at my new job so I've had dessert on the brain nearly 24/7. I decided it was high time to face my lemon curd fears. I did a little searching on my trusty laptop and I ran across this article on making lemon curd. I read through and thought, "Hey, I actually think I can do this!". I have a fun little dessert cookbook called The Lady Had Seconds that I found some time ago on consignment at a homeschool bookstore. It was only a few bucks but it's filled with so many wonderfully scrumptious recipes. One of the recipes is for Lime Curd. Lime Curd? Now that sounds zippy!


Ya know what?! Making Lime Curd is easy peasy. If you haven't ventured into curd territory, you really should. Don't be afraid. You can do it!

Lime Curd
adapted from The Lady Had Seconds

Print recipe

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup lime juice
2 tsp freshly grated lime zest
pinch of salt
8 tbsp cold butter, cut into pieces

In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, beat in the eggs slowly, and then add the lemon juice, zest and salt. The mixture will look curdled. Don't panic, it will be alright. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened (do not boil), 3 to 4 minutes. Cool to room temperature, whisking frequently. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill for a couple of hours. Can be stored in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

I served my lime curd over these cupcakes (flipped upside down) with sweetened whipping cream and fresh fruit. This is such a wonderful dessert for spring and summer. :)

Hope you all are enjoying your week!






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bittersweet chocolate cranberry pecan and toasted coconut oatmeal cookies

We recently sold our home of ten years and are currently in the process of purging, packing, clearing and cleaning. It's a bit chaotic around here. If a stranger walked into my living right now they would swear I was some kind of a crazy hoarder! Boxes of belongings and bags of things no longer loved or needed are strewn about and I haven't been able to find a clear spot for baking in my kitchen for days now. Yesterday I managed to clear just enough counter space. I dug through the boxes and found my mixer and a couple of bowls and got busy. Packing doesn't seem nearly as daunting with a couple of warm cookies and a cuppa joe to snack on.

These cookies are full of yummy goodness! Bittersweet chocolate, dried cranberry, toasted pecans and toasted shredded coconut lovingly mixed with wholesome oats, stone ground whole wheat flour and ground golden flax...and a touch of brown sugar make for an oh-so-delightful sweet treat. These cookies will put a smile on your face and quite possibly a song in your heart. ;0)


bittersweet chocolate cranberry pecan and toasted coconut
oatmeal cookies
by theUngourmet

makes 2 dozen

Print recipe

3/4 cup Earth Balance or butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp coconut extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ground golden flax
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks
1/2 cup dried cranberry
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans
1/2 cup toasted shredded coconut
2 cups quick cooking oats

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat the butter for 30 seconds until creamy. Add the egg, extracts and sugar. Mix well. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and flax. Whisk well. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks cranberry, pecans, coconut and oats.

Using a medium scoop, place dough balls onto a baking sheet and bake at 375 for 10-14 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Note: Some of you may be scratching your heads and wondering about my putting wheat into this recipe. I have been trying to put some wheat back into my diet but I'm leaving out dairy. So far it seems to be working out. I'm crossing my fingers.

Stay Tuned! I will be posting a giveaway for a fabulous wine tote in the next few days. You'll love this tote, it's perfect for the upcoming summer weather.

Have a beautiful day!






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blackberry apple almond spelt mini bundts ...and a winner

I've been experimenting with spelt flour once again. This time I combined it with a bit of almond flour. Bob's Red Mill carries the most beautiful almond flour! I love baking with it, it adds such nice texture and flavor. I had a bag of organic frozen blackberries left from my recent shopping spree at Whole Foods and a produce drawer filled with way too many apples, so both of these went into the mix as well.



I was all set to make muffins when I remembered I hadn't yet tried out my new mini bundt pan. Isn't it the cutest?! I went on a tiny shopping spree at Target recently and picked up a few springy things. It's been raining every gosh darn day for weeks now and I needed a little pick me up. At least we haven't had any baseball sized hail to deal with. Yikes!



I was worried my sweet little cakes would stick to the pan but with a bit of patience and a butter knife they popped out quite easily. Don't you hate it when you put time and energy...and money into making something yummy in your kitchen and it flops in the end? I'm happy to report, this recipe is no flop. In fact, these baby bundts are incredibly moist and ever so tasty. I can't wait to bake up another batch. :)



Here, try a bite!

Blackberry Apple Almond Spelt Mini Bundts
by theUngourmet

Makes 16 mini bundts

Print recipe

1 cup almond flour
1 3/4 cup spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp kosher salt
2/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup almond milk
2/3 cup canola oil
1 small apple peeled and shredded
1 cup frozen blackberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour bundt pan or muffin pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar.

In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, vanilla, almond milk, oil and apple.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Fold in blackberries.

Fill bundt pan 3/4 full and bake for about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow pan to cool for about 5 minutes. Run a butter knife around edges of each bundt cake and carefully remove from pan. Cool on wire rack.

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I also wanted to announce the winner of Lisa's wonderful lotion bar, Nourished Skin. :)

Random.org chose lucky number 24. Congrats to Patty!!

Email me your shipping info and I will send it on over to Lisa asap.

Have a terrific week my friends!

P.S. Stay tuned for a fun wine tote giveaway...coming up soon!!






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banana berry spelt and oatmeal muffins

I recently received a Whole Foods gift card to put toward the purchase of 365 Everyday Value frozen fruits and veggies to sample. I have to say, I was amazed at just how reasonable the prices were...even the organic choices. There were so many great choices too, it was tough to narrow down my selections.



In the end I chose mixed berries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries (not pictured), peas and carrots, haricots verts and good ol' broccoli. So far I've tried the broccoli, the raspberries and the blueberries. I have found the taste and quality to be fantastic! I love knowing I am getting good eats at a great price!

I used my raspberries and blueberries in these lovely spelt muffins. As I've mentioned a few times in recent posts, I'm trying to stay away from wheat. I'm hoping that I may be able to tolerate spelt in small quantities. Spelt is in the wheat family but is easier to digest than wheat and breaks down differently in the body. Many people with sensitivity to wheat are able to tolerate spelt.

Banana Berry Spelt and Oatmeal Muffins
by theUngourmet

Makes about 16 muffins

Print recipe

1 3/4 cups spelt flour
1 cup quick cooking oats (I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp ground golden flax
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 mashed ripe banana
3/4 cup whole milk (I used lactose free milk)
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup honey
1 cup berries fresh or frozen (I used a mix of frozen 365 Everyday Value blueberries and raspberries)

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffins pans with some cutesy liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, oats, brown sugar, flax salt, baking powder and baking soda.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, banana, milk, oil, vanilla and honey.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir just until combined. Fold in the berries.

Fill muffin liners to 3/4 full and bake for about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into muffins comes out clean.

I was so thrilled that these came out so nicely. My husband was using my computer to do our taxes the morning I made these muffins so I couldn't hop on to look up a recipe. I managed to put them together with No Recipe whatsoever. I just wrote down quantities as I went along to be sure I could recall them later on. Isn't that fun?! Have you done this before? Did you have a positive experience? Please share! ;)

If you have a Whole Foods in you area be sure to look for the 365 Everyday Value labels throughout the store.



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