Tag: turbinado sugar
Apple Crisp- Easy Fall Dessert
I am in the holiday/fall mood and all I want to do is cook with all the ingredients that remind me of cold weather. Apples is one of those ingredients that makes me think of cosy evenings in my house with a cup of hot apple cider or eating a delicious hot apple crisp with some ice cream.
I made this last weekend for a dinner at a friend’s house. I used my favorite apples- honey crisp but any kind of apples can be used-whatever you like.
I used a very typical crisp topping including flour- I used my usual white whole wheat flour and oats. I paired it with walnuts and cinnamon- and butter, of course. You can’t really go wrong with any of these ingredients.
The apples are mixed with orange and lemon zests giving the filling a wonderful citrusy, fresh taste. Everyone enjoyed the dessert. I served it with pumpkin gelato- which I made a few days ago. It came out really well- if I do say so myself.
The whole combination was a very successful one. This is another great idea for Thanksgiving. I will post the gelato recipe soon.
- 2 pounds variety of apples (about 4 – 5 medium), cut into 2 inch pieces
- Zest and juice of one lemon
- Zest and juice of one orange
- 1/3 cup turbinado sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
Mix all the ingredients in a medium sized baking dish. An 8 X 8 square or an oval shaped will be fine.
Topping
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup turbinado sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup toasted and chopped walnuts
- ½ cup toasted oats
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl of a mixer, add the flour, sugars, and butter. Using the paddle attachment, incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks mealy or crumbly. Stir in the oats and nuts.
Distribute the topping over the apples. Bake for an hour, or until the topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling. Cool slightly and serve warm.
Cranberry Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies
Another delicious way to have pumpkin flavored desserts!
- 2½ cups white whole-wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup extra light olive oil
- 1½ cups turbinado sugar
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup dried cranberries, chopped
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves into a medium bowl. Keep aside. Cream together the oil and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat for another minute. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract and beat for another minute. Add the cranberries and chocolate and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix to combine. Scoop with a tablespoon measure and drop the cookies onto a lined cookie sheet, flatten with the back of a spoon. Bake for 15 and 20 minutes. Cool on a baking rack and serve.
Makes about 2 dozen cookies.
Spiced Chocolate Banana Bread
I thought I would do a week of different desserts….
- 1¼ cups unbleached white whole-wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ¼ teaspoon clove powder
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg powder
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for preparing the pan
- 1 cup turbinado sugar
- 3 very ripe bananas, peeled, and mashed with a fork (about 1 cup)
- ½ cup milk or dark chocolate, chips or grated
Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, clove, cardamom and nutmeg into a medium bowl, set aside. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a liquid measuring cup with a spout, set aside. Lightly brush a 9X5X3 inches loaf pan with butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter while mixing until incorporated. Add the bananas (the mixture will appear to be curdled), and remove the bowl from the mixer.
With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate pieces and transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan for 5 minutes before taking it out. Cool completely before serving.
Brownie Bites with Peppermint Bark Icing
I have used the same recipe for the brownie bites as before. The difference is that I used extra light olive oil instead of butter (I wanted to make it healthier), and I have used a small cupcake container to make these delicious tiny bites for the holiday season.
Peppermint definitely comes to mind when I think of this time of year. One of the things I like to do when I am at the mall is to visit Williams Sonoma. They always have some kind of sample- especially this time of year. I love eating their peppermint bark- it is simply delicious. I have never bought it since it is quite expensive but I do eat lots of samples while I am at the store.
When Trader Joes opened up in Millburn, I was of course ecstatic. During the holiday season they have a variety of treats and chocolates.
While I was thinking about making these treats, I was envisioning icing with crushed peppermint sticks. So, when I went shopping at Trader Joes for my ingredients, and I didn’t find the sticks, I decided to buy the peppermint bark instead. It was much cheaper than the one I sample in Williams Sonoma.
I brought it home and tried it- well, it was delicious as well! I crushed it in a food processor and added it to the icing. These bite sized brownies are delicious and ideal to make for the holidays- enjoy!
- 2 cups evaporated cane juice
- 1 cup extra light olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 1½ cups white whole-wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Line a small 24 cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, blend the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract well. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Slowly add the dry ingredients mixing well in between. Pour the batter evenly into each small cupcake liner. Bake for 12 minutes if you like gooey brownies- a few minutes more if you like them more cake-like.
Peppermint Bark Icing
- ½ cup (4 oz) low fat cream cheese
- 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
- ½ cup crushed peppermint bark
In a mixer, add the cream cheese and begin beating until smooth. Sprinkle the powdered sugar and add the peppermint extract. Beat till the icing is smooth. Take out and add the peppermint bark. With a knife cover the top of each brownie bite.
Baked Nectarines with Vanilla Creme Fraiche
The nectarine lovefest continues with this delicious dessert. I don’t know how to begin- first of all, it is delicious. Simple, yet it includes layers of amazing flavors.
I started with fresh nectarines, cut in half and ready to be stuffed with a mixture of oats, walnuts and brown sugar. I laced the topping with ground cardamom and cinnamon. To me, the cardamom was the key ingredient. It was simply amazing with the walnuts, oats and the baked nectarines- floral and sweet.
It is a great dessert to make in advance. I popped it in the oven as we sat down to eat dinner. Ten to fifteen minutes later, the nectarines were ready to be taken out.
I served them with some creme fraiche. I love using this French style soured cream instead of ice cream- although ice cream would be amazing as well. I added a bit of vanilla sugar into the cream and added a dollop on top of the baked nectarines. The combination was delicious. The cream cut through the sweetness of topping and the soft fruit. All in all- it was a very successful try. I will be making this with other fruits as well in the future- sky is the limit…
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Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate Gelato
This is my version of hazelnut chocolate gelato. It is a bit different than what you find in the stores or the recipes you see on line. First of all, I used my usual gelato recipe- which is made out of whole milk and corn starch. So, that means no fat from eggs and cream. Secondly, instead of steeping the nuts in the milk and then straining them out, I decided to include them in the mix. Doing that provides a great crunch and texture- although straining the nuts out makes this treat more kid friendly. My daughter liked it but she didn’t care for all the nuts in her mouth. I, on the other hand, thought it was delicious. The hazelnut flavor is richer and more enhanced. Especially once I added some hazelnut liquor- it makes it extra scrumptious.
To make the gelato more interesting, I added grated dark chocolate which changes the color as well as the taste. Milk chocolate can be added as well, but I prefer the dark one- plus it is healthier for you.
Overall it was a great, healthy treat we all enjoyed after a dinner get together. I think I will try another one soon – maybe a ginger gelato- yum!!!
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Eat This, Not That…
Okay everyone, it the beginning of a New year and it is time to make some changes and most importantly, stick to them.
I am not much into making new year resolutions. I don’t like the pressure nor do I appreciate feeling like a failure if I don’t continue with the resolution. Instead I start making small changes in December and by the time the new year rolls around, I am already used to doing things a bit differently- and more likely to stick with them.
I started a new exercise regiment 3 weeks ago. I am walking briskly on my treadmill for 30 minutes everyday and doing a core and abs work out in addition. I feel good and am already noticing a change in my energy level, etc. I am also thinking of doing a cleanse for a few days. Have any of you out there done one lately? I would love to get more information…
In terms of food, I am incorporating more fish and seafood in our diets. One source I have found is Vital Choice. It is an online resource for fabulous seafood- very healthy and delicious. I will also try to eat less wheat and more vegetables, protein and fruit. It is going to be tough giving up pasta- well, I am not planning on giving it up- just cutting back a bit. I recently bought brown rice pasta from Trader Joes and am excited about using it.
I wanted to share a few things I have changed in my pantry- it’s now been a few years now and I am very happy about it. I got rid of white sugar, white flour and canola oil. I now use turbinado sugar, evaporated cane juice, white whole wheat flour and extra light olive oil. Most of the ingredients can be purchased at Trader Joes, Whole Foods or Costco.
I use all types of raw sugar to bake, cook or just add to hot beverages, etc. Its great to use as many unprocessed things in your cooking as possible. I prefer using extra light olive oil for its goodness. It has absolutely no flavor, so cooking, baking and frying is healthier. I have stopped buying all-purpose flour. I only bake with white whole wheat flour. I feel good about baking cookies and cakes with raw sugar and less processed flour.
The other thing I have incorporated into my day are some raw nuts- walnuts and almonds. Just a hand full do the trick. They get rid of that pesky need to snack on something unhealthy. The best way to store raw nuts is to store them in the freezer. They last a lot longer and don’t turn rancid.
The other thing I look forward to everyday is Really Raw Honey. It is simply the most delicious honey I have ever had. It is completely unprocessed and still has the pollen, honey comb and live enzymes. I top a bowl of fruit and greek yogurt with a spoon full of this amazing honey.
I have shared my healthy plan for 2010 and now would love to know if you have one…