Easy Tiramisu

This is a super easy version of tiramisu. It's still delicious, but uses ingredients you're more likely to have on hand. I somehow never have mascarpone, but usually have cream cheese.

You can add as much or as little of the instant coffee as you want. Feel free to experiment with other flavors such as vanilla and coffee liquors.I used light cream cheese, but just because that's what I had already.

Break the ladyfingers up into smaller pieces to fit the pan. Don't worry about the look. You'll top it with the chocolate mixture so no one will be able to see the cookies!

The Recipe

makes one 8x8 or 9x9-inch pan of tiramisu

4 ounces chocolate chips - semisweet or dark chocolate
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cups hot water
2 tablespoons cocoa
1-2 teaspoons instant coffee - depending on taste
8 ounces cream cheese - slightly softened
2/3 cup white sugar

7-ounce package of ladyfinger cookies
additional cocoa, cinnamon for sifting on top

Mix cocoa powder and instant coffee into hot water. Allow to cool.

Melt the chocolate chips and 1/4 cup of cream in the microwave (on low) until smooth. Allow to cool to about room temperature.

Combine the chocolate/cream mixture with cream cheese and sugar. Whip on high for a few minutes. Add the cream slowly until the mixture is a thick consistency.

Put a layer of the chocolate mixture into pan. Top with ladyfingers that you've dipped (briefly) in the cocoa, coffee and hot water. Repeat layers ending with the chocolate mixture. Refrigerate for several hours, or overnight. Sift additional cocoa and cinnamon on top right before serving.

Orange Date Chocolate Bread

After finding myself with a big box of wheat flake cereal on hand, I realized it only made sense to use it for baking. This recipe is fun because you get to make soggy cereal!

Stir in the dates and let it sit a little more while you combine the dry ingredients.

You can substitute any kind of nuts for the chocolate chips. I bet walnuts, pecans or even almonds or cashew would be tasty. If you're in an extra fruity mood, you could add other things like raisins or prunes.

The Recipe

makes 1 9x9-inch loaf cake

3/4 cup orange juice
1 cup milk
zest of one orange
2 eggs
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup oil (I used coconut oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/3 cups wheat flake cereal (Wheaties or something similar)
1 cup chopped dates
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed (can omit if you don't have it)
1/3 cup sugar (depending on taste, you can omit or use less)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour your pan.

Combine orange juice, zest, milk, eggs, honey, oil and vanilla. Mix well. Add in cereal and let stand for about 5 to 10 minutes. Chop dates and stir in.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Stir in orange juice and milk mixture, as well as chocolate chips. Mix just until fully blended.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for about an hour. If the top gets too done, cover it with some aluminum foil.

Apple Upside-Down Cake

This cake is beautiful. It guarantees lots of oohs and ahhs just because it's so pretty. And who doesn't love flipping a cake and waiting for the surprise of how it will look?

For the apples, I prefer to leave them unpeeled. The skin gets soft in the oven and baked in with the butter, but it's up to you if you prefer yours peeled. Plus, it's much easier to leave them unpeeled!

You can get creative with the sugars in the cake recipe. Try molasses for a darker cake. Or use all honey or all maple syrup. Experiment with agave. If you don't have maple syrup or sugar for the whipped topping, you could try a little maple extract.

The Recipe

makes one 9-inch round cake

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt

3 to 4 apples - cut into slices (I did NOT peel them)
7 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 cups flour (maybe a little extra)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
extra butter, for greasing

Whipped Topping
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup maple sugar (or whatever kind you have)

Preheat oven to about 350F. Grease a 9-inch round pan.

Melt butter in small saucepan over low to medium heat. Add sugar and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until mixture starts to get thick. Stir in a little salt. Let cool slightly before spreading into pan.

Arrange your apple slices in the pan, pressing them lightly into the soft caramel.

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix well. Add egg, buttermilk, honey and maple syrup. Mix well again. Stir in the rest of the dry ingredients until well combined. Beat for a few minutes. Spread mixture on top of apples and caramel.

Bake for about 50-60 minutes. If the top gets too brown, cover with aluminum foil. While the cake is baking, whisk the whipping cream until soft peaks form, stir in the sugar. Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve the cake warm dolloped with the whipped cream.

Pumpkin Cornbread

These are a few of my favorite things -- combined! This is a fun, Southern twist on my favorite fall staple of pumpkin bread or muffins. It makes a fine breakfast and also goes with savory dinner dishes, like chili or tortilla soup. While you can use freshly roasted and pureed pumpkin, the canned variety will do just fine.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately. Stir together just until combined. Add a little extra milk if the mixture seems dry.

This is a big batch so I had enough for a skillet and some jumbo muffins, which I plan to freeze for later.

The Recipe

makes one 9x13-inch pan of cornbread OR 1 small skillet and about 6 jumbo muffins

2 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 cups flour (I used 1/2 cup whole wheat)
1/4 cup ground flax (optional)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil (I used coconut oil)
2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
butter, for greasing pans

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Grease your pans with butter.

In a large bowl, mix the first eight ingredients until combined and brown sugar clumps are broken up. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients (except butter) until well combined. Combine the two mixtures and stir just until moistened.

Bake for about 30 minutes (depending on which pan you use). Check periodically and remove when a knife inserted comes out clean. Serve warm, drizzled with a little honey or maple syrup, if you want.

Chocolate-Covered Raisin Skillet Cookie

There's something magical about a giant cookie. It reminds me of being a kid and getting those almost-too-sweet cookie cakes from Mrs. Fields. This recipe is a slightly more mature version that involves cast iron. It was inspired by this recipe, which is a great one.

A good skillet can handle just about anything -- even a giant cookie. And I love this recipe because it's so easy; you can mix everything together right in the skillet. No bowl to clean afterward! Make sure to melt the butter on low heat. You don't want the mixture to become too hot before adding the eggs.

Keep whisking and stirring. The results will be worth it. I had a little trouble with this sticking in the pan so make sure to use the full amount of butter and oil. If you're worried about it, you could mix everything in a separate bowl and dump it into the greased and floured skillet.

The Recipe

make 1 10-inch skillet cookie (8 good-sized wedges)

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
1/3 cup oil (coconut or canola)
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3.4 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup oats
2 cups flour (I used mostly spelt and whole wheat)
1 cup chocolate-covered raisins
other chocolate chunks/chips if desired

Preheat oven to 350F.

Melt butter, oil and sugars in skillet over low heat. Whisk together well. Let cool and then mix in eggs. Whisk well again. Stir in vanilla. Sprinkle salt and baking soda over top and stir well again. Mix in oats, flour and chocolate-covered raisins. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the skillet, if necessary. Press extra chocolate chunks or chips into the top of the cookie dough, if desired.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve warm. Top with ice cream or drizzle with chocolate sauce.

Seeded Baguette

I was buying a delicious loaf like this at my local market and thought, I can do this! Turned out it wasn't too hard. It's a yeast bread with a sprinkling of seeds both mixed into the dough and pressed into the top before baking.

Mix up the dough like you would a regular yeast bread and then sprinkle in about half of the seeds you plan to use and knead them in. 

You can use whatever seeds you have on hand. I used a mix of pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), poppy seeds, flax seed and sesame seeds. They can make quite a mess, but it's worth it.

The Recipe

makes 2 baguettes

2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

about 3 cups flour (I used a mixture of white and whole wheat)
1 1/4 cups warm water
2 tablespoons honey - runny consistency is best
1 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons mixed seeds (depending on taste)
cornmeal

Add yeast, water and honey to a large bowl. Allow a few minutes for the mixture to become frothy. Stir in about 2 cups flour and salt.

Turn dough out on counter and knead, adding flour until you reach a good consistency. Knead in about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mixed seeds. Put dough in oiled bowl, cover and let rise until it's doubled (about 1 to 1 1/2 hours).

Turn dough out on lightly floured surface and divide in half. Shape into two long baguettes (about 12 to 14 inches each). Sprinkle rest of seeds on top of loaves and lightly press them into the dough. Put a little cornmeal on counter, or a board, before covering to let rise again. Let dough rest for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Bake at 400F for about 10 to 12 minutes or until loaves are lightly browned on top. I'd recommend baking the baguettes on a stone or preheated baking sheet.

Cherry Chocolate Clafouti

This is my first time making clafouti, a baked French fruit dessert. Inspiration came from a recipe in this book. The end result is a custard-y pudding-like substance, studded with giant sweet cherries and chocolate morsels. It's great as dessert, topped with vanilla ice cream, or as breakfast, along with some coffee.

For the cherries, I used a mixture of dark sweet ones and red/yellow ones that are also very large, fleshy and sweet. Don't use the tart ones for this recipe. I pit my cherries with a fork by poking one of the prongs into the middle top part of the fruit, and then kind of scooping up to pop out the pit. It's effective, but makes a total mess. Do NOT wear nice clothes!

Make sure to sift the flour into the cream and milk mixture very slowly. If you don't, you'll end up with a gummy mess. Go slow to maintain a liquid-like texture. This is what it should look like before it goes into the oven.

The Recipe

makes 12 medium-sized pieces

butter for greasing pan
2 cups pitted sweet cherries
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I used about half dark and half semi-sweet)
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
powdered sugar for sifting on top

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Butter a 9x13-inch baking pan. Arrange pitted cherries in bottom. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and set aside.

In medium-sized saucepan, heat cream and milk over low to medium heat until little bubbles/froth forms along the edges. Remove from heat and vigorously whisk in the flour (sifted) SLOWLY. Set aside to cool.

Mix eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt until creamy. Add milk mixture once it has cooled a little. Dump over cherries and chocolate. Place pan on a baking sheet and bake bake for about 45-55 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm.

Decadent Chocolate Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting

I've been in a chocolate mood lately. And like the peanut butter chocolate chip bars, these satisfy that killer chocolate-peanut butter combo. The brownie itself is a classic chocolate one that's maybe a tad on the cake-y side.

I used a little whole wheat flour, which does make the brownies a little more dense and grainy. Feel free to use whatever flour combination you like. 

For the frosting, you should really use an electric mixture to whip up the cream. Normally I'm a fan of hand mixing, but NOT with whipping cream! If you make it ahead of time, be sure to put it in the refrigerator to stay cool. Oh, and I put some chocolate chunks in my frosting, just because!

The Recipe 

makes about 15 medium-sized brownies

Brownies:
1/3 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1/2 cup boiling water
2 ounces dark chocolate - chopped
1/2 cup oil (I used coconut oil)
4 tablespoon butter - softened
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 3/4 cup flour (I used about half whole wheat)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks

Frosting:
1 tablespoon softened butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease and flour (or use foil and baking spray) a 9x13-inch baking pan.

Mix cocoa and instant coffee in a large bowl. Add boiling water. Stir in dark chocolate until it's melted. Then add the oil and butter. Let cool slightly before adding the eggs and vanilla and whisking well. Add sugar and honey. Stir well. Add rest of ingredients and mix until combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes. Do not overcook!

For frosting, combine butter, sugar and peanut butter and vanilla. Stir and then use an electric mixer to whip in the cream. Add the salt at the end. If desired, stir in chocolate chunks or chips. Spread frosting on cooled brownies.

Oat Soda Bread

This bread recipe doesn't use yeast. Instead, the baking soda helps it to puff up, and also gives it a distinct flavor. Once you try it, you'll  never forget what soda bread tastes like.

The dough will be relatively moist and sticky. This is OK. Don't fret if you don't have buttermilk. You can make it easily by adding a few drops of white vinegar or a few squeezes of lemon to regular milk (let it sit for a few minutes after this).

This is a pretty basic recipe, so feel free to fiddle with it as you like. Raisins are a common addition to soda bread (I prefer golden ones), and it makes a nice morning toast topped with a pat of butter.

The Recipe

makes 1 loaf

2 cups oat flour (use a food processor to pulse and grind up oats)
1 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour, spelt flour or wheat germ
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
various seeds
butter for greasing pan, putting on top

Preheat oven to about 400F degrees. Mix the dry ingredients until blended. Then stir in the buttermilk until all dough is evenly moistened. If necessary, stir in some additional flour. If you wait a few minutes, the baking soda will soak up some of the excess moisture.

Place in a greased and floured loaf pan. Brush the top with melted butter or a little milk and sprinkle the top with seeds. Bake for about 30 minutes, then check the top to see how brown it is. Move the oven rack up if the top needs a little more browning. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

You need to make these, now! These bars are a healthier version of a classic combo -- peanut butter and chocolate. I adapted the recipe from one of my husband's grandmother's. I don't know if she'd approve or not, but they are pretty yummy.

Here's the recipe I used as a base. It's pretty standard so there's room for lots of fun customization. I went a little wild; substituting coconut oil for shortening, almond butter for some of the peanut butter and honey for some of the sugar. I also used brown rice flour and sprinkled in some flax for good measure.

The batter was very sticky, but that seemed OK to me.

This is the fun part. Add whatever toppings you like and/or have on hand. And if you don't feel like it, you definitely don't HAVE to do a topping. I sprinkled chocolate chips on the still warm bars and spread it for a glaze, then added chopped pecans and coarsely crushed peanut butter-covered pretzels (because I had these on hand, and why not!).

The Recipe

makes about 12 bars

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup brown rice flour (or whatever kind you have)
flax (optional)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

Cream sugars, peanut butter, almond butter, honey and oil until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread into a greased and floured 9x9-inch pan and bake at 350F degrees for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Do not overbake.

For toppings, spread chocolate chips over still warm brownies for a glaze. Add whatever else you might want -- chopped nuts, crushed candy bars, pretzels, marshmallows, dried fruit.

Banana Yellow Squash Muffins

Yellow squash may seem like a bit of an odd ingredient, but think of it like zucchini. It makes a deliciously moist quick bread or muffin and you can throw just about anything in with it: raisins, chopped nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, chopped apples, lemon zest, shredded carrots. Get creative.

Just remember, when mixing, don't overdo it! Especially when making muffins. While you may be giving your arm a good workout, your muffins will turn out dense and tough. Use a light touch when blending the wet and dry ingredients (but feel free to whip the sugar and egg mixture thoroughly).

The Recipe

makes 2 loaves or about 24 muffins (12 jumbo)

2 ripe bananas
2 yellow summer squash - grated/shredded
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oats
1/3 cup wheat germ and/or flax (or more wheat flour)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup agave (or honey)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup chopped pecans

In a large bowl, mash bananas and mix with shredded squash. Add eggs, beat lightly. Add oil, sugar, agave/honey, milk and vanilla. Mix ingredients well.

In a separate bowl, combine flours, oats and wheat germ/flax. Add spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add this mixture to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Gently stir in chopped nuts.

Spoon into greased and floured muffin tins or loaf pans. Bake at 350F degrees (about 1 hour for bread, 15-20 minutes for muffins). Check periodically to make sure the top isn't getting too brown. Cover loosely with aluminum foil, if necessary.

Oatmeal Bread

Nothing beats the smell (and taste!) of freshly baked bread. For those afraid of yeast bread recipes, this one is fairly forgiving. Start by mid-afternoon and you'll have it for dinner, and plenty for leftovers, too.

Make sure to let the oat mixture cool before adding the yeast mixture. Super hot temperatures may kill the yeast. You can put the oats in the fridge for a bit to help the process along. I added some flax and wheat germ to the oat mixture for a nutrition/fiber boost.

Let the dough rise until it's puffy, but watch it closely if it's especially warm in your kitchen. If it rises for too long, it can start to deflate. After baking, don't forget to rub the top with a little butter -- it gives it a nice sheen. Enjoy fresh, and for the next few days as toast!

The Recipe

makes 2 loaves

1 cup quick oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups boiling water
1 package of yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
1/2 cup warm water
5 cups white flour (any combination of flours/flax/wheat germ you dare)

Combine first five ingredients and pour 2 cups boiling water on mixture. Let cool! Dissolve yeast in a small bowl with the 1/2 cup of warm water. 

Combine the cooled oat mixture, dissolved yeast mixture and white flour. Knead for five to 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and let rise until doubled (about one hour).

Shape into two loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Let rise (about one hour). 

Bake at 350F degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and rub butter on top of each loaf. Cool on a wire rack so they don't steam in the pans.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch

Rhubarb! It's in season, so time to make some baked goods. For this crunch, I tweaked a recipe from my husband's grandma. I love messing with old recipes! Basically, I cut back on the sugar and added some local strawberries -- because those are in season, too.

Fresh rhubarb! Get it at your local farmers market or neighbor/friend who has a surplus crop. You can also usually find it at the grocery store.

The crust. I added about 1/4 cup oatmeal. It tasted sort of like an oatmeal cookie -- delicious.

I used sugar in the raw, and also a little brown sugar, because that's what I had. Being out of white sugar isn't such a bad thing! The strawberries added to the sweetness, I think.

The Recipe

makes about 9 smallish-medium-sized bars

1/2 cup butter - softened

1 cup + 3 tablespoons flour, divided (I added about 1/4 cup oatmeal to the crust)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sugar (I used about 3/4 cup, but probably could have gone with 2/3 cup)

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb

vanilla ice cream

optional: strawberries (I added about 1/2 cup chopped)

Heat oven to 350F degrees. Combine butter, 1 cup flour and powdered sugar. Mix until ingredients are fully combined and pat into lightly greased 8x8-inch pan. Bake for 15 minutes and remove pan from oven.

Beat eggs with sugar, remaining flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in rhubarb and pour over baked crust. Bake for another 35 to 40 minutes. Cut into 9 squares and serve hot with vanilla ice cream.

Bosnian Pita (Burek)

This is not something I would have attempted on my own. But my sister had recently watched her husband's grandmother (grandmother-in-law?) slave over some burek and thought she could replicate it. The recipe is legit as the grandmother is legit -- she only speaks Bosnian and my sister's husband had to translate during the baking spree.

Rolling out the pita dough is the toughest part. Apparently the grandmother used to roll it out on a large cloth sheet, but we just stuck with a floured counter top. We couldn't get it quite as thin as she did, but it should be as thin as possible without tearing. It's OK if you can see through it!

OK, this part is pretty hard, too. The trick is getting the right amount of filling on the dough, and therefore avoiding blowouts. We definitely had a few. It's OK -- they still taste great. 

This is my favorite part. Spiraling the rope! Do it carefully so the filling doesn't ooze out. Then gently put your snail of Bosnian goodness in a lightly greased pan. Brush with melted butter for extra deliciousness.

The recipe

makes about 5 to 6 medium-sized rolls

Pita:

2 cups flour

4 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

Filling:

8 ounces farmer's cheese

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sour cream

additional oil

melted butter

additional sour cream

Form dough out of first four ingredients. Knead until smooth. Coat in additional oil and let sit for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, mix cheese filling  ingredients.

Roll out pita dough on a floured surface (in a rectangle shape) until it is paper thin and almost see-through. Trim edges and discard. Cut dough into 4-inch strips lengthwise. Put filling along middle. Roll up lengthwise, being careful not to let the filling ooze out. Roll rope into a spiral shape and place in a lightly greased pan. Brush top with melted butter.

Bake for about 45 minutes at 350F to 400F degrees. They are done when golden brown on top. Serve with additional sour cream and salt.