Blueberry Goodness

Drew, picking blueberries with his cousins Ryley and Zarah (can you spot Caleb?)

From the bushes to a homemade pie crust!

This is how you want blueberry pie: hot and bubbling over!

When life gives you strawberries....

... make shortcake!

It's what's for dinner:

 

I used this strawberry shortcake recipe found over at Tasty Kitchen. Quite decadent. I didn't have any buttermilk, so I used a little apple cider vinegar and heavy cream instead. It was the bomb. They are airy and flaky and practically melt in your mouth. 

Here's another recipe for shortcakes I look forward to trying: Smitten Kitchen's Shortcakes. They appear to have a little more substance. You actually mix two hard boiled egg yolks into the dough. How weird is that? I must try it.

Apple Fritters

I loved making apple fritters as a teenager. My family ate many slightly oily, half burnt, still-gooey-inside fritters until I got the hang of it.
This recipe was really tasty. Honestly, they were delicious hot AND cold! What could be better than a perfectly spiced fritter with cake doughnut consistency and the added bonus of sweet apple chunks?!? Oh yum!

Chunky Pecan Pie Bars

Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Filling:
3 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan.

For Crust
BEAT flour, butter and brown sugar in a small mixer bowl until crumbly. Press into prepared baking pan.

BAKE for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

For Filling
BEAT eggs, sugar, corn syrup, butter and vanilla in a medium bowl with wire whisk. Stir in chunks and nuts. Pour evenly over baked crust.

BAKE for 25-30 minutes or until set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.


A new favorite!

Cookies

During the last couple weeks, I've been in a cookie baking mode. For starters, there was chocolate chip cookies, the dough of which is nearly unrivaled when eaten raw:

Oh, and I bake nearly all my cookies on stoneware. They make the perfect cookie! I'm sure there are other pans that do a good job, too, but I've been so content with my stoneware that I haven't tried anything else.

These are a new recipe- cappuccino crinkles (recipe to follow). Lovely!

And then another old favorite, snickerdoodles. Talk about cinnamon buttery bliss!

~Cappuccino Crinkles~

1/3 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1 T. instant coffee crystals

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon (I used about 1/2 tsp)

2 egg whites

1/3 cup vanilla yogurt

1 1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1. In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar, cocoa, coffee crystals, baking soda, and cinnamon. Beat until combined, scraping bowl if needed.

2. Beat in egg whites and yogurt till combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Use a wooden spoon to stir in remaining flour if needed.

3. Place sugar in a small bowl. Drop dough by heaping teaspoons into the sugar and roll into balls. Roll in sugar again. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.