Cranberry Nut Bread

I was able to save the cranberries we received for our Thanksgiving box until now! I love cranberry nut bread and made some this morning. I juiced 2 oranges to make the 3/4 C of juice.
Recipes abound on the internet for this. I used a recipe I found on allrecipes as my base. Below is the recipe amended a bit.

2 cups spelt flour (half wholemeal, half white) 1 cup sugar (organic) 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 6 T butter

1 egg 3/4 cup orange juice 1 t grated orange peel 2  cups fresh cranberries- coarsely chopped 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse to combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Pulse in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Put into another bowl. Beat egg, orange juice and peel; stir into dry ingredients just until blended. Pulse the cranberries ever so slightly. Add them and the chopped walnuts to the bowl and mix gently.

Spoon batter into a greased and floured 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

 **Delicious! Crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside. Great balance between the tartness of the cranberries, the crunch of the walnuts, and the orange juice and zest.

Buttermilk Pecan Pie

I remember eating a buttermilk pecan pie and loving it. I found this recipe before Thanksgiving and thought we'd give it a try. Next time, I'll use a mixture with brown sugar. I baked it on top of a gluten free pie crust. I have amended the recipe below as I made it (more pecans and tapioca for flour)

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tapioca
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 9" unbaked pie  shell 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugar, adding 1/2 cup sugar at a time.
3. Blend in vanilla. Stir in eggs one at a time. Combine flour and salt; add a small amount at a time.
4. Stir in buttermilk.
5. Sprinkle pecans in bottom of pie crust, pour custard over the pecans, and bake 1 hour and 30 minutes.
6. Best served at room temperature.

**Careful not to overbake this pie- it will get too dry. Yummy!

Plum Tart

My friend Cindy gave me plums from her tree last week. I have canned them into a spicy sauce and decided to make the rest into a plum tart. Since these plums are sweet, I needed to find a recipe calling for more sweet than tart plums. I found it on Orangette. Please note that this recipe makes two smaller tarts unless you have a 12 inch tart pan. I followed this recipe exactly with the exception of using spelt flour.

Tarte aux Quetsches, or Prune Plum TartAdapted from Saveur

This recipe makes one 12-inch tart, or—as I found—one 9-inch and one 7-inch tart. The directions below are for the latter. 

1 recipe Martha Stewart’s pâte brisée
2 pounds prune plums, halved lengthwise and pitted
2 eggs
¼ cup sugar (I used unrefined cane sugar)
3 Tbs all-purpose flour
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup 2% or whole milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, positioning a rack in the top one-third of the oven.

Remove chilled pastry dough from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for five to ten minutes. Roll into two rounds and ease into removable-bottom tart pans. Gently press dough into the corners of pan and trim off excess, or fold it over to reinforce the side rim. Prick the bottom of the pastry all over with a fork, and set aside.

Arrange plums, cut side down, in a single layer inside pastry shells. Whisk together eggs, sugar, flour, heavy cream, and milk in a medium bowl until smooth, and then pour custard over plums.

Carefully transfer tart to the oven and bake until plums are soft and top of custard is golden, about 45 minutes to one hour. Transfer tart to a rack to let cool completely before serving.

**Beautiful, don't you think? I cut into the second one. Not too sweet, buttery flakey crust with an eggy custard. Umm.

Nutella Thumbprint Cookies

My daughter received Green and Black's Chocolate cookbook, Unwrapped for her birthday. Lucky us! Although this recipe is not on-line, there are many others that are and you could also buy the cookbook!

3/4 C butter, softened
3/4 C sugar
1 large egg
1 C self-rising flour (we use spelt and baking powder)
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour (we use spelt)
1 C nutella

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well. Stir in the 2 flours and mix to a dough. Let it rest for 1 hour. (She put it in the fridge for 30 minutes)

Preheat the oven to 350.

Measure a scant tablespoon of dough. Roll the dough between your palms to form 1 inch balls. Place on the cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Press your thumb into the middle of the dough to make a hole. Continue with the remaining dough. Place the cookies at least 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Using a teaspoon, fill each hole with the nutella.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are just golden. Cool on a wire rack.

**Although nice, I thought they needed a little salt. They end up being soft cookies and don't taste too sweet.

Walnut Cookies- Gluten-free, Dairy-Free

Not sure where this recipe came from. But it is gluten-free, dairy-free and looked like it would taste good. We'll see!

1/2 C canola or sunflower oil
1 C brown sugar
2 C rolled oats
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 t vanilla
1/4 t sea salt
3/4 C walnuts, chopped
1 C desiccated coconut

Mix together oil, brown sugar and rolled oats. Place in refrigerator for an hour or so. Add the eggs, vanilla, salt, walnuts and coconut to this mixture. Mix well together.

Onto an oiled cookie tray,place teaspoons of the mixture and flatten with a spoon. Bake at 325 for about 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

 **Made lots of cookies. It helps to refrigerate them before you put them on the cookie sheet. If you aren't careful, they'll fall apart. If you take them off the sheet too early, they'll crumble; too late, they'll stick. Good flavor- like a sweeter oatmeal cookie.

Brownies- Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Sugar-free

We have a friend visiting that is dairy free and chocolate free. So I decided to try these brownies before she arrived. I turned to Elishia's Kitchen again for this recipe!

Ingredients:

dry:
1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all purpose flour mix*
1 Cup carob powder
1 Tablespoons baking powder
1 Tablespoons ground flax seeds (or sold as flax seed meal)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum*
1/2 teaspoon salt

liquid:
3/4 Cup almond milk
6 Pitted dates, medjool preferred
2/3 Cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 Cup apple sauce
9 Drops stevia*
1/4 Cup maple syrup (agave would work too)
2 Tablespoon vanilla flavor, or use vanilla extract - just 1 Tbsp*

2 Eggs
1 Cup pecans, chopped

silky carob topping (optional) recipe below

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 
2. Lightly grease a muffin tin for a cupcake version or a 7x13” pan. You may choose a smaller pan if you want them thicker, just increase cooking time. 
3. In a large mixing bowl combine all of the dry ingredients together and mix well. Carob tends to clump up a bit - I like there to be some little bits (pea sized or smaller) of it in the finished product - so break up any large pieces with a whisk, otherwise just leave it alone. Set aside. 
4. Place the dates and almond milk in a blender and blend until the dates are pulverized. Add the rest of the liquid ingredients, except the eggs, and blend until combined. 
5. In a separate bowl whip the eggs together until there are air bubbles on top, and set aside. 
6. Add the blender contents and the eggs to the dry ingredients and mix well using a whisk until thoroughly combined. Gently stir in the pecans. 
7. Scrape all of the dough from the bowl into your baking pan and place in the oven. 
8. The muffin shape will take about 25 minutes to cook, and 35 minutes for the regular brownie pan. Rotate them in the oven half way through, and begin checking them 5 minutes before the stated done time. Poke with a toothpick, and remove them from the oven when the toothpick is still a bit damp on the end, but not raw. If you cook it longer, its fine, it will just be more like a cake and less like a brownie. If you like it more raw, its up to you! 
9. Allow them to cool somewhat before eating.  
10. Store in a tightly sealed container for up to three days or wrap tightly and freeze for up to one month. 

Silky Carob topping: 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp carob powder, 1/4 cup coconut oil, 1/4 cup agave, 1 Tablespoon vanilla flavor. Simmer, stirring til it bubbles. Remove from heat and let sit a few minutes. Spread on warm brownies with a spatula or pastry brush. This sauce would also be great on some almond or coconut ice cream (recipe coming soon!). enjoy!

optional:

1. Substitute 2 Tbsp of the flour with mesquite flour for a more chocolatey taste. 
2. If a bit of dairy isn’t an issue for you then you may add 1/2 cup of unsweetened carob chips along with the wet ingredients. 

Ingredient notes:

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten free all purpose flour mix: This mix is genius and if you are planning to do any gluten free baking or cooking I recommend that you pick up a bag.

Xanthan gum: This is the glue of gluten free baking. Without it your recipe will fall apart. It is a thickener and emulsifier. You may notice that a bag of it costs about $8 but each recipe only calls for a teaspoon or less and it has an infinite shelf life, so i’d get some and keep it around.

Stevia: Most people agree that the flavor of stevia is kind of gross. The only one I’ve found that’s not is the Vanilla Creme from Sweet Leaf. This is my go-to sweetener now and the way I use it is by combining it with other sweeteners to dramatically boost the level of sweetness without any taste. My husband in particular HATES the flavor of stevia! So I developed this combining method and even he cannot detect the stevia.  (don't tell him!)

Vanilla Flavor: I use the Vanilla Flavor from Frontier and it is a superior alcohol free product. It also has a great flavor that I love.

 **Jill's notes- We made them in a pan instead of a muffin tin. They were a bit crumbly. We didn't make the frosting. I thought they did a nice job for satisfying a chocolate craving without the chocolate. I gave one to a fitness trainer- she loved them.
Picture is from Elishia's Kitchen.

Cinnamon Walnut Cookies

This recipe came from Delicious Living. They are vegan and gluten free.

1 cup walnut halves and pieces
5 dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350˚. Place walnuts and dates in a small food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Pulse in oil, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Continue to pulse until mixture begins to form a ball.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop dough, 1 tablespoon at a time, onto prepared baking sheet, forming into balls with your hands; flatten slightly. Bake for 6–8 minutes, until firm. Cool on baking sheet.

PER SERVING (1): 95 cal, 8g fat (1g mono, 6g poly, 1g sat), 0mg chol, 2g protein, 5g carb, 1g fiber, 29mg sodium

**Watch the baking time. These are crumbly. Nice amount of sweetness. Fast and easy. Made 9 small cookies.

Gluten Free Jam Dot Cookies

After having such good luck with the Carrot Ginger Soup from Elishia's Kitchen, I want to try these cookies. Here is what she say's on her blog about them:

These are delicious cookies and especially fun to make with kids, as they are foolproof, low in sweetener and full of healthy fats and whole grains. I’ve had friends feed them to their kids for breakfast, saying that they are healthier than any cereal out there – they reported no sugar spike. Isn’t that the best, when we feel like we’re feeding our kids really healthy food and they feel like they’re getting a treat!

It’s a forgiving recipe, you can change the nut or flours depending what you prefer or have on hand.

Recipe:

1 cup gluten free oats
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup quinoa flour
pinch of salt
dash of cinnamon
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup coconut or canola oil
2-3 Tbsp jam – your favorite kind.

Preheat oven to 350

1. In a food processor grind oats until they are like coarse flour.
2. Add almonds and run processor until they are a fine meal.
3. Add flours, salt, cinnamon and process until combined.
4. Measure maple syrup and oil in one measuring cup at the same time. Add the maple syrup first and then add the coconut oil to it by the spoonful.  This way you can measure the coconut oil in the maple syrup – together they’ll equal 1 cup if the coconut oil is submerged. You’ll want to keep the coconut oil somewhat solid to get a crispy cookie.
5. Add the maple syrup and oil to the food processor and process the whole mixture until it is well combined. It will be in one big clump by the end. Use a spoon to help it along if necessary.
6. Form dough into little 1” or so balls (like golf balls). Try to get them all pretty much the same size so they bake evenly.
7. Place them on a dry cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and make a small depression in the center of each ball with your finger (or thumb). Fill the hole with a little jam.
8. Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes. Til the bottom is just golden brown. They will still be soft.  Remove them to a cooling rack. They’ll crisp up as they cool down.
9. Once completely cool store in an airtight container. They keep for 4-5 days in a sealed container. Though I’ve never had them last that long.

Going into the oven

**We used spelt flour in place of the buckwheat and quinoa flours. We coconut oil. Delicious. Easy to make.

Jewish Apple Cake

I'm not sure where I copied this recipe from. I wrote "yummy" beside it the last time I made it. Part of the description reads, "Dense and moist, crammed with sweet cinnamony fruit, this popular cake is thought to come from the rich tradition of baked goods of German or Alsatian Jews."

Serves 10-12

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into small slices
3 Bartlett pears, ripe but firm, peeled, cored, and cut into small slices
1 T cinnamon
2 1/4 C sugar
3 C flour
1 t salt
1 T baking powder
1 C vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 t vanilla
1 t almond extract
1/4 C apple cider or apple juice

Preheat oven to 375. Butter a deep 10" bundt pan or angel food cake pan.

In a large bowl, combine the apples, pears, and cinnamon and 1/4 C of the sugar. Mix well and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, the remaining 2 C sugar, the salt and the baking pwder. Mix thoroughly, then make a well in the middle of the mixture.
Pour the oil, eggs, vanilla, almond extract, and cider into the well, then mix the batter until it is well blended and smooth. The batter will be very stiff.
Spoon one third of the batter into the pan. Spoon half the fruit mixture over the batter; take care that the fruit does not touch the sides or inner ring of the pan. Spoon another third of the batter over the fruit. Spoon the remaining fruit over the batter them spread the remaining batter over the fruit.
Bake for 65-75 minutes, until the cake is firm and nicely browned. Allow the cake to cool in the pan, then unmold onto a serving plate.

**Delicious. I used 2/3 C less of the sugar because the apples we are getting from LPO are sweet. I used water instead of apple cider. I used organic safflower oil. I cut the slices of fruit in half. I didn't add the almond extract (although next time I will).

Date and Apple Cake with Coconut topping

I found this recipe in New Zealand. I haven't the slightest idea where it came from. It was transcribed on the back of a scrap sheet from the local library.

1 C dates, chopped
1/2 C boiling water
1/2 C oil
2 t vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 C flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 C sugar
2 apples, peeled and grated

Preheat the oven to 350.

Put dates into boiling water and soak till cool.
Mix oil, vanilla and eggs together. Add and mix in the flour baking powder and soda. The add the sugar. Next comes the apples with the dates.
Bake for 40 minutes.

Coconut Topping
1 C coconut
1/4 C sugar
1 egg

Mix and dot on top of cake. Cook an additional 10 minutes.

**I didn't make the topping. I cut the sugar to 3/4 Cup. I might substitute apple sauce for the oil next time. It was very easy to prepare. I was ready before the oven was preheated. It is a nice moist cake. Should be great for lunches this week.

Bosc Pear- Gingerbread Cake

I can't remember where I got this recipe. I cut it out of an Albuquerque magazine over the holidays. I chose it because I wanted to use up my leftover bosc pears from the other week.

1/2 C, plus 1/4 C butter
1 C packed brown sugar
3 Bosc pears, peeled, cored, thinly sliced*
1 egg
1/4 C molasses*
1 1/2 C flour*
2 t ginger
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t clove
1/3 C hot water

* I used 4 pears, unsulphered molasses, and spelt flour.

Preheat oven to 350.
In a saucepan, combine 1/4 C butter and 1/2 C brown sugar and slowly heat until sugar melts. Add pears and simmer until soft, then transfer to a nine-inch cake pan, covering the bottom of the pan.
Combine and sift all dry ingredients.
With an electric mixer on high speed, beat 1/2 C butter and 1/2 C brown sugar together until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and molasses and beat for another minute.
Slowly add sifted ingredients and water, alternating three times until batter just comes together. Ladle batter over pars and bake about 35 minutes.
Let cool for 5 minutes and turn over onto serving plate.
Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

**Very nice and easy to make. The sharpness of the ginger is a nice contrast to the brown sugar sauce that caramelizes.  (the sauce is a bit runny on top once you turn the cake over) We ate it without the cream.

Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding

This comes from the Edmonds Cookery Book. I found the recipe on an online forum here although it is full of typos which drives me crazy. When I made this last, I wrote that it was "very rich and yum" and easy to make.

Serves 6

100 g butter, softened (3.5 oz)
3/4 C sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1 1/4 C flour
2 t baking powder
1 T cocoa
2 C boiling water

Sauce:
1/2 C brown sugar
1 T cornflour
1/4 C cocoa

Beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla together. Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa together. Fold into beaten mixture. Spoon mixture into a greased 6-8 cup capacity ovenproof dish. Sprinkle sauce mixture over. Carefully pour boiling water over the back of a spoon onto the pudding. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until pudding springs back when slightly touched.

Sauce- combine all ingredients.

 **I made some whipped cream to serve with it. My, it was good! Very easy to make and delicious.

Quick and Easy Apple Cake

This comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Vegetarian Adventure Cook Book, by Rowan Bishop and Sue Carruthers. You can order it online from a number of sellers in New Zealand. 

2 cooking apples
1 C brown sugar
125 g butter (4 1/2 oz) (a bit more than 1/2 C)
1 egg
1/2 C raisins*
1 1/4 C whole wheat flour
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t allspice
1/2 t nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350.
Peel, core and cop the apples thinly. Place in a bowl and cover with the sugar. Melt the butter, then blend the egg in with a fork. Add to the apples and sugar. Stir in the raisins and the sifted dry ingredients, until just mixed. Line the bottom of a round pan with butter. Pour in the cake mixture and spread evenly.

Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
(The recipe says that ff you use white flour, the cake will take between 50 and 60 minutes to cook- however, I haven't found that to be true.)
* I added craisins just to see...

** I didn't take a picture of the cake. It has been in lunches all week. Delicious. The craisins were a nice addition. I'm going to try walnuts next time.

Apple Loaf with Pecans and Apricots

Made this loaf today in anticipation of lunches this week. The recipe is from a book called Back to Home Baking.

Quick Apricot, Apple and Pecan Loaf Cake
6 oz (175 g) no-soak apricots, chopped in half (cut into smaller pieces)- (ended up as 1 heaping cup)
6 oz (175 g) cooking apple, 1 medium, cut into 1/2 " chucks with skins on (smaller is better)
6 oz (175g) pecan nuts- (ended up as 1 1/2 cups chopped)
a pinch of salt
1 1/2 t baking powder
2 t cinnamon- rounded
4 oz (110 g) whole wheat flour* (ended up as a scant less than 1 cup)
4 oz (110 g) plain flour* (ended up as a scant less than 1 cup)
4 oz (110) butter, room temperature
6 oz (175 g) soft brown sugar (ended up as 1 cup semi-packed)
2 eggs, beaten
3 T milk

Topping- cinnamon sugar mixture

Preheat oven to 350.
Spread pecans on a baking sheet and toast them lightly for about 8 minutes. Chop them roughly when cool.
Sift the salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and both flours. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the fruit and nuts. Mix in a mixer starting on a slow speed and increasing speed till everything is mixed thoroughly. Then lightly fold in the apricots, apples, and nuts.
When it is all folded in, add a drop more milk if necessary so mixture drops easily off the spoon. Put into a loaf pan and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.  Bake for 1 1/4- 1 1/2 hours or until cake feels springy in the center.
When cooked, let it cool for 5 minutes before turning it onto a wire rack. Let it get cold before you slice it- otherwise it will crumble.

 *I used spelt flour.

** Family said it tasted nice- but the apricots needed to be lots smaller. The pecans added a nice texture. I got the pecans from a family friend in Anthony, NM.