Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies
I really enjoy cookies made with molasses and spices. They have a unique flavor and texture that I like. A friend recently posted pictures of these molasses cookies. I wanted to try them, so I asked him for the recipe. Keith was kind enough to send me the recipe. Thanks Keith!!!
I made a batch yesterday. I can see why Keith says these are a family favorite. They are crispy on the edges, with just a touch of chewiness in the middle. The spices are a perfect balance. They remind me of the gingersnaps I make at the holidays, but with a more tender texture. I LOVE these cookies. I shared them with some friends yesterday and everyone agreed with just how good they are.
I am not sure where the recipe came from originally. Keith said the recipe came from a jar of molasses a long time ago. He has memories of making these with his grandmother.
One difference I found was that I got a lot more cookies from the recipe than I thought I would. The recipe said 5-6 dozen, based on cookies made from 1-inch balls of dough. I suspect Keith’s balls were bigger than mine. I ended up with more like 8 dozen!
With dark cookie dough, people are often worried about how to tell when their cookies are done baking. These are also a soft cookie out of the oven, so you might be worried they aren’t baked long enough. They firm up as they cool. I did 8 minutes on all but one of the batches, and they were perfect. I did a 10 minute batch, just to compare. They were also fine, if a bit darker on the bottom and crisper. If you are concerned, take one cookie off the baking sheet and flip it over. It should be a little darker than the top of the cookie. Don’t worry if they are soft when you try to take them off the baking sheet. They firm up nicely after cooling down. If it is too hard to move them right away, you can leave them on the baking sheet for a minute, before removing them.
So here is the recipe. Enjoy!!
Keith’s Molasses Cookies
1½ c. butter (3 sticks)
2 c. sugar
½ c. dark molasses
2 eggs
4 t. baking soda
4 c. sifted flour
1 t. ground cloves
1 t. powdered ginger – I used fresh grated ginger instead, adding 2 teaspoons to the dough
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. salt
Extra sugar for rolling
Melt butter. Set aside to cool. Beat sugar, eggs and molasses together until well mixed. Add cooled butter. Mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and stir into butter mixture. Dough will be on the soft side. Refrigerate dough for at least a few hours, or overnight. Preheat oven to 375. Grease baking sheets and set aside, or use silicone liners. Roll dough into approximately 1″ balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Re-grease sheets after each use.
Cool on flat surface covered with wax paper. I actually used a cooling rack. Cookies are very soft, but firm up a lot as they cool. Transfer carefully or allow to cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing. Makes approximately 5 to 6 dozen cookies.
Note: I got more like 8 or 9 dozen, but I think my balls were smaller.
If you like a softer cookie, remove at the 8 minute mark. 10 minutes will give you a crisper cookie.
Pork Enchiladas
I love a good enchilada, all warm and cheesy. I really should make them more often. A few weeks ago, I shared my brunch enchilada recipe. Today, I went more traditional.
These pork enchiladas were the perfect dinner last night. I had loaded them up with pork, black beans, corn and cheese, then topped them with enchilada sauce. They were so tasty. I made my own enchilada sauce. It was easy to make and well worth the effort.
Pork enchiladas are often made with a green enchilada sauce. I went with red, since I like red. I had a bottle of green enchilada sauce in my pantry, but opted to go with a homemade sauce. I love how simple the sauce is to make- and how good it tastes. Plus, when you make your own sauce, you can tweak it to suit your taste.
Same thing with the filling. I used what I had and what I like together. The pork, corn and beans are pretty traditional. I had planned on added canned green chilies, until I realized I was out. I did add some fine chopped onion and some sweet red pepper, just for flavor and texture.
That’s the nice thing about enchiladas. You can play around with fillings, based on your likes and what ingredients you have. You could just as easily make this recipe with chicken, beef or even turkey.
Just be sure to fill them up!! I used just about a cup of filling in each tortilla, when you factor in the pork mixture and the cheese. I had planned on using eight tortillas, but needed a ninth one to use up the last of the filling. Rolled them tight and crammed them in the pan. It worked out just fine.
After baking, when I went to cut them, I thought the bottom was a little tough. It tasted fine, though, just hard to cut into squares without using a knife. I thought, in hindsight, I should have put a little sauce on the bottom of the pan, before adding the rolled tortillas. I had plenty of sauce. So that is what I would suggest for you to do. Just 1/4 cup or so, to add a little moisture to the bottom of the dish. Other than that, I wouldn’t change much on this one.
So here is the recipe for my pork enchiladas. I also include the recipe for enchilada sauce. Hope you give them a try.
Pork Enchiladas
2-3 c. cubed or shredded cooked pork
1½ c. corn, cooked and drained well, I used frozen corn
1 can (15.5 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained well
½ c. minced onion
1 c. diced sweet pepper
1 recipe enchilada sauce- recipe follows- or 2 c. bottled enchilada sauce
3 c. shredded cheese- I used a cheddar/Monterey Jack blend
8-9 (8-inch) flour tortillas
Non-stick spray or enough oil to grease the pan
Chopped parsley or cilantro, optional
Lightly grease or spray with cooking spray a 9×13-inch baking pan. You can put ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan, if you like. Set aside. In mixing bowl, combine the meat with the veggies and ½ cup of the enchilada sauce. Stir to blend. Add salt, if needed. Place about ¾ of a cup of the mixture down the center of a tortilla. Add about 3 tablespoons of the cheese. Roll up tightly and place seam side down in the pan. Repeat with remaining ingredients until all the filling is used up. I was planning on using 8 tortillas, but had enough filling for an extra one. As the pan gets full, you have to kind of push them together to get them all in. You will have leftover cheese. Pour the remaining sauce down the center of the tortillas and cover with foil. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven, sprinkle the remaining cheese down the middle and return to the oven to melt the cheese. You can turn off the oven at this point. Just let the enchiladas sit in the oven for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit at least 10 minutes before serving. You can add a sprinkle of chopped parsley or cilantro just before serving. Serves 6-8.
Enchilada Sauce
3 T. oil
3 T. flour
1 T. chili powder, or a bit more to taste
1 t. paprika
1 t. cumin
1 t. garlic powder
½ t. oregano
½ t. salt, or more to taste
2 T. tomato paste
1 t. apple cider vinegar
Fresh crushed black pepper
2 c. stock- chicken, veggies, I used pork
Combine oil and flour in a small saucepan. Cook over medium low heat until mixture warms and thickens. Add spices, tomato paste and vinegar. Heat a few minutes, stirring constantly. This will add a toasted flavor to the spices. You should smell them more as they warm up. Slowly add the stock, whisking until smooth. Keep cooking, turning heat up to medium. Once mixture thickens and gets bubbly, turn down to low and simmer a few more minutes. Makes 2 cups.
Classic Key Lime Pie
I picked up a bag of key limes, knowing I’d be making a pie with at least some of them. I figure any way I can get more Vitamin C is a good thing, right?
I had decided to go with a classic version: graham crust, creamy filling and a little meringue to top it off. The pie itself is simple and fast to make, although it does need time to chill. I think it took more time to juice all those tiny limes, than it did to make the actual pie.
One of the traditional ingredients in key lime pie is sweetened condensed milk. You can, if needed, make your own sweetened condensed milk, instead of using store bought. I’ve included the recipe at the bottom of this post.
Key Lime Pie
Crust:
1 ¼ c. graham cracker crumbs
⅓ c. melted butter
¼ c. brown sugar
Filling:
2 cans sweetened condensed milk*
1 c. key lime juice
Topping:
2 eggs whites
½ t. cream of tartar
2 T. sugar
In medium bowl, combine crust ingredients and toss until mixed well. Press crust into the bottom and sides of a pie pan. I use a 9-inch deep dish pan. Bake crust in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. Cool. Reduce oven to 325 degrees. Combine filling ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir until well mixed. It will look sort of soupy, but as you stir, the filling becomes pretty thick- like pudding. Pour into crust. Prepare topping. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Slowly add the sugar, while still beating the eggs whites, until stiff peaks form. Spread or pipe the egg whites over the filling. Bake pie 25-28 minutes- or until meringue topping is golden brown. Chill at least 6 hours before serving. Serves 6-8.
* You can make your own sweetened condensed milk, if you prefer. Here is the recipe.
Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 c. dry non-fat milk
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. boiling water
3 T. butter, melted and hot
Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Can be stored in the fridge and used within 3 days. This is the same as 1 (14 oz.) can.
Pork Ragout
I wanted something for dinner last night using ingredients I had on hand. I decided to make a ragout. Ragouts are almost like a stew, but with less gravy. A traditional ragout is an assortment of meat with veggies cooked together in some liquid. They can be simmered for hours, or cooked fairly quickly, depending on your preference and the protein you pick. Not the same as a Ragu, which is an Italian tomato-based sauce.
If you use a cut of beef or pork that needs longer cooking to become tender, then allow more time to cook. I marinated the pork in sherry for a few hours, which made it more tender- and added flavor to the final dish. You can also make a ragout using chicken, on or off the bone, lamb, veal or even turkey. Ragouts are fun because they are so versatile.
I used water for my liquid. You can use stock, if you prefer. I just didn’t this time- and the ragout had plenty of flavor from both the pork and the veggies. Plus, I cooked mine until much of the liquid had cooked off. I wanted some sauce, but not a stew or soup.
Ragouts can be pretty spicy. I used sriracha. Mine had a little kick. Go with a spice level that works for you. You can always serve extra hot sauce on the side, for those who like their food a little spicier.
So here is the recipe I made last night.
Pork Ragout
1-1½ pounds pork, cubed- I used pork shoulder
½ c. dry sherry
½ t. salt
2 T. oil
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
3-4 medium potatoes, cubed- peeling is optional
1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
3-4 cloves minced garlic
¼ c. flour- I used rice flour, but wheat flour would also work
1-2 c. water- you could use chicken or veggie stock, if you have it
2 c. peas
2 c. corn
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste
Parsley
Earlier in day, or even the night before, place pork in a bowl and add the sherry and salt. Cover and allow to marinade in fridge until ready to use. In large skillet or soup pot, heat oil and sauté onions and carrots until tender and a little golden. Stir occasionally. Add the potatoes and reduce heat to medium. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the peppers and pork (undrained) and cook another 10 minutes, stirring often. The more you are willing to stir, the higher the heat you can use. If you want to just stir now and then, cook at a lower heat, but cook longer. Add the garlic and cook a few more minutes. Sprinkle on the flour and stir until you don’t see any dry flour. Add one cup of water and the remaining ingredients, and cook, stirring until mixture starts to bubble. The liquid will thicken. I started by just adding a cup of the water, then adding more as the mixture thickened up. Add more water so the sauce is thickened to your liking. Cook, uncovered, until everything is heated through. I was using frozen peas and corn, so I cooked long enough for them to thaw and heat up. I let the ragout simmer, over low heat for about 5 more minutes. I also adjusted the seasonings before serving and added more fresh parsley. Serves 4-5.
Note: I made this using veggies I had on hand. Feel free to use what you have around or prefer. I made an effort to pick veggies with different colors and flavors, which I thought made for a better finished dish.
Braided Herb Breads
One of the benefits about baking your own bread is the aroma. The house gets filled with the most wonderful smells. In this case, the experience is even better because the breads I baked are filled with herbs and shallots, so those fragrances are also in the mix.
I like to make these loaves in braids and place them on a baking sheet- but they could just as easily be baked in bread pans for more traditional loaves. Great for sandwiches.
I like to toast some of this bread, and use as croutons or as a base for stuffing.
You can also slice the bread, brush with softened butter, then toast, for a twist on garlic bread. The garlic is already in the bread, but feel free to add more to the butter, before brushing it on the bread.
Braided Herb Bread
5 ½ -6 ½ c. flour
2 packages quick rising yeast
¼ c. sauteed shallots
2 T. each dried marjoram and parsley
1 T. each dried oregano and minced garlic
1 T. honey
2 t. dried thyme
2 t. salt
¼ c. olive oil
2 ¼ c. hot water
In a mixing bowl combine 2 c. of flour with the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth. Beat with electric mixer 4 minutes then add 1-cup additional flour and beat 1 minute longer. Stir in flour ½ cup at a time until soft dough forms. Turn onto surface and knead, adding flour gradually until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in lightly greased bowl and turn to cover. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Turn dough onto surface and cut in half. Cut each half into thirds. Roll each piece of dough into an 18-inch rope. Loosely braid three ropes together and repeat with the remaining dough. Place on greased baking sheet and cover until doubled in size, about 20 minutes.
Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or until bread sounds hollow when tapped lightly. Makes 2.
Variation: Whole wheat: Add 2 cups of whole-wheat flour to replace 2 cups of white flour. Also try adding ¼ c. of wheat germ, oat bran or 2 tablespoons of seeds (sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, poppy, etc.)
Regular yeast can be used, but rising times will be longer and water should be warm, not hot.
Curry Pea Soup
With a lot of rain lately, I was in the mood for soup today. I wasn’t in the mood for a soup that takes all day to make.
This soup is fast and easy to make- and full of flavor. Unlike a lot of pea soups- this one is made with fresh peas- not dried split peas. Technically, frozen peas. It cuts down on cooking time and gives a very different taste to the soup.
I made this soup on a chilly morning, but I could see eating it in warmer weather, too. It would be very nice with some mint or maybe a little tarragon. It makes for a lovely Spring meal.
While peas were the center of the soup, taste wise – I added extra veggies for more depth of flavor.
The curry powder added lots of flavor, too. Curry powder is a mix of different spices. Some can be quite spicy, others are milder. I make my own.
I added the peas near the end of cooking time, to preserve as much of their natural color as possible.
Once the veggies were tender, I pureed the soup. It ended up the most beautiful shade of green.
Curry Pea Soup
3 T. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
2 c. cauliflower- I had some in the freezer
6-8 c. stock- I used chicken, but vegetable stock would work, too.
1 lb. peas- I used frozen- you could use fresh shelled peas, if you have them
2 T. curry powder – or more to taste
2 T. fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste
Heat oil in soup pot. Add onion, and cook over medium heat, until tender. Add the celery and cauliflower and cook a few minutes longer. Add 6 cups of the stock and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer until veggies are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Add the peas and seasonings and continue cooking 5-10 minutes more. Puree soup, adding more stock if it is too thick. Adjust seasonings and serve. Serves 6. Freezes well.
Cinnamon Coffee Scones
Scones should be tender, a little crumbly, and still moist in the middle. These scones are delicate, full of coffee flavor, and not too sweet. You might think of only serving scones with tea, but these are wonderful with a cup of coffee.
As with any scone, the secret is not to over work the dough. You can eat these plain or with a bit of butter or jam. I’m having mine with a cup of coffee. They really make a tasty start to the day.
When someone tells me they don’t like scones, I am sure it is because they haven’t had good scones. In a cooking class, one of the students said she only had scones once, and they were heavy and dry. I encouraged her to seek out better scones. I think these would win her over.
Cinnamon Coffee Scones
2/3 c. half and half
2 T. instant coffee powder or espresso powder
1 t. vanilla
1 egg
2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. salt
1/2 c. cold butter
1 T. half and half, for brushing the scones
2 T. cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling on the scones
Coffee Cinnamon Glaze- recipe follows
In microwave safe container combine half and half with the coffee powder and heat 30 seconds or so. Stir to dissolve coffee and cool down before using. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Add vanilla and egg to cooled coffee mixture and beat until smooth. Set aside. Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Some small pieces of butter can still be visible. Stir in coffee mixture and mix gently until a soft dough forms. At this point you are supposed to press the dough into an 8-inch circle on a baking sheet. To get a really neat circle use an 8-inch cake pan. Sprinkle the pan with a little flour and put the dough in the pan. Press the dough into the pan. Turn the cake pan over onto an ungreased baking sheet. Do this part fast. Slam it down and then remove the cake pan. You will have a perfect 8-inch circle of dough. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough in half. If the dough is too sticky sprinkle the top with a little more flour. Cut in half again and then 2 more times. You will have eight wedges of dough forming 8 scones. Pull dough apart slightly using a spatula. They grow a lot when baking and this will give them more room to expand. Brush with the extra half and half and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until they spring back when touched lightly. Make glaze and drizzle over the warm scones. Makes 8.
Coffee Cinnamon Glaze
2 T. half and half
2 t. instant coffee powder or espresso powder
1 t. cinnamon
1 c. powdered sugar
Heat half and half and coffee powder together in microwave safe container for 10 seconds. Stir until smooth. Stir in cinnamon and powdered sugar until smooth and drizzle over the scones.
Polish Duck Soup/ Czarnina
This soup is part of my Polish heritage. My Busha (Polish grandmother) made it and my mother made it and I make it. It is a rich, sweet and sour duck soup which actually has prunes and pear halves in it. That isn’t even the strange part. There is a special ingredient in Czarnina that tends to freak people out. That ingredient is duck blood. Yes, duck blood.
For those of you who are still reading, let me explain. Using the blood from animals is not that uncommon. People used every part of an animal in the past. Lots of cultures make some sort of blood sausage or blood pudding (which is really a sausage) and even beverages with blood. One time, Food Network even included Czarnina in the mystery basket on Chopped. It was a Halloween themed show, but still.
Good news is, there are two versions of my Mom’s Czarnina recipe. One using duck blood and the other one, not using blood in the soup at all. Both recipes are included in this post.
This is going to be a longer post than normal. Feel free to just scroll on down to the recipes. I think the background information is kind of important, but again, not critical to making the soup.
I decided to post this recipe on my blog for the first time ever in honor of my Mom on Mother’s Day. I know it will freak some people out. I get that. As a kid, it was always strange to tell a friend what was in that soup. The looks I would get. Truth is, I loved Czarnina, even though I went through a phase when I wouldn’t eat it. I think you would love it, too. You don’t even need duck blood to make it!!
The non-blood version happened when my Mom’s source for duck blood dried up. There was some poultry place near the West Side Market, where my Dad got her duck blood. Once they closed, they didn’t know of another place to get duck blood. She was very upset. She thought my Dad should ask if any of his hunting buddies could save the blood next time they went hunting ducks. It never happened- not really a big surprise there.
Mom had been watching a cooking show where someone was making what I assume was a mole sauce. At least it was a sauce with unsweetened chocolate in it, or perhaps cocoa. Either way, that day, an idea was born out of necessity. Mom was convinced that the blood didn’t really add that much flavor to the soup, but rather it’s distinctive brownish color. She made her soup as usual, but used cocoa and balsamic vinegar to mimic what she lacked from the loss of blood. She was pretty pleased with how it turned out. We all had to taste it. She sent samples to other family members to try. She got thumbs up. I honestly don’t know if she told them about the ingredient switch. Pretty sure she did blind tastings, so she would get an unbiased report.
Eventually Mom found a couple of sources for duck blood. One was some place on Broadway Avenue. My brother always drove her there, so I don’t honestly have a clue about that one.
I took her to the other place. There is a large Polish-American community around Fleet Avenue in Cleveland. We went to a Polish market/deli place on Fleet and asked for duck blood. The guy went to the freezer and got a carton of frozen duck blood. It always comes frozen. Apparently only in one size. We also bought a Muscovy duck to use in the soup. Mom was very pleased to have a duck blood source again. If I could remember the name of the place, or let you know if they still sell duck blood, I would. Where ever you live, seek out local producers of duck. They would be your best source for duck blood, I would think.
I still make Czarnina, but I use the cocoa version, most of the time. No one seems to noticed the difference. I was making it at a cooking class in Independence one time. After class, one of the guys from the cleaning crew popped his head in the kitchen and asked if that was Czarnina he had been smelling. I was sure to give him some to taste and he loved it.
Once you get over the blood part, the soup is really tasty and pretty unique in other ways. I already mentioned pears and prunes, in a soup. It has a fair amount of sugar and vinegar, too. Sweet and sour is a pretty common flavor profile in Polish cooking.
Mom served hers with cooked, shell pasta, so that is normally what I use. Spaetzle or kluski are more traditional, I suppose. You add the pasta to each bowl as you serve it. Never dump the pasta in the pot of soup.
The recipe makes a lot of soup. It freezes well, but you can easily cut the recipe in half. Still use a whole duck. Mom always cut the duck into pieces, once it was cooked. When you served the soup, people would get pieces of duck to eat with it. I found it easier to serve if you take the duck out of the soup once it is cooked. Cool it down, then take all the meat off the bones, cut it up and return the meat to the soup.
Another change Mom made to her Czarnina, was to skin the duck before adding it to the soup. She would render all the duck skin and fat to have duck fat for cooking with and duck cracklings for snacking. She said otherwise, you just end up skimming all that fat off of the soup anyway. Mom never liked to waste food. Now you know where I got that.
Thanks for letting me share a little part of my culinary heritage with you. Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there.
Here are the recipes for Czarnina. One with the blood, one without. I left them the way Mom wrote them. Not all the ingredients are exact measurements- like celery or onions in the stock. Other things are pretty specific. Hers came out the same every time.
Enjoy!!
Irene’s Duck Soup/ Czarnina– Original Version
7 qts. Duck stock
1 duck, skinned if you prefer
Celery, onion and parsley
Cook together, covered, until duck is very tender. Remove duck, cut into serving pieces, skin if desired, and set aside.
Combine the following in a medium bowl, stirring until smooth.
1 ½ c. flour
1 c. duck blood, thawed, if frozen
1 c. water
2/3 c. each vinegar and sugar
¼ c. salt
Add mixture to stock and simmer until thickened and flavors have blended, about 30-45 minutes, stirring often. Strain and return duck pieces to soup.
Also add: ¾ lb. pitted prunes
2 large cans pears in heavy syrup , undrained
Heat through and serve with cooked shells or other pasta or kluski.
Serves 20.
Irene’s Duck Soup/ Czarnina- The new version
7 qts. Duck or chicken stock
1 duck, skinned
Celery, onion and parsley
Cook together, covered, until duck is very tender. Remove duck, cut into serving pieces, and set aside.
Combine the following in a medium bowl, whisking until smooth.
2 c. flour
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa
1 c. water
2/3 c. each balsamic vinegar and sugar
¼ c. salt
Add mixture to stock and simmer until thickened and flavors have blended, about 30-45 minutes, stirring often. Strain and return duck pieces to soup or remove duck meat from the bones. Cut up the duck meat and return meat only to the soup.
Also add: ¾ lb. Prunes
2 large cans pears, undrained
Heat through and serve with cooked shells or other pasta or kluski.
Serves 20.
Note: While this soup freezes well you can cut the recipe in half, still using a whole duck.
Apple Crumb Cupcakes
I wanted to bake something sweet for two dear friends. Since I had a couple of apples, I knew I wanted to use them. I decided to use my apple crumb cake recipe, but turn it into cupcakes instead. That way it would be simpler to give each friend a treat, without having to cut a cake in half. I also really love the recipe. That crumb topping is so good.
The cupcakes worked out very nicely and my friends were both happy to get them. The only problem was that I ended up making 12 cupcakes. I should have made a few more. They were very full and rose more than I had anticipated. Don’t get me wrong. They still tasted great, but smaller cupcakes would have looked better. I would make 15-18 cupcakes the next time.
So here is the recipe. Enjoy!!
Apple Crumb Cupcakes
For cupcake batter:
2 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
½ stick (¼ cup) butter, softened
¾ c. sugar
1 egg
½ c. milk
2 c. chopped peeled, cored apples
For topping:
½ c. sugar
¼ c. flour
1 t. cinnamon
½ stick (¼ c. butter, chilled and cut into bits)
Combine dry ingredients and set aside. In mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and milk. Add flour mixture gradually until just mixed in. Fold in apples. Grease or line muffin tins with paper liners. You should get 15-18 cupcakes, depending on how full you fill them. I made 12 in my test batch, and they were too full. Divide batter among the prepared pans, filling about 2/3 full. The batter is pretty thick. That is normal. Combine topping ingredients until they resemble coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over batter in pans. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven and bake for 20-22 minutes. Use toothpick to test. Makes 15-18.
Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup
For breakfast I can’t think of a better dish than blueberry pancakes with fresh made blueberry syrup. These would make a great breakfast for Mom on Mother’s Day.
I was talking to a friend yesterday about some of our favorite breakfast foods. Blueberry pancakes were at the top of both our lists.
This is why I freeze blueberries. So I can have these wonderful pancakes whenever the mood strikes.
The secret is to fluffy pancakes is not to over mix the batter. The ingredients are stirred until just combined. I used a homemade biscuit mix as the base. The recipe follows.
The baking mix is normally made with shortening, but I use coconut oil. You can use the mix in any recipe that calls for baking mixes, like Bisquick or Jiffy mix. When using coconut oil, you might want to store the mix in the fridge in hot weather. Normally I store it at room temperature, but pop it in the fridge during the summer. You could also make the baking mix with butter- store in the fridge.
The syrup is pretty simple. Just three ingredients; blueberries, sugar and a little water. Sometimes I add some vanilla or a little lemon zest. I served it warm over the pancakes.
Blueberry Pancakes
2 c. biscuit mix*
1 c. milk – I used half and half
2 eggs
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
Combine mix, milk and eggs until just blended. Fold in berries. Pour batter by scant 1/4 cups in lightly greased griddle or skillet over moderate heat. Turn when pancakes are dry around the edges. Cook until golden brown. Makes about 13.
* Like Bisquick or Jiffy Mix or home made- recipe follows
Biscuit Mix
8 c. flour
1 c. powdered milk
1 c. powdered buttermilk (or 1 more cup powdered milk)
1/4 c. baking powder
1 T. salt
1 1/2 c. shortening* I use coconut oil
Combine dry ingredients and cut in shortening until well mixed. Store in tightly covered container. Makes 10 cups.
* You can substitute coconut oil or butter for the shortening- but mix will have to be kept cool. Refrigerate if using butter and use withing 3 months.
Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup
Blueberry Syrup
4 c. blueberries
1 c. water
1½ c. sugar
In saucepan heat berries and water to a boil and boil 2 minutes. Crush berries with a potato masher as they cook. Add sugar and cook for 10- 15 minutes on medium heat until mixture thickens. Process syrup with an immersion blender or in a blender until smooth. Cool, then refrigerate. Keeps a couple of weeks. Makes about 3½ cups.
