The Charmed Kitchen

Blackberry Cinnamon Muffins

I found myself with a nice package of blackberries and wanted to do something fun with some of them. I never had blackberries in muffins before, although I am sure they exist. I used a recipe I had that used different fruit and used blackberries instead. I then added a cinnamon butter topping. The results were sublime.

Blackberry Cinnamon Muffins

 1 c. milk

1 egg

¼ c. oil

2 c. flour

1/3 c. sugar

1T. Baking powder

¾ t. salt

½ t. cinnamon

1 c. blackberries, I used fresh but frozen would work, too.

Topping:

1/2 c. sugar

1 t. cinnamon

4 T. butter, melted

Beat together milk, egg and oil. Combine dry ingredients and add to milk mixture, stirring to just moisten flour. Fold in blackberries. Fill 12 paper lined muffin cups to 3/4 full.  Bake in preheated 400-degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Place melted butter in another bowl. When muffins are removed from the oven carefully dip the top of a muffin in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar. If muffins are too hot to hold wait a few minutes before dipping. Repeat with remaining muffins. Serve warm. Makes 12.

Almond Meringues

As some of you may know I made angel wing cookies last week and ended up using 32 egg yolks for them. I should have used 16 egg yolks, still a hefty number, but because of a mistake I needed 32 egg yolks and I ended up with 32 egg whites leftover. I can’t stand wasting food so I started using the egg whites up in a number of ways. I had a couple of egg white omelets. I also made an angel food cake- I’ll post that recipe later. I was doing a lot of cake baking and I subbed out some of the  whole eggs with egg whites. If I needed 4 whole eggs in a recipe I’d add 3 whole eggs and a quarter cup of egg whites for the 4th egg. Worked fine. I had 1/2 cup of egg whites left so I decided to make meringues. Meringues are a sweet treat made from egg whites, sugar and flavoring. Gluten free, too, if that is important to you. I didn’t want plain meringues so I dressed them up a little with almonds. Here is what I did.

Almond Meringues

1/2 c. egg whites- about 2-3 eggs- room temp.

1 t. cream of tartar

1/2 c. sugar

1 t. almond extract

1/2 c. ground almonds

Preheat oven to 250. Beat egg whites until foamy and add the cream of tartar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Add the sugar slowly- I do it a tablespoonful at a time-with the mixer running. Beat in the flavoring then fold in the nuts. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, foil or use silicone liners. Place egg mixture in a piping bag and make little meringues  on the baking sheet. They can be close together as they don’t grow at all when baked. Place baking sheets in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Turn down heat to 200 and bake one additional hour. Turn off oven and leave in oven for 5-6 hours longer. Don’t open the door to peak!! I like to make these at night and just leave them in the oven overnight. Remove from oven and carefully remove from baking sheets. These are light as a feather and melt in your mouth. Makes several dozen.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

For some of us the idea of leftovers is welcoming. For me half the fun of all the work and energy that goes into a special meal is enhanced by food to eat for days afterwards. Still others have families that resist and there is a constant frantic effort to re-purpose them in some interesting ways. We had turkey for Christmas with side dishes that included sweet potatoes (steamed) and Brussels sprouts. I decided to turn the sweet potatoes into gnocchi, a type of dumpling. Since I also had a turkey carcass to use I made stock from it and strained it. I added some of the Brussels sprouts and a few carrots to the stock along with the sweet potato gnocchi and leftover turkey for a wonderful soup. There are still plenty of gnocchi left. Does that make them leftovers already? I’ll brown them in butter and top with shaved Parmesan cheese later.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

1 1/2 c. mashed cooked sweet potatoes

2 eggs

1 t. salt

1/2 t. fresh grated nutmeg

3 c. flour

Get a pot of water boiling. In mixing bowl combine the sweet potatoes with the eggs and seasonings. Add about 2 cups of the flour and stir until a soft dough forms. Continue adding flour, a little at a time, until the dough can be handled without sticking to your hands but is still soft. Take about 1/4 of the dough at a time and roll into a rope, about 15 inches long,  on a floured work surface. Cut dough into 1/2 thick pieces. Place pieces in a pot of boiling water and after a few minutes the gnocchi will float to the top. Cook them for several minutes after they have risen to the top of the pot. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain. If you aren’t going to use them right away drizzle with a little oil to prevent sticking or toss with butter. You can also run a little cold water over them instead. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Leftover turkey soup with sweet potato gnocchi

Slicing the dough

Gnocchi cooking

Cranberry Trifle

I enjoy trifles and make them often. I like to go seasonal with the fruit so cranberries seemed like a logical choice. I also wanted a light dessert to have with dinner today. I started by prepping the cranberries. I wanted them to have enough liquid to spoon over the cake and soak in so I combined a 12 oz. bag of cranberries with about 3 cups of orange juice. I boiled the mixture together for several minutes. The cranberries were popping. I added about a cup of sugar and cooked the cranberries for several more minutes. I took the pan off the heat and allowed the mixture to cool down. You can add more sugar if you like.

I had made an angel food cake. If you read my post from a few days ago you might remember that I had 32 egg whites left over from another project. Angel food cake was a good way to use up about 2 cups of the egg whites. I’ll post the recipe soon- feel free to just buy an angel food cake. I understand not everyone will have 2 cups of egg whites hanging around. I cubed up the cake.

I also had 2 cups of whipping cream and some prepared vanilla pudding.  I whipped the cream and folded in 2 cups of vanilla pudding. I didn’t add extra sugar to this mixture because there is plenty of sweetness in the rest of the recipe.

To assemble the trifle I got a big glass bowl and added about a third of the cake cubes and topped them with a third of the cranberry mixture and then a third of the whipping cream. I bet you can see the pattern here. Repeat 2 more times ending with whipped cream mixture on the top. Chill at least a couple of hours before serving. Easy, fast, pretty, seasonal and tasty.  A great dessert for almost any occasion.

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

When someone asks me what my favorite cookie is I can never really decide. I must admit a fondness for all variations of shortbread. This one is delicate and melt in your mouth and with the addition of mini chocolate chips a nice addition to any cookie tray.

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

1 c. butter (no substitutions), softened

½ c. brown sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

2 c. flour

¼ c. cornstarch

½ c. mini chocolate chips

2-3 T. granulated sugar

With electric mixer beat butter, brown sugar and vanilla until well mixed. Stir in flour and cornstarch and then stir in chips. Form into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheet. Pour granulated sugar on a small plate and dip bottom of drinking glass into the sugar and use this to gently flatten down the cookies. Press small indent in each cookie with a teaspoon. Bake in a preheated 300-degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until the cookies start to brown on the bottom. Cool on sheets 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Makes about 3 ½ dozen.

Butter Cookies

This is a basic and classic recipe for butter cookies. Rich and soft they melt in your mouth and are always a hit.

Butter Cookies

1 c. butter

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

2 ¼ c. flour

1 t. baking powder

¼ t. salt

Beat sugar and butter together until fluffy and then beat in egg and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and stir into butter mixture. Chill dough at least a couple of hours. Roll dough into ¾-1 inch balls and roll in sugar, sprinkles or nuts. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375 –degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Cookies will flatten somewhat. Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

Variations: You can bake plain cookies and then dip cooled cookies in melted chocolate and then in chopped nuts or sprinkles.

Form into balls and place on baking sheet then press a nutmeat into the center of each. When cool you can drizzle with a small amount of melted chocolate or glaze.

Angel Wings

Why 32 egg yolks? I’ll explain. Angel Wings are what a lot of people call these fried delicate cookies. We also call them Flancate (Slovenian) or Chruschiki ( Polish). The dough is a mixture of 8 eggs yolks, white wine, a little salt and flour. Very close to pasta dough. Every year, for more than 20 years,  it has been tradition for my family to make these with the Bales family.

It started when both my parents were still alive and before Zach and Cody Bales were even born. We gather in the basement of my parents’ house and start the process. A pasta machine is used to roll out the dough. An electric skillet used to fry them and then they are cooled and dusted with powdered sugar. Because they are rolled so thin a single batch can make a couple hundred cookies. We make a double batch of the dough every year and that way have plenty of cookies to eat and share. My job is dough maker and cookie fryer. I made a double batch as usual.

A single batch uses 8 egg yolks and I make a double batch of dough so 16 eggs yolks would have been used. Where did 32 egg yolks come from? Well, best laid plans. I was making the dough yesterday and started with the double batch. Cracked the 16 eggs and separated out the yolks. Added the rest of the ingredients and the mixer did the rest. When I went to put the cork back in the newly opened bottle of white wine used for the dough I discovered a chip in the top of the wine bottle. There was no piece of glass anywhere on the counter. I don’t know if I added it to the dough or if the bottle was already chipped but there was only one thing left to do. The newly made dough – all 16 eggs yolks worth – had to be tossed. I made another batch and strained the wine in the bottle through a coffee filter to be sure there was no glass. Luckily I had enough eggs on hand.

We made the Angel Wings as usual, had a great time, and ended up with 500 cookies when finished. I will be enjoying egg white omelets for some time to come. Might also make some meringues. With every egg  white I eat I’ll think of the 32 eggs I used to make the dough and I will know I made the right decision to choose safety. Here is the recipe. Not the easiest cookies to make. Easier with a few helpers but worth the effort. Oh, if you are in the area- I have cookies to share. I’ll even make you an egg white omelet. 🙂

Angel Wings/ Flancate

8 egg yolks

2 ½ -3 c. flour, plus extra for rolling

½ c. white wine*

1 t. salt

oil or shortening for deep frying, shortening is preferred

powdered sugar for sprinkling

Combine egg yolks, wine and salt mixing until smooth. Stir in 2 cups of the flour and continue adding flour until dough is very firm, but still pliable. It is better to add more flour later than to add too much too soon. Knead or mix the dough in a mixer for 5-8 minutes. Kneading dough, or mixing in a stand mixer strengthens the dough. Divide dough into thirds, cover and allow to rest 1 hour.

On lightly floured surface roll dough out into thin strips. Cut strips diagonally into 1 ½ inch wide pieces. Cut a small slit in middle of dough and pull one end through, pulling until dough is long and somewhat twisted. Work with small amount of dough at a time to avoid drying out. Dry dough will tear and be hard to work with. You can use a pizza cutter or a pastry wheel with a zigzag edge. Cook dough, a few pieces at a time in a skillet with either oil or shortening 2 inches deep and heated to a temperature of 375 degrees. Pastry will cook in 30 seconds or so. Remove when lightly brown and drain on paper toweling. Cool and dust with powdered sugar. Makes about 200, depending on how thin you can roll them.

Note: If you have access to a pasta machine, the rolling time will be greatly reduced. Use the machine to roll the dough uniformly and quickly. There is no substitute for experience. After making a batch you will learn just how the dough should feel and how thick to roll the dough. Also, get a friend or two to help you. The are a lot of jobs to do and the time will fly with some assistance. Besides, you’ll have plenty to share with family and friends.   

•             You can use any table wine, really or even add a little vinegar (1-2 T.) to the wine

Freshly fried Angel Wings

Finished cookies- ready to be packed up

Cookie Candies

These oatmeal shortbread cookies are a must do for the holidays. After they are shaped and baked the cookies are dipped in chocolate and then in assorted toppings. They look like little candies when finished. Pretty and tasty. Very easy to make, too.

Cookie-Candies

1 c. butter

¾ c. powdered sugar

1 T. vanilla

2 c. flour

½ c. rolled oats

½ c. chocolate chips

¼ c. milk

finely chopped nuts

assorted sprinkles

shredded coconut

Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla. Stir in flour and oats. Shape teaspoonfuls of the dough into different shapes like rounds, ovals, cones cubes etc. Try to make them look like little candies. They will hold their shape very well while baking. Bake in a 325- degree oven for 20-25 minutes on an ungreased baking sheet. Cool. In microwave safe dish combine chocolate and milk and melt. Dip tops of cookies in chocolate mixture and then in one of the toppings you have. Chocolate topping will harden up after a while. Makes about 4 dozen.

Broccoli Frittata

This recipe is for my dear friend, Jan Kimball. I had company over for breakfast recently and eggs were requested. I love making eggs for breakfast, heck for any time of the day, so I was happy to oblige. I decided to incorporate some ingredients I had on hand and ended up making a broccoli frittata. A frittata is similar to an omelet but I often find frittatas easier to make. I started by heating up the skillet and adding butter to the pan. I then added 8 oz. of sliced mushrooms and let then cook for several minutes. Once the mushrooms were almost done I added a couple of cups of chopped broccoli that I had steamed briefly. I also had some ham so I diced that up and tossed it in as well.  I cooked this until heated through and added salt and pepper to the mix. I then beat together 5 eggs in a bowl and added a little more salt and pepper and a couple of tablespoons of water. Poured the eggs into the pan over the mushroom-broccoli-ham mixture. As the eggs started to cook I tilted the pan and used a spatula to lift the cooked eggs up and allow the uncooked eggs to reach the bottom of the pan.  When the mixture was almost set I added a generous handful of shredded cheese, turned down the heat and covered the skillet. This allowed the mixture to finish cooking and the cheese to melt. About 5 minutes later it was ready to serve. I slid it out of the pan onto a serving platter and cut in wedges to serve. Looked fancy but was not much work at all. On busy days I find eggs can also make a quick and satisfying dinner.

Chocolate Cappuccino Cookies

With all the gooey sweet treats around this time of year I like to make at least a few cookies that are more adult-friendly. Made with coffee powder, cocoa and cinnamon these cookies fit the bill. They are also a perfect treat to have with coffee.  

Chocolate Cappuccino Cookies

1 T. instant coffee powder

1 T. hot water

1 egg

3/4 c. sugar plus extra for dipping

1/4 c. oil

2 T. corn syrup*

2 t. vanilla extract

1 1/4 c. flour

1/2 c. cocoa

2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. salt

 Dissolve coffee in hot water. In mixing bowl combine coffee mixture with egg, 3/4 cup sugar, oil, syrup and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Combine dry ingredients and add to coffee mixture. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheets spaced about 2 inches apart. Flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in the extra sugar, pressing to 1/4 -inch thickness. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 6-8 minutes. Centers should be set. Cool on a rack. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.  

* If you don’t want to use corn syrup you can make a sugar syrup to use in its place in  baking. Here is how.

 Sugar Syrup- corn syrup substitute

 3  cups granulated sugar

1 cup Water

1/2  tsp. Cream of Tartar

1/4 t. salt

 Combine ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and cover the pot. Reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook to soft-ball stage. Stir frequently.

Soft ball stage occurs at 235-245 degrees. This stage can be determined by dropping a spoonful of hot syrup into a bowl of very cold water. In the water, use your fingers to gather the cooled syrup into a ball. If it has reached soft-ball stage, the syrup easily forms a ball while in the cold water, but flattens once removed from the water.

Remove from heat. Cool and store at room temperature. It will keep well for a months or two.