Rugelach (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia was co-hosted by Jessica of My Baking Heart and Margaret of The Urban Hiker.   The chosen recipe was rugelach.  Rugelach are actually Jewish pastries made with sour cream pastry dough.  They are made in the form of a crescent by rolling a triangle of dough around a filling of fruit, nuts, or fruit preserves.  The rugelach made in this recipe is slightly different in that it is made with a cream cheese pastry dough, and the rolled dough and filling is cut into slices before baking.

I've actually made rugelach a few times prior to this - love the stuff!  I love this Barefood Contessa recipe and we actually also made rugelach back in 2008 for TWD.  I'm not a nut person so I didn't put nuts in my filling, but I did put some nuts in the streusel that the pastries were rolled in.  I made apricot lekvar (homemade fruit butter) and filled my rugelach with dried cherries, raisins, and dried apricots.  I did not have any problems with this recipe, except that I did not look at it ahead of time and did not realize how much refrigeration time was required, so I did not finish baking them until very late today!

I have to say that I love this version of rugelach.  The sugar and cinnamon mixture that the pastries get rolled in caramelizes in the oven and gives it a wonderful, crisp texture.  Then you bite into the cream cheese pastry that is so light and flaky, and then you taste the apricot butter and dried fruit bits.  I think I just ate about ten of them in one sitting and my husband asked me to hide them from him because he can't stop eating them!

This recipe is definitely a keeper, and I can't wait to make it again.  Thanks to Jessica and Margaret for hosting; you can find the recipe on their blogs here and here.  Make sure you check here, too, to see how everyone else in our baking group enjoyed these pastries!

Also be sure to leave a comment below... I was visited recently by the Fairy Hobmother and received an unexpected gift... if you leave a comment here you might get a visit from the Fairy Hobmother too ;)

Kids' Thumbprints (TWD)

I'm a horrible blogger :( I haven't posted in weeks... and I made these cookies back in December and I am just now getting around to blogging about it! *sigh* My life is now consumed with play dates, story time, craft time, little gym, etc. so I haven't had nearly as much time as I used to for baking, blogging, and visiting other blogs :( Thank you to those who are still around, reading each blog post that I'm able to put up! I did want to put a question out there to my readers... do you enjoy the posts about food-related coupons and deals? I started with them on my Facebook page, then posted a few here on the blog... but wasn't sure if that was something that people were interested in? Should I stick with just the recipe posts, or would you like to see deals posted too? Please leave me a comment and let me know! :)

So anyway, without further ado... the very last Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by none other than Dorie Greenspan herself, author of Baking: From My Home to Yours.  She chose Kids' Thumbprints.  These were kind of like grown up peanut butter and jelly cookies.  You take a peanut butter cookie dough and rough it into a ball, then dip it in egg whites and roll it in some chopped up peanuts.  Then proceed like you would with any other thumbprint cookie recipe and press your thumb gently into the center and fill with jam after the cookies have baked.

I only needed one egg white for my cookies, otherwise I followed the recipe exactly as written.  These were incredibly addicting cookies! I found that if you let the jam cool just a little bit after warming it up, the cookies are a little bit easier to fill because then the jam isn't quite so runny.  I shared these with my neighbor and she loved them, too.

If you would like the recipe, you can find here.  This is the last blog post for Tuesdays with Dorie - Baking: From My Home to Yours. I can't believe that after 4 years, we've finally baked through the entire book! It's been so much fun... not only baking everything, but meeting so many other wonderful bloggers out there.  I've had a blast and I have learned so much with the group baking week by week through the book.  I'm still not the best cake decorator out there, but I can make some pretty good pastries and brioche now! I'm so proud of what I have done with the group.  While we are putting Baking back up on the shelf, our group is getting ready to embark on another adventure... as we bake our way through Baking with Julia.  So, if you are interested in baking along with us, please join us as Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia starts on February 7th!

Unbelievably Good Chocolate Blueberry Pomegranate Ice Cream (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Laurie (founder of TWD!) of Slush: Unbelievably Good Chocolate Blueberry Ice Cream.

I would never to think to make chocolate blueberry ice cream, but I've totally had chocolate covered strawberries, and chocolate covered dried cherries, blueberries, etc. so of course it would make sense that chocolate blueberry ice cream would be good :)

I thought I had everything I needed for this recipe because we usually keep frozen blueberries on hand for my daughter, but when I went to the make the recipe I realized that the recipe calls for blueberry preserves, not fresh/frozen blueberries! Well, I just so happened to receive some Pomegranate Jelly for my birthday in November, so I decided to puree some frozen blueberries (about 1 tbsp) and mixed it together with the Pomegranate Jelly.... resulting in the most delicious chocolate blueberry pomegranate ice cream!

If you would like the recipe, you can find here.  Make sure you also check out this page, too, so you can see what everyone else thought of this unusual chocolate ice cream!

And if you haven't already, don't forget to enter my Peeled Snacks Giveaway!

Sour Cream Pumpkin Tart and Normandy Apple Tart (TWD)

This week for Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) we had two recipes! (I actually had this post ready to go on Tuesday night and just realized I never posted it! oops!) The recipes were chosen by Tracey of Tracey’s Culinary Adventures and Judy of Judy’s Gross Eats. Tracey chose the Normandy Apple Tart and Judy chose the Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie/Tart.  I was ambitious this week and made both :)

The Normandy Apple Tart is a very rustic and homey dessert.  It's basically a tart shell filled with delicious homemade (or store bought) applesauce, then layered with apples on top.  It's amazing how something so simple can be so delicious.  I think using your own homemade applesauce really makes a difference in this dessert.  I am also a huge fan of Dorie's tart shell recipe and use it all the time.... I even used it for the Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie recipe because Dorie mentions that as an alternative to your traditional pie crust.


The sour cream pumpkin pie was one of my husband's favorite desserts this Thanksgiving.  He said he liked it better than traditional pumpkin pie because it wasn't so heavy.  I thought that was interesting, given the amount of heavy cream in it ;) It has a nice blend of spices to it and I think the addition of some rum to the filling really makes it stand out.


While the pumpkin pie can be served cold or at room temperature, I thought the flavors were a bit muted when it was chilled, so I would definitely recommend serving it at room temperature.

Thanks, Tracey and Judy, for hosting this week! I really enjoyed both recipes.  I don't normally eat pumpkin pie except around Thanksgiving, but I could definitely see myself making the Normandy Apple Tart a few times each fall :) If you'd like the recipes, please click here for the Normandy Apple Tart and here for the Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie.

* Recipe notes:

- Make sure to put a pie crust shield (or some foil) around the edge of your tart about 20-30 minutes into baking to avoid burning the edges.

Ginger Jazzed Brownies and Fall Butternut Squash Pie (TWD)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with lots of good eats and sweet treats! We had a pretty impressive spread at our house, and of course we're still enjoying leftovers today.

This week we're posting for Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) on Friday.  This was to allow everyone the time to get ready for Thanksgiving.  There was no specific recipe chosen for this week, we were simply given the liberty to do a "rewind," meaning we could go back and bake a recipe from the past that we may have missed.  I'll be posting about the Ginger Jazzed Brownies and the Depths-of-Fall Butternut Squash Pie.

The ginger jazzed brownies were actually chosen by Hindy of Bubie’s Little Baker as the recipe of the week for October 18 and I made them a few weeks ago.  I just never got around to posting about them! I didn't have any fresh ginger on hand, so I added extra ground ginger to the brownies, as Dorie suggested.  My brownies came out with very little ginger flavor to them, which was a big disappointment because I love ginger.  I had contemplated adding in chopped candied/crystallized ginger to the brownies, and should have... because I munched on some while eating these brownies and found that the ginger and chocolate flavors together were great.  So, next time I make these, I will definitely add in chopped crystallized ginger instead of fresh ginger.  Otherwise, these brownies were super moist and dense like you would expect brownies to be.


The Fall Butternut Squash Pie was chosen by Valerie of Une Gamine dans la Cuisine. I am not a big butternut squash fan, but I still wanted to try this pie because that's what TWD is all about - trying recipes you wouldn't otherwise try. So, I made this one for Thanksgiving. Aside from the butternut squash, this pie is filled with pears, brown sugar, spices, walnuts, and raisins (or dried cranberries or diced apples).


This pie was met with mixed reviews. I really didn't care for it much. I think I would have liked it better if there had been more sugar in it because I think it was lacking in sweetness. My mom thought it was good, but attributed that to the fact that there was a lot of other filling ingredients besides squash. I think if it had a little bit less squash and lots of pears and apples, it would be very good. Just enough to have a hint of squash in it, but not overwhelmingly squashy ;)


If you're interested, head on over here for the Ginger Jazzed Brownies recipe and here for the Fall Butternut Squash Pie recipe.

Alsatian Apple Tart (TWD)

I am back with Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) and will be back to posting weekly with the group from now until the end of the year.  Even though we're down to the last few recipes in the book, we've got a lot of great recipes lined up. Believe it or not, we'll be done baking through the entire book by the end of the year! Isn't that crazy?!

This week's TWD recipe was chosen by Jessica of Cookbook Habit: Alsatian Apple Tart.  It is a tart lined with "thick slices of sweet apples and a vanilla-flavored mix of eggs, cream and sugar that is poured over the apples and, under heat, transformed into a soft custard."

When I think of custard filled tarts, I think of fruit tarts that are topped with fruits like strawberries, blackberries, kiwi, blueberries, etc.  I have never had a custard fruit tart with apples! Interestingly enough, the rich and creamy custard that envelopes the apples is absolutely delicious.  I think the tart would be great with pears, too, which Dorie suggests in the "Playing Around" section.

I only added one egg and omitted the extra egg yolk in the custard, just because I didn't want to have another egg white in my freezer.  The custard was still rich despite this omission thanks to the heavy cream.  Only thing I would do differently next time would be to remember to put my pie crust shield on the tart sooner! I forgot and didn't realize the edges were burning until I started to smell it! (That's why you don't see a picture of the entire tart!)

Thanks, Jessica, for hosting this week! I love baked apple desserts and this one was no exception.

* Recipe notes:

- Make sure to put a pie crust shield (or some foil) around the edge of your tart about 20 minutes into baking to avoid burning the edges.

Apple Muffin Cake (TWD)

It's been weeks since my last blog post... I've been horribly sick for the last five (yes, five!) weeks and the last few were particularly terrible. I got a cold that turned into walking pneumonia and I didn't have the energy to do anything. I'm still playing catch up with my life but I finally managed to get some baking done. Too bad I'm still behind. I made Katrina's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) pick from October 4th finally - Apple Muffin Cake.  It was very moist but kind of plain, I thought... but it was pretty great with some caramel sauce drizzled on top :)


....and then I wanted to make the ginger jazzed brownies that were yesterday's TWD pick, but I ran out of butter! I never run out of butter! I usually try to keep the house well stocked with butter, sugar, eggs, and flour but what with being sick and all I haven't been keeping track of things so well. I hope to make those tomorrow and post them soon, so stay tuned. 

I also have a few more giveaways lined up, just have to get some time to sit down and write those posts! So if you haven't already, become a fan of my blog on Facebook so you don't miss those giveaway announcements!

* Recipe notes:

- I baked my cake in a 9 inch pan instead of an 8 inch pan and it was done at 20 minutes.

Flip-Over Plum Cake (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Becky of Project Domestication: Flip-Over Plum Cake.  Dorie describes this cake as having "down-home, not-in-the-least-fussy good looks, an unquestionably appealing flavor and a texture that can't decide whether it wants to be a cake or your favorite nursery pudding."  I'll have to admit that when I read that description, it sounded great, up until the "nursery pudding" part! I love bread pudding (and I have no idea what nursery pudding is), but for some reason, thinking of a cake as pudding just didn't sound appetizing.  But please don't let that deter you from trying this cake - it was fantastic!

What's neat about this recipe is you pour the batter into the bottom of the pan, then top if with the fruit and pop it in the oven... and when you pull it out, the fruit has sunken to the bottom and the batter has risen to the top!

This cake has a really interesting flavor because Dorie pairs cinnamon with the plums.  Typically when you think of cinnamon being used with fruits, it's with apples, but Dorie was on to something when she paired it with plums! I'm not sure if I would describe this as a pudding, but more like a rustic cobbler of sorts.  Whatever you might want to call it, this cake was delicious.  Probably one of my favorites from this book so far if you factor in both taste and prep time (basically it has a high yield yummy factor with a low prep time factor!).  Only change I'll make when I try this again will be to decrease the sugar in the fruit by 50%, as it was just a little bit too sweet for my taste.

Thanks Becky, for hosting this week.  I loved this cake and will be making it again and again.  I think it would also be good with different types of fruits, too.  If you would like the recipe, you can find it here. Make sure you check out the TWD Blogroll, to see how everyone else enjoyed these chocolately treats!

* Recipe notes:

- I baked my cake in a 9 x 13 inch pan so my cake was a little bit thinner and was therefore done baking at about 40-45 minutes.

- I'll try reducing the sugar in the fruit by 50% next time, or perhaps cut the sugar in the batter by 50% to cut back on the sweetness just a little.

Salt and Pepper Cocoa Shortbreads (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Tia of Buttercream Barbie: Salt and Pepper Cocoa Shortbread. This was our second time this month baking up chocolate slice and bake cookies. This time, our cookies were spiced up with salt and pepper. Yes, salt and pepper!

I would never think to put salt and pepper in a cookie, but it worked surprisingly well. You don't really taste the salt and pepper right away when you bite into the cookies, but as you start to enjoy them, the salt and pepper flavors start to really come to the forefront. I think you definitely need to use fleur de sel or sea salt and a coarsely ground black pepper, as regular salt or finely ground black pepper won't stand out as much on your palate next to the buttery chocolate shortbread flavor.

Thanks Tia, for hosting this week.  This was definitely something different, and I'm glad I got to try these cookies! If you would like the recipe, you can find it here. Make sure you check out the TWD Blogroll, to see how everyone else enjoyed these chocolately treats!

Classic Brownies (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Anne of Anne Strawberry: Classic Brownies.  There's really no explanation needed for these - they're just your traditional brownies, no bells or whistles.

These brownies were extremely easy to make. Simply melt some butter and chocolate, add the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and then some flour. Instead of nuts, I added chocolate chips to the mix. These baked up perfectly and were slighty cakey but mostly fudgey and very chocolately.


With how simple (yet delicious) these brownies are, I really don't see any reason to use a box mix to make brownies.  The prep time was virtually the same.  I'm sure that inclusion of nuts in these brownies would be welcomed by any nut lover, but I enjoyed the extra chocolately goodness provided to these brownies by the substitution of chocolate chips :)


Thanks Anne, for hosting this week.  I'll definitely be making these again.  If you would like the recipe, you can find it here. Make sure you check out the TWD Blogroll, to see how everyone else enjoyed these chocolately treats!

* Recipe notes:

- I used semisweet chocolate chips instead of chopped bittersweet chocolate.

- I used a 9-inch pan instead of an 8-inch pan and the brownies were done baking in 20 minutes.

Chocolate Spice Quickies (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Jessica of My Baking Heart: Chocolate Spice Quickies.  Dorie calls these "sophisticated little rounds" that are "mildly spiced, slightly chewy, almond-flecked chocolate cookies."

After reading in the P&Q that these Chocolate Spice Quickies were a little lacking in the spice department, I decided to double the spices.  I added 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, as well as a few pinches of cloves and nutmeg.  I also used unblanched almonds (instead of blanched almonds), simply because I was in a rush.

These cookies were easy to put together.  They were in the oven for exactly 7 minutes before they were done baking.  They were delicate, sweet, nutty, and chocolately with just a hint of spice.  I can see how others would have trouble tasting the spice if there was only 1/8 teaspoon of spice in the dough.  I don't think it really mattered that I didn't blanch the almonds, so feel free to skip that step too, if you make these cookies.


I like Dorie's suggestion of making ice cream sandwiches with these cookies, and definitely need to get my hands on some ice cream for the cookies that are remaining! As far as chocolate cookies go, these were good, but I'm not a big chocolate cookie kind of gal and my favorite chocolate cookies are still the World Peace Cookies and Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops :)

Thanks Jessica, for hosting this week.  If you would like the recipe, you can find it here. Make sure you check out the TWD Blogroll, to see how everyone else enjoyed these chocolately treats!

Tropical Crumble and How to Cut a Mango (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Gaye of Laws of the Kitchen: Tropical Crumble.  I'm not a big nut person, so I omitted the nuts from the streusel topping.  Usually when I do this with other recipes, the topping still comes out crumbly.  However, with this recipe, it all kind of just melted away and I ended up with one big brown layer on top and what looked like baby food underneath! It was not a pretty sight.  So much so that I would be embarrassed to post a picture of it!

I know that a post without pictures is boring and kind of useless, so instead I'll share with you photos of how to cut a mango. For some this may be easy, for others maybe not so much.  I grew up eating mangoes, so I never really thought anything of it, but I've found over the years that not everyone knows how to properly cut a mango.

First off, when you're choosing a mango, look for one that is more rounded and less oval.  The plumper and rounder mangoes are going to be sweeter.  After you've peeled your mango, you'll want to lay it on its side (I like to use a vegetable peeler but if you're more skilled with a knife you can use a knife - I just end up wasting so much flesh when I used a knife).  Starting about half an inch above the stem, start cutting longitudinally through your mango.  It is important that you cut from the stem towards the opposite end and not the other way around, because this will prevent you from getting too many fibers from the seed in your cut mango (should you get too close to the seed and start skimming it with your knife). 


Once you've removed one half, flip the mango over and repeat with the other side.


You now have two halves to work with, and can proceed to slice or dice them however you please. (If you're a true mango lover, you can now proceed to chomping on the seed and eating off what's left of the fruit around the seed!)


Now that we've talked about how to cut a mango, let's talk about the actual tropical crumble. I would have never thought to pair mangoes with bananas but the flavors are fantastic together. The mangoes are caramelized in a skillet with brown sugar and butter, then the bananas are added and just barely cooked through. The filling is then finished off with some fresh chopped ginger and grated lime zest. Looks aside, this dessert was fabulous. The mango and banana are a perfect pair, and the ginger and lime zest give it just a little kick. I found the dish was a bit too sweet (even for my sweet tooth) when it was served warm, but it was surprisingly delicious served cold.  I suspect this would be great served with some ice cream too!

Thanks Gaye, for hosting this week.  I can't wait to make this one again. If you would like the recipe, you can find it here. Make sure you check out the TWD Blogroll, to see how everyone else enjoyed this tropical treat!

Carrot Spice Muffins (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Nancy of The Dogs Eat the Crumbs: Carrot Spice Muffins.  I personally thought these muffins could use a little more sugar (or maybe some cream cheese frosting!) but then I guess they would be more like cupcakes and not really muffins :)  The addition of some crushed pineapple might be nice, too.  Regardless, these muffins were perfect for breakfast, or as a snack, and were a big hit with all of my husband's coworkers. 

Thanks Nancy, for hosting this week.  I'm sorry my post is so short this week but I've been so busy and barely had enough time to get this post up today! If you would like the recipe, you can find it here. Make sure you check out the TWD Blogroll, to see how everyone else enjoyed this delightful breakfast treat!

Cocoa Almond Meringues (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) was chosen by Mike of Ugly Food for an Ugly Dude: Cocoa Almond Meringues.  Dorie describes them as small cookies that "have the rough, craggy surface of stone nuggets.  Their interiors are wonderfully chewy and their flavor a bit caramelish, slightly nutty and quite chocolaty."

I loved how quick and easy these cookies were to make.  I think "slightly nutty" is a good description because despite being called Cocoa Almond Meringues, I'm not sure you'd know there were (ground) almonds in them unless you saw the recipe.  Regardless, these are especially great if you're craving something chocolate but want something light.


Thanks Mike, for hosting this week. If you would like the recipe, you can find it here. Make sure you check out the TWD Blogroll, to see how everyone else enjoyed these crunchy, chewy, chocolately treats!

Creamy Dark Chocolate Sorbet (TWD)

Chocolate Sorbet.  Did you even know there was such a thing as chocolate sorbet?! I always thought that sorbets were fruit flavored.  Wow, where have you been all my life, chocolate sorbet?

Rich and creamy and so delicious.  I did not believe Dorie when she said this.  How could something made with skim milk and no cream or eggs turn out to be rich and creamy? I don't know how, but I now know that I should not have been skeptical.  My only complaint is that it melts really quickly - I mean, you blink and it's melted! So, it ends up a little bit more like a soft serve or a milk shake, but that won't stop me from making this one again (especially when this is so much easier and lower in fat than ice cream!)

Thanks to Steph of A Whisk and A Spoon for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) pick.  If you would like the recipe, you can find it here. Make sure you check out the TWD Blogroll, to see how everyone else enjoyed this smooth, chocolately treat!

* Recipe notes:

- Only change I made was to use semisweet chocolate chips in place of the bittersweet chocolate in this recipe.

Cream Scones (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Lynne of Cafe LynnyLu: Cream Scones.  I almost didn't make this one because I just got back from a long trip, but scones are quick and easy so I went ahead and threw this recipe together.

After returning home, my fridge was pretty bare, and I did not have any heavy cream on hand.  I decided to substitute whole milk for the cream.  Instead of currants, I added dried cherries to my scones.  I'm not sure if it was just me, but I made the scones, cut them, and put them on the baking sheet... and then looked over and saw my dried cherries still sitting on the counter! I freaked out, because they weren't in there and if I added them now, I knew I would risk over working the dough.  Worried that the scones would be too plain, though, I went ahead and put all the dough back into my mixing bowl, added the dried cherries, and gently mixed them in with the spatula. I was convinced that they wouldn't turn out because of how much mixing I had to do to get the cherries evenly incorporated into the dough, but to my surprise, they still came out perfect!


After the scones went into the oven, I went back to the recipe to see if I had missed the addition of the cherries.  I've re-read the recipe four or five times now, and I still don't see where you're supposed to add the dried fruit!  I think it was just an oversight on Dorie's part, but if I'm just blind and don't see it, please let me know :)

Thanks Lynne, for hosting this week.  The scones were delicious.  They were nice and flaky, and perfect without any butter or jam.  If you would like the recipe, you can find it here. Make sure you check out the TWD Blogroll, to see how everyone else enjoyed this breakfast treat!

Also - big congrats to Aaron Richards and Heather (comments #10 and #15) - you're the winners of my recent Tropi Treats Giveaway! You have 48 hours to contact me with your mailing address; after that, I'll choose an alternate winner.

* Recipe notes:

- My scones were done about 3-4 minutes early, so be sure to check them frequently.

- A tip for making good scones (or biscuits) is to grate your butter ahead of time and then stick it in the freezer for a few minutes to chill before adding it to the flour.  Alternatively, you can simply grate frozen butter into your flour.

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake Cookies (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Spike of Spike Bakes: Sour Cream Chocolate Cake Cookies.  I almost didn't make this one because there were some lukewarm reviews of these cookies on the P&Q.  However, the recipe looked pretty simple, so I decided to forge ahead.

I included both raisins and dried cherries in my cookies, and like Dorie, found that biting into the little bits of dried fruit was wonderful.  I thought the dried cherries were better than the raisins in this cookie, just because they were tart and stood out more than the raisins did.  I can definitely see how those who omitted the dried fruit found the cookies to be a little plain.  (However, if you do make these cookies without the dried fruit, because they have a very cake-like crumb, they do make for the base of some fantastic chocolate whoopie pies.)

Thanks Spike, for hosting this week.  If you would like the recipe, you can find it here. Make sure you check out the TWD Blogroll, to see how everyone else enjoyed this chocolately treat! Also don't forget to enter my giveaway here before it ends on June 24th.

Date (Nut) Loaf (TWD)

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I last posted! Where does the time go? I really need to get better about posting, especially since I have some great good eats to post about!

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Mary of Popsicles and Sandy Feet: Date-Nut Loaf. I love dates, but I'm not so keen on nuts so my cake was a Date Loaf sans nuts.  The recipe was straightforward and easy.  While I was creaming the butter, cream cheese, and sugar together, I chopped the dates up.  After that, it was just a few more minutes to add in the eggs, extracts, and dry ingredients.  My loaf was done baking about 10 minutes early, so I was glad I checked on it, because it was just a tad on the dry side as it is.


Thanks Mary, for hosting this week.  I just finished baking the loaf today and I've only had a few bites so far, because I wanted to wrap the loaf and lets the flavors "ripen" overnight, as Dorie suggests.  The dates were delicious in this loaf, and I imagine dried apricots would be quite nice, too.  I'll have to report back later on the final verdict after I try it again tomorrow!

If you would like the recipe, you can find it here. Make sure you check out the TWD Blogroll, to see how everyone else enjoyed this sweet treat! Also don't forget to enter my giveaway here before it ends on June 24th.

* Recipe notes - 

- I checked my loaf and it was done 10 minutes early, though next time I'll probably start checking it 20 minutes out to make sure the loaf doesn't dry out.

Blueberry-Brown Sugar Plain Cake (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Cindy of Everyday Insanity: Blueberry-Brown Sugar Plain Cake. Dorie says this cake, with "no crumbs, streusel, nuts, icing or filling--is just plain appealing. It's got soft crumbs, a strong streak of caramel brown sugar flavor and the here-and-there surprise of sweet tart berries."

I have to say that this is probably the best "plain cake" I've had in a while! It's tempting to want to put a glaze or streusel topping on it, but give it a try as is and I promise you won't be disappointed!  The sweet, caramel undertone from the brown sugar is well complimented by the layer of blueberries.  Yes, like many other bakers noted, all of my blueberries sank to the bottom of the cake while it was in the oven (and I even rolled them in flour first!).  So, I ended up with a nice blue layer on the bottom of my cake. Thankfully this did not affect the taste at all ;)


Thanks Cindy, for hosting this week. I'll definitely be making this again! It was such a simple recipe but the flavor combination was spectacular. If you would like the recipe, you can find it here. Make sure you check out the TWD Blogroll, to see how everyone else enjoyed this sweet, blueberry treat! Also don't forget to enter my giveaway here before it ends on June 24th.

* Recipe notes - 

- I baked my cake in a 9 inch square pan and that did not seem to affect the baking time.

- I did have to cover the cake loosely with a foil tent to prevent the top from over browning.

Caramel Pots de Creme (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Peggy of Peggy the Baker: Caramel Pots de Creme.  These little pots of cream (or ramekins, in my case) are made with caramelized sugar.  I think I was too worried about burning my sugar that I didn't let it caramelize quite enough.  The caramel flavor in this custard wasn't quite as strong as I was hoping it would be.  Still, these were delicious. 

Thanks Peggy, for hosting this week. I'll definitely be making this again! If you would like the recipe, you can find it here. Make sure you check out the TWD Blogroll, to see how everyone else enjoyed this creamy, caramel-y treat!