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Tag Archives: fruit


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Cranberry Orange Cookies

Out of the 6 types of cookies I made for the Christmas cookie packages I distributed, this one was my favorite. They are a perfect balance of tart and sweet. It was really refreshing and pretty simple to make, too.

Cranberry Orange Cookies
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups dried cranberries

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer. Add in sugars and beat until smooth. Beat in egg until well blended. Mix in orange zest and orange juice.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir into orange mixture.
  4. Mix in cranberries until just incorporated.
  5. Scoop dough with a medium cookie scoop and place 2 inches apart onto lined baking sheet.
  6. Bake about 12 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool slightly on cookie sheet before removing to cooling rack to cool completely.


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Apple Crisp

Apple crisps are tricky. They almost always look and smell great, but only sometimes taste good too. It’s hard to find the right balance between tart and sweet; more times than not I think an apple crisp is too sweet. This recipe, however, is a perfect match of the sourness of Granny Smith apples and the sweetness of the sugar.

Apple Crisp

10 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup water

2 cup quick-cooking oats
2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, cubed

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F .
  2. Mix sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Pour in apples and stir to coat evenly. Pour into a 9×13 inch pan and pour water on top.
  3. Combine the oats, 2 cups flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda together. Cut in butter until crumbly and sprinkle over the apple mixture.
  4. Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes.


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Caramel Apple Pie

This pie was made a while ago, during a “family” Thanksgiving dinner with my friends and it turned out wonderfully. Unfortunately, we were too full from dinner to enjoy the pie while it was still warm. The good news is that it still tastes good right out of the fridge! If you like apple pie, try this recipe. I can guarantee that you will never make apple pie without caramel again. I only have a picture of the top of the pie; the next time I make this I will try to remember to take a better picture!

Caramel Apple Pie
makes 1 deep dish pie

1 deep dish pie crust (homemade or frozen)
6 granny smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 a lemon, juiced
1/2 cup  sugar
4 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
1/2 jar caramel topping

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together apples, lemon juice, sugar, flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
  3. Prepare the crumb topping by cutting the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter and mix in brown sugar, oats, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
  4. Pour apples into pie crust and top with crumb topping. Wrap pie crust edges with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil from crust and sprinkle pecans onto pie and bake for 10 more minutes.
  5. Remove pie from oven and pour the caramel topping over the pie. Cool slightly before serving alone or with some ice cream. Enjoy!


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Slow Cooker Kielbasa and Sauerkraut

I love slow cookers. They’re a life saver for me. I can throw everything into the pot with almost no prep work at all and come home to a delicious, hot meal. This dish is great. It’s easy, doesn’t have too many ingredients, and it is good. The kielbasa gets cooked down to a melt-in-your mouth texture and the beer, honey dijon mustard, and sauerkraut flavors come together beautifully.

Slow cooker kielbasa and sauerkraut

Slow Cooker Kielbasa and Sauerkraut

2 pounds kielbasa
2 small onions, sliced
1 small apple, chopped
2 14-ounce cans sauerkraut, drained
1 12 fluid ounces can or bottle of beer (I used Sam Adams)
1/4 cup  honey Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon caraway seeds

  1. Brown the kielbasa in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Transfer browned kielbasa into slow cooker.
  2. Saute onions in the skillet until browned and transfer into the slow cooker.
  3. Add the apple, sauerkraut, beer, mustard, and caraway seeds into the slow cooker and stir to combine.
  4. Cook on low for 6 hours until meat is tender.


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Lemon Bars

I’m not sure why I thought summer would be less busy than the school year, because it certainly is not. I’ve spent the last few weeks packing, moving, and unpacking. The unpacking continued for several days and I still don’t think it’s quite over. I don’t really understand how I accumulated so much stuff over the last two years. I’m now in DC on vacation with my father, siblings, and my boyfriend. I felt so bad for neglecting my blog that I decided to take a time-out in my life to update.

I made these lemon bars right before I left for vacation last week – they were perfectly tart and not too sweet. I urge you to try them while it’s still summer!

Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3  cups confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2  cups unsalted butter, softened
6 eggs
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup lemon juice (approximately 6 large lemons)
confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13×7 baking dish with butter and set aside.
  2. To make crust, combine the first 3 ingredients. Pat dough into the baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare filling. Whisk together eggs, sugar, lemon juice and flour until frothy. Pour over baked crust.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes or until the lemon topping is just hardened. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars and dust with powdered sugar before serving.


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Peach Cobbler

When I went home for the weekend I was asked to make a dessert for dinner. I went to the grocery store to buy the ingredients to make a rhubarb crisp. When I got there, there was no rhubarb to be found. I stared at all the fruit in front of me and decided to pick peaches. It turned out to be a great decision because this cobbler was amazing.

You know it’s good when my brother, who dislikes most desserts, and my step dad can polish off the majority of it within 20 minutes!

Peach cobblerPhoto taken by Becca Li

Peach Cobbler
serves 8

8 fresh peaches: peeled, pitted and sliced wedges
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 cup flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup boiling water

3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the peaches, 1/4 cup white and 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and corn starch. Let sit until the sugar thickens. Pour into a 2 quart baking dish and bake for 10 minutes.
  3. While the peaches are baking, mix together the flour, 1/4 cup white and 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Blend in the butter with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture represents a coarse meal. Add water and stir until just combined – be careful not to over mix.
  4. Drop dollops of the flour mixture on top of the baked peaches.
  5. Mix together the 3 tablespoons white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinammon to make a topping. Sprinkle over the cobbler.
  6. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
  7. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!


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Rhubarb Bread

I can only make so much rhubarb crisp and rhubarb pie before I get sick of looking at it. So, I thought I would attempt to make rhubarb bread! The bread turned out to be perfectly sweet and moist. I found the recipe at allrecipes.com and I’ve copied it below.

Rhubarb bread

Rhubarb Bread
from allrecipes.com

1 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter, melted

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together milk, lemon juice and vanilla; let stand for 10 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, oil and egg. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda, stir into sugar mixture alternately with the milk mixture just until combined. Fold in rhubarb and nuts. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.
  3. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon and butter. Sprinkle this mixture over the unbaked loaves.
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean.

I made mini loaves and baked them for about 25 minutes!


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Banana Crumb Muffins

Mike had 3 bananas that were too brown and soft to eat, so I turned them into banana crumb muffins.

banana crumb muffin

Banana Crumb Muffins
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups or line with muffin papers.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture and walnuts into the flour mixture until just moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
  3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
  4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.


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Apple Strudel Muffins

I bought 10 pounds of granny smith apples to bake a caramel apple pie and only used up a quarter of them. With the rest, I made applesauce and these muffins! I don’t know why I didn’t take pictures of the pie or applesauce, but I did manage to remember to snap a photo of the muffins.

apple strudel muffins

Apple Strudel Muffins
yields 12 muffins

–For the muffin
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped apples

–For the strudel topping
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Thoroughly grease a 12 cup muffin pan or use liners.
  2. In a medium bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  3. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in the vanilla. Stir in the apples and then gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.
  4. For the strudel topping: mix the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse crumb. Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the muffin pans.
  5. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to rest for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove muffins from the pan to cooling racks and allow to cool completely.


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Blackberry Lemon Dainties

I love, love, love these cookies! This recipe requires lemon curd. You can buy it at the store, but I strongly suggest that you make it. I bought it once at the store and decided to make it the second time I needed it. I will never, ever go back to store bought! I’ve included the recipe for it at the end of this post. Trust me, you won’t regret it!

blackberry lemon dainties

Blackberry Lemon Dainties
yields about 16 cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
Extra granulated sugar
1/3 cup blackberry jam
3 tablespoons lemon curd

  1. In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds.
  2. Add the 1/4 cup granulated sugar and salt. Beat until well combined, occasionally scraping the sides of the bowl.
  3. Beat in the lemon peel and vanilla.
  4. Beat in the flour, a half cup at a time. If your mixer starts to strain, turn it off and do this by hand!
  5. Wrap the dough and chill it for an hour.
  6. Preheat the oven to 400°F while the dough is chilling.
  7. Shape the dough into 1 inch balls (you will need an even number of them). Place them 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Use the bottom of a glass dipped in the extra granulated sugar to press the cookie into a 1/4 inch thick circle. Use a glass with a patterned bottom for a cookie with a design!
  8. Bake the cookies for 11 minutes or until the edges or just browned. Transfer to wire racks and allow to cool.
  9. Spread about a teaspoon of blackberry jam on the flat side of one cookie and a teaspoon of lemon curd on the flat side of another cookie. Gently press the cookies together to form a sandwich. Be careful – these cookies are extremely delicate and crumble easily.

Lemon curd
yields 1 cup

2 1/2 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 lemons, zested and juiced
1/2 stick of butter, cut into pats and chilled

  1. Bring an inch of water in a medium saucepan up to a simmer.
  2. Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks and sugar in a metal bowl that fits on the top of the saucepan without touching the water. Mix until smooth, about a minute.
  3. Measure out 1/3 cup of the lemon juice. If needed, use water to reach 1/3 cup.
  4. Add the lemon juice and zest to the egg mixture and whisk until smooth.
  5. Once the water reaches a simmer, reduce heat to low and place metal bowl on top of the saucepan.
  6. Whisk constantly until the mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes. It will be light yellow and will coat the back of a spoon.
  7. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter a pat at a time, allowing each one to melt before adding the next. Refrigerate until use.

You will probably have a ton of lemon curd leftover unless you make a lot of these dainties; I suggest that you try these lemon curd bars!