Blood Orange Glazed Cake

I made a recipe that was in our local newspaper last week for a Blood Orange Bread but, by mistake, the ingredient list omitted any fat, such as butter or oil. Needless to say, the bread didn't come out very well and had to be tossed!
So today, having a few extra blood oranges still hanging around, I decided on this recipe. The recipe is actually for a Glazed Orange Cake, that I found in an old cookbook I bought over the weekend but I just subbed the blood oranges for the regular oranges.
And the bonus is the beautiful intense color of the glaze that comes from the blood orange.
I threw in a handful of dried cranberries which go so well with the orange flavor, but raisins or chopped nuts such as walnuts or pecans would also be great. The cake is moist with just the right amount of sweetness and the flavor of the orange really comes through.

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar for about 2 minutes.

Then add the grated orange zest and beat to combine.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Then add in the vanilla.

Add the dry mixture...

Alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Once that's nicely mixed together, throw in the dried cranberries, or whatever other add ins you'd like and mix that just til combined.

Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan...

And bake at least an hour, but mine took more like 15 minutes more. I actually lost count because it kept taking longer..and longer.. and I don't really remember how many times I reset the timer! Just be sure to test the cake by inserting a toothpick into the center and if it comes out clean...it's done! The cake will get a nice golden color. If you think the bottom may be getting too dark, just put a baking sheet under the loaf pan to help prevent further browning.
Allow the cake to cool almost completely before pouring on the glaze.

Blood Orange Glazed Cake(adapted from "Fanny Pierson Crane, Her Receipts 1796"

1/2 cup ( 1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

zest of one blood orange

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups AP flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

approx. 1/3 cup dried cranberries ( raisins, walnuts or pecans could be used instead)

Glaze recipe below

***********************************

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and lightly flour a regular size loaf pan.

1. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar til light, about 2 minutes.

3. Add in the orange zest, then the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Add in the vanilla.

5. Mix in the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

6. Stir in the dried cranberries ( or other add in you're using), then pour the batter into the prepared pan.

7. Bake for at least an hour, maybe a little longer. Insert a toothpick into the center and if it comes out clean, it's done.

Glaze:

Mix 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar with enough blood orange juice to make a glaze with a thin enough consistency to pour. Add more sugar if too thin or more juice if too thick.

Note: You may need to place a baking sheet under the loaf pan during the last 10 minutes or so to help prevent the bottom from darkening too much.

Chocolate Peanut Cookie Bars

I have lost track of where this recipe came from. When I write down a recipe I like I usually jot down where the recipe came from under the title, but on this one I didn't, so..I can't give credit to anywhere.
Although this cookie bar bar came out great, I did make a few changes and I did mess up one thing...kind of!
The first change was the name. I am calling this a Chocolate Peanut Cookie Bar but I wrote it down as a Peanut Butter Cookie Bar...but it's not made with peanut butter so I changed it.

Next, I increase the amount of chocolate called for in the original recipe and I think it could have even used more and I coarsely chopped the peanuts for the topping, rather than leaving them whole.
And lastly, I kind of messed up the caramel topping..well, kind of! I'm still not sure if I made it correctly, but it came out fine, so..who knows!
It calls for making a caramel topping but I'm not sure how long I should have boiled the sugar mixture, so it didn't come out as dark as I think it should have..but it still worked.

The bars are a kind of sweet and salty combination and they came out with a nice crumbly crust and crunchy nutty top.





So, make the crust first, then bake it for 30 minutes.

I chopped up the topping peanuts a little bit. I didn't want large whole pieces on top.

Chop up the chocolate and sprinkle over the top of the cooled crust.

Make the caramel by combining the sugar, salt and water in a pan...

And bring it to a boil over medium heat, stirring til sugar is dissolved.

Then, don't stir it anymore, just swirl the pan occasionally til it turns a golden brown. ( You can see in my photo that the caramel isn't really a golden brown.)

Take it off the heat and add in the cream and vanilla carefully.

Stir til smooth.

Add in the peanuts and stir to combine.

Pour this mixture over the chopped chocolate and spread with the back of a spoon.

I actually had to pop it back in the oven for just one minute to help melt the chocolate.

You can speed up the cooling process by placing it in the fridge. It will help firm it up and make cutting easier.

Chocolate Peanut Cookie Bars


Crust:

1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, roasted

1 cup AP flour

1/2 cup sugar

Scant 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

8 tbsp. unsalted cold butter, cut into pieces

Topping:

1/2 cup sugar

Scant 1 tsp. kosher salt, divided. (scant 1/2 tsp. reserved to sprinkle on top of finished bar.)
2 tbsp. water

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate ( I used 1/2 cup and would use a little more next time.)
1 1/2 cups unsalted roasted peanuts
*************************************

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a small baking pan ( I used my 7" x 11" pan).

1. Place the peanuts ( 2 cups total) in a single layer in a medium sized baking sheet and roast in a 350 oven for

about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool a few minutes.

To make crust:

2. Combine 1/2 cup of peanuts, flour, sugar and the kosher salt in a food processor and pulse til nuts are ground and mixture is well blended.

3. Add butter pieces and pulse til mixture resembles cornmeal.

4. Press mixture into pan and bake for 30 minutes or til slightly golden brown.

5. Cool completely on wire rack.

To make topping:

1. Sprinkle the crust with the chopped chocolate.

2. Combine sugar, scant 1/2 tsp. the kosher salt and water in pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring til sugar is dissolved. Continue boiling, swirling pan occasionally til it turns a caramel color. Do not stir!

3. Remove pan from heat and carefully stir in cream and vanilla.

4. Stir nuts into the caramel mixture and pour over the chocolate. Spread with the back of a spoon.

5. Sprinkle scant 1/2 tsp. of the kosher salt over nuts. (I had to pop back into the oven for just a minute to melt the chocolate a little.)

6. Cool completely before cuuting. (Place into fridge to speed up cooling.)

Cinnamon Flop Coffee Cake

As my cookbook collection continues to grow ( yes, I bought two more yesterday!), I feel compelled..and downright guilty.. that I haven't made enough recipes from the books I already have! So having said that, I bring you the Cinnamon Flop Coffee Cake from one of my favorite vintage cookbooks, "Great Home Cooking in America" by the Food Editors of Farm Journal.

I love reading the comforting collection of recipes that originated in all parts of the world, yet have become popular American recipes today. Recipes that came from farm kitchens of America.

This coffee cake originates from the Pennsylvania Dutch Country and it's sometimes called Moravian Coffee Cake. It's easy to throw together, not using yeast in the dough. And it's a great quick cake to make for breakfast..or a snack cake any time of day.

As the cake bakes, the brown sugar cinnamon topping falls (or flops!) into the batter and gives a wonderful sugary crunch to the cake. It also gives the cake a funny face! Hey, maybe they should have called it Funny Face Cake! Whatever you call it, it's delicious!

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and cut up butter pieces with your fingers to make nice crumbly crumbs. Then set this aside.

In another small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt and set this aside a minute.

In a medium mixing bowl, using a hand held mixer, cream the shortening with the granulated sugar.

Then add the egg and vanilla and beat well to combine.

Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, alternately with the milk...

Beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Pour this batter into your prepared pan.

And sprinkle the top all over with the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or til golden brown.

Cinnamon Flop Coffe Cake ( from "Great Home Cooking in America")

Makes 8 servings

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed ( I used light brown)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 cups AP flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. shortening

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup whole milk

****************************

Preheat oven to 425. Grease an 8" square pan.

1. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add butter pieces and mix with your fingers til crumbly. Set aside.

2. In another small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, cream shortening, gradually beating in granulated sugar.

4. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well to combine.

5. Stir in the flour mixture, using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

6. Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle the top with the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.

7. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or til golden brown.

NOTE: While this recipe is delicious as is, I would make a few little changes next time.

I would cut the brown sugar down to 1/2 cup and add another 1/2 tsp.cinnamon.

( Just for the record, my son Kris disagrees and loves this cake just as is!)
And maybe..add a few chopped walnuts or pecans? Maybe? I'm just sayin'!

Oat Shortbread Cookies

Today was a busy day in the kitchen so I needed a quick and easy cookie to make and this shortbread cookie certainly was quick and easy!
Not only was it a snap to make but it has the most wonderful buttery flavor with a nice crunch from the ground oatmeal. It almost seems as though there are nuts in the cookie..with all that crunch.
You can make the dough ahead and wrap and chill it, then bake the next day if you're pressed for time, baking however many you need. Just slice and bake them. My kind of cookie!

Begin by pulsing the oats in a food processor to a fine powder.

Just keep pulsing til they become fine and powdery like flour.

Then mix the flour, oat flour in a small bowl and set aside.

In a mixer bowl, mix butter, sugar, vanilla and salt til incorporated, one to two minutes.Don't overmix.

Add in the oat/flour mixture and mix to combine til just incorporated.

The mixture can look a little crumbly still. Once you gather it up and form it into a log it will be fine.

Form the log and wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper and place into the fridge to chill 3 hours or overnight.

The just slice 1/4" slices and bake.

Oat Shortbread Cookies ( from the L.A. Times)

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup ( 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cup AP flour

**************************

1. Pulse oats in food processor to a fine powder. Set aside.

2.In mixer bowl, mix butter, sugar, vanilla and salt, 1 to 2 minutes.Don't overmix.

3. Stir in oats and flour mixture just til incorporated.

4. Divide dough in half and shape each into a log. Wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper and place into the fridge for 3 hours or overnight.

5. Slice dough 1/4" thick and place on baking sheet, spacing 2" apart.

6. Chill on sheets 15 minutes. While chilling, preheat oven to 325.

7. Bake til edges begin to brown, about 16 to 18 minutes.

8. Remove from sheet and allow to cool on wire rack.

Cookies store best in cookie tins.

Chocolate Orange Brownies

There are tons of brownie recipes floating around the internet and, let's face it, when you put chocolate, butter, sugar and chocolate chips together, chances are the end result is going to be pretty darn delicious. But..wait..it can get better! Add in a shot of Grand Marnier and some orange zest and now you've got something special.
I came upon this recipe, not even looking for brownies, but it sounded so good, I just had to give it a try. If you love the combination of chocolate and orange, you really have to make these.
I love the use of the bittersweet chocolate and just brown sugar in these and, of course, the Grand Marnier helps heighten the whole orange flavor giving you a rich, chocolatey brownie that when baked just right is more fudgey than cakey and just so darn good!

Melt the butter and bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water.
Stir the mixture til smooth.
Then add in the brown sugar and stir til that's dissolved.


Remove the bowl from the heat and add in the vanilla...

And the Grand Marnier.

Then add in the grated orange zest.

In a small bowl, sift the flour, cocoa and salt and set aside a minute.

Now continue ( oops..this picture is kind of out of order!) by adding in the eggs, one at a time, whisking til completely blended.

Stir in the flour mixture til just blended.

Fold in the mini chocolate chips...

And pour the batter into your prepared 8" square pan.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or til tester comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Midnight Chocolate Brownie Bites ( adapted from The L.A. Times)
(I renamed them Chocolate Orange Brownies)
The original recipe says they make 25 brownies, and I'm guessing, because they call them brownie bites, this would be a tiny bite.

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 lb. bittersweet chocolate ( I used bittersweet chips)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar ( I used light brown)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. Grand Marnier

1 1/2 tsp. orange zest

2 eggs

1/4 cup best quality cocoa powder

1/4 cup AP flour

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

**********************************

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8" square pan with foil and lightly butter sides and bottom of foil.

1. Melt butter and bittersweet chocolate in medium metal bowl over barely simmering water til smooth, stirring occasionally.

2. Add in brown sugar, stirring to dissolve.

3. Remove bowl from heat and add in vanilla and Grand Marnier.

4. Add the orange zest.

5. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, til completely blended. Mix til shiny and smooth. The mixture will be thickened at this point.

6. Sift cocoa powder, flour and salt in a small bowl. Then stir into batter til just blended.

7. Fold in mini chips.

8. Pour into prepared pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes, or til puffed and almost set. Check by inserting a toothpick into center. It should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging. Don't overbake.

Cool in pan approx. 30 minutes, then take out of pan to cool completely before cutting.