white chocolate strawberry jam cookies

a couple weekends ago, we spent a saturday at my parents' for three reasons: my mom's double nickel birthday, father's day, and to make as many four ounce jars of strawberry jam as we could. an hour and a half into it, we made four batches of jam, jarred close to thirty jars, and were starting our clean up when mom stopped mid-sentence "now really, why does anybody ever buy jam? it's so easy to make. it takes no time, it just dirties a lot of pots." i think she's on to something.

if you've never made your own jam before, it's easy. unbelievably easy and pretty dang hard to mess it up. last year, i went directly to the source - my almost eighty year old grandfather, who has been making jam longer than i've been alive - and learned a few tips to make jamming even easier.

so rather than make another jam, i wanted my jam in a cookie, but not a thumbprint. sure, thumbprints are great, but to me they're almost, ever so slightly mundane. and they're a christmas cookie in my book.

thumbprints are out. lucky for me that left me with these white chocolate raspberry jam cookies i bookmarked in my google reader last summer. swapping out the raspberry jam for strawberry was easy, the hard part was how to marble the jam into the cookie.

the first sheet, i spooned the jam over the cookie and marbled it with a paring knife. they came out ok, but i wondered if there was a better way.

the second sheet, i mixed it up. i added the jam and then poked holes in the dough with a toothpick (left). i spooned jam on top of the dough and did nothing else (middle). and i swirled jam with a toothpick (right). honestly - and as you can tell by the pictures - it doesn't really matter what method you use. mine all came out pretty much the same.

and while these aren't very attractive cookies, they're delicious with homemade jam.

white chocolate strawberry jam cookies
adapted from hot polka dot
1 hour, makes 18 cookies

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup strawberry jam

1. preheat your oven to 350F and place a rack in the center. line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 
2. in a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together. add the egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated. 
3. in a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
4. slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until incorporated. mix in the white chocolate.
5. spoon dough in heaping tablespoons on the cookie sheet. use the flat bottom of a glass to lightly flatten the cookies. 
6. spoon about 1 teaspoon of jam onto each cookie. spread the jam around so it evenly covers the top of the cookie.
7. bake about ten minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned. cool completely on a wire rack and store in a sealed container. these cookies are best within a day or two of when they're made.

strawberry lemon bars

while there's no doubt i am a lover of berries through and through, there are very few berry and fruit combinations that i really like. strawberry + lemon is one of them. it doesn't hurt that jason loves lemon desserts. which is shocking, since he mentions often that he doesn't "like dessert." yes, really. which is actually good for me, since his lack of a sweet tooth often limits how much i bake. my pants are thankful.

these are classic lemon bars - perfectly tart and sweet - spiked with fresh strawberry juice, another great use for super ripe berries that may not look quite as pretty as their less ripe counterparts. got a favorite sweet tart crust? fill it with this strawberry lemon filling for a grown up version of the bars.

strawberry lemon bars
adapted from baking bites
1 hour, makes 24 bars

the crust to filling ratio for us was a little low - the filling is perfectly sweet-tart and it needs the cookie crust to balance it out a bit. next time i will make one and a half or double the crust. [curious about a thicker crust? check out leanne's version with one and a half times the crust and an AP/wheat flour blend!]

for the crust:

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

for the filling:

1 cup fresh lemon juice
3 teaspoons lemon zest
1/2 cup pureed strawberries (about 3/4 cup berries)
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. preheat your oven to 350F and grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. set aside.
2. make the crust by creaming the sugar and butter together in a bowl. with the mixture on low, gradually beat in flour and salt until crumbly. dump the mixture into the pan and press into the bottom in an even layer. bake for about 17 minutes, until the edges are set and the top is starting to brown.
3. prepare the filling while the crust bakes. in the bowl of a food processor, combine the lemon juice, zest, sugar, and eggs. pulse until smooth. add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and process until smooth.
4. when the crust has finished baking, pour the filling immediately over the crust (no need for it to cool). bake for an additional 25 minutes, or until the filling is set.
5. cool completely before slicing and store in the refrigerator.

check out more sweet treats at sweet tooth friday!

strawberry vanilla summer cake

it's day three of strawberry week! be sure to check out the other recipes using one of my favorite fruits.

this cake is great after a nice, light, summer dinner, with a side of lightly whipped cream. and it's even better the next morning for breakfast. the strawberries turn super sweet, and almost jam-like, creating a perfect layer of strawberry goodness over a moist vanilla cake.

while i'm definitely keeping this cake in my arsenal for next summer - or another lonely quart of super ripe berries - i would make a few adjustments next time.

i used grandpa's homegrown berries, tiny, thumbnail sized berries rather than the big, fat berries at the grocery store. the small berries, especially cut in half, made a layer of strawberry jam on top of the cake. next time, i'll leave the berries whole and layer them between the cake batter rather than leave them all on top. and instead of making two small cakes, i'm going to make one big cake, baked in a springform pan. i was sure to well grease my pan, and the sides and bottom still stuck to the pan enough so it bugged me. a springform pan should cure it.

other strawberry cakes on my to bake list:
joy the baker's strawberry upside-down cake with cardamom
piece of cake's strawberry buttermilk upside-down cake
the galley gourmet's strawberry dream cake
russian season's strawberry sponge cake

strawberry vanilla summer cake
adapted from smitten kitchen, who adapted it from martha stewart
1 hour, makes 2 six inch cakes or 1 nine or ten inch cake

while deb made a nine inch cake, i decided to split the cake into two six inch cakes (one for me, one for work). the six inch cakes baked beautifully and deb warned that a standard nine inch pie plate isn't big enough for this cake; it will overflow. the most viable options: a deep dish nine inch pan, two deep six inch pans, and a nine or ten inch springform pan.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup vanilla sugar (or granulated sugar + the seeds of a vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

1 egg, room temperature
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
small splash of vanilla extract, about 1/4 teaspoon
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and halved
2 tablespoons vanilla or plain sugar

1. preheat your oven to 350F. grease a nine inch deep dish pan or two six by two inch pans and set aside.
2. in a medium bowl, beat the butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy with a mixer. mix in the egg, milk, and vanilla, until combined. with the mixer on low, mix in 1 cup of the flour, then the baking powder and salt. finish with the last half cup of flour and mix until combined.
3. pour mixture into prepared pan or pans and smooth over the top. spread the strawberries over the top of the batter in a single layer. i had a double layer of berries, since they were so small. sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the berries.
4. bake for 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 325F and bake until brown and a toothpick comes out clean. deb suggests 50 to 60 minutes for a nine inch cake and my six inch cakes took about 40 minutes, but you may want to check them after 35 minutes.
5. let the cake cook in the pan on a rack (don't try to invert it while hot, unless you want a hot strawberry mess on your hands. the berries turn jam-like and make a mess when the cake it still hot). cut into wedges and serve with whipped cream.

check out more sweet treats at sweets for a saturday!

strawberry sorbet

i bought my ice cream machine soon after we moved into our house in late may 2009. the very first thing i made was a basic vanilla ice cream made with milk and heavy cream (it took me a while to work up to custard based ice cream) and topped with fresh strawberries. soon after, i made this strawberry sorbet.

sorbet is the easiest frozen dessert you could ever make. juice some fruit, add some sugar and a splash of vodka, and freeze in your ice cream machine. super easy. and the flavor is incredible. i made mine from a quart of super ripe berries i got at the public market for a steal. apparently most people think ripe, super red strawberries are past their prime, rather than in it.

strawberry sorbet
adapted from david liebovitz, in the perfect scoop
1 hour prep, makes 3 cups

1 pound fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and halved
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vodka
pinch of salt

1. toss the strawberries with the sugar and vodka in a bowl. cover and let sit about an hour, stirring occasionally.
2. pour the strawberry mixture into a blender and add a healthy pinch of salt. blend until smooth.
3. refrigerate the mixture (in the blender carafe) until very cold, at least one hour, or overnight.
4. process according to your ice cream maker instructions.

check out more sweet treats at sweet tooth friday & sweets for a saturday!

this recipe was selected by Alli as one of her top five favorites for sweet tooth friday!

1:1 berry cobber

i'm officially moved, settled and trying to get my act together and start blogging again.

in hopes that you will forgive me for being away for so long i'm offering up this recipe that is a seemingly impossible combination of easy and delicious. seriously, you usually have to pick between one or the other, but this baby blows that theory right out of the water.

i've been doing my best to take advantage of all the berries that are coming into season right now by going to pick them myself. there's just something about coming home with red fingers and scraped ankles and pounds and pounds of berries. 

this recipe calls for 2 1/2 to 3 cups of berries, which is about the same amount of batter used, hence the 1:1 title. i used a combination of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and a handful of cherries. i just realized cherries might not technically be a berry? can anyone confirm or deny this? they do end in "erry", but i'm not convinced.

basically, you stick a few tablespoons on butter in the pan while your oven is preheating and let it get warm and melty. whip up the batter, stick in the berries, cover with pecans and brown sugar and you're done! seriously, how easy is that?

warning: when you take this pan out of the oven you will be tempted to dig right in. seriously, it smells that good. when i ran my knife around the edge of the pan and caught a rogue berry i thought it would be smart to pop it in my mouth. boy, i was wrong. molten hot berry lava, as it turns out, equals major mouth burning.

but, if you have the self control to ignore it and let it cool you will have a summery, seasonal and scrumptious dessert on your hands. i quickly threw together some whipped cream to dollop on top, it's the boyfriend's favorite, but you could easily use cool whip, ice cream, or just let the cake fly solo. 

to close, thank you for bearing with me during my brief hiatus. now that i'm settled i'm really looking forward to getting back into the swing of things blog-wise. i've missed you all!

1:1 berry cobbler

adapted from eating out loud

serves 9 

ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 to 3 cups chopped fruit

1/4 cup pecans (optional)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees. add butter to 8x8 baking pan and place in oven during preheat. keep an eye on it and make sure to take it out once the butter is completely melted.

2. coarsely chop fruit and set aside.

3. in a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. add milk and continue to whisk until batter has no lumps.

4. in baking pan with melted butter, pour batter in but do not stir! the butter will pool around the sides and top - this is totally okay.

5. place berries evenly over batter and sprinkle with nuts and brown sugar. bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and tests done.

nutritional information:

calories: 219, fat: 7.14g, cholesterol: 7mg, sodium: 133mg, carbs: 37g, fiber: 2.18g, sugars: 25g, protein: 2.84g.

as always, thank you for reading & happy baking!

amanda

strawberry mojitos: the kickoff to strawberry week!

for as long as i can remember, my grandpa has grown strawberries and every summer makes a batch of strawberry jam. this year, when i visited my mom for her birthday, she had a few quarts of berries grandpa picked for me to take home. by a few, she meant three. 

so just as i had a week of blackberries last year (i have a feeling it will be back again this year), i'm kicking off strawberry week with a variation of my all time favorite drink: the mojito! so stay tuned this week, as i'll have a new strawberry recipe every day for the next seven days! (miss a day? check out the strawberry week link on the right side of the page.)

strawberry mojitos
adapted from white on rice couple, who adapted it from the berry bible
10 minutes, makes 1

i always have simple syrup on hand (i use it in my morning coffee, it takes no time to make and dissolves a lot better than granulated sugar). if you don't, make more than you need and store it in the refrigerator for a few weeks.

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water

3 fresh strawberries
4-5 fresh spearmint sprigs, chopped or torn into smaller pieces
1/2 lime
2 ounces light rum (optional, leave it out for a virgin mojito)
club soda

1. in a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. bring to a boil and boil until the mixture is clear. remove from heat and let cool. store extra in the refrigerator.
2. in a tall glass, add 3 tablespoons simple syrup, the strawberries, and the mint and muddle together with the back of a spoon or a muddler.
3. squeeze the juice from the lime into the glass, add the rum and stir well. 
4. fill the glass with ice and top off with soda water.

mexican baked eggs

i'm starting to think that eggs really are the perfect meal. they're great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. they cook fast and can be cooked a number of different ways. these eggs get a bonus: make the beans and tomatoes once for a weekend breakfast and a weeknight dinner.

i saw this recipe last christmas, amidst a flurry of sugar and chocolate, and bookmarked it for later. needless to say, the recipe and thought got lost in the back of the bin, with other layer cakes and elaborate dishes. until last sunday. when i wanted something more substantial than a bowl of cereal for breakfast. these eggs were just the thing i was looking for. the only thing missing was a thin slice of avocado to top it off.

looking for more tasty ways to prepare eggs?
poached egg with avocado and fresh pico de gallo
weekend breakfast bowls
potato frittata
italian eggs
 
mexican baked eggs
adapted from kalyn's kitchen
30 minutes, serves 4 to 6

i split this into two meals. on sunday morning, i split the bean mixture in half and baked it with four eggs. later that week, i heated up the rest of the beans and folded them into an omelet. both ways were delicious.

1 small onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced 
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano

15 ounces black beans, rinsed and drained
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes 
8 eggs
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

1. grease one large or two small casserole dishes and set aside.
2. coat the bottom of a medium saute pan with olive oil and set over medium heat. add the onion and garlic and saute until starting to soften, about five minutes.
3. stir in the cumin and oregano and cook, stirring constantly, about two minutes.
4. add the black beans and diced tomatoes. simmer about 10 minutes, or until thickened. 
5. preheat your oven to 450F.
6. divide half of the beans evenly among the casserole dishes you're using. sprinkle with cheese and crack as many eggs as you would like on top of the beans. spoon the rest of the beans around the eggs.
7. bake for about 5 minutes for soft eggs or 10 minutes for hard eggs. turn your oven to broil and cook an additional two minutes. serve with toast or tortillas.

2011.09.12 this was the Slow Roasted Italian's pick for the secret recipe club!