Category Archives: baking

Low Fat Cinnamon Almond Cookies

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Almond Cinnamon Cookies n

One cinnamon almond cookie to satisfy your sweet tooth coming up!

I admit it. I have a sweet tooth. I am a bonafide sugar addict. Jack claims he is not (although he seems to find my baked goods irresistible). With a renewed interest on putting a healthier twist to our recipes, but still keeping them tasty, I set out to transform a cookie recipe in my recipe box. It doesn’t even matter what this recipe was to begin with because it no longer resembles that recipe. The underlying premise of the recipe was that the cookie it created should satisfy my sweet tooth without being laden with bad fats. It also should add some protein and fiber to my day. I used yogurt cheese and applesauce to replace fats and add moisture. I swapped out some of the all purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour. The result of this experiment was successful enough to warrant its addition to our blog collection.  Of course, the serving size is one cookie. I cannot be held responsible if you like these cookies so much that you eat the whole batch to satisfy your secret inner cookie monster.

Low Fat Cinnamon Almond Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup low fat plain yogurt cheese*
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons smooth almond butter
1/2 tsp powdered lemon peel (or 1 tsp fresh lemon zest)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Top with mixture of 1 tbsp granulated sugar and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, yogurt cheese, applesauce, almond butter, lemon vanilla and eggs.
  3. In a medium bowl, sift together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
  4. Stir flour mixture into sugar mixture.
  5. Scoop tablespoon-sized amounts of dough and place on prepared baking sheet.
  6. Slightly flatten cookies and sprinkle with topping made of sugar and cinnamon mixture.
  7. Bake for 15 – 18 minutes. Cookies should be puffy and lightly browned on edges and bottom.

Makes 20 cookies

*To make your own yogurt cheese, suspend cheese cloth in a plastic storage container. I use a rubber band around the mouth of a narrow storage container to hold the cheese cloth in place. Pour plain low fat yogurt onto the suspended cheese cloth. Set in refrigerator overnight. The next day, you will see the extra liquid will be at the bottom of the container leaving a nice thick spreadable product in the cheese cloth to be used in place of cream cheese.

Sweet Adzuki Bean Twist Bread

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Adzuki bean twist bread n

Soft, slightly sweet dough layered with sweet adzuki bean paste. Yum!

This turned out to be a ridiculous recipe mash-up. I had some adzuki bean paste in my freezer – it’s always a good idea to make a big batch of adzuki bean paste because of the time and effort it takes. (Click here for directions.) We’re always happy to have some on hand. It’s delicious in anpan, adzuki rolls, and in other delectable pastries like sweet adzuki bean rolls. It’s smooth and sweet. An added benefit is the high fiber and good source of B vitamins. I searched cutterlight.com for adzuki and was surprised to see how many of our recipes feature this yummy paste. This is definitely a pantry staple for us.

I took the dough recipe from my twisted loaf cinnamon bread and swapped out the cinnamon spread with adzuki bean paste. This bread creation was a meal in itself – a delicious breakfast with a side of freshly brewed joe. It was packed with the delicious flavor of the beans which perfectly complemented the dough. And the presentation was pretty cool, too.

Adzuki Bean Twist Bread

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup lukewarm milk
  • 1 tbsp  granulated sugar
  • 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup adzuki bean paste (recipe here)

Directions

  1. Mix milk, sugar and yeast together in a large bowl. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
  2. Add the egg, butter, 1 cup of bread flour and salt. Stir well to combine.
  3. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.
  4. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
  5. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle, approximately 18″ x 12″.
  6. Spread adzuki bean paste over dough evenly. Leave about 1/2″ border.
  7. Roll up dough jelly-roll style to form a long log.
  8. Cut log down the middle, the long way.
  9. “Braid” by wrapping the two cut pieces around each other, always leaving the cut sides up.
  10. Pinch ends of dough so that they will bake together.
  11. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until golden brown.

 

Pesto Mozzarella Muffins

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Pesto cheese muffins n

Savory pesto and that delicious strip of baked parmesan cheese make an irresistible muffin. Soup’s up!

Toward the end of last summer, we began ordering vegetables from a local farmer here in Mongolia. The growing season is short, so we jumped at the chance for local produce. One week, I ordered a kilogram (over two pounds) of basil. Although I thought I had a general idea of what a kilo of basil would look like, my jaw dropped when my order arrived. It was a large grocery bag full of aromatic leaves and flowers. Every spare minute of the next three after-school afternoons were spent processing the basil – destemming, deflowering, and cleaning. After processing what seemed to be a mountain of basil, we made a purée of the leaves with olive oil and froze the end product in ice cube trays which we then packed into plastic zip-top freezer bags for winter use.

The work was worth it. The flavor of my first-ever batch of homemade pesto was phenomenally fresh and bright. It proved to be the perfect ingredient to infuse into a savory muffin to serve alongside a hot bowl of homemade bean soup.

Pesto Mozzarella Muffins

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup pesto
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  2. Grease 12 standard muffin cups
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, olive oil and milk.
  5. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture.
  6. Fold pesto and mozzarella into batter until it is evenly incorporated. Do not overmix.
  7. Divide batter evenly into muffin cups.
  8. Bake muffins until are golden and they spring back to the touch, about 20 – 25 minutes. A wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean.
  9. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Almond Matcha Snowball Cookies – A Green Tea Twist on a Classic

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almond match snowball cookies n

The light texture with the rich, complex flavors of matcha and almond put this cookie into the “favorites” category of my recipe file.

The tin of matcha green tea powder in my pantry continually inspires ideas. The powder is easy to use and has a distinctive flavor. I’ve made mini matcha cheesecakes, matcha butter cookies, and even matcha flavored ice cream. At this time of year, Jack always requests Russian tea cakes. He has fond memories of these delightful cookies tied to both Christmas and his grandmother. I thought I would create a recipe combining the texture and look of the traditional Russian snowballs with the inspiring flavor of matcha. This recipe is not shy on flavor. The small cookies give two bites with the pow of almond and the zip of matcha.

Almond Matcha Snowball Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 tsp water
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 tsp almond extract
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 tbsp matcha tea powder
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar, for rolling

Directions

  1. Mix butter, water, egg and extracts together in a small bowl.
  2. Sift together matcha tea powder, powdered sugar and flour in large bowl.
  3. Stir almonds into flour mixture.
  4. Stir butter mixture into flour mixture. Mix until dough forms. Add additional water if mixture is dry.
  5. Let dough chill for 30 minutes in refrigerator.
  6. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C).
  7. Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, scoop out dough and shape into balls.
  8. Bake on baking sheet for 20 minutes. Cookies should be lightly browned on the edges when done.
  9. Cool completely on a wire rack.
  10. Roll cooled cookies in powdered sugar.
  11. Store at room temperature in an air tight container.

Makes 48 cookies.

Noodle Kugel – Entirely from Scratch or Not a Kosher Kitchen Kugel

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noodle kugel n

A rich and creamy dish topped with crunchy noodles and speckled with cinnamon and currants. It’s especially delicious on a cold, snowy Sunday morning.

“Soul food” for us are the foods that stir strong memories and pleasant associations. If you’ve been following this blog, you already know that our soul food doesn’t harken from one location, one culture, or even one group of people. We have an eclectic past – one might say checkered – where food and food associations are always the common denominator.

That brings us to the present where I am in my kitchen in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, with a craving for warm noodle kugel inspired by my Jewish roots. I don’t know who gave me my first taste of this rich, satisfying and sweet dish. Maybe it was one of my Jewish grandmas, who still metaphorically lurk in my kitchen. Noodle kugel is a relatively easy dish with normally available ingredients. This version of noodle kugel has been adapted to my Mongolian pantry, which means I started with egg pasta I made from scratch. I substituted the traditional cottage cheese with homemade ricotta because I can’t find cottage cheese here. The ricotta turned out to be a delicious substitution. And I used currants instead of raisins – just because they are tasty and pack a big bang of flavor into a cute little package. The end result was as satisfying as I remember. I’d like to think mine tasted better than my memory serves if only because of the fresh pasta.

Scratch Noodle Kugel

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup homemade ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 4 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3 cups wide egg noodles, cooked al dente
  • 1/4 cup dried currants

Directions

  1. Grease an 8 x 8 inch glass baking dish (20 x 20 cm).
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  3. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together first 6 ingredients.
  4. Gently mix noodles into egg mixture.
  5. Fold in currants.
  6. Pour noodle mixture into prepared baking dish.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes. Custard should be set and top of kugel should be lightly browned.

The Secret to Super Moist, Sweet Cornbread

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cornbread super moist n

Moist cake-like cornbread, a perfect accompaniment to a spicy chili or a spicy stew.

We. love. cornbread. From muffin-shaped to loaf-shaped cornbread, from cornbread made with coarse cut cornmeal to smooth cornbread made with fine meal, we love them all. After years of making and enjoying different versions, I think we now have a favorite. The secret is plain yogurt. This sweet, moist version has a lovely flavor and a smooth texture that has put this recipe at the front of our recipe box.

Moist Sweet Cornbread

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup cornmeal, fine ground
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

  1. Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking dish, or a 9-inch springform pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. In a medium pan, melt butter over medium heat. Remove pan from heat.
  3. Stir in sugar.
  4. Mix in eggs and yogurt.
  5. In a medium bowl, whisk together baking soda, cornmeal, flour, and salt.
  6. Pour flour mixture into butter mixture. Mix well.
  7. Pour batter into baking dish.
  8. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Cornbread will be lightly brown and a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean.

Maple Pumpkin Pie Brûlée or What to do with leftover pie filling?

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Pumpking Brulee n

Dark maple syrup and good bourbon put this pumpkin pie filling over the top. We invariably have extra – perfect for an American-style crème brûlée. 

We are right around the corner from the pumpkin pie holiday of the year – my birthday. 😉 Last weekend, Jack made his delicious maple pumpkin pie from a fresh pumpkin we found in one of our local markets here in Ulaanbaatar. As is often the case, we ended up with extra filling, so…

Armed with granulated sugar and a kitchen torch, I put it to delicious use. This brûlée deserves a recipe of it’s own and could easily take the place of my traditional birthday pie or Thanksgiving dessert. Follow the original recipe here to make a traditional pie. Or use this recipe to make eight individual servings of a new twist on a holiday favorite.

Maple Pumpkin Pie Brûlée

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 cups pumpkin purée, either canned or made from fresh roasted pumpkin or squash
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp mace or nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp bourbon
  • extra granulated sugar for the top

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Mix next nine ingredients into eggs. Mixture should be smooth.
  4. Evenly divide mixture into 8 half cup ramekins.
  5. Place ramekins in a large baking dish.
  6. Pour enough water into baking dish so that water comes at least halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
  7. Bake until the filling is set, about 40 minutes.
  8. Remove ramekins from water and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. (Covered, they will keep nicely for a couple of days.)
  9. Half an hour before serving, set the ramekins on counter to come to room temperature.
  10. Sprinkle a generous 1/2 tsp of granulated sugar on top of each ramekin.
  11. Using a kitchen torch, melt the sugar to create a crisp, caramelized top.
  12. Allow the pumpkin brûlée to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 half cup ramekins.

You might also like our other favorite pumpkin pie recipe by Craig Claiborne.

Onion Focaccia

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Focaccia Onion n

Ready for sandwiches or to accompany soups or salads, this flavorful and versatile belongs in your repertoire!

The base recipe for this scrumptious allows you to add different herbs and seasonings such as rosemary or even saffron. In this recipe, I used dried onions. But onions could be substituted with olives, sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, or any number of savory add-ins. With a little imagination, focaccia could be turned from savory to sweet by using dried fruit and coconut. Today’s version features the traditional flavor and richness of olive oil with minced onions. I love onion flavor!

Onion Focaccia

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp active dry yeast
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water (105 degrees F/40 degrees C)
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup dried onions
  • Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, stir together yeast, sugar, and water.
  2. Stir in 1/4 cup of the extra virgin olive oil.
  3. Stir in 1 cup of the flour and the salt.
  4. Stir in another cup of the flour and the dried onions.
  5. Add in another cup of flour and mix.
  6. Knead in the last cup of flour 1/4 cup at a time. Dough should be soft, smooth and slightly sticky.
  7. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.
  8. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  9. Turn dough out onto the parchment paper. Press the dough to flatten to about 1 inch thickness.
  10. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for about an hour.
  11. Make deep indentations with your your fingertips all over the surface of the dough.
  12. Drizzle remaining olive oil over top of dough. Let stand while you preheat oven.
  13. Set oven temperature to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
  14. Sprinkle dough lightly with coarse sea salt.
  15. Bake bread for 20 – 25 minutes. Bread is done when bottom is lightly browned.
  16. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Moist Macadamia Nut Coffee Cake

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Macadamia Nut Coffee Cake n

Crunchy, salted and toasted macadamia nuts knock this moist coffee cake recipe out of the park.

I’ve started on a project to collect excellent “base” recipes to which I can easily interchange ingredients. My initial collection includes baked goods such as braided bread, muffins and bagels. With this collection in mind, I opened one of my favorite baking recipe books, The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book, and flipped through it to my go-to focaccia recipe. On my way to that recipe, I was distracted by a delicious-looking macadamia nut coffee cake recipe.

Some of my best side trips have been when I have given in to distraction. This was definitely a worthy side trip! I did adapt the recipe slightly, but it turns out that it perfectly fit my definition of a “base” recipe. Macadamia nuts could be swapped out for other kinds of nuts. Dried fruit could be added or even a thin layer of homemade jam in the middle. Now there’s an idea!

Macadamia Nut Coffee Cake

Ingredients

Topping

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp galangal (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces

Cake

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • pinch salt
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup roasted macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Make topping. In a small bowl whisk together first four topping ingredients. Rub in butter with your fingers until coarse crumbs form. Set bowl aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together first six cake ingredients.
  4. In another medium bowl, mix together yogurt, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
  5. Pour wet ingredients into dry. Mix well.
  6. Pour half the batter into prepared springform pan.
  7. Sprinkle half of topping mixture evenly onto batter.
  8. Cover evenly with remaining batter.
  9. Sprinkle nuts evenly over top of batter. Press them into batter slightly.
  10. Cover with remaining topping.
  11. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes. Top should be golden brown and a wooden pick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean.
  12. Cool pan on wire rack for 20 minutes.
  13. Remove sides of springform pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Chewy Melty Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

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Double chocolate oatmeal cookies n

Some people enjoy warm chocolatey cookies with cold glasses of milk. We prefer ours with a splash of bourbon. 

This recipe adds to the already deliciously chewy texture of oatmeal cookies by including cocoa powder for another layer of flavor. A zip of cinnamon adds still another layer. We couldn’t wait for these to cool. We were rewarded with a scrumptious cookie with a rich melty center, thanks to the chocolate chips. Perfect on a day when a rare fog crept into Ulaanbaatar “on little cat feet” and froze to bare tree branches.

Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 3 tbsp dutch processed cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • generous pinch salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup butter, unsalted
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • generous 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  3. Whisk together the following dry ingredients:  flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  4. In a medium pot over medium heat, melt butter. When butter is melted, remove pot from heat.
  5. Mix sugar and honey into melted butter.
  6. Mix egg and vanilla into sugar mixture.
  7. Stir dry ingredients into sugar mixture. Mix well.
  8. Fold oats into dough.
  9. Fold chocolate chips into dough.
  10. Place tablespoon-sized scoops of dough onto prepared baking sheets. Press dough down to flatten slightly.
  11. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy while still warm and melty.