Tag Archives: baking

The Galangal Experiment: Orange Pecan Galangal Scones

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Galangal, Pecan, Orange Scones

Scones are easy to make and always a favorite with a cup of coffee or tea.

Penzeys Spices is one of our grown up toy catalogues. Last spring, we pored over every page as we created a list of the spices and seasonings we thought we might want for the following year. During this perusal, a number of unfamiliar spices piqued our interest. One such item was galangal. Also known as blue ginger, galangal is indeed a member of the ginger family, but has a more intense, flowery taste not much at all like the ginger we’re familiar with. Perhaps cardamom is a closer comparison.

Recently, we came across a lemon-ginger scone recipe that seemed ripe for a makeover. In the following recipe, pecans and orange zest meld with the pleasantly flowery galangal to create a new classic. The yogurt gave the scone a moister texture that traditional recipes.

Orange Pecan Galangal Scones

Ingredients

Scone:

  • 2  1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp galangal
  • finely grated zest of one orange
  • healthy pinch of salt
  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 3/4 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/4 cup orange juice

Icing:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp orange juice

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and galangal.
  4. Stir in sugar, salt and zest.
  5. Stir in pecans.
  6. Using wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in orange juice. Then stir in yogurt.
  7. On a lightly floured surface, gently knead dough until it comes together. Do not over-knead.
  8. Press dough into a circle, about one inch thick.
  9. Cut circle into 8 wedges.
  10. Arrange wedges on baking sheet so there is about 1 inch in between each one.
  11. Bake scones for 20 minutes. Scones will be lightly browned on the bottom and pale on the top.
  12. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to continue cooling.
  13. Meanwhile, whisk powdered sugar and orange juice together to make drizzle icing. Consistency should be like honey.
  14. To drizzle icing, fill  a pastry bag with a small tip or a small Ziplock bag with a corner snipped, or simply use a spoon. Drizzle icing evenly over scones.
  15. Serve warm or room temperature.

Arctic Anpan 2 Ways: Azuki and Caribou Cha Sui (Sweetened Red Bean and Marinated Caribou)

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Anpan with Sweet Azuki Paste_n

Delicious steamed buns filled with sweetened red bean paste were the finishing touch to an Asian-inspired meal. All that was lacking was a cold Sapporo Beer… The beer will have to wait until summer.*

Wintertime fishing, birding or just bike riding with my daughter Maia in Japan is indelibly linked with one of my happiest food memories: stopping by a local bakery and purchasing piping hot steamed buns filled with sweetened bean filling (anpan) or marinated pork (nikuman). The filling was so hot we’d have to be careful not to burn our tongues. Those steamed buns were the perfect on-the-go snack on chilly days.

Anpan ready for the steamer_n

Filled with bean paste or marinated meat and ready for the steamer…

Known as bao or baozi in China, steamed buns were on our list of items to try making this year. With Maia in Point Hope visiting over winter break from Berkeley, the anpan and nikuman Barbra created turned out just like the ones we’d enjoyed back in Japan. After devouring anpan with sweet red bean filling, we all could imagine the buns stuffed with a variety of other fillings: vegetable mixtures, curry, barbequed caribou, fruit, or even chocolate!

Anpan freshly steamed_n

Light, freshly steamed, piping hot and ready to be lifted out of our fish poacher, anpan definitely fit the category “comfort food.”  The ones we made were about the size of tangerines.

Because we rely on our Zojirushi bread machine to regulate the temperature for consistently rising dough, the following recipe has been created for the dough cycle of a bread machine. As an alternative to steaming, the dough can be given an egg wash and baked at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. A recipe for Caribou Cha Sui follows the anpan recipe below. Click here to see a recipe for sweetened red bean filling.

Anpan

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tbsp extra light olive oil
  • 1  3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1  1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp dry yeast
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar

Directions

  1. Place first 6 ingredients into pan of bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer.
  2. Set machine to dough cycle. Start.
  3. After cycle is complete, punch down dough on a lightly floured surface.
  4. Sprinkle baking powder evenly over surface of dough.
  5. Knead dough for 5 minutes.
  6. Divide dough in half. Place half of dough in a covered bowl.
  7. Cut the remaining dough into 12 equal pieces.
  8. Roll dough pieces into balls and then flatten. Make sure that edges are thinner than the center.
  9. Fill dough with 1 teaspoon of desired filling. Bring edge of circle up to pinch closed so that none of the filling is showing.
  10. Place filled dough on a small piece of waxed or parchment paper. Continue with remaining dough balls.
  11. Repeat process with dough that has been covered in the bowl.
  12. Let all filled dough balls stand covered for another 30 minutes.
  13. Steaming process could be done in a steamer basket or a wok. I have a fish poacher with a raised grate and used this to steam the buns.
  14. Bring water and 1 tbsp vinegar to a boil in steamer.
  15. Place as many buns as will fit in steamer, allowing for about an inch between buns so that they don’t stick together as they cook.
  16. Cover with lid. Steam over boiling water for 15 minutes.

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Caribou Cha Sui (Works well with venison, moose, elk, lean beef or similar meat)

The first step is to create a marinade and let the tenderized caribou absorb the flavors overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, make a filling with the marinated caribou and stuff the anpan. The filling will make enough for 6 steamed buns (nikuman). This recipe is best started a day in advance to ensure the meat is properly marinated.

Ingredients (Makes 6 nikuman)

Filling:

Ingredients

  • 1/4 lb caribou, pounded/tenderized till 1/2 inch thick or thinner
  • cha sui marinade (see below)
  • 1/4 cup finely diced onions
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup beef stock (we use Better than Bouillon)
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • extra light olive oil

Directions:

  1. Place tenderized caribou in a glass bowl or container and completely cover with marinade.
  2. Cover glass container and place in refrigerator overnight.
  3. The following day…
    1. In a medium-sized frying pan, heat 1/2 tbsp oil over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles in pan.
    2. Sear caribou on each side to seal in the juices.
    3. Reduce heat to medium and cover pan. Continue cooking for 3 minutes on each side. Meat should be cooked to “medium.”
    4. Remove pan from heat and place cooked meat on a cutting board to rest a few minutes.
    5. Dice cooked caribou into 1/4 inch cubes and set aside.
    6. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and beef stock and set aside
    7. Wipe out the pan used to cook the caribou. Heat 1/2 tbsp oil over medium heat.
    8. Add diced caribou and onion to pan. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
    9. Add soy sauce, honey and sesame oil to pan. Stir fry for another minute.
    10. Add cornstarch and stock mixture to pan and continue cooking until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.
    11. Place caribou in bowl to cool prior to filling anpan rolls.
    12. See above directions for anpan to complete recipe.

Cha Sui Marinade:

Combine the following ingredients in a glass bowl:

  • 4 large cloves garlic, minced or chopped fine
  • 1/2 tsp dried ginger
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1/4 tsp dry fennel
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  • pinch salt

*Point Hope, like many bush villages in Alaska, is dry. Every now and again a certain meal calls for a special adult beverage. At these times we miss being able to enjoy an alcoholic beverage. Most of the time we are content to wait until summer, which we spend in the “wet” town of Seward, Alaska or traveling.

Pumpkin Pancakes: A Tasty, Healthy Way to Start the Day

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Pumpkin Pancakes

Give your pancakes a tasty nutritional boost by stirring in some pumpkin purée left over from baking pies. Hot off the grill, these especially light pancakes are served with chopped pecans and a slice of smoked Alaskan salmon.

Pumpkin pie is practically a staple at our Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. Easy to make and inexpensive (pumpkins can generally be had for pennies per pound), pumpkin is also one of the more healthful pies. In fact, we sometimes have a slice sans whipped cream along with an egg for breakfast. But what to do with the leftover pumpkin purée, particularly if all you have is a cup or so? One of our favorite solutions is pumpkin pancakes. Use the same spices you would with pumpkin pie, hold the sugar, and you’ve got a great start to your day!

Pumpkin Pancakes 

Ingredients (4 medium-sized pancakes):

  • 1/2 cup pumpkin purée (or use butternut squash)
  • 1 cup your favorite pancake mix (we use Krusteaz buttermilk mix, which we buy in bulk at Costco)
  • approximately 3/4 cup cold water
  • 2 tbsp light olive oil
  • 1 – 2 tbsp butter
  • a healthy dash of nutmeg
  • a healthy dash of ginger
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

  1. Place purée and pancake mix in a small bowl or large measuring cup. Add cold water and stir. Mixture should be thick but pourable. Do not overstir. Batter should have lumps. This ensures for better rising pancakes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat a griddle or large frying pan over medium heat. Place the olive oil and butter onto the griddle. When oil is hot enough to sizzle when a small drop of batter is added, it’s ready. Pour batter onto the griddle in 4 separate portions and reduce heat to medium-low.
  3. When the surface of the pancakes have formed bubbles and the bottoms are golden brown, turn them over with a spatula.
  4. Reduce heat further, if necessary, and continue cooking pancakes till golden brown.

Once the griddle or pan is hot and the batter has been poured, reducing the heat will allow the pancakes to rise better. A fairly thick, heavy griddle or pan works best.

See also:

Big, Fluffy Blueberry One-Pan Pancakes

Smoked Salmon with Soy Sauce and Brown Sugar Brine

Maple Pecan Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin and Pecan Pies

Fluffy Hamburger Buns

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Fluffy Hamburger Buns_n

Tempting to eat straight from the oven, these soft rolls are perfect for any savory filling. The dough can be shaped to accommodate big burgers, sliders, or even hot dogs. Most recently, we enjoyed them with barbecued turkey sandwiches made from Christmas dinner leftovers.

I first made these soft and delicious buns to go with Jack’s Bison Sloppy Joes with Roasted Bell Peppers.  They came out perfectly soft and fluffy with no trace of doughiness. I’ve since made variations by adding dried onions into the dough as well as different toppings, such as sesame seeds. This recipe is now the go-to recipe for buns in our home.

Perfect Hamburger Buns

Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 tbsp extra light olive oil
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2  1/4 tsp yeast

Directions

  1. Place all the dough ingredients into the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer.
  2. Set machine to dough setting. Start machine.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  4. Turn finished dough onto a lightly oiled work surface.
  5. Knead for 2 – 3 minutes.
  6. Cut dough into 8 equal pieces.
  7. Take each piece and roll into ball using cupped hands.
  8. Place dough balls onto baking sheet.
  9. Flatten each dough ball into bun-size and shape. Dough balls should be about an inch thick.
  10. Cover with a cloth and let dough rise for 30 minutes.
  11. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  12. Bake rolls for 12 minutes, or until tops are golden.
  13. Cool on wire rack before slicing.

Adapted from Allrecipes.com.

Sour Cherry Almond Hearts

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Sour Cherry Almond Hearts_n

Tart dried cherries, sour cherry concentrate and almond extract combine to create wonderful flavors in these cookies which can be cut into fun and festive shapes to suit any holiday. 

One flavor we enjoy in our culinary creations is sour cherry. It has a wonderful flavor and stirs memories of our home in Sacramento and our sour cherry tree laden with ripe, bright red fruit. We always looked forward to seeing the birds this tree attracted as well as the ice creams, biscotti and sauces for pork and chicken the fruit starred in. While we can’t get sour cherries here in the Arctic, dried cherries are a must on our annual shopping list. This past summer during our annual bulk shopping, we came across sour cherry concentrate at Natural Pantry, a health food store in Anchorage. The concentrate, which claims  antioxidant benefits when consumed daily, was in the store’s vitamin section.

Of course, our first thoughts upon finding this concentrate went to the kitchen where we imagined an extraordinarily tangy-sweet syrup for our homemade Italian-style sodas and for Jack’s giant pancakes. The combination of the concentrate and the dried cherries sets these cookies far apart from the ordinary. Cherry liqueur might be a good substitute for the concentrate in the dough recipe.

Sour Cherry Almond Cookies

Ingredients

Cookie dough:

  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • pinch salt
  • 1  1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped dried cherries
  • 1 tbsp sour cherry concentrate

Frosting:

  • 2 oz. cream cheese
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tbsp sour cherry concentrate
  • 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. In a mixing bowl, combine butter and cream cheese. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until incorporated.
  4. Add sugar, almond extract, salt and sour cherry concentrate. Mix until well incorporated.
  5. Mix in half the flour until combined.
  6. Mix in dried cherries and remaining flour until combined.
  7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out desired shapes using a cookie cutter.
  8. Place cut cookies on cookie sheet.
  9. Bake for 14 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned.
  10. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then finish cooling on wire rack.
  11. While cookies are cooling, make frosting.

Frosting Directions:

  1. Clean and dry mixer bowl and beater.
  2. Combine cream cheese, butter and sour cherry concentrate in mixer bowl and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds.
  3. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Frosting should be of spreading consistency.
  4. When cookies are cooled, pipe frosting onto center of cookie.

Recipe makes 2 dozen cookies.

Maple Pecan Pumpkin Pie

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Pumpkin Pie with Pecans & Maple Syrup_n

Crunchy pecans drenched in maple syrup add an inviting twist to this classic autumn and wintertime dessert.

Two hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle, we’re a long way from the closest pumpkin patch, and at $65.00 and up, the pumpkins brought into the Native Store for Halloween didn’t tempt us. But Jack kept his eye on them, and as predicted, the day after Halloween the price fell by half. We held out a few days beyond that and the prices dropped another 50%. One of the wonderful things about squashes and pumpkins is that they keep well, and so we purchased a 17-pound beauty no worse for the extra week or two it had spent on the store shelves for only $18.00. Jack then set to work cutting up and roasting the pumpkin, seeds and all. The seeds were tossed with olive oil, garlic, salt, and a blend of Italian seasonings. Crisp, crunchy and zesty, they were devoured immediately. The pumpkin was roasted plain and then puréed with several uses in mind.

I used the first two cups of pumpkin purée to create a pie inspired by the superb Pennsylvania maple syrup that a friend had sent to us. Along with a healthy dollop of bourbon, maple syrup is the perfect compliment to the flavors in pumpkin pie filling. The pecans in this recipe come out sweet, light and crunchy.

Maple Pecan Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

Filling:

  • pastry crust for one 9-inch pie
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cups pumpkin purée
  • 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
  • 2 tbsp bourbon (optional)

Pecan Topping:

  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup pecan halves

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Line a 9-inch pie pan with pastry crust.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until frothy.
  4. Add pumpkin, whipping cream, maple syrup, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and mace. Beat well to mix. Pour mixture in the pastry-lined pie pan.
  5. Bake for 40 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, make pecan topping. Combine butter, sugar, syrup, and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly.
  7. Add pecan halves to topping mixture. Stir well.
  8. After pie has baked for 40 minutes, arrange pecan topping on top of pie.
  9. Cover edges of pie with foil to prevent burning and return pie to oven. Continue baking for 20 – 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of pie comes out clean.
  10. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
  11. Cover and refrigerate within 2 hours.

Adapted from The Baking Pan

Chocolate Chip Yogurt Cookies – It’s All About the Penzeys Dutch Processed Cocoa

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These dark, rich, chocolatey cookies disappeared within 24 hours of their creation. 

For this season in the Alaska bush, we ordered most of our spices and seasonings from Penzeys Spices. Whether we’re using their smoked chipotle chili peppers in a squash soup, the Italian seasoning blend we make from a combination of their herbs and spices, or a cup of hot cocoa, the quality of Penzeys’ products has been notable. In these cookies, its Penzeys’ Dutch-processed cocoa that takes them to a higher level.

By the way, yogurt is easy and economical to make in your own kitchen!

Chocolate Chip Yogurt Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 5 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 7 tbsp dutch processed cocoa
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Measure flour and baking soda into a medium bowl. Set aside.
  3. Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Remove from heat.
  4. Stir in cocoa and sugars.
  5. Add yogurt and vanilla. Mix well.
  6. Add flour just until combined.
  7. Drop by tablespoon onto parchment-covered baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
  8. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes. Cool on pan for a few minutes until firm. Finish cooling on wire racks.

Adapted from Myrecipes.com.

The Wonderful Purpleness of Low Bush Blueberry Fruit Bread

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Arctic Lowbush Blueberry Bread batter_n

This unusual bread became an instant favorite. What we didn’t slather with butter and devour straight out of the oven soon disappeared in our lunchtime peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and as breakfast toast. 

I was tickled purple with the color of this bread batter.

Blueberry on tundra at Shishmaref_n

Unlike the fat, juicy blueberries we used to pick at farms in Oregon, in the Arctic diminutive plants that grow mere inches off the ground produce tiny, tart berries. These berries ripen in August and, like cloudberries, are around only for a few weeks. But a lot of flavor comes in these small packages, and the dark purple color produces beautiful freezer jam. In Shishmaref, the berries grew only a short walk from our home on Sarichef Island. Here in Point Hope we rely on friends who drive Hondas (ATVs) out to the hills 20 or more miles away where the berries grow. Scanning the tundra for bright red leaves slightly smaller than shelled almonds leads to ripe fruit. The bush in this photo, growing among crowberries (the green foliage), barely rose above our shoe tops. (See Summer Blueberry Picking on the Arctic Tundra.)

Arctic Lowbush Blueberry Bread w butter_n

Low Bush Blueberry Fruit Bread

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp almond extract
  • 2 cups whole fruit blueberry jam

Directions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
  2. In another mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter and applesauce. Mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts.
  3. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just moistened.
  4. Stir in fruit jam.
  5. Pour into 2 greased bread pans (8 in. x 4 in. x 2 in.)
  6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55 – 65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

We make two loaves at a time using the above recipe. Keep one in the freezer for a quick, delicious bread.

Cranberry Orange Walnut Scones

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Cranberry, Orange, Walnut Scones_new

Temptingly drizzled with orange icing, freshly baked scones are a great way to begin the day. 

This recipe produces a light, flaky, sweet-but-not-too scone that goes well with a fried egg or by itself with a cup of freshly brewed coffee or tea. I deviated from this recipe a bit because I wanted to have this ready in the morning before our friend’s early flight out. I mixed all the dry ingredients and placed them in a covered bowl in the refrigerator at night. The next morning, I preheated the oven, mixed and shaped the dough, and baked it. While the scone was baking, I mixed the orange drizzle. I let the baked scone cool slightly and then drizzled the frosting. In a manner of about thirty minutes, we had warm delicious scones with enough left over to send with our friend for a snack on the plane.

Cranberry Orange Scones

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp mace
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, frozen
  • 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
  • grated zest of 1 orange
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1 egg

Drizzle:

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp orange juice

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, mace and cinnamon.
  3. Grate frozen butter with a cheese grater. Stir grated butter into flour mixture.
  4. Stir cranberries, orange zest, and walnuts into flour mixture.
  5. In a separate bowl, beat whipping cream and egg together.
  6. Slowly pour egg mixture into flour mixture. Stir with rubber spatula until dough forms. Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead a few times. Shape dough into circle, about 1 inch thick.
  7. Place parchment paper on baking sheet. Transfer dough circle to baking sheet.
  8. Bake for 20 minutes, or until scone is lightly browned.
  9. Mix together drizzle ingredients until the texture is like honey. Place drizzle in a small plastic bag.
  10. Cool baked scone. When cooled, snip corner of drizzle bag and drizzle topping across the scone in a zig zag formation.
  11. Let scone cool further. Cut scone into 6 wedges.

Enjoy with a cup of fruit and some fresh roasted coffee on a chilly morning with friends.

Tis the Season for Cranberry Bliss Bars

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Sweetened dried cranberries and white chocolate chips pair up in a dessert especially appropriate to the winter holidays.

People in our generation sometimes still flinch a little when cranberries are mentioned – as they invariably are here in America – around holiday time. Gloppy canned cranberry sauce heated (or not) and served alongside such tasty items as turkey dressing, rutabaga with raisons and mashed potatoes with giblet gravy were, for many of us, the original “I don’t want any of that touching the rest of my food” item. It was always something of a puzzle to me. The packages of whole, fresh cranberries at the grocery store looked so pretty. Why didn’t the grownups use those? It seemed that the advent of mass-produced, mass-marketed food had caused generations of Americans to forget what real cranberries taste and look like, and a debased form of the fruit was kept on menus as a nod to tradition rather than gustatory pleasure.

Years later, we discovered the pleasure of cooking with whole, fresh cranberries in our own kitchens, and dishes such as cranberry sauce with tangerines became a much anticipated Thanksgiving and Christmas-time tradition. The tart, bright-red berries sweetened with sugar and cooked on the stovetop are the perfect accompaniment to a holiday bird that has been brined overnight and roasted to perfection.

While the following dessert uses dried cranberries rather than fresh, it keeps our cranberry tradition going strong here in the Alaskan Arctic where the local grocer doesn’t carry fresh berries. If you’ve never had a really great cranberry dish, forget everything you thought you knew about these festive berries. You’ll want to save room for this scrumptious cranberry dessert!

Cranberry Bliss Bars

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1  1/4 cups packed brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tbsp ground ginger
  • 1  1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1  1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries (we used Craisins, which are made from cranberries and sugar)
  • 4 oz. white chocolate chips

Frosting:

  • 5 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 5 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)

Drizzle:

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp milk

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Butter 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish.
  3. Beat butter and brown sugar until smooth.
  4. Incorporate eggs, one at a time, into butter mixture.
  5. Mix in ginger and vanilla.
  6. Gradually mix in flour and baking powder.
  7. Fold in craisins and white chocolate chips.
  8. Pour batter into baking pan. Even out batter so that it is uniformly on bottom of pan.
  9. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.
  10. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack.
  11. Make frosting by mixing cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until smooth.
  12. When cake has cooled, spread frosting evenly over the top of the cake.
  13. Sprinkle  1/4 cup craisins on frosting.
  14. Make drizzle icing by whisking powdered sugar and milk.
  15. Fill small Ziploc bag with drizzle icing. Cut off a small piece of the bottom corner of bag. Squeeze out drizzle icing over the frosted cake in zig-zags.
  16. Cover cake and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
  17. Slice the cake down the middle, lengthwise. Then slice the cake across the width, three time. You will have 8 rectangular pieces. Cut each of these pieces in half, diagonally, to make 16 decorative pieces.

Recipe adapted from topsecretrecipes.com.