11 Jul 2016

Strawberries and Cream Biscuits

by | posted in: food, The Charming South Kitchen | 0

Strawberries and Cream Biscuits

I grew up in the South.  Some folks don’t consider Florida to be the South, but when you live in the middle of the state all your life surrounded by orange groves and muscadine vines, take vacations to state parks and the Suwanee River, and live on Publix fried chicken and church potlucks, you are definitely from the South.

For me, summer in the south meant swimming in our pool (my Mom opened the pool season April 1), playing baseball in our yard with my cousins, listening for our “school bell” to ring to tell us it was time to come home, and heading to the Circle K for ice cream (31 flavors never got old) and watching Mets baseball via WWOR.

For me now, summer is summer.  Its hotter. And I love to pick fruit.  Strawberries, blueberries, peaches, you name it.  If it is available to me, I want to pick it.  And I love to bake with it.  From peach cobblers to strawberry pizza, and these strawberries and cream biscuits.

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Strawberries and Cream Biscuits
Author: 
Recipe type: bread
Cuisine: southern
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6-8
 
A mildly sweet strawberry biscuit waiting for some honey and peanut butter.
Ingredients
  • 1¾ - 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ⅕ tsp kosher salt
  • 6 T cold, unsalted butter
  • 6-7 strawberries (tops removed), mashed
  • 2 T turbinado sugar
  • ¾ cup full fat buttermilk
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400. A cast iron pan grill pan will be a great cooking sheet!
  2. Mix dry ingredients in a food processor.
  3. Slice butter and put in food processor.
  4. Pulse until small pebbles form in dry ingredients.
  5. Mash strawberries and pour in the sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
  6. Add in buttermilk.
  7. Pour slowly into the food processor and let it mix well with the dry ingredients.
  8. Turn out onto a floured cutting board and kneed for 1-2 minutes, adding flour if necessary.
  9. Form into a ¾ inch high circle and cut into biscuits.
  10. Put in cast iron pan and bake for about 20 minutes.
  11. Take out and let cool on cooling rack.
  12. Serve with butter, honey, strawberry jam, or peanut butter - or some of all.
 

3 Sep 2015

Lemon Cardamom Shortbread Cookies

by | posted in: food, The Charming South Kitchen | 0

Lemon Cardamom Shortbread

Cardamom is definitely my favorite go-to spice with anything berries or citrus.  It just lends that special “oomph” and “hmmm, wonder what is in there” to any recipe.  I have made some cardamom sugar with the pods and always have ground cardamom in my spice “basket” (a wine box I found at Goodwill which I love and am always in search of another one for cheap).

Anyway, I had to share this recipe tonight!  Just in case you have tons of lemons and you just have to have cookies with your decaf tonight!

This recipe is a shout out to Cheryl Day who owns Back in the Day Bakery – my fave cafe in my favorite city in Georgia, Savannah.  I tweaked her recipe and oh by golly is it good (and her’s is stellar too by the way).

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Lemon Cardamom Shortbread Cookies
Author: 
Recipe type: Cookies
Cuisine: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 3 dozen
 
Perfect chewy shortbread for that cup of coffee!
Ingredients
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 1½ tsp lemon extract (I love opening the bottle of this, smells amazing)
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • 1¼ cup 10x sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • zest of two lemons
  • ⅛-1/4 cup cardamom sugar (for sprinkling on top before baking)
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 350.
  2. Spray sheet pans with baking spray.
  3. Cream butter. Add in salt and lemon. Combine sugar and zest. Then add in all purpose flour. Shape into balls with your hands and gently press them down (I'd love to find a pretty cookie press for this one, a simple, antique one would be great).
  4. Let chill in fridge for 2 hours.
  5. Sprinkle cardamom sugar on top of each cookie.
  6. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.
  7. Cool a little - then devour them warm, or wait until morning.
 

 

10 Apr 2015

Dark Chocolate Pecan Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

by | posted in: chocolate, food, north carolina, The Charming South Kitchen | 0

Dark Chocolate Pecan Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

I didn’t grow up on homemade cookies.  The closest we got were a couple of Christmas goodies I remember my Mom training me to bake and Publix cookies.  Oreos were always my favorite and of course I was a Girl Scout so the peanut butter sandwich cookies were my favorite thin – now, it is the Thin Mints, hands down.

But, now, sometimes, I wake up thinking about chocolate chip cookies.  Who knows?  But, I woke up this morning thinking about cookies.  It was raining.  I have boys.  Friends were coming over.  No time to go to the store.  This is how these amazing cookies started.

A new friend gave me some toffee on a recent trip to the Triangle.  I had mini chips in the freezer.  My mom always stocks my pantry full of pecans, and I had bars of chocolate in my baking stash.

These are the perfect chewy consistency.  Nice and big but not too flat.  I tweaked a recipe and it turned out great.  I hope you enjoy!

Chewy Cookies

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Dark Chocolate Pecan Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Cookies
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 24-30
 
These chewy chunky toffee cookies will be a crowd pleaser!
Ingredients
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • ¾ tsp sea salt
  • ¾ tsp baking soda
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • Half cup each:
  • chopped toffee
  • mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • chopped milk chocolate
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly spray baking sheets.
  2. Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
  3. Cream together the butter and the sugars.
  4. Add eggs and vanilla.
  5. Add in the dry ingredients and stir together.
  6. Fold in the add-ins.
  7. Do not over mix
  8. I got 6 cookies per baking sheet - so these are pretty generous cookies.
  9. Bake for 12 minutes.
  10. Do not over bake.
  11. Let cool for 1-2 minutes and remove to a cooling rack. If you let them stay on the baking sheets, the toffee will stick to the pan.
 

5 Nov 2014

Pumpkin Oats White Chocolate Chip Muffins

by | posted in: chocolate, food, The Charming South Kitchen | 0

Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin overload – right?  Pumpkins are everywhere, even now that Halloween is past and we are moving headlong into the Thanksgiving season.

Do you know what my favorite Thanksgiving commercials are – ever – the Publix pilgrim little figurines – that get so full from all the Publix food that was served on Thanksgiving that their outfits tend to pop buttons.  So fun.  Growing up in Lakeland, FL – the home of Publix – I saw my share of Publix commercials – and am so glad to be living again with a Publix on every corner.

Anyway, back to pumpkins.  As a Mom, sometimes I stress about my kids’ nutrition.  I mean my older son could down all the fruit he could ever eat if I let him.  My younger son loves those little pouches that are fruit-filled.  We have instituted a donut morning one day every week, and I usually bake something sweet, and we eat out just to make life easier.  So, I’m not the healthiest Mom out there – but that isn’t the end all either. They love their fruits and veggies so that is great!  And neither of them really dig french fries – so that’s a plus!

These muffins – both of them are gobbling up.  I feel good about giving them one because there is no added fat in it from butter or oil – so that makes them healthier, right?  And, they are very yummy!  You can change up the add-ins for the muffins, and this time I had a small amount of white chocolate chips left – they are a very nice addition.

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Pumpkin Oats White Chocolate Chip Muffins
Author: 
Recipe type: Muffins
Cuisine: Bread
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
A healthy hearty filling pumpkin muffin with a touch of sweetness
Ingredients
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • 1¼ cup Pumpkin Pie Mix in a can
  • 1 egg
  • 1 T applesauce
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¾ tsp cinnamon
  • ⅓ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Mix all the ingredients together.
  2. Spray muffin tin (makes 12 muffins) and set oven on 375
  3. Fill each muffin cup about ¾ full with muffin batter.
  4. Bake for about 20 minutes or until done, don't overbake
 

28 Oct 2014

Soft and Chunky Oreo Peanut Butter Cookies

by | posted in: food, The Charming South Kitchen | 0

 

Soft and Chunky Oreo Peanut Butter Cookies

Here are two disclaimers for this recipe post about a delicious cookie:

1.  I am a purist when it comes to Oreo Cookies.  None of these fancy seasonal flavors or even the double stuff or reduced-fat. No, give me the original!

2.  I wouldn’t say that peanut butter cookies are my favorite.  There are plenty in front of it.

So, when I passed by the Peanut Butter Oreos in the Wal-Mart aisle today, it could only be my creative streak and giving into my son when he said “cookie” that made me want to whip up a batch of these.

Elijah's first baking

But how would Oreos and Reece’s Pieces (E. T. Phone Home – my husband’s favorite childhood flick) go together.  I guess there was only one way to find out!

Reece's Pieces

Bake!

These cookies were like pillow-soft.  I loved that about them.  Perfect texture.  I loved the chewiness with the texture from the Oreo pieces and candy coating from the Reece’s.  My husband said he wouldn’t change a thing. I’m glad. I adore these cookies.

And the colors work perfectly for the Fall.

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Soft and Chunky Oreo Peanut Butter Cookies
Author: 
Recipe type: cookies
Cuisine: dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 18-24
 
Soft, chewy, chunky, peanut butter cookies - easy to munch on all night!
Ingredients
  • 1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup regular sugar
  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup crushed Oreos (but not too fine)
  • 1 cup mini Reece's Pieces
Instructions
  1. Cream butter and sugars for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
  2. Add peanut butter, egg, and vanilla - mix for another 5.
  3. Add in dry ingredients
  4. Fold in Oreos and Reece's.
  5. Spray 3 cookies sheets with cooking spray.
  6. Preheat oven to 350
  7. Spoon out onto sheet pans and bake for 10-12 minutes or until set - but don't overcook.
  8. Let cool.
  9. Devour
 

27 Sep 2014

Spiced Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

by | posted in: food, The Charming South Kitchen | 0

Apple Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Fall equals apples to me.  And I had a reason to make a cake today: because I had a bag full of apples.  And I had a spice cake mix so all I had to do was run to my neighborhood Publix and get some cream cheese.  Because we all need some good creamy rich cream cheese frosting every now and then right?

Fall Baking

This is simple and moist and definitely a winner.  Enjoy tonight!

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Spiced Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Author: 
Recipe type: Cake
Cuisine: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
Moist, perfect fall cake with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting
Ingredients
  • 1 boxed spice cake mix
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup water
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
  • 3 cups chopped, peeled gala apples
  • 1 8oz package of cream cheese
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 4½ T unsalted butter
Instructions
  1. Mix cake according to box instructions.
  2. Add in apples before baking.
  3. Spray pan and cook according to box instructions.
  4. Let cool.
  5. Mix cream cheese and butter.
  6. Add in vanilla
  7. Add powdered sugar until frosting is smooth.
  8. Frost cake.
  9. Eat.
  10. I cut circles out of the cake and just set a double layer and made naked cakes with just layers of cream cheese frosting. Sprinkled some cinnamon on top.
 

 

21 Sep 2014

Sundays in the South

by | posted in: Sundays in the South, The Charming South Kitchen | 0

Sundays are for Baking

I missed last’s week’s Sundays in the South installment.  For the first time in over a month my mister had a Sunday afternoon off – so we enjoyed that time together.  I usually don’t get on the computer when he is home – because I want to be about doing life with him, not blogging.  So, what I need to get better at is writing blogs and posting them to be live on those days that he is off – that way I would still be posting regularly.

The Fall is always a time of celebration for our family and this time we are including a family vacation and the boys and I are taking a trip to Little Rock.  With celebrations comes food.

And today, Sundays in the South is brought to you by a new food for me: I just finished reading my latest edition of Southern Living, and I saw a Dutch Baby (which is an oven pancakes).  I have everything – so I am going to head on into the kitchen to make it.  We will see how it turns out!

9 Sep 2014

Apple Scone Cake ala mode with Red Hot Drizzle

by | posted in: food, The Charming South Kitchen | 0

Apple Scone Cake

One of the true joys about living near the mountains is picking apples.  We actually picked apples in Canada on our honeymoon.  So fun to do something you enjoy with the man you enjoy most in the world.

Apple Picking in Canada

Picking apples is great exercise and you get healthy food out of it – just don’t get most of your exercise from doing squats to pick up the ones from the ground.  Worm eaten apples aren’t worth it.

I also remember crab apples.  My grandparent’s dirt road used to be lined with apple trees and we would run up and down the roads, getting dirty and eating sour apples.  Ah, the joys of childhood.

I can’t wait to take my boys apple picking – to see their joy when they can hold what they pick in their little bitty hands and hold it up as if to say This is my apple!  They love wandering around with anything in their hands, so apples will be just the treat for them!

Eating Apples

 

This recipe is topped with some delicious additions to make it even better.  First, I most give a shout out to the Mister.  He said he would like this cake better with a caramel sauce.  I’ll work on that babe.  Talenti Gelato is amazing and their containers make great desk accessories – and its made right here in Marietta where we live. Their Tahitian Vanilla Bean is rich and deep.  (Side note to any Talenti people reading this: can my boys and I come do a tour and taste testing?)  Then I tried my hand at melting down red hots in apple juice – and it worked as a chewy magic shell.  It basically made the dish pretty.

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Apple Scone Cake ala mode with Red Hot Drizzle
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Cake
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6-8
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 stick unsalted chilled butter (cut into pieces)
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup (minus 2 tbsp) milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 granny smith apple, thinly sliced
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • cinnamon to taste
Instructions
  1. Mix the dry with the butter and run it in your food processor till you get coarse crumbs.
  2. Add in the liquid and combine.
  3. Put half of the mixture on the bottom and side of a deep dish pie pan (that's been sprayed). Dough will be sticky.
  4. Thinly slice two apples and arrange on top of the dough.
  5. Then drop the rest of the dough on top like drop biscuits. Top with cinnamon and sugar.
  6. Bake for about 45 minutes on 350.
  7. Top with ice cream and red hot drizzle.
 

17 Aug 2014

Sundays in the South

by | posted in: Sundays in the South, Uncategorized | 0

Tart Crust

A blank canvas.

Sundays…when you wake up, you may know your schedule, but you may not know how the day is ultimately going to go.  You may wake up and do your normal thing: dress the kids, dress yourself, hop on over to church, come home to a quick meal and put the kids to bed.

Some Sundays you get to live wildly.  Maybe throw in a walk or a picnic.  Throw in an afternoon nap or a trip to a movie theater.  You may jaunt over to a park and swing in the air with your feet out in front of you – capturing a moment on film that is as fleeting as the sun.

Whatever your Sundays bring, always think of your days as a blank canvas…just like this unbaked tart crust.  Cooking is such a metaphor for life.  You’ve got your ingredients – but what you choose to do with them is your decision.  God’s got a great plan for our lives.  For me, it might be a blueberry Italian cheese tart.  For you, it might be baked lasagna and a dish of blueberries for dessert.

Live your life!

12 Mar 2014

Eat This: Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Mini Cups

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Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Mini Cups

Every time I open my fridge, I see this bowl of Brown Eyed Baker’s salted caramel sauce staring me in the face.  Its like its begging me to make something with it, or just dig in with a spoon.  That’s what spoons are good for, right?  Eating caramel!

While I was visiting a local bakery on Friday (interview and photos coming soon), I was inspired to use it in a different way.  That different way came about in my kitchen today.  Husband ate them – right out of the oven, before the caramel even had time to set!  They are that good.

Here are two important criteria to remember when baking these: quality contents produce quality baked goods.  The two stars of these mini cups are the salted caramel and the chocolate.  I used a Dutch bittersweet chocolate for some of the chocolate in these cups and then the homemade salted caramel.  Taste matters when baking – not just precision!

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Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Mini Cups
Author: 
Recipe type: Cookie
Cuisine: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 24
 
Caramel and chocolate - any complaints?
Ingredients
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ cup whole oats
  • 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 3 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used Droste Dutch chocolate)
  • Salted caramel sauce (I use the one on Brown Eyed Baker)
Instructions
  1. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Cream until smooth. Add dry ingredients then fold in chocolate and oats.
  2. Fill mini baking cups with one scoop - about 24-36 cookies.
  3. Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes.
  4. When you take them out immediately mash down the top to form a little holder for the caramel.
  5. Add a half teaspoon to the top. It will melt and then harden up as cookie cools.
  6. Enjoy with a tall glass of milk and a good book. Share if possible.