Blueberry Streusel Scones

Now that our local farmer’s market has opened for the season we come home with a bounty of produce every weekend.  My fridge was overflowing with Jersey blueberries so I figured I should find a way to put them into a breakfast treat.  I decided to make scones with blueberry streusel topping after I came across the recipe from Joy of Baking.  They were easy enough to make, though it was hard to transfer them over to the baking sheets after cutting the circles into wedges.  I ended up just reshaping them a bit once they were on the baking sheets.  Dennis really liked these, especially since they had the crumbs on top.  If you’re looking for a way to use the best of summer produce, I highly recommend you give these a try.

 Blueberry Streusel Scones (from Joy of Baking)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup cream or milk

Brushing tops of scones:

Milk or Cream

Streusel Topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place rack in middle of oven.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Gently fold in the blueberries.  In a small measuring cup combine the milk, beaten egg and vanilla. Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough or the scones will be tough.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round and about 11/2 inches thick.  Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into four pie-shaped wedges. Place the scones on the baking sheets. Brush the tops of the scones with a little cream or milk.

For the Streusel Topping: In a small bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon.  With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the butter until crumbly.  Top each scone with a teaspoon or two of the streusel mixture.

Bake the scones until nicely browned, about 18 - 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a scone comes out clean.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.

Makes 8 scones.

Grilled Tomato and Mozzarella Pizza

Dennis and I have a Friday night tradition of making our own pizza.  Usually that involves using premade pizza dough from Trader Joe’s, topping it with sauce and mozzarella and throwing it in the oven.  Now that the summer’s here though, we wanted to branch out and try our hand at grilling pizza.  The difference between this and oven-baked pizza is something that’s hard to put into words, but I believe we’ve found a new way to enjoy pizza.  The freshness of the tomatoes and basil, not to mention the saltiness of the dough and cheese just provides an unbeatable combination.

I’ve included the dough recipe from The Barbecue Bible, but you can use any refrigerated premade dough and just throw that on the grill.  I really did feel that the dough does add a lot to the enjoyment of the pizza, but it involves planning ahead, not the easiest thing to do in a busy week.  I love that this recipe takes advantage of local summer produce like tomatoes and basil.  This recipe is really just a jumping off point; it’s so versatile you can adjust the toppings to whatever you’re in the mood for.  So if you’re looking for something other than burgers and chicken to throw on your grill, try this out.  It may make you a convert to firing up the grill instead of the oven when you have a craving for pizza.

Grilled Tomato and Mozzarella Pizza (adapted from The Barbecue Bible by Steven Raichlen)

For the dough:

1 cup warm water

1 envelope active dry yeast (2-1/2 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons coarse (kosher or sea) salt

3 tablespoons fine cornmeal

3 tablespoons whole-wheat flour

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus oil for the bowl

3 to 3-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, or as needed

For the pizza:

1 large tomato, cored

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely minced or crushed

Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2/3 cup shredded Mozzarella (We found the easiest way to grate the cheese was to put it in the freezer for about 20 minutes to firm it up before grating)

1/3 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese

Fresh basil leaves

Place the water in a large bowl and add the yeast and sugar. Stir to dissolve and let sit 5 minutes, then stir in the salt, cornmeal, whole-wheat flour, and oil. Gradually stir in enough all-purpose flour to form a dough that comes away from the sides of the bowl. (You can also mix the dough in a stand mixer.) Knead the dough on a floured work surface, or in a food processor or mixer fitted with the dough hook, until smooth and elastic. The dough should be soft and pliable, but not sticky. Kneading should take 6 to 8 minutes.

Lightly oil a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, brush the top with oil, and cover loosely with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours. Punch down the dough.

Let the dough rise until doubled in bulk again, 40 to 50 minutes. Punch it down.

Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Shape each into a ball, then flatten them slightly so they resemble thick disks.

Preheat your grill to high.  Cut the tomatoes crosswise into thick slices. Brush each slice with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Quickly sear the tomato slices, turning with a spatula, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

Generously oil a large baking sheet and place one disk of dough on it. Use the fingers and palms of your hands to stretch out the dough.  We couldn’t get the dough to fit the entire baking sheet, so just stretch it as much as you can without the dough breaking.  Then do the same for the second disk of dough.

Using both hands, gently lift the doughs from the baking sheets and drape them onto the grill. Within a few minutes, the underside of the doughs will crisp, darken, and harden, and the top will puff slightly. Turn the doughs over with tongs or two spatulas and move them back to the baking sheet.

Quickly brush the top of the pizzas with oil. Top the pizzas with garlic, tomato slices, cheese, and basil leaves.  Season with salt and pepper.

Place the pizzas onto the grill. Cook until the undersides are slightly charred and the cheese is melted on top, 2 to 4 minutes.

Remove the pizzas from the grill, cut into serving pieces and enjoy!

Fudge Raspberry Brownies

Dennis’s birthday was a few weeks ago (yup, we’re both June babies) so I thought I’d make him something with his favorite flavors, raspberry and chocolate.  He loves anything in brownie form, so I just plugged those terms into Google and picked this recipe based on the stellar reviews.

Holy moly, these brownies really hit the mark.  They’re deliciously chocolaty with the perfect balance of raspberry preserves to sweeten them up.  My co-workers gobbled them up – good thing I brought in enough so everyone could have two.  When I asked Dennis how he liked his birthday treat he summed it up with one word: “Yum!”  Is there any higher praise than that?

Fudge Raspberry Brownies (adapted from Food.com)

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup chocolate chips (I used a mix of semi-sweet and raspberry chocolate chips)

3/4 cup raspberry preserves

                                                                                                               

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, melt together butter and chocolate in a microwave; With a wire whisk, beat in sugar, eggs, and vanilla - Let cool slightly; Gradually stir in flour and baking powder just to combine; Fold in chocolate chips.

Spread about 3/4 of the batter evenly in a 13" x 9" x 2" pan that has been coated with a non stick spray.  Carefully spread raspberry preserves on top of the batter; Drizzle remaining batter evenly over preserves swirling top lightly with a spoon.  Gently smooth top.

Bake for about 24 – 30 minutes or until the top is slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool completely in the pan on a rack before cutting.

Peanut Butter Fudge Cookies

One of my favorite foods is peanut butter (beaten out only by ice cream).  When I was younger, my go-to lunch was a peanut butter sandwich – simple yet perfect.  I decided to look for a recipe this week that incorporated my love of peanut butter, but wasn’t just a plain Jane peanut butter cookie. 

If you’re looking to treat a peanut butter lover in your life, you can’t go wrong with this cookie.  With the addition of cocoa powder and chocolate chips these cookies definitely live up to the “fudge” part of their name, while allowing the peanut butter to shine through.  People at work loved these cookies and even asked me for the recipe.  Anytime someone loves a cookie enough to request the recipe I know it's a keeper.

Peanut Butter Fudge Cookies (adapted from The All-American Cookie Book by Nancy Baggett)

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, broken up

2 ½ cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons peanut butter (I used a mix of smooth and crunchy)

1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

                                                                                                               

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a small bowl, microwave the unsweetened chocolate on 50% power for 1 minute.  Stir well and continue microwaving, stirring at 30-second intervals.  Stop microwaving before the chocolate completely melts and let the residual heat finish the job.

In a medium bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.  In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on low, then medium speed, beat together the melted chocolate, peanut butter, brown sugar, sugar, and cocoa powder until well blended.  Add the butter and beat until very well blended and smooth.  Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat or stir in the flour mixture, then the chocolate chips, just until incorporated.  Chill the dough for about 15 minutes.

Scoop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto lined baking sheets.  Using the tines of a fork, firmly press down each ball horizontally and then vertically until the ball is about ½ inch thick.

Bake the cookies for about 8 to 11 minutes, or until just barely firm in the center.  Transfer the sheet to a wire rack and let stand until the cookies firm up, about 1 to 2 minutes.  Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let stand until completely cooled.

Makes about 36 cookies.

Chocolate Chip Strawberry Oatmeal Cookies

The warm weather has arrived in the Northeast, which means we’re officially in the swing of barbeque season.  This is by far my favorite time since Dennis considers himself a grill master in training so he takes over most of the cooking.  We had a few friends over Memorial Day weekend and I was looking for a cookie that we wouldn’t be too full to eat after pigging out on hot dogs and hamburgers.  This cookie is from Cooking Light but it definitely doesn’t taste “light.”  It gets some sweetness from the dried strawberries, but it’s also filled with semi-sweet and white chocolate chips.  I ordered the dried strawberries from Nuts.com, but if you can’t find them feel free to substitute in your dried fruit of choice.  These cookies make the perfect ending to any summer day.

Chocolate Chip Strawberry Oatmeal Cookies (adapted from Cooking Light)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup regular oats

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

3/4 cup coarsely chopped dried strawberries

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into a measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt; stir with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer; beat at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes). Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until blended. Add strawberries and chips; beat at low speed just until blended.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto lined baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on pan 1 minute. Remove cookies from pan; cool completely on wire racks.