Showing posts with label Teatime Treats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teatime Treats. Show all posts
It's that time of year again! Pumpkin season. The time of year that we all enjoy baking with pumpkin. Nothing says Autumn more than a pumpkin bake, and this simple recipe makes for the best pumpkin bread you could ever want to eat!
It's an adaptation of a recipe I received from my Canadian Mother-in-Law back in the 1970's. It started off pretty plain and basic, but through the years I have gradually fiddled with it to create something of my own.
It was moist and pretty delicious back then, but I have to say it is even more delicious now! And I don't mean to sound like I am bragging when I say that, but it's true.
When I first moved over to the UK tinned pumpkin was a very difficult thing to find in the shops. I remember the first year I was there I had invited some Missionaries over for Thanksgiving dinner and I wanted to make them a traditional pumpkin pie for dessert.
I could not find pumpkin anywhere at all. I ended up roasting sweet potatoes and pureeing them to use for the pie. It worked out well, but it was not really pumpkin pie.
Then when I worked at the Manor, I used to use pumpkin which I bought from an American food supply company. It came at a premium price but was worth every penny to me at the time.
Gradually pumpkin became more and more available and by the time I left there you could pretty much buy tinned pumpkin most of the time and in many of the shops.
You can of course make your own pumpkin puree from scratch, but it is very labor intensive to get it to the right consistency. You need to first roast your pumpkin.
Then you need to puree it. Once pureed you then need to strain it and squeeze as much liquid out of it as you can. This is where all of the labor comes in. Tinned pumpkin is very dry and if you don't get your homemade pumpkin puree just as dry, the integrity of your bakes will be ruined.
It is just so much less work to use the ready tinned pumpkin. Trust me on this. Tinned pumpkin comes in handy for many things. Pies, cakes, cookies, breads, etc.
My boss at the manor used to ask me to make pumpkin soup with it every American Thanksgiving.
This pumpkin bread recipe makes the best pumpkin bread ever and that is all down to my mother-in-law's secret ingredient, which is frozen orange juice concentrate. Yes, frozen orange juice concentrate. This was not something I could get in the UK either, but it was an ingredient that I learned to adapt.
You can do this either one of two ways. One, you can take fresh orange juice and boil it down to make a very concentrated form (again, labor intensive) or two, you can take a fresh orange (peeled and segmented) and puree it in a blender until smooth.
I will choose to puree the fresh fruit over boiling down juice every time. It is just so much easier and quicker. In any case, don't skip it because it is what makes this an incredibly tasty and moist loaf!
There is also plenty of spice in the loaf, but not obnoxiously so. My mother-in-law used to just add cinnamon to hers. I added some nutmeg and ground cardamom, which we always loved. I also added some vanilla.
On a side note, now that the kittens are jumping up onto things they are a bit of a nuisance when it comes to taking my food photos. haha. Not quite the same as Mitzie. She liked to hold onto the edge of the table and watch.
She couldn't actually jump up onto the table. I think I must have had to take this little monkey down a bazillion times while I was taking these photos. I think it's time to buy a squirt bottle.
My mother-in-law used to add raisins to her pumpkin bread. I switched them out for dried cranberries a number of years back. Cranberries are a very autumnal thing, and the dried ones work very well in this delicious pumpkin bread!
You can also use dried cherries (chopped) or even toasted walnuts, pecans or yes, even chocolate chips. Also raisins if you want. I love this with the cranberries.
I know that everyone thinks their pumpkin bread is the best, but I think mine is the very best and that is for a number of reasons. One it always turns out. I have never had this fail.
Two, it is incredibly moist and dense, without being soggy. This means that it cuts into perfect slices every single time.
Three it is very family friendly, not too spicy and not too sweet. I know that young mums want to make sure their children are not eating too much of the sweet stuff. This loaf has a perfect balance.
Another reason that I really love this loaf is because it is totally freezable. You can make it ahead, or make several loaves of it when you have the pumpkin and freeze them.
I like to cut mine into slices and place the loaf, pieced back together with a piece of wax paper in between the slices and the whole thing popped into an airtight freezer container. That way I can take out a slice as and when I want to indulge myself.
It will keep for several months this way. I can tell you it is really awfully nice to have this in the freezer ready to take out when a friend stops by unexpectedly. 10 seconds or so in the microwave and you have something incredibly tasty to enjoy with a hot drink.
Or course like any true Nova Scotia gal I enjoy mine sliced and spread with softened butter. That's how I like all of my quick breads like this one.
Banana bread, date and nut loaf, even lemon loaf. I know it is a bit hedonistic, but you only live once.
I really hope that you will bake this loaf and that you will enjoy it as much as I do. To me, it's quite simply, the Best Pumpkin Bread ever invented.
It's even better on the second day. In fact I usually bake it on one day and leave it to ripen overnight before cutting into it. It always cuts into beautiful slices and the flavor is even better on the second day. Trust me however, first day, second day, even third day, you are going to love this delicious pumpkin bread!
Pumpkin, Orange & Cranberry Bread
Yield: 8
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 60 MinTotal time: 1 H & 4 M
This easy and delicious loaf is an annual autumn favorite. I got the recipe from my mother in law many years ago. It’s the best pumpkin bread recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250g) pumpkin puree (from the tin, not pie filling)
- 2 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup (120ml) canola oil
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (150g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 3 TBS frozen orange juice concentrate, undiluted (see note)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 3/4 cup (245g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup (75g) dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf tin and line with baking paper, leaving an overhang to lift the finished loaf out with when done.
- Whisk the eggs, sugars, oil, orange juice concentrate, pumpkin puree and vanilla together in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Sift together the flour, soda, baking powder, spices and salt until combined. Add all at once to the wet ingredients. Stir everything together just to combine and no dry streaks remain. Stir in the cranberries.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared baking tin, smoothing over the top.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until risen and a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before lifting out to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into slices to serve.
Notes:
If you cannot get orange juice concentrate. Peel and segment a large orange. Puree the orange in a food processor until smooth and measure out three TBS.
Today I am sharing a lovely old-fashioned date cookies recipe, which is one of my absolute all time favorite recipes! It won't be long now before school starts up again and what better time to share a cookie recipe than now!
This recipe for date drop cookies is one which I have been making for years and years. No surprise, we are great date lovers in my family. We cannot resist anything with dates in it!
Simply put, we love dates and anything that contains dates, which is good news really as dates are incredibly healthy. Known as "nature's candy," they are filled with loads of nutrients and dietary fiber.
One thing which I have always loved is putting date syrup on my granola and yogurt in the mornings. I haven't been able to find any here just yet, but I live in hope! It was something I always kept in my larder back in the UK.
I may even resort to making my own, so watch this space!
When I was growing up we always loved it when our mother would make us Date Squares. She usually only made them at Christmas time and they were a real treat.
The recipe she used was my Great Aunt Orabelle's recipe, which was her mother's recipe. You can find the small batch recipe for those bars here. You can also find the full recipe here.
I also have a recipe for my sisters Raw Date Squares on site. You can find that recipe here, and I don't mind saying that they are pretty darned delicious and healthy as well.
One of the nicest date things I have ever tasted was when I went to the Borough Food Market in London, England. One stand had chocolate covered dates. OH MY GOODNESS! They were the best things ever! I have been dreaming about them ever since!
Dangit! Now I am sitting here wishing I hadn't small batched the recipe. haha I could easily eat a full recipe of these delicious cookies all by myself, but then again, there is nothing to stop me from baking this small batch recipe again, and again . . . and again!
But I digress, back to these cookies. After all, that's why you are here.
You begin by making a lush date filling. Its actually really easy to make and uses only dates, water and a tiny bit of sugar. Make sure you pit your dates before weighing/measuring them.
Its really easy to cut your dates into bits using kitchen scissors. That is my preferred method. I usually cut each date into at least quarters. Just mix it with the water and sugar and then bring to the boil, then simmer until the dates melt into the water and you end up with a lovely thick, smooth mixture.
You will need it to cool before you proceed.
The cookies themselves are a pretty basic brown sugar drop cookie. You begin by creaming brown sugar and butter together.
I always use room temperature butter in my cookies. It blends perfectly. You could soften refrigerator cold butter in the microwave, but do not let it melt. Melting the butter would mess with the integrity of your cookie.
As you can see these are a really nice sized cookie. Not too big and not too small.
You drop the cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet, make a slight hollow in the center and then fill the hollow with some of the date filling. Easy peasy lemon squeasy.
These cookies are the perfect "milk and cookie" cookie! Just right for afterschool snacks, or for popping into lunch bags.
They also freeze really well, either baked or unbaked. To freeze them unbaked, just prepare them to the point of baking and pop the baking tray into the freezer. Once the filled cookies are frozen solid, transfer them to an airtight freezer container, with some wax paper in between the layers.
They can be frozen this way for up to six months. When you are ready to bake them, just pop them out of the freezer and leave them at room temperature for about an hour and bake as per the recipe.
You can also bake them and freeze them after baking. Again, freeze in a single layer and then pop into freezer containers, with some wax paper in between to keep them from sticking to each other.
One thing I have learned through the years is that freezing cookies is not a deterrent to keep me from eating the cookies. I like frozen cookies just as much as regular cookies!
Yes, I am a huge glutton. I remember one year when the children were growing up I had to do my Christmas baking twice. I thought I would get a heads up on the holidays and get started early and freeze them. You can guess the rest! 😁
You needn't limit yourself to filling these with the date filling. You can also fill these with jam or marmalade, or apple jelly. All are delicious!
You can also substitute the dates with chopped dried figs for another variation on the theme. As well you can use chopped dried apricots, raisins, or even a combination of dried fruits.
Fresh cookies are the best, don't you think? What's your favorite kind of cookie? I really want to know!
Tahitian Coconut Breakfast RollsThis content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Date Filled Drop Cookies (small batch)
Yield: Make 12
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 12 MinTotal time: 32 Min
These soft brown sugar drop cookies are topped with a lovely sweet and sticky date filling. Everyone loves these! They are beautiful with a cold glass of milk.
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 4 ounces dried pitted dates, chopped
- 3 fluid ounces water
- 1/8 cup sugar
For the cookie batter:
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large free range egg yolk, freeze the white for another use
- 2 TBS warm water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup (140g) plain all purpose flour
- 1/3 tsp baking soda
- pinch salt
Instructions
- First make the filling. Put all of the ingredients into a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until the mixture is fairly smooth and thick. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line a large baking sheet with some baking paper and set aside.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, using an electric hand mixer. Beat in the water, egg yolk and vanilla. Whisk together the flour, salt and soda. Beat this into the creamed mixture until thoroughly combined.
- Scoop the mixture into 12 equal portions on the baking sheet, leaving at least two inches in between each.
- Using the back of a wet teaspoon, make a small hollow in the center of each cookie. Spoon 1 teaspoon of the date filling into each hollow.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely before eating.
I picked up a new magazine at Walmart on Friday. Taste of Home, Fall Baking, Homemade Happiness.102 recipes to warm the heart. I admit, I am a sucker for cooking publications. Especially seasonal ones.
This one is filled with the best recipes of Autumn, containing recipes using cranberries, pears, pumpkin, nuts and so much more. Tis the season and all that!
This recipe for Vanilla Glazed Ginger Scones immediately caught my eye. They include three of the things I really love! Vanilla, Ginger and Scones!
What's not to love about that!
The original recipe made a dozen scones. I don't need and could never eat a dozen scones and so I decided to small batch the recipe to make only six delicious scones!
This is the perfect size for just me. It was also a bit different than my usual gingerbread scone recipes. I actually have two other Gingerbread Scone recipes on here, both are very delicious.
This Gingerbread Scone recipe comes from Land O Lakes, and is attributed to the Pioneer Woman. You can find my recipe and results here.
It is a triangular scone with a demerara sugar topping and a vanilla glaze icing.
Then there is my recipe for Gingerbread Scones with a Lemon Glaze. These are filled with optional raising and cut into rounds.
They are glazed with a lemon glaze and garnished with some candied ginger. You can find that recipe here.
Both are excellent recipes I have to say. But, true confessions here, I think this one is slightly better. Now hear me out. This is for several reasons.
One, its the right size for me. Two, they have a beautiful soft texture and tender crumb. Three, they have a beautiful colour. Four, they are slightly quicker and easier to make. I rest my case.
All of the recipes are excellent however, which ever you choose to make, but on this day, I am highly recommending these!
That could be because the house smells magnificent at the moment . . . all gingery, cinnamony and buttery.
Or it could be because I just ate one and the delicious flavors of it are still lingering in my mouth. Tempting me to go and have another one. (I know naughty me.)
These do have a more cake-like consistency than the other two, almost like a Rock Cake. Did you know that Rock Cakes are Harry Potter's favourite teatime treat? You can find my Rock Cake recipe here.
I am not surprised that they are Harry Potter's favorite thing. He has good taste. They are fabulously tasty.
For those who are wondering a Rock Cake is a drop scone. No rolling or faffing about needed. Simple to make and oh so easy.
These are spiced simply. Ground ginger and ground cinnamon. Nothing more, nothing less. Not too much of either one.
They are also flavored and sweetened with brown sugar, molasses and maple syrup. A trinity of good taste.
There is vanilla in the scone itself and in the glaze. I use pure vanilla extract. In the UK I was always being sent lush vanilla things. Vanilla paste, etc. Here I have had to buy my own everything.
I have to say though, I always and will always use pure Vanilla extract and other essences. They are worth the little bit extra you pay. There is no comparison between the real thing and the pretenders.
The candied ginger I bought on Amazon. I bought a large bag of it. A kilo. It will last forever. In things like that I don't mind buying larger bags. A bit of an outlay to begin with, but it pays off in the long run.
I also buy my ground almonds/almond flour on Amazon, also in a bit bag just so you know. (Nothing to do with this recipe, but with thrift alone.) You can freeze them and they will keep for a very long time.
If you are like me and use ground almonds a lot, it is worth it get a bigger bag if you can.
The original recipe said to have the egg at room temperature but that didn't make sense if the cream was cold and the butter was cold. And so I didn't bother bringing it to room temperature and it didn't matter one iota.
That's one thing about baking. Either have everything at room temperature or don't bother. Just my two cents worth.
This is a lovely, lovely scone. Perfect for enjoying just as is with a nice hot cup of tea. Today mine was Elderberry Tea that I got from the Tea Haus. Very nice.
I used the batter bowl that my sister gave to me the other day as a prop. Its supposed to look like the scones are kind of overflowing onto the table. haha Just a flight of fancy that worked out so much better in my head. But then again, that's me to a "T."
I am in a bit of a conundrum here. After the end of August feedburner will no longer be sending out e-mails to my subscribers. I have been searching for an e-mail program that people can sign up to. What I have done is add my current subscribers to a list on madmimi. It is an additional cost to me, but I figure it will be worth it in the long run.
I am not sure how to enable people to sign up to receive my newsletters, but will eventually work that out. In the meantime if you are not already an e-mail subscriber, and want to be subscribed just let me know and I will add you to the list! Sort of the convoluted long way of doing things but I will figure it out eventually!
Vanilla Glazed Ginger Scones (small batch)
Yield: Makes 6 scones
Prep time: 25 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 40 Min
These tender ginger flavored scones are bound to become a favorite in your home. With lovely warm ginger flavor, a tender crumb, a sweet vanilla glaze and candied ginger garnish, they always go down a real treat with a nice hot drink!
Ingredients
- 1 cup 140g) plain flour
- 1/8th cup (25g) soft light brown sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- pinch salt
- 3 TBS cold butter
- 3 fluid ounces heavy whipping cream
- 1 large free range egg yolk
- 1 fluid ounce fancy molasses
- 1/2 TBS maple syrup
For the glaze and finish:
- 1/2 cup (65g) icing sugar, sifted
- 1 fluid ounce of heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 2 TBS finely chopped candied ginger
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/ 200*C/ gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with a sheet of parchment paper. Set aside.
- Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt into a bowl and give them a good whisk together to combine. Drop in the cold butter and cut or rub it in until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.
- Whisk together the egg yolk, cream, molasses, vanilla and syrup to combine. Add all at once to the dry ingredients and stir everything together just to combine.
- Scoop out by 1/4 cupfuls onto the prepared baking sheet in six even mounds, leaving plenty of space in between each.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown on the bottoms and around the edges. They should be set completely on top.
- Remove to a wire rack to cool a bit while you make the glaze.
- Whisk together all of the glaze ingredients until smooth.
- Drizzle the glaze decoratively over top of the warm scones with a spoon and sprinkle with the chopped candied ginger. Serve warm.
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