Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Fruit

It's no secret that my favourite cookie is oatmeal raisin. There is something about the hearty chewiness and mild sweetness that I find very comforting. A good oatmeal cookie is halfway to being a granola bar, likely more healthy than supermarket granola bars anyway, and can be eaten at any time of day. They are the perfect treat to have in the cake dome for random munchies.

But sometimes I like to switch it up a bit; try new recipes, and new fruits.
For these oatmeal cookies I have used dried figs, apricots, and cranberries. Each cookie is a jeweled treasure.

Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Fruit
adapted from BHG New Baking Book
for Cookbook Sundays #10

Ingredients
¼ cup each- dried figs, apricots and cranberries. Snip the figs and apricots.
¾ cup butter, room temp
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
½ cup chopped nuts, such as hazelnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°F
Cream butter in your stand mixer with the paddle for a minute. Add in sugars and beat until well creamed.
Beat in baking powder, cinnamon, and baking soda.
Beat in egg and vanilla until combined.
Add in as much flour as you can with the paddle. Then start stirring with a heavy duty wooden spoon.
Add the remaining ingredients - batter will be quite stiff.
Mix until evenly incorporated.
Drop by large Tbsps onto a prepared baking sheet. I use a disher.
Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes, rotate pans and bake another couple of minutes, until you just start to see some colour around the edges and a little on top.
Let cool on racks.

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Buttermilk-Rye Sandwich Rolls

There are a few essential books for the home baker, both breadie and sweet. Two of my favourites are the King Arthur Flour baking companions - All-Purpose Baking and Whole Grain Baking. They are epic tomes filled with great recipes as well as hints and tips on how to be a successful baker. When people tell me they want to get into baking - this is where I steer them.

So in bringing out my old friend Whole Grain Baking, being in a whole-grainish sort of mood, my eyes caught this recipe for buttermilk-rye rolls. Perfect with the lovely deli ham we just brought home from the butcher. Don't forget the mustard!

Buttermilk-Rye Rolls
Recipe courtesy of King Arthur Flour - available online at The Daily Green
also in King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking
for Cookbook Sundays #9

Servings
Makes 16 rolls (Or 8 sandwich-sized rolls)

Ingredients
For the dough:
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, heated to lukewarm
4 tablespoons butter, cut into 6 pieces
2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup whole rye flour
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons caraway seeds (optional)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Heaping 1/2 cup dried potato flakes or 3 tablespoons potato flour
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

For the topping:
2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preparation

1. To prepare the dough: Combine all the dough ingredients and mix and knead them by hand, mixer or bread machine, until you have a medium-soft, smooth dough. Cover and allow the dough to rise until it's quite puffy, though it may not have doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.

2. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch, 11-inch square, 12-inch round, or similar-size pan.

3. Gently deflate the dough and transfer to a lightly greased work surface. Divide into 16 pieces. Shape each piece into a rough ball, then roll it under the palm of your hand to create a smooth ball.

4. Place the rolls in the prepared pan, spacing them evenly. Cover the pan with lightly greased wax paper or a proof cover, and allow the rolls to rise for about 2 hours. They'll become quite puffy and will reach out and touch one another. Toward the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover the rolls and bake until they're an even light brown all over, 25 minutes. From the oven, after 2 or 3 minutes, transfer them to a rack. Brush the hot rolls with the melted butter. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This bread has been YeastSpotted!

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Puris!

I have a confession to make - when I was little I did not like Indian food. I'm not sure why, but I assume it has something to do with the mixing up of foods. I, like other young people, liked my foods separate.

So on the occasions that I found myself accompanying adults to an Indian restaurant - I ordered bread.
Indian breads are vast and diverse and always addictive.

These cute little puris are fried into little puffs that can be used to mop up delicious curries or even stuffed with tasty fillings. And they are quick and easy too. Which is perfect, because I just might eat most of the first batch before anyone else has a chance to try them. ☺

Puris
adapted from Simply Indian
Sweet and Spicy Recipes from India, Pakistan and East Africa
by Tahera Rawji and Hamida Suleman
for Cookbook Sundays #8

1 cup flour
¼ tsp salt
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/3 cup water

2 cups vegetable oil for frying (med/high)

Mix together the flour, salt and 1 Tbsp vegetable oil and rub together with your fingers to make a breadcrumb-like mixture.
Add in the water and knead to make a soft dough.
Divide into 10 equal pieces
Roll out each piece to about 1½ inches in diameter
Fry in the medium hot vegetable oil until browned on both sides - they will puff up and brown quickly, so keep a close eye on them. 3-4 should fit in the pan at a time.
Drain on racks for a minute before serving.

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Limoncello Cheesecake Squares

There are two universal facts about cheesecake:
#1 - everybody loves cheesecake
#2 - no matter how much they love it, nobody has enough room for a whole slice of it after a big dinner.

That's why these cheesecake squares are such a great idea! You can have one if your are fairly full, and a few if you are really in the mood for cheesecake. Hey - we're not judging. I myself happen to like these cheesecake squares first thing in the morning, right out of the fridge. They're handy like that.

The cheesecake turned out smooth and perfect, no cracking or sinking or any other potential cheesecake pitfalls. And the limoncello? Inspired! I love the light lemony flavour with the subtle kick of the booziness. Perfect for when you are having friends over.

Limoncello Cheesecake Squares
For Cookbook Sundays #7
Giada De Laurentiis, Giada's Family Dinners
Also available on FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients

    Nonstick cooking spray
    8 ounces purchased biscotti
    6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted
    3 tablespoons grated lemon zest
    1 (12-ounce) container fresh whole milk ricotta, drained, at room temperature
    2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
    1¼ cups sugar
    ½ cup limoncello liqueur*, store bought or homemade, recipe follows
    2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    4 large eggs, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom of a 9 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Finely grind the biscotti in a food processor. Add the melted butter and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, and process until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom (not the sides) of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is golden, about 15 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a cooling rack.

Blend the ricotta in a clean food processor until smooth. Add the cream cheese and sugar and blend well, stopping the machine occasionally and scraping down the sides of the work bowl. Blend in the limoncello, vanilla, and remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon zest. Add the eggs one at a time, and pulse just until blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the baking pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking pan. Bake until the cheesecake is golden and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour (the cake will become firm when it is cold).

Transfer the cake to a rack; cool 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. Cut the cake into squares and serve.

*Limoncello liqueur can be found at most liquor stores and in the liquor department of some specialty markets. If limoncello liqueur is unavailable at stores near you, use the following recipe to make your own limoncello liqueur.

Limoncello:

    10 lemons
    1 (750-ml) bottle vodka
    3 1/2 cups water
    2 1/2 cups sugar

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith. Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature.

Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight.

Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.

Makes: 7 cups

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