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Category: The Sweet Life
I think I’m ready to quit my life and start fresh as a farmer! Well, almost. But this experience was so zen and wonderful!
Travels have kept me away from the kitchen recently (sorry, but no apologies for that!), but I had to see what I could make when visiting Seattle. Apparently, blackberries are weeds, effectively, there. I first saw them when we were driving to a national park- they were everywhere!
Decision made.
I bought a perfect little pie tin at the Pike Place Market for my adventure. Then I set to picking berries, listening to a small creek behind me and smiling at the birds in my baking Cinderella moment.
Naturally, half of the blackberries went straight into my mouth. They were so perfect and tart, so I knew that a plain Jane butter crust would not be the perfect partner. A sweeter platform for a low-sugar filling would be perfect.
Quick question to address:
Why don’t these cookies have normal cookie ingredients?
Think of it more as a shortbread. Cookies are meant to rise, and that does not make for good pie crust. Trust me on this one!
This cookie crusty is the perfect base for all-natural, tart berries. Another quintessential summer treat!
Please Note: Unfortunately, my uncle’s kitchen has awful lighting. As such, I have not done the usual step-by-step with pictures before the recipe. I do have the pictures, though, so if you need more information or want to see what a step looks like, just ask! Thanks!
This cookie crusty is the perfect base for all-natural, tart berries. Another quintessential summer treat!
Ingredients
- Note: this recipe has been scaled up from what you see in the picture so that it will make a full pie
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- Zest of one lemon
- 9 basil leaves, chopped
- 3 Tbsp heavy cream
- 4 cups blackberries
- 2 Tbsp sugar (add more of you like it sweet!)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch mixed into 1 tsp water
- 1 Tbsp butter
Instructions
- Prep Step! Measure out all of your ingredients. Wash the blackberries now, so that they can drip- dry while you make the crust. Preheat your oven to 375
- Cream the butter on medium speed for 2 minutes until it is aerated. Add your sugar and beat on high for 5 minutes until it is light and fluffy.
- Add 1 cup of flour and incorporate on low speed, or with a spatula. Add 1 Tbsp of the cream, and do the same. Repeat your process, scraping down the bowl, until the batter is ready.
- Mix in the zest and basil. It's ready! Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and chill for an hour. If you're impatient, like me, freeze it for 15 minutes.
- Press the cookie crust with your fingers into your pie plate. Pinch around the edges so that they don't look messy.
- Cover the edges with aluminum foil (so that they don't brown too much) and stick it in the over for 15-20 minutes. Check it to make sure you're not getting it too brown (like I did. Oops.)
- Once done, let the crust cool completely. Bonus points for cooling it on the windowsill like in children's books.
- Heat the blackberries over medium heat. Once they get warm and start to steam a little, start stirring. Sprinkle the sugar over the berries, and mix it in. Juice the lemon into the pan and cook, cook, cook.
- Once they are all juicy-looking, add the cornstarch. Follow this tip:
- Mix the cornstarch with one teaspoon of water before adding it. This will keep is from clumping and yielding nasty-tasting, starchy glops in your final pie.
- Remove the filling from the heat and stir in the butter. Let the filling cool.
- Pour the filling into the pie crust. You can dig right in, or chill for 30 minutes to let the filling stiffen and get thicker.
- I whipped some very legit cream with just a little lemon zest to serve.
- Best enjoyed overlooking the beauty of the Pacific Northwest!
Door County is one of my favorite places in the world. Granted, there are many places that I have not been, but I’m sure it would still rank highly had I been to every country. There are multitudes of outdoor activities, orchards, great restaurants, quaint boutiques, everything wonderful.
There are two types of big orchards there – apple and cherry. Each season is a celebration and there are festivals, custom dishes, and special treats galore. We even saw a musical up there are cherry picking. Seriously, they’re way into this stuff.
So, whenever i go, I stock up on fruit. Recently, I was there right at the end of kirschen (German for cherry) season. Naturally, I got many cherry things, along with a pint of tart cherries. I like their puckery flavor, so of course I ate a few straight, but these are best for baking.
I can’t promise that this pie will be as amazing with cherries sourced elsewhere (ok, maybe that’s a bit dramatic), but it will still be a spoonful of happiness on a summer day.
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**Note – I only bought enough cherries for baby pies, but the recipe here will yield you a full pie.
Picture Note – I was not baking at home, and the only vodka on hand was citron. It did not seem to leave any flavor behind, but the crust was of a slightly different consistency because of the sugar. Use plain if possible.
Step One
Prep – but just the crust. I always stick the butter in the freezer for a few minutes to get super cold after I cut it. Mix the vodka and water, and put that in the freezer too.
….Vodka? I’m giving this to kids….
No worries! The alcohol part will be gone after you bake the crust. But why vodka? It gets a lot colder than water without freezing. The secret to great crust is the coldness of the ingredients when you mix them in. This ensures that your “wet” ingredient will be as cold as possible.
Step Two
Make your crust now – cut the butter into the dry ingredients, then mix in the vodka / water mix by Tablespoon-ful until your crust is just wet enough. DO NOT OVERWORK IT. It will get all tough and nasty when baked.
Wrap that bad boy in plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for an hour.
Step Three
Filling time. If you have a cherry pitter, use it. So much less work. But if you don’t, you can push them out with a straw or the tip of a pairing knife. It’s just a pain in the butt.
Add the sugar and cornstarch (pre-mixed) to the cherries.
Step Four
Roll out your pie crust to fit your pie plate. You can do whatever you want on the top – make a full cover, do a lattice, or get fancy and cut out some shapes.
Step Five
Add your filling – it should be a bit domed so that the pie looks nice and stuffed. Dot with up to a Tablespoon of butter and place your top on. You can seal it with a fork (dipped in water so that it doesn’t stick) or make the pretty pinches. Later on, I’ll add a demo of how to do this – so check back!
Step Six
Time to bake! Even though it’ll be tempting to dig in as soon as it’s out of the oven, let it cool for at least ten minutes. Brew a pot of coffee while you wait. Slice, top with ice cream, and enjoy!
Warm and juicy, this is a perfect pie for summer. Cherry pie is a classic!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (350 grams)
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 2/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) (226 g) (8 oz)
- 2 - 3 Tbsp ice cold water
- 2 - 3 Tbsp vodka
- 1 egg white mixed with 2 tsp water
- 4 cups pitted cherries
- 3/4 - 1 cup sugar (83 - 110 g)
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Prep Step! Measure out the ingredients for the pie crust. Mix the dry ingredients in a large
- mixing bowl. Cut each stick of butter in a 3 x 3 grid. Mix the water and vodka in a small bowl. Put the butter and liquid mix in the freezer for 5 - 10 minutes.
- Cut the butter into the dry mix using two forks or a pastry cutter.
- Mix in the liquid, one Tablespoon at a time, until the crust is just holding together as a dough. DO NOT OVERMIX.
- Gather the crust into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Pit the cherries, preferably using a cherry pitter. Mix the sugar and cornstarch. Cover the cherries with the mix and stir to coat.
- Roll out the pie crust to the size of your pie plate. Dump in the filling, and dot with butter. Cover with the crust in the method of your choice (full crust, lattice, shapes, etc). Brush the crust with the egg white and water mixture to make it nice and golden brown.
- You many want to protect the crust before you put it in the oven. Rip three rectangles of aluminum foil, about 3 in tall. Wrap around the edges of the crust so that they do not get burnt. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes.
- Let your kirschen pie cool for at least ten minutes, then top with ice cream. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk or a warm mug of coffee.
3….2….1…….. LAUNCH THE BLOG!
I am beyond excited to finally share this project of mine with you! Trust me, it has been “in the making” for an embarrassingly long time…
I suppose it all started with the first time I baked a cake. Head over to my page titled “Hi, my name is Mara May…” to read about that er, interesting experiment.
But it really started with a well-tended rhubarb patch and a need for sugar. My dad, who didn’t cook much, made THE BEST rhubarb crunch when I was growing up. That recipe was genius. It was good warm or cold. It was crunchy yet soft and sweet yet tangy enough to make you pucker up. Add a scoop of plain ol’ vanilla ice cream, and you had a perfect summer night.
After learning how to make that a few times, I decided to venture from the familiar. My grandpa always came over for dinner on Sundays, and we would, like clockwork, make a stop at the pie shop to get a treat for dessert. The pies! Classic apple pie – or with custard or crumb top. Fruit pies, cream pies, inbetween pies. Special pies each month. I loved those pies. I was going to make a pie.
And it. was. delicious.
After rhubarb pie, I started throwing all kinds of fruits in there. I dreamed of having a pie shop of my own when I was grown up.
But instead I went to college. I left Wisconsin and entered into the different but exciting experience of New Orleans. I wanted to bake for all of my new friends…. except serving pie in a dorm is tough. I would have needed a whole cart of materials to serve perfect slices on plate to everyone I knew. Hm.
And then…. epiphany! Cupcakes. Mind you, this was before the cupcake craze, so it didn’t seem 100% obvious. This was a way that I could make everyone happy in a small, hand-held, no-forks-required way. Brilliant!
So that’s how it started. Never one to pass up the opportunity for creativity, I soon began writing my own recipes. If I could imagine it, I could make it. Now, I am ready to share these recipes with you! Hooray!
My interests and talent thankfully extend beyond cupcakes, or I would have to roll down the street rather than walk by now. I will share all kinds of recipes with you – please use the archived categories to easily navigate through them and find what you need!
If you ever would like a recipe for something or have a question about how to tweak one you love, ask away! I can’t wait for this to become an awesome collaboration.
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What could be better to celebrate the new chapter of cooking life than some simple celebration cupcakes? Whether you have a birthday, an office party, or just a bad day, these cupcakes will put a smile on everyone’s face. They taste familiar, like your childhood birthday parties, and you will love them! Whether you’re a novice baker or you have some tasty treats in your repertoire, these cakes are simple to prepare and disappear of the plate quickly.
I always start off with my ingredients. Prepping ahead makes for easy baking. Now, that’s not to say I don’t ever get an idea and toss something else in. That happens quite a lot, actually. But you can always try to measure first!
A FEW THINGS BEFORE WE GET STARTED.
- One of my most prized possessions is my kitchen scale. When I cook, I eyeball it. When I bake, I like to be precise. This way, you know that the chemistry is working. Therefore, I will be offering measurements in a variety of ways – you pick what works for your kitchen style
- When I was getting into baking, I had a lot of questions about why certain things have to be a certain way. When I think that an explanation is needed, I will put the question that’s popping up in your head in pink and the reason/ answer in orange
- I will add tips and tricks here and there in purple
Step One.
Prepare all of your ingredients – measure them out and get them ready to go. Refer to the recipe at the bottom for the amounts.
You have probably read many recipes that tell you to let the eggs warm up ahead of time – what’s with that?
Room temperature eggs incorporate more evenly into your batter and whip to a much fluffier volume. So, while this is pretty important for a cheesecake or a meringue, I have not found any dire need to let my eggs hang out on the counter for a while before baking plain ole cake.
Step Two.
Mix those dry ingredients in a separate bowl. A fork is best because, well, that’s what everybody says. Joking aside, you want to keep your flour nice and airy.
Step Two.
Add your butter to the mixing bowl and beat on medium for a hot second. Then, add your sugar in there and mix it up. Mix mix mix.
Step Three.
Add your eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides in between each egg. Do not over mix at this point, but you do want the eggs incorporated all the way. Then add your vanilla and mix.
Do the eggs really hate each other that much? Why do they have to be alone?
It actually is an important step – mixing into your fat (butter) is not that easy for eggs to do, so adding them one at a time encourages an even dispersion of ingredients.
Step Four.
Now put it all together. Add about 1/3 of your dry ingredients and mix. Then add 1/2 of your liquid. Repeat until done!
Again, these ingreidents are for real picky! Who cares what goes in first?! It’s all getting mixed together anyway!
A cake is a crumb mixture. Which means you do not want those strong gluten bonds forming. The bonds form when flour gets friendly with your liquid. So they need their “room for Jesus,” as they always used to say at school dances, which is what the fat does. By added the dry ingredients first, you are protecting the flour with a layer of fat, which will give you a good crumb in the end.
Step Five.
In the oven it goes!
Now you can start your frosting. It is important that the butter is at room temperature. I always beat the butter first before adding the sugar. Then whip it good! Add the cream to your desired consistency, and there you go.
I use Wilton frosting bags and tips for a special finish. If you just want to top the cakes off with a knife swirl of frosting, that’s totally ok!
Once you cut the bottom of the bag and put the frosting tip in, rest the bag in a drinking glass – it supports the bag nicely so that you can use both hands to fill ‘er up!
Step Six.
Pipe. Eat. Om nom nom.
A tasty treat for any occasion! Simple to make but absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour (7 oz // 280 g)
- 2 tsp baking powder (8 g)
- 1/2 tsp salt (2.5 g)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened (4 oz // 113 g)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (12 oz // 330 g)
- 2 eggs (100 g)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (7.5 mL)
- 3/4 cup whole milk (6 oz// 180 mL)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (8 oz // 226 g)
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted (16 oz // about 400 g)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (10 mL)
- 2-4 Tbsp heavy whipping cream (1-2 oz // 28 - 56 mL)
Instructions
- PREP STEP. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Put your fancy liners of choice into your cupcake tin. Measure out the ingredients. You're all set!
- With a fork, mix together your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) in a bowl.
- Add your butter (it MUST be soft!) to a mixing bowl. With either your stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat the butter on high for about a minute so that it loosens up. Add your sugar to the bowl, and return to high speed for three minutes, until the mixture is light and airy.
- Add you eggs one at a time, beating on medium until incorporated after each addition. Next, add your vanilla and beat on medium until combined. Make sure to scrape down the bowl at this point, so that everything will be evenly mixed.
- Time for the dry! Add about 1/3 of your dry mix and incorporate with low speed. When that is mixed in, add 1/2 of your milk. Again, beat on low until incorporated. Repeat this process until all ingredients are added - make sure that you start and end with dry! (See why in the recipe intro). Do not overmix! Once everything is evenly distributed, it's good to go.
- Fill your cupcake liners 2/3 - 3/4 full. I like to use these scoops - they have awesome spatula edges to get all that tasty batter. Though I do not officially recommend eating raw egg, I usually do a taste test at this point =]
- Bake, bake, bake. Leave them in there for about 18 - 22 minutes, depending on your oven. Don't let them overbake! Check if they're done with a toothpick - if it's clean, they're ready!
- While the cupcakes cool, prepare your frosting. Add all of the butter to your mixing bowl. With a stand or hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter on high for two minutes. Add your vanilla and beat for another minute.
- One cup at a time, add your sifted powdered sugar. Now, if you don't want to go to the trouble of sifting, that's ok, it just won't come out quite as fluffy. If you're skipping this step, at least fill the measuring cup with the sugar using a fork. This will keep it somewhat airy.
- Once all of the sugar is incorporated, beat the frosting on high for one minute. Add at least 1 Tbsp of the cream - I usually end up doing about 3, but it depends on what you want out of your frosting. See the note below for more tips on this.
- Continue to beat the frosting for 5 more minutes. Whip it good!
- Eat however much of that frosting your conscience/ tummy will allow.
- Once the cakes are cool, they are ready to frost! Either just spread it on with a knife or prepare your bag by snipping off the tip and inserting the frosting tip you want.
- Scoop the frosting into a piping bag (as mentioned before, a cup works well here to hold the bag). Pipe away!
- Decorate as desired - whatever you imagine, you can make!
Notes
Frosting Note - there are TONS of frosting recipes out there. Why? Because the ratios don't matter. Whatever you like, go for it. If you like less sugar, cut out up to 1 1/2 cups. If you like frosting super creamy, add more cream. As long as you like how it tastes and it will spread or pipe the way you need it to for what you're doing, go for it. Rules are for baking, not frosting.
© Adventures of a Frostaholic
