Blackberry Cobbler Bread

5 c Fresh blackberries
1 1/4 c Sugar
3 1/2 tb Sifted flour
Butter

Dough:
2 c Flour
2 tb Sugar
4 ts Baking powder
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 ts Cream of tartar
1/2 c Butter
1/2 c Milk

Toss 5 cups fresh blackberries with 1 1/4 cups sugar and pour them into a well buttered 1 1/2 quart oblong baking dish. Sprinkle 3 1/2 tablespoons sifted flour pver the berries, dot them with butter, and set them aside.

Into a bowl, sift 2 cups flour with two tablespoons sugar, 4 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoons each of salt and cream of tartar. Cut in 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. With a fork, stir in 1/2 cup milk and form the mixture into a ball. Roll the dough out 1/4 inch thick on a floured board. Cover the blackberries with the dough and trim the edges. Cut a vent in the center of the dough and sprinkle the top generously with sugar. Bake the cobbler in a hot oven (400F.) for 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden.

Drizzle a little heavy cream across the top, and enjoy.

This recipes kicks out a boat load of cookies. These freeze really well and are perfect for experimenting with.

Marmalade Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheet.

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 cup butter (softened or room temperature)
1 cup sour cream
1 tblsp. vanilla
4 cups flour
1 tblsp. baking soda
1 tblsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 of a bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 – 1 cup orange marmalade (or any preserve of your choice. I’ve used peaches, apricots, raspberry…the skies the limit)

Cream together sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture, alternating with sour cream, to creamed mixture, and beat well after each addition.

Add marmalade. Use more or less marmalade per your taste. I usually use a cup.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookies sheet and bake for 8 minutes. You do NOT want to over bake these. These should be lightly golden brown. Over baking them causes the marmalade on the edge of the cookie to crystalize and have an icky burnt taste.

And apparently I’m in the mood to cook, because I’ll have another recipe post ready for you later today.

Enjoy the day!

Jenny

Anyone not ever tried a soda cake?

I’m almost certain soda cakes are an early slice of heaven.

Ingredients

Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9×13 inch pan.

1 (18 1/4 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
1 (3 1/2 ounce) package chocolate or chocolate fudge pudding mix 1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
10 ounces Dr. Pepper

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs and Dr. Pepper. Mix until all ingredients are moistened.

Pour into prepared 9×13 inch pan and bake for 30 too 35 minutes. Or in a tube pan for 45 minutes.
Cool completely.

Once the cake is cooled, I’ll usually make whipped cream (heavy cream, sugar, pinch of salt, almond or vanilla flavoring) and adding a dollop to each slice and garnishing with a maraschino cherry. (Bit of trivia. Did you know they actually make peppermint flavor maraschino cherries, that have been dyed green. Yeah. I’m apparently not a maraschino cherry connoisseur. I just know the red ones are good, and the vodka ones are even better.)

Can also make a glaze instead of piling on the whipped cream.

Glaze

Glaze

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Dr. Pepper

Mix together butter, sugar and Dr. Pepper in a saucepan and bring to a boil on the stove. Boil for two minutes. Pour glaze onto cake while glaze is still hot.

Other Variations

Mountain dew soda, lemon cake mix, lemon pudding
Cream soda, white cake mix, white chocolate pudding
Orange cream soda, white cake mix, coconut pudding – Add toasted, shredded coconut
Shasta raspberry soda, white cake mix, cheesecake pudding – Use raspberries as garnish. Could do the same, but find strawberry soda.

See the trend…

Go forth and experiment.

I pretty much just threw a bunch of stuff in a couple bowls, beat it, baked it, whipped it, and spread it on top of the cake.

Then I got the whips and chains out, for the real fun.

Sorry. Sometimes this stuff flows from my fingers faster than I can engage my brain and hold the deluge back!

Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Spray a glass 13″x9″ baking dish with non stick cooking oil. Or grease and flour. I usually grease and flour.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teasp. baking power
• 2 teasp. baking soda
• 1/2 teasp. almond extract
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature

Sift together flour, cocoa, soda, power and salt in a mixing bowl. In another bowl combine oil & sugar. Beat on medium until combined. Add eggs and beat well. Add flour mixture, alternating with milk. Begin and end with flour mixture. Beat well after each addition. Stir in coffee and almond extract. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Frosting

• 1 package cream cheese
• 1/4 cup marmalade
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 table. coffee
• 1/2 teasp. almond extract

Combine cream cheese and marmalade, mix on medium until smooth. Add powdered sugar, coffee and almond extract. Beat until smooth. Spread over cooled cake.

Eat!

Store in refrigerator.

Good Afternoon!

Boy do I have a fun week planned for you all. I’ve decided to dedicate this whole week to recipes with eggnog in them. YUM! This is definitely one of my favorite holiday ingredients to bake with. Lets not waste any time!

Eggnog Muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
1 3/4 cups eggnog
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/c cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans

*Grease or line with paper muffin cups
*Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In another bowl, combine the egg, eggnog and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in raisins and pecans. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to a wire rack.

YUM!

I like to slather mine with honey butter, but they are just as good plain.

Cranberry Pumpkin Cookies

Next week I’ll be posting a recipe every day, all featuring the same ingredient: Eggnog! YUM!

I’ve also included a printable .pdf recipe card in this post. If you have any problems downloading this, please email me at contac@inaminiskirt.com and I can email it to you.

Cranberry Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup White Chocolate morsels

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Makes 4 dozen cookie

Combine flour, cinnamon, cloves and baking soda in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until blended. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in cranberries and morsels . Drop by rounded tablespoon onto greased baking sheets; flatten slightly with back of spoon or greased bottom of glass dipped in granulated sugar.

Bake for 11 to 14 minutes or until centers are set. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Created by Jenny
inaminiskirt.com

Cranberry Pumpkin Cookies

Yes, I know. I’m a week late, a dollar short, and that’s the story of my life.

I’m frantic cool like that. (And yes, frantic, is my new word. I’ll be abusing it, don’t you worry!)

So now, onto the Pumpkin Bread Recipe that I’ve been withholding from you all for almost 2 weeks!

Pumpkin Bread
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Butter 2 loaf pans. Sift together flour, salt, sugar and baking soda. Mix the pumpkin, oil, apple sauce, eggs, water and spices together, then combine with dry ingredients. Don’t over mix. Pour into loaf pans and bake for 1 hour or until a knife comes out clean. Remove from oven, turn onto wire rack and cool. (or not … *smile*)

Toppings

Dollop of whipped cream (the real stuff – that you pour out of the carton and whip with your blender), sprinkled with cinnamon
Whip cream cheese and heavy cream together to form soft peaks. Spoon onto pumpkin bread and add sliced almonds
Lastly, my favorite!

Drizzle Ducle de Leche over slices. (HEAVEN)

If you don’t have a recipe for Ducle de Leche I recommend Kay’s recipe at Dutch Girl Cooking. Super simple and perfect! I stumbled onto Kay’s blog a while back and have been enamored ever since. Frankly, her photos are spectacular, and I love her uncomplicated way of showing how to prepare each dish.

Also, I have something to share with you all.

This is my pantry. As many of you know, I’m single. I must have a fear of starving or something.

But really, if anyone ever needs anything, I’m sure I have it. And this isn’t even the whole pantry area. There are four more doors that I can’t really photograph because I’d have to get under the table and there’s not much light. And well folks, it ain’t pretty! It just ain’t!

(please refrain from noticing the outdated counter tops – my dream kitchen with the copper caped counters just isn’t moving along as quickly as I’d like)

I’m back!

Ok, so I didn’t leave…really. Well mentally I might have. There have been a few times over the past three weeks when I’d have liked to have moved to an island community; sat in a beach chair, drank copious amounts of alcohol and tanned. Okay, so I’d probably do some snorkeling, and swimming and eating, but otherwise I’d have been sitting on the beach.

So….upon my mental return, I bring you:

Blueberry Lemon Cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 cup fresh blueberries

In a mixing bowl, cream the shortening, sugar, egg, milk, almond extract and lemon zest. Mix well after the addition of each ingredient. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; blend into the creamed sugar mixture. Fold in the blueberries. Cover and chill for 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Zucchini Brownies

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. The mixture will look dry and crumbly – don’t add anything to the mixture!

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched.

Frosting

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners’ sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

I’ll be adding photos shortly!

Trust me…these really are the best brownies.