Cheesecake Bars

Finished cheesecake

Like usual I am late to the holiday posting party. But that’s alright, because this recipe is tasty for anytime of the year.

I was originally inspired to make organic cheesecake bars from the summer berry stack that we sell at work. But the summer berry stack is heavy, and overly sweet. And definitely not organic. With it being summer/bathing suit season I figured I needed to lighten these up a bit. Not everyone wants a cheesecake bar the size of a slice of cheesecake.

I decided to make my cheesecake bars thin, and swirled them with two different berry purees. To, you know, give them vitamins and make them healthy…

more berries 1024x682 Cheesecake Bars

I used organic raspberry and blueberry puree to make my bars festive. But don’t be scared, you can use what ever fruit is in season or no fruit at all. These cheesecake bars are very versatile.
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Triple Berry Pie

whole pie

The best thing about pies is that they are forgiving and flexible.

Pies can be better then your friends when it comes to flexibility. Just throw in a little of this and that, top it with a crust or crumble, and you are good to go.

My boyfriend expressed to me during an episode of Pushing Daises that his favorite pie is triple berry pie. I am no fool, and picked up on that not so subtle tip to make one asap. I asked him what three berries he preffered in his pie and he said anything, just as long as there would be pie.

strawberries 199x300 Triple Berry Pie strips of dough 199x300 Triple Berry Pie whole pie 199x300 Triple Berry Pie

The next day at the store I was looking through the produce trying to decide what he thought might make a good triple berry pie. Strawberries were a given, and as soon as I saw blackberries I knew I had to get those as well.

The third berry was a little bit more tricky… Nothing was on sale, and they were all looking a little iffy. I really wanted to use raspberries, but they were just not up to my standards that day so I settled on blueberries. And lets face it, you can’t go wrong with blueberries. They are delicious, and healthy!

While it is obvious all these berries are delicious on their own, as well as together, I decided to add a little lemon zest and juice to berry mixture to brighten it up and give it a little bit of tartness.

lemon and strawberries Triple Berry Pie

Needless to say, this pie was a total hit with the bf. It was tangy, fruity, bright, and slightly sweet with a bit of buttery-salty goodness from the crust. The bf said he liked the pie better at room temperature, while I liked it slightly warmed up. Either way, it was delicious.

Triple Berry Pie

For the crust I used this recipe, and double it. 1 for the top, and 1 for the bottom.

Ingredients

  • 1 carton of strawberries, quartered
  • 1 pint of blueberries
  • 1 pint of blackberries
  • 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar + 2 tbsp for sprinkling
  • 1 egg

**Frozen berries would work just as well in place of the fresh berries. Just thaw, and use in place of the fresh berries. Over all you want 3-4 cups of fruit, so measure accordingly.

To Make the Pie

  1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF
  2. Wash and dry all the berries. Then quarter the strawberries. Combine all the berries in 1 large bowl.
  3. Zest and juice the lemon into the berry combination.
  4. Sprinkle in the 1/3 cup sugar and flour, mix, and allow the berries to sit at room temperature while you make the crust.
  5. Carefully lay your bottom crust in your pie plate, pour in the fruit, and top with a lattice crust (or crumble…which ever you prefer). Then using your egg make an egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tbsp sugar.
  6. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling. Allow to completely cool before serving.

 

Hazelnut Biscotti

coffee and hazelnut biscotti

Biscotti is defined as a hard, usually nut flavored, twice-baked cookie of Italian origin.

When I was younger I wondered if the long cookies at the coffee shops were as delicious as they looked. When my curiosity finally got to me, I bought a chocolate biscotti and a hot chocolate. At the time I didn’t realize that it would be hard and crunchy. I was so disappointed.

A few years later (sometime in high school) some friends and I were at Starbucks, and everyone picked up a biscotti with their coffee. This is when I finally discovered the true purpose of biscotti, dunking in a delicious beverage. Coffee, hot chocolate, wine, frosting…you can dunk this crispy cookie in anything you want.

just biscotti Hazelnut Biscotti

One cold snow day I was bored, and trying to think of a way to warm up my tiny apartment. As I sat around drinking coffee, I thought of things that didn’t require a grocery trip, but fulfilled my sweet tooth.

After a quick glance in my cabinet, I came up with chocolate coating and hazelnuts. I’m not sure what made me finally decide on biscotti but that’s what it was.

Making biscotti is simple, takes almost no time, and allows for creativity.

Don’t you love recipes like this? I do!

dough 300x199 Hazelnut Biscotti dough logs 300x199 Hazelnut Biscotti

The ingredient list is short; baking soda, flour, salt, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. I always have all of these ingredients on hand, as I’m sure most of you do too. I added the [Read more...]

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