White chocolate granola cookies - turning something bland into something delicious

I told you weeks ago that my experimenting with new types of recipes had had good and bad results: luckily more good than bad, but some things just did not work at all.

There was an almond cake from this book that ended up in the garbage can – I should have followed my instincts and added flour to the batter once I realized it was much too runny – and there was the granola that tasted funny (the one I mentioned the other day). I felt sad about the cake – it was too rubbery and not flavorsome enough for me to come up with something to do with it – but the good thing is that I managed to save the granola.

If life gives you bland granola, make cookies with it. :D

These are super easy to make and taste great – I used homemade granola, which wasn’t too sweet, and it worked perfectly with the white chocolate. If your granola is sweeter (store-bought usually is), using dark chocolate instead of white chocolate might be a good idea.

White chocolate granola cookies
adapted from the most complete dessert cookbook I own

1 cup (140g) all purpose flour
heaping ¼ teaspoon baking soda
heaping ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (175g) light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250g granola (I used homemade)
150g white chocolate, in chips or chunks

Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture; mix on low speed just until blended. Using wooden spoon, stir in granola and chocolate.
Line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Using 2 leveled tablespoons of dough for each cookie, drop batter onto prepared sheets 5cm (2in) apart. Chill 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Bake cookies until golden around the edges, 10-12 minutes. Cool in the sheet for 2 minutes, then slide the paper with the cookies onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Makes about 25

Hot-cross muffins

These delicious and tender muffins, perfumed with spices and moist from a sugar syrup, are a great way to avoid a chocolate OD during the Easter holiday: they're perfect for breakfast or brunch and are very quick to make, unlike their yeasted cousin.

Hot-cross muffins
from the always mouthwatering Delicious - Australia

Muffins:
135g dried cranberries
1 cup (150g) golden raisins
375g self-rising flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2/3 cup (160mll) canola oil
1 cup (250ml) buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

Syrup and icing:
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ cup (70g) icing sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper cases.
Soak the cranberries and raisins in just enough boiling water to cover for 10 minutes. Drain well, then pat dry with paper towel.
Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and spices into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, vanilla, eggs and sugar until combined. Add to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Gently stir in the fruit. Divide the mixture among muffin cases, then bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then carefully remove from the pan and transfer to the rack.
Syrup: place the granulated sugar in a small saucepan with 2 tablespoons water and simmer over low heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Brush the glaze over the muffins.
Sift icing sugar into a bowl. Add lemon juice and just enough hot water to make a thick, pipable icing. Use a piping bag or drizzle from a spoon to draw a cross on each muffin. Serve warm or at room temperature.

* homemade buttermilk: to make 1 cup buttermilk place 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a 240ml-capacity measuring cup and complete with whole milk (room temperature). Wait 10 minutes for it to thicken slightly, then use the whole mixture in your recipe

Makes 12 - I halved the recipe above, used 1/3-cup capacity muffin pans and got 9 muffins

Colomba Pasquale

My husband is not into sweets – I guess that the Universe knows better, right? :) – but he likes certain baked goods, like panettone and Colomba Pasquale. However, the store-bought versions are so heavily scented with artificial essences that he no longer eats them – he says those baked goods are not what they used to be when he was younger anymore and that all those artificial ingredients disagree with his stomach. Therefore, he was very excited about my homemade Colomba, and after having a slice of the freshly baked bread he said that not only it tasted delicious – like “the real deal” – he felt absolutely fine after eating it.

The picky-eater hubby enjoying my Colomba Pasquale really made my weekend, and reading that the production on season 2 of “House of Cards” is expected to start this month was the icing on the cake. \0/

Colomba Pasquale
slightly adapted from the always delicious and beautiful Australian Gourmet Traveller

Starter:
¾ cup + ½ tablespoon (110g) all purpose flour
⅛ teaspoon dried yeast
90ml water, room temperature

Colomba:
1 ½ cups + 1 ½ tablespoons (225g) all purpose flour
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon (62g) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, whole
1 large egg, yolk and white separated
2 teaspoons dried yeast
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
finely grated zest of 1 orange
½ cup (75g) golden raisins
1/3 cup (35g) dried cranberries
75g dried apricots, finely diced
60g finely chopped candied orange peel

Topping:
1/3 cup (66g) demerara sugar
1/3 cup (33g) almond meal
30g flaked almonds

For starter, stir ingredients in a bowl until smooth, cover with plastic wrap and stand at room temperature for 12 hours.
Transfer starter to an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, add flour, granulated sugar, butter, the whole eggs, the yolk, yeast, vanilla and orange zest and mix on medium speed until dough is smooth and shiny and starts to leave sides of bowl (about 8 minutes). Add dried fruit and candied peel, mix to combine, then cover and stand until doubled in size (1-2 hours).
Knock down dough and divide into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other. Shape the larger piece into a 30cm-(12in) long cylinder, tapering slightly at one end, and place on a large baking sheet lined with foil. Form remaining piece into a 20cm-(8in) long cylinder and lay across the larger cylinder, about one-third of the way down from the tapered end. Cover with a tea towel and stand until slightly risen (35-40 minutes). In the meantime, preheat oven to 190°C/375°F.
Topping: combine demerara sugar, almond meal, almonds and egg white in a bowl, scatter over dough, bake for 15 minutes, reduce oven to 160°C/320°F and bake until golden and cooked through, 15-20 minutes (cover with foil if colomba gets too brown). Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 10

Pebbly beach fruit squares - and a lovely friend

I’ve “met” great people since starting this blog back in 2006, and there are a few that became part of my days, despite the fact that in some cases we’re half a planet apart. :)

I know that she lives miles and miles away from here, but I would certainly love having the lovely Susan as my neighbor: I absolutely adore her (even though we haven’t met personally), I crave the yummy food she makes and sometimes I wish I could “borrow” her adorable little helpers. ;)
I’ve always wanted to bake with her and we’ve decided not to let distance get in our way: a recipe from Alice Medrich’s new book is the start of our little baking project.

I am a huge fan of Medrich’s recipes – they work and taste great – but these cookies disappointed me: the pastry is too soft and almost impossible to work with (even after several trips to the fridge); the cookies were delicious, but I would definitely go for this recipe next time I make these.

Click here to see Susan’s beautiful take on this recipe – her filling choice is fabulous!

Pebbly beach fruit squares
from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich

1 ¾ cups (245g) all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons/113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 cup (110g) dried cranberries
¼ cup (50g) demerara sugar

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and mix together thoroughly. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until smooth but not fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and lemon zest and mix until smooth. Add the flour mixture and mix until completely incorporated. Divide the dough in half and form each into a rectangle. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let sit for 15 minutes to soften slightly. On a sheet of parchment paper, roll one piece of dough into a rectangle (21x42cm/8½x16½in). With the short side facing you, scatter half of the cranberries on the bottom half of the rectangle. Fold the top half over the fruit, using the paper as a handle. Peel the paper from the top of the dough, scatter with the demerara sugar, pressing to make sure the sugar adheres. Freeze for 10 minutes, then trim the edges and cut into 16 squares. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Place the cookies onto the prepared sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden. Slide the paper out of the pan and let cool completely.

Makes 32 – I halved the recipe above and got only 10 squares

Chocolate-chunk oatmeal cookies with pecans and cranberries

Just so you know it, these cookies – from Tara’s gorgeous blog – are delicious. And if you do not believe me, here’s the dialogue I had with one of my friends from work (the ones I shared the cookies with):

- You know, L., oats are really good for you, good for your heart.
- Well, those cookies were so delicious I would have eaten them even if they were bad for me.

I rest my case. ;)

Chocolate-chunk oatmeal cookies with pecans and cranberries

1 ¼ cups (175g) unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups (144g) old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup (110g) pecans, toasted and chopped
1 cup (110g) dried cranberries
112g (4oz) bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces about the size of chocolate chips
¾ cup (170g/1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 ½ cups (262g) packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl combine the oats, pecans, dried cranberries and chocolate.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on medium-low, add the egg and beat until incorporated.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, turn the mixer down to low, and add the flour mixture to the bowl. Stir until just combined. Finally incorporate the oats, nuts, fruit and chocolate. Do not overmix. Turn off the mixer and use a rubber spatula to give the dough a final stir and make sure that all the ingredients are incorporated.
Using an ice cream scoop to measure ¼ cup portions of dough. Roll these portions lightly between your hands, then place 8 on each baking sheet, spaced evenly. Wet your hands and lightly press the dough to a 2.5cm (1in) thickness. Bake the cookies, one tray at a time, for 12 minutes. Rotate the tray and bake for another 8 minutes or until the cookies are uniformly golden, but still wet in the middle. You might think that they're undercooked, but you're wrong - resist the urge to overbake, they will set up further as they cool.

Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes 16 – I halved the recipe above, used 1 slightly rounded tablespoon of dough per cookie and got 32

Orange cranberry slice-and-bake cookies and an appeal for Bri

You must have already read on other food blogs that the sweet Bri is battling cancer once again. She’s shown us her strength and will power through these hard times and I’m sure she’s in everyone’s prayers.

Bee and Jai of Jugalbandi are coordinating a fundraiser for Bri. The goal is to raise $12,000 to help her pay for her treatments (for a year). Click here to find out more about it and also to make a donation.

Yellow has become the color of hope – that’s why I’m posting these delicious orange cranberry cookies (a recipe by Deb).

Orange cranberry slice-and-bake cookies

1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
grated zest of 2 oranges
½ cup dried orange-flavored cranberries, chopped

Put the butter in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat at medium speed until it is smooth. Add the sifted confectioners’ sugar and beat again until the mixture is smooth and silky. Beat in the egg yolks, followed by the salt, zest and cranberries. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, beating just until it disappears. It is better to underbeat than overbeat at this point; if the flour isn’t fully incorporated, that’s okay just blend in whatever remaining flour needs blending with a rubber spatula. Turn the dough out onto a counter, gather it into a ball, and divide it in half. Wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Working on a smooth surface, form each piece of dough into a log that is about 1 to 1 ¼ inches (2.5 to 3.2cm) thick. (Get the thickness right, and the length you end up with will be fine.) Wrap the logs in plastic and chill for 2 hours. (The dough can be wrapped airtight and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.)

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF (I preferred to bake my cookies at the central rack, one sheet at a time). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

While the oven is preheating, using a sharp slender knife, slice each log into cookies about 1/3 inch (1cm) thick. (You can make the cookies thicker if you’d like; just bake them longer.) Place the cookies on the lined baking sheets, leaving about ½ inch (1.5 cm) space between them.

Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they are set but not browned. Transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool to room temperature.

Keeping: Packed airtight, the cookies will keep for about 5 days at room temperature or in the freezer for a month. Unbaked logs can be frozen for longer.

Makes about 50 cookies

Cranberry white chocolate chip oatmeal cookies

I first tried cranberries (the dried ones) a while ago when the lovely JB – thank you, sweetie!! – sent me some by mail. I loved how tart they were. Delicious! I ate several right out of the bag and kept the rest to use in a special recipe. My thoughts were to try JB’s wonderful scones but at the same time I wanted to make something that would last longer, so I could enjoy it more. Like cookies. And these, my friends, are some very good cookies.

Sweet from the white chocolate and tart from the cranberries, with a touch of oatmeal so you won’t feel so guilty – oats are good for your, after all – these make a fantastic snack.

I got the recipe from MrsPresley’s beautiful blog; her cookies looked so good it was impossible for me to resist – I had to bake them.

The recipe yields a lot so make sure you have people to share the cookies with – I’m lucky Joao’s family is big, otherwise I’d be munching on these up until now. :)

Cranberry white chocolate chip oatmeal cookies

3 eggs, well beaten
1 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup (225g) butter, softened
1 cup (175g) light brown sugar
1 cup (200g) white sugar
2 ½ cups (350g) flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups (230g) oatmeal
1 cup (170g) white chocolate chips

Combine eggs, dried cranberries and vanilla in a bowl and let stand for 1 hour, covered with plastic wrap.

Preheat oven to 350ºF/175ºC and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift flour, salt, cinnamon and soda; set aside. Cream together butter and sugars. Add the flour mixture to sugar mixture. Mix well. Blend in egg-cranberry mixture and oatmeal. Dough will be stiff. Fold in the white chocolate chips.
Drop by leveled tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets, 2 inches (5cm) apart, or roll in small balls and flatten slightly on cookie sheet (I did the latter).
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes 75 cookies