Blueberry Pie

I really wanted to make a fun dessert for the Fourth of July, something cutesy and patriotic looking, so I checked the Internet for ideas. There were lots of great things, but I did not have all ingredients that I needed for the cutesy cupcakes I had in mind.  I had a lot of blueberries in the fridge, and after searching for some blueberry recipes, I decided blueberry pie with homemade vanilla ice cream would be the perfect summer holiday treat. I was so right! We had my parents over for dessert and everyone agreed that the pie was incredible. The filling was just the right amount of sweet and tart, the crust was flaky and buttery, and the homemade vanilla ice cream put it over the top! I put a cherry on top too because ice cream should always have a cherry on top (and it kind of made it red, white, and blue)! I was a little nervous about doing a homemade pie crust as I always am, but even more so because it was my first time doing a double pie crust. I had nothing to fear, everything worked out in the end and this pie was better than anything you could ever buy. We decided that this would become a tradition, so for now on, I'll be making a blueberry pie every Independence Day (and hopefully more often than just once a year, too)! Enjoy.

Recipe for Blueberry Pie

INGREDIENTS:
For the double layer crust
2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoon of granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks (16 Tablespoons) of very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
6 Tablespoon very cold water

For the blueberry filling
4 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
3 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 tsp. of lemon zest
1/4 tsp. of cinnamon
1 Tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

1 egg (for the egg wash)
1 Tablespoon of water (for the egg wash)

DIRECTIONS:
For the double layer pie crust
You will make two dough recipes. In the bowl of a food processor, put in 1 1/4 cups flour, 1 Tablespoon sugar, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Pulse to combine. Add in the pieces of chilled butter from one stick of butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand and the butter is the size of peas or smaller. With the food processor running, slowly pour in a couple tablespoons of the water. Add in more as needed and stop the processor when the dough begins to leave the sides of the bowl and comes together.  Remove from the bowl of the food processor, shape into a ball, and wrap in saran wrap or put into a ziploc bag. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes. Repeat this process with the remaining flour, sugar, salt, butter, and water to make the second batch of pie dough.

Take dough out of fridge. Use a rolling pin to roll out one of the doughs into a thin round on a lightly floured work  surface. Place into a slightly greased 9-inch pie pan and then trim the excess. You will roll out the other dough round after making the filling.

For the blueberry filling
Put the blueberries into a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch, lemon zest, sugar, and cinnamon. Pour over the blueberries and stir to incorporate. Pour the blueberry mixture into the pie plate with the dough. Scatter the small butter pieces from the one Tablespoon of butter on top.

Roll out the other dough round and place it on top of the pie and trim any excess from the bottom and top, then crimp together to seal the edges. Then cut out small pieces from the top layer in order for steam to be able to escape during the baking. Place into fridge for 20 - 30 minutes before baking.

Position oven rack in lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Take pie out of the fridge. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Brush it on top of the crust (you will not use all of the mixture). If desired, use strips of foil and fold them over the sides of the pie plate or use a pie crust shield in order to prevent the edges of the pie from burning.

Place in the oven and cook for 50 minutes. If using the foil, carefully remove the foil pieces after 40 minutes then continue to bake for 10 more minutes.

Remove from oven and allow it to cool on a cooling rack, 1 - 2 hours. Then serve at room temperature or you can reheat in oven at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes before serving.

Serve your pie with vanilla ice cream on top!

*Pie tastes great cold, too! Cover the pie with foil and refrigerate any leftovers.

Recipe serves 8.
Recipe Source: Annie's Eats originally from Williams Sonoma

One Dozen Brownie Cookies

My friend posted the link to this recipe on Facebook the other day, with the caption "making these tonight." However, when I followed up with her several days later, she still hadn't made them! I decided that I needed to try the recipe for myself. Greg was out shooting an event, and Wendy was down for a nap, and I got the urge to bake! I knew I didn't need 3 dozen cookies though, so I decided to cut the recipe into a third to make only a dozen cookies. It probably is a good thing that I didn't make the 3 dozen, because the cookies I did make went really, really fast between me and Greg. When I first took the cookies out of the oven, a little piece broke off and I took a bite. I wasn't impressed, and I let my friend on Facebook know. But then after they cooled completely, I dusted them with the powdered sugar, took another bite, and had to eat my words (and the rest of that cookie). The texture of these brownie cookies are soft and chewy and crunchy and gooey all at the same time. They have just the right amount of chocolate in them and just the right amount of sweet. I suggest you make these cookies as soon as you can. Enjoy!

Recipe for One Dozen Brownie Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 ounce of bittersweet baking chocolate (I used Ghirardelli)
5 1/2 Tbsp. of unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. of sugar
1 tsp. of pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. plus 1 1/2 tsp. of cocoa powder
3/8 tsp. of baking powder (use a 1/8 tsp. to measure each, scantily filled)
1/8 tsp. of salt
Powdered sugar, for dusting

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a baking sheet with a pat of butter.

Put the baking chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and heat on high in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Remove the chocolate from the microwave and stir. If not fully melted, heat for another 10 - 20 seconds. Once melted, set aside to cool.

Put the softened butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer set on medium high speed to mix until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. Then slowly add in the cooled chocolate and mix on low. Then add in the vanilla extract and egg and mix again on low.

Put the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl and stir. Pour half of the flour mixture into the wet mixture and use the electric hand mixer to beat on low speed until combined. Then add in the rest of it and beat again on low until combined.

Use a one tablespoon cookie dough scoop to scoop up batter and place on prepared baking pan. Bake for 11 minutes. Remove from oven, let the cookies sit on the pan for 2 minutes, and then use a spatula to gently transfer them to a baking rack so they can cool completely. Once cooled, sprinkle with desired amount of powdered sugar.

Recipe makes approximately 1 dozen cookies. They taste best when cooled. Store in an airtight container on the kitchen counter.

Recipe Adapted from: The Pioneer Woman

M&M Cookies - Rainbow Colors and Shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day!

Mmm, the texture of these cookies is so good! I made M&M Cookies on Sunday while my parents and Greg slaved away on the house. I added in some mini chocolate chips too to make them extra chocolatey. They were quite the hit, and Greg didn't even complain that they were too sweet, like he did with the salted caramel brownies. Last night we had a couple friends for dinner. I made easy chicken risotto with caramelized onions, parmesan bread, and served these cookies for dessert. Needless to say,  once there were 30 cookies, and now there are none. It was my first time making M&M cookies and it definitely won't be the last.

I think these M&M cookies are a great idea for St. Patrick's Day. The M&Ms make a fun rainbow color and you can sprinkle on some green sprinkles or shamrock sprinkles on top if you are feeling extra festive. Enjoy!

Recipe for M&M Cookies (Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies) 

INGREDIENTS:
2 sticks (8 Tbsp.) of unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
3/4 cup of light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. of granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. of pure vanilla extract

M&M Cookies with Festive Shamrocks - a fun treat for St. Patrick's Day

2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. of baking soda
1/2 tsp. of salt
2 tsp. of cornstarch
3/4 cup of M&M's (for the batter)
1/2 cup of mini semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. of heavy cream
Festive sprinkles (optional)
1/4 cup of M&M's (for topping when cookies are hot)

DIRECTIONS: 
Put the butter into a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed with an electric hand mixer until smooth, about 30 seconds. Then add in the light brown sugar and mix on medium high speed until the sugar is well incorporated. Pour in the granulated sugar and mix on medium high speed for 1 - 2 minutes, or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Stir in the egg and pure vanilla extract and mix well.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch. Then pour the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Fold in the M&M's and chocolate chips.  Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 1 hour. Take out of fridge and stir in the heavy cream which will help the dough to gather up better - use even more than the 2 Tbsp. if needed (you can also use milk).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop the dough up with a 1 1/2 Tbsp. cookie dough scoop and place on the baking sheet, leaving about an inch between each scoop. If using the sprinkles, sprinkle them on or gently press down some sprinkles onto the balls of dough. Put baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and gently press down a few more M&M's onto each cookie while they are still hot. Allow to cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for about one week (but they probably won't last that long).

Recipe Adapted from: Crunchy Creamy Sweet

Dark Chocolate Coconut Muffins

I just realized I have been posting  a lot of sweets lately, especially sweets that are loaded with chocolate (dark chocolate raspberry truffles and granola chocolate chip cookies). Maybe it's time for me to go on another 5 day sugar withdrawal challenge, because once again I am definitely craving sugar/chocolate. It must be because I am really stressed out over my house being a disaster zone, Greg not having a full-time job, and the arrival of Wendy at the end of next month. I'm so excited to be a mother, but I also feel completely overwhelmed. So, what do I do? I eat chocolate! Isn't that what any other normal woman would do? Yeah, that's what I thought.

I made these chocolate coconut muffins yesterday morning. I came across a delicious looking muffin recipe on Facebook, but it called for cocoa powder - and I'm out. So I went with another recipe I found that used dark baking chocolate. At first when I had a bite I wasn't sold on them - but once they cooled a little more I thoroughly enjoyed them. My parents and Greg loved them and I hope you do too. Enjoy!

Recipe for Dark Chocolate Coconut Muffins 

INGREDIENTS:
7 ounces of dark baking chocolate (60 - 70% cocoa)
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) of unsalted butter
2 cups of all-purpose flour
2/3 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. of salt
1 3/4 tsp. of baking powder
1 tsp. of pure chocolate extract (or pure vanilla extract)
2 eggs
2/3 cup of 2% milk
1 Tbsp. of heavy cream (optional)
2/3 cup of semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper liners. Put the butter and chopped chocolate into a small to medium sized saucepan and set over medium heat. Stir frequently until the butter and chocolate are completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Then add in the chocolate (or vanilla) extract, eggs, milk, and cream. Whisk together until well incorporated. Then stir in the melted chocolate and butter mixture and stir until smooth and chocolate is evenly mixed into the batter. Fold in the chocolate chips and coconut. Scoop the batter into the paper liners and fill. Put the muffins into the oven and cook for 16 - 19 minutes. Remove from oven and allow muffins to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Put any muffins that are not eaten into an airtight container and store at room temperature or in the fridge.

Recipe Adapted from: Baking Bites

Granola Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies were inspired after making a batch of homemade granola. I was craving cookies (and baking), and I wanted to make something that was filled with ingredients that are also somewhat healthy. In the granola I had made, I used natural coconut, dried cranberries, raisins, and rolled oats. I thought that those ingredients would taste great in a chocolate chip cookie - and I was right! I enjoyed eating some for lunch a couple days this week, but I left them at home while Greg and my parents were working on the renovations, and they sure went quickly. That's okay though because that just means that I should go ahead and make another couple dozen...right? Enjoy!

Recipe for Granola Chocolate Chip Cookies 

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. of baking soda
1/4 tsp. of salt
3/4 tsp. of ground cinnamon
1 stick of unsalted butter (8 Tbsp.), softened at room temperature
2/3 cup of light brown sugar, packed
3/4 tsp. of pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup of rolled oats, such as Quaker old-fashioned Oats
1/3 cup of raisins
1/3 cup of dried cranberries
1/3 cup of unsweetened flaked coconut
1 cup of better quality milk chocolate chips, such as Ghirardelli 

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with an electric hand mixer set on medium high speed for about 45 seconds. Then add in the brown sugar and continue to beat on medium high speed until fully incorporated and smooth. Add in the vanilla extract and egg and mix well. Pour the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix on low speed until well combined. Fold in the rolled oats, raisins, dried cranberries, coconut, and chocolate chips. Cover the bowl with a lid or saran wrap and put in the refrigerator for a couple hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Use a cookie dough scoop or spoon to make desired size balls and place onto baking sheets, with about 1-inch space between the dough. Put one baking sheet in the oven and bake for 12 - 13 minutes. Remove from oven and let cookies sit for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Place other baking sheet in the oven and bake, remove, and cool. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Recipe makes approximately 2 dozen cookies. 

Recipe adapted from: Crunchy Creamy Sweet

Peppermint Sugar Cookies

I had so much fun making the peppermint truffles the other day! I had leftover peppermints, so I wanted to make another fun treat. I came across a peppermint crunch ball cookie recipe, and I decided to try it out. The cookies did not turn out exactly how I thought they would (I thought they would be crunchier and I didn't think they would flatten - I guess names of recipes can be deceiving), but they were really yummy. The cookie is sweet, but not too sweet - with just the right amount of peppermint. The texture is nice & I love the slight crunch from the crushed mint and sugar. They are cute & festive and perfect for the holidays - enjoy!

Recipe for Peppermint Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup of confectioners sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp. of vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. of peppermint extract
2 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. of salt
10 - 15 crushed mini candy canes or Starlight mints
2 Tbsp. of granulated sugar
Decorative Sugar (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the softened butter and confectioners sugar with an electric hand mixer set on medium speed. Mix for a few minutes, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add in the egg and mix to incorporate. Stir in the vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Slowly add the flour to the mixture, by pouring in 1/3 cup at a time. Use the hand mixer to beat on low for several seconds after each addition of flour. Mix in the salt. Make sure all ingredients are well blended together. Cover the bowl with a lid and put into the fridge for 1 - 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together the crushed peppermints (I grind up the Starlight mints in my food processor) and granulated sugar. Take the mixture out of the fridge. Use a cookie dough scoop to scoop the mixture up and roll into 1 1/2-inch balls. Coat the balls in the crushed mint and sugar mixture and place on baking sheet. Space each ball about 2-inches apart from each other. Place in oven and bake for 12 - 14 minutes.

Optional: About 3 minutes before the cookies are finished baking, sprinkle decorative sugar on top of each cookie and then put back into the oven.

Once cookies are finished baking, transfer them to a wire rack to cool.

*Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Recipe Adapted from: Mr. Food