I know St. Patrick’s Day was a week ago, but these Irish Soda Bread Scones are so tasty, they need to be shared! Plus, who needs a specific holiday to enjoy something as yummy as Irish Soda Bread Scones? These can (and should) be enjoyed all year round!
Inspired by one of my favorite Irish treats, these Irish Soda Bread Scones are really easy to make. Just like traditional Irish Soda Bread, these are best eaten with softened butter, and maybe a smear of your favorite jam.
Note: I was sent apples from Stemilt in order to create this Irish Apple Cake recipe. Opinions are mine alone.
I am pretty sure most countries and regions have some form of apple cake recipe. And why wouldn’t they, apple cake is delicious! Irish Apple Cake is a spiced cake with loads of apples within the batter. The cake has a nice crunchy crust and is traditionally served with a custard sauce.
Stemilt, a family owned and operated fruit company based in Wenatchee, Washington, was kind enough to send me a care package of beautiful apples, including some granny smith apples.
With it being St. Patrick’s Day, I knew I had to make an Irish Apple Cake with the apples, of course.
The tartness and juiciness of granny smith apples make them a perfect choice for an Irish Apple cake!
The Irish Apple Cake recipe below is lightly adapted from Stemilt, and their version incorporates whiskey into the sauce for a more modern spin. Yum!
I’m back with another cookie recipe using some of my favorite OXO tools, specifically OXO’s cookie press, disk set, and Ceramic Pan!
Every year, OXO supports Cookies for Kids’ Cancer and the fight against pediatric cancer. Before I share my cookie recipe for Spritz Cookies, I want to share a bit about Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer (CFKC) is a nonprofit founded by two OXO employees after their son, Liam, was diagnosed with pediatric cancer. Through grassroots bake sales across the country, CFKC raises funds to develop new, improved and less toxic treatments for childhood cancer. Liam Witt’s legacy lives on as the organization works toward a cure for pediatric cancer, helping children and families everywhere.
Every year, OXO supports CFKC by encouraging people to bake and share.
For every cookie baked, OXO donates $1 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer up to $100,000, so here is my new cookie this year to support the cause and spread the word!
Here are some of my old cookie swap and Cookies for Kids’ Cancer posts, in case you’re in a baking mood:
With Thanksgiving so late this year, I hope you’ll forgive me for sharing a Christmas cookie recipe before Black Friday; these Cannoli Cookies are too good to keep a secret!
If you’re a cannoli lover, these Cannoli Cookies are sure to impress, especially because they are quite a bit easier to make than homemade cannolis!
Cannoli Cookies are spiced ricotta cookies with chocolate chips, pistachios, and orange zest, delivering the flavors of a classic cannoli in cookie form!
This recipe for Creamed Carrots is an adaptation of the creamed carrots that my grandparents used to make for our family dinners every Sunday when I was a kid.
We no longer have extended family dinners once a week, but the creamed carrots still show up at all holiday meals and are my dad’s absolute favorite veggie side!
The carrots are cooked until they are very very soft after absorbing a delicious creamy base. The end result is melt-in-your-mouth, flavorful creamed carrots!
I had no clue that Election Cake used to be a thing until I saw an article recently about this lost tradition! Recipes for Election Cake are found back to the late 18th century, but apparently the tradition has fallen off in recent years.
This yeasted spiced bundt fruitcake was traditionally prepared prior to Election Day and served to hungry voters.
For years, I was the machine inspector for every general and primary election in my South Philly polling location, so any attention I can bring to voting is super important to me! I am also down for any and all food holidays so let’s bring back Election Cake!
I don’t have a ton of experience using yeast, so I looked up a recipe from NY Times Food. Because of the yeast, there are two proofing times in this recipe, so set aside 4 to 6 hours to make this cake.
Ingredients (serves 10):
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
Note: I was sent a copy of 30 Breads to Bake Before You Die by Allyson Reedy in order to write this post on Teff Biscuits. Opinions are mine alone.
You may have noticed that I don’t do much breadmaking on this blog. It’s been a goal of mine to learn how to bake different breads but I have yet to really dive in. So when I was contacted to check out Allyson Reedy’s cookbook 30 Breads to Bake Before You Die (paid link), it seemed like my time had come!
“This book is written for anyone who is intimidated by the word ‘starter,’ and who think levain is just a bakery that makes really good cookies,” author Allyson Reedy says. “People who really love bread, but who may not know exactly where to start when it comes to baking it themselves. People like me.”
The cookbook is filled with recipes from famous bakers, chefs, and food bloggers who have put in the hours to perfect an awesome range of breads. Recipes range from a traditional baguette to Chocolate Babka King Cake and everything in between.
I can honestly see myself baking through this entire cookbook (the chapters are broken into Loaves, Smaller Carbs, Flats, and Sweets) but a recipe for Teff Biscuits from Marcus Samuelsson caught my eye immediately, so that is where we begin!
Teff is a gluten free grain that originates in Ethiopia that is higher in fiber than other grains and is a good source of iron. When added to a traditional southern-style biscuit, you end up with a slightly nutty take on the classic.
Note that you’ll need a kitchen scale (paid link) to make these Teff Biscuits. Weighing out your ingredients in baking ensures a more consistent result.
One of my favorite local restaurants is The House of William and Merry. The creativity and pure deliciousness coming out of that restaurant is impressive! A recent dinner there inspired me to use some of my CSA corn this week to make this Corn Bisque!
This silky corn bisque is delicious on its own, but I strongly suggest topping it with chopped bacon for extra saltiness and chives for brightness.
To make the corn bisque, you first make a corn stock. You’ll make more than you need for this particular recipe but don’t throw it away! You can use this lovely liquid like you would use vegetable or chicken broth.
Ingredients:
6 ears of corn, shucked
8 slices of bacon, cooked (I like to cook mine in the oven) note: reserve the bacon grease!)
This recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Whoopie Pies was a result of my desire to bring a different dessert to a gathering with some of my college friends. My friend who was hosting is a big fan of Strawberry Shortcake. That, plus my love for whoopie pies made Strawberry Shortcake Whoopie Pies a no brainer!
These Strawberry Shortcake Whoopie Pies are made of fresh whipped cream and sliced strawberries sandwiched between two vanilla cake-like cookies.
Ingredients:
Whoopie Pies:
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
5 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
My niece’s first birthday is soon, and my sister asked if I would make her smash cake; what an honor!
My sister requested a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, and as this will be my niece’s first taste of chocolate, I have to make sure it’s tasty with a few more baby-friendly adjustments.
This Chocolate Smash Cake is a fluffy, chocolatey mini cake perfect for (obviously) first birthdays, or for smaller get togethers.
Ingredients:
Chocolate Cake:
3/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup applesauce
Chocolate Frosting:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Note: I was sent some baking tools from OXO in order to write this post. Opinions are mine alone.
It’s the holiday season which means another cookie recipe inspired by some goodies from OXO! This year, I’m making something a little different for me: Christmas Pinwheel Cookies.
I tend to gravitate toward drop cookies because they are simple, decidedly not fussy, and still delicious! These Christmas Pinwheel Cookies are slice and bake cookies instead, which means you roll them into a log, slice them into equally sized slices, and bake.
Every year, OXO supports Cookies for Kids’ Cancer and the fight against pediatric cancer. Before I share my cookie recipe, I want to share a bit about Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer (CFKC) is a nonprofit founded by two OXO employees after their son, Liam, was diagnosed with pediatric cancer. Through grassroots bake sales across the country, CFKC raises funds to develop new, improved and less toxic treatments for childhood cancer. Liam Witt’s legacy lives on as the organization works toward a cure for pediatric cancer, helping children and families everywhere.
For every cookie baked, OXO donates $1 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer up to $100,000, so here is my new cookie this year to support the cause and spread the word!
Here are some of my old cookie swap and Cookies for Kids’ Cancer posts, in case you’re in a baking mood:
I personally did not grow up eating Potato Farls, probably because around me, there was no such thing as leftover mashed potatoes. (I am still a mashed potato fiend, but I’ve managed to turn it down to a more respectable level.)
But when I am visiting family in Ireland, Potato Farls is one of the foods I am most excited to eat (along with Irish Brown Bread and the rest of the components of a beautiful Ulster Fry.)
Potato Farls is just mashed potatoes kneaded with some flour, butter, salt, and pepper, then fried up into tasty little pieces, making them the perfect recipe for the day after Thanksgiving!
Pureed Rutabaga is a staple of basically every extended family gathering I have ever been to. But my family always refers to this dish as Turnips, which used to confuse me quite a bit because, well, there is also a vegetable called a turnip.
Apparently, rutabagas are also known as yellow turnips which is where this confusion comes from. Rutabagas are actually a hybrid of a turnip and a wild cabbage!
Anywho, I love pureed rutabaga / turnips. They are fluffy, creamy, with a little bit of spice.
This recipe is particularly perfect for large gatherings because you don’t have to use your stovetop or oven at all, saving space for other dishes.
I love all things pumpkin, both savory and sweet. Despite already sharing over 30 pumpkin recipes, I have yet to share a recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!
I am happy to finally rectify that huge oversight, and I promise these cookies were worth waiting for!
Ingredients (makes about 30 cookies):
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips (I used mini, regular size work too)
I will be honest. I am partial to Irish Stew made with lamb. But Irish Stew made with beef is tasty in its own right! This Slow Cooker Irish Beef Stew is a flavorful, comforting dish perfect for colder rainy days too!
This recipe is very similar to my OG Irish Stew I shared over a decade (!) ago, with a few adjustments. Recipes like this Irish Beef Stew are perfect to make in your slow cooker (paid link), which helps develop the flavors of the dish while perfectly cooking the meat and vegetables.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
3 onions, chopped
3 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced into half moons
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
5 lbs stew beef
5 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
5 cups beef stock, divided
1 (15 oz) can Guinness
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons pearl barley
2 lbs baby red potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
