Category: Fruit Desserts

Skillet Apple Crisp

Published on by Dawn14 Comments

My husband loves a good apple crisp – especially when it is baked with a ton of cinnamon.  There are even times when I have doubled the cinnamon in the recipe and I still catch him sprinkling just a little more on top of the golden crust.  For me, it is all about the apples, and the more caramelized, the better.

The other month Cook’s Illustrated experimented with a Skillet Apple Crisp – one that was made in a pan on the stove, then finished off in the oven.  I read the ingredients, and knew that I could not go wrong with this recipe – the combination of the brown sugar and oatmeal would make a fantastic topping, and starting it on the stove would definitely give it a caramelized flavor.

Boy was this recipe fantastic – the apples were so tender and golden, and the topping baked right in – there was plenty for every bite.  This was definitely the best apple crisp I have ever made.  I highly recommend this recipe (which I have adapted slightly below to allow for more cinnamon).  I suggest putting it into the oven as soon as you sit down for dinner.  Once dinner is over, you will have the best apple crisp, warm enough to melt the ice-cream you serve it with, that you have ever tasted.

Ingredients

Topping

  • 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup pecans, chopped fine (optional)
  • 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled outs (see note)
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling

  • 3 pounds Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, halved, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
  • 1 cup apple cider
  • 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preparation

Make the topping:  Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine flour, pecans, oats, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.  Stir in butter until mixture is thoroughly moistened and crumbly.  Set aside while preparing the fruit filling.

Make the filling:  Toss the apples, granulated sugar, and cinnamon (if using) together in a large bowl;  set aside.  Bring cider to a simmer in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes.  Transfer reduced cider to a bowl or liquid measuring cup; stir in lemon juice and set aside.

Heat butter in a now empty skillet over medium heat.  When foaming subsides, add apple mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until apples begin to soften and become translucent, 12 to 14 minutes.  (Do not fully cook apples.)  Remove pan from heat and gently stir in cider mixture until apples are coated.

Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit, breaking up any large chunks.  Place skillet on baking sheet and bake until fruit is tender and topping is deep golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack until warm, at least 15 minutes, and serve.

Note:  If your skillet is not oven-safe, prepare the recipe and transfer the cooked apples into a 13×9 inch baking dish.  Top the filling as directed and bake for an additional 5 minutes.  Do not use Granny Smith apples for this recipe, but you could use other apples such as Honey Crisp or Braeburn.  While rolled oats are preferable in the topping, quick oats may be substituted.  Serve the apple crisp warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream – or just by itself.

Serves 6-8

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Skillet Apple Crisp

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Banana Snacking Cake

Published on by Dawn4 Comments

Do you ever get tired of making banana bread with your overripe bananas?  I actually don’t – my family loves my mother’s banana bread recipe, I can always count on each and every one of them to fully enjoy it when I pop one in the oven.  But, I can never say no to a snack cake.  There is something just so appealing to a cake that asking you to eat it as a snack – instead of dessert.  It is like you are getting permission to have a few desserts during the day.  So, when I was flipping through my Cooking Light magazine, and found this recipe, I could not help but run out to the store and get some bananas to hide until they were too brown to eat.

So, first you must look at the ingredients for this cake.  This is probably one of the healthiest cakes I have ever made, but you would hardly know it.  There is very little sugar in this cake, therefore, it is extremely important that you make sure the bananas are VERY overripe.  I am talking black skins – spots are just not going to cut it.  The riper the banana, the higher the sugar content, and that natural sugar is what you need to make this cake sweet enough.  This cake stayed moist for a couple of days, and the whole family loved it.  We cut it into 16 pieces, and at about 100 calories a piece, this cake was spectacular.

Ingredients

  • 6.75  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1/3  cup  sugar
  • 1  teaspoon  baking powder
  • 1  teaspoon  baking soda
  • 1  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
  • 1/4  teaspoon  salt
  • 1  cup  plain low-fat yogurt
  • 3/4  cup  mashed ripe banana (about 1 medium)
  • 1/4  cup  canola oil
  • 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
  • 1  large egg, lightly beaten
  • Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of flour mixture.

Combine yogurt, banana, oil, vanilla, and egg in a small bowl; stir until well blended. Add yogurt mixture to the flour mixture in large bowl, stirring just until moist.

Pour the batter into a 9-inch square metal baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake in the pan 10 minutes on wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Banana Snacking Cake

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Apple Upside-Down Cake

Published on by Dawn15 Comments

I am in big trouble because it is only the beginning of December, and already I am exhausted.  I got through Thanksgiving, my younger daughter’s birthday, Chanukah, and I am realizing that I still haven’t posted all of the apple recipes I tried.  Sorry, eventually I will get to all of them – of course only the good ones.  So yes, even though it is almost winter, I am still posting my apple antics. 

Here is another one from Cooking Light, that was delicious.  The cake was ridiculously tender and delicious, while the top had a nice caramelized flavor.  This cake held up extremely well overnight also – we had it the next day, and it wasn’t soggy at all.  I know you are all probably on your cookies and holiday treats – but if you need a break from that, this is a great recipe – quick and easy, and looks beautiful.

Ingredients

Topping:

  • Cooking spray
  • 3/4  cup  sugar
  • 1/4  cup  water
  • 3  cups  (1/4-inch-thick) slices peeled Rome apples (about 2 large)
  • 1/4  cup  chopped walnuts

Cake:

  • 5.3  ounces  cake flour (about 1 1/3 cups)
  • 1 1/2  teaspoons  baking powder
  • 1/4  teaspoon  salt
  • 2/3  cup  sugar
  • 3  tablespoons  butter, softened
  • 2  large egg yolks
  • 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
  • 1/2  cup  1% low-fat milk
  • 3  large egg whites

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.

To prepare topping, combine 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until sugar dissolves, stirring gently as needed to dissolve sugar evenly (about 3 minutes). Continue cooking for 4 minutes or until golden (do not stir). Immediately pour into prepared cake pan, tipping quickly to coat bottom of pan. Arrange apple slices in concentric circles in pan over the warm caramel. Sprinkle with nuts; set aside.

To prepare cake, weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir with a whisk.

Combine 2/3 cup sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and vanilla to sugar mixture; beat until combined. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition.

Place egg whites in a large, clean bowl. Beat egg whites with mixer at high-speed until stiff peaks form using clean, dry beaters. Gently fold egg whites into batter. Spread batter over apples. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack in pan for 5 minutes. Loosen edges of cake with a knife; invert cake onto a serving plate.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Apple Upside-Down Cake

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Apple Kuchen

Published on by Dawn2 Comments

So I have a confession to make, I have been a little obsessed with baking with apples this fall – not just a little, a lot – and this is one of the recipes that is definitely worth sharing.  For some reason I found myself with tons of apples in the fruit basket, more than one family could ever eat in a week – so I started looking for recipes to try, and this was the first one I found in my Cooking Light magazine.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect – I had never made an Apple Kuchen before – but I love cream cheese, so I knew it couldn’t be bad.  The real test though was to see if my husband and older daughter would overcome their fear of cream cheese – and embrace the dessert.  That’s exactly what happened – they loved it.  Ok, I didn’t actually tell them that the recipe called for cream cheese – but did they really have to know?  The cake was moist and tender, yet creamy – and the apples on top were soft and delicious.  If you have some apples left over – this is the perfect easy dessert for you to make – and it even tastes fantastic the next day.

Ingredients

  • 3  Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
  • 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
  • 1  cup  sugar, divided
  • 1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
  • 6.75  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1  teaspoon  baking powder
  • 1/2  cup  butter, softened and divided
  • 3  ounces  cream cheese, softened
  • 2  large eggs
  • 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
  • 2/3  cup  nonfat buttermilk
  • 1/2  cup  chopped walnuts, toasted
  • Cooking spray
  • 1/4  cup  apricot preserves
  • 2  teaspoons  apple juice

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine apples and juice; toss. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss to combine.

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and baking powder in a bowl, stirring well. Place remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons butter, and cheese in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beating well. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined. Stir in walnuts.

Scrape batter into a 13 x 9-inch metal baking pan coated with cooking spray. Arrange apples over batter. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter; brush over apples. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until set.

Combine preserves and juice; microwave at HIGH for 30 seconds or until melted, stirring once. Brush apricot mixture over apples; cool. Cut into 15 squares.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Apple Kuchen

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Sour Cream Pound Cake with Lavender Peaches

Published on by Dawn7 Comments

There is something about lavender that just calms me.  Basically from when I wake up in the morning until I hit the pillow at night, I am running.  Yes, it does seem some days that I am running a marathon day after day.  There are very few things that actually get me to stop and breath deeply, when I am not in yoga class – and lavender is one of them.

I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit, and couldn’t wait to make it.  I was tempted to go outside and harvest my own lavender, but we were camping one weekend – and on the way home stopped at this farm stand.  They had fresh lavender all ready for baking, so I bought a package.  At that point I had no excuses not to make this.  The cake was fabulous – buttery and rich, with a deep vanilla flavor – but it was the peaches that made the entire dessert.  First of all – the lavender smell filled my house with such calmness, it was incredible.  My entire family loved this dessert – in fact, most of the time I share my goodies with the neighbors – this was wasn’t allowed to leave the house – yes, it was that good – even 2 days later…

Ingredients

Cake

  • 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg white
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup sour cream

Lavender Syrup and Peaches

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 tablespoons dried lavender blossoms
  • 4 medium firm but ripe peaches, pitted, cut into 3/4-inch wedges
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

Preparation

Cake

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325 degrees.  Butter an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 3/4-inch metal loaf pan.  Dust pan with flour; tap out excess.  Sift 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl.  Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl;scrape in seeds from vanilla bean (reserve bean for lavender syrup).  Using an electric mixer, beat sugar mixture until fluffy.  Add egg, egg white, and vanilla extract;  beat until mixture is pale and thick, about 2 minutes.  Beat in sour cream.  Add flour mixture; beat just until blended.  Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. 

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 56-58 minutes.  Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes.  Turn cake out, then turn top side up.  Cook completely.

Lavender Syrup and Peaches

Combine 2 1/4 cups water, sugar, lavender and reserved vanilla bean in a saucepan.  Boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat; cover and let steep 10 minutes.  Strain syrup into medium bowl; discard lavender.  Pour 2 tablespoons lavender syrup into small bowl; reserve for whipped cream.  Cover and chill.  Return remaining syrup to same saucepan; add peaches and lemon juice and bring to boil.  Reduce heat; simmer about 5 minutes.  Transfer peaches to bowl.  Boil syrup in pan until reduced to 1 cup, 12 to 14 minutes.  Pour over peaches.  Chill uncovered 2 hours.

Beat cream and 2 tablespoons reserved syrup in medium bowl to soft peaks.  Slice cake.  Serve with peaches, syrup, and cream.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Sour Cream Pound Cake with Lavender Peaches

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Oatmeal Cookie – Peach Cobbler

Published on by Dawn11 Comments

I bet you have been sitting at the edge of your seat waiting to find out what I did with all those ripe peaches.  If you didn’t read this post, then you are probably very confused right now…

Well, the peaches were all ripe at the same time – way too many to just eat – so it gave me a perfect excuse to make this recipe I found in Cooking Light.  I love oatmeal cookies – and combined with sweet, delicious peaches, what could be better?

I have to say, it is so much fun to cut and peel peaches that are ripe – and so not fun to cut and peel peaches that are not ripe.  I love cutting around the pit, twisting the two halves around in opposite directions, and watching the pit just fall out.  Ok, usually I have to twist the pit once the two halves are disconnected, but when they are really ripe, the pit just comes right out.

Next comes the best part – peeling.  I always play a little game – I win if I can remove the skin in one intact piece.  I’m not sure what the prize is other than it being really quick and easy.  I love the look of that naked peach without it’s skin.  At this point, I have to stop myself from just eating it – because it looks so good.  Ripe peaches, the best.

This cobbler was outstanding.  The crust was slightly crispy on the outside, but tender and chewy right below – and the peaches were a perfect complement for the peach filling.  There was lots of oatmeal cookie with every bite of fruit.  If you are staring at a bunch of ripe peaches, get to work – you will not be disappointed.

Ingredients

Topping:

  • 1/2  cup  granulated sugar
  • 1/2  cup  packed brown sugar
  • 1/2  cup  butter, softened
  • 2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
  • 1  large egg
  • 4.5  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
  • 1  cup  old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2  teaspoon  baking powder
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt

Filling:

  • 11  cups  sliced peeled peaches (about 5 pounds)
  • 1/3  cup  granulated sugar
  • 2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
  • 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
  • Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare topping, place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Weigh or lightly spoon 1 cup flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 1 cup flour, oats, baking powder, and salt; stir with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed until blended. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

To prepare filling, combine sliced peeled peaches, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and fresh lemon juice in a bowl; toss to coat. Spoon mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Dollop 12 mounds of chilled dough over peach mixture at even intervals. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Serves 12.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Oatmeal Cookie Peach Cobbler

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Toffee, Pecan, and Peach Crisps

Published on by Dawn2 Comments

I have been looking at a bag of toffee bits in my pantry for a while now.  I was waiting for the perfect recipe to come along – one that would use only what I had left – but all of it.  I remember finding this recipe in Bon Appetit and thinking that it looked really good – and seemed easy to make.  I cut it out and put it in the pile.  Weeks later I actually put two and two together and realized, this was it.  It had called for the perfect portion of toffee bits – the exact amount I had left – it was definitely a sign that I had to make it.

These peach crisps were delicious!  I was making them for my entire family, so I adapted the recipe slightly from the original (from Nick’s Bar & Fish House in New Buffalo, Michigan) to omit the liquor – but this was a very simple way to use up some ripe peaches.  I love the fact that they were made in individual ramekins – everyone got one – perfect portion control. 

Ingredients

  • 6 large peaches (about 3 1/2 pounds), peeled, halved, pitted, each half cut into 6 wedges
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons toffee bits
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 1/2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • Vanilla Ice Cream

Preparation

Place first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; toss to coat.  Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place toffee bits and next 3 ingredients in processor.  Using on/off turns, process topping until moist clumps form.  Divide peach mixture among six 1 1/4-cup ramekins or custard cups.  Place ramekins on baking sheet.  Sprinkle topping over peaches in ramekins, dividing equally.

Bake crisps until juices bubble thickly and topping is crisp, about 1 hour.  Cool slightly.  Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Serves 6

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Toffee, Pecan, and Peach Crisps

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Strawberry Shortcakes

Published on by Dawn2 Comments

Every summer I look forward to the fresh strawberries that are sold at the tiny fruit stand near our house.  They come every morning for a month or two, or as long as the berries are in season.  They sell strawberries and raspberries, and they are the best berries you have ever tasted.  They are so sweet and juicy, it is really hard get them home without eating them in the car.  I usually have to go without my children, otherwise they are finished.

A friend of mine came to stay with us for the week – and on her way south, she stopped at one of the stands that sells the berries fresh from the farm – she brought an entire flat of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.  I immediately had her put them in the basement refrigerator so the kids wouldn’t see them.  The strawberries looked so ridiculously delicious, there was only one thing to do – make shortcakes.

I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit, and it looked like a delicious shortcake recipe – made with buttermilk instead of cream.  These biscuits were outrageous.  Crispy on the outside, yet tender and fluffy on the inside.  I made smaller biscuits, so I made a lot of them – and they were delicious the next morning warmed slightly in the microwave with a drizzle of honey.  Even though the berries were the showcase, the shortcakes definitely gave them a run for the money.  A perfect summertime treat.

Ingredients

Biscuits

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 6 tablespoons sugar
  • 5 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chilled heavy whipping cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/4 cup chilled buttermilk

Whipped Cream and Berries

  • 2 1/4 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
  • 5 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 12 ounces strawberries, quartered
  • 2 1/2-pint containers raspberries
  • 2 1/2-pint containers blueberries
  • 3 tablespoons sugar

Preparation

Biscuits

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Add butter. Cut in until coarse meal forms. Whisk 1/2 cup cream, 1 egg, and extracts in small bowl; mix into dry ingredients. Gradually add buttermilk; toss until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk.

Press dough out on floured surface to 9-inch round. Cut out 2 1/2-inch-diameter rounds. Gather scraps and repeat, cutting total of 12 rounds. Place on prepared sheet. Whisk 1 egg and 2 tablespoons cream in small bowl for glaze. Brush some on rounds.

Bake biscuits until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool.

Whipped Cream and Berries

Beat cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until peaks form. Toss berries and 3 tablespoons sugar in another large bowl; let stand until juices form.

Halve biscuits. Place bottoms in bowls. Top with berries, then cream and tops.

Makes 12 biscuits.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Strawberry Shortcakes

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Apricot Scones

Published on by Dawn8 Comments

There is a reason most of my recipes come from Bon Appetit and Cooking Light – they have a test kitchen, and supposedly make all the recipes they publish.  I actually believe them, because 90% of the time, the recipes I choose are right on.  A friend of mine pointed out that I am good at reading recipes, and knowing which ones will come out – I take that as a huge compliment, but I also know that most of the recipes are just accurate.

Every once in a while I find a recipe from a different source.  That is when I really use my cooking/baking brain to figure out if I think the ingredients will come together in perfect harmony to make a successful final product.  Every week in my market basket, they provide a handful of recipes based on the seasonal produce you are receiving.  I have to say, the majority of the recipes I am either not interested in, or they are so basic, I have my own version already.  I have been getting a lot of apricots lately – and I noticed a recipe for apricot scones in my box.  I looked at the 4 apricots from the previous week still sitting there, and the 4 new ones I just received, and knew what I had to do.  I tried this recipe – and I have to say, I did not think they would come out at all – the batter was so wet, I really had to add a lot of flour to roll them out – but they were fantastic.  Right out of the oven, they were soft and fluffy, and just the right sweetness.  I would make them again in a second – thanks for the great recipe Full Circle Farm!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 1 cup diced fresh apricots
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 eggs

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine and mix flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add butter and cut into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.  Add apricots and toss until pieces are coated with flour mixture.   Reserve 1 tablespoon milk; mix remaining milk and eggs together and lightly blend.  Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until moistened.  On a lightly floured service, knead dough gently about 10 times.  Pat dough into a 3/4-inch thick round; cut into 8 wedge-shaped pieces.  Place dough on lightly oiled baking sheet; brush with reserved milk and sprinkle with remaining sugar.  Bake at 450 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly brown and wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean.

Makes 8 scones.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Apricot Scones

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Peach Crisp

Published on by Dawn6 Comments

I love it when people invite us over for dinner, I ask what I can bring, and they say dessert.  Recipes start filling my brain – from chocolate to fruit, brownies to cookies, it just doesn’t end.  Usually I end up going to the pantry and finding some recipe that I have not made before, but I am dying to try.

This scenario played out exactly the other weekend.  I looked at all the fruit sitting on my counter, and decided that I must make a crisp.  After all, I didn’t want all those delicious apricots, plums and peaches sitting there to go bad.  I found a perfect crisp recipe from Cooking Light that I was excited to try, and I was set.  Now, somewhere between making that decision, and actually making the dessert – something happened.  I ended up at Cost-Co, and a tray of peaches were staring at me in the face.  I decided that if I used up all the fruit I had in the house, I would need to buy more – and somehow I convinced myself to buy this ridiculously large flat.

Two hours before we were supposed to be at our friend’s house – I started making the crisp.  That’s when everything really went wrong.  I started cutting up the peaches that I thought were ripe, and they were not.  I tried to take a few from Cost-co to use – but those were not much better.  I had to make a quick decision…try and get as many peaches as I could to make half a batch of crisp, then make some chocolate chip cookies to supplement.  I was really hoping that when the crisp cooked, that the peaches would soften, and no one would know they were not ripe.  That was exactly what happened.  The crisp was fantastic.  And why does the color look so dark?  Because I couldn’t peel the skins, so I left them on – and they cooked beautifully.  The 6 adults polished it off completely – and the kids enjoyed the chocolate chip cookies.  Stay tuned for what I did for the rest of the peaches when they were finally ripe…

Ingredients

  • 8 1/2  cups  sliced peaches
  • 3/4  cup  granulated sugar
  • 3  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
  • 1/4  teaspoon  grated whole nutmeg
  • Cooking spray
  • 1  cup  old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2  cup  packed brown sugar
  • 3.4  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/4  cup  butter, melted
  • 4  cups  vanilla low-fat ice cream

Preparation

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; let stand 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°.

Spoon fruit mixture into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 35 minutes or until bubbly.

Combine oats and next 3 ingredients (through salt) in a bowl. Drizzle with butter, stirring until crumbly. Sprinkle oat mixture over fruit. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until topping is lightly browned and fruit is bubbly. Serve warm with ice cream.

Serves 12.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Peach Crisp

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