Recipe #36: Raspberries 'n' Cream Tart

Recipe #36: Raspberries 'n' Cream Tart

Posted by Unknown

I chose this recipe for our first BBQ of the summer. We had a few couples over and enjoyed the outdoor deck time along with the view of the ferry boats. I figured this would be a perfect dessert plus you can't go wrong with the presentation. 

There are a lot of steps that go into this recipe so make sure you have the time to pull this all together in time if entertaining. The good news is you can make the crust a day ahead which I would recommend. The components include making the pastry cream, the crust, and chilling the pastry cream in the crust for 1.5 hours in the fridge before serving (for easier slicing).

The pastry cream: to make this you heat up the milk and cream just to a boil and then temper the egg yolks (that are mixed well with sugar/cornstarch) with the milk/cream mixture. Then you put everything back on the stove and mix until very thick like pudding. The final steps are mixing the cream with 6 tablespoons of butter in a food processor, pouring into a bowl, and letting chill on an ice bath.

The cornmeal tart dough is super easy to throw together. You will need a mixer for this vs. a food processor and a 10 inch removable bottom tart pan. The crust needs to chill for 3 hours or you can make a day ahead which is always helpful when putting together a complex recipe.

I was working on this right up until my guests showed up. I placed the crust in the fridge filled with the pastry cream for a couple hours and right before serving I dumped the raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries on top and then sprinkled with just a touch of powdered sugar.

The result: Pure bliss. It was a nice light and fresh dessert after BBQ'ing up some burgers. Love the fresh berries paired with the smooth and cool pastry cream and savory cornmeal tart. My guests enjoyed every single bite and I made sure they all got a slice to take home (because we know what will happen if I keep it at my house). 

For full recipe see page 236 in the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook.

Recipe #35: Cornmeal Rosemary Cake with Lemon Glaze

Recipe #35: Cornmeal Rosemary Cake with Lemon Glaze

Posted by Unknown

I was very excited to make this recipe simply because it's cake and I love me some cake. There are fun ingredients in this like mascarpone, rosemary, and lemon zest. I followed the instructions carefully and slid the cake in the oven, set the time for 40 minutes and checked out the result. It appeared to be fully baked but when sticking the toothpick in there was still some batter clinging so I set the time for 5 minute increments until done. I let it rest and then inverted the cake twice.

Then, as instructed, I took a wooden skewer and poked a few dozen holes in the cake to allow for the lemon syrup to be evenly distributed. I noticed that I had been brushing the cake quite a bit with the syrup and yet there was still so much left and the middle of the cake was starting to sink. I focused on getting the syrup more on the outside edge of the cake and decided I could not possibly use up all of the syrup. I also checked the syrup recipe again just to make sure I had done things correctly and all looked good.

I moved onto the lemon fondant and started with blanching the rosemary leaves. Then I completed the rest of the recipe and poured the fondant over the top of the cake. It was very challenging for me to get the fondant to not pool in the middle of the cake since it was sunken in. I held the plate up that the cake was on and tilted it side to side in hopes the fondant might run over the sides of the cake a bit more but it wasn't working, the fondant was thickening up. I let the fondant dry and then cut into the cake.

The result: the outer edges of the cake were fine but the middle of the cake was pretty much mush and inedible. I also felt the rosemary that was in the fondant was not blanched enough. The flavors of the cake and the fondant together sure took my tastebuds for a wild ride - the lemon being sour and paired with the cornmeal rosemary cake was interesting. It wasn't my favorite recipe thus far but that said I do need to make it again so I can truly experience what it's meant to taste like.

For full recipe see page 291 in the Dahlia Bakery cookbook.

Recipe #34: Chocolate Heartland Bundt Cake with Chocolate Honey Glaze

Recipe #34: Chocolate Heartland Bundt Cake with Chocolate Honey Glaze

Posted by Unknown

I chose to make this recipe in celebration of my very first Mother's Day. There are lots of steps to this recipe and since I am not the best cake maker I made sure that my husband was taking care or our son so I didn't mess this thing up.

Here is a little tidbit that might blow your mind - there is a russet potato in this cake! Say what? I have never added a potato to a cake but it is the secret ingredient. The step I almost forget at the end was mixing in the cold water so pay close attention to step #6.

I added the mix to the bundt pan and crossed my fingers.

I baked for 65 minutes, check the cake, and it was absolutely perfect! I patiently waited the 15 minutes recommended to let the cake cool and then flipped it out of the bundt pan (this is always the scariest part). I poured the chocolate glaze over the cake (I placed the cake on a wire rack that had a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper underneath to catch all the extra glaze).

I then had to wait one full hour to set the glaze, it was torture, I think I even left the house so I wouldn't cut into it. The wait was well worth it - I savored every bite. It was moist, full of flavor, and was so good just on it's own. I wouldn't dare pair this with ice cream but I suppose you could for ultimate decadence.

My husband offered to make me breakfast for Mother's Day which was the following day after making this cake but I decided I would just indulge in a big slice - why not?

For full recipe see page 285 in the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook.

Recipe #33: Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies with Fresh Ginger

Recipe #33: Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies with Fresh Ginger

Posted by Unknown

You will have to refrigerate the dough for 1 hour before baking so plan accordingly. I didn't have a lot of time on the weekend for baking so I picked these for a simple recipe.

The great thing about these is that you are adding freshly grated ginger which I love and an added bonus is the addition of cinnamon. This recipe also calls for a 1/4 cup of molasses which I haven't used much.

When you are ready to bake you form the dough into 3/4 inch balls and then roll around in sugar. The recipe recommends you place the cookies 2 to 3 inches apart after flattening - ofcourse I decided they only need to be about an inch apart which was my mistake as they did bump into each other when baking. Silly me!

The result: a very flavorful delightful little cookie. I felt the molasses was just a tad overpowering so I might add a smidge less next time and up the ginger. I enjoyed these the most for breakfast with my coffee.

For full recipe see page 135 in the Dahlia Bakery cookbook.

Recipe #32: Malted Buttermilk Biscuits

Recipe #32: Malted Buttermilk Biscuits

Posted by Unknown

Ok so I thought that the "serious biscuits" I made a few weeks ago would be perfect for biscuits and gravy however I changed my mind. My personal opinion is that the serious biscuits are a good companion to dinner or just on their own for breakfast or dessert as they are more fluffy and these biscuits are better suited as a breakfast biscuit.

Before you start throwing together the recipe you will freeze the butter for about 15 minutes and then grate the butter into the dry ingredients which makes for an even distribution of butter. The recipe is pretty quick and easy and it was very helpful to have the 2.5 inch round cookie cutter so be sure to pick up one of those. For the grande finale you brush with butter and sprinkle with sea salt.

The result: They turned out perfectly cooked and with beautiful buttery layers.

For full recipe see page 93 in the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook

Recipe #31: Toasted Pine Nut Amaretti

Recipe #31: Toasted Pine Nut Amaretti

Posted by Unknown

This is a traditional Italian cooked that I decided to make for my friend's birthday since she is Italian. This is a very easy cookie to throw together but there are a couple steps to pay attention to like toasting the pine nuts and dicing up the almond paste. The cookies are ready to bake once the batter is done. Scoop them out on silpat if you have it and then bake for about 50 minutes.

The result: a very flavorful chewy cookie. The almond paste taste almost overpowered the cookie for me but the more I ate the more I liked them. My husband was addicted to them so that's always a good sign. Next time I will cook them about 5 minutes more in hopes they are not so chewy. 

For full recipe see page 139 in the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook.

Recipe #30: Rustic Olive Oil Cake with Honey Syrup

Recipe #30: Rustic Olive Oil Cake with Honey Syrup

Posted by Unknown

I was in the mood for cake but I have had such bad luck with cake I decided to stay away from vanilla or chocolate and do something completely different to see if I could gain my confidence back in the cake department.

The best ingredient in this cake is Grand Marnier - always a treat to cook with a little alcohol. Other interesting ingredients included orange juice, lemon zest, olive oil (hence the title) and whole milk.

As always there are several steps that go into this recipe so get all your ingredients ready and follow each step carefully. The most crucial step is the cooking time. Tom suggests overbaking vs. underbaking which was a relief to me being that my oven typically takes quite a long time to bake things so I just kept it in there until I knew it was completely baked. Surprisingly, it ended up baking pretty much exactly to what the recipe called for.

I pulled it out of the oven, let it cool, and carefully flipped it over onto a plate and then had to invert it once more - the SCARIEST part! I let it cool and then took a bite.

The result: WOW! This cake is just bursting with flavors. You can taste the grand marnier, the orange juice, and a hint of lemon. And ofcourse you can taste the olive oil which is so fun in a cake. The best thing about this is it lasts for several days and stays very moist. The top if the cake has a hard crust so the difference in textures is a nice touch. I actually preferred the cake without the honey syrup you can make to accompany the recipe.

For full recipe see page 295 in the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook

Recipe #29: Best Bran Muffins

Recipe #29: Best Bran Muffins

Posted by Unknown

Currants seem to be the theme lately in my baking adventures. First step is to plump the currants which is simply simmering them in some water for 10 -15 minutes. What's interesting about this bran muffin recipe is that you add a ripe banana and molasses. Once the recipe is put together you refrigerate it overnight.

I pulled the batter out the next day and it plumped up in size. I rechecked the recipe to see how many muffins the recipe was supposed to yield and it said 12. There was so much batter that I thought there is know way I am going fit all of it in just 12 muffin cups. So... I filled them out as much as I thought would be appropriate and saved some batter and made an additional 4 muffins. However, once they baked they didn't plump up and rise like other muffin recipes so in hindsight I would make sure all the batter is evenly distributed into 12 muffins. I should know by now that Tom Douglas knows what he is doing and to just follow the damn recipe!

The result: They were truly delicious and you only need one. They are moist, dense, full of flavor and a hearty breakfast choice.

For full recipe see page 77 in the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook

Additional note: Baked them again and this time fit all the batter into 12 muffin cups. They turned out beautifully!

Recipe #28: Carrot Muffins with Brown Butter and Currants

Recipe #28: Carrot Muffins with Brown Butter and Currants

Posted by Unknown

It appears my husband's creative eye went out the window with this picture. I think he took a bite out of one of the muffins (but to me it just looks like the batter didn't fill the cup) and then he also chose one of the muffins I tested to see if done.  Anyway...

I loved reading through this recipe and seeing all the fun ingredients - cinnamon, ginger, carrots, and grated orange zest, yum! There are a few steps to this before you can throw it all together (i.e. browning the butter and plumping the currants). And before putting them in the oven you sprinkle them with a pinch of raw sugar.

The recipe says they should cook for 18 minutes (turning halfway through) and then test with a wooden skewer ofcourse. Since my oven is so old the cooking time is never exact. I tested at 18 minutes and there was still too much dough sticking to the skewer. I cooked another 5 -7 minutes and decided to pull them out. After letting them cool I split one open and it was slightly undercooked and later my husband had one and it was severely undercooked. Needless to say these muffins did not get shared with our friends.

The flavors reminded me of Christmas time and there wasn't one particular flavor that overpowered the other; it was the perfect blend of spices, orange zest, and currants. Next time I just need to  cook a little longer and take a better picture. :-)

For full recipe see page 75 in the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook 

Recipe #27: Parsley Chive Scones

Recipe #27: Parsley Chive Scones

Posted by Unknown

This is by far my favorite scone recipe I have made from this book. Who knew I would like the savory scone over the sweet ones? This also smelled up the house with the most amazing aromas. I decided to make this recipe because I thought it would the perfect treat to bring to a cheese making party. My friends attended a class where they learned how to make blue cheese and fresh mozzarella and we were invited to finish the mozzarella process as well as be the taste testers.

Scone recipes are truly very simple to throw together. I would say the biggest challenge is just cutting them into equal sized wedges. I am getting better at it but it definitely takes practice. These turned out the best out of all the scone recipes in terms of flakiness. There were beautiful layers showcasing the chives and parlsey along with lemon zest and black pepper sprinkled throughout.

The cheese party was a success! It was so fun to finish the mozzarella process and taste the blue cheese they had made. They inspired me to take a class and learn the cheese making process. We then took the cheese and made homemade pizza's which was so fun! Pizza is one of my top five favorite foods; I would eat it everyday if there were no consequences.

Everyone enjoyed the scones, or atleast they told me they did to my face. They make a great pairing to eggs in the morning or with any type of meat at dinner.

To top off the cheese making party my girlfriend, Angela, surprised me with an early birthday cake from the Dahlia Bakery! Guess which kind? Ofcourse it was the Coconut Cream Pie, DELISH!

For full recipe see page 86 in the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook 

Recipe #26: Serious Biscuits

Recipe #26: Serious Biscuits

Posted by Unknown

I think these are called serious biscuits because of the serious amount of butter and buttermilk in them. These go straight to your thighs - the scale went up a few lbs after just eating a few of these.

Our family has a tradition every year of eating biscuits and gravy on Christmas morning. Christmas also happens to be my brother's birthday and this is his breakfast request. I am so excited to replace the store bought biscuits my mom "makes" every year with these amazing buttery flaky biscuits.

I was fortunate enough to have homemade raspberry jam on hand from my friend Katie. In college my roommates and I literally lived off homemade jam made by Katie's grandmother. All we ate was toast and jam, it was our staple. Katie has since learned how to make this amazing staple and I am so excited to have it back in my fridge (although it's almost gone already).

After reading through the recipe they seemed very easy to make. I mixed everything together and was very careful to not over mix because I didn't want the biscuits to be tough. However, the dough was very sticky when I was kneading it and I knew that it wasn't right. I continued to add flour until the dough had the right texture to roll out. I can only assume that I did not add the right amount of flour from the get go which is why I had to add almost a cup at the end. (Being that I am easily distracted by my son or husband this was likely the case).

I put the biscuits in the oven and hoped for the best!

The result: They did not rise as much as I had hoped, they ended up turning out a little flat and I know that's because I had to knead the dough quite a bit and add the flour at the end. I am still happy with how they tasted especially when adding the homemade jam.

I am excited to try this recipe again and will report back on how they turn out. 

For full recipe: See page 89 in the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook 

Recipe #25: Cornmeal Crumble with Lemon Thyme

Recipe #25: Cornmeal Crumble with Lemon Thyme

Posted by Unknown

Basically you just throw the ingredients together in a food processor and then add the butter in small clumps until it turns into a crumble. It shouldn't turn into a dough but you should be able to form little clumps. Mine turned out ok - I think I could have added just a tad more butter to form some bigger clumps.

For full recipe: See page 100 in the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook

Recipe #24: Fresh Corn Cornbread with Cornmeal Crumble

Recipe #24: Fresh Corn Cornbread with Cornmeal Crumble

Posted by Unknown

This recipe has made it into my top five of all the Dahlia Bakery recipes I have made thus far. If I had to pick five today they would be: buttery cupcakes with sour cream frosting, grandma douglas's schnecken, peanut butter sandwich cookies (ofcourse), intense chocolate cake and now this cornbread.

I've never experienced cornbread with fresh corn in it, what a treat!! I prepped most of this recipe the night before so I could make it first thing the following morning. All I had in my house at the time were girl scout cookies and I have to say since starting on this baking journey and eating the most amazing baked treats nothing compares to these recipes. I really don't enjoy store bought cookies anymore and now even girl scout cookies don't taste good to me!! What the heck?

I pulled everything together fairly quickly but there are a few steps in this recipe you need to plan for like blanching the corn and melting the butter and letting it sit just long enough to get to room temperature before mixing in.

Once the batter is done you top with the cornmeal crumble which I will write about in a separate post. The only thing I probably could have done here is add just a tad more butter to make the crumble form bigger clumps. I was able to get some on the batter but it could have used a handful more as most of it I just had to sprinkle on top. Then you want to pat it down with your fingers to make sure it doesn't separate from the batter when baking.

The result: OMG. So good! It is dense, moist, and filling and you only need one slice. We had it as breakfast, a side with dinner, and a dessert. You can taste the sugar in it so it is a nice blend of sweet and savory. 

For full recipe: See page 98 in the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook

Recipe #23: Toasted Hazelnut Whole Wheat Scones with Maple(less) Glaze

Recipe #23: Toasted Hazelnut Whole Wheat Scones with Maple(less) Glaze

Posted by Unknown

My new favorite thing to bake are scones. They are so easy and fun to mix up and they are just so good for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert. I was most excited about drizzling the glaze over the scone and savoring every bite when fresh out of the oven.

The recipe was easy to follow and the dough came along easily enough. Popped them into the oven and ended up baking about 5 minutes passed the max cooking time specified. I waited patiently and let them cool and worked on the glaze.

The glaze is not for the calorie conscious. It consists of butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream and pure maple syrup. OMG. I made the glaze and then had to taste it so consumed a pretty generous spoonful of the stuff. Yummy. I spooned the glaze over the scone and it dripped over the sides onto the parchment paper and then I enjoyed every single morsel.

And then this happened... I started cleaning up the kitchen and there sitting on the counter was the measured out maple syrup. I FORGOT TO ADD IT! But it was too late to mix up a new batch since I had already completed the scones so lesson learned. I can't even imagine what the glaze will taste like next time because they were still so darn good.

For full recipe see page 83 in the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook.

Recipe #22: Chocolate Butter Pecan Sandwich Cookies

Recipe #22: Chocolate Butter Pecan Sandwich Cookies

Posted by Unknown

Much like the peanut butter sandwich cookies these take some time to make. I made these in celebration of the 4th annual girls weekend with my longtime best girlfriends. We get together one time a year away from our kids and husbands and shop, get our nails done, do yoga, go to dinner, and eat sweets.

The filling was easy to make so I thought. I didn't pay enough attention to the consistency of the filling. Basically you are taking pecans, brown butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla and combining it all in a food processor until a thick paste forms. For some reason I decided that the filling still needed to be a bit crumbly and some of the pecans should still be in tact. This proved to be an epic fail when putting the cookies together.

I then moved onto the cookie dough and chilled for one hour as instructed. The reason you do this (as far as I can tell) is once you scoop the dough onto the cookie sheet you have to press it down and make a flat cookie - if the dough is too warm it sticks to your hard. They recommend pressing down with your fingers but I found that awkward so I used my palm.

Here comes the epic fail part: When I went to put the sandwiches together I pulled out the filling from the fridge and it did not spread on the cookie. It ended up being very crumbly and chunky and so when I would press the cookies together the cookies ended up falling apart because I had to press too hard to try and get the filling to stick to the cookies. What I will do differently next time is make sure to really process the filling so the nuts and the rest of the ingredients form a thick paste.

Although the sandwich cookies did not turn out as I had hoped it doesn't mean we didn't eat them. In fact, my girlfriends were more interested in the filling more so then the cookie so they would leave the poor cookie behind and just eat the inside.

For full recipe see page 127 in the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook

My girls...

Recipe #21: Cherry Almond Scones

Recipe #21: Cherry Almond Scones

Posted by Unknown

For some reason I always thought scones were hard to make but not so much. This recipe was really straight forward and although they list a bench knife as optional equipment I think it should be required. It really is helpful when you roll the dough out into a disc and then you cut into 8 wedges. The bench knife makes a really nice clean cut and if it has inch measurements on it then all the better - that way you can make sure the disc is 9 inches wide and approx. 1 inch high.

I cooked the scones almost 10 minutes longer then the recipe called for. I expected to see some sort of browning happen but it never did and I didn't want to take the chance of them drying out. In the end I would have kept them in just a tad longer.

They turned out beautiful. I love how you can see the layers of dough, almonds, and cherries AND they were not dry at all. I am so used to scones at coffee shops that are super dry which is why my husband typically never eats scones until he tried these. The recipe yields 8 scones and within 24 hours we only have 3 left so.... since my 9 month old can't eat them yet that means we have been eating these at record pace.

The best way to serve these in my opinion is breaking off a piece and spreading a nice layer of jam over them. The added sweetness along with the texture of the jam is such a good compliment. Beware though: you won't stop at just one bite.

Dog pictured: Coco or Coco Chanel as I like to call her. All rights reserved to KK and Iniko Basilio.

For full recipe see page 81 in the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook 

Recipe #20: Banana Chocolate Chunk Walnut Loaf

Recipe #20: Banana Chocolate Chunk Walnut Loaf

Posted by Unknown

One of my husband's favorite desserts is banana bread and unfortunately since moving in our new house with our small oven my last few attempts have not gone so well. What ends up happening is the ends turnout fully cooked but the middle turns out mushy and undercooked and typically I am going well over the cooking time as usual.

So while banana bread is typically a pretty easy quick bread I had concerns that my oven would fail me once again. The recipe called for a few bananas and once you mix them for a bit with the paddle attachment you measure to one cup. Fortunately for me three ripe bananas equaled one cup exactly (that's all I had).

Then you bake for over an hour (and for best results you don't open the oven the entire time). Out of all recipes I have baked thus far from the Dahlia Bakery cookbook this one smelled up the entire house - I would guess even the neighbors could smell it.

I checked the bread 60 minutes in and it looked perfectly baked. I inserted a wood skewer and there was still batter sticking to it so I set the timer in five minute increments until done. Because I was nervous it would be undercooked in the middle I ended up baking it just a few minutes too long. It still turned out amazing however the outside was just a smidge too hard. Once I warmed it up in the microwave and spread with just a touch of butter it was divine.

For full recipe see page 95 in the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook 

Recipe #19: Intense Chocolate Cake

Recipe #19: Intense Chocolate Cake

Posted by Unknown

We had a little birthday get together for my husband this past Saturday night. I attempted to make him a cake that ended up overflowing in the oven like a volcano (more on that later). So I ended up making him the buttery cupcakes which I knew were amazing along with vanilla buttercream frosting. We also had another friend coming over who just celebrated her birthday a few days prior and she can't eat gluten so I thumbed through the dahlia bakery cookbook and found this gluten free cake.

I haven't baked anything like this before (not just because there is no flour) but because it sits in a water bath when you bake it. I was sure the cake would turnout to be a flop based on the technique and the fact that I was making this Saturday morning before taking my husband out to a lunch and movie for his bday. My backup plan was to run up to the met market and pick up a cake if this didn't turnout.

Oh and I forgot to mention I finally got my KitchenAid!! What a world of difference it makes. For this recipe you have to whip up egg whites for about 5 minutes so I was able to wash some dishes while the mixer just went to town. So awesome!

Warning: if you plan to make this you will need most the day. Making the recipe and baking the cake doesn't take much time but once it's baked you let it sit in the water bath for about an hour and then you let it sit on a wire rack for another 3 hours.

Then you carefully flip it over onto a plate and it should slide right out (and luckily mine did). Presentation on this can be a little tricky because it's rather flat. So I sprinkled it with some powdered sugar and then sliced it into pieces which made it look a little more appetizing.

The result: a velvety moist cake and packed with chocolate. You would NEVER know this was gluten free. I have tried many gluten free desserts and they are quite dry. Everyone enjoyed a piece of this and I am continuing to enjoy it several days later (and it's still so good). I picture myself making this when my husband goes out of town, renting some chick flicks and eating the entire thing.

You can serve this with whipped cream and I imagine some fresh berries would be a nice compliment. I ended up passing around a bowl of leftover vanilla buttercream from the cupcakes and that was a hit. Enjoy!!

For full recipe see page 288 in the Dahlia Bakery cookbook.

Recipe #18: Russian Tea Cakes

Recipe #18: Russian Tea Cakes

Posted by Unknown

I whipped these up one morning when I had run out of sweets in the house. I was thankful to have just enough pecans. 

I may have rushed through a little too fast on this one because when I went to form the dough balls the batter wouldn't stick together so I ended up making them about twice the size that was recommended in the book. If this happens to you I suggest just eating one with your cup of tea (the perfect pairing). I ate two last night before bed and regretted it. It just ended up being too much sugar for me (which is weird).

When they are baked make sure to give them a few solid minutes to cool off before rolling them around in the mountain of powdered sugar. I was patient when I did the first batch but when the second batch came out I ran into a time crunch. I put them in the powdered sugar and what ended up happening is the dough came off a bit. If you wait the sugar sticks nicely to the dough and then you just let them cool completely in the sugar and then store or serve.

For full recipe see page 146 in the Dahlia Bakery cookbook.

Recipe #17: Cranberry Apricot Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe #17: Cranberry Apricot Oatmeal Cookies

Posted by Unknown

Who knew a cookie with fruit could taste so good? I have to admit I am not typically a fan of fruit in cookies until now. These tasty morsels have cranberries, pecans, and golden raisins mixed in but I think what my taste buds responded to most were the spices - cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. The mix of these spices reminds me of the holidays and instantly gives me the warm and fuzzies.

The cookies were pretty easy to make. The only difficulty I had was scooping the batter onto the parchment paper. It was hard to get the dough to fit just right in the ice cream scoop so some of the cookies were not perfectly round when baked. 

There is also a fine line during the baking process of them being perfectly baked to going just a minute too long and them turning out too browned and crispy so my rule of thumb with cookies is when in doubt pull them out. My oven is always so tricky anyway so I did end up baking these a total of 6 minutes past the recommended max baking time and they turned out perfect. It took me a couple tries to get the time just right.

For full recipe see page 125 in the Dahlia Bakery cookbook