Category: dessert

Cherry Cobbler

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Lately I’ve been inspired by Instagram videos to make desserts and dinners on a budget.  Specifically, there are many online challenges to make an entire meal with ingredients from the Dollar Tree.  Since I try to make dessert for the week every Sunday, I decided to start with a Dollar Tree dessert.  This cobbler couldn’t be easier to make, and for a total of roughly $3.00, I was really surprised by how good it tasted.

I found the cobbler mix and canned cherry pie filling in the grocery aisle of Dollar Tree (both priced at $1.25), and followed the instructions exactly as they were written on the box.  The directions call for 4 tbls of butter and ⅔ cup milk (simple ingredients I always have on hand).  This cobbler is what I consider a true cobbler (with a fluffly, cake like consistency).  It is not a crumble or a crisp.  You could use apple pie filling instead of cherry, and either fruit filling would pair well with vanilla ice cream and the cobbler is best served warm out of the oven or warmed up in the microwave. I would definitely make this again.

Double Peanut Butter Blondies

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During a recent visit to Troy, Michigan I made a stop at The Detroit Shoppe (http://detroitmovesme.com/home.html) in Somerset Collection.  Walking into The Detroit Shoppe was like taking a stroll through time and experiencing each distinct era of Detroit’s history.   Filled with books, nostalgic artifacts and edible goods, The Detroit Shoppe reacquainted me with Detroit’s rich past, exciting present and hopeful future.  From Motown memorabilia to Lions, Tigers and Red Wings gear to Vernor’s and Faygo products, The Detroit Shoppe encapsulated everything that is unique to Detroit.

Along with my purchase of a six-pack of bottled Vernor’s (a rarity) and a book documenting Detroit’s history from 1856 to 1899, I was offered a free jar of Velvet Peanut Butter (http://velvetpeanutbutter.com/).  Never one to pass up free food, I was excited to try not only a new brand of peanut butter but peanut butter that was made in Michigan.   Produced in Livonia, Michigan, Velvet brand peanut butter can be found in stores throughout the state of Michigan and northern Ohio.  The peanut butter is thick, rich in flavor and very crunchy.

                  

Armed with my jar of Velvet Peanut Butter back at home, I figured I would make some peanut butter cookies until I remembered jotting down a recipe for peanut butter white chocolate chip blondies a while back.  Having peanut butter chips on hand as opposed to white chocolate chips, I opted to make the blondies extra rich and decadent, creating double peanut butter blondies.  Adapted from Rachel Allen, here is how I made the blondies:

7 tbls butter, softened
4 ½ ounces AP (all-purpose) flour
1 teas. baking powder
5 ounces crunchy peanut butter (Velvet brand)
6 ounces light brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teas. vanilla extract
3 ounces peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Butter, spray or line 8 x 8 inch square pan with parchment paper.

In a bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together 7 tbls. butter and peanut butter with a hand or stand mixer until very soft.  Creaming combines two substances slowly in order to fully incorporate both flavors and textures.

Add the brown sugar, beaten egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined.  Add in the flour and baking powder mixture slowly and combine to form a light, fluffy dough.  Finally, add in the peanut butter chips.

Spread the dough in the prepared pan and smooth with a butter knife or spatula.  Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and almost firm in the center.  Allow blondies to cool in pan on a cooling rack before cutting into squares and serving.  Dust with powdered sugar before serving if desired.

Cherry Cobbler

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Growing up in Michigan, cherries and summertime have always been synonymous.  Unfortunately, the year I decide to move back to Michigan is the year when the state experienced an uncharacteristically warm winter followed by frosts, leaving the cherry capital of the state, Traverse City with a scarce cherry crop.  Traverse City reported losing 90% of the state’s tart cherries and 80% of its sweet cherries in 2012 due to the weather experienced in the early winter season.  I did not let this deter me in my pursuit to capture a quintessential flavor of Michigan summers.

In early August I realized that throughout my baking history I had yet to bake a cobbler of any sort.  In the autumn I often make apple crisp but I typically focus my summer baking efforts on ice cream and cold or room temperature desserts.  I also received some beautiful Grand Haven peaches in early August and the logical recipe to make was peach cobbler.  While researching recipes for peach cobbler I came across a recipe by Paula Deen, a woman who is as synonymous with Georgia as the peach itself and assumed she would be the authority on fruit cobblers.  And an authority she is.  Paula’s Deen’s recipe for cobbler couldn’t be simpler and the baked result couldn’t be fluffier, richer or more satisfying if you added ten sticks of butter.

Adapted from Paula Deen’s recipe for peach cobbler, I came up with a memorable dessert that captures the essence of Michigan summers in every bite!

What I used for the cherry filling:

4 cups cherries, pitted
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch

What I used for the cobbler:

1 ½ cups self-rising flour *
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups milk
1 stick butter

* if you don’t have self-rising flour, you can substitute the same amount of all purpose flour and add ½ teas. salt and 2 teas. baking powder.

For the filling:
Combine the cherries, 1 cup sugar, 1 tbls. cornstarch and ½ cup water in large pot and bring to a boil.  Simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.  The filling can be made in advance.

For the cobbler:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Once oven is pre-heated, place the stick of butter in a baking dish (9×9 inch) and allow butter to melt in the oven.  Remove baking dish from oven and set aside.

Whisk together 1 ½ cups self rising flour and 1 cup sugar.  Once combined, slowly whisk in the 1 ½ cups milk and ½ teas. vanilla extract to avoid clumping.  Continue whisking until completely combined.  The batter will be thin.

Pour the batter over the melted butter in the baking dish.  Pour the cooked cherries over the batter (including all of the syrup).

Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top of the cobbler is golden brown.  I place the baking dish on a cookie sheet while baking the cobbler in case any of the juices bubble over.

Allow cobbler to cool as much or as little as you’d like before serving on its own or with vanilla ice cream.