Close - {Chocolate Covered Cherries}

When I was little, it took but a light dusting of overnight snow to centralize my morning routine around our television. I would prepare - and consume - my breakfast in front of the screen, pack my backpack on the living room floor and put on my socks while sitting on the couch, all the while taking healthy glances at the box in an impressive stupor, much to the chagrin of my parents.

Girly - {Maraschino Cherry Lamingtons}

I briefly considered opening this post with a paragraph-long deprecation of Valentine's Day, but I did something along those lines last year, so why do it again? Instead, this year, I'm going to talk about what I do like about this ingeniously marketed holiday.I'm sure it's rather straightforward and plain considering my interests and my gender. But not too simple; of course I like flowers and

On - {Chocolate Cherry Swirl Cupcakes with Cherry Italian Meringue Buttercream}

"No! Not like that! Stop!" Petite, talkative and girly in every way, Ms. L holds a pristine spiral bound notebook over her crossed legs while passively overseeing my session. We've been talking for some time now, but our conversation has nothing to do with the road before us. In fact, to be completely honest, I can remember discussing little more than the difficulty we were having

Sweet Cherry Lime (Freezer) Jam

Ingredients:
4 cups halved cherries
zest and juice from 2 limes
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 packet (45 grams) no cook freezer jam pectin

Directions:
Whisk together the sugar and pectin in a small bowl. In another bowl, mash the cherries with a potato masher. When well mashed, add the lime juice and zest. Stir. Sprinkle with the sugar/pectin mixture. Stir to combine. Pour into 4-5 8 oz jars. Ball makes some great plastic freezer jam jars I highly recommend. They have a fill line about 3/4 inch down. Don't over fill. Use the jam within a month or freeze up to 1 year.

My thoughts:

It has been a long time since I last made freezer jam. Too long. I like it because it is near instant gratification. No cooking, just mashing and then you have jam. Plus it uses a lot less sugar than traditionally canned jam because you don't need the sugar to act as a preservative. It is just the beginning of cherry season here and I've been trying to make the most of it. Every year I wish I had a cherry pitter. Once the season rolls around it is too late to order one and have it arrive in time and when cherries aren't in season, I think of other ways to spend my money. I've found that simply pulling the cherries in half with my hands is the more efficient (if slightly messy) route to pit-free cherries. For some reason I had been cutting them with a knife and it took forever. I've heard about methods involving a paper clip or toothpick but pulling them apart has been resulting in two perfect halves so I am loath to try something new. And it makes me feel super strong.

Anyway! We were talking about how we don't have a Sonic (even though we get the commercials occasionally) anywhere with in several hours. I've never been to one but I have heard so many people going on about the cherry limeade, I feel like I have. So when I decided to make cherry jam, I thought to throw in some lime. I am glad I did. It is a delightful combination as it keeps the sweet cherries from being too sweet. Plus I think the natural pectin in the limes help it gel.

Fresh Cherry Mascarpone Waffles

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup mascarpone, at room temperature
1 cup milk, at room temperature
1 cup halved fresh sweet cherries
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
pinch salt
2 eggs, at room temperature

Directions:
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, mascarpone and milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Fold in the cherries. Follow the instructions included with your waffle iron to complete the waffles. For most large, Belgian-style waffle irons you would use 1 cup of batter for each waffle. I love my waffle maker.

Yield: 4 large Belgian-style waffles

My thoughts:

I haven't posted a lot a of cherry recipes (maybe one?) over the years but it isn't for a lack of cherry love. I just end up eating them fresh out of hand and next thing I know, the bowl is empty and I haven't made anything special with them. I decided to remedy that with these waffles. I had some leftover mascarpone so on a whim I thought I'd add it to the batter. I am glad I did, the waffles turned out creamy, moist and light. No small feat for a simple waffle. The cherries add a juicy pop of flavor to nearly every bite.

A Tale of Two Cakes - {Black Forest Cake and Peanut Butter Cake}

It was the best of cakes, it was the worst of cakes.Sitting side by side on my bed and typing awkwardly on a laptop balanced between our laps, P and I conversed through MS Word. In the bizarre, urgent and secretive exchange, he and I discussed what we would bake that evening while keeping our intentions completely private.From across the room, K raised an eyebrow at our behavior as she gently

Martha Stewart's Tiny Cherry and Almond Tea Cakes (#8)

The is the eighth cupcake in my self-challenge to make all of the cupcakes from Martha Stewart's 175 Cupcakes book...and so far, so good. These little cupcakes were extremely easy to make...although I do find myself chatting with Martha in my mind as I'm going through the recipes!


Luckily Layla is usually around to help me through it (lol)!


The hardest thing was pitting the cherries...yet, it was so worthwhile. I didn't think that anyone would want to have to be careful about eating these little mouthfuls...one bite and they disappear!


In these photos you get a feel for the bubbly cherry juice that popped up out of the cupcake. The almond flavor is very subtle.


I think they look adorable!

Rock on....CQ


Martha Stewart says: "Each of these charming tea cakes is baked with a whole cherry inside -- stem, pit, and all. Be sure to warn guests about the pits, or remove the stems and pits before baking."

Ingredients

Makes 30

• 1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, plus more for muffin tin
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for tin
• 1 1/4 cups finely ground unblanched almonds
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 5 large egg whites
• 4 teaspoons kirsch (cherry brandy)
• 30 sweet (Bing) cherries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush 30 cups of 2 mini-muffin tins with butter, and dust lightly with flour.
2. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When it begins to sputter, reduce heat to medium. Cook, swirling skillet occasionally, until butter has lightly browned. Skim foam from top, and remove skillet from heat.
3. Whisk together flour, ground almonds, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add egg whites, and whisk until smooth. Stir in kirsch. Pour in butter, leaving any dark-brown sediment in skillet, and whisk to combine. Let stand for 20 minutes.
4. Ladle 1 tablespoon batter into each buttered muffin cup, filling about halfway. Push a cherry into each, keeping stem end up. With a small spoon, smooth batter over cherries to cover. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean and cakes are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges to loosen, and unmold. Cakes can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature overnight.

Martha Stewart's Tiny Cherry and Almond Tea Cakes (#8)

The is the eighth cupcake in my self-challenge to make all of the cupcakes from Martha Stewart's 175 Cupcakes book...and so far, so good. These little cupcakes were extremely easy to make...although I do find myself chatting with Martha in my mind as I'm going through the recipes!


Luckily Layla is usually around to help me through it (lol)!


The hardest thing was pitting the cherries...yet, it was so worthwhile. I didn't think that anyone would want to have to be careful about eating these little mouthfuls...one bite and they disappear!


In these photos you get a feel for the bubbly cherry juice that popped up out of the cupcake. The almond flavor is very subtle.


I think they look adorable!

Rock on....CQ


Martha Stewart says: "Each of these charming tea cakes is baked with a whole cherry inside -- stem, pit, and all. Be sure to warn guests about the pits, or remove the stems and pits before baking."

Ingredients

Makes 30

• 1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, plus more for muffin tin
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for tin
• 1 1/4 cups finely ground unblanched almonds
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 5 large egg whites
• 4 teaspoons kirsch (cherry brandy)
• 30 sweet (Bing) cherries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush 30 cups of 2 mini-muffin tins with butter, and dust lightly with flour.
2. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When it begins to sputter, reduce heat to medium. Cook, swirling skillet occasionally, until butter has lightly browned. Skim foam from top, and remove skillet from heat.
3. Whisk together flour, ground almonds, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add egg whites, and whisk until smooth. Stir in kirsch. Pour in butter, leaving any dark-brown sediment in skillet, and whisk to combine. Let stand for 20 minutes.
4. Ladle 1 tablespoon batter into each buttered muffin cup, filling about halfway. Push a cherry into each, keeping stem end up. With a small spoon, smooth batter over cherries to cover. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean and cakes are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges to loosen, and unmold. Cakes can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature overnight.

Rainier Cherry Gingered Sour Cream Muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup pitted Rainier cherries
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, at room temperature
6 whole cherries with stems attached (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Grease or line 6 wells in a muffin tin. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, ginger, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix together oil, sour cream, milk, egg and vanilla until blended. Add the dry ingredients. Mix the batter thoroughly then fold in cherries. Fill each well about 3/4 of the way.



Top each with a cherry if desired. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean or with just a few dry crumbs. Remove to rack and allow to cool before serving.

Note: Please take care if you top the muffins with whole cherries. The pit can present a choking hazard. However, the cherries are quite easily removed before biting into the muffin.

My thoughts:

It is truly too hot to be baking but I have always wanted to make cherry muffins so I went for it. They are light and almost creamy tasting. Rainier cherries are quite delicate and normally rather expensive so I was delighted to see a whole pound of them for less than $2 at my local grocery store. They are a sweet cherry but not cloyingly so and have a soft texture that works well in the muffin; they almost seem to melt spreading their juices throughout the muffin.

Almond Cherry Coconut Granola

Ingredients:
5 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup raw, whole almonds
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
1/2 cup pepitas (unsalted hulled pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Slow cooker instructions:
Place the oats, honey, oil, vanilla, almonds and vanilla in a 4 quart slow cooker. Stir. Leave uncovered and turn on high. Cook for 1 hour, stirring every 20 to 30minutes. Reduce to low and add the coconut, pepitas and cherries. Continued to cook on low uncovered for about 4 hours, stirring every 20 or so minutes. The granola is done when it looks completely dry. Cool on baking sheets then store in an air tight container.

Oven instructions:
Preheat oven to 250. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients but the dried cherries. Divide among 3 baking sheets and spread to a thin layer. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Pour it back into the bowl, and stir in the cherries. Allow to cool on baking sheets then store in an air tight container.

My thoughts:

I hadn't made granola before and frankly wasn't too sure I liked it but I thought I'd give it a shot. While the slow cooker method is longer, I liked it much better than baking the granola. It cooked really evenly without over browning or burning. In the oven granola has a tendency to brown unevenly and if you have an oven like mine, you really can't bake more than one tray at a time which takes it into the slow cooker time range anyway. What I did was start the granola going in the slow cooker, set my time to 20 minutes and only came back in the kitchen to stir.

As for the granola itself? It was the best I've ever had and my husband agrees. It isn't the super clumpy type of granola (to make that you'd love to more than double the amount of honey and oil I used) but it is perfect to top yogurt, eat as cereal or have on its own. It is lightly sweetened and the coconut and cherries add lots of flavor.