Blackberry Biscotti

Happy Friday!

Not bread, biscotti. They're more pink inside if you snap them in half.

No art to post today, though I do have a few small things in the works. Therefore, instead I'm posting recipe I tried out today. Desserts are better than art anyway, right? ;)`
I took this "Raspberry Lemonade Biscotti" recipe by MCBARTKO and adapted it to my tastes/ingredients/servings. Here's my adapted recipe below: (Makes about 20 pieces, hopefully. I was taste testing too much to keep an accurate count.)

Maybe I should have dusted them with some powdered sugar so they'd look more like dessert...

Blackberry + Lemon Biscotti

1+ cup fresh blackberries     2 tablespoons  brown sugar     1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1/2 cup unsalted margarine 2/4 (1/2) cup brown sugar 1/4 cup white sugar 2 eggs 3 teaspoons grated lemon zest 1 tablespoon blackberry jam 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour  1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1.      Place the blackberries and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar with a splash of water into a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about 1/3. Remove from heat, and strain through a sieve or cheese cloth to remove the seeds. Set aside to cool.

2.      In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 3/4 cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one. Stir in the blackberry sauce and blackberry jam and lemon zest until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir into the batter. Cover and refrigerate for about 10 minutes.

3.      Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease the cookie sheet(s) or line them with parchment paper. Shape the dough into a log, or a couple of small logs. *The wider and flatter the log - the longer your biscotti pieces will be. The longer and taller the log - the rounder your biscotti pieces will be, like mine turned out. Looking more like some crostinis, as mine turned out be. But hey, the taste is the most important part...isn't it?

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4.      Bake for 27-30 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm but not crisp. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.

5.      Place the biscotti bars on a cutting board, and use a serrated knife to cut into 3/4 inch wide slices. Return the slices to the baking sheet(s), cut side down.

6.      Bake for 8 minutes, then turn the cookies over, and bake for an additional 8 minutes, or until lightly toasted on each side. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container. 

7.      Enjoy with coffee or tea =)

They look like little bread pieces, but they're not!

Autumn Inspired Oatmeal Cookies

I'm sharing a recipe today!
I came up with it this afternoon and I thought it was pretty good - so why not post it, right?
My inspiration came from the abundance of dried berries and fruit in my kitchen. They remind me of autumn and I think they're a perfect match for oatmeal cookies=)

Autumn Feast Oatmeal Cookies

Makes: 20-24 cookies

(Dry ingredients bowl)

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

2 cups oats

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¼ cup diced dried apricots

¼ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup raisins

¼ cup dried black cherries

1/8 cup diced dates

(Wet ingredients bowl)

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup of margarine

1/3 - ½ ripe banana (or 1/3 cup of apple puree)

2 eggs

Directions:

 

1.       Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.       Dice and measure your dried fruits and berries into a small bowl.

(The following is an optional, but recommend step: rehydrate the dried fruit by pouring boiling water into the bowl, enough to slightly submerge them. Let the fruits stand and absorb the water for at least 5 minutes. Afterward, drain the excess water and give the diced fruit a slight squeeze – ridding them of more excess water.)

3.       Preheat oven to 350F.

4.       In a large bowl, using a fork mash up about 1/3 or ½ of a ripe, peeled banana. The reason I do this is to help keep the cookies moist, without using more margarine. Next, add about 1/3 cup of margarine, though I think even ¼ cup will be just fine. Add the brown sugar and cream all three ingredients together with a wooden spoon until they’re nice and smooth.

5.       Add the eggs to the creamed mixture and continue to mix until smooth again.

6.       In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Once those are well mixed, toss in the diced fruits and berries and mix until all are well incorporated.

7.       Add the oatmeal mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until the ingredients are well combined. At this point the dough shouldn’t be too dry and floury, but rather moist and sticky.

8.       Using two teaspoons, carefully drop dough on to the parchment lined baking sheet, giving them some space in between. Or, you can also mold the cookies with your hands. (Works best if the hands are damp. I have a bowl of water next to me and dip my hands in occasionally to moisten them.)

9.       Bake for 11-14 minutes. Remove and let the cookies cool and set for a few minutes. They should be a little crisp on the outside but soft inside. Enjoy! 

Basket of Cheer

Here is another little painting/illustration that I did. What can I say -- I'm loving working on a small scale:)
I did this piece for a 'Get Well' card for my friend. :)
Can you spot an unexpected visitor?

Info:
Paper: Strathmore Bristol smooth
Size: 6 x 6 inches
Watercolours + Rapidograph ink + gouache 

For sale in various formats on my RedBubble page: http://www.redbubble.com/mybubble/art/7282214-basket-of-cheer/edit