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Tag Archives: jam

Almond Butter and Jam Cookie Sandwiches

26 Saturday Oct 2013

Posted by createdforjoy in Cook

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almond, almond butter, almond cookies, baking, chocolate, cook, cookies, ganache, holiday baking, jam, jelly, pbj, recipe, sammies, sandwiches, shortbread

Almond Butter and Jam Cookie Sandwiches

I wasn’t one of those kids who wanted a PBJ sandwich in my lunchbox every day — I was more of a bologna and Kraft cheese kind of gal. (Don’t judge, people change.) And yet, there is still something innately comforting to me about the combination of peanut butter and jelly. These cookies are my attempt to combine that sense of comfort and familiarity with a set of ingredients that better match my grown-up palate.

It doesn’t take long to figure out I’m a little bit of an almond fanatic, so it was an easy leap for me to substitute almond butter in my cookie sandwiches. With apologies to George Washington Carver and the state of Georgia, I much prefer the sweet, cherry-like nuttiness of almonds to their legume counterparts.

For the filling, I chose two options: triple berry conserve, and chocolate ganache. (For traditional ganache, try this recipe, or go a little more high-falutin’ with a creme fraiche ganache here.) Both were great partners for the slightly savory notes of these tender shortbread rounds.

I love these because they are special without being complicated, small without feeling too precious. And let’s face it: no one can resist a tiny little cookie sandwich. There will always be a place on my table for the kind of food that brings out the kid in all of us.

Almond Butter Sammies In Progress

Almond Butter and Jam Cookie Sandwiches
makes 24 cookie sandwiches

1 c. unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
1/2 c. all-natural almond butter (I love Justin’s Nut Butters)
1/2 c. demerara or light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. fine salt
2 c. all-purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur)
granulated sugar for dipping
1/2 c. filling of your choice — jam, chocolate ganache, Nutella, or frosting
(It’s probably rather telling that I always have at least three of the four above on hand.)

Oven 325F. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment and set aside.

Cream together butter, almond butter, demerara sugar, and salt with an electric mixer on medium-high until well-combined. Gradually beat in half the flour, then stir in the remaining flour by hand.

On a piece of waxed paper, pat the dough out into a 6″x8″ rectangle and cut into 48 equal pieces, about 1″-square each. Roll pieces into balls, and place two inches apart on the cookie sheet. Dip the flat bottom of a glass or measuring cup in granulated sugar, then press the balls to flatten them to about 1/4″ in thickness.

Bake 12-14 minutes, until they are lightly brown and the centers are set. You will know they are done because they lose their shine. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet for five minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely. Once cool, scoop about a teaspoon of filling on to a cookie, then sandwich with another. Do this like a good parent — gentle, but firm.

Store in an airtight container up to three days. Or freeze, well-wrapped, up to a month, then defrost at room temperature before serving. This is the perfect recipe to get a leg up on your holiday baking…

Cookies Waiting for Filling

Vanilla Peach Butter

11 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by createdforjoy in Cook

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Tags

biscuits, bread, butter, canning, cobbler, cook, cream cheese, fruit, ginger, jam, peach, preserve, scones, spread, vanilla, vanilla bean

peachbutter

Peaches are one of my favorite fruits, and they are in season here in the southern U.S., ripe and plentiful. When our local market had a spectacular one-day sale on them, guess who came home with a case? Eighty plump, juicy little beauties, to be blanched, peeled, pitted, and chopped, then transformed into double batches of Spiced Peach Chutney and Vanilla Peach Butter.

Unlike more labor-intensive chutney, peach butter contains very few ingredients. And have no fear, you don’t need a crate full of fruit to make this recipe; in fact, it only requires twelve cups, or about 4-1/2 pounds. The result is a spoonable preserve, packed with sweet, tangy flavor. The addition of vanilla bean and ginger result in a scent and taste much like peach cobbler, minus all that pesky pastry work.

Vanilla Peach Butter would be beautiful swirled into a coffee cake, and it is destined to be best friends with Ginger Scones. However, so far, we have finished off an entire jar by spooning it on to chunks of whole wheat bread spread thick with cream cheese, or heaping it on to plain biscuits. Sometimes, the simplest ways are the best. :)

peachbutter

Vanilla Peach Butter
makes six half-pint jars

12 c. peeled and chopped peaches (see recipe notes for quick peeling technique)
2 c. granulated sugar
juice and zest of a lemon
2″-piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 vanilla beans or 1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste

six half-pint glass jars with bands and lids
probe cooking or candy-making thermometer
canning supplies as specified in recipe, including pan, tongs, and wide-mouth funnel
immersion or traditional blender (see these recipe notes for more about immersion blenders)

In a large, wide-bottomed pot over high heat, combine peaches, sugar, lemon juice and zest, and grated ginger. If using whole vanilla beans, split them length-wise with a sharp paring knife, and add them now. Bring fruit mixture to a boil and cook for 10-12 minutes, until peaches soften and release their juices and vanilla beans empty their seeds. Remove from heat, cool, and then refrigerate overnight, or up to three days. (If using vanilla bean paste, stir it into the peaches before refrigerating.) This rest period gives time for the vanilla and ginger flavor to develop and infuse the peaches.

If you used whole vanilla beans, remove the pods now. Puree peach mixture until no chunks remain, either by blending in traditional blender, or returning peaches to large, wide-bottomed pot and using an immersion blender. Turn on medium-high heat, attach cooking thermometer, and simmer gently until fruit reaches 215F, stirring occasionally. The mixture should have thickened and reduced by about half. (Watch the heat, as fruit butters scorch easily.)

If you’ve made my recipe for Caramel Apple Butter, this routine is exactly the same. (For canning, I use a 21 1/2-quart water-bath canning pan and rack, available for less than $20. I also use a set of silicone-lined jar tongs and a wide-mouth funnel, available individually or as part of a set.) While the peach butter reduces, use the water-bath canning pan to immerse six half-pint jars in water and heat for ten minutes. This heats the jars enough that the hot peach butter won’t crack the glass. Remove them and place upside-down on a clean dish towel to dry. Just before filling the jars, dip the lids and bands in the water long enough to soften the adhesive — less than a minute will do it.

Once the peach butter reaches 215F and is reduced by half, use a wide-mouth funnel to fill the heated, dried jars, leaving 1/2″ of space at the top of each jar. Screw on the bands and lids, then process your jars by immersing in boiling water bath for ten minutes. Remove the sealed, processed jars to allow them to cool. When the lids make a popping sound, you know they’re sealed tight. Unopened jars of peach butter can be stored at room temperature for up to six months, but they should be refrigerated after opening. If a jar doesn’t seal after processing and cooling, the peach butter is fine, but it should only be kept in the refrigerator.

peachbutter

Recipe Notes:
To quickly peel your peaches without losing any fruit or juice, the easy answer is blanching. Blanching is the process of briefly dipping fruit or vegetables into boiling water, then immediately immersing in ice water. The application of heat and cold loosens the skins so they are easily removed. And if your peaches are less than ripe, an extra minute in the boiling water can help sweeten and soften them.

To blanch your peaches, first use a paring knife to slice an “x” in the bottom of each peach. Bring a large pot of water to the boil, and immerse peaches in water for one minute. Remove the fruit to a large bowl of ice water and allow to soak another minute or two. The peach skin will be loose and easily peeled from the fruit. (So easily in fact, that young children can do it. Never turn down willing help in the kitchen. ;)

One last note regarding peach butter vs. peach jam: the primary difference between fruit butters and jam or preserves is the amount of sugar and the addition of pectin. Fruit butter contains a fraction of the sugar of jam and no added pectin to thicken it. The result is a preserve that is more suited to spooning than spreading, but one that maintains more pure, concentrated fruit flavor and less added sugar. While not the case with all fruits, I prefer peach butter to peach jam every time because I can still detect the true taste and texture of the ripe fruit.

Ginger Scones and Two-Step Raspberry Jam

26 Thursday Apr 2012

Posted by createdforjoy in Cook

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Tags

bake, butter, cook, cream, crystallized ginger, demerara, jam, quick, raspberry, scones, tea, vanilla sugar

gingerscone01

April offered up its last rebellious plunge into winter temperatures last week, the ideal time for a hot pot of tea and a batch of scones fresh from the oven. The routine of stirring and shaping, rolling and cutting is a comfort to me when the sky is gray and staying inside seems like a very good idea indeed. Like all good scones, these are plump and dimpled, with toasty brown tops and feather-light interiors. They get an extra bit of sweet heat from spicy crystallized ginger, just enough zing to keep them lively. I finish them with a bit of scone nirvana: a generous dollop of lightly whipped cream and a spoonful of jewel-tone raspberry jam.

I never lack the desire to make jam, but I often lack the patience. With a tray of scones baking and a pint of fragrant organic raspberries sitting on the counter, now is not the time for mason jars and pressure canners. This calls for a quick mash and stir, puddles of scarlet fruit and syrup: instant jam gratification. I am sure there are purists in both baking and preserving camps alike who would cry foul at the notion of a scone so messy that it requires a fork. I say, try it in all its melting, buttery, tangy-sweet glory, and then tell me you don’t want another. :)

gingerscone04

Ginger Scones and Two-Step Raspberry Jam
makes about 18 scones and a cup of jam

For scones:
3 3 /4 c. all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 c. cold unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into small pieces
1/4 c. chopped crystallized ginger or ginger baking bits
1 1/4 c. milk
2 Tbsp. heavy cream or milk to brush on tops of scones and
1 Tbsp. demerara sugar for sprinkling

For jam:
1 pint fresh raspberries, preferably organic
1/3 c. granulated sugar or vanilla sugar (see these recipe notes for vanilla sugar how-to; taste your berries for sweetness and feel free to adjust the amount of sugar)

Oven 375F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, granulated sugar, and baking powder until well-combined. Using your hands, press and rub the cold butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is uniform and transformed into sandy, crumbly bits of dough. Mix in the ginger, then add the milk and stir with a wooden spoon just until combined.

Turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead 10-12 times to finish bringing it together. Press and shape into a disc about an inch thick and cut out scones with a 2-1/2″-diameter round cookie cutter or glass. Gently press the scraps together and cut again until all the dough is used. (A light hand is key here, or over-working the gluten in the flour will make the final scones tougher.) Place the scones on a lightly greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Brush the tops with cream and sprinkle with demerara sugar, then bake 15-20 minutes. Tops should be light golden brown, but still tender.

While the scones cook, make your jam. Two steps, as promised: mash the raspberries and sugar together in a small saucepan, then simmer over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes. Your jam should still have bits of whole berry, and the liquid should be thick and syrupy. This is the sort of jam you apply with a spoon, not a knife.

In addition to jam, I like lightly whipped cream with mine, but you could also use a drizzle of creme fraiche or even a spoonful of double-thick clotted cream, if you’re lucky enough to have it. (I miss you, Devonshire!)

This scone recipe is adapted from one in Gale Gand’s cookbook Brunch!, as mentioned in the Pear and Marzipan Pastries post.

gingerscone02

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