Recipe: Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts

Recipe: Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts

Ingredients

Pastry Dough
2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ tsp Kosher salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
½ cup ice water
Strawberry Filling
1 lb fresh strawberries, stems removed and quartered
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 pinch Kosher salt
For Assembly
1 large egg
1 tbsp milk
¼ tsp Kosher salt
1 tbsp strawberry filling for each pop tart
Vanilla Frosting
1 cup powdered sugar
34 tbsp milk
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
food coloring and sprinkles if desired

Directions

Pastry Dough

Place the flour salt and salt in the bowl of a food processor, pulse briefly to combine. Add the butter and water. Pulse until just combined. At this point you should be able to pinch the dough together with your fingers. If it’s too crumbly add the tiniest bits of ice water until the dough just sticks together. Transfer the dough to a large, clean work area. Divide dough into two portions and press into flat disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour or up to two days.

Strawberry Filling

In a medium saucepan combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Heat over medium high heat, stirring constantly with a spatula or wooden spoon until the strawberries start to sizzle. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook and mix for 10-15 minutes, until the berries release their juices and become saucy. Transfer the strawberries to a heat proof container and let cool to room temperature. Once cool, place in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Assemble the Pop Tarts

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two sheet trays with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Remove the dough one disk at a time from the fridge. Remove the plastic wrap and let the dough sit out a few minutes on a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough to 1/8 inch thick. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, trim the dough to 4 X 2 1/2 inch rectangles. Save any scraps and continue to roll until you don’t have enough dough left to continue. Do the same process with the second disk. You should end up with 22 rectangles.

Make the egg wash: whisk together the egg with the milk and salt.

Spread one tablespoon of the strawberry filling onto the center of eleven rectangles. Brush some egg wash on the edges of the dough. Place the other eleven pieces of dough over the ones with the filling. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal the tarts. Using a paring knife, cut three small slits or “X’s” in the top of each pop tart. This will ensure that the pop tarts don’t explode while baking. Place the filled pop tarts onto the baking sheets with and inch in between each tart.

Brush the egg wash on the tops of each pop tart. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Frosting the Pop Tarts

While the pop tarts are cooling make the frosting. Whisk together the powdered sugar with milk and vanilla. Add a few drops of food coloring if desired. Drizzle the frosting over the pop tarts and add sprinkles while the frosting is still runny. Let the frosting set for a few minutes. Serve at room temperature.
Store at room temperature in an airtight container. Enjoy within 3 days.

~ Marla Meridith

Skillet Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Walnut Crumble

Skillet Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Walnut Crumble

Ingredients

For the Cake
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup full fat sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
For the crumble
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup light brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 pinch salt

Directions

For the coffee cake

Pre heat oven to 350Ëš Fahrenheit. Grease a 10 inch cast iron skillet with butter or vegetable oil.

Using a stand mixer and the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the sour cream, eggs one at a time and vanilla.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and the salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 additions. Combine well but don’t over-mix.

Spread 1/2 of the batter into the prepared pan, smooth with a knife or offset spatula. Sprinkle 1/2 of the crumble onto the batter. Spread and smooth the rest of the batter over the crumble. Top with the rest of the crumble, pressing in very gently.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out virtually crumb free.

For the crumble

Whisk together the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Add in the butter and mix with clean hands or a pastry cutter. The crumble should stick together and the pieces of butter should be no larger than peas.

~ Marla Meridith

Recipe: Skillet Banana Bread with Double-Crumb Topping

Recipe: Skillet Banana Bread with Double-Crumb Topping

Ingredients

Banana Bread
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, room temperature
3 medium sized very ripe bananas, mashed (to equal 1 1/4 cups)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
Double-Crumble Topping
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350Ëš with the rack in the middle.
Grease a 10″ cast iron skillet (or any heatproof skillet) with butter or vegetable oil.

For the Banana Bread

Melt the butter and let it cool to room temperature. Mix the cooled butter with the brown sugar in a large bowl. Mix in the egg, mashed banana and vanilla.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in another bowl.

Add the banana mixture into the flour mixture, combining well. Do not over mix.

Transfer the batter into the prepared skillet, smooth with top with the back of a spoon or spatula. Top with the crumble, pressing the crumble gently down into the batter with your fingers. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out virtually crumb free. Let cool completely before slicing and serving.

For the Double-Crumble Topping

Combine the sugars, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Add the flour and stir with a rubber spatula until mostly combine. Using clean fingers, mix until everything is well combined.

~ Marla Meridith

Recipe: Cream Cheese Lemon Coconut Cookies

Recipe: Cream Cheese Lemon Coconut Cookies

Ingredients

4 oz full fat cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus zest from 1 lemon (about 1 tbsp)
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Kosher salt
2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ cup sweetened shredded coconut

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add in the sugar and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes until fluffy and lighter in color.

Mix in the egg, vanilla, zest, lemon juice, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Mix for one minute until well combined, scarping down the bowl as needed. Mix in the coconut.

Turn the mixer to low and mix in the flour until just combined.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350Ëš Fahrenheit with the racks in the middle.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place scoop 2 inches pieces of dough, rolling them into balls. Place onto the baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minuets or until the edges are lightly brown. Do not over bake.

Remove from the oven and let cool a few minutes before transferring to cooling racks to cool completely.

~ Marla Meridith

Recipe: Austrian Linzer Tart Cookies

Recipe: Austrian Linzer Tart Cookies

Ingredients

3 cups (375 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (96 g) blanched almond flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup rasberry, fig, cherry, lingonberry or cranberry jam
powdered sugar for dusting the tops of cookies

Directions

In a bowl whisk together the flour, almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed. Mix for a few minutes until well combined and pale in color, scraping down the sides when necessary. Add in the eggs one at a time; mix again until well combined. Mix in the vanilla. Turn off the mixer and add in all of the flour mixture, then mix on low speed until it’s just incorporated.

Working on a floured work surface, divide the dough into two equal portions. Flatten into 1-inch (2.5-cm)-thick disks. Wrap separately in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours up to 5 days.

Remove the dough from the fridge 15 minutes before you are ready to roll it. Roll in between two sheets of parchment paper to ⅛ to ¼ inch (3 to 6 mm) thick. If the dough cracks, just press it back together. If the dough gets too sticky, you can add more flour to it as you roll. You can also place it back in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to firm back up.

Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) with the rack in the middle. Cut shapes from the dough with a 2½-inch (6-cm) cookie cutter (I love hearts for these), cutting an equal amount of tops and bottoms. Cut a hole in the middle of the tops. Carefully move the cookies with a spatula to parchment-lined baking sheets. When all the dough is rolled out and cut, place in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the fridge and bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes; they should be lightly golden brown on the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks.

Dust the tops of the cookies with powdered sugar. Spread the bottoms with some jam. Make cookie sandwiches and serve.

~ Marla Meridith

Recipe: Cast Iron Skillet Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Recipe: Cast Iron Skillet Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Ingredients

¼ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup light brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed (to equal 1 1/4 cups)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided

Directions

Pre heat the oven to 350Ëš with the rack in the middle.
Grease a 10″ cast iron skillet (or any heatproof skillet) with butter or vegetable oil.

Make the brown butter. In a small skillet, heat the butter over medium high heat until it starts bubbling. Swirl the pan and continue to cook and swirl. After a few minutes the butter will begin to foam. Reduce the heat to medium. This will subside and you will start te see brown flecks and you will smell a nutty aroma. Cook about one more minute, more flecks will appear. Continue to swirl the pan so the butter doesn’t burn too quickly. Transfer the butter to a heat proof bowl. Let cool to room temperature.

Mix the cooled butter with the brown sugar in a large bowl. Mix in the egg, mashed banana and vanilla.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in another bowl.

Add the flour mixture into the banana mixture in two additions, combining well. Do not over mix. Fold in one-half of the chocolate chips.

Transfer the batter into the prepared skillet, smooth with top with the back of a spoon or spatula. Top with the remainder of the chocolate chips.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out virtually crumb free.

Remove the banana bread from the oven and let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

~ Marla Meridith

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Scones

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Scones

Ingredients

3 ¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour
cup pure maple syrup
2 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¾ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
cup buttermilk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, mashed
¾ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F with the rack in the middle.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon until combined. Add butter and using a food processor mix together until the butter forms coarse little crumbs.

Add in maple syrup, buttermilk, vanilla extract and bananas. Mix until a dough forms and comes together.

Remove the dough from the processor bowl and place on a clean, floured work surface. Flour you hands and fold in the chocolate chips.

Pat the dough into a large circle and cut into 6 or 8 wedges.

Place scones on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

~ Marla Meridith

Recipe: Melted Candy Corn Skillet Brownie

Ingredients

Directions

~ Marla Meridith

Recipe: Melted Candy Corn Skillet Brownie

Ingredients

Directions

~ Marla Meridith

Recipe: Skillet Brownie with Maple Whipped Cream

Ingredients

Directions

~ Marla Meridith

Recipe: Blueberry Pie Cookies

Ingredients

Directions

~ Marla Meridith

Recipe: Maple Pecan Morning Muffins

Ingredients

Directions

~ Marla Meridith