Cherry Kuchen

This is a fairly simple recipe that uses can pie filling.  It's great for coffee get together with friends.  

Cake Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, room temperature (soft)

2 cups sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

pinch salt

3 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups all purpose flour

1 can 21ounce cherry pie filling or what ever you like

Glaze

1 cup powder sugar

1 tsp. almond extract

milk  (approx. 3 tsp.)  as needed to get a thin glaze consistency

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a separate bowl add flour, salt and baking powder.  Sift ingredients, set to side.  

In mixing bowl beat butter and sugar until creamy about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add eggs and vanilla and continue to beat until creamy and smooth.   Mix flour and baking powder and add slowly to creamed butter mixture.   Do not over beat after the mixture is combined well.  Remove about 1 1/2 cups of dough and set to side.  Spread remaining dough onto a greased 15x10x1 inch baking pan.  Spread evenly and bake in oven for about 15 minutes.  Remove from oven spread pie filling onto dough.  Add remaining dough into small golf size mounds onto pie filling.  Place back in oven and bake for another 30 minutes, until golden brown on top. Place pan on a cooling rack and cool in pan.  Drizzle glaze over Kuchen and cool completely before cutting into bars.  Enjoy.  

I have tried different pie fillings and they are all delicious.

Blackberry White Chocolate Chip Muffins

I had these gorgeous blackberries in my fridge.  I used my basic muffin recipe and just added in blackberries, white chocolate chips, bit of coconut and almonds.  My daughter loved them.  She thought they were fantastic!

Blackberry White Chocolate Muffins
Makes 8 large muffins
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Use paper liners (large) Texas Size

Basic Muffin Mix Ingredients:
Dry:
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt

Wet :
2/3 cup buttermilk or whole milk
2/3 canola oil or melted coconut oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract or coconut
2 whole eggs (extra large/ room temperature)

Add ins:
1 cup blackberry roughly chopped if too large
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup coconut
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Have two bowls.  Add all dry ingredients in one bowl mix well.  Add all wet in another bowl and mix very well. Than combine the two and mix well but not over mixing to toughen the dough.  Add your add ins and combine thoroughly.  I use large muffin pan and paper liners.  Fill almost to the top of paper liner.  Add a little extra toppings for decoration.  Bake for 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven and than reduce oven to 350 degrees and bake for another 5 to 8 minutes. You will know when they are done when you press gently on top and they are firm and golden.   Enjoy!

Yiayia's Kourabiedes

Round Shape

Half-moon Crescent Shape

Okay, according to all the grand kids, Yiayia makes the best of everything.  I had to include her recipe for these Greek cookies called,  Kourabiedes.  I know they would want to pass this recipes to their kids one day.  So here it is, kitties. Enjoy and think of Yiayia.  She loves you all. 

These cookies can be shaped in rounds, crescent moons, and  s-shape cookies.

Yiayia's Kourabiedes
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees
Bake time:  20 minutes
2-3 dozen

1 pound butter, room temperature soften
1 egg yolk. room temperature
1 cup powder sugar (confectioner's sugar)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. almond extract
optional: shot of ouzo
pinch salt
4 cups plus  3/4 cup all purpose flour plus an extra 1/4 cup if needed. 

About an extra pound confectioner's sugar

Beat butter, yolk and confectioner's sugar until creamy and light.  Add extracts and pinch salt. Continue to cream.   Blend flours together and slowly add until a dough forms.  Dough should be soft but easy to form a ball shape.  If too wet, add a little more flour.  Do this sparingly. Becareful with the adding too much flour.  This can change the lovely buttery, melt in your mouth texture.  You just want the dough to come together and easily formed into your desired shape.  In this case less is more. 

Round a small walnut size ball in hand.  Flatten slightly on cookie sheet.  Make a dent in middle with finger.   If a crescent moon, roll dough out 1/2 inch thickness and cut with a round cutter or glass into crescent shapes.  If s-shape roll is desired roll out like a cigar shape and form into a soft s-shape.  Bake for about 20 minutes until lightly brown.  Immediately, have a bowl with a few cups of powder sugar.  Let cookies cool for 5 minutes, place in bowl with confectioner's sugar and cover.  Do this to all cookies.  When completely cool, place cookies on a tray and sift powder sugar on top to cover cookies completely. They last about a week and improve in taste as they age. 

Koulouria II

I love Koulouria (Greek butter cookies)  and I am always experimenting in my kitchen with my recipes. You can never have enough recipes for Koulouria, This one got the thumbs up from my Greek clan.  Enjoy this wonderful traditional Greek butter cookie.  

Koulouria II

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2 cookie sheets lined with parchment or silpat

Ingredients

1 pound unsalted butter (must be soften)

2 cups sugar

4 large or XL eggs (must be at room temperature)

6 tsp. baking powder

7 -8 cups all purpose flour (start with 6 cups) add more if needed

pinch salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon ouzo

Egg Wash (one egg in a cup with a 1 tablespoon water, mix well)

Sesame seeds

Using mixer, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at time,  mix well. Add extract and ouzo. Sift flour and baking powder with pinch salt. Slowly add four until the dough comes together and is not sticky. Do this slowly. The dough should be soft but not sticky. You should be able to roll it out easily into a long rope, about 6 inches, bring ends together together and then twist the dough. Place cookies on cookie sheet. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds on each cookie. Bake for about 20 minutes. You want a golden color. Cool cookies on cooling rack. You can make them bigger or smaller. It's up to you. Adjust time to size.

Polish Cheesecake

Polish Cheesecake

 I really love ethnic desserts and I have to say I am very partial to European style pastries.  Polish cheesecake is called Sernik.  This is not a typical American style cheesecake.  This is very European and I adore it.  It's encased in a cookie like crust and the filling is dense.  Make a strong espresso and cut yourself a small piece of heaven.   Enjoy this homey, yet sophisticated Sernik.  

Crust:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 stick unsalted butter

2 large eggs

3 T. heavy cream

1 tsp. baking powder

pinch salt

Place all ingredients in food processor and process until it forms a dough.  Remove, cover in plastic wrap and place in fridge for 1-2 hours. 

Cheesecake Filling:

8 oz. Ricotta Cheese (Whole Fat)

1 8 oz. cream Cheese (room temperature)

1 cup cottage cheese (full fat)

1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temp

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp. vanilla

1T. rum

1 tsp. almond extract

1 grated lemon rind

1/4 cup raisins, soaked in rum (discard rum)

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix three cheeses, butter and sugar until creamy, beat on low.  You do not want to over beat or whip you want a dense cheese mixture not airy mixture.  Add eggs mix well.  Add flour, vanilla, rum, almond extracts.  Add lemon rind, raisins and mini chips mix well.  Set aside.  

Assembly:

Line a 9x9 square pan with aluminum foil with an overhang of 2 inches on each side for easy lifting.  

Take 2/3 of dough and pressed onto cookie sheet.  Prick with fork.  Bake for about 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven until lightly golden brown.  Remove and cool.  

Add cheese mixture and spread evenly with offset spatula.  

Take remaining dough, on a well floured surface roll out dough like a pie crust.  Using a fluted pizza cutter, cut strips and do a criss-cross design on top of cheese mixture.  Add more strips around edge of cheesecake.  Look at pic above.  

Bake in oven for about 1 hour.  Shut oven off, crack door open and leave Cheesecake for another hour.  Remove from oven, cool and place in fridge for 4 to 5 hours. 

Using a sharp knife cut around the edge of pan where the aluminum foil is not.  Using the overhand pull out cheese cake.  Put on a plate. 

Cover with glaze.  I use a pastry brush and brush the glaze on.  Let glaze set by placing back in fridge for an hour or so.  

When ready,  cut into small squares.  Enjoy!

Alevropita

This is a take on a village-style Greek pizza. The name Alevropita actually translates to flour pie.  I remember eating this as a small child at a dear friends house who happened to be Greek, and her family was from the same village as my family.  It's definitely something I did not invent, but remember eating fondly.  

My mother grew up during WWII in a typical Greek Village in Epirus.  She shared stories of hardship and starvation during the war.  She often shares recipes with me that she remembers during this time.  Greeks definitely lived off the land.  My mother has a real knack for finding edible weeds and making a feast out of nothing.  I'm sure in Greece when food was scarce in the old days, and all you had to eat if you were lucky was feta, flour, eggs and olive oil this was probably served as dinner.  

Alevropita

SERVES 8-10

Ingredients

3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 

1 1/3 cup water

1 egg

1 1/ 2 cups  all purpose flour

Pinch salt

1/2  tsp. baking powder

3 Tablespoons olive oil for brushing on pan

12 oz. feta, crumbled

2 tbsp. unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)

1 tsp. dried oregano (optional)

 A little extra Olive Oil to Drizzle on to top of pizza

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a half size rimmed sheet pan or a round 16 inch pizza pan with rim into hot oven for 10 minutes.

2.  In a bowl, whisk together 3 Tablespoons olive oil, egg, and 1 1/3 cup water in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, salt, and baking powder. Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and whisk until smooth, similar to pancake batter. 

3. Brush remaining oil over bottom of hot pan and pour batter, smoothing batter with an offset  spatula to coat the bottom evenly.  Add cheese uniformly over batter, and dot with butter cubes. Sprinkle dried oregano and drizzle a little olive oil on top.   Bake, for approximately 20 minutes until crispy.  I turned my pan once to rotate during baking.  This helps to bake evenly.   Cool slightly before cutting with pizza cutter.  Serve as appetizer or even a main course with a Greek salad.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Love these bars from Kraft. They got rave reviews from my family.  I always make these bars for Thanksgiving, but we love pumpkin, so I make them all the time.  

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars Recipe

Recipe Source:  Kraftrecipes.com

Ingredients

1-1/3 cups  flour

¾ cup  granulated sugar, divided

½ cup  packed brown sugar

¾ cup  cold butter or margarine, cut up

1 cup  old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats, uncooked

½ cup  chopped PLANTERS Pecans

1 pkg.  (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

3 eggs

1 can  (15 oz.) pumpkin

1 Tbsp.  pumpkin pie spice

Directions

HEAT oven to 350°F.
LINE 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides; spray with cooking spray. Mix flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar in medium bowl until blended; cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in oats and nuts.
RESERVE 1 cup oat mixture; press remaining onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 min. Beat cream cheese, remaining sugar, eggs, pumpkin and spice with mixer until blended; pour over crust. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture.
BAKE 25 min.; cool 10 min. Use foil to transfer dessert from pan to wire rack; cool completely.