cherry-oat cream bars

Last year around this time I remember buying cherries en masse solely for the purpose of baking new recipes with them.  It never happened as the batch of cherries I got were so good, so sweet, so candy-like that I ate the whole lot. It was about 2 pounds of cherries in two days.
And after that I didn't buy anymore cherries as I was sick to them.

So this year, same story and I've made a recipe with them.
Plus another ice cream recipe--are you sick of ice cream yet?
I know I keep posting just ice cream
recipes, but that base recipe of no cook and no churn makes it so easy to whip up a batch.

Not fond of cherries?

Use blueberries, peaches, apricots would be fabulous (jam works too!)

So we've got a cookie-like base, with a cream cheese filling with added fresh cherries and then a crumb-cake like topping for added crunch.

cherry-oat cream bars
print recipe

for the dough:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 ts vanilla extract
1 and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 ts baking soda
½ ts baking powder
½  ts salt

cheesecake filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 ts vanilla extract
1 cup (or more*) chopped fresh cherries

crumb topping:
½ cup butter, very soft
¾ cup sugar
1 cup flour
½ ts salt
¾ cup rolled oats

cook notes:
I used about a cup of *chopped cherries.  Looking back I should have added more; there wasn’t enough cherries.
If you don’t like or don’t have cherries you can use any type of other fruit or jam.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together butter and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
Add in the dry ingredients and mix till just combined.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap, set in fridge a few hours or overnight.
When ready to bake, mix up the cream cheese filling.
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla until nice and smooth. Set side.
Take out chilled dough, and press into a well-greased 9x13 baking pan.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Next put the cream cheese filling over the crust, making sure not to get to the edges.
Take your chopped fresh cherries and place over the cream cheese filling.
For the crumb topping, mix the softened butter with the sugar, flour, salt and oats.  Mix well.  Place in large clumps over the top of the cherries and cream cheese filling.  Make sure to get into the corners of the pan.
Bake the bars for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bottom is golden brown as well.
Please let these cool in the place before slicing.

friday links

Hello!
Happy Friday!


Since we've been on an ice cream kick....have you ever used pumpkin in ice cream?
You simply must because it goes so well with a good buttermilk custard base.
Pumpkin-vanilla oreo ice cream.


I'm willing to bet the sales on this t-shirt are quite high.


A cupcake photo for no real reason other than I love to eat look at cupcakes.


My darling hydrangeas have finally bloomed!
Aren't they gorgeous?
I baby them--a lot.


I got very lucky with this shot.
I like to call it "Incoming!" with Flight of the Bumblebee playing in the background.



Summer time = carnivals


So I found this neat feature, by chance, on my iphone.
Did you know that the lower row, first one on the left is a flashlight?
How handy is that? Love this for night time. Now you know!


crumb cake muffins with espresso filling


tomato pie with panko


what else can you do with summer tomatoes?
make tomato, cheese & walnut salad.


cheddar-cranberry crackers. one of the best things you can make for a cocktail party.


Should you ever need to know how to tell someone they have a big ass shark behind them
while you're scuba diving....

around the web:

12 quiet rituals of successful people
want to change your habits? change your password
how to avoid a blood clot after surgery
best ice cream in new england
can I burn a tick off me?
the mess left by stress
meyer lemon-raspberry tart (raw)
strawberries & cream popsicles
coffee cups of the world
world's tallest statue will be twice the size of statue of liberty
7 detox tips from scientists
can food affect mood?
fried banana milkshakes
the tree walker (and how he does it)
no bake nutella cheesecakes
I love this way of eating: Whole 30 (common sense eating)
copycat bacon-taco crunch wrap
famous ice cream sundae quotes (thanks cakespy)
raspberry crescent twists
busy NYC restaurant kept getting bad reviews for slow service, so they hired a firm to investigate
top foods for asthma relief
cardamon-vanilla pudding popsicles
4 mystery symptoms that could be RA
the many wonders of oregano oil
arcrylamide in food could cause cancer
fun food blog find: paper & salt; attempts to recreate dishes that iconic authors discuss in their
letters, diaries, essays, & fiction.
isn't this triple french braid so pretty?
the latest Starbuck's free drink record...
one pot BBQ chicken pasta
is almond milk all it's cracked up to be?
5 healthy reasons to eat more coconut
photos from above (artist florian beaudenon captures private moments from above)
This is great! How to cool a drink in 2 minutes

Have a wonderful weekend!

vietnamese coffee ice cream

Have you had vietnamese coffee yet?
It's quite good, a little sweet, but if you make it at home you can adjust the sweetness level.
I got turned on to this coffee by this product at Whole Foods.

Wow, that was good!
But holy batman it is sweet, so I dilute mine a little with more milk and add in more coffee to it.

Since I'm on this 'homemade ice cream kick', this idea of really good espresso ice cream came to me at night--the time I crave espresso the most.  Why I don't know. Around 9 or 10pm at night I crave a large iced latte from Starbucks.  Not sure why, but it happens almost every night.
Funny because I can't drink any coffee or espresso after 1pm; I won't be able to sleep that night.
One cold, fall night I did act on that craving by having a large pumpkin latte at around 7pm--didn't fall asleep till 3am. Yeah that was fun.
With this ice cream I made two versions: one with full force fattening ice cream kind of way, made with heavy cream, and one with a less calorie way made with half & half.
The latter wasn't so good; kind of like an ice milk.
So if you want to try and make this with whole milk or half & half it will stink--unless you like ice milk!


Use a dark roast espresso powder or a Starbuck Via.
The Via's are wonderful for ice cream making.
I used Pike's Place Via--it's one of my favorites; not too strong, not too weak AND never bitter!




vietnamese coffee ice cream
print recipe

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 pint + ½ pint of heavy cream, cold
1 pint whipping cream, cold
3-4 dashes of cinnamon (if you have vietnamese cinnamon please use it!)
1 Starbuck Via (or 1 TB of high quality espresso powder)
giant pinch of sea salt

cook notes:
when you've mixed all the ingredients, do a quick taste-test and see if it needs more espresso or cinnamon. If you're using an espresso powder start off adding a little then work your way up.
I've only made this using Starbuck Via's, and I know how strong they are.
So if you can get a hold of the Via's please use them for this recipe.
Also, if you have vietnamese cinnamon, please use it! It's perfect for this recipe.

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients until all is dissolved. Do a taste-test and see how you like it.
Pour into a freeze-safe glass or other bowl that has a tight fitting cover.
I used a large glass bowl that has a tight fitting lid.
Let freeze for 2-3 hours.
Makes about 1 & ½ pints, roughly?

friday links

Happy Friday all!


The traffic on the cape has been rough.
July 4th was really backed up--both ways on the bridges.
I was lucky enough to be stuck in it one day.  I think a lot of people came to the cape for the July 4th holiday.

If you plan on coming to the cape July 18-20, come to the Greek Festival. So much fun!
More info here at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Centerville

If any of you follow me on Instagram, you might recognize this nightmare photo.
I always keep a water bottle on my bedside table, and normally with the cap off since I'm
half asleep in the middle of the night to drink it.
Well leaving the cap off makes spiders feel more than welcome to come in and have a sip.
Always leave the cap on!

If you're in or on the water a lot, this is handy to know.
Marine Disentanglement Hotline

Summer has been beautiful hasn't it?
I always love to look up and wonder where is that plane going or that one?
Do you?

Rescued this little guy last week.  A baby morning dove.
Couldn't find his momma or nest, so I brought him to the Cape Wildlife Center
Happy to report he's doing fine, eating well and has zero injuries.
Thank you so much Cape Wildlife Center for taking him in.

Been to the beach a couple times; the water is perfect.
(bass river, cape cod)

Got to witness a couple friends jump out of a perfectly good airplane at the cape cod airfield in Marstons Mills, Cape Cod.
I am "almost" ready to do this myself.
Would you?
I'm dying to do the biplane rides.


my banana bread balls have been the most D/L recipe for the last two weeks.
have you made them?
are people craving banana bread balls?

around the web:

a good list of summer books of 2014
magic flan cake
14 brain exercises to help you get smarter
oxygenating your cells to reduce inflammation
back surgery for back pain: caution is in order
5 steps to meditate anywhere
fresh cherry cupcakes
a few thoughts on worry
'smart' luggage will text you when it gets lost
DIY nautical knot bracelets
flu vaccine contains 25,000 times more mercury than drinking water? (yikes)
health benefits of pumpkin seeds
lavender infused lemonade
pb & j popsicles
one of the best looking taco salads I've seen
vintage recipe: lazy daisy cake
flip flop cookies! (so cute)
new way to regrow human corneas
21 things you didn't know your i-phone could do
how to make bubble tea (aka boba) at home
mississippi mud cookies
are you deficient in magnesium?
floating over bora bora (LOVE this!)
pb-banana bonbons
rhubarb meringue bars
homemade hot pockets
why we stay in crappy situations & how to get out of them
homemade cherry filled chocolates!
strawberry shortcake muffins
10 causes of hair loss
timeless wisdom
chocolate-vanilla froyo pops
motion sensor that helps align new knee joints
bake-able, crunchy & edible cupcake wrappers!
blueberry-oat cheesecake bars
the many health benefits of ginger
grilled elote corn
the one emotion that really hurts your brain
natural compounds to improve thyroid function
are we aging faster?
hot fudge brownie sundae pie
nutella crepe cake
best ways to store tomatoes
how to write on a cake with sprinkles
dangers of plastic: 5 hidden places of BPA
sesame crisp bars
nutella ice cream is coming to Carvel?
5 ways to use up old bread
the implant that gives you back your hearing
why we stay in crappy situations
what is pantothenic acid?
raw/vegan ice cream bars (hard to believe they're raw)
dangerous chemicals found in food packaging
crayon lipstick?
want to go viral? 7 things to do now to be ready
13 most powerful superfoods
fluoridation and dementia
vasectomy may increase risk of aggressive prostate cancer
huge anchovy swarm invades san diego
food blogger fined for her negative restaurant review? (yikes)

Have a wonderful weekend!

walnut-cream cheese sandwich cookies

I just love exploring new recipes that actually incorporate a finely ground up nuts into the flour.
I mean flour on it's own is so tasteless, so adding in ground up nuts is perfect.
Toasted walnuts have such nice flavor on it's own, so you can imagine how good they are when ground up.

If you don't like walnuts, I bet pecans would work well; might be a little greasy, but reduce the butter by a couple tablespoons, you should be good?
These cookies are really good on their own, you don't have to make the sandwich filling.
Speaking of the filling, I've found an easier way to fill the cookies.
I wrap the filling in plastic wrap or parchment paper, chill, then slice and fill.  So much easier than
spreading the filling via a knife or piping bag.  So keep this in mind for future sandwich fillings.


The recipe doesn't call for it, but I added in a couple handfuls of chopped walnuts to the filling.
Of course you don't have to do this, but it was a great way to add in a little texture.



walnut cream cheese sandwich cookies
From The Sweet Life by Kate Zuckerman
print recipe

for the cookies
1 cup walnuts (make sure they are toasted walnuts)
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 ts salt
16 TB (two sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, at room temperature

for the filling
4 ounces cream cheese, room temp
4 TB unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 cup powdered sugar
pinch of salt
(I added in a couple handfuls of chopped walnuts to filling, optional)

cook notes:
Please use toasted walnuts.  The flavor that a toasted walnut adds instead of a plain one is huge.  If you don’t like walnuts, you can try pecans?

Combine the walnuts and 1 tablespoon of the flour in a food processor and grind to a fine powder. Place in a bowl then add in the remaining flour, salt, and mix; set aside.
In a mixer or hand mixer, cream the butter and the sugar. You want to cream it till it’s nice and fluffy/lighter in color. Add the egg and continue to beat until it is fully incorporated and the batter looks nice and smooth (about 2 minutes).
Add the dry mixture, to the butter mixture and using a rubber spatula mix until combined.  You can do this with your mixer.  Take the dough and divide in half.  Place in plastic wrap or parchment paper; fold or roll into uniform logs, about
1 1/2 inches in diameter. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
While dough is chilling you can make the filling.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and using a hand mixer or stand mixer cream until all is mixed and has lightened in color and formed stiff peaks.  At the last mixing I added in a couple handfuls of chopped walnuts; this of course is optional but I wanted some texture in the filling.
When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350° F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, cut as many 1/8-1/4 inch slices from each log of dough as possible and place the cookies on prepared cookie sheets. Bake the cookies until golden brown about 12-15 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely before adding the filling.
To fill the cookies you can either place the filling in a piping bag, plastic bag with edge snipped off, or use a knife to spread.  I poured/formed the filling into plastic wrap, chilled it till firm, then sliced it. So much easier!  But do what you feel comfortable with.