The beauty of this cookie is how thin and crisp it is, which makes it so addicting. I haven’t yet met a person who eats just one and can stop.

My Aunt Rita was the only one in the family who made made them and I still have her handwritten recipe. I combined it with a recipe I found in an Amish cookbook, Cooking from Quilt Country by Marcia Adams.

It’s the only recipe I’ve seen that separates the eggs and  beats the egg whites stiff. You must use real butter, no substitutes, which is funny because my Aunt Rita hated butter, and the only time of year you could find butter at her house was when she was making sand tarts.

The sentimentality goes deep for me. Her son, Sam, my closest cousin was like a big brother to me. He passed away at 42 and left me everything including this book. I can actually remember the day he bought the book and showed it to me. He was very influential in how I view food.

It was years before I delved into the book, but it’s quite marvelous, highlighting all the regional dishes I grew up eating, and the type of cooking that has enjoyed a renaissance. I can’t bake these cookies without thinking about both of them, and I will pass this down to the children in my life, which is why I made a video.

Pennsylvania Dutch Sand Tarts Must be Rolled Very Thin

A very simple cookie, but one not so easy to get exactly right, as they must be rolled quite thin. The cookies are challenging only in getting them thin enough; otherwise it’s an easy cookie dough to make, but they must be made the night before and refrigerated.

It’s very tricky to send cookies out of town and keep them from going stale. I used cylinder tins and made a cookie that the recipe says will keep indefinitely.

You will want a lot of different cookie cutters.

I made these for Thanksgiving, and used a maple leaf cookie cutter and placed a pecan in the center. For Christmas, you might see them just like this, or you might see them with colored sugar.

I Grew up Eating Pennsylvania Dutch Sand Tarts Every Christmas

When I mention sand tarts to people who know and understand the regional component, they get excited and plead with me to make them a batch. I hope you and your family will enjoy this long time Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas tradition.

You will have to hide the cookies though, because they are so thin and crisp, it’s easy to eat a dozen at a time. This was the first time I’ve made Pennsylvania Dutch sand tarts and now I’ll be making them every year.

Tell me about your food traditions at the Holidays. Do you have a recipe that’s been passed down and have you ever heard of Pennsylvania Dutch Sand Tarts? I put a lot of baking and cooking posts on Instagram and Pinterest.

Family Italian Christmas Cookies from Spinach Tiger

• Chocolate Biscotti
• Lemon Almond Biscotti
• Cucidati (Italian Fig Cookie)
• Ricotta Cookie
• Date Cookies

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Pennsylvania Dutch Sand Tarts

A Pennsylvania Dutch cookie, thin and crisp and traditionally served only at Christmas.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 day day

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 day day 10 minutes minutes

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound butter softened (no substitutes)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs separated
• 3 cups all-purpose flour

Topping

• 1/4 cup sugar mixed with 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 egg beaten
• 4 cups whole pecans although I didn’t use that many

Instructions

• If using a kitchen aid, beat the egg whites stiff first and transfer to another bowl.
• In the mixing bowl, beat butter until very softened. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add salt, and vanilla. Beat egg yolks and add.
• Fold in the egg whites, but not totally. You should still be able to see some of the white patches.
• Add in flour 1 1/2 cups at a time.
• Chill overnight.
• Bake the next day at 350 degrees.
• Roll out a quarter at a time, keeping dough in refrigerator.
• Roll very thin and use a 2 inch scalloped cookie cutter to form or use any Christmas cutter you desire.
• Brush with beaten egg, top, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and top with pecan.
• Bake 9-10 minutes, not allowing cookie to get too brown.
• Cool thoroughly on wire racks.
• Pack in tins.

The post Pennsylvania Dutch Sand Tarts, an Amish Christmas Cookie appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

When I decided to partner with Minerva Dairy Amish butter, I knew exactly how I wanted to use this creamy butter. A dessert that would entertain guests, take advantage of seasonal summer fruit and show off this delicious  85% butterfat butter.

I envisioned a recipe that involved a buttery pie crust, a sheet pan, seasonal fruit and a little wow factor. The sheet pan slab pie  with fresh peaches and blueberries is a the perfect recipe to show off quality butter and make summer entertaining easy. Unlike a messy pie, a slab sheet pan, can be adorned with what guests think is fancy pie crust topping made from cookie cutters and  can be pre-cut right in the pan, making it easy for guests to grab.

Perfect for holiday entertaining, you can use the freshest fruit of the moment such as peaches, plums, berries, cherries, apricots, pears or apples. While I used fresh peaches and blueberries, you can just as easily use this same concept with apples in the fall, and change the decoration with your favorite cookie cutter.

The All Butter Pie Crust Tastes Best

There is often a controversy over the fat used for a great pie crust,  but I’m here to tell you my firm belief in using all butter. Lard or shortening will not deliver the right flavor and I don’t like them refrigerated. As crazy as this sounds, I always taste my pie dough raw, and it has to be all butter for me.

Slow-Churned Real Amish butter Makes the Best Pie Crust

Using Minerva Dairy Amish butter turns ordinary pie crust into something quite special because of the high butterfat (85%) and the extraordinary flavor that comes from slow-churning the butter in small batches. The secret to a flaky pie crust is the right ratio of flour, liquid and fat and keeping the butter very very cold and in little pieces in the dough so that when it bakes, it causes the flaky dough to rise.

Another problem pie bakers often face is how thin or thick to roll out the dough. As this is not the typical pie, I tested this three times to get that exact right measurement so you don’t have to guess. One regular pie crust recipe is not enough. Doubling it can be too much. I settled at about a 1.5 measurement using a classic quarter sheet pan that measures 13 x 9.5 x 1 inches.

Star cookie cutters turns this sheet pan slab pie into something special, perfect for summer holidays. The stars were so flaky and buttery, it was almost like a puff pastry, only much easier to make. In fact this is a very easy recipe that looks much more challenging.

Minerva Dairy Amish Butter Enjoys a Wonderful History

I have a great appreciation for small family farms. Minerva Dairy Amish butter is 125 years old, and six generations strong. The butter is made from pastured-raised cows using old fashioned churns. Minerva Dairy Amish butter is the kind of butter I could almost eat with a spoon and it makes pastry dough extraordinary.

Recipe Process for Sheet Pan Slab Pie

In this recipe for sheet pan slab pie I used peaches and blueberries. You can use all berries or all peaches, but this recipe is easily adaptable and you can use this caramelized apple pie recipe stove top filling (only double it).

If using peaches, it’s important to peel, slice and drain in a colander to extract the juice out. If using apples and peaches, I like to pour over a brown sugar, butter mixture for that extra flavor. Remember, butter is more than a fat. It’s a flavor deliverer, and the secret to good tasting pastries.

This only takes 35 minutes to bake, unlike pies that take an hour, so cooking the fruit on top of the stove first is helpful, especially if you decide to use apples.

A few tips for Making a Sheet Pan Slab Pie

• Refrigerate dough for at least one hour. I like to make pie dough the day before and wrap in plastic bag.
• Separate dough into 2 pieces before refrigeration. I will divide 1/3 for stars, 2/3 for bottom.
• Make your stars (or top decoration) first. Arrange the stars on the baking sheet on a piece of parchment paper, so you’ll know you have enough. I get 18 small stars and 15 larger stars. Cookie cutters can be found at any craft store. The dough you have left over will be just the right amount for the bottom.
• Refrigerate the stars while you’re rolling out the bottom.
• Use milk and sugar to top the stars. I do this BEFORE I place them over the fruit. The milk will aid in browning. I prefer this over egg wash.
• Bake for 35 minutes, checking at 30 minutes where you might need to cover loosely with foil for the last five minutes to avoid excess browning.
• Do not over-bake. I made this twice and both times 35 minutes was just right, but this may vary from oven to oven.
• Cool completely before cutting into squares. The fruit needs time to set.

If you do not have the quarter sheet pan, you can put into a rectangular 13 inch baking dish, but don’t bring the crust all the way up the sides.

I would love to hear from you if you make this recipe. Leave a comment and tag me #spinachtiger on my Instagram account, where daily stories show my kitchen testing.

Make these Blueberry Desserts

• Blueberry Thyme Galette
• Blueberry Crisp (GF)
• A Million Ways to Make Blueberry Pie

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Sheet Pan Summer Cobbler with Pie Crust

Summer Fruit Sheet Pan Cobbler with Pie crust, perfect for large gatherings.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings 15

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 
  Fruit Filling

Prep Blueberries

• 2 pints blueberries
• 1/3 cup sugar may need a few tablespoons more
• squeeze lemon

Prep Peaches

• 10 peaches
• 1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoon sifted corn starch

Make Pie Dough

• 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour 448 grams plus more for dusting
• 12 ounces Unsalted Butter 24 tablespoons or 3 sticks
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cups iced cold water 2 more tablespoons, (if needed)

Instructions

• Prepare the pie dough below first, and refrigerate for one hour, while you are preparing the fruit.

Prep Blueberries

• Place blueberries in a bowl with sugar and squeeze of lemon. Set aside.

Prep Peaches

• Peel Peaches.
• Mark peaches with x on one side.
• Submerge in boiling water for 60 seconds.
• Cool, Peel. Slice.
• Put one tablespoon butter in frying pan with 2 tablespoons brown sugar.
• Put peaches in brown sugar butter, toss gently. Add 1 tablespoon corn starch.
• Set in colander to drain.
• PIE DOUGH
• Cut butter into small pieces. Freeze for 10 minutes.
• Mix flour, sugar, salt in food processor or kitchen aid mixer. You can whisk or do this with your hands.
• Cut butter into flour mixture. Use a kitchen aid mixer or large food processor.
• You can, however use a pastry cutter and mix butter into flour by hand, making sure to keep the pieces pea sized.
• Add in ice cold water. Mix just enough to be able to squeeze dough together.
• If the dough stays together when you press, it’s processed enough.
• Put in plastic bag, separating it into 1/3 and 2/3. Bring it together in bag. Refrigerate for one hour. You can do this a day in advance of recipe.

Preparing Slab Pie

• Bring out twenty minutes before rolling.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange rack in oven on bottom third.
• Once you are ready to assemble, first roll out 1/3 dough to make stars. You can make 15 large stars or 18 smaller stars. You can use more dough from the other section if need be. The recipe will make the stars and the remaining dough is just enough for the sheet pan.
• Make the stars and place in refrigerator, while rolling out the dough for the bottom.
• Roll into rectangle and place in sheet pan.
• Fork holes all over the bottom. Place in freezer for a few minutes.
• Arrange the blueberries and peaches in the pan.
• Before placing stars over fruit, using your finger, rub milk over each star, and sprinkle raw sugar.
• Bake for 35 minutes. Check halfway through and turn pan around.
• Check at 30 minutes and loosely cover with foil if it’s already golden brown.
• Allow to cool before cutting.
• Keep at room temperature, covered with foil.
• Can be frozen for 60 days. Take out and allow to defrost at room temperature. Can be reheated in oven.

The post How to Make Sheet Pan Slab Pie with Fresh Peaches and Blueberries appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Cucidate, little fig cookies, while appearing quite demure in appearance, hit the senses, as a true Christmas cookie,  first with an aroma of the dried fruits soaked in a liquor and then  ombined with nuts, cinnamon, and honey, wrapped in a delicate pastry.

Cucidate, the Italian Fig cookie from Sicily is a tribute to my grandfather.

Biaggio came to America twice before he actually decided to stay, and I can understand his trepidation to settle in the United States, after visiting his hometown some years ago.

As I walked around the village of Isnello outside of Palermo, I rested my eyes on one of the most beautiful mountain backdrops I’ve ever seen, while the ocean was only twenty minutes away.

Sicily is an earthy place of tradition, created by many visiting cultures over centuries of acquisition. 

The people are humble, and yet rich in a food culture that is probably the most flavorful and robust of Italian cuisine, much like their personalities. American television has done a great disservice to Sicilians, using hyperbole, stereotypes and the sensationalism of organized crime. Most Sicilians are victims of crime, are not murderers and are not one dimensional.

This is probably a little extra special for me, because my grandfather had a fig tree he treated like a bab. Right before he died, he kept talking about “her.” Yes, he had decided his fig tree was a she, and he was worried, that she needed to be covered up for the winter or in his words, “shessa gonna die.”

My grandfather was never part of any organized crime, so please scratch your ideas about the people of Sicily.  He was a kind soul who extended everyone who knocked on our door in for coffee. The family joke would be that we might find him serving coffee and cake to a burglar that tried to rob the house.

I found his warmth and patience compelling, especially contrasted with my grandmother who was an Italian diva, sometimes warm, and sometimes a little too sure of herself. They always seemed a mismatch, as she was born in America as a first generation Italian and exuded first class glamour. His kind would be referred to as “from the old country,” and that was considered a step down in status from first generation born.

She was divorced with a small child (my Aunt Rita of the stuffed shells legend) and yet could have had her pick of any man. How in the world my grandfather snatched her as a bride is quite stunning, and one of the good things that happened for me prior to my life.

They had a daughter, my mother (Retro Rose) who inherited more that Sicilian hospitality.   I can’t tell you how many times, I would visit her apartment and she was feeding the maintenance men. She’s making someone a pot of meatballs at least weekly. When I first gave her some of these cookies, her first words were “can you make these for one of the elders at church.” I emphatically said no, these are just for the family. This attitude needed to be adjusted. Her desire to give the elders these special cookies is what being Sicilian is all about.

Cucidate Make a Great Gift

I had to think about that because aren’t Christmas cookies something we make to give away, to show our love for others?  After researching  these cookies, I read many stories about how often these cucidate are given away as gifts, and it got me thinking that I should plan to make several batches.

These cucidate excude the heart of the Sicilian culture. The dough is sweet; the fig filling full of flavor and life, and they make the perfect Christmas cookie gift, because they hit the heart.

The Process for Cucidate, Italian Fig Cookies

• Soak the raisin in bourbon for at least an hour.
• Chop figs or use a fig jam.
• Bring figs, dates (or dried plums/prumes) together with marmalade, honey and walnuts and process.
• Allow this filling to be refrigerated overnight to meld the flavors.
• Make pastry same day you make the filling and refrigerate overnight.
• Take out one pastry roll at a time and roll out and cut in squares.
• Fill and bake.
• Top with glaze and Italian sprinkles.

There are many ways to roll and fold the cookies. I did some in triangle, some folded over evenly. Some will turn the seam on the bottom, so you can’t see it. You can choose your own way.

Orange Glaze for Cucidate

I made an orange glaze and poured this over the cookies when hot, then sprinkled with these Italian cookie sprinkles I found in an Italian grocery store.

So tell me do you have a traditional cookie you like to give away as a gift? Have you ever had cucidati, the ultimate Sicilian fig cookie?

More Italian Christmas Recipes

More Cookie Recipes

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Cucidate – Sicilian Fig Christmas Cookies

An Italian Christmas Cookie from Sicily made with figs, dried fruit, liquor, nuts.

Course Cookie

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 1 day day

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 day day 15 minutes minutes

Servings 36

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Fig Filling

• 2 cups dried figs or 2 cups fig jam
• 2 cups dried dates or dried plums
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup bourbon or Grand Marnier Cognac or Brandy
• 1 cup almonds or walnuts chopped
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup orange marmalade
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Pastry

• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup sugar I always cut my sugar. I used 2/3 cup sugar
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter cold
• 2 eggs
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Glaze

• 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons orange juice) I used juice of one satsuma.
• small colored sprinkles

Instructions

Fig Filling

• Soak Raisins in bourbon for an hour up to overnight.
• Add to the rest of the ingredients.
• Grind all ingredients in food processor or Vitamix. The mixture should be ground enough to spread in the cookie. I substituted fig jam for dried figs and dried plums for dates.
• Refrigerate filling overnight.

Pastry

• Mix flour, baking powder, sugar together.
• Cut butter in. I used the Kitchen Aid Mixer. You could cut in with pastry blender or use a food processor also.
• Beat eggs and milk to together. Reserve 1 tablespoon milk. You may not need it.
• Add to flour mixture, and form a dough. Add the extra milk of it’s too dry.
• Separate dough in 4 sections. Wrap each in plastic wrap.
• Refrigerate for one hour or overnight.

Glaze

• Mix confectioner’s sugar with orange juice. Add water a little at a time, until you have a thin glaze.

Assembly

• Work with one section of pastry dough at a time.
• Roll each section into a tube. Divide into two sections to make it easier to work with.
• Flatten out each tube. Put mixture in center. Pull sides up to reach. Cut into 1 1/2 inch cookies.
• Bake at 375 Degrees F, 190 C. for 15 minutes.
• Spoon glaze over each cookie. Top with sprinkles.

The post Cucidati – Sicilian Fig Christmas Cookies appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Snow Cream or Snow Ice Cream is one of those wintery pleasures that comes with a big fluffy snowfall.

How healthy it is depends on what kind of milk and sweetener  you put in it. I prefer to use stevia to sweeten it, because for some reason that little bit of stevia goes a long way.

I did see a recipe that claims the Southern way is to use sweetened condensed milk. Holy Sweet Cow! That would taste good, but the calories would be way too much for me. I switched sugar for Swerve,  but stuck with Fairlife whole milk, because snow cream needs the higher fat content. You can use any milk you choose. See variations below. 

I didn’t grow up on snow cream, but my husband did until his mother read an article about the possible dangers of eating snow.

Is the snow safe to eat?

Generally speaking, yes, according to this article. However, be smart about it, and don’t take the first flurries, which act as an environment scrubber. Don’t eat snow mixed with dirt, or close to where you have pesticides. I have a deck and considered that the best and cleanest place to gather my snow.

I played around until I got the consistency I liked, and look how good it looks.

It tastes like a cross between vanilla ice cream and vanilla sorbet. 

The only sweetener I use to replace sugar is Swerve. I used one cup of milk and 2 tablespoons Swerve, a teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of salt. Taste the milk. See if it’s sweet enough for you. It will lose some of what you taste, once you put your snow in the mix. You may want it sweeter. You can use liquid stevia (just a few drops).

Variations on Snow Cream

Southern Snow Cream: Change the milk to condensed.

Paleo Snow Cream: Use almond milk or coconut milk and honey, stevia, Swerve or maple syrup for sweetener.

Sugar Free Snow Cream: Use milk of choice, Swerve (powdered erythritol), Vanilla

Orange Cream Snow Cream: Replace two tablespoons of milk with freshly squeezed orange juice and teaspoon orange zest.

Healthier Snow Cream: Use low fat milk, stevia or Swerve, Vanilla

Keto Snow Cream: Use heavy cream, Swerve, Vanilla

Add Sprinkles for fun.

Snow Cream Tips

• Use a stainless steel bowl that has been in freezer.
• Make sure all ingredients are mixed together and placed in bowl in freezer for about 10 minutes (or put them outside if it’s still super cold).
• Have everything ready. Then gather snow.
• Snow texture varies and you may not use all of it.

I’m thinking I could list endless possibilities for flavoring snow cream. I’m wondering what a little whiskey might do.

Here are a few I’ve found that are most interesting.

Snow Cream Frapuccino 

Boozy Snow Cones

Chocolate Snow Cream

Cake Batter Snow Cream

How about YOU? Do you engage in snow cream and have a favorite recipe?

Let’s connect. I love hearing your comments and getting to know you. We can connect on instagram and please subscribe below.

More Ice Cream Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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Snow Cream, with a Sugar Free Option

How to Make Snow Cream with a sugar free option using stevia.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 22 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 stainless steel bowl
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup sugar or 2 tablespoons Swerve sweetener
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 8 cups fluffy snow

Instructions

• Place bowl in freezer or outside for 10 minutes to get it very cold.
• Add milk, vanilla, salt, sweetener into bowl. Place back outside for ten minutes.
• Add snow to liquid mixture until incorporated. Start with 4 cups, and add what you need.
• Snow cream should be fluffy not melting.
• If you see it melt, pour off, add more snow.

The post Snow Cream, with a Sugar Free Option appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Some of these are easy. Some a little more complicated. Some made grain free. Enjoy!

It’s not too soon to start the Christmas Cookie Baking. Be sure to include some Italian Christmas Cookies in your holiday plans. Some of these are very easy, some a little more complicated, but every year I challenge to make at least one new cookie, along with some of my most treasured favorites from childhood.

The Easiest Cookie is the Italian Ricotta Cookie. If baking is a challenge for you, make these. There’s a video.

Gluten Free Ricotta Christmas Cookie with Pomegranate Glaze is just Divine. I’ve made two batches already gone!

Now I also have a Grain Free Ricotta Christmas Cookie, which is just delicious, soft, and pillowy. 

When I saw the Italian Date Christmas Cookie in an Italian magazine, I knew I had to make it. It’s easier than it might look. It’s a multi-textured cookie made with dates, rolled in sesame seeds.

The actual story is that a reader contacted me to ask me if I had the recipe for the Italian Date Christmas Cooke that was in the Italian Magazine, La Cucina Italia. I just happened to have all the issues I had saved for years and I went through all of them searching for this recipe and found it. Of course, I had to make it too.

Italian Christmas cookies wouldn’t be complete without Cucidate, the Italian Fig Cookie.

I love to say the words cucidate. ( pronounced kooch’ i da’tee). These are Sicilian Cookies, often given as gifts. A soft pastry envelops a fig mixture and is everything a good fig cookie ought to be. There are a lot of ingredients and it takes a little time to put together, but so worth it.

Cucidate. Recipe Here.

Italian Cookies Must include the cookie most likely to be dunked, the Biscotti, or the twice baked cookie.

Chocolate Almond Biscotti will satisfy that chocolate tooth.

No Italian Cookie Collection is complete without something lemon, something pistachio.

Candied Lemon Pistachio Cantucci will garnish your kitchen with good aromas and delicious cookie.

We also have some amazing Christmas Cookies not so Italian.

Oatmeal Cookies with Rosemary and Dried Plums has a wonderful holiday flavor and chewy texture.

Gingerbread with Chocolate and Ginger Salt.

My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie and I’ve made many versions here.

Butter Tarts, A Canadian Tradition, and you can see why.

The Pecan Tassie.  My First Recipe I ever Published here 11 years ago on Christmas Eve.

Grain Free Keto Version if Pecan Tassies is simply amazing.

The French Sable, A Shortbread Cookie is what you want if you like crispy cookies.

 Salty Nutty Double Chocolate Cookie for Chocolate Lovers.

The Gluten Free Iced Oatmeal Cookie the Vintage Oatmeal Cookie.

The Soft Sugar Cookie. You can cut these out into Christmas Shapes. You also glaze them.

French Madeleines have earned their reputation as one of France’s most beloved cookies.

The French Macaron These are so pretty, so good, filled with a chocolate ganache.

Perfect Vanilla Sables

Gluten Free, Grain Free Lemon Basil Shortbread Cookies, little bite sized cookies at only one carb.

This Christmas Fudge is simply the best and the recipe makes Five Pounds

Peppermint Ice Cream is my husband’s favorite. This is the old fashioned Howard Johnson’s copy cat.

Just in case you need more Christmas Sweets, I always make this almond tart and this flourless chocolate cake.

We are crazy for Red Velvet and you can make it regular, gluten free or grain free, sugar free.

Christmas Red Velvet  or try Red Velvet in a Jar.  

Grain Free Sugar Free Red Velvet. 

Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcakes

And, this Christmas Apple Pie will never disappoint.

My Most Proud Christmas Dessert is the Christmas Ice Cream Bombe filled with raspberry sorbet. There’s a chocolate sauce that goes with this.

Perhaps,  you  prefer a  Holiday Cocktail Dessert. If you can’t bake, you can do this. It’s sorbet, fruit, bubbly, done!

My Most Popular Christmas Anything is the Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas Sand Tart, and there’s a video.

What are you planning to make for Christmas, or do you go to bakery. If you do, the Triple Crown Bakery in Franklin, TN will make your cookies for you.

I hope you have the sweetest holiday with lots of cheer, friendship, and good food.

More Christmas Recipes from Spinach Tiger

The post Family Italian Christmas Cookies and Bonus Holiday Sweets appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Every July I get super excited to get in my car and drive two minutes round the corner to the blueberry farm. We feel we are quite the blueberry picking experts, assembling our ladders and getting to work. The funniest thing though is that the twins are blue/red color blind and can’t see the difference between the blue ripe berry and the red ripe berry.

We generally get right to work baking like this blueberry crumb pie or these blueberry thyme biscuits.

This year was different.

We put the baking off for a day and decided instead to make some blueberry simple syrup, which is good for many things, but especially for beverages. You can add to lemonade. Blueberries and lemons, go so well together.

I looked at my strawberry simple syrup recipe, but realized this would be a little different, actually a little easier.

You simply boil blueberries, sugar and water together. The blueberries will burst and there is no chopping or pureeing involved.  You will have to press the mixture through a sieve to avoid any skins.

You can keep in the refrigerator for a week, but I’ve read that adding a tablespoon of vodka will prolong the life of the syrup.

You might also like our recipe for blueberry sauce  (also can be a pie filling) which makes the best ice cream. 

You could also freeze the syrup (like ice cubes) having it at the ready for your next great cocktail.

We made a blueberry old fashioned which may seem a bit heavy for summer. While we love them, I’ve made a list of blueberry cocktails you might also enjoy.

Sugar Free Option for Blueberry Syrup

If you want a sugar free blueberry syrup, I recommend using granulated swerve, a powdered erythritol. I make syrups, purees and compotes all the time using the Swerve and no one knows the difference. I tend to start with half the amount of Swerve to what I normally would use for sugar. You can adjust accordingly.

Read here why I use Swerve.

The Blueberry Martini

Blueberry Moscow Mule

Blueberry Gin Sour

Blackberry Mint Julep

Blueberry Lemonade

Blueberry Margarita

More Cocktail Recipes from Spinach Tiger

More Blueberry Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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How to Make Blueberry Simple Syrup for Blueberry Cocktails

Blueberry simple syrup for beverages, cocktails.

Course Syrup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 cups blueberries can use frozen
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar can use 1/2 cup swerve or stevia for no-sugar option
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients together in sauce pan.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low and cook until you reach the consistency you desire. 15 minutes for a thinner consistency, longer for a thicker sauce.

Notes

You may see recipes with a ratio of 1 cup sugar to one cup blueberries. I found that to be too sweet. You can adjust to your own taste.

The post How to Make Blueberry Simple Syrup for Blueberry Cocktails (sugar free option) appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

You can use frozen strawberries to make strawberry sauce.

Use Powdered Erythritol if you want to make sugar free  strawberry sauce.

I used four cups of strawberries, one cup of water, one half cup sugar. Or, you can use one half cup swerve if you want to keep this low-carb and sugar free.



You can make strawberry sauce thicker by reducing it a bit more or using less water. you can take this and press it through a mesh colander  and make strawberry simple syrup. Simple syrup makes great cocktails and in case you missed it, my previous post was a strawberry martini.

You could also use the syrup to make a great strawberry balsamic ice cream.

Stop and enjoy the strawberries! Taste the sweet of life and find new ways to eat strawberry sauce.

This is so much better than sauce you buy in a jar, which will be too sweet and too artificial tasting.

This can be eaten on toast or a bagel with cream cheese. Try making strawberry sauce and banana toast.

I like to make my own strawberry yogurt with plain yogurt and strawberry sauce.

Or top it on ice cream, make a sundae, adding in a few fresh berries (or not). Top on lemon pound cake, or cheesecake. The possibilities are endless.

You can freeze Strawberry sauce

This will also freeze well. You can freeze in a mason jar and leave one inch at the top. You might be interested in reading more about freezing strawberries in jars here.

So tell me, how would you eat this strawberry sauce.

More Strawberry Recipes from Spinach Tiger

Strawberry Pie

Strawberry Scones, Gluten Free

Grain Free Strawberry Shortcake

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Strawberry Sauce

Strawberry Sauce, perfect for any dessert. Top cake, ice-cream or yogurt.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh or frozen strawberries trimmed, cut in half or quartered if large
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar less if strawberries are very sweet
• Swerve granulated
• squeeze of lemon

Instructions

• Put ingredients in saucepan. Bring to quick boil. Turn on low and simmer 15 to 20 minutes until desired thickness.

The post How to Make Strawberry Sauce with Sugar Free Option appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I often get asked to review cookbooks. Sometimes I decline because it’s not my thing, but when I was asked to review Making Dough by Russell Van Kraayenburg, I said yes on two counts.

I love to make pie crust.

I love to make biscuits as demonstrated by my 25 different recipes.

I already know in hearing from you that “dough” is intimidating and often misunderstood in why “the biscuits get tough” or the “pie crust doesn’t roll out and is chewy.”

The book, Making Dough, will help you understand the balance of the flour, fat and liquid, because it’s all about ratios. The first 24 pages are an illustrated tutorial which will help you  understand how these simple ingredients create different pastry depending on the ratios.

Each chapter will guide you through a different type of dough…biscuit dough, tart dough, phyllo dough, scones dough, puff pastry and more. Once you grasp ratios, you can play around on your own. I’m going to use this book to teach me about the doughs I haven’t yet mastered.

The ratio for pie dough is 8 flour: 7 fat: 2 liquid. 

If you want to make biscuits, the ration is 8 flour: 3 fat: 5 liquid. This is so cool to know, and gives you some freedom to make up your own recipes.

I promised to make pie crust from the book and create a recipe. I already am very successful with pie crust, but I had to try Russell’s recipe. He has two variations. He makes his pie dough with a combination of bread flour and cake flour, but you could also substitute all purpose flour, or you could use all bread flour. (I didn’t try that, but I will).

The ratio for bread flour to cake flour is 3:1.

Doesn’t this sound intriguing. These ratios have my attention, because I like to play around and I always make more pie dough than what a recipe needs.

BAKING TIP:  Make a little extra, and freeze the scraps. The scraps can be used for a future cobbler or mini-hand pies.

I made both, and both were successful. The all purpose flour pie dough is very similar to what I do, although I add sugar and one more tablespoon of butter. After making his recipe, I realize I could cut out that tablespoon. There was no difference.

He weighs his flour, which is truly the right way to bake.

The book provides several techniques, and I stuck with my food processor technique.

Now here’s the comical part. I prepared these gorgeous pear cranberry pie cookies, and then  as I went to put them into the oven, most of them slid off of the baking sheet. They were too messy to put back together, but I never throw food out if I can help it. I was able to salvage three little hand pies. You can find out how to make them here. 

Then I took the mess and made cobbler!

A kitchen mistake became a glorious Southern Pear Cranberry Cobbler.

This is truly a delicious cobbler, only slightly tart because the pears and cooked cranberries were refrigerated together several hours before using, which helped to ferment sweetness, and the cobbler pie crust is addicting.

In the South, when we break up pie dough with fruit,  we call it cobbler. We eat it with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. We eat it often, and this is going to grace my holiday table.

I took the broken dough and put some on the bottom of a cast iron pan. I added the fruit and then topped it again.

I made a second one where I just used all scraps of pie dough and threw it into the fruit and baked it. This pie crust tasted great no matter what I did with it.

The pie crust was tender and balanced. It’s all butter, which I believe creates the best flavor.

There are a few recipes in the book that I’ve already bought the ingredients for, so stay tuned. This is the season of desserts, and I’ll be making blueberry mascarpone hand pies and chocolate hazelnut hand pies.

So tell me, do you like pie crust as much as I do? What’s your favorite pie?

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Pear Cranberry Cobbler

Pear Cranberry Cobbler, perfect Fall Holiday Dessert.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Pie Dough

• 7 ounces all purpose flour see notes
• 14 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup iced cold water

Pear Cranberry Filling

• 12 ounces fresh cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons instant tapioca
• orange zest from half orange
• juice of half orange
• tablespoon triple sec optional
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 large pears about 3 pounds
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

• Prepare Pie Dough and Cobbler Filling. Both should be made in advanced and chilled first. This is perfect to prepare the day before, and then bake the next day. If you want a double crust cobbler, double the pie dough recipe.

Pie Dough Instructions

• Pulse flours and salt in the bowl of a food processor 2 or 3 times to combine. Chop butter into 1/2-inch cubes and add to flour mixture.
• Pulse for 1 second about 8 times, until butter is in pieces about the size of large peas.
• and pulse 3 to 4 times, until dough begins to come together. It may remain in a few large chunks.
• Place dough on a lightly floured surface and push chunks together. Knead 4 to 5 times, until it holds its shape. Flatten dough into a disk about 1 inch thick. Wrap tightly in parchment paper and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Cobbler Filling (which can also be used for a pie or hand pies)

• Put cranberries, sugar, water, tapioca, cinnamon into a sauce pan with orange juice and zest.
• Let sit for about 15 minutes.
• Turn on heat and bring to boil.
• Cook for about 5 minutes until the cranberries just begin to burst.
• In the meantime, peel and chop pears.
• Combine the pears with hot cranberries.
• Refrigerate for at least one hour until chilled, preferably longer.

Assembly

• At this point you can make a pie, a tart, hand pies, or a cobbler using these ingredients.
• To make a cobbler, roll out the dough and using a cookie cutter, cut into large rounds about 4-6 inches in diameter.
• Place some rounds on bottom of pan. Every inch of bottom does not have to be covered. If you are using a large baking dish, don't put any pie dough on bottom, just put it all on the top.
• Pour fruit over pie dough.
• Top with more rounds. You can use a lattice pattern or use a biscuit cutter as I did.
• Bake at 400 degrees F for 40-50 minutes until golden brown.
• For hand pies, follow these directions.
• For a large lattice topped cobbler, follow these directions.
• For cobbler in a jar, follow these directions.

Notes

Storage
Because pie dough contains no chemical leavener, it stores well wrapped tightly in parchment paper. You can easily double, triple, or even quadruple this dough recipe and store enough for a month’s worth of pies. If you know the shape of the dough you plan to roll later, form it into that shape, about 1 inch thick, before storing to make rolling it later easier. Refrigerator: 4 days. Freezer: 4 months.

Qualities of Good Pie Dough
THE DOUGH: Pie dough should be fairly dry and tough to manipulate. You should see dots of butter throughout the dough. When rolling, the dough should hold together well and not tear or break.

THE PASTRY: Once baked, pie crust should be very flaky. Crust that isn’t in contact with filling should crumble and flake easily. Portions touching filling will be slightly less flaky but should still be dry and crisp.

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The post Pear Cranberry Cobbler appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

In case you don’t know who Candice Nelson is, she is the founder of Sprinkles Cupcakes, claimed as the world’s first cupcake bakery and an illustrious judge on Cupcake Wars.

I must admit to you that I love Cupcake Wars, because,  while it’s wildly creative, the baking is approachable, unlike some other baking shows.



We love strawberry cake around here. Some years ago, a friend, Vickie, who would come to our home with a strawberry cake that was the best cake I ever ate. We couldn’t wait to rush through dinner to get to it.

She wouldn’t share her recipe and I don’t blame her, as she had some hopes at the time of entering it in a contest. I was neither a cake maker nor a food blogger at the time, and I was content to just consider myself lucky when she arrived at the doorstep with pink cake in hand.

When it came time for me fill a request for a strawberry cake, I could only find that old recipe of cake box mix and strawberry jello. That would not do for me at all. I vowed one day to find a recipe that would uphold the standard Vickie’s cake had set.

Sprinkles Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe from Scratch from Fresh or Frozen Strawberries

You can use fresh or frozen strawberries, but they should be organic, because strawberries are sprayed heavily. I like to take the strawberries and cook them down to a sauce if they are frozen.  Whether fresh or frozen, I still like to cook the strawberries to a deep rich sauce.

I didn’t want any red food coloring or jello in my cake! You need to know that this cake will not be pink. It will be yellow or maybe take on a dark hue from the puree, but not pink. The frosting however, will be naturally pink from the strawberries.

I  found the recipe on youtube where Candice herself bakes them. Be aware that some sites have her recipe written wrong and I took some liberty myself in adapting the recipe, cooking the strawberries to get a sauce instead of a fresh puree. You can make this with just a fresh puree (no cooking), but the deeper flavor comes from cooking them down.

Candice knows her cake texture, because this is perfect.

I am happy to report that I have made these several times. The feedback has been five stars all the way. They don’t have a strong strawberry taste, because they are fresh with no artificial help extract. However, my very own strawberry frosting is absolutely amazing and will drive the strawberry flavor.

Since I originally wrote this recipe, I’ve made a lot of strawberry recipes and strawberry cakes.

This is my favorite cupcake pan.

The Best Buttercream Frosting for Sprinkles Strawberry Cupcake Recipe

I’m very picky about my frosting and strawberry frosting is particularly moody. It can become too loose and runny very fast. I solved that problem with lots of butter and a little bit of cream cheese. I didn’t pipe for the cupcakes because that takes up a lot of frosting and the Sprinkles strawberry cupcake keeps it very smooth. I

If you want to pipe the frosting and find it a little too thick, add in a little more softened butter a tablespoon at a time.

Strawberry Birthday Cake

Fresh Strawberry Desserts from Spinach Tiger

More Cupcake Recipes from Spinach Tiger

Disclosure: This site contains Amazon Affiliate links which earn a small commission but do not increase price.

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Finally, Strawberry Cupcakes using only Fresh Strawberries

Strawberry cupcake recipe adapted from Sprinkles Bakery

Course Cupcakes

Cuisine Amerian

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 oz. unsalted butter 1 stick
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup whole milk can use butter milk too
• 1/2 cup strawberry puree
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• 1/4 cup strawberry sauce below
• 2 ounces cream cheese softened
• 3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Strawberry Sauce
• 1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Sprinkles are optional

Instructions

• Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt. Set aside
• Mix together strawberry puree, milk, vanilla. Set aside.
• Cream butter until fluffy.
• Add sugar to butter until well mixed.
• Add egg and egg white on medium speed.
• Add half of dry ingredients on low speed.
• Add in wet ingredients (milk, strawberry mixture).
• Add remaining flour mixture just until mixed. DO NOT OVER MIX.
• Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
• Cool, frost with strawberry frosting.
• FROSTING RECIPE STARTS HERE
• Mix butter and strawberry puree on medium speed.
• Add confectioner’s sugar, until smooth. Add Vanilla.

The post Sprinkles Strawberry Cupcake Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

This is the cake known as birthday cake, and it’s gluten free. I don’t know why this has become the “birthday cake.”  It’s yellow inside, chocolate outside and it has sprinkles. It’s the cake my husband had for every birthday.

I wonder how this got started because I never had this growing up. I always assumed a proper birthday cake was this chocolate with chocolate fudge frosting. If you know anything about the history of “birthday” cake, let me know!

The Best Gluten Free Yellow Cake!

There is a secret ingredient in this gluten free yellow cake that makes this taste just like yellow cake. It wasn’t my idea. I got this recipe from America’s Test Kitchen. I tweaked it only slightly, because while everyone loved their version, it was a smidge too dry for me. I substituted half of the butter for oil and that made it perfection!

This is a delicious birthday cake that brings back lots of memories for the men in my life. It seems this is the cake their mother’s made for them. No one complained that this is gluten free made from scratch!

You could make this cake as two large 9″inch layers, 24 cupcakes, or do what I like to do, the triple layer tiny cake, baked in three 6-inch baking pans.

White chocolate is one of the secrets for the gluten free yellow cake.

Get the best white chocolate you can find. It adds in fat and a bit of flavor. This is a gentle reminder that baking can be tricky. Get all of your ingredients out and measured before you begin. I accidentally wasted four eggs the other day not listening to my own advice.

My Tips for the Best Gluten Free Yellow Cake

Weigh your flour. It matters. Once you get the knack of using a kitchen scale to weigh in grams, you’ll be more assured of a good turn-out. If you’re new to baking, there’s a simple reason. A cup of flour can vary from a cup to a cup and a half, depending on who packed it. A cup of flour packed too tightly is going to be dried baked good.

Weigh your batter. I like to bake in three 6-inch cake pans. I find the outcome to be more dramatic. The only thing that can get in the way of its looks is uneven layers. I weigh my batter and divide by three, using the scale. Simply weigh the batter. Divide by three. Zero or (or tare) each pan and add that amount. You will be so happy that you took the time to do this.

Make your cake beautiful. Sprinkles and few magic tricks with this decorating tool (so easy, a child can help you), will turn an ordinary cake into something quite special. Let’s face it, cakes are work. There are a lot of dishes, spoons and equipment to clean up. All that works deserves applause and sprinkles, as child-like as they are always yield a smile.

Use two kinds of fat. Use half oil and half butter, as butter is typical for yellow cake, but not easily absorbed when using gluten free flours. To sub butter, 2 tablespoons of butter equals 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil. In this case I cut out four tablespoons of butter and replaced it with 3 tablespoons of avocado oil.

Decorating a Yellow Birthday Cake

I made a milk chocolate buttercream, and used this Oxo Decorating Tool Kit to add a few simple swirls. This is better than using pastry bags. It’s reusable and easy to clean and control.

Usually when I do small triple layer cake, I make a naked caked, like this gluten free red velvet cake. But a birthday cake gets all the frosting all over and sprinkles on top.

Make sure to completely cool the cake and refrigerate before applying a crumb coat. This means you will layer your cake (after leveling each layer) and put a very thing over all frosting coat. Then refrigerate for 30 minutes and finish the frosting. Apply the sprinkles immediately. I then move this cake to the refrigerator and take out about an hour before serving.

More Gluten Free Baking from Spinach Tiger

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Gluten Free Yellow Birthday Cake from Scratch

Gluten Free Yellow Birthday Cake, moist delicious with a chocolate frosting.

Course Cake

Cuisine American

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• CAKE INGREDIENTS
• 6 ounces white chocolate
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces
• 3 tablespoons avocado oil or neutral oil
• 11 ounces gluten free flour I use this
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons xantham gum see notes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch cream of tartar
• 7 ounces sugar 1 cup
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• FROSTING INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5-7 cups confectioner's sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cup of butter
• sprinkles for garnish
• Kitchen Tools Needed
• Parchment paper
• 3 6- inch cake pans or 2 9-inch cake pans

Instructions

• Instructions for Cake
• Preheat Oven to 325 degrees F.
• Grease 2 9-inch cake pans or 3 6-inch cake pans (which I use)
• Line with parchment paper and grease parchment paper.
• Put white chocolate, butter, oil in double boiler (or use a stainless bowl over saucepan of simmering water).
• Stir until melted. Set aside to cool.
• Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, xanthum gum. Set aside.
• Whip egg whites with cream of tarter on medium low speed until frothy. Add 1/2 cup of sugar and whip until you have stiff peaks. Transfer the egg whites to a cold clean bowl.
• Clean mixer and add egg yolks and vanilla until well blended.
• Add remaining sugar. Mix well.
• Add chocolate and sour cream mixture to egg yolk mixture.
• Turn mixer to low; add flour mixture and blend until completely combined.
• Add egg whites, using a rubber spatula and fold in.
• Divide cake pan evenly. I weigh my batter between pans.
• Bake until cake pans pull away from pan.
• If using 6 inch pans, bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
• If using 9 inch, bake 30 to 32 minutes.
• Instructions for Frosting
• Whip butter until smooth.
• Sift cocoa powder. Sift confectioner's sugar.
• Add cocoa powder, salt, and sugar together. Mix well.
• Add to butter a cup at a time on medium speed.
• Add vanilla.
• Add heavy cream, a little at a time.
• You can make frosting two days in advance and refrigerate.
• Or, you can make and freeze until needed.
• Frost cake.
• Add sprinkles as soon as the frosting is finished.

Notes

If you use Bob's Red Mill one to one gluten free flour, add 1/2 teaspoon xanthum gum.

The post Gluten Free Yellow Birthday Cake from Scratch appeared first on Spinach Tiger.