Patriotic Fruit Pizzas

Hello friends,

Have I got a simple and super fun fourth of July treat to share with you all!

Who know sugar cookies could get such an upgrade?

Yes, fruit pizza - the sweetest of all pizzas, and the easiest fix for a patriotic dessert to impress all your friends. I opted to go with individual hand-sized pizzas, so that no one would feel too guilty about eating, say, six of them. Not that I did any such thing...

Start with some sugar cookie dough. You can use your favorite recipe, or go with this one I found from Julie Blanner . They are so soft and chewy that it has quickly become my go-to recipe for sugar cookies.

While the cookies are baking, whip up some delicious cream cheese frosting. Intead of adding vanilla extract, add a touch of lemon juice. It enhances, as opposed to overpowers, the fresh, sweet flavor of the berries.. Smear some cream cheese frosting on top of your completely cooled cookies, then have at it with whatever fruit your sweet tooth desires.

With the 4th of July less then twenty-four hours away, I thought it only fitting to work with blueberries and strawberries, which coincidentally happen to be my favorite fruits. You can, of course, use any other fruit you like. Raspberries, blackberries, kiwi, pineapple - that's what I love about this recipe: its versatility.

With a thick sugar cookie base, cream cheese frosting with the slightest hint of lemon, and fresh berries, these patriotic pizzas are sure to please at any party (I do love my alliterations don't I? Sorry friends, just coudn't help it).

Happy Baking (and Happy Fourth of July) !

Patriotic Fruit Pizzas Via JulieBlanner

Sugar Cookies:

2 1/4 cups flour
1 sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. In separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add egg, sour cream, and vanilla to butter mixture and beat until well incorporated. Gently fold dry ingredient mixture into wet ingredient mixture until dough comes together.
4. Scoop tablespoonfuls of dough onto prepared cookie sheets, leaving space between them for spreading. With lightly floured fingers, gently flatten cookies to 1/4 inch thickness.
5. Bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes. Do NOT overbake. Cookies will look slightly underdone. That is okay.
6. Let cool completely on cookie sheets before removing to plate/wire rack.

Cream Cheese Icing:

8 oz softened cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice

1. Beat all ingredients until smooth

Toppings:
strawberries, sliced
blueberries
any other fruit of your choice
Assembly:

1. Top cookies with dollop of cream cheese icing. Using a butter knife or offset spatula, smooth icing so that it is flat.
2. Cover with berries/fruit of your choice. Keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Strawberry Blondies

Friends,
I write to you in a slightly disappointed frame of mind today. Sadly, this is one of the posts where things did not going according to plan, and I feel like renaming the blog "On Soggy Mountain" or "On Mushy Mountain" as I bow my head in shame.

Sigh. I was so in love with the Twix Brownies earlier this week, I thought I'd attempt a blondie as a nice point of comparison between bar cookies. I also just wanted to eat an entire batch of these Strawberry Blondies from Love&Olive Oil (which I will now not be able to do. Grr.). It started out great; white chocolate, butter, eggs, strawberries, flour, pretty simple, or so I thought. Into the oven it went. Golden brown on the exterior, the knife came out clean, and out of the oven they came....

only to my sad realization that the underneath the enticing exterior lay a mushy, soggy, disappointing interior. Maybe it's a sign that I should ease up on the sweets (hah, right) but soggy or not, I could always use the extra photography practice.

I managed to grab a few decent shots, and I love this one with the new baby cupcake stand. Can you believe it was only $3? Now that's my kind of pricing for food props. It's still taking me awhile to learn all my angles, and I've started this new pinboard on Pinterest with food photography I aspire to/take inspiration from when I am attempting to photgraphy my not so splendid brownies.

I'll include the recipe here with the suggestion that lowering the oven temp to 325 (as opposed to 350) and increasing the cooking time may help you avoid a mushy mess of blondies. I'm off to find a recipe that will soothe (and feed) my fractured ego.

But as always, Happy Baking!

Strawberry Blondies Slightly Adapted Via Love&OliveOil

5 oz white chocolate, chopped
1/3 butter, cut into chunks
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup strawberries, sliced

1. Preheat oven to 325 and line one 8x8 pan with aluminum foil and spray foil with cooking spray.
2. In microwave safe bowl, heat butter and white chocolate in 15 second increments, stirring chocolate and butter in between microwaving until melted. Stir in sugar.
3. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, salt, and baking powder until just combined, then fold in strawberries.
4. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes, or until set and toothpick comes clean out of the center.
5. Let cool completely before slicing into bars to serve.

Fresh Lemon and Strawberry Frosted Donuts

Hello all,

Daylight Savings Time has passed this weekend and I have to tell you, I am LOVING the extra sunlight. It just makes the days so much cheerier, granted I am currently writing to you from Florida (the Sunshine State). I am sure when I get back to NJ I will be greeted by the lovely gray, overcast weather I have come to call my own.

But while I'm still down here catching the rays, I thought I'd share these fresh fruit-frosted donuts with you!

I can't say I looked up the lemon frosting, but sadly I did discover that Strawberry Frosted Donuts, from say Dunkin Donuts, are not frosted with anything that resembles real strawberrries. Gross. 

How are we still okay with that? I mean I understand that if you use real strawberries it wont be as smooth and glossy, but I think that might very well be a sacrifice we are willing to make for real fruit frostings.

Regardless, mine utilize the wonderful fresh strawberries down here in Florida, along with some lovely fresh lemons as well.

I ran into some trouble with lighting for my photos (when does that not happen) but discovered that the sun was the perfect accompaniment to my donuts. Now if only NJ was this bright all the time I'd take all my photos outside each morning!

I've included the basic sour cream donut recipe below along with the new fruit glazes/frostings. Feel free to switch out the lemon juice for lime (key lime donuts anyone?) or use your favorite fruit in place of the strawberries. The possibilites are endless, not to mention delcious.

Happy Baking!

Sour Cream Donuts (makes about 2 dozen mini donuts)
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2. In separate bowl whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour liquid ingredients over dry ingredients. Using a mixer on medium speed, blend until smooth.
3. Fill each cooking reservoir with about 2 tbsp of batter.
4. Bake about 4-5 minutes or until donut springs back when touched.
5. Glaze or coat with powdered or cinnamon sugar.

Fresh Lemon Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
splash of milk

1. Sift powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Add lemon juice and begin to stir. Add milk slowly, until consistency is smooth but still thick.
 
Fresh Strawberry Frosting

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup strawberries
splash of milk

1. Sift powdered sugar into medium bowl. Pulse straberries in food processor until completely chopped. Scrape strawberry puree into powdered sugar and whisk until it comes together. Add splash of milk as needed to create smooth consistency.

 To frost donuts: dip donut in frosting, pull up and allow excess to drip off. Poke hole in center with finger to allow frosting to form to shape of donut. Then allow to dry on cooling rack or dip in sprinkles.

Strawberry Whoopie Pies

Hello all,

The return to winter weather (for me) is approaching quicker than ever, and I am so not looking forward to it. It has been an average of 70 degrees for my winter vacation, and the idea of bracing the average 35 degrees up in New Brunswick fills me with dread. With that said - the rest of my baking adventures until I leave will be delectable, fruity, and full of Spring/Summer fun.

After the huge success of the Strawberry Shortcake Muffins, I just had to see what else I could whip up with these amazingly juicy little fruit that have just come into season down here in Florida. I came across Strawberry Whoopie Pies on SweetPea's Kitchen and I knew I had to try it.

I always thought shortening was the key for Whoopie Pies, but apparently vegetable oil and some sour cream can go a long way. These are chewy, cake-y and full of fresh strawberry flavor. Although they are sort of, well, huge (she said heaping tablespoons...) it will keep me from eating all of them in one go; I hope.

I hope these remind you of summer as much as they do for me (I bet it would work with blueberries or raspberries as well!) and as always,

Happy Baking!


Strawberry Whoopie Pies 
slightly adapted via SweetPeasKitchen

3 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped strawberries
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt

1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Combine oil and sugar, whisking until thoroughly incorporated. Whisk in sour cream and strawberries.
3. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Fold in flour mixture in two batches; do not overmix
4. Cover and refrigerate for 1/2 hour
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of batter onto the baking sheets approx. 2 inch apart (to allow for spreading).
7. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from one of the cookies.
8. Let cool on pan for 10 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Frost - Flip cookie upside down and place large dollop of Buttercream in center. Place another cookie on top and gently press to spread Buttercream to edges.


Strawberry Buttercream

1 cup softened butter
1 cup finely chopped strawberries
4 cups powdered sugar
1-2 drops red food coloring

1. Beat butter until fluffy, then add in powdered sugar. Slowly add in strawberries and food coloring and beat until frosting reaches uniform consistency.


Whoopie Pies