secret weapon

last night, there was a surplus of fresh raspberries in the fridge that were going to mush if i didn't do something with them quickly.  solution?  ding!  enter the torte.

thank me for giving you this recipe.  it is my secret weapon, my go-to, never-fail delicious dessert that is so easy that you won't even believe it.

the best thing about the batter is that it is not only foolproof, but it is a great base for doing whatever you want with it.  when i first learned this recipe, it was for a plum torte, using small italian plum halves.  in the winter, i use the same batter but layer cranberries and apples on top, and load up the spices.  so, last night, with no plums, cranberries, or apples, but a surfeit of raspberries, i knew exactly what to do.

raspberryplumcranberryapple torte

ingredients

1 stick butter, softened

3/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 c. raspberries, rinsed; OR 3 c. cranberries, rinsed, plus 3 apples, peeled and sliced; OR 12 italian plums, rinsed, pitted, and halved; OR whatever else you could possibly imagine

sprinkle cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg

method

in a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar.  add eggs, flour, baking powder, and vanilla and spices.

preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  butter and flour a springform pan*, then slowly spread the batter over the pan (it will be a thick, almost dough-like consistency).  carefully sprinkle your fruit of choice over the top of the cake.  sprinkle a thin layer of sugar over the top.

bake on a rack positioned 3/4 of the way down in the oven, for about 40 to 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

*i didn't have a springform pan last night, and the pans that i did have were all too big to hold the small amount of batter.  solution?  double batch.  problem solved... more torte for everyone!!  

harps, fairy dust, and angel choirs=almond blueberry cookies

this recipe sings to the very core of my heart.  i am going to rush home from work immediately and try it.

(postscript: yes, i posted a recipe i have yet to try.  but i am just that confident that it will be outstanding, so i am not worried).

almond blueberry cookies

ingredients

2 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 stick unsalted butter

1 c. sugar

1 egg yolk

1/4 c. whole milk

1 tsp. almond extract

2 tsp. lemon zest

1/2 chopped almonds, toasted

1 c. blueberries

method

sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.  in separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar.  add egg yolk and incorporate.  then add milk, almond extract and lemon zest.  

stir dry ingredients into wet, a half-cup at a time.  fold in almonds, then blueberries.

chill dough in fridge for 30 minutes

while dough chills, preheat oven to 375.  drop cookie batter onto ungreased sheets.  bake for 15 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.

postscript

i baked these cookies, as i had mentioned i would, as soon as i got home from work.  my lovely friend emma joined me.  she kindly informed me of a typographical error i had made, writing the recipe called for 1/2 chopped onions instead of almonds.  oopsies.  the error has been corrected...and i hope no one actually read this before i changed it and actually used onions.  because that would have produced some whack-ass cookies.

furthermore, we had some issues with the overly-sensitive smoke alarm in my house: good for real emergencies, but annoying when the source of the aggressive beeping is not an emergency.

despite all those hiccups, the cookies turned out to be delectable little puffs...almost more like muffins or cake than cookies.  just a bit sweet with delicate hints of lemon and almond to offset the moist blueberries.

like i said, angel choirs and fairy dust.