Spotted Dog: An Irish Tea Cake

     I had to go pretty far back on my family tree to find my Irish roots, but they're definitely there.  Just enough of them, I suppose, to appreciate this beautiful loaf of what I've always called Irish Soda bread, even though now I've discovered that it really isn't.

     Did you know that there are rules for making Irish Soda Bread? The Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread tells us that any ingredient other than flour, baking soda, sour milk and salt make your loaf an imposter. This loaf, my friends, is definitely an imposter. A tasty one, but an imposter nonetheless.

     This loaf has a bit of added sugar, some butter, a lot of currants- ingredients that deny it the title of an authentic Irish Soda bread, but make it oh-so-delicious. The lovely loaf they do make is called Spotted Dog. I think I like that even better.

     Spotted Dog is a quick and easy loaf to put together to enjoy at breakfast or tea time. Warm out of the oven and slathered with butter? That would be the top o' my mornin' for sure! Leftovers make a great toast too.
     This recipe makes two loaves; enjoy one now and freeze one for later. Better yet, share with a friend. Just please make sure you cut a deep X  into the top of your loaf before baking. Why? To let the fairies out, of course. Who wants to suffer the wrath of toasted fairies? :)

Spotted Dog: An Irish Tea Cake
Adapted from this recipe and this recipe
Ingredients:
4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 Tblsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold butter (1 stick) cut into small cubes
2 cups currants or raisins
1 egg, beaten
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a baking sheet or cover with parchment paper.
• In large mixing bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar.
• Cut butter into dry ingredients with a fork or dough blender until mixture resembles large crumbs.
• Stir in currants or raisins.
• Whisk together the beaten egg, the buttermilk, and the vanilla extract.
• Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients.
• Pour buttermilk mixture into the well and gently mix together until the dough is evenly blended. Do not over-mix.
• Turn sticky dough out onto a generously floured surface. With floured hands, gently knead dough just enough (just flop it over a couple of times) and form into two softball sized balls of dough. Do not over-knead! It will make your bread/cake tough. You don't need your dough to be smooth and shiny- you want a nice craggy surface to make that beautiful crust!
• Place your dough balls onto your prepared baking sheet and slightly flatten them into round loaves. Leave plenty of room between your loaves for rising.
• Cut an X shape into the top of each loaf, all the way to the edges. This lets the fairies out!
• Bake for 40 minutes, or until loaves are browned and sound hollow when you tap them.
• Slice, slather with butter, and enjoy!

The Best Carrot Cake

     Carrots are good for you, right? And pineapple, coconut and walnuts? The stuff dreams are made of. This cake is full of 'em. Topped right out of the oven with a dreamy hot buttermilk glaze (that's really more of a butterscotch caramel glaze) and then with a layer of cream cheese frosting, this is a cake I look forward to making again.

     I made this for Easter dinner at my Mom's house. It was good the first day, and even better the next. I recommend making this when there are people to help you eat it. Trust me, no one will complain.  Next time I'll make layers- I needed this one to travel so I opted for a sheet cake. More layers = more frosting per bite. That can't be a bad thing, can it? I followed the recipe as written, and wouldn't change a thing. You can find the recipe- from Southern Living-  here.
   

Happy Earth Day!

Springtime Sugar Cookies

     Maybe a little late for Easter, but just in time for Mother's Day! These simple butter cookies in springtime shapes are a welcome addition to any celebration. My grandson and I made them last week, and they hardly lasted long enough to cool. Decorated simply with colored sugar, they were a snap to make and even easier to eat. A simple sugar cookie with a cup of tea (or a tall glass of cold milk) is a classic treat that never goes out of fashion!

      I made these with my go-to sugar cookie recipe from Betty Crocker. The dough is easy to work with and it produces a tender cookie that's flavored with a hint of almond extract. This cookie is not too sweet, and lends itself perfectly to being eaten either plain, frosted, or with a sprinkling of colored sugar.  You need to make the dough ahead of time to give it time to chill- I like to do this the night before I make the cookies. This dough freezes well, and is good to keep on hand for cookie emergencies. (You have those sometimes, don't you?)

     My grandson and his family have flown the coop and are back in Texas now, so I'll have to do my baking solo for a while. If you can find a willing baking assistant (or even if you can't) I recommend that you whip up a batch of these for your afternoon snack-time enjoyment. You can find the recipe here:  Ultimate Sugar Cookie Recipe from Betty Crocker.

This post is linked to Sweets for a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies.

Bunnies and Carrots and Chicks! Oh My!

     Yippee for spring break! I love having the time to clean my kitchen and then to make a big cookie mess! I have all kinds of productive plans for this week, but I'm probably not going to get around to doing most of them. I guess that means the basement will wait 'til summer. :)

     These little cuties won't wait though. They're all ready for Easter, and looking for a basket to hop into! I made them with my favorite Iced Spice Cookie recipe - it's the one that I've been using for years and years. My kids grew up with these cookies, and now I want to make sure my grandson does too! :)

     

     I used a tutorial  that Callye from The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle posted to help me decorate these cute little guys.  If you love cookies and would like to see some fabulous ones, you should visit her blog. And then you should make some cookies. I know you'll want to!

Iced Spice Cookies- Printable recipe here!

This post is linked to Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage,

 Sweet Tooth Friday at Alli 'n Son,  Sweets For a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies, and Dee Dee's Delights: Special Easter Sunday Buffet.

Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies

     There are two oatmeal cookie factions in my household. There is the "An oatmeal cookie is not an oatmeal cookie without raisins in it" faction, and then there's the "I hate to bite into a perfectly good oatmeal cookie and discover that those dark things aren't chocolate" faction. This being the case, when I made oatmeal cookies this weekend there was only one thing to do...well two actually. I made part of the cookies with raisins, and the rest were studded with peanut M&Ms.

     This recipe for Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies on the Quaker Oats website  is a little bit different than the recipe (by the same name) on the Quaker Oats oatmeal box...it has a little bit less of both butter and sugar, which made it an easy choice since we're trying to cut down on both around here. Regardless of the mix-ins used, both kinds of cookies turned out perfectly chewy inside with a little "crisp" on the edges. Additionally, using the Baking Spice Blend in place of the cinnamon I usually use really gave them a good flavor. No one missed the extra butter and sugar at all!

Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies
recipe from the Quaker Oats website

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs from happy hens
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon or Baking Spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups Quaker Oats- old fashioned or quick  (uncooked)
1 cup of mix-ins: raisins, chopped nuts, chocolate chips, candy covered chocolate pieces, dried cranberries, cherries or blueberries (optional)
Directions:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees 
• Cream together butter and sugars. 
• Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well.
• Whisk or sift together flour, baking soda, spice and salt. Add to mixture.
• Stir in oatmeal and mix-ins.
• Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment covered (or ungreased) baking sheets. I also added a few extra raisins (or M&Ms) on top of each dough ball.
• Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for a minute on the cookie sheet and then cool completely on wire racks. Yield: 4 dozen.

Bar cookie variation: Press dough into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 pan. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Easter Peanut Pretzel Bites

Easter Peanut Pretzel Bites

These sweet and salty treats are cute and curiously addictive. Quick and easy, a batch of these can be made in two shakes of a bunny's tail! Put them in a cute bag tied up with a pretty ribbon for a last minute Easter basket treat, or just enjoy them from the bowl. Go ahead...make somebunny happy!

Peanut Pretzel Bites

Ingredients:

1 bag of square "waffle shaped" pretzels

1 bag of peanut M & Ms

1/2 lb. package white chocolate "bark" or white chocolate chips

Directions: 

On a piece of waxed paper, lay out as many pretzel pieces as desired.

Melt white chocolate according to the instructions on the package.

Drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon of melted chocolate on top of each pretzel. (I just used a spoon.)

Before the chocolate sets, place a peanut M & M on top. (I used the pastel Easter M & Ms for these.)

Let set until chocolate hardens. (You can put them in the refrigerator to speed this up if you need them fast!)

Store in an airtight bag or container.