Priory Fine Pastries

It’s National Strawberry Day this weekend – February 27 – so celebrate it with this amazing recipe from Better Homes and Gardens:

Fresh Strawberry Bars

In honor of A.A. Milne’s Birthday today, creator of one the best children stories of all time – Winnie the Pooh – we’re going to celebrate all things honey, since it’s Pooh’s favorite treat after all! Honey is sweet, delicious and a great energy booster.  It helps build the immune system and is a natural remedy for some ailments.  It of course, all tastes fantastic in special desserts!  Pay tribute to Pooh and his creator by testing out this recipe for honey cake.  Like Pooh says, “…And the only reason for making honey is so as I can eat it.” (Recipe from the Daily Green.)

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1 small unpeeled orange, quartered, seeded
1 small unpeeled apple, cored, chopped
3/4 cup strong brewed coffee
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup golden raisins

PREPARATION

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two loaf pans with parchment paper. In a medium-sized bowl, mix oil, sugar, honey and eggs until combined. In food processor, combine orange and apple, pulsing until finely chopped. Pulse in coffee until mostly pureed. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt. Add a third of fruit and coffee mixture to oil, honey and egg mixture. Stir in a third of the flour to mixture. Repeat until all ingredients are combined. Stir in raisins. Pour batter into pans. Bake until tester comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Cool in pans on rack.

A healthy cookie?  Actually, yes!  What better time to try out some healthier dessert options than during the winter months when we’re trying to lose all of that extra holiday weight? These Banana Cookies are a delicious and healthier alternative that are sure to satisfy even the most stubborn sweet tooth!  Don’t take our word for it though, try them out for yourselves!  (Recipe from allrecipes.com.)



January is officially oatmeal month!  Oatmeal is affordable, delicious and a nutritious way to start your day! Don’t just settle for the usually oatmeal and raisin cookies though, there are tons of great recipes out there you’ll definitely love.  Click here to see an entire list from Quaker Oats or try out the recipe below to get you started in celebrating oatmeal month!
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Oatmeal Caramel White Chip Bars

Ingredients

• CRUST
• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2  cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 1-1/4  cups (2-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2  teaspoon salt
• 2  cups Quick Quaker® Oats, uncooked

• FILLING
• 2  cups (12-oz. pkg.) white chocolate chips
• 1/2  cup chopped nuts
• 1  cup caramel or butterscotch caramel fudge topping
• 3  tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preparation

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13 x 9-inch metal baking pan. For crust, beat flour, sugar, butter, baking soda and salt in large bowl with electric mixer until crumbly. Beat in oats on low speed just until combined. Press half of mixture (about 2-1/2 cups) into bottom of baking pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool in pan for 2 minutes. For filling, sprinkle chips and nuts over crust. Blend caramel topping with flour. Drizzle over morsels and nuts. Crumble remaining oat mixture over nuts. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Not ready to give up the Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie yet? Here’s a super easy and delicious recipe from Bakerella for Pumpklin Pie Bites. Not only will these cure your cravings for Pumpkin Pie, but they are also just fun to look at!  So whether your making them for a party or just for yourself, these little guys are sure to please any pumpkin lover.
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Pumpkin Pie Bites

2 refrigerated ready-to roll pie crusts

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter

Optional
1/2 cup chocolate morsels
vegetable oil
re-sealable plastic bags

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Use cookie cutter to cut 12 pumpkin shapes from each pie crust. You will need to roll the dough thinner than it comes out of the box.
Press dough shapes into a 24 cup mini muffin tray. (Make 12 at a time, alternating cups to make sure pie crusts don’t overlap each other.)
Apply egg whites from one egg to the top edges of each pie.
Mix cream cheese, sugar, canned pumpkin, remaining 2 eggs, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice together until thoroughly combined.
Spoon mixture into each pumpkin-shaped pie crust.
Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Remove pies to cool and repeat with second pie crust. Place the muffin tray in the freezer to cool it quickly for re-use.

Makes 24 pies. Keep refrigerated.

To decorate, melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave on medium. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted. Add a little vegetable oil to make the chocolate more fluid. Transfer to a re-sealable plastic bag and cut the corner off. Drizzle or draw faces on pies.

Note: The cutter I used was 3 3/4 inches wide, but if you don’t have one, don’t worry. Just use a round cutter around that size or slightly smaller to cut circle shapes out of the dough. Then make stems with the scraps. Press each stem over the edge and down the side of the dough before filling.

Pumpkin pie spice is a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice.

Enjoy!