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Desserts and Sweets

Pomegranate Molasses Sugar Cookies

By Denise Pare-Watson

Pomegranate Molasses is a unique product which is not commonly utilized and for that matter, not commonly attainable.  It is my objective to encourage you to consider pomegranate molasses and provide you with some compelling reasons why you should try it.  I will introduce you to an easy recipe on how to make your own pomegranate molasses and how to use it to make deliciously distinctive Pomegranate Molasses Sugar Cookies.  The recipe incorporates pomegranate molasses into the cookie dough as well as into a garnish on top of the baked cookie.  The cookies are lightly spiced to compliment the flavour of pomegranate molasses.  The cookie dough is rolled in organic cane sugar before baking to give them a crunchy exterior and a tender center.  The flavour and texture of these cookies make them a pleasure to eat.

Pomegranate Molasses Sugar Cookie
Pomegranate Molasses Sugar Cookie

Let’s start with the fundamentals.  What exactly is pomegranate molasses?  It is essentially pomegranate juice that is boiled down to a syrup (a reduction).  The syrup has a concentrated flavour with a pleasant lingering taste of sweet and sour on the tongue – a very unique tang. You can use it in almost everything from beverages, salad dressings or drizzling on roasted vegetables, glazing ham and as a flavour enhancer to many varieties of food – both sweet and savoury. 

Pomegranate Molasses Sugar Cookies
Pomegranate Molasses Sugar Cookies

Pomegranates/pomegranate molasses are classified as a super food having many health benefits.  They are an excellent source of antioxidants, vitamins, and anthocyanins.   You can read additional information about pomegranates in my post, “Fun With Pomegranates”.  

Pomegranate Molasses is a very popular condiment and flavouring ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking.  It can often be found in the international aisle of most major grocery stores or stores specializing in Middle Eastern food products.  If you cannot find it in stores near you, pomegranate molasses can be easily made at home. (see recipe below).  

I was amazed to learn that pomegranate molasses is also helpful in reducing your body temperature in the summer (see my note below under “What Else Can I Do with This Recipe” regarding a refreshing pomegranate molasses beverage).  

I encourage you to explore how easy it is to incorporate pomegranate molasses into your food and beverage preparation. Its versatility is unique in the fact that it enhances both sweet and savoury dishes. 

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Filed Under: Cookies, My Recipes, Nut Free Recipes Tagged With: Baking, Baking Ingredients, Cookies, Pomegranate Molasses

Holiday Fruitcake Made Easy

By Denise Pare-Watson

When someone says fruitcake, what comes to mind?  The mention of fruitcake brings back all the nostalgic memories of my early childhood.  My Mom would start the holiday fruitcake in the fall, usually after Hallowe’en.  By the time everything was added into her large bowl, it would be chock-full of candied fruit, nuts (from our own nut trees), spices and other ingredients, such as citrus peel and booze of some kind.  The most important part of this process was the traditional family stirring.  Everyone in our family (from youngest to oldest) took a turn at stirring the mixture.  Originally the three eldest girls of five little girls participated in this ritual – the two baby girls would join us a few years later.  Mind you, our little arms were no match for this unyielding mixture, but our valiant attempts were praised and applauded by our parents.   Dad even asked Mom to wake him up from his sleep (he worked the night shift), so that he could take part in our family tradition.  

Holiday Fruitcake | urbnspice.com
Holiday Fruitcake Made Easy

The reason Mom started this process so early in the season was simply that traditional fruitcakes needed time to age or mellow with the rum or other special liqueur that was included in the ingredients.  A cheesecloth was soaked in the alcohol and wrapped around the fruitcake. This process was repeated a few times over the course of six or more weeks. My Dad worked for Hiram Walkers, so we usually had access to a special brandy or rum which was set aside for the fruitcake.  While this recipe is not my Mom’s traditional fruitcake recipe (I will post that recipe at a future date), this Holiday Fruitcake Made Easy is a fruitcake that anyone can make with ease, without the need for a lot of muscle or strong booze or lengthy preserving time.  Despite the fact that this fruitcake is not aged, it is flavourful, moist and delicious, and it can be made at the last minute in your holiday preparations.  The mini cake size makes them ideal edible holiday gifts.  

Sliced Mini Fruitcake | urbnspice.com
Holiday Fruitcake Made Easy
Unglazed, sliced
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Filed Under: Cakes, Cakes and Cupcakes, Dairy Free Recipes, Desserts and Sweets, Gluten Free Recipes, Holiday and Special Occasion Dishes, My Recipes Tagged With: Baking, Cakes, Fruitcake, Holiday Baking, Holiday Recipes

Poached Pears with Cream Cheese Pecan Filling

By Denise Pare-Watson

Poached pears happens to be one of the first desserts that I made after I got married.  It is a simple but impressive dessert that is easy to make and has outstanding flavour and appearance.  Over the years and many moves later, the recipe for Poached Pears with Cream Cheese Pecan Filling has changed very little with only the variety of pears or locally available wine as adjustments.  I prefer the elegant look of Bosch pears for this dessert, but any variety of pear will work well.  

Poached Pear plated with raspberries
Poached Pear dessert garnished with fresh berries, whipped cream, raspberry coulis and mint

This dessert is an excellent gluten-free option.  For a dairy-free option, use non-dairy cream cheese in the filling.  For a nut-free version, omit the pecans in the filling.  If you choose not to use wine in the poaching liquid, substitute apple juice or pear juice.  

The poaching liquid is reduced to a syrup and used when plating the poached pears.

Pears on a platter
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Filed Under: Desserts and Sweets, Fruit, Gluten Free Recipes, Holiday and Special Occasion Dishes, Individual Desserts, My Recipes Tagged With: Desserts, Easy Desserts, Fruit Recipes, Gluten Free Desserts

Holiday Pinwheel Biscotti

By Denise Pare-Watson

Going into an Italian store is always an adventure for me.  One of the many things that I am always fascinated by is the huge glass container filled with tall biscotti sitting upright in the jar.  They are typically large enough to feed a family!  As much as I like these huge cookies, they are just too big! I wanted a smaller biscotti that would be more suitable for a coffee gathering.  I adapted a recipe that uses a filling in the biscotti dough to make them more distinctive.   Biscotti are always a hit during the holiday season given their ease of storage and long shelf life, not to mention wonderful in texture and flavour.  

A Stack of Biscotti with pinwheel filling | urbnspice.com
Holiday Pinwheel Biscotti | urbnspice.com

I had a little leftover cranberry sauce from my Dairy-Free White Chocolate Eggnog with Cranberry Coulis, so it was a great opportunity to utilise it as a filling in the biscotti.  These Holiday Pinwheel Biscotti are a tender, not hard biscotti and they are much smaller in size than traditional biscotti – you’re going to love them!  They also make excellent edible gifts.

Edible Gifts by Urbnspice
Holiday Pinwheel Biscotti make excellent edible gifts
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Filed Under: Cookies, Dairy Free Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Holiday and Special Occasion Dishes, My Recipes, Nut Free Recipes Tagged With: Biscotti, Christmas Cookies, Cookies, Dairy Free Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes

Petite Home Baked Kingston Biscuits

By Denise Pare-Watson

Gluten Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free

If you love cookies that offer both chewiness and crunchiness in texture, you are going to love this recipe!  These Australian favourites are irresistible chocolate cream filled sandwich cookies.   They have not lost their popularity since their 1926 creation by the Arnott Biscuit Company.  The cookies are similar to another popular Australian cookie called Anzac Cookies, which have similar ingredients and preparation methods to the Kingston biscuits. These Home Baked Kingston Biscuits adapt very well to gluten-free and dairy-free substitutions.  Kingston Biscuits have always been egg-free and nut-free.  For the purpose of this post, I am providing the gluten-free and dairy-free version of this recipe.

Kingston Biscuits stacked on a plate | urbnspice.com
Petite-sized Home Baked Kingston Biscuits
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Filed Under: Cookies, Dairy Free Recipes, Desserts and Sweets, Egg Free Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, My Recipes, Nut Free Recipes, School Lunch or After School Snacks Tagged With: Biscuits, Cookie Dough, Cookie Recipes, Cookies, Dairy Free Recipes, Egg Free Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Nut Free Recipes, Petit Fours, Sandwich Cookies

Picca-Bots – A Chocolate Chip Cookie Story

By Denise Pare-Watson

Ever since our granddaughter was a toddler, she has had an affinity for polka-dots.  She found them everywhere:  on clothing, gift-wrap paper, ribbons and on wallpaper.  Her excitement when finding ‘picca-bots’ was so contagious that we were constantly searching as well.  This endearing term has stuck around our family ever since.  She was two years old when I was testing recipes for a cookbook, and she was ‘helping’ me in the kitchen with some Chocolate Chip Shortbread cookies when she blurted out that the cookies were ‘picca-bots.’  My initial thought was to name the little cookies Dalmatian cookies, but as soon as she said it, I knew that the name for these cookies would always be “Picca-Bots” – and the rest, as they say, is history.

A closeup of a Picca-Bot:  A chocolate Chip Shortbread cookie | urbnspice.com
Picca-Bots – A Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookie

These delightful little cookie poppers are, enriched with white chocolate and butter in the polka-dotted dough (they are essentially a shortbread cookie).  Since Picca-bots are made with only a few ingredients, make sure that they are of the highest quality (white chocolate couverture, excellent butter and pure vanilla). As these cookies are very rich, I have developed the recipe with this in mind and utilize my smallest cookie scoop. I know that you will love these dainty cookies!

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Filed Under: Chocolate, Cookies, Dairy Free Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, My Recipes Tagged With: Cookies, Dairy-free Desserts, Gluten Free, Shortbread Cookies

Old Fashioned Golden Raisin Biscuit Cookies

By Denise Pare-Watson

I enjoy re-engineering vintage recipes.  I recently came across a recipe for an Old Fashioned Biscuit Cookie that I remember enjoying in my childhood.  We rarely had store bought baked goods in our large household, so the taste of these cookies is still entrenched in my memory. They were so different from the home baked Hermit cookies that my Mom typically made.  Cookies that look like a cracker with a chewy texture and crunchy sugar topping were very appealing back then and are still today.  Old Fashioned Golden Raisin Biscuit Cookies were originally known as Garibaldi Biscuits and were named after an Italian general named Giuseppe Garibaldi.  The biscuit company Peek Freans first manufactured the cookie in 1861.  They have been a popular snack for over 150 years in Britain, as well as Australia and New Zealand where they are known by different names such as “Fruitli” and “Full O’Fruit.”

Gluten Free Golden Raisin Biscuit Cookies | urbnspice.com
Old Fashioned Golden Raisin Biscuit Cookie

Originally, currants were used in Garibaldi Biscuit Cookies. In this Old Fashioned Golden Raisin Biscuit Cookies recipe, I have substituted Golden Raisins for the currants.  The cookie dough is rolled into a thin layer and folded over a layer of golden raisins and firmly pressed flat with a rolling pin to create a thin sheet of fruit-studded dough.  While currants were traditional in this distinctive cookie, I like the look of the golden raisins peeking through the dough and in the baked cookie.  Golden raisins are also known as sultanas and are made from green seedless grapes that are dried.  Golden raisins are the juiciest and lightest in colour of all raisins.  Raisins (dark raisins, sultanas and currants) are highly nutritious, high in fibre, potassium and antioxidants.  Due to their concentrated nature, they are also high in sugar and calories so it is advisable to eat them in moderate amounts.

“Everything in moderation, including moderation.”
Julia Child

I remember reading about a study that showed eating raisins may lower blood pressure, improve control of blood sugar and also increase the feelings of satiety.  On a more romantic note, I remember reading the following quote from a dietician’s manual that has stuck with me for many years:

“Eat a handful of raisins, and you can kiss your husband for an hour! ” Anonymous

Golden Raisin Biscuit Cookies | urbnspice.com
Old Fashioned Golden Raisin Biscuit Cookie

I find it quite amusing that this style of cookie is today often referred to as ‘Boomer Cookies’.  My husband refers to them as “Old Fart Favourites” – he is a boomer (#oldfart).  You will want to try this old-fashioned recipe, which has been modernized to accommodate gluten-free/dairy-free options as well as maintaining the traditional recipe.  Both versions are scrumptious.

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Filed Under: Cookies, Dairy Free Recipes, Desserts and Sweets, Gluten Free Recipes, My Recipes, Nut Free Recipes, Pastry, School Lunch or After School Snacks, Vintage Recipes, Vintage Recipes Tagged With: Baking Techniques, Cookies, Dairy Free Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Vintage Recipes

How to Make the Ultimate Date Oatmeal Squares

By Denise Pare-Watson

Urb’n’Spice Ultimate Recipes Series

In my family, Ultimate Date Oatmeal Squares have a long history.   My father-in-law loved these squares and every time we visited, a batch of these squares was always a must-have.  

Ultimate Date Oatmeal Squares | urbnspice.com
Ultimate Date Oatmeal Squares

My research indicates that this old-fashioned dessert has been popular for a very long time in Canada, particularly in Western Canada, Quebec and Newfoundland.  Date squares are made using layers of oat crumb crust and a date purée filling.  These delicious squares are also known as matrimonial cake. I thought that this was an unusual name until I understood the significance of the two layers of oat crumble holding the dates together.  Apparently, these layers symbolize the couple courting and then completing that bond in marriage (I suppose it made sense back then).

Ultimate Date Oatmeal Squares | urbnspice.com
Ultimate Date Oatmeal Bars are also known as Matrimonial Cake

I have made this recipe for The Ultimate Date Oatmeal Squares for many years.  I have always used traditional ingredients such as all-purpose flour, brown sugar and unsalted butter, which always provided a delicious result! In this post, I made modifications to this old fashioned recipe and have adapted it to make a gluten-free and dairy-free version with no loss of flavour, texture or overall appearance. I have provided both recipe versions with the gluten-free and dairy-free ingredients listed first and the traditional ingredients following.  Both deliver a great result.

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Filed Under: Brownies & Squares, Dairy Free Recipes, Desserts and Sweets, Gluten Free Recipes, My Recipes, Nut Free Recipes, School Lunch or After School Snacks, Urbnspice Ultimate Recipe Series Tagged With: Dairy-free Desserts, Dates, Desserts & Sweets, Gluten Free Desserts, Matrimonial Cake, Oatmeal, Squares

The Ultimate Caramelized Apple Cake

By Denise Pare-Watson

Urb’n’Spice Ultimate Recipe Series

Homemade apple cake is a favourite any time of the year.  What makes it so appealing is the versatility of how these delicious cakes can be served.  There is a multitude of apple cake recipes to be found, but I wanted to give you a recipe that kicks up the flavour, texture and versatility up another notch. My Ultimate Caramelized Apple Cake uses a unique technique as well as a distinctive ingredient that is all about building flavour.  This special apple cake will be a hit for breakfast, or that next coffee party, or served warm for dessert with softly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  You are going to love it as much as we do!

Ultimate Caramelized Apple Cake | urbnspice.com
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Filed Under: Baking Techniques, Breakfast Items, Cakes, Desserts and Sweets, Fruit, Gluten Free Recipes, My Recipes, Urbnspice Ultimate Recipe Series Tagged With: Apples, Cakes, Coffeecakes, Fruit

Feuillette of Chocolate and Strawberry

By Denise Pare-Watson

Feuillette of Chocolate or Strawberry is a unique garnish that can be used for any style of dessert, whether it is a mousse, panna cotta or as in the recipe for A Sweetheart Chocolate Torte with Feuillette, a stunning garnish crown.  It has been adapted from recipes utilized in my chef competitions.

This recipe makes just a small amount (a little paste goes a long way); therefore, I find that utilizing a scale (weight in grams or oz.) is the simplest and most accurate method to make the feuillette paste. 

Sweetheart Chocolate Torte with Feuillette of Chocolate and Strawberry | urbnspice.com
An eclectic display of Feuillette of Chocolate and Strawberry

The chocolate feuillette paste is made by using cocoa powder for colour and flavour.  The garnish’s chocolate flavour is well pronounced in the finished product. 

The strawberry feuillette paste is made from dried strawberries. I used my food dehydrator to dry thinly sliced strawberries.  This process took about 2 hours to achieve a crisp result.  The dried strawberries are then pulverized in a spice grinder.

Dried Strawberry Slices | urbnspice.com

The strawberry paste made from this powder is delightfully tasty, with just enough texture to create a translucence appearance!  My grandchildren say they look like fairy wings, as you can see from the video. 

A Feuillet of Strawberry

It is important not to over bake the strawberry feuillette, as they will lose their delicate pink hue.  I did not use any food colouring in my feuillette paste recipe; however, you can add a drop or two of pink or red food colouring to achieve the desired colour. 

Strawberry Feuillette Paste | urbnspice.com
Feuillette of Strawberry
Feuillet of Strawberry | urbnspice.com
The feuillet of strawberry reminds me of fairy wings – ethereal and translucent
Chocolate Feuillette Paste | urbnspice.com
Feuillette of Chocolate
Feuillet of Chocolate | urbnspice.com

Feuillette of Chocolate and Strawberry

Yield:  approximately 20 feuillette garnish

CHEF TALK: 

INGREDIENTS: 

  • 21 g all-purpose flour
  • 77 g icing sugar
  • 12 g cocoa powder or strawberry powder
  • 20 ml water
  • 32 g butter, unsalted, melted

METHOD:

  1. Sift the dry ingredients together.
  2. Gradually add the water, then the melted butter.  Stir to combine into a smooth paste.
  3. Spread the paste in a thin layer on Silpat baking mats using an off set spatula.  Start from the bottom of the feuillet and spread upwards.  The bottom will be slightly thicker spreading to a thin imprecise ‘schmear’ (pastry chef slang).
  4. Bake in a 350oF (325oF Convection) for 5 – 6 minutes.  The feuillette will look bubbly and will not show any moist spots. They will crisp up as they cool.
  5. Allow the feuillette to come to room temperature.  Using an off set spatula, slide it under the thickest edge of each feuillet, and slide upwards to lift it gently from the Silpat baking sheet.  Line all the feuillette on a cookie rack until you are ready to decorate the torte. 

CHEF TIP:  These garnishes are very fragile, light and almost see-through delicate.  Make as many as you need at a time (make a few extra to allow for breakage).  Store any unused paste in a covered container in the refrigerator.  Bring the paste to room temperature before using.  Store any extra baked feuillette in an airtight container at room temperature.  They are excellent crumbled on ice cream, crème brûlée, panna cotta or simply nibble on them.

Sweetheart Chocolate Torte with Feuillette of Chocolate and Strawberry | urbnspice.com

LEARNING TIPS:  

Please CLICK the link above to access my Urb’n’Spice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

  • Favourite Kitchen Tools: Spatula
  • Oven Temperature Accuracy
    __________

You Might Also Enjoy these Urb’n’Spice recipes:

A Sweetheart Chocolate Torte with Feuillette

Citrus Sand Cookies

Ricciarelli – An Italian Almond Cookie

Malteser White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes

How to Make Raspberry Mini Cheesecakes

If you try my recipe for Feuillette of Chocolate and Strawberry dessert garnish, please leave me a comment below with your feedback. Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urb’n’Spice Chef

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2019 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
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Filed Under: Cakes, Chocolate, Dessert Garnish, Desserts and Sweets, Garnishes, My Recipes Tagged With: Cake Decorating, Dessert Garnish, Desserts, Garnishes

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Meet Denise – The Urbnspice Chef

Welcome to Urbnspice - A Taste of Heart and Home. Inspiration in my kitchen is often a trip to the market or an experimental coincidence! Come and join me on this culinary journey where I share my passion for the creative, technical and teaching components of the profession and unravel culinary quandaries for you with fun and easy to follow user-friendly recipes, tips & techniques.
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