UrbnSpice

"A Taste Of Heart & Home"

School Lunch or After School Snacks

Petite Home Baked Kingston Biscuits

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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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Old Fashioned Golden Raisin Biscuit Cookies

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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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How to Make the Ultimate Date Oatmeal Squares

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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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Crunchy Potato Chip Cookies

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I have been making Crunchy Potato Chip Cookies for many years. These little cookies have a story behind them.  When I was first married, we were snowed in for most of the winter in a little town called Ripley (believe it or not!).  There was so much snow that it was as high as the power lines.  The County had to add extensions onto the snow blowers in order to blow the snow up and over the top of the power lines. That winter went down in the history of Bruce County.  There were even T-shirts made that were emblazoned with the slogan “I survived the winter of 1977”.

Crunchy Potato Chip Cookies

My Mom always said that a sign of a good cook is making something out of nothing.  During that epic winter, the local grocery stores often ran a little low on supplies since deliveries were so disrupted.  One had to get a little creative when you needed to make something for the local events in that very tight knit community.  I still had a little flour, sugar and butter and the remnants from a bag of potato chips in my pantry, and that is how my Crunchy Potato Chip Cookie recipe came to be. 

Freshly baked Crunchy Potato Chip Cookies

Nowadays, I make these cookies because they are unique and crispy with a not-too-sweet and somewhat savoury taste.  They are a great addition to a cheese or dessert platter.  The added bonus is that you can have that crunch without the use of nuts.

Crunchy Potato Chip Cookies

CHEF TALK:  These cookies are fun to make with kids, as they are simple and easy to make, require very few ingredients, and are ready to bake right away. It seems that there are always enough chips left in the snack bowl to make these cookies. You only need 1/2 cup of crushed potato chips.

CHEF TIP:  If you use gluten-free flour blend for these cookies, they will remain quite light in colour. If you are making the cookies for someone who is able to tolerate dairy, add 1 tablespoon of skim milk powder – this helps to brown the cookie dough in the oven. For dairy-free cookies, substitute coconut butter for the butter.

Yield:  22 – 24 cookies (15 g each) at 1 ½” diameter

INGREDIENTS:

  • ¼ cup butter, softened
  • ¼ cup shortening
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar or organic cane sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend (I use Bob’s Red Mill 1 – 1 gluten-free Baking Flour)
  • ½ cup well crushed potato chips

METHOD:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/325°F (if using a convection oven).
  2. Cream the butter and shortening with sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Add the vanilla bean paste.
  4. Add the flour and crushed potato chips.
  5. Scoop onto a parchment lined baking sheet (small scoop = 1 tablespoon each).  Alternatively, chill the dough and then roll into small balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart (the cookies will spread slightly).
  6. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 – 15 minutes.  Cool on the tray and then store in an airtight container for up to one week or freeze for longer storage.
Potato Chip Cookie nuggets | urbnspice.com

Do you Want More Urb’n’Spice Cookie Recipes?

Citrus Sand Cookies

Ricciarelli Cookies – An Italian Almond Cookie

Junior Chefs Best Cookies

Twice-Baked Nutty Meringue Cookie Crisps

Nut Butter Cookies

My Dee’s Old Fashioned Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

Vanilla Bean Poppers

Vanilla Bean Poppers – Holiday Food Fun Variation

Rainbow Poppers

How to Make Aquafaba Meringues

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:

  • Parchment Paper
  • Favourite Kitchen Tools: Spatula
  • Extracts: Vanilla Extract
  • Creaming
  • Oven Temperature Accuracy
    __________

If you try my recipe for Crunchy Potato Chip Cookies, 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

Denise Pare-Watson - The Urb'n'Spice Chef | urbnspice.com

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Crunchy Potato Chip Cookies | urbnspice.com

Pickle Pie, Please!

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The Inspiration of Urb’n’Spice Series

What can I do when my adorable three-year-old grandson asks me to make him a Pickle Pie? His Momma was not sure where he came up with the idea for Pickle Pie. Apparently, he babbled about pickle pie for a whole day before she sent me this endearing video. To be honest, as a chef, I was very intrigued and as a grandmother, I would do anything for the little guy. I am always up for a challenge, so I set to work on figuring out how to fulfill his plea for pickle pie.

Presenting: The Pickle Pie Video Request

When I started my pickle pie quest, I wanted to develop a recipe with little children in mind. No fancy ingredients, just good tasting food that would appeal to all ages. Potato, cheese, pickles and pastry evolved into the key ingredients and when combined together, an irresistible flavourful potato filling was the end result. The flaky pastry just added to its overall appeal.

Pickle Pie | urbnspice.com

I made two versions of this recipe – one was miniature pies and the second version was small turnovers that are the perfect size for a little guy to hold. Look under the “What Else Can I Do With This Recipe?” section to see the variation – miniature Pickle Pie turnovers.

I had fun with this unique request and I am delighted with the results. My taste-testers (my other daughter and her little ones) gave me a thumbs-up and an “Omgawd – we all adored the pickle pies!”  If you try making these pickle pies – tell me what you think. I enjoy hearing from all my readers….

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Junior Chefs’ Best Cookies – GF, DF, Low Refined Sugar

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Kids in the Kitchen Series

It is no secret that I enjoy having children in my kitchen. I love being a part of their eagerness and excitement when I suggest that we do some baking together. Today, we were presented with a different type of baking challenge. Their grandfather requested cookies that included some of his most favourite ingredients. Additionally, we had to consider several dietary restrictions: the cookies had to be healthy, gluten-free, dairy-free and low in refined sugar. Together we came up with a delicious cookie recipe that the children appropriately named, “Junior Chefs’ Best Cookies.”  Skip to Recipe

Junior Chef's Best Cookies | urbnspice.com

Junior Chef’s Best Cookies are Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Low Refined Sugar and delicious!

Baking is a great opportunity to teach children all about measurements such as fractions, weight, volume and calculating yield. These are skills that they need to learn and it sure is a fun way to create memories that will last a lifetime.

“Always eat something that the farmer grows as part of your snack” was the standing rule that we had with our daughters and now that same rule applies to our grandchildren. Okanagan apricots are in season. We really enjoy this fruit, which is juicy and sweet and always creates a drippy mess on our fingers. The rewards for eating what the farmer grows are these delicious healthy cookies! How great is that?…

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How to Make Your Own Herb and Spice Turkey Deli Meat

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The Confident Kitchen Series

One of my favourite deli lunch meats is thinly sliced turkey breast, which is one of the most expensive lunch meats available. After posting the Pork and Ham Lunch Loaf last month, I had a number of requests for additional lunch meat recipes that can easily be made at home for a fraction of the cost when compared to store bought luncheon meats. The recipe for Herb and Spice Turkey Deli Meat provides a simple technique that does not involve roasting. It is very economical to make an extremely high-quality product which is gluten free, grain free, dairy free and preservative free.

Skip to my Recipe

Herb and Spice DIY Turkey Deli Meat | urbnspice.com

The Herb and Spice Turkey Breast Deli Meat is sliced thinly for sandwiches

COST ANALYSIS:

Store Purchased Turkey Deli Meat vs. my Make Your Own Turkey Deli Meat

  • Store Purchased Prepared Turkey Breast: $ 4.99/100 grams sliced Turkey Deli Meat or approximately $50.00/kg.
  • Make Your Own Turkey Deli Meat: Cost to purchase $15.41/kg of boneless raw turkey breast
  • #WOWSavings : $ 50.00 – 15.41 = $ 34.59 Savings on just 1 kg of lunch meat

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School Lunches – Oh, How Things Have Changed!

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Culinary Historians of CANADA 150 FOOD BLOG CHALLENGE SERIES

Featuring a Recipe for Pork and Ham Lunch Loaf

Prelude: I am a proud Canadian. When the Culinary Historians of Canada (CHC) invited food bloggers to participate in the “CHC Canada 150 Food Blog Challenge”, I knew that I wanted in! What a great way to celebrate and honour Canada’s 150th birthday by featuring a different Canadian dish or discussing a topic which reflects on what it means to be Canadian.  For the month of September, CHC invited food bloggers to share stories and recipes about the history of school food: lunchbox lunches, school cafeterias, or any related topic. This article is called: School Lunches – Oh, How Things Have Changed. I thought it would be fun to take a different approach to this post by writing about what my lunch was like when I was a child compared to what children take in their lunch kits today. To further capture yesterday and today, I will share with you a recipe for Pork and Ham Lunch Loaf, with a bit of history that I think you will enjoy.

Skip to Recipe

Pork and Ham Loaf | urbnspice.com

School Lunches:  Pork and Ham Lunch Loaf

It is interesting to note that school lunches when I was a kid were completely biodegradable. Our simple lunches consisted of a peanut butter and jam sandwich on homemade bread and a fruit. We did not even know that we were excellent environmental stewards by using wax paper wrapping and paper bags, and throwing all fruit and vegetable scraps into the compost bin or feed to the animals if you lived on a farm. Nowadays, children have special insulated lunch kits with ice packs, bento boxes, garbage-free packaging, completely nut-free options, and high-quality BPA-free water bottles. Oh, how things have changed over three generations.

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Crispy Roasted Chick Peas – Kid Friendly

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It is time for the new school year and thoughts of healthy lunch box treats dance through every parent’s head.  I was talking to my daughter today as she was pulling hot spiced chickpeas from the oven.  Roasted chickpeas are a family favourite, especially for her little boys.  I decided that this would be a great idea for a school make-ahead snack.  Roasted chickpeas are something that I have made many times using various blends of spices and seasonings, but it was my creative husband who asked, ‘can you make them like those roasted bar nuts?’  Why not?  The result is my recipe for Crispy Roasted Chick Peas.  For this particular recipe, I opted for kid-friendly seasonings and spices, unrefined sugar, and an optional dusting of maple sugar for extra crunchiness.

Skip to Recipe

Crispy Roasted Chick Peas | urbnspice.com

Crispy Roasted Chick Peas ready to snack on

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Grilled Double Cheese Bacon Sandwich

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UrbnSpice Ultimate Recipe Series

When I think of a grilled cheese sandwich, I think of kids. My daughters often tell me that when they were younger grilled cheese sandwiches were one of their most treasured food memories. It was always a hit before or after soccer practices (they played soccer six days a week).  They loved their grilled cheese sandwich fingers and warm cream of tomato soup, which they used as a dip for the crispy batons.  This recipe for Grilled Double Cheese Bacon Sandwich is a classic for little kids and big kids alike.  The addition of crispy bacon elevates the flavour and texture to a whole new level and is comfort food at its best.

The Grilled Double Cheese Bacon Sandwich is caramelized to a golden brown | urbnspice.com

The Grilled Double Cheese Bacon Sandwich is caramelized to a golden brown 

It takes time to make a great grilled cheese sandwich – allow at least 10 minutes with two flips on each side of the sandwich. Ensure you press down on the sandwich with a spatula so that the entire surface of the sandwich makes contact with the pan. The extra effort is worth it – you will be rewarded with a golden crispy crust and a ‘gorpy’ cheesy interior (my definition of ‘gorpy’ is gooey, chewy and tasty).

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