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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

Asiago Cheese and Chive Scones

By Denise Pare-Watson

Leftovers are often overlooked, but to me, they are a source of countless opportunities.  For example, leftover Asiago Cheese mashed potatoes from our Easter gathering provided a wonderful chance to get creative.  The potatoes were so delicious I am surprised that we had any remaining!  There are endless ways to use the leftover mashed potatoes; for example salmon cakes, potato tatties, double-baked potato gratin, or Shepherd’s Pie.  A more unique way to use leftover mashed potatoes is in baking, therefore I was inspired to develop a recipe for Asiago Cheese and Chive Scones.  The chives add a distinct savoury flavour to the scones and are a must given that they are fresh from my spring garden.

Asiago Cheese and Chive Scones on a breadboard | urbnspice.com
Asiago Cheese and Chive Scones

In one of my Culinary Historians posts during the celebration of Canada150 “The Art of Doing Without,” I wrote about the many uses for the lowly potato during times of austerity. Potato scones, made from leftover mashed potatoes were featured and utilized bacon fat renderings.  They are very delicious and also very attractive with their little flecks of bacon fat showing through the baked layers.  The Asiago Cheese and Chive Scones are a variation of this simple recipe.  The Asiago Cheese and the Greek Yogurt add a layer of tangy flavour to the scone mixture, and the chives give them a fresh spring taste. The appealing flavour and texture will not disappoint!

A tray of baked Asiago Cheese and Chive Scones | urbnspice.com
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Filed Under: Breakfast Items, Brunch Dishes, Cheese, My Recipes, Potatoes and Rice, Scones & Biscuits Tagged With: Asiago Cheese, Baking, Breakfast, Brunch, Chives, mashed potatoes, Potatoes, scones

Crunchy Potato Chip Cookies

By Denise Pare-Watson

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

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Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
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Filed Under: Cookies, Food Fun, Gluten Free Recipes, My Recipes, Nut Free Recipes, School Lunch or After School Snacks Tagged With: After School Snacks, Baking, Cookies, Gluten Free Recipes, Nut Free Recipes, School Lunch

Christmas Morning Recipe Roundup

By Denise Pare-Watson

Christmas morning is special. Time to relax, time to enjoy family and friends. Why not celebrate with your favourite breakfast item? This Christmas Morning Recipe Roundup contains a few of our Urb’n’Spice favourites to inspire you. Happy Holidays everyone!

Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla
The Ultimate Breakfast Pastry – Bostock
Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffeecake

You Might Also Enjoy:

Sausage and Egg Breakfast Burritos

Whole Grain Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Refined Sugar Free Muffins

A Frilly Frittata – An Italian Omelette

Good Morning Muffin

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
  • Internal Thermometers
    __________

If you try my Christmas Morning Recipes recipes, please leave me a comment below with your feedback. Happy Holidays!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urb’n’Spice Chef

Follow me on Social Media

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

Did you Make my Recipe? 

Tag me @urbnspice on Instagram and hashtag #urbnspice

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
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Filed Under: Breakfast Items, Brunch Dishes, Gluten Free Recipes, Holiday Baking, My Recipes, Recipe Roundups Tagged With: Baking, Christmas, Gluten Free Recipes, Holiday Baking

Gluten Free Pate Brisee

By Denise Pare-Watson

As a pastry chef, Pâte Brisée became one my favourite go-to pastry recipe because of its buttery, flaky texture.  I use this pastry to make all types of pies and tarts. This pastry adapts well to gluten-free, hence my sharing of this Gluten-Free Pate Brisee. You can prepare this pastry using an electric mixer, or by hand using a pastry cutter.  One of the benefits of making this pastry is that you can use it right away – not the usual case for typical pastry doughs because most need to be refrigerated before you can use them. You will find that the results are excellent as the pastry holds up and browns well in the oven, which is commonly an issue with many gluten-free pastries.

Gluten Free Pate Brisee tarts | urbnspice.com

Gluten Free Pate Brisee Mini Pickle Pie

 

Refer to my links for creative ways to use this gluten-free pâte brisée such as Pickle Pies or Australian Meat Pies, or even the Ultimate Maple Butter Tarts. I use Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour for my gluten-free baking….

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License Abstract: You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Baking Techniques, Gluten Free Recipes, My Recipes, Pastry Tagged With: Baking, Baking Tips, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Recipes, Gluten Free Techniques, Pastry

Blenditarian Meat Turnovers in a Shortcrust Pastry

By Denise Pare-Watson

BLENDITARIAN CHALLENGE SERIES

Meat pies and turnovers are almost a religion in some parts of the world – the Australian Meat Pie is a very delicious example. My Blenditarian Meat Turnovers in Shortcrust Pastry is a meat-filled pastry, which is similar to the Australian Meat Pies. This recipe for meat turnover has been given a Blenditarian makeover with the addition of minced mushrooms and vegetables.Blenditarian Logo | urbnspice.com

My favourite choice for the pastry is shortcrust dough because of its sturdy, crispy and buttery characteristics. When a pastry is eaten out of hand, a sturdier, lean pastry is most suitable. In this post, I will guide you through how to make a Blenditarian Meat Blend and a shortcrust pastry, which includes a gluten-free option. The tips and techniques provided will simplify the overall process to inspire the chef in you.

Jump to Meat Turnover Recipe

Jump to Shortcrust Pastry Recipe

Blenditarian Turnovers | urbnspice.com…

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
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Filed Under: Appetizers and Small Plates, Blenditarian Challenge, Blenditarian Recipes, My Recipes, Pastry Tagged With: Appetizers, Baking, Family Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Small Plates, Tips and Techniques

Shortcrust Pastry

By Denise Pare-Watson

One of my favourite doughs for meat pies, tarts, hand pies or meat turnovers is a Shortcrust Pastry because of its sturdy, crispy and buttery characteristics. When a pastry is eaten out of hand, a sturdier, leaner pastry is most suitable. In this post, I will guide you through how to make a shortcrust pastry.  I also include a gluten-free option. The tips and techniques provided will simplify the overall process to inspire the chef in you.

Skip to Recipe

Blenditarian Turnovers | urbnspice.com

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Filed Under: Baking Techniques, Gluten Free Recipes, My Recipes, Pastry Tagged With: Baking, Baking Tips, Doughs, Gluten Free, Pastry

Caramelized Prune Plum Frangipane Galette

By Denise Pare-Watson

Prune Plums are tasty blue and purple plums with a green flesh.  These flavourful plums are in season right now in the Okanagan and there are so many ways to use them.  In this post, I am sharing a Caramelized Prune Plum Frangipane Galette recipe that has a unique caramelized plum filling that you will enjoy trying.  Roasting the plums transforms the flesh into a pretty rose colour and a distinct fragrant flavour.  I have developed this recipe to include almonds, caramel and vanilla bean extract, all of which pair extremely well with plums.Prune Plums | urbnspice.com

Plums are also noted for their health benefits:  they are low calorie and contain over 15 vitamins and minerals, in addition to dietary fibre and antioxidants, which are helpful in reducing inflammation and controlling blood sugar. Examples of sweet dishes plums can be used in are a plum paste (delicious with cheese) or as a filling in pastry; in a confiture, tart or cake or plum kuchen, to name a few.  Examples of savoury dishes are perogies with plum filling, pork tenderloin with plum sauce, and plum chutney.

Caramelized Prune Plum Frangipane Galette | urbnspice.com

Caramelized Prune Plum Frangipane Galette

Galettes are a great way to start experimenting with pastry because they do not require the precise care that is taken with a tart or pie shell.  They are free-form pies, rustic in nature and delicious. Give it a try!

Caramelized Prune Plum Frangipane Galette | urbnspice.com

Caramelized Prune Plum Frangipane Galette

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Filed Under: Baking Techniques, Desserts and Sweets, My Recipes, Pastry, Pies and Tarts Tagged With: Baking, Baking Techniques, Frangipane, Pies and Tarts, Plums, Sweets

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

By Denise Pare-Watson

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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Filed Under: Cookies, Dairy Free Recipes, Dietary Restrictions, Gluten Free Recipes, Kids in the Kitchen, My Recipes, School Lunch or After School Snacks Tagged With: Baking, Baking Tips, Baking with Children, Cookies, Dairy Free, Dietary Restrictions, Gluten Free Recipes, Kids in the Kitchen, Low Refined Sugar

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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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