Bites from other Blogs

Summer is still hanging in there and that means that I’m still using up those wonderful fruits – but it also means that fall fruits are starting to come into play. The end of summer might be the most interesting baking season of the year just by sheer diversity! It’s been very hot in my neck of the woods, so I’ve been playing around with ice cream recipes instead of with baked goods, but I’m ready to go as soon as it gets below 90 degrees outside. Are you?

• I really enjoy working with olive oil in baked goods and A Red Binder‘s Olive Oil Cake is a nice example of how versatile olive oil baked goods can be. This simple cake is easy to make, yet elegant, and it pairs well with a wide variety of fruits due to the slight acidity of the oil. Pair it with berries, stone fruit or anything else you can think of, as you can enjoy this cake all year long.
• Always Eat Dessert‘s Blueberry Crisp Ice Cream combines two desserts that are usually served together – fruit crisp and ice cream – into one lovely dish. The recipe starts with a vanilla ice cream base, into which a homemade blueberry sacue is swirled. That combination is studded with brown sugar oat crumbles, which give the ice cream a little bit of added texture and sweetness. As I’m always a fan of topping, I recommend making some extra crumbles and sprinkling them on top of each scoop as you serve it.
• The Peaches and Cream Shortbread Bars from Lovely Little Kitchen are a very simple dessert that makes good use of peaches. The bars are reminiscent of a fruit tart, but because you don’t need a tart shell to put them together, they seem much easier than your average fruit tart. The buttery almond crust is topped with fresh fruit and a little bit of vanilla cream, which flavors the peaches without making the crust soggy in the oven.
• The Coconut Apple Galette from Technicolor Kitchen has an unusual combination of fruits in it – and it is one that works well for a new twist on an apple tart. The buttery galette pastry has shredded coconut mixed into it, which gives it a bit more texture than your standard crust, as well as a nice coconut flavor. The filling is made with sweet-tart apples, lime juice and cinnamon. The lime ties in well with the coconut, making this tart unique and memorable.
• I am a huge fan of s’mores and – while I know it doesn’t go with our loose fruit theme today – I couldn’t resist sharing Seasons and Suppers‘ S’mores Chocolate Pudding Jars. These cute desserts are a fun twist on traditional s’mores, featuring tosted marshmallows on top of a pot of homemade chocolate pudding. They’re easy to assemble in advance, which makes them great for a party, and you don’t need to be sitting around a campfire to enjoy them.
• Recipe Throwback: This Whole Wheat Cherry Cobbler has some whole grain in the mix, as well as LOTS of in-season fruit, making it a dessert you can feel good about! This cobbler can be made with fresh or frozen cherries, which makes it a little bit more flexible. Serve it warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream