Peach Pie Cookies #thecreativecookieexchange

One of the best things about Summer is definitely the fresh fruit, especially peaches! I love, love, love me some peaches. Peach Cobbler is my absolute favorite dessert (although at certain times of the month, it might be a tie with Chocolate Chip Cookies).

The theme for this month's Creative Cookie Exchange is "Celebrating the End of Summer" and while I'm all about doing a happy dance to celebrate the end of hot Summer days, I am always sad to say goodbye to my beloved peach so of course I just had to pay homage to my favorite fruit.

Peach Pie "Cookies" is just my creative way of saying "peach pie that you can shove in your mouth without looking like an insane person" because that is absolutely what you'll want to do when you bite into one of these babies. I literally almost swooned when I took my first bite. I felt my knees start to buckle and everything, and you know when that happens, you're onto something good.

If heaven were a flavor, this would be it. Who's with me?

Peach Pie Cookies
Makes 12 large cookies or 14-15 small muffin size cookies

Note: For this recipe I used my Whoopie Pie pan but standard size muffin/cupcake pans will work also, you'll just get more cookies


Ingredients:
1 9" pie crust (use premade or your favorite homemade recipe)
2 large yellow peaches, peeled and diced (approx. 1/4" in size)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons golden or light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon cornstarch
zest of one small lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Approx 1/4 cup water

Streusel Ingredients:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

Directions:

Spray your whoopie pie pan (or cupcake/muffin pan if using) generously with non-stick cooking spray.

Make the streusel by combining all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and cutting in the butter with 2 knives or a pastry cutter. Set aside.

Place the diced peaches, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cornstarch and lemon zest in a small saucepan and toss with a rubber spatula to coat. Add the lemon juice and water and stir. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until the peaches start to become tender (approx. 5 minutes). Note: If the mixture becomes too dry/thickened while you're cooking it, add a little more water.

Remove from heat, place filling in a bowl and allow to cool to room temp.

Cut the pie dough into 12 circles (if using a whoopie pie pan) using a cookie cutter or approx. 14-15 if using standard muffin/cupcake pans. The dough should fit into the bottom of each well without any gaps. Tip: You don't want the pie dough to be too thin because it is the "base" of your cookie. I cheated and used a premade dough and just unrolled it without rolling it out any further. Keep this in mind if using homemade pie dough.

Place the cut circles of dough into the bottom of each greased well. Evenly divide the cooled pie filling into each well and top with the streusel. Then spray the tops with canola oil spray.

Bake at 350 for approx. 20 minutes or until the streusel is set and browned. Tip: You want to make sure the crust is nice and crispy so the cookies are easy to remove and the bottom is a sturdy base for the filling.

Remove from oven and place the pan(s) on a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Gently run a thin/sharp knife around the edges to loosen the pies and remove to a cooling rack.

Enjoy!

These cookies are best enjoyed the day they are made.

Summer is almost over, and we have cookies to remember it by! Hint: a lot of these cookies could be made and frozen, to pull out a slice of summer in February! You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:

• Apple Shortbread Cookies with Apple Cider Mascarpone Frosting by A Shaggy Dough Story
• Apricot Pochettes by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Blackberry and Cream Monte Carlos by All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Black Forest Cookies by Spiceroots
• Blueberry Cookies by The Spiced Life
• Kiwi Thumbprints by Flours and Frostings
• Lemon Basil Cookies with Mint by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Lemon Meltaways by Oven Delights
• Lemon Sour Cream Cookies by Magnolia Days
• Orange Creamsicle Cookies by 2 Cookin Mamas
• Peach Pie Cookies by Live. Bake. Love.
• Pecan Sandies by Food Lust People Love
• S'mores Blondies by A Baker's House
• Strawberry & Cream Cookies by Baking in Pyjamas

Mexican Gorditas (Griddle Cookies)

             

 

 

Most of us have those cherished childhood memories of our moms making us a special treat. One of my favorite memories as a kid was my mom making these Gorditas (Mexican Griddle Cookies). Seeing her make these cookies usually meant we were in for a treat of Gorditas with Mexican hot chocolate... yummy! I can still picture myself as a young girl patiently waiting until they were done... 

 

  I have to admit, I still consider myself that same lucky girl. My mom is in her late sixties and still makes special treats for her family. I was having a lucky day this past weekend, when both my dad and I asked her to make Gorditas within the same week. I guess great minds think alike! 

 

This time I made of point of having my mom measure the ingredients as she prepared the dough so I could document it for the blog. One thing about my mom, she doesn't use a single measuring cup or spoon. Trying to get any recipe from her through the years has been a bit challenging. Well this time, you guys are in for treat!  These cookies are tasty and delicious. They have a buttery flavor with a hint of cinnamon.  They are excellent with a cup of coffee or cup of hot chocolate.  They are great for breakfast (which I had this morning) or an afternoon snack.

 

This is one of my most cherished family recipes and I hope you give it a try.

 

 

Happy Cooking Everyone

Mexican Gorditas (Griddle Cookies)
Makes 18-20

Ingredients:
4 cups all purpose flour
2 cups salted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons baking soda
1/4 cup evaporated milk
3 large eggs, room temp

1. Place all ingredients together in a large bowl

2. Knead with your hands until combined

 

 

3. The dough will have a shiny look.  Allow the dough to rest 30-60 minutes. This is an important step to allow the flavors to combine.

5. Once dough has rested, divide into18-20 balls (about 2 inches wide)

6. Between two pieces of wax paper, roll the balls into 5 inch circles. Use a Mexican tortilla press if you have one. They work amazing.

7. Cook cookies on a heated griddle about 3-4 minutes on each side. The cookies should appear toasted.

8. Cool on at kitchen towel for about 5 minutes and enjoy! The cookies will get a bit harder the next day, but it makes them even better for coffee.

Enjoy.

Summer Fruit & Riesling Pie

Now you can have your wine and eat it too with this Summer Fruit Pie with Riesling in the filling!

 

I liked that the pie was not overly sweet and the fruit still maintained most of its' shape without breaking down into a pile of mush. You could definitely see the different combinations of fruit that was used in the filling.

 

The Riesling added a nice fruity note. Be sure to use a Riesling that you would enjoy drinking. I used a J. Lohr Riesling from Paso Robles.

 

The great thing about pie is how adaptable it is! Use different combination of fruit or the thickening agent of your choice. I used flour because that's what I had on hand, but some people prefer cornstarch or tapioca starch. Also, if you're a pie baker, you may already have your own preferred baking technique. Some prefer to bake at a high temp for the first 15-20 minutes of baking, then reducing the temperature.

If you're looking for a slightly sophisticated dessert that capitalizes on the freshness of Summer fruit and isn't too complicated to make, this recipe is for you. Use a good quality store bought pie crust for a quick short cut to make the recipe even easier!

No matter how you bake it, pie is always delicious!

 

Summer Fruit & Riesling Pie

Ingredients:

Double crust pie crust (store bought or homemade)
Here is my favorite pie crust recipe
Yvonne really likes this store bought crust

6 1/2 cups assorted fresh fruit (I used sliced strawberries, blueberries, sliced peaches and sliced nectarines)
*I cut the strawberries in half and left the skin on the peaches and nectarines and sliced them into 1/4" thick slices)
1/2 cup sweet Riesling wine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
zest of one lemon
juice of one lemon
1/2 cup water
Egg wash: one egg beaten with a little water
Demerara Sugar (sugar in the raw) for sprinkling

Directions:

Place all of the filling ingredients in a medium size heavy bottom saucepan and toss to combine. Cook over low heat until the mixture comes to a simmer stirring often. Simmer and stir until some of the fruit breaks down and the mixture thickens (approx. 5-7 minutes). If you find your mixture is getting too thick, add a little more water.

Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool. To help with the cooling process, stir occasionally to allow steam to escape.

When filling is cool, place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven and preheat oven to 375f

Roll out your crust to approx. 1/8" thick. It should be large enough to fit in the bottom of the pie dish with 1" overhang of crust. Place the bottom crust into the bottom of a glass pie dish (I prefer glass so you can see how done the bottom of the crust it, but metal is fine also).

Scoop the filling into the pie crust lined pie dish. Make sure it is in an even layer.

Roll out the second pie crust to 1/8" thickness. Place the second pie crust on top (you can do a lattice design, cut outs like I did or leave the top crust whole). If you leave the top crust whole, trim the edges then fold under and crimp. Cut a few vent holes in the top with a sharp knife to allow air to escape. If you do a lattice effect you still need to fold the edges of the crust under and crimp. For cut outs, just cut the crust into any shape you want using cookie cutters, then lay on top of the filling making sure you overlap the pieces.


Brush the top crust and edges with the egg wash and sprinkle with demerara sugar.


Place the pie on the preheated cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, loosely tent the top with foil making sure there is space for air to circulate underneath the foil and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes or until the fruit has a slow bubble and the crust is golden brown. If you used a glass pie dish, you can lift the pie high enough to see underneath to check to make sure the bottom of the crust is done too.

Remove from oven and place the pie on a wire cooling rack for several hours to cool before serving.
Serve with whipped cream, ice cream and another glass of wine!


Pie is best eaten same day or next day.

Recipe adapted from Bakeaholic Mama

The Perfect Strawberry Custard Cream pie

 

Growing up there was one dessert that always stood out from all of my mom's famous desserts and that was her Strawberry Custard Cream Pie.  She learned to make this pie from a Mexican cook that would broadcast recipes over the radio for the listeners to write down.  This pie was so yummy, I still remember requesting it for my birthday.  

 

As the years went by, somehow the recipe was lost in one of our moves. Mom tried recreating it once, but it just didn't taste the same.  A few months ago, I was craving this pie so badly I could literally taste it. I thought to myself, I have a food blog.. I can do this this! 

 

So I daringly attempted to recreate the famous, lost Strawberry Custard Cream Pie recipe at home. My starting point was everything I could remember about the pie... 

 Pie crust, a strawberry custard filling , fresh strawberries and lots of Cool Whip (mom didn't use whipped cream back then, Cool Whip was cheaper ) 

 

I found a good basic custard recipe (originally for a banana cream pie), added strawberries, replaced the Cool Whip with heavy whipping cream and used an organic pie crust that I love.  When the pie was finished, I brought it to a family dinner and waited for the reactions...

 

  My sister Miriam was the first to say, "Did you find mom's recipe?" SCORE!  I knew I had it when I took the first bite...

 

I did my second test run of the recipe this past weekend, made one or two minor adjustments and bingo! Mom's pie was back and even better! 

 

 This pie is delicious. Everything you want in a cream pie; creamy, fluffy, full of strawberry flavor. The perfect pie for strawberry season.  I brought some to a party and not a single piece was left. I had to keep myself from taking a second piece, trust me I wanted it!  So I guess I will need to make another two very, very soon! 

 

Of all the recipes I'm proud to call my own, this has to be at the top of the list. I hope you give it a try.

 

 

Happy Cooking Everyone

The Perfect Strawberry Custard Cream Pie
Make two 9" pies

Ingredients:

2 premade pie crusts
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
7 egg yolks
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons sweet cream butter, softened
1 cup of chopped strawberries
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
10 strawberries, cut in 1/2 for decoration

Directions

Prep work:
1. Bake Premade crust per directions on package and set to cool.  Make sure you poke holes with a fork for venting.

 Most Pre-make crust taste ok, but this brand is absolutely delicious.  Tastes like you made it yourself.. super flakey

2. Whip 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream until soft peaks have formed. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar and whip to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Chop strawberries into small pieces to equal one cup chopped (about 7-8 large berries). Place on a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Filling layer #1
1. Bring milk to a boil. Do not let it spill over. Once boiled, set as side.
2 . In a heavy pot, add egg yokes, brown sugar, white sugar, cornstarch and salt. Whisk together.

3.  Add 1/4 cup of the hot milk to the egg mixture. Whisk together quickly so it doesn't scramble the eggs.  Add another 1/4 cup of milk, and continue whisking. Repeat until you are out of milk.

4. Put the egg mixture on the stove at medium heat. Continue to whisk.
5. Once the mixture begins to boil it will become really thick, continue to whisk for another minute or two until all liquid had turned into a thick velvety mixture. Remove from stove.

6. Whisk in vanilla and set aside for 5 minutes.
7. After 5 minutes, add the butter cut into small cubes.  Whisk until completely melted.

8. Pour the custard in to a glass bowl and cover with either plastic wrap or parchment paper. Put into refrigerator for 1-2 hours, till custard is chilled. (the custard can be chilled up 3 days)

9. Once custard has cooled , beat with electric mixer for 4-5 minutes to get nice and creamy.

10. Add 1/2 cup of custard to the bottle of each pie crust.

Filling layer #2
1. Take the remaining custard, and beat in 2 cups of the heavy whipping cream you prepared earlier and add one drop of red food dye for color, just until blended (approx. 1 minute). Do not over beat or it will break down the cream.

2. Add 1 cup of chopped strawberries.  Mix until blended, but do not over mix or it will breakdown the cream.

3. Divide the filling between both pies

Filling Layer #3
1. Take the remaining whipped cream and divide between both pies.

2. Decorate with the strawberries you cut in half.

Chill pie for at least 3 hours, honestly the longer this pie chills the better the flavor.

Dark Chocolate, Sea Salt Caramel Peanut Butter Cookies for #theleftoversclub

If you like dark chocolate, ooey gooey caramel, peanut butter and a sprinkling of sea salt (and honestly who doesn't?) then you will love these cookies!

 

 

The theme for this month's Leftovers Club exchange was salt. My intentions were to come up with a unique recipe using salt, but time got the best of me, as it often does, and I defaulted to everyone's favorite salted ingredient...salted caramel. I guess you can never go wrong with salted caramel right?

Well, I took this step even farther. Instead of making my own salted caramel (which I highly recommend), I cheated and used Rolo candies cut in half with a sprinkling of sea salt. Voila! Instant "cheaters" salted caramel!

 

For this recipe, I used my Whoopie Pie pan which I received as a gift a few years ago! I really like baking cookies in this pan. They turn out large and thick without spreading out too much and each one is the same size!

 

 

 

 

This month I was paired with Alli from Tornadough Alli! Don't you just love her blog name? Alli is one of 3 new members to The Leftovers Club and I for one know we're really excited to have her in our group!

 

 Alli sent me these delicious Sweet & Salty Ruffle Treats. They were so good!! Thanks Alli!

 

 

 

With this being Alli's first swap with the group, I knew I had to make a good impression. Not only did I send my package out to her early (normally I'm very last minute), but I also included these artisan salts handmade in Vista, CA where I live! I know Alli will come up with a creative use for them!

 

 

 

If you're interested in swapping delicious treats each month with a fun group of fellow bloggers, sign up to join over at Alwayz Bakin! You'll really enjoy it!!

 

Now onto the recipe...

 

 

 

Dark Chocolate, Seat Salt Caramel Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 16 large cookies

 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar (I used golden)

1 large egg, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

1/2 cup extra dark chocolate chips (I used Guittard)

20 rolo candies cut in half or thirds

Sea Salt & Extra dark chocolate chips for sprinkling on top

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 350f



Place the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugars together at medium speed until light and fluffy (approx. 3 minutes) scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Add the egg, vanilla and peanut butter and mix at med-low speed until combined. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Fold in the dark chocolate chips.

Scoop about a tablespoon and a half of dough into each cup of your whoopee pie pan then smooth the dough out to the edges. The cup should be about 3/4 full but not all the way to the top.

Place a few cut up pieces of Rolos on top of each cookie. I like to alternate them with the cut side face up and face down. Then sprinkle a few dark chocolate chips on top. Sprinkle a little sea salt on top of each cookie making sure you put some on top of the caramel.

Bake at 350f for approx. 10 minutes. The edges should look set but the middles may still be soft. Do not over bake.

Remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack to cool. Allow cookies to cool and set in pan for about 15 minutes then carefully remove by running a knife carefully around the edges and then lifting them out of the pan. Place on a wire cooling rack after removing.

Enjoy!

Store leftovers tightly covered at room temp for up to 2 days.

An InLinkz Link-up

Peach and Pistachio Frangipane Hamantashcen #creativecookieexchange

Spring is here, the sun is shining (well at least here in Southern California it is) and the flowers are in bloom! What could be better? Umm....cookies of course! 

 

 

The theme for this month's Creative Cookie Exchange was Traditional Spring Cookies from Around the World. Originally I wanted to post a recipe for Chinese Spring Festival (also known as Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year) Moon Cookies. It is traditional to eat Moon Cakes during this time of year, but I wanted to make them in cookie form using these beautiful moon cake molds. 

I travel to China quite a bit for work, so the Chinese Moon Cookie was a cookie I could relate to. Unfortunately, I ran into a glitch finding the ingredients I needed, so that's a recipe I'll have to save for another day. In the mean time, I still have these cool moon cake/cookie molds which I love...

 

So operation "Plan B" was Hamantaschen, a Jewish cookie traditionally eaten during Purim. I have never had Hamantaschen before, but I've always been intrigued by the traditional triangular shape and the wide variety of flavors. I decided to take this traditional Jewish cookie and give it a twist with Pistachio Frangipane and Peaches! Normally frangipane is made with almonds, but I wanted to use pistachios for a more unique flavor and also for the beautiful color it would give to the cookies. I added cardamom to the cookie dough to compliment the peach and pistachio flavors. The result was delicious twist on a traditional Spring Cookie!

Peach and Pistachio Frangipane Hamantaschen
Makes approx. 20 Cookies

Note: You will have leftover frangipane from this recipe. It makes a great croissant filling, just spread into an already baked croissant and bake until crispy/heated through


Cookie Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Powdered sugar for dusting your work surface

Pistachio Frangipane Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw shelled pistachios
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons orange peel
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg


Other:
1/2 cup peach jam or preserves (I used Sara Beth's)
Sugar in the raw for sprinkling
Egg wash (1 egg beating with a little water)



Instructions:

Make the filling

Place the pistachios, sugar, orange zest and baking powder in a food processor and process until the nuts are finely chopped.

Add the butter and egg and process until you have a fairly smooth paste.

Make the dough

Place the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on med-low speed until creamy. Scrape the bowl down with a rubber spatula.

Mix in the egg yolk on low speed, then mix in the vanilla extract, cardamom and salt. Mix just until combined.

Add the flour and pulse a few times to incorporate some of the flour, then mix on low until a dough if formed. Divide the dough into 2 disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Assemble the cookies

Working with one disk of dough at a time, place the disk on a flat surface generously dusted with powdered sugar. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the disk, then roll into the dough to 1/4" thickness. Cut into shapes using a 3" cookie cutter. Place the disks of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Place approx. 1/2 tsp of frangipane in the center of each disk, then place 1/2 tsp of peach jam on top.

Using your fingertip, wet the edges of the dough with water. Fold one side of the dough (either the left or right) partially over the filling, then fold the other side over at an angle to create a triangular shape. Last, fold the top part over.

Cupcake Project has a great visual tutorial on the folding process. Check it out here

Brush the cookies lightly with egg wash then sprinkle with raw sugar.

Bake at 400f for approx. 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

We all associate cookies with “The” holidays in December, but spring holidays are a great time for cookies also! Whether you are celebrating Easter, Passover, or something else, we’ve found some great traditional cookies from around the world for you!

You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:

Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:

• Chocolate Candy Coconut Cookies from Magnolia Day
• Easter Biscuits from Baking in Pyjamas
• Easter Egg Cookies from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Egyptian Date Crescents from Food Lust People Love
• Hamantaschen from A Shaggy Dough Story
• Lemon Hamantaschen from Spiceroots
• Lemon Meltaway Cookies from A Baker's House
• Ma'amoul – Stuffed Date Cookies from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Malt M&M's Easter Cookies from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Maltese Figolli Cookies from Upstate Rambling
• Peach and Pistachio Frangiapane Hamantaschen from Live Bake Love
• Persian Nan e Nokhodchi or Chickpea Cookies from Flours and Frostings
• Taralli Dolci di Pasqua – Southern Italian Easter Cookies from The Spiced Life
• Zesty Citrus Bar Cookies from 2 Cookin' Mamas