Blueberry Peach Sour Cream Scones

It's the perfect Saturday for baking. Seventies, sunny, with just a hint of chill in the air. Out my window, the leaves are just starting to change. Perfect for being in a sunny kitchen, aproned, music blaring, windows open, whisk whirling, elbows deep in dough ... my perfect Saturday.

Especially when these come steaming out of the oven.

{Blueberry Peach Sour Cream Scones}

Ingredients

two sticks unsalted butter, very cold

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

1 cup peaches, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream, or plain non-fat yogurt

2 cups flour, plus extra for the work-surface

1/2 cup sugar, plus some from sprinkling 

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Directions 

Preheat oven 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper.

In a small bowl, stir the wet ingredients together. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Cut the butter into pieces and drop into the dry ingredients. Using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with the flour.  The butter will be in small chunks of all different sizes.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir with a fork. Don't overdo it or the scones will be flat, not fluffy. Next, knead the dough a few times until it is slightly springy.

Lightly dust a counter with flour. Take about a third of the dough and press in onto the counter and pat it into a rough square. You're going to make a layered scone: push a mixture of the blueberries and peaches into onto a third of the rolled-out dough. Roll the dough over it, and continue the process on the next layer. Fold it over again, cut it in thirds and sprinkle sugar over the top.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Allow to cool slightly and eat greedily.

These are fluffy, fruity and delicious for breakfast or, who am I kidding, at any time of the day. For more varieties, making my chocolate chip cherry scones, or substitute any fillings for these babies.

Reese's Cup Cookies

I have this friend. She likes these cookies. And by like, I mean she eats entire batches.
Entire batches.
This weekend — when she was in town — I made them. And she ate them. The entire batch.

This is why I love my friends.

{Reese's Cup Cookies}
Adapted from Real Simple

Ingredients

1-1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup crisco

3/4 brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

12-oz package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, roughly chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together baking soda, salt, crisco, brown sugar, sugar, egg and vanilla. Stir in flour, then fold in Reese's Cups.

Drop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto a baking sheet and bake until light brown around teh edges, 8-9 minutes.

I guess if I only got these cookies once a year, I'd eat 12 in a row too.
Seriously though.
Try to eat just one.

Chocolate Ice Cream

I've always had this not-so-secret ambition to open my own ice cream shop. It will double as a coffee shop and book store and local hangout. It will be full of delicious smells and comfy chairs and everyone will leave with an ice cream cone in one hand and a latte in the other.

Until then, when the only items in your freezer are 5 quarts of ice cream and a bottle of vodka you know it's time to do something about it. Minus the vodka.

So, it's time to perfect my ice cream. Time for decadent, creamy ice cream, time for amazing flavors, time for the best ice cream ever.

And for my first revamped ice cream, we'll go with a classic — Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate.

{Chocolate Ice Cream}

Ingredients

3 egg yolks

6 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder

1-1/2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup whole milk

1-3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk egg yokes just until broken. In a large heatproof saucepan, stir together cocoa, 3 tablespoons sugar and 3 tablespoons brown sugar. Slowly add in 1/4 cup of the milk and stir. When hot, add in chopped chocolate and whisk until melted. Add in milk, cream and salt. Bring to a near simmer over medium-high heat (remove when mixture swells slightly and bubbles appear around the edges of the mixture).
Remove from heat. Using a ladle, spoon 1/2 cup of the cream mixture into the egg yokes, stirring constantly. Then do the same with another 1/2 cup of the cream mixture. This will keep the eggs from scrambling as they are cooked. Then, while constantly stirring the cream mixture with a spatula, add the egg mixture to the cream mixture.
Cook over medium heat until thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat immediately and pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl.
Chill the mixture thoroughly. Just before freezing, stir in vanilla extract. Freeze according to ice cream maker instructions.

For the true chocolate lover, this makes a beautiful, rich and creamy chocolate ice cream with emphasis on the chocolate, as it should be. And boy is it smoooooth. While this method involves a lot of steps, it's totally worth it for the end result! Try it. Eat it. Love it.

My favorite way to eat this (besides spoonfuls from the container, of course) is topped with butter toasted almonds, hot fudge and a dash of sea salt.

S'more Cookie Dough Balls

Cookie dough + s'mores = the best cookie ever

{S'more Cookie Dough Balls}

Makes about 15 cookies

{Ingredients}

1/2 cup crisco

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk chocolate Hershey's Bars, cut into small chunks

15 marshmallows, cut in fourths

15 graham cracker squares

{Directions}

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugars together. Add in the egg and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Last, fold in the chocolate. The dough will be slightly flaky and dry, which is perfect. Add in marshmallows and chocolate. Scoop into balls about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. I used my hands to form them into round balls. Place on a baking sheet. They should all fit on one, these dough balls do not spread out like normal cookies. Bake for 8 minutes. While still hot, place on top of graham crackers. Eat up! 

These feel like cookie dough, eat like a cookie and taste like a s'more. For days when you want s'more.

Goat Cheese Ice Cream with Roasted Cherries

It's currently 100 degrees in my apartment. Need I say more? It's time for another ice cream recipe.

One that's creamy and tangy and sweet and a far cry from the average vanilla ice cream. Add in a heap of roasted fresh cherries and this ice cream goes over the top. Once again, thanks Jeni.

{Goat Cheese Ice Cream with Roasted Cherries}
Adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home

Ice Cream:

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk

1-1/2 cup heavy cream

3 eggs (I pasteurize mine)

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons vanilla extract

4-oz. goat cheese, softened

Directions

In a medium-large saucepan, mix milk, cream, eggs and sugars. Bring to a simmer. Add in goat cheese and salt. Simmer until slightly thickened, 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add vanilla and chill thoroughly.

Roasted Cherries:

2 cups cherries, pitted

2/3 cups sugar

2 teaspoons corn starch

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Mix together ingredients in a baking dish and bake for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until cherry mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from oven and allow to cool, then chill in refrigerator.

This stuff is like cheesecake, but better. Because it is frozen and creamy and perfect and makes any hot day worth it if you can eat this. Bring on the heat.