Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough Bars (no bake)

June 16, 2014June 21, 2014 / pumpkinhoney / 5 Comments

Raw and no-bake desserts can be totally hit or miss. Some are absolutely incredible and some taste like cardboard or flavorless mush. These Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough Bars are seriously good. They taste just like oatmeal raisin cookie dough. I’m serious. No, really. They’re delicious. SERIOUSLY. And they are pretty healthy as well. Plus, they’re easy as pie to make! One food processor, one pan and voilà – you’ve made the equivalent of oatmeal raisin cookie dough. Could that be more wonderful? So, please, go ahead – make them and eat them.

These bars make an excellent breakfast or snack. And dare I say it? They’d even make an excellent dessert… that you can feel good about afterward.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough Bar

1 1/2 Cups Oats (Quick or Regular)

1/2 Cup Walnuts

3 Tbsp Coconut Oil

1 1/4 Cup Dates

1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1/4 Tsp Salt

1 Tbsp Cold Water

1/4 Cup Raisins

1 – 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup

1/2 Tsp Cinnamon (optional)

Blend the oats & walnut in your food processor until they turn into a coarse meal. Add dates, coconut oil, water, vanilla & salt and blend until the dough comes together. It should be slightly sticky. Add the raisins and pulse a couple of times to incorporate.

Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper. Press the dough firmly into the lined pan. Drizzle the maple syrup over the top evenly. This gives the bars a light, sweet, maple flavor that really sends them over the edge. Refrigerate for 1 – 2 hours before eating. Refrigeration helps the bars stay together better, cut more easily & they taste great cold! Like cookie dough straight from the fridge : )

Enjoy!

My Grandmother’s Ma’amoul

April 24, 2014April 22, 2014 / pumpkinhoney / Leave a comment

My grandmother passed away on March 1st last year.

She was a beautiful and brilliant woman who made our family what it is.

She was also a fantastic cook who made especially delicious traditional Maryland/Southern dishes. And traditional Syrian & Lebanese dishes from my grandfather’s family.

We make a huge batch every year for Easter.

These cookies were made last year for Easter after her passing. It’s taken me that long to get around to posting them! But, hey, it was just Easter this past Sunday so at least they’re timely in that regard. And they’re delicious any time of year. So have at it.

My Grandmother’s Ma’amoul

makes A LOT of cookies

5 Cups Cream of Wheat (Farina)

5 Cups of Flour

3 Cups Butter, Melted

1 1/2 Packages Dry Yeast

2 Teaspoons Mahlab, ground

4 lb. Dates

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Grind the dates in a food processor until a very thick paste forms. I like to add a bit of ground mahlab to the date filling as well.

“Mix cream of wheat and flour, mahlab and melted butter and let stand overnight.

In morning dissolve yeast in warm water (or warm milk). Add to dry ingredients with enough warm water (or warm milk, about 1 3/4 cups) to make dough.”

Spoon a walnut sized ball of dough into your hand. Using your thumb create a hole in the center and fill with a teaspoon of date filling. Close carefully, forming a sphere. They can also be made in a cigar shape by forming a flattened rectangle of dough, filling it with a thin, rolled out piece of date and then closing the dough around the date filling (Next time I’ll add photos).

Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until just starting to change in color. The bottoms will be light brown.

Let cool before sticking in your mouth.

Syrian Date Cookies

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These cookies are great with milk and coffee but especially great with hot tea.

In loving memory of Miss Jean.

Liege Waffles

April 21, 2014April 21, 2014 / pumpkinhoney / 1 Comment

Okay, so it’s been over a year since my last post on Pumpkin Honey. And a lot has happened. Not really, but a few things I suppose.

Stephen & I interned on a small, family-owned, organic farm in Central Pennsylvania called Jade Family Farm.

We also adopted a tiny little gray kitten, baby to the resident farm cat Lucy, named Beluga.

We’ve been living in Baltimore for the last year. And we’re about to move out.

I’m expecting to receive my MA in May.

My mom is taking me to Paris 2 days later (best mom ever).

And Stephen’s birthday was on the 4th.

Thus the Liege Waffles.

These waffles are not only beautiful. They are everything a waffle should be. Especially if you’ve ever been to Belgium, had a street waffle, and thus know exactly what a waffle should be. They’re dense and chewy but crispy and caramelized.

Then they were topped off with cinnamon whipped coconut cream & blueberry maple syrup.

ERMAHGERD. Incredible.

MAKE THESE WAFFLES.

Liege Waffles

1/3 Cup Warmed Almond Milk (whole milk or water)

1/2 Tablespoon Yeast

1 1/2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

2 Large Eggs

9 Tablespoons Melted & Cooled, Salted Butter

2 Teaspoons Vanilla

2 Cups Flour (I used 1 Bread, 1 All Purpose)

2/3 Cup Pearl Sugar (I use Swedish)

Preheat waffle iron. Other recipes I’ve seen insist that a typical waffle iron is too hot for your classic Liege Waffle so I unplug it periodically while making them. Just keep an eye on the browning.

Dissolve brown sugar & yeast in lukewarm milk. Let stand 10 minutes. Vigorously beat two large eggs and vanilla into mixture. Add butter little by little, beating as you go. Gently beat in flour. Let rise for for about an hour or until doubled in size. Then mix in pearl sugar.

Form dough balls slightly smaller than a tennis ball and place on segment of the waffle iron. Mine makes two-segment waffles so I made two balls at a time. I know some make 4 and so forth. I don’t grease the pan – mine is non-stick and there’s TONS of butter in this dough so they shouldn’t stick. Unplug as needed to keep the waffle iron from overheating. Periodically check the waffles, cooking until deep golden brown.

The waffles are even crispier and caramelizedier if the dough is chilled first.

Coconut Whipped Cream

1 Can Full-Fat Coconut Milk – chilled, separated cream only

1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Whip cold, scraped off cream of the can of coconut cream until thick and fluffy. Fold in powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Blueberry Maple Syrup

1/2 Cup Blueberries – frozen or fresh

1/3 Cup Maple Syrup

In a small saucepan heat the blueberries over medium-low heat. Smash with a fork or potato masher until pulpy and juicy. Heat until hot and just about simmering. Add maple syrup.

Pour blueberry maple syrup atop waffles, add a giant dollop of cinnamon whipped coconut cream and NOSH.