apricot – Wait…are those…cookies?!

June 19, 2021

the first of the stone fruit!

hello hello!

It’s been a minute, though that doesn’t mean I haven’t been baking.

Last weekend was actually pretty productive on the baking front – two batches of cookies, a galette (blueberry-rhubarb with a walnut crumble) and some blueberry walnut bars.

All of which were riffs on things I’ve made and posted here and here, so I didn’t want duplicate posts. Also was enjoying a lazy, tech-free weekend so I thought I’d skip the blog posts.

This weekend though, I’m busting out the first of the stone fruit!! Apricots and cherries are always the first to make an appearance, and I love them together, so that’s a win-win. I considered making a galette but since I’ve been making so many lately, I wanted to do something different.

This is a new drop biscuit recipe – these come together in about five seconds, either in a food processor or by hand. Very easy, very delicious, and would be amazing on top of any seasonal fruit, be it stone fruit or otherwise.

So delicious with ice cream (personal fave) or by itself.

The city is is bloom! I pass these on one of my normal walk route and I can’t help but always stop and admire them. So pretty!

We’ve also had some really spectacular sunrises and sunsets lately – this one is from a morning bay swim around 6a and then a sunset from my place.

Happy weekend! I hope yours is relaxing and full of delicious baked things.

Cherry & Apricot Cobbler with Cornmeal Poppyseed Biscuits

Refined sugar free and whole grain. A Wait are those Cookies original. Yield: 1 cobbler (~9″ or so, depending on pan of choice), serves several.

for the biscuits:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour + more as necessary
⅔ cup medium-grind cornmeal
1 tbsp coconut sugar
1.5 tsp poppyseeds
1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
⅔ cup half and half (or heavy cream) + more for brushing
1 tsp coconut sugar for sprinkling over the tops

for the fruit:
1 pound of cherries, pitted and halved
2 c fresh apricots, sliced
juice and zest of one lemon
1 tbsp tapioca starch
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tbsp maple
1/4 water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For filling, in a large bowl, toss together cherries, apricots, lemon zest, and juice. In a small bowl, whisk together tapioca starch, extracts, maple, and water, then pour over the fruit. Allow mixture to stand while making the biscuits.

For the biscuits: add flour, cornmeal, coconut sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine (or whisk everything together in a bowl). Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal (or cut in the butter by hand). Pour in cream and continue pulsing (or stir) until dough starts to come together, scraping down sides of bowl if necessary.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat it together. Divide it equally into 8 balls, then flatten them slightly into thick rounds. Scrape filling into a 2 1/2-quart baking dish or very deep pie plate (whatever fits!) Arrange biscuits on top of filling, brush with cream and sprinkle with coconut sugar. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until filling is bubbling and biscuits are golden.

February 6, 2021

More citrus! Shocked? I thought not.

Wow jeez apparently all I make anymore are citrus galettes! We both love them, they’re fast and easy, and citrus is perfect right now.

This week was a little better on the autoimmune front. Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but at least better for the moment. I took a sanity break/mental health day on Thursday and C and I went up for a skiing day trip! Super fun, it felt so good to be back on skis. Haven’t done that much driving in a looooong time, but the Prius handled itself admirably in the snow AND a long fun day was followed by a faceplant into a carnitas burrito and a giant plate of nachos. Win win win all around.

I’ve also been swimming in the Bay lately! I LOVE IT. It’s very cold obviously – wet suit necessary – but omg. It feels so good. Maybe I’m just a freak of nature but I really like cold water. I’m not far from Aquatic Park either so it makes for a great lunchtime break.

very red little ice blocks pretending to be feet

I love living in the Bay for that reason: skiing one day, swimming in the bay the next. It is so worth the ridiculous rents… mental health > high rent, always!

But anyway. Back to the topic at hand: galette! Hopefully you’re not sick of seeing yet another iteration of citrus galette…. I swear they’re delicious. This one had a hull breach, as you can see… but I like when they’re less than perfect. I use a jam that is only fruit-sweetened, so this little guy is technically free of added sugars, wooo! It’s also full of whole grains. I posted the link to a gluten/grain free crust too, if needed – I love that one too, it comes together really easily in the food processor.

Happy weekend! I hope yours is full of outside time and sunshine.

Grapefruit, Blueberry & Hazelnut Galette

Refined sugar free and whole grain! If you need a grain and gluten free crust, I like this one. I used two small grapefruit for this – you might be able to get away with one large one and more blueberries. Lightly sweet and perfectly citrusy! Yield: 1 galette, serves several. A Wait are Those Cookies original.

for the crust:

1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1/4 c hazelnut flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
4oz/1 stick of unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2-3 tbsp ice water

In a food processor, pulse together whole wheat flour, cornmeal, hazelnut flour, and sea salt. Add in cubed butter and pulse until it resembles coarse sand. Add vanilla & almond extract, and then the ice water. I typically add three tbsp water, pulse a few times, then add more if need be, 1tbsp at a time, stopping just when the dough starts to come together. Turn it out onto a board and knead it into a ball. I like to roll it immediately since it’s most pliable – typically I haven’t had trouble with this dough sticking or cracking if rolled immediately. I roll it between two sheets of parchment paper and use the bottom one to bake the galette on; makes an easy transferral method between cookie sheet & cooling rack. If you’re not rolling immediately, stick it in the fridge on a plate. Can be made ahead the night before if need be. If you are rolling immediately, roll it out into a circle about 1/4″ thick.

for the filling:

2 grapefruits, peeled & sliced crossways
1/2 c wild blueberries (mine were frozen; no need to thaw)
2 tbsp apricot jam (I use St. Dalfour’s, which has no added sugar – just fruit juice)
milk/half and half for brushing

Preheat the oven to 425. Spread the apricot jam over the middle of the dough, leaving a 1″ border, then pile on the sliced grapefruit and blueberries. Fold up the sides of the dough over the fruit. Brush the dough with milk or half and half. Pop in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving. Store leftovers in the fridge overnight – it’s great for breakfast :)

January 9, 2021

First galette of 2021

Hi internet friends!

Wow what a week. I don’t have much I think I can even say, other than I think most of us took a big psychic hit this week. Over here in my corner of the internet, we’ll keep it to in-season produce and pretty things. By no means am I ignoring what is going on – merely attempting to provide a momentary brain break before diving back into the mental fray.

I’ll leave you with this recipe for a simple, seasonal galette that is as pretty as it is delicious. Blood oranges and grapefruits are totally in season right now – at least in California, yay west coast citrus season! The crust is a whole wheat and cornmeal, which is completely adaptable if you need one that is gluten and/or grain free. I laid a layer of almond butter and apricot jam between crust and fruit for bubbly, jammy goodness. It reminds me almost of a grown up pb&j.

Galettes are inherently adaptable and forgiving, which I think is very necessary and important right now. Let’s not complicate things where we don’t have to, hmm?

In other news, I’ve been trying to get back into the drawing groove by drawing daily. Here’s a favorite from this week:

you can also see the back of the previous day’s bialetti hiding on the opposite page…

a pretty flower. we need more pretty things.

Give yourself a brain break and make some dessert – that happens to be free of all sweeteners. That being said, eat it with ice cream if that makes you happy – I am certainly not going to stop you.

Happy Saturday!

Citrus and Almond Galette with a Cornmeal Crust

A Wait are those Cookies original. Yield: 1 galette, serves several. The crust is whole grain; if you need one that is gluten & grain free, I like this one. Completely free of any added sweeteners – I use St. Dalfour’s apricot jam that is made of fruit only (not sponsored of course, I just love it!)

for the crust:
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1/2 tsp sea salt
4oz/1 stick of unsalted butter, cubed
2-3 tbsp ice water

In a food processor, pulse together whole wheat flour, cornmeal, and sea salt. Add in cubed butter and pulse until it resembled coarse sand. Add the ice water 1 tbsp at a time until the dough starts to come together. Turn it out onto a board and knead it into a ball. I like to roll it immediately since it’s most pliable – typically I haven’t had trouble with this dough sticking. I roll it between two sheets of parchment paper and use the bottom one to bake the galette on; makes an easy transferral method between cookie sheet & cooling rack. If you’re not rolling immediately, stuck it in the fridge on a plate. Can be made ahead the night before if need be.

For the fruit:

3 small blood oranges, peeled & sliced
2 grapefruit, peeled & sliced
2 tbsp almond butter
2 tbsp apricot jam (I use St. Dalfour’s, which is just fruit – no sweetener)
a few dabs of butter & splash of milk or half and half

Preheat the oven to 425. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper until it’s about 1/4″ thick. Spread the almond butter and jam in a thin layer over the middle of the dough. Pile the sliced citrus in the center, leaving a border of about 3″. Fold up the sides of the dough over the fruit. Brush the dough with an milk or half and half. Dot fruit with butter if you like, though it’s not strictly necessary. Pop in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving. Store leftovers in the fridge overnight – it’s great for breakfast :)

October 22, 2020October 22, 2020

Fall galette time!

Whoops, I’m almost a week behind on this post – this week got away from me.

Oh well, such is life. And 2020 apparently, I’ve just given up on anything being remotely even kind of normal this year. Except for baking! That’s still normal. I try to bake about once a week since it keeps me on some kind of ‘creative’ schedule, where I work within the parameters of the food I have on hand + my weekend schedule to make something. It always feels like a fun challenge to make something slightly new, even if it’s just a riff on an old recipe I’ve made ten thousand times.

Clearly I’m all about galettes this year. I love how infinitely adaptable they are – gluten free or grain free crust is so easy; they’ll take just about any fruit (or veggie!) you have on hand or that’s in season, and they are straight up DELICIOUS.

Also, pomegranate makes everything better.

This is me using up two weeks’ worth of pears from my imperfect produce shipment (LOVE the concept of this by the way – helps use cosmetically damaged or surplus foods – such a great idea) and loving every minute of it. I think we ate this in nearly two sittings – stretched it to three but it was a close call. Whatever, we did a walk and a hike that day so it was deserved :)

Breakfast, as always of course. I LOVE “desserts” that do double duty.

Let’s see, what else. Saw some skywriting during our afternoon hike! That was fun, I haven’t seen any of that in ages.

I hope everybody has a smooth rest of the week and a great weekend! We’ll see if I can get back on my normal posting schedule this weekend… it finally cooled off here so we’re back to roasting/baking business as usual since it’s not too hot to live in my apartment anymore, hooray! Yay for fall weather. Happy baking!

Pear Galette with a Rosemary Cornmeal Crust

Refined sugar free and whole grain. A Wait are those Cookies original! If you need or want a gluten and grain free crust, I suggest this one! It comes together also very easily in a food processor. Yield: 1 galette; serves several or 2 over a couple sittings.

for the crust:
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp fresh rosemary, very finely chopped
4oz/1 stick of unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 tbsp ice water

In a food processor, pulse together whole wheat flour, cornmeal, sea salt and rosemary. Add in cubed butter and pulse until it resembled coarse sand. Add ice water 1 tbsp at a time until the dough starts to come together. Turn it out onto a board and knead it into a ball. I like to roll it immediately since it’s most pliable (see below for tips) – typically I haven’t had trouble with this dough sticking. I roll it between two sheets of parchment paper and use the bottom one to bake the galette on; makes an easy transferral method between cookie sheet & cooling rack. If you’re not rolling immediately, stuck it in the fridge on a plate. Can be made ahead the night before if need be.

For the fruit:

pears, sliced (I used roughly 5 small ones – I think they may have been red bartlett)
2 tbsp apricot jam (preferably homemade by a friend ;)

Preheat the oven to 425. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper until it’s about 1/4″ thick. Spread the jam in a thin layer over the middle of the dough. Pile the fruit in the center, leaving a border of about 3″. Fold up the sides of the dough over the fruit. Brush the dough with an egg wash and sprinkle with a little coconut sugar. Dot fruit with butter if you like, though it’s not strictly necessary. Pop in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing and serving. Store leftovers in the fridge overnight – it’s great for breakfast :)

September 13, 2020September 28, 2020

Galette: A bright spot in the smoke haze

Wow. What a week. It felt positively apocalyptic / end of times here in SF, and that was only because of the smoke.

It honestly feels weird to be writing something as pithy as a blog post about baking when the entire west coast is on fire / newly homeless / hazardous air quality / struggling… it doesn’t seem right, this much hardship.

And yet, I guess in some ways normalcy is a good thing too; this blog is a routine for me and the routine of baking-photographing-saying hi to all of you virtually is comforting, in its own way.

In that vein, I’m sharing this galette today – it was made and eaten to celebrate a going-off-to-college for one of C’s nieces in the quaranpod. Such a great evening of family, amidst the crap air and even crappier times we’re currently living in – a bright spot in the haze.

I’m keeping this short today; mostly because of my own weird mood. I’m sending ALL the love to my PNW fam & friends; I hope hope hope you are all safe and doing okay, despite the circumstances.

When you get a chance, bake. I find it rests my overactive mind for a minute, and allows me to enjoy sharing something tangible with others. Sending love and thoughts of RAIN.

Nectarine, Blackberry and Apricot Galette

Whole grain, refined sugar free. An endless riff on my usual galette; if you need a gluten & grain free crust, here you go! A Wait are Those Cookies original. Yield: 1 galette; serves several (in this case, it served our quaranpod of 8; with a small piece leftover for brunch).

for the crust:
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1/4 c almond flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
4oz/1 stick of unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2-3 tbsp ice water

In a food processor, pulse together whole wheat flour, cornmeal, almond flour & sea salt. Add in cubed butter and pulse until it resembled coarse sand. Add vanilla & almond extract, then the ice water 1 tbsp at a time until the dough starts to come together. Turn it out onto a board and knead it into a ball. I like to roll it immediately since it’s most pliable (see below for tips) – typically I haven’t had trouble with this dough sticking. I roll it between two sheets of parchment paper and use the bottom one to bake the galette on; makes an easy transferral method between cookie sheet & cooling rack. If you’re not rolling immediately, stuck it in the fridge on a plate. Can be made ahead the night before if need be.

For the fruit:

Nectarines, sliced (I used roughly 4 large ones)
heaping 1c blackberries
2 tsp tapioca starch
1 tbsp maple
zest & juice of one lemon

1/4 c apricot jam (preferably homemade by a friend ;)

In a large bowl, toss together sliced nectarines, blackberries, tapioca, lemon juice/zest and maple.

July 11, 2020September 28, 2020

Summer fruit galette for breakfast

Mid July already! Someone pinch me.

I was up at camp last weekend to help give my mountain home a wee bit of a facelift – she’s 80+ years old so it’s time! Nothing like fresh mountain air and manual labor to get a nice reset on life. I’ll be going up one more weekend in July, and for four days in August, and I already can’t wait. My home away from home is the best place.

This weekend was for galette! Happy to report that between C and I we ate all but one slice of this thing in two sittings. Ha! Stone fruit is the BEST. Baking this time of year is almost stupidly easy – as long as you have good fruit, the world is your oyster! Is that too weird of a mixed metaphor? Whatever.

Arguably, this might be one of the best galettes I’ve ever made. I’ve been messing around with the crust, and I think I’ve landed on my favorite iteration – C and I are both legit obsessed with cornmeal so obviously this is a huge win for both of us.

I was given some amaaazing homemade apricot jam from a camp friend (camp friends are the best friends! Thanks Sun :) – so that went in here, as well as fresh apricots, and that is a match made in heaven. Helps to have some less than perfect bloobs hanging around too – that’s my solution for fruit that isn’t quite the best eaten out of hand: bake it!

I hope your July is going as well as it can be in these crazy times. Sending good thoughts & baked goods inspiration your way!

Apricot, Blueberry & Rosemary Galette

Refined sugar free, whole grain & perfect for summer. It’s amazing on its own or with a blob of ice cream or whipped cream. A Wait are those Cookies original. Yield: 1 galette, serves several.

for the crust:
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1/4 c almond flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
4oz/1 stick of unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
2-3 tbsp ice water

In a food processor, pulse together whole wheat flour, cornmeal, almond flour, sea salt & rosemary. Add in cubed butter and pulse until it resembled coarse sand. Add vanilla & almond extract, then the ice water 1 tbsp at a time until the dough starts to come together. Turn it out onto a board and knead it into a ball. Flatten slightly and stick it into the fridge while you cut up the fruit (can be refrigerated up to several days if you want to make it in advance).

For the fruit:

Apricots, sliced (I used probably 8 really tiny ones)
heaping 1c blueberries
2 tsp tapioca starch
1 tbsp maple

1/4 c apricot jam (preferably homemade by a friend ;)

In a large bowl, toss together sliced apricots, blueberries, tapioca and maple.

May 30, 2020May 30, 2020

easy breezy weekend crisp

Hi friends!

I didn’t work this weekend, yippee! In fact, my boss gave me Friday off to make up for working memorial weekend, so that was delightful. This weekend has been extra restful, at least mentally – several long city hikes mean that my legs are fried.

Here is a crisp for you! I have to say, this makes AMAZING breakfast. Maybe just skip the whole ‘make this for dessert’ thing and go right to breakfast? It’s really just whole grains + healthy fats + a boatload of fruit. So… breakfast! Add some coffee and you’re set. (Do you like coffee? … um, only with my oxygen –> story of my life)

We ate this for bfast (okay okay it was more like brunch) while watching the SpaceX launch! So coooool.

Great hike today with a little ladybug friend who made an appearance on C’s shoulder! So cute.

I repotted some plant beebs who needed new homes & were getting scraggly… and am fighting the battle of the fungus gnats (ew sorry maybe that’s not the most appealing thing in a food blog..? you love me. it’s okay) in two of my plants so they got castile soap baths today. Stupid gnats. GET OUUUUTTT.

Anyway. Back to food.

Highly recommend this crisp biz – you can make it in about 10 minutes and it’s stupid delicious. And so adaptable! Any nut is good here – walnut / pecan / almond / even macadamia nuts would be good I think…. and the ginger, while super duper delicious, is totally optional. Apricots are really delicious right now, so I’d definitely pick those up if you can… I feel as though they have a bit of a short season for perfection. I took a bit of a chance on the cherries but they were ALSO amazing, so… get after it! Stone fruit season is off to a great start.

Happy weekending!

Apricot & Cherry Pecan Ginger Crisp

~2c fresh apricots, sliced
1c pitted fresh cherries
2 tsp tapioca starch
1 tbsp maple
1/4 c water
2 tsp vanilla

1 cup old-fashioned oats (use certified gluten-free oats for a gluten-free crisp)
½ cup firmly packed almond meal
½ cup chopped pecans
a handful of crystalized ginger, chopped
1/4 c unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tbsp maple syrup
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tbsp plain whole milk Greek yogurt

Preheat the oven to 350.
Toss apricots & cherries into your baking dish of choice (my dish is 8×8, 2 qt capacity; 9″ square or 9″ deep pie dish would also be fine). In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the maple and water until combined. Add the tapioca starch, and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture over the fruit and toss to combine. Bake for 20 minutes.

While the filling is baking, make the crisp. In a mixing bowl, stir together the oats, almond meal, chopped pecans, ginger, shredded coconut, maple, and salt. Mix in the vanilla, melted butter and the yogurt. Stir until everything is mixed thoroughly.

Once the filling has baked for 20 minutes, stir it and and redistribute evenly in the dish. Plop spoonfuls of the crisp topping evenly over the filling – no need to pack it down. Return the dish to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 more minutes, until the filling is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden.

Let the crisp rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream, obviously! Keep leftovers, covered, in the fridge for 2-3 days (yeah right – would take some major feat to make it last more than overnight..)

May 25, 2020

desserts and deadlines

Hi friends!

I actually made this on Saturday morning for C and I, because I was working yesterday afternoon & today, but wanted a dessert! It *is* a three day weekend after all, for most people, deadlines notwithstanding.

It’s delicious. Light, fresh, and great for warm weather. Due to the aforementioned deadline (rude) I knew in advance I’d be working the weekend but also knew I’d want to make something; galettes are super quick to throw together, AND I found these apricots on sale at the market so that made my decision-making easy. C and I are (quite obviously) ALL ABOUT the fruit-forward desserts…. this totally fits the bill.

We ate it in the evening with ice cream & in the morning pre-hike – it makes an amazing breakfast, as it’s really only fruit & nuts! Winning.

Despite so much work I’ve actually had a really lovely weekend – great morning hike with the fave yesterday, plus I ordered a new lamp (on sale!) so I can finally stop tripping over my floor lamp & banging it when I stand up – it’s a little short for its current location.

Let’s see, what else.

Proof positive that I actually cook, and not just bake – these were amazing chicken thighs that I made last night, with forbidden rice. So easy – skillet, 425, olive oil, salt, pepper, 40 min. Boom! Dinner.

My plants are going ape and I’m thrilled! A bunch have been blooming and they just look so happy, which makes their human happy, so all is good in the junglelow.

Sometimes I also buy pastries (I KNOW TRY NOT TO BE SHOCKED). I love me a good almond croissant and when I have a massive deadline breathing down my neck on a holiday weekend, I like to treat myself to this kind of lunch. After all, life is all about balance (ie, salad + croissant for lunch).

Keeping it short since I just got edits back on my draft… time to get back to it.

Have a great rest of the long weekend!

Apricot and Blueberry Galette with Cinnamon Crust

Light and summery, perfect for a holiday weekend or really, any time. Gluten & grain free, refined sugar free, with a lactose free option. A Wait are Those Cookies original. Yield: 1 galette, serves several.

For the galette dough:

1.5 c almond flour (not meal; you want the finer flour variety)
1/2 c tapioca flour
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp salted butter, chopped (or ghee)
1 egg*
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Sliced apricots – I used ~10 of them / ~2lbs
A large handful of blueberries
1 tbsp salted butter
sprinkle of coconut sugar

*alternately you can use a flax egg with very similar results (3tbsp water + 1 tbsp ground flaxseed)

In a food processor or high-power blender (I used a food processor), pulse almond flour, tapioca starch, cinnamon, salt, and butter to combine until it looks like coarse meal. Add in egg, vanilla and almond extract and pulse just until combined. Turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap, shape into a disk and chill in the fridge for at least an hour, or up to overnight.

Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 375. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper, keeping the circle to about 1/4″ thickness. Peel off the top piece of parchment, and slide the rolled out dough on its parchment onto a baking sheet. Top with sliced apricots & blueberries, and dust them with coconut sugar. Begin folding up the sides, creasing them together as you go – if the dough rips, that’s okay (you can crimp the cracks back together; remember: galettes are forgiving and rustic!); you can use the bottom piece of parchment to help fold up the sides.

Dot the fruit with butter. Bake for 35-40 minutes until edges are golden brown — mine came out just fine at 35 minutes, so check accordingly.

Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then carefully slide the whole galette onto a cooling rack to let it cool completely. Serve with your fave ice cream or whatever of choice! Keeps well covered in foil on the counter or in the fridge.

May 3, 2020

This is my jam.

Hi Friends!

I bring you the latest edition of baking your pantry! I haven’t actually shopped for baking specific things since the lockdown began in March, which is super fun – it’s giving me a nice excuse to use up the bits of things in my cabinets & also to get creative.

For instance! I was gifted a jar of the most delicious apricot jam from a camp friend (hi, Doc!) and though I could have eaten it on toast, I wanted to use it in a dessert instead for fun. I’ve been saving it, and am so glad I had it around to use this weekend!

These bars were actually supposed to be a galette. Funny how that happens… The dough wasn’t going to play nice to roll out – fine by me, since it made an excellent press-in crust for this instead, which is way less fussy. Jam tarts are maaaaybe the easiest thing on this planet, and infinitely adaptable. Out of the flours I suggested, or gluten free? No sweat, just swap in whatever blend of flours you like (highly recommend the cornmeal though, if you can do grains – the texture is phenomenal). Got a bunch of chia seeds and frozen fruit but no jam on hand? Make chia jam! Cook down the fruit for a bit with a bunch of chia seeds, let cool and boom – you’re on the way to jam bars.

Look at this flaky maldon sea salt goodness… it’s next level:

Not quite sure if this is to be considered a tart, or bars. I’m kind of leaning toward bars since they slice up beautifully and would work well to serve at a – party? Ugh. Social distancing. Okay fine, they’d work well sliced to serve to those who you’re quarantining with! Highly recommend vanilla ice cream alongside, just saying – but they’re equally amazing as breakfast wedges, especially when you’ve just hiked 7 miles.

C and I did our usual weekend hike today – 7 miles from his place, through the interior greenbelt and up Mount Sutro -> Twin Peaks -> home. It was fantastic, and such a beautiful day. My racerback tan is already aggressive and it’s only May…. I also have a fitbit tan, and a shorts tan, for those of you keeping score at home.

Want to see what this really looks like?

Sorry for the feet, hope that doesn’t gross you out. Ha! I promise they’re clean.

I hope you and yours are well! The outdoors is amazing for mental health – fully recommend getting out there (masked when necessary, of course, and observing social distancing rules!) to brighten up your quarantined days. And when you come back in, make jam bars. From my kitchen to yours! <3

Apricot, Rosemary & Cornmeal Jam Bars

Whole grain (three different kinds!), dairy free and vegan with a refined sugar free option (depends on what kind of jam you use). Super easy to adapt, and comes together extremely quickly when you’re in need of a quick dessert or fun breakfast. Kind of like eating cornbread with jam, a personal fave. Yield: 1 9″ pan of bars, serves several. A Wait are those Cookies original.

For the crust:
2 cups of flour [I used 1c whole wheat pastry flour, 1/2 c oat flour, 1/2 c cornmeal]
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
⅓ cup cold water
pinch salt

For the crumble and filling:
1/4 c almond flour
3 tbsp oat flour
~1tbsp rosemary, finely chopped (a few sprigs)
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
~1/2 c apricot jam (I used the entirety of a smallish jar) – hopefully homemade but use what you got! Chia jam would be great here too.

maldon sea salt, for sprinkles after

Mix the flours and salt until well combined. Add olive oil and water. Mix and knead into a smooth dough – I used the food processor primarily for this, but easy to do by hand as well. Lightly grease a dish of choice – you could literally do this in anything. I used a 9″ stoneware pie dish, but feel free to use a tart pan w/ a removable bottom, springform, square pan, pyrex dish, you name it. Press the dough evenly across the bottom to form a crust, and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375F. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 c almond flour, 3 tbsp oat flour, a few springs of rosemary very finely chopped, and a pinch of sea salt. Add in a tsp each of maple syrup and vanilla extract, plus 1/2 tsp of almond extract. Stir until combined and crumbly.

Spread the apricot jam evenly over the prepared crust, followed by the oaty-almond rosemary crumble. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until jam is bubbly and crumble is lightly browned. Remove and let cool completely before serving. Sprinkle a little maldon sea salt over the whole thing to bring it up to the next level. Excellent with vanilla ice cream or in wedges on its own for breakfast. Store any leftovers (who are you?!) in the fridge, covered with foil.