No Bake Cookies for Any Time

 . . . but especially for Christmas! I know it is already into May. And I just haven't been blogging, so this never got posted. 

Near Christmas last year I had bought two boxes of Vanilla Wafers. I always make Bourbon Balls for Christmas, partly because they are invariably requested, and partly that I love them. But most importantly, they are no bake. Mix, form and store. What a great invention, no-bake cookies!

Apricot Coconut Rum Balls (Bourbon Balls top right)

Why I bought two boxes of Vanilla Wafers is beyond me. The recipe for Bourbon Balls calls for one box. That recipe makes plenty. Since Bourbon Balls use cocoa and bourbon, I wanted to find another no-bake recipe that would use the extra box of cookies without using cocoa. Do you know how difficult it was to find one, single recipe that did not use cocoa? Heavens!

I searched. I specifically wrote no cocoa, or no chocolate in my search. All that came up were recipes using cocoa. I searched for no bake cookies with no mention of cocoa or chocolate. Still, all the recipes had cocoa or chocolate in them. 

And then finally, a little Christmas miracle happened. I found this post from Chips and Pepper. Their recipe is, I am sure, perfect. I told my sister about it, noting that the original had no alcohol. She said she would make it that way for her grandkids. It didn't fit all of my criteria, but it was a usable recipe to start. My criteria were:

• No cocoa or chocolate
• Use Vanilla Wafers as the base
• Use dark rum (as opposed to bourbon in the Bourbon Balls) as I have no more small grandchildren ;)

I sat and compared amounts in this recipe to the recipe for Bourbon Balls, to try and formulate a recipe that would accommodate my criteria. I didn't have any orange marmalade or orange juice. Instead I used apricot jam and dark rum. I added cardamom, simply because we all love cardamom in my house. I am sure ginger would be great as a substitute or possibly cinnamon, if one of those spices suit. Or they can be left out entirely. I used dark rum. Other rum can be used interchangeably. Coconut flavor rum would go well with the coconut in the recipe. Spiced rum would enhance the spice aspect. These can be rolled in granulated sugar. I used powdered sugar to distinguish from the Bourbon Balls that I roll in granulated sugar.

I must report that I loved them, as did everyone else who tried them. My husband and I both have loved the Bourbon Balls all through our 35 years together, but we conceded that these might just be a new favorite! So I give all my thanks to Chips and Pepper for the great idea I used!

Apricot Coconut Rum Balls

1  (12-ounce) box Vanilla Wafers, crushed to fine crumbs

3/4  cup powdered sugar

1/2  cup finely ground pecans or walnuts

3/4  cup fine shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2  teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2  cup apricot jam

6  tablespoons dark rum

Powdered sugar, for rolling

Place the first five ingredients into a large bowl and stir to combine all ingredients.

Separately in a small bowl or a large measuring cup, combine the apricot jam and dark rum. If any pieces of apricot are large, cut them very small, else it makes for difficult rolling later.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and thoroughly mix until all ingredients are well moistened. Form small balls, rolling them tightly, then roll in the powdered sugar. Store in a container. At room temperature, they will be very soft. They are best kept either refrigerated or frozen. This makes having them done way ahead of time a snap. They that in no time once set out at room temperature. 

NOTES:

• Nuts used are interchangeable
• Cardamom can be switched out for another spice, or left out
• Apricot jam may be substituted with orange marmalade or peach jam
• Dark rum may be substituted with other flavors of rum or another dry liquor of choice. It may be left out and substituted with orange juice, if preferred.

A Couple of Cakes

Since discontinuing my website, I have been slowly bringing into this blog recipes that once were only on the website. It is taking time, as there are a lot of them that were once only on the website, but I am working them down, and today I wanted to put two cake recipes in here that are truly delicious. One uses rhubarb, which is not available everywhere at this time of year, but do file this recipe away for spring, because it is worth it! The other can be made most any time, using cornmeal!

The Rhubarb Pecan Coffeecake recipe is one I originally experimented with using gluten free flour mixtures, such as this simple "6-2-1 Flour Mixture." The end result is quite different in color and texture, but made with regular all-purpose flour or substituting 1:1 with the gluten free flour mixture makes no difference at all to the great flavors.

Rhubarb Pecan Coffeecake

Rhubarb Pecan Coffeecake

Rhubarb Pecan Coffeecake

Makes one 9 x 13 pan

CAKE:
½ cup butter
1½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
2½ cups chopped rhubarb
1 cup chopped pecans

STREUSEL TOPPING:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup light brown sugar
4 - 5 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon cinnamon

CAKE: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together the butter and sugar; beat in the eggs and vanilla. Whisk or sift together the dry ingredients, to combine. Alternately beat in the dry ingredients and the sour cream. Stir in the rhubarb and nuts. Pour into a greased 13 x 9 pan. 

STREUSEL: Mix the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Work in the butter until it looks like large crumbs. Sprinkle over the cake. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The other cake I am sharing here is the Sour Cream Polenta Cake with Honey Orange Glaze. It is a small, single layer cake with an extremely tender and moist crumb, as well as a little bit of texture, due to the cornmeal. The glaze was made with honey and Grand Marnier liqueur, but orange juice could be substituted for the liqueur. I served this cake with dollops of Mascarpone Whipped Cream, which was just the perfect accompaniment.

Sour Cream Polenta Cake with Honey Orange Glaze

 

Sour Cream Polenta Cake with Honey Orange Glaze

Makes one 9-inch single-layer cake

Sour Cream Polenta Cake
with Honey Orange Glaze

CAKE:
1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup fine yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon orange zest in thin matchsticks
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cardamom seeds, coarsely smashed
1 stick unsalted butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
¾ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

GLAZE:
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier Liqueur, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch spring-form pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment and spray the parchment. Set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together the first 7 ingredients and set aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter with the sugar. Once creamy, add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the sour cream and vanilla to combine. Add in the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, make the Honey Orange Glaze. Combine the two ingredients and heat in the microwave on short bursts. Once cake is done, set on the counter and with a pastry brush, spread the Honey Orange Glaze over the hot cake repeatedly, until it is all used. Allow the cake to cool. Remove the rim of the spring-form pan and quickly flip the cooled cake over onto a rack. Remove the parchment and then set a cake plate over the cake and flip it back over, so the top remains upwards. Serve wedges of the cake with the Mascarpone Whipped Cream. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Long Time Favorite Cake is Back

First off, I hope everyone enjoyed a lovely Valentine's Day. It doesn't matter if you sat at home with someone you love doing nothing at all spectacular, or whether you went out and splurged big time, or if you chose to catch up on some "me" time. The idea is that you enjoyed the day, however it was celebrated. 

My husband and I were invited out to dinner at the local Country Club by two people fast becoming very good friends. Since my husband and I generally stay at home rather than try and fight crowds, and I cook something really special for dinner, it has been about 26 years since we last braved a night out on Valentine's Day. That made yesterday's evening a true delight. As much as I love to cook, it is a tremendous joy for the cook to have a night out! I thank Ty and Ann Hanson with all my heart for having us as guests.

A night off was not in the cards for the cook at the country club, Jake Collins. He was on duty manning the kitchen, and produced a most excellent menu for a large crowd. Considering the tremendous amount of dishes that needed to be served at the same time, he made miracles happen. We know Jake from the past four years of Winefest Renaissance, benefiting the Boys and Girls Club of Aberdeen. This year marks the fifth annual Winefest Renaissance (which appears to be called "Renaissance Festival," this year), to be held on April 8th.

Fresh Apple Pecan Date Cake

So, on to the cake. This cake recipe is one that I have been making for about 33 years or so. Originally I cut the recipe out of the "Orlando Sentinal" newspaper's Thursday food edition. It called for using cooking oil in the batter, and raisins. I prefer to use melted butter, for the flavor, and do not care much for cooked raisins, so I switched the raisins out for chopped dates. It was the most amazing cake, outside of a Carrot Cake, for lovely flavors and moistness beyond compare. My version of this cake is called Fresh Apple Pecan Date Cake. The recipe I have used for carrot cake is also, coincidentally, from an Orlando Sentinel newspaper clipping and from around the same general time. I will have to post it!

Fresh Apple Pecan Date Mini Cupcake

Interestingly, in all the years I have been making both these cakes, I had never gotten any good photos of them, so last year I made it a point to make the cakes and take photos. Last year, however, was one crazy thing after another, between cataract surgeries for both my husband and me, and then various medical procedures and crises for my husband. It kept us on our toes. I didn't get to write many blogs. I do have a bit of a backlog of recipes to eventually get into this blog. 

I have also made this Fresh Apple Pecan Date Cake recipe to use as mini cupcakes with great success, as seen in this photo left. Tiny little two-or-three-bite mini cakes are cute as can be and delicious when set out on an appetizer type party spread.

Fresh Apple Pecan Date Cake

Serves 12 to 16

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

Fresh Apple Pecan Date Cake

½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups sugar
4 cups fresh apples, peeled, grated
2 cups pecans, chopped
1 cup pitted dates, chopped
2 eggs
1 cup butter, melted (or use melted coconut oil or cooking oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Stir in apples, pecans, and dates. Add eggs, melted butter and vanilla. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer for 3 minutes.

Pour mixture into two greased 8 or 9-inch pans, a greased bundt pan or greased muffin pans or papers. If making in an 8-inch round pan, I spray the pan with cooking spray, then trace around the pan onto parchment paper, cut out the parchment rounds and set them into the pans and re-spray the parchment with cooking spray. This ensures that the cake definitely WILL NOT stick to the bottom!

Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 50 - 60 minutes for a bundt pan. For 8-inch cake pans, check at about 35 - 40 minutes and every 5 minutes thereafter, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes and then invert onto cake plate. For cupcakes, check after 15 to 20 minutes. For mini cupcakes check after 12 minutes.

Ice with Cream Cheese Icing, or sprinkle with powdered sugar and decorate with extra pecans.

Cream Cheese Icing

Cream Cheese Icing

Enough to frost an 8 or 9-inch, or 9 x 13 cake

12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
3 - 4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt

Directions: Mix together on low speed of an electric mixer, and once combined increase speed to high and beat until completely smooth.

If the icing is too stiff, beat in one tablespoon of milk or cream at a time, until of spreading consistency.

NOTES: The longer you beat, the fluffier the icing will become, as air is being incorporated into the mixture. This is wonderful for the fluffy icing of a cake, but trying to decorate with too much air in the mixture will give difficulties when trying to get an even extrusion from a decorating tip. The air bubbles will constantly cause breaks in the flow. If using a hand mixer it would take a long while to accomplish this, but with a large heavy-duty mixer, it would be best to keep the speed at medium, thus lessening the quantity of large bubbles forming in the icing.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.