Annabel Cohen

Special to the Jewish News

c

some wonderful baking.

BLUEBERRY CORN
MUFFINS
The unusual combination of corn
and blueberries make these
muffins extra-moist and unique.
1 cup yellow cornmeal
(not corn flour)
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar, plus 2 Tbsp.
sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 Tbsp. grated lemon peel
or zest
1 cup blueberries
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a
12-cup muffin pan with nonstick
cooking spray. Set aside.
Combine the cornmeal, flour,
1/3-cup sugar, baking powder
and salt in a large bowl and stir
well with a fork or whisk. Stir in
the milk, oil and egg until incor-
porated (do not over-mix). Stir in
the peel and the blueberries and
corn.
Divide this mixture among the
muffin cups and sprinkle each
lightly with a bit of sugar. Bake
for 30 minutes, or until the
muffins are golden. Makes 12
muffins.

DRIED CHERRY PINENUT
OATMEAL COOKIES
1 cup flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks)
margarine, softened

30

1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups rolled oats (not
instant or quick)
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup pinenuts
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a
baking sheet with parchment or
spray with nonstick cooking
spray.
Combine the flour, cinnamon,
baking soda and salt in a large
bowl and stir well with a fork. Set
aside.
Combine margarine, brown
sugar, egg and vanilla in a large
bowl and beat with an electric
mixer well. Add the flour mixture
and mix until incorporated. Add
the oats, cherries and pinenuts
and mix until incorporated.
Make a test cookie: drop the
batter with a tablespoon or por-
tion scoop onto the prepared
baking sheet. Bake for about 12
minutes, until the cookie has
spread and the edges are golden.
See how the cookie spreads and
use this as your guide as to how
many cookies can be baked on
one baking sheet.
After baking, allow the cookies
to cool completely before storing.
Makes 30-40 cookies.

PEAR CRANBERRY
CRUMBLE
7 cups ripe, peeled diced
pears
1 cup fresh cranberries
(not dried)
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
Topping

ooler temperatures find Michiganders scrambling
inside, and I want comfort foods. My comfort of
choice often includes hard fruits — apples and pears
— and heavier (not necessarily more caloric) dry ingredi-
ents, like oats and cornmeal.
.
With the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot just past and the
American Thanksgiving just weeks away, many begin to
think about desserts.
The following recipes are brimming with autumn. And if
chocolate is your ultimate comfort food, nearly all of these
recipes taste delicious drizzled with melted chocolate.

1 cup rolled oats or
quick oats
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or
margarine, softened
Preheat oven to 350E Spray an
attractive 2-quart baking dish
with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine the pears, cranberries,
sugar, cornstarch and ginger in a
large bowl and toss to combine.
Transfer this mixture to the pre-
pared baking dish. Set aside.
Combine the oats, flour, sugar
and cinnamon in another bowl.
Use your fingers to crumble the
butter over the oat mixture and
use your hands to incorporate it
into the topping. Use your hands
to sprinkle the mixture over the
filling (do not pat down). Spray
the topping lightly with nonstick
cooking spray.
Bake uncovered for about 40-
45 minutes or until the topping is
golden and the filling bubbly.
Cool and serve warm, with fresh
whipped cream or ice cream if
desired. This may be made in
individual bowls or ramekins as
well.
Hint: If you're not sure how big
your baking dishes are, pour
water into a measuring cup and
fill up the dish - count the num-
ber of cups you poured into the
dish.

LEMON GLAZED
GINGERBREAD
Applesauce in the batter makes
this super moist.
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda

.

2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 cup plain, unsweetened
applesauce
1/2 cup cider or water
2 Tbsp. minced crystallized
ginger, optional
Glaze:
1 cup powdered or confec-
tioner's sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a
9x13-inch baking dish with non-
stick cooking spray. Line the bot-
tom of the pan with parchment
or wax paper. Or, spray a 10-inch
tube pan (angel food cake pan)
with nonstick cooking spray. Set
aside.
Combine the flour, baking
soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg
and salt in a large bowl and
whisk well to combine. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine sug-
ars and oil and beat with an elec-
tric mixer until smooth. Beat in
the egg and applesauce until
combined, then mix in the cider
or water. Add the flour nrixture
and beat until combined. Stir in
the crystallized ginger, if using.
Transfer the batter to the pre-
pared baking dish and spread
smooth.
Bake, uncovered, for 35-40
minutes. White the cake is bak-
ing, combine the powdered sugar
and lemon juice. When the cake
is cool, drizzle with the glaze and
cut the cake into squares. (If bak-

.

ing in a tube pan, unmold the
cake and drizzle the glazed over
the top.) Makes 12 to 14 serv-
ings.

CARROT BREAD
Although technically a quick
bread, I consider this a cake.
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups grated fresh carrots
1/2 cup sweetened shredded
coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup golden raisins
Preheat oven to 350E Spray
two 81/2-inch loaf pans (or a 9-
inch Bundt or tube pan), with
nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Place flour, spices, baking
powder and salt in a large bowl
and whisk well to combine. Set
aside.
In another bowl, combine the
sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla and
beat well with an electric mixer.
Stir in the eggs. Add the flour
mixture and beat until com-
bined. Fold in the carrots, wal-
nuts and raisins. Transfer the
batter to the prepared pans. Bake
for 60-80 minutes (until a tooth-
pick inserted into the center
comes out clean). Cool and
remove from pans. Wrap in plas-
tic wrap to store. Makes 2 loaves
or 16 servings. O

October 27 • 2005