Apricot-Walnut Tea Bread

I can tell, from the handwriting on the recipe card, that I probably copied this out when I was in junior high school! Mercy! I tested it for a shower I'm hosting, and it's a winner! It also tastes excellent when toasted!

Apricot-Walnut Tea Bread

1 cup dried apricots (about ¼ pound)

1 ½ cups boiling water

1 cup walnuts

2 ½ cups sifted flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sugar

¼ cup salad oil

Using scissors, snip the dried apricots in small pieces into a small bowl. Add boiling water; let cool.

Chop the walnuts coarsely and set aside.

Sift flour with baking powder and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine egg, vanilla, sugar, and oil. Beat with a wooden spoon until well-blended. Gradually add apricot mixture, beating constantly. Add flour mixture all at once; beat just until smooth. Stir in nuts just until blended.

Turn batter into greased 9” x 5” x 3” loaf pan; smooth top. Bake at 350° for 60 to 65 minutes. Let cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Then run a small spatula around sides of pan to loosen, and turn out loaf onto rack. Let loaf cool completely. Wrap in foil and store 12 hours before serving.

DONNA’S NOTES: I would chop the walnuts finely and reduce the sugar to ½ cup. I used canola oil. I baked this in my Pampered Chef stoneware loaf pan, and it stuck to the bottom. Next time, I’ll use a glass pan that I can spray with vegetable oil spray.

Berry-Almond Coffee Cake

I was surprised to realize, this morning, that I hadn't posted this coffee cake on the blog. It's one of my favorites, and it's so easy to make!

As usual, I'm going to give you the recipe, originally from Cooking Light, exactly as written. Then, I'll tell you how I make it! First, one small change: any berries will work fine with this recipe; I most often use fresh blueberries. 

Berry-Almond Coffee Cake

1 cup fresh raspberries
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon skim milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine raspberries and brown sugar in a bowl; set aside.

Combine flour and next four ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl. Combine yogurt, butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and egg in a  small bowl; stir well. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon two-thirds of batter into an 8-inch round cake pan coated with cooking spray; spread evenly. Top with raspberry mixture. Spoon remaining batter over raspberry mixture; top with almonds.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Combine powdered sugar, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla; stir well. Drizzle over cake. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 8 servings.

DONNA'S NOTES: As I said, I use blueberries for this recipe most of the time, and fresh berries are definitely better than frozen. I use sour cream or whole-milk yogurt in place of low-fat yogurt, and I use whole milk. This can easily be made with a combination of all-purpose flour and whole-wheat pastry flour in almost any proportions. If your glaze isn't thin enough, just carefully add more milk.

Peach Crisp

Here's the recipe I promised for Peach Crisp. The first time I made it, I shared it with our next-door neighbors. Jane said it was the best thing she'd ever tasted. It really is yummy! I've played around with the volume, since it makes way more than Matt and I can eat.

Peach Crisp

4 pounds (10 to 12 small, 6 large) peaches

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup sugar 

1/3 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Topping:

1 1/2 cups flour 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened to room temperature and cut into bits 

1 cup brown sugar 

1 1/2 cup oats 

1 cup chopped pecans 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Cut fruit in half; remove the pits and cut each half into 4 wedges. (I cut them into slices.) Toss with the vanilla, sugar, flour and ginger. Transfer to prepared baking dish.

3. In a clean bowl, combine the topping ingredients, working the mixture with your fingertips until it is in coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the filling.

4. Bake until the filling bubbles up on the edges and the fruit is very soft, 40 to 45 minutes.

DONNA'S NOTES: When I made this first, I felt the sugar overwhelmed the peaches. For the full recipe, I'd reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup. To make a smaller batch, I use four large peaches, reduced the topping by roughly 2/3, and baked it in a 9-inch square baking dish. I have the Pampered Chef manual food processor, and it works very well for the smaller amount of topping. I also have a round stoneware baking dish that works well. Follow your instincts with the amount of peaches; I almost never think I've used enough, and that's what this recipe is all about!