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Sweet Snacks

Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts, Sweet Snacks

Gooseberry Pistachio Crumble Bars

Going back to an old stand-by as I am often doing. Here is yet another recipe for crumble bars, this time with gooseberries and pistachios. Just goes to show you that you can really use any fruit and nut combination. If you’ve never had a gooseberry, it’s a greenish or light pink (although there are also dark purple just not around here) berry. Quite tart. In German, they are called Stachelbeeren …. thorn berries …. because the vines have thorns on them. They are a member of the ribe family (as are currants) so they were banned in parts of the US for a long time and are just making a comeback (though there are still quite a few laws on the books outlawing mass growing of them). Anyway, delicious combo with the pistachios.

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Breads, Breakfast/Brunch, Sweet Snacks

Strawberry Milleswirlie
(aka “Strawberry Shortcake” Breakfast Swirls)

Sourdough experiment for the week using a super seasonal ingredient: Strawberry Milleswirlie. Why Milleswirlie? Well, Millefiori is derived from “a thousand flowers” in Italian, so here we have a thousand swirls … Mille-swirlies! And the strawberries are just because it is strawberry season and I got them at the weekly farmer’s market yesterday and they were just begging to be made into something delicious. It’s as if strawberry shortcake and cinnamon rolls got together and had a love child. Dessert for breakfast, no regrets!

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Appetizers/Starters, Breakfast/Brunch, Sweet Snacks

Sourdough Brioche-style Raisin Snails (Rosienenschnecken)

A bit of a “controversial” Breakfast item this week as I know that many people aren’t fans of raisins. I love raisins and along with dill pickles, they were some of the very first things that my grandfather would give me as a treat when I was little (I don’t know what is stranger, pickles or raisins, to be honest). Combine that with “swirls” (or Schnecken, which translated is “snails” from the German) and we have one of my favorite breakfast treats. My Oma used to call me ‘schneckle’ or little snail. 🙂

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Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts, Sweet Snacks

Rhubarb Rosehip Shortbread Bars

It’s May first and in many places, this is a celebratory day. Not much going on here in Camberville, except the sun is shining and I am in a good mood and so I tried the channel that into my treats that I baked this morning. Back to some of my “more unusual” flavor combinations: Rhubarb Rosehip Shortbread Bars!A little tart, a little sweet, overall delicious and definitely not something that you would have every day. Not everyone has had rosehips, but they are floral and fruity tasting; combine that with the spring-rhubarb flavor and you have a winner!

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Cookies, Sweet Snacks

Varenyky-style Dumpling Cookies

The Ukraine’s “national dish”, I have been told, are Varenyky. Varenyky are very very similar to Polish Pierogies. Like almost identical. The one thing that I did find unique is that in some places, and in some cases, there are also sweet dumplings in the style of Varenyky, however, they are filled with jam fillings and baked. That is what these are: Varenyky-style Dumpling Cookies, filled with black currant, peach and tart cherry jams. The dough itself isn’t sweet at all (barely any sugar) however once dusted with a bit of powdered sugar and the jam of course, they are lovely. Very flaky dough. I happen to have a ravioli press that I used to form these, but you can also just use a round cookie cutter and the tines of a fork to seal them.

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