As we march from Spring through early Summer to now the “dog days” of Summer, we move more towards stone fruits — apricots, peaches, plums and the like — which make great jam which is also the important part of my super easy to make crumble bars. There must be about 5 different versions here on the site. They are great to add to lunches or to pack into picnics!
Sweet Snacks
Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies … I’ve made similar cookies before, but tried something new this time, instead of using butter, I made them with coconut oil with the thought that they would stay a little more chewy than crunchy. The trick though is that you absolutely have to let them chill completely after forming and before making, otherwise you will have a complete mess on your hands. Turned out pretty yummy, if I do say so myself!
A couple of weekends ago, I went berry picking again and got a slew of red currants. Some were made into jam, so I thought I would use some of that jam to make these thumpprint cookies. You could also use raspberry jam or tart cherry jam, which also go quite nicely with the chocolate combination — the whole tart + chocolate is really nice.
I was asked to bring a few desserts to a birthday party, so sticking on the summer theme, I made two very festive kinds: Blueberry Vanilla and Key Lime “Margarita” Cupcakes. I’m adding both recipes to one post, because I served them (and in a rush, remembered to photograph them!) on one platter/tray. Each are different and unique, but still delicious (I think the blueberry ones were more popular!)
As the summer progresses, we move from strawberries to blueberries, and so here is *another* pie. I know, you all are likely getting sick of my pie recipes, but I had to make a birthday treat-not-pie and my best friend is a blueberry-lover, so I came up with this one. Turns out, it might be my favorite pie to date — well, on looks at this point, because I haven’t eaten it yet. But it looks really nice!