Blueberry-Almond Coffee Cake Recipe

This coffee cake is a sure way of perking up your morning. 

Soft and moist. With a nutty almond flavor and bursting with sweet, fresh blueberries.

Who wouldn't love to wake up to a slice of this irresistible cake, next to a hot and steamy cappuccino?
I could really eat a slice of this blueberry and almond coffee cake. Every. Single. Morning.
I absolutely love almonds and almond flavored desserts. And when you combine it with sweet and juicy blueberries, you will end up with a deliciously soft, mouth-watering dessert.
Just the thought of this coffee cake in the morning would make jump right out of bed and run for the espresso machine! No more laying lazily under my blankie!
Maybe eating this everyday would not be good for my waistline. But once in a while, why not? Check out the ingredients, it's made from scratch with simple and wholesome ingredients.

You will be surprise by how easy and quick it is to make. Just plan ahead, and remember to remove the butter and the eggs from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before starting with the recipe.
Room temperature ingredients are easier to mix into the batter, so you'll end up with a more uniform, tender, light and airy texture.

Here is the video for you:

Ingredients: to make a 9x9 in (22x22 cm) cake, cut in about 16 pieces   PRINTABLE RECIPE

• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup (200 gr) of sugar
• 4 oz (1 stick, 115 gr) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1.5 cup (225 gr) of all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 2 cups (300 gr) of fresh (organic) blueberries
• 1 cup (120 gr) of sliced almond, divided

Preparation time: about one hour and a half
Directions:
1. Let the eggs and butter sit outside the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C). In a large bowl, add two eggs and the cup of sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy.

3. Add the butter cut in pieces and mix again, until mostly smooth.

4. Mix in the vanilla and the almond extracts.

5. Add the flour, the salt and the baking powder. Blend some more.

6. Fold the blueberries and about 2/3 cup of the almonds. The remaining almonds will be sprinkled on top.

7. Spray or grease a 9x9 inches baking pan with butter and flour. Pour the batter in the pan and flatten it out with the back of a spoon.  Sprinkle the remaining almonds on top of the cake.

8. Bake for about 45-50 minutes at  350° F (175° C) until slightly golden on top. Test with a toothpick for readiness. The toothpick should come out clean ... unless of course you poke a blueberry :)
Let the cake cool down for a few minutes before cutting in squares.

Enjoy :)

Almond Tart

Here is how to make a delicious almond tart from scratch

with a moist and soft almond filling over a buttery crust and a little spread of apricot preserve for extra flavor

Looking for a delicious, nutty, buttery, crumbly dessert that is easy to make and everybody will love?!? You've come to the right place!
Today I'd like to show you that preparing this almond tart from scratch is not really hard.  Start with the base recipe for the crust, which I've used many times in several recipes (with small variations). And the good news about my crust recipe: you don't need to wait for the dough to chill in the refrigerator before baking ... which I always feel it's a big waste of time. AND, more importantly, you don't need a rolling pin to stretch the dough. Just mix the ingredients in a bowl, move the dough directly on the greased tart pan (better if you have one with the removable bottom) and press it down and mold it with your hands. Very easy and a lot less messy! And I promise, if you follow the directions, your tart will look just as beautiful as mine :)

On top of the crust, I spread some apricot preserve, for extra moist and flavor. You can choose a different fruit preserve if you prefer, like peach, plum, fig, berry... Or, just skip the preserve all together. In this case, I suggest adding half teaspoon of almond extract to the filling, for a more nutty aroma.
Note, for this recipe you will need two whole eggs (separated) and three extra egg whites. So, this recipe comes handy when you have left over whites that you don't want to throw away. I made a delicious creme brulee' yesterday, which was devoured as soon as I was finished caramelizing the top with my torch. I saved the egg whites in a bowl in the refrigerator, and today... BAM!! Here is my tart. And I can have it now for breakfast with your cappuccino, for the kid's mid-morning snack, or tonight after dinner for dessert. This is great anytime and anywhere!
... especially at the beach :)

 Enjoy :) 

Ingredients: to make an 11 in (28 cm) tart     PRINTABLE RECIPE
For the crust:

• 2 egg yolks 
• 1/3 cup (75 gr) of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons of milk
• a pinch of salt
• 6 oz (170 gr) unsalted butter (soften)
• 2 cups (300 gr) of all-purpose flour

For the filling:

• 5 egg whites
• 1/3 cup (75 gr) of sugar
• 2  cups (200 gr) of almond meal
• 1/3 cup (100 gr) apricot preserve (or your favorite fruit preserve - optional)
• 1/4 cup (30 gr) of sliced almonds (I used Trader Joe's unsalted dry toasted sliced almonds)
• powdered sugar for decorating (optional)

Preparation time: 30 minutes to prepare, plus 45 minutes baking
Directions:
1. Grease an 11 in (28 cm) tart pan with butter and flour (or spray). Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C).
2. Starting with the crust: in a large bowl, beat two egg yolks with a 1/3 cup of sugar, one teaspoon of vanilla extract, two tablespoons of milk and a pinch of salt. Save the egg whites for later.

 3. Add 6 oz (one stick and a half) of butter cut in pieces and mix.

4. Blend in the flour, one cup at a time.

5. Move the dough onto the tart pan, and press it down using your hands (or a spoon). Make it s flat as possible. Work with your fingers around the edges to make it even. Remove any extra dough form the sides. Prick the dough with a fork. You can use weight for the dough. I normally don't bother, the little holes are enough to keep it flat.

6. Bake the crust at 375° F (190° C) for about 20 minutes  

Start preparing the filling: in a large bowl, whip the egg whites. Gently fold in the sugar first, and two cups of almond meal.

                                    

                                    

                                    

7. Spread the crust when ready with the apricot preserve. Pour the almond mixture on top and level helping yourself with a spoon. 

                                    

                                    

8. Sprinkle the top with sliced almonds, lower the temperature of the oven to 350° F (175° C) and bake for about 25 minutes in the middle/upper part of the oven, until slightly golden on top.

9. Wait for the tart to cool down before removing from the pan. Decorate with powdered sugar if you'd like.

 Enjoy!

 

Chocolate Dipped Almond Sandwich Cookies

Buttery almond cookies, sandwiched with apricot preserve and dipped in sinfully creamy chocolate. 
Not only delicious but super easy to make - no rolling pin or cookie cutter required

What more could you want in a cookie? 

And so it begins! Summer with the kids. No school and NO summer camps. Yes, you heard me!
No. Summer. Camps.
Some of my friends think I'm crazy spending the whole day, every single day for the next two months with the kids. But I love it! I really enjoy spending  time with them, and I should really savor these moments, now that they are young ... and still like to spend time with me :)
You might ask, what's the secret to keep my sanity for the rest of the summer? Easy, outdoor spaces. Yes, I don't (and cannot!) stay in the house for too long. Outdoor activities are a must, at least with the amount of energy of my boys. I have the beach at my door steps... well, not really, but it's pretty close. I have the pool. Great weather (for the most part). And lots of friends to spend time with.
And for those few occasions, like the other day when it rained,  and we were stuck at home, we bake!
Baking or cooking with the kids can be a lot of fun. And the cookies that I made this week are perfect. Made from scratch, but quite easy to do. No rolling pin or cookie cutters required. Just mix the ingredients, roll the dough with your hands and bake. As soon as the cookies cool off a bit, spread with preserve, and dip in melted chocolate. Maybe this last part might need some supervision, or those little fingers might get burned.

Once the chocolate cools down and hardens a bit, these cookies are ready to be devoured. And make sure to enjoy every single crumb. Soooo buttery, nutty, fruity and chocolaty. What more could you want in a cookie?!?

Ingredients to make 24 sandwich cookies:                                            PRINTABLE RECIPE

• 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup (150 gr) of sugar
• 6 oz (170 gr) of salted butter*, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups (150 gr) of almond meal
• 2 cups (250 gr) of all-purpose flour
• about 1/2 cup of apricot preserve, (or also raspberry, plum, peach or orange)
• 1 cup (150 gr) of semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) of heavy whipping cream 

* If  using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt

Preparation time: About one  hour

Directions:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C). In a large bowl combine the egg and two egg yolks with the sugar and mix well, with a blender or food processor if you like, until light and fluffy.

Step 2: Add the butter (soften at room temperature), vanilla extract and salt (if using unsalted butter). Mix well again.

 Step 3: Add the almond meal and about half of the all-purpose flour. Blend

Step 4: Add the remaining flour, while mixing. Check the consistency of the dough. It needs to be slightly soft and a bit sticky. Add a little more flour if too soft.

Step 5: Line with parchment paper a baking sheet (or more than 1 if you have them, so you don't need to wait for the first batch to cook!). Roll small balls of dough in your hands. Try to make them all about the same size. Flatten them out with your palm or fingers. You should be able to make about 48 cookies.

Step 6: Bake in the middle of the oven at 350° F (175° C) for 15-18 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. If you are baking two cookie sheets in the oven at the same time, make sure to switch position at about half time, so both batches cook evenly. You might need to add one extra minute to compensate for the crowded oven.

Step 6: Let the cookies cool down for a few minutes. Spread the apricot preserve on half the cookies, and make sandwiches.

Step 7: Boil one inch of water in a medium size sauce pan. In an oven-safe bowl, add the chocolate and place the bowl in the hot water. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Add the whipping cream, and stir well, until the chocolate is all melted. Turn off the heat, but leave the bowl in the hot water so the chocolate stays warms and melted. Dip each cookie halfway in the chocolate. Place it again on the parchment paper to cool off and until the chocolate hardens.

 Enjoy :)