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Raspberry Hand Pies

Raspberry Hand Pies | Gather & Dine

Isn’t everything more fun to eat when it’s shaped in a heart? I just couldn’t resist sharing these little raspberry hand pies with you today.  I used the same dough as I did this these chocolate hazelnut toaster pastries and filled each with a couple teaspoons of jam.  Surprisely simple, yet still special.

Wishing you all a beautiful day filled with love.

Raspberry Hand Pies | Gather & Dine

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Raspberry Hand Pies
Serves: 10-12 hearts, depending on size
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups spelt flour
  • ¼ cup raw unsalted pumpkin seeds
  • ¼ cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
  • 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
  • about ½ cup good quality raspberry jam
  • coarse finishing salt and turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top
Instructions
  1. In the bowl of a food processor, add the pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Process until seeds are finely ground. Add the flour, sugar, and salt and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse again until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  2. In a small bowl, combine vinegar and 6 tablespoons of ice water. With the food processor running, gradually add the vinegar and water. Process just until mixture begins to clump together. Transfer mixture to a lightly floured surface and finish kneading together by hand. Form dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill about 30 minutes.
  3. Preheat oven to 400.
  4. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to approximately ⅛" thick. Use a shaped cutter to cut into hearts.
  5. Take one heart and spread 2 teaspoons raspberry jam in the middle, leaving a border around the edges. Top with another heart and use a fork to crimp the edges together. Repeat with the remaining hearts.
  6. Sprinkle tops with a generous pinch coarse salt and turbinado sugar.
  7. Bake for 11-13 minutes, until edges start to turn light golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes on tray and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
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Vanilla Hazelnut Butter

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A super simple post for today, but it’s something the whole family has enjoyed so much that I wanted to share it.  Chocolate hazelnut butter is of course a well-loved favorite, but recently we’ve discovered how pleasant this vanilla hazelnut butter can be.  It’s pure hazelnut flavor, enhanced by vanilla and lightly sweetened by medjool dates.  While the consistency is not as creamy as some nut butters, it’s still very spreadable and is lovely on toast or crackers.  Up later this week- a special Valentine’s Day treat using this vanilla hazelnut butter!

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Vanilla Hazelnut Butter
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups raw hazelnuts
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3-4 medjool dates, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes
Instructions
  1. To remove the bitter skins off the hazelnuts, roast the hazelnuts in a single layer for 10-12 minutes in a 350 oven. Transfer the hazelnuts to a kitchen towel, and use the towel to rub the skins loose. (Removing the hazelnut skins always seems a bit tedious to me so this time I did not stress about getting every skin peeled and the results were just fine.)
  2. Drain dates, but do not squeeze water from dates. In the bowl of a food processor or high speed blender, place the toasted hazelnuts, vanilla, and dates. Process or blend until hazelnuts become smooth and have a spreadable consistency, scraping down sides when necessary. Length of time needed to process depends on the strength of the appliance, ranging between 5-10 minutes.
Notes
*If medjool dates are extra soft, soaking may be unnecessary.
*Updated 10/21/2015: After some more experimenting, I've found the best results are achieved when hazelnuts are ground FIRST into a creamy nut butter to which the dates and the seeds from one vanilla bean are then added and blended into the nut butter. I've found this method to yield the creamiest consistency.
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Orange Cinnamon Scones with Dark Chocolate

Orange Cinnamon Scones with Dark Chocolate | Gather & Dine

On the days that I can manage to get myself up early enough to have some time before the kids wake up, I often choose to spend the quiet of the morning baking some sort of treat for breakfast.  I enjoy the peacefulness of being alone in the kitchen and the opportunity to temporarily set aside some of the more pressing tasks of the day.  It calms my spirit and is one of my best ways to begin the morning.

These orange cinnamon scones with dark chocolate are exactly what the title suggests- infused with hints of orange, warmly spiced with cinnamon, and studded throughout with chunks of dark chocolate.  They are completely whole-grain, but the texture is still remarkably light and tender thanks to the combination of the white whole wheat flour and the whole wheat pastry flour.  It’s a lovely way to take advantage of the bountiful citrus season upon us.

Orange Cinnamon Scones with Dark Chocolate | Gather & Dine Orange Cinnamon Scones with Dark Chocolate | Gather & Dine

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Orange Cinnamon Scones with Dark Chocolate
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • 2½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
  • 2 ounces chopped dark chocolate, about ⅓ cup
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest, from 1 large orange
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • ½ cup chilled heavy whipping cream
  • 1 egg yolk plus 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Cut butter into small cubes and scatter over the dry ingredients. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter cubes into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate.
  3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, orange zest, orange juice, and cream. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.
  4. Transfer dough to a well-floured surface and form two circles ¾" thick. Use a floured knife to cut each circle into 6 wedges. Transfer scones to the baking sheet, leaving at least 1" between each.
  5. Whisk together the egg yolk and water. Use a pastry brush to brush scones with the egg wash. Bake 13-16 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.
Notes
adapted from Ancient Grains for Modern Meals
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