Desserts

Candy Cane Crisps

December 17, 2020 by Christina Shoup 1 Comment

Many years ago when I was away at college, I received the most delicious care package – these cookies! My brother’s girlfriend, now wife of over 20 years, sent me a box of these for a Valentine’s treat. How sweet is that? As delicate as these cookies seem, I can personally attest that they hold up quite nicely when shipped. And with so many loved ones not being able to get together this year, what a nice surprise these would be!

The cookies begin in a ball, then smashed with a thumb, before getting a sprinkling of crushed candy cane (or peppermint candies) – a fun project with kids! These babies spread, so be sure to leave ample room between cookies.

After baking until just barely golden around the outside, these cookies need a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack. Once they spend a little time here, they get crispy on the outside and bottom, while maintaining a wonderful chewiness in the middle. A wonderful cross between a butter cookie and a shortbread with a perfect peppermint crunch.

Cheers,

Christina

Candy Cane Crisps

This delicate, chewy, yet crispy butter cookie has the perfect amount of peppermint. The quick oats are a unique ingredient, but key to providing some needed structure to this easy to make cookie. This is an adapted recipe from my sister-in-law, and I am grateful! They have been a favorite of mine for several decades and are a delicious holiday staple in my home.

Course Dessert

Keyword candy cane cookies, peppermint

Servings 2 dozen

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar plus additional ½ cup for coating
1⅓ cup flour
1 cup quick oats
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ cup coarsely crushed candy cane plus 2 tbsp for topping
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp peppermint extract

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine flour, oats, salt and crushed candy cane. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and powdered sugar. Scrape the bowl. Add the vanilla and peppermint extract and mix until combined. Add flour mixture and mix until well combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
Transfer cookie dough to refrigerator for 30 minutes for the dough to set up, making scooping and rolling much easier.
Preheat oven to 325°. Add remaining ½ cup powdered sugar to a shallow bowl. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and scooping out a scant tablespoon of dough, rolling into a ball, then into the powdered sugar to coat. Place on prepared baking sheet with plenty of room for cookies to spread. Smash a thumbprint on each cookie and fill with a pinch of crushed candy cane.
Bake cookies until barely lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Be sure to let cool on a baking sheet for a few minutes so these delicate cookies can set up a bit before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Sugar Cookie Cut Outs

December 15, 2020 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

The Christmas season would not be the same without these cookies! I’ve been making them since my kids were little and it’s always a fun project to look forward to. One year, as a new teacher, (my OG kids!) I made this recipe and baked trays and trays of these holiday, winter-themed cookies. We drank hot chocolate, listened to holiday music and decorated cookies and I just knew it was something I’d love doing with my own kids one day.

Over the years I’ve perfected the easiest way to make this project FUN, and not just a big, floury, sugary, food dye mess. If you’re able to plan ahead a bit, think about your cookie project in steps, on different days, if possible.

Step 1: Make the dough and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate both disks or put one in a ziplock bag and freeze to use at a later date. I’ve had good results using this frozen dough to make Valentine hearts 6-8 weeks later! Pull the frozen dough from the freezer about an hour before you want to use it.

Step 2: Roll out dough and cut out into desired shapes. Bake and cool. These can now be stored for a day before you want to frost them.

Step 3: Make frosting and decorate. For maximum freshness, give these away the day you frost them. They can be enjoyed for days if kept in an airtight container.

These cookies are the perfect accent to a cookie gift box. The beautiful bold colors come from gel food coloring, one I prefer to liquid. Crushed candy canes, sprinkles and colored sugars all make fun accents. If working with kiddos – a plastic table cover, disposable knives and bowls and even rimmed baking sheets to decorate in help contain the ~~mess~~, I mean fun!

Cheers and happy baking!

Christina

Sugar Cookie Cut Outs

This recipe comes from my family cookbook growing up and it's been a family tradition in my own home since my kids were little. The recipe makes two disks of dough, so if you're planning cookie plates to give away, make and bake the entire recipe. Alternatively, plan to freeze one of the disks of dough for a fun project at a later date – snowflakes in January or hearts in February.

Course Dessert

Servings 4 dozen

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Cookie dough

3 ¾ cups flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups sugar
⅔ cups butter room temperature
2 eggs room temperature
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp almond extract can use vanilla

Icing

1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
3 tbsp butter room temperature
¼-½ tsp almond extract can use vanilla
1 tbsp milk
pinch of kosher salt
food coloring

Instructions

Dough:

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as needed.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Add milk and almond extract and mix until combined.
With the mixer on low, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
Shape dough into two disks and wrap each in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for 2-3 hours until easy to handle.

To make cookies:

Preheat oven to 400°
Lightly grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
On floured surface, roll one of the disks till ⅛” to ¼” thick. Keep extra dough in the refrigerator until ready to use.
With floured cookie cutters, cut into various shapes. Gather scraps and re-roll dough to cut out more cookies.
Place them on cookie sheets, ½” apart.
Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until very lightly browned.
Move cookies to baking rack and cool completely before frosting.

Icing

Combine confectioners' sugar, butter, extract and milk, beating until creamy.
If necessary, add a few more drops of milk to reach desired spreading consistency.
Divide frosting into as many bowls as you want colors. Mix in food coloring as desired.
Spread frosting over cooled cookies and add any additional sprinkles or decorations when frosting is still wet.

Glazed Pumpkin Cookies

October 1, 2020 by Christina Shoup 2 Comments

When my kids see this pumpkin cookie coming out of a hot oven, it is a tell tale sign that Fall has arrived. It’s a childhood favorite of mine, passed along to my family growing up from our next door neighbor and has quickly earned its place in our list of family favorites as well. I only make it from October 1 – Thanksgiving, making the possibility of its appearance a timely and much anticipated treat.

This is the perfect glazed cookie for a sweet treat or unglazed with a cup of coffee for an afternoon snack. I have served a platter of these cookies on a Halloween food buffet, treated hard working teachers during busy fall parent teacher conferences, as well as placed a tray of these cookies at the coveted spot on the Thanksgiving dessert table. Above all, this is my favorite fall cookie to make several batches of, pile on a pretty plate, and deliver to beloved friends and family.

I hope you find this pumpkin cookie as tasty as we do and enjoy sharing it with your friends and family.

Cheers,

Christina

Bake these cookies until they have a nice golden color – this vastly deepens and improves the flavor of the cookie

Combine ingredients and stand by ready to whisk

Whisk constantly while the mixture is at a rolling boil – a deep caramel/maple flavor happens in a matter of minutes

Add vanilla, powdered sugar and salt and whisk until smooth – then act fast to frost cookies before the icing firms up

Some plain, some frosted, some with chopped nuts – everybody wins

Glazed Pumpkin Cookies

This little cake-like pumpkin cookie is a fall family favorite! The original recipe came from my next door neighbor growing up. She would be delighted, but certainly not surprised, that this remains a beloved recipe passed between neighborhoods and generations. Here's my favorite version with tweaks I've made over the years to further deepen the flavor. Glazed or unglazed, it's a perfect treat.

Course Dessert

Keyword cookies, pumpkin

Servings 3 dozen

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Cookies

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1½ tsp vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
½ cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and finely chopped Add an additional ¼ cup nuts for topping, if desired

Glaze

½ cup brown sugar
5 tbsp milk whole or reduced fat both work well
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 cup powdered sugar sifted or whisked until free of lumps

Instructions

Cookies

Preheat oven to 375°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Mix first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
In a stand mixer, cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Scrape bowl.
Add egg and mix well.
Add in pumpkin and vanilla. Mix well, scraping the bowl as needed. The mixture may look like it is separating, but don't worry. It will come together into a nice smooth batter when the dry ingredients are added.
Add dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.
Remove bowl from stand mixer and fold in ½ cup of the chopped nuts by hand.
Using a small ice cream scoop, about 1½ Tbsp, scoop batter onto parchment lined baking sheets, allowing about 2 inches in between each cookie. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes. Unlike many other cookies, they should be set and the top should feel like the top of a baked muffin or cake. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Glaze

In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, milk and butter. Heat to a gentle boil, whisking constantly for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and add vanilla, salt and powdered sugar and whisk until smooth.
Working quickly so the glaze doesn't set up, use a spoon to spread a small amount on top of each cookie. Sprinkle some chopped nuts, if using, on top of the wet glaze. Keeps well for days in a sealed container and also freezes well. Enjoy!

Summer Fruit Almond Cream Galette

July 18, 2020 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

When your favorite summer desserts include all things fruit, you come up with new ways to use all that peak produce! Fruit crisps are one of my favorite desserts- I can never get enough of that sweet, buttery, oat crumble. But then I remind myself how much I love pie, or anything with a flaky, buttery crust. Galettes (French), or crostatas (Italian), depending on the cuisine you’re talking about, are the perfect solution to this dilemma. A sturdy crust, a surprise almond cream that serves as a base for all that juicy fruit, and a sweet oat crumble to top the fruit makes for a very satisfying summer dessert. A scoop of good vanilla ice cream is highly recommended – it was very much a recent hit with my family and mother-in-law.

Don’t be turned off by all the steps! Most can be prepared in advance of the assembly, and the galette itself can be baked entirely and served room temperature. I did that recently and only popped it in the oven for a few minutes to heat so our ice cream on top would get perfectly melty, but it’s certainly not necessary. And, store-bought pie crust is a fine substitution – Trader Joe’s is a great choice and makes this recipe even easier. The goal is to enjoy this delicious dessert!

Cheers,

Christina

fresh peaches in a circle and blueberries scattered

fold, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar

Summer Fruit Almond Cream Galette

This delicious summer dessert is the best of all fruit desserts. It's got a sturdy crust to hold all the juicy summer fruit, a surprise almond cream as a base hiding below that fruit, and a oat crumble on top to give it the perfect crunch. A satisfying pie-crumble-galette combo that will both impress and delight your family and friends.

Course Dessert

Keyword galette, summer fruit

Servings 8 servings

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

3-4 peaches or nectarines, halved, pitted and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
½ cup blueberries

Galette Dough

1½ cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces
4-5 tbsp ice water

Almond Cream

¼ cup almond paste
2 tbsp brown sugar
¼ cup sour cream

Oat Crumble

¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup flour
4 tbsp unsalted butter cut into small pieces
2 tbsp old fashioned oats
2 tbsp sliced almonds optional
pinch of kosher salt

Egg Wash/Sugar crust

1 egg
1 tbsp heavy cream or whole milk
pinch of kosher salt
1-2 tbsp turbinado sugar

Instructions

Galette dough

In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar and salt to blend.
Add butter and pulse a few times to cut butter into the flour until you have small pieces of butter throughout.
Add ice water a little at a time and pulse until mixture forms a dough that can holds together when you pinch a bit in your hand. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Gather dough and press into a disc.
Place disc in between two sheets of parchment paper and roll into a rough circle, about 11 inches in diameter. Place the parchment lined dough on a baking sheet and place in the freezer while you prepare the crumble and almond cream, about 30 minutes.

Almond Cream

Blend almond paste, brown sugar, and sour cream in a food processor. You can also use a hand mixer, but is harder to get the almond paste to blend in completely. Set aside.

Oat Crumble

Add all ingredients, except the butter, to a small bowl and combine. Add small pieces of butter and using clean hands, or a fork, work the butter and mixture together until a crumble mixture appears. Chunks of butter coated with flour and oats is what you're looking for. Set aside.

Egg Wash

Combine the egg, cream or milk, and salt and whisk until mixture is homogeneous. Set aside.

Assembly

Preheat oven to 400°. Pull dough out of the freezer and peel the top layer of parchment off. Leave the bottom layer on the baking sheet and let sit out on the counter for a few minutes until it can be easily folded.
Evenly spread almond mixture over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Place peaches in a circle or evenly scattered around, followed by the blueberries. Sprinkle the crumble on top of the fruit. Fold the dough edge over the fruit, pleating naturally occurs as you fold. Brush the edge with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake until crust is golden, about 35 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing into wedges. A scoop of ice cream on top is a very good idea.

Boysenberry Pizza

June 27, 2020 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

This is a childhood favorite – a 4th of July staple for our neighborhood block parties, and even now, I crave it every single summer. It’s in our family recipe book written by my mom over 15 years ago and it’s a wonderful combination of tangy pudding-like cheesecake and sweet boysenberry jam. It has a few steps of chilling, cooling, etc. but it’s worth every step.

The pie dough is a very sturdy one, hence the “pizza” name. It’s firm enough to cut a slice and pick it up with your fingers. Do it! You could certainly do a more standard flaky pie crust (which I love), but the recipe included definitely isn’t that.

Start with a pie dough, followed by a blind bake (partially baking with parchment and dried beans or weights), remove and bake until golden. If you like your crust to maintain it’s defined crimped edges, be sure to chill the shell for 30 minutes and bake straight from the freezer or refrigerator. If you’re like me, it’s one extra step that isn’t important to you, and definitely doesn’t affect the taste of the final product so you skip it.

Then you make the boysenberry filling and let it cool while the crust cools.

The cream cheese filling mixed with lemon zest is absolutely delicious- this gets piled in the cooled crust, before the whole berries are scattered around and the jam filling is poured over.

Like all of us, this dessert NEEDS chills time. If you begin it in the morning and allow steps for cooling and set up time, I promise you will be rewarded with a boysenberry pizza you can pick up with your fingers and be absolutely delighted.

If you begin it in the early afternoon and let it set at least 4 hours like I did in the above picture, you will have a little more runny jam filling, but will be delighted nonetheless. Both are delicious and I hope you get a chance to make it this summer!

Cheers,

Christina

Boysenberry Pizza

A delicious combination of cheesecake and fruit pie, this summer dessert is a childhood favorite and now a favorite with my own family. You can use boysenberries or the widely available blackberry. If you make this for friends or family, I promise they will ask you for the recipe after their first bite. A perfect summer BBQ or July 4th treat!

Course Dessert

Keyword blackberry, boysenberry

Servings 8 servings

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Pie dough

1½ cup flour
2 tbsp sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
4-5 tbsp ice water

Filling

8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
1 egg
1 cup sugar divided
zest of 1 lemon
¼ kosher salt
2 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water
2- 6 ounce containers of boysenberries or blackberries

Instructions

Pie Dough

In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar and salt to blend.
Add butter and pulse a few times to cut butter into the flour until you have small pieces of butter throughout.
Add ice water a little at a time and pulse until mixture forms a dough that can holds together when you pinch a bit in your hand.
Gather dough onto a very lightly floured board and press into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Chilled Dough

Preheat oven to 400°. Roll dough out on a lightly floured board and place in a 9" glass pie dish. Crimp the sides as desired. Make several fork piercings around the bottom and sides of dough.
Blind bake: Place a sheet of parchment paper on the dough and cover with dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove parchment and beans and continue to bake for another 10 minutes, until the crust is lightly golden. Set aside to cool. Lower oven temperature to 250°.

Filling

In a medium saucepan, mash 1 container of berries with ⅔ cup sugar. Add water and cornstarch and bring mixture to a boil. While mixture is boiling, stir with spatula to prevent scorching and continue to cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Add cream cheese, egg, sugar, lemon zest and salt to a medium bowl. With a hand mixer, blend until smooth and well combined.

To assemble

Fill cooled pie shell with cream cheese mixture and bake for 15 minutes at lower temperature until set. Cool.
Scatter remaining container of berries over surface of cooled filling. Pour cooled crushed berry mixture over the whole berries.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours, until firm and can easily slice with a knife.

Cherry & Nectarine Cake

May 22, 2020 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

Memorial Day weekend is usually Crazy Town in our household – usually falling right in the middle of two special birthdays. Combine those festivities with typical end of the year school and sports events as well as one of our favorite music festivals in Napa, it’s never a dull weekend! This is a very different May, indeed.

Different, but I wouldn’t say dull – what with a backyard pool, gorgeous weather in the Bay Area and my favorite people around, I’m actually looking forward to it! To make it special and break up the monotony of spending so much time at home, I plan on all the pool floaties, music blasting on the speakers, fun trays of snacks, poolside cocktails and a strong vacation mindset. Mindset is KEY!

Also on tap for the weekend is my annual apricot jam making fest- it’s a house speciality and a gift I give all year long to friends and family. Our local bakery makes the most amazing sourdough country loaf and croissants- that combined with some high quality salted butter and apricot jam- and you’ve created yourself a little slice of Parisian heaven. YUM

And finally, since it’s peak cherry season, my cherry and nectarine cake is a simple and easily adaptable treat that I just made for the weekend- and you should too! It’s full of pantry staples and only requires a few ingredients. Turns out it’s a light after dinner treat but I think even more enjoyable with a morning or afternoon coffee! Remember, it’s that vacation mindset that allows for these kinds of treats.

Cheers,

Christina

Thick batter is a perfect base for fruit and almonds

Cherries and nectarines, berries are great as well

Raw slivered or sliced almonds and turbinado sugar make a perfect crunchy topping

Cherry and Nectarine Snack Cake

This easily adaptable cake takes only a few pantry ingredients and can be used with pretty much any fruit that is in season. My favorites include apricot, nectarine, cherry, or a combination of berries. It's not too sweet, making it a perfect pair with afternoon coffee or tea. I love the almond extract with summer fruits. Adapted from a butter cake recipe from Sunset magazine many years back!

Course Dessert

Keyword cake

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs room temperature
1½ tsp almond extract
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp kosher salt
1 cup cherry halves and thinly sliced nectarine about 8 cherries and 1 small nectarine
1 tbsp turbinado sugar
1 tbsp raw sliced or slivered almonds

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter or use baking spray to grease a 9-inch pan with a removable rim.
In a stand mixer, combine butter and sugar and beat on high speed for 3 minutes.
Add eggs and almond extract and beat until combined.
Add flour, baking powder and salt. Beat on high for 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Scrape the thick batter into the baking pan and smooth with spatula.
Place fruit evenly over the batter and sprinkle with almonds and turbinado sugar.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, until lightly golden. Cool completely on a baking rack before removing the rim and dusting with powdered sugar.

Zucchini-Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Icing

August 15, 2018 by Christina Shoup 2 Comments

August marks an important month for me. Exactly a year ago I began looking online for classes for home cooks. My plan was to give myself a budget and sign up for classes to take when the kids were settled at their new school. Mostly, I was looking for the fundamentals on soups, sauces, etc. to further develop my culinary skills. I was already fairly skilled at finding and following a recipe, but I wanted to be a better home cook beyond using recipes. I had no idea that research would lead to applying for professional culinary school…

My research of local cooking classes turned up some pretty good options, including some programs at local community colleges, high end grocery stores, culinary institutes, and small boutique cooking programs in the greater Bay Area. In the meantime, Eric and I were signed up for a fun date night cooking class at Draeger’s Cooking School in San Mateo. I’ve always enjoyed their classes (they serve wine and cheese during the class!) and always love coming home with a fun new menu to make and share with others. I’ve also been very impressed with their instructors. Specifically, The French Macaron Workshop with Lindsay Kinder (great energy), The Croissant Workshop with Michael Kalanty (hysterically funny), and End-of-Summer Harvest Celebration and Summertime Surf & Turf with Linda Carucci (so kind and such a professional). It was the last class that kicked off this huge change in my life.

Linda Carucci is an award-winning chef, culinary instructor and author of Cooking School Secrets for Real World Chefs. She was teaching the class that Eric and I attended, and I am forever grateful that she was. I knew in the first few minutes that I was going to walk away with more than a handful of fabulous tips in the kitchen. But, what I actually walked away with was a mentor to help me on this new journey and a new dear friend (not to mention how to get hummus or homemade mayo off your Cuisinart blade quickly so there’s no waste!). Her mentorship has helped me figure out what to do with this passion and the potential opportunities that lie ahead. If you get a chance, please check out her local cooking class offerings here.

At the end of this month, I will begin the adventure of professional culinary school at the San Francisco Cooking School. It’s a hands-on, small class, full time program in the kitchen (no classroom!) for the next 3.5 months- I couldn’t be more excited! And nervous. After that, a much needed winter break before beginning another 2 months in an externship position. At the end of the program, I will graduate with a Professional Culinary Certificate, as a professionally trained cook. Who knows what comes after that, but I sure hope it starts with cooking for and with everyone that supported me throughout this journey!

For the next many months, I will be sure to share tasty recipes, tips and adventures from culinary school… stay tuned! ** If you’re on Instagram, feel free to follow my public account: @cookingwithchristinashoup.

In honor of my friend Linda, I’d like to share one of my favorite recipes from a class I took from her. I have made this cake with and without the icing- you cannot go wrong! I had it for a mid-morning snack today with a cup of tea- delicious.

Cheers,

Christina

Zucchini-Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Icing

This delicious snack cake was adapted, with permission, from my friend and mentor Linda Carucci. Using a large sheet pan, it can feed a crowd. Consider taking this to a potluck or your local school's staff room- those teachers deserve a treat! It keeps well for several days, so don't hesitate to make it and enjoy with your own family all week.

Keyword cake, zucchini

Servings 12 to 24 (or more), depending on size of pieces and pan size

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Cake

1 1/2 cups raisins
1 1/2 cups golden raisins
About 2 cups apricot brandy, dark rum, orange-flavored liqueur, or hot water
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup mild-tasting extra virgin olive oil, such as Bariani
3 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini, about 1 3/4 pounds
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Lemon Icing

2 medium lemons
1 tablespoon mild-tasting extra virgin olive oil
2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Soak the raisins:

Measure raisins into a 4-cup liquid measure. Add enough hot water, brandy, or other liqueur to cover raisins. Cover and set aside for 20 minutes to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (or 325 Convection). For a thin snack cake (to eat out of hand), butter an 11×16″ rimmed baking sheet. If you prefer a denser cake (more suitable if you plan to serve the cake on a plate), butter a 9×13″ baking pan; set aside.

Prepare the cake:

In a large bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat eggs lightly. Add sugar and stir to combine. Whisk in olive oil, zucchini, and vanilla extract. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Strain raisins, reserving soaking liquor for another use. Add raisins and nuts to batter, and stir just to combine. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, cake springs back when touched in the center, and cake begins to pull away from the side of the pan, 20 to 25 minutes for the 11×16″ pan. If using a 9×13″ pan, bake 50 to 55 minutes. Transfer cake (in the pan) to a cooling rack, and cool to room temperature.

Preparing the icing:

With a zester or the small holes of a box grater, remove the zest from the lemons and finely chop 2 teaspoons of zest. Squeeze the lemons and measure out 1/4 cup of juice. Reserve any remaining zest and juice for another use.
In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice, olive oil, and lemon zest.
Sift powdered sugar into bowl and stir to combine. Cover icing with a piece of plastic wrap placed directly on the surface (to prevent a crust from forming), and set aside until cake is cool.

Ice the cake:

Leave cake in the pan and spread the top with icing. To prevent the icing from “cracking” when you cut the cake, score the cake into bars or squares before icing hardens. After serving, cover any remaining cake with plastic wrap and store at cool room temperature for up to 3 days, refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 1 month.

Food helps soothe the soul

January 22, 2018 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

Beautiful Santa Barbara coastline with charred hills just above Montecito

For my close friends and family, you know the past few weeks have brought lots of sadness and anxiety with the disaster that has unfolded in Montecito. For those that don’t know me personally but read my blog know that my last post focused on the fabulous trip we just took to Montecito and the Santa Barbara area and all the tasty food we enjoyed on that visit. For many people not in CA, Montecito is familiar because it’s where Oprah and Ellen live- for me it’s where three of my favorite people on the planet live and love. The devastation that has occurred there is mind boggling. Families have been forever changed. The tight-knit community who was still so raw from the fires in December have had to endure hours, days and now weeks of trauma and uncertainty. As I write this, the main freeway that runs through this darling little town has only just opened in the past 24 hours but residents still remain shut off from their homes and neighborhood and will continue to be for more than a week. All I can say is that the feeling of helplessness is a terrible feeling and all I have wanted to do the past two weeks is scoop up these three, transport them to my town and nurture and comfort them with every warm and tasty dish I know how to make. If praying is your kind of thing, please continue to include the town of Montecito in your prayers. There is still much uncertainty and a massive clean up effort to continue.

For now, we focus on feeding the souls of our friends and family whenever possible. Below are some recipes that I have made in the past week or are on my meal calendar for the week ahead. I hope you find something to try and enjoy.

As always, thanks for reading and happy meal planning!

~Christina

Salted Butter and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread

I’m not sure what to say about these other than they are absolutely delicious and dangerous to have in my kitchen- I made them a few days ago and they disappeared in no time. They are buttery, chocolatey and have the best crunch from the turbinado sugar. I am planning on making a few batches of these this week for my husband to bring to work. Just a mid-week treat of cookies to get them through the week!

Classic Italian-American Stuffed Shells

I made this dish this past week and split it between two foil pans- one for my kids and grandma to have while Eric and I were out for the night and one for the freezer to take to a friend who just had a new baby. It’s flavorful, comfort food at its best! This recipe is your standard spinach ricotta filling but with an extra step or two to soak up the moisture of the spinach and ricotta. If you have a few extra minutes, it’s worth the additional steps. I used a jar of Rao’s Homemade Sauce- it’s a great weeknight solution and a quality brand that is almost always on sale at Safeway. Or try Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce. It’s the best sauce I think I’ve ever had and super easy- 3 ingredients and 45 minutes of simmer time.

Ham and Split Pea Soup

This is the easiest soup to make and full of flavor. My entire family loves it. I make it as written, but always double the recipe and we either eat it for a few meals or put it in smaller containers and freeze it. The only thing you need to do if eating it for leftovers is to thin it a bit with water or stock before heating it up. I used leftover ham (Cook’s Illustrated Holiday Ham with Cherry Port Sauce) I had in the freezer from the holidays. We have this with a side of kale salad. Yum!

Chickpea, Barley and Kale Soup

Everyone needs to have an easy super healthy soup like this one in their repertoire. And, everyone needs to have a friend like my friend Patricia! She brought me this soup about a year ago when I wasn’t feeling awesome and I loved it so much that I promptly requested the recipe. I’ve made it many times since and it’s a hit with my family. The only changes I usually make are to use vegetable or chicken stock instead of the water and bullion cubes and I also double the amount of kale, carrots and celery- can never have enough veggies! My kids love to sprinkle Tajin seasoning salt on the top so I am sure to keep the salt to taste at a minimum. A garlic toast to dip is the perfect side.

Slow Roasted Salmon with Pesto

Recently, we were visiting my mom and she offered us the yummiest baked salmon for lunch. It is so simple using prepared pesto and it cooks beginning in a COLD oven so you don’t even need to take time to preheat! We ate it cold, as my mom usually does, and it was delicious. I cannot think of a healthier option to have in your fridge during the week for a quick lunch. Bonus- cold salmon means you can take it to work and not stink up the company kitchen! I cannot think of anyone who might have done this while teaching about 10 years ago- but, you only do that once before learning your lesson.

My mom’s “recipe” in a text message. We are fancy like that.

“Hi Sweetie! Cannot find the exact recipe but here’s what I do: olive oil in the bottom of a shallow casserole, put Costco prepared Pesto on top of salmon after I season with a little salt and pepper. Spread about 2 Tbsp. depending on size of filet. Set oven to 400°. Place casserole on middle rack in cold oven and after temp reaches 400° I turn off the oven and let it sit in the oven for another 5 or 10 minutes. It all depends on the size of the fillet. You can check for desired firmness and also for the milky white liquid to disappear.”

If you need an exact recipe: Pioneer Woman puts salmon filet in a cold oven, then turns on the heat to 400 degrees and cooks for 25 minutes. Both preparations couldn’t be more simple! I hope you enjoy.
Crispy Dijon Chicken Sandwiches

When I was growing up we loved going to Burger King and instead of getting a burger we often got their “healthier” (ha!) chicken sandwiches on a roll. They were so simple but so delicious. And, because they were several dollars a sandwich and my parents had 4 teenagers at once with big appetites, it added up. My mom recreated it at home for much cheaper and included it in our family collection of recipes. Using organic chicken- which I would- would definitely not make this more affordable, but certainly worth making for my family to satisfy my fond childhood memory.

The only tip I would give is to put your pan in the oven to get really hot and when your chicken is ready to go in the oven, pull your pan out, grease it with olive oil (my mom would use more butter) and quickly place your prepared chicken on the hot pan and put it back in the oven. I tried this with breaded eggplant recently and it produced the most crispy coating- I am certain it would work great with this recipe.

PS- the recipe below would be for boneless, skinless chicken. Using “thin cut” chicken breasts would be a good idea as well. I recently saw this organic option at the store.

Shrimp Tacos with Pickled Red Onion

This is hardly a recipe either, but one of the easiest dinners that I can quickly make and always have the ingredients on hand is shrimp tacos. I keep a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer (Trader Joe’s), tortillas in the refrigerator, and a packet of taco seasoning (Trader Joe’s brand is a great one) in the pantry. I toss 1 lb of defrosted shrimp in half a packet of taco seasoning, put a little oil in a hot pan and saute the shrimp for about 3 minutes and then turn over and saute for another minute or two. A few pieces of cooked shrimp, a little shredded lettuce topped with a mixture of Greek yogurt and sriracha sauce wrapped with a corn or flour tortilla is pretty delicious.

If we are feeling fancy on a particular Taco Tuesday evening, I’ll do a quick batch of pickled red onions to sit while I’m sauteing the shrimp and heating up some frozen corn and a can of black beans as a side. My kids eat these pickled onions right out of the jar. I follow the recipe exactly with the exception of the vinegar- I prefer using red wine vinegar but almost any vinegar besides the big jug of white distilled vinegar would work great. Apparently it has too strong of a flavor for the best pickled red onion. It’s a super quick- dinner on the table- in 20 minutes.

PS: Thaw frozen shrimp quickly in a colander placed in the sink with cold water running over it for a few minutes. Be sure to take a shorter shower that day to make up for the wasted water- sorry. It’s the only way and I have no good use for shrimp water so it goes down the drain.

Christmas Cookies: It’s the Yummiest Time of the Year

December 11, 2017 by Christina Shoup 1 Comment

Festive San Francisco City Hall with a Full Moon

Happy December, everyone! We are in full holiday swing around here, although we have heavy hearts with the fires in Southern CA. And this time we’ve got family in the immediate area of the fires. We have great hope and prayer that the fires are extinguished- that the firefighters have continued strength as they fight exhausted hour after hour to get these fires contained.

On a positive note- I really love this season of preparing- not just in the kitchen, but the house, gifts, gatherings, our hearts, you name it. It’s the Christmas season and the excitement of our three kids truly makes it more fun as each year passes. Even as the skepticism about Santa and strange elves (warranted!) seems to be taking hold, the magic of Christmas is strong and it makes me smile ear to ear.

Years into dating Eric, I wanted to continue a Christmas tradition that he remembered fondly from his childhood. There were two particular desserts- Tassies and Chocolate Mint Stripes- that I would hear about and I wanted to continue the tradition. There was one problem, those recipes were closely guarded and it wasn’t until I had a ring on my finger that I was given the recipes. Those recipes are dear to us and are a beautiful addition to the holiday recipes that I grew up with.

As for my family, exactly 10 years ago my mom made a family cookbook that contained a collection of recipes that we grew up with. They were the recipes that my siblings and I would call our mom for, quickly scribble down the recipe while we were at the store because the craving was so strong, only to lose the recipe and repeat the same story the next time we were craving a particular childhood favorite. This book was such a treasured gift to all of us. It included familiar recipes that we had growing up, ones that became favorites and some that we didn’t quite remember having but my mom swears were staples at family gatherings (why are nuts, mayo and green jello even allowed to be combined in a bowl anyhow?). The book also has family birthday dates, anniversaries, quotes, favorite scripture, and most importantly, some beautiful poetry that my mom wrote during some happy as well as trying times. The book is titled “A Mother’s Treasure of Family Favorite Recipes,” and that it sure is.

Much of what makes me smile each year are the traditions that our family has developed over the years. We all have them, right? My kids have come to expect certain activities in December, decorations around the house, and gatherings with family (because cousins are awesome!!) and friends (where brunch turns into dinner because you all don’t want to say goodbye). Nearly all of those traditions involve food- food to enjoy yourselves, food to share or serve to others.

I’d love to share two holiday baking projects that are a family tradition in December…

Sculpture Bread

Eric grew up with this fun tradition of sculpting sweet bread into Christmas shapes and he was excited to establish this with our own family. We’ve been doing it since the kids were little but old enough to help with this project.

I gotta say, it has become one of our favorite family traditions. We’ve done everything from a wreath, elf, candy cane, and Santa, to an angel, reindeer, and Christmas owl!!

We used to use Eric’s mom’s recipe for years until last year. We took a Day of the Dead cooking class and learned about a very similar sweet dough that is traditional in Mexican cuisine, but it had this wonderful orange zest studded throughout the dough and we decided to try that for our sculpture bread tradition. It was a huge hit! The key is to start the dough early- we usually start ours the morning of Christmas Eve and sculpt it just before we leave for our church service in the late afternoon. We let it rise while we are gone and bake it while we get ready for the reindeer- let it cool and wrap it up really well. We love to eat this bread with salted butter and apricot jam- perfect to enjoy while opening presents on Christmas morning.

Christmas Sugar Cookies

This recipe comes from my family recipe book. I’ve made these cookies for as long as I can remember. Whenever we share these cookies with others- the recipe is always requested! I’m not totally sure what makes them so unique, but most sugar cookies are too floury, undercooked or just lack flavor. Not these- they are full of flavor, roll out perfectly and are delicious frosted or simply sprinkled with sugar crystals or sprinkles.

Sugar Cookie Cut Outs

Course Dessert

Servings 4 dozen

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Cookie dough

3 ¾ cups flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups sugar
⅔ cups butter room temperature
2 eggs room temperature
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp almond extract can use vanilla

Icing

1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
3 tbsp butter room temperature
¼-½ tsp almond extract can use vanilla
1 tbsp milk
pinch of kosher salt
food coloring

Instructions

Dough:

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as needed.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Add milk and almond extract and mix until combined.
With the mixer on low, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
Shape dough into two disks and wrap each in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for 2-3 hours until easy to handle.

To make cookies:

Preheat oven to 400°
Lightly grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
On floured surface, roll one of the disks till ⅛” to ¼” thick. Keep extra dough in the refrigerator until ready to use.
With floured cookie cutters, cut into various shapes. Gather scraps and re-roll dough to cut out more cookies.
Place them on cookie sheets, ½” apart.
Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until very lightly browned.
Move cookies to baking rack and cool completely before frosting.

Icing

Combine confectioners' sugar, butter, extract and milk, beating until creamy.
If necessary, add a few more drops of milk to reach desired spreading consistency.
Divide frosting into as many bowls as you want colors. Mix in food coloring as desired.
Spread frosting over cooled cookies and add any additional sprinkles or decorations when frosting is still wet.

Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookies with Browned Butter and Sea Salt

November 19, 2017 by Christina Shoup 1 Comment

File Nov 17, 8 39 41 AM

Cookies and I go way back. Anyone remember going to the mall with your friends and getting a bag of Mrs. Field’s mini cookies? I sure do! In fact, I loved those cookies so much I got a Mrs. Field’s Cookie cookbook for Christmas one year- one of two cookbooks I still have from when I was a kid.

Christmas gift from my middle school years

I’m not sure if my parents were trying to flatter me or what, but they always said my cookies were the best. It didn’t matter if they were from my new cookbook or the back of the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip bag. They asked my secret and I shared that I always overflowed the teaspoon when measuring out the vanilla and did the same thing with the salt. Because baking is usually an exact science, this is obviously not recommended- I was a kid and I didn’t know any better. After making dozens of chocolate chip recipes in recent years, I am frequently drawn to the ones that call for two teaspoons of vanilla instead of the standard one. Hmm… maybe I was onto something as a kid.

I thought I had found the perfect chocolate cookie recipe about two years ago- it was an Alton Brown recipe which means basically a science experiment until he found the perfect recipe. And that he did. A cookie that was perfectly crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Enough vanilla to really taste it and plenty of chocolate chips. It was this recipe that made me realize that using melted butter and egg yolks were the difference between a good cookie and an amazing cookie. These cookies have made many many people quite happy to be on the receiving end and that has made me very happy.

There was only one problem with this recipe- it was perfection on day one, but day two resulted in a flavorful, yet crumbly cookie mess. I’m not entirely sure what happens after these cookies sit overnight, but I always thought it might have something to do with the lack of egg whites. Dries them out perhaps?

I was pretty content with this near perfect recipe, until a beautiful friend brought us a cookie jar full of cookies from a new local cookie shop. They were hands down the best cookies I’ve ever had- that day, the next day and many days later. Antoine’s Cookie Shop in San Mateo is nothing short of amazing and in my mind had perfected the cookie, once and for all. How lucky are we to have them so close?! They offer about 10 different varieties and each one is memorable. However, there is one that I thought about the next day, and the next… the toffee cookie. It has such a wonderful flavor of caramel and buttery toffee chips with the perfect texture. But at $1.60 a cookie, I had to figure out how to make this cookie at home.

Enter browned butter… I had read several recipes lately that had browned butter and then Bon Appetite ran a recipe that combined browned butter with a toffee chocolate bar- brilliant! I figured if I combined the toffee bits and Guittard chocolate chips from Antoine’s Cookie shop, the browned butter from the Bon Appetit recipe, and the genius work of Alton Brown’s egg yolk and muffin method (combining wet to dry ingredients rather than the creaming method of creaming the butter and sugar till fluffy), I might have a pretty good recipe. But, there’s still the issue of the dry crumbly cookie the next day. Perhaps adding a whole egg and an egg yolk would help this issue. The result was a pretty spectacular cookie- my family agreed. The true test for me was to try the cookie the next day- was it going to be a crumbly mess or just as good the next day? Believe it or not, the cookie was actually better the next day, certainly in flavor but in texture as well. I tried half of a cookie with my coffee. Delicious. After my eggs and smoothie and I was no longer so hungry, I tried the other half, still delicious. I tried another half cookie after lunch (I’m lying, I ate a whole cookie) and it was still so good. My mom called about the same time I was having my second cookie of the day and I declared it the perfect cookie to her. She was on her way to the store and I’m certain she made sure to pick up some toffee bits and butter.

These are very easy with only an added step of the browned butter. Worth every minute…

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Browned Butter, Toffee and Sea Salt

Inspired by Antoine’s Cookie Shop and adapted from Alton Brown’s I’m Just Here For More Food and Bon Appetit

1 cup of unsalted butter

2 cups of flour, all-purpose

1 tsp baking soda

¾ tsp kosher salt

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

⅓ cup sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla

1 ½ cups chocolate chips, I use Guittard semisweet

½ c of toffee bits (found in baking aisle, or chopped up Heath bars from your hidden Halloween candy stash- I combined both in this recipe)

Flaked sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 or 350 if using a convection oven.

Cook butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, then browns, 5–8 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking soda, and kosher salt in a medium bowl.

Add brown sugar, granulated sugar and browned butter to mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until incorporated. Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix. Scrape bowl. Reduce mixer speed to low; add dry ingredients and beat just to combine. Mix in toffee and chocolate chips by hand or with a few turns of the electric mixer.

Using a mini ice cream scoop, place dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 2″ apart. Do not flatten; cookies will spread as they bake. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake cookies until edges are golden brown and firm but centers are still soft, about 9 minutes. They should look slightly underbaked in the center. Let cool on baking sheets for 5-10 minutes until set and slightly cooled then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy