Fresh Fruit Dessert Pizza

The following recipe was made for my guests during my Fall Snacks cooking class. You can read and view links to other recipes I made HERE.

Fresh Fruit Dessert Pizza

Recipe adapted from HERE

1 (18 ounce) package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 cup homemade buttercream icing
1/4 – 1/2 cup each of the following fresh fruit: strawberries, blueberries, sliced kiwi, drained mandarin oranges

– Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
– Press cookie dough evenly into a 12 inch pizza pan or medium sized baking pan. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack.
– When cooled, spread the buttercream icing over the top of the baked cookie crust.
– Top with fresh fruit and cut into squares before serving.

Lemon Blueberry Coconut Muffins

The following recipe was featured in my Muffin Swap event. You can read about it and view other muffin recipes HERE.

Andrea’s Lemon Blueberry Coconut Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon lemon extract or juice from 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup fresh or frozenblueberries ( I used 1 cup- too much)

1/3 cup sweetened coconut

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In another bowl, beat the eggs, milk, oil and extract. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in cranberries.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Weight Watchers Blueberry Muffins

The following recipe was featured in my Muffin Swap event. You can read about it and view other muffin recipes HERE.

Ann’s Weight Watchers Blueberry Muffins

Recipe adapted from HERE

2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup Splenda
1/4 cup sugar free table syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 small carton egg beaters
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup fat free milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
Butter Flavored Pam

Preheat oven 350. Sift all dry indredients together. Set aside. In separate bowl, beat Splenda, syrup and vanilla. Add egg beaters slowly. Beat until fluffy. Alternately, add flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Spray muffin pan with Pam and fill pan for 10 muffins. Bake for 25-30 mins or until toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

Blueberry Galette

The following recipe was made during my Summer Produce cooking class. You can read about it and get other recipes HERE.

Blueberry Galette – another easy recipe that required 3-4 ingredients. We took a prepared pie crust and laid it over a small baking pan. There were some great fresh blueberries that were brought in and so we topped the pie crust with the blueberries and sprinkled some sugar over them. The edges were folded in to create a rustic look and we brushed some half & half over the dough. We baked the galettes in a 400 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes until nicely browned.

Bursting With Blueberries!

In addition to the wonderful Wolfgang Puck recipes we feasted on for tonight’s dinner, I also created a non-Wolfgang Puck salad – Blueberry Spinach Salad. This salad is not only delicious, but takes on a different twist of the classic Strawberry Spinach Salad.

Here’s the my adaption of recipe for Blueberry Spinach Salad, orginally from AllRecipes.com:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons raspberry puree
2 teaspoons honey mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (10 ounce) package fresh spinach, torn
1 (4 ounce) package blue cheese, crumbled
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

In a bowl, whisk the first five ingredients and shake well. In a large salad bowl, toss the spinach, blue cheese, blueberries and pecans. Add dressing and toss gently; serve immediately.

*I’m also submitting this recipe to the Tried Tested & True blogging event, hosted by Equal Opportunity Kitchen. If you have any health-promoting tried, tested and true recipes, submit them to the event!*

Blueberry Hand Pies w/Lavender Honey Whipped Cream

And to end on a sweet note, I have been inspired by all my fellow bloggers who participate in the Tuesdays With Dorie (TWD) blogging event. Today many bloggers who participate featured Blueberry Pie. As much as I like pie, I don’t like having a whole pie sitting around at home. In fact, individual servings are better for us since it helps with portion control. With the TWD as my inspiration, I made Blueberry Hand Pies with Lavender Honey Whipped Cream.

Here are the Blueberry Hand Pies with Lavender Honey Whipped Cream recipe I made, adapted from this one from Food Network and Epicurious:

For Filling:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
Prepared pie crust

Finishing Touches:
Egg yolk, lightly beaten
Turbinado sugar

Combine flour, sugar, blueberries and almond extract and stir gently until evenly coated.

Working with 1 round at a time, roll pie dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut circles, approximately 5-inches in diameter using a plate or bowl as a guide. You should have a total of 8 circles.

Spoon about 1/2 cup of blueberry filling into the center of each circle. Carefully fold circle over to form a half moon shape. Using a fork, dipped lightly in flour, press tines along the open edge to seal. Transfer hand pies to a parchment paper lined sheet pan and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove your hand pies from the refrigerator and brush with egg yolk, then sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

For whipped cream:
1 pint heavy whipping cream, cold
1 tablespoon dried lavender
1 heaping tablespoon honey, slightly warmed

While waiting for the pies to cook, process the dried lavendar in your spice grinder until its powdered. In a cold bowl, add the powdered lavender, honey and whipping cream. Whip with a hand mixer until you get nice stiff peaks. Use to garnish your hand pies once cooled.

**I’m also submitting my Blueberry Hand Pies w/Lavender Honey Whipped Cream to the Living La Vida Local blogging event hosted by Beth of Muffin Love! I used organic & local blueberries for this dessert and thought it would be fitting for the event. Be sure to check out the round up next week for additional ways to use local and fresh produce.**