Molasses Raisin Biscuit Cookies

Molasses Raisin Biscuit Cookies

Believe it or not these delicious, big, soft cookies were a mistake. I was trying to make some of my traditional Newfoundland molasses tea buns (a sweet biscuit) and misread my own recipe. They spread way too much on the pan and got a bit crispy at the edges but stayed relatively soft at the center. I was quite irritated at the time but broke one in half and started eating it while I restarted the recipe. Then I ate the other half. Then I ate a second full cookie with some of the vanilla glaze I had ready for the tea buns. Then I began to wonder if this was a mistake at all!

My sister Barb was in town and took the remainder of the batch for her hiking group as trail fuel. They all reported that they loved them and came looking for the recipe. I quickly had to write down my error so I wouldn't forget it and well... here they are.

In a food processor or in a large bowl, combine:

• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (optional)

Cut in or pulse in in:

• 3/4 cup cold butter, cut in cubes

until the mixture resembles a fine meal. Remove to a large bowl and stir in:

• 1 1/2 cup raisins (light or dark, your preference)

Make a well in the center of this mixture.

Mix together:

• 2/3 cup fancy molasses
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Pour into the well and mix only enough to form a dough ball.

Roll out on a well floured surface to 3/4 inch thickness and cut the cookies out with  2 1/2 or 3 inch biscuit cutter and place in a parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes. The edges should just begin to brown when they are baked and the centers risen. Baking time may vary a little depending on the size of your biscuit cutter.

Makes about 18 large cookies.

Vanilla Glaze

• 1/2 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 to 3 tsp milk

Mix together until smooth. You will want this to be quite a stiff glaze so only add enough milk to bring it to a thick consistency. Pipe crosses onto the tops of the warm buns. A Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off works well for this if you do not have a piping bag.

If making these to store stacked or in a cookie jar I'd make a Royal Icing glaze which hardens better and is more durable. For that I use:

• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp meringue powder and
• 3 tablespoons of lukewarm water

Beat together until well combined and fluffy, with the frosting forming soft peaks. Pipe or spread onto the cookies. Let sit for an hour or two to allow the icing to harden before storing in airtight containers.

Molasses Raisin Biscuit Cookies

Hot Cross Molasses Raisin Tea Buns

Hot Cross Molasses Raisin Tea Buns

Here's a great Easter idea that would be welcome at a weekend brunch any time of the year. We already have a great recipe for yeast raised Hot Cross Buns here on Rock Recipes but if you are dough-phobic or just don't have the time to make the traditional version, why not try this molasses version that's as easy as making a quick batch of biscuits.

Molasses tea buns are one of my favorites so I've used that recipe here but if you don't want the molasses version, you could try our regular Raisin Tea Buns recipe and just add the spices to that and then top those with the vanilla glaze. Either way, in about an hour you could be enjoying these at an Easter brunch or on any given weekend.

Molasses Raisin Tea Buns

In a food processor or in a large bowl, combine:

• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 rounded tsp baking powder
• 1 rounded tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (optional)

Cut in or pulse in in:

• 3/4 cup cold butter, cut in cubes

until the mixture resembles a fine meal. Remove to a large bowl and stir in:

• 1 1/2 cup raisins (light or dark, your preference)

Make a well in the center of this mixture.

Mix together:

• 1/2 cup fancy molasses
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Pour into the well and mix only enough to form a dough ball.

Roll to 1 inch thickness and cut out buns with biscuit cutter and place in a parchment lined 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Baking time may vary a little depending on the size of your biscuit cutter.

This recipe makes about 12 tea buns.

Vanilla Glaze

• 1/2 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 to 3 tsp milk

Mix together until smooth. You will want this to be quite a stiff glaze so only add enough milk to bring it to a thick consistency. Pipe crosses onto the tops of the warm buns. A Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off works well for this if you do not have a piping bag.

Hot Cross Molasses Raisin Tea Buns

Soft and Chewy Raisin Spice Cookies

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Soft and Chewy Raisin Spice Cookies

Raisin spice cookies are always high on my favorites list at the Holidays. Just the scent of these baking is sure to evoke Christmas memories. This is a great recipe with plenty of fragrant spice and sweet raisins in a crispy, chewy cookie.
Don't like raisins? These are terrific as plain spice cookies and because I love the combination of chocolate and spice, I've added chocolate chips to them in the past too.

Soft and Chewy Raisin Spice Cookies

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

Soft and Chewy Raisin Spice Cookies - The best raisin spice cookie I've ever had. Soft and chewy with crispy edges, these delicious cookies will fill your house with spicy scent as they bake. I hear they are one of Santa's very favorites too. ;)

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 12-15 minutes
Total time: About 30 minutes
Yield: 12 - 18 cookies depending on the size you choose to make them.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cups all purose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
•  3/4 cup raisins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray one cookie sheet with spray oil or line with parchment paper.
2. In a medium sized bowl whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg and baking soda.
3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and combine thoroughly.
4. Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture. Mix only enough to incorporate flour. Do not over mix. Fold in the raisins.
5. The dough can be baked immediately but I find I have better results when the dough is chilled for at least an hour.
6. Form cookies by dropping a rounded teaspoon of dough on the prepared cookie sheet two inches apart.
7. Bake until light brown around the edges, about 12-15 minutes, depending on cookie size.
8. Over baking is the biggest problem with most soft and chewy cookie recipes. Your oven temperature and the type of cookie sheet you use will vary the baking times considerably. When they are golden brown around the edges is the time to remove them from the oven. Thinking they are a little underdone is probably a good thing. Experiment by baking only a couple of cookies at a time to see what the perfect baking time is for your oven. If your experimental batch spreads too much try turning the heat up to 375 degrees F.
9. Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool thoroughly.
10. Store in an airtight container. These cookies freeze well too.

Raisinets Bars a.k.a. Glosette Bars

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Raisinets Bars a.k.a. Glosette Bars

Today's cookie bar recipe was inspired by a few little boxes of chocolate covered raisins that I swiped and ate from the pre-Halloween treats stash last week. I've always loved chocolate covered raisins which I know are popularly sold under the brand name Raisinets in the US but are most popular here in Canada under the Glosette brand. Glosettes are also available in a peanut variety so a peanut version would also be quite easy to accomplish with a simple substitution. The soft, slightly chewy blondie-like cookie base is works deliciously well with the top chocolate layer and bring a sort of light caramel flavour to these scrumptious cookie bars.

Raisinets Bars a.k.a. Glosette Bars

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

A blondie-like cookie base with a chocolate covered raisin inspired top layer that go deliciously well together. Roasted unsalted peanuts are easily substituted for the raisins if you prefer.

Prep time: 20-25 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Total time: About 1 hour.
Yield: 25 cookie squares
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• FOR THE TOPPING
• 1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or milk chocolate) (or substitute roasted unsalted peanuts if you prefer)
• 1/4 cup whipping cream whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cups large golden raisins

Directions

1. Cream butter sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy
2. Add the egg and beat well.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda.
4. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, folding to combine well.
5. Spread evenly in a greased, parchment lined 9 inch square baking pan and bake for 35 - 40 minutes at 350 degrees F. (325 for glass bake ware)
6. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
7. In a double boiler, melt together the chocolate chips and whipping cream, just until the chocolate has just melted to a smooth consistency.
8. Fold the raisins (or roasted peanuts) into the chocolate and spread evenly over the cookie base.
9. Allow the chocolate to cool completely at room temperature until it solidifies, then cut into squares or bars.
10. Store in airtight plastic container/s; freezes well too.

Buttermilk Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls

Buttermilk Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls

I’ve seen several versions of these gorgeous cinnamon rolls on various blogs and on Pinterest and I’ve even had a couple of readers ask if I had a recipe of my own, so I finally got around to trying this idea this morning. As a die-hard cinnamon roll lover, I was a bit skeptical but with no need for the significant amount of time it takes a yeast raised dough to rise, I had these in the oven in about 20 minutes, so that in itself is a huge benefit of this recipe.

In the end, as I sat with my morning coffee, enjoying one of these warm from the oven, I realized I did not miss spending all that time waiting to enjoy a great cinnamon roll at all. This is an idea that is sure to make repeat appearances at weekend brunches at our house.

Makes 8 large rolls

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a food processor, blend together:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Pulse in

• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp very cold salted butter, cut in small cubes

Do not over incorporate the butter into the flour. Similar to making a flaky pastry, small pieces of butter should be visible in the flour. 

Transfer this mixture from the food processor into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in:

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Working very quickly with a wooden spoon, fold the dry mixture through the buttermilk, only until the flour disappears, then stop immediately. Drop the sticky dough onto a well floured counter top or bread board. Sprinkle the top of the dough with additional flour as well as flouring your hands to handle the dough. Roll out the dough into a rectangle about 9x18 inches.

Mix together into a paste:

• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 tbsp melted butter

Spread this paste evenly onto the rolled dough using a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the surface of the dough with

• ¾ cup of raisins (optional)

Press the raisins down into the dough gently with the palm of your hand.

Starting at the shorter end of the rolled dough roll the dough up tightly and pinch the end of the dough together to seal the end of the dough into the roll.

Slice the roll into 8 equally thick slices and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. I recommend aluminum baking sheets because they tolerate the higher oven temperature without burning the bottom of the biscuits. You can brush the rolls with an egg wash to help them brown and sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar for a little crunch if you like but this is optional.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits are evenly golden brown. Drizzle with Vanilla Glaze.

Vanilla Glaze

• 3/4 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix together until smooth. You can add a little more icing sugar or milk to make the glaze thicker or thinner in consistency to suit your taste.

Rum Raisin Cake or Frosted Rum Raisin Caramel Cake

Rum and Raisin Cake

Inspired by a vacation visit to Jamaica, where it seemed rum cake was in every shop we entered, this amazing raisin cake gets a fine boozy soaking in rum after it is baked. This cake is terrific on it's own, with custard, ice cream or as a frosted cake. You can adjust the amount of rum that gets soaked into the cake to suit your own taste; I confess I prefer it quite boozy. ;)

Makes two 9 inch round layers

Soak for about an hour or more:

• 3/4 cup raisins in
• 6 ounces dark rum

Strain the raisins, reserving the remaining rum to soak into the cake at the end.

Sift together and set aside:

• 1 1/2 cups cake and pastry flour
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Cream together until fluffy:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar

Add, one at a time, beating well after every addition;

• 4 eggs at room temperature

Beat in

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Gently fold in the dry ingredients in three equal portions, alternately with

• 1 cup undiluted evaporated milk

Fold in the rum soaked raisins during the final addition of milk. (You can also fold in 3/4 cup toasted pecans at this stage too if you like)

When adding dry and wet ingredients alternately in any baking recipe, always begin and end with the dry ingredients.

Pour batter evenly into 2 well greased and floured 9 inch cake pans. Bake in a 325 degree F oven for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Watch it carefully, you will not want to overbake this cake, as soon as the toothpick comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven and let it rest in the pans for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

When completely cool,pierce the cake with a wooden skewer all over the surface. Carefully spoon the reserved rum over the entire surface of the cake. You can add a little extra rum if you like a wetter cake as is common in Jamaica. Some people prefer to seal the cake in an airtight container for a day before serving.

You can serve the cake as is or frost with buttercream frosting with a little rum added if you like. In the version below, I've filled the cake with a soft caramel. Find those recipes below the photo.

Frosted Rum Raisin Caramel Cake

Caramel

In a small saucepan combine:

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/3 cup dark corn syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Bring to a slow boil until foamy, then add:

• 1 10 oz (300 ml) can sweetened condensed milk ( I've used Eagle Brand Dulce De Leche condensed milk here for great caramel color)

Bring back to a slow boil over medium low heat. and cook stirring continuously for another 15-20 minutes until the mixture darkens slightly and thickens. It should reach no more than 220 degrees on a candy thermometer or the caramel will harden. Cool completely before filling the center of the cake. If you pipe a thick line of frosting around the entire perimeter of the first cake layer before adding the filling, it helps to contain the caramel to easier frost the cake.
Rum Buttercream Frosting

• 4 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1 cup butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp rum
• 1 to 3 tbsp milk

Blend all ingredients except milk until smooth. Add only enough milk to bring the frosting to a spreadable fluffy consistency. Frost sides and top of cake after adding the caramel filling and chill well for several hours before serving.

Cinnamon Roll Bread

Cinnamon Roll Bread

This gorgeous bread makes the most amazing toast!

1 ¼ cups warm milk
3 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 envelope (8 g) regular yeast (about 2 tsp)
¼ cup melted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
¼ cup sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten

Combine 2 cups of the flour along with the sugar, instant yeast and salt in a large bowl or in the bowl of a large electric mixer that uses a dough hook. Add the melted butter, warm milk, eggs and vanilla extract. Using a wooden spoon or the regular paddle of your electric mixer beat for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is smooth with no lumps. If using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook at this point and begin to slowly incorporate the remaining flour. If not using an electric mixer keep mixing in the flour gradually until a soft dough forms that leaves the sides of the bowl. You may need to use a little less or a little more flour, this is not uncommon. Knead the dough for an additional 10 minutes either in the electric mixer or on a bread board or countertop.
Cover dough and leave to rest and rise for one hour. Punch the dough down and knead it for a few minutes by hand before letting it rest for another 10 minutes. Divide dough in two equal portions and roll the dough into 2 rectangles about 8x18 inches each.

Combine

½ cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
Sprinkle evenly over the rolled out dough along with
½ cup raisins (optional)

Starting at the short side of the dough rectangle, begin to tightly roll the dough into a log shape. Pinch the edge of the dough together at the seam to seal. Place the dough into a greased 4 ½ x 8 ½ loaf pan and allow to rest and rise for a couple of hours or more until the dough rises to a couple of inches above the top rim of the bread pans. Bake for about 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until the top and bottom crusts are evenly golden brown. Allow to cool for about a half hour before serving. Great served warm out of the oven or as the beginning of some very good French toast as well.

Rum and Raisin Bread Pudding

Revered by some as the ultimate comfort food, bread pudding, however, generally gets a bad rap and quite undeservedly so. My wife claimed for years that she did not like bread pudding, remembering the bland versions of her childhood.

As with any great simple dish, the quality of the ingredients is paramount to the success of the final product. This principle is particularly relevant to the preparation of a good bread pudding. Start by using a very good bread. Here I have used some day old brioche from the neighbourhood Georgestown Bakery which lends itself particularly well to this recipe. This soft, buttery, egg enriched bread is my ideal choice for this dessert. Crustier breads can add more textural interest and some may prefer their slightly chewier virtues in bread pudding. Good homemade white or whole wheat breads cannot be discounted for their adaptability either and not to forget leftover croissants which sometimes make their way into bread pudding recipes on some posh restaurant's menus.

There really is no substitute for cream in this recipe. Many local versions use only milk which does not work as well with the eggs to form the custard which binds the whole thing together. This is the occasion to use very good vanilla extract or even to previously steep a split and scraped vanilla pod into the milk for a few minutes before adding it to the preparation.

This is the recipe that changed Spouse's opinion of bread pudding. In the end, I had to send out the final few servings of this pudding to a friend's family, as Spouse claimed she could not be trusted to be left alone in the house with it. It is that good.

Soak
½ cup raisins in ¼ cup amber rum. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for several hours or overnight.

5 cups bread cubes (Use any good quality bread. I’ve used Brioche here but French, Italian or Belgian bread is good too.)

Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish well. Toss in the bread cubes in an even layer. Sprinkle the bread cubes with the rum soaked raisins along with the rum that they were soaked in. Sprinkle the bread cubes and raisins with

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Whisk together until the sugar is dissolved:

1 cup whipping cream
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt

Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes, pressing down slightly to make sure all the cubes are soaked. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45-50 minutes until the custard is set and no longer liquid in the center. Let the bread pudding stand for about 20 minutes before serving. If desired, when serving, drizzle with a mixture of

2 ounces honey

1 ounce amber rum

No Sugar Added Raisin Scones

No Sugar Added Raisin Scones

A regular reader of Rock Recipes recently asked for a recipe for sugar free raisin scones. Coincidentally, I make this version of raisin scones for Spouse only because she very much prefers them to those with added sugar. The omission of sugar means they have a very light, airy texture that many may prefer as well. A little additional sweetness can be added by sprinkling a coarse grain sugar over the tops before baking as is noted in the recipe. They made a very nice addition to our Sunday brunch.

I start these in my food processor because it is so fast but they can be made just as easily in a large bowl by cutting the butter in with a pastry blender or even 2 knifes held between the fingers.

In a food processor, combine:
3 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

Cut in:
¾ cup very cold butter, cubed
Pulse process until this mixture resembles a coarse meal. It is very important that pea sized pieces of butter remain in this mixture. Remove to a large bowl and toss in:

1 cup raisins (light or dark, your preference)

Mix together:

2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Pour this over the surface of the dry mixture. Toss all together gently with a fork only enough to form a dough ball. It is important that you work this dough as little as possible or the finished scones will be too dense and heavy. Roll to 1 inch thickness and cut out scones with biscuit cutter or in triangles with a sharp knife and place on parchment lined baking sheet.

If desired you can brush the tops of the scones with an egg wash of 1 egg beaten together with 1 tbsp water. You can sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar if desired but this is, of course, optional.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Baking time will vary depending on the size of your biscuit cutter. This recipe makes 8 large scones.