Red, White, and Blueberry Buckle

This buckle, kind of a cross between a cake and a pie, will be a hit at any potluck for dessert, or even at your own breakfast table. Follow along with the four quick steps to bring the best of the season to your table in about half an hour.

Click on window to watch demonstration and follow the recipe below. You'll see how easy it is to make this treat. We're betting you will find it is just the perfect and tasty not-too-sweet treat to enjoy while waiting for the Fourth of July fireworks

Red, White, and Blueberry Buckle

1 pint fresh blueberries -- washed and picked over to remove under ripe or over ripe berries and stems.

Topping

1/2 cup sugar

1.3 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup cold butter

Buckle Base

1 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt, optional

1/2 cup soft butter

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup milk.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make topping by combining dry ingredients and then cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Set aside. Lightly grease a 9-inch square pan. Combine the flour and baking powder and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, stir the butter and sugar together. Add the egg and mix well. Stir in half the flour mixture, then the milk, followed by the remaining flour. Spoon base into greased pan. Kerplunk berries on top, spread out evenly so they are only one berry deep. Sprinkle with topping. Bake until topping is just turning golden, berries are bubbly and the base has pulled slightly away from the sides. Serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate any leftover.

Copyright 2010 Rae Katherine Eighmey. All rights reserved

Ice Box Cookies for Young and Old

While I was baking ice box cookies to take along on next week's Great Potluck Paradise Book Tour of Southwest Minnesota, it occurred to me that this was the perfect recipe to touch the hearts and fill the appetites of both young and old. It certainly was the single most recipe that our taste-testers reacted to with exclamations of: "Oh! I remember these. They were really good!" They still are. What really struck me when I was making them Thursday morning, is what a perfect recipe this is to introduce youngsters to the fun of baking.

I've baked with grandsons Justin and Jack. As anyone who bakes with kids under 10 knows, they can start the project with great interest and enthusiasm, but somehow after 10 or 15 minutes their interest can wander. Kids are kids -- full of energy and needing to go a zillion different places. The two-step process necessary for Ice Box Cookies fits perfectly with their attention span, can easily involve the child in the whole cooking process (including cleaning up!), and teaches a bit of patience, too.

The dough stirs up easily with just a spoon and a little hands-on kneading. Forming the dough into rolls for chilling is right up any kid's level of expertise. The next steps -- a break to wash up the mixing bowl and then wait while the dough chills. Later, maybe even the next day, slice off the cookies and bake. No need to make the whole batch. Bake up one or two sheets (perfect for portion control) and you can put the rest of the dough in the freezer, ready and waiting for the next time you are together. Or you could send the remaining dough logs home for child and parent to make.

As to the eating. They are lovely just as they are, but some experienced (dare I say "older") taste-testers suggest these are prefect "dipped in a container of ready-made frosting or ice cream."

Classic 1950s Ice Box Cookies
(makes 8 dozen cookies -- but not all at the same time!)

2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup melted butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups flour
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Stir the sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla together until completely blended. Add the dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly then stir in the nuts. Knead the dough with hands if necessary to get a smooth dough. Divide the dough into quarters. Form each roll into a log about one inch high and one inch wide. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours in refrigerator. (You can firm dough more quickly in the freezer for about 20 minutes.)

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease baking sheets. Slice dough about one-eighth inch thick with a sharp knife. Place sliced on baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Copyright 2010 Rae Katherine Eighmey. All rights reserved