These Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies are cakey and delicious, a perfect comfort food.
The sourdough doesn’t act as a leavening agent here, but adds nuanced flavor and lends a unique breadiness to the texture. I doubt anyone would eat these and immediately identify they include a starter, but they would probably know something is different.
I added dried cranberries and walnuts to these cookies, but mix in whatever dried fruit, nuts, seeds, or chocolate chips that you want. Just don’t exceed 2 1/2 cups of add-ins. Or try to fool people into thinking dark raisins are chocolate chips. That’s just evil.
By the way, I baked up sourdough recipes like this one because I have maintained a starter for book research reasons: my next release, A House Between Sea and Sky, features a sourdough starter named Mother as an important character. Find out more (and preorder) here!
Sourdough doesn’t act as a leavener in these unique oatmeal cookies, but delivers flavor and texture. Mix in whatever dried fruit and nuts that you want!
Course: Dessert, Snack
Keyword: cookies, cranberries, sourdough, walnuts
Servings: 45cookies
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
parchment paper
cookie scoop or spoon
Ingredients
1cupunsalted butter (2 sticks) softened
3/4cupbrown sugar packed
1/2cupwhite sugar
2large eggs room temperature
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
1/2cupsourdough discard (113 grams)
3cupsrolled oats also called old fashioned oats
2cupsall-purpose flour
1teaspoonbaking soda
1/2teaspoonbaking powder
2teaspoonsground cinnamon
1teaspoonsalt
1 1/2cupsdried cranberries
1cupwalnuts chopped
Instructions
Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat together butter, brown sugar, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla and sourdough discard.
In another bowl, stir together rolled oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet, scraping the bottom of the bowl a few times to make sure everything is incorporated. Fold in the cranberries and walnuts to distribute.
Use a cookie scoop or spoon to dole out the dough, spaced out, on the parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes; the cookies should be golden at the edges and no longer glossy on top.
Transfer cookies to a rack to fully cool. Store in a sealed container at room temperature. Cookies keep for at least 3 days.
So, that Roasted Cherry Brownies recipe I posted back in March? This Raspberry Brownies recipe is based on that. It uses different berries (obviously) and has no roasting involved, and if you are like me and have/had a solid chunk of raspberries in your freezer, this will give you a delicious way to use them up.
Raspberries and chocolate are such a good combo. I feel like that really doesn’t get as much attention as pairings with strawberries or cherries. The fruit amount is pretty high here, and that also means a long bake time because of the moisture involved.
On that note, if you’re using fresh raspberries, the bake time will likely be less, so please, adapt the recipe to keep your brownies and yourself safe!
These thick, luscious brownies pair raspberries and chocolate, a winning combo!
Course: Dessert, Snack
Keyword: brownies, chocolate, raspberries
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
9×13 dish
aluminum foil
uneven spatula
Ingredients
2cupsfrozen raspberries
3/4cupunsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
8ouncesdark chocolate
1 1/2cupsall-purpose flour
1/2cupcocoa powder sifted
1/2teaspoonsalt
2cupswhite sugar
6large eggs room temperature
1 1/2cupssemisweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips or a mix
Instructions
Preheat oven at 325. Break apart the frozen raspberries into pieces of various size using a tool such as kitchen shears. Place the berries back inside the freezer for now.
In a large microwave-safe bowl or in a pot on the stovetop, melt together the butter and dark chocolate until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
Line a 9×13 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
Return to the large container with the melted butter and chocolate. Stir in the white sugar until no pale streaks remain. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Gradually fold in the dry ingredients until no white is visible. Fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips and most of frozen raspberries.
Pour batter into the prepared dish. Use an uneven spatula to spread it into an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate and remaining raspberries over the top.
Bake for 70 to 80 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test; the raspberries release a lot of moisture, hence a long baking time. Set on a rack to cool for at least an hour, speeding process in fridge if desired. Use foil to lift contents onto a cutting board to slice up. Store in a sealed container at room temperature. Keeps for at least 3 days.
I have many different kinds of apple cake here on Bready or Not. This Apple Fritter Cake is special because it tastes like the luscious apple fritters found in donut shops and bakeries!
This is not a thick cake. The crumb is really there to hold a lot of apple pieces together. The use of apple butter versus applesauce adds a deeper color and richer flavor.
Then there is, of course, the icing. That’s essential to make this cake like the pastry. It adds sweetness and a delicate crunch that’s fast to melt in the mouth.
Really, I look at this as a special occasion kind of apple cake, something for a birthday, special guest, or date.
This Apple Fritter Cake really does taste like a cake version of the donut shop treat! Modified from Bake from Scratch Magazine September/October 2024.
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple, cake
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
8×8 pan
aluminum foil
nonstick spray or butter
Ingredients
Cake
1 3/4cupsall-purpose flour
1 1/2teaspoonsbaking powder
1teaspoonground cinnamon
3/4teaspoonkosher salt
2cupscrisp baking applesdiced and divided (232 grams) (use apples like Honeycrisp, State Fair, or Kindercrisp)
1cupbrown sugar packed
1large egg
1large egg white
1/2cupunsalted butter (1 stick) melted and slightly cooled
1/3cupvanilla yogurt or sour cream or crème fraiche
1/3cupapple butter
1Tablespoonlemon juice
1teaspoonvanilla extract
Glaze
1cupconfectioners’ sugar
2Tablespoonshalf & half
Instructions
Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 with foil and apply butter or nonstick spray.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups of the diced apples. Toss to coat.
In a big mixing bowl, beat the brown sugar, egg, and egg white until light and fluffy. Mix in the melted butter, yogurt, apple butter, lemon juice, and vanilla. Fold in the dry ingredients, making sure to scrape the bottom, until everything is just combined.
Pour batter into the prepared pan. Smooth out top. Sprinkle on the remaining 1/2 cup of apple pieces.
Bake until browned, with the middle passing the toothpick test, about 45 to 55 minutes.
Cool completely before mixing the glaze. Drizzle it all over the top. Serve warmed or at room temperature. Individual slices can also be frozen for later enjoyment.
Welcome to the last installment of our special month of Bready or Not. My cheese-centric cozy mystery Cheddar Luck Next Time just came out a few weeks ago, so we’re celebrating with another cheesy recipe from the Bready or Not archives.
This week’s feature is Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake. Only right to end things with cake, right?
This stunning Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake is gorgeous and delicious, and will win over even people (like me) who are not big coconut fans. The cake ends up being chewy, but not too chewy; sweet, but not cloying. Really, this is great as a breakfast, brunch, or dessert cake.
Serve this as cake alone, or like with any pound cake, it would be lovely alongside fresh fruit.
Please grab a copy of Cheddar Luck Next Time, which features an autistic (like me!) lead character with a passion for cheese (like me!).
This easy-to-make bundt cake creates a gorgeous and delicious cake that is perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Keyword: bundt cake, cake, cream cheese
Author: Beth Cato
Ingredients
Cake
1cupunsalted butter2 sticks, room temperature
8ouncescream cheese1 box, room temperature
3cupswhite sugar
6large eggsroom temperature
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
1teaspoonkosher salt
1teaspoonbaking powder
3cupsall-purpose flour
2cupsshredded coconut
Glaze
2cupsconfectioners’ sugar
2-3Tablespoonsmilk
extra shredded coconut
Instructions
Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Coat a 10-cup bundt pan with nonstick spray or butter.
In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add sugar and mix until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract, salt, and baking powder. Gradually mix in the flour until just combined, then fold in the coconut.
Pour batter into pan and distribute evenly. Bake for 75 to 80 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test.
Cool pan for 20 minutes, then invert the cake onto a wire rack to completely cool. Move to a plate or cake platter.
To make the glaze, stir together the confectioners’ sugar and milk to form a smooth yet thick consistency. Pour or spoon glaze over the top, then sprinkle with additional coconut.