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Lemon Basil Fruit Pizza

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If you haven’t stopped by this week on Toast, we’re all things lemon and basil, sweetened up. Check out how to make both candied lemon curls and candied basil leaves, as well as a twist on one of my all-time favorites, lemon-basil panna cotta.

A few weeks ago, Aimee from Like Mother Like Daughter posted a recipe for fruit pizza. The pregger in me immediately craved it and so I set out to make my own version of this traditional treat.

This fruit pizza has a soft lemon sugar cookie crust, out-of-this-world lemon-basil cream cheese frosting, and is topped with fresh fruit and a candied basil leaf. The combo of flavors and textures is perfect – if you are a fruit pizza lover, this recipe is for you!

Lemon Basil Fruit Pizza

Lemon Sugar Cookie Crust

(adapted from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
– 2 1/2 cups flour
– 1 teaspoon baking soda
– 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
– pinch of salt
– 1 cup butter, softened
– 1 1/2 cups sugar
– 1 egg
– 1 teaspoon vanilla
– 1 lemon, finely zested
– 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325-degrees. In a small bowl, stir together the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add in egg and beat well, until the mixture turns a light color. Stir in lemon zest and lemon juice, then gradually add in the dry ingredients, being sure not to over-stir.
3. Line a cookie sheet (18×12″) with parchment paper, or lightly grease. Pat the dough into the entire sheet to a uniform thickness. (I use my Grandma’s old trick of using the butter wrapper to press down the dough.)

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4. Bake 15-20 minutes or until the edges of the cookie are golden brown.

Lemon Basil Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
2 (8oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lemon, finely zested
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup loosely-packed fresh basil leaves

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter.
2. Rinse and dry basil, then place in mortar.

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3. Use the mortar and pestle to squish down the basil into a paste. (If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, mince the basil as finely as possible)

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4. Transfer a small amount of the cream cheese and butter mixture into the mortar to help pick up all of the pieces of basil inside. Stir to combine, then transfer the entire mixture back into the large bowl with the rest of the cream cheese and butter.

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5. Stir to combine, then add in vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Gradually mix in powdered sugar and beat until fluffy.

Lemon Basil Fruit Pizza

1. Spread out lemon basil cream cheese frosting on the completely cooled lemon sugar cookie crust. Let chill in fridge for about an hour to set frosting.

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2. Top the entire cookie with fresh fruit, or cut into squares and top individually. Don’t forget to garnish with a candied lemon curl or candied basil leaf!

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Thanks a Million, Giveaway & Fig Bars

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First of all – thank you all so much for all of the kind comments and messages on the girl’s dresses, you are all too nice! 

Second – I am so excited to announce Toast’s first…

GIVEAWAY!!

Well, almost announce it. For now, know it’s happening. And know you will NOT want to miss out! I’ll let you know all about it this weekend, so make sure to stop by then! Seriously. So cool.

– – – 

So earlier this year, our good friends challenged us to a month without white sugar. I was really hesitant at first, because I have such a strong sweet tooth – and I don’t like making commitments I can’t follow-through on. After a little self-deliberation, I decided I wanted to give it a shot. The Hubs and I decided to do it together – it ended up being such a good experience for us!

We were pretty strict the first few weeks (sugar is in EVERYTHING), but toward the end we relaxed a bit and allowed ourselves to have crackers, store-bought bread, and other foods that sneak sugar into their ingredient list.

At the end of the month, when we rewarded ourselves with our favorite candy – we didn’t even want to eat it! Our sugar cravings were completely gone.

Another thing that I loved about our sugar-free month- was that I tried out so many new, healthy, recipes – that probably would not have made my list otherwise. These fig bars were my favorite, by far. I have never been a fan of Fig Newtons – they are too awkwardly sweet, even for me. However,  Winco started carrying a new variety of fig bars in their bulk section – we bought a little package on a whim – and fell in love with these yummy treats!

Our favorite are the whole-wheat blueberry and whole-wheat raspberry bars. I love them because the don’t have any white sugar or white flour – they are such a good treat for the girls! These have become our go-to snack, we always have a little stash in the car just in case the girls (or Mommy and Daddy) need to nibble on something on-the-go.

Because we love these so obsessively much, I thought I would try to make my own. While .50 for a two-bar package is a good deal (Winco price), at the rate we eat these – it adds up quick.

I found a recipe (posted on wildyeastblog.com, original recipe from Green Market Baking Book) that looked promising, and after making them several times, have tweaked it to my own liking.

Oh my yum.

These homemade bars aren’t identical to the store-bought variety, they are even better! And, I love knowing every exact ingredient that goes into what we eat, and especially love that my kid’s favorite treat is actually very healthy for them!

You’ll have to give these a try. No white sugar, no white flour. The perfect balance of blueberry, fig and orange wrapped up in a healthy little cookie!

Blueberry-Orange Fig Bars  
adapted from wildyeastblog.com, original recipe from Green Market Baking Book

Ingredients
Whole-wheat cookie dough:
3/4 cups honey 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 egg
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Filling:
1/2 cup honey
2 cups figs, de-stemmed (I use half black mission figs, half kadota)
1 cup dried blueberries
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/4 cup wheat bran (optional)
Directions

1. In a medium bowl, cream 3/4 cup of the honey with the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg.

2. Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and combine. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for about 2 hours, until firm (or overnight).

3. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor with a metal blade, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of honey, the figs, orange juice, orange zest, and chopped nuts (if using). Process until the figs are finely chopped. Set aside.

4. When the dough is well chilled, dust a work surface and the dough with some flour. Roll half of the dough out into an 8×14-inch rectangle. Trim edges and cut in half lengthwise to form two long rectangles.

5. Spread 1/4 of the fig mixture evenly down the middle third of both dough rectangles. (I use my cookie scoop to place five scoops of filling across the dough, then spread out with the back of a spoon dipped in water.) Gently fold one side of the rectangle over the filling, then fold other over the right so they overlap slightly. Pinch the ends to seal.

6. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling (makes 4 bars).  Carefully place the dough logs seam-side down on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with wheat bran, if using.

7. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes. Cut into 2-inch bars.

Pretzel Kiss Cookies

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These little cookies are as simple as they look. They are fun, festive, and easy to make. I found the idea on Disney Family Fun. We included them with some little Christmas packages we made this year. Next time, I might be adventurous and see how caramel-filled kisses hold up. 🙂

Pretzel Kiss Cookies

Ingredients:
Square pretzels (my package calls them Snaps)
Hershey Kisses or Hugs
Plain M&M’s

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 170-degrees.
2. Line pretzels in a single layer on a baking sheet. Top each with a Kiss or Hug.
3. Bake for 3-8 minutes until the chocolate is soft, but not melted. Keep checking the chocolate every 30 seconds or so after 3 minutes by poking it with a toothpick or fork – it will melt at a different length of time depending on the type of chocolate – I used Hugs and dark chocolate Kisses, the Hugs melted much more quickly.
4. Once the chocolates are soft, take them out of the oven and press an M&M into the center of each Kiss. Let cool completely before moving, chill in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes, if necessary.

S-Cookies

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I suppose its time for a new post. This 10-month pregnancy thing I have going on has really put a damper on my appetite, not to mention my motivation. I’ve been cooking here and there, but I haven’t really been trying out new recipes or making anything worth bringing the camera out for. 

However… I can’t believe I have had this blog for a whole year without posting this recipe!!!


These are Vahe’s all-time favorite cookie. Ever. This recipe actually came from one of my roommate-turned-really-good-friend from BYU-Idaho. They are not only SO good, but they are SO easy and quick to make!!


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Ingredients:
1 package Devil’s Food cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
36 Rolos (or any caramel-filled chocolate, I prefer Rolos – even to Dove’s in these cookies)
*I usually just get a bag of Rolos rather then the tubes. You can just barely squeeze out 2 batches with one bag. Or, just make one batch – and eat the rest. 🙂

Directions:
1. Mix the cake mix, oil, and eggs together in a medium bowl.
2. Flatten walnut-sized balls of dough in your hand, and place a Rolo in the center. Wrap the dough around the candy, and arrange on an ungreased baking sheet.
3. Bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes. Do not overbake!! These will be ready when cracks begin to form on the outside of the cookie.

These are best straight out of the oven while they are still gooey and warm! Once they have cooled, stick one in the microwave for 5-10 seconds to melt the centers again!! Yum!!