Baklava

from Wayne Power of Peachland,BC

Baklava is a layered baked pastry dessert made of filo (phyllo) pastry, 

filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with sugar syrup or honey.  

It has its origin in the Eastern Mediterranean countries. 

Trays of Baklava are served at ceremonial processions 

and at family gatherings. 

Filo or phyllo pastry is wafer-thin sheets of dough

that is common in Greek, Middle Eastern and Balkan cooking. 

When you use the thawed pastry, you join layers by brushing 

each layer with butter/oil.  This also helps it to become crispy.

Filo is often filled in some way, such as in the classic dishes 

of baklava and börek. (Meat, spinach or vegetarian fillings). 

Ingredients:

filo pastry-favourite brand thawed box

1 cup of salted butter melted

1/4 cup of vegetable oil 

(of your choice sunflower, or canola)

1 cup fine chopped pistachios 

1 cup fine chopped nuts (mixed)

(of your choice walnuts, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts)

1 tablespoon rose water (citrus or ginger marmalade for variety) 

1 teaspoon ground cardamom 

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional nutmeg, allspice, clove)

1 cup of your favourite honey. 

(Beary Berry Honey plain or flavoured)

Directions:

Make the syrup drizzle by mixing warmed honey, 

rosewater, butter and oil thoroughly.   

Shake in a jar for convenience like you would for a dressing. 

Make your filling by blending chopped nuts and spices 

of your choice thoroughly. Coarse or fine chopped.

Preparation:

Baklava is normally prepared in large baking pans. 

Make many layers of buttered phyllo pastry.

Add some drizzle to each layer which contains 

the filling of chopped nuts and spices. 

Most recipes have multiple layers of filo and nuts, though 

some have only top and bottom pastry, 

all drenched with spicy honey drizzle. 

Save some drizzle for a finish after baking. 

Before baking, the layered dough is cut 

into regular pieces on the baking sheet, 

often parallelograms (lozenge-shaped), 

triangles, diamonds or rectangles. 

Optional — line baking sheet with buttered parchment paper. 

Bake at 180 °C,(356 °F) for 30minutes

or until golden brown top. 

After baking, add more syrup drizzle 

over the cooked baklava and allowed to soak in. 

Serve it at room temperature, and garnished 

with half nut or sprinkled ground nuts.

Sweet Maple Molasses Brown Bread

This brown bread recipe makes a deliciously soft loaf with a slightly sweet, maple flavour. Perfect for pairing with fresh homemade soup or for packing sandwiches in lunches.

Makes 2 loaves.

Prep Time: 3 hours

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups warm water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
  • 1/3 cup molasses
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/3 cup Beary Berry Honey Maple Honey
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 3 cups whole wheat flour
  • 3-4 cups all-purpose white flour

Directions:
1. In a stand mixer, combine water, yeast, molasses, cocoa, olive oil, Maple Honey, salt, and 2 cups whole wheat flour. Mix until combined.

2. Gradually add the rest of the flour, starting with the remaining whole wheat flour, then adding the white flour until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Knead for 5-7 minutes. Dough should be soft and slightly tacky.

3. Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.

4. Punch down dough and divide into two evenly-sized pieces. Shape into a tight oval loaves and place in greased bread pans. Lightly cover with a dish towel and let rise again until doubled in size.

5. Preheat oven to 375℉. Bake loaves for 30-35 minutes until browned and cooked through.

6. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove from pans and let cool completely on a cooling rack.

Peanut Butter & Honey Granola Bars

These granola bars are quick and easy to make and put away for lunches and snacks! The recipe is very flexible which means you can add whatever you’d like to suit your taste.

Makes 12 bars.

Prep Time: 5 mins

Total Time: 50 mins

 

Ingredients:

2 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/8 cup ground flax seeds

1/4 cup Beary Berry Honey Liquid Honey (more if needed)

Directions:

  1. Combine the oats, peanut butter, almonds, chocolate chips, flax seeds, and honey in a medium sized bowl. Add more honey if needed to hold shape.
  2. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper and press the oat mixture into the pan.
  3. Freeze pan for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until firm. Remove the parchment paper from the pan and cut the large square in half. Then cut each half into 6 rectangles. Wrap the bars individually in plastic wrap and store in the freezer or refrigerator.

 

Tips:

  • Try substituting the chocolate chips with raisins or cranberries.
  • Try adding 1/8 cup chia seeds or sunflower seeds.
  • Try using any of our flavoured honeys instead of plain honey for a unique flavour every time.

 

Lemonade Crinkle Cookies with Lemon Honey

These delightful little gems boast a sweet and crisp flavour and are the perfect snack for afternoon tea.

Makes 1.5-2 dozen

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup Beary Berry Honey Lemon Honey

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup icing sugar

Directions: 

  1. Preheat oven to 325℉. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, cream butter and Beary Berry Honey Lemon Honey until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and lemon juice and beat well. Scrape down sides and beat again.
  3. Slowly stir in all dry ingredients until just combined. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly.
  4. Pour icing sugar on large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in icing sugar until coated. Place on baking sheet.
  5. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms are barely brown.
  6. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool briefly before transferring to a rack to finish cooling.

Lavender Honey Shortbread Cookies

These buttery, delicate shortbread cookies are the perfect addition to any tea time platter or simply for snacking on when you’re feeling something sweet!

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients: 

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cubed and room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup Beary Berry Honey Lavender Honey

Directions:

  1. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
  2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add Lavender Honey and beat until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add flour mixture and beat until just moistened (it will be a bit crumbly). Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic. Allow dough to chill for 45 minutes in the fridge.
  3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350℉. Take half of your dough and place it on a lightly floured sheet of parchment or wax paper, sprinkle the top of the dough with just a bit of flour, and place another sheet on top. Roll the dough out to ½-inch thick between two sheets, cut out, then place on parchment lined baking sheets. Continue with the other half of the dough.
  4. Heat a few tablespoons of Beary Berry Honey Lavender Honey in the microwave for just 10 seconds or so, and brush the cookies with the warm honey.
  5. Bake for 11-13 minutes, until golden and set. Cool on pans for 10 minutes and then remove cookies from pans and let cool on a wire rack.
  6. Serve and enjoy!

 

Zucchini Muffins

Recipe and image courtesy of Sarah Penner.

These muffins not only taste great but also make a delicious and healthy snack! Make them ahead of time for those on-the-go mornings or serve them as a yummy coffee break dessert.

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Serves: 1 dozen

INGREDIENTS:
1 2/3 cups white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup Beary Berry Honey Vanilla Bean Honey
1/2 cup rice milk (or regular milk)
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups grated fresh zucchini
1/3 cups old-fashioned oats, plus extra for sprinkling
Pumpkin seeds for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 12-cup muffin pan by either greasing it with cooking spray or lining the cups with paper liners. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until combined. Set aside.

3. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together egg, Beary Berry Honey Vanilla Bean Honey, milk, coconut oil and vanilla extract until combined. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredient mixture, and stir with a spoon until just combined. (Do not overmix.)

4. Stir in the zucchini and oats until just combined.

5. Portion the batter evenly between 12 baking cups. Then sprinkle extra oats on top of each, if desired.

6. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Transfer pan to a cooling rack. Serve warm.

7. Enjoy!

Vanilla Bean Honey and Pecan Cookies

Nothing goes better together than honey and pecans. And now you can enjoy them both in this delicious cookie recipe!

Prep Time: 3 hours 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

2 eggs

1/3 cup Beary Berry Honey Vanilla Bean Honey

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups quick oats

3/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

  1. Beat butter and sugar until creamy.
  2. Add eggs and honey. Beat until fluffy.
  3. Stir in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
  4. Add quick oats and chopped pecans.
  5. Cover dough and chill until firm, approximately 2-3 hours.
  6. Form dough into tablespoon-size balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
  7. Let cool for 10 minutes on pan before transferring to a cooling rack.
  8. Enjoy!

Spiced Carrot Muffins

This is a moist muffin that could easily double as a cupcake.

2 cups whole wheat flour (see tips below for choosing flour)
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon, ground
1/4 tsp cloves, ground
1/4 tsp nutmeg, ground
1/4 tsp cardamom, ground (see notes)
1/4 tsp ginger, ground
1/4 tsp star anise, ground in a coffee grinder (see notes)
1 1/2 cups Beary Berry Honey
3/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup oil or melted butter
3 large eggs
4 cups carrots, grated (lightly packed)
3/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped (optional)
3/4 cup raisins (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.

  1. Butter or lightly oil 24 muffin tins, or line with paper liners.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
  3. In a large bowl whisk together the honey, applesauce, and oil/melted butter until well blended (not too vigourously, though, or it will splash).
  4. Add the eggs and whisk well to combine them.
  5. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and using a wooden spoon, stir until blended.
  6. Stir in grated carrots and, if using, the raisins & nuts.
  7. Divide the batter among the tins. It will come fairly close to the top of the muffin cups and it will be okay – I haven’t had it spill over, but you could put a baking sheet underneath if you’re worried.
  8. Bake about 25 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
  9. Remove the muffins from the oven and let sit about 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before serving.
  10. Store them in a sealed container and eat within a few days. They freeze great, so keep a few out and freeze the rest.

Serves: 24
alternatively: 12 pieces from a round, two-layer cake
12 large or

Tips / Suggestions:

  • Use Best for Bread whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour – it’s lighter and better for pastries and cakes. If you have access to local farmers who mill their own grains, find one who grows the varietal “Soft White” – it’s a whole grain (not processed white flour), but much lower in protein, making it ideal for baking and pastries. I go to John Schneider of Gold Forest Grains for flour milled on his organic farm. He’s at Old Strathcona Farmers Market.
  • If using non-stick pans, reduce cooking – start checking them at about 22 minutes.
  • You can use this recipe to make 2 round cake layers or one 9×13 sheet cake. Grease and flour the pans before adding the batter. They will take longer to bake so adjust the time accordingly.
  • If you don’t have access to cardamom and star anise, no worries. Just add a bit more cinnamon and/or ginger.
  • If you use our Cinnamon Honey and/or Ginger Honey, omit those respective spices in the recipe.

Recipe and image copyright ElaineWilson.com, used with permission.