This one is perfect for spring and summer – take advantage of those fresh berries! But honestly, I use frozen berries as much as fresh, which basically means I eat this all year long.

The Story Behind the Recipe

As a certified oatmeal lover (totally a thing), I’ve done overnight oats and baked oatmeal, but never a hybrid of the two. But when listening to the A Beautiful Mess podcast, they mentioned their overnight baked oatmeal recipes – and obviously I had to try it. I was inspired by their Overnight Baked Blueberry Muffin Oatmeal, and wanted to give the overnight/berry/oatmeal/baked situation a try pretty much immediately.

I decided to add to the berry equation (more berries is always a good thing, right?!) But I skipped any sort of streusel topping which is absolutely delightful in baked oatmeal recipes but I also like to keep it as easy as possible and super simple (read: I’m lazy). Though if you’re like me you might fancy it up a smidge with a few fresh berries thrown over the top + a last-minute dusting of powdered sugar.

Then we ate a lot of it. And I finally decided to share the recipe with you all. That’s my fascinating overnight baked oatmeal story and I’m sticking to it!

Overnight Berry Baked Oatmeal Ingredients

The list of ingredients for this overnight baked oatmeal is pretty short and simple. We’ve got:

• Oats
• Berries (I usually use two or three of the following: Blueberries, chopped strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and/or marionberries)
• Milk (I use oat milk or almond milk to keep it dairy free)
• Baking powder for a bit of lift
• An egg
• Pure maple syrup
• Vanilla

That’s it!

Making This Overnight Oatmeal

This overnight baked oatmeal takes maybe five minutes to whip up – I love that it’s so hands off. Then, cover it up, place it in the fridge, warm up the oven in the morning, and bake it. So, so, so super easy.

Simply whisk all of the ingredients together except the berries, then stir the berries in.

After that, pour the mix into an 8×8 pan.

Cover that and chill it in the fridge overnight. The oats soak up the liquid, getting soft and creamy and making for the perfect texture once baked.

More Overnight Breakfasts

Overnight breakfasts are a meal-prepper’s dream! I also love them on busy holiday mornings. Here are some more overnight breakfast recipes to try:

• Egg strata is one of my faves – this chiles relleno version is unique, and I love this mushroom and swiss dish.
• Mmm, overnight French toast. Yessss. Here’s a baked blueberry overnight French toast, and here’s a caramel pecan version. Both such a good way to start your day.
• Starbucks used to have this incredible overnight grains in a creamy coconut base with strawberries and almonds. This is my copycat version and one of the more popular recipes on Kitchen Treaty these days!
• If you prefer to stick to oats, here’s a Crockpot overnight oats recipe that’s absolutely delicious. Or PB&J overnight oats in a jar!

More Oatmeal Recipes

• Strawberry & Toasted Almond Overnight Oats (Starbucks copycat!)
• Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal 
• Mango Oatmeal
• Apple Gingerbread Oatmeal
• Slow Cooker Pumpkin Oatmeal
• Carrot Cake Oatmeal
• PB&J Overnight Oats
• Blueberry Oatmeal

Print

Overnight Baked Berry Oatmeal

Juicy berries baked up in hearty, creamy, lightly sweetened oatmeal. The ultimate meal-prep breakfast, just plop it in the oven in the morning and breakfast is ready before you know it.

Course Breakfast

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

25 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 229kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

Oatmeal

• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened plain oat milk or your favorite milk; I like almond milk too
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups berries* fresh or frozen; blueberries, strawberries (diced), raspberries, blackberries and/or marionberries

Optional toppings

• 1/2 cup assorted fresh berries
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
• Cream, half and half, or additional milk poured over individual servings, if desired

Instructions

The night before:

• Into a large mixing bowl, add the oat milk, egg, maple syrup, and vanilla. Whisk until blended. Pour in the oats and baking powder. Mix together. With a spatula, fold in the berries.
• Pour into an 8"x8" baking pan. Cover with foil or plastic wrap to protect.

The next morning:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove oatmeal from the refrigerator and remove cover. Bake uncovered until it is set and no longer jiggles, about 25 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. To serve, sprinkle with additional fresh berries and dust with powdered sugar if desired. Cut into squares and serve with cream.

Notes

Berry Notes

My fave is a mix of 1 cup blueberries, 1 cup diced strawberries, and 1/2 cup raspberries

Adapted from/inspired by A Beautiful Mess

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 216mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 196IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 162mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Overnight Berry Baked Oatmeal appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Packed with omega-3s, chia seeds can soak up about 10 times their size and weight in liquid. Which is not only intriguing, but convenient, too! Because they develop a gelatinous coating after soaking in all of that liquid, and that makes chia seeds a most excellent thickener.

Just look to this plant-based powerhouse when you want to create a unique and healthy spin on puddings, smoothies, and – yep, you guessed it …

Chia Seed Jam!

ESPECIALLY jam.

Why Try Making Chia Seed Jam?

Chia seed jam is one of my favorite ways to enjoy summer berries and stone fruits.With just fruit, a surprisingly small amount of sweetener, and chia seeds, you can make a delicious and healthy “jam” that you can enjoy now or stash in the freezer for later.

No pectin, no hours of stirring, no cup after cup of sugar, no praying to the jam gods that your batch doesn’t fail. (In fact, it doesn’t need any sugar at all to gel!)

If you’ve never made it before, you might just be shocked and awed by chia seed jam and all of its awesomeness.

The only downside is, in my opinion, the fact that you can see the chia seeds in it – that might bother a few folks. That photo above, for instance, is strawberry chia seed jam. It looks like raspberry jam with those seeds, but nope!

One thing you can do is puree your jam to help smooth it out a bit. But here in our house, we don’t mind the seeds.

So are you ready to learn how to can make chia seed jam? Let’s do this thing! First, I’ll share my basic formula for chia seed jam; then, I’ll break it down step-by-step.

The Formula for Chia Seed Jam

The general formula I start from when making chia seed jam is:

• 1 pound fruit 
• 1/4 cup sweetener (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds

From there, I might add a bit more sweetener or more chia seeds to get the right sweetness and thickness. It all depends on the type of fruit you use, but this formula always gets me pretty close.

Step-by-Step Guide to Making Chia Seed Jam

1. Prepare Your Fruit

Sort through your fruit or berries and make sure it’s in good shape – not underripe or past its prime. Wash, hull, and quarter strawberries if you like; clean blueberries and discard any stems; peel, pit, and dice stone fruit. You get the gist.

2. Cook the Fruit

Add your fruit of choice and sweetener (if using) to a pan over medium heat. I like adding about 1/4 cup of honey or pure maple syrup per 1 pound of fruit as mentioned above. You can start with no sweetener at all if you think your fruit is sweet enough and add it later on too, but if the fruit seems too dry on its own, just add a small splash of water to get the cooking process going. (Have I mentioned this jam is super unfussy?)

Bring the fruit to a boil and let it cook until it liquifies, about 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the fruit. If needed, carefully mash the fruit with a potato masher or fork until it’s at a consistency that looks good to you.

At this point, you can taste your jam and see if you want to add a bit of sweetener. Add it in and stir until it tastes just right. And then …

3. Add Chia Seeds

Stir in two tablespoons of those glorious chia seeds and remove from the heat. And then? Just let it sit so that the chia seeds can work their magic, transforming into an incredible fruit spread.

After about 10 minutes, your chia seed jam should have thickened up fairly well (and keep in mind that it will continue to thicken as it cools). But if the jam seems a bit thin, just add another tablespoon of chia seeds and let it sit for another 10 minutes until thick. Don’t worry – it’s really hard to screw this stuff up!

4. Cool, Store, and Enjoy!

Eat your chia seed jam just like you would any other jam. I love a dollop of chia seed jam on top of my oatmeal or swirled into yogurt.

And, of course, slathered on a big ol’ slice of bread.

Yummm.

To store your jam, place it in an airtight jar with a lid and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

And that’s it! Are you a convert like I am? I’d love to hear how you like it – scroll on down and leave a comment and rating below!

And here’s the printable recipe.

Print

Chia Seed Jam

No fuss, no muss – this fruit spread is so easy to make and nearly impossible to screw up. Plus, it’s fresher tasting, calls for very little sugar, contains nutritional-powerhouse chia seeds, and have I mentioned it is SO EASY?!

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 20

Calories 26kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 pound fruit strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, plums, pears, peaches, or a mix!
• 1/4 cup sweetener of choice I like honey, pure maple syrup [grade A], and agave syrup more or less to taste*
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds

Instructions

• Clean fruit, removing stems/seeds as needed, and cutting into smaller pieces if large.
• Place a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the fruit and sweetener (if using – start with a little; you can always add more later). If you’re not using sweetener and your fruit is relatively dry, try adding a small splash of water to get the fruit going.
• Heat fruit, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a boil. Let it continue to boil until it begins to break down and form a sauce, 5-15 minutes depending on your fruit. If nccessary, carefully mash fruit with a fork or potato masher until it reaches the consistency you’d like.
• Taste and add more sweetener if desired, a little at a time.
• Stir in the chia seeds and remove from heat. Let sit until thick, about 10 minutes. If it seems a little too thin, stir in another tablespoon of chia seeds and let it sit for another 10. minutes. (Keep in mind that he jam will continue to thicken as it cools.)
• To store, place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to two weeks. Can also be frozen for up to two months.

Notes

Nutrition information calculated using strawberries and honey.

* I’ve also made this without any sweetener at all – it all depends on your taste and the type of fruit you use!

Preservation note:

I do not recommend canning this jam – I don’t know how much the chia seeds might throw off the pH of the jam which, in a nutshell, could lead to bad things. I do like to keep small batches in the freezer to pull out once summer is long gone.

Nutrition

Calories: 26kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.2mg

The post How to Make Chia Seed Jam with Any Fruit You Have appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

I wore white, and a woman approached me and looked me up and down. Laughing, she told me I was brave. I didn’t get it. Several wineries later, as I swirled my wine like an amateur, I splashed precious Zin all down my front. I didn’t really care, though, because I’d discovered the single greatest red wine in all the land. (Having several tastings under my belt didn’t hurt, either).

So why waste my very favorite wine on a batch of cranberry sauce?! Oh, my friends, it’s not a waste. I mean, you may not want to use the $50 stuff (YUM – my fave splurge) or anything, but don’t feel bad about sacrificing a hefty splash of reasonably priced Zinfandel in this Raspberry Red Wine Cranberry Sauce. (Plus, now I’ve given you an excuse to crack open a bottle. You’re welcome!)

Because zinfandel often smells to me like the most luscious of raspberry jams, I thought it would pair perfectly with raspberries for this unique (but super simple!) red wine cranberry sauce recipe. Instead of using water like we typically do for homemade cranberry sauce, we’ve got this rich red wine thing going on. Yes, yes, yes. Cinnamon, meanwhile, plays off of zinfandel’s spicy tendencies and brings us back around to fall, Thanksgiving style.

I’ve already made up a big batch of this cranberry sauce, and it eagerly waits in the freezer for this year’s Thanksgiving. I’m going to take it, along with a bottle of Zinfandel, to Thanksgiving dinner. And I’m going to wear white, dang it!

Bravery. It’s a good thing.

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Raspberry Cranberry Sauce

Red wine, raspberries, and cinnamon make for a special – yet still surprisingly simple – homemade cranberry sauce. Tart, just a bit jammy, and warmly spiced. Love!

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
• 6 ounces fresh or frozen raspberries
• 1/2 cup honey + more to taste can substitute granulated sugar [will not be refined-sugar free] or pure maple syrup
• 3/4 cup red zinfandel wine not white zinfandel!
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Rinse cranberries and discard any unripe or shriveled berries. Pick over raspberries and do the same. Place in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup honey, zinfandel, and cinnamon.
• Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cranberries pop and the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes. Taste and add additional honey until the sauce has reached your desired level of sweetness. Remove from heat and let cool. Serve.
• Keeps for up to one week refrigerated in an airtight container, or for up to two months in the freezer.

The post Raspberry Cranberry Sauce appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

So – when my willpower holds – I’ve been turning to smoothies. Cold, refreshing, and sweet to boot. Plus, they’re usually pretty healthy. So it’s a win all around.

This Raspberry Lemonade Smoothie is actually on the tart side of sweet – and I love it like that. It sort of slaps you across the mouth, but in the most pleasant way.

Well that was a totally convincing line of text, wasn’t it?

This thing is super simple, as smoothies love to be. One banana for creaminess. Some milk for good measure (I like unsweetened almond milk). Raspberries, of course. Some fresh-squeezed lemon juice. And ice to get it good and cold. (You could totally freeze the banana too, and then forgo the ice).

Now excuse me while I evil-laugh about the glorious conquering of my conniving sweet tooth. Victory. Is. Mine!

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Raspberry Lemonade Smoothie

Tart and refreshing - the perfect simple summer smoothie!

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 large smoothie

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
• 1 medium banana
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk or milk of your choice
• 1 cup ice cubes
•  

Instructions

• Blend all ingredients together, adding more milk if you prefer a thinner smoothie. Pour into a glass and serve.

The post Raspberry Lemonade Smoothie appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

With juicy fresh raspberries lined up on a creamy lemon-cream cheese layer spread over flaky golden puff pastry, this fresh raspberry lemon tart is the stuff of dessert dreams – both because it’s shockingly easy and because it’s DELISH.

Table of Contents

• The Story Behind the Recipe
• Why You’ll Love This Raspberry Tart
• Raspberry Tart Ingredients
• Adaptations/Variations
• How to Make This Easy Raspberry Tart
• Tips for Success
• Make-Ahead Tips
• More Easy Dessert Recipes

• Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe
• Read Comments & Reviews

The Story Behind the Recipe

I live in Seattle and I love it, but in the gray wintertime, if it’s a good year, I fly down the coast to California. The golden light fills me up and helps power me through the dreary Pacific Northwest months.

The last few years, thanks to perpetual busyness and our immersion into the world of parenthood, we’ve seen a lot less of California in the winter.

So I thought I’d enjoy a little California at home in the form of California raspberries in a fresh tart that’s filled with a sweet, lemon-scented whipped cream cheese, lined with ruby raspberries, and drizzled with golden honey.

The Pacific Northwest is known for its berries, but that’s more a spring and summer thing. I love to go raspberry picking and show off those just-picked PNW berries in this impressive raspberry tart.

I originally created this recipe in the wintertime, though, in partnership with California berry producer Driscoll’s and Whole Foods.

Why You’ll Love This Raspberry Tart

Made with frozen puff pastry and with relatively few other ingredients, this tart is SUCH a cinch to put together.

It’s the perfect dessert for summer potlucks or big family dinners, showing off summertime produce.

But it also works in the winter months. Add a sprig of peppermint and maybe even a scattering of chopped pistachios for a bit of green and you’ve got the perfect light Christmas dessert!

Raspberry Tart Ingredients

• Puff pastry – You’ll need one 10×10-inch frozen sheet, thawed.
• Heavy whipping cream – Make sure it’s chilled so that it whips up nice and fluffy.
• Cream cheese – You’ll want it to have hung out at room temp for a bit so that it’s easy to mix.
• Honey – Both to sweeten the cream cheese filling and to drizzle on top of those glorious fresh raspberries.
• Lemon – You’ll need a bit of the juice and all of the zest.
• Vanilla – Adds a note of sweetness and helps round out the flavors of the filling.
• Fresh raspberries

Adaptations/Variations

• Vegan Raspberry Tart: Sub in coconut cream for the whipping cream (here’s a great tutorial for how to make coconut whipping cream) and use vegan cream cheese for a dairy-free/vegan version. You’ll also want to make sure your puff pastry is vegan, but most are. Use pure maple syrup in place of the honey.
• Blueberry (or other berry) Tart: Swap in fresh blueberries instead of the raspberries. Other berries that work well are blackberries, smaller strawberries, or marionberries.
• Pistachio Raspberry Tart: Sprinkle with chopped pistachios for a bit of green color and crunch.

How to Make This Easy Raspberry Tart

First, you’ll want to bake your puff pastry. Roll it out to around 11×14 inches (doesn’t have to be exact), then score in a border with a butter knife and fold in the edges. Bake until golden, remove from the oven, and let it cool.

Next, mix up the filling – whip up the whipped cream, then mix in the cream cheese, half of the honey, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla. Do NOT grab a spoon, because it will be hard to stop “taste testing” this stuff.

Then, just spread the cream cheese layer onto the cooled puff pastry and line it with your raspberries. I like to place them stem-side down; I think they look extra pretty that way.

Then, just drizzle the top with the rest of the berries, cut it into squares, and serve!

Tips for Success

• Make sure your cream cheese has been out of the fridge for a bit so that it’s easy to whip.
• Use a Microplane zester for the easiest lemon zest.
• Make sure your whipped cream is super cold for the fluffiest filling.

Make-Ahead Tips

Make the components ahead of time – bake the puff pastry, whip up the cream filling – then assemble right before it’s time to eat. You’ll want to keep the cream cheese filling in an airtight container in the fridge until about 20 minutes before it’s time to assemble (be sure to give it that bit of time to soften at room temp so it’s easy to spread).

If you really want to assemble it a few hours ahead of time, it actually keeps rather well for even up to 4-5 hours, fully assembled, carefully covered, and refrigerated.

More Easy Dessert Recipes

• Raspberry Lemon Icebox Cake
• Chocolate Wacky Cake
• Easy Cherry Crumble
• Mango Sorbet
• Cranberry Apple Crisp

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Easy Raspberry Tart

Lush raspberries atop a fluffy lemon-vanilla cream cheese filling and a buttery golden puff pastry crust. This easy tart is sure to impress everyone!

Keyword easy raspberry tart, raspberry lemon tart, raspberry tart

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 frozen puff pastry sheet 10×10 inch, thawed
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream chilled
• 8 ounces cream cheese 1 box, softened [room temperature]
• 6 tablespoons honey divided
• 1 lemon juiced and zested [need 2 teaspoons juice]
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups fresh raspberries approx. 18 ounces

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, or to the temperature recommended on your package of puff pastry. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle a little flour on your pastry surface and, with a rolling pin, roll pastry sheet to approx 11-inches by 14-inches in size. Transfer pastry to baking sheet. With a butter knife, lightly score a 1/2-inch border around the edges, then fold the edge up and toward the center, pressing lightly, to create a neat border. Score the center lightly with a knife, taking care to not cut all of the way through (but if you accidentally do, it’ll be okay). Bake until golden brown, about 10-12 minutes, or the time indicated on the package of puff pastry. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
• Affix a stand mixer or hand mixer with the whisk attachment. In the bowl of the mixer or in a large bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Scoop whipped cream into a medium bowl. To the bowl of the mixer or the large bowl, add the cream cheese, 3 tablespoons honey, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Whip until smooth and a little fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Fold cream cheese mixture into whipping cream, gently stirring and folding just until blended. Pile the filling into the center of the cooled puff pastry tart shell and, with a butter knife. spread the filling gently toward the edges. Line the top with raspberries, bottoms up. Drizzle with remaining 3 tablespoons honey. Cut into squares and serve.

Notes

Make-ahead notes: Make the components ahead of time – bake the puff pastry, whip up the cream filling – then assemble right before it’s time to eat. You’ll want to keep the cream cheese filling in an airtight container in the fridge until about 20 minutes before it’s time to assemble (be sure to give it that bit of time to soften at room temp so it’s easy to spread).

If you really want to assemble it a few hours ahead of time, it actually keeps rather well for even up to 4-5 hours, fully assembled, carefully covered, and refrigerated.

The post Raspberry Tart appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

I guess I just launched right into this one, didn’t I? No lulling summery intro, no stories of potlucks and family fun. Just: Here! An icebox cake! Eat it, you fools!

I guess I could slow down. I apologize. My world is weirdly wavy right now. I wish I had some exciting reason why, but mostly it’s because I’m getting over the last vestiges of a doozy of a summer virus (so annoying) and my brain and body aren’t quite back up to snuff. Which apparently causes me to launch right into things without so much as a hello. Please pardon my rudeness. Here, have a slice of cake as a peace offering. I promise it doesn’t have cooties.

So! Icebox cakes! I’ve been hearing about them for awhile now, but this recipe is the first time I’ve delved into this particular dessert – both tasting-wise and making-wise. A crime, right? In a nutshell, icebox cakes are made with cookies or graham crackers, whipped cream or other whipped topping, usually some sort of fruit, and/or maybe some chocolate. Some folks will add candies, sauces, or puddings, even. You layer it – sort of like a no-bake, sweet lasagna, except way easier – and then you refrigerate it until the cookies get, for lack of a better word, soggy. But stay with me! Because it’s a glorious sog!

Oh, this is not at all turning out like I wanted it to. The truth is, I wasn’t totally sure about these cakes because they sort of did make me think of soggy cookies and I thought, oh, that doesn’t sound very good at all. But then I tried it and basically, the cookies transform into cake-like goodness, and all is right with the world. Not a sog in sight. Just cakiness. Good cakiness. Really.

I decided to make the simplest of icebox cakes, because that’s me – simple. Okay, and a little lazy, especially right now.

Homemade whipped cream sweetened with sugar and subtly flavored with fresh lemon – both zest and juice. Juicy, peak-of-season raspberries. And graham crackers out of the box, because, well, let’s be honest. I just wasn’t going to make those myself (though it did cross my mind)!

You whip the cream, layer with the graham crackers and fruit, and plop here and there with raspberries. Cover it with plastic wrap, refrigerate that sucker, and pull it out a few hours later. Icebox cake, my friends! Totally worth launching into. Both figuratively and literally.

Oh, and ignore the particularly artfully-placed raspberries in the back, there. My two-year-old “helped.” 🙂

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Raspberry Lemon Icebox Cake Recipe

Icebox cake is already easy, but this one is the easiest! Lemony whipped cream and fresh raspberries layered with graham crackers and chilled until perfect – it’s the quintessential no-bake summer dessert.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 3 cups heavy whipping cream very cold
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest + 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice from about 2 medium lemons
• 3 sleeves graham crackers 8 double crackers each
• 1 pound fresh raspberries

Instructions

• Add whipping cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or add to a large bowl and use the whisk attachments on a hand blender. Or whisk by hand, if you’re feeling up to it! Whip cream on medium speed until it begins to thicken. Add sugar and lemon juice and continue whipping until soft peaks form. Don’t whip until very stiff; it makes the cake too difficult to assemble! With a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the lemon zest.
• Smear a little whipped cream on the bottom of a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish. This will help to hold the first layer of graham crackers in place. Lay a single layer of graham crackers over the whipped cream, breaking a few apart if necessary to make them fit. Add 1/3 of the whipped cream to the graham crackers and smooth. Top with 1/3 of the raspberries – if they’re large ones, I like to break them in half first. Top with another layer of graham crackers, another 1/3 of the whipped cream, and another 1/3 of the raspberries. Then add the remaining graham crackers and spread on the last of the whipped cream. Top decoratively with remaining raspberries.
• Carefully cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, up to 36 hours.
• Remove from fridge, cut into squares, and serve.

The post Raspberry Lemon Icebox Cake Recipe appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

What? It’s actually chocolate brown?! Why, my gosh! It is!

Okay, I’ll stop now.

See, this Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie is actually a green smoothie, too. A sneaky green smoothie. I know there are a few (or a lot) of people (like my guy and my kid) who are a little put off by the green hue of a good green smoothie.

So I thought, hey! How about I come up with a series of smoothies that have the good green stuff inside, but if you’re not the one who made them, you’d never ever know?

Yep, I’m sneaky like that.

This smoothie has a full cup of fresh spinach – and a little flax seed thrown into the mix, too. But you just taste cool, creamy, slightly decadent chocolate-raspberry bliss.

What a way to show the love this Valentine’s Day: a little healthy deception.

Oh, and do you see that super-cool big clear straw? It’s glass! The folks over at Glass Dharma sent me a selection of their glass straws to try out, and I’m totally digging them. They’re a great eco-friendly solution for my recent smoothie obsession, and they’re remarkably strong (how strong? I even knocked one onto the kitchen floor [eep!], and it didn’t break!)

More Green Smoothie Recipes

• Tropical Green Smoothie
• 4-Ingredient Mango Green Smoothie
• Mango Coconut Green Smoothie
• Ginger Peach Green Smoothie
• Toasted Coconut Green Smoothie
• Healthy Shamrock Shake Smoothie
• Green Lime Smoothie
• Pumpkin Pie Green Smoothie

Print

Chocolate Raspberry Sneaky Green Smoothie

There’s healthy green stuff in there, but no one will ever know! All they’ll taste (and see) is chocolate raspberry bliss.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 large or 2 small smoothies

Author Kare

Ingredients

•  
• 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries plus a few more for garnish
• 1 cup milk of your choice I use almond milk
• 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed

Instructions

• Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a glass and garnish with additional raspberries if desired. Serve with a straw.

The post Chocolate Raspberry Sneaky Green Smoothie appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

(Please ignore all of this next week when I post my first pumpkin recipe of the year.)

(more…)

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“Ain’t nobody got time for this,” I thought, as I painstakingly picked minuscule currant after currant from tiny dangling stems and plopped them, two by two, into a bowl.

I’m normally not one to include “ain’t” in my lexicon. In this case, though, it fit.  My wonderful CSA farmer snipped a glorious bunch of berry-laden stems and sneaked them in with my loot last Friday, and I needed to do something with them quick. No way were they going to waste.

My mind swirled with everything that needed to get done around the house. To my right a golden retriever incessantly gnawed on half a purple-striped paper straw (I can only assume the other half will appear … later). To my left, my toddler loitered beside me, holding out a random sticky piece of paper, uttering “bubbles, bubbles, bubbles” over and over again until I let her place it in my palm so that I could thank her profusely and make a production of throwing it in the trash. (Somewhere along the way, “garbage” has become “bubbles.”)

I returned to my plucking, and suddenly, it hit me. To have time to remove red currants from their precocious stems – it’s a gift. I thought about how fortunate I have been to be able to hit the brakes for awhile, step away from corporate life, and hang at home with my little one for this precious period of time. I thought about how, with both of my hands fussing over these tiny berries, I didn’t have the option of using this rare bit of downtime to fiddle with my iPhone or iPad or iWhatever, and I thought about how this gives my brain a little more room to think deeper thoughts. And I thought about how, sometimes, you just have to make the time to do stuff you don’t have time for, because really that’s the most important time of all.

And then after all my Deep Thoughts, I made a fruit salad. But just not any fruit salad – a quinoa fruit salad. A red, white, and blue quinoa salad, to be exact.

I’ve been crushing on Maria’s Quinoa Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing since last summer. Well, I’ve been crushing on the idea. Honestly, at first, I wasn’t sure I’d like a sweet salad made with quinoa – I’m so used to associating quinoa with savory dishes. But I kept thinking about it.

And you know, quinoa really does, as it turns out, lend itself perfectly to a sweeter treatment. Quinoa has an almost neutral flavor, so it just soaks up all the deliciousness of the easy honey-lime dressing, which complements the bright bursts of berries perfectly. I went with blueberries, strawberries, and red currants, but just about any combo of fresh fruit will do wonderfully.

Quinoa and berries together – what a seriously nutrient-packed dish. Plus, it’s satisfying and scrumptious. Totally worth the time it takes to put together – which, really, is hardly any time at all.

There’s absolutely no reason for being rushed along with the rush. Everybody should be free to go very slow. – Robert Frost

More Easy Quinoa Salad Recipes

• Quinoa Tabbouleh
• Tabbouleh Hummus Mason Jar Salads
• Lemony Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Fresh Dill
• Quinoa Vegetable Salad

If you try and love this recipe for quinoa berry salad, please leave a review! Even if you don’t absolutely love it, I welcome any and all feedback and I share all legit reviews. I test my recipes multiple times in my home kitchen, but I really appreciate knowing how they’re working for others; your reviews help me make tweaks until my recipes are just right! And they’re so valuable for other readers, too. Thank you! ❤️

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Red, White & Blue Quinoa Berry Salad

Quinoa gets the sweet treatment in this refreshing summer salad with strawberries, blueberries, and red currants (though you can easily sub raspberries or blackberries in for the currants).

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -6

Author Kare

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon lime zest from about 1 large lime
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice about 1 large juicy lime
• 3 tablespoons honey can sub agave syrup or Grade A pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped peppermint

Salad:

• 2 cups cooked quinoa* start with about 3/4 cup dried quinoa
• 2 cups blueberries
• 1 cup strawberries hulled and diced
• 1/2 cup red currants can substitute blackberries or raspberries

Instructions

• Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, honey, and peppermint. Set aside.
• Place the quinoa, blueberries, strawberries, and red currants in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the top and toss gently. Serve.
• Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two days, but I think it’s better when served right after assembling.

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Being, well, me, I got all excited and volunteered to bring in the first happy-makers. I decided on cupcakes early on, as I’d teased my work friends with these bad boys but forgot them at home so instead they went to my guy’s office. All the way home, I dreamed up possible combinations. Chocolate with peanut butter buttercream and a little hunk of Reeses on top … salted caramel (with caramel filling, natch) … ooh! Or a dreamy raspberry, lemon and vanilla combo inspired by the flavors in this amazing cheesecake from, yes, The Cheesecake Factory (trust me, it’s delicious).

And so, lemon-raspberry it was. I decided on a delicious, moist lemon-buttermilk cupcake filled with good raspberry jam, topped with a simply amazing vanilla bean buttercream.  Then I plopped the top with a fresh raspberry to hint at what will be found inside.

The gals at work took one look and said I should open up a cupcake shop. Did I mention they’re brilliant? 😉

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Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream

Moist lemon-buttermilk cupcakes filled with raspberry jam and then piped with a simply amazing vanilla bean buttercream and topped with a fresh raspberry.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 24 cupcakes

Author Kare

Ingredients

Lemon-raspberry cupcakes:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest about one large lemon or three small lemon’s worth
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2/3 cup raspberry jam
• 24 fresh raspberries for topping

Vanilla bean buttercream frosting:

• 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter 2 1/2 sticks, room temperature
• 1 vanilla bean
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar aka confectioner’s sugar
• Pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Line 24 standard muffin tins with paper liners.
• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.
• With an electric mixer  with paddle attachment or stand mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 3 or 4 minutes.
• Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl down the sides as necessary.
• Beat in the lemon zest and the vanilla.
• Mix the lemon juice and the buttermilk together.
• Add the buttermilk/lemon mixture and the flour mixture to the batter in thirds. Pour 1/3 the flour mixture, then 1/3 the buttermilk mixture, beating until just combined, then repeat.
• Divide batter evenly between muffin cups. It usually works out to right around 1/4 cup of filling per cup.
• Bake for about 25 minutes, until cake tester comes out clean.
• Cool completely.
• While cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. With a stand mixer with whisk attachment or a hand mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds.
• With a paring knife, slice the vanilla bean length-wise, then scrape the seeds out with the tip of the knife. Add to the butter, and mix until incorporated.
• Add powdered sugar and salt, and beat on low until the powdered sugar is incorporated, about one minute. Increase the speed to medium and mix for another 30 seconds or so.
• Add the vanilla extract and heavy cream, and mix on medium for about 30 seconds until incorporated.
• Increase the speed to medium high, and beat for about four minutes, scraping down as needed, until the frosting is light and fluffy.
• Now add the raspberry to the cupcakes. Using a cupcake corer, melon baller or teaspoon, remove a bit out of the top of the cake.
• Add about a teaspoon and a half of raspberry jam.
• Fill a pastry bag (or plastic zipper bag which is what I do in lieu of a pastry bag) with the buttercream and the tip of your choice, and frost!
• Plop the top with one fresh raspberry. Enjoy!
• They keep well at room temperature for a couple of days.

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