Smoothies make a great quick breakfast or snack…and my kids love them! Plus, they’re a great way to get extra fruit into your diet! So fire up those blenders and get to it!!! Enjoy!

Rise ‘N Raspberry Smoothie
-recipe from The Little Black Book of Smoothies by Ruth Cullen

Makes 2 10-ounce smoothies or 1 big smoothie.

You can’t go wrong with this tangy-sweet, berry blend. Add 1 tablespoon rolled oats or wheat germ for added texture and taste.

1 cup chilled orange juice
1/2 cup non-fat raspberry yogurt
1/2 frozen banana*
1-1/2 cups frozen raspberries

Pour orange juice into blender and add yogurt, banana, and raspberries. Blend at high speed until smooth.

*Buy golden yellow bananas without any visible bruises, and prepare for freezing by removing peel and slicing. (One cup of sliced banana is approximately 1 whole banana.)

Tags: Breakfast, raspberry, smoothie, snack

Today is my birthday and I made this delicious sparkling wine cocktail to celebrate my day. It’s easy, delicious, and perfect for spring and summer festivities!

I used frozen raspberries, which worked great  because they get smashed with the lemoncello so they don’t need to be beautiful, whole berries. Also, choose a brut sparkling wine, unless you prefer a sweet sparkler. Brut means very dry and refers to the sweetness of the bubbly. There are many good Italian (prosecco) and Spanish (cava) bubblies on the market that are under $10. To make the drink even prettier, serve in stemware like these pretty French Country flutesmade by Mikasa. Cheers to me!

Sparkling Limoncello-Raspberry Cocktail
-recipe from Williams-Sonoma

A bright yellow liqueur, limoncello is imbued with the refreshing flavor of lemon, without any of the bitterness. This sunny drink speaks Italian, so embrace its homeland and serve with crostini, bruschette or breadsticks. Or, set out a cheese plate with such Italian favorites as Taleggio or fontina.

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. sugar 
1/4 tsp. grated lemon zest 
A few drops of fresh lemon juice 
3 raspberries 
2 Tbs. limoncello  
Crushed ice as needed 
1/2 cup sparkling wine 
Lemon zest strip for garnish 

Directions:
On a small plate, stir together the sugar and grated lemon zest. Dip a clean finger in the lemon juice and moisten the rim of a Champagne flute or other glass. Dip the rim in the sugar mixture to coat.

In a small bowl or ramekin, using a cocktail muddler or the end of a wooden spoon, pulverize the raspberries with the limoncello. Transfer the puree to the sugar-rimmed glass. Place a spoonful of crushed ice in the glass, then pour in the sparkling wine. Garnish with the lemon zest strip and serve immediately. Serves 1.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Good Food to Share, by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan (Weldon Owen, Inc., 2010).

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Tags: Beverages, bridal shower, cocktail, lemoncello, raspberry, Sparkling Limoncello-Raspberry Cocktail, sparkling wine, summer drinks

These jewel-like cookies are easy-to-make, beautiful and lightly flavored with lemon. They’re one of my favorite Christmas cookies and they get raves every time I make them. Enjoy!

Raspberry Lemon Thumbprint Cookies
-Recipe from foodnetwork.com, Emeril Lagasse

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

1/2 cup raspberry jam or jelly
1 tablespoon Chambord or kirsch
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter 2 large baking sheets.

In a small bowl, combine the jam and Chambord. Stir to combine.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk to blend.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 2 additions and beat just until moist clumps form. Gather the dough together into a ball.

Pinch off the dough to form 1-inch balls. Place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing 1-inch apart. Use your floured index finger or 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to create depressions in the center of each ball. Fill each indentation with nearly 1/2 teaspoon of the jam mixture. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

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Tags: Christmas cookies, Christmas desserts, holiday cookies, holiday desserts, lemon, raspberry, thumbprint cookies, thumbprints

I love berry treats and desserts and was lured into buying the Stonewall Kitchen Favorites Cookbookbecause of this recipe for Raspberry Muffins. How can anyone resist a moist, freshly-baked muffin flecked with berries and finished with a crunchy streusel topping? Certainly not I!

I’ve made these muffins a few times with great results. I had a hard time getting them out of the muffin tins this time, though, so maybe I didn’t grease the pan good enough. Next time I might try using muffin liners. I used fresh raspberries but the recipe says you can use frozen, too (although the muffins may take longer to bake). These muffins make a great breakfast treat or afternoon snack! Enjoy!

Raspberry Muffins
-recipe from Stonewall Kitchen Favoritesby Jonathan King, Jim Stott, and Kathy Gunst

You can make these muffins year-round–with fresh berries in the summer, or any time of year using good-quality frozen raspberries. Makes 18 muffins.

For the topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature

For the muffins:
Vegetable oil spray, for the pans
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 1/2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

To make the topping: mix the flour and the sugar together in a medium bowl until blended. Add the butter, and using your hands or a fork, mix the ingredients until homogenous and crumbly. Set the topping aside.

To make the muffins: Spray 18 regular muffin tins with the vegetable oil. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl until blended, and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed with a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing the batter on low speed until smooth after each addition and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl if necessary. Add the vanilla, and mix to combine.

Add about one-third of the dry ingredients to the batter, and mix on low until blended. Add half of the sour cream, mix, and repeat with another third of the dry ingredients, the rest of the sour cream, and the remaining dry ingredients, mixing between each addition. Use a wooden spatula to stir in the raspberries by hand.

Fill the prepared muffin tins until almost full, and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the topping onto each muffin (don’t worry if it looks like a lot of topping).

Bake the muffins for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes. Using a kitchen knife, gently lift the muffins out of their tins and transfer to a cooling rack.

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Tags: Breakfast, Muffins, raspberry, streusel

This simple, fruit-studded cake is the perfect ending to a summer meal. I love the combination of peaches, raspberries and a hint of orange…delicious! I like to serve it at room temperature with a dollop of lightly sweetened, freshly whipped cream. The texture of the cake is best the day it’s made but leftovers are great with a morning cup of coffee.

I’ve tried making the cake with frozen raspberries but it works much better with fresh berries. The frozen berries make the batter too cold and then the cake takes FOREVER to bake (which results in the outside being too brown while the middle cooks). If you need to use frozen berries or peaches, let them come to room temperature before sprinkling them over the cake batter. Enjoy!

Raspberry-Peach Cake
-recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine

To draw out flavor from less than perfectly ripe fruit, toss it with a little extra sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Serves eight to ten.

6 oz. (1-1/3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pan
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. table salt
6 Tbs. (3 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature; more for the pan
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1-1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup plain yogurt

For the topping:
1/2 large, ripe peach or nectarine (about 3-3/4 oz.), halved and cut into very thin slices (aim for 1/16 inch)
3/4 cup (3-3/4 oz.) fresh raspberries
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 Tbs. unbleached all-purpose flour

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9×2-inch  round cake pan. Line the bottom with a parchment circle cut to fit the pan, lightly flour the sides, and tap out the excess.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until well blended and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until just blended, and adding the orange zest and vanilla with the second egg. Using a wide rubber spatula, fold in half the dry ingredients, then the yogurt, and then the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the topping:
Combine the peach slices, raspberries, sugar, and flour in a small bowl. Using a table fork, mix the ingredients to evenly coat the fruit and lightly crush the raspberries. After the cake has baked for 15 minutes, slide the oven rack out and scatter the fruit evenly over the top of the cake, working quickly. Continue baking until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, another 25 to 30 minutes.

Let the cake cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Using a dry dishtowel to protect your hands, lay a rack on top of the cake pan and, holding onto both rack and pan, invert the cake. Lift the pan from the cake. Peel away the parchment. Set a flat plate on the bottom of the cake and flip the cake one more time so that the fruit is on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

From Fine Cooking 80, pp. 68
September 1, 2006

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Tags: cake, Dessert, orange zest, peach, raspberry