Tag Archives: blackberries

Blackberry Honey Lemonade

Drinking lemonade in the summertime is always a treat, and it’s always a nice change of pace to try different lemonade flavors. I’ve made Strawberry Lemonade and Raspberry Lemonade before, so I thought I’d try making some Blackberry Lemonade. And I wanted to sweeten it with honey instead of sugar to make it a little healthier. I really like the way this tastes! It has a rich fruity flavor from the blackberries, but it’s very lemony, too. This is the perfect thing to drink on a hot summer day, as you’re sitting in a nice shady area outside…with your feet propped up…maybe even reading a good book!

BLACKBERRY HONEY LEMONADE by NancyC

Makes about 4-6 servings

1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries

4 cups cold water, divided

2/3 cup honey

3/4 cup lemon juice (or use 1 cup, if you want it really lemony)

2 lemons, sliced (use some for stirring into lemonade and some for garnish)

In a blender, add berries and 1 cup of the water and blend about 1 to 2 minutes, until berries are pureed. Strain the juicy part of the mixture into a small bowl with a wire mesh strainer, discarding the solids and seeds.

Heat a second cup of water with the honey in a small saucepan (or microwave in a microwave-safe container), bringing it to a boil; remove from heat and stir mixture until honey is dissolved in the water.

In a large pitcher (about an 8-cup size), pour remaining 2 cups of water, along with the lemon juice, the honey/water mixture, and the juicy blackberry mixture; stir everything well.

Refrigerate mixture until chilled. When ready to serve, add lemon slices to pitcher (save slices as a garnish for the serving glasses) and stir mixture to ensure all ingredients are well-blended. Serve over ice and garnish each glass with a lemon slice.

Of course there’s always good ol’ Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade, too…I like them all! Do you have a favorite lemonade recipe?

Linked to Inspiration Thursday, Create It Thursday, Fabulous Foodie Fridays, Full Plate Thursday.

Blackberry Crumb Coffee Cake

33 Replies

Crumb-topped coffee cakes are my favorite kind. That’s why I wanted to try this recipe–it’s actually a blueberry coffee cake recipe, but I substituted the blackberries I had recently picked. I doubled the original recipe so I could make it in a 9 x 13″ pan, but when it came to the topping, I doubled it twice because the original topping amounts seemed a little small. I’m glad I did that, because the topping ended up being just right–not too heavy and not too light.

The top of this crumble-covered coffee cake is a little bumpy, just so you know what to expect, and inside it’s moistened by the juicy blackberries and small chunks of cream cheese that are stirred into the batter. It’s great for a summer breakfast or brunch and a great way to use your blackberries!

BLACKBERRY CRUMB COFFEE CAKE by NancyC, adapted from Taste of Home

Makes a 9 x 13″ pan

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 1/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour, divided

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup Half & Half (light cream)

1/2 cup milk

2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries (or you can substitute blueberries)

6 ounces of cream cheese, cut into small cubes (measure from an 8-ounce block, or use two 3-0unce packages)

For the Crumb Topping:

1/2 cup all-purpose unbleached flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 Tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Grease a 9 x 13″ baking pan; set aside.

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs; set aside.

In medium size bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to creamed butter mixture alternately with Half & Half and milk.

In another medium size bowl, toss blackberries with remaining 1/4 cup of flour. Stir the blackberries and cubes of cream cheese into batter (batter will be thick). Spoon batter into prepared 9 x 13″ baking pan.

For topping, in a small bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 375˚F for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack, then cut into squares and serve.

Note: If using frozen blackberries (or blueberries), use without thawing to avoid discoloring the batter.

Fresh blackberries taste great in so many things! I still have a few more blackberry recipes I’ll be posting soon! Have you tried any good blackberry recipes this summer?

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Sugar-Crusted Blackberry Muffins

18 Replies

I mentioned when I posted my Blackberry Crumb Bars that I’d be sharing more blackberry recipes with you, and here’s another one! These muffins are easy to make, with a thick, creamy batter that bakes into yummy moist muffins with lots of blackberries in every bite. And sprinkling them with some coarse sugar before putting them in the oven gives these muffins a light sugary crusted top. I like the little sparkle the coarse crystal-like sugar gives the muffins, too.

SUGAR-CRUSTED BLACKBERRY MUFFINS by NancyC, adapted from Taste of Home

Makes 18 muffins

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup Half & Half (light cream)–or substitute milk

2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries

2 to 3 Tablespoons coarse decorating sugar (or substitute granulated sugar)

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Fill muffin tins with 18 paper liners; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a medium size bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually stir this mixture into the creamed mixture alternately with the Half & Half, beating well after each addition. Fold in the blackberries.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Sprinkle tops with the coarse decorating sugar (or use granulated sugar). I used 2 Tablespoons of coarse sugar for my lightly sugary muffin tops–for a heavier sugar coating, use 3 Tablespoons.

Bake at 375˚F for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (I used fresh berries; baking time might be a few minutes longer with frozen berries).

Cool 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve warm.

These muffins are great for a summer breakfast or snack. Hope you enjoy them!

Linked to Simply Sundays, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sunday Features, Inspire Me Monday, Show and Share, Tickle My Tastebuds, Wow Me Wednesday, Wow Us Wednesdays, Wake Up Wednesday, Whimsy Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Create It Thursday, Showcase Your Talent Thursday, Living With Style, Share Your Style, Thursday Favorite Things, Inspiration Thursday, Fabulous Foodie Fridays, Feathered Nest Friday, Foodie Friday.

Blackberry Peach Smoothie

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It’s been so hot the last few days, a smoothie sounded like the perfect thing to make! I like this recipe because it also has a peach in it–blackberries and peaches are such great summer fruits, so what a great idea to use them together in a smoothie! I found this recipe at Clean and Scentsible. If you don’t have blackberries, you can use blueberries or raspberries. Use your berries frozen–it makes the smoothie thicker, not to mention really cool and refreshing!

BLACKBERRY PEACH SMOOTHIE by NancyC, adapted from Clean and Scentsible

Makes 16 ounces–enough for 2 small smoothies or 1 large smoothie

1 cup frozen blackberries (or substitute blueberries or raspberries)

1 peach, sliced (and pit removed–you can peel the peach if you want–I left the skin on; or, you can use canned peaches)

1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt

1/2 Tablespoon flaxseed or wheat germ

2 to 3 ice cubes

1/2 Tablespoon honey (optional)

Add all ingredients to your blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

This really tastes great on a hot summer day! What kinds of cooling summer beverages have you been making?

Blackberry Buttermilk Cake

31 Replies

I mentioned in my last post that I had been picking some blackberries this past week. And this is one of the recipes I made with them–Blackberry Buttermilk Cake. It’s a recipe I’ve had for awhile, clipped from a newspaper and kept in one of my recipe binders. I thought I’d make it again to share on this blog with you, since I had never taken a picture of it before.

This cake is made in a bundt pan and is topped with a creamy buttermilk glaze. It’s not as dense as a pound cake–it’s a little lighter and cakier but the blackberries give it a nice moistness. It’s not overly sweet, which makes it great for a summer breakfast or brunch–it’s kind of like a coffee cake in bundt cake form. 🙂 It rises very nicely and you’ll definitely want to put the Buttermilk Glaze on this!

So keep it in mind for blackberry season! I’ve only made this cake with fresh blackberries–if you want to try substituting frozen berries, your baking time will probably be longer.

BLACKBERRY BUTTERMILK CAKE by NancyC

Makes one 10-inch bundt cake

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, softened

4 eggs

4 3/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups fresh blackberries

BUTTERMILK GLAZE:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 1/2 Tablespoons buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan; set aside.

Cream sugar and butter in large bowl, blending until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition; set aside.

In medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In small bowl, combine buttermilk and vanilla. Add buttermilk mixture and flour mixture alternately to creamed mixture in large bowl, beating after each addition. Fold in fresh or frozen berries.

Spoon and spread the thick batter evenly in your prepared 10-inch bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or almost clean (be careful not to overbake, or it will be a little dry).

Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert cake onto wire rack to cool completely.

While cake is cooling, you can make the glaze–combine powdered sugar and buttermilk in a small bowl; blend well and drizzle over cooled cake.

I’ve stored leftovers of this cake in the refrigerator for several days and I think it actually tastes better when it sits in the fridge a day or two! Not sure why–some recipes are just like that, I guess. But that may be helpful for you to know if you need a cake recipe that can be made ahead of time.

I love picking and using fresh berries in my summer baking! Have you done any berry-picking this summer?

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