Ginger Apricot Mini Cakes

One of my conundrums is that I often want to bake but I don't always know what to make. These refreshing little cakes were inspired by the need to bake using only the available ingredients in the house and were a rewarding experiment. 

Preheat oven to 400 F, line or butter a 12 cup pan.

1 stick butter, soft
1 c chopped dried apricots, soaked & drained
1/4 chopped fresh ginger + 2 tbsp chopped candied ginger
3/4 c vanilla sugar
3/4 c milk (I like coconut for it's thickness)
2 eggs
2 c flour
3 tsp baking powder

Sift flour and baking powder, coat ginger and apricots, then set aside.

Combine butter, sugar, eggs and milk.

Now, when you combine the wet and dry mixes, you want to make sure not to over mix. It should be a bit lumpy. Pour into lined, prepared cupcake tins. Sprinkle the tops with sugar so they will be crunchy! Bake for about 20 minutes.

Coffee Shortbread

Coffee Shortbread

8 oz butter, cold & cut in pieces

4 oz brown sugar

½ tsp sea salt

8 oz Whole Wheat pastry flour

2 tsp coffee (I used a dark roast from Peets, finely ground)

1 tsp vanilla

4 oz potato starch

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place all your ingredients in a bowl, then rub the butter in, as for pie crust. Once it starts to make a dough, shape into a large round for triangles or a rectangle if you want to cut squares. My oven tends to run hot, so I bake them for 20-30 minutes, so just know how your oven is.

Cut into wedges or squares while warm. Enjoy!