Traditional Polish Bagels: 4 Simple Ingredients, Twists, & Baked 2 Ways

Traditional Polish Krakow Bagels
Traditional Polish Krakow Bagels

The New York style bagel is what many Americans think of as a bagel. It’s round and thick with a small hole in the center perfect to split and add desirable toppings. However, these types of bagels originated in Jewish communities in Poland. We can thank Jewish bakers that immigrated to the US in the late 1800s for that chewy, yeast bread we love today. Let’s check out the original Polish version!

Krakow “Obwarzanek Krakowski” Bagel Origins

Obwarzanek Krakowski Bagels
Obwarzanek Krakowski Bagels

The Krakow bagel or pretzel (as it might be referenced) is officially referred to as the Obwarzanek Krakowski. This bagel dates to 14th century Poland. The Polish word “Obwarzanek” means “parboiled” which is one of the two cooking methods of bagels. They are quick boiled in hot water to seal the shape prior to baking in the oven. This technique is unique to bagels and originated in Poland. In fact, in 2010, the European Union officially recognized the Krakow bagel (Obwarzanek Krakowski) as the region’s specialty.

My Obwarzanek Krakowski Bagel Recipe

Polish baker Kazimierz Czekaj
Polish baker Kazimierz Czekaj

This Krakow bagel recipe I’m sharing with you is based on the ingredients and quantities that Polish baker Kazimierz Czekaj used in registering the Krakow bagel with the European Union. He was very specific in naming ingredients, quantities, and even weight and size of each bagel. With this basic information, I created this recipe following his guidelines. Let’s check it out!

Why are Bagels Cooked 2 Different Ways?

parboil first
then top & bake in the oven

There are two different methods of cooking bagels; both are required to be considered a true bagel. Bagels are first parboiled in boiling water to seal the shape giving them a chewy, slightly sweet exterior (if using barley malt syrup or honey in the water). Then, they are baked completely in the oven giving them the golden color exterior and dry, baked interior. Since parboiling seals the shape, bagels do not expand or grow in the oven like a typical yeast bread. This technique of sealing the exterior to prevent inner expansion is what causes a dense and chewy bread. Without both parboiling and baking, a bagel would not be as chewy or dense; it would instead have a crusty to crunchy exterior and a much bigger rise.

Krakow “Obwarzanek Krakowski” Bagel Ingredients

For these simple bagels, you only need four ingredients plus water. They are yeast, water, bread flour, salt, and barley malt syrup or honey. You can leave them plain or add toppings like flake salt, sesame seeds, and everything bagel seasoning (store-bought or homemade!).

yeast, water, bread flour, salt, and barley malt syrup or honey; the toppings are flake salt, sesame seeds, and everything bagel seasoning
yeast, water, bread flour, salt, and barley malt syrup or honey; the toppings are flake salt, sesame seeds, and everything bagel seasoning

Activate the Yeast

In a small bowl, add 7 grams (2 ¼ teaspoons or 1 package) of active dry yeast. Measure out 240 milliliters (1 cup plus 1 teaspoon) of water and heat to 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C). From that, remove ¼ cup (~60 milliliters) of water. Whisk the ¼ cup (~60 milliliters) water in with the yeast and set the remaining water aside for creating the dough. Allow the mixture to set for 10 minutes to bloom becoming bubbly and frothy.

7 g (2 ¼ tsp or 1 pkg) active dry yeast
60 ml (¼ cup) warm water
set mixture 10 min. aside to activate

Combine the Ingredients

Mix the Dry Ingredients

In a stand mixer bowl (or large bowl if stirring by hand), measure out 400 grams (3⅓ cups) of bread flour. We use bread flour since it has a high gluten content and will help create the bread’s signature chewiness. To that, add 6 grams (1 teaspoon) of salt. Give the ingredients a quick stir to mix.

TIP: Be sure to fluff, scoop, and level off the flour if using measuring cups. If using the measuring cup to scoop directly from the flour container, you will unintentionally add 1-2 tablespoons of flour PER CUP to the recipe.

400 g (3⅓ cups / 1lb) bread flour
6 g (1 tsp) salt
stir to combine flour & salt

Add the Wet Ingredients

With the mixer on low using the dough hook attachment, pour in the yeast mixture and 11 grams (½ tablespoon) of barley malt syrup (or honey). Pour in the remaining water (that was set aside) and knead for 8-10 minutes. Add additional 1 tablespoon of water at a time as needed until the dough is soft and tacky. It shouldn’t be sticky. But it should mound up around the dough hook in the bowl.

TIP: Barley malt syrup is super sticky (more than honey), spray the spoon with cooking spray or oil and any container you intend to place it before adding it to the flour mixture. Oils creates a slick surface to ensure a full 11 grams of barley malt syrup or honey goes into the dough.

with mixer on low, add yeast mixture
11 g (½ tbsp) barley malt syrup or honey
remaining water
check dough consistency… TOO DRY, add water 1 tbsp at a time
PERFECT dough consistency after kneading for 10 minutes

Cover to Rise

Once kneaded, mound the dough into a ball at the bottom of the bowl. Grease the top and sides of the dough with cooking spray or oil to help it release easily after rising. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm area 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.

oil or spray top and sides of dough
cover dough in bowl to rise 1-2 hours

Prepare Baking Sheet

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Dust the parchment paper with flour all over to keep the bagel dough from sticking and it sits and rises.

TIP: If you don’t flour the parchment paper, each bagel WILL stick and make it difficult to remove. You’ll end up with sticky dough on the parchment paper. I’m speaking from first-hand experience! 😉

large baking sheet
line with parchment paper
dust flour on parchment paper

Divide & Shape Dough into Bagels

Once the dough as doubled, scoop it out of the bowl onto an unfloured work surface. An unfloured work surface gives traction needed to help roll the dough. Deflate the dough and shape it into a log to make it easier to eyeball the cuts.

TIP: If you have any or too much flour on the surface, wipe off the flour and spritz the surface with a little water and wipe it again to dry.

dough has doubled & has bubbles forming on top
place dough on unfloured work surface, deflate, & shape to cut

Divide the Bagel Dough

Cut or Weigh 6 Pieces & Divide Each Piece in Half

Divide the dough into 6 pieces to equal 6 bagels. Each piece should weigh no more than (4 ounces or 110 grams). You can eyeball the cuts or weigh each dough piece to ensure equal sizes. Then, divide each of the 6 pieces in half (weighing 55 grams each) to become 12 small pieces of dough. Pair each set so that you still have 6 bagels. Set each pair aside.

divide into 6 pieces
divide each piece in half (= 12 smaller pieces)
keep each pair together

Roll Each Half into Ropes

Take one pair and roll each half into 18- 20-inch ropes with the thickness of a pencil. To roll each dough piece into ropes, shape the dough into a tight ball. Place one hand in the center of the dough ball and roll the dough back and forth pressing down to push the dough out towards the ends. When it’s long enough for two hands, place both hands flat, side-by-side, in the center and continue to roll the dough back and forth pressing down to push the dough out towards the rope ends.

TIP: Avoid tapering the rope ends or the bagel with have a thin, skinny section.

roll with one hand
once dough is pushed out, roll with both hands
roll dough, pushing it out to 18-inch rope
each half of the pair is rolled out to an 18-inch rope

Twist the Ropes & Create the Round Bagel Shape

Place both ropes side-by-side so that they touch. With both hands at opposite rope ends, push your hands in opposite directions rolling the dough to create a spiral or twist. Bring the two ends together into a 4.7-6.7-inch circle. Seal the ends by pressing them together. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces. You’ll end up with a total of 6 bagels.

ropes side-by-side
quick twist rolling hands in opposite directions
perfect twist
bring ends around to meet & seal
place bagels on prepared baking sheet

Cover to Rise 30 Minutes to Overnight

Place each shaped bagel dough on the prepared baking sheet. Cover them with plastic wrap or a towel and allow them to rest and rise in a warm area for at least 30 minutes.

TIP: For a make-ahead option, place the bagels covered in the refrigerator overnight. This is a great (my preferred) option if you want to bake and eat them in the morning.

all bagels ready to rise
cover to rise 30 minutes to overnight
ready to rest

Overnight Bagels Ready for Baking

Whether or not you allowed them to rise 30 minutes or overnight, the bagels are ready for both parboiling and baking. First, preheat the oven to 425˚F (220˚C).

Bagels risen & ready to be parboiled
Bagels risen & ready to be parboiled

Parboil the Bagels First

Add about 8-9 cups of water to a large, wide mouth stock pot. Heat pot over high heat on the stove until boiling. Add 1 tablespoon of honey (or barley malt syrup) and lower the temperature to medium-high heat or so ensuring the water continues to simmer.

TIP: The sweetness of the honey (or barley malt syrup) adds flavor to the outside of the bagel. The sugar encourages the bagels to brown. The stickiness helps to adhere the toppings to each bagel.

8-9 cups of water to wide-mouth stock pot
have bagels near the water & toppings ready to add
once boiled, add 1 tbsp honey or barley malt syrup
mix honey or barley malt syrup into the water

Parboil 1-2 Bagels at a Time

Add 1-2 bagels to the simmering water to parboil. Since these bagels are large in diameter, it’s easier to cook one at time. Set the timer and parboil one side of the bagel for 45 seconds. Then, flip over the bagel using a slotted spatula, slotted spoon, or wooden dowel. Allow the flip side to parboil for another 45 seconds. Remove the bagel using the same slotted spatula, slotted spoon, or wooden dowel and return it on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle each bagel with your preferred bagel toppings. I used my homemade Trader Joe’s Everything Bagel Seasoning, along with both white and black sesame seeds, and flake salt. Repeat parboiling the remaining bagel dough.

place bagel in boiling water for 45 seconds
flip and boil another 45 seconds
flip back over to the top and remove
return wet bagels to baking sheet & top
all bagels topped & ready for the oven

Bake the Bagels in the Oven

Place bagels in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve them warm.

Place parboiled, topped bagels in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown
Place parboiled, topped bagels in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown

Hot Out of the Oven & Baked!

Bagels are baked!
Bagels are baked!

Close-ups!

Check them out! Notice they are thinner than a typical New York style bagel. The twists are clearly defined. The outside is chewy, and the interior is dense. Parboiling seals the bread to keep it from rising in the oven making it chewy on the outside and dense on the inside.

Bagels ready to eat
Bagels ready to eat
Pretzel twists
Pretzel twists
Close-up of the seasoning & dense interior
Close-up of the seasoning & dense interior

How do I Eat These Bagels?

blue-and-yellow Obwarzanek stand selling bagels
blue-and-yellow Obwarzanek stand selling bagels

Traditionally, these bagels are eaten simply as they are while walking along the streets in Krakow, Poland. This simply means there are no other toppings. In fact, you’ll see little blue-and-yellow Obwarzanek stands (pictured above) peppered all over the city selling these bagels. However, you can always tear into one and dip the pieces in your favorite savory sauce, dip, cream cheese, or butter for extra flavor.

Bagel Final Thoughts

Bagel Making Tips to Consider Along the Way

  • The barley malt and/or honey provide a little sweetness. They feed the yeast, encourage gluten development, act as a glue to hold the toppings, and caramelize the bread as they bake.
  • Prepare the dough the evening before the morning you want to cook/bake the bagels.
  • Dust flour on the parchment paper or the bagel dough will stick.
  • Weigh each dough piece to produce equal sizes and shapes.
  • Roll and shape the dough on an unfloured work surface so there’s plenty of traction to roll and achieve desired shape.
  • Maintain the same thickness as you roll from center to ends of each rope, so the ends are not too thin.
  • Seal the ends well to prevent separation as they boil.
  • Depending on the width of your stockpot, boiling 1 bagel at a time is easier to manipulate and flip over in the pot. Keep in mind that you’re only boiling 6 bagels with less than a minute per side, so it goes fast. While one bagel boils, top the previously boiled bagel.
  • Boil only 30 seconds to 1 minute per side or the bagels seem wet even after baking in the oven.
  • A wide, slotted spatula is the most effective tool in flipping and lifting these bagels. Their traditional wide, thin ring shape make them flimsy and can break if not careful.
  • Add any toppings just after removing each bagel from the boiling water. The “sticky” water adheres the toppings to the dough.
  • The toppings go a long way on these thin bagels, careful not to overtop or overseason them.

Baker’s Perspective

American Perspective Comparing Traditional Polish Bagels to American Bagels

This traditional Krakow take on a bagel is definitely NOT an American bagel. The ingredients are about as simple as they come consisting of only 4 with water. The recipe is very much like a basic American bagel version. The toppings and baking techniques are virtually the same to include sealing the bagels in boiling water and then baking them completely in the oven. What makes the Polish version unique is rolling the dough into ropes and twisting them together into a narrow ring but wider in diameter shape. The assembly line of rolling these into ropes was actually cathartic and fun once you find your rhythm. It is the original Polish version that invented this form of cooking by boiling first then baking that make bagels completely unique from other breads.

Make-Ahead is Best When Eating them for Breakfast

If you want to make these for breakfast, I found it best to do all the prep work the afternoon or evening before the morning you want to eat them. That would include making the dough, letting it rise, and shaping the dough into bagels. It took about an hour the morning of to boil the water, boil each in water, and bake them in the oven. If you want these bagels for lunch or an afternoon snack, you will have plenty of time to make them in the morning.

Taster’s Perspective

These Krakow bagels remind us of an American bagel with subtleties of a soft pretzel. Their overall appearance resembles a soft pretzel due to the twists. The interior is dense and chewy like an American bagel and pretzel. The simple bread flavor is more like a bagel. I can taste a hint of the barley malt like in a pretzel; however, it’s so nuanced, maybe most wouldn’t notice it. The exterior is very chewy making them reminiscent of a bagel or soft pretzel.

The toppings clearly define the flavors. The everything bagel topping adds a great sesame, onion, garlic, and salty flavor to a simple bread. These bagels are really good with just a simple sprinkling of flaked salt, too. You can enjoy these regardless of your love level for bread, because these are thin enough that any toppings and sauces or dips would appease even the non-bread eater. Personally, we enjoyed them hot out of the oven without any additional sauces or dips. If you’re looking for an international take on a bagel, give these a try. They make a great breakfast or snack any time of day. 😊

Check out my YouTube video for the visual details of making these bagels. “Polish Krakow Bagel: 4-Ingredient Obwarzanek Krakowski Bagels have Unique Twists & Baked 2 Ways!”

Print Recipe

Polish Krakow Bagels: Traditional Obwarzanek Krakowski Bagels

This recipe is not the traditional New York style bagel but rather from the Jewish communities in Poland where bagels originated. This recipe is based on the ingredients and quantities of the officially recognized (by the European Union in 2010) “obwarzanek krakowski” bagel as Krakow, Poland's regional specialty. There are 4 main ingredients plus water and the traditional parboiling and baking methods.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time32 minutes
Rising Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 42 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Polish
Keyword: Polish bagels, Krakow bagels, pretzels, Jewish bagels, traditional bagels
Servings: 6 bagels
Author: Summer

Ingredients

  • 7 g (2 ¼ tsp or 1 pkg) active dry yeast
  • 240 ml (1 cup + 1 tsp) warm water, divided heated to 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C)
  • 400 g (3⅓ cups) bread flour fluffed, scooped, and leveled off if using a measuring cup
  • 6 g (1 tsp) salt
  • 11 g (½ tbsp) barley malt syrup honey, brown rice syrup, or agave syrup
  • 2½ – 3 quarts (8-9 cups) of water in large stock pot for parboiling
  • 1 tbsp honey or barley malt syrup added to water for parboiling

Optional Toppings

  • Poppy seeds
  • Sesame seeds
  • Dried minced onion
  • Everything Bagel seasoning
  • Coarse or flake salt

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, whisk together yeast and ¼ cup (~60 ml) warm water (heated to 100˚F-110˚F) taken from 240 ml. Allow to set for 10 minutes to bloom becoming bubbly and frothy.
  • In a stand mixer bowl, whisk together flour and salt. With the mixer on low using the dough hook attachment, pour in yeast mixture and barley malt syrup (or honey). Pour in remaining water and knead for 8-10 minutes. Add additional water or flour as needed, 1 tablespoon of either at a time, until the dough is soft and tacky. It shouldn’t be sticky.
    TIP: If not using a stand mixer, stir ingredients in a bowl. Knead by hand on a floured surface for 10-12 minutes.
  • Once kneaded, mound the dough into a ball at the bottom of the bowl, grease the top and sides of the dough with cooking spray or oil. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm area 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.
  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with flour.
    TIP: Flour is needed on the parchment paper to prevent the bagels from sticking as they sit and rise.
  • Scoop the dough out onto an unfloured work surface. Divide the dough into 6 pieces; no bigger than 4 oz (110 g). Divide each piece in half. Roll each half into18- 20-inch ropes with the thickness of a pencil. Place both ropes side-by-side. Place both hands at opposite rope ends. Push your hands in opposite directions rolling the dough to create a twist or spiral. Bring the two ends together into a 4.7-6.7-inch circle and seal by pressing them together. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.
    TIPS: An unfloured work surface gives traction needed to help roll the dough. If you have too much flour on the surface, wipe off the flour and spritz the surface with a little water. To roll each dough piece into ropes, shape the dough into a tight ball. Place one hand in the center of the dough ball and roll the dough back and forth pressing down to push the dough out towards the ends. When it’s long enough for two hands, place both hands flat side-by-side in the center and continue to roll the dough back and forth pressing down to push the dough out towards the rope ends. Try not to taper the ropes ends or the bagel with have a thin, skinny section.
  • Place each shaped bagel dough on the prepared baking sheet. Cover them with plastic wrap or a towel and allow them to rest and rise in a warm area for at least 30 minutes. For a make-ahead option, place them covered in the refrigerator overnight and bake them in the morning.
  • Preheat oven to 425˚F (220˚C).
  • Add 8-9 cups of water to a large, wide mouth stock pot. Heat over high heat on the stove until boiling. Add 1 tbsp honey (or barley malt syrup) and lower the temperature to medium-high heat or so ensuring the water continues to simmer.
  • Add 1-2 bagels to the simmering water to cook. Flip over each bagel at 45 seconds using a slotted spatula, slotted spoon, or wooden dowel. Allow to cook for another 45 seconds until set. Remove each bagel using the same slotted spatula, slotted spoon, or wooden dowel and place each on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle each with preferred bagel toppings. Repeat with remaining bagel dough.
    TIP: Since these bagels are large in diameter, it’s easier to cook one at time and to use a large, wide slotted spatula to flip and lift them.
  • Place bagels on baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Video

Notes

Serving Suggestions:
Traditionally, these bagels are eaten simply as they are while walking along the streets in Krakow, Poland. However, you can always tear into one and dip the pieces in your favorite savory sauce, dip, cream cheese, or butter for extra flavor.
Storing Bagels:
These bagels are best eaten the day they are made. Once they cool, you can freeze them in a sealed bag. When ready to eat them, remove and heat in the microwave until warm or thaw at room temperature.

Check out some of these other recipes.

Everything Bagel Seasoning (Trader Joe’s Copycat)

Chinese Shaobing Flatbread

Turkish Pide Flatbread

Jamaican Meat Pies

Classic Italian Focaccia Flatbread

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Check out my YouTube Channel as well to see videos of kitchen tips, blog bakes, and dishes. Until next time, go bake the world!

Easy Ranch Dressing and Seasoning Mix: Basic Pantry Ingredients

Ranch Dressing & Seasoning Mix
Ranch Dressing and Seasoning Mix

This homemade Ranch Dressing and Seasoning mix is free from artificial preservatives and chemicals with a better, cleaner flavor than the commercial version. It contains basic pantry ingredients like buttermilk powder, garlic and onion powders with dried dill and parsley. Use it just as you would the packaged kind mixing with mayonnaise or yogurt and milk for a salad dressing or dip. Try it sprinkled on popcorn or stirred into your favorite savory Chex mix. This is a household fav!

A Little about Ranch Dressing and Seasoning Mix

What is Ranch Dressing & Seasoning Mix?

Ranch dressing and seasoning mix is an American staple. It basically consists of garlic and onion powders, herbs like parsley, dill, and chives, with a dairy component like buttermilk, mayonnaise, or sour cream thus giving salads a creamy herbaceous tang. Ranch has been the top selling salad dressing since 1992. It’s clear why it’s so popular due to its versatility outside of salad dressing. Since the 1980s, people have been putting it on pizza, burgers, chicken, baked potatoes, roasted vegetables, and using it as a dipping sauce for most anything fried. It works well as a simple raw vegetable dip, too.

Genius Marketing Strategy

The success of the salad dressing caused a branching out to selling the dry ingredients in packaged form as ranch seasoning. Of course, this idea led to more versatility leading to commercial products like “Cool Ranch Doritos” and most anything that has the word “Ranch” in the title. You can find “Ranch” flavored chips, crackers, pretzels, corn nuts, rice cakes, and more. The seasoning delivers a quick and easy flavor enhancement to simple weekday meals like pastas, soups, sauces, and grilled meats and veggies. Talk about a fantastic marketing strategy!

Ranch Dressing and Seasoning Mix Origins

Sometimes the best things in life are a simple result of not having much. Leave it to Steve Henson (no relation that I know of 😊), a plumber contractor, who moved to remote Alaska in the late 1940s. To keep his workers happy in the food department, he created or invented the first ranch salad dressing. During the mid-1950s, he moved to a ranch in California renaming it Hidden Valley Ranch. On his ranch, he served his inventive salad dressing (from Alaska) to his guests. Thus, his salad dressing empire began. You can imagine the rest of the story. With much success in the bottled dressing department, it only took a few years to offer the packaged dry ingredients to make it at home.

My Ranch Dressing and Seasoning Mix Inspiration

I began making my own ranch dressing and seasoning mix about 10 years ago. Oddly enough, I don’t use the seasoning mix to make the traditional ranch salad dressing (though I have, just not routinely). Instead, I use it to season savory Chex mix, popcorn, and add it to my favorite refried bean dip or bean patties. It has so many great uses other than just salad dressing. Sometimes, I mix it with a little mashed avocado and Greek yogurt and spoon it over my salad as a dressing. Its versatility keeps me interested in making more.

This Version of Ranch Dressing and Seasoning Mix Recipe

The Ranch Dressing and Seasoning Mix version I’m sharing in this blog post is super simple, has great flavor, and doesn’t require anything but stirring dry ingredients. I’ve used this version of ranch seasoning in lots of different recipes, and it turns out as expected. Since all the ingredients are ground, except the herbs, there’s no extra step in processing ingredients in a food processor to break them down. I keep the recipe as easy and simple as I can and use the most basic of ranch seasoning ingredients. Of course, you can add a few other ingredients if you choose to this base recipe.

Ranch Dressing and Seasoning Ingredients

To make this simple seasoning recipe, you’ll need 7 ingredients including the basic salt and pepper seasonings. They are buttermilk powder, dried parsley, onion powder, dried dill weed, salt, garlic powder, and ground black pepper.

buttermilk powder, dried parsley, onion powder, dried dill weed, salt, garlic powder, and ground black pepper
buttermilk powder, dried parsley, onion powder, dried dill weed, salt, garlic powder, and ground black pepper

Combine the Ingredients

In a small bowl, add all the ingredients. You’ll need ¼ cup (30 grams) of buttermilk powder, 1½ teaspoons (1.5 grams) of dried parsley, 1 teaspoon (4 grams) of onion powder, ½ teaspoon (1 gram) of dried dill weed, ½ teaspoon (3 grams) of salt, ¼ teaspoon (1 gram) of garlic powder, and ⅛ teaspoon (.5 gram) of ground black pepper. Rub dried parsley and dill weed between your fingers to crush prior to adding them to the bowl. Give the mix a good stir until well combined. Be sure to use the back of a spoon to break up any powder lumps that might be present. Taste the mixture and increase slightly any preferred spice or herb. This recipe makes ¼ cup which is enough fill a small spice jar.


“mise en place” ingredients measured
all ingredients added
all ingredients combined

Final Product!

Can you pick out any of the individual seasonings? Do you see the long, slender dill weed and crushed parsley? How about the small specks of pepper? The buttermilk powder is very white in color while the garlic and onion powders are tan in color.

Ranch Dressing and Seasoning Mix

Storing Ranch Dressing and Seasoning Mix

Store the Ranch Dressing and Seasoning mix in an airtight container at room temperature for up to year. Keep in mind that the seasoning mix should keep as long as the expiration dates on the individual seasoning bottles. Thus, the newer and fresher the individual seasonings, the longer the mix will keep.

TIP: Stir the mixture well before adding it to a dish, particularly after the mixture has settled.

Usage Suggestions

Make ranch salad dressing by combining 1 tablespoon of ranch seasoning with 1 cup of mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt, and 1 cup of milk. Allow the salad dressing to meld in the fridge two hours to overnight until the powders soften. For other seasoning uses, add 1 tablespoon to a bag of hot popcorn or to a savory Chex mix recipe with the other ingredients. Use 1 tablespoon in any recipe that calls for a package of Ranch Dressing and Seasoning Mix.

Final Thoughts

The individual components of this seasoning blend are commonly found in most pantries (at least in North America and if you cook). Most grocery stores sell buttermilk powder that can be stored in the freezer for many months if you don’t use it often. This seasoning is a good blend for adding flavor to your favorite savory dips, pasta salads, and sauces. It’s great blended with a little mayonnaise on your turkey sandwiches. Use your imagination and give your daily foods a little extra seasoning and variety. 😉

Check out my short YouTube video on making this seasoning. “Ranch Dressing and Seasoning Mix: Easy, Simple, & Clean Using Pantry Ingredients”
Print Recipe

Easy Ranch Dressing Seasoning Mix

This homemade Ranch Dressing Mix is free from artificial preservatives and chemicals with a better, cleaner flavor than the commercial version. It contains pantry basics like buttermilk powder, garlic and onion powders with dried dill and parsley. Use it just as you would the packaged kind mixing with mayonnaise or yogurt and milk for a salad dressing. Try it on popcorn or in a Chex mix.
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: ingredient
Cuisine: American
Keyword: ranch dressing seasoning, ranch mix, homemade ranch seasoning
Author: Summer

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup (30 g) buttermilk powder
  • 1½ tsp (1.5 g) dried parsley
  • 1 tsp (4 g) onion powder
  • ½ tsp (1 g) dried dill weed
  • ½ tsp (3 g) salt
  • ¼ tsp (1 g) garlic powder
  • ⅛ tsp (.5 g) ground black pepper

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, add all the ingredients. Rub dill week and parsley between your fingers to crush prior to adding them to the bowl. Give the mix a good stir until well combined. Use the back of a spoon to break up any lumps. Taste the mixture and increase slightly any preferred spice or herb.
    TIP: Stir the mixture well before adding it a dish particularly after the mixture has settled.

Video

Notes

Storing Seasoning:
Store spice mix in an airtight container for up to several months. Keep in mind that the seasoning mix should keep as long as the expiration dates on the individual seasoning bottles. Thus, the newer and fresher the individual seasonings, the longer the mix will keep.
Usage Suggestions:
Make ranch dressing by combining 1 tablespoon of ranch seasoning with 1 cup of mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt, and 1 cup of milk. Add 1 tablespoon to a bag of hot popcorn or to a savory Chex mix recipe with the other ingredients. Use 1 tablespoon in any recipe that calls for a package of Ranch Dressing and Seasoning Mix.

Check out some of these other recipes that use seasonings.

Montreal Steak Seasoning

Jamaican Meat Pies

Everything Bagel Seasoning (Trader Joe’s Copycat)

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Check out my YouTube Channel as well to see videos of kitchen tips, blog bakes, and dishes.

Simple Chili Powder Blend: Quick Way to Flavor Savory Foods

Simple Chili Powder Blend
Simple Chili Powder Blend

This simple, basic chili powder blend consists of garlic powder, cumin, oregano, salt along with smoked paprika and cayenne pepper for heat. If you’re in a hurry, this is a great mix to add flavor and kick to your favorite Mexican dishes, beans, soups, and chili. Spice up those casseroles, curries, dips, and rice dishes, too. I love adding a teaspoon or so to my hummus in place of cumin. Wow! Let’s talk about seasoning!

The Basics of Chili Powder

Chili Powder Origins

Chili powder sold in America is an American spice. We (Americans) associate it with Mexico because it contains a mix of traditional spices commonly found in Mexican cuisine. However, it was “invented” to make Mexican dishes easier to cook for an American thus giving us what we call Tex-Mex food. Originally, it was used to season chili con carne (a meat and bean chili), but over the decades, it has branched out to season everything from grilled meats, beans, veggies, dips, roasted seeds, to popcorn and even chocolate!

Chili Powder from Chili Pepper

Chili powder can be found in many savory dishes outside of Mexican cuisine thanks to Christopher Columbus! That’s right, so we think?! Mr. Columbus is thought to have introduced the chili pepper to Europe after acquiring it from Mexico during exploration. Although, it’s believed that Asian countries, through independent exploration, introduced it to Asia long before Columbus imported it to Europe. Who’s to say? All we know is that somewhere in South America (likely Bolivia around 7500 BC) is the birthplace of the chili pepper with Mexico receiving credit for first cultivating it over 6000 years ago. And that gave us the chili powder we use to season our food today!

What’s in Chili Powder?

Chili powder is actually a loaded, misleading spice. Most chili powder store brands today are chili powder blends that contain dried, ground chili peppers along with other spices and herbs like garlic powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, and sometimes coriander, allspice, and cloves for more complex flavors.

A simple chili powder only has dried ground chili peppers, more specifically ancho chili peppers native to Mexico and Mexican cuisine. Depending on where you are in the world and the type of chili powder you buy, there are different types of chili peppers that make up chili powder. Check out some of these hot chili peppers grown and used in cuisines around the world.

  • Northeast India: ghost pepper
  • Mexico: jalapeño, ancho, poblano peppers
  • French Guiana: cayenne pepper
  • Peru: lemon drop chili pepper
  • Turkey: isot pepper (red pepper)
  • Korea: Cheongyang pepper (Korean green pepper)
  • Central to Southern Africa: fatalii yellow pepper
  • Cuba: habañero pepper
  • Jamaica: scotch bonnet pepper
  • Thailand: Thai chili (bird’s eye chili pepper)
  • Kenya & Mozambique (other tropical African climates): piri piri or peri peri (African bird’s eye red chili pepper)
  • China: tien tsin (Chinese red pepper)
  • Hungary: paprika (Hungarian red chili pepper)

Why Not Make Your Own Chili Powder Using YOUR Favorite Chili Pepper?

Technically, you can make your own pure chili powder using your favorite chili pepper and nothing else!! You would need to dry out the pepper completely (minus the seeds) and pulverize it to powder form. That’s it! Then, use it as any hot pepper spice in your favorite dishes.

My Chili Powder Recipe

The chili powder recipe I’m sharing with you mimics what you would find in Tex-Mex cuisine. I don’t tolerate a lot of spice, so I created a basic recipe with additional herbs and flavors that can easily be added to enhance dishes like soups, chili, stews, and dips. Instead of drying out and pulverizing peppers, I went for the quick and easy paprika and cayenne powders… no work needed! I like the color of paprika as it resembles the traditional red color chili powder. Paprika is a ground red chili pepper that tends to be milder in flavor thus lending itself well to spice blends where heat is not the primary goal. In my recipe, I opted for smoked paprika for an added smokey flavor and beautiful dark red color. The best part of making your own spice is that you can adjust quantities to fit your preferred flavor profiles.

Chili Powder Blend Ingredients

For this simple and easy spice blend, you need paprika (smoked or regular), garlic powder, ground cayenne pepper, dried oregano, ground cumin, and salt.

paprika (smoked or regular), garlic powder, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, ground cumin, and salt
paprika (smoked or regular), garlic powder, ground cayenne pepper, dried oregano, ground cumin, and salt

Combine the Ingredients

In a small bowl, add all the ingredients. You’ll need 1 tablespoon (8 grams) of smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons (8 grams) of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon (3 grams) of ground cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon (1.5 grams) of oregano, 1 teaspoon (2.5 grams) of ground cumin, and 1 teaspoon (6 grams) of salt. Rub oregano between your fingers to crush prior to adding it to the bowl. Give the mix a good stir until well combined. Be sure to use the back of a spoon to break up any powder lumps that might be present. Taste the mixture and increase slightly any preferred spice or herb. This recipe makes ¼ cup which is enough fill a small spice jar.

“mise en place”- ingredients measured

Final Product!

Can you pick out any of the individual seasonings? The oregano flakes are pretty clearly defined along with large flakes of salt. The garlic powder lightens the red color of the paprika, cayenne, and cumin.

Final Product
Final Product

Storing Chili Powder Seasoning

Store the Chili Powder mix in an airtight container at room temperature for up to year. Keep in mind that the seasoning mix should keep as long as the expiration dates on the individual seasoning bottles. Thus, the newer and fresher the individual seasonings, the longer the mix will keep.

TIP: Stir the mixture well before adding it to a dish, particularly after the mixture has settled.

Usage Suggestions

Use homemade chili powder to flavor your favorite meat and vegetable Mexican dishes like tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, chili con carne, beans, and chili. Add it to curry based dishes, soups, stews, and casseroles for a spicy kick. Rub it on meat and vegetables before grilling or roasting. Personally, I like it in bean dips like a Mexican black bean or traditional hummus in place of cumin.

Final Thoughts

The individual components of this seasoning blend are commonly found in most pantries (at least in North America and if you cook). There is a nice mix of flavors without a lot of heat, but you could certainly add more if that’s your preference. This spice blend is a good seasoning blend that add lots of flavor to your favorite Mexican (Tex-Mex) dishes. The smoked paprika is a defined flavor, so if you’re not a fan, you could always sub with regular paprika. Either way, you’ll get a flavorful seasoning.

Check out my short YouTube video on the visuals of making this seasoning blend. “Simple Mexican Chili Powder Spice Blend: The Easiest Basic Mix of Simple Pantry Ingredients”

Print Recipe

Simple Homemade Chili Powder Blend

This simple, basic chili powder blend consists of garlic powder, cumin, oregano, salt along with smoked paprika and cayenne pepper for heat. If you're in a hurry, this is a great mix to add flavor and kick to your favorite Mexican dishes, beans, soups, and chili. Spice up those casseroles, curries, dips, and rice dishes, too.
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: ingredient
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chili powder, homemade chili powder seasoning, easy chili powder mix
Author: Summer

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp (8 g) ground paprika (powder), smoked or regular
  • 2 tsp (8 g) garlic powder
  • 1 tsp (3 g) ground cayenne pepper (powder)
  • 1 tsp (1.5 g) dried oregano
  • 1 tsp (2.5 g) ground cumin
  • 1 tsp (6 g) salt

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, add all the ingredients. Rub oregano between your fingers to crush prior to adding it to the bowl. Give the mix a good stir until well combined. Use the back of a spoon to break up any lumps. Taste the mixture and increase slightly any preferred spice or herb.
    TIP: Stir the mixture well before adding it a dish particularly after the mixture has settled.

Video

Notes

Storing Seasoning:
Store spice mix in an airtight container for up to several months. Keep in mind that the seasoning mix should keep as long as the expiration dates on the individual seasoning bottles. Thus, the newer and fresher the individual seasonings, the longer the mix will keep.
Usage Suggestions:
Use homemade chili powder to flavor your favorite meat and vegetable Mexican dishes like tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, chili con carne, beans, and chili. Add it to curry based dishes, soups, stews, and casseroles for a spicy kick. Rub it on meat and vegetables before grilling or roasting. Personally, I like it in bean dips like a Mexican black bean or traditional hummus in place of cumin.

Check out some of these other recipes that use seasonings.

Jamaican Meat Pies

Everything Bagel Seasoning (Trader Joe’s Copycat)

Chinese Shaobing Flatbread

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Check out my YouTube Channel as well to see videos of kitchen tips, blog bakes, and dishes.

Montreal Steak Seasoning: Wonderful for Meats, Veggies, Soups & Stews

Homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning
Homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning

Montreal Steak Seasoning is obviously a common spice for enhancing your steak. While it’s known for flavoring hearty red meat, it’s actually incredibly good on roasted vegetables, all sorts of burgers, chili, and hearty vegetable soups and stews. In fact, it’s even tasty on hearty fish like salmon. The ingredients are very simple and likely found in your pantry. Forget the store-bought version! Take a few minutes and make this recipe yourself.

My Montreal Steak Seasoning Inspiration

As I’ve said before, my household primarily eats vegetarian with the occasional fish. We don’t call ourselves vegetarians, but we don’t routinely buy or eat meat. Having said that, our diet consists mostly of vegetables, mainly fresh, raw, or roasted in the summer and cooked down into soups and stews in the winter. I love homemade spice blends and use them to vary up the flavors in roasted vegetables, beans, grains, salads, soups, and stews. Montreal Steak Seasoning does the trick on many other foods outside of meat.

A couple of years ago, I made a meatless dish that called for Montreal Steak seasoning. I knew I didn’t want to buy a bottle from the store for one dish, so I researched the ingredients in a commercial bottle and then made it myself in smaller quantities. The dish turned out great and I decided the homemade spice was a keeper for lots of dishes. So, I decided to share it with you in this post.

What is Montreal Steak Seasoning Anyway?

Thanks to its origins, Montreal Steak Seasoning (Spice) is also called Canadian Steak Seasoning (Spice). Canada, is clearly its country of origin (well, based on the name). This famous spice blend (referred to as pastrami spice) likely made its way to Canada from Romania with roots in the Ottoman Empire centuries ago. It is thought that meat, camel meat to be exact, was preserved using mixed spices similar to what we call the Montreal Steak Seasoning today.

A man named Reuben Schwartz from Romania owned a deli in Montreal and used this spice rub on briskets prior to smoking them. Once customers got wind (or smell rather) of this spice, they requested it for their steaks. Thus, the name was born. Now it is popular all over North America and one of the top three selling spices in the United States.

My Simple Take on Spice Blends

To be honest, if you want a really good spice blend, you should start with individual whole seed spices. With those whole seeds, you should toast them until they are fragrant in a dry skillet. Then, place them in a spice grinder or mill and break them down into powder form. Finally, combine all spices for the blended recipe and you have a great tasting mix.

Well, I rarely have whole spices in my pantry, so I take the easy route. I use what I have and that is typically ground spices. In addition, I don’t have a spice grinder to break them down; I don’t need more appliances in my kitchen or pantry. So, my take on blended spices is to keep it easy and simple. While ground isn’t necessarily the most pungent or aromatic, you’ll still create some tasty flavor blends. The herb and spice blends I share with you on my site are all about as easy and simple as you can get. You don’t require any skills or special equipment to make them.

Homemade Montreal Spice Seasoning Ingredients

This seasoning blend truly is simple and easy. It calls for 8 ingredients to be measured out and mixed. That’s it! The ingredients consist of salt, onion and garlic powders, paprika, black pepper, coriander, dill weed, and red pepper flakes.

Montreal Steak Seasoning Ingredients: salt, onion and garlic powders, paprika, black pepper, coriander, dill weed, and red pepper flakes
Montreal Steak Seasoning Ingredients: salt, onion and garlic powders, paprika, black pepper, coriander, dill weed, and red pepper flakes

Combine the Ingredients

In a small bowl, add all the ingredients. You’ll need 1½ teaspoons (9 grams) of salt, 1½ teaspoons (6 grams) of onion powder, 1½ teaspoons (6 grams) of garlic powder, 1½ teaspoons (6 grams) of paprika, 1½ teaspoons (3 grams) of ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon (3 grams) of ground coriander, 1 teaspoon (1.5 grams) of dried dill weed, and 1 teaspoon (2 grams) of crushed red pepper flakes. Rub dill weed and red pepper flakes between your fingers to crush prior to adding them to the bowl. Give the mix a good stir until well combined. Be sure to use the back of a spoon to break up any powder lumps that might be present. Taste the mixture and increase slightly any preferred spice or herb. This recipe makes ¼ cup which is enough fill a small spice jar.

“mise en place” all ingredients measured
mixture is combined

Montreal Steak Seasoning Final Product!

Can you pick out any of the individual seasonings? The dill and red pepper flakes are easier to recognize since they are not in powder form. The garlic and onion powders lighten the red color of the paprika.

Montreal Steak Seasoning
Montreal Steak Seasoning

Storing Montreal Steak Seasoning

Store the Montreal Steak Seasoning mix in an airtight container at room temperature for up to year. Keep in mind that the seasoning mix should keep as long as the expiration dates on the individual seasoning bottles. Thus, the newer and fresher the individual seasonings, the longer the mix will keep.

TIP: Stir the mixture well before adding it to a dish, particularly after the mixture has settled.

Montreal Steak Seasoning Usage Suggestions

Rub Montreal Steak Seasoning on steak, roast, pork chops, or chicken. Try it on hearty fish like salmon before cooking. You can add it to any kind of burger like regular ground beef, bean, or veggie burgers. It’s also great dusted on French fries or sweet potato fries before roasting. Don’t forget about seasoning roasted or grilled vegetables. Rule of thumb, use about 1 tablespoon of the mixture for every 1 pound of meat or vegetables. You can also turn this into marinade with soy sauce or other marinade sauce. Sprinkle some over popcorn just before eating. There are lots of ways to use this seasoning.

Montreal Steak Seasoning Final Thoughts

The individual components of this seasoning blend are commonly found in most pantries (at least in North America and if you cook). Why not put those ingredients to use and make a blend of your favorite flavors and use them for most any meat and veggie dish you like? This is a great way to keep stock in that favorite seasoning blend and add lots of flavor to your daily, simple dishes. We enjoy it as a seasoning on roasted veggies and creamy winter mixed vegetable soups.

Check out my short YouTube video on the visuals of making this seasoning blend. “Montreal Steak Seasoning: Flavor any Meat, Veggies, Soups, or Stews”

Print Recipe

Montreal Steak Seasoning: Flavor Your Favorite Meat, Veggies, Soups, or Stews

Montreal Steak Seasoning is super easy to make and can be sprinkled on most anything savory. It's a basic mix of garlic and onion powders, paprika, coriander, dill, and red pepper. Rub it on steak, roast, pork chops, chicken, or salmon. Add it to any burger like regular ground beef, bean, or veggie. Dust it on French fries or sweet potato fries. Try seasoning roasted or grilled vegetables. Forget the store-bought version; make it yourself.
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: ingredient
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Montreal Steak Seasoning, savory spice blend, roasted vegetable seasoning, soup seasoning, savory spices
Author: Summer

Ingredients

  • 1½ tsp (9 g) salt
  • 1½ tsp (6 g) onion powder
  • 1½ tsp (6 g) garlic powder
  • 1½ tsp (6 g) paprika
  • 1½ tsp (3 g) ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp (3 g) ground coriander
  • 1 tsp (1.5 g) dried dill weed
  • 1 tsp (2 g) crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, add all the ingredients. Rub dill weed and red pepper flakes between your fingers to crush prior to adding them to the bowl. Give the mix a good stir until well combined. Use the back of a spoon to break up any lumps. Taste the mixture and increase slightly any preferred spice or herb.
    TIP: Stir the mixture well before adding it a dish particularly after the mixture has settled.

Video

Notes

Storing Seasoning:
Store spice mix in an airtight container for up to several months. Keep in mind that the seasoning mix should keep as long as the expiration dates on the individual seasoning bottles. Thus, the newer and fresher the individual seasonings, the longer the mix will keep.
Usage Suggestions:
Rub it on steak, roast, pork chops, or chicken. Try it on hearty fish like salmon. You can add it to any kind of burger like regular ground beef, bean, or veggie burgers. It’s also great dusted on French fries or sweet potato fries. Don’t forget about seasoning roasted or grilled vegetables. Rule of thumb, use about 1 tablespoon of the mixture for every 1 pound of meat or vegetables.

Check out some of these other recipes that use seasonings.

Jamaican Meat Pies

Everything Bagel Seasoning (Trader Joe’s Copycat)

Chinese Shaobing Flatbread

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Check out my YouTube Channel as well to see videos of kitchen tips, blog bakes, and dishes.

Black Bean Hummus: Fantastic Blend of Indian and Mexican Cuisines

This Mexican Black Bean Hummus recipe is a great marriage of my favorite foods… Indian and Mexican. Since we eat traditional hummus almost daily, I thought, “why not mix my favorite food cultures together with one of our favorite foods?” Thus, my Mexican Black Bean Hummus was born.

Mexican Black Bean Hummus Breakdown

This Mexican Black Bean Hummus uses black beans in place of garbanzo beans while keeping the traditional tahini and cumin (a common spice in both Mexican and Indian cuisines). You’ll find lime juice in place of lemon juice along with roasted red pepper and cilantro. Let’s check it out.

Mexican Black Bean Hummus Ingredients

This black bean hummus recipe includes garlic, juice from 2 limes, red pepper, 2 cans (30 oz) of black beans, extra-virgin olive oil, ground cumin, cilantro, salt, water, and tahini.

garlic, juice from 2 limes, red pepper, 2 cans (30 oz) of black beans, extra-virgin olive oil, ground cumin, cilantro, salt, water, and tahini
garlic, juice from 2 limes, red pepper, 2 cans (30 oz) of black beans, extra-virgin olive oil, ground cumin, cilantro, salt, water, and tahini

Roast the Red Pepper

Clean & Cut the Red Pepper

Begin by roasting the peppers. However, you can use store-bought jarred roasted peppers for convenience. Preheat the oven (or toaster oven) to 450˚F (232˚C). Clean and remove all labels and stickers from the pepper. Cut the pepper in half (top to bottom) and remove the stem, membranes, and seeds.

cut pepper in half (top to bottom)
remove stem, white membranes, & seeds
all cleaned out

Bake the Red Pepper

Place each pepper half on a foil-lined pan with skin side up. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the pepper skin turns blistered and black.

pepper halves are cut-side down and skin-side up
pepper halves are cut-side down and skin-side up

Cool & Remove Pepper Skin

Once charred, remove the pepper halves with tongs and place them in a plastic bag or bowl. Seal the bag or cover the bowl with plastic and allow the peppers to sit for 20 minutes to soften the skin. Then, pull the charred skin off each pepper (eat the skin or discard it) and set peppers aside.

pepper is charred
use tongs to place in bowl or bag
cover for 20 minutes to cool
remove skins
all skin removed

Soak Garlic in Lime Juice

In a small bowl, add 3-4 minced garlic cloves and cover with ¼ cup lime juice (juice from 2 limes). Set the garlic aside to soak for about 10 minutes. Soaking the garlic in lime juice cuts the bitterness of the garlic and adds garlic flavor to the juice.

mince garlic
add lime juice
set aside to infuse for 10 minutes

Rinse & Drain the Black Beans

In a colander, add black beans from 2 cans (30 ounces). Rinse and drain the beans. Then, set them aside.

rinse 2 cans of black beans
set aside in a bowl to drain

Combine & Process the Ingredients

Add all but Tahini

In the bowl of a blender or food processor, add drained beans, ¼ cup (53 g) of olive oil, 1½ teaspoons (3-4 g) of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon (6 grams) of salt, roasted red pepper (½ of a whole pepper) and 4 tablespoons (59 milliliters) of water. Pour the garlic and lime juice in a small strainer and strain the lime juice into the food processor, discard any remaining garlic. Add ¼ cup or handful of fresh cilantro leaves.

TIP: Straining the garlic eliminates the bitterness entirely while adding garlic flavor to the hummus. You can certainly add the garlic if you don’t mind that bit of a bitter bite.

drained beans
¼ cup (53 g) olive oil
1½ tsp (3-4 g) ground cumin
1 tsp (6 g) salt
½ of whole pepper
4 tbsp (59 ml) water
strain garlic adding lime juice to bowl
¼ cup or handful of fresh cilantro

Blend & Add Tahini

Process for 30 seconds or so. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides as needed. Add ¼ cup (60 g) of tahini. Tahini is best added near the end of processing because tahini absorbs liquid. We want the liquid to thin out the beans and not soak into the tahini right away.

process for 30 seconds
¼ cup (60 g) tahini

Taste & Adjust Ingredients

Process again for another 30 seconds or so. Taste and check the consistency. Add additional tahini, water, lime juice, and/or oil depending on preferred consistency and flavor. Season with additional salt, as needed. Process for another 30 seconds or so until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

process again
check consistency & taste

Add the Final Touches & Serve

Spoon the hummus into a bowl or on a serving platter. You can decorate the hummus by adding a swirl with a spoon. Drizzle on additional olive oil in the swirl perhaps. You can add chopped jalapeno peppers or additional chopped cilantro or red pepper. Serve and enjoy.

spoon into a serving bowl or platter
add swirl for decor
drizzle w/ additional olive oil
add some chopped cilantro
Mexican Black Bean Final Touches

View of Mexican Black Bean Hummus

Check it out! Can you spot black specks from the black beans? How about the dark red specks of roasted red pepper or the green specks from the cilantro?

Final View of Mexican Black Bean Hummus
Final View of Mexican Black Bean Hummus

Storing

Cover and store homemade hummus in the fridge for up to a week. For longer storage, spoon the hummus in a quart-size, zip-top bag and freeze for several months. If frozen, allow the hummus to thaw overnight in the fridge.

Serving Suggestions

Serve black bean hummus as a dip with pita chips, crackers, crudité plate with carrots, celery, and radishes, naan or pita. Use it to top your favorite Mexican dishes like you would with guacamole, salsa, or sour cream. The dip also makes a great spread on sandwiches in place of mayonnaise or other spread. I really hope you give homemade hummus a try. Hands down, we prefer it over any store-bought version.

Mexican Black Bean Hummus Final Thoughts

Making this hummus is easy and only takes a few minutes once the peppers are roasted. For convenience, you can use jarred roasted red peppers and simply put the minced garlic and lime juice in the hummus instead of soaking the garlic to infuse the lime juice. With those short cuts, this recipe takes 5 minutes. It can be that simple. The flavors are complex. This hummus tastes both like hummus and a Mexican bean dip. The combination is a great blend of two cultures and different cuisines.

Baker’s Perspective

With such an easy recipe, you can leave out ingredients you don’t have or don’t like. I make hummus at least once a week and take short cuts all the time; I make it routinely in 5 minutes for a quick meal accompaniment, dip, or sandwich spread. It’s simple to add more of any ingredient you want to highlight in this recipe. Start with the basic recipe and add more after you taste it. Flavor to your desires!

Taster’s Perspective

What a nice blend of flavors. Black beans are probably the highlighted ingredient in this recipe; however, you can taste a little of each in every bite. If you’re not a cilantro fan, you can leave it out entirely or substitute it with the equal amounts of fresh parsley. The dip has a nice blend of ingredients and go great with raw vegetables and bread. I have even used this hummus as a topping on my lunch salads. It adds so much to simple foods. I highly recommend it; it can be a quick and easy dip to make and enhances so many dishes!

Check out my YouTube video each step of making this hummus. “Mexican Black Bean Hummus: A Fantastic Blend of Indian and Mexican Cuisines”

Print Recipe

Black Bean Hummus: Fantastic Blend of Indian and Mexican Cuisines

Mexican Black Bean Hummus is a great marriage of traditional Indian and Mexican foods. This fantastic recipe includes black beans in place of garbanzo beans while keeping the traditional tahini and cumin. You’ll find lime juice in place of lemon juice along with roasted red pepper and cilantro. Serve it with your favorite Middle Eastern or Mexican dishes.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: black bean hummus, bean dip, hummus, Mexican food, Indian food
Servings: 12
Author: Summer

Ingredients

  • 3-4 garlic cloves minced
  • ¼ cup (2 small) lime juice
  • ½ (½ cup) large red pepper reserve some for toppings
  • 2 cans (30 oz) black beans rinsed and drained
  • ¼ cup (53 g) extra-virgin olive oil plus more for toppings
  • 1½ tsp (3-4 g) ground cumin
  • ¼ cup (handful) fresh cilantro reserve some for toppings
  • 1 tsp (6 g) salt
  • 4 tbsp (59 ml) water
  • ¼ cup (60 g) tahini paste

Optional Toppings

  • 1-2 jalapenos chopped

Instructions

Roast Red Pepper

  • Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 450˚F (232˚C) and line a baking sheet with foil.
    TIP: For convenience, use store-bought roasted peppers and forego roasting them.
  • Clean and remove all labels and stickers from the pepper. Cut the pepper in half (top to bottom) and remove the stem and seeds. Place each pepper half on a foil-lined pan with skin side up.
  • Bake for 30-40 minutes until the pepper skin turns blistered and black (charred). Once charred, remove the pepper halves with tongs and place them in a plastic bag or bowl. Seal the bag or cover the bowl with plastic and allow the peppers to sit for 20 minutes to soften the skin. Then, pull the charred skin off each pepper (eat the skin or discard it) and set peppers aside.

Process All Ingredients

  • In a small bowl, add garlic cloves and cover with lime juice. Set aside to soak for ~10 minutes.
    TIP: Soaking the garlic in lemon juice cuts the bitterness of the garlic and adds garlic flavor to the juice.
  • Drain and rinse 2 cans of black beans.
  • In the bowl of a blender or food processor, add beans, oil, lime juice, cumin, red pepper, salt, cilantro, and water. Use a small strainer to strain out the garlic adding only the lime juice to the food processor, discard any remaining garlic.
    TIP: Straining the garlic eliminates the bitterness entirely while adding garlic flavor to the hummus. You can certainly add the garlic and forego any soaking if you don’t mind that bit of a bite.
  • Process for 30 seconds or so. Use a spatula to scrape down sides as needed and add ¼ cup tahini. Process again for another 30 seconds or so. Taste and check consistency. Add additional tahini, water, lime juice, &/or oil depending on preferred consistency and flavor. Season with additional salt, as needed. Process for another 1-2 minutes until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in any optional mix-ins.
    TIP: Add tahini near the end because absorbs water and we want the water to thin out the beans and not be soaked into the tahini right away.
  • Spoon the hummus into a bowl or on a serving platter. Drizzle additional olive oil over the top and additional reserved toppings like cilantro or chopped pepper. Serve and enjoy.

Video

Notes

Storing:
Cover and store in the fridge for up to a week. For longer storage, spoon the hummus in a quart-size, zip-top bag and freeze for several months. If frozen, allow the hummus to thaw overnight in the fridge.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve as a dip with pita or tortilla chips, crackers, crudité plate (carrots, celery, and radishes), and homemade naan, pita, or tortillas. Use as a spread on sandwiches or as a topping for tacos, enchiladas, or nachos.
 

Interested in other dips and simple flatbreads? Check these out!

Silky, Smooth Middle Eastern Hummus

Italian White Bean Hummus

Spinach Tortillas

Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Tortillas

Mexican Flour Tortillas

Mexican Corn Tortillas

Indian Naan

Middle Eastern Pita Bread

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Check out my YouTube Channel as well to see videos of kitchen tips, blog bakes, and dishes.

Everything Bagel Seasoning: Trader Joe’s Popular SAME Ingredients

Everything Bagel Seasoning

Everything Bagel Seasoning is a very popular pantry ingredient for many Americans. It’s super easy to make and can be sprinkled on most anything savory. This simple recipe includes the same 6 ingredients found in a bottle of Trader Joe’s “Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend” that so many people love! All you need are black and white sesame seeds, dried minced onion and garlic, poppy seeds, and flake salt. DONE!! Forget the store-bought version; make it yourself.

A Little Everything Bagel History

Well, in truth, it’s disputed with no clear data on who and when the seasoning was created. However, we do know that it was likely sometime in the early 1970s to 1980s and in the United States (New York). One story suggests that a bagel owner created the concoction while cleaning out leftover seasonings from the oven and decided to mix them and top a bagel. Several people over the years have made similar claims. Does it really matter, though? I guess not.

Seeds and Nuts Around the World

Sesame Seeds Have Been the Favorite

People all over the world have been putting all sorts of seeds and nuts on bread for centuries. In fact, sesame seeds were likely first cultivated in India 5,000 years ago. Thanks to the Silk Road about a thousand years later, those little seeds traveled the globe. They first appeared in Asia. The Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese fell in love with them. The Chinese add both black and white sesame seeds to their Shaobing flatbread. As the seeds traveled, other countries and cultures began using them to top their own favorite breads and dishes.

Along Came Other Seeds and Nuts

Other seeds and nuts began appearing in other foods. The Turkish Pide flatbread is topped with Nigella (black cumin seeds). Poppy seeds are less common worldwide but highly used as a paste in Eastern European countries. Czech kolaches are individual sweet pastries with a poppy seed paste filling. The Slovenian prekmurska gibanica is a tall pastry (like a Napoleon) layered with poppy seeds among nuts and dried fruit. Even Germany has the hamantashen which is a cookie-like pastry filled with poppy seeds. Yes, they are everywhere.

New York Style Bagel and Seasoning Influence

Poland has been a country of bagel bakers and consumers since the 14th century. Eastern European immigrants, particularly the Jewish population, brought the idea and their recipes to New York during the 19th century. Bagel shops were everywhere in New York by the early 1900s thanks to those immigrants. The traditional Polish Krakow bagel known as obwarzanek krakowski was/is topped with sesame seeds along with onion and garlic flakes separately. That’s why traditional New York bagels are often savory and topped with those seasonings. Leave it to an American to mix them up to make an “Everything Bagel” version.

My Everything Bagel Seasoning Inspiration

I must admit, I prefer sweet bagels for breakfast. So, I’ve never been a huge fan of Everything Bagel Seasoning on bagels. However, I do enjoy savory bagels at lunch eaten as a sandwich. A really good friend of mine absolutely LOVES “Everything Bagel but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning” from Trader Joe’s. In fact, before a Trader Joe’s opened in her hometown, she bought bottles and bottles when she found them on vacation in places where Trader Joe’s existed. So, in honor of all of you who can’t live without Everything Bagel seasoning… Trader Joe’s version that is, here it is… at least my version. By the way, I love the seasoning on other foods too like salads, grain bowls, and other breads; see my suggestions at the end of the post. 😉

Everything Bagel Seasoning Trader Joe’s Style!

This 6-ingredient seasoning recipe includes white sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, flake salt, dried minced garlic (flakes), dried minced onion (flakes), and poppy seeds.

white sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, flake salt, dried minced garlic (flakes), dried minced onion (flakes), and poppy seeds
white sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, flake salt, dried minced garlic (flakes), dried minced onion (flakes), and poppy seeds

Combine the Ingredients

In a small bowl, add all the ingredients. You’ll need 2 teaspoons (8 grams) of white sesame seeds, 2 teaspoons (8 grams) of black sesame seeds, 2 teaspoons (12 grams) of flaked salt. This is what Trader Joe’s uses in the recipe, but you can use any kind of salt you have or like. Then, add 2 teaspoons (8 grams) of dried minced garlic, 2 teaspoons (8 grams) of dried minced onion, and 1 tablespoon (9 grams) of poppy seeds. You’ll notice that by weight the ingredients are equal except for the salt. Give the mix a stir until well combined. Taste the mixture and increase slightly any preferred ingredient you like best.

“mise en place” = all ingredients ready

Final Product!

Can you pick out the individual ingredients? In the photo, you should see black and white sesame seeds which are small tear-drop shapes. The dried minced onion is a little bigger flake than the dried minced garlic. The poppy seeds are the smallest and tend to stick together (safety in numbers, I guess? 😊) Of course, the flake salt is easy to spot. I love the look of flaked salt in this seasoning mix. This is such a pretty mix if I do say so myself.

Homemade Everything Bagel Seasoning Blend
Homemade Everything Bagel Seasoning Blend

Storing Everything Bagel Seasoning

Store the Everything Bagel Seasoning mix in an airtight container at room temperature for up to year. Keep in mind that the seasoning mix should keep as long as the expiration dates on the individual seasoning bottles. Thus, the newer and fresher the individual seasonings, the longer the mix will keep.

TIP: Stir the mixture well before adding it to a dish, particularly after the mixture has settled.

Everything Bagel Seasoning Usage Suggestions

This recipe makes about a ¼ cup (4 tablespoons). That’s enough to fill a typical spice bottle from a spice rack. Sprinkle it on bagels, homemade bread prior to baking, biscuits, toast, pretzels, avocados, eggs, sandwiches, popcorn, savory snack mixes like Chex mixes, lettuce-based salads, creamy salads (like potato or pasta), baked potatoes, roasted or grilled vegetables, French fries, grain bowls, etc. Consider using it as a final touch to your favorite grilled meats like steak, chicken, or fish.

Everything Bagel Seasoning Final Thoughts

This final thought is short and to the point. The individual components to this seasoning blend are commonly found in most pantries (at least in America and if you cook). So, why not put those ingredients to use and make a blend of your favorite flavors and use them for… well… most anything you like? This is a great way to keep stock in that favorite seasoning blend and add lots of flavor to your daily, simple dishes. We enjoy it and hope you do too. 😊

Check out my YouTube video (1 minute 46 seconds) on making this quick mix. “Everything Bagel Seasoning: Trader Joe’s SAME Ingredients and Lots of Flavor”.

Print Recipe

Everything Bagel Seasoning: Same 6 Ingredients as Trader Joe’s Version

This simple Everything Bagel Seasoning recipe includes the same 6 ingredients found in a bottle of the Trader Joe's version. Measure out the basic pantry ingredients, mix, and enjoy! You can sprinkle this seasoning on most anything savory. Try it on any bread like bagels, biscuits, rolls, flatbread. Use it to top your favorite grilled meats or vegetables. Sprinkle it on salads and sandwiches. Add to eggs, avocado toast, and much more.
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: ingredient
Cuisine: American
Keyword: everything bagel seasoning, Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning, homemade sesame seasoning blend
Author: Summer

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp (8 g) white sesame seeds
  • 2 tsp (8 g) black sesame seeds
  • 2 tsp (12 g) flaked salt
  • 2 tsp (8 g) dried minced garlic (flakes)
  • 2 tsp (8 g) dried minced onion (flakes)
  • 1 tbsp (9 g) poppy seeds

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, add all the ingredients. Give the mix a good stir until well combined. Taste the mixture and increase slightly any preferred seasoning.
    TIP: Stir the mixture well before adding it a dish particularly after the mixture has settled.

Video

Notes

Storing Seasoning:
Store seasoning mix in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a year. Keep in mind that the seasoning mix should keep as long as the expiration dates on the individual seasoning bottles. Thus, the newer and fresher the individual seasonings, the longer the mix will keep.
Usage Suggestions:
This recipe makes about a ¼ cup (4 tablespoons). That’s enough to fill a typical spice bottle from a spice rack. Sprinkle it on bagels, homemade bread prior to baking, biscuits, toast, pretzels, avocados, eggs, sandwiches, popcorn, savory snack mixes like Chex mixes, lettuce-based salads, creamy salads (like potato or pasta), baked potatoes, roasted or grilled vegetables, French fries, grain bowls, etc. Consider using it as a final touch to your favorite grilled meats like steak, chicken, or fish.

Check out some of my recipes in which you can add Everything Bagel Seasoning mix.

Chinese Shaobing Flatbread

Turkish Pide Flatbread

Challah Bread

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Check out my YouTube Channel as well to see videos of kitchen tips, blog bakes, and dishes.

Spinach Tortillas: Great for Mexican Dishes, Sandwiches, and Dips

Spinach Tortillas
Spinach Tortillas

While simple flour tortillas are a great go-to for traditional Mexican dishes, wraps, and pinwheels, spinach tortillas take the color and flavor to a whole new level. My beautiful, dark green-laced spinach tortillas elevate the flavor of any flour tortilla-based dish. Can you imagine these pretty green tortillas in pinwheels as an appetizer for the holidays? I sure can!

My Spinach Tortilla Inspiration

Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Tortillas
Spinach Tortillas

If you read my Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Tortilla blog post, then you know my inspiration comes from the many store-bought spinach tortillas I used to buy. As with the roasted red pepper and garlic tortilla version, I knew I could make my own with spinach. Thus, I took my regular Mexican flour tortilla recipe, tweaked it a little, and added spinach. Voilà! Done! Awesome spinach tortilla recipe created! Store-bought spinach tortillas no longer and never again! I absolutely LOVE these tortillas just like the roasted red pepper and garlic tortilla version. I totally see red and green pinwheels for lunch with a bowl of soup or as an appetizer for the holidays!!

Spinach Tortilla Description

Spinach is clearly the main ingredient in these tortillas. Although, these are spinach focus in both color and flavor, they are definitely a soft flour tortilla with regular flour tortilla undertones. They are very soft and pliable making them a terrific flatbread base for other ingredients, dips, and dishes.

Spinach Tortillas: Ingredients

I’m excited to share my basic white flour tortilla recipe modified with the cool spin of added spinach. The ingredients for my spinach flour tortilla recipe include spinach, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, shortening, and water. It’s that simple!!

Spinach Tortilla Ingredients: spinach, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, shortening, and water (not shown)
Spinach Tortilla Ingredients: spinach, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, shortening, and water (not shown)

Prepare Spinach

For ease, thaw 12 ounces of chopped frozen spinach in the fridge overnight or in the microwave for a quick thaw. Drain and squeeze out most of the moisture. Don’t worry about squeezing it dry; just enough that it separates easily. If you use fresh spinach, rinse it under water in a colander. Place it in a large saucepan or skillet. Heat on medium and sauté it until wilted. Return it to the colander and rinse with cold water, drain, and squeeze out most of the moisture.

Place the spinach in a food processor or blender. Process until broken down and smooth. Set the mixture aside.

TIP: The spinach will remain in very small chunks, a little stingy. The small pieces will lace the tortilla with pretty green pieces once the tortillas are cooked.

squeeze out most of the water
place spinach in food processor
process until broken down

Mix Dry Ingredients

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached, add 420 grams (3½ cups) of all-purpose flour. Be sure to fluff, scoop, and level off the flour if using a measuring cup. Add 1½ teaspoons (6 grams) of baking powder, and 1¼ teaspoons (~7 grams) of salt. Turn the machine on low and mix until combined. With the mixer on low add 6 tablespoons (72 grams) of diced shortening and mix until the shortening is dispersed.

TIP: Instead of using a stand mixer, mix ingredients in a large bowl.

420 g (3½ cups) all-purpose flour
1½ tsp (6 g) baking powder
1¼ tsp (~7 g) salt
mix until blended
6 tbsp (72 g) diced shortening
mix until crumbly & well dispersed

Add Spinach & Water

If using the stand mixer, switch to the dough hook attachment. With the machine on low, add the spinach and knead. The dough will look crumbly. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. As the machine continues to run, add warm tap water (1 tablespoon at a time -3-6 or so total). The amount of water you add will depend on the amount of moisture in the spinach and the humidity in the environment. Continue adding water until the dough comes together into a cohesive mound as it spins in the machine. The dough should be soft. Knead for 5 minutes increasing the speed to medium.

TIP: If not using a stand mixer, stir or knead by hand the spinach into the flour and then knead or stir in water until the mixture comes together. Once combined, knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface for 8- 10 minutes. The dough should not be sticky but soft and tacky.

add all spinach
knead w/dough hook until crumbly
add water 1 tbsp at a time
not quite enough water 1-2 tbsp more…
enough water; knead 5 minutes
dough kneaded

Cover & Rest

Remove the bowl from the machine and use your hands to form the dough into a ball. Place it at the bottom of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and allow the dough to rest on the counter for at least 30 minutes.

TIP: You can prepare the dough a day ahead of time. Place the dough in the fridge overnight or until you’re ready to divide, shape, and cook the tortillas.

Spinach Tortilla Dough Covered
Spinach Tortilla Dough Covered

Divide & Roll Dough

Divide Dough

Remove the dough and place it on an unfloured work surface. You can add a little flour if the dough is sticky but should be sticky only tacky. Divide the dough into preferred sizes either 10 large pieces (~84-85 g each) or 20 small pieces (~42 g each). You can weigh or eyeball the sizes.

place dough on unfloured surface
divide into 10 or 20 equal pieces (weigh for accurate sizes)

Roll & Cover Dough

Roll each dough piece into a smooth ball in your hands. You can place each dough ball on the work surface with all flour moved aside. Cup your hand behind each ball and roll the ball towards you along the surface so the friction creates a smooth ball all around. Rolling these into balls will create a near perfect round tortilla when rolled out with a rolling pin.

Cover them with a towel and allow the dough balls to rest for 15 minutes.

smooth up edges gathering at the top
the bottom will be relatively smooth
place hand behind gathering; push ball to smooth out completely
friction surface spreads out dough to smooth
all 10 balls are smooth
cover dough balls for 15 minutes

Preheat Skillet & Roll Out Tortilla

Heat a large dry (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Use a rolling pin to roll out one tortilla into a 10-inch circle for a large tortilla or a 5-inch circle for a small tortilla. Keep the surface well-floured to prevent the dough from sticking. Flip the tortilla over as you roll. If the tortilla retracts, allow the tortilla to sit for a few moments to get used to its new shape and continue to roll. If the dough begins to curl, flip it over and roll on the other side.

TIP: The tortillas slightly shrink when they hit the hot pan. Consider rolling out each tortilla 1 inch larger than desired cooked tortilla.

preheat 12-inch DRY skillet over medium-high heat
place dough ball on floured surface
flatten dough ball with palm of hand
roll dough flipping over & around to maintain shape

Heat Tips

Skillet has heated enough to cook the tortillas when a splatter of tap water sizzles when it hits the skillet. Adjust the stove temperature as you go. Start out high and decrease as needed. If you cook the tortillas at a temperature too low, they will be stiff. If they are cooked at too high of a temperature, they will brown (even burn) too quickly.

Skillet is hot enough to cook tortillas when water sizzles
Skillet is hot enough to cook tortillas when water sizzles

Assembly Line Cooking

Create an assembly line. Once the skillet is hot, turn down the heat to medium. Place a tortilla in the skillet and cook for 1 minute or until brown spots appear on the underside. As a tortilla cooks, roll out the next. Flip the half-cooked tortilla and cook the other side for another 30 seconds or until brown spots appear. Set the tortillas aside on a foil-lined plate with another sheet of foil on top to keep them warm. Continue to roll out and cook the remaining tortillas stacking them on the plate as they cook. Keep foil over the top tortilla.

TIPS: Use a paper towel to wipe loose flour out of the pan as needed to keep the flour from burning. The tortillas should be soft and foldable. They should form bubbles, but they will deflate as they cool. You can also place a heat-proof plate in a 200˚F (93˚C) oven and stack tortillas as they bake to keep all the tortillas warm before serving.

place tortilla in skillet
brown spots indicate doneness
wipe out skillet to prevent burning flour
stack tortillas on foil-lined plate as they cook to keep warm
cover top tortilla w/ foil to keep warm

Tortillas Cooked!

Check out the stack of tortillas. They can be eaten now or later. Notice the brown spots from the skillet. These truly are soft and foldable making them perfect for soft tacos, burritos, pinwheels, etc. They have a nice, layered tear like a regular basic flour tortilla with the same gluten stretch. Aside from being a beautiful tortilla, you can even smell the spinach!

tortillas are soft & fold easily
smooth, stretchy tear
Stack of Spinach Tortillas
Stack of Spinach Tortillas
Spinach Tortillas torn to show the spinach laced throughout
Spinach Tortillas torn to show the spinach laced throughout
Rolled Spinach Tortillas making them great for sandwich wraps, burritos, soft tacos, etc.
Rolled Spinach Tortillas making them great for sandwich wraps, burritos, soft tacos, etc.

Serving Suggestions:

Use these spinach tortillas for any recipe that calls for soft flour tortillas.

  • pinwheels
  • sandwich wraps (rolled flatbread sandwiches filled with cheese, meats, veggies, & preferred condiments)
  • soft tacos
  • burritos
  • chips (brushed with oil, topped with salt, cut into triangles, & baked 400˚F(204˚C) for 10 minutes flipping at 5 minutes). See my recipe for making tortilla chips.
  • enchiladas
  • fajitas
  • quesadillas
  • tacos
  • taquitos

Storing Suggestions:

Store the tortillas stacked in a sealed plastic bag at room temperature for about a week. For longer storage, freeze for a couple of months. They thaw quickly from the freezer to the microwave; simply heat for 30 seconds. You can also reheat them in the microwave between 2 damp towels to keep them moist or in a dry skillet over the stove until warm.

Spinach Tortillas Final Thoughts

These are so pretty! These spinach tortillas are a cool and fun take on a regular flour tortilla! I enjoy eating these hot and fresh out of the skillet. These tortillas taste great with other ingredients that go well with spinach. Consider making a simple egg and cheese omelet, and before folding it over, place it on top of the tortilla and roll it with the tortilla. You can see the egg and cheese in between the rolled layers. Yummy!! Now that’s a protein-packed breakfast, lunch, snack, or dinner!!

Baker’s Thoughts

These are so cute! Didn’t I already say that? In fact, they are easy to make if you use frozen spinach, thawed in the fridge overnight. No baking or roasting! The only extra step needed that’s different from my regular Mexican flour tortilla recipe is processing the spinach in a food processor to break it down (and that only takes like 2 minutes, if that). Like with standard tortillas, there’s a required rolling out of each tortilla. You can save time by making the dough the day before you cook them. It takes 20-25 minutes to cook all 10 tortillas and that includes rolling out a tortilla as one cooks. They can be eaten as soon as they come off the skillet. I highly recommend making these tortillas as they are fun and a good way to get some greens in you and your kids’ diets! Win!

Taster’s Thoughts

I really like these tortillas, but I LOVE spinach and eat it every day. If you’re not a spinach fan, you may not be a fan of these. However, once you add all of the cheese and condiments, the spinach flavor becomes minor. Spinach is the highlighted flavor, but they still taste like a flour tortilla. Personally, I love these as pinwheels or wrap sandwiches with a layer of cream cheese or other spread like hummus, slices of meat or shredded meat, and some roasted or fresh vegetables with shredded or crumbled cheese on top and rolled. They are so pretty to serve as appetizers for guests. You can also make these into tortilla chips to serve with your favorite dip!

Check out my YouTube video for visuals of each step along with tips, tricks, and techniques along the way. “Spinach Tortillas: Soft Flatbread Perfect for Wrap Sandwiches, Hummus, Pinwheels, & Mexican Dishes”.

Print Recipe

Spinach Flour Tortillas

These beautiful, dark green-laced spinach tortillas are perfect for wrap sandwiches, dipped in hummus, used in pinwheels or any Mexican dish. While spinach focus, they are definitely a soft flour tortilla with regular flour tortilla undertones. These spinach tortillas take the color and flavor of traditional flour tortillas to a whole new level.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Resting Time45 minutes
Total Time2 hours
Course: Appetizer, ingredient, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: spinach tortillas, Mexican flour tortillas, flatbread, Mexican flatbread, sandwich wraps, flatbread for hummus
Servings: 10 large or 20 small tortillas
Author: Summer

Ingredients

  • 12 oz chopped spinach, frozen or fresh thawed, drained, and squeezed (if fresh- sauté, rinse, drain, and squeeze)
  • 420 g (3½ cups) all-purpose flour fluffed, scooped, and leveled if using a measuring cup
  • 1½ tsp (6 g) baking powder
  • 1¼ tsp (~7 g) salt
  • 6 tbsp (72 g) vegetable shortening (diced into small pieces) or lard, butter, or coconut oil
  • 3-6 tbsp warm tap water

Instructions

  • Thaw frozen spinach (in the fridge overnight or quickly in the microwave). Drain and squeeze out most of the moisture.
    TIP: If using fresh spinach, rinse it under water in a colander. Place it in a large saucepan or skillet. Heat on medium and sauté just until wilted. Return it to the colander and rinse with cold water, drain, and squeeze out most of the moisture.
  • Place the spinach in a food processor or blender. Process until broken down.
    TIP: The spinach will remain in very small chunks, a little stingy. The small pieces will lace the tortilla with pretty green pieces.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached, add flour, baking powder, and salt. Turn machine on low and mix until combined. With the mixer on low, add shortening and mix until the shortening is dispersed. Switch to the dough hook attachment and with the machine on low, add the spinach and continue to knead. The dough will look crumbly. Add warm tap water (1 tbsp at a time, 3-6 or so total depending on the amount of moisture in the spinach) until the dough comes together into a cohesive mound as it spins in the machine. The dough should be soft. Knead for 5 minutes increasing the speed to medium.
    TIP: Instead of using a stand mixer, mix ingredients in a large bowl. Stir or knead by hand the spinach into the flour and then knead or stir in water until the mixture comes together. Once combined, knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface for 8- 10 minutes. The dough should not be sticky but soft and tacky.
  • Remove the bowl from the machine and use your hands to form the dough into a ball and place it at the bottom of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and allow the dough to rest on the counter for at least 30 minutes.
    TIP: You can prepare the dough a day ahead of time. Place the dough in the fridge overnight or until you’re ready to divide, shape, and cook the tortillas.
  • Remove the dough and place it on a work surface (only lightly flour if the dough is sticky but it’s not necessary here). Divide the dough into preferred sizes either 10 large pieces (~84-85 g each) or 20 small pieces (~42 g each). You can weigh or eyeball the sizes.
  • Roll each dough piece into a smooth ball in your hands. You can place each dough ball on the work surface (all flour moved aside), cup your hand behind each ball and roll the ball towards you along the surface so the friction creates a smooth ball all around.
  • Cover them with a towel and allow the dough balls to rest for 15 minutes.
  • Heat a large dry (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Use a rolling pin to roll out one tortilla into a 10-inch circle for a large tortilla or a 5-inch circle for a small tortilla. Roll thin enough to see through the dough. Keep the surface well-floured to prevent the dough from sticking. Flip the tortilla as you roll. If the tortilla retracts as you roll, allow the tortilla to sit for a few moments to get used to the shape and continue to roll. If the dough begins to curl, flip it over and roll on the other side.
    TIPS: The tortillas slightly shrink when they hit the hot pan. Consider rolling out each tortilla 1 inch larger than desired cooked tortilla. Skillet has heated enough to cook the tortillas when a splatter of tap water sizzles when it hits the skillet. Adjust the stove temperature as you go. Start out high and decrease as needed. If you cook the tortillas at a temperature too low, they will be stiff. If they are cooked at too high of a temperature, they will brown (even burn) too quickly.
  • Cook each tortilla as you roll out the next one. Turn down the heat to medium. Place a tortilla in the skillet and cook for 1 minute or so (or until the brown spots appear on the underside. Flip the tortilla and cook for another 30 seconds or until brown spots appear. Set the tortillas aside on a foil-lined plate with another sheet of foil on top to keep them warm. Continue to roll out and cook the remaining tortillas stacking them on the plate as they cook. Keep foil over the top tortilla.
    TIPS: Use a paper towel to wipe loose flour out of the pan as needed to keep the flour from burning. The tortillas should be soft and foldable. They should form bubbles, but they will deflate as they cool. You can also place a heat-proof plate in a 200˚F (93˚C) oven and stack tortillas as they bake to keep all the tortillas warm before serving.

Video

Notes

Serving Suggestions:
Use tortillas in any recipe that calls for soft flour tortillas.
-pinwheels
-burritos
-chips (brushed with oil, topped with salt, cut into triangles, & baked at 400˚F for 10 minutes flipping at 5 minutes)
-enchiladas
-fajitas
-quesadillas
-sandwiched wraps (rolled flatbread sandwiches filled with cheese, meats, veggies, & preferred condiments)
-tacos
-taquitos
-tostadas
Storing:
Store in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge for a few days or freeze for a couple of months. They thaw very quickly; you can just heat them in the microwave from the freezer for 30 seconds. You can also, microwave them between 2 damp towels to keep them moist or in a dry skillet over the stove.

Interested in other flatbread recipes? Check these out!

Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Flour Tortillas

Tortilla Chips

Mexican Corn Tortillas

Mexican Flour Tortillas

Classic Italian Focaccia Flatbread

Chinese Shaobing Flatbread

Zanzibar Chapati Flatbread

Zanzibar Sesame Flatbread

Unleavened Bread Gluten & Gluten Free Versions

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Check out my YouTube Channel as well to see videos of kitchen tips, blog bakes, and dishes. Until next time, go bake the world!

Strawberry Kiwi Sugar Cookie Pizza: Sensational Sweet Summer Dessert

Strawberry Kiwi Sugar Cookie Dessert Pizza
Strawberry Kiwi Sugar Cookie Dessert Pizza

Another one of my favorite summertime desserts is a large, pizza-size, baked sugar cookie covered with a layer of sweet cream cheese and topped with a strawberry glaze mixed with sliced strawberries and kiwi. Herein lies my strawberry kiwi sugar cookie pizza. Fruit with cookies and cream… yes, please!

My Dessert Pizza Memories

Fruit pizzas have been around for years. They are like fruit pies usually with a crust and topped with cream and fruit. I always thought they were called pizza because the crust is typically baked flat in a pizza pan, and they were (are) commonly served in American pizza parlors. I recall going to those all-you-can-eat pizza buffet restaurants as a kid itching to finish the savory pizza so I could have the chocolate dessert pizza. At home, my mom used to make them with a pie crust (baked in a round pizza pan) and topped with a sweetened whipped cream followed by a layer of fresh fruit (with strawberries being the fav.).

My Favorite Fruit Pizza

Once I started baking, I really wanted to change that traditional pie crust to a sugar cookie. I basically modified my favorite sugar cookie recipe that has cream cheese to create a sturdy crust minus the cream cheese. For the sweetened cream, I’ve always loved the mix of cream cheese, powdered sugar, and whipped topping, so that became my cream layer. There is nothing wrong with fresh fruit to top a fruit pizza, but sometimes the fruit is overly ripened, under ripened, or too tart. So, to combat any fruit discrepancies, I opted for a sweetened glaze like my Strawberry Shortcake Trifle glaze with fresh strawberries and kiwi. Voilà! Thus, we have the fruit pizza I like best resulting in a fantastic fruity and sweet summer dessert.

Strawberry Kiwi Sugar Cookie Pizza Ingredients

The sugar cookie pizza crust includes butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, almond extract, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. For the sweet cream cheese filling, we have cream cheese, thawed whipped topping, and powdered sugar. The strawberry kiwi glaze topping consists of strawberry gelatin (Jell-O), cornstarch, strawberries, kiwi, and water.

Sugar Cookie Crust: butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, almond extract, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt; Sweet Cream Cheese Filling: cream cheese, thawed whipped topping, and powdered sugar; Strawberry Kiwi Glaze Topping: strawberry gelatin (Jell-O), cornstarch, strawberries, kiwi, and water
Sugar Cookie Crust: butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, almond extract, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt; Sweet Cream Cheese Filling: cream cheese, thawed whipped topping, and powdered sugar; Strawberry Kiwi Glaze Topping: strawberry gelatin (Jell-O), cornstarch, strawberries, kiwi, and water

Make the Sugar Cookie Dough

Whip Wet Ingredients

Begin by making the sugar cookie crust. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, use the paddle attachment or electric mixer and whip 84 grams (6 tablespoons) of softened butter until smooth. Add 100 grams ( ½ cup) of granulated sugar and whip again until light and creamy. Add 1 large egg, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon of almond extract. Whip again until smooth and creamy.

84 g (6 tbsp) softened butter
100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp almond extract
whipped until smooth & creamy

Combine Dry Ingredients

Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, stir together 156 grams (1¼ cups) of all-purpose flour (fluffed, scooped, and leveled off if using measuring cup). Add ½ teaspoon (2 grams) of baking powder and ¼ teaspoon (1.5 grams) salt. Stir until the ingredients are mixed well.

156 g (1¼ cups) all-purpose flour
½ tsp (2 g) baking powder
¼ tsp (1.5 g) salt
stir until mixed

Add Dry to Wet & Cool to Firm

In stages, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Stir in between additions just until the flour and butter mixtures are combined.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate the cookie dough for an hour to help the dough firm so it’s easier to spread in the pan. You can also make the cookie dough the day before you want to bake it; just keep it stored in the fridge.

add flour in stages
all flour is mixed just until combined
cover (same bowl or scoop into another) & place in fridge 1 hour-overnight

Preheat Oven & Prepare Pan (Butter, Paper, & Butter)

Preheat the oven to 350˚F (177˚C). Prepare a 12-inch round pizza pan (or large 9×13 casserole dish). If you intend to transfer the cookie to a serving dish that has high sides for adding toppings, cut a sheet of parchment paper to the size of the pan. Butter the pan and place the paper down so that it sticks and rub your fingers along the paper to smooth it out. Butter the top of the paper. If the cookie will be topped in the same pan it is baked in, just butter the pan without the parchment paper. Regardless, ensure that you use a pan with high sides to hold layers- baked cookie, layer of cream, and “runny” layer of fruit and glaze.

12-inch pan
butter pan
add parchment paper IF transferring cookie
butter parchment paper
buttered pan ready for the dough

Roll or Press Out Cookie Dough & Bake

On a floured surface mixed with a little granulated sugar, use a rolling pin to roll out the cookie dough. If your cookie dough is very firm from being in the fridge several hours to overnight, you’ll need roll the dough to the diameter or length of the pan. If your dough is a little soft, you’ll will likely only need to roll it out half of the size of the pan and then press out the dough to the edges of the pan using your fingers or small rolling pin. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool completely in pan.

TIP: Whenever I roll out cookie dough, I flour and sugar the work surface and rolling pin. The flour and granulated sugar combination keeps the dough from drying out, adds a little friction to the work surface keeping the dough from sticking, and adds a little caramelization, crunch, and sweetness to the cookie surface.

add flour & sugar to surface & rolling pin
roll out dough
if the dough is a little soft, push out in pan
push dough to pan edges
if you have a small rolling pin, smooth out dough
dough ready to bake
Sugar cookie baked
Sugar cookie baked

Combine the Sweet Cream Cheese Ingredients

While the cookie cools, make the sweet cream cheese filling. In a large bowl, 1 pkg (8 oz) softened cream cheese. Use an electric mixer to whip until smooth. Add 90 g (¾ cup) powdered sugar and whip again until well combined. Fold in 9 oz of thawed whipped topping until combined. Just use your favorite like Cool Whip or my preference SO Coco Whip. Store the cream mixture covered in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the pizza.

TIP: Folding instead of stirring whipped topping prevents it from deflating. To fold, cut a spatula through the center of the cream mixture and fold it over. Make a figure 8 with spatula around the outside of the bowl and cut through the center again and fold over. Continue the same steps until the whipped topping is mixed in smoothly.

1 pkg (8 oz) softened cream cheese
90 g (¾ cup) powdered sugar
whipped until smooth (no lumps)
9 oz thawed whipped topping
fold until combined
cover & place in fridge

Make the Fruit Glaze

Slice the Strawberries & Kiwi

To make the strawberry kiwi glaze, first slice the strawberries and kiwi (skin removed). I prefer slices over chunks as they are pretty sitting on top of the pizza in the glaze. Once sliced, place them in a bowl and set them aside.

TIP: I find using a potato peeler to remove the kiwi skins easy and less wasteful.

Strawberries & kiwi sliced & set aside

Cook the Strawberry Glaze

In a large saucepan, whisk together 100 grams (½ cup) of granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon (1.5 grams) of salt, 32 grams (¼ cup) cornstarch, and 85 grams (3 ounces or 1 small box) of strawberry gelatin. Whisk in 8 ounces (1 cup) of water or strawberry juice.

Heat the saucepan on medium-high heat. You’ll notice the strawberry gelatin appears cloudy from the cornstarch. As the mixture heats and begins to boil, the white cornstarch will blend in with the gelatin color and become the color of the gelatin. Then, the mixture will thicken after a couple of more minutes. Whisk frequently until the mixture thickens taking about 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in ½ teaspoon of almond extract. At this point, go ahead and stir in the sliced strawberries and kiwi. Set the entire mixture aside at room temperature to cool.

TIP: Adding the fruit while the gelatin mixture is warm helps to sweeten the fruit and soften the kiwis. The fruit also aids in cooling down the gelatin.

100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
¼ tsp (1.5 g) salt
32 g (¼ cup) cornstarch
85 g (3 oz/1 small box) strawberry gelatin
8 oz (1 cup) water
whisk on medium-high heat
boiled & thickened
mixture is done when it clings to spoon or whisk
½ tsp almond extract
2 cups each sliced strawberries & kiwi (add while hot)
stir in fruit & set aside at room temperature

Assemble Pizza

Transfer Cookie (If Needed)

Now that everything has cooled to room temperature, it’s time to assemble the dessert pizza. If you intend to transfer the cookie to a different plate or platter, carefully flip the cookie out of the pan and remove the parchment paper from the bottom of the cookie. Place the cookie back in the new or larger pan with taller sides to hold the layers.

TIP: Remember that if your baking pan (cookie sheet, pizza pan, or casserole dish) has high enough sides to hold several inches of toppings, you do NOT need to transfer the cookie to another dish.

IF transferring cookie, flip it out of baking pan
remove parchment paper & place on serving platter (w/high sides)
sturdy cookie crust to hold toppings

Spread on Sweet Cream Cheese Filling & Fruit Topping

Spread the cream filling evenly over the cookie top. If you have tall edges, smooth the cream to the edge of the dish to create a barrier, so the strawberry glaze will not ooze down along the cookie edges. Spoon the strawberry kiwi glaze over the cream filling ensuring the strawberries and kiwi are dispersed. Since the glaze is runny at this point, focus on fruit placement letting the glaze simply flow where it wants. It will set up in the fridge when it cools.

spread cream mixture evenly over cookie
smooth out to edge of dish
add fruit w/ glaze
spread to edge of dish
cover & place in fridge to set up (2 hours to overnight)

Chill, Slice, & Serve

It’s best to allow the pizza to set up in the fridge for a couple of hours to overnight. This chilling time allows the cream to chill and the fruit glaze to set. Then, cut the pizza in slices like you would a pizza or pie. Lift the slices using a pie server, serve, and enjoy!

Strawberry Kiwi Sugar Cookie Pizza
Strawberry Kiwi Sugar Cookie Pizza

Close-ups of Strawberry Kiwi Sugar Cookie Pizza

Check out the three distinctive dessert layers. Notice the thickness of the cookie, cream, and glaze. They are all pretty equal in thickness. The strawberry gelatin adds a pop of color along with the green in the kiwi with black seeds.

View of the layers through the glass serving platter
View of the layers through the glass serving platter
Strawberry Kiwi Sugar Cookie Pizza Sliced
Strawberry Kiwi Sugar Cookie Pizza Sliced
Another view of the sliced pizza from the main pie
Another view of the sliced pizza from the main pie

Storing Dessert Pizza

Cut only the slices you want to eat, cover, and store the remaining pizza in the fridge for up to a week. Hopefully, by then it will be gone. If you think you’ll have pizza longer than that, share with your neighbor. 😉 They might become your best friend for life. HA!

No Time? No Worries! Consider this MUCH Quicker Option

Use store-bought cookie dough in place of making your own. Use this recipe’s cream filling since it’s easy. Instead of making the strawberry glaze, simply slice your favorite fruit and layer it on top of the cream layer. Then, you can eat it immediately without any glaze to set up in the fridge. EASY! DONE and MUCH less work!

Strawberry Kiwi Sugar Cookie Pizza Final Thoughts

This strawberry kiwi sugar cookie pizza is a great way to use up those summer strawberries. The glaze creates a visually appealing topping and works with any ripeness of fruit, tart or sweet. If you don’t have access to fresh, why not frozen? Simply thaw the frozen fruit and slice or cut into pieces. You can also leave out the kiwi and make a strawberry pizza by doubling the strawberries. In addition, if you are short on time, use store-bought cookie dough and instead of making a glaze, just layer sliced fruit of any kind over the cream, no need for the sweet strawberry glaze. If you’ve never had fruit pizza with a sugar cookie crust, you should totally give it a whirl.

Baker’s Perspective

This is a fun dessert to make. The best part is as the baker, you can lick the spoons, beaters, and bowls of each layer. Ok, so maybe you shouldn’t consume the raw sugar cookie dough since eating raw flour and eggs is not recommended (but that rarely stops me).

This recipe takes a bit of time; however, you can break up the steps by making the dough and cream filling the day before. Then, bake the cookie and make the strawberry topping the day you want to eat. The only downside is that you really need to give the assembled pizza a couple of hours to set up in the fridge prior to eating it. So, for ease, you could make the dough and cream on day 1. On day 2, bake the cookie, make the fruit glaze, and assemble the pizza. Day 3 would be the day to serve your family and guests without any work needed that day.

The recipe isn’t difficult, it just requires several steps and time for baking, cooking, and chilling. This recipe makes a large pizza and with the hearty toppings, a 12-inch “pizza” goes a long way unlike a traditional 12-inch savory pizza. Thus, you can easily cut 12-14 slices to serve more people.😊

Taster’s Perspective

We love the sweet cookie base with the toned-down sweet cream filling. The addition of whipped topping mellows out and fluffs up the traditional “cream cheese” flavor and texture, so the filling doesn’t taste like cream cheese, just a sweet cream. The strawberry glaze adds color, flavor, and depth to the overall fruit topping. The glaze slightly oozes over the cream when the pizza is cut enhancing the texture of the cookie and cream.

We enjoy this dessert during strawberry season. I find strawberries and kiwi go very well together since strawberries are usually pretty sweet and kiwis can be a little tart. The glaze balances out any inconsistencies in the ripeness and tartness of the fruit. This dessert pizza makes a fun, fresh, and tasty snack or dessert to serve guests. It’s a household fav in my house this time of year.

Check out my YouTube video on all the steps in making this fruit pizza. “Strawberry Kiwi Sugar Cookie Dessert Pizza: A Must Try Sensational Sweet Summer Dessert”.

Print Recipe

Strawberry Kiwi Sugar Cookie Dessert Pizza

This large, pizza-size, baked sugar cookie covered with a layer of sweetened cream cheese lightened with whipped cream and topped with a strawberry glaze mixed with sliced strawberries and kiwi is a perfect dessert for the summer season. Regardless of the ripeness, tartness, or sweetness of the fruit, the glaze balances out any inconsistencies, adds color, depth, and indulgence to the overall dessert.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
Cooling & Chilling2 hours
Total Time2 hours 48 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: strawberry kiwi sugar cookie dessert pizza, strawberry pizza, strawberry pie, fruit pizza, fruit pie, dessert pizza, dessert pie
Servings: 12 slices
Author: Summer

Ingredients

Sugar Cookie Crust:

  • 84 g (6 tbsp) butter softened
  • 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg 50-60 g
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp almond extract
  • 156 g (1¼ cups) all-purpose flour fluffed, scooped, and leveled off if using a measuring cup
  • ½ tsp (2 g) baking powder
  • ½ tsp (3 g) salt

Sweet Cream Cheese Filling:

  • 8 oz (1 pkg) cream cheese softened
  • 90 g (¾ cup) powdered sugar
  • 9 oz thawed whipped topping from frozen (like Cool Whip or SO Coco Whip)

Strawberry Kiwi Glaze:

  • 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
  • ¼ tsp (1.5 g) salt
  • 32 g (¼ cup) cornstarch
  • 85 g (3 oz or 1 small box) strawberry gelatin like Jell-O
  • 8 oz (1 cup) water or strawberry juice
  • ½ tsp almond extract
  • 2 cups (1 pound or 1 pint) strawberries sliced
  • 2 cups 5 kiwi peeled and sliced

Instructions

Sugar Cookie Crust:

  • In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, whip butter until smooth. Add sugar and whip again until light and creamy. Add egg and extracts whipping again until smooth.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • In stages, add flour mixture (~¼ cup or so at a time) to butter mixture stirring between additions until all combined.
  • Cover bowl and refrigerate for an hour.
  • Preheat oven to 350˚F (177˚C). Prepare a 12-inch round pizza pan (or large 9×13 casserole dish). If you intend to transfer the cookie to another dish with high sides to hold the toppings, cut a sheet of parchment paper to the size of the pan. Butter the pan and place the paper down so that it sticks and rub your fingers along the paper to smooth it out. Butter the top of the paper. If the cookie will be topped in the same pan it is baked in, just butter the pan without parchment paper.
  • On a floured surface, mixed with a little granulated sugar, use a rolling pin to roll out the cookie dough. If your cookie dough is very firm from being in the fridge several hours to overnight, you'll need roll the dough to the diameter or length of the pan. If your dough is a little soft, you'll will likely only need to roll it out half of the size of the pan and then press out the dough to the edges of the pan using your fingers or small rolling pin.
    TIP: Whenever I roll out cookie dough, I flour and sugar the work surface and rolling pin. The flour and granulated sugar combination keeps the dough from drying out, adds a little friction to the work surface keeping the dough from sticking, and adds a little caramelization, crunch, and sweetness to the cookie surface.
  • Bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool completely in pan.

Sweet Cream Cheese Filling:

  • In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to whip cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and whip again until well combined. Fold in whipped topping until combined. Store the filling covered in the fridge until ready to assemble the pizza.
    TIP: Folding instead of stirring whipped topping prevents it from deflating. To fold, cut a spatula through the center of the cream mixture and fold it over. Make a figure 8 with spatula around the outside of the bowl and cut through the center again and fold over. Continue the same steps until the whipped topping is

Strawberry Kiwi Glaze:

  • Slice the strawberries and kiwi (skin removed). Slices instead of chunks are pretty sitting on top of the pizza in the glaze. Once sliced, place the fruit in a bowl and set aside.
    TIP: I find using a potato peeler to remove the kiwi skins easy and less wasteful.
  • In a large saucepan, whisk together sugar, salt, cornstarch, and gelatin. Whisk in water (or strawberry juice).
  • Heat saucepan on medium-high heat. Whisk frequently until the mixture thickens taking about 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in almond extract. Stir in strawberries and kiwi and set aside at room temperature to cool.
    TIPS: As the mixture heats and begins to boil, the white cornstarch will blend in with the gelatin color and become clear. Then, the mixture will thicken after a couple of more minutes. Adding the fruit while the gelatin mixture is warm helps to sweeten the fruit and soften the kiwis. The fruit also aids in cooling down the gelatin.

Pizza Assembly:

  • IF transferring the sugar cookie crust to another dish with higher sides to hold the toppings, carefully flip the cookie out of the pan and remove the parchment paper from the bottom of the cookie. Place the cookie in the new pan with taller sides.
    TIP: Remember that if your baking pan (cookie sheet, pizza pan, or casserole dish) has high enough sides to hold several inches of toppings, you do NOT need to transfer the cookie to another dish.
  • Spread the cream filling evenly over the cookie top. If you have tall edges, smooth the cream to the edge of the dish to create a barrier, so the strawberry glaze will not ooze down along the cookie edges. Spoon the strawberry kiwi glaze over the cream filling ensuring the strawberries and kiwi are dispersed. Since the glaze is runny at this point, focus on fruit placement letting the glaze simply flow where it wants. It will set up in the fridge when it cools.
  • It's best to allow the pizza at least 2 hours to chill and set up in the fridge before slicing and serving. Once set, cut slices like a pizza or pie and serve.
    TIP: You can make and assemble the pizza the day before you want to eat it.

Video

Notes

Storage:
Cut only the slices you want to eat, cover, and store the remaining pizza in the fridge for up to a week.
Make-Ahead Option:
Make the cookie dough and cream on day 1. On day 2, bake the cookie, make the fruit glaze, and assemble the pizza. Cut, serve, and enjoy the dessert on day 3.
NO Time? Much Easier Option:
Use store-bought cookie dough in place of making your own. Use this recipe’s cream filling since it’s easy. Instead of making the strawberry glaze, simply slice your favorite fruit and layer it on top of the cream layer. Then, you can eat it immediately without any glaze to set up in the fridge. EASY! DONE and MUCH less work!
 

Interested in some other sweet treat recipes? Check these out.

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies: Lower Fat, Gluten Free, & Vegan Friendly

Czech Palačinky: Thin Pancakes

Blueberry Shortcake

Angel Food Cake

Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

Banana Pudding: No Cook & Egg Free

Vanilla (Nilla) Wafers

Argentine Alfajores Sandwich Cookies

Simple Scottish Shortbread Cookies

Gluten-Free & Vegan Scottish Shortbread Cookies

Gingersnap Cookies

Austrian Apple Strudel

Latin American Tres Leches Cake

Italian Strawberry Tiramisu

Mexican Conchas

Australian & New Zealand Pavlova

French Macarons 3 WaysFrench Macarons 3 Ways

New Zealand Kiwi Quick Bread (Regular & Gluten Free)

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Check out my YouTube Channel as well to see videos of kitchen tips, blog bakes, and dishes.

Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Tortillas: Fantastic Take on the Ordinary

Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Tortillas
Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Tortillas

Why not give those good ol’ enchiladas, soft tacos, burritos, and workday sandwich wraps an easy makeover with total flare? My fun-colored and incredibly tasty Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Flour Tortillas are visually appealing and hit a few of those extra spots on the taste buds. In fact, they are so flavorful, you don’t need any fillings… maybe some gooey cheese. 😉 While providing a deeper flavor profile, these tortillas are soft and foldable like regular flour tortillas.

My Flavored Tortilla Inspiration

I love the look and taste of sandwich wraps and pinwheels with colorful, flavored tortillas. They enhance such simple lunches and appetizers. A flavored tortilla serves much more than a bland vehicle for transporting meat, cheese, and condiments. I used to buy red pepper and spinach tortillas for sandwich wraps. I kept these around when my sister visited because she loves my sandwich wraps. So, since I make my own flour tortillas, I thought… hmm… why not flavored? And thus, recipe creation began.

My Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Tortillas Creation

I was obviously familiar with the flavor idea since they can be purchased commercially. Of course, red pepper and garlic are common Mexican ingredients and are great roasted. So, in creating this recipe, I took my Mexican Flour Tortilla recipe and simply added puréed roasted red peppers and garlic. I tried different amounts of each, but ultimately settled on 2 large red peppers and 6 garlic cloves. The bigger question was… “how much liquid is needed?” The answer varies depending on the amount of liquid in the pepper and garlic purée and the humidity in the environment.

In the End…

Ultimately, the final quantities in the recipe below produced well-balanced flavors and color unique to this tortilla but still tasting like a flour tortilla. In addition, this recipe embraces the expected stretch and tear of a flour tortilla. In the end, the recipe turned out better than expected. Store-bought red pepper tortillas? No longer and never again! Hello homemade!! I love you and will never not make you!

Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Tortillas: Ingredients

Check out these ingredients. They are the exact ingredients in my Mexican Flour Tortilla recipe with the cool spin of added red peppers and garlic. For this roasted red pepper and garlic flour tortilla recipe, you’ll need red peppers, garlic cloves, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, shortening, and water. Pretty simple, right?

red peppers, garlic cloves, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and shortening
red peppers, garlic cloves, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and shortening

Roast the Red Peppers & Garlic

Preheat the Oven

First, we need to roast the peppers and garlic. Begin by preheating the oven to 425˚F (220˚C). I don’t like to use my oven in the summer when it’s hot. When possible, I go for the toaster oven. For this step, I use the toaster oven. If you need to use a regular oven, I would actually roast quite a few peppers and garlic at the same time and freeze what you don’t need for this recipe after removing the skins. Woo, hoo! You will NOT have to do this step again for a while… worth it!

Prepare Baking Sheet & Prep the Peppers & Garlic

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Cut 2 whole peppers in half and remove the seeds and veins. You could use instead 6-7 mini peppers left whole. Place the peppers and 6 garlic cloves (with the skins on) on the baking sheet. Place them in the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes. Check the peppers and garlic rotating anything as needed. You’re looking for charred (black) skin. You should NOT need to rotate the pepper halves, but you WILL likely need to move around the garlic as the pan will burn the garlic parts that are touching it.

TIP: If roasted mini peppers, you will need to rotate them checking at 10-15 minutes. The peppers should be charred (black) all around.

line a baking sheet w/parchment
remove veins & seeds from pepper halves
place pepper halves & garlic on baking sheet

Cool & Remove the Skins

Once the peppers and garlic are roasted, use tongs to lift them and place them in a heat-proof bowl. Then, cover the bowl immediately with plastic wrap. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes in the bowl. The humid environment while the peppers cool will loosen the skins making them easy to remove. When they are cool enough to touch, peel off the skins of the peppers and garlic. Place the peppers and garlic in a food processor or blender and discard the skins unless you have a use for them. Process 15-20 seconds until smooth and puréed. Set the mixture aside.

TIP: Stop during the processing and scrape down the bowl sides and lid. You don’t want any large pepper or garlic pieces to go into hiding.

peppers & garlic are roasted
use tongs to place in bowl
cover bowl w/plastic wrap for 10 minutes
remove skins from peppers & garlic
place peppers & garlic in food processor
process until smooth & puréed

Mix Dry Ingredients & Cut in Shortening

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached, add 420 grams (3½ cups) of all-purpose flour. Be sure to fluff, scoop, and level off the flour if using a measuring cup to ensure closer to the weighted amount. Add 1½ teaspoons (6 grams) of baking powder, and 1¼ teaspoons (about 7 grams) of salt. Turn the machine on low and mix until combined. With the mixer on low, add 72 grams (6 tablespoons) of diced shortening and mix until the shortening is dispersed.

TIP: Without a stand mixer, you can mix everything in a large bowl and cut in the shortening like you would pie crust using a pastry blender or your fingers.

420 g (3½ cups) all-purpose flour
1½ tsp (6 g) baking powder
1¼ tsp (~7 g) salt
72 g (6 tbsp) diced shortening
shortening is broken down and blended w/dry ingredients

Add All Wet Ingredients: Pepper Purée & Water

Switch the machine attachment to the dough hook. With the machine on low, add the pepper and garlic puréed mixture and continue to knead. The dough will look crumbly. As the machine continues to run, add warm tap water (1 tablespoon at a time, 4-8 total depending on amount of moisture in the pepper mixture and the environment). Continue adding water until the dough comes together into a cohesive mound as it spins in the machine. The dough should be soft. Once all water is added, knead for 5 minutes increasing the speed to medium. The dough should be soft and tacky but not sticky and wet.

TIP: If not using a stand mixer, add water to the bowl of stir with a spoon. You can use your hands if that’s better for you. Then once the dough has come together and most of the water has been added, begin kneading on a lightly floured work surface for 8 minutes. Continue to add water as needed to create a soft ball. The dough should not be sticky but soft and tacky.

scoop in red pepper & garlic purée
it is very dry & crumbly
add enough water to create a dough
dough should be a cohesive mound & spin in the bowl
dough is soft & tacky but not sticky

Cover Dough to Rest

Remove the bowl from the machine. Use your hands to form the dough into a ball and place it at the bottom on the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and allow the dough to rest on the counter for at least 30 minutes. For a make-ahead dough, stop at this step and place it in the fridge overnight or until you’re ready to divide, shape, and cook the dough the following day.

Cover dough to rest 30 minutes to overnight
Cover dough to rest 30 minutes to overnight

Divide & Shape the Dough

Divide Dough

After the resting time (30 minutes up to a day later), remove the dough and place it on an UNFLOURED work surface (you can add a little flour if the dough is sticky). Divide the dough into preferred sizes either 10 large pieces (about 76 g each) or 20 small pieces (about 38 g each). You can weigh or eyeball the sizes.

TIP: The dough shouldn’t be sticky so an unfloured surface is better for creating a surface with friction to smooth out the dough balls. If your dough is sticking, add a little flour to the surface, but you’ll need to clear it off when you’re ready to roll each dough piece into smooth balls.

Divide dough into 10 large dough balls for 10-inch tortillas or 20 small dough balls for 5-inch tortillas
Divide dough into 10 large dough pieces for 10-inch tortillas or 20 small dough pieces for 5-inch tortillas

Shape Dough & Rest

Roll each dough piece into a smooth ball in your hands. While this method is fine, you will have cracks in your dough ball and will be visible in the flat tortilla. I prefer the rolling-on-work-surface method. For this method, place each dough ball on the work surface (all flour moved aside), cup your hand behind each ball, and roll the ball towards you along the surface so the friction creates a smooth ball all around. Rolling these into balls will create a near perfect round tortilla when rolled out without any cracks or crevices. But, hey! Do what YOU want to do and have time for.

Cover the dough balls with a towel and allow the dough balls to rest for 15 minutes.

to smooth out ball, smooth up edges to form a purse top
place hand behind ball resting on surface
push dough; friction from surface smooths out ball
dough ball is tight & smooth
cover all dough balls to rest 15 min.
covered & resting

Assembly Line Time: Preheat Skillet, Roll Out Dough, & Cook

Preheat Skillet & Roll out Dough

Heat a large dry (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Use the palm of your hand to slightly flatten out a dough ball to make it easier to roll out using a rolling pin. Then use a rolling pin to roll out one tortilla into a 10-11-inch circle for a large tortilla or a 5-6-inch circle for a small tortilla. Keep in mind that they tortillas will shrink a little as soon as they hit the hot pan. Roll thin enough to see through the dough; there should be a little transparency. Keep the work surface well-floured to prevent the dough from sticking. Flip the tortilla as you roll. If the tortilla retracts, allow the tortilla to sit for a few moments to get used to its new shape and continue to roll. If the dough begins to curl, flip it over and roll on the other side.

TIP: While tortillas are cooking and being rolled out, keep other dough balls covered or they will dry out.

preheat skillet on medium-high heat
dough balls are ready to roll
place 1 dough ball on floured surface
slightly flatten out w/ palm of hand
use rolling pin to flatten out to appropriate size
11-inch tortilla (will shrink in pan)

TIPS on Skillet Heat

The skillet has heated enough to cook the tortillas when a splatter of tap water sizzles when it hits the skillet. Adjust the stove temperature as you go. Start out high and decrease as needed. If you cook the tortillas at a temperature too low, they will be stiff and appear “hard”. If they are cooked at too high of a temperature, they will brown (even burn) too quickly and may appear somewhat raw in the center.

TIP: The tortillas should be soft and foldable. They should form bubbles but will deflate as they cool. The bubbles suggest the tortilla is thin and the baking powder and gluten development are helping to create layers for that stretching tear once they’re cooked.

water sizzles when splattered in hot pan
bubbles indicate appropriate thickness, ingredients, & resting time

Cook a Tortilla While Rolling out a Tortilla

Create an assembly line. Turn down the heat to medium. Place a tortilla in the skillet and cook for 1 minute (or until brown spots appear on the underside). As a tortilla cooks, roll out the next. Once one side of a tortilla cooks, flip it and cook for another 30 seconds to a minute or until brown spots appear on that side. Set the tortillas aside on a heat-proof, foil-lined plate with another sheet of foil on top to keep them warm. Continue to roll out and cook the remaining tortillas stacking them on the plate as they cook. Keep foil over the top tortilla.

TIP: You can also place the foil-covered plate of tortillas in a 200˚F (93˚C) oven to keep them warm until all of them are cooked. I find that they stay plenty warm enough just covered in foil on the counter.

TIP: Use a paper towel to wipe loose flour out of the pan as needed to keep the flour from burning.

place a tortilla in preheated skillet
flip when bottom has brown spots
place cooked tortillas on foil-lined plate
wipe out skillet w/paper towel as needed to prevent burned flour
all tortillas are cooked & ready to eat

A Closer Look of the Final Product

Check out the many brown spots on both sides. Notice they are soft and foldable making them perfect for soft tacos, burritos, pinwheels, etc. They have the traditional layered, stretchy tear of a regular basic flour tortilla. From a personal standpoint, they smell wonderfully… the pepper and garlic are prominent. Miam!! (Yum!!)

brown spots indicate doneness
easily foldable for wraps & pinwheels
stretchy tear like regular flour tortillas
Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Tortillas
Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Tortillas (notice black specks of charred red pepper & small pieces of red pepper)
Close Up Tortilla Thickness
Close Up Tortilla Thickness
Thin Layers within the Tortilla when Torn
Thin Layers within the Tortilla when Torn
Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Tortillas Final Product
Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Tortillas Final Product

Serving Suggestions:

Use these roasted red pepper and garlic tortillas for any recipe that calls for soft flour tortillas.

  • pinwheels
  • sandwich wraps (rolled flatbread sandwiches filled with cheese, meats, veggies, & preferred condiments)
  • soft tacos
  • burritos
  • chips (brushed with oil, topped with salt, cut into triangles, & baked 400˚F(204˚C) for 10 minutes flipping at 5 minutes). OR, see my recipe for making tortilla chips. 😉
  • enchiladas
  • fajitas
  • quesadillas
  • tacos
  • taquitos

Storing Suggestions:

Store the tortillas stacked in a sealed plastic bag at room temperature for about a week. For longer storage, freeze for a couple of months. Reheat in the microwave between 2 damp towels or in a dry skillet over the stove until warm.

Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Tortillas Final Thoughts

Talk about a pretty and fun take on a regular white tortilla! They make those wrap sandwiches, pinwheels, and soft tacos standout. They go great with any savory fillings and toppings. I enjoy eating them hot and fresh out of the pan without anything. My latest favorite lunch is spreading a layer of homemade avocado-yogurt spread (with garlic salt) over the tortilla, adding a heaping handful of spinach and topping it with cheese like Mexican Cojita, Queso, or Monterey Jack / Colby. If you’re a meat eater, add a layer of sliced turkey. Roll it up and dig in! Now that’s yum and fun!

Baker’s Perspective:

I think this is an easy recipe since you can use the stand mixer; however, the rolling part is a workout. There is a little time with the roasting stage. You could totally roast the peppers and garlic ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze them until you’re ready to make the tortilla dough. I suggest making the dough the day before and storing it in the fridge to cut down on the time. Since each tortilla takes less than 2 minutes, you can get the cooking accomplished in about 20 minutes or so for 10 large tortillas. You’ll be busy during this time though rolling out the remaining tortillas. 😊

Overall, since they taste really good, I believe the rolling time is worth it! Besides, they look so pretty and taste much better than their store-bought counterparts (at least I think so). This recipe provides more health benefits (due to the roasted garlic and red peppers) than regular white flour tortillas, so you can feel good about making and eating them! I’m pretty sure your kids will like the fun pinky-orange color, too.

Taster’s Perspective:

I love this tasty take on a regular flour tortilla. Yes, I could eat them… a little gluten isn’t hurting me these days! The roasted red pepper is prominent but not overpowering and the garlic is more nuanced. They tear just like a regular tortilla, look like a regular tortilla, and taste BETTER than a regular tortilla. They would be great enjoyed as a sandwich wrap or pinwheels for appetizers. Holiday appetizers anyone? Since it’s summer, we’ve been enjoying them as flatbread sandwiches. For the summertime and fall, these would be great for the office lunch or in the school lunch box with you or your kids’ favorite fillings. For the holidays, use them as the tortilla base in appetizer pinwheels for that beautiful holiday color and awesome flavor!

Check out my YouTube video for the ins and outs and tips on making these wonderful roasted red pepper and garlic tortillas. “Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Tortillas: Flavor Up Your Tortilla Dishes, Pinwheels, & Sandwich Wraps”.
Print Recipe

Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Tortillas

Time to ramp up those boring white tortillas!! These super flavorful and colorful tortillas totally enhance your favorite Mexican dishes and those work or school lunch sandwich wraps. Make them ahead of time and freeze for a quick meal or snack whenever you get the hankering. They have so much flavor, they are wonderful eaten alone or simply with cheese.
Prep Time50 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Resting Time45 minutes
Total Time2 hours 25 minutes
Course: Breakfast, ingredient, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: roasted red pepper and garlic tortillas, homemade tortillas, flavored tortillas, flour tortillas, sandwich wrap tortillas, pinwheel tortillas
Servings: 10 large or 20 small
Author: Summer

Ingredients

  • 2 whole red peppers or 6-7 mini peppers
  • 6 garlic cloves skins attached
  • 420 g (3½ cups) all-purpose flour fluffed, scooped, and leveled if using a measuring cup
  • 1½ tsp (6 g) baking powder
  • 1¼ tsp (~7 g) salt
  • 6 tbsp (72 g) vegetable shortening or lard (diced into small pieces) butter or coconut oil
  • 4-8 tbsp warm tap water

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425˚F(220˚C). Cut whole peppers in half. Place peppers and garlic on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes rotating the peppers and garlic as needed. They should char (blacken) as they roast.
    TIP: Use 6-7 whole mini peppers in place of 2 large red peppers.
  • Use tongs to place the peppers and garlic in a heat-proof bowl and cover immediately with plastic wrap. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes. When they are cool enough to touch, peel off the skins of the peppers and garlic.
    TIP: You can roast several peppers and more garlic at once reserving what's not being used for this recipe for later use. Remove the skins and place in a sealed freezer bag or container until needed; be sure to thaw in the fridge first.
  • Place the peppers and garlic in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth and puréed ~15 seconds.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached, add flour, baking powder, and salt. Turn machine on low and mix until combined. With the mixer on low, add shortening and mix until the shortening is dispersed. Switch to the dough hook attachment and with the machine on low, add the pepper and garlic mixture and continue to knead. The dough will look crumbly. Add warm tap water (1 tbsp at a time, 4-8 total depending on amount of moisture in the pepper mixture and humidity in the environment) until the dough comes together into a cohesive mound as it spins in the machine. The dough should be soft. Knead for 5 minutes increasing the speed to medium.
    TIP: Instead of using a stand mixer, mix ingredients in a large bowl and knead by hand on a lightly floured work surface. Add water as needed to create a soft ball. The dough should not be sticky but tacky.
  • Remove the bowl from the machine and use your hands to form the dough into a ball and place it at the bottom on the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and allow the dough to rest on the counter for at least 30 minutes.
    TIP: You can prepare the dough a day ahead of time. Place the dough in the fridge overnight or until you’re ready to divide, shape, and cook the following day.
  • Remove the dough and place it on an unfloured work surface (you can add a little flour if the dough is sticky). Divide the dough into preferred sizes either 10 large pieces (~76 g each) or 20 small pieces (~38 g each). You can weigh or eyeball the sizes.
  • Roll each dough piece into a smooth ball in your hands. You can place each dough ball on the work surface (all flour moved aside), cup your hand behind each ball, and roll the ball towards you along the surface so the friction creates a smooth ball all around.
  • Cover them with a towel and allow the dough balls to rest for 15 minutes.
  • Heat a large dry (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Use a rolling pin to roll out one tortilla into a 10-inch circle for a large tortilla or a 5-inch circle for a small tortilla. Roll thin enough to see through the dough. Keep the surface well-floured to prevent the dough from sticking. Flip the tortilla over as you roll. If the tortilla retracts as you roll, allow the tortilla to sit for a few moments to get used to its new shape and continue to roll. If the dough begins to curl, flip it over and roll on the other side. Keep all resting, untouched dough balls covered, or they will dry out as you roll out and cook the others.
    TIPS: Skillet has heated enough to cook the tortillas when a splatter of tap water sizzles when it hits the skillet. Adjust the stove temperature as you go. Start out high and decrease as needed. If you cook the tortillas at a temperature too low, they will be stiff. If they are cooked at too high of a temperature, they will brown (even burn) too quickly.
  • Cook each tortilla as you roll out the next one. Turn down the heat to medium. Place a tortilla in the skillet and cook for 1 minute or so (until brown spots appear on the underside). Flip the tortilla and cook for another 30 seconds or until brown spots appear. Set the tortillas aside on a heat-proof, foil-lined plate with another sheet of foil on top to keep them warm. Continue to roll out and cook the remaining tortillas stacking them on the plate as they cook. Keep foil over the top tortilla.
    TIPS: Use a paper towel to wipe loose flour out of the pan as needed to keep the flour from burning. The tortillas should be soft and foldable. They should form bubbles, but they will deflate as they cool. You can also place a heat-proof, foil-lined plate in a 200˚F (93˚C) oven and stack tortillas as they bake to keep all the tortillas warm before serving. Keep a sheet of foil over the top tortilla, so they don't dry out.

Video

Notes

Serving Suggestions:
Use tortillas in any recipe that calls for soft flour tortillas.
-pinwheels
-burritos
-chips (brushed with oil, topped with salt, cut into triangles, & baked at 400˚F for 10 minutes flipping at 5 minutes)
-enchiladas
-fajitas
-quesadillas
-sandwiched wraps (rolled flatbread sandwiches filled with cheese, meats, veggies, & preferred condiments)
-tacos
-taquitos
Storing Suggestions:
Store the cooked tortillas in a sealed plastic bag at room temperature for up to a week. For longer storage, freeze for a couple of months. Reheat in the microwave between 2 damp towels or in a dry skillet over the stove until warm.

Interested in other flatbread recipes? Check these out!

Tortilla Chips

Mexican Corn Tortillas

Mexican Flour Tortillas

Classic Italian Focaccia Flatbread

Chinese Shaobing Flatbread

Zanzibar Chapati Flatbread

Zanzibar Sesame Flatbread

Unleavened Bread Gluten & Gluten Free Versions

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Check out my YouTube Channel as well to see videos of kitchen tips, blog bakes, and dishes. Until next time, go bake the world!

No-Bake LOWER Fat Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies: Gluten-Free & Vegan Friendly!

No-Bake LOWER Fat Fudgy Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
No-Bake LOWER Fat Fudgy Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

The first “food” I made as a kid, without adult supervision, was a no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookie. As an adult, I have modified the “traditional” recipe to make these cookies just as sweet and tasty without all the fat. I’m very happy to share my lower fat version with a deeper flavor profile. They are just as tasty as a traditional no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookie.

Flavor Profile of No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

No-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies taste like chocolate peanut butter fudge with oats. Various recipes for these cookies are found in almost every southern American church, school, and community cookbook. Most recipes are pretty similar with all of them (at least the ones I’ve seen) loaded with a ½ cup of butter in addition to lots of peanut butter. I never understood why there was so much butter… wait! Am I seriously wondering that? Hello! Southern cooks use lots of butter… duh!!

My First “Cooking” Memory

As I mentioned, no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies were the first… anything I (and my sister) made without adult supervision. My sister and I were home alone during the summer while our parents were working. We REALLY wanted these cookies!! We saw, even “helped”, our mom make these many times. Since they didn’t require oven use, we chanced the phone call to mom for approval (we were good kids, so “yes” we asked for permission). As an aside, my mom’s main (only) complaint about us while growing up was that we didn’t make our beds; Mom, you were lucky that was all you had to complain about! 😉

Yes! Permission Granted with a Caveat…

Mom gave us the go-ahead, BUT we had to call her when we turned on the stove and call her again when we turned off the stove. I don’t recall, but I’m sure my mom was giving us instructions left and right the whole time! 😊 Knowing my mom, I can’t believe she actually let us make those. I’m thankful though, because we were super happy kiddos indulging in the batter on the spoon, from the pan, and the many cookies that followed! I think, secretly, she was too, because she had cookies ready to eat when she returned home from a long day at work.

Difference in My Recipe for No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

I LOVE no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies. In truth, I eat them like granola bars (at least my version) because the much-reduced butter fat in my recipe prevents a sluggish belly, and you can add dried fruit, coconut, and/or nuts to make them even more satisfying for an after-work-out treat. In addition to much less butter fat, this recipe incorporates a variety of sugars for flavor depth. I use a liquid sweetener, specifically honey, that contains a little moisture to keep the cookies soft over time and prevents a crumbly or gritty cookie. I often make and enjoy these cookies gluten-free using gluten-free oats and vegan using nut milk and coconut oil or plant-based butter… these truly are a worthy treat! 😊

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies: Ingredients

For my lower fat no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies, you’ll need cocoa powder, milk of any kind, salt, butter (regular or plant-based or coconut oil), honey (or maple syrup for vegan), brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, peanut butter (or any nut or seed butter), and oats (either quick-cooking or rolled).

cocoa powder, milk of any kind, salt, butter, honey, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, peanut butter, & oats
cocoa powder, milk of any kind, salt, butter, honey, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, peanut butter, & oats

Prepare the Baking Sheet

Prepare a cookie sheet on which to place the cookie dough. You only need 1 cookie sheet lined with wax paper. The cookies will be sticky, and they remove more easily from wax paper than any other.

wax-paper lined baking sheet
wax-paper lined baking sheet

Measure & Process the Oats (If Needed)

If you’re using quick-cooking oats, you only need to measure them out and set them aside. However, if using old-fashioned rolled oats which is the only oat I keep in my pantry, then you should pulse them in a food processor to break them down like quick-cooking oats. We need the oats broken down, so they provide a hearty structure to the cookie.

measure oats
old-fashioned rolled (thick flake)
quick-cooking (pulverized old-fashioned)
differences between quick-cooking (left) and old-fashioned rolled (right)

Cook the Chocolate Fudge

Mise en Place

Before beginning the process, have your mise en place of ingredients. “Mise en place” is a French expression meaning “put in place” referring to having all ingredients measured out and ready to go. For this recipe, because the steps move quickly, it’s best to have all ingredients measured out and near the stove before cooking.

"Mise en Place" of ingredients
“Mise en Place” of ingredients

Whisk the Cocoa Powder, Sugars, & Milk

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add 45 grams (½ cup) of cocoa powder, ⅛ teaspoon of salt, 120 grams (½ cup) of granulated sugar, 150 grams (¾ cup packed) of brown sugar, 85 grams (¼ cup) of honey (maple or agave syrups), and 28 grams (2 tablespoons) of butter (or coconut oil), 4 ounces (½ cup) of milk (nut, coconut, oats, etc.).

TIP: I use a liquid sugar like honey in my recipe because I find the liquid sugar prevents the cookies from drying out and becoming crumby. It produces a soft cookie. The variety of sugars add depth to the overall flavor.

45 g (½ cup) cocoa powder
⅛ tsp salt
120 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
150 g (¾ cup packed) brown sugar
85 g (¼ cup) honey (maple or agave syrups)
28 g (2 tbsp) butter (coconut oil)
4 oz (½ cup) milk (any kind)
4 oz (½ cup) milk (any kind)

Cook: Boil for 1 Minute

Cook the mixture whisking frequently (I whisk constantly to prevent the mixture from burning). As the chocolate mixture cooks, the sugars will dissolve, and the sauce will become shiny. Cook until a rolling boiling.

Once the mixture reaches a rolling boil, set a timer for 1 minute. Whisk while boiling for 1 entire minute. Turn the heat down a little if needed.

TIP: If you cook the chocolate too long, the chocolate will harden like candy and become dry and crumbly after cooling. If you don’t cook long enough, the chocolate will not harden.

Rolling Boil (Whisk for 1 minute)
Rolling Boil (Whisk for 1 minute)

Stir in Remaining Ingredients & Place Mounds on Baking Sheet

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Immediately, whisk in 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 130 grams (½ cup) of peanut butter (or any nut or seed butter). Whisk the added ingredients until smooth. Use a spoon to stir in 300 grams (3 cups) of oats and any other mix-ins until all combined. Immediately after stirring in the oats, use a tablespoon and drop mounds of chocolate oatmeal dough on the wax-lined cookie sheet. You can slightly reshape each cookie using your fingers for a rounder, prettier cookie once all are in mounds as they will still be warm enough to mold.

TIP: Once you remove the chocolate from the stove, you should move quickly as the chocolate begins to harden as soon as it begins to cool. If you wait even 5 minutes, the chocolate might be too firm to drop in mounds on a baking sheet.

2 tsp vanilla
130 g (½ cup) peanut butter (any nut/seed butter)
whisk until peanut butter is mixed in
300 g (3 cups) oats
stir until oats are mixed in
drop mounds of dough onto lined baking sheet
reshape if desired
cookies are molded into prettier rounds

Refrigerate until Firm

That’s it! Refrigerate the cookies for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until firm enough to hold their shape. Store them in the fridge; room temperature is too warm, and they will “melt” and be sticky.

cookies are firm enough to serve but will be sticky
cookies are firm enough to serve but will be sticky

Close-Ups of No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Cookies are firm enough to eat! Check them out. Notice the oats dispersed throughout the chocolate. The cookies are soft but hold their intended structure.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies Stacked
Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies Stacked
No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie
No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie
Inside of No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie
Whole No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie with 2 Halves of Another Cookie
Whole No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie with 2 Halves of Another Cookie

Storing No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies will keep for a week or so in the fridge. You can stack these cookies but ensure you separate each layer with a sheet of wax paper, or they WILL stick royally!! For longer storage, you can store them in the freezer in a sealed container or zip-top bag separating layers with wax paper for a couple of months. If you want to transport these cookies to eat on-the-go, wrap them individually in wax paper or plastic wrap since they will stick, particularly if they get warm.

No-bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies Final Thoughts

Unlike most no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies, this cookie recipe doesn’t make you feel sluggish or sick to your stomach after eating them due to the much less quantity of butter fat. In fact, I never miss the fat because of the nut butter and variety of sugars. This cookie totally satisfies the sugar and chocolate cravings. They are fantastic eaten as a dessert or snack on-the-go like a granola bar. For added health benefits stir in dried fruit and/or nuts with the oats. If you’re not a granola bar kind-of-person, you might really enjoy this souped-up version.

Baker’s Perspective

Aside from cooking a bit over the stove, no-bake cookies are as easy as it gets. I buy organic, gluten-free, old-fashioned oats, so I have the extra step of pulsing my oats in a mini food processor to break them down like quick-cooking oats. If you buy 1-minute oats (aka quick-cooking oats) then you can skip this step.

I think the key in the success of this recipe is not cooking the chocolate mixture too long. If you do, the chocolate will become too hard, and the cookies will be crumbly. I have found that liquid sweetener (like honey, maple syrup, etc.) helps to keep the cookies moist, so the chance of crumbling and drying out or becoming gritty is slim. Since no-bake cookies can be rather unappealing to the eye being simple mounds of chocolate and oats, you can mold them into a prettier, rounder shape once all are placed on the pan.

This is a recipe that needs attention from beginning to end. The chocolate begins to firm once removed from the stove, so spooning mounds onto the pan immediately is imperative. If you wait even 5 minutes, it will be very difficult to spoon out any batter. Being a no-bake recipe, the sweet treat reward is immediate licking the spoon and saucepan… totally worth it!

Taster’s Perspective

During my gluten-free, vegan days, this was the cookie recipe I could eat and craved. I’m back to eating dairy but gluten is still iffy (though I can tolerate a little); thus, using regular milk and butter still creates a cookie I crave. They are sweet like a cookie but not overly sweet. The main fat is from nut butter, so the cookie doesn’t leave a greasy film on the tongue. I love that I can enjoy an indulgent treat and not have a heavy, sluggish gut after eating two or three at a time.

The amount of oats, cocoa, and sugar are balanced. While there is quite a bit of sugar (no more than any other cookie recipe), you get a treat that satisfies the craving and provides satiety along with a few extra health benefits from the cocoa, oats, and even the honey. You know, even if you have your own no-bake cookie recipe, I encourage you to try this one once. You may find it tastes just as good and realize you can have your cake and eat it too… with much less fat.

Check out my YouTube Video on ALL the visuals in making these no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies. “No-Bake Fudgy LOWER Fat Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies: Gluten-Free & Vegan Friendly with LOTS of Flavor.”

Print Recipe

No-Bake Fudgy LOWER Fat Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

No-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies taste like chocolate peanut butter fudge with oats. This much lower fat version has lots of flavor from a variety of sugar. Add chopped dried fruit, coconut, and/or nuts for a SUPER indulgent chocolate granola bar!! YES, please!! Great for kids and adults alike!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Cooling Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: no-bake cookies, chocolate oatmeal cookies, lower fat cookies, granola bars, dessert, snack, gluten-free cookies, vegan cookies
Servings: 25 small-medium cookies
Author: Summer

Ingredients

  • 45 g (½ cup) cocoa powder
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • 120 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
  • 150 g (¾ cup packed) brown sugar
  • 85 g (¼ cup) honey maple syrup, agave, or other liquid sweetener if vegan
  • 28 g (2 tbsp) butter plant-based or solid coconut oil if vegan
  • 4 oz (½ cup) milk any kind (nut, oat, coconut, etc.)
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 130 g (½ cup) peanut butter any creamy or chunky nut or seed butter
  • 300 g (3 cups) oats regular, organic, and/or gluten-free, quick-cooking, or old-fashioned

Optional Mix-ins: NOTE: If using the following mix-ins, decrease oats by ½ cup and add ½ cup of any of or combination of the following

  • ½ cup dried fruit raisins, dried cranberries, chopped apricots, chopped dates, etc.
  • ½ cup chopped nuts peanuts, almonds, pistachios, etc.

Instructions

  • Prepare pan by lining a baking sheet with wax paper.
  • Measure oats and set them aside. If using 1-minute oats (quick-cooking oats) simply set them aside. If using old-fashioned rolled oats, pulse them in a food processor for 10-20 seconds until they break down enough to look like quick-cooking oats.
  • In a large saucepan over medium heat, add cocoa powder, salt, all sugars, butter, and milk. Whisk frequently while heating. The sugars will dissolve, and the sauce will become shiny. Cook until a rolling boiling. Once boiling, set a timer and whisk for 1 minute, turn down heat a little if needed.
    TIPS: It's best to have all ingredients measured out and near the stove. If you cook the chocolate too long, the chocolate will harden like candy and become dry and crumbly after cooling.
  • Remove saucepan from heat. Immediately, whisk in vanilla and peanut butter until smooth. Use spoon to stir in oats and any other mix-ins until all combined.
    TIP: Once you remove the chocolate from the stove, you should move quickly as the chocolate begins to harden as soon as it begins to cool.
  • Immediately after stirring in the oats, use a tablespoon and drop mounds of chocolate oatmeal dough on a wax-lined cookie sheet.
    TIP: You can slightly reshape each cookie using your fingers for a rounder, prettier cookie once all are in mounds.
  • Refrigerate for about an hour or until somewhat firm. They will be a little soft but should hold their shape. Eat and enjoy!

Video

Notes

If vegan, you can substitute honey with additional brown or granulated sugar. Since honey is a liquid sweetener, the moisture keeps the cookies soft and from drying out. You can sub maple or agave syrups in place of honey.
Storing cookies
Cookies will keep for a week or so in the fridge. You can stack these cookies but ensure you separate each layer with a sheet of wax paper as they WILL stick. For longer storage, you can store them in the freezer in a sealed container or zip-top bag separating layers with wax paper for a couple of months. If you want to transport these cookies to eat on-the-go, wrap them individually in wax paper or plastic wrap since they will stick, particularly if they get warm.

Interested in some other sweet treat recipes? Check these out.

Vanilla (Nilla) Wafers

Argentine Alfajores Sandwich Cookies

Simple Scottish Shortbread Cookies

Gluten-Free & Vegan Scottish Shortbread Cookies

Gingersnap Cookies

Austrian Apple Strudel

Latin American Tres Leches Cake

Italian Strawberry Tiramisu

Mexican Conchas

Australian & New Zealand Pavlova

French Macarons 3 WaysFrench Macarons 3 Ways

New Zealand Kiwi Quick Bread (Regular & Gluten Free)

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Check out my YouTube Channel as well to see videos of kitchen tips, blog bakes, and dishes.