Lime Cookies, plus a giveaway!

Spring is upon us here in the south, trees are blossoming, the daffodils are blooming, the days are longer. It’s lovely. I’m celebrating the best way I know how - baking cookies.



Really, really good cookies. They might be my new favorite. They are sweet, with a little bit of tang from the lime zest, crisp and crunchy. Perfectly balanced, and perfect for a spring day, maybe easter brunch? They are also really gorgeous, pale centers, with flecks of green, and dark brown edges.

Also to celebrate, and because I like y’all so much, I’m giving away this lovely light blue Emile Henry pie dish, courtesy of CSN stores site, cookware.com. Check out all their awesome cookware, and also their home bars. Thanks CSN!



What to do to enter:
Enter once by leaving a comment on this post and a way to contact you if you don't have a blog.

Enter a second time by tweeting about the giveaway to @honeyandjam AND leaving a ANOTHER comment on this post.

Enter another time by posting about this giveaway on your blog AND leaving ANOTHER comment on this post.

No entries after 11 pm EST this Friday, April 2nd.

I’ll select one winner through random.org Saturday.



Tart Lime Cookies
makes about 60 cookies
The Modern Baker via So Good and Tasty

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups cane sugar or regular granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest of 2 large limes
12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 24 pieces
2 large eggs

sugar coating
1 1/2 cups demerara sugar (or just regular sugar)
zest of 1 lime

Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and lime zest in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 10 times to reduce the zest to smaller pieces.

Add the butter and pulse until it is completely mixed into the dry ingredients, but the mixture is still powdery. Add the eggs and pulse until the dough forms a ball.

Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface and divide into two equal pieces. Form each into a cylinder about 8 inches long.

Clean any flour off the work surface and combine the demerara sugar and lime zest, working together with fingertips for a minute to release the lime flavor into the sugar. Pour the sugar onto the work surface in a wide line about 8 inches long. Roll one of the logs of dough in it to coat the outside completely. Repeat with the other log of dough. Wrap each log of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, set racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350˚F. Line cookies sheets with parchment paper.

Cut the logs of dough into 1/4-inch thick slices and arrange them on prepared pans about 1 inch apart on all sides. Repeat with the second log of dough, or wrap, freeze, and save it for another day.

Bake the cookies until they are firm and golden around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. After the first 10 minutes, place the pan from the lower rack on the upper one and vise versa, turning the pans from back to front at the same time. Slide the papers off the pans to cool the cookies. If you only have one pan of cookies to bake, adjust the racks to the middle of the oven.

Store cookies at room temperature between sheets of wax paper in a tin or plastic container with a tight fitting lid.

Oven Roasted Broccoli

I beseech you: please make this for dinner. Tonight. It’s really delicious, ever so healthy and super easy. The trifecta!



I’m a huge broccoli fan, it must be said. I could eat it every day and be perfectly happy, but before last week (when I was camera-less!), I’d never even heard of roasting it! It’s quickly becoming my very favorite way to prepare it. During the roasting process some sort of alchemy happens in that hot oven, making the florets even more delicious than they were to begin with. They stay crunchy and crispy, more like fresh, but slightly caramelized in flavor. And the roasted garlic? Just puts it over the top.



So far I’ve tried it on pizza (with homemade alfredo sauce!) and baked potato, but the possibilities are endless. I bet it would be awesome with chicken, or even shrimp.



Oven Roasted Broccoli
adapted from Epicurious

1 1/4 pounds broccoli crowns, cut into florets (about 8 cups)
4 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
Large pinch of dried crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss broccoli and 4 tablespoons oil in large bowl to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to baking sheet. Roast 15 minutes. Stir remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil, garlic, and red pepper in small bowl. Drizzle garlic mixture over broccoli; toss to coat. Roast until broccoli is beginning to brown, about 8 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Things I'm Loving

Mugs in the perfect shade of blue.

New to me blogs, Homemade Grits and The Little Red House.

Inspiring posts from Shanna about her victory with whole grain bread and Sara, about stepping out and taking risks.



The occasional blue sky amidst all the spring rain.

And cherry songs about the same.

Robin from A Chow Life’s beautiful etsy store (one of everything, please?) and her lovely finds on Red Bird Style.



Pops of turquoise in Kristina’s kitchen. (and her whole photostream!)

Stunning wedding and food photography from Karen Wise.

Finding pictures of my dad and I, when I was a newborn. That light is so perfect!



Food and art becoming one.





Tree and State prints (can we get a Georgia one soon, please?!) from 1canoe2.

Have a great Tuesday, everyone!

Cherry Almond Granola Bars

Today has been...less than great.

I woke up thinking I wouldn’t be able to bake at all, we were all out of propane. But then! Our tank was filled! I was feeling optimistic. I baked up some fantastically tasty granola bars.



When they had cooled, I headed downstairs to take photos. I set up the table, took a few shots, and then it happened. The cat jumped through the window, onto the cooling rack the bars were sitting on and flipped them all onto the floor. Every last one of them.

That’s not that bad, right? I mean, it’s a annoying, but it’s also kind of funny. You should have seen it, it was like something out of a cartoon.



I proceeded to clean up the mess, then I grabbed my camera by the strap, not realizing it was wrapped around the corner of the table. The lens slammed down on the table, breaking my filter and jamming the lens so it won’t focus. Now I have no granola bars and no lens. Bummer, dude.

So, no more posts around here until I get my lens fixed. But you should make these bars in the mean time! They are really, really good, I hate that I only got to take a couple of bites! Cherry and almond are made for each other, and the honey accents the flavors perfectly.

When I come back, I’m going to be sure to tell you all about the mandarin orange frozen yogurt I made today, but didn’t get to take pictures of. It was tasty.




Cherry Almond Granola Bars
adapted from Alton Brown

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (or more) cup dried cherries

Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the oats, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.