Strawberry Crumb-Packed Pie

   There are a few foods I have been diligently craving lately...kale, avocados, mounds of salsa, carrots (an odd one, I know), peanut butter, and strawberries. Like lots and lots of strawberries. By themselves, on my salads, in biscuits, mixed in yogurt, with lemon curd...pretty much anywhere really. 

    I needed a solution to my addiction. So obviously, I made a strawberry PACKED pie, no room in rhubarb for this one (my apologies rhubarb, you can play later). I wanted a think, gooey, warm filling of small-diced strawberries, and big thick chunks mixed together. 

      Once that was settled, I knew the next step was deciding just what kind of pie I wanted this to be. Since I was indulging my food visions, I figured why would I dare stray away from my ultimate dessert love-struesel. This pie not only is COVERED with a generous topping of crumbles that can only mean love at first pie sighting, but also, the crust is formed by pressing these crumbs into the pie dish so they are also the base.

     I know most of the time if someone told you the important qualities of pie were the struesel and lots of fruit, you would respond-"Don't be silly, just make a cobbler and forget the crust." But I am stubborn and wanted my fruit surrounded everywhere with happiness. So today, I introduce you to The Strawberry Crumb Packed Pie.

Filling

1 3/4 lb. hulled strawberries

1/2 C granulated sugar

2 TBSP cornstarch

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Crumb Base and Topping

1 C all-purpose flour

1/2 C granulated sugar

1/2 TSP ginger

1/4 TSP salt

1/2 C almond meal (or roughly chopped almonds)

8 TBSP (1 stick) butter, unsalted, room temperature

1. Preheat the oven to 425F (at high altitude) or 400 (at sea level) and place a rack in the lower third of the oven.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse 1 lb. of the strawberries until finely chopped. Using a knife, rough chop the other 3/4 lb. into large chucks.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together all of the strawberries, filling sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice and zest. Set them aside to rest.

4. Clean out the food processor and prepare the crumbs by combining the flour, sugar, ginger, salt and almond meal. Pulse the processor a few times to mix everything together. Cut the butter into chucks and add them to the flour mixture. Pulse the mixture a few times until you have crumbs around the size of large peas. 

5. Scoop half of the crumb mixture into a 9" pie plate and press it into the bottom and edges. (It is sticky, so a wadded paper fowl may help press it down without getting it all over your hands.) Add the strawberries and spread them evenly over the bottom. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs evenly over the pie. 

6. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the filling is oozing out and the top has golden brown bits. Allow the pie to cool for 2-3 hours before cutting. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

*You can do this recipe by hand, but a food processor makes it faster. If you don't have one, just cut the strawberries by hand. Then mix together the dry ingredients in a small bowl and cut the butter into the mixture until you have crumbs.

Love, 

    Boulder Butter

Almond + Cinnamon Sour Cream Squares

         This is something you make for a person you love. If you are nice enough to give it to someone, you know you love them because: 1) You are willing to part with it and lord knows you will not be willing to do that for anything less and 2) it calls for two and a half sticks of butter, and butter is a very precious commodity. Then you add sour cream in the mixture, and you know you really want to impress them!

          The bottom cake is soft and slightly crumbly and kind of cakey, but really moist. The middle is gooey; like melt in your mouth goodness that simultaneously melds into the vanilla bottom. The top is sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar right before it bakes, and becomes a caramelized bite, and where it hits the edges becomes just slightly chewy.

          If I were not making this for someone I love, then I would be very tempted to stop writing this and go cut off all the edges of this cake and slowly savor my way around them. If you are like me, you may also struggle with that when you lift it out of the pan and have the cinnamon and almond scents filling your nose.

         You may also struggle not to just take a spoon right too it and burn your mouth when you pull in out of the oven. I did not do either of these things, but it was only by the greatest practices of self-restraint. I wish you luck.

P.S. The person I gave them too described them as "the perfect meeting of coffee cake and cinnamon roll." I really like that :)

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen's "Gooey Cinnamon Squares" in The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
Cookie/Cake Base:
8 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 TSP cream of tartar
1/2 TSP baking soda
1/4 TSP table salt
3/4 C sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/4 C (generous) full-fat sour cream
Gooey Layer
1/4 light corn syrup (honey is fine too)
1/4 C (generous) sour cream
1 1/2 TSP almond extract
1 1/2 TSP vanilla extract
12 TBSP butter, room temperature
1 C sugar
1/4 TSP salt 
1 large egg, room temp.
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
3/4 TSP cinnamon
Topping:
2 TBSP sugar
3/4 TSP cinnamon

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F and butter and line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper. Allow 2 inches of excess parchment paper to go up the sides so you will be able to lift the bars out.
The Base
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until incorporated.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Add them to the wet mixture in 2 additions and mix until combined.
4. Pour the base into the prepared pan; spread it evenly over the pan using an offset spatula- the dough will be sticky. Set the pan aside.
The Goo
5. Whisk together the corn syrup, sour cream and extracts in a small bowl.
6. Wipe down the bowl of the stand mixer, and beat together the butter and sugar. Add the salt and egg and beat until combined. 
7. In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon and flour.
8. In alternating additions, starting and ending with the flour, add the sour cream and flour mixtures (flour, sour cream, flour, sour cream, flour). Mix until incorporated and scrape down the sides between the additions.
9. Dollop the cinnamon mixture over the cookie base and spread evenly.
The Top 
10. Stir together the cinnamon and sugar in a small cup and sprinkle it over the top. It will look like a lot but it will cook and while baking-don't worry about it.
11. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cookies have bronzed. Remove and all the cookies to full cool on a rack before removing. These will keep at room temperature for at least a week. 

Love, 
   Boulder Butter