cloudy thinking – The Herbal Bake Shoppe https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com Bringing herbalism & baking together Mon, 02 Apr 2018 20:59:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Rosemary Remembrance Truffles https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/rosemary-remembrance-truffles/ https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/rosemary-remembrance-truffles/#respond Fri, 06 Oct 2017 20:12:55 +0000 https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/?post_type=recipe&p=2239
truffles for the memorytruffles for the memory
truffle ingredientstruffle ingredients
rosemary remembrance trufflesrosemary remembrance truffles
bite sized deliciousbite sized delicious
Can it be true that when I eat a truffle or two, I feel a pulsing in my forehead? Could it be truly rosemary and her companion herbs cause a brain stimulation? I want to believe and think it’s not a coincidence. I’m doing my own research, 10 out of 10 times this happens. Is that evidence?

Perhaps.

Shakespeare, Hamlet
Act 4, Scene 5
Ophelia: There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember; and there is pansies, that is for thoughts… There’s fennel for you, and columbines, there’s rue for you and here’s some for me; we may call it herb of grace o’ Sundays. O you must wear your rue with a difference. There’s a daisy. I would give you some violets, but they wither’d all when my father died. They say he made a good end. – (sings) “For bonny sweet Robin is all my joy”

Ophelia’s rambling, somewhat confused speech refers to symbolic flower associations all related to the circumstances surrounding her father’s death. She begins with rosemary it seems, not for memories, but because she knows that it along with the other plants she mentions help to relieve pain of the heart. Her reference to remembrance translates to an English funeral tradition where those grieving laid rosemary bunches onto their loved one’s coffins as a symbol that they would never forget.

I’m not sure how the idea that rosemary will help with memory retention or recall became so intertwined with this quote, but tradition and modern science support it. Rosemary’s chemical constituents increase the uptake of cellular oxygen in the brain to support and stimulate memory. Herbalists know it as a vital formula ingredient for mental clarity.

I invite you to do your own experiment. You can easily make these truffles; the hardest part is collecting the herb powders. I promise the research will also be delicious.

Last, as I write this, the current world chaos and constant tragedy pull my heart to sadness over and over. I identify with Ophelia’s madness, despair, and grief. I’m not sure what else there is to say.

Rosemary Remembrance Truffles
A herbal powder blend for mental clarity and remembrance of the heart. This sweetest of herbal medicine making is inspired by Rosemary Gladstar and her basic recipe for herbal balls. Please refer to her many wonderful books and look to them often for the wisdom of a great herbalist.
Servings Prep Time
24balls 20minutes
Servings Prep Time
24balls 20minutes
Ingredients
For herb powder blend
  • 2teaspoons tulsi powder (holy basil)
  • 2teaspoons chaga mushroom powder
  • 1teaspoon bacopa powder
  • 1 teaspoon gotu kola powder
  • 1/2teaspoon rosemary powder
For truffles
  • 1/2cup walnuts, groundfor coating truffles
  • 1/2cup organic tahinisesame seed butter
  • 1/4cup organic raw honey
  • 5 1/2tbsp herbal blend powder
  • 1tbsp goji berries, dried
  • 3tbsp unsweetened cacao powder
Instructions
  1. If using walnut pieces, chop fine. Put nuts into a food processor and pulse for a few seconds at a time until chopped, being careful not to turn to paste. Remove chopped walnuts to a rimmed plate and set aside. If using walnut meal, measure onto plate and set aside.
  2. Measure and mix herb powders together in a small bowl. Sir together gently so as not to disturb powder as it is light and may disperse a bit into the air.
  3. In medium mixing bowl, combine tahini and honey and stir together until smooth.
  4. Add herb powders and mix together to form a thick batter.
  5. Stir in goji berries and cacao powder. Add enough cacao powder so mixture resembles a dough.
  6. Form into 1 teaspoon balls by rolling between your palms and then coat with chopped walnuts.
  7. Store covered and refrigerated. Truffles will keep for 2-3 weeks.
Recipe Notes

* I purchased the powdered herbs for these truffles from Mountain Rose Herbs and Banyan Botanicals.

* Using organic ingredients will make these truffles even more nourishing. If available, use organic tahini, honey, cocoa powder, and herbs.

]]> https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/rosemary-remembrance-truffles/feed/ 0 Walnut Yellow Beet Muffins https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/walnut-yellow-beet-muffins/ https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/walnut-yellow-beet-muffins/#respond Fri, 16 Sep 2016 18:09:52 +0000 https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/?post_type=recipe&p=1740
an-easy-way-to-eat-beetsan-easy-way-to-eat-beets
brain-foodbrain-food
yellow-beetsyellow-beets
ingredientsingredients
walnut-date-muffins-featuring-beetswalnut-date-muffins-featuring-beets

The mixing of two familiar foods less commonly thought of as herbs. Baking can be magic in that way. Walnuts and beets are both examples of culinary style herbalism.

When September comes, it seems like beets are everywhere. Week after week they arrive in my CSA box. Even if I liked beets (regrettably I don’t) how in the world can someone use all of them? In my nutrition frame of mind I know it’s worth trying. So I roast them, peel them and whirl them in the food processor, then store to use later. Frozen in ice cube trays, they can be added to smoothies. Measure 1 cup portions to mix into batters because beets make amazingly moist chocolate cakes. Pickle them and they last forever this way, besides fermented foods are important and my mom loves them. When huge yellow beets appeared a few weeks ago, I felt muffin inspiration. Because beets add sweetness, the actual sugar amount is proportionally low in this batter. My lovely daughter, a vegetable affectionate yet also not a beet lover, avoids sugar. She approved.

Recent studies have linked eating walnuts with improvement in memory. Eating a handful packs nutrients that our brains need like essential fatty acids and antioxidants. Traditional Chinese Medicine doesn’t ignore walnuts, classifying them as yang tonifying herbs that strengthen bones, tendons and vision. TCM also considers walnuts warming for the lungs and mixed with honey can help chronic coughs. Now there’s a yummy kitchen therapy.

brain-food

Walnut Yellow Beet Muffins
The shape of a walnut resembles a brain and coincidentally studies link eating walnuts to improved memory. Herbalists call this “the doctrine of signatures” a theory pointing to plants that resemble body parts and how these plants can be used to treat ailments associated with them. Beets may not look like the brain, but they too support it by increasing the oxygen that gets there. One study showed that people drinking one cup of beet juice a day had clearer thinking. Everything we eat matters. Cheers to these muffins.
Servings Prep Time
15muffins 40minutes
Cook Time
25-28minutes
Servings Prep Time
15muffins 40minutes
Cook Time
25-28minutes
Ingredients
Beet Puree
  • 2large yellow beetsor 4-5 small
  • 1/2cup water
Muffins
  • 3/4cup dates, pitted and cut into 3-4 small pieces
  • 1cup(140g) all-purpose organic flour
  • 3/4tsp baking soda
  • 1/4tsp salt
  • 1/2tsp cinnamon
  • 1tsp fennel seedpound with a mortle and pestle
  • 1 egg, organic
  • 1/3(75g)cup organic light brown sugar
  • 1/4cup walnut oilcan substitute avocado oil or hazelnut oil
  • 1 1/2cup yellow beet puree
  • 1tbsp orange zest, grated
  • 1/2cup walnuts, broken into medium-sized pieces
Instructions
For beet puree
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Wash beets and cut into quarters. Place in roasting pan with enough water to cover bottom of pan by about ½ inch. Cover with aluminum foil. Roast for 45 minutes until soft. Cool completely.
  2. Peel beets and cut into medium sized chunks. Place in food processor and blend for 2-3 minutes until pureed, scrape down sides as needed.
  3. Measure 1½ cups of yellow beet puree. Set aside. Reserve any remaining puree for another use. This can be done up to 2 days in advance keeping pureed beets in refrigerator or they can be frozen to use later.
For Muffins
  1. Lightly steam dates. Heat a small amount of water in a saucepan. Place dates in a metal strainer over the simmering water for 10 minutes. Lay out on a paper towel to dry, patting to dry completely.
  2. Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare a muffin pan with muffin liners.
  3. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk in fennel seed. Set aside.
  4. In large bowl, beat egg just to mix. Stir in sugar and then oil until well combined.
  5. Add pureed beets and orange zest and mix well. Stir in dates.
  6. Gradually add dry ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon after each addition only until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in walnuts.
  7. Spoon into muffin pan using a ¼ cup measure to fill about 2/3rds full.
  8. Bake for 25-28 minutes until tops are golden brown and muffins spring back when pressed with a finger.
  9. Remove from pan immediately to cool on wire rack. Store in covered container.
Recipe Notes

**Using organic ingredients whenever possible will make baked goods all the more nourishing. For these muffins use organic beets, organic flour, organic sugar, organic eggs, organic walnuts, organic dates, organic orange for zest if available.

walnut-date-muffins-featuring-beets

]]> https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/walnut-yellow-beet-muffins/feed/ 0 Rosemary Chocolate Chip Biscotti https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/rosemary-chocolate-chip-biscotti/ https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/rosemary-chocolate-chip-biscotti/#respond Sat, 26 Sep 2015 20:41:02 +0000 https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/?post_type=recipe&p=1212
rosemary biscotti ready to eatrosemary biscotti ready to eat
ingredientsingredients
cutting biscotticutting biscotti
biscotti slicesbiscotti slices
rosemary chocolate chip biscottirosemary chocolate chip biscotti

Because some ingredients may be hard to find, links are provided to make buying easier. I may earn a small commission for some of the product links in this recipe. Your purchase will lend support to this website at no further cost to you. Big love and thanks for that.

Every morning, first thing, I drink a cup of tea. The warmth and mild stimulation, helps me feel the energy of the day. Perhaps a bit of a placebo, but I believe a critical component to my tea is approximately one teaspoon of my own herbal tincture formula, which includes about 9 drops of rosemary extract. A bit goes a long way, adds just a spike of pine flavoring and a myriad of inner value. I am specifically drawn to rosemary’s time-honored capacity to uplift my spirits, support and warm my circulation, and clear my head. Rosemary’s pungent strength inevitably peeks through as an herbal taste. In baking, the mixture of rich ingredients such as butter, eggs, milk, and oils help to balance its bite.

Rosemary Chocolate Chip Biscotti
The marriage of infusing rosemary in olive oil mellows its punch without losing its herbal benefits. There is no doubt that rosemary touches this biscotti making it savory and sweet, two favorites in the flavor world.
Servings Prep Time
32biscotti 25-30minutes
Cook Time
40minutes
Servings Prep Time
32biscotti 25-30minutes
Cook Time
40minutes
Ingredients
For biscotti
  • 3cups organic all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4tsp salt
  • 3 organic eggs
  • 1cup organic granulated sugar
  • 1cup rosemary infused oil
  • 1/3cup dried strawberries, chopped to small pieces
  • 2/3cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1tbsp rosemary leaves, chopped(1 sprig)
  • 1tsp vanilla extract
  • turbinado or granulated sugar for sprinkling on biscotti
For rosemary infused oil
  • 1/4cup rosemary leaves removed from stem(4-5 grams)
  • 6oz organic olive oil(180ml)
Instructions
For biscotti
  1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl. Set aside.
  2. In large mixing bowl, whisk eggs lightly. Add sugar and stir together with wooden spoon to combine. Add rosemary infused oil and stir until incorporated. It will look like the oil is separating from the eggs and sugar, but continue mixing and it will become smooth.
  3. Add dried strawberries, chocolate chips and chopped rosemary, stirring after each addition to incorporate. Stir in vanilla.
  4. Fold in dry ingredients in 3 additions.
  5. Refrigerate overnight divided into four equal portions, each wrapped in wax paper.
  6. When ready for baking, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease cookie sheet.
  7. With wet hands, shape each batter portion into a small rectangular loaf. Place spaced evenly on cookie sheet.
  8. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Slice each loaf while still warm into ½ inch slices and place back on cookie sheet on side. Sprinkle with sugar.
  9. Bake 10 minutes. Turn over to other side, sprinkle with sugar and bake additional 10 minutes.
  10. As biscotti cools, it will become crisper in texture.
For rosemary infused oil
  1. Gently heat olive oil just until warm.
  2. Place rosemary leaves in glass jar with lid, pour warmed olive oil over rosemary and allow to infuse, covered for 14 days.
  3. Alternately, combine rosemary and olive oil in jar and keep gently warm, as in a yogurt maker, for 10-14 days.
Recipe Notes

*Using organic ingredients whenever possible, will make your baking all the more nourishing. For this biscotti use organic rosemary, organic olive oil, organic eggs, flour, and sugar if available.

]]> https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/rosemary-chocolate-chip-biscotti/feed/ 0