Brownies

On a snowy day, it makes sense to get some goodness in your tummy. My son and I decided to bake some brownies. 

I turned here and my brownie stash didn't find him anything he wanted to make, but he was on board with these brownies from Cravings of a Lunatic, which we found on Pinterest.

They came together really easily and are quite delicious. I don't know if they're "The Best Brownies in the World," but they are quite good. They even made me, someone who dislikes the taste of milk, craving a glass of milk to go alongside.

Give them a try; you'll be happy you did!

The Best Brownies in the World Via Cravings of a Lunatic

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons of butter
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs. beaten
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ¼ cup flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper. 
• Melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate together over low heat in a medium saucepan. Stir with a rubber/silicone spatula (I used my spoonula and it worked great!).
• Remove from heat and add the sugar. Stir well.
• Now add your eggs and vanilla, stirring until it’s smooth.
• Add chocolate chips, flour and vanilla salt. Stir until well blended.
• Pour into pan and place in oven. 
• Bake for 35-45 minutes, toothpick inserted should come out clean when done.
• Remove and cool on a rack, about 10 minutes.
• Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Chocolate Surprise Cookies

When you look at these cookies, you probably think they're rich and chocolately and delicious.  You'd be correct.  However, what you can't tell is that there's a gooey marshmallow inside AND the cookie base has an infusion of peanut butter.  That's right--chocolate, peanut butter, AND a gooey marshmallow inside.  I won't tell you that they are addictive.

I found this recipe in the December/January 2013 issue of Cook's Country magazine.  If you're an online subscriber, you can see their recipe here.  Their version makes a LOT, about 5 dozen cookies, so it's perfect for a cookie exchange.  But it's long and sort of complicated, and I don't really know if I'm interested in typing it all out!

Which makes it really nice that Martha Stewart has a similar recipe on her website here.  Martha's version makes 2 dozen, which might be more manageable for those who, like us, were having some fun on a random January snowday.  The ingredients are nearly the same, though the version I made adds 1/2c creamy peanut butter during the sugar/butter creaming process (so you'd probably want a bit less for the smaller proportions in Martha's recipe).

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

I've been horrible about uploading and posting photos,  so mobile blogging it is.

We picked up SEVENTY FIVE pounds of oh my goodness thats a lot of apples apples.  The work week since has been absolutely nuts and I've done little with them, so here's my first offering. 

These are really good and will go straight to our freezer for lunches and breakfasts.  I got 20 muffins from the recipe and plan to make them again to really atock the freezer!
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/04/whole-wheat-apple-muffins/

Recipe Swap: Buckeye Brownies

When it comes to brownies, I love the corner.  Yeah, the middle pieces are softer, but I like the crisp edges that comes with the corner pieces.

For this week's recipe swap theme of desserts, I was given Buckeye Brownies from Kickin it in the Kitch.

When I made the batter, I was VERY concerned; it was way thicker than brownie batters to which I am accustomed and I thought I must have missed an egg or something.  In reality, they were perfect!  Thick and rich and decadent, and I loved the soft layer made of condensed milk and peanut butter.  These were a big hit with me and my boys, and they'll be going in lunchboxes this week.

I considered doubling the recipe and making it in two pans so as to not have leftover condensed milk, which I might do next time, but this time I made the recipe as written and saved the milk in a jar in the fridge.

Thank you to Sarah for hosting another great swap and Stef for sharing a great recipe.  Apologies to both of you for the lateness of my post!

What about you; which part of the brownie pan is your favorite?

Buckeye Brownies
Source: Adapted from Cookies and Cups via Kickin it in the Kitch

Ingredients:
For the brownie portion (original recipe here)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/8 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/8 cups Dutch-process cocoa (regular cocoa is fine too)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanuts

1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup peanut butter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8x8 baking pan.

2. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine.

3. Crack 2 eggs into a large bowl, then beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla until smooth. Add the hot butter/sugar mixture, stirring until smooth.

4. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Mix in the chopped peanuts.

5. Pour half of the brownie mixture into the pan.

6. Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter. Spread over the brownie mixture in the pan.

7. Drop the remaining brownie mixture over the top of the peanut butter mixture and press down gently.

8. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Pistachio Chai Muffins

My dad always loved Pistachios.  For Christmas, he'd find a bag of them, always red, in his stocking, and I can remember him sitting in his "CB Room" chair eating them.

For some reason, despite the prevalence of pistachios in my childhood, I don't think I've ever tasted them.  It may be that unsightly red stain or some other reason, but I just never did.

When making these muffins, of course I had to try, and they are in fact quite tasty--even unsalted.  Definitely different from other nuts I've had, and of course, no stain.

I made these lovelies for my children to eat at daycare.  I was setting them up with breakfast when my four year old reminded me "no nuts at school!"  Oops.  We tasted them at home, and they were really delicious.

I was hesitant about the whole concept of EATING tea; for whatever reason, this just seems wrong.  But it isn't gross, though it's surely more caffeine than I should be handing my two OR four year old, but I wasn't thinking... obviously (see nuts above).

Taking some of the recommendations on the recipe's comments, I made a few modifications, adding a third teabag, another teaspoon of vanilla, a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of cardamom.  The end result was quite tasty; it was much like a spice cake but with much more interesting flavors and the delightful green crunch of the nuts on top.

Pistachio Chai Muffins Adapted from Cooking Light

• 7 9/10 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 cups)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
•   3chai blend tea bags, opened
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch ground cardamom 
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten 
• Cooking spray 
• 1/3 cup shelled dry-roasted pistachios, chopped

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Weigh or measure flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut open tea bags; add tea, cinnamon, and cardamom to flour mixture, stirring well. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk, butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and egg in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.  Don't overmix!
3. Coat a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle nuts evenly over batter. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

Mint Chocolate Oreo Truffles

When a colleague said her favorite baked good was "anything mint-chocolate," I struggled to decide what to make.  See, I'm in the minority of the world when I admit that I dislike mint.  As a kid, we had Sunday sundaes, and my mom's favorite ice cream was mint chocolate chip--I'd eat it, but I just never liked it, and I still don't.

I turned to the internet and went to one of my favorite baking sites, Brown Eyed Baker, and was super happy to find this easy to make recipe.

These are outstanding, and this is coming from a mint hater.  The cream cheese balances (and makes tolerable) the mintiness. 

Perhaps I need to give mom's favorite ice cream another shot....

Mint Chocolate Oreo Truffles very slightly adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

1 package mint Oreo cookies
8 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

1. Crush the Oreos (pretty much the whole package, minus a handful, will do) until finely ground. A food processor does the best job, but if you don’t have one, throw the cookies in a ziploc bag, grab a rolling pin, and go to town.
2. Transfer 3 cups of the Oreo crumbs to a bowl and add the cream cheese. Using a spoon, press, mix and stir until the cream cheese is completely mixed into the Oreo crumbs and you have a soft, homogeneous mixture. Using a small cookie scoop (or the equivalent of 2 teaspoons), scoop/roll balls of the Oreo/cream cheese mixture and place on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Once you have scooped out all of the filling, refrigerate the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes, until firm.
3. In a small bowl, microwave the chocolate chips and shortening in 30 second increments at 50% power, stirring after each, until completely melted and smooth. Working with one Oreo ball at a time, dip it into the melted chocolate, roll it around to cover completely, and then use a fork to remove it from the chocolate, letting any excess drip off. Place the dipped truffle back on the wax paper-lined sheet. Repeat with all truffles; once finished, return the baking sheet to the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.
4. Serve the truffles, or garnish with some melted white chocolate and leftover crushed Oreos. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Nutter Butter Snowmen

I was looking for something to bring to a holiday party this weekend, and went to Brown Eyed Baker's blog to see what she had up.  She'd recently posted this recipe, which looked so fun, sweet, and easy that I went for it.

Not only were they fun, sweet, and easy, but they were a perfect afternoon baking activity for my four year old and me.  We had a ton of fun "gluing" the M&Ms as well as sneaking them, and decorating them too.  In addition, they were a big hit at the party!

I have to admit, the orange Tic Tac was a little weird with the other flavors, so next time I might use orange frosting instead.

Nutter Butter Snowmen my pretty purse via Brown Eyed Baker

1. Line a baking sheet with wax paper; set aside.

2. In a small to medium bowl, melt the white candy melts according to the package instructions.

3. Working one at a time, dip a Nutter Butter cookie into the melted coating and flip it over to coat completely (a fork is great for this). Remove and let any excess drip off then place on the wax paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining Nutter Butter cookies. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes so the coating can set.

4. Attach a small decorating tip (I used a #2) to a pastry bag and fill with black icing (I just used Wilton decorating icing to make it easy). Dab a small amount on one side of an M&M and place on the coated cookie. Repeat with another just below to make the two “buttons”.

5. Dab another small amount on the bottom of half of a Tic Tac and affix to the center of the top of the cookie for the nose. Again, repeat.

6. Now squeeze out small dots for the eyes and the mouth. 

Snickerdoodle Blondies

I'm forcing myself to bake more in these crazy times of working full time by baking for my coworkers' birthdays.  In October, one of the birthday girls requested brownies.  Wanting to challenge myself, I made brownies but when I came across this recipe at Brown Eyed Baker's blog, I wanted to make those too.

Holy cow these were delicious.  I didn't use a whole lot of cinnamon sugar on top, so they didn't have that little bit of crunch, but they were absolutely perfect as I made them.

Snickerdoodle Blondies Source:  Brown Eyed Baker

Snickerdoodle Blondies
Yield: 24 blondies
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 25 to 30 minutes
2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan; set aside.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Beat together the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, and then the vanilla. Beat, scraping the bowl, until thoroughly combined. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture until just combined. Give the dough a final stir with a spatula or wooden spoon to make sure the flour is incorporated.
4. Spread the dough evenly into the pan (I found an offset spatula was the best tool for the job, as it’s a thick batter). Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool completely before cutting. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
(Recipe adapted from My Baking Addiction)

Bake Sale Brownies

I learned something new this weekend.  You don't check doneness on a brownie the same way you do a cake or cupcake.  Instead, when you stick a toothpick in, there should be pieces (though not streaks) clinging to it.  Or you can check to see that the edges are pulling from the side of the pan.  Probably something everyone already knew, but it was news to me.

This year, to get myself baking more despite the demands of being a working mom, I've taken on the challenge of being "Sunshine Chair."  Among other things, this has evolved to mean bringing in goodies to celebrate birthdays.  I asked everyone who participates what their favorite baked good is.  This month's first birthday celebration asked for brownies.  

I turned to where it all began, America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.  See, I credit the ATK with giving me the confidence to bake.  It soon became a bible of sorts, since every single thing I made from it turned out great.  I'll now go so far as to say I'm in a love affair with Cook's Illustrated, and my birthday gift from my husband last year was a subscription to their (very excellent) magazine, Cook's Country.

Bake Shop Brownies.

With a name like that, you already get a sense of how good they'll be.  And they were excellent.  Just the right amount of cake and goo.  The perfect amount of chocolatey yumminess.  And it took roughly the same amount of time it would have taken me to toss together brownies from a box.  And, perhaps you've noticed, I'm not the most adept person in the kitchen.  You can do it too.

These flew at work.  I promised A a taste, but there just wasn't any left after my fairly small group of coworkers got hold of them.   I'm glad I took a taste before bringing them in (you know, to make sure they weren't poisoned.)


The recipe I used is almost identical to the one shared at gas*tron*o*my.  I'll take advantage of her having done the work!



Bake Sale Brownies America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, via gas*tron*o*my
Ingredients:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 Degrees. Line an 8-inch square pan with foil then coat lightly with vegetable oil spray. Melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave, stirring often, 1 to 3 minutes. Let the mixture cool slightly.

Whisk the sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl until combined. Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth. Stir in the flour until no streaks remain.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 22 to 27 minutes.

Let cool completely on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, before removing the brownies from the pan using the foil and cutting into squares.

Apple Bread

I know I've mentioned this before, but I'm pretty sure I haven't reviewed it.
As a bread machine recipe, this is so darned easy. All you do is measure everything out, toss it in, press a button, and go about your day.

It's delicious. We bought apple butter while we were at the orchard, and my husband asked what he should put it on other than regular bread, so I suggested that I make apple bread.

And it was delicious. and easy. And used up an apple or two from our haul.




Apple chunk bread from Razzle Dazzle Recipes
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil1 1/3 cups apples, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups bread flour
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast


Add ingredients in order, adding apple pieces with liquid ingredients.

Apple Muffins

This year, we once again went apple picking at a local farm. Due to busy schedules, we didn't get there until really late in the season, and though the trees were pretty picked over, there were still lots of great apples to be had. My husband paid and didn't pay any attention to the size of our haul, but I immediately got to baking.

We've been trying as much as possible to bake something for our boys' breakfasts, so that they don't have school provided Cheerios every single day. It hasn't gone as well as planned because of the busyes (the busees? busies?), the lazies, and the overwhelmzies, but we've been successful at home baking more weeks than we've bought. So I decided to turn some of those apples into breakfasts, and found this recipe over at The Girl Who Ate Everything. I went super light on the brown sugar topping, so my muffins don't look nearly as nice and crunchy as hers do, but they were incredibly delicious nonetheless.

I substituted about a cup of natural chunky applesauce for the oil, which may have resulted in a denser muffin than the original, but these are delicious anyway. It made about 20 muffins, so I popped half of them into the freezer in the hopes of saving some for later. These come together really quickly and are totally yummy.

Apple Muffins

Source: Marissa Pinon via The Girl Who Ate Everything

Cream together:
2 cups sugar (I use 1 1/2 cups)
2 eggs
1 cup oil
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Sift:
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 cups peeled, cored, diced apples (around 3 apples)
Brown sugar for topping (around 1/2 cup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with paper liners.

Cream together sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon (I never sift and they turn out fine). Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and mix until combined. The batter will be very thick. Add the diced apples.

Fill paper liners almost to the top, about 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-24 minutes. Makes 18 muffins.

Apple Cheesecake Crumb Bars

I've taken on the role of morale builder upper person this year, which means I've taken on way more responsibility than I probably should have.  One of the jobs includes getting baked goods for birthdays and other celebrations, and I'm taking this as something to get me baking when I'm way too exhausted and would rather plop on the couch (I need goals and motivation to do even the things I love sometimes).

One of my colleagues got married recently, and she listed her favorite dessert as apple crumb cake and dessert, so when this recipe from The Naptime Chef came in my email literally the day before I was planning to make something for her, I knew I had a winner.

I had some real problems making the crust/topping for this recipe, since my 4 cup food processor just wasn't cutting it.  I got fed up and actually went out and bought another one once this was all made.  Other than that, though, this was a really easy, and oh my freaking God delicious recipe.

Since I brought it into work, some of my coworkers ate them with the vanilla ice cream in our work freezer; when we ate them at home, we did a drizzle of caramel on top of the still warm bars.  Heavenly!!

Apple Crumb Cheesecake Bars  Source:  The Naptime Chef

Crust & Topping:

3	cups all-purpose flour
1 ½	cups light brown sugar
1	cup quick-cooking oats
3	sticks unsalted butter
1	teaspoon Kosher salt

Filling:

1	14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
8	ounces cream cheese, softened
2	teaspoons vanilla extract
2	eggs
2	tablespoons flour
4	apples, peeled, cored and chopped
½	teaspoon cinnamon
¼	teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼	teaspoon ground ginger
2	tablespoons sugar

1.Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Pour the flour, sugar, oats and salt into a food processor and pulse until crumbs form. Add the butter in large chunks to the food processor until the mixture becomes pebbly and holds shape when pinched.

3. Press 2/3 of the crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9×13 pan and bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden.

4. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese until soft and pour in the milk until completely smooth. With the mixer on low add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then add the vanilla and flour. Set aside.

5. Toss the chopped apples with the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and sugar and set aside.

6. Once the crust is cooled pour the cream cheese mixture evenly on top, followed by the chopped apples. Spread the remaining 1/3 of the crumb mixture on top and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the bars are set and the crumb is lightly golden. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Cranberry Orange Scones

My sons' daycare provides them with lunch, snacks, and if we'd like, they'll give them generic Cheerios for breakfast.  While this is certainly the most convenient solution for their breakfasts, the idea of giving them the same exact thing for breakfast five days a week isn't appealing.  So, I've started baking.  I had grand plans of getting a ton of baking done before school started and getting it into the freezer for stress free mornings.



While this was a fantastic plan, in reality, it fell through.  Hurricane Irene being the biggest wrench in my grand design, we spent the time allotted for baking cleaning the basement and getting everything water would damage up off the floor.

So when this easy looking scone recipe from Brown Eyed Baker turned up, I figured it would be an easy solution to the morning rush dilemma.  I've never made scones before, largely because I'd always heard they were really difficult to do well and very easy to make rock like.  So, I was wary.

This, however, was so darned easy.  And so darned tasty.  And so darned foolproof!  Set aside half an hour and make these lovelies.  Make a double batch; you'll be happy you did!

Cranberry Orange Scones from Brown Eyed Baker
Yield: 8 scones
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 15-20 minutes
¼ cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons orange zest
1½ cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
¾ cup dried cranberries
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Granulated sugar, for sprinkling
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Place the granulated sugar in a large bowl. Add the orange zest and, using your fingers, rub the orange zest and the granulated sugar together until the sugar is uniformly moistened with the orange zest.
3. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk together. Stir in the cranberries.
4. Pour in the cream and, using your fingers or a fork, stir together until combined. Dump mixture onto a lightly floured surface and lightly knead to bring dough together. Pat dough into an 8-inch circle. Cut into 8 triangles and place on baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the melted butter and sprinkle with the granulated sugar.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the scones are just turning lightly browned. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store at room temperature.

Kid's Candy Cookies

My husband has tried this summer to bake with our four year old as frequently as possible.  He went through my magazines and picked two choices for our son, and this was what he wanted to make.

This was a really yummy cookie, though it spread more than I would have liked and was more crispy than chewy.  The pretzel M&Ms are a nice little surprise, though the individual candies used don't really stand out.  Instead, they make a really nice chocolate chip cookie.

I think these would have been excellent with the addition of raisins, but suppose that's one that comes to preference.  Do you like your chocolate chip cookies with raisins, nuts, or neither??

Kid's Candy Cookies Adam Gertler

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup Pretzel M&M'S
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup toffee pieces
• 3/4 cup peanut butter chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking soda in a bowl.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on low speed until incorporated, then increase to high speed and beat until light and fluffy.

Add the salt, vanilla, whole egg and egg yolk to the mixer; beat until thoroughly combined. Add the Pretzel M&M'S and beat for a few seconds until slightly crushed. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. Mix in the bittersweet chocolate, toffee pieces and peanut butter chips.

Roll heaping tablespoonfuls of dough into balls and place on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Slightly flatten each ball with your fingers.

Bake the cookies until the edges are golden brown and the centers are no longer wet, 11 to 13 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Banana Blueberry Bread

I found this in my Betty Crocker cookbook, bridal edition, see it online here.. I had three very overripe bananas, and decided we would make banana bread. Then I forgot about it. They were moved to the refrigerator for "later," so the fruit flies would go away. Later came, and they were beyond overripe and I was afraid they were gross. They smelled sort of sour. But I decided to go with it anyway.

The book in my recipe suggested to add blueberries as an option, and since I have a freezer full of them, I went with it. I didn't even have to defrost, but I don't recall the amount--I believe it was a cup. I added them when the original recipe suggested to add the nuts.

Despite the sour ick of the bananas, this came out great. It looked gorgeous when it came out of the oven, and it's really tasty. The Boy has asked for it for breakfast every morning since we made it.

1 1/4	cups sugar
1/2	cup butter or margarine, softened
2	eggs I think the book says to use three...not sure.
1 1/2	cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)
1/2	cup buttermilk I used 1/2 c plain fat free yogurt
1	teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2	cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1	teaspoon baking soda
1	teaspoon salt
1	cup chopped nuts, if desired Omitted

	Print these coupons...
	About Concordance™

1.	Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 inches, or 1 loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches.
2.	Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into pans.
3.	Bake 8-inch loaves about 1 hour, 9-inch loaf about 1 1/4 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

My picture looks awful.  Go to Annie's blog and see her little cuties.

These were a little bit more work than other cupcakes I've made, but I've gotta tell ya, they were worth it.  Everyone raved about these babies, even saying they thought I'd never top Annie's Cherry Coke cupcakes.

I had a little bit of trouble with the frosting, which a look at the comments on her recipe shows others had the same problem.  I put the frosting in the fridge for awhile, which made it pipable, but it was still really thin and not nearly as pretty as Annie's.  Maybe more confectioner's sugar?  I also had a problem getting these baked; I often have trouble with the oven baking properly, but when I checked these with a toothpick, it came out clean but felt REALLY soft.  We, of course, had to try one.  The strawberries made it really soft.  I almost decided not to frost them at all; the cakes were so awesome.

I think in the future, I will take Cook's Illustrated's tip of using frozen berries (they recommend it for pancakes, saying they hold their color instead of coloring the cake but also don't turn mushy) in the cake.

Anyway, make these cupcakes.  They're deliciously light (despite ALL THAT BUTTER) and springy/summery.  You might want to eat the frosting with a spoon, and some people around here might have done that very thing.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes from Annie's Eats

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Yield: about 21 cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. lemon zest
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped


For the lemonade syrup:
1 cup lemonade concentrate, thawed
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
For the frosting:
1 cup fresh strawberries, roughly chopped
12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
18 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
For garnish:
Fresh strawberries
Lemon slices
Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Line muffin pans with paper liners.  In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.  Stir together with a fork and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until it is light and fluffy.  Add the sugar and beat until well combined.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.  Add half of the flour mixture to the bowl and beat on low speed until just incorporated.  Add in the milk and mix until smooth.  Add in the remaining flour mixture and mix on low speed until just blended.  Fold in the fresh strawberries with a spatula.
Divide the batter evenly between the paper liners, filling them about 3/4 full.  Bake about 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cupcakes have cooled, whisk together the lemonade concentrate and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl to make the lemonade syrup.  Poke several holes in the top of each cupcake with a skewer and pour the syrup over the cupcakes, allowing it to soak in.  (Place wax paper underneath your cooling rack so you don’t make a mess!)
To make the frosting, puree the strawberries in a food processor or blender.  Strain the puree through a mesh sieve to remove the seeds, and set aside.  Beat the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and very fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.  Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.  Mix in strawberry puree, a tablespoon at a time, until you achieve your desired texture and flavor of frosting (I added about 7 tablespoons of puree).  Frost cupcakes as desired and garnish with fresh strawberries and lemon slices.
Source: cake adapted from Williams Sonoma, frosting from Annie’s Eats

Sugar Cookie Madness!

I've never really made sugar cookies in the past, at least, not that I can recall.  I know my husband made them with our son a few Christmases ago, rolled them super thin and they were...crisp.
But our budget for our son's first birthday party required getting creative, so I made these as the party favors for all the guests, after being inspired by a friend with whom I planned a baby shower doing an awesome job and assuring me they were so easy!  I contacted that friend, and she mentioned a Paula Deen recipe, but I went to allrecipes and found this one.

I remembered to make sure I rolled the dough about 1/2" thick.  These cookies came out awesome, and I went ahead and froze the cookies after they cooled.

Then, I defrosted them on Wednesday and frosted them using the Wilton recipe and directions, which I found on Brown Eyed Baker's website (her tutorial was super helpful!)

I then used a stamp on card stock and made a tag, wrapped them in a cellophane bag, and had a really nice looking favor.  I thought they looked really professional, for a not professional.

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies, from allrecipes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely. 

Royal Icing, from Wilton, via Brown Eyed Baker

4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons meringue powder
6 tablespoons water
Mix all ingredients on low speed for 7-10 minutes or until the icing loses its shine. Add more water by the teaspoon if it appears too stiff. At this stage you want to be able to pipe it easily:

What's the story, Morning Glory?

I love that song.  You know the one by Oasis?  And, if I'm being honest, the one from Bye Bye Birdie too.

I'm not sure why these are called Morning Glory Muffins, but they sure are tasty.  It was a lot of work putting them together, but it's probably worth it to have something different in our breakfast list of oatmeal with fruit, Cheerios, and waffles.  In the future, I will double the recipe and freeze some.

My husband kept saying, "there  XX in it?  And YY??  That can't be good," but he really enjoyed them too.  We all really liked them!

Morning Glory Muffins from Cook's Country April/May 2011
3/4c unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted
1/2c chopped walnuts, toasted
2-1/4c all purpose flour
3/4c sugar
1-1/2t baking soda
1t ground cinnamon
1/2t baking powder
3/4t salt
8 oz can crushed pineapple
1 apple, peeled, cored, and shredded
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 large eggs
1t vanilla extract
3 medium carrots, shredded
1c raisins

1.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray.  Grind coconut and nuts in food processor, and transfer to stand mixer.  Add flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and combine. 
2.  Put pineapple and apple in a strainer over a bowl; squeeze all the juice from the fruit until you have about 1c of juice.  Boil juice in a large skillet over medium-high heat and reduce to about 1/4c, about 5 minutes.  Let cool slightly.  Combine cooled juice, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.  Add wet mixture to dry mixture and combine.  Add in all fruit and veggies and mix well.
3.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins.  Bake 24-28 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack.

It may not look pretty, but whoa was it yummy!

Granola

I've tried making granola once before, and used steel cut oats.  I wasn't thrilled with the result, so went looking for a recipe that uses quick oats.  Even though I've read online that this kind of oatmeal isn't great for granola, I was very happy with the results here.  This is delicious!

It's a little bit clumpy, which makes me think of a yummy granola bar, but otherwise, it's difficult to eat this by the handful.  It is, however, delicious on yogurt, and I wonder if it would be good with some milk too.

After baking, I tossed in some raisins.  In my previous version of granola, dried fruit was baked with the granola, but got a little bit hard.  I'm really happy I decided to wait to add it this time, because the raisins are nice and plump and soft, which is a great compliment to the crunch of the granola itself.

Honey Peanut Granola from allrecipes

Ingredients

• 3 cups quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, combine oats, peanuts, and wheat germ.
3. In a separate bowl, combine honey, brown sugar, vegetable oil, water, salt, and vanilla. Stir well; then pour into the oat mixture, and stir. Spread out on a cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool before serving.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/honey-peanut-granola/Detail.aspx

(Successful) Marshmallows!

Fourth time, my friends, is the charm.  I've now made Dorie Greenspan's marshmallow recipe three times, and the best I got was "this is tolerable."

Then, Jen posted on facebook that she was making these awesome "hot chocolate on a stick" favors, and she shared the recipe she used for the marshmallows.  She mentioned that these were delicious and more important, easy.

She was right; these were way easier than Dorie's and they are tasty too!  I can't wait to try these on s'mores, in fluffy hot chocolate, etc etc.  The recipe isn't overwhelming or really all that difficult; it's explicit enough to be almost simple.

So, give this marshmallow recipe a try; see what a difference homemade makes when it comes to marshmallows.

Fluffy Vanilla Marshmallows
Taken from Apartment Therapy The Kitchn via Jar of Ideas
Gratefully adapted from Marshmallows by Eileen Talanian
Makes roughly 100 marshmallows, depending on size
Tools:
9x13 baking pan or other flat container
4-quart sauce pan (slightly larger or smaller is ok)
candy thermometer - one that can clip to the side of the sauce pan
standing mixer with a wire whisk attachment - hand mixers just aren’t strong enough, unfortunately
stiff spatula or spoon (as opposed to a rubbery, flexible one)
Optional: Pastry brush
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons (usually 3 packets) unflavored gelatin powder
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons cold water
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup water
1 1/4 cup sugar cane syrup or corn syrup
pinch salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
Spray your baking pan with cooking spray. Use a paper towel to wipe the pan and make sure there’s a thin film on every surface, corner, and side. Make sure the rest of your equipment ready to go.
To bloom the gelatin, measure the gelatin powder into your mixer bowl. Combine the water and vanilla in a measuring cup and pour this over the gelatin while whisking gently with a fork. Continuing stirring until the gelatin reaches the consistency of apple sauce and there are no more large lumps. Set the bowl back in your standing mixer.
Combine the water, corn syrup, salt, and sugar in a 4-quart sauce pan. Place this over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. As it’s coming to a bowl, occasionally dip your pastry brush in water and brush down the sides of the pot. This prevents sugar crystals from falling into the liquid, which can cause the syrup to crystallize. If you don’t have a pastry brush, cover the pan for 2 minutes once the mixture is at a boil so the steam can wash the sides.
Do not stir the sugar once it has come to a boil or it may crystallize.
Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the sauce pan and continue boiling until the sugar mixture reaches 250°F. Take the pan off the heat and remove the thermometer.
With the mixer on medium speed, gently and carefully pour the hot sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin. The mixture may foam up - just go slowly and carefully. When all the syrup has been added, cover the bowl with a cloth and increase the speed to high (the cloth protects from splatters). Whip for 10-12 minutes, until it looks like glossy meringue.
When you’re finished mixing, lower the speed to medium and lift the whisk partway out of the bowl so it spins off as much marshmallow mix as possible. Using your stiff spatula, scrape the marshmallow mixture into the pan. This stuff is very thick and sticky, so don’t worry about getting every last bit out of the bowl. Just get as much as you can.
Wet your fingers and smooth the top so it’s even. Let the mixture sit out uncovered for 12-15 hours to set and cure.
Marshmallow Coating
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
Combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch in a bowl.
Sprinkle the top of the cured marshmallows with powdered sugar mix and turn them out onto your work surface. Use a spatula to pry them out of the pan if necessary. Sprinkle more powdered sugar mixture over the top.
Using a sharp knife or pizza wheel, cut the marshmallows into squares. It helps to dip your knife in water every few cuts. Toss each square in the powdered sugar mix so all the sides are evenly coated.
Marshmallows will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for several weeks. Leftover marshmallow coating can be stored in a sealed container indefinitely.