Pumpkin Bread

I can't help but think the internet has really changed how often people bake, how much more confident people are, the different recipes they try, and unfortunately, how often people have a baking failure. It's just so easy to pull up Google and type in "Pumpkin Bread". Your search will yield hundreds of recipes, some from published sources, some from blogs, some from user submitted sites, it's recipes overload! This is both good and bad, because you can easily come across a great looking and sounding recipe, but when you make it, it's a big fat fail. I've learned to stick with recipes from sources I know are tested, but occasionally I'll go to a bloggers recipe or a user-submitted site. 

When I was looking for a pumpkin bread recipe, I found this one from all-recipes. What shocked me was it has a 5-star rating from over 4 thousand people! I think if 4,000 people like the recipe, I will too! I did read through the comments to see what people thought, any changes they made, and decided to implement a few of my own. Isn't it funny that I make sure I'm using a "good" recipe, but then make changes anyway? I found these changes to suit my taste and not effect the bread, so hopefully if you try them you'll have positive results, too! My changes were: subbing half the oil with yogurt, using milk instead of water, subbing some brown sugar for all granulated, and increasing the spices, because I love a spicy bread. I made 4 mini loaves of bread, 2 were frozen, but will need to be defrosted very soon! 

Pumpkin Bread

adapted from Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

8 oz. (1 c.) pumpkin puree

2 eggs

1/4 c. canola oil

1/4 c. plain, nonfat yogurt

1/3 c. milk

1 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 3/4 c. unbleached all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350*

Spray 4 mini loaf pans with nonstick spray.

Fit a stand mixer with the paddle.

Add pumpkin, eggs, oil, yogurt, milk, sugar and brown sugar to the bowl. 

Turn on low speed until completely mixed, about 2 minutes.

Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg.

Mix again on low until dry ingredients are just absorbed.

Divide equally into loaf pans, place in the oven.

Bake for 35 minutes, use a toothpick inserted in the center to determine if loaves are cooked.

Cool in pans for 30 minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack for another 30 minutes.

If freezing, wrap tightly in aluminum foil and place in a freezer safe bag. 

Bourbon Butterscotch Blondies

Over the past few years, my husband has become quite the Kentucky Straight Bourbon Connoisseur. It makes gift-giving easy, I just take him to the liquor store and let him choose, but if it was up to him we'd be there for hours! In a bit of irony, last fall we decided to go tour the Kentucky Bourbon Trail this summer when we're in Cincinnati visiting family. I never was a big bourbon drinker, but now I definitely won't be involved in the sampling! 

When I saw these bars on Erin's Food Files, I knew they would be a great contribution to a family pot-luck we had on the calendar. These bars are so easy to make, and taste wonderful. The bourbon flavor is present, but not overpowering. The butterscotch tastes like caramel and the buttery bars melt in your mouth. The hardest part to making these was waiting on JJ to decide which bourbon he could spare. In the end, he decided to go with his favorite, and the one he's got the most of, Maker's Mark. I made a double batch of these bars, and put them in a 1/2 sheet pan, so they were pretty thin. I also made them again in a 9x13 pan and they were thick and more chewy, either way is delicious! 

Butterscotch Bourbon Bars

from Erin's Food Files, adapted from frites and fries

1 c. unbleached, AP Flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1  c. light brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1/4 c. butter, melted

2 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. butterscotch chips

2 tbsp. Bourbon (great with both Maker's Mark and Old Granddad, Erin recommended Bulleit as well)

Preheat oven to 350*

In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar.

In a small bowl, whisk butter, milk, vanilla and egg.

Pour wet into dry, add the bourbon and chips, and stir until flour is absorbed.

(Batter will be thick, do not overmix!)

Pour into a parchment lined 9" square pan, press with a spatula into an even layer.

Place in the oven, bake for 20 minutes, using a toothpick to test the center for doneness.

Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then remove from the pan and slice into bars. 

Blue Cheese and Walnut Crackers

A few weeks ago, my mother in law gave me a 1 lb. tub of Amish Blue Cheese crumbles. While I've read conflicting reports about whether you can eat blue cheese or not when pregnant, it didn't even sound appetizing to me. So the cheese sat in the fridge for a couple of weeks, untouched. During my month-long stint watching Food Network and eating only bagels, I saw a holiday appetizer episode where Ina baked savory blue cheese shortbread crackers. The recipe called for 8 oz. of cheese, which I knew would make a substantial dent in the tub of crumbles, and it would cook the cheese so there wouldn't be the question of whether or not I could eat it. 

These crackers take very few ingredients, in fact I had all of the ingredients on hand last Saturday when I was cleaning out the fridge and came across the blue cheese hidden in the back. After making the dough, it needs to be formed into a log and chilled, so these crackers can be made ahead of time for a party, and kept in the freezer for slicing and baking at any time - even just for a snack! I was worried that the blue cheese would be too strong, or they would taste too much like a cookie gone bad, but they were outstanding! The bite of the blue cheese was dulled down, but still present, the nuts added a nice crunch, and the pepper reinforced the savory flavor. They were reminiscent of a cheese straw or a really fancy Cheez-It! 

As for the actual recipe, the only changes I made were subbing 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour for 1/2 c. of the all purpose, and omitting an egg wash for adhering the nuts, I had no trouble getting them to stick when pressing firmly. While the crackers were exceptional on their own, I couldn't help but think some kind of dip, smear, or spread would pair with it, but I couldn't think of anything that wouldn't make these too heavy, or too overpowering. My husband said buffalo chicken dip... any ideas? 

Blue Cheese and Walnut Crackers

from Ina Garten seen on Barefoot Contessa

1/4 lb. (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

8 oz. blue cheese, at room temperature 

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

In the bowl of a mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and blue cheese for 1 minutes, or until smooth.

With the mixer on low speed, add the flours, salt and pepper and mix until dough comes together, adding water 1 tsp. at a time if necessary (I added 2 tsp.)

Place a piece of plastic wrap on the counter, use a spatula to remove dough from the bowl and onto the saran wrap. 

Using your fingers, form into a log about 12" long and 2" wide, wrap tightly and place in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake the crackers, or double wrap in foil and freeze.

After at least 1 hour, preheat oven to 350*

Unwrap dough log and sprinkle walnuts around the log, turn the log and press down on the nuts to encase the surface.

Line a baking sheet with parchment, slice the dough into 1/4" rounds and place 1" apart on the baking sheet, you should get around 30-36 crackers.

Place the crackers in the oven and bake for 22-25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through.

Using a spatula, place crackers on a wire cooling rack, and cool for at least an hour so crackers begin to harden. 

To store, place in an unsealed plastic bag or in an uncovered plastic storage container, sealing or covering will cause the crackers to soften, serve within a day or freeze baked crackers. 

Pomegranate Chocolate Chip Cookies

For my final Pom Party post, I am posting the recipe for Pomegranate Chocolate Chip Cookies. I made these for each guests swag bag, which was also filled with a jar of pomegranate-cranberry relish and the goodies from POM Wonderful. 

I used my basic chocolate chip cookie recipe, but added 1/4 c. flour tossed with the arils and mixed them in after the dough was completely mixed. The cookies need to be stored in a non-airtight container or the moisture in the arils will cause them to soften. They need a bit longer to bake, but still stay fairly chewy. 

Pomegranate Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from these, which are adapted from the Levain Bakery

1 c. butter, softened

3/4 c. light brown sugar

3/4 c. granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs at room temperature

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

3 c. plus 1/4 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

1 c. pomegranate arils

Cream butter, add sugars and beat on high speed for 2 minutes, until pale, light and fluffy.

Turn speed to low, add vanilla, eggs, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, mix.

Add 3 c. of flour, mix until flour is moistened.

In a small dish, toss pomegranate arils and 1/4 c. flour, set aside.

Add chocolate chips to the mixer, mix until all flour is absorbed. 

Use a spatula and gently fold arils into the dough. 

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375*

Line baking sheets with parchment, scoop heaping tbsp. fulls of dough on cookie sheet 3" apart.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until centers are set and cookies are golden brown.

Cool on sheet for a minute then transfer to a wire rack for an hour.

Store uncovered in a non-airtight container (I used un-sealed pastry bags tied with ribbon).

Makes about 24 large cookies.

Challah Bread Pudding & Pomegranate Gelato with Hazelnut Crunch

Continuing on from the previous post of Cinnamon n' Pomegranate-Craisin Challah, here is the recipe for the bread pudding made using the challah as well as the pomegranate gelato served alongside the individual puddings. For the bread pudding, I went with a simple custard, but decided a little surprise of Nutella in the center would be a great touch. The bread pudding was creamy and decadent, and a sprinkle of pomegranate arils on top added a nice crunch.

The gellato I paired the bread pudding with was absolutely delicious. It is a very basic recipe that I cooked, chilled, and churned in my ice cream maker. To top it, I candied some hazelnuts to echo the flavor of the nutella in the bread pudding. They also added a contrasting texture to the smooth gellato. The pomegranate juice made it a bit tart, but it was sweet quite sweet and tasted like velvet. 

Challah Bread Pudding with Nutella 

and Pomegranate Gelato with Hazelnut Crunch

Bread Pudding:

1/2 loaf of Cinnamon n' Pomegranate Cranberries Challah

8 tbsp. Nutella, divided

1/2 c. granulated sugar

4 eggs

2 c. whole milk

2 c. half and half

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

Cut bread into 1 cm cubes, fill ramekins half full.

Spoon 1 tbsp. nutella into each ramekin, then top with additional bread.

In a large measuring cup, whisk sugar, eggs, milk, half and half and vanilla.

Pour equal amounts into each ramekin, press bread down, and continue to add until all of the bread is saturated.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-12 hours.

Preheat oven to 350*

Place ramekins on a baking sheet, place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes, until set in the center and cooked through. 

Sprinkle with pomegranate arils and serve with pomegranate gelato.

Pomegranate Gelato

from Epicurious, makes One Quart

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. whole milk

3/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch

1/8 tsp. salt

1 1/4 c. POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice

1/3 c. pomegranate liquor (I used amaretto)

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Whisk together cream, milk, sugar, cornstarch and salt in a heavy sauce pot.

Bring to a boil and continue to whisk for two minutes over medium-high heat.

Remove from burner, whisk in pomegranate juice, liquor and lemon juice.

Fill a large bowl with ice, set a medium sized bowl inside, pour gelato mixture into medium bowl and whisk to chill quickly. 

Place mixture in the refrigerator for an hour to chill completely.

Add gellato to an ice cream maker, churn for half an hour.

Scoop into a plastic quart container and place in the freezer for at least one hour.

Serve with candied hazelnuts and pomegranate arils.

Cinnamon n' Pomegranate-Cranberry Challah

After posting my menu and party recap, not surprisingly most people seemed to be captivated by the bread pudding. As a dessert first kind of girl, I am happy to oblige with this recipe first! The bread pudding was a several step process because I made the challah bread from scratch. I was unable to find dried pomegranate arils, and didn't know how the fresh, wet ones would react in this bread, so I went with pomegranate flavored Craisins. And I actually found the recipe for this on the Ocean Spray website, the makers of the pomegranate Craisins. 

This makes two large loaves of challah, and I recommend keeping the recipe as is because this bread freezes well, and is great as leftover toast, french toast, or makes a wonderful hostess gift for a holiday dinner. I have photographed the several steps below! 

Cinnamon n' Pomegranate-Cranberry Challah

from Oceanspray.com recipes

1 c. warm water

2 envelopes active dry yeast

1/2 c. sugar

4 eggs, 1 divided

1/3 c. vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp. sald

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

6 c. unbleached all purpose flour

1 6 oz. package Craisins dried Pomegranate flavored Cranberries

1 tsp. water

Stir water, yeast and sugar together in a large mixing bowl, yeast should be foamy.

Attach paddle to mixer, add 3 eggs and 1 egg whtie (reserve yolk), oil, salt and cinnamon.

Beat until well mixed. 

Stop mixer, add 5 1/2 c. flour, pulse mixer until flour is moistened.

Switch out paddle for the dough hook, turn mixer on low and knead for 5 minutes. 

Add additional 1/2 c. flour, if necessary. 

Remove dough and place on a floured surface, knead in Craisins.

Form dough into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover and rise for an hour.

Punch dough down and divide in half. 

From each half, form three separate ropes of about equal size.

Form into a braid and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. 

Cover with a towel and allow braids to rise for another hour.

Preheat oven to 400*.

Beat egg yolk and water in a dish, brush on loaves with a pastry brush.

Place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes, rotate and flip, then bake for an additional 12 minutes.

Cool to room temperature and store wrapped in plastic. 

Risen dough ball before being separated in half:

Forming into a braid:

The first braided bread:

Before the second rise:

After the second rise, you might need to re-tuck ends in after second rise:

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's very strange how grocery prices vary so much from state to state. When I lived in Indiana, a jar of Nutella was $5.99 at Kroger. Here in Florida, it's $3.99. I found a coupon for $1 off in the paper a few weeks ago, so I've been eyeing up the Nutella each week. If I didn't 'need' it for something, and just had it sitting in the pantry, I'd constantly have my finger in the jar, not such a good idea. 

Yesterday my baby sister turned 23. I think it's harder for me to accept when my sister turns one year older than myself. I also found out over the weekend that my older sister is going to be induced in two weeks, and her doctor told her to keep eating, she could afford to gain a few pounds. If those two occasions don't call for Nutella, I don't know what does! I mailed these off to my sisters, and within days, they were complaining about stomach aches from eating too many cookies. Not so good for them, but a cookie-win for me!

I shoot for soft, chewy cookies when I mail them to people that way when they get them a few days later, they're not hard and dry. I found this recipe on simplyrecipies.com, and the cookies looked so good! I did make a few changes, I eliminated the cocoa powder because I was out, and I didn't add the hazelnuts because there were none to be found at the grocery store. I believe they would be better with the addition of those two ingredients, but these cookies were fantastic without. 

While the Nutella flavor was very present, I highly recommend a smear right on top as an icing, or make a Nutella filled cookie sandwich. Or make Nutella ice cream and make ice cream sandwiches. The possibilities are endless, and delicious!

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from simplyrecipes.com

1 1/2 sticks salted butter, softened

3/4 c. light brown sugar, packed

3/4 c. granulated sugar

1 c. Nutella

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 1/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. mini semi sweet chocolate chips

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

Add Nutella, mix until incorporated.

Turn mixer speed to low, add eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.

Turn mixer off, add flour, baking soda and salt.

Turn speed on low, and mix until flour is just moistened.

Add chocolate chips, mix until incorporated, do not over mix!

Place cookie dough in refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350*

When oven is preheated, remove dough from the refrigerator.

Spoon by the heaping tbsp. full onto a silpat lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges crisp and center is set.

Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Store in an airtight container.

Carrot-Apple Nut Muffins

Nothing says fall like apple and pumpkin picking, cider, corn roasts, and fall festivals. Sadly, there aren't many (if any) pumpkin patches and apple orchards here in Florida. Because my husband is travelling or has games every weekend during the fall, I know our chances of making it up to North Carolina for a Fall-activity packed weekend is out of the question. So you can imagine how excited I was when I walked into Whole Foods and found these little 1/2 peck bags of apples! Yes, they were shipped all the way from New York (carbon footprint - ouch!) but because they're in season, and massive quantities are shipped at least.

Two weeks ago, the apples in the bags were Macintosh, but last week they were Honeycrisp, the most delicious of all apples! I find that Macintosh is my favorite for caramel apples because they're not quite as sweet, but Honeycrisp are perfect for a sweet, bright, crunch snack. They also hold up really well to baking!

I don't bake muffins and breakfast snack type things as much as I used to because we don't really need the extra baked goods around the house. However, these are pretty healthy, and are a cross between carrot cake and apple muffins, two of JJ's favorites. I thought he'd really like them, and I was correct! And it's very fitting that the Apple muffins come from a wonderful blog, Apple a Day! 

Tips and Trades:

-I halved this recipe, but kept the apple and carrot at the whole amount. They were still quite tasty, but didn't puff as much as a regular muffin. I'd suggest adding another tsp. of baking powder if you use the full apple/carrot amount in the halved recipe. I got 12 smaller muffins.

-Can't find Honeycrisp? Try using other apples that are good for baking, here is a great guide!

-This recipe is the original, Kelsey got around 20 muffins, the recipe claims to yield 16.

Carrot-Apple Nut Muffins

from Kelsey at Apple A Day, originally by Williams-Sonoma

1 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 c. whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 c. oat bran (or ground rolled oats)

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2/3 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 c. nonfat buttermilk

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

1 1/4 c. grated apple (I did not peel it first)

1 1/4 c. grated carrot, peeled (about 2 medium)

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

1/2 c. mixed raisins and dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 400*

Grease muffin tins or add paper liners, recipe should yield between 16-20.

In a large bowl, whisk flours, oat bran, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and brown sugar.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs, buttermilk and yogurt.

Add the flour mixture until it is just about moistened, do not over mix!

Add the grated apple, carrots, nuts and raisins, stir until just distributed.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full.

If desired, sprinkle with coarse sugar and cinnamon.

Bake until a toothpick comes clean when inserted in the center, about 15-18 minutes.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, transfer muffins to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Store in an air tight container.

Thick, Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

As I said in my Snickerdoodles post, I made a variety of cookies for my father-in-law's retirement party at work. One of the other cookies requested was Oatmeal Raisin. I tend to usually make the Sun Maid Raisin recipe, which is good, but I wanted something bigger, thicker and chewier. I was browsing recipes when I came across this one on Smitten Kitchen. 

These cookies really live up to their name, the edges crisp a bit, the center is gooey and chewy, and they carry some serious weight. Of course you could scale down the cookie size, but why? What I noticed first with this recipe is that it only calls for brown sugar, no granulated sugar, which keep them softer and chewier. The recipe also calls for a good amount of raisins, something I find to be too sparse in many oatmeal raisin cookies. 

My husband likes to think of himself as a cookie connoisseur, he has taste tested every single cookie I've ever made, and is always on bowl/spatula batter-licker-duty. He proclaimed these as the best oatmeal raisin cookies I've ever made, from the raw dough to the warm fresh baked cookie with milk to the next day when he took a few to work in his lunch box. 

This cookie has definitely landed itself at the top of my go-to recipe for Oatmeal Raisin, I can guarantee it will top yours as well! 

Tips and Trades:

-This recipe is ideal for multiplying. I tripled SK's recipe and ended up with close to 40 3 oz. cookies, but feel free to cut back on the size of cookie, or only make 1 batch for a small crowd.

-A few months ago, I started using salted butter when I bake. I think the flavor is so much better, but you can do whatever you're used to or comfortable with.

Thick, Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

from Smitten Kitchen

1/2 c. (1 stick) of butter, softened

2/3 c. light brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 c. unbleached All-Purpose flour

1 1/2 c. rolled oats

3/4 c. raisins

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar.

Turn speed to low, add egg and vanilla, mix well, scraping down the sides as necessary. 

Add baking soda, cinnamon and salt, mix until just incorporated.

Add flour, oats and raisins, mix until flour is just absorbed.

Use a spatula to pull dough up from the bottom to make sure all ingredients are mixed well.

Place bowl in the refrigerator while oven heats up.

Turn oven on to 350*

Line cookie sheets with a silpat or parchment.

Scoop chilled dough out by the heaping tbsp. full onto cooking sheets, about 3" apart.

Bake for 12 minutes, or until edges are golden and top is just set.

Cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Store in an air-tight container.

Snickerdoodles

After over 25 years working for the same organization, my Father-in-Law retired on Tuesday. It was a very momentous occasion for him and his office, and many parties and lunches have been planned. For his last day, my Mother-in-law asked me to make a platter of cookies for her to bring to his office. She requested three varities, Snickerdoodles being one of them. I have made Snickerdoodles once in the past, but it turns out that my version wasn't exactly traditional. See, what makes them traditional is the addition of cream of tartar for leavening rather than baking powder or soda. My Browned Butter Snickerdoodles contained baking powder.

I did a little research to find out what exactly it is that makes cream of tartar necessary in this recipe. I read that the Potassium Hydrogen Tartrate helps to stabilize and give volume to egg whites, which cases them to rise and puff. It is also said to give a creamier texture to baked goods. Cream of Tartar is actually a byproduct of the wine making process, it is the residue left in barrels of wine and sometimes wine bottles. 

When choosing a recipe, I simply googled Snickerdoodles, and found this recipe from allrecipes.com. There were many great reviews and it has a high rating, so I went with it. While the recipe says it makes 4 dozen, I made large cookies, and ended up with closer to 2 dozen. Also, I don't use shortening so I baked these with all butter rather than the 50/50 ratio.

While I thought the cookies tasted good, I guess I'm not much of a Snickerdoodle fan. However, my husband texted me and said people were raving about them! It appears as though most recipes are pretty much the same in terms of ingredients and ratios. However, I'd be sure to use a coarsely ground, turbinado sugar to achieve maximum crunchy crust. Perhaps a taste test will be in order though, because I'd like to compare Snickerdoodles made with cream of tartar, baking soda, and baking powder all side by side. It sounds like I'll have some very willing participants!

Tips and Trades:

-Because Cinnamon is the most important flavor in these cookies, be sure to use a quality product. You can read about the different varieties here at Penzey's.

Mrs. Sigg's Snickerdoodles

slightly adapted from allrecipes.com

1 c. butter, softened

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 3/4 c. unbleached all purpose flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 c. turbinado sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Add butter to the bowl of a stand mixer, turn speed on low and cream.

Add sugar, increase speed and beat for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.

Turn speed to low, add eggs one at a time, mixing well between additions.

Scrape down sides.

Add vanilla, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt, beat until just incorporated.

Turn mixer off, add flour, turn speed to low and mix until dough comes together and is just combined.

Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 400*

Add turbinado sugar and cinnamon to a small bowl, mix well.

Remove dough from refrigerator, spoon 2 tbsp. full balls out into hands, roll then press into cinnamon sugar mixture, press down lightly onto baking sheet.

Repeat with all cookies, placing them 2-3" apart on the cookie sheet.

Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes (8 if you're making smaller cookies).

Remove from the oven when cookies are cracked and puffed, slightly golden brown.

Place on a wire cooling rack until cookies come to room temperature.

Store in a cookie jar or airtight container.

Honey Oat Wheat Sandwich Bread

Over the past few months, I have been working to phase out almost all prepared items from the grocery store. While making basic sandwich bread isn't hard to do, it does take some planning and preparation. However, it ends up costing pennies, is all natural with no HFCS and preservatives. Because I pack a PB&J sandwich for my husband almost daily, bread is always on the shopping list. While working with yeasted doughs can be a challenge, I believe I have somewhat mastered remedial bread baking. 

I love when cooking, baking, and eating brings back memories of people or times in life. My Grandfather, who passed away two years ago today, was a baker his whole life. I can remember going over to Nanny and Grandpa's house and finding cookies, coffee cakes, breads, and many other goodies on the kitchen counter, my favorite was the chocolate coffee cake. Though Grandpa never worked on yeasted breads with me (only cakes and buttercreams), whenever I smell the blooming yeast, feel the smushy dough give way under my palms, or pull a loaf of bread out of the oven, I think of Grandpa. 

It's all actually a little ironic, I have to say. My mom said Grandpa told her that it made him mad when grocery stores started opening bakeries, and when boxed mixes came out so the general population could begin baking at home. He believed you should leave it to the experts, and support local, small bakeries. I do agree with his philosophy to a point (support local businesses), but I also feel such satisfaction when I slice up my own baked from scratch bread. And because he loved his granddaughters so much, I can't help but think he'd be more than happy to have a sandwich on my made-from-scratch bread.

While this bread was quite tasty, it wasn't exactly as light and airy as store-bought wonder bread type loaves. I think part of that is because the loaf is all wheat flour, which has a tendency to make a dense loaf. Also, I think a longer bread pan would have let the loaf rise a bit more in the last proof. However, I was able to get a week's worth of sandwiches, and they were quite tasty! 

While I don't think I'll be grinding nuts to make nut butters from scratch, maybe jam should be my next foray into operation: everything from scratch. My father in law is a canning expert... 

Tips and Trades:

-I printed this recipe off and then realized it was meant for a bread machine, so I adapted it a bit to be made without one. If you have a bread maker, by all means use it! 

-I didn't use my kitchen scale because the recipe was written using cups not weight, so when measuring, fluff up your flour, then fill the cup without packing it, level it off with a knife.

-I used a mixture of whole wheat pastry flour and unbleached white whole wheat flour, you can use any combination of flours to suit your taste (preferred brand is King Arthur).

Honey Oat Wheat Sandwich Bread

adapted from allrecipes.com

1 c. warm water (about 110*)

1/4 c. honey

1 tbsp. canola oil

1 tsp. salt

1 envelope active dry yeast

1/2 c. rolled oats

1 c. unbleached white whole wheat flour

1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour

Quick oats for dusting, if desired

Add water, honey, oil, salt and yeast to a mixing bowl, stir to combine, set aside for 10 minutes while yeast blooms.

Add flours and oats to the yeast mixture, use the paddle attachment of a mixer, turn speed to low to combine.

When flour is absorbed, take the paddle off and attach the dough hook.

Turn speed back on low, knead for 5 minutes.

If dough is too sticky, add flour 1 tbsp. at a time until it all comes together. 

Alternately, if dough is too dry, add 1 tbsp. of warm water until dough comes together.

(This will depend on the heat and humidity in your kitchen)

Form dough into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover lightly with a damp kitchen towel and place in a non drafty, warm place for an hour.

Line a bread loaf pan with parchment or oil well. 

Once dough has doubled in size, punch down, form into a log, pinching the sides down to the bottom. 

Place in the loaf pan, cover with the damp towel and allow it to rise again for an hour.

Preheat oven to 400*

Dust the top of the loaf with quick oats or oat bran.

Place loaf pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 325* and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes, until golden brown. 

Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack until bread is at room temperature.

Store in an air tight bag or container for up to 5 days.

Banana Nut Bread Granola

I am a vivid dreamer. Almost every morning, I can recall several of my dreams. While they're generally about fun or random things, occasionally I dream I'm at work on a busy day or am falling off a ledge of some kind. Whenever I wake up from a dream where I've been at work, I feel so cheated! I also tend to dream up creative things, like lyrics to a song or a recipe of some kind. 

This granola is a product of my dreams. Subconsciously I knew I had 3 over-ripe bananas sitting in the fruit bowl. I also was working on my grocery list in my dream, and knew I had to either make or buy granola for my husband's daily yogurt breakfast bowl. Though making it is easy, when I can get Bear Naked or Cascadian Farms Organic on sale and with coupons, it's hard to pass up practically free granola! 

So right before I woke up Saturday morning, I dreamt that I was blending the bananas to pour over oats and make granola. I swear I could even smell the granola baking in my dream, and it smelled divine! 

This granola definitely made up for all of the ledges I've fallen off. 

A few months ago, I saw this blog post on Whole Story, Whole Foods' Blog. It's about WF bananas, and the guaranty Whole Foods makes that their bananas are fairly traded and do not damage rain forests. I think they're maybe $.25 more a pound than conventional bananas, a small price to pay to ensure the farmers and land are treated well. If you don't have a Whole Foods, no worries, I have also seen Fair Trade bananas in Sam's Club as well! 

Tips and Trades:

-Don't like bananas? Try using pureed pumpkin for Pumpkin Nut Bread Granola.

- While honey is a debatable topic among vegetarians and vegans, I try to use local honey from the farmer's market where I can speak with the vendor about the practices, or use Fair Trade, Organic honey that is harvested from cooperatives. 

-Canola oil often get's a bad rap, but many dietitians swear by it as their oil of choice. It actually has 8% less saturdated fat than Olive Oil! 

Banana Nut Bread Granola

3 over ripe bananas, about 1 1/2 c.

1/4 c. honey

1/4 c. canola oil

1 heaping tsp. ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 c. rolled oats

1 c. crushed nuts (I used walnuts and pecans)

1 c. crushed banana chips

Preheat oven to 300*

Place oats and nuts in a large mixing bowl. 

Add bananas, honey, oil, cinnamon, salt and vanilla to a blender.

Blend on high until completely pureed.

Pour over oats, mix well.

Spread out evenly on a large baking sheet 

Bake for about an hour, using a spatula to flip and toss granola around every 15 minutes (if necessary, bake an additional 15-30 minutes, if necessary).

Remove from the oven, cool for an hour.

Toss in banana chip pieces, pour into a storage container (make sure granola is very crisp and toasty at this point)

Granola will keep for about 2 weeks, if it lasts that long! 

Note: In error, I used a baking dish that was too deep, and ended up dumping the granola onto a baking sheet after the first 30 minutes of baking

Made from Scratch S'Mores (Graham Crackers and Marshmallows)

For our 2nd anniversary last December, my in-laws gave JJ and I a standing fire pit. I was thrilled for two reasons. First, because JJ wanted to dig a hole in the ground and make that a fire pit... which sounded a little unsafe and not exactly aesthetically pleasing. And second, I love sitting around the fire and cooking things... or just throwing random things in the fire to watch it burn (don't we all?). We hadn't had an opportunity to use it until my birthday party, so I have been trying to find another reason since then. With John and Vickie visiting, I knew we'd have to light it up. 

Vickie is a big s'mores lover, so I instantly thought sitting around the fire pit on the 4th of July with s'mores would be perfect. And it was. 

Last summer, I mentioned to Vickie that she should try using Peeps in her s'mores, which she did and loved. So I figured I'd have to up the ante with my s'mores. I decided to not only make homemade marshmallows, but also make homemade graham crackers. 

I have to admit I'm a huge geek about things like cooking and gardening and the likes. To see plants sprout and grow to 6 feet from a tiny seed just amazes me. To see a bunch of random ingredients come together and create a dish (especially baked goods) also amazes me. Every time I make marshmallows, it's like magic! I first made them a couple years ago when I participated in Tuesdays with Dorie, so that's my go-to recipe.

For the graham crackers, I used this recipe on 101 Cookbooks. It was very simple, and spot on graham cracker. I used a pizza cutter and haphazardly sliced mine, but a pastry cutter would make them look especially pretty, or a square cookie cutter.

For the chocolate, I settled on the classic Hershey's Bar. Since it's about a hundred million degrees in Florida, the bar was already really soft and pliable so the chocolate melted quickly. 

I have to say these are probably the best s'mores I've ever had. The homemade marshmallows were so gooey that you just had to stick them in the fire and char the outside rather than hold it over a low flame and rotate for 5 minutes to get the perfect s'more marshmallow. The graham crackers were crisp, but still buttery and moist. And in true Florida fashion, boy scout JJ went into the woods behind our house and picked some palm tree branches to use as skewers.

I guess summer in Florida isn't too bad! 

Made from Scratch S'mores!

Marshmallows, from Dorie Greenspan:

About 1 cup potato starch (found in the kosher foods section of supermarkets) or cornstarch
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 1/4-ounce packets unflavored gelatin
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar

GETTING READY: Line a rimmed baking sheet -- choose one with a rim that is 1 inch high -- with parchment paper and dust the paper generously with potato starch or cornstarch. Have a candy thermometer at hand.
Put 1/3 cup of the water, 1 1/4 cups of the sugar and the corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar is dissolved, continue to cook the syrup -- without stirring -- until it reaches 265 degrees F on the candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.
While the syrup is cooking, work on the gelatin and egg whites. In a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining cold water (a scant 7 tablespoons) and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until it is spongy, then heat the gelatin in a microwave oven for 20 to 30 seconds to liquefy it. (Alternatively, you can dissolve the gelatin in a saucepan over low heat.)
Working in the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in another large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until firm but still glossy -- don't overbeat them and have them go dull.
As soon as the syrup reaches 265 degrees F, remove the pan from the heat and, with the mixer on medium speed, add the syrup, pouring it between the spinning beater(s) and the sides of the bowl. Add the gelatin and continue to beat for another 3 minutes, so that the syrup and the gelatin are fully incorporated. Beat in the vanilla.
Using a large rubber spatula, scrape the meringue mixture onto the baking sheet, laying it down close to a short end of the sheet. Then spread it into the corners and continue to spread it out, taking care to keep the height of the batter at 1 inch; you won't fill the pan. Lift the excess parchment paper up to meet the edge of the batter, then rest something against the paper so that it stays in place (I use custard cups).
Dust the top of the marshmallows with potato starch or cornstarch and let the marshmallows set in a cool, dry place. They'll need about 3 hours, but they can rest for 12 hours or more.
Once they are cool and set, cut the marshmallows with a pair of scissors or a long thin knife. Whatever you use, you'll have to rinse and dry it frequently. Have a big bowl with the remaining potato starch or cornstarch at hand and cut the marshmallows as you'd like -- into squares, rectangles or even strips (as they're cut in France). As each piece is cut, drop it into the bowl. When you've got 4 or 5 marshmallows in the bowl, reach in with your fingers and turn the marshmallows to coat them with starch, then, one by one, toss the marshmallows from one hand to the other to shake off the excess starch; transfer them to a serving bowl. Cut and coat the rest of the batch.

SERVING: Put the marshmallows out and let everyone nibble as they wish. Sometimes I fill a tall glass vase with the marshmallows and put it in the center of the table -- it never fails to make friends smile. You can also top hot chocolate or cold sundaes with the marshmallows.

STORING: Keep the marshmallows in a cool, dry place; don't cover them closely. Stored in this way, they will keep for about 1 week -- they might develop a little crust on the outside or they might get a little firmer on the inside, but they'll still be very good.

Graham Crackers adapted from Nancy Silverton:

2 1/2 c. plus 2 tbsp. whole wheat pastry flour 

1 c. dark brown sugar, lightly packed

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

7 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut in small cubes, frozen

1/3 c. clover honey

5 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

In the bowl of a food processor with the blade, pulse flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt to mix.

Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is like a coarse meal.

In a small dish, whisk honey, milk and vanilla.

Add to the flour mixture and pulse until dough comes together (it will be soft and sticky).

Turn onto a lightly flour surface and pat into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for 2+ hours.

Preheat oven to 350*

Flour a work surface, divide the dough in half and roll to 1/8-1/4" thick.

Use a pizza cutter or pastry cutter and slice into squares (or any desired shape).

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. 

Continue rolling and slicing dough to fill baking sheet.

Gather all scraps and place back in the refrigerator.

Make a small line down the center of each cracker, pierce the sides with a fork.

Bake for 22-25 minutes, until browned and crisp, cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Work all scraps back into a ball, re roll and slice, transfer to cooled baking sheets and bake second batch, if necessary, follow cooling instructions from first batch.

Leave graham crackers on cooling racks to harden, then store in a plastic bag. Humidity will soften them, so let them sit out uncovered to crisp back up, if necessary (in Florida, it was necessary!)

Lemon Scented Pull Apart Coffee Cake

I knew I wanted to make a delicious coffee cake for brunch while our company was here, so I began browsing blogs. I found a blog that I'd never read before, 17 and Baking. Now I began baking from scratch when I was around 18, but I was nowhere near as skilled as Elissa! Not only does she bake very technical pastry, she takes beautiful photographs and is a skilled writer. I practically scrolled through her entire blog in a trance, starring many recipes to make in the future. 

When I saw this Lemon Scented Pull Apart Coffee Cake, I was intrigued. It's very clean and fresh in flavor, and though it looks impressive, it's fairly simple to make. There aren't many ingredients and the finished product is really fun! 

I followed the directions exactly up until the very end when it came time to make the icing. I was being extremely lazy, and decided to whisk the ingredients in a bowl with a fork rather than use a mixer. It's evident by the tiny bits of cream cheese that didn't whip in the icing. Looking back, I'm mad at myself for not taking the extra few minutes to finish the coffee cake correctly, but I had a quiche in the oven and a few other things I was working on. I know I'll make this again (maybe with a different fruit, add some nuts, etc.) so I'll be sure to make it right. 

Lemon Scented Pull Apart Coffee Cake

seen on 17 and Baking, from Baking for All Occasions

Dough:

2 3/4 c. AP Flour (12 1/4 oz)

1/4 c. granulated sugar (1 3/4 oz)

2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast (1 envelope)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 c. whole milke

2 oz. unsalted butter

1/2 c. water

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs at room temperature

Lemon Sugar Filling:

1/2 c. granulated sugar

3 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest

1 tbsp. finely grated orange zest

2 oz. unsalted butter, melted

Cream Cheese Icing:

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 tbsp. milk

1 tbsp. lemon juice

To make dough:

Mix two cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with a spatula.

In a small saucepan combine milk and butter, heat until butter is just melted. 

Add the water, and let it cool until just warm (120-130*), add vanilla extract.

Pour the milk and butter into the flour and mix with the paddle attachment until the flour is moistened, beat in eggs one at a time.

Stop the mixer, add the remaining flour and resume mixing until dough is smooth, about 5 minutes.

Dust a work surface with flour, dump out dough and knead until smooth and no longer sticky, adding flour as necessary, 1-2 tbsp. at a time.

Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with plastic and let it rise until doubled in size, about 60 minutes.

Make lemon sugar filling:

Mix the sugar, lemon zest and orange zest with a fork, set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350*, grease a 9x5 loaf pan.

Deflate the dough, flour a large work surface. Roll the dough to a 20x12 rectangle and smear with 2 tbsp. softened butter. (I rolled mine on a silpat with a ruler on the edges to make sure it was the correct size)

Use a pizza cutter and cut the dough crosswise into 5 strips, 12x4 each.

Sprinkle lemon sugar over the first rectangle, top it with the second, sprinkle with more sugar, and continue until all 5 strips are stacked and layered with sugar.

Slice this stack crosswise through all 5 layers, creating 5 equal rectangles. 

Transfer the strips into the loaf pan, cut edges up.

Cover with plastic wrap and rise for 30 minutes.

Bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes. 

Transfer to a wire rack, cool for 15 minutes.

Make icing: Beat cream cheese in a small bowl, add sugar, milk and lemon juice, beat until creamy and smooth.

Turn loaf out onto a serving dish, smear with icing and serve warm.

Summer Berry Crumble

I have a big confession to make. I am a food hoarder. This past weekend could have put me in a mental hospital. First, Whole Foods tweeted that cherries were on sale for $1.99/lb for one day only. Ok, so I'll stop by WF after work and pick up what, maybe 20 lbs? Ok, ten. Then, I opened up the Publix ad and found that Blueberries were 2/$3, raspberries were 2/$4 and blackberries were 2/$5. Plus, I had coupons for $1.50/1 carton of berries. That's FREE blueberries. Fifty cent raspberries! One dollar for a large carton of blackberries! And it was a store coupon, so I could print it as many times as I wanted and go back to Publix over and over and over. Then I discovered that it was pickin' time at the local blueberry farms. Let me take you back to last summer's blueberry picking...12 lbs. in an hour.  Like I said, I have a problem.  

See, when you know your absolute most favorite foods are super cheap with the smallest carbon footprint of the year (cause of course, you can still buy raspberries in January, but they're shipped halfway around the world and cost a fortune), you MUST stock up. 

So that is what I did. I went to Whole Foods, bought 12 lbs of cherries, and then fought with myself to not go back an hour later and get more. I compulsively printed coupons and stopped by Publix every time I left the house. And now I have pounds and pounds of berries and cherries. I'll probably eat about half of them in their true form, maybe 1/4 will go in oatmeal or yogurt, but I also wanted to do a tiny bit of baking. I have to admit, frozen berries are almost as good as fresh in baking, but fresh just always wins out. 

So I decided for dessert to make something that was going to let the fresh, juicy berry shine. I thought a simple crumble with a vanilla bean ice cream would do just that. To make the crumble healthier, I used a bit of butter, but then mixed in applesauce, which worked perfectly. Simple, healthy, summer. 

I apologize for the sub-par photos, they don't do the crumble justice. However, I simply could not wait to eat it. Also, I would probably double the crumble mixture next time, I wanted it to be thin and light, but it was so delicious I wish I had made more.

Summer Berry Crumble

(serves 4 normal people, I could eat the whole pan)

1 lb. cherries, pitted and halved

1 pint of blueberries

1 pint of blackberries

1/2 pint raspberries

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. cornstarch

pinch of salt

1 tsp. almond extract

1/2 c. rolled oats

1/4 c. white whole wheat flour

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tbsp. butter, cold

1/4 c. unsweetened apple sauce

1 pint vanilla bean ice cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 325*

In a mixing bowl, toss together berries, sugar, cornstarch, almond extract and a pinch of salt. 

Pour into a baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix together oats, flour, brown sugar, salt and baking powder.

Use a fork or pastry cutter and cut in butter.

Add applesauce and stir to combine.

Use fingers to crumble mixture on top of berries evenly in small blobs.

Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

*To pit my cherries, I use a straw, you can see photos here. Maybe one day I'll get a real cherry pitter! http://ashleescooking.blogspot.com/2008/07/cherry-rhubarb-cobbler.html