Monthly Archives: January 2016

Dark Chocolate Chip Bars

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I love to take recipes and make them healthier. These bars called for butter and regular ap flour. I went ahead and made the switch to whole wheat pastry flour and substituted the butter for some canola oil and pureed pumpkin. I know not everyone likes pumpkin so if not use a really ripe banana or unsweetened applesauce. This will help with the moisture. My husband loves….loves pumpkin and he couldn’t even tell I added it to this baked good.   Also I swapped out the semi sweet chips with dark chocolate chips.

This recipe yields 15 bars

Predirection:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray with cooking spray a 9 by 13 inch glass pan.

 

Ingredients:

2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs (lightly beaten)

3/4 cup brown sugar or raw sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup pureed pumpkin

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup of dark chocolate chips

 

Directions:

  1. In a medium to large bowl mix flour, salt, soda, and baking powder with large spoon.
  2. Add in canola oil, pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla. Mix all ingredients well and fold in chocolate chips.
  3. Spread the batter into a prepared glass 9 by 13 inch baking pan. Spread the batter evenly with spatula. The trick to making sure the batter does not stick to the spatula is spraying it with cooking spray. Make sure the batter is evenly spread &  place the pan in the preheated oven at 350 degrees. Bake for 17 minutes or until toothpick comes out of center clean (without any wet residue).
  4. Enjoy!

 

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Quick Cornbread 

I was cleaning out the freezer and came across chili. Yes! This will be perfect for dinner tonight. Which also allowed me to mix up this cornbread for two in a flash. You will find that this cornbread is slightly sweet and very moist.

The secret to good cornbread is buttermilk! Plus a good cast-iron skillet.

My husband and I picked up this beauty of a cast iron at a local flea market.

This recipe uses an 8 inch cast-iron skillet.

This recipe yields 8-10 small slices of cornbread.

Ingredients :

1 tablespoon of canola oil

1/2  cup of low-fat Buttermilk

1 cup of self rising cornmeal mix

1 tsp baking powder

1 large egg (lightly beaten)

1/4 cup honey

Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Place cornmeal mix and baking powder and salt in a small to medium bowl. Mix with spoon.

3. In the center of the dry ingredients form a well. Place buttermilk, honey, canola oil in center and mix thoroughly with spatula.

4. Spray your cast-iron skillet with cooking spray and pour in the wet batter. Bake on 450 for 12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Buttermilk Cranberry Honey Scones

  
Cranberries are tart and have an unique flavor. They are loaded with antioxidants and are considered a superfood. They are rich in vitamin c and fiber. These magic berries are not just for the holidays, they are very versatile because you can add them to your salads, cereal (hot or cold), baked goods like muffins and quick breads. They also pair nicely with turkey, chicken, and pork. One of my husbands favorite chicken salad recipes contains cranberries and almomds. So they are definitely not just for your Thanksgiving dinner. 

These scones are egg free! And if you wish to make them vegan use almond milk instead of buttermilk and maple syrup instead of honey.

This recipe yields 14 mini scones

Pre-directions: preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cooking spray your scone pan and set aside.

Ingredients:

2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour

1/2  teaspoon of ground Vietnamese cinnamon

4 tablespoons of honey

2/3 cup of low-fat buttermilk

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla

1/2 cup of coconut oil

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda

A generous 1/2 cup of dried cranberries

The zest of one Clementine (about 3/4 tsp)

Raw sugar optional for sprinkling 

Directions:

1. In a measuring cup add buttermilk, honey, vanilla, and orange zest. Allow ingredients to marry well working on the pastry dough.

 In a medium bowl mix flour, soda, cinnamon, and baking powder. 

2. Add in the coconut oil and cut into pastry flour with pastry cutter or your own hands. I prefer the ladder method. The end result will be the sam, you want the mixture to resemble wet sand.

3. Add in wet ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to mix together scones. The batter will be wet.

4. Use a size scoop 24 to place batter into prepared scone pan. Sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake for 18-20 minutes at 375 degrees.

5. Remove from the pan after cooling for 5 minutes in the pan. Allow the scones to cool for the remainder of time on a wire rack.

These scones have a beautiful golden brown hue to them due to the honey and whole wheat pastry flour. 


Pumpkin Pie Spice French Toast made with Homemade Italian Bread

 

Yesterday we worked on making homemade bread for a few hours. One of the many benefits of making fresh homemade bread is using the leftovers. Today I made one of my husband’s favorites French Toast Recipes.

My sister also loves French Toast as well. Growing up that is all she would eat for breakfast when we would have sleepovers at my grandma and grandpas. So I deocate this recipe to my sister Jenna Lynn and my husband Josh.
This recipe yields 5 slices of toast.  

Ingredients: 

2 tb puréed pumpkin 

1/4 cup egg substitute 

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup skim milk or unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 Tablespoon of raw sugar 

1 tsp pure vanilla extract 

5 slices of freshly made day old bread

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter or cooking spray

Optional ingredients powdered sugar & pure maple syrup (as pictured) 

Directions:

1. In a medium deep bowl mix first six ingredients and whisk them together well.

2. Place nonstick sauté pan on stove on medium heat. Add pad of butter Or cooking spray. 

3. Soak slice of bread on both sides in the wet ingredient mixture. Place on sauté pan and cook for 2 minutes then flip and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes or until browned on both sides. Repeat with additional slices. 

4. Enjoy with either pure local maple syrup or powdered sugar. Or if you are feeling really  advantageous you could use both like my husband. 

Spice Chocolate Doughnut Holes

  

I was able to go through my grandmothers cookbooks and I came across this lovely gem that was published in the 1970s. 

This cookbook made me laugh because it calls for chocolate bars that cost $.10. Sorting through the cookbook I stumbled across this doughnut recipe which inspired me to create these doughnut holes.

I made some modifications to bring it up-to-date. I prepared it this past weekend for my husband for breakfast.

This recipe yields 16 doughnut holes

 Pre-heat oil to 370 degrees.
 Ingredients:

1 cups of whole wheat pastry flour

 1/4 cup of dutched processed cocoa

1 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

1/8 teaspoon of  kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon  of ground mace

1/8 of ground Vietnamese cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons of canola oil

One egg

1/4 cup of skim milk

1/4 and 1/8 cup of granulated sugar

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla

Directions;

In a medium bowl  sift together cocoa, baking powder, salt, flour, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.

In a small bowl mix together sugar and oil. Add egg, milk, vanilla and mix to incorporate.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Using a size 60 scoop, portion out the doughnuts into the hot oil frying for a total of four minutes but flipping every minute or so. Place greased doughnuts on a plate lined with a papertowel. Once slightly cooled sprinkle with powdered sugar.

A Rustic Italian Bread

I made my first baking demo video this weekend and it was while making this loved bread! Bread making is a true art and can be very fulfilling and therapeutic! In this video I will share some bread making tips to help you conquer your first loaf.

http://youtu.be/mX6V5nngooE

Ingredients:

5 cups Bread Flour plus 3/4 cup

2 cups warm water

1 tb local honey

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Egg white

Cornmeal

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast or (one pk)

Directions:

1. Place warm water, yeast and honey in a measuring vessel and allow to proof for 5 minutes.

2. Combine 5 cups of the flour along with the salt & oil in your stand mixer. Stit with dough hook attachment. Stop the mixer and gradually add the warm water yeast mixture.

3. Knead with dough hook for 7 minutes on speed 2. During this time might be when you need to add extra liquid or flour.

4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and kneed by hand for 3 to 5 times. Place remaining oil in the mixing bowl. Spread the oil around the bowl using you hands or paper towel. Then place the dough ball back into the greased bowl. Move the dough around to transfer some of the oil to the bread. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise for an hour to an hour and a half. I always place mine in a warm place in the house like the microwave or laundry room.

5. Start to preheat the oven with about 35 minutes left waiting for the bread to proof. Preheat oven to 500 degrees with either the stone or Dutchoven in the oven.

6. Once the dough has doubled remove from bowl and cut in half with sharp knife.

7. Form one of the dough balls into a round ball. Place on parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm area to allow to double in size. I like to place it on top of the oven while it is preheating. Once teady the round dough will be placed in the Dutchoven along with the parchment paper.

8. Take the second dough ball and form it in an oblong shape. This one will placed on the hot pizza stone. I recommend using generous amounts of cornmeal on the pizza peel to transfer. if you don’t have a pizza peel you could use the bottom side of a cookie sheet pan. This will help prevent sticking and will help with removal off the stone later on. Cover this dough with plastic wrap as well and place in a warm area to rise. Allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes.

9. Once both of the doughs double in size prep the dough for baking by brushing with egg white wash. (Mix scant water with one egg white in small bowl).

10. Place slits ontop both loaves this can be done by using a very sharp knife and making a few diagonal motions on top of the dough. Be careful not to press to heavily or you may flatten the bread.

11. I recommend baking each loaf seperately to prevent the bottom dough from burning.

12. If using Dutch oven bake the dough for one hour do not open during baking process. Decrease oven to 425.

12. If using pizza stone decrease oven to 425 and place the dough on though hot pizza stone use either pizza peel or bottom of a cookie sheet to transfer. Stuff your oven vent with a wet dishcloth cheaper rent steam from escaping. Prior to closing the oven door spray with water bottle water five times and close the door immediately do not open. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.