Apple Coffee Cake with Almond Meal

I went to visit my grandma and grandpa this past weekend and they surprised me with sereval bushels of apples.

Which has led me to explore many different recipes utilizing apples!
This one here is prefect for breakfast!

Ingredients;

1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
1 egg (preferably local)
1/2 cup almond meal (aka almond flour)
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup fat reduced sour cream or plain greek yogurt
1 tsp pure vanilla (Mexican)
1 cup peeled, cored and chopped apples

Crumble topping
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup of whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 TB butter (unsalted)

Glaze

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 TB Apple cider

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray with cooking spray a 6 cup capacity glass baking dish (mines a 8″ by 6.5″)

1. In a medium bowl sift together flour, almond meal, spices, baking soda and salt.

Set aside.

2. Mix oil, sugar, and vanilla.

Add egg.

And mix to incorporate.

2. Start to add the dry ingredients into the wet.

Once sour cream is incorporated into mix it should look like image below.

3. Fold in chopped apples.

4. Place batter into prepared baking dish.

Set aside while you prepare the crumble topping.

5. Place all crumble topping ingredients into a small bowl.

Break apart ingredients with bare hands until mixture resembles crumbs. Sprinkle onto top of batter in glass dish.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out of center clean.

In a small bowl mix apple cider, vanilla, and brown sugar.

Pour evenly over warm cake.

Serve warm!

Yields 6 servings.

Apple Streusel Whole Wheat Muffins

My husband and I went to Amish Country in Ohio this past weekend and there was an abundance of apples!

Which inspired me to make a coffee cake type of apple muffin this morning.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 TB flaxseed milled
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp Vietnamese ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 farmers egg
3 TB canola oil
1/2 cup skim milk
1 cup of Apple, peeled, & shredded (about 1.5 medium apples)

Topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 TB whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 chopped pecans
2 TB of soften butter (unsalted)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line 12 muffin tins with either silicon or paper liners and spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking.

2. In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, salt, and flaxseed.

Mix to incorporate all ingredients well.

3. In a separate medium bowl combine oil, egg, and milk.

Whisk to incorporate.

4. Add dry mixture to wet.

Mix until just moistened (be careful not to over mix).

5. Shred 1 to 2 apples to yield one cup of shredded apple.

6. Fold apples gently into batter.

7. Spoon half the batter evenly into 12 muffin tins.

Set aside

8. In a small bowl place streusel topping ingredients.

Use your hands to incorporate crumble topping mixture.

9. Set aside 3-4 TB of topping.

10. Place one TB of remaining topping in each muffin tin on top of the wet batter.

11. Spoon evenly the remaining batter on the top of the streusel topping in tins.

12. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of center clean.

13. Let cool in tin for 3 to 5 minutes on wire rack.

14. Remove from tin and allow to cool on wire rack.

15. Enjoy

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

At our house we love pumpkin! We put it in everything during the fall. I made these pancakes for dinner. You can finish them off with pecans, maple syrup, cinnamon, or greek vanilla yogurt !

Yields 6 hearty pancakes

Ingredients:

1 farm fresh egg
1 TB canola oil
1 tsp Mexican vanilla extract
2/3 cup puréed pumpkin
3/4 cup low fat buttermilk
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 and 1/8 cup of AP Flour
1 TB of milled flaxseed
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Directions :

1. Add pumpkin, milk, eggs, oil, vanilla, and brown sugar into medium bowl and whisk to combine.

3. Mix but don’t over mix

4. Mix all dry ingredients together in a small bowl.

5. Slowly add dry ingredients into wet batter

6. Heat griddle on medium to medium high heat. Measure scant 1/2 cup size pancakes onto pan.

7. Watch for the pancakes to brown up on the side and flip

8. Enjoy 😉

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chips Peanut Butter Cookies

I made these the other day for a change from the tradition chocolate chip cookie! It was definitely a winner! I cannot take credit for this recipe. It is a TOH classic
Chippy Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

Ingredients
1 cup butter room temperature
1 cup creamy natural peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 Farm Fresh Eggs
1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla pure extract
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 package (11 ounces) peanut butter and chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Place the butter, peanut butter, and sugar in a large mixing bowl and whip with electric mixer until the until very fluffy.

2. Reduce speed and add one egg at a time and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl sift flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet.

4. Once mixed without the of sign of flour residue toss in your chips. *** left over mini peanut butter cups work wonders in this recipe as well.

5. Line half sheet pan with parchment paper. I used a number 60 scoop to make perfect sized cookies.

6. Bake for 9 minutes or until golden brown.

Let the cookies set on the baking sheet for an additional minute and move to wire rack.

This recipe will yield around 72 cookies. Be aware the cookie monsters will come out of the woodwork and you might lose count.

Upside-Down Pear Cake

My grandpa gave us lots of pears last time we were back home for a visit. I have been trying my best to eat them all before they go bad. But it has been difficult with all the good produce in season.

We are having a fall dinner tomorrow and I think this will be the perfect finish to our menu. I have always wanted to make an upside- down cake with pears and since I have plenty on hand I thought there is no better time then now.

Ingredients:
1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup no sugar added applesauce
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 pears (peeled. sliced, and cored)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup egg whites or egg substitute
1/3 cup Maple syrup
1 Tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven 350.

2. Line a 9″ round cake pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

2. Place flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger in a bowl and mix.

3. In a separate bowl mix sugar, applesauce, vanilla, and egg whites.

4. Add flour mix and buttermilk alternating the two and mixing after each addition.

5. In small sauce pan over medium heat warm maple syrup until thick about 2 to 4 minutes.

6. Spread the pears evenly on the parchment paper.

7. Once the maple syrup has thickened pour over the sliced pears.

8. Now pour batter over pears.

9. Bake on 350 for 23-25 minutes.

10. Let cool on wire rack for 5 minutes and remove from pan

Whole Wheat Avocado Brownies

My sister has been trying to get me to make some avocado baked goods for a while. We are celebrating her birthday this weekend! I cannot think of a better time to try brownies with avocado instead butter.

Ingredients:
One large avocado mashed
1 cup of sugar
2 farm fresh eggs
1/2 tsp almond extract or vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 baking powder
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup Dutch processed cocoa (use high quality cocoa; it’s worth it)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Place avocado, sugar, and almond extract in food processor.

2. Pulse until cream like.

3. Add one egg at a time.

4. In a separate bowl sift flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda.

5. Mix with spoon until dry ingredients blended well.

6. Add dry mix into creamy avocado mixture.

7. Pulse until combined.

8. Pour batter into a cooking sprayed 9 inch baking dish.

Spread evenly

9. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes on 350 degrees or until toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy !

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits

I had to make biscuits to go with yesterday’s homemade apple butter! This recipe was adapted from a Taste of Home recipe

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Rolled-Buttermilk-Biscuits. I of course made of few changes to incorporate some whole

grain goodness.

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup AP Flour
3 Tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 TB cold butter (unsalted)
1 cup buttermilk
1 TB skim milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450.

Place both flours, salt, soda, baking power in bowl.

2. Cut butter into dry mixture.

3. Until resembles course texture.

4. Pour buttermilk into dry mixture.

5. Mix with wooden spoon just until ingredients are combine.

6. Sprinkle flour onto a clean surface and knead dough 2 to 3 times.

7. Roll dough with floured roller.

Cut 12 cutouts with 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter.

8. Roll second time and cut 12 more biscuits.

9. Layer biscuits on top of each other in rows of two on parchment paper.

10. Brush with the skim milk.

11. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes on 450 degrees.

Yields 12 biscuits!

Plus it goes well with Apple Butter

Apple Butter

There is nothing better than the smell of apples and cinnamon cooking in the slow cooker all day! My grandpa gave me a basket of some of his homegrown apples this past weekend. I have always wanted to make my apple butter instead of buying it for 5-6.00$ a jar. Well today is the day. The longest part of the process is peeling the apples! But well worth the time.

Ingredients:
16 Cups of peeled, corded, chopped apples
6 three inch cinnamon sticks
1/4 tsp clove
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 cups of packed brown sugar

Directions:

1. Place all the chopped apple pieces in slow cooker.

2. Add lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, salt and cloves.

3. Top apples with brown sugar.

4. Turn slow cooker on low and cover.

5. Stir every few hours.

6. Cook for 16 to 20 hours.

7. Remove cinnamon sticks and if needed use hand held emulsion blender to purée.

Makes Seven 8 oz jars.

Rhubarb Almond Crisp

Whole Wheat Rhubarb Crisp

Woo
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup AP Flour
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 cup Brown Sugar (not packed)
1/2 Cup melted butter (no added salt)
3/4 cup quick oats
4 cups of Chopped Rhubarb
1 cup water
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup toasted slivered Almonds
2 TB corn starch
1 tsp pure vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

1. Place first three ingredients in medium bowl.

2. Mix. Add in melted butter.

Mix and set aside.

3. In a sauce pan place water, sugar, and corn starch on medium heat.

4. Whisk consistently until thickens and comes to a boil and sauce is translucent.

5. Spray a 9 by 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 3/4 of the oat mixture on the bottom of the pan.

6. Sprinkle chopped rhubarb on oat mixture.

7. Once all the rhubarb is spread

Remove sugar sauce from heat add vanilla and mix. Pour syrup over rhubarb evenly.

8. Take the toasted almonds and add to remaining oat mixture.

Sprinkle evenly over rhubarb.

Bake at 325 for an hour.

Enjoy!

Wheat Walnut Rhubarb Bread

Whole Wheat Walnut Rhubarb Bread

I am still trying to use up the rhubarb my grandpa gave me. I found this recipe in a local magazine but of course I changed the original recipe up by adding the whole wheat and incorporating more rhubarb.

Ingredients;
1 &1/2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup AP Flour
1 cup of brown sugar (not packed)
2/3 cup canola oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp pure vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 cups of finely chopped rhubarb
1 cup walnuts (chopped finely)
1 egg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350:

1. Place oil, egg, & sugar in medium bowl and mix.

2. Add buttermilk & vanilla and mix until incorporated thoroughly.

3. In a separate bowl sift both flours, baking soda, & cinnamon.

4. Add dry ingredient mixture into wet ingredient mixture.

5. Add in rhubarb and walnuts.

6. Fold the batter until all the ingredient are spread throughout.

7. Divide the batter evenly into 4 mini pans (about one heaping cup each)

8. Bake for 32 to 35 minutes at 350. Check bread using toothpick method.

Please note if you would like to bake a traditional size bread this batter will make two loaves. Bake traditional loaves for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

A Pinch of Luv

from scratch baking and cooking blog

Apple Coffee Cake with Almond Meal

Apple Streusel Whole Wheat Muffins

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chips Peanut Butter Cookies

Upside-Down Pear Cake

Whole Wheat Avocado Brownies

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits

Apple Butter

Rhubarb Almond Crisp

Wheat Walnut Rhubarb Bread