Yogurt lunch ideas

I have this yogurt thing that I've been taking for lunch lately.  I recently discovered that greek yogurt is very different than regular old Dannon.  The smell doesn't bother me and it is a great substitute for mayo and has a lot of uses in baking.  Fat-free greek yogurt is so creamy an delicious and good for you!!  I have settles on Fage as the best greek yogurt.  I have tried pretty much every brand at this point searching for the best one, but Fage is creamy and not too sour and it's not that expensive, plus it comes in the biggest container.  So I invented this yogurt lunch thing and people at work keep asking me about it, so here's what I do...

Pumpkin Apple Greek Yogurt

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fat-free greek yogurt- Fage is my favorite
• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin- I get the 365 Whole Foods brand
• 1 apple- diced and microwaved for 3 minutes
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp sugar or 2 packets stevia
• handful of oats
• raisins or craisins (optional)
• nuts (optional)

Method:

First I dice and microwave my apple, sometimes I use pear and sometimes I throw banana in there too.  The apple is the only one that I microwave though, it just has such a great flavor when it's cooked.  Then once that is cooked for 3 minutes I throw it in with the yogurt and pumpkin and mix it.  The warm fruit warms the yogurt and is really nice.  Add the cinnamon and sweetener and mix it.  Now you can eat it without the oats, but I like a little crunchy oat on top, with the cinnamon and apple, the oat is a nice addition.  Sometimes I add raisins, craisins, or something else for a little pop.  You could definitely add nuts, pecans would probably be really nice with the pumpkin.  I could also see a little coconut or even chocolate chips if you wanted to get fancy.  In the end, this is a pretty low fat, lean protein lunch.  I bring it to work a lot in tupperware and eat it when I have 5 minutes free.  It is really delicious and as I said before, everyone always asks me about it and then thinks that I'm some sort of cook because it sounds very complicated to make.  Meanwhile I just dump everything together and stir it up while I'm making my morning coffee.  Ha.  Well give it a try and enjoy!

Mini banana muffins are better when rolled in cinnamon sugar

I made these banana muffins yesterday and they turned out good, but a little white looking as my mother pointed out.  They were definitely cooked through, but hadn't gotten any color on top.  This was partly my fault for not adding any whole wheat flour to the recipe, a lot of times that's how I hearty-up an anemic looking muffin.  If you use only white flour a muffin turns out more like a cupcake and loses it's breakfast appeal.

Banana Oatmeal Cinnamon Mini-Muffins with Golden Raisins
Recipe adapted from Rasa Malaysia

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 mashed overripe banana
• 1/2 cup raisins

• cinnamon sugar for dusting 

Method:

Preheat your oven to 400 and spray two mini-muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.  In a small bowl add oats to milk and let soak while preparing batter.  Mix flour, b powder, b soda, and salt in a small bowl, set aside.  In another bowl mash the bananas and add b sugar, egg, and oil.  Add milk and oat mixture to bananas.  Now pour the wet into the dry and fold to combine, add raisins and fold a couple of more times.  Don't over-mix at this point.  Divvy the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 12 minutes.  Test the center of the muffin, it should bounce back when you poke it, better a little under than over-done.  Pull the muffins out of the oven and while still warm throw them into a bowl of cinnamon sugar.  Completely coat the muffins and then let them cool on a wire rack.  Enjoy!!

Mostly apple muffins

This batter turned out to be 75% apples and 25% actual batter..... oh well the muffins turned out delish anyway.

Apple Cinnamon Almond Muffins
Recipe adapted from Culinary Chat

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbls cinnamon
• 1/2 cup canola oil or butter (your preference)
• 2 eggs or 4 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup milk or soymilk
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 4 small gala apples- cored and cubed
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup raw almonds for tops

Method:

Preheat oven to 430.  Paper a 12-cup muffin tin.  Chop up your apples and set aside.  In a small bowl mix flours, b powder, salt, cinnamon, set aside.  In a larger bowl mix sugar, eggs, oil, eggs, milk, extract, and raisins.  Add the dry to the wet and mix, then add the apples and mix.  Pour into muffin cups and drop a few almonds on top of each muffin.  Bake for 10 mins then lower temp to 400 and turn the tray in the oven, bake for another 10-12 mins.  Take out the muffins when they bounce back and are crusty on top.  They may remain moist because of the fruit.  

Almond extract is amazing

I picked up some almond extract at BJ's the other day and used it in these cookies instead of vanilla.  WOW.  The smell alone is enough to convert you.  Then pair that with cinnamon and whole almonds and you are in heaven.  I need to start branching out on my extracts.  Coconut perhaps?

Almond Coconut Cinnamon Cookies
Adapted from Chocolate Moosey

Ingredients:

• 1  cup white flour
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg or 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• handful of raw almonds for decoration

Method:

In a small bowl mix flours, b soda, salt, and cinnamon, set aside.  In the bowl of your stand mixer beat the butter and the sugar til fluffy.  Add eggs and extract and beat.  Add flour and coconut and beat to combine.  Fridge batter for 30 mins.  Preheat oven to 350 and line 2 baking sheets with foil.  Make walnut-sized balls of dough and place them a couple inches apart on the sheet.  Press one raw almond into each cookie and bake for about 16 minutes til golden brown at edges.  

Baking doughnuts

I am too lazy to fry my doughnuts.  I don't want the mess of oil or the chance of burning myself.  So the Wilton doughnut pan is a great alternative.  Basically you are making a muffin in a different shape.  The recipe is much like a muffin, although I tend to make everything a little more hearty and less buttery and sugary etc.

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts
Recipe adapted from The Kitchn

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup ap flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/3 cup apple cider
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt or you can sub more apple sauce

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray your doughnut pan with Pam spray.  In one bowl mix flour, b soda, b powder, salt, and cinnamon.  In another bowl mix egg, sugar, apple sauce, vanilla, cider and yogurt if you have it.  Pour dry into wet and mix just til combined.  Pour into doughnut pans, don't fill higher than the top rim of the mold or when they bake they will over-flow and it won't look like a doughnut!!  Bake for about 11 to 13 minutes- less time if you are using the mini-mold.  When the cake bounces back to the touch remove and let cool.   Knock out your doughnuts and enjoy!!

Apple cinnamon muffins

Saturday morning and the guys are here refinishing the floors.  To combat the smell of polyurethane I decided to bake some cinnamon muffins.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins with Oats and Almonds
Recipe adapted from My Recession Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 cups ap flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup soy milk 
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 3 apples worth of peeled and cored apple chunks
• 1 cup rolled oats
• almonds for topping

Method: 

Preheat oven to 430.  Paper a 12-cup muffin tin.  Mix flours, cinnamon, b soda, b powder, salt in one bowl.  Mix sugar, milk, apple sauce, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and molasses in another bowl.  Mix dry into wet and then mix in oats and apple chunks.  Divide into muffin tins and top with 3 almonds each and sprinkle of cinnamon.  Put into oven and turn temp down to 400.  Bake for about 25 mins.  

Wedding cookies?

I was calling these wedding cookies but apparently they are called "will you marry me cookies" because they are so good that someone will fall in love with you if you bake them. So obviously I made them for my mom.

Will You Marry Me Cookies
(Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Oat Cookies)
Recipe adapted from The Cooking Channel

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup uncooked rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup dark  chocolate chips
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Method:

In a small saucepan melt butter, remove from the heat and add the sugars.  Let the pan cool for 10 mins add egg yolks and vanilla and whisk to combine.  In a separate bowl Mix all of the dry ingredients, pour the butter mixture to the dry and combine.  (Can be done in a mixer).  Add the chocolate chips and combine.  Chill the mixture for about 30 minutes and then place walnut-sized balls of dough onto prepared cookie sheets and bake in 325 degree oven 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.  

Muffins baked with no power!!

We had quite a bit of rain today didn't we?  And the power went out just as I was finishing baking my muffins, thankfully the oven wasn't effected by the storm and I could feel that the muffins were done without my oven light.

Apple Molasses Bran Muffins
Recipe adapted from Circle-B-Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup OJ
• 1/4 cup dark molasses

• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup bran 
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 cup raisins
• 4 apples, diced (Granny Smith or other baking apple) 
• 1 cup chopped almonds

Method:

Preheat your oven to 450 and paper a 12- cup muffin tin.  Mix all wet ingredients and set aside.  Mix all dry ingredients and set aside.  Mix the dry into the wet and when almost combined add the raisins, apples, and almonds.  Mix until combined, divide into muffin cups and place in the 450 degree oven.  Turn the oven down to 400 and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until muffins are set in the center.  

Phil's birthday cake

It's Phil's birthday!!  Happy birthday to one of the greatest dads I know.  For this special occasion I made one of the Keitel-Sosnov family's favorite cakes, the chocolate mocha cake.  It's a simple classic chocolate cake with a coffee kick and one of the greatest chocolate icings ever.

Chocolate Mocha Cake with Mocha Icing
Recipe from the Chestnut Hill Spice Shop

Ingredients:

(cake)

• 3 1/2 cups ap flour
• 1 1/2 cups cocoa
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp b powder
• 4 tsp b soda

• 2 cups milk + 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 4 eggs
• 4 cups sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup canola oil
• 2 cups hot coffee

(icing)

• 1 stick butter
• 1 stick margarine
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp coffee
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 2 c powdered sugar
• splash of milk

Method:

(cake)
Preheat oven to 350 and grease and parchment 2- 9" cake pans plus at least one 12 cup muffin pan.  Sift together dry ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.  In the stand mixer mix oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk in a few additions.  Add hot coffee all at once and mix til combined.  Pour batter 3/4 full into the cake pans and muffin tins, don't over-fill.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until cakes bounce back to the touch and a knife comes out clean.  Try to let the cakes cool completely before removing them from the pan.  Loosen the sides with a knife because this cake tends to stick- hence the parchment paper.

(icing) 
Once the cakes have cooled beat the butter and the margarine in the stand mixer until light and creamy. Add vanilla, cinnamon, coffee, and then one at a time add the sugar and cocoa.  Beat to combine in between additions.  Last add the milk just to loosen up the texture.

I drew a fish on top of my cake with some melted semisweet chocolate chips mixed with butter in my piping bag.  Phil caught us a lot of delicious blue fish when we were at the shore last week and cooked us an amazing meal of baked blue fish with garlic and fingerling potatoes.  Thanks for the fish Phil, I hope you liked your cake!!

Mini- muffin madness

Let the mini-muffin baking begin!! My mom's school is having a breakfast tomorrow and I am in charge of baking the muffins. Four kinds in two hours, the only thing that held me up was that I only have two mini-muffin pans and I was making the batter way faster than I could bake and cool the previous batch. So I got a little backed up, but they came out great! I also ran out of muffin papers so I had to start spraying the pans with Pam and you know how that goes when blueberries are involved.

Honey Orange Corn Muffin with Raspberry Jam
Adapted from Eat Good For Life

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• Zest 1 orange
• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• raspberry jam

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 and paper 2 mini-muffin tins.
Mix all wet ingredients in one bowl and all dry in another.
Pour dry into wet and combine, don't over-mix.
Fill 32 of the muffin cups half way full with batter, then spoon a dollop (about 1/2 tsp) of jam on top of the batter and then spoon more batter on top of the jam.
Don't use too much jam or it will just spill out all over the pan and burn.
Bake at 450 for 3 minutes, then turn down to 400 and bake another 6 minutes or so, until they bounce bak to the touch.

Chocolate Chip Muffins
Adapted from Crumbs and Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups ap flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

• 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 and paper mini muffin tins.
Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl and all wet in another, then pour dry into wet and stir until just combined.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Fill as many cups as you can to the top, or a little over.
Put them in the oven at 450 for 3 mins, then turn down the oven to 400 and bake for another 6 mins or so.

Carrot Cinnamon Muffins
Adapted from My Fudo

Ingredients:

• 2 cups ap flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 2 1/2 cups grated carrots (one bag of baby carrots buzzed up in cuisinart)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 and paper mini muffin pan.
Buzz up the carrots in your cuisinart or grate them, one bag of baby carrots yields about 2 1/2 cups.
Mix the carrots with the rest of the wet ingredients and set aside.
Mix all dry ingredients and add to wet, stir to combine.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake on 450 for 3 mins.
Turn down oven to 400 and bake for another 6 mins or so.

Blueberry Lemon Muffins
Adapted from Kitchen Lane

Ingredients:

• 2 cups ap flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• zest of one lemon

• 2 cups blueberries

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 and paper your mini-muffin pans.
Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl and all wet in another, add dry to wet and combine.
Mix in blueberries, don't over-mix batter.
Pour into prepared pan and bake at 450 for 3 mins.
Turn oven down to 400 and bake another 7 mins or so, until muffins bounce back to the touch.

Notes:

*Some of the batters came out a little bit wetter or dryer than I like, if it was too wet I added a little bit of ap flour, and if too dry I added a little extra milk.

**I have been baking my muffins starting out really hot for a few mins and then turning them down to finish because it makes them get big and crusty on top and nice and high.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

Sunday morning pancakes!! This recipe comes from The Little Red House.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons sugar
3 egg yolks
1 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/8 cup wheat germ
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Water to thin batter

Method:

Mix all dry ingredients (2nd paragraph), set aside.
Mix all wet ingredients (1st paragraph).
Add dry to wet and mix just to combine.
Add water enough to thin the batter to thick soup consistency.
Heat and butter pancake griddle and ladle out your tester pancake, once it really starts to cook you can ladle the rest.

Whole Wheat Honey Cinnamon Cornbread

I'm still trying to use up my Masa flour. This recipe used 3/4 cup and came out really well so I will be adding fruit to it in the future in order to use up the rest of the bag. Blueberries are the obvious choice. This recipe could also have a little bit more honey or sugar in it and be a nice cake. I would double the recipe and put whipped cream in between and fresh berries or something.

This recipe comes from Edible Perspective.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup fine-medium ground cornmeal
3/4 cup masa harina
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup low-fat buttermilk
5 Tbsp honey
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 9x9 square pan.
Combine all dry ingredients in one bowl, set aside.
Combine wet ingredients in another bowl.
Add dry to wet and mix just til combined.
Pour batter into pan.
At this point I sprinkled some oats and more cinnamon on top just for fun but blueberries would be nice sprinkled on top as well.
Bake for around 20 to 25 minutes or until a knife comes out clean from the center.

Vegan Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cookies

I had a BBQ last night. Very fun. I made these cookies for my vegan friend Ben and everyone else ate them all!! They are so easy to make and you know I love that there is no mixer required. I guess that's the upside to not using butter, it's the same method as making muffins- mix dry together, mix wet together, combine them. This is also the first time that I have used a flax egg in a cookie. I have tried it in muffins before but not in a cookie- I think it worked well, the cookies are crispy on the outside and a bit chewy on the inside from the honey.

The recipe is from What Would Cathy Eat? I did change it a little: honey instead of molasses and walnuts instead of toasted pecans.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon ground flax seed mixed with 3 tablespoons water

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 ¼ cup rolled oats (old fashioned, not quick)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Scant ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

½ cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup organic canola oil

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350.
Make your flax seed egg by mixing the flax seed with the water and microwaving for 30 seconds, set aside.
Combine all dry ingredients and walnuts in a small bowl (2nd paragraph), set aside.
Combine all wet ingredients in a larger bowl (3rd paragraph).
Add dry to wet and stir to combine.
Spread cookies (about 1 tbsp balls) on 2 cookies sheets and then squish them down a little flat because they don't spread and melt quite like regular cookies.
Bake about 15 minutes or until they are set and crisp on the edges.

Vegan Whole Wheat Peach Pancakes

Cousin Arthur brought Marie some maple syrup back from Vermont so I made pancakes again!!

I think I said once before, pancakes are very easy and they're very vegan friendly. This recipe comes from She Bakes Here. I made a few changes like using whole wheat flour and adding soy milk.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Dash of salt

1 tbsp white sugar (for vegans, make sure there is no bone char)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2/3 cup of soy milk

1 peached- sliced

water to thin batter

Method:

Mix first paragraph of dry ingredients, set aside.
Mix second paragraph of wet ingredients, set aside.
Pour dry into wet and combine.
Add sliced peaches, mix to combine.
Thin batter with water until it is like a thick soup.
Heat skillet and brush pan with oil.
Start with your tester pancake, when it really starts to cook you can begin cooking the rest of the pancakes.

Muffin Thursday: Sweet Potato Zucchini Muffins

This is a great recipe. I love a muffin with a lot of stuff in it. And anything that fills the house with cinnamon smell is a keeper.

The original recipe is from Bake-A-Holic. I made a few changes. I made it half whole wheat flour and half white, I quartered the sugar, subbed out some of the oil, and made the whole eggs into yolks because I eat the whites and save the yolks for baking.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup ap flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy milk or regular milk or OJ- whatever your preference
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 small zucchini- grated
1 small sweet potato- peeled and grated
1/2 cup nuts (I used pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup raisins or craisins (I used some of both)

Method:

Preheat oven to 450.
Combine first paragraph of dry ingredients in a small bowl, set aside.
Combine 2nd paragraph of wet ingredients in another bowl, set aside.
Add dry to wet and combine, don't over-mix.
Add grated veggies, seeds, and dried fruit, mix until just combined.
Divide batter into prepared muffin tin and throw them in the oven for 5 minutes at 450. Then bring the temp down to 400 and bake for about 18 or so minutes more until they are mostly done in the middle.
The zucchini is so wet they might be a little under in the middle, it's ok, they'll set up as they cool.

Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Pancakes

I made these awesome pancakes for my family yesterday morning. They were really tasty and very very easy. I made the batter very early in the morning and just left it in the fridge until they arrived. They were so good they didn't even really need syrup. Just a little butter and yummmmm...

Original recipe from Eatliverun, it had chocolate chips which I left out but that would be awesome too. I doubled the original recipe because I was feeding several hungry people. Also next time I'm adding either vanilla or molasses. It seems to me that pancakes are just more liquidy muffins, so you could probably put all kinds of nuts or seeds or the zest of an orange, or fruit in them.

Ingredients:

3 small sweet potatoes- peeled and diced, microwaved to cook and then mashed
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 cup milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice

water if the mix is too thick

Method:

Mix all the dry in one bowl and all the wet in another bowl while you are microwaving your potatoes.
Mash your potatoes and mix them in to the wet ingredients.
Add dry to wet and mix just until combined.
At this point you would add your chocolate chips or what have you, then possibly a bit of water if the mix is too thick.
Heat up your skillet with a little oil or butter and test out the dough to see if the pan is hot enough.
When the test pancake is really getting cooked properly you are ready to start cooking the rest.

Twisted Sisters

This was a 4 hour undertaking but totally worth it. Basically you make the dough and go do other stuff for 3 hours and then form them and bake them for a half hour. While mine was rising I made muffins and a birthday cake. I used amy stand mixer with a dough hook to make my dough even though they used a whisk.

To see how to put this pastry together check out the original recipe at Ask Chef Dennis. Really good pics and explanations.

Ingredients:

Dough

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons lukewarm water
3/4 Tbsp. granulated yeast
3/4 Tbsp. kosher salt
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Filling

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

6 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
fresh vanilla beans from a 2 inch pod
12 Tablespoons brown sugar
zest of one lemon

Instructions:

Dough

Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.
Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl.
Add honey, salt, and melted butter to beaten eggs. Gently and briefly mix together then set aside.
Combine lukewarm water, yeast and a dash of honey together in a big bowl using a sturdy fork or whisk. Add eggs mixture. Mix together briefly.
Add half the flour. Mix it in with a fork or sturdy whisk. Add the remaining flour and mix. Use damp hands once your fork or whisk becomes overburdened. The dough will be damp and sticky. This is a no knead dough so just get all the flour mixed in and you’re done.
Place dough in a warm spot, covered with a towel for three hours. The dough will rise and be full of air pockets. Perfect!

Filling

Melt the butter, set aside.
In another bowl combine all the rest of the filling ingredients and mix, then set aside.

Assembling the twisted sister:

Preheat oven to 350.
Dust top of dough with flour. Dust hands with flour. Covering your work surface generously with flour and some more standing by for sticky moments. Flour!
Cut dough into about 6 to 8 pieces, grab one piece and plop it onto your floured surface.
Roll the dough into a long rectange, turning and keeping the dough well-floured the whole time.
Spread top with melted butter.
Sprinkle filling evenly across entire rectangle.
Fold one long edge to start roll.
Roll the dough into a long log.
Cut the dough log in half lengthwise.
Turn the two halves so that the cut sides face up and you see all the layers of dough and cinnamon and such. Admire your artistry thus far.
Pinch ends of the two halves together on one side and coil them a bit to get the two halves joined lightly at one end.
Gently cross the ends over each other taking care to arrange the cut sides together as much as possible. Don’t stress. It’s gonna be pretty. Twist the two halves together till you use up the lengths and have one pretty twist.
Coil the twist into a nest.
Lift the coil up and tuck the final end under the center of the coil then gently let the coil fall into place. You don’t have to do any excessive pinching or sealing. Just arrange it nicely. Think Zen.
Use the little bit of melted butter you saved earlier to drizzle over the center of the twisted sister.
Bake on center rack at 350 degrees for 22-27 minutes. Pastry should be golden on top and feel firm to the touch in the center. Poke the center with your finger and you should feel some resistance.
Allow to cool a few minutes and enjoy. It pulls apart or you can slice it into servings.

After making these we decided it needed a danish drizzle, so put about a cup of powdered sugar in a bowl and add some milk, whisk it and add more milk until it's drippy, then drizzle that over the pastry and let it harden.

If you are eating these left-over, toast them up first!!

Coconut Banana Oatmeal Bars

I was feeling adventurous today... I took a simple bar recipe and made it into a delicious combination of natural sweetness with a butterscotch surprise.

So if you leave out the peanut butter and the butterscotch chips this recipe is crazy healthy- no added sugar, no gluten, no animal products. It's vegan, gluten-free, and sugar conscious. You can definitely add nuts, chocolate chips, any kind of seed or other fruit you want, a tbsp of molasses would make it darker and richer, I think the possibilities are endless. Next time I want to try baking it in a smaller pan so they come out thicker, because they don't rise they stay short and dense. It might be nice to have them thicker and crustier on the outside with a soft inside. Some sort of crusty top might be nice too, like coconut or oats on the top that will get toasted and brown. Hmmm...

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/3 cup raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butterscotch chips

2 large, ripe bananas
2 apples, peeled and grated
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peanut butter

Method:

Preheat oven to 350
Line a 9x9 pan with tin foil and brush foil lightly with canola oil
In one bowl combine all dry ingredients- 1st paragraph
In another bowl combine all wet ingredients- 2nd paragraph
Combine wet and dry and pour into pan
With a fork press the mixture flat into the pan
Bake for about 35 mins or until the bars are brown and toasted on the edges
Let sit for a few minutes- they do taste really good warm so you can eat them right away
Keep in tupperware in fridge because of the fruit

Whole Wheat Rubarb Raisin Muffins with Nutmeg

So I figured out a way to use up all of the rhubarb... I took this Armenian Nutmeg Cake and made it into a muffin of sorts. I added rhubarb, raisins, orange zest, made it half whole wheat and half white flour, and accidentally added some cardamom. I backed off on the sugar and changed the cooking time and temp.

Ingredients:

1 cup soy milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup buttermilk or you can sub applesauce
2 tbs hot water

1 cup ap flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup polenta (to add crispness)
Just under 1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cardamom
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tbs ground chia or flax
1/4 tsp salt

1 cup raisins
rhubarb- as much or as little as you like- I used more than 2 cups
zest of one orange

Method:

Preheat oven to 400.
Mix all wet ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer.
Mix all dry ingredients in a separate small bowl.
Pour dry into wet and mix just until dough comes together.
Stop mixer and add rhubarb, raisins, and zest.
Turn on mixer for like 5 seconds just to incorporate.
Pour muffin mix into paper- lined muffin tin.
Bake about 20 ish minutes until muffins bounce back to the touch and have a little color on top.

Quick Cinnamon Buns

This Cini-bun, recipe from Sweet and Sugar Bean, is really simple and easy. They took 20 mins to make and under 20 mins to bake. And there's something about rolling cinnamon in dough that makes me happy. Plus the smell takes over the whole house and makes everyone else happy.

The only thing I changed from the original recipe is I used all butter instead of part butter, part shortening, and I put a tablespoon of cocoa in the filling.

Ingredients:

DOUGH:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
i 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup buttermilk, cold
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FILLING:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Method:

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Grease a 8x8-inch square baking pan with butter and set aside.

In a small bowl, make the filling by mixing together sugars, spices, cocoa, salt, and melted butter. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. (Add butter and beat until butter is cut into tiny bits and incorporates with the flour some. About 1 minute or so). In another bowl, combine egg, milk, and vanilla, and beat lightly with a fork. Add the liquid to flour mixture all at once, let the mixer go until the dough has just come together, just a few seconds.

Turn out onto a floured board and pull the dough together and flatten into a disk for rolling. If the butter has warmed too much in the making of the dough, shape the batter into a dish, wrap in plastic wrap, and let rest in the fridge for 15 minutes. If the butter is still cool, shape the dough into a disk and, on a well floured surface, roll dough to a little less than 1/2-inch thickness. My dough was about 12-inches long and 10-inches tall. Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar filling. At this point I sprinkled it liberally with extra cinnamon. Begin to carefully roll one vertical side into a fairly tight roll. Continue rolling until you have a biscuit cylinder. Using a sharp, floured knife, slice into log, about 1-inch thick. Place rolls, in prepared pan. Brush the tops with a little extra melted butter and bake for 13-15 minutes, until golden brown on top.