Leftover beer bread baking

We had a party last weekend and had several cans of Yuengling lager left over.  I found a really great recipe for a beer pretzel bread to try out.

Beer Pretzel Bread
Recipe adapted from Baked By Rachel

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 C beer
• 1 pkg rapid rise yeast
• 1 tsp sugar

• 3C bread flour
• 1 tsp salt

• 1/3C baking soda

• 3 tbsp butter, melted
• Course salt, for topping

Method:

Microwave the beer in 30-second intervals until it is warm.  Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer, add yeast and sugar and cover with a towel to proof for 7 mins.  With your dough hook add the flour and salt until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  You may need to knead in a little more flour.  Transfer to a oil-sprayed bowl and cover with a towel to rise for an hour.  Once risen, cut into 4 balls and let them rise again for 25 mins on parchment.  Preheat the oven to 375 and bring 3 inches of water to boil in a stock pot.  Once the water is at a rolling boil add the baking soda, careful it will bubble up so be prepared.  Cut an X into the top of each roll and drop them into the water.  Boil them for 30 seconds on each side and then take them out and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake for about 25 mins until dark brown on top.  

Peanut butter cookies for work friends

I promised a coworker something with peanut butter and chocolate.  I think this will work...

Peanut Butter Hershey Kiss Cookies with Sea Salt
Recipe adapted from Knead To Cook

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks butter at room temp
• 1/2 cup of peanut butter 
• 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup of light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• About 20 or so Hershey Kisses
• Sea Salt for sprinkling on top

Method:  

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix flours, b soda, b powder, and salt in small bowl.  In bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy.  Mix in egg and vanilla.  Add the flour mixture.  Make walnut-sized balls out of the batter and place on cookie sheet.  Press one hershey kiss face-down into each cookie and then sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake for 14 minutes or until they are as golden as you like them.  I like them pretty golden around the edges.  

Baking with pumpkin!!

Yet another way to tell that it's fall, canned pumpkin is aplenty.  I saved this recipe a week ago and was very glad that I did.

Pumpkin Cornbread Muffin with Craisins and Walnuts
Recipe adapted from Aida's Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 cup craisins
• 1 cup crushed walnuts

Method:

Preheat oven to 430.  Mix flour, b powder, salt, cinnamon, and cornmeal in a small bowl.  In a larger bowl mix sugar, eggs, pumpkin, canola, and molasses.  Pour dry into wet and mix til almost combined.  Add craisins and walnuts and mix completely.  Divide into about 8 muffin cups and put in oven.  Turn oven down to 400 and bake for about 20 minutes.  Muffins are done when they are firm to the touch.

Illustration credit:  www.123rf.com

It's a cold day... let's make some cookies

Chilly outside, but warm and smelling like baking inside.  Fall is here isn't it?  It sure felt like it today.  Shivering all day at work, but came home to a nice warm fire and a bag of chocolate chips.

Chocolate Chip Walnut and Butterscotch Coffee Cookies
Recipe adapted from A Zesty Bite

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks salted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 lg eggs
• 2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp brewed coffee
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp instant ground espresso
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup butterscotch chips 
• 1 cup crushed walnuts

Method:

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix b soda, flour, salt, espresso, and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy in electric mixer.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Add coffee.  Add dry mixture.  Add chips and walnuts.  Divide cookies between 4 baking sheets and bake for about 14 minutes, until golden brown.  

Illustration credit:  favim.com

The barter system

My friend Blue and I have a really great barter going on where she gives me massages in exchange for baked goods.  This week I had her work on this wicked knot in my back and I made her cookies.  I really like this trade, we've been doing it pretty much all summer.  Blue often challenges me by asking for gluten-free or vegan recipes and I try to rise to the occasion.  I pulled out an oldie but goodie Martha recipe for this weeks trade.

Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Cookies
Recipe from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

• 7 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Method:

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.
3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.
4. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2- inch balls; place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makin' bread on the weekend

Bread is really fun.  I have found a few really easy recipes that turn out pretty much every time and are big crowd pleasers.  I'm adding this one to the list.  This recipe was a little off for me, I had to add a significant amount of white flour to the dough to get it to come together.  I added 1/4 cup at a time and probably added about one additional cup all together.  I also had to throw away my first starter because my yeast didn't turn out.  It didn't foam so I had to start all over.  No biggie I just hate to waste all that honey.  Anyway...

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Honey Raisin Bread
Recipe adapted from Naturally Ella

Ingredients:

• 1½ cup warm water
• 1 package yeast
• ½ cup honey
• 3 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1½ cup whole wheat
• ½ cup white flour (plus more)
• 1 cup raisins

Method: 

Start by placing water, yeast, and honey in the bowl of stand mixer. Stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve yeast and honey, let sit for 5-10 minutes or until mixtures begins to foam. (If this does not happen your yeast was either old or your water was too cold or hot or your yeast was no good.)  Once yeast is ready, add oil, salt, oatmeal, and 1 cup of the whole wheat flour.  Add raisins.  Begin to knead with dough hook, adding the rest of the whole wheat flour and white flour as needed until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.  I had to add about 1 cup of extra white flour at this point, this may be different for you so don't take my word for it (dough should still be kind of soft, just not sticky.)  Continue to knead for 10 minutes.  Once done kneading set in a warm spot to rise.  If there are no sunny spots outside I turn the oven on to the lowest degree for a few minutes and then turn it off and make sure it's just warm and let it rise in there.  Let dough rise until doubled in size- usually about an hour.  Turn dough out and shape into a loaf or some rolls and place on a parchment-papered baking sheet. Again, place in warm spot and let rise until dough doubles in size-this is usually about 45 minutes.  Heat oven to 375˚, spray loaf lightly with water, sprinkle oatmeal on top, and spray with water again. Bake for 45 minutes or until bread is golden on top and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Let cool and slice.

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.  

About time I made some cookies

It's been a little while since I got the Kitchen Aid going so I made some chocolate chip cookies last night.  I found a simple recipe and then rolled the dough in coconut and sea salt before putting it on the cookie tray.

Coconut Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe adapted from Verses From My Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• pinch of coarse salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• sea salt

Method:

Mix together the brown sugar, sugar and butter in Kitchen Aid. Add the eggs, mixing until incorporated. Add in the vanilla and continue to mix. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt and add into the mixture. Pour in the chocolate chips and fold until well distributed.
Drop tablespoon-sized balls of the mixture onto a parchment paper-lined sheet that you have rolled in coconut and sprinkled on top with a little sea salt.
Place the sheet into a pre-heated 325°F oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until the bottom is slightly browned.

Maida Heatter's bran muffins yet again

When you don't have walnuts and raisins for your bran muffins, almonds and apples will have to do...  This time I bumped back the sugar and bumped up the molasses and the salt.  

Almond Apple Bran Muffins

Recipe adapted from Maida Heatter

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup dark or light molasses or honey
• 4 egg yolks 
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 1/2 cups bran flakes
• 1 chopped apple
• 1 cup almonds chopped into large pieces
• 1 cup unsifted all purpose white flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 450 and paper a 12-cup muffin tin.  Melt the butter in a pan, remove it from the heat and add the sugar and molasses to it.  Stir to combine.  Separately, combine the egg and the milk.  Then add that to the butter mixture and combine.  Add the bran flakes and stir them in so they absorb the liquid.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, and b soda.  Add the wet to the dry and stir til almost combined.  Add the apple and nuts and mix the rest of the way.  Divvy into muffin tins and pop in the oven.  Once the pan is in turn the oven down to 400 and bake for 17 minutes or until the muffins are set.