![]() Hurray, it's fall! Pumpkin lattes, leaves, frigid temperatures! Well, sort of hurray, we are definitely not used to the cold weather, but we certainly love the foliage we are getting in Idaho, and that we are starting to slide into all our favorite holidays. But, before we get to turkey and stuffing and latkes and gingerbread houses and rows of cookies, we are exited to helm our 7th, yes 7th, ingredient based instragram collaboration with Annie of What Annie's Eating! This seasonal celebration of ingredients has been our favorite way to connect with all the like-minded creative foodies we have found on instagram. We are constantly blown away by everyone's passion for food and community, and in all honesty, this is the community that has offered us respite in these crazy times and we are so grateful. For this season, we have looked to the humble cranberry to offer up inspiration. For us, we really don't use it all that often except for our thanksgiving side dish, and dried for our granola or cookies over the rest of the year. However, cranberries are truly a special berry, packed with antioxidants and vitamin c. Their tart punch can lend themselves to both sweet and savory dishes, as their sweet and sour vibe can accompany meat or star in their own dessert as we have done here. Yes, they do need more than the usual amount of sugar to really bring out their charm, but, this pie is worth the extra! If you are someone who loves sour cherry pie, this is your winter pie. The streusel and oats give the pie an oatmeal cookie vibe, and the cranberries cook down with the orange and ginger to give you this delicious jammy filling. Be sure to check out our hashtag, #yesyoucranberry for everyone's amazing cranberry dishes and show us what you are making as well! Cranberry Orange Streusel Pie 9” inch pie 1 Disc of Your Favorite Pie dough (can make from scratch or use a store bought) Filling: 4 cups fresh cranberries 1 1/2 cup sugar zest of 1/2 orange juice of ½ orange pinch of salt 1 tablespoon of tapioca flour ½ tsp. ground ginger Oatmeal Streusel Topping: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1 cup of oatmeal 1 tablespoon of flour 1 tsp. cinnamon ¼ cup brown sugar 1 pinch salt 1 egg, beaten. 1 tsp. sparkling sugar To make streusel, place all ingredients into the food processor. Pulse until crumbly and beginning to hold together, then set aside. Place all filling ingredients into a saucepan, cook for about 7-8 minutes until berries begin to burst, and the sugar and tapioca flour have dissolved. Set aside to cool. Preheat oven to 400. Roll our dough and line a 9-inch pie tin, trim edges and crimp. Add cooled filling and top with crumble letting a few berries peek through. You can use your extra dough to make some designs and place on top of crumble or along the edges. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Bake pie for 10 minutes, then continue baking at 375 until evenly browned and berries are bubbling. Cover with tinfoil if the top gets too dark before the filling is bubbling. You really are just looking to insure your crust is baked as the filling has already been cooked. Cool before slicing and serve with sweetened whipped cream or ice cream! Check out these recipes from our friends! What Annie’s Eating Cranberry Mojitos Easy and Delish -- Avocado Cranberry Hummus Dip Flottelottehaan Buchteln with Cranberry Oranges Jam The Cooking of Joy’s Cranberry Curd Tart Jessie Sheehan Bakes - Cranberry Buckle Ciao Chow Bambina - Cranberry Pecan Cracker Spread Baking The Goods - Cranberry Apple Brown Butter Crumble Pie Katiebird Bakes - Cranberry Sauce Breakfast Rolls Crumb Top Baking’s Cranberry Orange Overnight Oatmeal Muffins
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Mom's apple tree produced mountains of apples this year, so the ones that have not yet found themselves tucked into pie, have become a myriad of other delectables. These bars are a riff on our classic fruit bar, and play up all those things we love about apple pie. We have quite a few recipes here that showcase the versatility of our recipe, the Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bar, Rhubarb and Mulberry Crumb Bar, Cranberry Orange, mixed fruit, Apricot, you get the idea. We love this recipe as it feels like dessert, but also feels like a decent snack for the kids. Win win!
Apple Pie Crumb Bar 1 9x13 pan, about 16 bars 1-cup brown sugar 3 cups flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. cinnamon, divided ½ tsp. salt 1-cup cold butter cut in cubes Zest of 1 lemon 2 eggs 3 cups diced, peeled apples ½ cup sugar 2 tsp. tapioca flour Juice of 1 lemon 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract Preheat oven to 375 Grease a 9 x 13” inch Pyrex baking dish. In a medium bowl mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, ½ tsp. cinnamon, salt, and lemon zest. Then, add in the cold butter and egg, cutting it in with a pastry cutter or fork. You can also use your fingers to break up any large pieces of butter. Once the mixture resembles crumbs, press half into the pan. In another bowl, add sugar, lemon juice, ½ tsp. cinnamon, tapioca powder and Vanilla extract and mix. Carefully stir in apples. Spread fruit with juices evenly on top of dough and sprinkle with remaining dough. You want some fruit peeking out. Bake 40-45 minutes until fruit is bubbling and topping is golden brown. Cool before slicing. It has been quite an adventure moving to Idaho. Moving out of Los Angeles was bittersweet, we miss our friends and family, but we have fallen even more in love with this special place we call home now. Surrounded by blue skies, mountains, and nature has filled each of us with a bit more zen, and we are exploring new places every day. On Facebook, we found a lovely lady who was selling fruit from her garden, so we drove over and picked up a few pounds of the most glorious little apricots. Her garden was overflowing with bounty, we have our eye on her last cutting of rhubarb in a few weeks and the plums were just starting to come in. Some of the apricots got tucked into a pie, some into a galette, and then these we paired with some blueberries for a bar to die for. We are huge apricot fans, apricot jam is literally our jam, and we love a good crumb bar. These came out just sweet enough from the blueberries, and tart from those tasty apricots. If you can't find any apricots as the season here is almost over, sub in plums, or nectarines! Apricot Blueberry Crumb Bars Makes one 9” x 13” Pyrex 1-cup brown sugar 3 cups flour 1 tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. salt 1-cup cold butter, cut into pieces Zest of a lemon 2 eggs 1-cup blueberries 3-4 cups sliced apricots 1-cup sugar 4 tsp. cornstarch or tapioca flour Juice of 1 lemon 1 ½ tsp. almond extract Preheat oven to 375 Grease a 9 x 13” Pyrex baking dish. In a medium bowl mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Then, add in the cold butter and eggs, cutting it in with a pastry cutter or fork. You can also use your fingers to break up any larger pieces of butter. Once the mixture resembles crumbs, press half into the pan, making sure you have an even base. In another bowl, add sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch and almond extract and mix. Carefully stir in fruit. Let the fruit sit for a few minutes. Spread fruit with juices evenly on top of dough and sprinkle with remaining dough. You want some fruit peeking out. Bake 40-45 minutes until fruit is bubbling and topping is golden brown. Cool before slicing. Rhubarb is one of those things that can be a little confusing. Technically, it is a vegetable but "legally considered" a fruit...Now what the heck does that mean? To us, it sort of is like a tomato, which is technically a fruit but eaten as a vegetable. Either way, rhubarb is something special, and if you have never tried it, these bars are an easy way to indoctrinate you into its sweet, tart unique flavor. Raw, it is stringy and super sour, but coupled with some sugar and acid, and baked, the layers of flavor unfold. The mulberry is a perfect counterpoint as these berries are super sweet when ripe, but lack that acidic kick that let's say a blackberry has. So, together you have sweet and tart, and with the oats in the crumble, you have created this delicious dessert that can be breakfast, snacks or topped with ice cream to end a meal. Try it soon, before both are out of season!
Rhubarb and Mulberry Oat Bars makes 1 8inch square baking dish ½ cup brown sugar 1-cup flour ½ cup rolled oats ½ tsp. baking powder ¼ tsp. salt ½ cup butter cut into small pieces 1 egg beaten Zest of 1 lemon 1 cup diced rhubarb about 8 stalks 1-cup mulberries ½ cup sugar ½ cup brown sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 tsp. tapioca powder or cornstarch Juice of 1 lemon 1 tsp. cinnamon Preheat oven to 375 Grease an 8’ inch cake or Pyrex baking dish. In a medium bowl mix flour, brown sugar, oats, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Then add in the cold butter and egg, cutting it in with a pastry cutter or fork. You can also use your fingers to break up any large pieces of butter. Once the mixture resembles crumbs, press half into the pan. In another bowl, add sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch or tapioca powder and Vanilla extract and mix. Carefully stir in fruit. Spread fruit with juices evenly on top of dough and sprinkle with remaining dough. You want some fruit peeking out. Bake 40-45 minutes until fruit is bubbling and topping is golden brown. Cool before slicing.
Pies and galettes don't have to just be seen as a dessert. There are lots of ways to eat pies and tarts all day long, and well, that makes us really happy! This tart or galette is inspired by the quiche, but here you don't have the egg or cream. We have taken our basic pie dough which is so versatile that once you have it down, you can create whatever flavor profiles are your favorites, and imparted it with the herbs de provence, a favorite spice composed of things like rosemary, thyme, oregano and marjoram. Once you layer on the cheese, mushrooms, leeks and zucchinis, you have created a savory tart that if you close your eyes you could be transported to Paris and a little cafe on the Rue St. Germaine. All you need is a glass of wine, or two, a side salad, and some nice company to enjoy a tasty lunch. Rustic Mushroom Zucchini and Leek Galette Serves 6-8 1/2 batch of your favorite pie dough or store bought, enough for one disc Filling 6-8 oz. cream cheese, softened or Rondele ½ cup grated Parmesan ½ lb. mixed mushrooms, chopped ½ onion, finely diced or leek 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 zucchini, diced 1 tablespoon fresh Thyme, minced 1 tsp Zaatar 2 tablespoons Olive Oil 1 tsp. sea salt 1 tsp. pepper Preheat oven to 400 Place olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme, zaatar, and salt and sauté until soft and beginning to brown. Add zucchini and sauté until tender and beginning to brown. Remove from pan and add your mushrooms. You may need to add a little more olive oil to the pan. Sauté the mushrooms until they are tender and remove them from the heat. Roll out your dough on a well-floured surface. Trim sides to get as close to a circle as you can then save the scraps. Move dough onto a parchment lined baking tray preferably without a lip. Spread your cream cheese gently on the dough, keeping a 2-inch rim around the side. Spread your onion mixture on top, then the mushrooms. Top with Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Brush with egg wash and start at twelve o’clock, folding the dough in. Work your way around the tart and use the egg wash to seal your folds. You will get about 6-8 folds resembling an octagon or hexagon. You can stop here and brush with egg wash. Or, reroll scraps and have some fun with cookie cutters, using the egg wash to help stick your shapes to the tart. When done decorating, brush with egg wash. Bake for 40-50 minutes until cheese begins to melt and dough is brown. If it browns too quickly cover with foil and keep baking. We haven't made banana bread for awhile, so when we spotted some brown bananas in the fruit bowl, it was time to revisit the trusty favorite. However, then we realized while we had the right bananas we had no flour, too much pie and bread making going on! We did have a bag of gluten-free flour on hand from out gluten-free pie dough experimenting, so we thought we would give it a try. As we were experimenting anyway, we tried adding in some tahini and flax to play with texture and flavor. There have been a lot of recipes we have read lately using tahini is sweets, and we are digging the nutty sesame flavor it imparts. So far, as the loaf is half-way gone, no one has even suspected it is gluten-free, and the tahini gives it this unexpected buttery flavor. Looks like a win all the way around!!!
Gluten-Free Tahini Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips makes one loaf 1 1/3 cups gluten-free flour (we use Cup4Cup) ¾ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon cinnamon 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 3 tablespoons tahini 1 tablespoon flax seeds 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup sugar 2 large eggs lightly beaten 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 very ripe bananas, mashed ½ cup chocolate chips or you can omit chocolate and add ½ cup chopped nuts Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 6-cup loaf pan, or line with parchment. Whisk all dry ingredients together in medium bowl. In a stand mixer or using a large bowl and a hand-held mixer, beat on high speed the butter and the sugars until lightened in color and fluffy. Add Tahini and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and beat until the mixture resembles sand, making sure to scrape down the sides. Slowly add in the beaten egg, a little at a time, and then add vanilla. When combined, carefully fold in banana and chocolate chips (or nuts). Scrape into prepared pan and bake about 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool entirely before unmolding. If you omit the chocolate chips bump sugar up to ½ cup sugar, and ½ cup brown sugar. Also, if the bread is browning too quickly, cover with tinfoil and continue baking We have always been a puff pancake, dutch baby kind of family. There is the drama in the puff, and the delicate sweetness and custardy texture is a favorite. In all honesty, we would rather make one big pancake instead of many little ones so we can actually eat breakfast with everyone as opposed to standing by the stove working batches! This one was inspired by that classic combination of cherries and vanilla. The fruit inside makes it sort of like a French clafoutis, another custardy dessert we love. You can sub any berry in, but the cherries pack a nice sweet tart punch! Be sure to have everyone siting when you pull it from the oven as the puff doesn't last long!
Cherry Vanilla Dutch Baby serves 4-6 in 9 inch oven proof skillet 3/4 cup milk 3/4 cup flour 1/3 cup sugar 3 eggs 1/2 cup cherries, pitted and halved 6 tablespoons butter 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. vanilla bean paste (if you can't find add one more tsp. vanilla extract) Preheat oven to 425 Whisk together the flour, milk, eggs, sugar and vanillas until smooth. In an oven proof 9 inch skillet melt butter and swirl along the sides of the pan. Add batter and scatter cherries on top. After about 1 minute, place in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. Pancake will be puffed and golden brown. Serve immediately with syrup or jam or a squeeze of lemon! We have been adding cranberries to many a thing this past month, pies, applesauce, you name it, as we love the tart, acidic punch they give. So, when we found a bag of fresh cranberries tucked in the back of the refrigerator, (probably from Thanksgiving) we experimented with our trusty crumb bar recipe. Playing off the classic combination of cranberries and orange and knowing that the cranberries would need a bit more sugar then lets say a mixed berry crumb bar, we tweaked the recipe a bit and came up with this delicious cookie/bar. Its sweet, tart, and sort of feels like breakfast without the carb load of a big cran-orange muffin, not that we have anything against a good cran-orange muffin:) Try these before you forget that you love cranberries, and have to wait until next Thanksgiving to enjoy them! Cranberry Orange Crumb Bars Makes 16 bars 1/2 cup Brown Sugar 1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into cubes zest of 1 orange 1 egg 2 cups fresh cranberries 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons corn starch juice of one orange 1/2 tsp. almond extract Preheat oven to 375 Grease an 8’ inch cake or Pyrex baking dish. In a medium bowl mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest. Then add in the cold butter and egg, cutting it in with a pastry cutter or fork. You can also use your fingers to break up any large pieces of butter. Once the mixture resembles crumbs, press half into the pan. In another bowl, add sugar, orange juice, cornstarch and almond extract and mix. Carefully stir in cranberries. Spread fruit with juices evenly on top of dough and sprinkle with remaining dough. You want some fruit peeking out. Bake 40-45 minutes until fruit is bubbling and topping is golden brown. Cool before slicing. You asked, and we delivered. Here is the recipe for these yummy soft pretzels! We tweaked the original a bit as we gleaned it from a video, but the results were delicious. Yes, they have yeast, and yes, you have to let them rise, and yes, you will be nervous that they are not going to work, but push through the fear! Cooking and baking is all about trying, failing, trying again, tweaking, tasting, experimenting. Nothing is perfect, but that is ok. We never have really played around with yeast, and are trying to conquer the fear. The first attempts were flat, rock hard rolls that no one ate. Then, we made a successful challah, then another, then these, then cinnamon rolls! Have patience and you will be rewarded, especially with these soft pretzels. Salty, with a little tang, and super good to dunk in mustard!We especially loved them topped with Trader Joe's Everything Bagel Spice mix, but use what you have. Soft Pretzels Makes 10 1-½ cups warm water 1-tablespoon salt 1-tablespoon sugar 1 packet active dry yeast 4-¼ cup flour 2 tablespoons oil plus a little to coat bowl 2/3-cup baking soda About 8 cups water 1 egg, whisked Salt and seeds for sprinkling Mix in a bowl the warm water, salt and sugar. Whisk, and then add the yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy. Add flour and oil and knead about 5 minutes until dough is smooth and comes together. Place in oil-coated bowl in warm place for 1 hour until doubles. Preheat oven to 450 In a large pot boil water then add the baking soda (this will foam so make sure you have room in pot) Turn heat to medium high. Turn dough out and cut in half, then each half into 5 pieces. Roll into long rope about 18 inches long. Bring ends to each other, twist, and attach at bottom forming the pretzel shape. You can also cut into pretzel bites. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. One at a time, drop into the water bath with the baking soda. Simmer about 30 seconds per side. Remove and place on tray. Brush each with egg wash and sprinkle with desired topping. Bake for 12-15 minutes until brown and puffed. Serve with your favorite mustard. P.S. You can freeze these after you bake them and warm them up in a 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. We are addicted to Peanut Butter. It is one of our desert island foods, so we are constantly looking for ways to enjoy it. This grown up version of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich was inspired by a large batch of organic Costco concord grapes on the verge of being purged. On a whim, we cooked them down into this ridiculously good jelly, sweet, tart and bright, and then threw the jelly into these bars. Yes, it does involve an extra step, but it is well worth the effort. Next time, we are trying it with green grapes!!!
Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal Bars Makes 1 dozen 1-cup flour 1-cup oats 1/3-cup brown sugar 1/3-cup sugar ½ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. baking soda ½ cup peanut butter ½ cup butter, room temperature 1-cup fresh grape “jelly” Grape “Jelly” 3 cups grapes, any kind ¼ cup sugar 1-tablespoon cornstarch ¼ cup water plus 1 tablespoon ½ tsp. vanilla extract For the grape jelly place all the grapes, sugar. Vanilla and ¼ water into a saucepan over medium heat. Stir grapes until they start to break down and release their juices. About 5-8 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch into tablespoon of water and pour into grapes. Turn heat up slightly and let grapes bubble and thicken for about 2 minutes. Turn off and cool. Preheat oven to 350 Grease an 8x8 square baking dish and set aside Place the oats, flour, salt, baking soda, and sugars in mixer with a paddle attachment. Add peanut butter, then butter and mix until evenly combined. Take 2/3 of your crumble and press into your prepared pan. Bake for about 20 minutes until slightly brown. Spread grape jelly on top and cover with remaining crumble, letting some grape jelly poke through. Bake for another 20-25 minutes until brown and bubbling. Let cool entirely before slicing. We have been making Dutch Babies, or puffed pancakes forever. They take a little more time then regular pancakes, but are so worth it. And beside, most of that extra time is just waiting at the table for them to bake! These pancakes are light, subtle sweet and decadent at the same time. The top ridge, crispy, while the bottom always has this custard quality. We have experimented over the years with many combinations including the classic with lemon squeezed on at the end, blackberries and buttermilk, matcha, and even chocolate. The same basic recipe can be tweaked with different fruit, and different extracts like Vanilla. If you need to make a larger pancake, you can do this recipe times 1.5 and place in a twelve inch oven proof skillet. Be sure everyone is at the table when it comes out of the oven as the puff never lasts! Almond Raspberry Dutch Baby Pancake Makes 1, 9 inch pancake ½ cup milk ½ cup flour ¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar 2 eggs ½ teaspoon almond extract 4 tablespoons of butter ¼-1/2 cup raspberries Preheat oven to 425 Whisk together the flour, milk, eggs, ¼ cup of sugar and the almond extract until smooth. In an oven proof 9 inch skillet melt butter and swirl along the sides of the pan. Add batter and scatter raspberries on top. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar. After about 1 minute, place in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. Pancake will be puffed and golden brown. Serve immediately with syrup or jam Sometimes recipes happen due to necessity. The heat we have been having is wrecking havoc on any fruit we forget to put in the fridge! The plums were on the verge and we had some leftover ricotta from pizza night, so boom, muffins it was! We always like baking with plums as the fruit has a complex flavor, both sweet and sour, and here in Los Angeles we have varieties galore. Some plums are more acidic, some more mild, so you can adjust your sugar content after tasting. These were made with some yellow plums with low acidity, and medium sugar content. The combination of spices nudges you towards fall and offer a nice contrast to the fruit. For another delicious plum recipe try out Plum Snack Cake with pecans! Spiced Plum and Ricotta Muffins Makes 10-12 ½ cup oats ½ tsp. ground ginger 1 tablespoon honey, warmed 2 cups flour 1 ½ tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. cardamom ¼ tsp. nutmeg ½ tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. salt 1 tablespoon of ground chia 1 tablespoon flax seeds ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup ricotta ½ cup olive oil 2 eggs, whisked 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup diced plums Preheat oven to 350 and line a muffin tin with paper liners or spray with non-stick spray In a small bowl mix oats, ginger and warmed honey and set aside for topping Stir together in a large bowl the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, ground chia and flax seeds. In another bowl mix the sugar, ricotta cheese, olive oil, eggs and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Fold in the diced plums. Fill the muffin tin with the batter and top each muffin with a sprinkle of the oat mixture. Bake about 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool *This muffin can be easily changed up depending on what you have at hand. Whole wheat flour can be a substitute and chia seeds can be used instead of ground chia. Summer fruit really doesn't need much to make it sing. A little sugar, a little acid, perhaps a touch of spice and boom, you have a tasty dessert worthy for any summer evening spread. This crumble gets a little twist with the use of the hazelnut flour, as it imparts a nuttier flavor to the topping. Use any selection of stone fruits, we used some plums and some peaches and any berry, we used blackberry. Really anything you have at hand will work and this is a nice dessert to use up any fruit that is on the verge. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream or eat it cold for breakfast! Hazelnut Oat Crumble with Stone Fruit and Berries Makes 1 9x13 inch baking dish 6 stone fruits, sliced ½ cup butter, melted ½ cup blackberries ½ c plus ½ c sugar 1 lemon, zested ½ tsp. salt ½ tsp. plus ½ tsp. cinnamon 1 cup hazelnut flour 1 cup oats ½ cup flour Preheat oven to 350 In a large bowl mix the fruit, lemon zest, ½ c. sugar, ½ tsp. cinnamon and let sit. In another bowl mix melted butter, the rest of the sugar, hazelnut flour, flour, cinnamon, salt, and oats. Squish with your finger tips until it comes together in crumbles. Pour onto a baking sheet and let air out for about 10 minutes. Grease your baking dish and pour in the fruit. Top with crumble, being sure to squeeze some pieces together into large crumbs. Bake for 30-40 minutes until fruit is bubbling and the topping has begun to brown. Serve with ice cream or whip cream! Another great dessert to use stone fruits is our Plum Galette recipe and you can now get that recipe and more in our set of NEW GREETING CARDS! Check out our Etsy store and order now! And, for just a few more days if you use the code ENDOFSUMMER you get 15% off all orders! We are always game to trying something new and when Zest Tea, @getzesttea, sent us some apple cinnamon tea to try, we thought "why not bake with it?" The results were by far the best muffins we have made in awhile. Adding the additional layer of flavor the tea imparted to the butter, really made these muffins sing! The apple cinnamon flavor was pronounced, not lost in the baking. We are definitely going to play around with some other flavors of tea and will let you know how they turn out! A friend suggested ear grey and cherries.....yummy! Apple Cinnamon Tea infused Muffins Makes 10-12 ½ cup or 1 stick of unsalted butter ¼ cup loose apple cinnamon tea 1 ½ cups flour ¾ cups sugar plus 1 tablespoon 1 ½ tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon plus ½ tsp. ½ cup milk 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract 1 egg 1 cup grated apples, about 1 large apple. Preheat oven to 375 Grease muffin pan with cooking spray or butter and set aside. To make your tea infused butter, melt butter then add the tealeaves. Let heat over low for about five minutes, it will continue bubbling. Remove from heat and set aside for another few minutes. Butter will look a little green, but don’t worry! Using a fine meshed strainer or sieve, pour butter through and push on leaves, squeezing out all you can. Set aside. In a medium bowl, add flour, ¾ cups of sugar, baking powder, salt and 1 tsp. of cinnamon. In another bowl, add egg and gently whisk. Add to egg, the vanilla, tea infused butter, and milk and mix. Add to flour, with the apples and stir until all is incorporated. Mix remaining sugar and cinnamon in small bowl and set aside. Scoop batter into muffin cups, filling about ¾ of the way. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake for 20-23 minutes until slightly brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan, then remove and serve. When the kids hear they can have cookies for breakfast, they are super psyched! And, well, these cookies pack enough punch to get them fueled up while they think they are pulling one over on us. They are sort of like the cookie version of loaded oatmeal, filled with lots of oats, dried fruit and coconut oil. You could add a tablespoon or two of almond butter or a 1/4 cup of chopped nuts to the dough if you wanted a hit of protein, but we leave them out as the kids school is nut free and these are also great as school snacks. Breakfast Cookies Makes about 1 dozen ½ cup applesauce ½ cup dried cherries or cranberries ½ cup oats ¼ cup oat flour ½ tsp. cinnamon ¼ tsp. nutmeg ½ tsp. vanilla extract 1 tbsp. coconut oil 1 egg ¼ cup brown sugar ¼ c mini chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 In a large mixing bowl whisk egg, oil, and applesauce. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until incorporated. Chill in refrigerator for 20 minutes Scoop dough into about 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet Bake for 14 minutes We have made banana bread too many times to count as somehow when you have little kids around, you always have overripe bananas! My mom and I argue about this recipe all the time and go back and forth over who's we like better. This recipe is our compromise! Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour ¾ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon cinnamon 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon honey 2 large eggs lightly beaten 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 very ripe bananas, mashed ½ cup chocolate chips or you can omit chocolate and add ½ cup chopped nuts Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 6-cup loaf pan. Whisk all dry ingredients together in medium bowl. In a stand mixer or using a large bowl and a hand-held mixer, beat on high speed the butter and the sugars until lightened in color and fluffy. Add to sugar and butter the dry ingredients and beat on medium speed until resembling sand. Slowly add in the beaten egg, a little at a time, then add vanilla. When combined, carefully fold in banana and chocolate chips (or nuts). Scrape into prepared pan and bake about 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool before unmolding. If you omit the chocolate chips bump sugar up to ½ cup sugar, and ½ cup brown sugar. ![]() We are always playing around with ways to get more fiber and food into the smallest child in the morning. These oat based muffins are filling and tasty, a great start to the day. And, the chocolate tricks him into eating more then a single raspberry for breakfast! Chocolate Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins Makes 12 1-cup flour ½ cup oat flour ½ cup rolled oats ¼ cup oat bran ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar ½ tsp. salt 1-tablespoon baking powder ½ tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. cinnamon ¼ tsp. nutmeg ¼ cup cacao powder 2 eggs 1-cup sour cream ¼ cup milk 4 tablespoons melted butter 1 tsp. vanilla extract ½-1 cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate Preheat oven to 400 Line muffin pan with paper liners or grease with butter or spray with non-stick baking spray In a bowl whisk flour, oat flour, rolled oats, oat bran, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, spices and cacao powder. In a smaller bowl whisk eggs, sour cream, milk, melted butter and vanilla. Add liquid to dry ingredients and mix with a few strokes to combine. Mixture will be thick. Fold in chocolate chips. With an ice cream scooper fill muffin tins and bake for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. The kids love muffins, so we are always playing around with different combos. This is a hearty breakfast muffin or afternoon snack that gets a hit of protein from the almond butter. The littlest is getting adept at cracking eggs and mashing bananas, and the bigger kids like filling up the muffin cups. A trick to making them all even is using an ice cream scoop. Almond Banana Oat Muffins with Chocolate Chips Makes 12 muffins 2 eggs 1 banana ½ cup Canola Oil 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract ¾ cup Almond Butter 1 tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. salt 1 cup sugar 2 cups quick cooking rolled Oats 1 cup flour 2 tablespoons flax seeds 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 Line muffin tray with paper muffin cups or oil/spray pan with non stick baking spray. In a Medium bowl add the eggs, banana, oil, vanilla, and almond butter. Whisk/mash all ingredients until incorporated and only small pieces of banana are visible. In another bowl whisk together the baking soda, salt, sugar, oats, flax seeds and flour. Then add this mixture to the wet ingredients. Fold with a spatula until combined, then fold in the chocolate chips. Fill muffin cups to top with batter and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. |
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