Beer Bread

Tastefully Simple first introduced me to beer bread, and now I'm quite addicted. I love it accompanied with some soup or in fondue. I also love using different beers and seeing how it affects the taste.

Recipe from Food.com

INGREDIENTS
3 cups (12.75 ounces) flour (sifted)
3 teaspoons baking powder (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
1 teaspoon salt (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
1/4 cup sugar
1 (12 ounce) can beer - I like using a dark or heavy beer, try to avoid light beers
1/2 cup melted butter (1/4 cup will do just fine, I used 1/4 cup melted butter in the batter and pour the 1/4 cup on top)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients and beer.
Pour into a greased loaf pan.
Pour melted butter over mixture.
Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool for at least 15 minutes.

ENJOY!

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

I love pumpkin. I love the fall weather. I wish the days were still longer, but overall, fall is nice. When I saw this recipe in Penzey's fall catalog, I knew I had to try it. I didn't have any evaporated milk on hand, but I think buttermilk worked just as well. I would add some nutmeg to the recipe to give it a little more spice, but over, I really enjoyed it!
Recipe adapted from Penzey's Spices

INGREDIENTS
1/2 Cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1 Cup (7.5 ounces) packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 Cup canned plain pumpkin
1/4 Cup evaporated milk (I used buttermilk)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
11/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. powdered ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1 2/3 Cups (7.08 ounces) flour

Streusel Topping:

2 TB. flour (I used almond flour)
21/2 TB. white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 TB. butter

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add the egg and blend.
• Mix together the pumpkin and evaporated milk and then mix into the butter/sugar mixture.
• Add the baking soda and SPICES and gently mix.
• Lastly, add the flour and stir; don't over stir, it makes the muffins tough.
• Pour the batter into 8 greased large muffin tin cups or 12 regular.
• In a small bowl, blend the streusel ingredients together with a fork until the topping is about the size of small peas.
• Sprinkle the topping over the muffins and then bake at 375° for approximately 22-25 minutes for an 8-muffin batch, 18-22 for a smaller 12-muffin batch.

Irish Soda Bread

Along with making some Irish Stew for St. Patrick's Day, I wanted to give soda bread a try. I know there are many variations and some say it's been too Americanized, but I definitely enjoyed this recipe.

Baking the soda bread was not without it's adventures though. The recipe says to brush with the buttermilk before baking, well that resulted in this burnt piece of work. I thought I had time to take a shower while the bread baked, there's nothing like hearing the smoke alarm go off while you're washing your hair. Alas, I fortunately had enough ingredients and whipped up another.

I've reading Wise Man's Fear right now. The characters eat a lot of stew and bread, so I've been craving stew and bread too. I tried two other soda bread recipes since, and they're just not the same. We'll see if I get called in this weekend and that will probably determine if I make another batch of this particular one. I think I like it so much because it definitely has a nice touch of butter.

Recipe from AllRecipes

INGREDIENTS
* 4 cups all-purpose flour - 17 ounces
* 4 tablespoons white sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 1 egg

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Photo from Cooking Light

I'm always game to try a new banana bread recipe, and I love peanut butter, so when I saw this reipe in Cooking Light I knew I'd eventually have to give it a try. Overall, the bread is very enjoyable. I like the nutty flavor and it is SO moist! I doubt this will be my go-to banana bread recipe, but it was definitely worth making. I opted to forgo making the glaze.

Recipe originally in Cooking Light, found online at My Recipes

Ingredients

* Bread:
* 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana - 4 bananas
* 1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
* 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
* 3 tablespoons butter, melted
* 2 large eggs

* 1/2 cup granulated sugar 3.5 ounces
* 1/2 cup packed brown sugar - 3.75

* 6.75 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
* 1/4 cup ground flaxseed 1. 25 ounces
* 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
* 2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts (omitted)

* Glaze: (Did not make)
* 1/3 cup powdered sugar
* 1 tablespoon 1% low-fat milk
* 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare bread, combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add granulated and brown sugars; beat until blended.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; cool.

4. To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk, and 1 tablespoon peanut butter in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle glaze over bread.

Cheese Irish Soda Bread

Last year King Arthur Flour sold a celtic circular baker. I was so disappointed I didn't get a chance to buy it before they sold out, I had to snag this square as soon as I saw the email. However, this post isn't about the pan, but I definitely love having this piece of Celtic in my collection.

Now onto the bread. I'd give it 3 out of five stars. It was yummy, but not something I'm rushing off to make again right away.

Recipe from King Arthur

INGREDIENTS
* 2 1/2 cups (10.5 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (Cabot preferred), cut into pats
* 8 ounces Cabot sharp or extra-sharp cheddar, grated; about 2 cups, lightly packed
* 1 1/4 cups buttermilk*
* 1 large egg
* *Don't have buttermilk? Substitute 3/4 cup plain yogurt + 1/2 cup milk

DIRECTIONS

1) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease an 8" square or 9" round pan.

2) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3) Add the butter, working it into the flour until the mixture is crumbly. Toss in the grated cheese.

4) Mix the buttermilk and egg, and add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until everything is moistened.

5) Scoop the sticky dough into the pan, using your wet fingers to spread it to the edges of the pan.

6) Bake the bread for 40 to 45 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Its internal temperature at the center will be close to 200°F.

7) Remove the bread from the oven, and loosen the edges with a table knife. Wait 5 minutes, then gently turn it out onto a rack to cool. It's tempting, but wait about 20 minutes before cutting the bread, if you can; it's a bit crumbly when hot.

Yield: 1 loaf, about 12 servings.

Herb Batter Bread

I originally posted this recipe way back in May 2009, but I didn't take a photo of the bread. So, now it's updated with the photo. I've tried some variations with wheat flour and all, but I've learned this recipe is perfect as is.

A delicious and fairly easy homemade bread! Serve it by itself or many were using it with the pesto dip I made. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 3 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon margarine, melted

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine 2 cups flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Stir in the water, shortening, parsley, rosemary, and thyme. Use an electric mixer to beat on low speed for 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Turn mixer to medium, and beat for an additional 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in remaining 1 cup flour; mix until smooth. Scrape batter from sides of bowl. Cover, and let rise in warm place for 35 to 40 minutes.
2. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan. Stir down batter by beating about 25 strokes. Scrape batter into greased pan; pat down with floured hands. Cover pan. Let dough rise in warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Do not allow dough to over-rise.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. Bake in preheated oven until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, 40 to 45 minutes. Brush top with margarine. Remove from pan, and cool on wire rack.

FOOTNOTES

• Cook's Note:
• To substitute fresh herbs, use: 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme, and 2 tablespoons chopped parsley.

Tuscan Whole Wheat Herb Bread

I don't know if I didn't cook it long enough, or if the texture just wasn't for me, but I give this a C. That being said, my coworkers loved it, so to each her own. It's definitely a dense bread.

Recipe adapted from Epicurious

1 1/3 cups Warm Water (105 to 115 degreesF
1 pkg. active dry yeast or 21/4 t.
2 T of your favoriate herb. (thyme, sage, basil or oregano or all together making the 2 T.
1T dried rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 teaspoon parsley
1 tsp basil
1 1/2 t. salt (kosher preferred)
1 t. sugar or honey (or to taste)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 6 ounces
2 to 2 1/2 cups bread flour 8.5 ounces
2 tablespoon baker's dry milk

Preparation
In a large bowl, stir together the warm water, yeast, oil spices and sugar. Let mix stand for 5 minutes.
Using a wooden spoon or mixer stir in the whole wheat flour about 1/2 cup at a time, stir in the bread flour as well until most of the flour has been absorbed and the dough forms a ball.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in the remaining dough to bake the ball moderately stiff, smooth and elastic (6 to 8 min).
Shape the dough into a ball, then place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until double.

Punch down, let rest for 10 min. Lightly grease a baking sheet, shape dough 8X4. let rise again.

Slash loaf and place in a 375 degree oven for about 25 to 30. Cover with foil if necessary for the last 15 min to prevent over browning.

PW's Blueberry Crumb Cake

Delicious, delicious, delicious! Just blogging about this makes me wish it was still blueberry season so I could mix another one up. The crumble is very rich and buttery, but that just makes it all the more delicious!

Recipe from Pioneer Woman

INGREDIENTS

* ½ sticks Butter
* 1 Tablespoon (additional) Butter
* ¾ cups Sugar (5.25 ounces)
* 1 whole Egg
* ½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
* 2 cups All-purpose Flour - (8.5 ounces)
* 2-¼ teaspoons Baking Powder
* ½ teaspoons Salt
* ¾ cups Whole Milk - I used 1%
* 2 cups Fresh Blueberries

FOR THE TOPPING:
* ¾ sticks Butter
* ½ cups Sugar
* ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
* ½ cups Flour (2.125 ounces)
* ¼ teaspoons Salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking powder, and a salt. Stir and set aside.

Cream 1/2 stick plus 1 tablespoon butter with sugar. Add egg and mix until combined. Add vanilla and mix. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until totally incorporated. Do not overbeat. Stir in blueberries until evenly distributed.

Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Pour in batter.

In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients and cut together using two knives or a pastry cutter. Sprinkle over the top of the cake.

Bake cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Sprinkle with sugar. Cut into squares and serve with softened butter.

Share with friends so you don't find yourself eating the whole thing!

Banana Bread

Since I've discovered King Arthur Flour, I'm searching their site more and more for recipes.

I had some leftover bananas and figured I'd give a new banana bread recipe a try. Honestly, it was only ok for me. I like my banana bread sweet, but this was more of a spicy recipe. I think I'd love it with zucchini instead.

Recipe from King Arthur Flour

• 4 ounces unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
• 5 ounces brown sugar, light or dark, firmly packed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces mashed ripe bananas ( about 1 pound, unpeeled)
• 2 1/4 ounces apricot jam or orange marmalade, optional but tasty
• 3 ounces honey
• 2 large eggs
• 9 1/2 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 2 ounces chopped walnuts, optional

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan.

2) In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, beating till smooth.

3) Add the mashed bananas, jam, honey, and eggs, again beating until smooth.

4) Add the flour, then the walnuts, stirring just until smooth.

5) Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top. Let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.

6) Bake the bread for 45 minutes, then gently lay a piece of aluminum foil across the top, to prevent over-browning.

7) Bake for an additional 25 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven; a long toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center should come out clean, with at most a few wet crumbs clinging to it. The tester shouldn't show any sign of uncooked batter. If it does, bake the bread an additional 5 minutes, or until it tests done.

8) Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Remove it from the pan, and cool it completely on a rack.

Kansas Sunflower Bread

Sorry, no picture for this one. This is primarily a white based bread with whole grains. The next time I make it, I think I'll substitute more whole wheat flour for the white flour, or even eliminate the white flour. I really enjoyed the texture of this bread. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup white wheat bulgur (I only found red wheat, so that's what I used)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup (4 ounces) white whole wheat
2 cups + 2 tablespoons* (9 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached Special Bread Flour

*Use this amount in the summer. In winter, you'll probably only need to use 3 cups of flour.

Manual Method: In a large mixing bowl, pour the boiling water over the bulgur, and let the mixture sit till it's lukewarm, about 15 minutes. Add the seeds, oats, salt, eggs, oil, honey, sugar, yeast, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead the dough on a lightly oiled surface until it's smooth, then place it in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until it's doubled in bulk.

Remove the dough from the bowl, shape it into a loaf, and place it in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch bread pan. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap, and set the loaf aside to rise till it's crowned about 1 inch over the rim of the pan, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 minutes or until it tests done, draping it lightly with aluminum foil, shiny side up, after 20 minutes if it appears to be getting too brown. Remove the pan from the oven, and turn the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 1 loaf.

Bread Machine Method: In the pan of your bread machine, pour the boiling water over the bulgur, and let the mixture sit till it's lukewarm, about 15 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, place the pan in the machine, program the machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start. When the machine has completed its cycle, remove the dough, and shape and bake it as directed above. Yield: 1 loaf.

I baked the bread in my machine as well, just adjusted my baking time to 37 minutes.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Along with buying a scone pan with some graduation money, I bought a bread machine. I LOVE THAT THING! The very first day, I made 3 loaves. There is nothing like fresh warm bread, and it's so easy!

I'm a huge fan of cinnamon raisin bread, and decided I'd give it a try. I used this bread for sandwiches, as well as French toast--all yummy!!!!


Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

For 1 1/2-Pound Loaf

INGREDIENTS

1 cup less 1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup (4 ounces) white whole wheat
2 cups (8.5 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2/3 cup cinnamon bites
3/4 cup raisins

Place all of the ingredients except the cinnamon bites and raisins into the pan of your machine as directed by manufacturer, program for raisin or mixed bread, and press Start. Add the bites and raisins at the signal. (If your machine doesn't have an "add-in" cycle, program it for basic or white bread, and add the chips about 5 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle.) Yield: 1 loaf.

ENJOY!

And if you're wondering what's up with my mediocre photos recently, I've been crunched with time, so it might be the point and shoot more often and less staging--we'll see.

Braided Lemon Bread

Delicious! This is my first time braiding bread. After the first horrendous loaf, it was pretty simple. The recipe says prep time is about 25 minutes. This is a lie--not including the time to let the dough rise, I think hands on time is closer to 45-60 minutes. The recipe calls to split the dough in half and make 2 loaves, I opted for four, which I liked. Also, for two of them I added some blueberries, even more delicious!

Recipe from King Arthur Flour

INGREDIENTS

Sponge

* 3/4 cup warm water (6 ounces)
* 2 teaspoons sugar
* 1 tablespoon instant yeast
* 1/2 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (2 ounces)

Dough

* all of the sponge
* 3/4 cup plain or vanilla yogurt (6 ounces)
* 1/2 cup ( 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
* 2 large eggs, beaten
* 1/2 cup sugar (3.5 ounces)
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 2 teaspoons Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor OR vanilla - I used vanilla
* 5 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (21 1/4 ounces)
* egg wash for brushing braid
* pearl sugar or sparkling white sugar for sprinkling on braid (just for decorating, really doesn't add flavor)

Cream cheese filling

* 2/3 cup cream cheese, softened (5 ounces)
* 1/4 cup sugar (1.75 ounces)
* 1/4 cup sour cream (2 ounces)
* 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
* 1/4 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (1 ounce)
* 1/2 cup prepared lemon curd - rough estimate

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl, combine the sponge ingredients. Stir well to combine, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to proof for 10 to 15 minutes.

1) In the bowl of your stand mixer combine the sponge, yogurt, butter, eggs, sugar, salt, and flavoring. Add 4 1/2 cups of flour and mix with the paddle attachment until the dough is a rough, shaggy mass. Switch to the dough hook and knead on speed 2 until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 5 to 6 minutes, adding more flour if needed to achieve the correct consistency.

If you're using a bread machine, combine all the dough ingredients in the pan and set the machine on the dough cycle. Be sure to check the dough as it kneads and adjust the flour or water as needed to achieve a soft, supple consistency. Let the cycle complete itself.

2) If working by hand or stand mixer, place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 6 to 90 minutes, until quite puffy and nearly doubled.

3) While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Combine all the filling ingredients (except the lemon curd) in a small bowl, mixing until smooth and lump-free. Reserve the filling and lemon curd until ready to fill the braids.

4) Gently deflate the dough and divide it in half. Cover half with plastic wrap and set it aside as you roll out the first piece into a 10" x 15" rectangle. Lightly press two lines down the dough lengthwise, to divide it into 3 equal sections. Spread half the cream cheese filling down the center section, and top with half the lemon curd, leaving 1" free on all sides of the filling.

5) To form the mock braid, cut 1" crosswise strips down the length of the outside sections, making sure you have the same number of strips down each side. Beginning on the left, lift the top dough strip and gently bring it across the filling diagonally. Repeat on the other side with the top dough strip, so that the two strips crisscross each other. Continue down the entire braid, alternating strips to form the loaf

6) Repeat the rolling, filling, and braiding steps for the second piece of dough, using the remaining cream cheese filling and lemon curd. Set both loaves aside, lightly covered, to rise for 45 to 50 minutes, or until quite puffy

7) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the loaves with egg wash (one lightly beaten egg, 2 teaspoons water and a pinch of salt), and sprinkle with coarse sparkling sugar, if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Yield: 2 loaves.

Nutella Banana Muffins

Last weekend I woke up craving a crepe with nutella and banana. I didn't feel like making crepes, so I decided to give banana muffins with nutella a try. Truthfully, while these muffins were tasty, it wasn't the nutella flavor for which I was looking. Next time I want nutella and banana muffins, I think I'll just go back to this yumminess I made this fall.

Recipe adapted from Crepes of Wrath.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 very ripe large bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup Nutella

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In a medium-sized bowl combine the mashed bananas, eggs, nutella, melted butter, and vanilla. With a rubber spatula, lightly fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined and the batter is thick and chunky. (The important thing is not to over mix the batter).

4. Scrape batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake until muffins are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes (25 minutes for jumbo muffins). Yields 24 regular muffins.

Carrot Muffins with Cream Cheese

I absolutely love carrot cake! And what's the best type of icing for carrot cake? Cream cheese of course? When I ran across this recipe on Joelen's Culinary Adventures, I knew I had to give it a try. It was definitely easier than making a carrot cake (I think because I used my Ninja to chopped the carrots).

If you're going to give this recipe a try, I have a couple of comments. My cream cheese middle fell almost to the bottom. I used reduced fat cream cheese, which may be part of the problem, but I'm not sure. Do not try to mix things up and put the cream cheese between layers of batter (just plop it on top). I tried this for some, and the cheese definitely fell all the way to the bottom.

Also, I'd line the muffin pan with baking cups. With my left over batter I thought I'd make a couple mini-loaves. I sprayed the pan with baking spray, but this is what they looked like after I was able to pry them out of the pan.

Recipe adapted from The Delicious Life (with help from Joelen's blog, linked above)

INGREDIENTS:

Carrot Muffins:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour (I had some on hand and figured I'd give it a try. I definitely couldn't tell there was wheat flour.)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (heaping)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil (would have used apple sauce if my hadn't gone bad)
1 1/2 cup shredded carrots (about 8oz of baby carrots)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins, soaked in hot water or rum for 10 minutes (optional)

Cream Cheese Filling:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350. Place liners in your muffin tins.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar; set aside. (Confession, I never sift!)

In separate bowl, beat the eggs and oil together until lightened. Stir in the carrots, walnuts and raisins.

In another bowl, cream together the cream cheese filling ingredients; set aside.

Fold the dry muffin ingredients into the wet egg/oil mixture and stir until just combined.

Fill each muffin cup about ¾ full. Top each filled muffin cup with a generous teaspoon of the cream cheese filling.

Bake about 20-25 minutes*, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake part comes out clean.

Makes about 18 muffins.

*If making standard sized muffins, bake for 17-20 minutes.
*If making jumbo sized muffins, bake for 23-25 minutes.

Banana Muffins - Nutella Optional

I may have found my new go-to recipe for banana bread/muffins. I've read that it's more accurate to weigh dry ingredients than measure them. I'm still not convinced I used the proper amount of flour. I based my measurements off of King Arthur's site. Per King Arthur's site, 1 cup of all purpose flour is 4.25 ounces. The recipe called for 3 cups of flours, but based on King Arthur's measurement, I only had about 2.5 cups (mind you, my 4 cup measuring cup also probably isn't the most accurate). My brief Googling of flour weights showed conversions up to 4.75 ounces per cup, so I'm not sure. Either way, I think this was the perfect amount of flour for the recipe.

I put about 3/4 tsp of nutella in 6 muffins (sandwhiched between two scoops of batter). OMG, I wish I put nutella in every one! I thought it would be too rich for a breakfast bread with the nutella, but nope!

Recipe adapted from Food Network.

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (a must, I think this is what made the recipe!)
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil (I used 1/2 cup apple sauce and 1/2 cup oil)
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 ripe bananas, pealed and mashed
Nutella (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

(Recipe says it'll make 18 muffins, but it made 24 for me).

Preheat oven 325. Line muffin cups with liners.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl to blend. Beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the banana. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Bake the muffins on the middle rack until the tops are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out with no crumbs attached, about 25 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a rack and cool. If you make them with nutella, I recommend eating them warm or putting them in the microwave for a couple seconds.

Enjoy!

Apple Bread

I've been in search for espresso powder since I made the peanut butter torte, but I've yet to find it. While driving the other day, I came across Penzey's Spices, but they didn't have it either. However, while I was there I picked up their fall catalog with this recipe. I halved the recipe since I didn't want two loaves, recipe below is the full recipe. I'd give it a B+ only because I prefer Jewish apple cake.

INGREDIENTS:

Bread:
4 cups apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (4-5 apples)
4 large eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar

Topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease two bread loaf pans. Peel, core, and slice apples; cut into 1 inch pieces. In large bowl, beat eggs with electric mixer until fluffy. Add oil and beat until combined. Add vanilla, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Beat until thoroughly combined. Add flour and sugar and mix on low until just blended. Beat on high until mixture is smooth. Fold in apples. Spoon batter into the two pans.

Topping: combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon in small bowl. Cut butter into mixture until moist and crumbly. Sprinkle topping on the two loaves.

Bake about 1 hour. Cool on rack.

Zucchini Nut Bread

I'm too lazy to take a picture. I love this recipe. It's my maternal grandmom's and when I mentioned to Mom I was baking zucchini bread, she immediately said, "Oh, Pop-pop and I love that." It was nice thinking of memories of Mom-mom as I baked this. I'm not big on nuts in my food, so I omitted them. I also used apple sauce in place of oil. Enjoy!

Zucchini Nut Bread

INGREDIENTS:
3 eggs
2 c sugar
1 c oil
2 c grated zucchini
1 tsp vanilla
3 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 c chopped nuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325. Grease two loaf pans.

Beat eggs until foamy. Add oil, sugar, zucchini, and vanilla. Mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and add into mixture. Add nuts. Divide batter into the two greased loaf pans. Bake 45-60 minutes.

Red Lobster Biscuits

Don't get me wrong, I love shrimp and crabs, but the biscuits were the only reason I ever wanted to go to Red Lobster. I'm not too big of a fan of other seafood. So needless to say, before a fellow June 08 nestie shared this recipe with me, a trip for just these biscuits could become quite expensive. Not any more. And an added bonus, Joe loves these too.

Recipe makes 12-14 biscuits

Ingredients:

4 2/3 c Bisquick
3 oz freshly shredded cheddar cheese - I don't have a scale, so I always guess-timate
11 oz cold water

Garlic Spread:
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp parsley flakes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Grease cookie sheet with LOTS of non-stick spray. To cold water, add Bisquick and cheese. (I usually blend with my fingers.) Shape into balls, place on well greased cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

While biscuits bake, combine garlic spread ingredients. Brush baked biscuits with garlic topping.

Enjoy!

Lemon Blueberry Bread

Delicious! This was my first time ever zesting citrus. It's no where as difficult as I made it out to be in my mind. Here's the recipe from Bella Bistro's Blog. I baked my for about 50 minutes and used the cooking spray with flour to grease the pan, came out perfectly.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2C. All-purpose flour
1t. Baking powder
1/4t. Salt
6T. Unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4C. Granulated white sugar
2 Large eggs
1/2t. Pure vanilla extract
1T.Grated lemon zest
1/2C. Milk
1C. Fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze
1/4C. Granulated white sugar
2T. Fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a loaf pan.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter until softened (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Mix only until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes (mine took 60), or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the sugar and lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

When the bread is done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Pierce the hot loaf all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick and then brush the top of the loaf with the hot lemon glaze. Cool the loaf in the pan for about 30 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Peanut Butter Bread

I'd give this a B+. I like my desserts sweet and my breakfasts more healthy, this was somewhere in between. It tasted yummy, but didn't really satisfy my desired choice of dessert or breakfast. I added chocolate chips (sorry didn't measure) and doubled the peanut butter. Joe said the nurses at his worked LOVED it though.

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup peanut butter (I used 2/3 cup)
  
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x4 inch baking pan.

2. Sift together flour, soda and salt. In a large bowl, cream sugar and peanut butter together. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth. Stir in flour and milk alternately, beating until smooth after each addition. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, until well browned. Remove from the pan to cool. Store in a covered container.