My friend Heather, over at Chocolate Bytes, shared her recipe for double chocolate nut muffins last spring. With very few changes (I use super-dark cocoa and chocolate), I’ve been making them ever since. I thought I already had a good chocolate muffin recipe, but Heather has made a convert out of me.

Visit Heather, not just for the great muffins, but for all her wisdom and recipes surrounding everything chocolate!

Image: Cyndi Lavin

Post from: Blisstree

The Ultimate Chocolate Muffins

Monkey Toes Recipe

2 cans of fluffy biscuit dough (Serves 4 people)
One cup of sugar
2-3 heaping spoons of cinnamon
(during this time of year, I do one spoon of cinnamon and one spoon of pumpkin spice mix)
½ stick of butter
Optional: nuts (walnuts or pecans are my family’s favorite) raisins and/or cranberries

Red gel icing

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

In a large mixing bowl, mix the spices and sugar together

Pop open the biscuit dough, and sprinkle a little of the sugar on the counter or a baking matt

Pinch off the dough and roll it on the sugar mix to look like the size of a toe

Plop it into the sugar/spice bowl

Keep it up until all the biscuit dough is used

Mix all the toes in the sugar/spice mix with your hands so it’s all covered well

Melt the butter in a mixing cup in the microwave

Pour a little on the bottom of a bundt cake pan (any pan will do, but this gives it a nice shape

Pick up the monkey toes and place them in the bundt pan

If you want to add the nuts, cranberries, or raisins, now is the time.

If there’s any sugar mixture left, sprinkle a little bit around the top

Pour the rest of the butter on top (I try to use as little butter as possible—but you may have to adjust the amount if you make a bigger or smaller batch)

Bake for about 12-15 minutes

Invert the monkey toes onto a nice serving platter.

Now for “fun” part—use the red gel icing to “paint” the monkey’s toe nails before serving.

The kids LOVE the toe nail part—and you can really make them look like little red painted toes
Great for Halloween!

Or…you can make this a holiday wreath and add some red and green Christmas candies for decoration.

Post from: Blisstree

Monkey Toes!

Guest author: Ellen Delap
Website: Professional Organizer

This is the BEST banana bread going! Super easy, freezes well, very moist! A total winner for all!

Delap’s Banana Bread

½ c oil
1 ½ c sugar
1 t salt
1t baking soda
4 T milk
2 beaten eggs
3 ripe bananas mashed
2 c flour

Mix oil, sugar, salt, soda, milk and eggs. Add mashed bananas and then flour. Bake in 2 medium loaf pans sprayed with PAM. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Yum!

Post from: Blisstree

Delap’s Banana Bread

Guest author: Bonnie Friedman
Websites:
Grapevine Productions Hawai’i
Tour da Food Maui

My mother was an exceptional home baker. It is undoubtedly from her that I inherited my passion for baking. I think she’d be proud to know that I earned a professional Pastry Cook’s certificate in 2007. I have vivid childhood memories of baking at my mother’s side when I was as young as four or five years old (more than 50 years ago!). When I left home to make my way in the world, I copied down my favorites of her recipes in long hand on loose leaf paper using a medium-point red felt tip pen. I still work from those recipes, the paper long since yellowed and stained. The most comforting of these is her Date & Nut Bread which, in truth, should really be called “cake.” But she baked it in #2 cans to make little loaves and then sliced it into thick, delicious rounds and always called it “bread.” To this day I can see her heading to the cabinet where she kept her stash of cans. The joy of baking with her, the sweet aroma from the oven, the taste of the warm bread slathered with melting cream cheese warmed my heart then. And it warms my heart and soul still.

My Mother’s Date & Nut Bread

6 – #2 cans, empty, clean with tops cut off completely and labels removed

Grease the cans and set aside. Preheat oven to 350˚.

1 cup dates, rough chopped
1 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts, rough chopped

Combine all above in a bowl. Dissolve 1 teaspoon baking soda in 1 cup boiling water and pour over the mixture. Let stand while you make the batter and then drain well.

1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the sugar and eggs until well blended. Sift together the flour and baking powder and then add it to the sugar and egg mixture. Add the date mixture and mix well.

Pour the batter into the cans until half full. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool and then gently shake the “loaves” out of the cans. And if you simply can’t wait, you can shake them out when still warm.

Slice and spread with butter or cream cheese. For the ultimate in comfort, serve with chocolate milk or hot cocoa.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Post from: Blisstree

My Mother’s date and nut bread

This comforting Autumn soup satisfies the seasonal yearning for earthy comforts with a hint of the sweet playfulness of the harvest. The dried apples give the soup an interesting textural quality, and intensify the flavor, adding sweet notes to the bright earthiness of the humble turnip.

Makes eight (8) 1½ cup servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups chopped leek
¾ cup chopped shallots
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 cups turnips, peeled and diced (about 1 ½ pounds)
½ cup dried apples, chopped
3 cups apple juice, fresh pressed with pulp
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
½ cup cream (optional)
Crème fraîche, to garnish (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh chives, to garnish
Nutmeg Cheddar Breadsticks (recipe below)

Preparation

Melt butter in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add leeks, shallots, and nutmeg, and sweat for 3-4 minutes. Do not brown. Add turnips, dried apples, apple juice, and broth, and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the turnips and apples are tender but not mushy, about 30-40 minutes.

Strain off about half the cooking liquid and reserve. Purée the solids and the remaining liquid with an immersion blender, or in batches in a food processor. Return the puree to the pot, add back the reserved cooking liquid a little at a time until the soup reaches the desired consistency, and heat through. If desired, stir in the cream, along with salt and pepper, to taste.

Service

To serve, ladle into individual heated bowls or cups. Add a dollop of crème fraîche, if desired, and garnish with a sprinkle of chopped chives and freshly grated nutmeg, to taste. Serve with Nutmeg Cheddar Breadsticks (below).

Nutmeg Cheddar Breadsticks

Makes about eighteen (18) ¼-inch sticks, or a dozen ½-inch sticks

Ingredients

1 cup flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, lightly chilled
Olive oil, for brushing
3 teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg, divided
½ cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a food processor, pulse the flour, salt, baking powder, half the cheese, and half the nutmeg together until well combined. Cut in the butter by pulsing until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Leave the machine running, and slowly add 1/4 cup ice water until the dough comes together. If necessary, add another tablespoon or so of water.

[Chef’s Note: To grate a measured amount of nutmeg, grate over a sheet of parchment paper with a crease in it. Then lift the paper by the ends, and transfer into a container for measuring.]

Turn the ball of dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Smoothing it out, form it into a rectangle, and gently roll it out into a ¼-inch thick sheet. Cut the dough lengthwise into ¼-inch wide strips, or ½-inch wide strips if you prefer thicker sticks.

Gently roll each stick over a lightly floured surface. The sticks will naturally lengthen as you roll them, so be careful not to stretch them too thinly. Transfer to baking sheets, side by side, but not touching. Brush each stick lightly with olive oil and sprinkle the remaining grated cheese and nutmeg over the sticks.

[Chef’s Note: It helps to press the ends of each stick down gently onto the baking sheet so the sticks don’t curl up as they bake. You can also turn these simple sticks into twists by twisting the ends in opposite directions before placing on the baking sheet.]

Bake about 12-15 minutes, until firm and starting to show a little color. Transfer to racks to cool. The sticks can be stored in an airtight plastic bag or container for up to 3 days.

Variations

You can replace the nutmeg and cheddar in the recipe with the following spice and cheese combinations:

Cumin and Monterey Jack: 2 teaspoons cumin and ½ cup Monterey Jack
Rosemary and Montasio: 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary and ½ cup Montasio
Oregano and Manchego: 1 teaspoon dried oregano and ½ cup Manchego
Thyme and Pecorino: 2 teaspoons fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried), and ½ cup Pecorino

Recipe and photo by Mark Tafoya

Post from: Blisstree

Apple & Turnip Soup with Nutmeg Cheddar Breadsticks

My goodness, I love these things! And for once, the food that I crave is super-easy peasy to make and takes only FOUR ingredients. Make them to supplement dinner, or stuff their empty puffy centers with tuna, chicken, or vegetable salad for a quick and easy finger meal.

Popovers

4 eggs
2 c milk
1 t salt
2 c flour

Whisk eggs until light yellow. Whisk in the milk and salt. Dump in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon just to moisten. Don’t try to work out all the lumps…they won’t hurt anything. Pour the batter into well-greased large muffin tins, filling almost to the top. Bake at 450 for 30 minutes. Do not open the oven door while baking. Remove when done and stab each to release the steam. Let them cool for a few minutes and then remove them from the tins. Makes 12 popovers.

Image: Cyndi Lavin

Post from: Blisstree

Plain old-fashioned popovers!

These are best if you can make them with fresh raspberries, bursting with summer flavor, but frozen berries can be used if necessary! You can have these mixed, baked, and ready to eat in thirty minutes easily. They are hearty enough to enjoy with dinner, sweet enough to have for dessert…your choice! This recipe makes 12 delicious muffins.

Raspberry Corn Muffins

2 eggs
1 c milk
1 t vanilla
4 T melted butter or canola oil

1-1/2 c flour
3/4 c cornmeal
3/4 c sugar (less if you’d like)
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

1-1/2 c fresh raspberries

Blend the eggs through butter in a small bowl. Mix the flour through the salt in a large bowl. Remove about 2 T of the flour mix and use it to flour the raspberries. Make a well in the flour and pour in the egg mixture. Mix until just moistened.

Fill each muffin cup about 1/3 full and add raspberries to each. Fill another 1/3. Bake at 400 for about 17 – 18 minutes.

Post from: Blisstree

Raspberry Corn Muffins

This coffee cake is the perfect make-ahead or OAMC treat! It freezes very well, and can be served either at room temperature or warm. Wrapped in foil, it goes from freezer to oven to table in about 30 minutes.

Berry Coffee Cake

1 c unbleached white flour
2 T sugar
1-1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 c butter

1 egg
1/3 c milk

1/2 c sliced berries (strawberries, raspberries, etc)
1/4 c orange marmalade

1/4 c sugar
3 T flour
1/4 c butter

Stir together well the flour through the salt. Cut in the butter until the mix is crumbly. Mix egg and milk and stir into flour mixture until just moistened. Spread in an 8×8 inch baking pan. Mix the berries and the marmalade together and spread over batter. Mix the 1/4 c sugar with the flour, and cut in the butter. Sprinkle it over top of the fruit mixture. Bake at 400 for 30 – 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Serve warm, serve when cool, or let it cool completely to freeze. Wrap in foil and freeze.

To reheat, put into 350 oven for 30 minutes, still in foil. Open foil for the last 10 minutes.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Post from: Blisstree

Berry coffee cake (OAMC)

Regular Master Mix for Baking (13 cups)

9 c unbleached white flour
1/3 c baking powder
1 T salt
1 t cream of tartar
1/4 c sugar
2 c canola oil

Healthier Master Mix (15 cups)

6 c unbleached white flour
3 c whole wheat flour
3/4 cup wheat germ
1/3 c oat bran
1-1/2 c nonfat dry milk powder
3 T salt
1 c canola oil

For either recipe, mix the dry ingredients in a food processor (in batches if necessary), and pour the oil in slowly as the blades are running. Store in covered containers in the freezer.

Use the Master Mix instead of Bisquick, or in any recipe that has a similar proportion of flour, salt, baking powder, and shortening.

Here’s a sample recipe using the mix, and a website called Cooks.com where you can find lots of recipes, including quick breads, mufins, bisquits, and breakfast foods that will work with these two variations above.  The first variation above is a version of the MM found on Cooks.com; I prefer to use oil over using shortening.
Peanut Butter Cookies

1-3/4 c Master Mix
2/3 c sugar
1 egg
1/2 c peanut butter

Stir sugar, egg and peanut butter into the Mix until well blended. Roll dough into 3 dozen small balls. Place on parchment covered baking sheet and flatten with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern. Bake at 375 for about 18 to 20 minutes.

Post from: Blisstree

Master Mix for baking

What a great idea! Adding the ricotta cheese and orange juice makes this cake heavier, moister, and sweeter…perfect for dessert! Thanks to Whole Foods.

Gluten-Free Italian Cornmeal Cake

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup full fat ricotta cheese, preferably hand-dipped
1 cup ground almonds or almond meal/flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Zest of 1 organic orange
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil or butter a 9-inch spring-form baking pan. In a large bowl, beat butter until light and creamy. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in ricotta, almonds, vanilla, orange juice and zest. Mix cornmeal with baking powder and salt, and fold into batter.

Pour into prepared pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until set and firm. Remove from oven and allow the cake to cool. Cut into wedges and serve.

Post from: Blisstree

Gluten-free Italian cornmeal cake by Whole Foods