All posts for the month September, 2012

Beer-Batter Cheese Bread

This month for What’s Baking, the theme quick breads was chosen by Jenna at Jenna’s Cooking Journey.  Sometimes, I have a little trouble with yeast or I don’t have time to wait for my dough to rise.  So, the beauty of quick breads is that they don’t use yeast, there is no rising time and you have homemade bread in under an hour.  Fabulous!  I don’t do a lot of savory baking, since we prefer sweets in my house.  But when I was looking for a quick bread recipe, the beer-batter cheese bread caught my eye.  My husband isn’t a big sweets guy, but he sure loves cheese and beer. :D   So when I saw this bread, I immediately thought of him and how much he would love it.

To make the batter, you mix together the dry ingredients and with a light hand, mix in the wet ingredients. That’s it.  I am telling you, this batter will be ready before the oven is even preheated. How great is that?  Before baking, the bread is brushed with butter, which I was a bit nervous about thinking it might get too dark, even burn. But, as usual, America’s Test Kitchen knows what they are doing and the butter gave the crust it’s beautiful golden color.  After impatiently waiting the recommended hour for it to cool (okay I only waited a half hour), I cut a slice, put it in the toaster oven and slathered it with butter.  I was surprised how much this tasted like a yeast bread because of the beer.  I love the flecks of gruyere cheese you can see in the crust and on the inside the cheese completely melts into the bread, giving it a wonderful tang.  Beer. Cheese. Bread.  In under an hour.  I mean really, need I say more?  :D

Beer-Batter Cheese Bread

2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 oz) all-purpose flour
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder  preferably aluminum-free
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 1/4 cups beer    preferably mild-tasting ales, lagers, and pilsners  (dark beers will be too bitter).  I used Coors Light.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 tablespoon of melted butter to brush on top.

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat to 375F. Grease an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan. WS goldtouch pans come in this size and they are fabulous.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cheese, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper until well mixed.  Stir in the beer and 4 tablespoons melted butter until just combined. Be careful not to overmix or your bread will be tough and dense.

Scrape the really thick batter into the greased loaf pan and smooth the top. Brush lightly with 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, ~40 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack. Cool for 1 hour before serving.

Yield: one 81/2 x 4 1/2 in loaf

Source:  The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

5 Comments
by Just Baked on September 28, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on September 28, 2012

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Cake Batter Sugar Cookies

I think I was flipping through the pages of foodgawker when I came across these cake batter sugar cookies.  I love anything cake batter and you already know how I feel about sprinkles.  So, I definitely needed these in my life.  I went to make them a few days ago and as I was scanning through the ingredients, I saw butter extract listed.  Hmmm…I know I don’t have that for sure.  I figured I would just substitute in vanilla, but upon reading further into the recipe, the butter extract is what gives the cookies the cake batter flavor.  While that make sense, damn, I really wanted to make these cookies, but, not so bad that I wanted to take all three kids to the grocery store for just that one item.  So, sadly, they would have to wait.  Instead I made soft frosted sugar cookies, which were absolutely fabulous, but I still had these cookies on my mind.  Last night, my husband came home from work early and I was able to sneak out to the store after we tag teamed dinner, homework, baths, tuck-ins, goodnight kisses and dream rubs. :D   Honestly, I’ve never seen butter extract, so I was afraid it might be hard to find.  But, Dominick’s came through.  In case you are wondering, it’s right by the vanilla.

Other than the butter extract, the batter is made up of the usual sugar cookie ingredients.  The dough is pretty stiff and I found it difficult to incorporate more than 1/3 cup of the 1/2 cup of sprinkles called for in the recipe. But, this is still a lot of sprinkles, considering they are then rolled in more sprinkles.  Can one have too many sprinkles?  No, the answer is definitely no. The recipe makes only 24 mini adorable cookies which is perfect for a fun after school snack or a lunchbox treat.  The cookies are bit crisp on the outside and soft and rich tasting on the inside.  I was kind of surprised by how much these cookies actually tasted like cake batter.  My kids loved them, but that is no surprise.

Cake Batter Sugar Cookies

Yield: 24 little cookies

4 tbsp (1/4 cup) butter, softened to room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg yolk

1/2 tsp butter extract

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup colorful sprinkles   I used a scant 1/3 cup of jimmies…the dough didn’t seem to be able to hold anymore.

1/4 cup sprinkles, for rolling    I used nonpareils

Preheat oven to 350F. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, cream the butter and sugar together on medium.  Beat in the  yolk, butter extract, baking powder, and salt.  Gradually add in the flour and mix until a thick dough forms.  Fold in the jimmies, up to 1/2 cup, with a spatula.

Roll the dough into teaspoon size balls.  I found that holding the dough ball in my hand for about 5 seconds warmed the butter, making them easier to roll.  You want the ball to be more tall than wide, so the cookie will be thicker. Roll the dough balls into the reserved nonpareils.  Bake for 9-10 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway into the cooking time. Watch them closely at about 8 minutes to make sure they don’t get to brown.  The cookie should stay pretty white, with just a bit of browning on the underside.  If you find they aren’t flattening, you might have to press on them super lightly at the 6 minute mark.

Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheets, so they set, before transferring them to a cookie rack to cool completely

Source: very slightly adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

A few notes:

  • If you want a softer cookie, you can sub cake flour for all-purpose
  • If you find they aren’t flattening, you might have to press on them very lightly with a spatula halfway through baking.
  • I was only able to get about 1/3 cup of sprinkles into the dough or it didn’t seem like they would roll/hold together.  This was plenty.
  • According to the recipe, butter extract is the key to the cake batter flavor.  If you have to sub, the next closest thing would be almond extract.  Vanilla would still be good, it just wouldn’t taste like cake batter.
4 Comments
by Just Baked on September 27, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on September 27, 2012

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Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies

If you haven’t noticed already, my family loves soft cookies, frosted, with pretty sprinkles.  So, I tend to make lots of different recipes fitting these three criteria.  I actually made the original recipe for these cookies about a year ago, and while they were good, the frosting was a bit too thin for my taste.  In this house, we like lots of frosting, especially when it is piped on all pretty like.  But, it wasn’t possible with this particular frosting recipe as written.  I suppose I could have added more powdered sugar.  But with the melted butter instead of softened butter in the recipe, I think I would have had to add lots of it, changing the taste of the frosting.  When I saw these soft frosted cookies on my beloved Pinterest (Gosh, sorry, I know I am obsessed), I knew this was exactly the recipe I was looking for.  It uses the same, soft vanilla flavored base but then the cookie is frosted with a thick, pipeable, buttercream frosting.  I mean, you gotta love those perfect swirls of frosting. Okay, maybe not so perfect.  I just realized I need to work on that.

Originally I had something else planned to make this morning, but I decided today was the kind of day that could use some uplifting from sprinkles.  It just isn’t possible to see this bright colored confetti and not smile.  Especially if it is the topping to a big, fat sugar cookie, with so much frosting it is almost too much…Almost. :D   These are so delicious, they put those always enticing grocery store cookies to shame.  Sorry Lofthouse, we don’t need you anymore.

Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies

For the Cookie:

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

4 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

5 tsp vanilla extract

Sift together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt.   I didn’t sift. Instead I mixed it and fluffed it well with a whisk. 

Add the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat them together with the paddle on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, ~ 2-3 minutes

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the bowl as needed.  Blend in the vanilla.

With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the dry ingredients.  Mix just until incorporated and evenly mixed.

Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.  Preheat the oven to 350F about 20 minutes before removing the dough from the fridge.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, scoop a scant 1/4 cup of dough (I used a medium cookie scoop) and roll into a ball.

Flatten the ball slightly with your fingers and place on baking sheet lined with parchment.

Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies at least 2-3 inches apart to allow for some spreading.

Bake at 350°F for about 10-12 minutes or just until set.  Do not overbake!  The edges should be no more than very lightly browned (if at all).  The cookies should stay very white in color on top, with some browning on the underside.

Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted   I did not and it was fine

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Food coloring   optional

Sprinkles  optional

In a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed with the whisk attachment, until smooth, ~ about 20 seconds

Add confectioners’ sugar and salt.  Beat on medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, ~ 45 seconds

Scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Beat on medium speed until mixture is fully combined, ~ 15 seconds

Scrape bowl again and add vanilla. Beat on medium speed until incorporated, ~10 seconds.  Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, ~ 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice as needed.

If you want too add in the food coloring do so now.  Mix until it is well combined and one solid color.  I find it easiest to put the frosting in a Ziplock bag and pipe it on.  Add the sprinkles and let dry for a few hours for the frosting to set.

Source:  Cookies from Deliciously Declassifed, as seen on Annie’s Eats, originally from Hostess with the Mostess  and the buttercream frosting is from Deliciously Declassified, originally from Cook’s Illustrated.

9 Comments
by Just Baked on September 24, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on September 24, 2012

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Brownie pudding

Last month, I made myself this hot fudge pudding cake for my birthday.  It was so delicious that Jack and Sammie haven’t stopped talking about it since.  I thought about making the same cake again, but then I remembered Ina’s brownie pudding, that I made a few years ago, was very similar.  I love that this pudding is made from pantry staples and honestly, it only takes 10 minutes, 15 minutes tops, to prepare the batter.  Then you pop it in the oven, and like magic, a crispy, crusted brownie develops on top with a thick, rich, deep dark chocolate pudding on the bottom.  How easy it that?  All that is missing now is a big scoop of good vanilla ice cream.

I totally love Ina, but I can’t help but think that these it’s fine memes are hilarious. :D  In every recipe she writes, she calls for “good” ingredients, those used in the Hamptons, I suppose.  This recipe is no different as she asks for good cocoa, which to Ina, is Pernigotti.   I have made this pudding with the “good cocoa” and it was delicious.  This time I used Hershey’s Special Dark and it was fine.  Well, better than fine.  Sammie says it was divine.  Apparently she learned that adjective from the cooking lady, AKA Giada.  Gosh, how I love that girl!  Another thing you’ll notice about Ina’s recipes, is that she always uses extra large eggs, a carryover from her catering days.  I almost never have them because large eggs are used in essentially every other recipe but Ina’s.  A few times, I bought them specifically for one of her recipes and then had to scramble the rest.  But, here I substituted 4 large eggs for the 4 extra large eggs and it was fine. ;D   The pudding has to be cooked in a water bath, so make sure you have a big enough pan to put your baking dish in.  I couldn’t find my big roasting pan anywhere because the baby likes to push his stuffed dog around in it or he likes to sit in it like a sled.  So, I had to make do with a 13 x9 Pyrex, but it was a close fit with all the water.  Oh well, it worked.  At least this time I had all of my measuring cups.  Some of them were missing for about a week, until I found them hidden in the griddle box (Alex!!) when I went to make pancakes.  Wow, it is so much easier to measure by the cup than by third cups.

How does one read brownie pudding and not want to make it?  It is quick and easy.  It tastes divine.  I know you have the ingredients….

Brownie Pudding

Yield: 2 quart casserole

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the dish

4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature  I used 4 large eggs and it was fine

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup good dutch processed cocoa powder    I used Hershey’s Dark

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean

I added a pinch of espresso powder

1 tablespoon framboise liqueur, optional   I omitted

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Lightly butter a 2-quart (9 by 12 by 2-inch) oval baking dish.  Melt the 1/2 pound of butter in the microwave. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on med-high speed for ~ 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together to remove the lumps. Set aside.

When the egg-sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low.  Add the vanilla seeds, framboise (if using), and the cocoa-flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter.  Mix again just until combined.

Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish. Place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish.  Bake for exactly 1 hour. A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side will come out 3/4 clean. The center will appear very under-baked.  This dessert is between a brownie and a pudding- so it should.

Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Source: Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor From Simple Ingredients   by Ina Garten

11 Comments
by Just Baked on September 21, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on September 21, 2012

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Hot pretzels with sweet mustard and cheese sauce

Who doesn’t love baby showers?  I was so excited when I was asked to contribute to a virtual baby shower for Jessica of The Jey of Cooking.  There will be no pink in this shower to honor the arrival of her baby girl due this October.  Nope.  Jess is a huge Cub fan and so it only follows that her baby girl will be one too.  Instead, this shower will be filled with baseball park themed foods- hot dogs, pretzels, candy corn, and all the other yummy foods you happily stuff your face with while enjoying a game at Wrigley Field.  Jess is one of the few bloggers that I have been lucky enough to meet in person and call my friend.  Congratulations to Jess, your husby and the soon to be big brother, A!  And, thank you for hosting Joelen (What’s Cookin Chicago?)!

To me, a ballgame just isn’t one without 2 things, a Vienna hot dog and a hot pretzel.  Okay, maybe three…I’ll add my husband too.  Sorry babe, I always think of food first.  Justin is a huge Cub fan.  In fact he used to live about a block from Wrigley and so close to the El, you could open his bedroom window and put your hand on the track.  Now, that is close…and frickin loud. It is pretty sad when you always have to watch TV in closed caption so you can switch to reading it whenever a train goes by.  I know it sounds a bit crazy, but this was before we were married, while he was in law school.  It was fun then and I know it was one of Justin’s favorite places he ever lived.  I’m not so big on baseball, but I have gone to more than my share of games because I love my husband.  I mostly people watch and eat.  And, there sure are some interesting (usually drunk) people to watch and some delicious food. :D

So, I chose to make hot pretzels for Jess’s baseball themed shower.  But, there are so many recipes…which to choose?  I decided to go with Alton’s, because, well, I love him.  He is a giant food nerd just like me.  But, while plain pretzels are good, they are so much better with a dipping sauce. No, not one sauce, but two.  I made the sweet mustard sauce like they sell at Auntie Anne’s Pretzels and also a warm sharp cheddar cheese sauce.  The pretzels bake up with a perfectly golden crust, flecked with chunks of salt, covering the super soft bread-like interior.  Baseball fan or not, who doesn’t love a good hot pretzel?  And trust me, these are good ones!

Homemade soft pretzels

Yield:  8 big fat pretzels

1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water      Measure with a thermometer

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 package active dry yeast

22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups   Best to measure by weight

2 ounces unsalted butter, melted

Vegetable oil, to grease the pan

10 cups water

2/3 cup baking soda

1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water    to make the egg wash

Pretzel salt   I used Kosher

Combine the warm water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Sprinkle the active yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.  Add the flour and melted butter.  With the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed, kneading until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, ~4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean it and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for ~ 50 to 55 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper. Lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. It’s easiest to do this with a scale, about 4.5 oz per ball.  Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U to make a pretzel shape.  Place onto the prepared pans.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 at a time, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pans, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture. Sprinkle with the pretzel salt (or Kosher or coarse- just not table salt) . Bake until dark golden brown in color, ~ 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Source:   Alton Brown , There is a great video tutorial if you click on the pretzel picture.


Sweet Mustard Sauce

1/4 cup mayo

1/4 cup dijon mustard

3 Tbsp packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp cider vinegar

Whisk all four ingredients in a small bowl.  Cover and refrigerate.  I made half of this recipe since I had 2 sauces.

Cheese Sauce:

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup whole milk

8 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded from a block

Kosher salt

In a small saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat.  Whisk in the flour.  Whisking constantly, cook for 30 seconds.

Slowly whisk in the milk until completely smooth.  Stirring constantly, bring the white sauce to a simmer over med-low heat until thickened, ~ 3-5 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese until completely melted.  Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed.  Serve warm.

Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave on medium, 30 seconds at a time.  You may need to thin the sauce with a bit more milk.

Source:  Smells Like Home

21 Comments
by Just Baked on September 17, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on September 17, 2012

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Funfetti mini pancake muffins

My kids love those little Hostess chocolate chip muffins that come 5 packs to a box for over $4.00.  My son will eat 2 packs each morning for breakfast and that gets expensive.  So, I only buy them when they are buy 1 get 1 free and then I buy like 8 boxes.  But, when I run out, these pancake muffins are the perfect replacement.  I think they taste very similar to the Hostess muffins, but better of course because they are homemade.  Usually I make them with mini chocolate chips because they are Jack’s favorite.  But, I thought it would be fun to change things up a bit and replace the chips with sprinkles to make Funfetti mini muffins.

I decided to surprise my daughter with breakfast for lunch with these muffins.  But, of course Sammie didn’t want muffins.  She wanted turkey.  No bread, just turkey.  Okay then.  So the baby and I ate the muffins, dusted with powdered sugar and dipped in maple syrup.  Alex tore them up.  After Sammie finished her turkey, she decided she would try a muffin…then another and another and another.  She had to make sure they were okay, quality control you know. :D    I love these muffins too.  They are fluffy, a bit sweet from the maple syrup and sugar, and they really taste like pancakes without all the work.  And now, not only do they taste great, but they are super fun, Funfetti.  Sprinkles makes everything better.  Don’t you think?

Funfetti mini pancake muffins

Yield: 24 mini muffins

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup of sprinkles- jimmies (you can adjust depending on how many you like)

Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray a mini muffin pan really well with nonstick spray.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium bowl.  Whisk together the dry ingredients.

In another bowl, stir together the buttermilk, egg, maple syrup and melted butter just until combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula just until combined.

Stir in the sprinkles.  Bake for 8 to 9 minutes.

Let cool slightly in the pan.  You may need to use a spoon around the edges to separate the pancake muffins from the pan.

Serve immediately dusted with powder sugar or with just maple syrup.

Source:  Bakerella

6 Comments
by Just Baked on September 14, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on September 14, 2012

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Flour Bakery’s Famous Banana Bread

It’s that time again where I have a bunch of brown bananas sitting on my counter, seemingly growing browner by the minute if I don’t finally go and bake something with them.  On most days I would look for a bar or cake recipe, you know, something different.  But, there is something comforting about plain old banana bread and I felt like I could use that today.  Hmmm…what recipe to try is always the question.  I have heard that Flour Bakery makes a mean banana bread.  After all, it must be called Famous Banana Bread for a reason, right?  Everything I have made from the Flour Bakery cookbook has been delicious, so I decided to go with it.

I love to make quick breads because, I guess as the name implies, they are quick. :D No yeast and no waiting for dough to rise.  Nope, you just mix your batter, pour it into the pan and pop it into the oven.  It is so easy, that I had the batter mixed and the bread baked while Alex took his morning nap.  Heck, I even had time to take pictures before he was woken up by our dog, who apparently decided Alex had slept enough and plowed through his bedroom door.  I mean, what the heck Walter?  You don’t even like the baby, unless he is eating and dropping food as you wait impatiently below his high chair.  Sorry to get off track, but I am still not happy about that.  Back to the bread. What you end up with is a delicious, moist (Ugh. I hate that word, but I can’t think of another word to describe it) bread packed with banana flavor, just waiting to be slathered with butter and sprinkled with sugar.  Delicious. I can see why it is famous. ;D

Flour Bakery’s Famous Banana Bread

Yield: one 9 x 5 loaf

1 1/2 cups  (210 grams) all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (230 grams) sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup (100 grams) canola oil

3 1/2 very ripe, medium bananas, peeled and mashed (1 1/2 cups mashed/340 grams)

2 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream   I used sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup (75 grams) walnut halves, toasted and chopped   I omitted

Position rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 325 F.  Butter a 9 x 5 loaf pan.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat sugar and eggs on medium x 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.

On low, slowly drizzle in oil.  Don’t pour it all in at once. You want to pour it in over 1 minute, to keep all the air you just beat into the egg-sugar mixture.  Add the mashed bananas, creme fraiche, and vanilla. Continue to mix on low just until combined.

Using a spatula, fold in dry ingredients and nuts (if using) just until thoroughly combined. No flour streaks should be visible and the nuts evenly distributed.  Pour into the greased loaf pan and smooth top. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until golden on top and the center springs back when pressed.  Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes, then pop out of the pan to finish cooling.

The banana bread can be stored tightly wrapped in plastic wrap at room temp up to 3 days.  Or, it can be well wrapped and frozen up to 2 weeks.

Source: Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery and Cafe

7 Comments
by Just Baked on September 10, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Just Baked on September 10, 2012

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M&M Confetti Cookies

I know I have said this before, but I ♥ Pinterest.   Once I get started, I can stay up way late into the night, just scrolling through the food category, telling myself just one more page, and then another, and another… I am so tired and I have to get up with the baby early in the morning and yet, I keep on scrolling.  I know I am not the only one.  I’m not, right?  There are just too many great ideas and amazing looking recipes.  Awhile back, I came across these M & M confetti cookies and pinned the recipe because I thought it was so clever.  Instead of throwing whole M & Ms into your cookie dough, you bang the hell out of them with a stick (Burbs anyone? :D ) to create chocolate and candy coating confetti.  In Munchkin Munchie’s recipe, she added the confetti to sugar cookie dough.  And, while these look delicious, I decided to add them to one of my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough bases, replacing the chocolate chips.  So fun looking right?  You get the look of sprinkles and milk chocolate in every bite of this perfectly chewy cookie.  Definitely another keeper for Jack’s lunch box.

M&M Confetti Cookies

Makes about 18 large cookies.

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar     I use light brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg and 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 oz bag of M & Ms, crushed (more or less to your liking)

Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, the yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed (or mix by hand with a spatula) just until combined. Crush the M & Ms in a big Ziploc bag with a rolling pin (or any other heavy object you have handy) . Stir in the crushed M & Ms.

Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. (Or, if you prefer,  you can just use a large cookie scoop to portion the dough.)  Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.  See Brown Eyed Baker’s Blog for a good illustration of this shaping method.  

Bake until the cookies are light golden brown, the outer edges start to harden, and  yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Make sure you cool them on the sheet to maintain the right texture.  Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a wide metal spatula.

Source:  The New Best Recipe for the cookie base and  Munchkin Munchies for the M & M confetti

10 Comments
by Just Baked on September 3, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Chocolate, Cookies
Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Posted by Just Baked on September 3, 2012

http://justbakedbyme.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/mm-confetti-cookies/

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