After the peanut butter cookies were eaten in a mere couple hours (ok, maybe 48 hours, thanks to mom and brother) I had an urge to make these oat bars. My mom begs me to stop baking sometimes because she doesn’t want to eat them all! (She ate three of the peanut butter & chocolate chip cookies in a matter of seconds. Sorry mom!) But I can always send them to work with my brother, if she really wants them out of the house! (she doesn’t.) 

I made these a few times this summer, after I had seen them in the Kraft Canada Magazine Fesitve 2007 issue. This time I didn’t have any cranberries on hand so I used raisins. Both are really yummy because you soak them in orange juice before baking. And I was sad to find no oats, so I used three single serving packages of brown sugar instant oatmeal (each servings is 1/2 cup.)  They are great to pack in lunches. I took some to class (and secretly ate them in the bio lab. Shh!!) I also added some shredded coconut. You can add pretty much anything you like, but no peanuts this time. I think i had my day with those. No more.

Ingredients

First off I’d like to say that I have a peanut allergy. Crazy, I know. So why would I want to whip up a batch of Peanut Butter cookies? Because I’ve convinced myself I can eat a small amount without breaking out in hives. And really, who can stay away from peanut butter?? Especially Reese’s. So when my brother asked me to make cookies again, and when I saw we had a large jar of Peanut Butter I decided I wanted to make some good old peanut butter cookies. Something I haven’t done in three years! Of course I didn’t really eat any, and let the taste testing up to my mom and brother. But I did nibble on a small one..or two, topped with Nutella. That should cancel out all the peanuts right? MmMmm, oh well. These are really yummy and taste just as a peanut butter cookie should. Crunchy on the sides and soft and pea-nutty in the middle. Martha pulls through once again. But then why wouldn’t she, she’s Martha.

These cookies were originally supposed to be chilled for several hours before baking, but I didn’t read that far before beginning and didn’t want to wait. So I modified it a little. If you would like the original recipe click here. These ones looked good also!

These were the December 28th Cookie of the Day: Martha Stewart

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter (I used KRAFT * Read note below about Peanut Butter Products Recall)
• ** I added about 1/4 cup granulated sugar as well

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
2. Sift together flour, salt and baking sodea, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add peanut butter, and beat until smooth. Add flour mixture, and beat on low until combined.
3. Form each cookie into a ball using about a tablespoon of dough. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Place cookie sheet in freezer for about 10-15 minutes to chill.  If they stay in the freezer too long they will be hard to flatten, so place them in the oven for a few minutes, and then take them out to press them.
4. Remove from freeze and flatten them slightly with your palm or the bottom of a cup or spoon. Then dip a fork into flour, and tap off excess. Press fork slighty into the cookies to make a decorative top.
5. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Check and if needed, bake about 5 minutes longer. Remove from oven, and place on a wire rack until completely cooled.

Just a note

Peanut Butter Ingredients Update:

Kraft is NOT recalling any products in connection with the recent salmonella outbreak involving peanut butter manufactured by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). Neither we nor our suppliers purchase peanut butter or paste from PCA for any of our products, including those sold in the U.S. or Canada under the Kraft, Nabisco and Planters brands.

For my friends 21st Birthday I wanted to make him some cupcakes that fit the occasion! Therefore, Beer cupcakes came to mind! And more appropriatley, a six pack of cupcakes!

I was going to try the Guiness Cupcakes that I’ve seen all over, but he isn’t much of a sweet tooth to begin with so I didn’t think a dark chocolate-y guiness cupcake would be good. So I went with Vanilla cupcakes instead. But I knew I had these cute little beer picks lying around, and Im sure he would consume more than enough alcohol without the extra alcohol cupcakes.

The cupcakes are just Vanilla cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream. You can find the little picks at any baking supply store. 

Happy 21st Birthday Ry!

Enjoy!

Im in a loaf mood right now. After my brother said I need to make another Grapefruit and Yogurt Cake for him to bring to work ( he’s an electrition and said his co-workers didn’t believe I made it.. I guess that’s a compliment) although he said he wasn’t sure I made it either. I asked him if he really questioned my baking skills..haha. So now what to do with all those rotting bananas?.. Rather than throw them away put them to good use in a yummy banana bread! This one is filled with bananas, chocolates and pecans. A grown up version of the regular old Banana bread.

This recipe comes from one of my favorite books, Joy Of Cooking 75th Anniversary Edition.

Banana Bread Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 5 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter
•  2 large eggs
• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 2-3)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/2 cup ( or more! ) chocolate chunks or chocolate chips 

Sift together flour, salt baking powder and baking soda in large bowl. Whisk Thoroughly. 

In a mixer, preferrably with paddle attachment, beat on high speed until butter and sugar lightened in color and texture, 2 to 3 minutes. ( If you don’t have a KitchenAid or other stand mixer, a bowl and handheld beater will do the job!)

Beat in the flour mixture until blended and the consistency of brown sugar. Gradually beat in eggs one at a time.

Fold in bananas, chocolate, and chopped walnuts or pecans until combined.

Scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely on the rack.

Everytime I bake a loaf or Banana Bread, I always check it at the 45 minute mark, and then turn off the oven and allow it to continue baking for another 10 minutes or so. That way it doesn’t dry out and it slowly cooks all the way through. 

Enjoy!

**The picture came out really well, I just used four pieces of yellow construction paper and then in photoshop blurred out the lines/shadows. This is an easy way to do it if you don’t have different colored background, and are using a light box. That way you can change the color and edit it to look like one piece for different pictrures, and thus a yellow background for, well, Banana Bread of course!

When life hands you lemons Grapefruits…

So I came across this mouthwatering recipe on Tastespotting a couple of days ago. And normally I wouldn’t have clicked on it, but the name intruigued me because we happened to have a whole bunch of grapefruits lying around the fridge! So I thought I’d check it out. And I’m glad I did! This is a yummy recipe and can be adapted for a lemon cake as well. It’s perfect for afternoon Tea…or afternoon nibbling, or morning noon and night nibbling for that matter. Give it a try.

Grapefruit Yogurt Cake Recipe

Stolen from Smitten Kitchen, Adapted from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 3 teaspoons grated grapefruit zest (approximately one large grapefruit)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup suger, eggs, grapefruit zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile

Cook the 1/3 cup grapefruit juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the grapefruit-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

Glaze Recipe

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

For the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and grapefruit juice and pour over the cake.

This recipe is really yummy! And it’s not too sweet and nice and light!

Enjoy! Alicia