"Man Bait" Apple Crisp

Today is Ed's birthday; he's 36.  And if there's anything this man of mine loves, it's a spicy-sweet-crunchy-topped apple crisp, followed very closely by apple pie, both a la mode.  So this was the first thing we made out of my new favorite cookbook, Joy the Baker.  Super clever idea, making extra topping and mixing part of it in with the filling for thickener (and texture).  And that topping is wicked good.

Crisp is such a simple dessert to make, and so darn delicious and satisfying.  And because there's actual real fruit in it, pretty big pieces, too, we can also call it healthy-ish and have it for breakfast.  Which we do.  

I caught my man 11 1/2 years ago.  But it doesn't hurt, every once in awhile, to re-bait and cast the line.  With a dessert like this, he's sure to bite.  Again and again and again. 

"Man Bait" Apple Crisp (print recipe)
Makes one 9 x 13 pan

Filling:
10 to 12 medium-sized apples (a mix of Fuji and Granny Smith)
6 T granulated sugar
3 tsp ground cinnamon

Topping:
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 2/3 cups packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/3 cups chopped pecans
2/3 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1.  Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9x13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter.

2.  To make the filling: peel and core the apples and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices.  In a small bowl, mix together granulated sugar and cinnamon.  Place all of the apple slices in a large bowl, and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Using your hands, toss the apples with the cinnamon sugar until evenly coated.  Set aside while you prepare the topping.

3.  To make the topping: in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nuts, and oats.  Work the softened butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Remove 1 heaping cup of the topping and sprinkle it over the apple mixture.  Toss with your hands to incorporate.  Place apple mixture in the prepared pan and spread the rest of the topping evenly over the apples.

4.  Bake the crisp until topping is toasted and apples are bubbling, 55 to 60 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.  Scoop warm crisp into bowls and top with vanilla ice cream.

Recipe from Joy the Baker by Joy Wilson

1 year ago:  Pumpkin Biscuits
2 years ago:  Bayou Bakery
3 years ago:  Almond-Cinnamon Cookies

Peach Crisp

 We went peach picking in July, and I went a little crazy - brought home over 20 pounds of the juicy golden orbs.  Which meant peaches with every meal, for every snack, and peaches n' cream every night.  Not complaining.  But by Sunday of that week, I wanted to cook something with them.  And I just didn't have the patience for pie. 

The thing about "crisps" is that sometimes the topping tastes too much like flour, has too many oats, or gets too soggy in the juice and is more "mush" than "crisp."  This recipe solves all those problems, and probably any others you have.  There are two key ingredients: spices for flavor, and nuts for texture and crunch.  It's really that simple.  The peaches juice and then thicken up on their own.  You make the topping in the food processor.  The hardest thing you have to do for this perfect, simple, summer dessert is decide who you're going to share it with.  If anybody.

Peach Crisp (print recipe)
Serves 4 to 6

Topping:
6 T unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
5 T cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup coarsely chopped nuts, such as almonds, pecans or walnuts

Filling:
3 pounds peaches (or nectarines) (about 6), peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/3-inch wedges
1/2 tsp grated zest and 1 1/2 T juice from one lemon
1/4 cup granulated sugar

1.  For the topping: Place the flour, sugars, spices and salt in a food processor and process briefly to combine.  Add the butter and pulse 10 times, about 4 seconds for each pulse.  The mixture will first look like dry sand, with large lumps of butter, then like coarse cornmeal.  Add the nuts, then process again, four or five 1-second pulses.  The topping should look like slightly clumpy wet sand.  Be sure not to overmix or the mixture will become too wet and homogeneous.  Refrigerate the topping while preparing the fruit, at least 15 minutes.

2.  Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. 

3.  For the filling: Peel, pit, and cut the peaches into 1/3-inch wedges.  Toss the peaches, zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a medium bowl.  Scrape the fruit mixture with a rubber spatula into an 8-inch square baking dish, 9-inch deep dish pie pan, or similar 2-quart dish. 

4.  To assemble and bake:  Distribute the chilled topping evenly over the fruit.  Bake for 40 minutes.  Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue baking until the fruit is bubbling and the topping turns deep golden brown, about 5 minutes more.  Serve warm.  (The crisp can be set aside at room temperature for a few hours and then reheated in a warm oven just before serving.)

Recipe from Baking Illustrated

1 year ago:  La Diva Chocolate Cake
2 years ago:  Strawberries and Cream Pie
3 years ago: Chocolate Pistachio Cake

Chocolate Mousse Cake

When we went on vacation in June, I was looking for a very specific recipe.  It was going to be my sister-in-law's birthday that week, so I wanted to make her a cake.  We were staying in timeshare condos, but I wasn't sure what equipment the kitchen would and wouldn't have, and I didn't want to have to bring anything more than necessary.  So I wanted a one-bowl, one-pan, straightforward-prep cake that would be delicious, interesting, and birthday-worthy.  And preferably very chocolate.  Found it.

It actually takes two bowls.  But I brought my hand mixer, springform, and all the ingredients, premeasured in baggies.  And it worked out perfectly!  This cake cooks up rich and cakey around the edges, with a soft moussey offering in the center, and a crackly crust on top.  So gooey and awesome.

 

Chocolate Mousse Cake (print recipe)

Serves 8 to 10

(1 T instant coffee - totally optional!  I didn't use it)
2 sticks butter, melted
8 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
16 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, melted
6 T flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans)
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Add instant coffee, if using, to melted butter.  Set aside.

2.  Beat the egg whites until stiff, set aside.  Beat the egg yolks until lemon colored in an upright mixer.  Add the sugar to the egg yolks and beat until combined.  Add the vanilla, melted butter, and chocolate.  Add the flour, just to combine.  Fold in the egg whites and nuts.

3.  Pour into a greased and floured 9-inch springform pan and bake about 20 minutes.  Center will be soft.  Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Happy Birthday, Michelle!

Recipe adapted from FoodNetwork.com 

1 year ago:  Blueberry Cupcakes with Maple Brown Butter Frosting
2 years ago:  Best Blueberry Muffins EVER
3 years ago:  Ham and Swiss Stromboli 

Toffee-Pumpkin Pie Bars

 I have found another great pumpkin recipe, LAAAA!  Ginger cookie crust, pumpkin filling, hello toffee-and-pecan topping, and a drizzle of caramel sauce.  I quote Billy Ocean: "She's simply...awesome." 

 

(That's right, this one's a short post!)

Toffee-Pumpkin Pie Bars (print recipe)
Ginger Crumb Crust:
2 cups crushed gingersnaps (about 35 cookies)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, melted

Filling:
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups half-and-half or light cream

Topping:
1/2 cup toffee pieces
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Caramel-flavor ice cream topping

1.  Make the crust: in a medium bowl, combine crushed gingersnaps, sugar and flour.  Add melted butter; stir until combined.

2.  Preheat oven to 375F.  Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil, extending the foil over the edges of the pan.  Lightly grease foil.  Press the Ginger Crumb Crust evenly and firmly onto the bottom of prepared pan; set aside.

3.  For filling, in a large bowl, combine pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and cloves.  Add eggs; beat lightly with a fork until combined.  Gradually add half-and-half; stir just until combined.  Pour filling over crust.

4.  Using the edges of the foil, life the baked mixture out of the pan.  Cut into bars.  Cover and chill within 2 hours.  If desired, drizzle with caramel topping just before serving.  Makes 32 bars.

Recipe from Better Homes & Gardens Christmas Cookies magazine, December 2010

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

 Yes, yes, yes, it's another banana recipe.  You know I can't get enough of them.  But it has been awhile since I posted one.

My kids love chocolate chips thrown into most muffins and breads.  And I am happy to oblige.  Why not?  Especially with these - hello, whole wheat flour!  Whole wheat flour, and cinnamon chips (optional but amazing!), and chocolate chips and either rum or coconut extract?!  So awesome.  Either one adds a very subtle but yummo flavor everyone you know will love. 

 Put these in your "no fail" folder, your "crowd pleaser" bookmark.  Always, always, always a hit.  Perfect in any season, for any occasion.  So delicious.  And that's all I have to say about that.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (print recipe)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup mashed bananas, about 2 medium
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 to 1/4 butter rum or coconut flavor, optional
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat or white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans, optional
1 cup cinnamon chips, optional

1.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Lightly grease 12 to 14 standard muffin cups.

2.  Beat the butter and sugar until smooth.  Beat in the banana, then the egg, flavorings, and milk.  Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt and flours, stirring until smooth.  Stir in the chocolate chips, nuts and cinnamon chips.

3.  Heap the thick batter into the prepared muffin cups, mounding them quite full; you'll make 14 muffins if you've used all three add-ins.  Bake the muffins 20 to 23 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove the muffins from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool.  Makes 12 to 14 muffins.

Recipe from King Arthur Flour

Derby Pie

This was my personal FAVORITE pie from Pies & Tarts night, and not just because I made it!  I talked to Dave the morning of Dessert Club and told him the pies I was making.  He had made his pear-raspberry pie the night before and had it with him at work, but he wished he had had time to make this Derby Pie as well.  I told him to send me the recipe; if I had all the ingredients I could make a crust ahead of time and we could make the pie together when he came over after work, a few hours before Dessert Club.

Here's the story of how Dave got the recipe, in his own words:

So my friend John Alexander has been searching lo these many years for the perfect pecan pie. He has tried many recipes, but none quite measured up to what he wanted the pie to taste like. One day the story of his pie quest came up within hearing of Anne. Now Anne is Kentucky born and raised, and she came into his office and said to John "Have you tried Derby Pie"?  John's eyebrows raised, and he picked up his phone and called me into his office. Upon hearing that it was not only a pecan pie but a Chocolate pecan pie, together we pressured Anne into agreeing to make us a Derby Pie, which she did, and John's long search for the perfect pecan-based pie was over. Of course, the week following Anne's pie, we pressured John into making it and so got to enjoy it all over again.  A few months later John was on vacation in Utah (from England - backwards, right?) and emailed me in desperation - "Do you have the Derby Pie recipe? I really want to make it but I don't have it on my email that I can get to from here!" - I put him in touch with Anne's husband on Facebook so John could introduce Derby Pie into his native Utah.   My price for hooking him up in his hour of need? You guessed it - my own copy of the Derby Pie recipe.   That's the story of our pie.   I'm sure Anne could tell you a better story about its Kentucky heritage or whatever, but that's how it came to me.

Luckily, VGP and Dessert Club are non-profit situations, or else we could get sued for using the name, "Derby Pie."  Apparently it is a registered trademark of Kern's Kitchen in Prospect, Kentucky, and they have sued to protect its copyright at least 25 times since 1968.  See here. 

I think it's a catchy name but I don't really care what we call it.  "Slice of Heaven" works for me.  It smells like chocolate chip cookies while baking, probably because it has all the best ingredients from those - brown sugar, chocolate, nuts and vanilla.  I never cared for pecan pie when I was younger.  Then I went to Canada and discovered sugar pie and butter tarts, which are basically pecan pie without pecans.  Then my palate matured and I started to like pecans.  And of course chocolate makes everything better.  I don't know about you folks, but thanks to Kern's Kitchen and Dave's friends Anne and John, I have now got a new Thanksgiving tradition.

Derby Pie (print recipe)
One unbaked 9-inch pie shell
4 eggs1 stick melted butter
1 tablespoon flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup white corn syrup (Karo)1 cup pecans
1 cup chocolate chips

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium-sized bowl, whisk eggs. In a small bowl or pan (whatever you melted the butter in), mix the flour and melted butter with a fork until there are no lumps. 

2.  Into the whisked eggs, stir in sugars, vanilla, syrup, and butter-flour mixture. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips. Pour the mixture into an uncooked 9" pie crust.  Try to spread the chocolate chips evenly around the pie; the pecans will take care of themselves. Once they float to the top, if it looks like there are lots of empty spots, you could add more pecans so the top is covered well. Just make sure you get the pecans completely coated with the filling mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour to an hour and 20 minutes, or until the pie doesn't jiggle like jello when you shake it.


Recipe from Anne from Kentucky

Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake with Praline Frosting

  It's apple season.  You already knew that.  I had some darn good apple recipes last year, especially the Apple Cake with Buttery Caramel Sauce and those to-die-for Apple Pie Bars.  I thought I'd focus my efforts this year on making a great apple pie (two failures down, still working on it), but when I saw this cake on the cover of September's Southern Living, I knew I had to make it, and I paid full newsstand price.  Just so happened it was part of a whole feature on apple recipes, which I am still working my way through. (I tried the skillet apple pie - not great.)

But this sweetie was all the cover photo promised it would be.  Tall and spicy, sweet and nutty.  Brown-sugar-cream-cheesey.  Absolutely perfect for fall, and you know Bundts are the best portable/potluck cake going.  So if, say, your school holds an Election Day bake sale, like ours does, this would be just the thing.  I made it for our little family farewell party the night before Ed left on his annual elk hunting trip.  And - good planning - enjoyed most of the leftovers while he was gone!

Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake with Praline Frosting (print recipe)
Cream Cheese Filling:
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 T all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract

Apple Cake Batter:
1 cup finely chopped pecans
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup applesauce
3 cups peeled and finely chopped Gala apples (about 1 1/2 lbs.) - I used Cameo or whatever I had just picked at the orchard

Praline Frosting:
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
3 T milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

1.  Prepare filling:  Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended and smooth.  Add egg, flour and vanilla; beat just until blended.

2.  Prepare batter:  Preheat oven to 350.  Bake pecans in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.  Stir together 3 cups flour and next 7 ingredients in large bowl; stir in eggs and next 3 ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Stir in apples and pecans.

3.  Spoon two-thirds of apple mixture into a greased and floured 14-cup Bundt pan.  Spoon Cream Cheese Filling over apple mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges of the pan.  Swirl filling through apple mixture using a paring knife.  Spoon remaining apple mixture over Cream Cheese Filling.

4.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (at least 2 hours.)

5.  Prepare frosting:  Bring 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter and 3 T milk to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.  Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth; stir gently 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly.  Pour immediately over cooled cake.

Recipe from Southern Living, Sept 2011

My Big Fat Bumpy Life Cake

  

I love this cake.  This cake goes back to before The Virtual Goody Plate.  Before New York.  Before I even had kids, and definitely before I did any serious baking.  I first made this in our little married student apartment in Boulder.  It came from a cake contest I saw on The Food Network, and it was around the time "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" was popular, when was that?  I just looked it up - 2002, that's about right.  The woman who won the contest came from a family that owns and runs a pecan farm in Georgia, so she wanted to show them off.  I was enthralled, and once I made it and tasted it, I was hooked.  It's still one of my favorites - it's both messy and pretty at the same time (like life), and the flavors are unique but amazing - chocolate cinnamon cake, and sweetened condensed milk icing.  Plus lots of pecan and marshmallow bumps.  

So yeah, life gets a little bumpy sometimes, but a cake like this can smooth things out for at least a few moments.

 

My Big Fat Bumpy Life Cake (print recipe)
Cake:
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk, divided
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup butter flavored shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup hot water

Icing:
1/4 cup butter flavored shortening
Sweetened condensed milk (reserved from cake)
1 cup powdered sugar

Toppings:
1/2 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Drizzle:
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3 T vegetable oil

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 12-cup Bundt with nonstick cooking spray.  Measure out 1/3 cup of the sweetened condensed milk for using in the cake.  Reserve the rest for the icing.

2.  Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a medium bowl; set aside.

3.  In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the shortening, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until creamy and fluffy.  Add buttermilk and cocoa and beat until blended.  Add flour mixture and beat on low to blend.  Then increase the speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes.  Stir in hot water with a spoon until just blended.  Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes in the pan; remove to a serving plate and cool to room temperature.

4.  Combine icing ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until smooth.  Stir the ingredients for the drizzle together until well combined and set aside.  Frost the cake with the icing and fill up the hole in the center if you wish.  Sprinkle the marshmallows and pecans evenly over the icing.  Decorate with the chocolate drizzle and serve.

 Recipe from Sandi Klingler, Food Network Cake Contest Winner 

Banana After-School Cake

Here's a picture of all my cookbooks. I mean, it's not bad. Only two shelves. But as you can see there is no extra space. So out of necessity I am very discriminating about acquiring new cookbooks. They have to be either very worthwhile, or they have to be obscenely cheap. I am a sucker for a bargain.

So when I was at Border's last week, and everything was 70% off (or more) for their last 10 days, I gave the cookbook section a look-see. I knew it would be picked over, and it was. But sometimes that's how you find the gems. So when I found Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey Treats for Kids by Jill O'Connor (list price $19.95, Amazon price $9.43) for a whoppin' $1.60, I took the plunge. It was so cute looking, so inviting. I did flip through quickly, to make sure there was at least one interesting recipe, and I found at least five on one skim - sold! Sometimes "treats for kids" books are full of lame shortcuts and store bought frosting, so I just wanted to make sure these were real recipes. Oh, yes, I lucked out.

So on a recent afternoon when Ginger said she was bored and couldn't wait for Hazel to come home, I said, "Let's make a snack!" It was rainy and unseasonably cool, and a perfect warm-comfort-food day. So I took a quick inventory - browning bananas - and remembered something banana-y from SCMGTfK. Just so happens she calls it "Banana Montana After-School Cake." Perfect. I left out the "Montana" for obvious reasons.

But despite the book's title, Ginger and I found this cake...a bit too plain. So we added cinnamon chips. And chocolate chips. And heck, a few marshmallows. You know. And it was awesome. And we ate it for after-school snack the rest of the week. The End.Banana After-School Cake (print recipe)
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mashed very ripe banana (about 3)
1/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup diced toasted pecans, optional
A couple 4-yr-old-size handfuls of cinnamon chips and/or mini chocolate chips, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 9-inch square cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Using an electric mixer set at medium, beat together until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then beat in the vanilla, bananas, and buttermilk, just until combined.

4. With the mixer set at low speed, beat the flour mixture into the banana batter, in two additions, just until combined. Do not overbeat the batter. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the pecans and/or chips if using.

5. Spread the batter into the prepared pan in an even layer and bake until firm and golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and cut into squares. Serve warm.Recipe adapted from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey Treats for Kids by Jill O'Connor

Buttermilk-Nutmeg Coffee Cake

You know what's so special about coffee cake, right? Besides being delicious, it's cake you are supposed to eat for breakfast. Oh, ouch! Twist my arm! And my kids' arms, too. I have only made this once, but Hazel keeps asking for it again. She's no dummy.

This cake has all those yummy flavors I love in a doughnut - nutmeg, brown sugar, cinnamon, etc. But of course it's way easier because it just bakes in a 9 x 13 pan. And if you're going to continue to compare it to doughnuts, it is waaay healthier because no frying! Just for that I am giving it my "healthy-ish" tag. Gotta love it, and now you can definitely eat it for breakfast!
Buttermilk-Nutmeg Coffee Cake (print recipe)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup butter
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds

1. Grease the bottom and 1/2-inch up the sides of a 9x13-inch baking dish; set aside. Preheat oven to 350 (for metal) or 325 (for glass.) In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside 1/2 cup of the crumb mixture. Stir baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg into the remaining crumb mixture.

2. In a medium bowl combine eggs and buttermilk. Add egg mixture all at once to cinnamon mixture, stirring just until moistened. Spoon batter evenly into prepared pan or dish. In a small bowl stir together the reserved 1/2 cup crumb mixture and the nuts; sprinkle over batter.

3. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve coffee cake warm or room temperature. Makes 18 servings
Recipe from 9x13: The Pan That Can

"Simply Sinful" Cinnamon Muffins

I'm pretty sure I don't have to say much about these. Pretty much the ultimate cinnamon muffin here, and everyone loves cinnamon. Or should. The recipe comes from King Arthur Flour, a recipe for using it's Baker's Cinnamon Filling Mix, but I just used the butter-sugar-cinnamon substitution and they were AMAZING. Then I started reading some of the reviews of the cinnamon filling mix...and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have to get me somma dat. Can you imagine all the nosh-worthy things a high quality cinnamon filling could go in? Dang. Simply sinful. (Like these muffins...)
Simply Sinful Cinnamon Muffins (print recipe)
Topping
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup diced pecans
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3 tablespoons soft butter

Filling
1/2 cup King Arthur Baker's Cinnamon Filling mix*
3 to 4 tablespoons water*

*Or substitute 3 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon for the Baker's Cinnamon Filling mix and water, which is what I did.

Batter
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons Signature Secrets(r) Culinary Thickener or cornstarch
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup cinnamon chips or butterscotch chips
1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake papers, or grease it lightly.

2. Prepare the topping by mixing the ingredients together until crumbly. Set aside.

3. Prepare the filling by mixing the Baker's Cinnamon Filling with enough water to make filling with a soft, pudding-like consistency. Set it aside. (Or make the filling substitute.)

4. To make the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, milk, and eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, including the chips. Add the dry mixture to the liquid, stirring just until combined.

5. Divide half the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Dollop 2 teaspoons cinnamon filling onto each muffin, then top with the remaining batter. Sprinkle with topping, pressing it in lightly.

6. Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and wait 5 minutes before transferring them from the pan to a rack to cool. Makes 12 muffins
Recipe from King Arthur Flour

Chocolate Banana Gorilla Bread

I was at Urgent Care with all three kids and my second round (of three, so far) of strep throat this summer. I'd brought apples for their dinner. I felt like crap and all I wanted was to climb into bed and go dark. But I was at Urgent Care instead, when Paula Deen and one of her sons came on the waiting room TV making this. And even though the last thing I wanted to do in that moment was cook or eat anything, my critical baker's eye still recognized a good thing, so I quick-looked it up on my phone and bookmarked it for a healthier day.

My friend Shanna has been having her kitchen renovated all summer, feeding her family off takeout and whatever can be microwaved. So we had a baking day - I wanted to try this little devil, and Shanna just wanted to bake anything. Reading the recipe, I felt there was likely a high result-to-effort ratio, and that was just what we were going for.
Lots of really good things tucked into a pan with lots of other really good things. Yummy yummo. Although. Not everyone likes cooked banana. (Shanna is one of those people.) I discovered what happens to bananas when they get warm in an unfortunate banana cream pie incident once - I didn't let the custard cool enough before putting the bananas in, and it changed them. But I liked them in this. Next time I might cut them thicker and see if they cook less. But there's only so much you can do about it when they're in the oven for an hour. If you like cooked bananas, good on ya. If not, the crescent is your canvas, man. Shanna and I came up with half a dozen other filling ideas while we licked our fingers - Nutella, peanut butter, peaches or blueberries, something cream cheesey, lemon curd, a combination of the above?

So if you like chocolate & banana, this is your stop. If you are feeling lucky, then this is your jumping off point. Either way, Paula Deen has done a good, good thing here and I thank her for it.

Chocolate Banana Gorilla Bread (print recipe)
3 T granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup packed light brown sugar
8 T butter
24 ounces of refrigerated crescent roll dough (2-12 oz. tubes or 3-8oz. tubes)
6 T sweetened condensed milk
2 to 3 bananas, sliced 1/4 inch thick
About 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

3. In a small saucepan, melt the brown sugar with the butter over low heat. Break open the crescent roll packages and separate the triangles of dough. Brush each triangle with sweetened condensed milk (that's right!) and top with 2 banana slices and 1-2 tsp chocolate chips; fold the edges of the triangle together any which way to make a pocket that encloses the filling and seal. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

4. Put half of the nuts in the Bundt pan and top with half of the dough packets. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar. Pour half of the brown sugar-butter mixture over the dough. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Bake until puffed, golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Use a knife to hold top dough apart to check doneness of the dough in the middle. Remove pan from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool 15 minutes. Put a platter on top of the Bundt pan and invert. Pull apart to serve warm or room temperature.Recipe from The Deen Family Cookbook by Paula Deen

Blueberry Crumble Loaf

When my brother came to visit us in May (from England), he brought a load of goodie gifts - chocolate, hard candy, and for me, a cookbook - always the perfect gift. He brought me Cake Days, the house cookbook of The Hummingbird Bakery in London. First of all, that is the most adorable bakery name I've ever heard. Second, the cookbook is gorgeous! Third, like with all new cookbooks I am slowly working my way through and making lists of all the delights I can't wait to try, like Blood Orange Cheesecake, Pistachio Whoopie Pies, and Sticky Toffee Cupcakes. For real.

The first thing I tried was Lemonade Cupcakes. Those will be showing up during Lemonade Week, later this month. Second, for a summery Sunday dessert, we made this Blueberry Crumble Loaf.
Sweet, sturdy vanilla cake with fresh, local berries that cannot be beat. A crumble topping is Hummingbird's favorite, and who can argue this one, with brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon. Feel free to try it with raspberries or blackberries instead!
*All measurements were given in grams and ounces - I weighed, then measured, and give you the American measurements.

Blueberry Crumble Loaf (print recipe)
Cake:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup plus 6 T all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 ounce whole milk
3/4 cups fresh or frozen (defrosted) blueberries
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Crumble Topping:
3 T all-purpose flour
1 T unsalted butter
1 T soft light brown sugar
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 325. Grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with butter and dust with flour.

2. First make the crumble topping. In a bowl, rub the flour and butter together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Stir in the remaining ingredients and then set aside.

3. Next make the cake. Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Break the eggs in one at a time, mixing well, on medium speed, after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure every bit of the mixture is incorporated.

4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, then add in three stages to the creamed butter and eggs, pouring in the milk after the second batch has been added. Mix well on medium speed after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl once again to ensure all the ingredients are incorporated.

5. Increase the speed to medium to high and continue mixing until the batter is smooth and even, then add the blueberries and chopped pecans, stirring them into the batter by hand and making sure they are evenly distributed. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top.

6. Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until the sponge feels firm and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, with no cake batter sticking to it. Allow the loaf to cool a little before turning it out of the pan on a wire rack to cool completely, then cut into slices and serve.

Recipe from Cake Days: Recipes to Make Every Day Special from The Hummingbird Bakery

1 year ago: Foccacia
2 years ago: Blueberry Fool

Family Circle Cinnamon Rolls

Four out of five of us at my house are not morning people. We're tired, we're grumpy, we're hungry. Only to face another bowl of cold cereal for our trouble. Sometimes muffins if I've been a busy bee. Once in a great while pancakes, if it's an open Saturday (or Pancake Week is coming up.) But almost never cinnamon rolls. They take 3 hours! And you know I'm not getting up any earlier than I have to because I am one of those four out of five people.

But I must not forget that cinnamon rolls can be done this way: make them in the evening - mix, rise, roll, fill, cut. Then let them second-rise in the fridge overnight while your poor mind and body collapse into exhausted oblivion that never lasts long enough.

When the cock crows, the baby cries, the enormous family of birds in your neighbor's tree goes to bickering, or your 4-year-old pads clumsily into your room, breathing heavily in your face hoping to be invited to snuggle, go preheat the oven and take the rolls out of the fridge to warm up a bit. When the oven's ready, toss them in, set the timer, and go catch a few more winks while they bake and fill your house with the kind of indescribably comforting aromas of yeast and cinnamon that could turn the grumpiest grouch into a morning person.

At least for one day.

Family Circle Cinnamon Rolls (print recipe)

Dough:
1 cup whole milk
1 envelope active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (100°F to 110°F)
3 T granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

Filling:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 T cinnamon
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup raisins

Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 to 3 T milk

1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat and let stand until cooled to room temperature.

2. Meanwhile, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the sugar and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, eggs and butter. Beat in cooled milk.

3. Gradually add the flour and salt, scraping down side of bowl, until a soft dough forms. Turn dough onto a floured work surface and knead the remaining flour into the dough, adding more flour if too sticky. Knead for about 10 minutes until smooth. The dough will be soft.

4. Grease a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1-1/2 hours.

5. Coat two 9-inch round baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottoms with parchment paper; coat paper with spray. Prepare Filling: Mix butter, both kinds of sugar and cinnamon together in a medium-size bowl.

6. Punch down dough. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to an 18 x 12-inch rectangle. Spread the butter-sugar mixture over the dough. Sprinkle with nuts and raisins. Starting on one long side roll up jelly roll fashion and pinch seam to close.

7. Cut crosswise into 14 generous 1-inch pieces. Arrange 7 pieces, cut-side down, in each prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm spot until buns double in size, about 30 to 45 minutes. Or cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the following morning.

8. Heat oven to 350°F. Uncover pans and bake buns until they are golden-brown and bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 10 minutes.

9. Glaze: Mix confectioners sugar and 1 tablespoon of the milk, adding more milk as necessary, to make a smooth glaze. Invert buns to a serving platter. Drizzle glaze on top of buns (about 1/3 cup per pan). Serve warm. Recipe from Family Circle magazine, January 2011

Chocolate Chunk Nutella Cookies

Can you see those chocolate chunks or are you blind? SO chunky. SO chocolatey. SO hazelnutty (you can see them, too.) And on top of it all, there is NUTELLA in the batter. Oh, it's like heaven in a cookie! I was at Costco the other day and saw a big old two-pack of Nutella vats. I immediately thought, That would make a lot of cookies. But you can never have too many.

Chocolate Chunk Nutella Cookies (print recipe)
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup Nutella or hazelnut paste
2 large eggs, room temperature
Scrapings from 1 split vanilla bean (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
3 cups (12 oz.) bittersweet chocolate (60-66%), coarsely chopped into 1/4-inch pieces or larger
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts, optional (I used 14 oz. of a large dark chocolate bar with almonds, chopped up in big ol' nice hunks)

1. Position oven racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat to 375. Line two or three rimmed baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt onto a piece of parchment or waxed paper.

3. Combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer; beat on medium speed until creamy. Reduce the speed to medium-low, then add the Nutella and beat until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition, then add the vanilla bean scrapings, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture, beating just until the dough comes together. Stir in the chocolate pieces and, if desired, the nuts.

4. Drop heaping tablespoons of the dough 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets, flattening them slightly by hand as needed. (At this point the mounds of dough can be frozen, well wrapped, for up to a month.)

5. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes, then rotate the baking sheets top to bottom and front to back*. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes until lightly browned. Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing. Repeat to use all of dough. Makes 38 to 42 cookies

*If you like a chewier cookie, underbake them a little. If you like crispy, then bake away.

Recipe from The Perfect Finish: Special Desserts for Every Occasion by Bill Yosses and Melissa Clark

Tunnel of Fudge Cake (from unbeknownst guest blogger Maren)

My sister in Vermont is having the late-winter blues. And burying them in a Tunnel of Fudge.

Marshmallow Butterscotch Bars

What is butterscotch and why do these get that delectable name? Luckily I know the answer. First you've got caramel, which is white sugar heated until it caramelizes (duh), or turns brown. Toffee, brittle and butterscotch are all in the caramel family; butterscotch is caramel paired with butter. Um, besides chocolate, what could be better? Only butterscotch with marshmallows.

These are sweet. I mean sweeeeet. And a little gooey but not ooey-gooey. Brown sugar, coconut, and vanilla are the big players here, and with the crunch of pecans and puffy toasty-ness of marshmallows they are indulgently delightful. Don't forget the final drizzle of caramel sauce on top!
Marshmallow Butterscotch Bars (print recipe)
Coconut-Butterscotch Bottom:
1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups flaked or shredded coconut
3/4 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup packed brown sugar

Marshmallow-Butterscotch Top:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups tiny marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Caramel-flavored ice cream topping

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 baking pan; set aside. In a small saucepan, heat 1/3 cup butter over medium heat until melted. Stir in coconut, 3/4 cup pecans and 2/3 cup brown sugar. Press mixture evenly into bottom of the prepared pan; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in flour until combined. Stir in 1/2 cup of the marshmallows and the 1/2 cup pecans. Carefully spread mixture over coconut layer.

3. Bake in the preheated oven about 25 minutes or until top is evenly browned (center may jiggle slightly when gently shaken.) Increase oven temperature to 450. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup marshmallows. Bake about 3 minutes or until marshmallows are lightly browned.

4. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. If desired, drizzle with caramel topping. Makes 24 bars.

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Baking magazine, December 2010

Italian Cream Wedding Cake

There is nothing more thrilling for an amateur baker than to have something turn out looking exactly like it does in the book, AND tasting as good as it looks! If you think about it for a second, you realize the credit probably goes to the recipe's author rather than the home cook, but I am taking it anyway. I am AMAZING!

Because this cake is. This is what we served for the grown-up February birthdays at our house (me, my husband, my Mom.) Four layers of delicious yellow cake full of coconut, pecans, and FOUR different extracts, filled with creamy vanilla pastry cream* and slathered with lemony cream cheese frosting. We served it, as directed, with lemon sorbet, but ooheee, that sorbet was tart with this cake! I think I'd go with sherbet at least, or even better, lemon ice cream. Yes, I think lemon ice cream would be perfect.

*Here's the thing about pastry cream. It's kind of hard to make and easy to screw up. And it makes a mess. And at least the times I've successfully made it without a curdled disaster, it never tasted as good as vanilla cook-and-serve pudding. So after another attempt at pastry cream this time around, I ditched the effort and went with the pudding. So delicious.
Italian Cream Wedding Cake (print recipe)
Cream Filling:
1 large box of cooked vanilla pudding, prepared and chilled

Cake Batter:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
5 large eggs, separated
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp orange extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup toasted shredded coconut
1/2 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped

Butter-Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Milk, as necessary

Finishing Touches:
Chopped toasted pecans
Toasted shredded coconut
White chocolate shavings/curls, optional1. Prepare pudding according to box directions, maybe add a little less milk so it will set up firm. Chill well, several hours or up to 3 days.

2. For cake, preheat oven to 350. Spray two 9-inch round pans with cooking spray. Line bottoms with parchment paper circles and spray them with cooking spray. Place pans on parchment paper lined baking sheets and wrap with bake-even strips if you have them.

3. In a mixer bowl, cream butter and shortening until well blended and fluffy. Add 1 1/4 cups sugar and mix well. Blend egg yolks into butter mixture, scraping down bowl every so often (if it seems curdled, add some of the flour called for in cake batter. Fold in vanilla, almond, lemon and orange extracts. Blend in buttermilk and then fold in remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Lastly, add coconut and pecans.

4. Place egg whites in a clean, dry mixer bowl, and using whisk attachment, whip egg whites on low speed of mixer until frothy. Increase speed and slowly dust in remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Increase speed and whip until whites are stiff and glossy, abut 3 to 4 minutes. Fold one-third of egg whites into cake batter. Then carefully fold in remaining whites so as to incorporate whites but not deflate batter.

5. Spoon batter into prepared pans. Bake until cakes spring back when gently pressed with fingertips, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cake layers well, and, once cooled, cover loosely with wax paper while making frosting.

6. For frosting, cream butter and cream cheese in a mixer with paddle attachment until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and as much milk as required to get a smooth and spreadable consistency. Whip on medium speed for 3 minutes.

7. To assemble, cut each cake in half horizontally. Whisk or mix chilled pudding with a spoon to loosen it. Place one cake layer on a serving platter and cover with one-third pudding. Sandwich remaining layers the same way, leaving top layer plain.

8. Frost cake sides and then top with Butter-Cream Cheese Frosting. Dust top with a fine mixture of pecans, coconut and white chocolate shavings or curls. Chill 1 hour before serving (or up to 3 days.)

Recipe adapted from A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman