Cornmeal Biscotti

Here's something I find a little weird: I don't like biscotti bought from a store (grocery or coffee shop), but I love the ones I've made for this blog. That's a little weird, right? Because I like cookies I buy at stores and also cookies I make. (But I guess nothing beats home-made!)

These biscotti were just as delicious as these Lavender Biscotti with Dried Cherries and Pistachios, these Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti, and these Soft Cranberry Orange Biscotti. The stone-ground cornmeal created an extra crunchy texture. I made half with the walnuts and half without. I think I enjoyed them better without, but hey. Sometimes you feel like a nut and sometimes you don't.

Cornmeal Biscotti recipe found here: David Lebovitz 

 

For less crunchy texture, don't use stone-ground cornmeal.

Bake well and prosper!

Whole Wheat Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Have you heard that the weather in NYC has been pretty brutal this winter? Almost every day this month has been below normal temperature-wise.

 

Thankfully, Jan 1 wasn't too cold. I decided to ring in the new year by splashing into the Atlantic Ocean as part of Coney Island's Polar Bear Club Plunge.

This is me afterwards. I DID IT! I did it along with thousands of other crazy people.

 

It actually wasn't too bad. I was already cold from waiting for my friends and the water was warmer than the air. I would definitely do it again. It was a fun way to start 2014!

 

I'm pretty sure that jumping into the ocean on the first day of the year has helped me deal with this extra cold winter. You know what else has helped?

 

Baking.

There's nothing like a warm kitchen exuding lovely baked good smells on a chilly, winter evening.

 

I enjoyed baking these because they made my kitchen smell delicious and they were delicious. The whole wheat combined with dark chocolate chips brought a heartier depth to the tastes of these cookie bars. (And as an FYI, these go really well with scotch whiskey. If only I had a fire place...)

Whole Wheat Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (adapted from Completely Delicious)

3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups dark chocolate chips

1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8 or 9-inch baking pan or 2 8x8 baking pans with parchment paper with overhanging sides.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium high speed until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add this into the stand mixer and mix until incorporated. (Mixture will be a little crumbly.) Stir in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts.

Press dough into the prepared baking pan and bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then lift bars out of the pan with the overhanging parchment paper and let cool completely on a wire rack. Slice into bars and serve.

Bake well and prosper!

Cinnamon Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made some cookies Sat morning for a weekend of fun.

 

This past weekend I went to the Jersey Shore to cheer on runners running the NJ 1/2 and Full Marathon. I got to stay at a couple's beach house and wanted to bring something for us to enjoy both in the evening and in the morning.

 

I found that these cookies were hearty and are probably a better fit for Autumn. However, they were perfect this weekend with red wine in the evening and perfect with coffee/chai in the morning. And they were good fuel for all the cheering I did.

 

The runners REALLY liked that last sign. I like making runners laugh. It's no small feat to make someone laugh who's running 26.2 miles!

 

These cookies were nice and next time I'll make it with dulce de leche (which is what the original recipe calls for) instead of adding chocolate chips.

Cinnamon Walnut Cookies (adapted from Laura's Mess)

1 and a half stick of unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup dark brown sugar (Erika's Extras: I used muscovado)

1/4 cup white caster sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tsp ground cinnamon + 1/4 tsp extra, for sprinkling

2 cups (250g) plain white flour

2 teaspoon cornflour

1 teaspoon baking soda

sea salt

1 cup raw walnuts, crushed + 2 tbsp extra, for sprinkling
1/2 cup chocolate chips (Erika's Extras: I used semi-sweet AND white chocolate chips)

Place the butter and sugars into a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer. Cream together until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla, then continue to mix at medium speed until well combined.

Sift in your flour, cornflour, baking soda, cinnamon and a large pinch of salt. Mix together, adding in the walnuts and chocolate chips when the mixture starts to come together. When well combined, refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees f. Take 1 Tablespoon of cookie dough and roll into a ball. Place on prepared cookie sheet and flatten each ball slightly with your hands. Press a few bits of crumbled walnut into the top of each cookie and sprinkle with cinnamon. Place the cookies into the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Bake well and prosper!

Orange, Walnut, and Rosemary Muffins

Are you currently living in a winter wonderland? Feeling snowed in? Blue? Well, try these muffins for a nice pick-me-up! The combination of orange and rosemary will have your senses perked up in no time!

I used to think oranges were a summer fruit since they are so sunny and happy. It was a little shocking to find out they are best in winter (at least here in North America.)

I love what Eat the Seasons says about oranges: "Oranges provide seasonal eaters with a taste of sun in the middle of winter. [They are] fabulous [in] desserts where they form a heavenly match with chocolate."

 

Amen.

Orange, Walnut, and Rosemary Muffins (adapted from The Kitchen Prep)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar (Erika's Extras - I used organic sugar. Worked well.)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
2 eggs
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
6 tablespoons canola oil (Erika's Extras - I used grape seed oil bc I didn't have canola. Worked fine but I think I would have preferred canola.)
Zest of 2 oranges - save 1 teaspoon for icing
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped, plus extra for garnish

For Icing:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
3-4 teaspoons freshly squeeze orange juice (Erika's Extras: Used the oranges you just zested.)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a muffin tin with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and walnuts.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, yogurt, oil, orange zest, and chopped rosemary.
4. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and mix until just combined. Do not over mix, there will still be some small lumps. If your mixture looks a bit dry, add 1 tablespoon at a time of milk or almond milk until moistened.
5. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop batter into liners. Bake for 16-18 minutes until tops are slightly golden and firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Cool on a baking rack for about 30 minutes or until completely cooled. Spoon icing over top and decorate with a small sprig of rosemary.

Icing:
1. Sift powdered sugar into a small bowl.
2. Add zest and juice and whisk until smooth.
3. Drizzle or spoon over muffins.

4. Add a sprig of rosemary on top of the icing of each muffin.

Bake well and prosper!

Healthy Blueberry Bran Muffins {and a Giveaway!}

Quite a lot happened this past weekend. It was Earth Day. I had an opera rehearsal. I saw a Broadway play. I ran a race in a pink tutu and pink, fuzzy devil horns.

What? I did! Need proof?

See?!

I was holding a baton because I was part of a relay team. Since we had to wake up early to get to the start, I decided to make muffins the day before so we could eat breakfast in the car. I found a healthy blueberry muffin recipe and adjusted it to make it even healthier! They were so good! All the runners who ate one loved it.

And now ladies and gentlemen, *drum roll* it's time for my first ever giveaway on this blog! Due to knowing some cool runners, I got a free life factory water bottle.

I've been using metal water bottles for the last 4 years and was very happy to get a spiffy glass one. This bottle is super cheerful and easy to grip. Also, the larger opening makes it easier to clean. (Not to mention that having a glass bottle means I can SEE that it's clean inside.) The bottle, sleeve, and cap are all dishwasher safe. I also love that it has ounce measurements on the side. So far I've drank 80 ounces of water today and it's only the afternoon. (I drink a LOT of water.)

Now you have the chance to win one of these great bottles! In honor of Earth Day (it WAS a busy weekend...), I'm giving away one of these bottles.

To enter, go to lifefactory.com and figure out if you'd like a flip cap or a classic cap bottle and what color you love the best out of the options. Then write a comment in the comment form below with your choices (flip vs classic and which color you'd want.) Also, leave a way to contact you in the comment form if you don't have a blog profile and are leaving a comment as anonymous (email or twitter name only).

The prized bottle will be the 22oz version. Drawing will happen on Tuesday, May 1.

This giveaway is open from April 25th through midnight EDT on April 30th. You must be 18 years old to enter and live in the United States.

Please see official rules HERE. 

CONTEST CLOSED: The winner was #9, Nansi, who wants the classic cap in orange. Congratulations!

Healthy Blueberry Bran Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup oat bran
1/4 cup quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 banana, mashed
3/4 cup almond milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan, or line with paper muffin cups.

2.In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, oat bran, quick-cooking oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently stir in the blueberries, and walnuts. In a separate bowl, mix together the mashed banana, almond milk, egg, oil, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix just until blended. Spoon into muffin cups, filling all the way to the top.

3.Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly touched. Or test by inserting a toothpick. If it comes out clean, the muffins are ready to be taken out of the oven.

Bake well and prosper!

An Apple a Day - McIntosh-Oatmeal Cookies

Mmmmm! Welcome to day 5 of

I had to take Sunday off as a rest day and now I'm back with a new recipe! I think this brings my apple count down to 5 apples. Seeing I had 9 pounds of apples when I started, I am making pretty good progress using up my freshly picked apples. This new recipe comes from my Mom's Best Recipe Cookbook. Enjoy!

McIntosh-Oatmeal Cookies (From my Mom's Best Recipes Cookbook)

1 C unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 C sugar

1 1/2 C flour

1 t baking soda

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t salt

1 t vanilla

2 large eggs

2 medium McIntosh apples, peeled, cored, and diced (about 2 C) (I used Stayman Winesap because I didn't pick any McIntosh apples. Sorry, Mom!)

3 C oatmeal
1 C raisins
3/4 C walnuts, chopped

In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and eggs; beat until just blended, occasionally scarping bowl with spatula. Stir in apples, oats, raisins, and walnuts.

Drop dough by level 1/4 C, about 3 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 350 degrees until golden, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower oven racks halfway through. With wide spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Bake well and prosper!