Date and Nut Cookies

Do you ever have a day when every single thing is just freaking agitating and it all just explodes into a meltdown? Today was one of those days. It was a long day of silent treatment and death glares at work. I rounded up the day by inexplicable and hysterical sobbing to the Glee finale. Then I sprawled on the basement floor and attempting to eat popcorn. Heads up, it's difficult.

To try to get rid of my nasty post-crying face, which is red and blotchy and disfigured, I made cookies. The cure to unreasonable mood swings and my family's uncomfortable attempts to understand why I'm crying on the floor. Cookies means a happy family. That should be in parenting books if it isn't already. 

Date and Nut Cookies

Adapted from Food Magazine

These are healthy cookies. It's a contradiction and I feel like a tool saying it but they are nonetheless. Perfect for attempting to slim down and look like Brooklyn Decker in a bikini! 

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 pound dates, pitted and roughly chopped (This came out to a scant 3 cups but I would recommend using 2 cups or a half pound) 

1 1/2 cups pecans, toasted and then roughly chopped
3 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon  

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper third and middle. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or butter them. In a bigger bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Throw in your dates and pecans and stir them around so they are coated in the flour mixture. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, lemon juice, salt and vanilla until combined. Then beat in 1/2 cup of the brown sugar until it is all nice and combined. Create a well in the flour mixture and add the sugar mixture. Mix it up until it is fully combined. In a tiny bowl, mix together the cinnamon and remaining two tablespoons of brown sugar. Scoop out heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, about an inch apart. Sprinkle them with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, switching the sheets halfway through, until they have golden edges. Move to a wire rack to cool completely. Chow down. Makes 4 dozen cookies. 

* I totally published this as Date and Nute Cookies. 

Overnight (Lighter) Brownies

Now that the painful picture from last post is over and done with, some brownies are in order. I pre-ordered this book because of all the hype and it is clearly worth it after this recipe, Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy by Alice Mendrich. I love making stuff ahead of time. For example, yesterday I woke up and popped some brownies in the oven. Then ate them for breakfast. Hot. Perfect, no?

Not only should you buy this book but you should make these. Or at least make the recipe tonight and bake them tomorrow.

Overnight (Lighter) Brownies
By Alice Medrich

1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
4 1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp natural cocoa
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tsp water
1 egg
2 egg whites
fleur de sel*

Line a 8 x 8 square pan with tin foil so that there is an over hang of about 2 or 3 inches. That way you can lift the puppies out when they are done and less cleaning aka genius. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt together with a whisk or fork and set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until it is sizzling. Remove from heat and immediately add the cocoa. Stir until it is smooth. Add the sugar and mix until it is combined, it will look like really dark brown sugar. It will have cooled down a bit so the eggs don't cook. Stir in the vanilla, coffee mix, egg and egg whites until it is smooth and glossy. Stir in the flour mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge overnight or for at least a few hours. When ready to bake, let the pan sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350º now. Bake the brownies for 15 to 18 minutes until a toothpick comes out with crumbs and thickened batter but not thin and liquidy batter. You do not want to overcook these. Allow the brownies to cool on a wire rack in the pan.** Remove from the pan and slice into 16 squares. These are best right out of the oven or from the freezer, in my opinion.

* The brownies in the photo do not have fleur de sel on them because I gave these ones to my neighbor but the ones I ate were loaded with fleur de sel. I reckon that is very unhealthy all that sodium. But that is why I have really low blood pressure so I can eat buckets of salt.

** I have no self restraint as I have previously mentioned several times, and waited about twenty minutes to remove them from the pan and cut them. Well I ate a brownie while slicing because so much stuck to the knife. But no matter, looks aren't everything, they still tasted great!

Easter Carrot Cupcakes

This Easter just flew by. In the past couple days I have eaten ungodly amounts of mini eggs and jelly beans, nearly a dozen cupcakes, three lemon tarts and the reese's peanut butter eggs are a blur at this point. Don't get me wrong, it was all delicious but my brain and body are just like jello. 

In that bright and healthy note, here are cupcakes! They actually are pretty healthy though. As healthy as a cupcake can be. In one of the new cookbooks in my possession, I tried this little number and they are delicious. Only problem was the nutmeg. I went against my better judgment and put it in. Nutmeg is great but it isn't for carrot cake, in my mind. My mother doesn't think it is for anything, she resents the stuff. If you like nutmeg, all the better for you but I would just swap in more ginger next time. However, the green sprinkles are to die for. I loved the crunchy top!

Easter Carrot Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from America Test Kitchen Family Baking Cookbook

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3 large eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 cups grated carrots 

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.  Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugars together in a medium bowl until they turn thick and creamy, 1 to 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and slowly whip in the oil until thoroughly combined and emulsified, 30 to 60 seconds. Sift half the flour mixture over the batter and gently mix in. Repeat once more with the remaining flour mixture and continue to whisk the batter gently until most of the lumps are gone, don't over mix. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir in the carrots. Divide the batter amongst the cupcake liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 18 to 22 minutes, rotating the tins halfway through baking, don't over bake! Remove cupcakes to cool on a wire rack. Once completely cooled they can be frosted. Makes 19 cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting 

8 ounces cream cheese, slightly softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

Beat the cream cheese and vanilla together in a bowl. Sift in the sugar and then mix until combined. Don't overmix or it may become runny. If it does though just add a bit more sugar and pop it in the fridge. 

Assemblement

Cupcakes and frosting, obviously
1 jar of green sugar sprinkles
57 mini eggs or jelly beans

I believe I just created a word but onwards. Take the cooled cupcake and a layer of cream cheese frosting evenly over the entire top of the cupcake. In a shallow plate, pour the green sugar. Dip the cupcake in the sugar and move it around until it is completely coated. Then arrange 3 mini eggs on top to make it look like a little egg hunt field.

Zucchini Bread Debate

One thing I enjoy is finding a great recipe. As if that weren't obvious from having a food blog. I was on the search for a zucchini bread recipe in this case. Having read about zucchini bread but never actually tasting it, I went out and tried four different varieties. These were: two chocolate and two spice varieties. The first was called chocolate chip zucchini bread from Pinch My Salt. The second was double chocolate zucchini bread from Baking Bites. The third was zucchini sweet potato bread from Joy the Baker. The fourth was straight up called zucchini bread from Smitten Kitchen. 

So here is the break down of each recipe. This little trial began at around ten o'clock at night. It was late and I was home alone and bored so zucchini bread tests! Therefore I tried the bread the next morning not immediately. They had about 6 hours to cool and then they were tested. 

First up is the chocolate chip zucchini bread. This is a very moist (yes, that word again) bread. It was the softest of the bunch I would say. It held together when it was sliced instead of crumbling. The chocolate chips were a great addition for flavour because the bread didn't have a very strong chocolate flavour on its own. The cinnamon in the recipe came through which was nice. This was great but in terms of chocolate bread, it was not the richest. But, like I said, I really liked it. I hear it is low fat too.

This bread right here was the double chocolate zucchini bread and boy was it chocolatey! It was so rich. While it was not as moist as the first, it was still moist. It sliced nicely. The tops of loafs are always the greatest and this was great. Very rich and nice top. 

This is the first of the two spice breads. On my notes for this it says immediately "moist!". I slightly undercooked this which may have been why but I think it is from the zucchini and sweet potato. It crumbled slightly when it was sliced but that could have been because it was undercooked. Despite the crumbling, no complaints. It had a nice crunch from the pecans and the cranberries added to the moistness and bit of tartness. It is kind of pumpkin pie like with the spices, which I love. I love pumpkin pie! Getting off topic. All in all, this is a great one because it is so well rounded and tons of different flavours.

Last, but not least, is the other spice bread. This one was my Mum and Dad's favourite. It was not as moist as the others but keep in mind just how moist all the others were. Also, I slightly overcooked it I think by a few minutes. They did not care clearly. This one had milder spices and the nuts were not as distinct. Also the raisins added a greater sweetness which was great. The nuts weren't as distinct but still provided a soft crunch.

The final verdict? Out of the two chocolate loafs, I would have to say the second is the richest. I really liked them both but in terms of chocolate, that one completely overpowered the other. Out of the two spice loafs, I really like the first but my family loved the second. The first my favourite texture. the second was the greatest chocolate loaf. The third was something different then I have ever made. And the last was nice spice bread, it was basically a less moist version of my Mum's date loaf.

Here are the recipes:

1. Chocolate chip zucchini bread from Pinch my Salt

2. Double chocolate zucchini bread from Baking Bites

3. Sweet potato zucchini bread from Joy the Baker

4. Zucchini bread from Smitten Kitchen*

*I used pecans and raisins because I had already used walnuts and cranberries in the Joy the Baker recipe and chocolate chips in the first two.

Raspberry Oatmeal Muffins

Hello there.

I have full intentions of making these again. They are the a great "healthy" muffin alternative and they don't taste like it. I mean, they are low fat., as in barely any! In the past I have tried "healthy" muffins and they normally came out really dense, dry or tasteless. Not these babies. They were moist (thanks glaze and applesauce) and tons of flavour (thanks cinnamon).

Raspberry Oatmeal Muffins
Adapted from here, god she is brilliant!

muffins
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp old fashioned oats
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp quick cooking oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup low-fat/non-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup firmly packed splenda brown sugar blend
2 tbsp canola oil

1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen) raspberries!
1 tsp flour, if using frozen berries
glaze
1 tsp raspberries jam, strained of seeds and such
1/4 tsp water
1 heaping tbsp confectioner's sugar.. or more

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Combine applesauce, buttermilk, sugar, oil and egg in a medium bowl. Make a well in dry ingredients and add applesauce mixture, stirring until just moist. In another little bowl, coat the frozen raspberries in 1 tsp of flour. Carefully fold in the raspberries. Spoon the batter into muffin cups. Bake at 16-18 minutes. I baked mine for about 15 minutes and they were slightly underdone which left them moist and perfect. Once they are cooled mix the glaze together until smooth. Drizzle a little on each muffin. I drizzled mine in the shape of little hearts because it is the month of love!
Nutrition per muffin, without the glaze: 141 calories, 3 fat, .25 sat, 3.5 fibre, 4.2 protein

Date and Nut Loaf

Don't let the name fool you, this is amazing. I can not take credit for it because my lovely mother made this. She has made it a few times before and every time is as great, if not better, than the last. The dates keep it so moist! Also.. it is low fat. No joke. With a minimum amount of oil and loads of dates, you would not even know.

Mum's Date Loaf

1 1/2 cup chopped dates
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1 egg
1 cup milk, can be skim/low fat
1/4 cup canola oil or melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350º. Grease a 9"x5" loaf pan. Place the dates in a bowl and pour in 3/4 cup of boiling water and stir constantly until it is thickened. Set this aside to cool. Meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the pecans and sugar. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg, milk and oil. Add the date mixture and the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and beat for about half a minute. Don't worry, the batter will be lumpy. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake this puppy for 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool or just eat away!

Low Fat Banana Bread

Christmas is just around the corner! It just so happens to be my favourite holiday and I have been waiting for weeks, if not months. Most of the christmas decorations are already but we have yet to buy a tree. The only thing that is keeping me from full on excitement is my finals but oh well.

Since the holidays are upon us, I decided to try low fat banana bread. Confused? No, it is not part of my holiday baking but because I have so much butter and chocolate ahead of me I thought it would be best to keep something mildly healthy on hand. It also helped that I had more than my fair share of exceedingly overripe bananas! They may look nasty but they are the absolute best for baking. So go eat some low fat banana bread and let the holiday baking begin.

Low Fat Banana Bread
Adapted from here
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 tsp canola or walnut oil

1 large egg, beaten
2 medium egg whites, beaten

3 large bananas, ripe

1 cup uncooked old fashioned oats

Grease and flour a loaf pan(I used a 9" x 5" one) and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients including the oats and cinnamon. In a smaller bowl, mash bananas with a potato masher or fork. Add oil and whole egg and mix thoroughly(I added the brown sugar in this mix). Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. The batter will be fairly thick. In a medium sized bowl, with an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until medium stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter in three additions. Pour batter into pan and bake until top of loaf is firm to touch, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Flip out and cool on a wire rack for another 10 minutes. Slice loaf into 10 equally sized slices.