Coffee Coconut Nutella Loaf

Sometimes I just want to do something out of the usual. Like have my coffee in seven shot glasses instead of a mug, go into a high-end store and try on fifteen dresses that will not be purchased by this guy, go get a tattoo.. or another cat, or maybe just drive to Texas one day to see if everything really is bigger. 

 As a routine follower and hater of change, I need to do these things every once in a while. Seriously, it took my mum five years to convince me to buy a new set of sheets because she was tired of repairing the tears in the old ones just because I'm a "nut case." 

Since Texas is out of the question until school is over, I have to settle for baking up weird concoctions and drinking coffee out of shot glasses. Luckily the two actually go together pretty well. And luckily this bread worked out too. I was contemplating throwing the batter out which is something that does not happen in my kitchen. Thank Gale that didn't happen. 

Coffee Coconut Nutella Loaf [-acinnos! Zoolander anyone?]
Adapted from Martha Stewart

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 tsp coconut extract
1 tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup nutella

Preheat the oven to 350º. Butter a loaf pan, preferably 4 x 8 inches, and set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Set aside. In a cereal bowl, whisk together the egg, extract, coffee and milk. Add to the flour mixture. Stir until almost combined, there are a few bits of flour left, and stir in the coconut. Mix the batter just until combined. The batter will be very thick. Take half of the batter, it will be a thin layer, and spread it in the prepared loaf pan. Take heaping tablespoons of the nutella and plop it over the batter. It will essentially cover the batter. Top with the remaining coconut batter. Take a knife and attempt to swirl it around. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let it sit in the pan for 10 mintutes then remove to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Makes 1 loaf.

* I recommend adding 1/4 cup of oil or melted butter to the batter. If you decide to do this, add the oil/butter to the egg mixture before adding to the flour mixture.

Peanut Butter Bacon Chipped Cookies

I am always hooting and hollering about my Mum, so here is my Dad. My Paps is the kind of guy that strikes fear into young children's hearts. Let me rephrase, he is the type of man who intentionally strikes fear into young children's heart. He was that dad who would threaten to split kids up at a sleepover if they didn't stop shooting the flying ballerina across the room. The kind of dad that waited in the living room to slowly lower the newspaper like the Godfather and nod at my friends with the look that said 'you best be well-behaved.'

But it turns out that while he was 'that dad' to other people, he's the perfect Paps for me. He is the calm before the angry storm that my crazy brothers and mother brews, his love for burnt cookies makes my screw-ups feel like total wins, he has the driest humour known to mankind that causes me to snort publicly, he is now a crazy cat man and he is the reason why I love peanut butter and bacon sandwiches.

 My Paps' cooking skillage stretches from raisin bran, toast and jam, pickle or peanut butter and bacon sandwiches. If my Mum ever was out working one of those was our dinner and I love every single one of those dinners. But it turns out I was flying solo for a long time on the peanut butter bacon front until I started reading blogs when it was everywhere. Right then and there food blogs and I became one. Give this combo, like peace, a chance.

Peanut Butter Bacon Chipped Cookies
Adapted from my all time favourite peanut butter cookie recipe

1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup chunky peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar + extra for coating the dough
1/2 brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup bacon, cooked and diced
1/3 cup toffee chips

Preheat the oven to 350º. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, powder and salt. Set aside. In a larger bowl, beat together the butter and peanut butter. Beat in the sugars until it is nice and smooth and fluffy. Beat in the egg, milk and vanilla. Dump in the flour mixture and mix until it is combined. Stir in the peanut butter chips, bacon and toffee chips. Scoop heaping tablespoons and roll them into balls. Place a couple tablespoons of sugar in a bowl. Roll the balls of dough in sugar. Place on a baking sheet that has been buttered or lined with parchment. Slightly flatten them with a spatula. Bake for 12 minutes, alternating halfway through. They will look underdone but they are not! They will be golden on the edges and a little bit on top. Pull them out and let them sit on the sheets for a few minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack. Makes 24 cookies.

Lemon Raspberry Sandwich Cookies

Have I ever mentioned that Izzie and Denny complete me? That Meredith is my on screen double? How about that when Addison left it broke my heart like how Mark's abs make me melt? Grey's Anatomy, people. This yunk is good minus that horrible third/four season slump. All is forgiven. I'm nearly finished the seventh season and considering I started during our trip, that is damn impressive. Pathetic yet impressive. 

But it is almost unbearably depressing at times. I once was sobbing for a solid hour and a bit over Denny. Post breakdown, I called Bo to tell her what happened. She had already seen it but made me tell her what had happened causing the hysterics to fire up again. That son of a gun.

So if you happen to be as down and out due to fictional problems that you live vicariously through, make some bright and shiny cookies. Talk about a way to soak up your sorrows and fill up your bellay. The tart lemon smell is refreshing and the raspberries add a neon, discotheque mood minus the strobe lights. It's uplifting, promise.  

Lemon Raspberry Sandwich Cookies
Roughly adapted from here

cookies
1/2 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp kosher salt
2 cups sugar
2 tbsp lemon zest
2/3 cup whole milk
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
filling
3/4 cup cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup raspberry jam

cookies Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter (still warmish) with the sugar and lemon zest until fragrant. Whisk in the milk and lemon juice until smooth. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until no streaks of flour remain. The dough will be pretty soft so refrigerate for about an hour. Make the filling (below) in the meantime. Or don't if you roll like that. Preheat the oven to 350º. Drop dough in 1/2 tsp balls* onto prepared baking sheet, leaving about one and a half inches between cookies to allow for them to spread. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are set around the edges. Cool for 2-3 minutes on a baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack with a spatula to cool completely. 

filling In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the raspberry jam. Cover and cool in the fridge until ready to use.

Place about 1 tablespoon of the filling on one of the cookies and sandwich with another. Makes about 24 small sandwich cookies.

* I had used a larger sandwich scoop, as seen in the photos above, but I highly recommend a small scoop. The cookies will spread and they are much easier to eat when the sandwiches are smaller. It is also easier to eat smaller sandwiches thinking it's healthy. Obvz.

Chocolate Banana Bread

Chocolate banana bread has been on my mind. Not because it is currently being ingested right now but because it has been driving me crazy. This was the first recipe I tried and it is so simple. Cake mix, bananas, milk and some cinnamon if you want. And it was ridic yet it was shameful that it wasn't completely from scratch.

First there was a poor attempt at a recipe made on a whim. It was too fudgy and it couldn't complete cook through no matter how hard I tried. Next up, I went for the infamous coco-nana bread by one Dorie Greenspan. This was way better but still not as good as the first. I then broke down into a weeping heap on the kitchen floor. 

That was a lie. The sensible being that I am excepted that cake mix is awesome and this bread is my best banana friend. And that is tough competish.

Chocolate Banana Bread

1 Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 1/4 cup very ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cup milk (skim or whole works)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup milk chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350º. Butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Mix together all the ingredients until just combined. A few bumps are alright, they will work themselves out. Pour batter into prepared pan. Cover with tin foil. Bake for 40 minutes and remove the foil. Continue baking for another 30 to 40 until a toothpick inserted comes out with a bit of batter. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Move to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 12 slices.

* This bread is amazing when it is sliced with a serrated knife, each piece wrapped in plastic wrap, thrown in a freezer bag and allow it to freeze. They don't freeze completely because the bread is so fudgy. It tastes great frozen or reheated in the toaster. Enjoy! 

Coconut Nutella Bundt Cake

I like to think that I have a pretty level head. As in, I can determine what is stupid and what is not. And this includes my own actions. It's quite funny how one event can cause you to completely question yourself. Here is some insight: You are Frodo and you are carrying the ring. The ring is completely bad for you, the cons outweigh the pros by a mile. It is carries the weight of the world and breaks you down. Yet, Frodo does not want to give up the ring. From an outside perspective, it seems the sensible solution would be to rid of the ring. But there is something very powerful making Frodo keep it. Catch my drift? Well I feel like Frodo.. and dam do I wish I was Gandolf.

My head is pretty unstable when it comes to this cake too. When we were traveling, we discovered the colossal combination. Not an O' Henry but nutella and coconut. My friend, Bo, loves coconut and nutella but it was only when we saw them on a crepe menu together that we realized what we were missing. It seems so obvious. And it is amazing. When I got home I wanted to get my bundt on and then the colossal craving hit and the birth of this cake came to be. 

Coconut Nutella Bundt Cake
Adapted from Bon Appetit Desserts

3 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 cup whole milk*
2 cups (packed) sweetened flaked coconut (about 7 ounces) 
1 1/2 cups Nutella, divided

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 12-cup Bundt pan; dust pan with flour. Stir 3 cups cake flour and salt in medium bowl to blend. Beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 2 1/2 cups sugar, beating until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then both extracts. Beat in flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with 1 cup milk in 3 additions. Fold in 2 cups flaked coconut. Transfer batter to prepared pan. In heaping tablespoons, drop 3/4 cup of the Nutella onto the batter. Using a long knife swirl the batter and the Nutella to marbleize. Smooth the top. Bake cake until top is golden brown and tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Check the cake about 30 minutes in to see if the top is browning. If so, cover with tin foil. Cool cake in pan 5 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack; cool completely. Heat up the remaining 3/4 cup Nutella in the microwave to loosen it. Spread over the cool cake. Dust with powdered sugar. Serves 16.

* The original recipe called for coconut milk but I only had light and did not want to risk it. Feel free to try it with regular coconut milk instead of whole milk.

Overnight Baked French Toast

A while back I had a Mother's Day brunch. It went amazingly well. I live by this guide from smitten kitchen. She is the almighty master of brunch. On my list of things to make was: scones, muffins, cake, frittata, home fries, french toast, fruit salad and bacon. The scones and muffins were in the freezer, the french toast and salad were in the fridge, the cake was made the night before and the ingredients for both the frittata and the home fries were prepped. So come the day of all I had to do was throw everything into the oven and make the home fries and bacon. I was not stressed at all and even had time to read the paper, what up?!

The french toast recipe is brilliant. I probably love it so much because it is like a breakfast style bread pudding. I highly recommend this if you like bread pudding and eating.

Overnight Baked French Toast
Adapted from Epicurious

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
12 3/4-inch-thick French bread slices
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar 
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
2 tsp cinnamon + 3 tbsp sugar
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped 
 

Spread butter over bottom of heavy large baking pan with 1-inch-high sides.* Arrange bread slices in pan. Beat eggs, milk, sugar, syrup, vanilla and salt to blend in large bowl. Pour mixture over bread. Turn bread slices to coat. Cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 400°F. Sprinkle the french toast with the cinnamon sugar mixture and sprinkle the pecans on top. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp on top. Serve warm and with maple syrup. Serves 8. 

* I baked mine last year in a large jelly pan and it was great so that each would be crisped up but this year I used two 8" x 8" pans. While it was nice to have it sit on the table, it is so much nicer in the large pan. They turn out that much better. But either way is good.

Cinnamon Raisin Buns

I do not like hot cross buns. I do not like them Sam I.. luns. It rhymed? They taste like fruitcake with those spices and fruits which is the taste of nastiness. Sorry if you love and that means I am talking to you Paps. When one of the coolest country gals around posted a recipe for hot cross buns that wasn't loaded with the gross factors, hot cross buns crept in to my future.  

This recipe was followed almost to perfection up until the actual cross bit came along. We all settled for some delicious cinnamon raisin buns with honey, peanut butter, jam or butter. We are simple folk. These have a nice crust with the egg wash but are nice and soft on the inside. If you don't like hot cross buns (amen.) then these are in your honour.

Cinnamon Raisin Buns

From the Pioneer Woman

buns
2 cups whole milk
½ cups canola oil
½ cups sugar
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
½ cups (additional) flour
½ teaspoons (heaping) baking powder
½ teaspoons (scant) baking soda
2 teaspoons kosher salt
¼ cups sugar 
2 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cups raisins, plumped*
glaze
1 whole egg white
splash of cream or milk

Combine 2 cups milk, canola oil, and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan. Stir and heat until very warm but not boiling. Turn off the heat and allow to cool until mixture is still warm, but not hot–about 30 minutes. Sprinkle yeast over mixture. Add 4 cups of flour and stir to combine. Mixture will be very sticky. Cover with a towel and set aside for 1 hour in a warm place. Add 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir till combined.  At this point the dough can be placed in a bowl coated in oil, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and it can refrigerate overnight. Combine 1/4 cup sugar with cinnamon and whatever other spices you want to use. Lightly flour surface. Press to slightly flatten dough. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Sprinkle on about a third of the raisins. Then fold the dough over on itself and flatten again so the dough is “plain” again. Repeat the sugar/raisin process, then fold the dough again. Repeat a third time until all the raisins are used. Pinch off ping pong or golf ball-size bunches of dough. With floured hands, quickly roll it into a ball, then turn the edges under themselves slightly. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes…an hour-plus is better. Preheat the oven to 400º. Mix the glaze ingredients together. Brush onto each roll. Bake for 20 minutes, give or take, or until tops of buns have turned nice and golden brown. Remove from pan to a cooling rack. Dig on in. Makes 18 rolls or 16 slightly larger rolls.

* To plump the raisins, place them in a bowl and cover them with hot water, coffee, booze or whatever floats your boat. 

Coffee Pecan Pie Cake

The title was very difficult to determine for a few reasons. If it had been named Pecan Pie Coffee Cake, one would assume that it is merely a coffee cake without actually coffee within the cake. One could also assume that perhaps I was writing about pecan pie and coffee cake. Had it been titled Coffee Pecan Cake then the pecan pie topping would not be given justice and the cake could be overlooked and ignored. The sheer horror I tell ya. 

After a long period of deliberation, the title was settled. Let me describe the cake: crunchy topping from the caramel and pecans with a super moist coffee cake spiked with pecans. Yeah, it's bad ass.

Coffee Pecan Pie Cake

cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tbsp instant coffee dissolved into 1 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
topping
2 tbsp butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup pecans, whole and halved
assembly
1/4 cup pecans, whole and halved

Preheat the oven to 350º. Butter an 8 x 8 inch pan, set aside. 
topping In a small saucepan, beat together the butter and sugar until combined. Beat in the egg. Blend in the milk. Place over medium to medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the mixture is thick and smooth which is about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. 
cake Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a large bowl beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs until fully combined. Mix the milk, coffee and vanilla together in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle on the 1/4 cup pecans. Pour on the remaining batter. Fold the 3/4 cup of pecans into the topping now. Pour the topping on top of the cake. Bake the cake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs. Allow the cake to cool slightly then slice and enjoy!  Serves 16.

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

Spring is nearly upon us but it is pretty bipolar here. It snowed last week yet it was on the weekend so no snow days. Yay. The other day the winds were so extreme that Whistler shut down early and my Dad almost didn't make it home. But today it is sunny enough for a walk in a t-shirt. Too bad I was wearing the shirt that said "Between the cheek 8 bucks." I have no idea where the shirt came from but it is the best sleep/walk shirt. For once I dam the sun for making me take my sweater off.

Little story time. Near my house, on the lake, there used to be a prison. It was taken down the year I was born. While this always seemed awesome to me, my parents informed me it was dangerous in the years leading up to the closure. Thirteen high risk prisoners managed to escape in one day. How is that possible?! Even Shawshank style would be difficult with thirteen. Needless to say, three years later it was gone. How does this relate to hot chocolate? It doesn't. How have I gone so long without this? My brain automatically thinks of ways to add peanut butter to everything and it seems hot chocolate is the natural next step and it was brilliant.  

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

1 1/2 tbsp smooth peanut butter

4 tsp sugar

1 tbsp cocoa

huge pinch of cinnamon

1 cup milk

In a small saucepan, combine the peanut butter, sugar, cocoa and cinnamon. Mix until combined. Add the milk. Place over medium heat. Whisk until the mixture is combined and nice and hot. Top with marshmallows. Serves 1.

Pumpkin Bread

I am currently in Montana as this is published. We are all heading out there to see my cousin graduate! I haven't seen their whole family in about three or so years. Back in the day, we would go to Cranbrook and Montana for nearly the entire summer. Unfortunately, it is pretty impossible to do so anymore. My older bro-ha and I have work and baby B has sports. Therefore, I am so happy to be going back. 

Before our departure I looked through the fridge to see if I could get rid of anything that would not be in great shape when we got back. Granted my older brother will be here for an extra week but all he consumes are bologna sandwiches. Real healthy that boy. I noticed that I hadn't used up all of my pumpkin yet. I had made this very bread not too long ago, cookies and some lattes but still it remained. The perfect amount actually, 1 cup. And here is the birth of pumpkin bread. 

I am sure I have mentioned this before but pumpkin bread is one of my favourite things. Amongst bread pudding, pie and such, pumpkin bread is there. And I recently realized that I had not posted a single recipe for pumpkin bread. There are many things that are baked around here that never even stand a chance of getting a photo because they are consumed. It is infuriating! Determination on my behalf got the photo now here is the recipe.

Pumpkin Bread!

Adapted from the Betty Crocker Cookbook

1/3 cup shortening

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup milk 

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Spray a 9 x 5 pan with baking spray or butter it up and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 350º. In a larger bowl, cream the shortening. Add part of the brown sugar and then eventually add the rest, just so it is easier to combine. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each one. Stir in the pumpkin, vanilla and milk. Set aside. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt. Add this to the pumpkin mix and stir just until combined. Do not over beat it! Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Spread it evenly. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Let it cool for about 15 minutes in the pan. Remove the loaf from the pan and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack.

Banana Nutella Streusel Muffins

These muffins, to me, sound amazing. They were amazing but there was a problem, they were lacking in the Nutella flavour. The muffins were soft, had a nice banana flavour and a contrasting crunch with the streusel but just not enough Nutella. The original recipe made note of this so I thought I would amp it up by putting Nutella, instead of butter, in the streusel and it really didn't add that much. However, these were good muffins but if you are looking for Nutella, I suggest you maybe swirl it in or maybe even add a Nutella glaze.

Banana Nutella Streusel Muffins
Adapted from here!
muffins
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 medium, ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg
3 1/2 oz. milk
4 1/2 tbsp. butter, room temperature
3 1/2 tbsp. sugar
4 tbsp. nutella
streusel
3 1/2 tbsp. butter, room temperature
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 tbsp splenda brown sugar blend or 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup quick cooking oats
2 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt

Line a muffin tin with liners and set aside. For the muffins, cream together the sugar, butter and egg. Once well creamed, fold in the nutella and the mashed bananas. In a small bowl combine the milk and the baking soda and mix well. In another medium bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the flour and milk mixtures to the creamed mixture alternatively. Incorporate well but make sure not to over mix as it can make your muffins tough. Fill the muffin tin about 2/3 full and set aside. For the streusel, mix all of the ingredients together and using your hands work the butter into the mixture until it is all combined and is crumble-y. Top each muffin with about a tablespoon each of the mixture. Bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool before eating and enjoy!