Blueberry Buckle

Hey long lost friends! I've been really lazy this summer and haven't sat down to write. I hope you all have had fantastic summers! I've been doing a lot of baking so keep your eyes out for a lot of posts in the next few weeks. 

This recipe I'm sharing with you today is one of my family's summer hits. We have friends who have taken this recipe and added it to their restaurant menu. I have great memories of waking up to the smell of blueberry buckle as it's being pulled out of the oven. At our lake house, our neighborhood gathers and has breakfast on the beach at least once a summer and the blueberry buckle is a constant there. 

You won't be disappointed in this recipe! It's just delicious. 

Blueberry Buckle

3/4 cup sugar 

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature

1 egg 

1/2 cup milk

2 cup flour 

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel 

1/2 tsp salt 

1 1/2 cup blueberries

Crumb topping:

1/2 cup sugar 

1/3 cup flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1/4 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 375°.  Grease & flour (or spray) 8” pan. 

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder & salt. 

In a large bowl (or stand mixer), cream the butter & sugar together until light and fluffy. Then add egg and mix, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl. Next, mix in the lemon peel & milk. Slowly add the flour mixture until incorporated, then fold in blueberries (if using frozen blueberries, toss them with a bit of flour to cover). 

Spread in pan. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over batter. Bake for 25-35 minutes (depending on how much you want it cooked-- my family likes it pretty gooey). 

For 8x8 pan- double the topping recipe.  

For 9 x 13 pan-  double batter recipe & triple the topping. 

Goodbye Bisquick!

Bisquick, what?! I will never house bisquick in my home again. When I make pancakes from scratch, I tend to make these oatmeal pancakes, but when it comes to regular chocolate chip pancakes, I used to grab the bisquick. Never again. I'm pretty sure Danimal is sold on this recipe as well. It takes about 3 minutes to mix the ingredients... which is not much more time than measuring out the bisquick mix and tastes sooooo much better.

Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Pancakes
slightly adapted from Joy the Baker which was adapted from Blogchef

2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I never measure mine out!)- Joy uses milk chocolate chips
oil or cooking spray (for cooking)


In a large bowl beat eggs. Add buttermilk, butter and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well until mostly smooth. Let batter set for a few minutes. I add the chocolate chips in after I pour the batter into the pan.

Heat griddle or pan over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of oil to the pan or spray with cooking spray. You can test to see if the pan is hot enough by adding a few drops of water, if or when the drops start to dance its hot enough.

Pour 2 Tablespoons of batter onto the griddle. Add the chocolate chips into each pancake and push down so that the batter forms around the chips. Cook on the first side until bubbles that form start to pop. You can also gently lift up the pancake to make sure the bottom is not overcooking, if it is the pan may be too hot and you will need to adjust the heat. Flip the pancake over with a spatula and cook until golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is gone.

Let cooked pancakes rest on a heat proof plate in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.

Blueberry Pecan Scones

I recently bought Cooking Light's Cook Smart Eat Well cookbook and was flipping through the recipes. I came across a blueberry pecan scone recipe and had all the ingredients so I decided to go for it. The reviews online were mixed and I had never made scones so I didn't have too high of expectations. They weren't the most attractive scones I've seen but they tasted pretty good. Since I have no prior experience of homemade scones, I have nothing to compare them to. I am going to try some other recipes for "fun" anyway, but I'd make these again.


Blueberry Pecan Scones
Cooking Light

Ingredients

1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk  fat-free milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
Cooking spray parchment paper
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons sugar

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gently fold in blueberries and pecans. Add milk mixture, stirring just until moist (dough will be sticky).

Turn dough out onto a floured surface; pat dough into an 8-inch circle. Cut dough into 10 wedges, and place the dough wedges on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (if no parchment paper, spray with cooking spray). Brush egg white over dough wedges; sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake scones at 375° for 18 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

Swedish Pancakes with a View

Last weekend, I visited my best friend in Vermont. She lives on a gorgeous hill overlooking an incredible view of the mountains. We spent the weekend eating great food (be prepared for post about that!), looking at baby items for her registry and walking/ enjoying the outdoors.

On Sunday morning, we planned to take a nice walk and hit up some of my favorite places before I headed home... but before that, we needed breakfast. Kelly realized I had never had her swedish pancakes so she whipped up a batch with some berry sauce and we ate it outside, taking in the sunshine and the amazing views.

Swedish Pancakes
My BFF Kelly

2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup flour (mixture of unbleached white flour & whole wheat)
2 tbsp flaxseed meal

Lightly beat eggs and mix in milk. Incorporate flour and flaxseed meal until just mixed.

Heat pan with canola oil over medium-high heat. Add about 1/3 cup of batter to pan, and swivel pan to spread batter to evenly cover bottom of the pan. Let it cook for about a minute or so and then flip the pancake and cook the other side.

Remove from the pan and roll up.


Berry Sauce
1 1/2 - 2 cups Frozen berries (or fresh)
splash of water
1/4 cup maple syrup (add more if you want it sweeter)
dash of cinnamon, nutmeg & ginger
a few drops of orange extract or orange juice

Add ingredients together in a sauce pan and simmer for about 10 minutes or until berries break down.

A Tribute

Is there a food or recipe that every time you make, it triggers memories of a particular person? One particular meal triggers some of the happiest memories for me and yet, it's one of the simplest meals to prepare.

I had the privilege of spending every summer of my life surrounded by some of the most special people in my life. My community of neighbors at our house on a beautiful lake in Maine are like family. Their friends and family, by extension are an extension of my family.

Every summer, our neighbors hosted a couple. This couple would in return host an annual breakfast for the kids in the neighborhood. We looked forward with anticipation to Aunt Evelyn's and Uncle Sam's visits. Uncle Sam would make us Black-Eyed Susan's for breakfast (otherwise known as eggs-in-a-basket). Uncle Sam carried on this tradition following his wife's passing until he was no longer able to make his annual trip to the lake. He was a kind and generous man who was full of love and shared it with the community.

Yesterday was Danimal's birthday and he requested eggs and bacon for breakfast, specifically, Black-Eyed Susan. As I was preparing them, I thought back to my summers with Uncle Sam-- and remembered his warmth and love. I thought about how much we loved our special breakfasts with him as I ate my own egg-in-a-basket.

This afternoon, I received an email letting me know that Uncle Sam passed away peacefully last night. I could not get over the fact that I spent most of the day thinking about him yesterday. I am so blessed that I had the opportunity to know him, learn from him and be a part of his world. I am also so thankful that my husband requested that particular style of eggs yesterday.

We will miss you Uncle Sam. I will make sure this tradition is carried on to the next generation.




Black-Eyed Susan's
1 slice of bread
1 egg

Use a glass to cut a hole out of the middle of the bread. Place bread in preheated, greased frying pan. Crack egg and drop in to the hole in the bread. Flip the bread after a minute or two, depending on desired consistency. Cook other side for a minute or so. Fry the cutout piece of bread along with the egg/bread combination and use it to mop up the yolk.

Enjoy!

More Muffins!

Shocking, another muffin post. I don't have much to say besides the fact that I love these muffins. They are delicous and have a *little* too much chocolate... not my opinion, beacuse I can never have enough chocolate! So far, I've made these muffins about a dozen times and they are really easy to prepare and turn out great!

Golden Chocolate Chip Muffins
King Arthur

1/2 cup (4 ounces) butter
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (4 ounces) milk
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) White Whole Wheat Flour
2 cups (12 ounces) chocolate chips
coarse sparkling sugar, for topping

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with muffin cups, and grease the muffin cups) a standard-size muffin pan.

Beat together the butter, sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, then stir in the milk. Mix in the flour, then the chocolate chips.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups; they’ll be quite full. Sprinkle each muffin with a little coarse sugar. Bake the muffins for 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of one comes out without crumbs clinging to it (a little chocolate is OK!). Remove from the oven, and carefully tilt in their cups. This allows the heat to escape, preventing the muffins from becoming soggy

Yield: 12 muffins.

Hearty waffles are healthy for breakfast, right?

I am pretty sure my favorite meal of the day is breakfast.... I love muffins, pancakes and waffles. I love lazy weekend mornings when you sleep in late and then lounge around and eat some waffles. I actually don't make waffles all too often and I don't have a good excuse. They are really perfect!

I use my might George Forman as my waffle iron (love that it has exchangeable plates)... it's a little tricky to tell when the waffles are done but it gets the job done. I know I should dig out the manual/ recipe book that came with it because it actually gives some hints about cook times.

Anyway, waffles! I enjoyed this recipe-- I think I'll play around more with it next time for fun. I wanted to make a fruit-maple syrup compote to go on it but Danimal nixed that one.... wouldn't that have been perfect?! Oh well, I guess I'll try that on guests instead :)

Hearty Whole Wheat Waffles
based on King Arthur Flour

1 1/2 cups King Arthur whole wheat flour, white whole wheat or traditional
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2+ tbsp cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup melted butter or vegetable oil

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and butter or oil. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients, stirring just till combined.

Cook the waffles as directed in the instructions that came with your waffle iron.

Yield: about eight 8" waffles.

I hate the smell of bananas...

but I love banana bread! I peel the bananas really quickly so that I can get through the nastiness that is the banana smell. I've modified the recipe that my mom always made from The Silver Palate Cookbook. I'm really particular about the condition of bananas when I eat them so I tend to have a bunch in the freezer- once they are ripe (more than the perfect yellow, non-bruised banana), I won't eat them, so I tend to make a lot of bread!

Banana Bread
adapted from The Silver Palate

1 stick of unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (I use 3-4 whole bananas)
2 cups flour (1 cup all purpose; 1 cup white whole wheat)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (I use less)
1/2 cup sour cream (or buttermilk)
1 tsp vanilla
1/8+ tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp flaxseed, optional (I didn't grind it up, just threw it in whole)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray (you could make 1 large one instead)
3. Cream butter & sugar together.
4. Add eggs and beat well.
5. Add mashed bananas, mixing thoroughly.
6. Sift dry ingredients and add to banana mixture. Stir until just combined.
7. Add sour cream (buttermilk), vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon & flaxseed and mix until just combined.
8. Pour into prepared pans and bake 25-30 minutes or until knife comes out clean. This time, I baked the loafs for at least 35 minutes-- it still looked pretty gooey when I the buzzer sounded at 25 minutes.

These also make great muffins, both of which freeze well. With the muffins, I freeze them and pop one into the toaster in the morning. It's a great breakfast on the go!

Not the "lesser babka"...

To humor my husband, I'm using a Seinfeld reference! He will be so proud.
Happy Hanukkah!!! Our family had our celebration today-- my mom made latkes & applesauce-- both of which are always so good!



I made coffee cake again, this time correctly, with eggs... now that's what it's supposed to look like!

The other night, I was reading my Cooking Light magazine and saw a recipe for chocolate babka... I debated whether or not to make it since I already planned on the coffee cake but I'm glad I did. It was a lot of work and I felt the directions were kind of confusing, but it turned out to be pretty good!

Chocolate Babka
Cooking Light

Dough:
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
3/4 cup warm 1% low-fat milk (105° to 110°) skim milk (it's all I had)
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
7.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 2/3 cups), divided
5.85 ounces bread flour (about 1 1/4 cups)
5 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces and softened
Cooking spray

Filling:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces semisweet bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Streusel:
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter, softened

 
Preparation

1. Dissolve 1 teaspoon granulated sugar and yeast in warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in 6 tablespoons granulated sugar, vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and egg yolk. Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 6 ounces (about 1 1/3 cups) all-purpose flour and bread flour to milk mixture; beat with dough hook attachment at medium speed until well blended (about 2 minutes). Add 5 tablespoons butter, beating until well blended. Scrape dough out onto a floured surface (dough will be very sticky). Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); add 1.5 ounces (about 1/3 cup) all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will be very soft).

I found these directions challenging-- I ended up kneading the dough completely with the mixer but I think it does need to be kneaded by hand more next time.
2. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; cover and let dough rest 5 minutes.

3. Line the bottom of a 9 x 5–inch loaf pan with parchment paper; coat sides of pan with cooking spray.

4. To prepare filling, combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, and chocolate in a medium bowl; set aside.

5. Place dough on a generously floured surface; roll dough out into a 16-inch square. Sprinkle filling over dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border around edges. Roll up dough tightly, jelly-roll fashion; pinch seam and ends to seal. Holding dough by ends, twist dough 4 times as if wringing out a towel. Fit dough into prepared pan. Cover and let rise 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

6. Preheat oven to 350°.

7. To prepare streusel, combine powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, and 1 tablespoon softened butter, stirring with a fork until mixture is crumbly; sprinkle streusel evenly over dough. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until loaf is browned on bottom and sounds hollow when tapped. Cool bread in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool bread completely on wire rack before slicing.
I don't have a thermometer so I couldn't tell the temperature of the milk... I just guessed, which I'm assuming could affect the yeast. I also didn't have patience to let the dough rise enough since it took longer than I planned. In the end, it tasted really good, but definitely could have been lighter (less dense)!



Look at the chocolate oozing out of it!

Eggs are essential...

Otherwise, your coffee cake will look like this:


Update: Here is a slice of coffee cake WITH eggs in it.


Last weekend, a group of high school friends had a brunch get-together. I offered to bring a few baked goods and spent the morning baking. I made Raspberry Pecan Muffins, the coffee cake pictured above and chocolate-chocolate chunk muffins. The coffee cake was a hit, even missing the eggs... the eggs would have held it together a bit more & made it fluffier but it still tasted good!

World's Best Coffee Cake
The Uncommon Gourmet's All Occassion Cookbook

Recipe:
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp dried grated orange peel
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (Danimal doesn't like nuts in his baked goods, so I omitted)
cinnamon-sugar for garnish

Combine the sour cream and baking soda and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9 inch tube pan (I use a bundt pan).

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and orange peel and beat well.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream to the batter.

Mix in the chocolate chips and nuts. Spoon into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top generously with cinnamon-sugar.

Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove to a rack and serve warm, or let cool and serve at room temperature.

12 or more servings


Chocolate Chocolate-Chunk Muffins
Smells Like Home
Original source: Dorie Greenspan, Baking: From My Home to Yours

3/4 stick (6 tbsp) unsalted butter
4oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 1 cup chocolate chunk pieces (Nestle)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 (350 for a dark nonstick pan) degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups. Alternatively, use a silicone muffin pan, which needs neither greasing nor paper cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

Melt the butter and half of the chopped chocolate together in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water; or do this in a microwave. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg and vanilla extract together until well combined. Pour the liquid ingredients and the melted butter and chocolate over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don’t worry about being thorough – a few lumps are better than overmixing the batter. Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for about 20 18 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.
 

 

Yummm.... Pancakes!

Danimal woke up this morning to a smell of something baking... he ran to the oven to see what muffins I whipped up. He came sulking out of the kitchen with the knowledge that I did not bake for him but that I made another batch of pumpkin pie biscuits for the pup. Therefore I was feeling guilty and made him some pancakes using some leftover buttermilk.

Oatmeal Pancakes
adapted from recipe received in middle school home-ec class

1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
1/4 cup skim milk
1 tbsp sugar
2 TB vegetable oil
1 tsp. Baking powder
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 egg

Beat all ingredients in a medium bowl with a hand beater until smooth (for thinner pancakes, stir in 2-4 TB of additional milk)

Using a non-stick skillet, lightly spray with cooking oil (or small dab of butter) and heat over medium-low heat. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto the hot pan.

Cook until pancakes are puffed and dry around edges. Turn and cook other sides until golden brown. Serve with applesauce if desired.

Makes 10-12 pancakes.

In Honor of November

I woke up this morning craving something with pecans... now that it's officially November, it must be why. I love pecan pie! I made some whole wheat raspberry pecan muffins to celebrate the official start of pecan festivities. Since Danimal is still out of town for another 4 days, I get to enjoy these scrumptious delights myself! The raspberries and pecans combine to make a hearty and delicious muffin.

Raspberry Pecan Muffins
Makes 12 regular sized muffins
adapted from http://housewifery.blogspot.com/


1 cup all-purpose flour  3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour  3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon  1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/4 cup fresh raspberries (coat with a tbsp of flour)
1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped

Preheat oven 350. Grease muffin tin (I use muffin liners); set aside.
Combine dry ingredients in a big bowl. In a smaller bowl, beat egg, milk, and melted butter together. Make hollow in the center of dry ingredients and add wet ingredients. Stir with wooden spoon until just blended. Gently fold in berries and pecans. Fill muffin tin and bake until tester comes out clean (20-25 mins).