The EASIEST Granola ever!

Granola has always been one of my very favorite things to eat.  Especially the granola my mom makes. She loads it with all kinds of dried fruit, toasted nuts and shredded coconut....yum.  And this may sound weird but having granola with milk about 30 minutes after it is fresh from the oven is one of my all time favorite and comforting snacks.  The granola is still warm and all the flavors are just popping with deliciousness.  A definite must for all of you "granola lovers" out there if you have yet to have granola warm from the oven (or skillet).

 

 

 

My mom has always made her granola in the oven. She coats the ingredients with honey and oil and then gently roasts them - tossing the oats and fruit every 15 minutes so that they become evenly browned and seasoned.  So good!  About a month ago I discovered that a couple of my favorite food blogs were featuring a wonderful granola recipe.  And not just any granola recipe.  Quick and easy granola made in a SKILLET on the stove. What a brilliant concept.  I couldn't wait to try it out myself.  I have now made skillet granola multiply times.  I have given away batches as gifts and I have shared many a bowl topped with fresh berries   with my girls.  Lots and lots of happy tummies have rejoiced with my new discover of making granola on the stove rather than in the oven. You should do the for the tummies in your life that you care and adore.

The beauty of  this recipe is that it is versatile.  You can sweeten the ingredients as you wish using either honey or maple syrup and you can add any kind of dried fruit or nut to your liking.  The sky's the limit here with this granola recipe.

 Fruit and Nut Skillet Granola

(similar recipes can be found on Let's Dish and Lick the Bowl)

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter (if you wish to reduce the butter to 3/4 of a stick it will be just fine)

1/2 cup honey or maple syrup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp ground cinnamon

4 cups rolled oats (not the quick kind)

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped dates or chopped dried apricots (any or all of these)

1/2 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened is fine)

1 cup silvered almonds or chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:

1. In a large skillet melt butter.  Add in honey (or maple syrup), brown sugar, vanilla extract and ground cinnamon.  Stir all together until well combined.

 

2. Add in oats and stir to coat thoroughly.  Cook over low heat for about 10-12 minutes until oats are light brown and toasted.

 

3. Take pan off of heat and stir in dried fruit, nuts and coconut.  Happiness has arrived...your granola is complete.  Scoop up a handful and enjoy.

 

 

 

Happy Fruit and Nut Skillet Granola Making!

Brown Butter Blueberry White Chocolate Muffins

Brown Butter Blueberry White Chocolate Muffins....what a mouthful!  A delicious mouthful for sure.  Tart blueberries, sweet white chocolate and the nuttiness of browned butter all surrounded by tender crumbs topped off with a sweet crumble.  A blueberry muffin recipe that is a MUST. 

 

How is it that I have missed the boat for so long on browning butter?!?!  Oh. My. Goodness. Do I LOVE browned butter!!! The taste that it adds to this muffin recipe is wonderful. I can not wait to bake more with browned butter! That being said be warned as you will most likely see many more recipes in the future on my blog with browned butter.  Do you have a favorite recipe that uses browned butter?  PLEASE do share!!!


I love that Joy the Baker has come out with her first cookbook as this is where I found this lovely muffin recipe.  If you have yet to purchase this book do yourself a favor and treat yourself to it.  It is packed full of GORGEOUSLY scrumptious recipes.  A talented and oh-so-sweet blogging friend of my mine, Carrie from Bakeaholic Mama, hosts a fabulous blogging event every Sunday that features a recipe from Joy's cookbook.  This event is called, Sunday's with Joy.  Take a peek at it as I am sure you will find lots of fun and delicious recipes from Joy The Baker that you will want to try. :-)

Brown Butter Blueberry White Chocolate Muffins
(Slightly altered from the recipe found in Joy The Baker Cookbook)

Muffin Ingredients:

7 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup milk
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup white chocolate chips (my addition)
2 cups fresh blueberries (I used frozen bb's and it worked just fine)

Topping Ingredients:

3 Tbsps unsalted butter, cold
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbsps sugar


Directions:

1.  Place oven rack onto the upper third of the oven and then preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with liners and then set aside.

2. Make muffin batter first by browning the butter.  Place 7 Tbsps of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Butter will first melt, then forth and then lastly crackle - which is the water cooking out of the butter. The crackling will subside and then the butter will start to brown - this happens quite quickly so keep your eye on the butter so that it doesn't burn. Remove saucepan from heat when you see that it becomes a medium brown color and it has the wonderful nutty smell.  Immediately pour hot butter into a small bowl and set aside.  This will allow your butter to not continue to cook and possibly burn.

3. In a small bowl whisk to combine,  milk, egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract. Add in browned butter and whisk to combine.  Set bowl aside.

4. In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar and baking powder.  Whisk all together.

5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients all at once. Stir to combine. Do not over mix.  Add in white chocolate chips and blueberries and gently but thoroughly stir all together. .

6. Scoop muffin batter into prepared muffin tins.  I used my lovely medium scoop for this step.

7. Make crumble topping but combining cold butter, flour and sugar all together in a medium bowl. Incorporate butter with the dry ingredients by either using a pastry cutter or your fingers.

8. Sprinkle crumble topping over muffins.  Pop muffins into preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown and when a toothpick is inserted in center comes out clean.  Serve muffins warm or at room temperature.

Happy Brown Butter Blueberry White Chocolate Muffins Baking!

Jammers for June's Secret Recipe Club

 Now just to be clear I am not talking about the kind of jammers that you wear to bed.  I'm talking about the kind that you eat.  That's right Jammers are cookies!  I had never heard of such a cookie until I was browsing through Fran's Favs for a recipe to make for my June 

Secret Recipe Club choice.  Imagine my delight when I came across such a cookie recipe!  I love the idea of a tender shortbread crust with a layer of sweet jam and then a sprinkling of brown sugar crumble all coming together to create a cookie.  Magic!

I was just as delighted to be assigned Fran's wonderful blog as I was to find this recipe for Jammers.  Her blog is completely packed with mouth watering recipes.  Honestly, it was very hard to chose just one recipe to make from her blog.  I really look forward to making her Carrot Cake -which looks like the moistest carrot cake I have seen in a LONG time! - and then the Coffee and Donuts Cake she created is out-of-this-world adorably yummy looking!  Such talent that gal Fran has!  I have a special little soft spot for Fran because she too originates from New England as a Bostonian.  Hooray for Boston!  I live just under 2 hours away from Boston in Southern NH. Let's meet up Fran next time you visit Boston.  I would love to meet you in person! :-)

Fran suggested using either english muffin rings or whoopie pie molds to make these cookies.  Muffin top molds would also work well for these cookies.  I used my whoopie pie mold to make my Jammers.  Yup, I really enjoy saying that word - "Jammers"...sorry that was just a side note. :-)

Jammers

(recipe from Fran's Favs)

Shortbread Dough Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup powdered sugar

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

Jam of your choice - I used Strawberry and Peach-Mango

Brown Sugar Crumble Topping Ingredients:

3 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Beat butter until smooth in a large bowl.  Add in sugars, cinnamon and salt and beat all together until well blended, about 1 minute.  Mixture will be smooth and velvety, not fluffy and airy.

2. Add in egg yolks and vanilla extract and mix on low speed.  Beat until mixture is homogeneous.

3. Add in flour all at once.  Cover mixer with a clean dish towel to protect yourself from any flying flour.  Pulse mixer on low speed a couple of times to incorporate flour into batter.  Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds more - just enough for the dough to look uniformly moist.  The dough will have the consistency of play-doh - soft, moist and clumpy.

4. In the mold of your choice (whoopie or muffin top molds or english muffin rings) fill each cup with dough and flatten with your fingers.  The dough should be slightly lower than the top of the pan.  Chill mold or rings in freezer for about 15 minutes until dough firms up.

5. Make streusel while dough is chilling.....

Melt butter in small saucepan on stove or in microwave.  Add to melted butter the remaining streusel ingredients all at once.  Stir all together with a fork to form coarse crumbs.  Cover streusel and set aside until ready to use.  The crumbs will harden a litthe as the mixture cools off.

6. Spread a couple of teaspoons of jam on top of chilled shortbreads.  Sprinkle with streusel....

Pop pan in oven and bake for 15-18 minutes until edges of cookies are light brown.  Larger molds will take longer.  Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes before removing from molds.  Allow cookies to cool completely before serving.

Share these cookies with those that you adore, cherish and love.  They are some special cookies. Above and beyond d'lish!

Happy Jammers Baking!

Hummingbird Bundt Cake

Calling all bundt cake lovers! Yooo-hooo!  Yes, I am reaching out to those of you that enjoy the beauty and simplicity of a good ole fashioned bundt cake. And this bundt cake recipe is to die for yummy-licious, this I can promise you.  Ripe bananas, shredded coconut, pineapple chunks along with toasted pecans all make up this lovely cake. 

 

 

And of course a lovely glaze to make the whole cake just perfect is also part of this recipe.

My theory behind the name of this cake is that hummingbirds love all of these sweet ingredients that make up this cake. What do you think?

Grab a bowl, your apron, a couple of ripe bananas and fire up your oven. It's Hummingbird Bundt Cake time! 
Hummingbird Bundt Cake
(recipe slightly adapted from myrecipes.com)

Cake Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
2 cups flour
2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 3/4 cup mashed bananas (about 4 large bananas)
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple (I used chunk pineapple and just cut the chunks into 1/3's as I like my pineapple pieces to be bigger than the "crushed" pineapple)
1/2 cup shredded coconut


Glaze ingredients:

4 oz. cream cheese, cubed and softened
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 Tbsp milk


 Directions:

1.  Grease and flour 14 cup bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake pecans in a single layer on a cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant - stir half-way through.

2. In a large bowl stir together flour and next 4 ingredients.  Add in eggs and next 4 ingredients - stir all together until dry ingredients are moistened.  

3. Sprinkle 1 cup of toasted pecans into prepared bundt pan.  Spoon cake batter over nuts.

4. Bake cake (at 350 degrees F.) for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan and cooling completely.

5. Prepare glaze by beating cream cheese and sifted powdered sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add in vanilla extract and then 1 Tbsp of milk.  Beat all together. Add in more milk to your preference of consistency.  Pour glaze over cooled cake and sprinkle with remaining chopped and toasted pecans.

Serve with happiness!

Happy Hummingbird Bundt Cake Baking!

Honey Vanilla Pudding

Hello there friends! Today I have a lovely pudding recipe for all of you to enjoy. It is flavored with honey and vanilla...yum!  I was delighted to find this recipe on Oh! You Cook! (my Secret Recipe Club assignment for this past month of May).  Recently a dear friend of mine gave me a beautiful bottle of local honey so when I came across Dena's recipe for this pudding which featured honey I knew exactly what I would be making from her blog.

Oh! You Cook! is full of wonderful recipes.  I had lots of fun browsing through Dena's creations.  I was also delighted to discover that she is about to produce her very own cook book! Her cook book will be focused on Kosher crock pot recipes.  Brilliant!

Honey Vanilla Pudding
(recipe from Oh! You Cook!)

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp corn starch
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups milk - divided
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup honey
1/2 - 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Combine cornstarch and salt in a small bowl - whisk together.  Slow whisk in 1/4 cup of the milk to create a slurry. *Set aside.

2. In a small bowl add in egg yolk and gently stir to loosen.  Set aside.

3. Over medium heat place a sauce pan to heat up the remaining 1 3/4 cup milk. Add milk and honey and stir to incorporate. Stir frequently.

4.  Heat milk and honey until steam develops and small bubbles form all around the edges of the milk. Add in cornstarch/milk mixture to the heated milk and honey. (*Be sure to whisk the cornstarch and milk mixture before adding to the heated milk as it may have separated as it sat waiting for the next step).  Mixture will thicken quickly once the cornstarch mixture has been added - be sure to stand by and stir so that milk does not burn nor stick to the bottom of the pan.  Remove pan from heat once your pudding has reached a good thickness.

5. Temper the egg yolk by adding in a couple spoonfuls - one at a time - stirring well with each addition.  This is an important step as you don't want to curdle your pudding by adding in a "cold" egg yolk.

6. Stir in tempered egg yolk to the thickened pudding - which is no longer over heat.  Add in vanilla extract and stir.  

7. Pour pudding into small bowls.  Serve warm or cold.  Garnish with a sprinkling of cinnamon or whipped cream and berries if you wish.

Enjoy!

Happy Honey Vanilla Pudding Eating!



Glazed Maple Oat Pecan Scones

Having tea or coffee with a friend is one of my very favorite things to do in life.  Making a special treat to go along side our hot beverage makes me even happier.  It really does. These scones make me happy.  Easy to make.  And yummy.  Totally yummy.  How can you go wrong when you put maple syrup, chopped pecans and oats together to make a crumbly sweet scone topped off with a fabulous glaze? You just can't!  

Invite a friend (or two or three or more) over and bake up a batch of these scones.  They will make everyone happy!

Glazed Maple Oat Pecan Scones

(recipe discovered on food.com)

Scone Ingredients:

1 cup oats (quick or old-fashioned)

1 1/2 cups flour

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp baking powder

2 Tbsp maple syrup

2 1/2 Tbsp cold butter (cut into small pieces)

1 egg

1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream

1/2 - 3/4 tsp maple extract

2/3 cup chopped pecans

Maple Glaze Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp maple extract (I used 1 Tbsp real maple syrup instead)

5 tsp water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Using a food processor or blender, finely grind the oats.

3. Mix together flour, oats, sugar, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.  Add in maple syrup and butter pieces - mix well all together.

4. In a small bowl beat together egg, cream and maple extract.  Pour mixture into flour mixture and mix until combined.

5. Add in chopped pecans and mix just until incorporated.

6. Place dough onto a floured surface and gently pat into an 8-10" circle and cut into 8 lovely wedges.

7. Place wedges onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly brown. 

8. Make glaze while scones are baking. Combine powdered sugar, maple extract (or the real stuff) and water all together until smooth in a medium bowl.  Adjust water to get to the desired consistency. 

9. Remove scones from oven to a wire rack to cool for about 5-7 minutes before pouring glaze over them.  Allow scones to dry with glaze on them about 15 minutes before serving.

Happy Glazed Maple Oat Pecan Scone Baking!



Decadent Vanilla Layered Cake with Strawberry Frosting

Last month two events took place in my life. Two events which I had never experienced before.  One being that I turned 39 and the second was that I made myself a birthday cake.  Yup, that's right I am now 39 years of age. Simply amazing how that happens I tell ya!  And yes, this year was the very first year in my whole 39 years of life that I actually made myself a birthday cake.  I couldn't help it! - I came across the recipe for this cake and and just had to make it.

   It had ALL my favorite ingredients in it....such as, strawberries, butter, sour cream, heavy cream, lots of vanilla extract, cream cheese, seedless strawberry jam and lots more strawberries.  Definitely a cake that you have to make once a year as it is just decadent in taste, texture and sight.

  I adore strawberries.  I am passionate about strawberries. I also seriously adore layered cakes.  Layered cakes are meant for birthdays in my book. 

Honestly, baking this cake for myself was one of the best parts of my birthday celebration.  It allowed me to review and cherish the memories, my own personal growth along with all the treasured adventures I have had over the past year as I mixed up the batter, baked the cake and then assembled it all together. I have promised myself to make every attempt for my future birthdays to continue such a tradition.

Decadent Vanilla Layered Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

(recipe from the lovely and oh-so brilliant Perry's Plate)

Frosting Ingredients:

2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup seedless strawberry jam

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Cake Ingredients:

3 cups cake flour

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 cup sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

7 large eggs

2 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

6 Tbsp plus 1/3 cup seedless strawberry jam

2 lbs strawberries, hulled, sliced (about 6 cups)

Frosting Directions:

 Beat cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl until smooth.  Beat in sugar and then the jam - set aside.   Beat heavy cream in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold in whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture. Cover and chill for a couple of hours until it's firm enough to spread.

Cake Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour two 9" cake pans.  Lining bottom of pans with parchment paper wouldn't hurt either. 

2. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda - set aside.

3. In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each additon.  Beat in vanilla extract. Add in sour cream and then beat for 30 seconds.

4. Add in flour mixture in three addtions, beating to blend after each addition.  Divide batter into prepared pans.

5. Bake cake 30-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Remove cakes from oven and cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.

6. Once the cakes are fully cooled cut each one in half horizontally with a serrated knife. Spread 2 Tbsp's of jam and then 3/4 of frosting on bottom layer.  Then arrange 3/4 cup of sliced strawberries on top of frosting in a single layer and then top with another cake layer.  Repeat two more times with cake layers, jam, frosting and strawberries. Top with last cake layer and frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Such a magical cake.  A very yummy magical cake.

Not the most perfect picture of the cake...but as you can see it is just delicious in every possible way.  And such a perfectly decadent birthday cake! Happy Birthday to me.

Happy Decadent Vanilla Layer Cake with Strawberry Frosting Baking!