Biscoff Bars With White Chocolate Biscoff Drizzle

Hello friends! Its been a while. I sort of went on a blogging hiatus. I just can't believe that summer has flown by and that we are already well into fall. I do love fall. I love all the fall colors and the slightly cooler weather. My newest favorite thing about fall is probably these bars (mostly because I made them today). These bars are very similar to peanut butter bars (one of my favorite things in life) but instead of peanut butter you get a delightful caramelly/cinnamony flavor that is oh so good! I am slightly obsessed with Biscoff spread all though I do feel that my obsession has died down a little. I hope all of you enjoy these as much as we do!

Biscoff Bars


Ingredients:

3/4 c butter

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c brown sugar (dark brown sugar if possible)

3/4 c Biscoff Spread

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 c flour

1 1/2 c oats

3/4 c Biscoff Spread

White Chocolate Biscoff Drizzle

1/2 cup white chocolate

2 tbs Biscoff Spread

Cream together the butter and sugars. Add Biscoff Spread, eggs, and vanilla and beat until smooth. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients and mix until a firm dough is made. Grease a cookie sheet (or line with foil) and spread mixture in the pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and let set for a few minutes. While bars are still warm spread on the extra 3/4 cup Biscoff Spread. The warmth of the bars helps the Biscoff spread easier. The extra 3/4 cup Biscoff spread for the top is an approximation use less or more according to you own personal Biscoff desires. Allow bars to cool completely. In a microwave safe bowl place white chocolate and Biscoff spread. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each 30 seconds until chocolate is melted. Drizzle white chocolate mixture over cooled Biscoff bars. Cut into squares and enjoy!

French Breakfast Muffins

I'll be honest, I don't know if this recipe is actually french. But then again, there are many recipes that claim to be french, but really aren't. The name does make them a little more intriguing than just breakfast muffins. If I saw a recipe for breakfast muffins I might look at it (mealy because I love breakfast), but French Breakfast Muffins... I definitely am more interested. I got this recipe from a friend, and as soon as I read what was in it I knew I had to try them. Let me tell you that these muffins are delicious! My friend also likes to call them doughnut hole muffins because that is what they remind her of. I am honestly not a huge fan of doughnuts, but these muffins I am huge fan of! I may or may not have eaten them for dinner last night, and lunch today (yes I know somehow I missed breakfast). I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. I think I better go eat another one right now!

French Breakfast Muffins

I like to call these “donut hole muffins,” because they taste like cake donuts.

MUFFINS

2 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 large egg

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons milk

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

CINNAMON-SUGAR TOPPING

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Heat the oven to 375.

Butter the bottoms only of 12 standard size muffin cups and set the pan aside.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In separate bowl, whisk egg until frothy. Blend in milk, melted butter, and vanilla.

Add wet to dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.

Bake 15 minutes. Rotate pan and bake 5-7 more minutes. Transfer pan to cooling rack until muffins are cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes.

While muffins cool, prepare topping. Mix sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Melt butter in another small bowl.

Quickly dip tops of muffins into the melted butter and then the cinnamon sugar, rolling to cover the entire top. Serve immediately.

Makes 12 muffins

Thanks Melanie for the great recipe!

Resurrection Rolls

I found this cute little recipe on Pinterest. With Easter this Sunday I just couldn't help but make these, eat them, and then share this wonderful find with all of you. The site that I found the recipe on has a cute little story and activity you can do with children. I don't have any children yet so I couldn't take cute pictures of kids doing this fun activity. So if you want the full story check it out here. Even though we don't have kids, my husband and I both enjoyed making these and most of all eating them!

Resurrection Rolls

Ingredients
1 can crescent rolls (I used this dough recipe and loved it)
8 large marshmallows (or however many rolls you want to make)
Melted Butter
Cinnamon Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. Unroll crescent rolls or if using homemade dough pinch of a ball big enough to cover a marshmallow. Roll the marshmallow in butter. Then roll the marshmallow in cinnamon sugar. Wrap the marshmallow in the crescent roll dough or homemade dough pinching the dough the seal it closed. Roll each marshmallow/dough combo in butter then cinnamon sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough and marshmallows. Bake for 12 minutes. You may need a longer baking time if using homemade dough. Mine took about 15 minutes. Once rolls are cool enough to handle open them up and see the empty tomb :). Again for full story and cute pictures click here.

Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from Eat At Allies

Amish Friendship Bread

I must be on a bread making kick lately. I absolutely adore this bread. I have loved it since the first time my mom made it for us. If you have never heard of this bread will give you the brief story straight from Wikipedia:  

Amish Friendship Bread is a type of bread or cake made from a sourdough starter that is often shared in a manner similar to a chain letter. The starter is a substitute for baking yeast and can be used to make many kinds of yeast-based breads, shared with friends, or frozen for future use. The sweet, cake-like Amish Cinnamon Bread is a common bread that is made from this starter; it is a simple, stirred quick bread that includes a substantial amount of sugar and vegetable oil, with a mild cinnamon flavor. The recipe for Amish Cinnamon Bread may have first been posted to the internet in 1990, but the recipe itself is several decades old.

I'll be honest I'm not a fan of chain letters or any such thing. I'm sure some people love them, but I'm not one of those people. For this reason I found a way to get around this. Instead of making 4 batches of bread (8 loaves) every time I want this bread I realized that the starter is the same on the day that you get it or on day 10. So every once and a while I will go through the 10 day process of multiplying the starter. On day 10 instead of giving them away with a chain letter I stick them in the freezer. Then whenever I want some fresh cinnamon bread I pull out a bag and make the bread.

If you have never tried this bread I do feel that it is worth the time and effort it takes to make a start and make this bread. I love the sweet cinnamony flavor and the unique flavor that the start brings. If you are someone that likes the challenge of finding someone new to give this bread and starter to then feel free to be a good person and share this bread with friends and family, they will be glad you did!

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Ingredients
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 cups white sugar, divided
3 cups milk

Directions
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 10 minutes. In a 2 quart container glass, plastic or ceramic container, combine 1 cup flour and 1 cup sugar. Mix thoroughly or flour will lump when milk is added. Slowly stir in 1 cup milk and dissolved yeast mixture. Cover loosely and let stand until bubbly. Consider this day 1 of the 10 day cycle. Leave loosely covered at room temperature.

On days 2 thru 4; stir starter with a spoon.

Day 5; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Days 6 thru 9; stir only.

Day 10; stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Remove 1 cup to make your first bread, give 2 cups to friends along with this recipe, and your favorite Amish Bread recipe. Store the remaining 1 cup starter in a container in the refrigerator, or begin the 10 day process over again (beginning with step 2).


**Note: Once you have made the starter, you will consider it Day One, and thus ignore step 1 in this recipe and proceed with step 2. You can also freeze this starter in 1 cup measures for later use. Frozen starter will take at least 3 hours at room temperature to thaw before using.


Amish Friendship Bread


Ingredients:
1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 - (5.1 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup nuts (optional)

Grease 2 bread pans well. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar into each bread pan and tip side to side to coat the bottom and edges (kind of like you are flouring your pans but using cinnamon sugar). In a small bowl combine oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. In a separate large bowl combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix and pour into two well greased and cinnamon sugared bread pans. If you want even more cinnamon sugary goodness you can sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top of the loaf prior to baking. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Cool on wire rack.

Recipe Source: Allrecipes

2-Minute French Toast In A Cup

I am all about quick and easy meals. Sometimes I have a lot of time to make an elegant meal. Sometimes I don't want to spend more than 30 seconds making a meal. It is all very relative to how I'm feeling that day. This recipe isn't just quick and easy, but it also tastes delicious! I have always loved french toast, so making simpler is even better!

2-Minute French Toast In A Cup
Prep time: 2-5 minutes
Servings: 1-2

2 slices bread (I have even used left over rolls)
1 egg
2 drops vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbs milk
1 pinch salt (optional)
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tbs butter

Prepare 1 large mug, or 2 smaller mugs by greasing them with butter. You can do this with the butter cold and rubbing it on the sides, or melt the butter and slosh it around in the cut to get the sides.

Cube the bread. They don't have to be perfect. Place bread in prepared cups. Press down slightly on  bread to squish it into the cups.

In a separate cup or ramekin combine egg, vanilla, cinnamon, milk, salt, and syrup. Mix with a fork. Pour egg mixture over bread pressing down slightly as you go to make sure all the peices are getting a little of the egg mixture. Let bread rest for a minute to absorb the extra fluid. Place in a microwave for 1 minute. If liquid still remains in cup after the 1 minute return to microwave and cook at 10 second intervals until it is all cooked and there is no runny egg left.

Let cool briefly and then top with more maple syrup and enjoy!

Recipe Source: Prudent Baby

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Are you still trying to figure out what to make for Valentines Day? Well look no further my friends. This cake is so moist and delicious. It tastes just like a cinnamon roll but in cake form!

Cinnamon Roll Cake
Cake:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes.

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

While warm drizzle the glaze over the cake.

Recipe Courtesy of: Cookin' Up North

Cinnamon Roll Waffles

Yes Yes I know I just posted these cinnamon roll pancakes and they were delicious! But why stop at one good thing? These waffles don't actually have the cinnamon sugar cooked into it like the pancakes do, but oh how I love the massive amount of cinnamony sugary goodness that is on top of these bad boys! These waffles are not for anyone who shies away from sugar. These waffles are delicious and sweet as if you were eating a cinnamon roll, but instead they have little grooves for all that goodness to fill. Once in your mouth they turn into pockets of goodness that leave you taste bud screaming for more!

Cinnamon Roll Waffles

Yield: About 12 (4-inch) waffles

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Completely decadent breakfast treat- like a deconstructed cinnamon roll, turned into a waffle.

Ingredients:

 

WAFFLES:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

CINNAMON TOPPING:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon grond cinnamon

CREAM CHEESE TOPPING:
4 Tablespoons butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
 

Directions:

 

1. Prepare waffles: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center of the mixture; set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir just until moistened; batter will be slightly lumpy.

3. Preheat a waffle iron and spray with nonstick spray. Pour batter into waffle iron grid and close the lid. Bake until waffles are completely done- follow your waffle iron's instructions. Use a fork to remove finished waffles. Repeat with remaining batter. Keep waffles warm until ready to serve (a 200 degree oven is perfect).

4. Prepare cinnamon topping: In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a small zip baggie and set aside.

5. Prepare cream cheese topping: In a medium, microwave-safe bowl- heat butter and cream cheese for 30 to 60 seconds; just until melted. Stir together until smooth; whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla extract.

6. When ready to serve, place waffle on plate, drizzle cinnamon topping, then drizzle cream cheese topping. Use as much or as little as you'd like. Serve immediately.

I first found this recipe here which took me to this site who got it from here :) Thanks to all of you for the amazing recipe!

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

I absolutely love breakfast! I am the type of person that must eat breakfast or I think I might waste away in those few short hours before lunch.  Really lets be honest, with my love of all things sweet why wouldn't I like something that you get to pour sugar/syrup/fruit all over? Well these bad boys fit that requirement quite well. These pancakes are sweet, cinnamony, and you get to pour frosting all over them. This is the true meaning of pancake.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Yield: 4 servings (4 pancakes)

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 10 min

An absolutely decadent morning treat...

Ingredients:

PANCAKES:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
 
CINNAMON FILLING:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
 
CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
4 Tablespoons butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Prepare pancake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk, oil and egg, just until batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).
2. In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a small zip baggie and set aside. You don't want this to remain super-liquidy. It's best if it becomes a consistency similar to toothpaste.
3. In a medium, microwave-safe bowl- heat butter and cream cheese until melted. Whisk together until smooth; whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla extract; set aside.
4. Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick spray. Scoop about 3/4 cup batter onto the skillet. Snip the corner of your baggie of filling and squeeze a spiral of the filling onto the top of the pancake. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter and keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.
5. When ready to serve, spoon warmed glaze onto the top of each pancake.

Tips:

*Keep the heat low or your pancakes might cook up too quickly. Don't flip them until you see those bubbles starting to pop on top. Flip them with a wide spatula so you can grasp the whole thing without batter and filling dripping all over the place!
*It's best if you pour the batter onto your skillet, wait a minute or so and then swirl the cinnamon onto the batter. That'll give it a chance to set a little before you add the swirl.
*If your baggie of filling begins to get too thick, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it up again. On that same note, it shouldn't be too runny. The consistency of soft toothpaste is perfect. If it's melty and runny, it will tend to run all over your pancakes. Once you micro it, let it sit on the counter at room temp for a while until it thickens slightly.

Recipe Source: Recipe Girl

Pumpkin Pie Dessert

What would Thanksgiving be without some sort of pumpkin pie? Now what would you do if you didn't like pumpkin pie? Maybe its not so much the pumpkin but the pie part of pumpkin pie that you don't like. I of course am not talking about myself, but if I were to be honest I would have to say I prefer my pie to be apple. When it comes to pumpkin pie I think I would be completely satisfied if all of my pumpkin pies were actually this dessert! It has the right amount of pumpkin, and a delicious amount of cakey buttery goodness to make this dessert worthy of replacing all the pumpkin pies in the world (in my opinion). So if you know any picky pumpkin eaters this is definitely a recipe you will have to try!

Pumpkin Pie Dessert

Prep time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 1 hr
Servings:12-15

Ingredients:

Crust
2 cups homemade cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup melted butter

Filling
24 oz pumpkin
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Topping
1 cup Homemade cake mix *

1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter chilled

Directions:
Grease the bottom only of a 9X13 pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the crust ingredients in a medium bowl. Spread mixture into the prepared pan.

In the same bowl combine filling ingredients. Mix until well incorporated. Pour filling mix over the crust mixture.

In a small bowl combine the 1 cup of homemade cake mix, sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in chilled butter. Sprinkle topping over the pumpkin mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Serve warm or at room temperate. The cake holds together a little bit better at room temperature or chilled. Serve with whipping cream on top and enjoy!

*I absolutely love the homemade cake mix in this recipe. The flavor is fantastic, but if you don't have some of the homemade stuff in your freezer like I do, and don't feel like making some you can substitute the homemade cake mix for a box cake mix. You might have to add more butter to the crust mixture, but know that it is an option.

Povitica

The Daring Baker’s October 2011 challenge was Povitica, hosted by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk. Povitica is a traditional Eastern European Dessert Bread that is as lovely to look at as it is to eat! I really had never heard of a povitica. Povitica (pronounced po-va-teet-sa) is traditional Eastern European dessert bread that is traditionally served during the holiday season. It is also known as Nutroll, Potica, Kalachi, Strudia, just to name a few. Family recipes, and the secrets on how to roll the bread so thin, was passed down through generations of families. I was really excited to try this recipe. The bread looks so pretty. I also loved how she uses a sheet (or tablecloth) to roll out the dough. I have never thought of this and it worked like a charm! One of the hard things about being a food blogger is trying to restrain myself from eating all of this bread before I took a picture of it. Luckily there was more than one loaf! A traditional Povitca is made with walnuts. I unfortunately am not a fan of walnuts, so I used almonds instead. Feel free to use whatever nut you wish!

Povitca

Preparation time:
To make Dough: 40 minutes
Rising: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Rolling and Assembly: 20 minutes per loaf, a generous total of 1 hour
Baking: 1 hour
Cooling: 30 minutes
To Make the Filling: 15 minutes, including the grinding of the nuts

Dough Ingredients (Makes two loaves each 1.25 lbs/565 grams)
To activate the Yeast:
1 Teaspoon (5 ml/4 ½ gm) Sugar
½ Teaspoon (2½ ml/1½ gm) All-Purpose (Plain) Flour
¼ Cup (60 ml) Warm Water
1 Tablespoon (15 ml/7 gm/¼ oz/1 sachet) Dry Yeast

Dough:
1 Cup (240 ml) Whole Milk
6 Tablespoons (90 ml/85 gm/3 oz) Sugar
1½ Teaspoons (7½ ml/9 gm/1/3 oz) Table Salt
2 Large Eggs
¼ Cup (60 ml/60 gm/½ stick/2 oz) Unsalted Butter, melted
4 cups (960 ml/560 gm/19¾ oz/1¼ lb) All-Purpose Flour, measure first then sift, divided

Topping:
1 Tablespoon (15 ml/14 gm/½ oz) Granulated Sugar (Optional)
Melted Butter

Filling Ingredients (enough filling for the two loaves(
3½ Cups (840 ml/560 gm/1¼ lb/20 oz) Ground almonds (I just stuck my in a food processor)
½ Cup (120 ml) Whole Milk
½ Cup (120 ml/115 gm/1 stick/4 oz) Unsalted Butter
1 Whole Egg, Beaten
½ Teaspoon (2½ ml) Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Cup (240 ml/225 gm/8 oz) Sugar
1 Teaspoon (5 ml/4 gm) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Teaspoon (5 ml/3 gm) Cinnamon

Directions:
To Activate Yeast:
1. In a small bowl, stir 1 teaspoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon flour, and the yeast into 1/4 cup warm water and  cover with plastic wrap.
2. Allow to stand for 5 minutes

To Make the Dough:
3. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk up to just below  boiling (about 180°F/82°C), stirring constantly so that a  film does not form on the top of the milk. You want it hot  enough to scald you, but not boiling. Allow to cool slightly, until it is about 110°F/43°C.
4. In a large bowl, mix the scalded milk, 6 tbs (90 ml/85 gm/3 oz) sugar, and the salt until combined.
5. Add the beaten eggs, yeast mixture, melted butter, and 2 cups (480 ml/280 gm/10 oz) of flour.
6. Blend thoroughly and slowly add remaining flour, mixing well until the dough starts to clean the bowl.
7. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead, gradually adding flour a little at a time, until
smooth and does not stick.
8. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces (they will each weight about 1.25 pounds/565 grams)
9. Place dough in 2 lightly oiled bowls, cover loosely with a layer of plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel and let rise an hour and a half in a warm place, until doubled in size.


To Make the Filling
10. In a large bowl mix together the ground almonds, sugar, cinnamon and cocoa.
11. Heat the milk and butter to boiling.
12. Pour the liquid over the nut/sugar mixture.
13. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly.
14. Allow to stand at room temperature until ready to be spread on the dough.
15. If the mixture thickens, add a small amount of warm milk.

To Roll and Assemble the Dough:
16. Spread a clean sheet or cloth over your entire table so that it is covered.
17. Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons to a handful of flour (use flour sparingly)
18. Place the dough on the sheet and roll the dough out with a rolling pin, starting in the middle and working your way out, until it measures roughly 10-12 inches (25½ cm by 30½ cm) in diameter.
19. Spoon 1 to 1.5 teaspoons (5ml to 7 ½ ml/4 gm to 7 gm) of melted butter on top.
20. Using the tops of your hands, stretch dough out from the center until the dough is thin and uniformly opaque. You can also use your rolling pin, if you prefer.
21. As you work, continually pick up the dough from the table, not only to help in stretching it
out, but also to make sure that it isn’t sticking.
22. When you think it the dough is thin enough, try to get it a little thinner. It should be so thin that you can see the color and perhaps the pattern of the sheet underneath.
23. Spoon filling (see above for recipe) evenly over dough until covered.
24. Lift the edge of the cloth and gently roll the dough like a jelly roll.
25. Once the dough is rolled up into a rope, gently lift it up and place it into a greased loaf pan in the shape of a “U”, with the ends meeting in the middle. You want to coil the dough around itself, as this will give the dough its characteristic look when sliced.
26. Repeat with remaining loaf, coiling each rope of dough in its own loaf pan.
27. Brush the top of each loaf with melted butter and 2 tablespoons (30ml/28 gm/1 oz) of sugar. If you prefer, you can also use egg whites in place of this.
28. Cover pans lightly will plastic wrap and allow to rest for approximately 15 minutes.
29. Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4.
30. Remove plastic wrap from dough and place into the preheated oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes.
31. Turn down the oven temperature to slow 300°F/150°C/gas mark 2 and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until done.
32. Check the bread every 30 minutes to ensure that the bread is not getting too brown. You may cover the loaves with a sheet of aluminum foil if you need to.
33. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes.
34. It is recommended that the best way to cut Povitica loaves into slices is by turning the loaf upside down and slicing with a serrated knife.

Cinnamon Ice Cream

My husband and I have been fortunate enough to go on a couple of cruises. We absolutely love cruises. Our 2 favorite cruises have one thing in common...ice cream! Now the ice cream itself didn't necessarily make the cruises our favorites, but they sure didn't hurt. The first cruise we went on together was a Disney cruise in the Caribbean. It was amazing. We had a great time, but here is where the ice cream comes in. On Disney's private island they had soft serve cookie dough ice cream! Soft Serve! This ice cream wasn't just flavored like cookie dough, no it actually had chunks of cookie dough in it. I didn't even know that was possible with soft serve. It was probably the best cookie dough ice cream I have ever had. We pretty much camped out by the ice cream lady for a while, but sadly we had to leave the island and now it is just a very very fond memory in my head. Now our other favorite cruise was our recent cruise to Alaska on Holland America. Everything was wonderful on this cruise (don't even get me started on their amazing ceramic loungers), but one day we went to the ice cream counter (a daily/multiple times a day activity for us) and they didn't have cookies n cream ice cream that day. Cookies n cream ice cream is typically my favorite. I was slightly saddened, but decided to branch out. The fun flavor of the day was cinnamon. We decided to try it, and it has forever changed our life. Cinnamon ice cream in a waffle cone might be one of the most awesome things in life. For the next few days of the cruise we got at least one (notice the at least part) of those ice cream cones a day. On the second to last day of the cruise they decided to switch out their flavors again. We were devastated. By this time we were on a fist name basis with the ice cream guy. His name was Zaldy (very cool name). At the end of the day we gave him such a hard time about not having the cinnamon ice cream he said he would try and find some for the next day. Zaldy came through for us! We got the eat one last amazing cinnamon waffle cone before we had to go back to reality. When I got home I just knew I had to search out and find a recipe for cinnamon ice cream. I tried a couple different recipes, but this one was by far my favorite and most similar to the wonderful ice cream on the cruise!

Cinnamon Ice Cream

1 cup (240ml) whole milk
¾ cup (150g) sugar *
pinch of salt
four 3-inch (8cm) cinnamon sticks, broken up
2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
5 large egg yolks

Warm the milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon sticks and 1 cup (240ml) of the cream in a medium saucepan. When it comes to a boil, cover, remove from the heat and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour – mine steeped for almost 2 hours.
Rewarm the cinnamon-infused milk mixture; pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
Stir the mixture constantly over medium-low hear with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula – do not let it boil.
Pour the custard through the strainer into the cream and discard the cinnamon sticks. Set aside to cool then refrigerate for at least 5 hours.
Freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.


*If you prefer to use honey as your sweetener of choice reduce to 1/2 cup honey. The honey does give it a slightly different taste but is still amazing.

Here is another great way to eat this ice cream! I used my perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe and voila! Heaven!

Recipe Source: Technicolor Kitchen

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

I must first start off by telling you all that I just got home from a fabulous Alaskan cruise! In case you didn't know the average cruiser gains 1-2 lbs per day per cruise. That is horrible! That means on my 7 day cruise I could have gained 7-14 lbs. Wow! Luckily I didn't gain that much (it is hard not to gain a few). The reason everyone gains so much is because there is so much food available at all times. Not only is there a lot of food, but it is good food. The only thing I was disappointing by was their Alfredo sauce. Sadly that didn't live up to my likings, but everything else was fantastic. I had some of the best soups I have ever eaten, and their french toast was amazing! I will say that the most amazing part of an Alaskan cruise isn't the food. Alaska truly is beautiful! It might have rained almost every day, we had to avoid the open seas because there were 60 foot swells, and we had to make some changes to our itinerary due to the bad weather, but it was still incredible! I think my favorite place was a fjord named Tracey's Arm. This was our detour since we weren't able to make it to Hubbard glacier but it was stunning. I have never seen so many waterfalls in my life. Did you know that there really is blue ice? I always though it looked blue because of the ocean or sky, no it is actually blue. It is breathtaking.  Just imagine being surrounded by green mountains, waterfalls, and blue ice floating in the ocean! If you haven't been to Alaska and have an opportunity to go, take it!

Well the reason that I bring up our cruise (beside the fact that I am still in awe by it) is that after eating your weight in amazing food it is nice to get back and eat some simple home cooked food. The reason their food tastes so good is because it is not lacking in grease of fat. I am pretty sure 99% of the food we ate wasn't very good for us. This is fine for a week but we were really excited to eat our oatmeal for breakfast when we got home. Next I had to use the bananas that had gone very brown while sitting in my fruit bowl while we were gone. What is the best thing to do with old bananas? Of course I had to make this banana bread. This recipe is a healthified version of my mom's banana bread. Yes I do like to make up my own words on occasion.  Eating foods like this is such an easy way to get in your whole grains and fruits! Yes I also like to justify my eating of anything sweet. Enjoy.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
5 ripe bananas mashed
2 tbs chia seed (optional)
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp soda

Prepare 2 bread pans by lining them with tin foil. Spray the tin foil with cooking spray. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Add bananas and chia seed. Add flour and soda. Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cool before serving.

Zucchini Bread

Just when I think our zucchini plant is slowing down it goes and produces a million more zucchini! Luckily I have a few zucchini recipes up my sleeve that I haven't shared with all of you yet!

First I must tell you that my husband and I are currently on a chia seed kick! I blame my mom for this! I had never even heard of the stuff until we were over at their house. They eat it in their oatmeal almost every morning. My husband has since spent the last few weeks reading about chia seed and all its wonderful properties. Come to find out chia is quite good for you and keeps you full longer. You might have noticed that I added chia to these waffles. I also added it to this bread. Please note that the chia seed is completely optional, but it does add a little extra nutrients if you happen to have it on hand.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs, beaten                                                                                               
1 cup oil
2 cups brown sugar
3 tsp. vanilla
2 cups zucchini, grated fine or pureed 
1/4 cup chia seed
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp soda
1/2 cup turbinado or raw sugar
 
Grease 2 loaf pans with either butter, shortening, or coconut oil. Sprinkle 1/4 cup turbinado or raw sugar in each pan. Shake sugar around the bottom and sides of pan to coat all sides (as if you were flouring the pan but with sugar).  Sprinkle chia seed in the bottom of a medium size bowl. Place a fine mesh strainer over bowl. Pour grated or pureed zucchini with all its juice in strainer and allow to drain into the chia seed. This will soften up the chia seed. Set aside and allow chia to soak up zucchini juices for at least 10 minutes. In a stand mixer beat eggs. Add oil brown sugar and vanilla. Add 2 cups drained zucchini. Using a fine mesh strainer pour soaked chia seed into strainer to drain any excess liquid. Add chia seed to mixture. Next add whole wheat flour, white flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and soda. Mix until well combined.  Place batter in 2 loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. (I doubled the batch and made 3 loaf pans and 1 bunt pan).

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

I love zucchini. I think it is a fabulous vegetable. What other vegetables can you eat steamed, breaded, fried, shredded, in casseroles, in bread, in cookies, and in cakes? We currently have zucchini coming out our ears so I have had the opportunity to make lots of different recipes that call for them. This is another one of my mom's wonderful recipes. I honestly don't remember eating it as we were growing up, but as I get older it has definitely made its way into my memory. This wonderful cake is moist and delicious. The topping is honestly my favorite part! I'm sure I will post more zucchini recipes before the summer is over but I figured that this was a great one to start with.

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder 
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sour milk
4 Tbsp. cocoa
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
2 cups finely shredded zucchini
Line a 9X12 inch cake pan with tin foil and spray with cooking spray. Blend butter, oil and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla & milk. Sift dry ingredients and beat into mixture. Stir in 2 cups zucchini. Pour into 9x12 inch cake pan and sprinkle 3/4 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chip on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Honey Sweetened Whole Grain Carrot Cake

It was my sister-in-law's birthday at the end of last month and we decided to surprise her with a little family surprise party. I was put in charge of making the cake. This is never a problem because I love any excuse to make a dessert! My sister-in-law is much healthier than I am, and really enjoys using whole grains in everything and not using refined sugar. Since this was her party I decided to make a cake that would be to her liking. When I found this recipe I knew it was perfect for her cake. The only thing I didn't know is whether or not it would taste good. I also like eating healthy things, but they have to taste good! I made a little mini cake to test it out. To my surprise it actually was really good. We even took it over to some friends house and they all liked it too! The only picture I have of it is before we cut it. I decided we shouldn't cut it until the birthday girl got to see it, so sorry for no inside pictures.

Note: This recipe makes 1 8X8 pan. I actually doubled it and divided it between 3 round cake pans. I'm sure the doubled recipe would also work great in a 9X13 pan. I also doubled the frosting. For my 3 layer cake it was enough, but there was no extra and I wish I could have put a little more in between the layers. Also if you are not a huge fan of coconut flavor you can use butter instead of the oil in the frosting. I am not a huge fan of coconut and didn't mind the frosting, but it was getting pretty close to the line of too much for me.

Honey Sweetened Whole Grain Carrot Cake

Ingredients
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1/4 cup of honey (I added a few extra tbs for good luck)
2 tablespoons of lemon or orange juice
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla
3 ounces of whole wheat flour, by weight
3 ounces of whole grain oat flour, by weight
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 cups of shredded carrots (use your food processor shredding disc)
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts (optional- I opted out)
Directions
Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 8 baking dish and set aside.
You want your coconut oil to be in a liquid form for this recipe. That happens at 76 degrees F. If your oil is not warm enough to be liquid, heat it until it is. Be careful not to let it get hot, as it will prematurely cook the eggs in the next step.
Put the coconut oil, honey, orange juice, eggs and vanilla extract into the work bowl of your favorite food processor fitted with a multipurpose blade. Process for two minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the whole wheat flour, whole grain oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl. Whisk to combine well. Add the shredded carrots and walnuts. Stir well.
Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until just barely combined. Too much stirring will result in a tough carrot cake. Transfer to the greased baking dish. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 to 45 minutes.

Honey Sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
8 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup of coconut oil, at room temperature
2 tablespoons of honey

Directions
Beat all three ingredients together until well creamed. You can do this with a stand mixer, hand mixer or with a wooden spoon. I wouldn't recommend the last one unless you are using it as part of your exercise program!

Recipe Source: Heather Krasovec

Baklava With Homemade Phyllo Dough!

I found out about this website called The Daring Kitchen. This website gives you a challenge each month as to something to make. Erica of Erica’s Edibles was our host for the Daring Baker’s June challenge. Erica challenged us to be truly DARING by making homemade phyllo dough and then to use that homemade dough to make Baklava. Never in my life did I ever imagine myself making my own phyllo dough, but I did! I had actually been wanting to make baklava for quite a while. This challenge gave me the perfect opportunity. I had a lot of fun making my own phyllo dough, but it was quite time consuming. The baklava turned out just as good as I had hoped!

Phyllo Dough:

*Note 1: To have enough to fill my 9” x 9” baking dish with 18 layers of phyllo I doubled this recipe.
*Note 2: Single recipe will fill a 8” x 5” baking dish.
*Note 3: Dough can be made a head of time and froze. Just remove from freezer and allow to thaw
and continue making your baklava

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups (320 ml) (185 gm/6½ oz) unbleached all purpose (plain) flour
1/8 teaspoon (2/3 ml) (¾ gm) salt
1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon (2½ ml) cider vinegar, (could substitute white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar, but could affect the taste)
Directions:

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer combine flour and salt

2. Mix with paddle attachment

3. Combine water, oil and vinegar in a small bowl.

4. Add water & oil mixture with mixer on low speed, mix until you get a soft dough, if it appears dry add a little more water (I had to add a tablespoon more)

5. Change to the dough hook and let knead approximately 10 minutes. You will end up with beautiful smooth dough. If you are kneading by hand, knead approx. 20 minutes.

6. Remove the dough from mixer and continue to knead for 2 more minutes. Pick up the dough and through it down hard on the counter a few times during the kneading process.

7. Shape the dough into a ball and lightly cover with oil

8. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let rest 30-90 minutes, longer is best ( I let mine rest 2 hours and it was perfect)

Rolling your Phyllo

** Remove all rings and jewelry so it does not snag the dough**

Use whatever means you have to get the dough as thin as you can. You may also use a pasta machine if you have one, or a normal rolling pin whatever works for you.

1. Unwrap your dough and cut off a chunk slightly larger then a golf ball. While you are rolling be sure to keep the other dough covered so it doesn’t dry out.

2. Be sure to flour your hands, rolling pin and counter. As you roll you will need to keep adding, don’t worry, you can’t over-flour.

3. Roll out the dough a bit to flatten it out.

4. Wrap the dough around your rolling pin/dowel

5. Roll back and forth quickly with the dough remaining on the dowel (see attached video for a visual, its much easier then it sounds)

6. Remove; notice how much bigger it is!


7. Rotate and repeat until it is as thin as you can it. Don’t worry if you get rips in the dough, as long as you have one perfect one for the top you will never notice.


8. When you get it as thin as you can with the rolling pin, carefully pick it up with well floured hands and stretch it on the backs of your hands as you would a pizza dough, just helps make it that much thinner. Roll out your dough until it is transparent. NOTE: you will not get it as thin as the frozen phyllo dough you purchase at the store, it is made by machine

9. Set aside on a well-floured surface. Repeat the process until your dough is used up. Between each sheet again flower well. You will not need to cover your dough with a wet cloth, as you do with boxed dough, it is moist enough that it will not try out.


Baklava Recipe

Adapted from Alton Brown, The Food Network
30 servings

Honey Syrup

Ingredients

For the syrup: (I think I could have halved this recipe and it would have been the perfect amount for my 9X9 pan that I made)

· 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) honey
· 1 1/4 cups (300ml) water
· 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) (280 gm/10 oz) sugar
· 1 cinnamon stick
· 1 (2-inch/50 mm) piece fresh citrus peel (lemon or orange work best)
· a few cloves or a pinch or ground clove

When you put your baklava in the oven start making your syrup. When you combine the two, one of them needs to be hot, I find it better when the baklava is hot and the syrup has cooled

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium pot over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until sugar has dissolved

2. Boil for 10 minutes, stir occasionally.

3. Once boiled for 10 minutes remove from heat and strain cinnamon stick and lemon, allow to cool as baklava cooks

Ingredients for the Filling:

1 cinnamon stick, broken into 2 to 3 pieces or 1 teaspoons (10 ml) (8 gm) ground cinnamon
7 to 10 whole allspice berries ( I just used a few pinches)
8 oz almonds
1/3 cup sugar
phyllo dough (see recipe above)
1/2 cup (1 cube)  melted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4.

2. Combine nuts, sugar and spices in a food processor and pulse on high until finely chopped. If you do not have a food processor chop with a sharp knife as fine as you can. Set aside

3. Trim your phyllo sheets to fit in your pan

4. Brush bottom of pan with butter and place first phyllo sheet

5. Brush the first phyllo sheet with butter and repeat approximately 5 times ending with butter. (Most recipes say more, but homemade phyllo is thicker so it's not needed)

6. Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top

7. Continue layering phyllo and buttering repeating 4 times

8. Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top

9. Continue layering phyllo and buttering repeating 4 times

10. Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture on top

11. Continue layering and buttering phyllo 5 more times. On the top layer, make sure you have a piece of phyllo with no holes if possible, just looks better.

12. Once you have applied the top layer tuck in all the edges to give a nice appearance.

13. With a Sharp knife cut your baklava in desired shapes and number of pieces. If you can't cut all the ways through don’t worry you will cut again later. A 9x9 pan cuts nicely into 30 pieces. Then brush with a generous layer of butter making sure to cover every area and edge

14. Bake for approximately 30 minutes; remove from oven and cut again this time all the way through. Continue baking for another 30 minutes. (Oven temperatures will vary, you are looking for the top to be a golden brown, take close watch yours may need more or less time in the oven)

15. When baklava is cooked remove from oven and pour the cooled (will still be warmish) syrup evenly over the top, taking care to cover all surfaces when pouring. It looks like it is a lot but over night the syrup will soak into the baklava creating a beautifully sweet and wonderfully textured baklava!

16. Allow to cool to room temperature. Once cooled cover and store at room temperature. Allow the baklava to sit overnight to absorb the syrup.

17. Serve at room temperature

Cinnamon Roll Pizza

My grandma makes the best cinnamon rolls. I have tried her recipe and many others but there is just something about how she does them that makes them amazing. I think it is just the grandma's touch that makes them great. This idea kinda came to me the other day as I was driving. I was thinking about her amazing cinnamon rolls, and also thinking about yummy dessert pizzas and thought why not make a dessert pizza out of my grandma's cinnamon rolls. The results of this combination turned out just as amazing as I had hoped!

Cinnamon Roll Pizza

Dough:
1 cube butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbs salt
2 cups scalded milk
2 eggs beaten
6 cups flour
2 tbs yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1-2 tsp cinnamon sugar
1 tbs butter

Toppings
1 cube chilled butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tbs flour

Frosting
1/2 cup butter
3 cups powdered sugar
6-8 tbs evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla

Dissolve the 2 tbs yeast in 1/2 cup warm water set aside.  In your stand mixer with dough hook attachment combine the scalded milk, salt, butter, and sugar. Let rest until the butter is mostly melted and the temperature is just barely warm to touch. Add the yeast mixture, flour, and eggs. Mix and knead well. Cover and let rise until double in size.

Roll out dough on a floured surface to approximately an 18X24 inch rectangle. Brush lightly with 1 tbs melted butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Roll up like you are making cinnamon rolls. Using unflavored floss or a serrated knife cut thin slices of cinnamon roll dough. The thinner the better but keep it as consistent as possible. Place cinnamon rolls on a greased pizza pan. Start in the center with one and add more around it in a circular manner. Try and get them as close to each other as possible, but they do not have to be perfect. As the dough raises it will fill in any gaps. When the pizza pan is completely filled with cinnamon rolls press down on dough with your hands to try and fill in any gaps and to form more of the traditional pizza shape. Again it doesn't have to be perfect, the individual cinnamon rolls are what makes this pizza fun and unique.

In a food processor combine the brown sugar, white sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Pulse briefly to combine mixture. Slice your cube of butter into thin slices and add to your food processor. Pulse until mixture is combined and appears slightly crumbly. Sprinkle butter and sugar mixture over cinnamon roll crust.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 18-25 minutes depending on how thick your crust is. The edges and bottom of your pizza should be a golden brown color.

For icing place butter in a sauce pan over medium low heat. Stirring frequently melt the butter and continue cooking until the butter turns a nice amber color and gives off a slightly nutty aroma. Pour the browned butter into a mixing bowl and add the powdered sugar, evaporated milk and vanilla. Mix until well combined and frosting starts to thicken slightly as the butter cools.

Drizzle the frosting over the pizza. You can either drizzle it over the entire thing or individual slices. Enjoy!

Note: this recipe makes more than enough to fill a fairly large pizza pan with some left over. I made a pizza and used the rest to make a small pan of normal cinnamon rolls.

Here are some photos of the process:

Roll out the dough.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Start placing on pan in a circular manner.

Fill pan and press down on dough slightly with hands to help form into shape.

Cinnamon sugar mixture. Processed until crumbly.

Sprinkle on dough. Ready to bake.

 Fresh out of the oven. Edges should be a nice golden brown color.

Sliced and drizzled with yummy browned butter frosting. Now its time to enjoy!