Your sister dreams of travelling the word. Your roommate dreams about marrying Prince Harry. Your cousin dreams about opening his own motorcycle repair shop. The hippie next door dreams about world peace and a giant music festival.
You dream about cake.
Baked goods draw you in, like a moth to a flame, which explains why your sister has set up a ring of bug zappers around your nephew’s birthday party snacks.
Banana Nut Brownies-page 222
I just finished my first banana recipe and found it to be………meh. Just…..meh.
It was super quick to put together. I didn’t even need a mixer (poor Henri). You mix up everything with a spoon/spatula/spoonula and pour it into the pan and there ya go. This would probably be good when you have one of those days that you/your kids/your mate is hankering for something, ANYTHING, to help out the ole sweet tooth. Everything in this you would readily have in your pantry so that’s always a good thing.
Likes: Like I said before, it was sooooooooo quick to put together. The longest time it took was to measure out everything. There’s only 1/2 cup of flour in this, too, so not a lot of gluten for those trying to stay away from that wicked bread protein. Oh, and the bananas made it super *moist*.
Dislikes: It’s not that I really disliked this, but it just didn’t knock my socks off. It was just so-so, and I’m an “all the way” kinda gal. If I’m going to do something, I’m gonna DO IT, not just mess around with doing something. Also, it was not quite a brownie and not quite a banana bread/muffin; it was too much in between the two and not really one thing in particular. Oh, and I had to make sure I had a 9-inch square pan; I typically have always had an 8-inch square pan, so you might have to run out to buy this one thing.
Banana Nut Brownies
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar (I used to organic turbinado sugar which gives it a little extra flavor)
3 TBSP baking cocoa
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 TBSP milk (I used almond milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract (I used vanilla/almond extract)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 1/2 to 3 medium)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Confectioners sugar, optional
In a bowl, combine the butter, sugar and cocoa. Stir in the eggs, milk and vanilla. Blend in the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the bananas and walnuts.
Pour into a greased 9-inch square baking pan. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until the top of brownies spring back when lightly touched. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Just before serving, dust with confectioners sugar if desired. Cut into bars.
Guess what I got?
Well, you can see what my brother-in-law just gifted us. (One of the kittens, Harper Lee, is trying to find out what IS that smell she’s been getting a whiff of since last night. And yes, her sister’s name is Scout. If you have to ask why the strange names, then just stop reading my blog now. Go away, please. And go find/read a copy of “To Kill a Mockingbird”.)
So, I’m off to check out all the different banana cookie/bar recipes I can find in the cookie book. There will be much banana-y things to consume soon!
But I wanted to bring this up to make a point. When you suddenly come across something like this (or when someone gives you a huge quantity of a perishable item) make it work for you. I will make lots of goodies from this, but then I will freeze the rest. Bananas get nice & liquid-y when frozen which makes great banana bread afterwards.
Cook with what you’ve got instead of going to the grocery store to buy more *stuff*. This is the frugal way to bake/cook. This is the way our grandmothers used to bake/cook.
I’ve got 2 days off from my day job and it’s time to get nasty in the kitchen!!
Today is National Rum Day
Yes, it is.
You’re welcome.
Actually, the reason why I bring this up is this: rum can be used for so many things in the baking department. At times, I’ve used this instead of vanilla for an extract in cakes or cookies. This would be great added to a glaze in place of some of the water or lemon juice to drizzle over a cake (banana bread or a coconut cake for example). But the best use of rum that I’ve found so far (in the baking realm) is to steep raisin (regular or golden) in rum for a few days or weeks then adding these to your best banana bread recipe. So. damn. smooth.
Now….have at it. Go forth and use your bottle of rum for good and not evil. (Really, is there any evil that can come from rum?? Wait…don’t answer that. )
Blueberry Squares-page 237
So, I have made this twice so far. Both to much applause and kudos.
First, I made it for a few ladies at work who were making a dinner for our front desk girls to thank them for all of their hard work. There were only 3 ladies at this dinner and all 3 of them came to me separately and asked me for the recipe. And when they did this they had drool coming out of the side of their mouths. I thought to myself, alrighty then, I need to make this again since I didn’t get to try it at the dinner. There must be something to this one.
Today I made a pan of these lovelies just for me and the hubbs. Steve took 1 bite and exclaimed: “Holy Crap! These are good!”. Okay, there really must be something special to these “bars”. I tried a bite; bingo! They are creamy, yummy, fruity, and a little crunchy on the bottom from the crust. The different textures of this dessert really gets me going. Also, the fresh lemon juice and grated lemon peel in the blueberry topping make it zing all over the place. This just puts it over the top and makes this way better than just a regular blueberry topping. I will never make a blueberry pie again without putting a splash of lemon juice and a teaspoon of lemon peel in the mixture. Never. Ever.
It also makes a nice amount, not huge but for 2 people (which is my house) we’ve got enough for a few days (it fills an 8x8 pan). Although not with this because it’s just been announced that this is going to work with Steve tomorrow morning. Where it will last maybe until he sets it on his desk. Maybe.
If you are taking this to work, church, etc, I would use a disposable pan so you don’t have to worry about getting your pans back (haven’t we all had that problem of getting your good pans back?? Don’t you hate that??). BUT, and this is important, make sure you put a hand under the pan or put the pan in a box to carry it out because this is really gooey and doesn’t firm up or congeal. As you can see from the above photo, when I made it at home I used a glass pan which alleviates this problem.
Now, this is my only concern/issue. If you are going to make this counting on it coming out into pretty bars, DON’T. Just don’t. Mine stayed in the fridge all day long to congeal and it came out like a blob. Not just the 1st piece (and we all know that the first piece of pie, cake, or bar cookies comes out ……not pretty at times) but the 2nd piece as well. There was NO WAY it was going to come out in one piece. But, I really don’t give a damn how something looks if it’s just for every day; the holidays or birthdays…yes, I do want it to look pretty. But not today, August 10th (which is my sister-in-laws birthday and I have to call her after this, thanks for reminding me). Back to the blob vs. the bar: the photo in the recipe book shows a pretty little blueberry bar beside the recipe. I’m wondering if they put it in the freezer first to be able to cut the dessert; if I make this again (which I definitely will) I will try this step and let you know.
If you want the recipe, just e-mail me at: bonniebakingcookies@gmail.com.
Likes: Easy to put together. You crush some vanilla wafers, mix it with butter and then put it in a 350 oven for 8-10 minutes. That’s all the baking time the entire thing needs. Meaning this is nice in the summer time to not get the entire house hot and it’s cool and creamy for this time of year. After you put the whole thing together you throw it in the fridge to cool/congeal and that’s it. Ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom, you’re done.
Dislikes: None really. Like I said before, I’m not one to care about it coming out exactly like it shows in the photo beside the recipe (pretty bar vs. blob of yumminess). If you do, then this could be a deal breaker for you. But, seriously……TRY THIS ONE.
Would I do this again? Absolutely, no question. In fact, I’m going to send this recipe to my sister-in-law who goes to Maine in the summers and she loves doing recipes with blueberries in them since Maine blueberries are yummy. Almost as yummy as Maine lobstahs. Almost. If you love blueberries, this is something you have to try. Have. to.
PS-Here’s the recipe. This is not my recipe; I got this from the book that I’m highlighting. THERE. That should satisfy the copyright & legal Gods.
Blueberry Squares
1 cup crushed vanilla waters (about 30 of them)
2 TBSP butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
3 cups fresh blueberries, divided
3 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 TBSP confectioners sugar
1 1/2 cups cups miniature marshmallows
In a small bowl, combine wafers and butter. Press into a greased 8-inch square baking dish. Bake @ 350 for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Gradually whisk in water until smooth. Stir in 1 1/2 cups blueberries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the lemon juice, peel and remaining blueberries. Cool completely
In a small bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners sugar; beat until soft peaks form. Fold in marshmallows. Spread over crust. Top with blueberry mixture. Cover and refrigerate until set, about 45 minutes.
Meringue Coconut Brownies- page 213
So, the cookie book has an entire section for brownies in all their many forms: traditional brownies, blondies, and any other type of bar cookie that might fit nicely in this section (and not the “Bar cookies” section). I am intrigued by brownies since I’ve never made a real brownie, not from a box mix. I’m not really sure why since I love to bake so much. But, here I go.
These bars are super easy to put together; they’re just different ingredients layered over each other after you put the crust together (which you don’t even have to bake first before layering on everything else….niiiiice). Then comes the chocolate chips laid over the crust, then the coconut and walnuts. Then you whip up some meringue with brown sugar and spread that over the whole thing.
I gotta tell ya, I’ve never done a meringue quite like this one. It’s a really hefty thing, this stuff. By putting in a tablespoon of brown sugar at a time into the egg whites as they are beating, this stuff comes out nothing like the super delicate meringue that you’re used to. It’s like meringue on steroids! When it comes out of the oven, it’s gooey and rich and yummy.
It says to store in the refrigerator after it’s done, which makes it a bit difficult to cut later on. But it holds a bar shape really well (see above).
Likes: I like that it was super easy to put together. Just measure out everything beforehand and you’re good to go. Full disclosure: I love making bar cookies anyway. LOVE. There’s no measuring out batter in a tablespoon or mini ice cream scoop, no screwing up how close you get your cookies together and then when they bake they ooze into 3 massive cookies. It’s just put it in a 13x9 inch pan, bake it, cover it up and it’s a done deal. Love. Me. Some. Bar. Cookies. And this is why I liked these cookies. Also, everything in it you would probably have in your pantry if you’re a half way decent baker. Okay, I normally would’ve had to go buy some coconut, but Target had some flaked coconut sale on last week so I had stocked up and this is why I had every single thing in my pantry.
Dislikes: I don’t really have any.
Would I do this again: Yes, indeedy. I think kids would like this a lot. Nothing fancy, just a good cookie.
PS-I took this to work so that this pan of cookies would get out of my house. My coworkers are health nuts so they ate only 2 bars out of the whole pan during the entire day.Yes, I am normally a health nut too (I don’t typically do gluten, dairy or sugar). But I am not radical about it (i.e.-I am trying 1 or 2 cookies from each recipe. Woman cannot live on quinoa alone!). Conversely, when I send a batch of cookies to my husband’s office, the cookies last oh……about 5 minutes and I think that was pushing it that day. So I took the rest of the cookies home with me and Steve (hubbs) and a teenager who lives down the street from us devoured the remaining bars. Did my heart good.
Meringue Coconut Brownies
3/4 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup flaked coconut
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
In a large bowl, cream the butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar and sugar. Add egg yolks and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well (batter will be thick). Spread into a greased 13-in. X 9-in. baking pan. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips, coconut and walnuts.
In another large bowl, beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining brown sugar, 1 TBSP at a time, beating on high until stiff peaks form. Spread over the top.
Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator.
Coconut Macaroons
Well, it has begun. It actually begun last week, but I forgot to take a photo of the 1st cookies that I made, so I’ll have to make them again and chit-chat about’em. (They were totally worth it).
I went to my local Tar-Jay today and perused the baking section. I found that they had sweetened, flaked coconut on clearance (regularly almost $3/package, on sale for around $1.70/package!!) so of course I got 3 bags. First rule on being frugal: when it’s a great price, stock up and put in the freezer for later. Second rule: buy a chest freezer and put it in the garage. TOTALLY worth every penny.
So, these are the Coconut Macaroons that I just baked tonight. They’re found on page 14 of the cookbook. By the way, I don’t think I can legally post the recipes here since they’re not my recipes but from a book that has a copyright attached to it. If you want any recipes, e-mail me at bonniebakingcookies@gmail.com.
Back to the cookies. I’ll give it one thing: I put them together quickly since they only had 5 ingredients and you stirred up everything with a spoon and threw them in the oven; couldn’t have been any easier. But……they are just…..okay. Nothing special. I haven’t had a lot of macaroons in my day, but my girlfriend, Mel, and her mother-in-law, Joan, both made macaroons for our last cookie swap party and both of those cookies beat the tar out of this macaroon. (Mel’s macaroon was to die for. It was a recipe of Alton Brown’s. This is all I need to say: AB rocks.)
This is how many cookies the recipe made (not a lot).
Likes: That it was a quick, easy recipe that even kids could mix up (no mixer needed). Completely doable on a busy work/school night after you get home. This recipe dirtied up 1 bowl, 1 large spoon, and 2 cookie sheets (excluding measuring cups, etc) so not even a lot to clean up afterwards.
Dislikes: Not a very complex tasting cookie; it’s just so-so. Or maybe I’m just not a huge macaroon fan. If I want to bake something, I want it to have some OOOPMPH behind it. Also, it only used 2/3 cup of condensed milk. I don’t like to waste anything (especially in these economic times); what am I supposed to do with the rest of the can of this yummy stuff? I ended up pouring it out!!
Would I bake this cookie again?: Probably not.
Coconut Macaroons-page 14
2-1/2 cups flaked coconut
1/3 tsp all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract (I used vanilla/almond extract)
9 red or green candied cherries, halved, optional (I didn’t use these)
In a bowl, combine coconut, flour and salt. Add milk and vanilla; mix well (batter will be stiff).
Drop by tablespoonfuls 1 inch apart onto a greased baking sheet. Top each with a candied cherry half if desired. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Yields 1-1/2 dozen.
This is the cookbook that I will be working my way through.
The recipes are nothing fancy-schmancy. I’m basically a low maintenance kind of a gal (as evidenced by the fact that I’d rather have kitchen appliances than jewelry as stated above). This cookbook fits me perfectly. It’s basically things you have in your pantry; you might have to pick up just a couple of things from the grocery store but you’ve got 95% of the recipe already.
I also like this book because it has a lot of non-chocolate recipes. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some chocolate. But most folks tend to go heavy on the chocolatey cookies. I want something different at times, especially around the holidays, when most foods are so damn heavy. I like to have sweets that time of year that are citrusy, especially orange or lemon flavored. And yes, living in Florida probably adds to that. To me, it’s a nice break and cleans the heaviness off of the tongue. Mix it up a little, will ya!
This book even has great sections on brownies, cookies that you can put together quickly, and (the best thing that I’ve seen in a long time) cookies that make HUGE batches in case you need a recipe that make 10-12 dozen cookies at at time. Yes, you can multiply a recipe but I’ve made some mistakes calculating amounts when doing this in the past. This makes it easy for your tired brain to just whip out a massive amount of cookies when your husband/partner (Steve) comes home and announces that the United Way campaign at his office (the Environmental Protection Division of a local government) is tomorrow (or the next day) and they will be auctioning off home made goodies to raise money. This is actually in his best interest because it will not force you to beat him. It’s a win-win situation.
