Scrumptious Banana Bread

Our latest bake! Try out this tweaked banana bread recipe based off the highly recommended recipe from allrecipes.com and let us know what you think :)

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tbs. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

3-4 over ripe bananas

3/4 walnuts (we HIGHLY recommended Trader Joes Candied Walnuts, they're great for baking!) 

Glaze

1 tbs. water

3 tbs. brown sugar 

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9 x 5 in. loaf pan. 

**GREAT TIP** we learned that it is especially helpful to spray the inside of the pan with nonstick spray, and then follow up with a piece of parchment paper to line the bottom. This way, the load slips right out when its done...no mess, and no breaking!

2.) In a large bowl, combine: flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Sifting is not necessary, but we think it gives the flour mixture a finer texture. Set aside.

3.) In another medium sized bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Then, stir in the beaten eggs, vanilla, mashed bananas, and candied walnuts until blended.To mash the bananas (look at pictures below), we like to break them apart and place them into a ziplock bag. After closing the bag, we use our hands to mash the bananas around without making a mess and once they look pretty mushy, we cut a corner of the bag and squeeze them out into the bowl. A handy tip we've used with all our banana bread making!

4.) Stir banana mixture into the flour mixture, JUST TO MOISTEN. As most of you know, do not over mix as the bread will turn out dense and not as fluffy.

5.) Scoop batter into prepared pan with a rubber spatula. Once all the batter is in the pan, we made a glaze for the top using 1 tbs. of water and 3 tbs. of brown sugar. Once the sugar dissolved, we used a basting brush (seen below) to gently brush the top of the loaf until there was a nice sheen to the top. Then we slid it into the oven and set the timer for 60 minutes.

6.) Enjoy warm with a nice glass of cold milk :)

Best Zucchini Bread...we've ever enjoyed!

OK so we made this zucchini bread last night, and we think it came out better than expected because we didn't use two 8x4 pans, but instead a single 8x8 pan. This definitely took longer, probably an hour and twenty minutes, but the texture was UNBELIEVABLE. It was so light and fluffy we couldn't help but pick at it all night long until half the loaf was gone! Here is the original recipe, we included everything in the recipe except the nuts (simply becuase we didn't have any but it would have made this loaf even more incredible!)  


Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/moms-zucchini-bread/Detail.aspx


We usually try out the highest rated recipes we can find, if not from a cookbook, and this was easily one of the best we've tried. Check out our pictures below! 

Peanut Butter & Jelly Muffins

Grandma suggested this recipe to us and it was a hit! These muffins taste just like taking a bite into a PB&J. Following our suggestions, you will find a family favorite and a new twist on the beloved childhood snack!

the original recipe can be found at: http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/peanut-butter-and-jelly-muffins-404042

you will need:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs baking powder
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup jam of your choice
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:
(1) preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare muffin pan with cupcake liners
(2) stir together flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl
(3) add milk eggs, sugar, peanut butter, and oil. Using an electric mixer combine all ingredients until moistened
(4) fill prepared the prepared muffin tin with a layer of batter (until the cups are about 1/3 full)
(5) add a 2 tsp layer of jam then divide the remaining batter among the cups
note: the muffin tin should be filled just below the top of the cups
(7) sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a pinch of raw sugar
(6) bake 18-20 minutes, allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan
note: if any jam leaks out of the cups the muffins will stick to the tray. You will need to run a small knife around the muffins to unstick them from the pan.

These muffins can also be made with chunky peanut butter for a more coarse texture or add a tablespoon of additional peanut butter to enhance the flavor. It is important not to have the bottom layer of batter too thick in order to ensure you get the peanut butter and jelly in each bite.
Great with a glass of cold milk served for breakfast or an afternoon snack!

Vanishing Coconut Macaroons

Today we were requested to make coconut macaroons for a friend's dad's birthday (that sounds confusing). We don't have too much experience with macaroons of any kind but these turned out to be fantastic and incredibly easy to make. We had to hide them from our families in order to have enough to give away.     HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTT HERRON! 


the original recipe can be found at: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/coconut-macaroons-2/Detail.aspx


you will need:
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions 
(1) preheat oven to 325 degrees
(2) whip egg whites, add sugar and vanilla and continue to whip
(3) combine coconut, flour and salt and incorporate into sugar/egg mixture
(4) drop rounded teaspoon-fulls onto a parchment covered baking sheet 
(5) bake 18-20 minutes


I chose to drizzle melted chocolate over some of the macaroons, in our opinion the extra touch makes them a perfect 10!
To melt the chocolate
(1) put 1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl (uncovered)
(2) microwave at 50% for 2 minutes, stir well after taking finished microwaving
(3) add 1 tsp of vegetable oil to create a smoother and thinner consistency 
Dip a spoon in the melted chocolate and drizzle over the cooled macaroons. . . YUM

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

   Hey everyone, hope you enjoyed our one post. Many of you may not know that one of our absolute favorite things to bake is cookies. Oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip are our favorites and therefore have become our specialty. In addition to the oatmeal cookie recipe we posted earlier, I (Lisa) am going to add my favorite chcolate chip cookie recipe that I made yesterday. We have tried many recipes and this Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip cookie has definitely beaten out the rest, especially when it comes to how quickly they vanish from the cooling rack. Try them out and let us know what you think! Hopefully you will enjoy them as much as Allie and I do....we give them a 5/5 star rating, thank you Neiman Marcus! 

you can find the recipe at: www.neimanmarcus.com/store/service/nm_cookie_recipe.jhtml 

Below I have made a photo log of some of the steps and the final product, enjoy!

The Best (Literally) Oatmeal Cookies

  So these cookies are a family favorite and have been passed down to us from Lisa's grandmother. They are the best, and will remain the best, oatmeal cookies ever tasted by human tastebuds (and we've used A LOT of different recipes). We recommend you try them out, and as our first blog, let us know how you like them! We've perfected them by now, in a couple variations and we guarantee they'll become a family favorite amongst your family too :)

Grandma's Coconut Oatmeal Crisps

You Will Need....

2 cups flour                    

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda          

1 tsp. baking powder     

2/3 cup butter

2 eggs

1 cup white sugar                            

1 tbs. vanilla extract

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup shredded coconut

2 cups oats

Variations....

do with 1/2 cup nuts (we like chopped walnuts)

do with 1/2 cup raisins

do with 1/2 cup chocolate chips          

Directions....

(1) preheat oven to 375 degrees

(2) mix dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt)

(3) in a separate bowl, cream butter and sugars together, add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. 

(4) add flour mixture, once blended stir in oats, coconut, and other variation you may want to include. 

(5) roll into balls, bake at 375 for 11-15 minutes (I usually do 13 minutes). 

(6) eat with a cold glass of milk!