Cinnamon Swirl Blueberry Bread Pudding

Okay so the name sounds long, but we altered an original blueberry bread pudding recipe with cinnamon swirl bread instead of the traditional day-old baguette and the result was delectable! The cinnamon bread really makes a big difference because its sweetness combined with the tartness of the blueberries is amazing...trust us! We highly recommend this, especially because its great for dessert or breakfast and is a tasty deviation from the traditional bread pudding with raisins. Enjoy! 


Ingredients: 
1/2 tsp lemon zest (optional)
2 cups fresh (or frozen & thawed) blueberries
3 tbs. powdered sugar
3 cups of milk (we used 1%)
3 large eggs
1/2 loaf-3/4 loaf stale Cinnamon Bread*
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

*We used our local favorite Greenlees Best Cinnamon Bread, it is all-natural and, as most people know, absolutely delicious on its own*

Directions:

(1) Preheat oven to 350 and grase an 11 x 7 in. baking dish

(2) Whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, extracts, and zest. 

(3) Tear up the 1/2-3/4 loaf of cinnamon bread and place it in a separate bowl. 

(4) Once all the bread has been torn (this process is similar to a "rough chop" the pieces don't need to be any certain size. In fact, odd size pieces is probably better!) and placed into the bowl, add the milk mixture and let stand for 15 minutes. 

(5) As the bread soaks, toss the blueberries with the powdered sugar and stir into the bread mixture once it has set. 

(6) Pour into the prepared baking dish and bake for about an hour, or until the bread pudding is set and lightly browned on top *ours took about an hour and a half so monitor it after an hour*

(7) let cool for 5 minutes and serve warm

Yummy! 

Banana Cream Pie

I just recently made this for my dad for Father's Day because banana cream pie has always been one of his favorites. It was delicious and a hit at the Father's Day bbq we had at our house! The crust is definitely the best part...be prepared for the entire pie to be gone once you put it out!


Ingredients
For the yummy crust: 
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
For the pie: 
3/4 cup white sugar (and an addition 1/4 cup for the meringue) 

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 3 egg yolks, beaten **KEEP THE EGG WHITES, you will need them for the meringue topping!**
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 bananas, sliced
  
• 
  
• The first step in creating the pie is making the crust. Position a rack in the middle of an oven and preheat to 350 degrees. To make the crust, in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the crumbs, sugar, and melted (cooled) butter. Process until the crumbs begin to stick together. Scoop the crumbs into a 9x9 in. pie plate, pressing the crumbs firmly on the bottom and sides of the plate (you will probably have leftover graham cracker crumbs so save them for a mini pie!). Bake the crust for 10 minutes until it sets, then remove it from the oven and let it cool. 

Keep the oven on at 350 degrees, and while the crust cools begin preparing the pie filling:Sift together the sugar, flour and salt and combine in a saucepan. Add milk in gradually while stirring gently with a whisk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is bubbly. Keep stirring and cook for about 2 more minutes, and then remove from heat.

Then, add a little bit of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolk mixture. Once combined, immediately add this mixture to the rest of the hot mixture and stir in. Place the mixture, in the saucepan, back on the heat and cook for 2 more minutes...stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and add butter and vanilla. Stir with whisk until the mixture is smooth. Add the sliced bananas to pudding mixture (setting aside 8-10 slices for garnish at the end) and stir them in gently so as not to crush the bananas. Then, pour the entire mixture into the now cooled pie crust. 

Place the pie in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes until the mixture appears not to be runny. Remove the pie from the oven and as it cools, begin making the meringue topping: 

To make the meringue, place leftover egg whites into a bowl and add 1/4 cup of white sugar. Beat the egg white and sugar mixture with an electric hand mixer on high speed until the mixture becomes stiff and forms peaks (about 3-5 minutes). Once the peaks have formed, gently scoop out the mixture and place on top of pie. Lightly spread the meringue so that it is not flat, but covers the entire top of the pie.

Set the oven to 500 degrees on the *broil* setting and place pie, now with meringue topping, into the oven. DO NOT LEAVE, it only takes a minute before the entire meringue burns so keep a close eye on the pie as it broils and remove promptly as soon as you see the top turn slightly brown. Let the pie cool, add extra sliced bananas on top for garnish, and then cover and chill for 1 hour before serving....trust me, its worth the wait!!

ENJOY!!

Double Chocolate Layer Cake

Ok accomplishing this recipe was definitely one of my (Lisa) personal greatest achievements. I had never made such a delicious cake with multiple layers of velvety chocolate. I made it for someone's birthday cake and added the raspberries on top to add some color to an otherwise boring-looking cake. If you make this (and we hope you do!) definitely add a little color to give this cake the justice it deserves...it will look pretty and taste amazing. I found this recipe after looking at more than a dozen and chose it becuase out of the 1,400 reviews no one said it was less than heavenly. Take a look at the pictures we posted and then try to tell us that you aren't going to make that just to look at if its not all eaten in one sitting. Here's the recipe, courtesy of Epicurious!

Ingredients:
**be sure to have two 10- by 2-inch round cake pans handy**
For the cake layers:
3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate (I used E. Guittard)
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
For the Ganache Frosting:
1 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate (I used E. Guittard)
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

Directions: 

First Step--Make cake layers:
1) Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper as well. (if you trace the shape of the cake pans on wax paper and then cut them out I found this step to be relatively easy)

2) Finely chop chocolate. Pour hot coffee into a bowl and then add the finely chopped chocolate. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

3) Into another large bowl sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 

4) In another large bowl add eggs and beat with an electric mixer until the eggs have thickened slightly and are lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer, 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to the egg mixture, and beat until well-combined. 

5) Add sugar mixture to the wet mixture and beat on medium speed just until combined. 

6) Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean (about 1hr-1 hr & 10mins).

7) Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. 

**Note: Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Step 2-Make Frosting:
1) Finely chop chocolate and put aside. 

2) In a 1.5 or 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking just until sugar is dissolved. 

3) Remove pan from heat and add the chopped chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted into the mixture. 4) Cut the butter into pieces and add to the mixture, whisking until smooth.

5) Transfer this frosting mixture to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on the chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency). 

**Note: this is the most important step, if the frosting is too cold it will tear apart your cake when you try to spread it, and if it is too hot it will be too runny and make a mess of your cake**

6) Spread frosting between cake layers and over top and sides. Add garnish to top if desired (i.e. the raspberries I used in the pictures below)

If you plan on saving the cake for later, keep it covered and chilled and it will last about 3 days. However, be sure to bring cake to room temperature before serving...it tastes much better that way :) 

 

 

The End-Product

Raspberries on Top

 Lots of Moist Layers

 

Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

First of all we want to thank you, Joy the Baker for allowing us to "stumble upon" this recipe recently. It was just as delicious as you described :) It may be time consuming, but trust us...its worth it. I (Lisa) had friends visiting when I made this and we ate the entire thing in 1 day....yes, it was THAT good. Try it out and let us know what you think, we don't think you'll be disappointed. Moist and delicious in perfectly portioned squares! Definitely worth a repeat.

For the Dough:
2 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ounces unsalted butter
1/4 cup water
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Filling:1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

2 ounces unsalted butter, melted until browned

Directions: 1) In a large mixing bowl whisk together the 2 cups of flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.  Set aside.
2) Whisk together eggs and set aside.
3) In a saucepan, melt together butter and milk until the butter melts.  Remove from the heat and add the water and vanilla extract.  Once mixed, set aside for 2-3 minutes.
4) Pour the milk mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix.  Add the eggs and stir the mixture until the eggs are just incorporated into the batter.  As Joy the Baker mentions "the eggs will feel soupy and it will seem like the dough and the eggs are never going to come together".  Keep stirring.  Add the remaining 3/4 cup of flour and stir with the spatula for about 2 minutes. You want the mixture to be sticky.
5) Then, place the dough is a large,  greased bowl/dish.  Cover with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel.  Place in a warm space and allow to rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
6) While the dough rises, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg for the filling.  Set aside.  Then, melt 2 ounces of butter until browned.  Set aside.  Grease and flour a 9x5x3-inch  loaf pan.  Set aside.
7) After the dough has doubled in size, deflate the risen dough and knead about 2 tablespoons of flour into the dough.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes.  On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out.  The dough should be 12-inches tall and about 20-inches long,but don't worry if its not long enough.  Just roll it as large as the dough will go.  Use a pastry brush to spread melted butter across all of the dough.  Sprinkle with all of the sugar and cinnamon mixture even though it might seem like it may be too much.
8) Slice the dough vertically, into six equal-sized strips.  Stack the strips on top of one another and slice the stack into six equal slices once again.  You’ll have six stacks of six squares.  Layer the dough squares in the loaf pan lined up one behind the other.  Place a kitchen towel over the loaf pan and allow in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes or until almost doubled in size.
9) Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Place loaf in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is very golden brown.  The top may be lightly browned, but the center may still be raw.  A nice, dark, golden brown will ensure that the center is cooked as well.
10) Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.   Loosen it with a butter knife so that it easily slides out of the pan.
11) Serve warm with coffee or a BIG glass of ice cold milk. You'll need something to wash all that delicious down.

Cinnamon-Sugary Deliciousness

Close-up! 

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!