Sour Cream Cocoa Swirl Coffee Cake.

 One of my favorite things to do is browse the internet for recipes so I have a large binder full of printed-out cakes, cookies, pies, anything you can imagine.  I finally got around to trying this recipe last week and I recommend it for anyone looking to make a simple, easy and not necessarily fall-centric coffee cake.  You could add cinnamon or toasted and chopped nuts to the cocoa swirl but I decided to follow the recipe as-is (seriously!) 

This recipe is known as Aunt Patty's Coffee Cake on the Martha Stewart website.  I do have an Aunt Patty  but this isn't her coffee cake as far as I know, so I've changed the name and I think it fits much better :)

Sour Cream Cocoa Swirl Coffee Cake
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Filling:
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
4 1/2 teaspoons cocoa powder

Cake batter:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease a Bundt pan.

In a small bowl, combine the filling ingredients and set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.  In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each one.  Add the flour and sour cream alternately, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Finally, stir in the vanilla extract.

Scrape about 1/3 of the cake batter in the bottom of the Bundt pan.  Sprinkle half of the cocoa filling on top and layer again with another 1/3 of the batter, the rest of the cocoa filling and finally end with the last 1/3 of the cake batter.  With a butter knife or spatula, swirl the batter and filling together to create a marbelized effect.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Dust with powdered sugar and serve with coffee or tea.

Cinnamon-Ginger Cookies (Biscotti dello Canella-Zenzero).

The first night we had a fire in the fire place, the first time we babysat my new baby nephew, I made these little spice cookies - and they were perfect.   With cups of tea, coffee, milk, or just plain, they're the cutest treat for the colder months.

Cinnamon-Ginger Cookies (Biscotti dello Canella-Zenzero)
Adapted from Cooking Light
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
3 tablespoons skim milk
3 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the flour, spices, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.  In a mixing bowl, cream the softened butter with 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the milk, molasses and vanilla extract and beat well.  Stir in the dry ingredients until incorporated.

Form the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Refrigerate for at least a half an hour, or until firm enough to form into balls.  When cold, unwrap the dough and using a teaspoon, form little balls and drop them into the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and roll them around to coat.  Place the cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets, then flatten the tops slightly with the bottom of a drinking glass.  Bake the cookies until very light golden brown, about 8 to 12 minutes, depending on how small or large your cookies are.

When cool, store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Pumpkin Cranberry Cake with Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting.

We like to buy in bulk at my house.  So I don't just buy the 15oz. cans of pumpkin, we buy the 32oz. cans of pumpkin.  So generally I have leftover pumpkin after making recipes.  I just store the leftover in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month.  I had just under a cup left and didn't want to open another can so this is what I decided on.

I don't think it's any wonder why I'm obsessed with Southern food and baking since my beloved lives in North Carolina.  This recipe comes from Nancie McDermott's book Southern Cakes: Sweet and Irresistable Recipes For Everyday Celebrations, a book I go to whenever I need an easy and simple yet delicious cake.  This recipe was no exception, the only difference I made was to increase the spices and add a few additional ones as well as use dried cranberries in place of raisins.  I also halved the recipe in order to use the pumpkin I had left, but I'll post the original quantities with my changes here since I realize most people will probably want to make a whole recipe, not a mini cake and a mini loaf as I did.

This recipe calls for self-rising flour.  I'm lucky enough to have my lovely friends in North Carolina provide me with White Lily Flour, but if you don't have that available just add 1 1/2 teaspoons of of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt per cup of all purpose flour.

Pumpkin Cranberry Cake with Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Southern Cakes: Sweet and Irresistible Recipes For Every Day Celebrations
2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups canned pumpkin puree
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. and grease a 9x13'' baking pan or 2 8 or 9'' round layer cake pans.

In a large bowl, combine the flour and spices until well mixed.  In a smaller bowl, stir together the oil, sugar, eggs and pumpkin.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until almost mixed, then add the cranberries and nuts.  Scrape the batter into the cake pan(s) and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the cake is set on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool the cakes completely before frosting.

Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups confectioner's sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Beat the cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl until well-mixed and fluffy.  Add the sugars a little at a time until it's all added, then beat for about 2 minutes on medium speed.  Add in the pinch of salt and cinnamon and beat until everthing is incorporated.

As you can see I went for the easy method this time of just putting some frosting in the middle and on top of the cake but feel free to slather this cake well as there will be plenty of frosting :)

Chocolate Biscotti.

Ahh, it's Friday.  Normally this means nothing to me as I don't work a regular 9 to 5, Monday through Friday job.  But I had a big cupcake order today for a wedding and it's done.  Over with.  Not only did these cupcakes have to be vegan, the bride also wanted some gluten free and she turned out to be a complete nightmare to work with.  More on this story another time.  For now, I'm done.

And I have my favorite chocolate biscotti recipe to share.  It might seem like all I eat are biscotti but they keep forever and they always make a ton of cookies, so they are the baked good I probably make the most.  These are actually very low calorie which is why I tried out the recipe in the first place back in the summertime.  Sometimes I'm all about additions - dried fruit, toasted nuts, extracts.  But this recipe is just straightforward chocolate biscotti.  I add in the mini chocolate chips as called for in the original recipe but feel free to leave them out if you want or if you just don't have them on hand.  And it goes without saying you can ADD anything you wish as well, have fun :)

Chocolate Biscotti
Adapted from Cooking Light
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl combine the vanilla, eggs, and egg white.  Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just mixed together, then add in the chocolate chips.

Divide the dough in half.  This is a very sticky dough so I like to wet my hands to make it easier to shape.  Make the halves into 12-inch long logs by 1/2-inch tall.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the logs are firm.  Let cool for at least an hour before slicing into 1/2-inch slices.  Arrange the slices back on the baking sheets and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.  The cookies will crisp up as they cool.  Store in an airtight container and enjoy with coffee, tea, milk or chocolate milk :)

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake.

I'm starting to notice fall recipes include many of the same ingredients: apples, pumpkin, spices, oatmeal, etc.  I don't really get sick of the repeat ingredients as long as the final products are different from one another.  This isn't a typical apple cake with tons of oil or butter or nuts - it's very light yet still extremely comforting. 

This is an extremely quick and tasty coffee cake - I think it literally took 5 minutes to put together.  As with most recipes including cinnamon, I increased the amounts of it from the original recipe.  I cut the sugar down to 3/4 cup , used skim milk in place of the 1% called for, and the cake was still incredibly moist and delicious.  I think you can use whatever apple you have lying around, I used a Gala and it was perfect.  If you're looking for a simple and easy cake to throw an apple or two into, I highly recommend this one.

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Adapted from Cooking Light
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 large apple, peeled and coarsely chopped

Streusel:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease an 8x8 baking dish.

Start by making the streusel: in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.  Add in the pieces of butter and create coarse crumbs. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  In a smaller bowl, combine the milk, butter, vanilla extract and the beaten egg until well combined.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until there are a few lumps left.  Add the chopped apple and stir until just mixed to combine.  Pour the batter into the greased pan and then sprinkle the streusel on top.

Bake the coffee cake for 30 minutes, checking for doneness after about 20 minutes.  A toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean when the cake is done.

Serve warm or let cool completely, cover, and store for up to 3 days.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.

I made these muffins in late September using the jack-o-lantern cupcake liners and I thought "...well now I have to wait until October to post the recipe."  Here we are in late October and I haven't gotten around to it until now!  Two weeks from today is Halloween, jack-o-lanterns are definitely appropriate.

These banana muffins are appropriate at any time of the year though, absolutely delicious for breakfast with coffee, tea or juice.  I adapted the recipe from Epicurious, cutting down on the sugar and butter with no problems and I suggest you do the same unless you're looking for an indulgence!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Adapted from Epicurious, who adapted it from Evelyn's Coffee Bar in Banff, Canada
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 large egg
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup skim milk
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a muffin tin with papers or grease the cups.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt.  In a smaller bowl, stir together the banana, egg, butter, vanilla and milk.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring until just mixed, then stir in the chocolate chips.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups, about 3/4 full, and bake until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 25-30 minutes.

Let cool slightly and enjoy warm or cool completely and freeze up to 2 months.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread.

This is the kind of thing you want to smell baking in your kitchen all year long, but especially in the colder months.  It will make your house smell warm and absolutely comforting. What is it about cinnamon that makes us think of comfort and warmth?  I suppose it's because spices are used in so many holiday and cold-weather recipes, but I adore it.  Along with brown sugar and chopped, toasted walnuts, this is the kind of bread that makes cold, rainy fall mornings much easier to deal with, accompanied by a hot cup of coffee.

I've seen the card for this in my mother's dessert recipe box since I was little, but it's a very commonly adapted recipe around the internet, as are all classics.  The one from Bake Or Break is the most similar, so I'm linking to it here.  This recipe is so simple and quick, no excuse not to make it for breakfast tomorrow :)

Cinnamon Swirl Bread
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped, toasted walnuts
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup canola oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease a 9x5'' loaf pan.Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, walnuts and ground cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

Combine 1 cup sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in a larger bowl.  In a smaller bowl, stir together the egg, milk, vanilla and canola oil.  Combine the wet and dry ingredients, making sure not to overmix.  Pour half the batter into the prepared pan, then sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Repeat with remaining batter and sugar mixture.  Using a butter knife or spatula, swirl the mixtures together using an up-and-down motion. 

Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool completely before slicing.  (This bread is also delicious toasted!)

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Biscotti.

 On the first day of October I opened one of the four (just to be safe!) cans of pumpkin I stocked up on at the grocery store recently and made these lovely biscotti.

Generally all pumpkin baked goods tend to taste the same - like pumpkin pie only in cookie or cake form, but because biscotti are harder cookies, it's a more unique variation on the pumpkin theme.  I sent home about a dozen of these with my boyfriend who lives in North Carolina and all of them made it back with him unbroken which leads me to believe these are fantastic cookies for shipping to loved ones who might live farther away than you'd like.  The original recipe calls for pumpkin pie spice which I don't keep around so I just used my own mixture of spices.  Feel free to do the same or to use the pumpkin pie spice as called for.

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Biscotti
Adapted from Disney Family
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and spices until well mixed.  In a small bowl, mix together the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla and melted butter.  Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and stir well, adding in the chocolate chips.

Divide the dough into 2 equal portions and form them into rectangles about 3/4 of an inch in thickness.  Mine ended up being about 12'' x 3'' each.  Bake in the preheated oven until the logs are cracked on top and set in the middle, about 25 minutes.

Let the logs cool until almost completely cool, at least an hour.  Slice into thin lengths, about 1/4'' to 1/2'' thick.  Place the slices on the parchment lined baking sheets and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Let the biscotti cool completely before dipping into coffee, tea, milk or hot apple cider :)

Apple Oatmeal Cookies.

 It's a bit harder than I thought to get back into posting recipes after (my perfect) last week. HOWEVER, the recipes must go on. Everyone who eats these cookies (including my lovely houseguest from last week) falls in love with them and I suppose that should be enough inspiration for me anyway :)

These apple oatmeal cookies are the perfect taste of fall.  I used a combination of raisins and dried cranberries as my dried fruit, but feel free to use anything you'd like as well as any nut you'd like, although I do think the toasted walnuts were perefect.  Use any type apple you have lying around the kitchen, I didn't bother to peel mine and it didn't make a difference.  If anything, it added to the rustic texture.  I think this dough benefits from a bit of refrigeration but they'll still taste great if you bake them straight after making the dough as well.  I added multiple spices here but you can just keep things simple with cinnamon if you'd like.

Apple Oatmeal Cookies
Adapted from a Good Housekeeping recipe
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 medium apples, cored and diced
3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl.  Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy and then add the vanilla extract and eggs, beating until well combined.  Add in the dry ingredients and mix until the flour is just absorbed.  Stir in the apples, oatmeal, dried fruit and nuts.

(Optional) Refrigerate the dough for a few hours before dropping by tablespoonful scoops onto the baking sheets and baking in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies and if you refrigerated the dough or not.  Keep an eye on them, they should be golden brown on the outside and just slightly wet in the middle.  These cookies will stay very soft because of the apples so a bit of goldenness is preferred.

Serve with coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon and milk before bed and be happy :)

Happy October!

I hope everyone's fall is as lovely as mine so far!  I have many more recipes and pictures to share (apple oatmeal cookies, pumpkin spice chocolate chip biscotti, banana chocolate chip muffins to name a few), but my boy is on a plane right now on his way to visit me, so blogging will resume on or after October 10th :)

Apple Spice Bread.

 Last week I definitely started baking in fall mode: apples, spices, golden toasty nuts.  Ironically I baked this on one of the warmest days of September (it went up to almost 80 degrees) but it still made my house smell like autumn.  This is a really fast and easy quick bread and it keeps well so if you don't eat it all within a couple of days, it's not a big deal.  My sister's boyfriend had two slices toasted in some butter three days after I made it and I heard no complaints :)

I used toasted walnuts instead of the pecans that the recipe calls for and I sprinkled some cinnamon sugar on top before baking.  This is a bread you can have some flexibility with as far as the spices go if you'd like - I stuck with the spices listed but I almost always increase the amount of cinnamon because I can't get enough of the stuff.  (If you're looking for more traditional "fall" spices, think cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, etc.)

Apple Spice Bread
Adapted from Baking Bites
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 apples, shredded on the large holes on a grater
3/4 cup toasted, chopped walnuts (or pecans)

Preheat the oven to 350 degress F. and grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Sift or whisk together the dry ingredients.  Combine the butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla until well mixed.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until almost combined.  Add the apples and chopped nuts and stir until just mixed together.

Pour into the greased loaf pan and bake for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes.  The bread will be done when a long skewer or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool for a few minutes in the pan and then invert onto a rack to finish cooling completely.