Banana Blueberry Baked Oatmeal Cups

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed plus 3 tablespoons water
• 2 cups old fashioned oats (gluten free if necessary)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 large ripe banana, mashed (1/2 cup mashed)
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1 cup Almondmilk Unsweetened Vanilla
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or 2 tablespoons brown sugar or coconut sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the ground flaxseed and water. Let sit while you prepare the other ingredients.
3. In a large bowl, combine the oats, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the mashed banana, flaxseed mixture, melted coconut oil, almond milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Gently stir in the blueberries. Pour the mixture into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup evenly. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until the cups are a golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and serve warm.

Note-if you don’t need the recipe to be vegan you can use one egg instead of the flaxseed and water mixture. The oatmeal cups will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in an airtight container or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat in the microwave.

yield: 12 OATMEAL CUPS

prep time: 10 MINUTES

 

cook time: 25 MINUTES

total time: 35 MINUTES

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Two Peas & Their Pod 

https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/banana-blueberry-baked-oatmeal-cups/

Big Fat Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil or corn oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree

Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 ounces room temperature cream cheese, regular or low fat
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Steps:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and place oven rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until light and smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the oil, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. Using 1/4 cup of batter (can use a small ice cream scoop or measuring cup) place small mounds of batter onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart.

Bake for about 15 - 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cookie comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter until soft and creamy. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla until the frosting is soft and creamy.

Makes about 18 cookies.

C. Copeland and www.joyofbaking.com

Peppermint Bark Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup of butter
3/4 cup of brown sugar
3/4 cup of white granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
Pinch of salt
cup of peppermint bark, broken into little chip size pieces

Steps
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Cream the butter and sugars together for about two minutes at medium speed or until well incorporated and light in color.

3. Add the egg and the vanilla extract until well incorporated, about a minute. Be sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl halfway through.

4. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Add to the butter mixture slowly, and beating at medium speed, stopping once all of it is incorporated (do not overmix).

5. Fold in the peppermint bark chips.

6. Take small spoonfuls of the dough and roll into one inch sized balls and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for -12 minutes. Let cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

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Maple Cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup of dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon of maple syrup (Grade B)
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup of chopped walnuts

Steps
1. Cream the butter and sugar together at medium speed for three minutes or until light and fluffy.

2. Add the vanilla extract and egg and mix until well incorporated. Add the maple syrup and mix until well incorporated.

3. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just incorporated. Fold in the walnuts. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for thirty minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 350F. Drop spoonfuls of the cookie, about 1 inch balls, onto cookies sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 3 dozen.

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Neiman Marcus Cookies

Ingredients
2 cups butter
4 cups flour
2 tsp. soda
2 cups sugar
5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder.)
24 oz. chocolate chips
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 - 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated)
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice, but we liked pecans best)

Steps
Cream the butter and both sugars.
Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda.
Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar and nuts.
Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.

Recipe may be halved.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened hazelnut paste or peanut butter
2 large eggs
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, pulp scraped out
2 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces or larger
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional).

Steps
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars. Add the hazelnut paste, beating until smooth. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla bean pulp, scraping down the bowl as needed.

2. In another bowl, sift together the flour, the baking soda and the salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, and combine at low speed until the dough comes together. Mix in the chocolate pieces and, if desired, the nuts. Drop heaping tablespoons of the dough 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets, flattening them slightly by hand.

3. Bake until lightly browned, 9 to 12 minutes. Cool the cookie sheets on a wire rack before removing the cookies. Yields 4 dozen cookies.

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Sugar Cookies II

Ingredients
Cookie:
1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Icing:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup milk
Food coloring

Steps
1. Cream butter for 2 minutes, add sugar and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Add egg, vanilla and almond extract, beat until light and fluffy. Combine dry ingredients and add to batter, stirring to blend.

2. Divide dough in half, form 2 balls. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

3. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough (about 1/2 of one dough ball at a time) on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8" thickness. Dip cookie cutters into flour; cut out shapes. Place cookies on silpat lined or lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375°F for 7-8 minutes.

4. To make icing, combine sugar, almond extract and just enough milk (about 1/4 cup) to make the frosting the consistency of thin glue. Pour icing into shallow bowls wide enough for dipping cookies. Add food coloring.

5. To decorate, dip the topside of each cookie into the icing. Remove quickly and let icing drip of excess back into the icing bowl. Let dry. Pour additional colored frosting into pastry piping, or use a plastic sandwich bag with the tip of one corner nicked off. Gently squeeze frosting on to cookies in whatever patterns you choose. Makes 2-3 dozen.

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Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
Cookies:
3 cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup soft butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
3 tbsp cream
1 tsp vanilla (can substitute almond extract)

Icing
1/3 cup Crisco (transfat-free) or a 1/3 cup of softened butter
1 pound of confectioner’s sugar
About 1/4 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Steps
1. Sift dry ingredients (use a real sifter), cut in butter and add other ingredients. Blend thoroughly; chill for several hours.

2. Break off a piece of dough the size of an orange and pat it flat in your hand. Using a rolling pin, roll on dough on floured board (best to use a 2/1 ration of flour/sugar - 4 Tbsp flour mixed with 2 Tbsp sugar) or between wax paper. (It helps if you flour both sides of the dough.) Roll out to about a 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out and put on silpat-lined or ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 5-8 minutes at 400 F. Remove the cookies from the oven as soon as you see them turning color at the base of the cookie. Let cool completely.

3. Mix icing ingredients together until smooth. Separate into different bowls, add food coloring to achieve various colors. Spread on cookies with a butter knife, use cake decorating piping equipment to add decorative accents. If you want the sprinkle type decorating candies to stick, brush the cookie with clear Karo syrup and then sprinkle. Yields 5 dozen cookies.

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Russian Tea Cakes

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

Steps
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar. I also like to roll mine in the sugar a second time. Yields 3 dozen.

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Carrot Cake

Ingredients
1 tablespoon flour
2 1/4 cups flour
2 t baking powder
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t ground nutmeg
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup veg. oil
1/4 cup plain fat free yogurt
2 1/2 t vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
2 cups finely chopped carrots

Frosting (can be made when cake is cooling):
1/2 cup block style fat free cream cheese
1/4 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Coat two 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and lightly dust with flour.
3. Lightly spoon 2 ¼ cups flour into measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour with next 5 ingredients stirring well with a whisk. Beat granulated sugar and next 7 ingredients at medium speed of a mixer. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.
4. Pour batter into prepared pans. Sharply tap pans once on the counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes on racks. Then removes cakes from pans and continue cooling on racks.
5. Place 1 cake layer on a plate; frost. Add second layer and frost completely.

Frosting
Beat first four ingredients at medium speed of a mixer until smooth. Gradually add sugar to butter mixture; beat at low speed just until blended.

Adapted from Cooking Light
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Apple Coffee Cake

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup whole milk
1 medium Cortland or other baking apple, peeled and sliced

Steps
1. Set the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish with or pie pan a 4-cup capacity.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a bowl, combine 1/2 a cup of the sugar with the cinnamon, set aside.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Beat in the egg until blended. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk, beating until just combined.

5. Spread half the batter in the baking dish. Lay the apple slices on the batter so they just cover the batter (you may have to overlap some slices). Sprinkle the apples with half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Spread the rest of the batter over the apples. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar on top.

6. Bake the cake for 25 minutes or until it is golden brown and apples start to bubble at the edges.Serves 6.

Adapted from the Boston Globe.
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Bread Pudding

Ingredients
1 loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch squares (about 6-7 cups)
1 qt milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp vanilla
1 cup raisins (soaked overnight in 1/4 cup bourbon)
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Steps
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Soak the bread in milk in a large mixing bowl. Crush with hands until well mixed and all the milk is absorbed. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, sugar, vanilla, and spices together. Gently stir into the bread mixture. Gently stir the raisins into the mixture.

3. Pour butter into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Coat the bottom and the sides of the pan well with the butter. Pour in the bread mix and bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes, until set. The pudding is done when the edges start getting a bit brown and pull away from the edge of the pan. Can also make in individual ramekins.

Serve with bourbon whiskey sauce on the side; pour on to taste. Best fresh and eaten the day it is made. Makes 8-10 servings.

Bourbon Sauce
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup Kentucky bourbon whiskey

In a saucepan, melt butter; add sugar and egg, whisking to blend well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Whisk in bourbon to taste. Remove from heat and let cool. Whisk before serving. The sauce should be soft, creamy, and smooth.

Adapted from recipe at the famed Bon Ton Cafe in New Orleans.
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Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/4 stick), softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 Tbsp flour (if using defrosted frozen berries)

Steps
1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle-lower part of the oven. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together, beating until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each one. Beat in the grated lemon peel.

4. Beat in one half of the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Beat in one third of the yogurt. Beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients. Beat in a second third of the yogurt. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients and then the remaining yogurt. Again be careful to beat until just incorporated. Do not over beat. Fold in the berries. If you are using frozen berries, defrost them first, drain the excess liquid, and then coat them in a light dusting of flour.

5. Use a standard 12-muffin muffin pan. Coat each muffin cup lightly with olive oil or grapeseed oil using a pastry brush, or with a little butter. Or use one of those convenient vegetable oil sprays. Distribute the muffin dough equally among the cups. Bake until muffins are golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Test with a long toothpick (we use a thin bamboo skewer) to make sure the center of the muffins are done. Set on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin and serve slightly warm.

Adapted from The Best Recipe
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Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup pumpkin purée
1/2 cup olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Steps
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.
Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly.
Stir in the nuts.
Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.
Bake 50-60 minutes until a straw poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean.
Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.
Makes one loaf.

Adapted from Fannie Farmer Cookbook
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Kona Inn Banana Bread

Ingredients
2 c granulated sugar
1 c softened butter
6 ripe bananas (mashed – approximately 3 cups)
4 eggs, well beaten
2 ½ c cake flour (can use regular all-purpose flour but sift 2 or 3 times)
2 t baking soda
1 t salt

Steps
Preheat oven to 350

With electric beater cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Add bananas and eggs, beating until well mixed.

Sift together dry ingredients three times. Blend with banana mixture but do not overmix.

Pour into 2 lightly greased loaf pans. Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, until firm I the centers and the edges begin to separate from pan.

Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing from pans. (Do not let them sit for much longer before removing them from pan)

These freeze beautifully.

For cupcake size muffins bake for 30 min at 350. For mini muffins bake for 20 min. at 350.