Homemade Granola

I don't know what took me so long to make granola, but I'm kicking myself for not trying it sooner. For two people who have yogurt and granola for breakfast pretty much every weekday, this should have been a no-brainer. The best part about this recipe is that it's so customizable. You could switch out the nuts, add dried fruit or chocolate, pretty much anything would work. I can't wait to try more variations!

A huge added bonus is that this recipe turned out to be cost-effective for us too. We generally spend $7  on our favorite 16 ounce bag of granola, but this recipe made at least 42 ounces and overall cost about $9.50 (and that's with buying the pricey oats that Justin somehow talked me into!). It could definitely be made even cheaper too depending on the ingredients.

Granola (adapted from here)

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup whole almonds
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 tsp salt 

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.
2. In a small bowl, combine the oil, maple syrup and salt. Add the maple syrup mixture to the oats mixture, and stir together. 
3. Pour the mixture onto 2 sheet pans. Cook the granola for 1 hour and 15 minutes total, but stir every 15 minutes to achieve an even color. Remove from oven and let cool in a large bowl. Once sealed, this will easily last a couple of weeks. 

Summer Lime Cookies

This weekend we celebrated Cinco de Mayo and in lieu of Mexican Wedding Cookies or Tres Leches cake, I wanted to incorporate one of my favorite flavors into these sweet treats to accompany chips, salsa, and Orange Margaritas. That favorite flavor being lime.

I used the same basic recipe as my Blueberry + Almond cookie, but dropped the blueberries, almonds, and lemon zest and added the zest of two limes. The flavor is incredibly balanced. I was afraid the vanilla and the lime wouldn't jive but they do and surprisingly well! There's a perfect amount of salt in these moist and fluffy cookies. I have a new favorite and this is it!

I call them Summer Lime Cookies because these will be perfect all summer long. I picture sitting on the deck watching the sunset with drink in hand and nibbling one or two of these delights. Is there anything more relaxing sounding than that? Sunsets are hard to beat in my book.

Cheers to the rest of your week!
Ashley

Summer Lime Cookies

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 stick room temperature butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• zest of 2 limes

In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Cream together butter and sugar using hand or stand mixer. Add egg and beat to incorporate. Add milk, vanilla extract, and lime zest.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Chill dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Using two small spoons, dollop mixture onto cookie sheets. I usually round the balls of dough in my hand to give them a more uniform shape. Bake until golden brown around the edges, about 15 minutes.

Churro Cupcakes

First things first, the weather in Chicago has finally turned a corner and it's actually going to make it up to 80 degrees today! There's definitely a change in the mood here too when it finally starts to officially warmup. It seems like everyone is the city is happier and more at ease. Maybe it's prospect of finally dining outside, which I for one can't wait for!

Well onto the cupcakes...Churros are one of those desserts that I rarely indulge in, but when I do I always wish I ate them more often. When I came across this recipe I knew I had to give them a try. These were a nice light cupcake, and perfectly combined with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. They even have just the right amount of cinnamon to make them perfectly acceptable to eat for breakfast. And trust me, I did just that this morning.

Churro Cupcakes (from here)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
• 1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set the mixture aside. 
2. In a large bown cream together the butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. Then add the eggs one at a time. After this is combined add the oil and vanilla.
3. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and stir lightly. Then add half of the milk, again mixing lightly. Continue these steps with another 1/3 of the flour, remainder of the milk, then the last 1/3 of the flour mixture. Mix it until just combined, careful not to overmix. 
4. Pour the batter into a lined cupcake pan, only filling each only half way. According to the recipe, these won't form a nice dome on top when baked so you don't want to fill them 2/3 of the way like usual. 
5. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes. And let cool completely before frosting.  

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon

1. Cream together the cream cheese and butter. Add the powdered sugar about a cup at a time, beating after each addition. 
2. Add in the cinnamon, then the vanilla. Beat the frosting until it's nice and fluffy. 

**These are delicious when topped with a little caramel sauce too!**

Blueberry + Almond Cookies

 

You know what feels great? Waking up on a Sunday morning with the overwhelming urge to bake. If I'm being completely honest, it doesn't come often. Lately, my thoughts have been filled with my sister's upcoming wedding and my cross country move. Both very exciting, and both very stressful. Baking is a stress reliever for me and these days I take what I can get.

When I woke up Sunday and scrambled to the kitchen I knew just the cookie I wanted to crack. A coworker's wife baked these last week and I was so inspired. My favorite desserts, besides most all flavors and variations of ice cream, combine lemon and berries. I'm not usually a fan of nuts, but in these light and fluffy cookies they just work.

These Blueberry + Almond cookies are my new fave and would be so perfect for a bridal or baby shower and most certainly for a picnic.  Aha! Now I'm already plotting for the weekend. A picnic in the park with my favorite spinach and goat cheese salad, hummus and pitas, fancy sodas and these cookies...sounds pretty perfect to me.

Happy Thoughts,

Ashley

Blueberry + Almond Cookies

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 stick room temperature butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (the original recipe calls for almond extract but I didn't have any on hand)
• 2 tsps lemon zest, about one lemon
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted
• 1 cup frozen blueberries, thawed and drained

In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Cream together butter and sugar using hand or stand mixer. Add egg and beat to incorporate. Add milk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold in almonds, then blueberries. Chill dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Using two small spoons, dollop mixture onto cookie sheets. I usually round the balls of dough in my hand to give them a more uniform shape. Bake until golden brown around the edges, about 15 minutes.

Double chocolate cookies with cherries

These past couple weeks have been so busy with work, planning a few parties, a bachelorette party, and more work (it's a really good thing I'm obsessed with making lists!) Baking cookies has always been a stress reliever for me, something about the simple process and scooping the dough seems to relax me. So when I finally made time to get in the kitchen I made it worth it by whipping up a batch of these double chocolate cookies with dried cherries.

 These cookies were pretty rich, but the tartness of the cherries really balanced that out. Even the non-chocolate lovers I shared these with were a fan.

Double Chocolate Cookies with Dried Cherries (from here)

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 12 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups dried cherries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the two eggs and vanilla; and mix well. 
3. Slowly add the flour mixture to the to butter/sugar mixture; and beat until just combined. Fold in the chocolate and cherries. 
4. Drop tablespoon-fulls of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 9-11 minutes, until they're cracking a little on top. Let cool on a wire rack.
5. Enjoy!

Chocolate Panna Cotta

Panna Cotta. Fancy name, seriously simple. I'm not kidding, this is probably the easiest recipe I've made. I've been meaning to make it for a while, but was intimidated. You should know that most desserts intimidate me. This blog is really to help me conquer my baking fears.

Not only is this recipe simple, it's so versatile! I love chocolate, so I added cocoa. You like lemons? Take the basic recipe and add a few tablespoons of lemon juice and a little zest. I have this crazy hankering for peppermint panna cotta with crushed Oreos on top, perhaps I'll wait that one out until the holidays. Really, whatever your heart's desire you can find a way to panna cotta it up!

I found my recipe via David Lebovitz (who adapted his recipe from Judy Witts), whom I adore and have been reading for years. Honestly, it's suprising it's taken me this long to feature a recipe from his beautiful site. I used it more as a guideline but I've heard this is a hard dessert to screw up so I found my courage and got to work. The end result is beautiful, smooth, and not overly sweet. The recipe comes together in minutes but has to chill for hours. Perfect to make ahead of time for a dinner party. Try this recipe and let me know how you like it!

If I can do it, you can!
Ashley

Chocolate Panna Cotta

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup milk (I used 2%)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup sifted cocoa
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 packet of gelatin

Add gelatin to water to activate. Let it sit while you prepare the recipe. Combine cream, milk, sugar, and cocoa over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture is hot, but not simmering. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Add gelatin (which may have stiffened up) to the hot mixture and stir until it dissolves. Divide panna cotta into smaller glass serving dishes. If you plan on turning panna cotta out, lightly oil your dishes first.  Let panna cotta chill for at least four hours before serving. (Serves 4)

Salted Caramel Brownies

I'm back! Sorry I've been M.I.A. for a little while now. I've spent the last few weeks moving myself, and my feisty little cat, into my boyfriend's place. Moving is always more time consuming and stressful than you plan for; but I can finally say it's over now and I'm settling into my new home in a fun exciting neighborhood. I couldn't be happier.

Now that I finally have all of my baking supplies unpacked, I couldn't wait to break in my new kitchen and get baking again. After somehow doing zero baking for a couple of weeks, I had so many things in mind to make, but in the end I took a special request from my new roommate. Justin asked me make salted caramel brownies, and that's the kind of request I can't say no to.

Salted Caramel Brownies (from here)

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt 
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 11 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup butter, cut into cubes
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 5 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Sea salt
• Caramel sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and prepare a 9x13 pan. I do so by spraying the pan with a baking spray, then line the pan with parchment paper (leaving enough to hang over the sides), then coat the paper with baking spray. This allows you to easliy remove the brownies from the pan to cut. 
2. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and salt. 
3. In a saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over very low heat, stirring continuously. Once combined turn off the heat, and add all of the sugar. Whisk together, then add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each one. Then add the vanilla and stir well. 
4. Slowly fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined. It's best not to mix this too much.
5. Pour half of the brownie into the prepared pan and smooth it out. Then drizzle about 3/4 cup of caramel sauce on the batter (I used a pre-made caramel sauce we bought for coffee). If the caramel spreads to the edges it may burn slightly, but for me it just resulted in caramel-y crusty edges. Spread the caramel evenly then scoop spoonfuls of the remaining batter on top of the caramel. Smooth out the batter to cover the whole pan. 
6. Bake for 35 minutes then remove from oven. Sprinkle the top with sea salt and let cool in the pan. 
7. Cut and enjoy!