Have you ever wondered if you could make really good flaky cheese crackers at home instead of having to purchase a box from the grocery store? Then when you look at that box it has a list of ingredients you can’t pronounce. Well wonder no more! You can make really good flaky cheese crackers at home! The best part is that you may have all of the ingredients in your kitchen right now.
There always seems to be a few bananas on death’s doorstep in the banana bowl sitting on top of the refrigerator. I am not sure how this happens but it is a regular occurrence in my kitchen. So then one must make the big decision, banana loaf or banana muffins? Today the muffins won.
The quintessential smell of Christmas baking is Gingerbread Cookies at least according to my nose. The spicy ginger and the warm cinnamon combine to smell like holiday happiness. Gingerbread Cookies still have that beautiful Christmas aroma days later when you take the lid off the cookie tin where there is hopefully at least one left to have with your tea.
Well baking has been taking a bit of a backseat in my house lately. My husband is recovering from major cancer surgery so he is on a very restrictive diet so baking would be just downright mean. So instead of baking I have been cooking up these really cute Cookie Cutter Ornaments. The reason they are called Cookie Cutter Ornaments is that I used cookie cutters for the pattern as I can not draw worth a bean.
I have always loved Nanaimo Bars mainly because of the creamy frosting layer as chocolate isn’t high on my favourite’s list. I find as I get older though my thoughts on chocolate have been changing. Now I appreciate a good brownie or slice of decadent chocolate cake once in a while. Perusing through one of my favourite cookbooks on a hot afternoon at the lake I came across Nanaimo Bars and realized that I had never made this classic. So the day’s goal was set. That decision required a trip to town for ingredients as coconut and walnuts aren’t something I regularly use. So after a trip to our local bulk store I was ready. The first recipe I had found called for adding the egg to the melted butter and sugar and no baking- this just didn’t sit with me so then the digging began. I found most recipes didn’t require baking of the bottom base layer but some did. So I took a little from each and came up with this decadent bar.
Doesn’t it seem like you are always searching for the perfect cookie recipe? For oatmeal cookies I like them chewy in the middle and crispy on the edges with lots of raisins. This recipe for Soft Oatmeal Raisin Cookies might just be the one! The trick is the cornstarch which keeps the cookie tender in the middle but doesn’t change the outside crunch.
I was craving Raised Doughnuts this week- those light fluffy doughnuts with a chocolate glaze just like the ones we used to buy at our local bakery, Golden Bakery. It has been closed for many years now, but I can still remember the wonderful smell when you walked into the bakery. I have been trying to re-create the chocolate glazed doughnuts for years and I think this recipe is as close as I am going to come to it. The doughnuts are light and airy and the glaze has just enough chocolate in it.
Sometimes the best new recipe is a combo of two yummy existing recipes and ingredients you happen to have on hand which is how we ended up with a delicious Banana Cake with Strawberry Frosting for dessert. I combined the Banana Cake from Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting and the Strawberry Frosting from Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting to create this beauty. Strawberry and Banana are two flavours that you see together in yoghurt so I thought why not in a cake. Over-ripe bananas and the first Ontario strawberries of the year resulted in a very yummy cake for Mother’s Day dinner….even if I did have to make the cake myself. It’s all about doing what you enjoy, right??
Enjoy and eat cake!!! Click on the links above for the cake and frosting recipes. Playing with combining different recipes is a great way to come up with new delicious desserts. Combine different fruits and spices and you will find that just that little change can totally create something new.
Citrus Ricotta Cookies are fluffy and almost cake-like and then with the addition of a citrus glaze they are almost mini-cupcakes! If you aren’t sure about using ricotta cheese in cookies believe me you won’t taste the cheese, it just gives a very rich and fluffy texture. I used both lime and lemon zest in this recipe but you could just use one of the other or even any type of orange. Change it up and try and them all. That is what I like to do with recipes, change them up. My son gets quite irate with me when I change the add-ins from the original especially if he really liked it.
I’ve been meaning to make Granola Bars for quite some time, but for some reason or other I’ve just not gotten around to it. This first attempt at Granola Crunch Bars was right on target. Just the right amount of crunch thanks to the nuts and the right amount of chew thanks to the raisins and baking chips.
You could definitely mix up the add-ins to what ever strikes your fancy. Any combination of nuts or dried fruit would work I am sure. This variation had pistachios, pecans, sesame seeds, raisins and salted caramel chips. Sea salt caramel baking chips are my new favourite item from the Bulk Barn. You really have to try these….I can’t wait to try them in another recipe. They could quite possible become addictive. The smell coming out of the oven was just divine.