Duck with Raspberry Sauce

Posted on August 23, 2017 by sparecake

I stopped at a new (to me) farm stand recently because of the absurdly large zucchini out front, but went back soon after because of the duck in the back. I’m a big fan of duck, but rarely see it, so had to take advantage!

This duck cooks quite quickly, and makes plenty of sauce that I thought also worked well as a dressing on the salad I ate it with. Other than the baby carrots, this was a very farm stand heavy meal, which is grand, and I got 3 dinners out of the duck.

Ingredients:

  • 2 boneless duck breasts (1 package)
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup chicken or duck stock
  • 2 cups raspberries
  • 1 tablespoon butter (if you have ghee/clarified butter, go for it, but I don’t think it’s worth buying just for this if you have regular butter around)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt the butter in an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. (Luckily for me, the box for this set of pots and pans says it can go into ovens up to 350 degrees…)

Season the duck with salt and pepper on both sides. Place in the skillet, skin-side down, and brown for 2-3 minutes.

Place the pan in the oven and cook 8-10 minutes, for medium rare, or longer as desired. (I went with 10  minutes and it was right for me.)

Remove the duck from the pan to a cutting board and let rest.

Meanwhile, put the same skillet, with the butter and rendered duck fat, over medium heat and add the shallot and garlic, cooking until fragrant, 2-3 minutes.

Add the balsamic vinegar and cook until reduced, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan (if you’re not using non-stick anyway). Add the stock and raspberries, and cook until the berries are soft and warm.

Slice the rested duck breasts and serve with the raspberry sauce.

Duck with Raspberry Sauce

From Paleo Leap.

  • 2 boneless duck breasts (1 package)
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup chicken or duck stock
  • 2 cups raspberries
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt the butter in an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat.

Season the duck with salt and pepper on both sides. Place in the skillet, skin-side down, and brown for 2-3 minutes, then place the pan in the oven and cook 8-10 minutes, for medium rare, or longer as desired. Remove the duck from the pan to a cutting board and let rest.

Meanwhile, put the same skillet, with the butter and rendered duck fat, over medium heat and add the shallot and garlic, cooking until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook until reduced, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the stock and raspberries, and cook until the berries are soft and warm.

Slice the rested duck breasts and serve with the raspberry sauce.

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Puff Pastry Plum Tarts

Posted on August 16, 2017 by sparecake

Until this week, I’d never actually used puff pastry. I think I assumed it was hard to work with, but at least here, where all you really have to do is unfold it and put things on it…um, yeah, it’s really that simple, and the delicious, crisp flaky layers await!

I feel like this would be nice for a small dinner party, because it looks a bit fancy, tastes great, and requires very little hands-on time. Could always serve it warm with some vanilla ice cream, cuz why not?

Ingredients:

  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 medium red plums, pitted and cut into 1/2″ wedges

Let the puff pastry thaw at room temperature approximately 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Unfold the puff pastry and cut into 3 pieces along the folds. Place on the parchment-lined pan. Brush some of the butter on each of the pieces of puff pastry, using up about half of it between the three. Sprinkle some of the cinnamon sugar over each of the pieces of puff pastry, using up about half of it between the three.

Don’t currently have a sheet pan, so 2 9x13s it is…

Place the plum slices down the center of the puff pastry, overlapping them to leave clear space along the ends and sides. Brush the plums with the remaining butter, and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar.

Bake 20 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.

Let cool on the pan 5 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Farm stand plums, you are a success!

Puff Pastry Plum Tarts

From Serious Eats, who will also tell you how to make puff pastry from scratch.

  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 medium red plums, pitted and cut into 1/2″ wedges

Let the puff pastry thaw at room temperature approximately 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Unfold the puff pastry and cut into 3 pieces along the folds. Place on the parchment-lined pan. Brush some of the butter on each of the pieces of puff pastry, using up about half of it between the three. Sprinkle some of the cinnamon sugar over each of the pieces of puff pastry, using up about half of it between the three.

Place the plum slices down the center of the puff pastry, overlapping them to leave clear space along the ends and sides. Brush the plums with the remaining butter, and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar. Bake 20 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown. Let cool on the pan 5 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

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Banana Ice Cream

Posted on August 9, 2017 by sparecake

This is almost more of a ‘hey did you know this works?’ than a recipe, but it’s so worth knowing that it’s worth the post! Blending up frozen bananas makes an ice cream that tastes great, so much better than just ‘a banana, but cold’! This is a perfect way to use up some spare bananas if you’re not feeling the urge for banana bread, or if you just want a super simple dessert.

Ingredients:

  • bananas
  • peanut butter and/or honey, as desired

Peel the bananas into a dish with a cover, cutting or breaking the bananas into pieces with your hands as you peel. Cover, and place in the freezer at least 5 hours.

Aw heck, freezer burn!

Once the banana chunks are frozen, blend or process in a food processor until smooth. You can add some peanut butter or honey, if desired, for sweetness and flavor.

Did this again later in a food processor and it actually probably works better, if you’ve got one.

When well blended, the color of the resulting banana ice cream gets quite light, but if there are still a few chunks it’s not the end of the world.

Refreeze, if desired, or eat immediately. Simple!

Banana Ice Cream

  • bananas
  • peanut butter and/or honey, as desired

Peel the bananas into a dish with a cover, cutting or breaking the bananas into pieces with your hands as you peel. Cover, and place in the freezer at least 5 hours. Once the banana chunks are frozen, blend or process in a food processor until smooth. You can add some peanut butter or honey, if desired, for sweetness and flavor. Refreeze, if desired, or eat immediately.

 

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Raspberry Cheesecake Galette

Posted on July 19, 2017 by sparecake

I’m quite into fruit desserts right now, but it turns out that that’s really not very limiting at all! This galette has a couple waits while you make it, which I have minimal patience for, but is worth it for the crisp, flaky crust and delicious berry cheesecake filling!

Ingredients:

Crust:

  • 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 3-4 tablespoons water
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling/Topping:

  • 2 cups raspberries
  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided, plus additional for sprinkling
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 4 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 large egg, plus one egg yolk
  • 1 pinch cinnamon

To make the crust, start by putting the cubed butter and the water in a freezer for 20 minutes. Combine the flour and salt in a food processor and process briefly to combine. Add the chilled butter, then process for 3 pulses, each of about 3 seconds. Turn the machine to ‘on’ and drizzle in the water, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture just starts to clump. Turn the food processor off, dump the contents into a bowl, and use your hands to press the dough into a ball. It will seem quite dry, but should stick together. Add any remaining water, if necessary, to help it all stick together. Roll it all into a large ball, then flatten into a disk, rolling the edges along your hand/counter to smooth them out. Wrap in saran wrap and chill at least 30 minutes. If you’d prefer two smaller galettes (because, for instance, you don’t have a sheet pan big enough to a single, normal sized one), this is the time to create to smaller dough-disks.

Rethinking the original plan…

In a medium bowl, place the raspberries, 1/3 cup of sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl, and stir gently to combine.

In another bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, egg yolk, 2 tablespoons sugar, and cinnamon.

Set both bowls aside.

Roll out the dough between pieces of waxed or parchment paper.

Place the rolled dough on a sheet pan, or in smaller dishes for mini galettes. Spread the cream cheese mixture on the dough, leaving a 2″ clear space around the edges.

Top the cream cheese mixture with the berry mixture.

Fold in the edges of the crust, pressing the overlapped pieces to hold it shut. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While the galette(s) chill, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Briefly beat the remaining egg, then brush the egg over the crust. Sprinkle with additional sugar.

Bake 20-25 minutes (for either size), until the crust is golden brown.

Let cool several minutes before slicing and serving.

Raspberry Cheesecake Galette

Adapted from Food Network and my own past post.

Crust:

  • 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 3-4 tablespoons water
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling/Topping:

  • 2 cups raspberries
  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided, plus additional for sprinkling
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 4 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 large egg, plus one egg yolk
  • 1 pinch cinnamon

To make the crust, start by putting the cubed butter and the water in a freezer for 20 minutes. Combine the flour and salt in a food processor and process briefly to combine. Add the chilled butter, then process for 3 pulses, each of about 3 seconds. Turn the machine to ‘on’ and drizzle in the water, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture just starts to clump. Turn the food processor off, dump the contents into a bowl, and use your hands to press the dough into a ball. It will seem quite dry, but should stick together. Add any remaining water, if necessary, to help it all stick together. Roll it all into a large ball, then flatten into a disk, rolling the edges along your hand/counter to smooth them out. Wrap in saran wrap and chill at least 30 minutes.

In a medium bowl, place the raspberries, 1/3 cup of sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl, and stir gently to combine. In another bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, egg yolk, 2 tablespoons sugar, and cinnamon. Set both bowls aside.

Roll out the dough between pieces of waxed or parchment paper. Place the rolled dough on a sheet pan, or in smaller dishes for mini galettes. Spread the cream cheese mixture on the dough, leaving a 2″ clear space around the edges. Top the cream cheese mixture with the berry mixture, then fold in the edges of the crust, pressing the overlapped pieces to hold it shut. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While the galette chills, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Briefly beat the remaining egg, then brush the egg over the crust. Sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake 20-25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Let cool several minutes before slicing and serving.

 

 

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Crockpot Apple Cobbler

Posted on July 12, 2017 by sparecake

Sorry to miss a few weeks, but as you can maybe tell in the pictures, I’ve moved, again, this time to Long Island. Took 4 stores until I found a supermarket that didn’t fill me with dread, but now I’m good to go!

This is, like many crockpot foods, pretty ugly, but real tasty. It’ll make your house smell amazing, and I think would be a good dessert for a group, like at a dinner party or something.

Ingredients:

  • 4 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
  • 2 cups granola cereal (I used a Special K honey one because it was the first thing I saw without nuts, but if you like nuts your possibilities are almost limitless)
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins (could only find regular ones, no big deal)
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • vanilla ice cream, for serving

Peeling the apples is really just for appearances, so if you don’t care about that, don’t bother peeling them – the peels fall off while the mixture cooks, and aren’t noticeable texture-wise.

Just very much do not care about apple peels!

Lightly grease the inside of a crockpot, then spread the sliced apple around the bottom. In a medium bowl, stir together the granola, raisins, honey, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla.

Spread the granola mixture over the apples.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Serve the cooked apple mixture over the ice cream.

Warm apples and melty vanilla – yum!

Crockpot Apple Cobbler

From MrFood.com.

  • 4 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
  • 2 cups granola cereal
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • vanilla ice cream, for serving

Lightly grease the inside of a crockpot, then spread the sliced apple around the bottom. In a medium bowl, stir together the granola, raisins, honey, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla, then spread over the apples. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Serve the cooked apple mixture over the ice cream.

 

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Peanut Butter Butterfinger Cookies

Posted on June 21, 2017 by sparecake

Did you know they sell pre-crushed Butterfingers? Perfect when you need to make some cookies in the morning without waking up the whole house whamming things on counters! These are sturdy, very stuff-filled cookies, and not life-suckingly dry as some peanut butter cookies are. They also happen to go over well as a gift!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups crushed Butterfingers
  • 1 cup chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside.

Cream together the butter and both sugars until smooth.

Add the peanut butter and beat until combined.

Add the egg and vanilla and again beat until combined.

Add the flour, beating until just combined.

Add the crushed Butterfinger and the chocolate chunks. After adding the flour, looking at the dough it didn’t seem like it would take 2 1/2 cups of add-ins, but it came together no problem.

Scoop the dough, with a medium cookie dough scoop, if you have one, into roughly golfball sized balls on the lined sheets.

Press criss-crossed marks into the top of the dough with a fork, partially flattening it.

Bake 12-15 minutes, until cooked through – they won’t be hard when you take them out, but they’ll firm up while they cool.

Cool for 10 minutes on the pans, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Wrap some of ’em up, and throw them at a friend!

Peanut Butter Butterfinger Cookies

From Picky Palate.

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups crushed Butterfingers
  • 1 cup chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside.

Cream together the butter and both sugars until smooth. Add the peanut butter and beat until combined, then add the egg and vanilla and again beat until combined. Add the flour, beating until just combined, then the crushed Butterfinger and the chocolate chunks.

Scoop the dough, with a medium cookie dough scoop, if you have one, into roughly golfball sized balls on the lined sheets. Press criss-crossed marks into the top of the dough with a fork, partially flattening it. Bake 12-15 minutes, until cooked through. Cool for 10 minutes on the pans, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

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Flourless Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Posted on June 14, 2017 by sparecake

This is not the first flourless chocolate cake on this blog, but it is by far the new best. It’s not as dense and heavy as the others, and is super smooth and creamy. There’s a sliiiight hint of cheesecake, despite the relatively small amount of dairy, but mostly it’s just CHOCOLATE. Until now I had thought for years that the flourless chocolate cake at Giorgio on Pine (in Philly) was kind of the best possible, but now… hmm.

The one thing I changed about the recipe was instead of using dark and semisweet chocolate, I used Ghriardelli bittersweet chips for both the cake and the ganache, and it was the right level of sweetness for me. (Not that long ago I only ever wanted milk chocolate??)

Cake:

  • 14 ounces dark (or bittersweet) chocolate chips
  • 1 pound salted butter
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 cup half-and-half
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 8 large eggs

Ganache:

  • 6 ounces heavy cream
  • 6 ounces semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate chips

Little bit of estimating involved because our (salted) butter comes in logs and my scale is somewhere buried in the basement…

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10″ springform pan. If your pan is like mine (untrustworthy), you might also wrap the bottom in foil, just in case, and later be glad you did. In a large bowl, whisk all the eggs until combined. You don’t need to beat to a specific color or texture, you just want to break up all the yolks.

In a heavy pot, melt the chocolate and butter over low heat until smooth.

Aaaand you’re done, just drink this.

Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, then the half-and-half, vanilla, and salt until evenly mixed.

Slowly pour the chocolate mixture into the eggs, whisking the combination constantly while you pour, and continuing to whisk until evenly combined.

I was glad I had used our largest bowl.

Pour the mixture into the prepared springform.

Bake 45 minutes, or until almost set. The whole surface of mine was still jiggly at 45 minutes, but by 50 only maybe 1/3 of the surface was still jiggly, which was just right.

Let cool, in the pan, to room temperature, then refrigerate until cool. The whole cooling process will take a few hours.

Sometimes you defend against cats…

…other times you’re worried about humans.

When the cake is chilled, remove the sides of the pan and place the cake on a wire rack over a piece of wax paper or foil.

In a small pot, heat the cream over medium until it begins to steam and just starts to simmer. Remove the pot from the heat and add the semisweet chocolate, stirring until evenly melted. Pour the ganache over the cake, letting any excess drop off onto the wax paper.

Let set, refrigerating to speed the process if desired.

If desired, you can beat up the remaining cream you probably have to make whipped cream to serve with. Pro-tip from my mom – if you add some pudding mix (she uses white chocolate, I’m sure cheesecake or vanilla pudding mix would be good too) to sweeten your whipped cream, the liquid won’t separate out and you can keep it in the fridge for days.

 

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache

From Artisanal Gluten-Free Cooking by Kelli Bronski and Peter Bronski.

Cake:

  • 14 ounces dark (or bittersweet) chocolate chips
  • 1 pound salted butter
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 cup half-and-half
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 8 large eggs

Ganache:

  • 6 ounces heavy cream
  • 6 ounces semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10″ springform pan. Wrap the bottom in foil if needed. In a large bowl, whisk all the eggs until combined. You don’t need to beat to a specific color or texture, you just want to break up all the yolks.

In a heavy pot, melt the chocolate and butter over low heat until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, then the half-and-half, vanilla, and salt until evenly mixed. Slowly pour the chocolate mixture into the eggs, whisking the combination constantly while you pour, and continuing to whisk until evenly combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared springform, and bake 45 minutes, or until almost set. Let cool, in the pan, to room temperature, then refrigerate until cool.

When the cake is chilled, remove the sides of the pan and place the cake on a wire rack over a piece of wax paper or foil.

In a small pot, heat the cream over medium until it begins to steam and just starts to simmer. Remove the pot from the heat and add the semisweet chocolate, stirring until evenly melted. Pour the ganache over the cake, letting any excess drop off onto the wax paper. Let set, refrigerating to speed the process if desired.

If desired, beat remaining cream to make whipped cream for serving.

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Gluten Free Banana Bread

Posted on June 7, 2017 by sparecake

Although last week’s double chocolate banana bread was excellent, apparently not everyone wants chocolate in their breakfast baked goods (weird??), so here’s a no-chocolate option that is super moist, has a nice, firm outside, and can stand up to being sliced and slathered with peanut butter!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
  • 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your flour mix already contains it)
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 eggs at room temperature, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature
  • 1 cup bananas, mashed (about 2 bananas)

Preheat your oven to 350. Grease a 9×5″ bread pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, add the flour, xanthan gum (if needed), salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar, whisking to combine.

Add the butter, eggs, and vanilla, whisking until just combined.

Add the sour cream, again whisking until just combined. Fold in the mashed bananas, stirring gently until just combined.

Pour the batter into the greased bread pan, smoothing the top.

Bake 45-50 minutes, until the loaf passes the toothpick test.

Cool in the pan 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Gluten Free Banana Bread

From Gluten Free on a Shoestring.

  • 2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
  • 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your flour mix already contains it)
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 eggs at room temperature, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature
  • 1 cup bananas, mashed (about 2 bananas)

Preheat your oven to 350. Grease a 9×5″ bread pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, add the flour, xanthan gum (if needed), salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar, whisking to combine. Add the butter, eggs, and vanilla, whisking until just combined, then the sour cream, again whisking until just combined. Fold in the mashed bananas, stirring gently until just combined.

Pour the batter into the greased bread pan, smoothing the top. Bake 45-50 minutes, until the loaf passes the toothpick test. Cool in the pan 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

 

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Double Chocolate Gluten Free Banana Bread

Posted on May 31, 2017 by sparecake

I didn’t really do much with my mother back on Mother’s Day (sorry mom) besides make two banana breads, but they both came out great (very moist, able to stand up to being sliced, etc) so…not the worst day? This one has both chocolate batter and chocolate chunks, without entirely overwhelming the banana flavor that’s the point of the whole thing.

Ingredients:

  • 1 2/3 cups all-purpose gluten free flour
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder , Dutch processed
  • 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your flour mix has xanthan gum already)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup tightly packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chunks
  • 1 cup banana, mashed (about 2 medium)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup milk (dairy or unsweetened coconut)
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×5″ bread pan and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, xanthan gum (if needed), both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and whisk to combine. Add the chocolate chunks and stir until coated with the flour mixture. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, mashed banana, milk, oil, and vanilla, and whisk to combine.

Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Pour the batter into the greased bread pan and bake 50-60 minutes, until the loaf passes the toothpick test. (Be careful when you’re testing it that you’re not just sticking your toothpick into a melted chocolate chip, and thinking that that means the batter is uncooked!)

Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Double Chocolate Gluten Free Banana Bread

From What The Fork.

  • 1 2/3 cups all-purpose gluten free flour
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder , Dutch processed
  • 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your flour mix has xanthan gum already)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup tightly packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chunks
  • 1 cup banana, mashed (about 2 medium)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup milk (dairy or unsweetened coconut)
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×5″ bread pan and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, xanthan gum (if needed), both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and whisk to combine. Add the chocolate chunks and stir until coated with the flour mixture. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, mashed banana, milk, oil, and vanilla, and whisk to combine. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Pour the batter into the greased bread pan and bake 50-60 minutes, until the loaf passes the toothpick test. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

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Raisinet Gift Cookie Mix

Posted on May 24, 2017 by sparecake

Apparently homemade cookie mix is a thing as a gift, and I’m all for it! This mix fits just right in a 1 quart mason jar, allowing you to layer the ingredients like sand-art, to make a pretty gift that the recipient can, with a few extra ingredients, turn into tasty cookies. I haven’t done the jarring part, but I have done the sharing and eating, and these are some excellent cookies! They’re sturdy, and benefit from the contrast of the different chocolates between the chocolate chips and the Raisinets.

Ingredients:

For the gift:

  • 1 quart sized, wide-mouth mason jar (something like these)
  • a note card to write directions on
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup tightly packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup Raisinets
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

To finish the cookies:

  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Layer the sugars, Raisinets, chocolate chips, flour, baking powder, and baking soda in the jar in whatever order you think looks nicest, pressing firmly after each addition.

Write the following directions on the card and attach to the jar, perhaps with ribbon:

“Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

Pour contents of jar in a large bowl and stir to until mixed. Add 1 lightly beaten egg, 1 room temperature stick of unsalted butter, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and mix together with your hands. The mixture will appear dry at first, but will eventually form a dough. Shape into walnut sized balls, and place 2″ apart on the lined sheets. Bake 13-15 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges. Cool 5 minutes on the pans, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.”

Super simple for, say, someone that just moved house and doesn’t have their entire kitchen unpacked, and delicious enough to bake again even not as a gift!

Raisinet Gift Cookie Mix

From AllRecipes.

For the gift:

  • 1 quart sized, wide-mouth mason jar
  • a note card to write directions on
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup tightly packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup Raisinets
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

To finish the cookies:

  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Layer the sugars, Raisinets, chocolate chips, flour, baking powder, and baking soda in the jar in whatever order you think looks nicest, pressing firmly after each addition. Write the following directions on the card and attach to the jar, perhaps with ribbon:

“Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

Pour contents of jar in a large bowl and stir to until mixed. Add 1 lightly beaten egg, 1 room temperature stick of unsalted butter, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and mix together with your hands. The mixture will appear dry at first, but will eventually form a dough. Shape into walnut sized balls, and place 2″ apart on the lined sheets. Bake 13-15 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges. Cool 5 minutes on the pans, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.”

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