Paleo Blueberry Bars

This is a lot like what happens if you made a muffin batter but didn't want to take the time to make muffins. But hey, we all have mornings like that. And this is a pretty healthful recipe that can be adapted to almost any fruit combination. The original used blackberries, I used blueberries, just make it what you can!

Paleo Blueberry Bars
(adapted from What Runs Lori)

• 1 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut* 
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 2 bananas (about 1 cup)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (or berry of choice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8 baking pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the coconut flour, shredded coconut, cinnamon, baking powder and soda, and salt. Add in the coconut sugar, mixing again.

In the same bowl, add in the bananas, eggs, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, and almond milk. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated.

Fold in the berries and spoon the batter into the greased pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until the sides are golden.

Remove from oven and cool. Cut into about 16 squares.

Recipe Notes from JennyBakes

1. The original recipe said 1/4 cup - 1 cup of almond milk but as this is a coconut flour recipe you NEED at least 1 cup. If the batter is looking more like cookie batter than muffin, you might want to add even more. Or experiment by adding another egg.
2. This was almost not sweet enough. If I made these again I would use 1/2 cup coconut sugar. It isn't as sweet as some of the chemical sugar subs so sometimes a recipe needs more of it, not just a straight trade.
3. *I sometimes find adding shredded coconut adds dryness, something this recipe doesn't need. I left it out.

Brick Street Cafe Chocolate Cake

The Brick Street Cafe is located in Greenville, SC, roughly fifteen minutes from me. I've never actually sat down and had a meal there, but I have had their cake. Sweet potato, chocolate, etc. All delicious, a well deserved cake reputation. When I saw a random blog claiming to have their recipe for chocolate cake, I had to give it a try. I'm not sure it's the same cake but it was a big hit regardless!

If the cake looks a bit squatty, it is completely my fault. I didn't pay attention to the pan requirement and realized too late (for the hundredth time) that I do not HAVE a tube pan, which is what the recipe calls for. The two pans hold similar amounts, but there is a marked difference in how easy it is to get the cake back out in the end. The top of the cake stayed in the pan, and was consumed for breakfast with fresh strawberries. Oh how I suffer.

I brought this to a book club meeting, our annual dinner where we discuss nominations for the next year's list. We had 53 candidates that had to be narrowed to 10! Sometimes when you get a bunch of women together, everyone pretends not to eat dessert, so I was a little nervous about bringing one. But I just couldn't find salad inspiration like I had previously, so I went with my instincts. And some people had two servings! I would consider that success. I had to Julia Childs it a little and still ended up telling about the cake top, but like Julia, poured myself a glass of wine and served it anyway.

I do think if I made it again I'd bake it in 2-3 cake layers and make a rich chocolate buttercream or a ganache mousse combo, because what I love better than a rich chocolate cake is a rich chocolate cake in layers with other rich things.

Brick Street Cafe Chocolate Cake (allegedly)
(as discovered on the Through Her Looking Glass blog)

Ingredients

 

Cake:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 2½ cups cake flour
• 1 cup baking cocoa, sifted
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup instant chocolate pudding mix (small box)
• 2¼ cups buttermilk
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Icing:

• ½ cup water
• ½ cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup baking cocoa, sifted
• 3½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream (more or less for consistency)

 Instructions

Cake:

1. Preheat regular, conventional oven to 350°.
2. Beat sugar, butter & vanilla in large bowl.
3. Beat in eggs.
4. Mix in cake flour, baking cocoa, soda, salt, chocolate pudding and buttermilk.
5. Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips.
6. Pour into greased tube pan.
7. Bake in regular, conventional oven at 350° for 30 minutes.
8. Adjust baking temperature down to 325° and continue baking 30-40 minutes more, until cake tester comes out clean.
9. (Check with cake tester at the one hour mark.)
10. Cool cake completely before icing.

Chocolate Icing:

1. Heat water, butter and vanilla together in sauce pan on stovetop until melted.
2. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in one cup cocoa.
4. Stir in powdered sugar, sifted.
5. Stir in heavy cream, up to 3 tablespoons (or more) until you get the desired consistency.
6. Ice cake by filling the hole in the middle of the cake first, then spread icing over cake top and pour over the sides. Icing will harden as it cools.

Grain-Free Blueberry Scones (gluten-free, paleo, naturally sweetened)

It is blueberry season and it is HOT outside. Hot and humid. That is when I start craving blueberry baked goods with iced coffee. I looked at a few lower carb, grain-free recipes, and ended up adapting one. I guess that makes this my recipe! We liked these. They aren't mushy like some grain-free recipes can be.

Blueberry Scones (grain-free, paleo, naturally sweetened)
(adapted from a recipe by Allison Nichols)

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond flour
• ½ cup arrowroot flour
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 Tbsp coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
• 2 eggs, whisked a little
• 1 cup blueberries

Instructions

1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the almond flour, ¼ cup arrowroot flour, coconut sugar, sea salt, and baking powder.
2. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until just combined.
3. Add your blueberries along with the last ¼ cup of arrowroot flour.
4. Form the batter into a ball and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
5. Press into a circle and cut 8 wedges.
6. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
7. Cool on a wire rack.

Recipe Notes from JennyBakes

1. I replaced the maple syrup with coconut sugar since it is lower on the glycemic index. I knew that would leave me without some of hte moisture. As it was, the comments on the original recipe complained of dryness. My simple solution was to just use 2 eggs. I could have used 1/4 cup almond or almond-coconut milk in addition to the 1 egg. The batter was a bit sticky but after they baked it was a nice sconelike texture.
2. I prefer coconut oil to butter when working with almond flour. I have seen it make a big difference in texture. I don't understand the science but have started making that replacement across the board. 
3. Fresh blueberries got a bit demolished in the final mixing step; frozen berries might work better here.

The Pies of Summer: Strawberry Pretzel Icebox Pie

This pie has been on my mind a few years now, ever since coming across it in Southern Living. I finally had all the ingredients in the house at one time, so once we got more fresh local strawberries, I proceeded to make this pie. I'd say the best part is the crust (see notes for a mistake I made!) since I'm not a huge fan of condensed milk-jello concoctions (but wow, these ingredients seem very popular with summer pies.) While this is meant for a summer pie and is likely best with fresh berries, since it is ending up in the freezer, it can't hurt to use frozen fruit thawed. It would save an entire appliance since nothing has to chop up the berries.

Strawberry Pretzel Icebox Pie
(original recipe from MyRecipes.com)

Ingredients

2 cups finely crushed pretzel sticks

3/4 cup butter, melted*
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons plus 1 tsp. strawberry gelatin (1/2 [3-oz.] package)
2 cups whipping cream, divided
1/3 cup granulated sugar

 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together first 3 ingredients; firmly press on bottom, up sides, and onto lip of a lightly greased 10-inch pie plate. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven to a wire rack, and cool completely (about 30 minutes).
2. Process strawberries in a food processor until finely chopped, stopping to scrape down sides as needed.
3. Beat condensed milk and next 2 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. (Use the whisk attachment if using a stand mixer.) Add strawberries; beat at low speed just until blended. Transfer to a large bowl.
4. Beat 3/4 cup whipping cream at high speed until soft peaks form; gently fold whipped cream into strawberry mixture. Spoon into prepared crust. Cover and freeze 8 to 12 hours or until firm.
5. Beat remaining 1 1/4 cups whipping cream at high speed until foamy; gradually add granulated sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Spread over pie. Freeze 1 hour or until whipped cream is firm.

Recipe Notes from JennyBakes

1. I measured 2 cups of pretzel sticks, which gave me far less than 2 cups of pretzel sticks crumbs. I definitely think the recipe wants 2 cups of the crumbs, so you need more than 2 cups of pretzels. I only used 1/2 cup melted butter, but actual 2 cups of the crumbs may require the full 3/4 cup/ 
2. I used an immersion blender to chop the berries. I didn't want to have to wash the food processor for that wee task.
3. The recipe doesn't say how to serve the pie, but letting it sit out at least 30 minutes before serving seems about right. It needs to stay in the freezer otherwise. 
4. Don't forget to allow for the overnight freezing time! This pie can't be served immediately. 

The Pies of Summer: Raspberry Pie

In the Reading class I am teaching for our May Experience term, I challenged the students to read a book in a genre they do not usually read. For me, I was left choosing between Amish romance and... sports! In the end, I read both, but I went Amish romance first. The book is The Forgotten Recipe and is all about an Amish woman baking raspberry pies and healing from the death of her intended.

Most novels that gush about a recipe include one in the back, so I was shocked that this one didn't! Not even on the author's website. I had to take matters into my own hands. I happened to have two Amish cookbooks at home. I found a workable recipe for raspberry pie in Me, Myself, and Pie: Amish Recipes by Sherry Gore. I had previously made a pie crust recipe from this cookbook that I didn't care for, so I used the all-butter crust from Smitten Kitchen for the crust.

Red Raspberry Pie

For the Crust
Two 9-inch unbaked pastry pie crusts

Ingredients
3 cups raspberries
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp butter
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400 F. Cook raspberries with water, sugar, and cornstarch over medium heat until thick, stirring occasionally. Add lemon juice, butter, and salt. Remove from heat. Let mixture cool in the refrigerator 30 minutes. Pour cooled mixture into unbaked pie crust. Cover with top crust and seal. Score top crust to vent. Bake for 10 minutes at 400. Reduce heat to 350 F and continue baking for 30 minutes.

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired. 

Recipe thoughts from JennyBakes:

1. I thought I didn't like pie crust; it turns out I didn't like half shortening pie crust. I'm not sure I'll ever go back. 
2. While 3 cups was okay, 4-5 cups would have been better. Fresh raspberries contain a lot of air and once they break down in cooking, they did not really fill the crust. If you were starting from frozen berries, 3 cups might be more accurate.
3. Smart bakers would roll out the pie dough while the filling is cooling.
4. I made this pie with a lattice top because it felt more like a picnic pie that way.

 

The Pies of Summer: North Carolina Beach Pie

There is an elaborate legend about this pie, recently featured on NPR. When I came across the story I knew I had to try it. The only thing is, I've been to the North Carolina shore and asked others who I know spend weeks there every summer, and nobody has ever seen this pie or heard this story. I'm tempted to call shenanigans.

Also, this pie was a bit cursed for me. The first time I separated the eggs and the added the egg whites to the mixture instead of the citrus juice. The next time I tried the crust was so loose I almost dumped the pie all over the floor and oven when I took it out, so that explains why this one looks so messy. In the end, this is rather like a key lime pie (made milder by mixing lemon and lime juice) with a saltine crust. The salty-tart-sweet is nice but it's not a pretty looking pie. The recipe below specifies not to turn the saltines into sand but the picture of the original recipe shows it that granulated. I'm not sure which I believe because crushing the crackers by hand makes the final result a bit messy.

Have you heard of Atlantic Beach Pie or North Carolina Beach Pie?

Recipe: Bill Smith's Atlantic Beach Pie

Makes one pie

For the crust:
1 1/2 sleeves of saltine crackers
1/3 to 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
3 tablespoons sugar

For the filling:
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup lemon or lime juice or a mix of the two
Fresh whipped cream and coarse sea salt for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crush the crackers finely, but not to dust. You can use a food processor or your hands. Add the sugar, then knead in the butter until the crumbs hold together like dough. Press into an 8 inch pie pan. Chill for 15 minutes, then bake for 18 minutes or until the crust colors a little.

While the crust is cooling (it doesn't need to be cold), beat the egg yolks into the milk, then beat in the citrus juice. It is important to completely combine these ingredients. Pour into the shell and bake for 16 minutes until the filling has set. The pie needs to be completely cold to be sliced. Serve with fresh whipped cream and a sprinkling of sea salt.

Low Carb English Muffins

When I first saw this recipe in Pinterest, I was pretty skeptical. But I went ahead and tried it one weekday morning and was pleasantly surprised! I made the recipe as is, but next time plan to double it yet cook it in three ramekins for slightly less time.... as is, it is quite deep, almost too high to toast if simply split in half.

However for those of us with few bread options in our lower carb eating, this is a great recipe to have on hand. I ate mine with peanut butter and sugar free jam but this would hold up to an egg sandwich nicely. That's what I plan to do with it this weekend!

Low Carb English Muffins
(as seen on SugarFreeMom.com!) 

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp unsweetened almond butter or peanut butter
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp almond flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
• 1 egg, beaten

Instructions

1. Spray the ramekin you are using with olive oil cooking spray or coconut oil spray.
2. Add the almond butter and butter to the dish.
3. Microwave for 30 seconds and mix until smooth. Set aside to cool.
4. In a small bowl whisk the almond flour, salt and baking powder together.
5. Pour the milk and egg to dry ingredients and stir until combined.
6. Pour this mixture into the ramekin with the almond butter mixture and stir to combine well.
7. Microwave 2 minutes.
8. Allow to cool a few minutes before taking it out of the ramekin and slicing in half to toast.
9. Toast until desired.
10. Enjoy!

Tiger Nut Flour Brownies (grain-free, paleo, gluten-free)

I first encountered tiger nut flour at the Swamp Rabbit Cafe, where the person working the cash register told me that one of the bakers loves it for gluten-free baking. I hadn't heard of the ingredient before (it is apparently some kind of tuber) and it took me a while to find a compelling recipe for the flour. Some of the pictures I saw looked similar to my early almond flour experiments - flat and dry. Some recipes I saw seemed better, and they all had tapioca flour. Once I restocked my tapioca flour, I gave these ago.

These were a bit rubbery but I feel like the 25 minutes in the recipe I adapted was far too long. I took them out at 20 but probably should have checked at 15.... so I am not certain if that's the only issue or if it's the flours. Also either the tiger nut or the tapioca wasn't completely finely ground, so the brownies had a bit of an unexpected crunch. The batter was gorgeous - glossy and thick. The brownies themselves were definitely passable for people who rarely have brownies!

Tiger Nut Flour Brownies
(adapted from A Calculated Whisk)

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick or 8 tablespoons)*
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup tiger nut flour
• 3 tablespoons tapioca flour

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Combine the butter, coconut sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium saucepan over very low heat. Stir frequently until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot to the touch. Remove the pan from the heat and cool until warm, at least 15 minutes. The mixture will appear gritty.
3. Stir in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring thoroughly after each one. The batter should be glossy and smooth. Add the tiger nut and tapioca flours and stir vigorously again until no floury bits remain.
4. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for about 20(?) minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs but not covered in goo. Cool completely in the pan, then remove the brownies by lifting up the parchment, transfer them to a cutting board, slice, and serve. Store leftover brownies in the refrigerator for up to four days.

*I didn't have quite enough butter so I used 2 tbsp coconut oil and 6 tbsp butter. 

Frequently Made Recipes

Life has been so crazy I have not baked a thing all week! So I thought I'd just link to some recipes I make often. I'll be back next week with something new. I have saltines, condensed milk, and some lemons... any guesses?

The way we eat most days (lower sugar, lower carb)
Grain-free banana chocolate chip muffins
Fluffy Paleo Pancakes
Lower Carb Grain-free Scones
Gluten-free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread - regular fall rotation!
Gluten-free oven apple pancake

Recipes for regular people or special days
Ratio pancakes - easy to make for one on a workday
Apple slab pie - seriously the best crust recipe ever
Pannukakku - this would get the award for the recipe I've converted others into making the most!

Armenian Lavash

A few weeks ago, we were watching The Amazing Race when teams had a chance to make lavash the traditional way during a stop in Armenia. I couldn't get it out of my head but didn't have bread flour, so my baking project had to wait until I bought some. This is a simple recipe with endless variations, but I waited until I had an afternoon where I could have back to back 30 minute periods to rest the dough and bake the lavash in batches. I used poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and z'atar.

I poked around for traditional recipes and found a video made by an Armenian woman, translated into English. The comments are interesting because most of them are people from other countries, angry that she has "claimed" lavash for Armenia. Surely there are similar flatbreads in many cultures. And even I have made lavash, back in 2008 for a Daring Bakers challenge. I made more of a cracker version, slightly thicker than typical lavash. Of course I didn't have a traditional clay oven deep in the ground like the women in Armenia do, but I heated the pan in the oven at a very high heat.

Berry Coconut Muffins

These are adapted from "Blueberries-and-Cream Mall Muffins" from A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman, one of my go-to cookbooks I keep on the shelf in my kitchen. I'm not sure what malls are like where Marcy grew up, but I don't actually know what a mall muffin is. I used marionberries and coconut flakes, but thinking back, if I had used coconut milk in place of buttermilk and coconut oil in place of butter, these would have tasted more strongly of coconut. As they are, they are tender and sweet. This recipe makes a lot; for us I think 1/4 recipe is best. The recipe times are also intended for the jumbo muffin size; if you make regular muffins they won't need to bake as long. I went with 10 minutes at 425 and the remainder at 350.

Berry Coconut Muffins

2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 large eggs
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp each pure lemon and orange extract, optional
5 cups, approximately, all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups semi-frozen berries
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut or unsweetened dried coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 425 F. Arrange oven rack to middle position.

Generously spray 12-cup large or standard muffin pan or a 24-cup small muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and then line with paper muffin liners. Place pan on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

In a mixer bowl, blend sugar with oil and butter. Briskly add eggs, vanilla, and other extracts. Fold in 4 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Blend somewhat before next blending in buttermilk and sour cream. Batter should be quite thick; if not, add a touch more flour. Gently fold in berries with a spatula, trying not to break them apart.

Using a large ice-cream scoop, scoop a very large amount of batter into prepared muffin cups, loading them as full as you can. Dust tops of muffins with a little sugar.

Bake 15 minutes at 425 F; then reduce oven temperature to 350 F and bake until muffins are golden brown and spring back when gently pressed with fingertips, about 12-16 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from pan.

The Pancakes at the End of the Lane

I recently reread one of the shorter books by Neil Gaiman - The Ocean at the End of the Lane. The unnamed main character has returned to his childhood home after a death in the family (we are led to assume), and tells the story about the family living at the end of the lane. He ended up in their home several times during scary and confusing moments, and part of the "magic" of the three women included delicious, comforting food. I remember an apple custard type dessert being mentioned, and I remember these pancakes:

"Lettie cooked us pancakes on a big metal griddle, on the kitchen stove. They were paper-thin, and as each pancake was done Lettie would squeeze lemon onto it, and plop a blob of plum jam into the center, and roll it tightly, like a cigar."

I had always listened to the audio previously, so this was the first time I had seen the ephemeral material at the end. A short Q&A between Joe Hill and the author asked a very important question - do the pancakes described exist and what is the recipe? They do exist, and Neil shared the recipe. So of course I had to make them! While a bit squidgier than crepes I've made previously, and although I had to use blueberry jam after not finding plum, these made a delicious and comforting breakfast.

Pancakes at the End of the Lane
 
Ingredients

• 1 cup of ordinary white flour
• 2 eggs
• A pinch of salt
• 2 1/2 cups of milk and water (a cup and a half of milk and a cup of water mixed)
• 1 tablespoon of either vegetable oil or melted butter

Directions (slightly modified)
Put the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Crack the eggs in and whisk/fork the egg into the flour.

Slowly add the milk/water mixture, stirring as you go, until there are no lumps and you have a liquid the consistency of a not too thick cream. (I'm guessing you add the butter to the batter and use additional butter to grease the pan but it doesn't include this step.)

Put the mixture in the fridge overnight.

Grease or butter or oil a non-stick frying pan. Heat it until it’s really hot. (I used medium temp on my stove.)

Stir the mixture you just took from the fridge thoroughly because the flour will all be at the bottom. Get an even consistency.

Ladle some mixture into the pan, thinly covering the whole of the base of the pan. When the base is golden, flip it (or, if you are brave, toss it). Cook another 30 seconds on the other side.
Squeeze lemon juice lightly over the surface, sprinkle with granulated sugar, and plop a blob of jam in there before rolling up like a cigar.

Carrot Cake Attempt #2 (low-sugar, gluten-free, grain-free)

A few years ago, I had just started learning how to bake in a lower-carb, lower-sugar fashion. I made a carrot cake from The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking that looked beautiful but neither of us could eat. The reason? There are copious amounts of artificial sweetener in both the cake and icing, and while these don't seem to bother most people, neither of us could force it down. I still have the book on my shelves and after a few years of experimenting with this kind of baking, I thought I could try it again, making a few substitutions, like using coconut sugar instead of Splenda, etc.

Verdict? Sigh, well, still not great. It LOOKS good. But the taste was still not there. I underutilized the coconut sugar so the cake part itself wasn't sweet enough, and I used brown sugar Splenda in the icing, something which works fine in our cinnamon toast but somehow was too obvious here.

I'm posting it anyway. I want people to know how bloggers do more work than you ever see because we make mistakes or ideas don't work the way we expect. This is one where I'm still not at the place I want to be with this one. I'll include the original recipe below from Peter Reinhardt and Denene Wallace, and mark the changes I made. The texture of the cake itself is fine, not too moist, not too dry, cakelike enough for those of us used to sugar-free baking. It's the taste that just isn't there. And it might be that carrots aren't a great idea for low-sugar baking to start with, as they are pretty high in sugar!

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup (4 oz) coconut flour
1 cup (4 oz) pecan flour*
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut, lightly toasted**
2 cups Splenda or Stevia Extract in the Raw, or 1 cup New Roots Stevia Sugar***
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
8 egg whites or 6 eggs
1 1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk or other milk
1/2 cup salted butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp liquid stevia****
2 1/2 cups packed finely shredded carrots

Cream cheese frosting
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup salted butter, at room temperature
1 cup Splenda or Stevia Extract in the Raw, or 1/2 cup New Roots Stevia Sugar*****
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp unsweetened soy milk or other milk
1/8 tsp liquid stevia****

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line the bottom of two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper, then mist the inside walls of the pans along with the parchment with spray oil.

In a medium bowl, combine the coconut flour, pecan flour, shredded coconut, Splenda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and whisk until well mixed. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites, milk, butter, vanilla, and liquid stevia together until thoroughly blended. Stir in the carrots. Add the flour mixture and stir with a large spoon for 1-2 minutes to make a thick, sticky batter. If the batter is too thick to pour, add a little more milk.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Use a spatula to evenly spread the batter, or jiggle the pan to evenly distribute the batter in the pan. Bake for 35 minutes, then switch racks and bake for about 30 more minutes, until the cakes are lightly golden and springy when pressed in the center and a toothpick inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for at least 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In a bowl of an electric mixture or a large bowl, combine all the frosting ingredients and mix with the paddle attachment on medium speed or stir vigorously with a large spoon until thoroughly blended. If using an electric mixer, switch to the whisk attachment and mix at medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is fluffy and very creamy; if mixing by hand switch to a sturdy whisk and beat vigorously.

As the cakes cool, they should shrink from the pan walls; if not, run an icing spatula or a thin knife around the edges. Invert the cakes onto two plates. They can be eaten as they are or be frosted, either singly or as a new two-layer cake. For a two-layer cake, spread some frosting over the top of the lower layer, spreading it to an even thickness of about 1/4 inch. Position the second layer on top and then spread the remaining frosting over the entire cake. Sprinkle the pecans, coconut, or both over the top and/or side of the cake if you like. Keep refrigerated.

*- I used almond flour because I had it on hand and pecans are expensive!
** - I left this out because I had the wrong coconut and was worried it might dry out the cake.
*** - I used a scant 1 cup of coconut sugar, which ended up not being quite sweet enough.
**** - Omitted from both cake and frosting.
***** - Used 1/3 cup of Brown sugar Splenda.

Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies (grain-free, gluten-free)

I found this recipe on Ambitious Kitchen, where she makes a paleo version with almond butter. I'm probably never really going to eat paleo entirely or spend money on almond butter, so I made the recipe with peanut butter. Otherwise it's the same. This is a great treat for those of us eating grain-free and lower-carb because the cookie actually feels and tastes like a cookie. Her original post has more ideas on substitutions, so check it out.

Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
(as seen on Ambitious Kitchen)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup unsalted creamy almond butter
  
  
• 1/2 cup organic coconut sugar
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (Jenny's note - I used Stevia-sweetened mini chips)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, add in almond butter, coconut sugar and coconut oil; process until it comes together, about 1 minute. Add in eggs and process again. The dough will probably seize up at this point, but don't worry that's okay.
3. Next, add in coconut flour, baking soda and salt; process again until a dough forms. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
4. Use a cookie scoop to drop dough onto prepared cookie sheet. You can flatten dough with the palm of your hand if you'd like to have cookies like mine in the photo, or if you prefer, you can leave the dough as is and cookies will be a bit puffier.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cookies turn slightly golden brown around the edges. Allow them to cool on cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Repeat with remaining dough. Makes around 20 cookies (Jenny's note - I made 14 with my scoop.)

Review of Crepes et Croissants in Columbia, SC

While I do not necessarily think of Columbia, SC as a culinary destination, a growing number of restaurants have been impressing me on visits there for conferences, board meetings, and book festivals. One such place is Crêpes & Croissants, on Sumter Street, right around the corner from the Columbia Marriott and the Sheraton. I always end up at conferences at the Marriott and this is SO much better than pricey hotel breakfast. This would work for lunch too, as they are open until 2 most days.

I went with a librarian friend and we both had interesting coffee drinks, a crepe, and a pastry. I had a sweet lemon crepe (lemon curd and whipped cream), a chocolate croissant, and a cafe miel. Next time I'll try something more savory - their omelets and quiche sounded great too. This place is a bit hidden between chain restaurants but worth seeking out!

Pi Day 2016 - Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Meringue in a Gingerbread Crust

This pie feels completely out of season, and it is, but it was an idea I couldn't get out of my head for Pi Day 2016. This would be the PERFECT pie for Thanksgiving, and I suppose for spring I should have been thinking lemon meringue or something with cream cheese.

It starts with Dominique Ansel's gingerbread crust, which I did not end up caring for much. It's rather more like a soft ginger cookie than a pie crust, making it increasingly difficult to work with, but it did have good flavor. I've had it on my mind ever since I first came across it. Overall it is more subtle than I expected, which makes it more versatile (but I still probably won't make it again, maybe just add ginger to a more tried and tested pie dough recipe.)

The pie itself is a version of a popular pie idea - taking what is normally a Thanksgiving side dish in the United States (sweet potatoes or yams with marshmallows on top) and making a pie version. I used the recipe from a cookbook I have at home, The Southern Pie Book, but it is basically the Southern Living recipe which I will post below. I had to bake the pie 15 minutes longer to get it to set in the middle. I thought it was okay but overall very sweet. And as Mr. JennyBakes pointed out, if you have this as a pie then you won't have it as a side dish, and having sweet potato casserole as a side dish is like a way to sneak dessert into dinner.

Dominique Ansel's Gingerbread Pie Crust
(as seen on Eater, where the pictured pie crust is quite darker than the one I made)

(Makes 2 pie crusts)

Ingredients:
½ cup plus 1 tbsp light brown sugar
2/3 stick unsalted butter, softened
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
1¾ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
Pinch nutmeg
2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsp cornstarch
Pinch Maldon sea salt

Method:

1. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar on medium-low speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. While continuing to mix, stream in lemon juice, followed by milk and vanilla, until evenly combined.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, grated ginger, cornstarch and salt until combined. With the mixer on medium-low speed, add in one-third of the dry ingredient mixture until evenly combined. Repeat with the next third of the dry ingredients, then the final third.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and transfer the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Form the dough into a rectangle no more than ½ inch thick, wrap in the plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours.
4. Remove the dough from the fridge. Divide the dough in half (this recipe yields two pie crusts, so you can keep one half wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 14-inch round. Transfer to a pie tin, gently pressing down into the corners and up the sides. Trim away excess dough using a paring knife, leaving a 1-inch overhang around the edge. Fold the edges under, then form a fluted edge around the rim with your fingers. Lightly dock the bottom surface of the dough with a fork. Chill or freeze the pie shell in the pie pan until ready to bake.
5. Preheat the oven to 350F.
6. Line the pie shell with a coffee filter and fill with rice or dried beans to blind bake the crust. Bake in the oven for 14-16 minutes, until the bottom of the pie crust is just lightly baked.
7. Remove from oven and discard the coffee filter and rice/beans. Return the crust to the oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 4 more minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Meringue
(recipe from The Southern Pie Book, originally from Southern Living) 

FILLING:
 

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

3 cups lightly packed, cooked, mashed sweet potatoes (about 2 1/2 lb. sweet potatoes)

1 cup half-and-half

1 tablespoon lemon zest

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

 

MARSHMALLOW MERINGUE: 

 

3 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 (7-oz.) jar marshmallow crème 

 

Preparation

1. Whisk together egg yolk and cream; brush bottom and sides of crust with yolk mixture. Bake 6 to 8 more minutes or until crust is golden. Transfer to a wire rack, and cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350° F.
2. Prepare filling: Stir together melted butter, 1 cup sugar, and next 2 ingredients in a large bowl until mixture is well blended. Add sweet potatoes and next 4 ingredients; stir until mixture is well blended. Pour sweet potato mixture into prepared piecrust. (Pie will be very full.)
3. Bake at 350° for 50 to 55 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean, shielding with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Preheat oven to 400° F.
4. Prepare meringue: Beat egg whites and next 2 ingredients at high speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.
5. Beat one-fourth of marshmallow crème into egg white mixture; repeat 3 times with remaining marshmallow crème, beating until smooth (about 1 minute). Spread over pie.
6. Bake at 400° for 6 to 7 minutes or until meringue is lightly browned.

 

Chocolate Cinnamon Banana Bread

Somehow we are always faced with 3-4 overripe bananas at the end of the week. We always buy more than we can chew, I guess. Often these go into paleo muffins or 1-ingredient ice cream but this time I was craving something chocolatey. I also had some cinnamon chips in the cupboard which demanded inclusion. This was delicious!

Chocolate Cinnamon Banana Bread
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

3 medium-to-large very ripe bananas
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg*
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder (what you see pictured is Special Dark)
1 cup cinnamon chips

Heat your oven to 350°F.

Butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or spray it with a nonstick baking spray.

Mash bananas in the bottom of a large bowl. Whisk in melted butter, then brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Place baking soda, salt, cinnamon, flour and cocoa powder in a sifter or fine-mesh strainer and sift over wet ingredients. Stir dry and wet ingredients with a spoon until just combined. Stir in cinnamon chips.

Pour into prepared pan and bake 55 to 65 minutes, until a tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out batter-free. Cool in pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and invert it out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*One egg doesn't sound like enough but bananas do a lot of the work alongside the butter to bind this all together.

Rwandan Honey Bread with Banana Jam

I have found many "honey bread" recipes throughout sources from East Africa - Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda. I chose it for Rwanda because of the story Jamie Oliver tells about the bakeries in Rwanda set up for widows to help them make a living. His recipe is identical to what I found in a much earlier cookbook, The African Kitchen by Josie Stow. That is the source for the banana jam recipe.

I like the idea of this bread with the honey and spices but I feel like mine ended up too floury and dense. It's a lack of practice on my part with kneading by hand. The banana jam smelled up the entire house!

Honey Bread from the Rwandan Women's Bakery (via Jamie Oliver)

Ingredients

• 1 packet of active dry yeast
• 1 egg
• 4-5 cups of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup lukewarm milk
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3/4 cup lukewarm water
• 6 tablespoons of melted butter
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

Method

Preparing the dough
Put the lukewarm water in a bowl and sprinkle the yeast packet on top. Leave for 2-3 minutes, then stir thoroughly. Leave the mixture to stand somewhere warm for around 5-10 minutes until you can see bubbles forming and the mixture looks like it’s expanding a little.

While you’re waiting, mix together the honey, egg and spices in a bowl until combined. Add the lukewarm milk, yeast mixture and two-thirds of the butter. Mix well then begin to add the flour, keeping your touch light.

Kneading the dough
Once the dough has come together, remove from the bowl and, on a well-floured surface, combine it with most of the flour – you’re looking for a light, soft dough that isn’t too wet, but you may not need all of your flour, so go slowly. If you get lots of dough on your hands, add a little flour to your palms and rub them together briskly until the dough falls off.

Knead the dough using floured hands (and once it needs no more flour, buttered hands) for around ten minutes, until it is springy and smooth – this stage is really important, because by doing this you’ll wake up the gluten strands, which is what will your bread an ace texture. You want to end up with one or more shiny, round, loaf shapes. I

Baking

What’s great about this bread is that it can be baked in lots of different types of tins. I (Jamie) used 3×5 inch round tins to get three fat little loaves. If you want one large loaf, go for an 8inch round tin, or a large loaf tin (Jenny did this). Alternatively, you can use a large round oven dish, such as a Le Creuset. Butter the tin / dish with the remaining butter and pop your dough inside – fill each one around half full.

Cover the tin with a clean tea towel and allow to rise in a nice warm place for at least an hour – you want the dough to have risen almost to the top of the tin. Don’t scrimp on this stage, as even rising is important!

Bake at 190°C/375°F/gas 5 for around 40 minutes – it should have a golden brown top with a crust. To test if it’s done, take a tea towel and place it on top, then turn it upside down so the tea towel catches it. Then tap it on the bottom – if it sounds hollow like a drum then it’s done!
Serve in torn-off chunks or thick slices with butter and a bit more honey, OR banana jam!

Banana Jam (via Josie Stow)
These directions are not the full recipe, as she included steps for canning at the end. I knew I wasn't going to can it, so I just transcribed a simplified version. I made a half recipe and it worked fine.

• 1 ¾ cups sugar
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 6 ripe bananas

Put the sugar, lemon juice and zest into a large bowl and stir until sugar has dissolved.

Peel and slice the bananas, add them to the lemon mixture and gently stir until they are well coated.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave to marinate 1 hour

Scrape into a pan and place over low heat. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Boil until thermometer reaches jam stage, 220 F, it will be a lovely rich amber color. (If you aren't canning it, you can probably get away with simply cooking it 30 minutes or so, until thickened.)

Mandazi - Rwandan Doughnuts

To continue my reading/baking Africa in 2016 project, I recently read Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga, set in a Catholic girls school in the mountains of Rwanda right before the genocide. Doughnuts get mentioned frequently, the food the girls crave when they're away from home. The mothers send them food in suitcases, including:

“...For the city girls, doughnuts of every color under the sun - a secret Swahili recipe...."

I'm not sure if this recipe, found on the Compassion International website, is the doughnuts they mention, but this is simpler than most doughnuts - a quick batter, a short rest, a shallow fry.

Mandazi


Ingredients:

• 1 egg, beaten
• ½ c. sugar
• ½ c. milk
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 c. white flour
• ½ c. cooking oil, plus more as needed
• powdered sugar for sprinkling (optional) 

Mix together the egg, sugar, milk, butter and baking powder. Slowly mix in the flour, forming dough that’s soft but not sticky. Add more flour if needed.

With a rolling pin, roll the dough on a lightly floured surface until it’s about ¼-inch thick. Let it stand about 20 minutes, then cut it into 12-15 triangles.

Heat the oil in a skillet. Place the triangles in oil over medium heat and fry until both sides are golden brown. Remove to drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Pupcakes - Dog Friendly, gluten-free

Our shepherd-boxer mix, Doyle, turned a year old at the end of January, so I went looking for dog-friendly cake recipes. I found a bunch and picked one that I already had all ingredients for. This is the only food our dachshund mix, Winnie, has ever found motivation to come inside for, so I suppose you could say the dogs thought they were pretty tasty. Except for on his birthday, where Doyle got to eat one entire pupcake (about half as tall as a cupcake), I've been giving them much smaller pieces, sometimes with peanut butter on top and sometimes not.

Pupcakes
(Recipe from The Scrumptious Pumpkin blog)

Ingredients

• ½ cup brown rice flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ⅓ cup organic canola oil
• ⅓ cup organic applesauce
• 1 organic, pastured egg
• 2 tablespoons organic honey
• 3 tablespoons organic plain Greek yogurt
• 1½ tablespoons organic peanut butter

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a mixing bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, canola oil, applesauce, egg, and honey until well combined.
3. Insert cupcake liners into a muffin or cupcake pan. Spoon mixture into cupcake liners, filling each about halfway.
4. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
5. Allow cupcakes to cool to room temperature.
6. Meanwhile, in a bowl, stir yogurt and peanut butter until mixture is smooth and creamy. Use a small spatula or butter knife to smooth a thin layer of the peanut butter frosting over each cupcake.

Storage: cupcakes should hold up for 4-5 days if stored in an airtight container in a cool, shaded, dry spot. Peanut butter frosting should be stored separately, covered and refrigerated. Frost cupcakes immediately before serving.