Tag: cinnamon

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Muffins

cinnamon-swirl-banana-muffins

It is no secret that I enjoy cooking and all things that come with it.  Well, except for maybe the cleaning up.  I read cookbooks for pleasure and even watch a few cooking shows.  I also love a day off.  I’m up for a good restaurant any day with someone else doing all of the work.

 Savannah decided to come home over the weekend since the college campus was closed due to Hurricane Matthew.  Having her home was great, and I usually make a few of her favorite dishes while she is home.  This time, she cooked breakfast for us one morning.  She baked these fabulous Cinnamon Swirl Banana Muffins.  The cinnamon swirl was a great addition to banana muffins.
This recipe can also be used to make a loaf of banana bread.  Savannah said that the bread is better the day after it bakes.  We wouldn’t know because the muffins did not last long enough to find out.

 

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Muffins
 
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Ingredients
  • 3 to 4 overripe bananas, mashed
  • ⅓ c. unsalted butter, melted
  • ¾ c. granulated sugar
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1½ c. all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ c. granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin pan with 12 paper liners or spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.
  2. Mix mashed bananas, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and gently mix into the banana mixture. Do not overmix!
  3. Fill the paper liners half-way with batter. Then evenly distribute half of the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Add remaining batter to the top of each. Using a butter knife, swirl the batter. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture.
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
Notes
To make a loaf, pour half of batter the greased loaf pan. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Pour remaining batter on top and swirl with a butter knife. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes.

 

Pumpkin Spice Scones

pumpkin scones 008

Pumpkin spice and apple flavors have made their fall appearance again. You would think it’s too warm to start craving these flavors, but it’s just not so!  

Last week my mother and I made a trip to Ellijay for apples. It’s a quick drive from her house, and she is always up for a road trip. Unfortunately, there were not many varieties ready. This just means that another trip is in the near future. We were able to pick up a few Honeycrisp apples, but it was the fried apple pies that made the drive well worth it!

If you are a fall spice lover, you will enjoy these delicious pumpkin scones. They have the perfect balance of sweetness, pumpkin, and spice. They are delicious for breakfast with a cup of coffee or as an afternoon snack. 

Scones are always best the day they are baked, so surprise a neighbor or coworker with a few of these tasty treats. They will be a million times better than anything you’ll find at the coffee shop and cheaper too!

Pumpkin Scones
 
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Ingredients
  • Scones:
  • 2 c. all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ c. packed brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ¾ tsp. ground cloves
  • ½ tsp. ground ginger
  • ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, frozen, and grated with a cheese grater
  • ½ c. pumpkin puree
  • ½ c. whipping cream
  • 1 lg. egg
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • Glaze:
  • 1 c. confectioners' sugar
  • ¼ c. whipping cream
  • Spiced Glaze:
  • 1 c. confectioners' sugar
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp. ground ginger
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • 3 tbsp. whipping cream
Instructions
  1. For the scones:
  2. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  4. Place the butter in the freezer for about 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from freezer and shred, using a cheese grater. Return the shredded butter to the freezer until you are ready to use.
  5. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.
  6. In a small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, whipping cream, egg, and vanilla.
  7. Add the frozen shredded butter to the flour mixture and toss with fingers to coat with flour.
  8. Stir in the pumpkin mixture just to combine. Transfer dough to a well-floured board and dust top with additional flour. Working quickly, knead the dough a few times. Flatten, using your fingers, and roughly shape into a 9-inch x 4-inch rectangle.
  9. Cut crosswise in the middle, then again in the middle of each piece. Cut each piece diagonally into two triangles. Place on prepared pan.
  10. Bake 10 to 12 minutes in preheated oven. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes.
  11. In the meantime mix up the glaze mixtures. Brush the first "plain" glaze onto each scone using a pastry brush. Cool for a few minutes.
  12. Spoon spiced glaze into a ziptop bag. Snip off a small section of the corner of the bag. Pipe the spiced glaze on top of the glazed scones.
  13. Allow glaze to air dry at room temperature then serve.

 

 

 

 

 

Apple Bread Pudding

apple bread pudding 2

I just returned home from a week visit with my mom. I love going home, but I especially love North Georgia during the fall. Peak color is still several weeks away, but I could see the changes already taking place. This visit was just the two of us, and we had a great time catching up, shopping, cooking, and going to the apple house.

I now have two large bags of apples. Should I make applesauce or apple butter? Maybe a little of both! Before I start with that, I had to make this scrumptious apple bread pudding! I became a fan of bread pudding after trying it for the first time when I moved to the Gulf Coast. Bread pudding combines stale bread and a cinnamon custard mixture, and in this case raisins and apples. Serve with warm bourbon sauce for a delicious fall dessert!  Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

Apple Bread Pudding
 
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Ingredients
  • Pudding:
  • 4 c. stale bread cubes (French or Italian)
  • ¼ c. raisins
  • 2 c. peeled and sliced apples
  • 1 c. packed brown sugar (light or dark)
  • 1¾ c. milk
  • ¼ c. unsalted butter
  • 1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 lg. eggs, lightly beaten
  • Bourbon Sauce:
  • ¼ c. granulated sugar
  • ¼ c. brown sugar (light or dark)
  • 2 tbsp. heavy cream
  • 3 tbsp. bourbon
  • ½ c. unsalted butter
Instructions
  1. For pudding:
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish and set aside.
  3. Toss bread cubes, apples, and raisins in a large bowl, set aside.
  4. In a medium saucepan combine 1 c. brown sugar, 1¾ c. milk, ¼ c. unsalted butter, and cinnamon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until butter melts.
  5. Beat eggs in a small bowl. Add a little warmed milk mixture to eggs and stir to combine. Add egg mixture to milk and sugar mixture in saucepan and whisk to combine. Add vanilla extract. Pour mixture over bread mixture and stir to saturate bread.
  6. Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes until center is set.
  7. In the meantime make bourbon sauce. In a small saucepan combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cream, bourbon, and butter. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and serve warm over bread pudding.