Tag: flour

Bananas Foster Pancakes

2015May04_5400

 

I , like most mothers, love flowers and thoughtful gifts on Mother’s Day.  I enjoy going out for a lovely meal and the calls and cards are nice too.  However, I would love a day of pampering.  By pampering I do not mean that I want a gift certificate for a mani, a pedi, and a nice long massage.  Yes, that would be nice too, but what I’m referring to is a day sitting in my chair watching Lifetime all day long!  The television would not be on Nascar, or baseball, or anything remotely close to an ESPN channel!   I’d watch sappy chick flicks like You’ve Got Mail, While You Were Sleeping, and The Notebook, with a box of tissues and several diet Dr. Peppers.  I could laugh and cry all day long.  Oh, and no Criminal Minds marathons!  All the while Greg and the kids will be doing the laundry…all the laundry…which includes folding and putting away.  They could dust and vacuum, cook and clean up, and my most dreaded job, clean the bathroom!  Oh my, that sounds like the most perfect day ever!!!

Whether you plan to do all of the above for mom or not you can still start her day with a nice home-cooked breakfast, maybe even breakfast in bed.  This is a wonderful recipe for Bananas Foster Pancakes.  This bananas foster syrup is very simple, even the younger kids can help out with a little supervision from dad.  You can use the buttermilk pancake recipe or simply make Bisquick pancakes, which always turn out good.  Mom will love it!

Buttermilk Pancakes
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 3 tbsp. sugar
  • 2 lg. eggs, beaten
  • 3 c. buttermilk
  • 4 tbsp. melted butter
Instructions
  1. Heat griddle to 350°.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter. Gently fold egg mixture into dry ingredients. Some lumps will remain. Too much mixing makes tough pancakes.
  4. Butter griddle and pour batter by ¼-cup measure. Cook until edges look dry and there are bubbles on the surface. Turn and cook 2 to 3 more minutes. Serve warm with Bananas Foster Syrup, with whipped cream, if desired.

Bananas Foster Syrup
 
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Ingredients
  • ½ c. unsalted butter
  • ¼ c. light brown sugar, packed
  • ½ pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 4 medium bananas, peeled and sliced
  • ½ c. chopped pecans
Instructions
  1. Heat butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup in a medium sauce pan. Cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves.
  2. Add bananas and pecans and heat through (2 to 3 minutes).
  3. Serve warm over warm buttermilk pancakes.

 

Coconut Frosted Brownies

coconut frosted brownies

Easter is one of my favorite holidays.  When I was growing up Easter was centered around church and family.  It’s a special holiday with many customs and traditions.  My dad was a pastor and we always started the day early at sunrise service.  We would end up at my grandparents house for a big meal, posing for pictures in our new dresses or ties, and shiny new shoes, then off to hunt Easter eggs with my cousins.

As an adult, sunrise service is my favorite part of the day.  I enjoy spending time with family and friends and I enjoy the good food and the swapping of recipes. However, the spiritual meaning of Easter sunrise service is what it’s all about.  It was in the early morning, when it was yet dark, that the tomb was found empty.  Watching the sun rise and knowing what that empty tomb means for me humbles me.

As you make your Easter plans, I want to share a delicious and easy brownie recipe.  These brownies would be great on any Easter table.  They are chewy and fudgy and the coconut cream cheese frosting is the “icing on the cake”…yum, yum, yummy!

My one dilemma was to toast or not to toast.  If you look closely at my photo you may wonder if I toasted the coconut for the topping.  The original recipe from alaskafromscratch.com suggests toasting, and that’s what I started to do…until I changed my mind!  It was already in the oven when I decided that I did not want toasted coconut on top, so do what makes you happy.  For a fun Easter decoration, color the coconut green.  Place the coconut in a zip-lock bag with a drop or two of green food coloring, seal, then shake until evenly colored.  Sprinkle on top of your brownies before cutting.  Then, decorate each brownie with 3 jelly beans, if desired.

As always, thanks for taking the time out of your busy day to read Not Just Sunday Dinner.  I am wishing you a blessed Easter with family and friends.

 

Coconut Frosted Brownies
 
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Ingredients
  • ⅔ c. unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 lg. eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. coconut extract
  • 2 c. sugar
  • 1⅓ c. all-purpose flour
  • ¾ c. cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • ½ c. strong brewed coffee
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13-inch plan with aluminum foil, allowing enough foil to hang over the sides of the pan to use to lift brownies from pan later. Spray foil with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. In a mixing bowl, add the butter, eggs, extracts, and sugar. Whisk until smooth.
  3. In another bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to incorporate. Pour in the coffee and mix just until combined.
  4. Spread batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or just until set in the center. Watch closely and do not over bake.
  5. Cool on a wire rack. When cooled, top with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting.

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
 
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Ingredients
  • ½ c. unsalted butter, softened
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • ½ tsp. coconut extract
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3 c. powdered sugar
  • ¾ c. shredded coconut (toasted optional)
Instructions
  1. Combine butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add extracts. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until incorporated, scraping sides and bottom of bowl as needed.
  2. Spread evenly over cooled brownies. Top with shredded coconut.
  3. Freeze for 1 hour before lifting brownies from pan and cutting. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.

 

Biscoff Cut-Out Cookies with Royal Icing

Biscoff Cut Out Cookies

Have you jumped on the Biscoff bandwagon yet?  I became a fan of the cookies years ago, when I first ate them on a Delta flight.  I even ordered Biscoff cookies online before they were in my local stores.  However, I was a little slow to catch on to Biscoff spread.  My cousin, Cindy made a scrumptious pie at Christmas with Biscoff spread and I have been a fan since!

I have been trying recipes for cut-out cookies for years and I have thrown out many batches of them.  When I saw the title of this recipe, and realized I had all of the ingredients on hand I tried them immediately.  They were DEE-LICIOUS!!!  I am thrilled beyond belief that I finally have a cut-out cookie recipe that doesn’t taste like cardboard!

This is probably considered a medium-size cookie cutter and I was able to get 20 cookies from this recipe.  It’s incredibly easy with no refrigeration required!  You don’t even need to flour the board to roll them out!  Use parchment paper on top and bottom of the dough to prevent sticking.  Also the addition of cornstarch is genius!  These cookies are slightly crispy along the edges and slightly soft in the middle…just perfect!!  They hold up nicely when decorated.   I have added tips for the icing and decorating to the icing recipe.

 

Biscoff Cut-Out Cookies
 
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This recipe is from bakingamoment.com.
Ingredients
  • ½ c. cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • ½ c. Biscoff Spread
  • ¾ c. light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 2 c. all-purpose flour
  • ¼ c. cornstarch
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
  2. Cream butter, Biscoff spread, and light brown sugar together using an electric mixer.
  3. Add the egg and mix until combined.
  4. Mix the salt, flour, and cornstarch in a separate bowl and all in thirds. Mix only until incorporated.
  5. Roll dough ¼-inch thick between two sheets of parchment paper. Cut out shapes and place on prepared pans.
  6. Bake at 375°F for approximately 10 minutes or until slightly browned around edges.
  7. Remove from oven. Cool on pan a few minutes then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. Decorate cookies after they have cooled completely.

 
Royal Icing for Cookies
 
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This recipe is from thedecoratedcookie.com.
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp. meringue powder
  • ¼ c. water
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp. shortening
  • 1 tbsp. light corn syrup
  • 3½ to 4 c. sifted confectioner's sugar
Instructions
  1. Whip the meringue powder and water on high-speed of an electric mixer, fitted with a wire whisk, for several minutes, until it's fluffy and peaks form.
  2. Add vanilla extract, shortening, and corn syrup and mix to combine.
  3. Gradually add confectioner's sugar to desired consistency.
  4. Decorate cookies. Place cookies on cooling racks and allow to air dry for 24 hours.
Notes
Store at room temperature in a sealed container for up to a month.

TIPS:
Icing must be at the correct consistency. I found that I needed to thin this icing slightly. For outlining thin just slightly, remove about ¼ of the icing and set aside, then continue adding water until you reach the correct consistency for flooding. You'll want the icing that you use to outline the design to be slightly thicker than the icing you use for flooding. Since I'm new to decorating I like to use a #3 or #4 tip for decorating.

I found this tip online at sweetopia.com.: The trick to make sure icing is just right for flooding is called the "10 Second Rule". Drag a butter knife through the surface of your royal icing and count to 10. If the icing surface becomes smooth anywhere between 5 to 10 seconds, then your icing is ready to use. If it takes longer than approximately 10 seconds, the icing is too thick. Slowly add water, a teaspoon at a time. If your icing surface smooths over in less than 5 to 10 seconds, it is too runny. Mix your icing longer and slowly add in more soften confectioner's sugar to thicken.

If you are like me and don't have a steady hand, rest your elbow on something steady. Also, put your pan of cookies on top of a a few books or container to raise them up to a comfortable level for decorating.