Food Mamma

Food | Travel | Family | Life

baked goods

blackberry scones

By Leave a Comment

We didn’t have a really late night but we got to sleep in a little bit, until 8am! We started off the year with a tasty breakfast – fresh sourdough bread, toasted, slathered with Boursin and topped with a runny egg. Divine!

Being the new year, we were sure there would be visitors so I whipped up a batch of scones to go along with tea or coffee.  I had blackberries in the fridge and some half and half that I needed to use up. A search on the internet came up with this recipe from Wendy from Around My Family Table. It was simple to make in the food processor.  I actually did a couple of pulses with the blackberries so that the beautiful purple was distributed in the dough.

These were great on their own but even more so with a pat of butter.

Blackberry Scones
Adapted from Around My Family Table

2 cups flour (plus more for kneading)
1/3 cup sugar
1 TB baking powder
5 TB cold butter
1/2 to 3/4 cup half and half
1 cup blackberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar and baking powder. Add the cold butter and pulse until crumbly. Add the half and half and pulse some more. Fold in the blackberries.

On a floured surface, knead the dough and form into a circle.  Cut into 8 triangles and place on a cookie sheet.  Brush the tops with half and half.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

holiday baking

By Leave a Comment

We had a chance to get away and didn’t hesitate for a second
about not spending the holidays at home. 
The trip just meant that I had to be extra organized and get all our
holiday baking done early.  It’s always
fun to spoil our friends and neighbours with a box of goodies, and this year
was no exception.

It was hard to decide what to put into this year’s goodie
box but here is what I decided on.  Click to find out recipes for these tasty treat!

Whipped shortbread
Walnut shortbread
Chocolate chip cookies
Butter Pecan Squares
Rice Krispie Squares
Candy Cane Cupcakes

mint and chocolate

By Leave a Comment

Mint and chocolate.  What a perfect combination. It works well with coffee (peppermint mochas, yum!), cookies and definitely dessert.  It was the inspiration for some cupcakes I made a couple months ago for hubby’s birthday.  Although I had made some ice cream cake to celebrate at home, I thought it would be fun to send some cupcakes for him to celebrate at work.  Hubby’s co-workers were treated to After Eight Cupcakes – chocolate cake topped with peppermint buttercream.

The combination worked well and so I made them again this weekend. Instead of using the chocolate as a garnish, I used candy canes.  The Candy Cane Cupcakes were made for the Food Blogger Bake Sale.

A Holiday Edition of the bake sale was created to raise funds for Meals on Wheels.  Fellow food bloggers Vincci and Dan have worked hard in planning and promoting this event – you guys are awesome!  When I went down this morning, the tables were full of yummy goodies and creative packaging.  The event has been extended to tomorrow so be sure to go down to Casel Marche, try some wonderful baking while benefiting a great cause.

mint chocolate cookies

By 1 Comment

I am excited to participate in this year’s Food Blogger Cookie Swap. What a fun way to bring together food bloggers from around the world!  You’ll see a post on December 12th as to what I made, and sent to three fellow bloggers.  There was some testing along the way and this is one test that was pretty tasty.

Chocolate and mint just go so well together, so when I saw this recipe on Foodess, I knew I had to try it.  The cookies turned out so good!  The only reason I didn’t use them for the cookie swap was that they were on the soft side and I didn’t think they would be great for shipping.

These cookies were so yummy!  They were soft and quite rich, so they paired perfectly with a cold glass of milk. The taste combination is perfect for those wanting to do some Christmas baking. They are definitely on my list of things to make this year.

Mint Chocolate Cookies
From Foodess

1 cup butter, softened
1¾ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp peppermint extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Beat in eggs and peppermint extract. Gradually add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt and beat until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Form dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Flatten balls slightly. 

Bake cookies until edges begin to firm but center still appears soft, about 9 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool completely.

chocolate zucchini bread

By 1 Comment

We were lucky to get some home grown zucchini from hubby’s co-worker this year. The possibilities of things to make with them were endless – bread, fritters, pasta…What I really wanted though was chocolate zucchini bread.  I searched for a recipe but most called for canola oil, which we had totally run out of.  I was happy when I found a recipe from Tara from seven spoons.  I loved that the recipe called for so much zucchini – what a great vehicle for eating your veggies!  Q has become a little nut monster lately so he got to pick what we used.  His nut of choice for the bread – pecans.  This bread was so good, it didn’t last long at all.  It was amazing with a tall glass of milk. Q loved it and I was happy for him to have seconds because of all the greens that were baked in. The last batch of the zucchini went into two more loaves today.  So good!  Thanks T for the zucchini and thanks Tara for the great recipe.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
adapted from seven spoons

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups shredded zucchini

Preheat an oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease two loaf pans.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the nuts and chocolate. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the olive oil and buttermilk. Add the eggs, sugar and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Stir in the zucchini.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stir until combined, taking care not over mix. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and bake, rotating once, until a cake tester inserted into the loaf comes out almost clean, which should be around 50 minutes. Cool loaves in their pans on a rack for 20 minutes.

butter pecan squares

By Leave a Comment

Pecan tarts are one of my favorites.  The pecans, the gooeyness, even the raisins, who wouldn’t love it? I’ve always wanted to try making these but the idea of making tart shells kind of put me off.  When I found this recipe for squares and an easy shortbread bottom, I quickly put it on my list of baking to do over the holidays.  Although I made these to distribute, none of them made it out the door.  They were delicious and satisfying and by the time I was putting together packages, there weren’t many squares left!

Unfortunately I don’t remember where I found this recipe.  It’s easy and delicious though, so definitely try it out!

Butter Pecan Squares

1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter

2 TB melted butter
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
2 TB flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1 cup raisings
1 cup chopped pecans

Combine flour and sugar and cut in the cold butter until the dough is crumbly.  Press the dough into a 9″ square pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes

In a bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients.  Pour over the baked base and bake at 350 degrees for another 25 minutes.

coconut cake

By Leave a Comment

We celebrated another anniversary this month – my in-laws.   We had a Mexican feast to celebrate their 36 years of marriage.

I had a cake in mind that I wanted to try and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to make it.  I had seen Ina’s famous coconut cake many times on her show Barefoot Contessa.  It was also recently showcased on Next Food Network Star so I knew I just had to try it out.

 I gathered the ingredients together and when I went to preheat the oven, I found that my oven had completely stopped working!  I was not going to let that stop me from making this cake, so I loaded up my car and finished the cake off at my parents.

I made a few changes to up the coconut factor and of course I had to add some chocolate.  I made one layer rather than two and found that it was the perfect amount.  This cake was a hit!  I even saw my father-in-law have seconds – unusual for someone who doesn’t eat sugar.  I will definitely be making this cake again and again (once I get my oven fixed).

Coconut Cake

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp coconut extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

nutella
cream cheese frosting (below)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease one 9-inch round cake pan.

Cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time.  Add the extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined and then fold in the coconut. 

Bake in the center of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes before frosting.

Cover the top of the cake with nutella.  Wait 5 minutes before icing the entire cake with the cream cheese frosting and covering it with coconut.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 package cream cheese
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp coconut extract
1/2 pound icing sugar
3 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

Combine the cream cheese, butter, and extracts on low speed. Add the icing sugar and mix. 

easy scones

By Leave a Comment

When I need whipping cream for a recipe, I can’t help but buy the large 1L size, even if I just need a cup.  It just makes economical sense.  I know, I need help.  That means that as the best before date approaches, I’m scrambling trying to find something to make with the whipping cream.  I was happy when Julie posted this easy scone recipe that uses whipping cream instead of butter!  In five minutes, the batter was mixed and dropped onto cookie sheets.  The warm scones were perfect with homemade blueberrry jam.  They were so good, they didn’t last very long.

The recipe can be found at the Family Kitchen.  Thanks Julie!

chocolate fiber muffins

By Leave a Comment

Chocolate – it’s a huge weakness of mine.  It’s rare for a day to go by without me having it in some form.  I was so happy when I rediscovered these chocolate fiber muffins. I found the recipe years ago and it was a favorite of mine, but somehow got lost and forgotten.  I recently found it on my old computer and it has been a staple the last few weeks.  Chocolate muffins that are good for you!  These are filled with fiber and have no butter or margarine.  These muffins are dense and filling and with their chocolately goodness, I don’t know who likes it better, me or my toddler.  I substituted half the batch with mint chocolate chips making it a good substitute for my peppermint hot chocolate which I rarely have these days.  I wish I knew where this recipe came from – the creator of this recipe deserves A LOT of credit.

 

Chocolate Fiber Muffins

1/2 cup cocoa
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 TB baking powder
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups water
3 cups All Bran Cereal
2 egg whites
2/3 cup chocolate chips (or mint chocolate chips)

Put cereal in water and set aside.  Mix all dry ingredients with a whisk.  Combine cereal, dry mixture, egg whites and vanilla and mix well with a mixer.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes.  Makes 24 muffins.

 

no-knead bread

By 1 Comment

This no-knead bread is the easiest way to make homemade bread with very little effort.

No-Knead Bread

There is nothing better than freshly baked bread with melting butter and home made jam.  Last summer, I had made loads of jam and was itching to make some bread at home to accompany it.  I had asked my friend and fellow blogger Cheryl (Backseat Gourmet) to recommend something easy and she suggested a no-knead recipe posted on Julie’s website (Dinner with Julie).  This is the easiest recipe ever and it makes the most delicious bread.  All you need to do is mix it and forget about it – for 24 hours anyway.  I have made this so many times, and it is one of those no-fail recipes.  Try it – your friends will think you’re a star!

No-Knead Bread
Save RecipeSave Recipe
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp instant yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups + 2TB water

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl stir together the flour, yeast and salt.
  2. Add 1 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons water, and stir until blended. The dough will be sticky.
  3. Cover the bowl and let it rest on the counter for 18-24 hours at room temperature.
  4. Flour a surface and place the dough on it. Sprinkle it with flour and fold it a couple of times before shaping it into a ball.
  5. Place the dough on a piece of parchment and cover it with a towel and let it sit for another 1-2 hours.
  6. Preheat the oven to 450°. Put a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats.
  7. When the dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven.
  8. Place the dough with parchment into the pot.
  9. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake another 10-15 minutes, until it’s nice and golden. 
7.8.1.2
82
https://foodmamma.com/2010/08/no-knead-bread/