Banana Walnut Bran Muffins

Here's another use for those overripe bananas on your counter or in your freezer.  I really enjoyed them.  They were stick-to-your-ribs hearty, but still very tasty.  Great for a grab-and-go breakfast on those busy school mornings!  Substitute chocolate chips for the walnuts for a more indulgent treat.

Marzipan Archives:

1 year ago Fried Pizza Dough with Cherry Tomato and Basil Dipping Sauce

2 years ago Homemade Soft Flatbread

3 years ago Raspberry Custard Tart

4 years ago Vanilla Almond Biscotti

5 years ago Zucchini Soup

Banana Walnut Bran Muffins

from The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread

Makes 12-18 muffins

2 1/8 cups (312g) all-purpose flour

2 1/4 cups (160g) wheat bran

2 tsp baking soda

1 3/4 tsp kosher salt

2 1/2 cups (500g) mashed banana

1 cup + 2 tablespoons (250g) unsalted butter at room temperature

2 large (100g) eggs

1 cup (200g) brown sugar

1 1/3 cups (150g) walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

1 cup (150g) sliced ripe banana (I omitted)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease 12-18 muffin cups or line with muffin liners depending on how full you fill the cups and how big you want your muffins to be (I filled the cups to the top and it made about 18 smaller muffins.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, wheat bran, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

In another bowl with a mixer, beat the mashed banana and softened butter until mixed.  The mixture will look lumpy and curdled.  Add the eggs and brown sugar and mix until completely combined.

Fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture and stir just until combined, then gently fold in the walnut pieces and banana slices.

Scoop the batter into the muffin cups.  Bake for 23-25 minutes or until the muffin is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.  Serve or freeze within 8 hours.

Turtle Cheesecake

Do you know anyone who doesn't like cheesecake?  Even those without a sweet tooth or those with a great amount of will power cannot resist the delicious combination of creamy cheesecake, caramel, nuts and chocolate.  (I have witnessed this firsthand!)

This cheesecake is perfection.  It is different from other cheesecakes in that it does not have your normal graham cracker crust.  You only place a dusting of graham cracker crumbs in the pan before adding the cheesecake filling.  This way the crust doesn't overpower the filling and you are left to enjoy the best part - and it takes away the extra step of mixing the crust and pre-baking it.  I really do prefer it this way.   No graham crackers in the house?  You can substitute any cookie crumbs you might  have on hand - I used crushed Belvita biscuits and it worked perfectly.   You could even use plain dried bread crumbs in a pinch.  

Turtle Cheesecake
from Diner Desserts by Tish Boyle

Note:  For the photo above, I sliced the cheesecake and then drizzled the toppings for serving.  I recommend adding the pecans, but since my daughter has a nut allergy, I did not use them on the cake in the photo.  Cheesecakes freeze quite well, making them great for entertaining.  Leave the cake in the springform pan and wrap with plastic and then with foil and freeze.  Thaw a day or two ahead in the refrigerator and add toppings the day of serving.

Cheesecake Filling:
1/3 cup graham cracker or cookie crumbs (I used crushed Belvita biscuits)
1 3/4 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 Tablespoon cornstarch, sifted
1/2 cup sour cream
4 large eggs
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Caramel Topping:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Pecan Garnish:
1/2 cup pecan pieces, toasted

Chocolate Drizzle:
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream

Cheesecake Filling:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.  Dust the pan with the cracker crumbs.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and the sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.   Add the cornstarch and mix until combined.  Add the sour cream and mix on low speed until combined.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Add the heavy cream and vanilla and mix until blended.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake the cake for 30 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 225 degrees F and bake an additional 60-70 minutes , or just until the center no longer looks wet.  Turn the oven off without opening the door and leave the cake in the closed oven for an additional hour.  Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.  Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 3 hours before making the toppings.

Remove the sides of the springform pan from the cheesecake.  Using a small offset spatula, spread the caramel topping over the top of the cake.  You may have some topping leftover.  Sprinkle the nuts on top, if using, then drizzle with chocolate.  Refrigerate one hour before serving.

Caramel Topping:
Measure out the heavy cream and have it ready near the stove.  In a small, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Increase the heat to high and cook the mixture for 8-10 minutes, or until it turns dark amber.  Remove the pan from the heat and gradually stir in the heavy cream (the mixture will bubble).  Return the pan to medium heat and stir just until smooth.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter until completely melted.  Stir in the vanilla extract.  Transfer the topping to a medium bowl and refrigerate 1 hour, or until spreadable.

Chocolate Drizzle:
Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water and heat, stirring occasionally, until completely melted.  Slowly whisk in the heavy cream until smooth.  Allow to cool until it is just warm.  Transfer the chocolate to a plastic resealable bag and cut a small hole in one corner and use it to pipe the drizzle onto the cheesecake.

Delicious Homemade Chicken Enchiladas

I was first introduced to these awesome enchiladas by my friend Jen from Hope Studios.  Jen is a great cook and baker and everything she makes is delicious!  She's really great at adding those extra touches to make a dish look great too.  Above are the enchiladas I made and below are the enchiladas Jen made.

This is Mexican comfort food at it's best!  I loved all the toppings she prepared so we could personalize them.  My favorites are avocado, lettuce, just a smidge of sour cream, and lots of cilantro.  Serve these enchiladas with Mexican Rice with Black Beans.  If there are any leftovers, I like to freeze one or two in a container with leftover rice and after a few minutes in the microwave, voila! - instant yummy lunch for one!

Chicken Enchiladas

adapted from The New Best Recipe by Cook's Illustrated

serves 6

1 medium onion, diced 

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons chili powder

3 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons sugar

16 ounces canned tomato sauce

1 cup water

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, whole

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

3 tablespoons pickled jalapeno, chopped

1 fresh jalapeno, minced

1/2 cup cilantro, minced

12 6 inch corn tortillas

Coat the bottom of a large saucepan with olive oil and heat over medium low heat. add the onions, cover, and cook until the onions are soft, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the tomato sauce and water and bring to a simmer. cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Place the chicken in the sauce. reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. 

Strain the sauce to remove solids and season with salt and pepper.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite size pieces. toss the chicken with about 1/2 cup of the sauce, 1 cup cheddar cheese, jalapenos, and cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat your oven to 300F. spray a 9x13 inch pan with non stick spray. set aside.

Warm the tortillas in the microwave so they are pliable. place about 1/3 of a cup of the chicken mixture in each tortilla. roll each and place them seam side down in the pan. continue until the pan is full.

Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the enchiladas. sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese. cover with foil and bake about 25 minutes, or until the enchiladas are heated through.

Pink Ruffle Cake

While our kitchen was being renovated, I didn't do a lot of baking.  I had an oven, but no counter space and no dishwasher.   But it was a big year for my daughter and her wonderful group of friends. Throughout the year, they were all turning sweet 16, getting driver's permits and licenses and more freedom.  (yay for them, yikes for me!)  Of course they wanted tasty and pretty cakes to celebrate so I did my best!

Here's the how-to:  I frosted the cake with a thin smooth layer of Swiss meringue buttercream icing. Then, I used an Ateco 104 tip (a petal tip) and held the piping bag at a 90 degree angle to the side of the cake with the skinny end of the tip on the top and the larger end of the tip on the bottom.  I started at the top of the cake, applying icing horizontally in a ruffly circle.  (A cake decorating turntable is great to use here.)  I repeated going down the cake, overlapping a tiny bit of the bottom of the previous circle of icing until I reached the bottom.  That's it!  Pretty ruffles for pretty girls!  

Giant Cupcake Cake!

I baked this cake for a very cute 9-year-old girl.  She loves cupcakes, and what could be better than a giant cupcake on your 9th birthday!  

I used the Wilton giant cupcake pan.  Although I will link to it here, I'm not sure I'd recommend using it.  The top and bottom cavities are connected and since they are very different shapes, they took very different times to bake.  So the top was done long before the bottom - and the bottom took forever to bake all the way through and ended up denser than pound cake.  The top half was probably a little dry and over-baked.  (good thing there was lots of icing!)

Next time, I would bake multiple cake layers, assembling the layers with icing and then refrigerating until firm.  After the cake is well-chilled, I would carve all around using a serrated edge knife to make the cupcake shape.  A less-than-perfect carving job will be well disguised by the decorations.  The bottom is covered with pink tinted fondant (I made a template from parchment paper first) and the top is covered with chocolate buttercream using a Wilton 1M tip.  A fondant daisy and sprinkles top it off.

I took note of the dimensions (height and diameters) of the pan to guide me in the next giant cupcake I bake.  The cake will cut into 15-20 moderate slices.  Since the cupcake is tall, I would slice the top half separate from the bottom half.   Let me know if you try this cake!  I'd love to see your photos!

A Tennis Cake and A Shortcut: Using Candy Melts for Writing

A problem I run into when I am making chocolate ganache icing for a cake is that I have to make another icing which can be colored with food coloring for the writing on the cake.  This means thinking ahead and getting the butter out to soften, making a fraction of a recipe for buttercream, dirtying another bowl and beaters, and adding food coloring to the right shade.  

So here's a shortcut for you:  If you have candy melts on hand (such as the Wilton brand you can get a JoAnn's), you can place the melted candy coating in a decorator's bottle or a plastic baggie with a small hole cut in the corner and write away!  The candy coating is already colored so there's no need to mess with food coloring (in fact, don't try to add regular gel food coloring to candy melts, or the candy coating will seize.)

Tennis anyone?

Margarita and Lime Cookies

Hello and Happy Summer - my favorite time of the year!  I hope you are enjoying the warm temperatures and having a margarita or two.  I'm dusting off my camera and hope to bring you more yummy photos to look at.   Are you baking or working on any fun projects, reading any good books, how is your garden growing?  Let me know in the comments!