Friendship in the form of Mandel Bread

Special guest for this post: our friend Lauren!

Brief history: Lauren and I became facebook official friends before our freshmen year then became real friends the first day of college. Since then, our friendship has grown stronger every year (aww). While visiting her in Chicago last week, Lauren suggested baking a family recipe.

So, what baked good does friendship call for you ask? M-A-N-D-E-L B-R-E-A-D. You can toss in just about anything you like. Ours reflects true friendship because Lauren threw in her beloved raisins (me = not a big fan) and I threw in my beloved chocolate chips (Lauren = not a big fan) but together they tasted TERRIFIC!!! (plus the happily agreed upon sliced almonds). Add anything you like, cherries, walnuts, reeses pieces...

Ingredients
1 to 1 1/2 cups slivered almonds
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup raisins
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs and 1/2 cup sugar in a mixer on high for 4 minutes, until the eggs are thickened and light in color. Beat in oil and vanilla.

Sift together flour and baking powder. Stir in the dry ingredients into the egg mix 1/2 cup at a time. Stir in almonds. Stir in raisins. Stir in chocolate chips.

In a separate bowl, add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon.

The dough should be stiff enough to roll into a log between wet hands. If it is too sticky, refrigerate dough for up to a 1/2 hour.

Divide the dough in half. Wet your hands and form each half into a roll about 2 inches in diameter by 11 inches long. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle tops with cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake for 30 minutes until light brown. (logs will flatten somewhat during baking)

Remove baking sheet from oven. Raise temperature to 375 degrees.

While logs are still hot, carefully loosen with a metal spatula. Let cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Then, using a sharp knife, cut each log into 1/2 inch slices and lay each slice flat on the baking sheet. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over slices.

Return the slices to the oven for 5 minutes. Turn over each slice, sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture, then bake for another 5 minutes. The mandel bread should be lightly toasted on both sides.

When cool store at room temperature in a tightly closed container.

adapted from Aunt Jorie


*Note, after returning home I received the very sad news that Lauren's grandfather passed away. I had the pleasure of getting to know Papa my sophomore year when Lauren, our friend Laura, and myself stayed with Nana and Papa during spring break in Florida. We had a wonderful time with them and they kindly treated us like their own granddaughters. Papa loved mandel bread so I dedicate this post to him. Love you Papa!

-Kayla

Thanks to Chef Michelle I made Chocolate Toffee Bars! Yummers

Gooey toffee, melted chocolate, crunchy nuts, and sweetened condensed milk to hold it all together. The best word to describe these bars is: AMAZING! All made possible by first experiencing these delights in Michelle's kitchen. My friend Michelle is a superb cook/baker and everything in between. I first got to experience Michelle's baking when we met abroad in New Zealand (sigh).

My last two birthdays I was treated (pun intended) by Michelle's chocolate cake which is so @$#%&*$ good I couldn't even try to bake it and do it justice. Perhaps I'll talk her into being a special guest on our blog sometime soon... So here they are. Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars. I made these for my cousins' jewelry party. I didn't end up buying jewelry (sorry!) but I think this delicious dessert made up for it (sorry i'm not sorry!)


Ingredients:

• 2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
  
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
• 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
  
• 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
• 1-1/3 cups (8 oz. pkg.) heath toffee bits, divided

My ingredients waiting for my mother to get home with more brown sugar!

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Combine flour and brown sugar in large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg; mix well. Stir in 1-1/2 cups chocolate chips and all of nuts. Then set aside 1-1/2 cups mixture.

3. Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over hot crust; set aside 1/4 cup toffee bits. Sprinkle remaining toffee bits over sweetened condensed milk. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture and remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips over top.

4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. (Mine were re.ady at 25 minutes) Top with reserved toffee bits. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

The Ulu knife. Terrific tool for choppin. Requires family trip to Alaska.

Sooo much toffee mmmmm

Bar mixture before baked


-Kayla

To Chocolate From Ginger With Love

Jessie's right. Her oatmeal raisin cookies get a HUGE approval from me. This is because I actually got to taste them. I walked to the family mailbox earlier today and found this beautiful package waiting for me:


Using a food blog to keep in touch is better than you think. Unlike other blogs, when food is involved, you just might get surprised with a delectable treat!!!


These oatmeal raisin cookies tasted better than ever because they traveled far and were made with a special ingredient: friendship. Isn't baking wonderful? Thanks Ginger, love you and your wonderful new mixer lots.

Something to brighten the post-graduation slump

Graduation has come and gone and without Kayla, where will I ever find the motivation to get off the couch and bake?? Well.. motivation has come in the form of my graduation present:

It's tangerine and it's my new best friend. And just because we're too many miles away from each other, doesn't mean that Kayla can't play with it too..

Heeeyyy Kaayyla. So I decided to make my favorite cookie, the one, the only, the Oatmeal Raisin cookie.

As per Yohn's request I'm adding more pictures of the process..like kayla checking in on the mixing...

Luckily the final product was Kayla approved.

...and someone had to lick the bowl...

So the cookies turned out delicious and chewy. It was probably all because of the Kitchenaid mixer too.

The recipe:

3/4 c. butter, softened

1/4 c. shortening

1 c. packed dark brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

3 c. rolled oats

1 c. raisins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Stir in the oats and raisins. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until light and golden. Let them cool for 2 minutes before removing from cookie sheets to cool completely. Makes 36

Adapted from Beth's Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Graduation & Cheesecake = Bittersweet

Our last baking experience together, for now. Even though Jessie did not get to taste test the final project, they were a hit at a parent/college grad wine and cheese party later in the evening. Our friend Adrian ate about six if that gives you an indicator of how yummy these mini cheesecakes are. What makes them better than your average cheesecake is, for one, the adorable cupcake size, and second, the chocolate chip cookie surprise crust. This recipe has graced the annual family Christmas party since I was a baby so from my family to yours, have a chocolate chip cheesecake on me.

To Jessie, Happy Graduation! Keep baking and keep posting. I can't wait to visit your dream kitchen one day, let's plan on having a baking party every 5 years for our friends. Love you always my favorite ginger!

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cups

-1 package (16oz) chocolate chip cookie dough
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 (8oz each) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
-1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup margarine
- 2 eggs
-1 (21oz) can cherry pie filling (can sub for strawberry or blueberry)

Preheat oven to 375F. Line muffin pans with baking cups and spray with Pam. Slice cookie dough into 24 slices and lay in bottoms of baking cups. Mix remaining ingredients (except pie filling) with electric mixer for about 1 minute. Fill cups with batter approximately 2/3 full. Bake 32-35 minutes. Cool to room temperature and top with cherries. Refrigerate then serve.

Recipe from Aunt Janeen H

"Nothing says love like a cupcake does."

We couldn't agree more. Let's bake cupcakes for people we love. Only a couple sorority chapter meetings left so how about for our Theta sisters? Jessie and I looked up different cake recipes and settled on one from the great Duff Goldman (from Ace of Cakes). We put our own spin on this classic vanilla cake by adding rainbow sprinkles and vanilla buttercream frosting, mmm. Bonus, this is another recipe that sticks to our chocolate strike (though we both may have cheated a little...) There is so much frosting left over we're gonna have to whip up another cake this week, oh darn.

Cupcake Ingredients
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, unsalted
2 cups sugar
4 tsp vanilla extract
6 eggs
3 tbsp canola oil
2/3 cup buttermilk
5 heaping tbsp rainbow sprinkles

Directions
-Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare cupcake pans with liners.
-In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
-In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes until light. Add vanilla then eggs, one at a time. (Don’t worry if the batter looks curdled.) Add oil and buttermilk. Slowly add flour mixture in 3 additions and mix until just combined. Stir in rainbow sprinkles.
-Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake about 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the
middle comes out clean (ours were perfect at 17 minutes). Let cool completely before frosting.

*Yield: About 36 cupcakes. We think it could have made 40+ but I dropped some batter on the floor :(




Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
7-10 cups confectioner's sugar
2/3 cup 2% milk
3 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
Place butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 5 cups of the sugar, then the milk and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add in remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition until the frosting is thick of enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar, frosting should be fluffy and smooth. If desired, divide the frosting evenly and place in separate bowls then add food coloring of your choice. This made us enough pretty peach and lavender frosting for all 36 cupcakes and then some. Store the frosting in an airtight container and refrigerate to frost another cake.

Banana Bread with Cinnamon Crumble Topping

So it's day 4 of the chocolate strike. Jessie and I began our 12 step program Monday night at approximately 8pm (after I consumed about half a brownie pan). So we admit it: we're chocoholics. That's the first step. Can you blame us?

A mutual friend claims if you rid your body of a certain food for a week, after 7 days you will no longer crave it. Not so sure we believe it, but to honor our chocolate strike we decided to make something equally delicious: BANANA BREAD!!! Who needs chocolate when you have warm, moist, banana bread, with crumbly cinnamon/sugar topping to eat? Honey is the secret that makes this bread great. You're supposed to let it cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack after baking but we started eating it right away..it's hard not to, so good. (might be even better with chocolate chips...damn chocolate strike!)

For bread:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
3 mashed ripe medium bananas
2 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup honey
¼ cup water
optional: ¼ cup crushed walnuts for that extra crunch

For topping:
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 ½ Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar (we added a bit more..)

Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 350° F.
-Spray a 9 x 5 inch metal loaf pan lightly with cooking spray and then line it with parchment paper (we just used wax paper). Spray the pan again.
-Whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in one medium bowl. In another medium bowl whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir well. Stir in walnuts if desired. Scrape the batter into your prepared pan.
-In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients and sprinkle them evenly over the batter.
-Bake the bread until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean (about 55 minutes to an hour depending on your oven).
-Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Then carefully remove the bread from the pan, taking care not to dislodge the topping. Let cool completely before slicing. (unless you're like us!)

Yield: 1 loaf

Adapted from Orangette