Chocolate Cinnamon French Toast

Posted on June 29, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

When I walked into my neighborhood grocery store last week, I never thought in a million years that I would find a fresh loaf of challah bread sitting there, winking at me, beckoning me, in the bakery section. I live in a fairly small town and the nearest grocery store doesn’t carry anything out of the ordinary, so I saw this loaf of challah bread as my baking destiny. As I put it into my basket, the heavens opened up, the sun shone down on me, and I declared(loudly): I shall make Chocolate Cinnamon French Toast with this challah bread, while onlookers froze in amazement.

Ok. So that didn’t happen. For the most part anyway. Truth, I have had this idea in my head for awhile, but I swear it was fate.

Anyway, this is a super easy breakfast that you can whip up any day of the week and make you look like a rock star at the same time.

This is the fateful challah bread loaf that brought cinnamon and chocolate together forever.

I like my french toast to be thick, so I sliced my loaf into 1 inch slices.

I just love the fact that there are cinnamon flecks in my french toast.

Chocolate Cinnamon French Toast

Yield: Approximately six 1-inch slices

Recipe by Carrie

Ingredients

For the syrup:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the egg wash:
8 eggs
splash of milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
mini chocolate chips
powdered sugar (optional)

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, water, cinnamon and vanilla.
Stirring constantly, cook on medium-low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 5-7 minutes.
If your syrup begins to thicken, simply reheat on the stove or in the microwave for a few seconds.
Heat your large frying pan on medium-high heat and melt a tablespoon of butter to lightly grease your pan.
Slice your challah bread loaf about 1 inch thick, using a serrated knife.
Combine your eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla in a shallow, wide mouthed, bowl. Your bowl needs to be wide enough to dip your bread slices in.
Dip your sliced challah bread in your egg mixture and make sure both sides are covered completely.
Carefully place bread in pan and fry 2-3 minutes before flipping to the other side. If you find that your pan is too hot, then turn down your heat to medium.
Drizzle syrup on french toast and top with mini chocolate chips and powered sugar.

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Disney, Hogwarts, and Butterscotch Pie

Posted on June 22, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

If you have been following me on Facebook or reading my latest posts or haven’t been living under a rock, you already know that the Hubster and I took our vacation to Florida last week. This was in part to celebrate my birthday, but it was also to visit family and Orlando.

The Hubs and I are total Potterhead-Dizgeeks, so we spent part of our week at Disney’s Epcot and Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the other part hanging with the fam.

We decided to hit up Epcot first…

In all my years growing up in the bay area, I had never been to Epcot. I know. Total blasphemy.

My brother was able to take off work and join us, so yeah. awesome.

We spent the day going from country to country sampling all the food fare and drinks the world had to offer.

Here we were in Germany at a wine tasting. The Hubster is not a big wine drinker, so he got himself a German lager.

While walking through Great Britain, we stopped to take in a sidewalk show…the infamous, Romeo and Edna.

It was cheesy and corny and I loved every minute of it. This guy was especially funny.

I totally took advantage of this photo-op in Morocco. I channeled my inner Captain Jack Sparrow for the shot.

The next day we visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter…

I have read the books a zillion times. Watched the movies a kagillion times. And I have A TON of Harry Potter paraphernalia…über Potterhead right here, ladies and gentleman.

I had already been to the WWOHP once before, but this was the Hubs first time.

We literally spent most of the day inside Hogsmeade drinking Butterbeer, eating lunch at the Three Broomsticks, and riding with Harry, Ron, and Hermione inside Hogwarts.

I love a good Butterbeer mustache…

I was able to get some really great shots like this one. Every hour, this owl would come out of his tower.

As we were leaving, I was able to get my picture taken with the conductor of the Hogwarts Express.

As we walked through, I made sure to take certain shots of the rooftops. This was one of my favorites.

I loved the golden snitch above this shop.

And it just so happened that we were in town for Father’s Day last week.

So my Mom and I decided to make my Father’s favorite pie. Butterscotch pie.

This pie is not for the faint of heart…In fact, it is a two person job. It was my great-grandmother’s recipe and my grandmother used to make it for my father when he was little.

So yeah. It is around 200 years old.

This pie will make you work for it, but it is ohhhh so worth it.

You want your brown sugar mix to boil, but make sure you are stirring constantly to prevent burning.

Before you put your milk on the double boiler, combine your sugar, cornstarch, flour, and salt in a small bowl.

That way it is ready for when you need it.

After you have combined the milk mixture with your butterscotch, pour into your baked pie shell and top with meringue.

Butterscotch Pie

Ingredients

1 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 c unsalted butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 baked pie shell (9 ")
meringue

Instructions

Bake your pie shell accordingly. It can be store bought or homemade. I prefer homemade and used my Mom's old Betty Crocker cookbook to make mine.
In a nonstick medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, water, and corn syrup. Cook on medium heat stirring constantly for about 10-12 minutes or until a small amount forms a hard ball in cold water. *Tip provided by Mom.
At the same time, scald your milk in the top of a double boiler. I let my water boil first and then added my milk. When it started to steam (about 10 minutes) I added my white sugar, cornstarch, flour, and salt. I made sure I had my dry ingredients premixed before I started my cooking my milk. That way it was easily accessible to pour into the milk.
After you add your dry ingredients to your milk, you want to use a hand mixer to beat your ingredients, making sure to scrape the sides of your double boiler. It should be thick and smooth.
Add the butterscotch mixture and stir until smooth.
Temper your egg yolks with a small amount of your butterscotch mixture.
Add the tempered eggs to your butterscotch and beat with a mixer to combine.
Cool and pour into baked pie shell and add meringue.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until your meringue is set.
Let cool to room temperature and then place in refrigerator for 2-3 hours to set.

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5 Things

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

When my sweet friend over at Polka Dot Skies did a “5 interesting things you may not know about me” post and then encouraged us to play along, I couldn’t help but join in the fun, so here goes…

#1 I recently became a vegetarian

I take issue with all the inhumane ways animals are slaughtered for meat production and find all the growth hormones and other chemicals extremely unhealthy, so I decided to forgo all cattle, pork, and poultry products. On rare occasion, I will eat fish and shellfish, but I do my very best to make sure they are wild caught and fresh. I encourage all meat eaters on the fence about joining us veg heads to read Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer.

#2 I LOVE audiobooks

I am an ferocious reader, but I am obsessed with audiobooks. I have one in the car {Michael Crichton – State of Fear} and one on my laptop to take with me when I am getting ready in the morning or baking or even cleaning around the house {Diana Gabaldon – Dragonfly in Amber.} I have also started Ken Follett’s Fall of Giants for light summer reading.

#3 I am a total N-E-R-D

Ok, this might not be such a surprise, but it is definitely worth noting. I am obsessed with Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Star Trek, Star Wars, really anything with stars in it, Lord of the Rings, and Firefly. I am positive there is more, but you get the idea. I even designed my dining room to look like something right out of Hogwarts and I also have my own Honeydukes display.

#4 Mario Kart Master

Several of my weeknights are consumed with playing Mario Kart Wii with my brother and father. I live in NC, while they are in Florida, so we connect via the Wii online network. It is a great bonding experience and we get to catch up with each other about how our week has been.

#5 The Element Song by Tom Lehrer

A few years back, I proposed a contest to my fourth grade class…memorize the infamous Elements Song by Tom Lehrer and win a cupcake courtesy of me. Of course, I couldn’t expect them to memorize it if I hadn’t, so I spent several weeks practicing. To this day, I can sing all the Elements {except for the 15 discovered after the song was created.} FYI, so can Daniel Radcliffe.

Bonus fact: I was fortunate to have Little Polka Dot, Polka Dot Skies’ daughter, in my class not just for first grade, but also for second. She was and still is such an amazing girl!

Do you want to play along? I would love to know what 5 interesting facts you have to share! Please let me know if you would like to participate and I will officially tag you!

Brown Butter “Snicker”doodles

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

Ohmigosh, you guys. I am beyond excited…

Tomorrow kicks off my birthday week!!!! Yes, week!!!

While I truly believe I am 15 in my head, it will actually be my 5th annual 29th birthday this Friday…

And Mr. BNP and I are headed to Florida…

…to go to…

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Epcot…

SQUEEE!!

And! And, since I am a Tampa Bay native, I am also planning to spend time with family and friends…and Winter the dolphin…because.

I am completely in love with the Hubster for planning this trip and I promise to take loads of pictures to share with you guys next week.

But for now, let’s talk cookies…

I am obsessed with Snicker doodles. Like, I could eat 5 or 6 cookies, hot, right out of the oven, on any given day, in one sitting…that is how much I love them. At Christmas time, Betty Crocker stocks the shelves of Target with the best Snicker doodle mix I have ever found and so I buy them all up. But by this time in the year, they are hard to find and I have completely run out of my snicker doodle stash.

So last weekend I found myself in desperate need of some snicker doodles. I was going through some definite withdrawal…for serious. I went into the kitchen and instantly started working on my own recipe. I looked like a mad scientist, you guys! Flour in my hair, cinnamon and sugar all over my apron, but in the end, I made these incredible bad boys.

They are comparatively, just as delicious as Betty Crocker’s in my opinion. And just to add a twist to my cookie, I added a Snickers mini inside the middle. Oh, and I also browned the butter first to give it a nutty flavor. It tied in nicely with the peanuts from the Snickers bar.

Browning butter is very simple. Slice your butter into tablespoon pieces first, so that your butter melts evenly. Whisk constantly in a medium saucepan on medium high heat for 5-8 minutes. Make sure you take it off the heat once you start to see the light brown specks on the bottom. Transfer it to a different bowl to prevent it from burning.

I cut the Snickers minis in half and then wrapped the dough around the candy bar before dipping it into my cinnamon sugar mixture.

Make sure you keep your cookies 1-2 inches apart on your cookie sheet. That way they won’t run into each other when they flatten out.

Let your cookies cool for a few minutes before transferring them onto a wire rack to prevent them from breaking.

Brown Butter “Snicker”doodles

Yield: 2 1/2-3 dozen

Recipe by Carrie

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) browned butter, cooled to room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Bag of mini snickers, cut in half
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° and line cookie sheets with parchment or silapat.
When browning your butter, slice your sticks of butter into tablespoon sized pieces so that it melts evenly.
You want to whisk your butter continuously in a medium sauce pan on medium-high heat for about 5-8 minutes.
Smell your butter, it should have a nutty aroma. You should be able to see small brown specks on the bottom of the pan.
Immediately remove from heat and transfer into separate bowl to cool and to prevent the butter from browning any further.
In your stand mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar until light and fluffy; about 2-3 minutes.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
Add eggs to your butter mixture; one at a time until fully incorporated.
Add your vanilla extract.
Slowly add your flour mixture to your wet ingredients; mix until just combined.
In a small bowl, combine your 4 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon.
Using a mini-ice cream scoop, measure out 1 heaping tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball.
Press half of the Snickers min into the middle of your dough and carefully wrap the dough around the candy bar.
Roll back into a ball and into your sugar & cinnamon mixture.
Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart on your cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes.

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Salted Chocolate Toffee = Salted Chocolate Toffee Shortbread Cookies = Salted Chocolate Toffee Milkshake

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

I am a late-to-life nerd in some ways because I used to get teased in school for all the geeky things that I enjoyed. So as I got older, at some point or another, I abandoned all my beloved Disney friends, time traveling aliens, spaceships, and fantasy sci-fi to try and fit in. When I finally realized that a.) I would never truly fit in with the “it” crowd and b.) nerds are cool, I let my geek flag fly high and proud.

The fact of the matter is, nerds rule the world…

It’s true. Ask anybody…

Natalie Portman, Ben Stein, Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, and Emma Watson are just a few famous nerds in existence.

…the list goes on and on and for thousands of years.

Wil Wheaton was recently asked by a new mom to explain to her newborn daughter why it is awesome to be a nerd…

His response was the stuff of legend…life changing for not only the newborn and her mom, but to every other nerd in the room…

Check it out..

So in honor all all things geekery, I made toffee. But not just any ordinary toffee though…

I made you Salted Chocolate Toffee…

Which then turned into Salted Chocolate Toffee Shortbread Cookies…

And then Salted Chocolate Toffee Milkshakes…

Oh yeah…I went there…and so should you.

Let’s start with the toffee. Shall we?

Combining your sugars, butter, corn syrup, and water, you want to make sure all your sugars dissolve and that it reaches 285 degrees. This is called the soft-crack stage. Soft-crack stage has been reached when the syrup forms firm but is still pliable. It is typically referenced for your toffees, brittles, and even butterscotch.

After you have poured your toffee onto a rimmed cookie sheet, gently sprinkle your chopped chocolate and let the hot toffee melt it until it is spreadable, then sprinkle your sea salt.

If your using your toffee in another recipe like me, wait until it is completely cooled before a coarse chop. Or if it is by itself, just crack it a few times with a knife and dig in.

Salted Chocolate Toffee

Total Time: 30 minutes

Recipe by Carrie

Ingredients

1 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
coarse sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray rimmed baking sheet with flour spray.
In a medium saucepan, combine butter, sugars, corn syrup, and water.
Bring the sugar mixture to a boil, constantly stirring to dissolve the sugars.
Have the baking soda and vanilla extract ready.
Cover the saucepan with a lid for about a minute to allow any of the sugar mixture to melt down into the pan.
Remove lid and securely clamp a candy thermometer to the side of the pan, making sure it does not touch the bottom.
Cook, without stirring, until the sugar mixture reaches 285 degrees(soft crack stage).
Remove saucepan and add the vanilla and baking soda, stirring to combine.
Immediately pour the mixture evenly onto the baking sheet.
Spread the chopped chocolate over the toffee mixture.
After 2-3 minutes, the chocolate will be softened enough to spread an even layer over the toffee using an offset spatula.
Sprinkle 2-3 teaspoons of coarse sea salt or fleur de sel over the melted chocolate.
Place pan in the fridge until chocolate has set.
Using a sharp knife, cut toffee into desired pieces.

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Now let’s talk cookies. I found these way cool cookie cutters at World Market. They have a unique, almost rectangular cut out right in the middle so that you can slip one of these bad boys on a tall glass of milk…or even better, milkshake.

This is the star shape, but they also have hearts and flowers. I couldn’t help but buy all three.

Salted Chocolate Toffee Shortbread Cookies

Yield: 4 dozen cookies

Recipe by Carrie

Ingredients

4 cups flour
2 cups salted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup salted chocolate toffee, coarsely chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° and line baking pan with parchment or silapat.
In your stand mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla one teaspoon at a time until incorporated.
Add 1 cup of flour at a time and mix well.
Fold in salted chocolate toffee.
Roll into a ball and wrap in saran wrap.
Place in fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.
Flour your surface, roll out a small ball of dough to about a 1/2 inch, and cut using your favorite cookie cutters.
Bake for 9-10 minutes and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

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And to tie it all together….Salted Chocolate Toffee Milkshake with our cookies as garnish.

We had a few friends over the night that I made these. Not only did we each have our own milkshake and cookies, but we manage to finish them…complete with our spoons scraping the bottom for more.

Salted Chocolate Toffee Milkshakes

Recipe by Carrie

Ingredients

8 scoops of Breyers Homemade Vanilla icecream
3/4 cup salted chocolate toffee, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Combine ingredients in blender and blend on high for about a minute.
Add milk or take away depending on your preference of thickness.
Top with a Salted Chocolate Toffee Shortbread Cookie and bits of toffee.

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Technical difficulties

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

Bake No Prisoners has been facing some technical difficulties over the past 2 weeks. We are hoping to resolve the issues real soon!! We will let you know when we are back online! In the meantime, please take a moment to like us on Facebook to stay in touch!

Semi-homemade Strawberry Push Pops

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

My Mom lives hundreds of miles away, so each year, when Mother’s Day rolls around, I try to think of something new to show her how much she is loved. Something from the heart that says, thank you for being there. This year, both my Mom and MIL got a handmade, framed family tree that included all the kids, grand-kids, and grand-pups. Mr. BNP and I spent several nights putting it together and making it just right for our Mamas.

My Mom is the type of person who gives you 100% at all times. She is full throttle at everything she does. The way she loves you. The way she supports you. Even the way she hugs you. And she gives the best hugs. We talk everyday and spend every holiday together. We cook together. We shop together. We are each others best friend and we have been that way for many years.

But all of that could have changed about a year ago…

You see, my Mom had a massive heart attack, followed by triple bypass surgery a few months later.

My heart broke when I got the phone call. I was on a plane that night to see her. I had no idea whether my life would fall apart that day or not.

Over the past year, I have seen my Mom give a 100% in her recovery. I have seen strength, perseverance, and a renewed love for life. She finally took the trip of her dreams and spent 31 days in Europe. She met and chatted with the Canadian Tenors, her favorite music group. And she is finally learning that a new life can start at any age and to never give up on your dreams.

My Mom. My hero. I love you more than words could say. I am so proud to call you my Mom.

So here is something that is easy and girly and perfect for any Mom.

These semi-homemade push pops combine the sweet crunch of strawberry Rice Krispie Treats with the creamy flavor of strawberry shortcake icing.

To begin, heat on medium heat, 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan until melted. Add a 10 oz. bag of vanilla and strawberry marshmallows to melted butter and stir until marshmallows are melted and gooey. Add 6 cups of Rice Krispies cereal and mix well. Using wax paper, press firmly into a rimmed cookie sheet sprayed with flour spray.

You can find push pop containers at your local craft store, but I found mine on Amazon and it came with a handy stand to hold them. This really helps when you are trying to decorate or layer.

Once the strawberry Rice Krispie treats are cooled, use the circle top end of your push pop to “cut out” your circles.

You will need 2-3 circles per push pop container.

Gently push the Rice Krispie treats down to the bottom of your push pops and then layer with icing.

I chose to use a can of Frosting Creations from Duncan Hines I had in my pantry, along with the Strawberry Shortcake flavoring packet. It went perfectly with the strawberry Rice Krispie treats.

Thomas the Train Cupcake Tutorial

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

I like trains.

I am a huge fan.

I often daydream about boarding the Hogwarts Express with Harry, Ron and Hermione, or riding an old steam locomotive and spending the afternoon gazing upon the English countryside, like in some sorta Agatha Christie novel.

Well, this Saturday was E’s 3rd birthday and he wanted a Thomas the Train themed party. So his Mom and I put our heads together and we decided that I would make these adorably cute Thomas the Train cupcakes.

Since I don’t have small children of my own, I wasn’t sure where to begin, so I scoured the internet for all things Thomas the Train. After a little digging, I found all sorts of ideas to pull from. Not to mention I could tie in all the bits of information I knew about trains as well.

Thomas was easy enough to put together. I started with the large, medium, and small circle cutters you can find in the baking section at Micheal’s. I rolled out white fondant I had tinted blue, to an 1/8 of an inch and used my large circle cutter to cut out my base.

To make my black outline, I rolled out black fondant, again to 1/8 of an inch, and used my medium circle cutter. For the the grey Thomas face, I used a small bit of black candy clay(about the size of a dime) I had and mixed it in with a golf ball size of white gum paste. If you do not have candy clay, black fondant would work as well. Using my small cutter, I cut out his face.

For his eyes, I used the mini circle cutter and then used this circle cutter for his nose. I found it among the mountainous pile of cookie cutters I currently own. It was the perfect size. After I cut it out, I rolled it between the palm of my hands to form it into a ball. Rolling out the dough and cutting it with the same cutter would ensure that every nose would be the same size.

To make his smile, I rolled out my fondant and then used my mini circle cutter to cut out additional circles. Then I used the edge of the cutter to cut out a smile from each circle.

To add the smoke stack, I took my black fondant and cut out 1 inch squares. Using my medium circle cutter, I trimmed one side of the square, so that it would line up with my black outline.

After I had cut out all the pieces I needed for Thomas, I attached them using a gum paste-water adhesive. If you are not used to working with gum paste, then a little water will work just as well. If you would like a stronger bond, then simply drop tiny bits of gum paste into 2 inches of water and let sit for 10-15 minutes. The gum paste will melt and your water will become cloudy. Use a small brush to stir and apply your adhesive to your fondant pieces and let dry completely.

I did add a 1/2 in. by 1 in. red horizontal strip with two black vertical stripes along the bottom like Thomas has, but I forgot to take a picture. To add his black eyes and eyebrows, I used an edible black pen by Wilton.

To mixed things up, I also made a Railroad Crossing sign and a set of railroad tracks. For the railroad tracks, I was able to use my new wood imprinting mat to give it a more realistic feel.

Happy 3rd Birthday E! I hope you had a wonderful day!

Doggie Doughnuts {Inspired by E}

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

The Hubster and I don’t have any children. Instead, we come home to the pitter-patter of little…paws. We have 12 paws in the house with not 1, not 2, but 3 little dogs that we call “forever puppies.” Mr. BNP coined the phrase, “forever puppies”, because our dogs will never, ever be very big.

Scrappy Rowan was the first, and is the oldest in our little pack. Weighing in around 8 pounds, he is a Yorky-Silky mix. We got him in 2003 when we were still living in the Tampa Bay area and before the Hubster and I were even married. Being the first, and the sweetest, my Mom and his Dad fight over who Scrappy likes better…Nana or Papaw.

Bogart Mahan came a few years later in 2005. We had just moved to NC and I had convinced my husband that we needed a playmate for Scrappy. Playmate, yes, but this dog has also convinced us that we needed several new pieces of furniture over the years…if you know what I mean. Maybe Chewy would have been a better name?

We found Waffles Orilius roaming the streets about 6 months ago. It was cold and rainy outside and we just had to stop. The Hubster was taking me to the doctor’s that morning because we thought I had the flu (I did), so while I was at the doctor’s, he took Waffles to the vet. He was underweight, shaky, and scared. We took him home, gave him a bath, and put up flyers, but no one claimed him. He fit right him with the other two, so we decided to adopt him.

Now I know these doughnuts are dubbed as doggie doughnuts, but I also made them an Inspired by E recipe because there is no sugar, chocolate, or all purpose flour in the ingredient list. As a matter of fact, these doughnuts would be perfect for the less-furry, human kind of mammal inhabiting your home.

They have a cakey doughnut texture with just the hint of sweetness to them. You can eat them by themselves, or add a bit of cream cheese “frosting” if you’d like.

Bogart preferred the “frosting”, while the other two…

…devoured the doughnuts!

Scrappy ate 2 all by himself!!

Doggie Doughnuts {Inspired by E}

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup organic peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup unsweetened, organic applesauce
1 ripe organic banana, mashed
1/4 cup unsweetened carob chips
Cream Cheese frosting: 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon organic vanilla
2 teaspoons honey

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray your doughnut pan with flour spray. I use Pillsbury Flour Spray and it works great.
In your stand mixer bowl, combine mashed banana, eggs (one at a time until well mixed), vegetable oil, honey, applesauce, and peanut butter.
**Tip** Measure the honey using the same measuring cup you used for the oil. The oil makes a slick surface and your honey will come out of the cup easier.
In a separate bowl, combine four and baking soda.
With your mixer on low speed, carefully incorporate your flour mixture a little at a time.
Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl and then mix on medium speed for about a minute.
Fold in the carob chips.
Carefully spoon mixture into prepared pan, about 2/3 full, using the back of the spoon or a spatula to spread it around the doughnut circle.
Be careful not to overfill.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cream Cheese frosting: Combine cream cheese, vanilla, and honey until well incorporated.
Refrigerate left over frosting until ready to use.

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Bananas Foster Muffins

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Carrie Hoke

So here is how last Saturday went.

Me: Honey, what do you want for breakfast? I was thinking muffins.

Hubster: Sounds good to me.

Me: What kind do you want? I have apples, bananas, raspberries…{voice trailing off to tackle mound of laundry}

Hubster: I don’t care. Whatever works for you?

Me: Banana muffins then. Banana muffins with rum. Banana muffins with rum and brown sugar. Banana muffins with rum and brown sugar and homemade caramel sauce.

And that’s how it’s done.

It is crazy how easy these muffins came together. I mean, I mashed the ripe bananas I had using my stand mixer and then piled the rest of the ingredients in, starting with the wet and ending with the dry. I put them in the oven for 15 minutes or so and while that was baking, I made the caramel sauce. The caramel sauce came together in 10 minutes and I cannot tell you how amazing it is. {That post is coming later this week, but I know for a fact that SprinkleBakes has a great recipe for Caramel Sauce too.} So within the hour, I had warm, ooey-gooey, pop-in-your-mouth Banana Fosters Muffins. Just because.

Banana Fosters Muffins

Serving Size: Makes 3 dozen mini-muffins

Recipe by Carrie

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 ripe bananas
2 tablespoons rum {optional}
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
caramel sauce {homemade or store bought}
brown sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line mini-muffin pan.
In your stand mixing bowl, mash ripe bananas on low speed.
Add vegetable oil, egg, and rum and mix well.
In separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time until well incorporated.
Fill muffin well 2/3 full and top with brown sugar.
Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Drizzle with caramel sauce.

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