Tag Archives: baking powder

Oatmeal Pancakes

Yes you read correctly. Oatmeal. And yes, I did eat oatmeal! And yes I did like it! BUT, it was in pancakes. Not as a cereal. (that will NEVER happen) But I still ate it! The pancakes were so good too! Last weekend my husband wanted pancakes. We never have a mix on hand because we make it once and then it sits there for months and months and by the time he wants them again the mix is no longer any good. So I found a recipe in the South Beach Diet Cookbook and changed it up a bit. I used fat-free half-and-half in place of fat-free milk, soy flour in place of whole wheat flour and toasted wheat bran instead of toasted wheat germ. Came out awesome! The only problem was that I do not have a good flat griddle pan. I had to use my largest frying pan and needless to say the pancakes were a bit on the odd-looking side. They were not round. But they tasted really good! Nutty and a little more chewy than pancakes usually are but really tasty. I was going to add some cinnamon to the batter but I forgot. Next time! So please excuse the photos, don’t judge by their looks. We also used agave nectar instead of syrup and it was delicious. Didn’t have to use so much of it either! Oh and if you decide to make them you need prep time. About 40 minutes of  “sitting” is needed. Read below and you’ll see what I mean.

Not your usual round pancakes!

INGREDIENTS:

1¼ cups rolled oats (not quick cooking oats)

2 cups fat-free half-and-half

1 egg

½ cup soy flour

¼ cup toasted wheat bran

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons sugar substitute (I used Splenda)

2 teaspoons canola oil

½ teaspoon salt

There are actually 4 pancakes in this photo.

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the oats and milk and let it stand for 10 minutes.

2. Stir in the egg, flour, wheat bran, baking powder, sugar substitute, oil and salt, mixing until evenly blended and only small lumps are left. Let the batter stand in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. (Don’t do it on High like I did at first. Oops!). Working in batches, pour the batter by ¼ cup into the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the top starts to bubble and the bottom is browned. Turn and cook for another 1-2 minutes longer or until golden brown on bottom.

4. Remove to a plate and keep warm. Repeat to make a total of 12 pancakes.

Makes about 12 pancakes

Cranberry-White Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are very festive looking with their white chips and red cranberries! To make them look even more Christmas-like you can even add some shelled pistachios! The green will be subtle but very classy looking.

These cookies are also pretty easy to make. They are drop cookies. Nice and simple.

INGREDIENTS:

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

½ cup butter, softened

1 1/3 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1½ cups white chocolate morsels

1 (6 ounce) package sweetened dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

2. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.

3. Add flour mixture to butter mixture gradually, beating at low-speed until blended. Stir in white chocolate morsels and cranberries.

4. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheets.

5. Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned on bottom. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Makes 3 dozen cookies

Pina Colada Oatmeal Cookies

Ok my Christmas tree is up and decorated! Woo Hoo! Now I just need to clean up and finish up the loose ends for the inside decorating. Spent all morning and part of the afternoon Christmas shopping so I got a late start on the tree today. I had promised myself I would write the blog in the morning also. Didn’t happen! It is amazing that even though I am not working (unemployed but not by choice!) you would think I had so much time on my hands! I seem to have even less. Looking for a job is a full-time job in itself so I am happy to take time and just write about my recipes and research photos and just escape into my own little food blog world. It’s a great place!

My Christmas tree

Great places have great food and drinks. The piña colada is a wonderfully decadent and delicious drink and it definitely brings up images of palm trees, warm weather, sandy beaches, tiki huts…You get the picture. So I found a recipe for my last cookie exchange that took that wonderful cocktail and made it into a cookie! The recipe calls for rum extract but I like to use the real thing. Or even use a coconut rum. It’s a small amount so don’t worry that anyone will be getting plastered from eating these cookies. They are tasty and tropical and they even go great with a real piña colada to wash them down! Why not! It’s the holiday! Enjoy! (I know the picture is small but I didn’t have a close up them by themselves. Never thought I’d be doing a blog when I made them!)

Pina Colada Oatmeal Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1½ cups firmly packed dark brown sugar

1½ sticks butter, softened

1 egg

1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice

1 teaspoon rum or coconut rum (or use rum extract)

2 cups flour

½  teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1½  cups rolled oats (not quick cooking)

½ cup flaked coconut

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350º. In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, pineapple with its juice, and rum extract until well blended.

2. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until well blended. Stir in oatmeal and coconut.

3. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. (Those silicone mats or parchment paper work great also). Bake for 15-20 minutes. Let cookies cook on sheets for 2 minutes, then remove to a rack and let cool completely.

Makes about 48 cookies

Blueberry Pancakes

Every so often we get that craving for pancakes on the weekend. But trying to watch the carb and calorie intake makes it tough. This recipe only has 4 grams of carbs per serving! No joke. And they are actually very good! I know many of us have tried the “Atkins” pancake mix, or other low-calorie low carb mix over the years and they were all just a little on the bland side. Not this recipe, which I got from “George Stella’s Livin’ Low Carb” book. I actually use this cookbook quite a lot. This coming from a true carb hound. The recipes are great! This recipe I actually had all the ingredients so we tried them out. It actually calls for heavy cream and I didn’t have any so we used half-and-half instead and it was great. The other minor ingredient I actually did not have on hand was baking powder! So I found my ‘substitution’ chart and made my own! Just combine ½ teaspoon cream of tartar and ¼ teaspoon of baking soda. Voila, baking powder. And since I only needed ¼ teaspoon of baking powder it was perfect. Also, usually we have the sugar-free syrup in the house for the pancakes and waffles we sometimes have, but this time we used the amber agave nectar!

Delicious and so much better for you! We also have the light one as well. Found it cheap at Marshall’s! Go figure!

INGREDIENTS:

Cooking spray or butter (for pan)

2 large eggs

½ cup heavy cream (I used half-and-half and it was fine)

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup soy flour

2 tablespoons sugar substitute (Splenda recommended)

1 tablespoon wheat or oat bran (I used wheat)

¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ cup fresh or frozen(thawed) blueberries

DIRECTIONS:

1. Grease a griddle or large skillet with cooking spray or butter and heat over medium heat for at least 5 minutes. The griddle should be very hot so that the pancakes don’t stick.

2. Mix all the ingredients except for the blueberries in a blender or food processor for about 15 seconds. Stop and scrape the sides and mix for another 15 seconds until well blended.

3. Pour about 12 little cakes onto the hot griddle (they should be about the size of the bottom of a soda can). Wait for the pancakes to bubble and then sprinkle with a few blueberries on each of them. Cook for a little longer, then flip with a spatula and cook for a few more minutes, until both sides are slightly browned. Serve hot with melted butter and syrup of your choice! You may have to do this in a couple batches.

Makes about 12 small pancakes. You can use other berries also just make sure you cut them up small enough to about the size of the blueberries.

Paradise Cookies

I believe there is room for a cookie or two in everyone’s day. I can rationalize that they are smaller than a piece of cake so therefore  it’s better! I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have a favorite cookie. Whether it’s chocolate chip, oatmeal, thin mints, peanut butter or whatever you like, it’s always fun to find a new treat. I found the basics for this recipe and tweaked it to make it a little different. These cookies have a Hawaiian taste with the pineapple, coconut and macadamia nuts. (Leave out the nuts if you are allergic to nuts)

Photo for illustrative purposes only

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained well

1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1½ cups sweetened shredded coconut


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375º. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar at medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

4. Beat in the flour mixture at low-speed. Stir in the coconut, pineapple and nuts.

5. Place rounded teaspoons of dough about an inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake until the edges are golden, 10-12 minutes. Let cook on a rack.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Rose’s Molten Lava Cookies

I got this recipe from my bff Rose. I actually have not made them yet but I do plan on it! She had many requests for them and if you love or even like chocolate they will be amazing. I have known Rose since 1981 when we were both at SUNY Oneonta. She rocks! So try these cookies out and remember they come from an amazing person! If you ever go to Pindar out east on the north fork of Long Island stop in and say hi! Buy some wine! Anyway…Bake some cookies!

Rose's Molten Lava Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 cups sugar

¾ cup cocoa powder

2 eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup dark or semisweet chocolate (at least 60% cocoa), roughly chopped

Powdered sugar for garnish (optional)


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. Cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add cocoa powder, eggs and vanilla; mix until combined.

3. Combine flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Gradually add to butter mixture.

4. Shape dough into 1″ balls. Using your thumb, press a thumbprint into the center; fill with a piece of chocolate and fold dough over to cover chocolate.

5. Place balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges are firm and tops are soft. Remove cookies to a cooling rack; dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

6. Serve warm, if possible. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

7. To reheat cookies, place cookie on microwave-safe plate and microwave on high for 5 seconds, or until cookie is slightly warm.

**Tips From Rose: She used Ghiradelli 60% cocoa chips. At first she used 2 chips but suggested adding 3-4 if you really love chocolate!

Another tip is to roll the cookies in powdered sugar before baking; this creates a crust of sugar!

(Amish) Friendship Bread

As promised here is the recipe for the actual Friendship Bread or Amish Friendship Bread as it’s called sometimes. Amish Friendship Bread has been around a long time, and some people claim that the recipe did indeed come from the Amish. However, there is no real connection to the Amish people. No matter where the original recipe came from, the fun is in the sharing. You create a bread mixture and after it is ready to bake you share some of the dough with your friends or family. You give your friends parts of the dough, and you keep some of it so that you can continue to make it. You can keep the chain going on your own, and your friends can start chains of it as well. No matter what, the Amish Friendship Bread is something that you can all share.

If you get a starter from a friend, you can easily follow the instructions that come with it. There are also so many things you can do with the mixture once you are ready to bake it! I will give some examples of what you can add to your bread at the end. It’s up to you, be creative! Have fun!!

Friendship Bread

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup starter mix

2/3 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts


DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl combine starter, oil, eggs and vanilla. Stir well.

2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

3. Stir dry ingredients into wet mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

4. Spoon mixture into 2 well greased loaf pans and bake in a 350º oven for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

VARIATIONS:

– use chopped pecans & dried apricots in place of the walnuts and chocolate chips

– substitute 1 teaspoon rum extract for the vanilla and add 1 cup of flaked coconut and 1 cup well-drained crushed pineapple

– substitute raisins for the chips

– omit the chips and add 1 cup applesauce and 1 cup raisins

– omit the chips and nuts, substitute 1 teaspoon nutmeg for the cinnamon and add 2 cups fresh blueberries

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