Baking Frenzy

I've been on a baking kick recently. It's always been one of my favorite activities because the end results are the real prize. I have some fire department friends who bake lots of goodies and send them off with their husbands to the fire station to share with all the guys. What a waste of time!! (sorry guys) If I don't get to eat the fruits of my labor what's the point?? Here's what I've been baking recently:

Banana Nut Blueberry Muffins: (modified a little from the Joy of Cooking Cookbook - one of my all-time favorites, the amount of cooking knowledge in that book is ridiculous!)

Preheat oven to 375. Spray, grease or line 12-muffin pan (adding the blueberries made about 14)

Mix together:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (will use half all purpose, half whole wheat next time)

1/2 cup wheat bran

2 t baking powder

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t baking soda

1/4 t kosher salt

1/8 t nutmeg

Stir in:

2/3 c coarsely chopped walnuts

Wisk together:

1 egg

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2-3 mashed ripe bananas

3 T vegetable oil

3 T apple sauce

1 t vanilla

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with a few light strokes. Add 1 cup blueberries. Mix until just moistened, batter should be lumpy. Divide batter into muffin pan. Bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean about 18 minutes. Let cool 2-3 minutes then remove from pan.

Waffles: This is a recipe from Alton Brown's Good Eats show. Mike and I saw it, and have been making this waffle recipe ever since. I had left over buttermilk (from a non-baking recipe) so I made these for Wes and myself THIS morning!! Oh my goodness, I'm blogging about something that actually happened today, this is a first!! I'm so proud of myself. Of course, this doesn't mean that I'm caught up though.

Traditional/Blueberry Waffles (can you tell blueberries have been on sale recently?)

1 c all purpose flour

1 c whole wheat flour

2 T sugar

1 t kosher salt

1/2 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

3 eggs

4 T melted butter

2 c room temp buttermilk (Alton says this is important, but I just try to take it out of the fridge when I start to get everything ready)

Mix dry ingredients together

Beat together eggs and melted butter, then add buttermilk and mix together (I just use a fork)

Add went ingredients to dry ingredients and fold with a spatula. (I usually add a couple handfulls of fresh or frozen blueberries here) Do not overmix! Let rest for 5 minutes

Spray waffle iron with Pam and fill with batter. Cook to desired crispness!

Chocolate Waffles: Alton also made these on the show and they are to die for! I usually cut this recipe in half, make them, and freeze them and then have them for dessert (that is, of course, if they don't get eaten during breakfast, which has happened more than once!)

3/4 c all purpose flour

3/4 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c unsweetened cocoa (I think 1/3 c is enough)

1 t baking powder

1 t salt

1/2 t baking soda

3 eggs (I just use 1 if I'm halving the recipe)

4 T melted butter

2 c room temperature buttermilk

1 t vanilla

3/4 c chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients together. Beat together eggs and melted butter, then add buttermilk, and vanilla and beat together (again, I just use a fork)

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and fold with a spatula. Add chocolate chips and do not over mix! Let rest for 5 minutes.

Spray waffle iron with Pam and let cook to desired crispness.

For dessert these are awesome with chopped strawberries and whipped cream or they're pretty darn good with some sausage and real maple syrup :)

There are always lots of left over waffles from these recipes and they freeze great. I just defrost them a little and pop them in the toaster.

And recently we were at my mom's house and were discussing brownie recipes and Michael and I both agreed on our favorite all-time brownie recipe, so I just had to make them:

Martha Stewart's Double Chocolate Brownies

Vegetable Oil cooking Spray

6 T unsalted butter

6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 all -purpose flour (I usually do 1/2 c all purpose 1/4 c whole wheat...healthy brownies!)

1/4 t baking powder

1/4 t salt (I usually use kosher)

2 eggs

1 c sugar (I usually use 3/4 c )

2 t vanilla

Preheat over to 350. Line 8 inch square baking dish with parchment paper leaving overhang all around. Coat with cooking spray and set aside.

Melt together butter, chocolate and cocoa in a double boiler. Remove from heat stir until smooth and let cool slightly.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside. Put eggs, sugar and vanilla into a bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat until pale about 4 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture. Add flour mixture, beat until just combined, scraping down sides as needed.

Transfer batter to prepared pan, smoothing top with spatula (I usually sprinkle chocolate chips on top). Bake 30-35 minutes, do not over bake. Let cool 15 minutes, transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.

I love this recipe for a couple of reasons, you don't have to clean the brownie pan, love the parchment paper! Second, they are salty and chocolaty, one of my favorite combo's and third, an 8x8 pan doesn't make a ton of brownies, so it's perfect to have a couple, share a couple and then they're gone :) I can't wait to explain to my doctor why I've gained more than my allotted weight this month. Happy baking!