Category Archives: Baking

No Ordinary Banana Bread

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Fast, Easy And Most Of All, Delicious!

It just seems that every week we have some bananas that just get too ripe for my taste. Harry doesn’t mind if they get those “Age Spots” on them but I just can’t eat them when they’ve gone that far.  So, very often a moist flavorful Banana Bread appears.

Banana Bread.jpg

What we love about this recipe other than saving  the life of a couple of bananas, is that this cake stays fresh for days or freezes really well. You can slice it before freezing and then just take out a few slices at a time.

Lets get started resuscitating those over the hill bananas!

Two Food Nuts Banana Bread:

For the batter you will need:

  • 2 very ripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup soft butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar
  • 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup of raisins (you can also add 1 cup chopped pecans if you like)

For the glaze  you will need:

The juice of one lemon and enough icing sugar to make a stiff, but pourable icing.

banana loaf.jpg

We use a stand mixer but if you have a hand mixer you can do this in a large bowl. Cream the butter and sugar together until the sugar is well incorporated. Add the bananas and mix just to break them up. Add the eggs and mix for 15 seconds. Pour in the milk and lemon juice. Mix for 10 seconds and now add the dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking soda). Mix just to create the batter. Now switch to a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir in the raisins and nuts if using them.

Prepare a loaf pan by greasing with either butter or baking spray such as Pam and flour the pan. You can also spray the pan and line it with a sheet of parchment paper to be sure the cake released.

Parchment lined pan.JPG

Bake in the middle of the oven at 350 F degrees for at least 1 hour. Check at that point with a wooden skewer. If the cake is still wet, reduce the oven to 300F degrees and bake for another 15-20 minutes. If your cake is getting too dark but still not baked, lay a piece of foil over it.

Banana Bread.jpg

When the cake is done, I remove it from the pan by lifting it on the parchment and cool it on a baking rack. Once the cake is cool, pour the glaze down the middle and help it run down the sides with a spatula. Thanks for saving the life of a doomed Banana!

We look forward to your comments on this recipe. Happy baking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Apple Crisp

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Apple Crisp An Old Fashioned Dessert.

Homemade apple crisp

Apple Crisp is a go to recipe when we have an abundance of apples. This year we foraged so many apples  that we promised we’d share all our best recipes with you.  We like to make a batch of these crisps and freeze them so we can grab one and bake it off at a moment’s notice.

foraging for apples

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s recipe makes 4 mini crisps or it will make one family size. Lets get started.

TwoFoodNuts Apple Crisp:

The filling:

  • 3 lbs of apples, peeled, cored and sliced into thick slices
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 allspice
  • 1/1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 Tbsp cold butter cut into little cubes

Peel, core and slice the apples, place in a large bowl and add all but the butter. Divide into 4 mini foil loaf pans or place in one deep casserole for a single dessert.  Dot each crisp with the little butter cubes.

apple crisp filling

For the topping:

  • 1 cup of quick cooking Oatmeal. (not instant)
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup cold butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar

Place everything in a bowl and rub the butter into the flour and sugar to form crumbs. ( you can use a food processor to do this)

Apple Crisp

Sprinkle the crumb topping onto the fruit filling and cover with cling film and foil if freezing or pop into the oven at 350F until the filling bubbles up through the crumbs. This can take from 40 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the crisp.

Top with freshly whipped cream or quality ice cream and serve.

Cooks Tip: Sometimes when we want to change it up a bit, we use a can of cherry pie filling on top of the apple filling. It bakes into the apples and gives you a most amazing Apple/Cherry crisp. It’s a great way to use a stock recipe but add variety! Try it

 

 

Honey Roast Peanut Butter Cookies

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Baking Cookies Is Sharing Love!

The Chocolate Chip Cookie is probably the most baked cookie of all.  But that’s going to change as of right now!  At TwoFoodNuts central the Honey Roast Peanut Butter Cookie is King!   We are willing to bet that if you make these you are going to feel the same.

Milk & Cookies

These Honey Roast Peanut Butter cookies are easy to whip up, so lets get started!

TwoFoodNuts Honey Roast Peanut Butter Cookies:

Pre-heat the oven to 350F

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

  • 1 cup peanut butter (we love chunky)
  • 1/2 cup soft butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup of Honey Roast Peanuts
  • 1 and 1/3 cup all purpose flour.
  • No salt is added since the peanuts are salty!

Honey roast peanut butter cookiesWe like to measure out all the ingredients so the baking is fast and accurate.  In a large mixing bowl cream the butter, peanut butter and sugar to make them very creamy. A stand or hand mixer is best. Add the egg and mix for a few seconds. Add the baking soda and vanilla. Finally, add small amounts of flour and peanuts alternately until both are fully incorporated into the batter. Scoop onto a baking sheet lines with parchment and bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes. Cool on a rack.  Share the Love!

TwoFoodNuts Cookie Monster

The “One” Tart

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One Apple, Makes One Tart That Feeds Four!

Sometimes you need a quick dessert that wows the audience. This “One” is going do just that!  You don’t need much to put it together.  We love anything made with puff pastry.  The quality of a ready-made butter pastry is perfect for this dessert. We make it early in the day, pop it into the freezer, then bake it while everyone is eating the main course.   Lets face it, a warm apple tart with a dollop of fresh cold whipping cream is always welcome.

 

Total prep time for this dessert is only 10 minutes once you have the ingredients on the work table, so lets make the “One” Tart!

apple desserts

Ingredients for our TwoFoodNuts “One” Tart:

  • 1 ready made puff pastry sheet about 12  inches square
  • 1 large Honey Crisp apple, peeled, halved, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 Tbsp melted butter
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1 large pinch ground cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp sliced almonds
  • 1 tsp Demarera sugar or any course sugar to sprinkle over the tart.
  • 1 cup heavy cream for whipping
  • 1 Tbsp sugar to sweeten the cream

Now you see why we call this the “One” Tart!

"One" Tart

Begin by allowing the pastry to thaw.  Roll it out on a fresh sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet and prick all over with a fork.  Place in the freezer while you peel the apple.  Peel the apple and cut in half or quarters.  Remove the core and slice the apple so it’s about 1/8th inch thick.  You want enough to cover the tart in a single layer.  Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and using a pastry brush, spread the melted butter all over the tart.  It will solidify right away. That’s what you want!  Layer the apples in an interesting pattern to within 1/2 inch of the pastry edge. Drizzle the honey over the apples, sprinkle with the cinnamon, place the almonds on the apples and pinch the sugar over the top. Lightly run a butter knife around the edge of the crust about 1/2 in from the edge. This lets the crust puff a bit.

Now you can decide if you are baking it right away.  If you want it for later in the day pop it back in the freezer and the apples will stay nice and white till you’re ready.

It’s ready for the oven!  Bake for 10-15 minutes in a hot oven at 400F.  Puff Pastry does best when it’s cold before being placed in a hot oven. It causes the pastry to rise and become light and crispy.  When the “One” tart is baked, slice into 4 generous pieces and top with a heaping tablespoon of sweetened whipping cream.

French Apple tart

 

 

Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake

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In German We Say “Kaffe and Kuchen”!

Coffee and cake, they’re just made for one another.  We’d like to share this recipe that has become a true favorite of ours.  It’s not too sweet but its rich in flavor and texture.  The pecan streusel filling is a perfect accent to the tender simple cake.

Pecan coffee cake

You will need a Bundt Pan for this recipe.

TwoFoodNuts Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake:

For the Pecan Streusel Filling:

  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter cut into small chunks and chilled
  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Place everything into a large bowl and with your fingers crush the chunks of butter into the flour and sugar until you have a crumbly mixture. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350F

For the Cake:

  • 3 cups of all purpose flour
  • 1 and 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1  and 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup melted butter
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 and 1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
  • 1  cup apple sauce

Place dry ingredients into a bowl, make a well and add all the wet ingredients, stir to incorporate everything without mixing too much.  Spray a Bundt pan with a baking spray and add half the batter. this batter is quite stiff so you may need to smooth it by using the back of a spoon that is dipped in cold water. Now add the pecan streusel filling. Top with the remaining batter then finish with the pecan streusel.

cinnamon pecan coffee cake

This cake bakes for about one hour depending on your oven. Use a wooden skewer to test at the one hour mark. If the cake is very brown but still a bit wet inside you can turn off the oven and leave the cake in it to cool for another half hour. This will keep it from over browning.

sour cream coffee cake

Light Icing:

  • 2 Tbsp soft butter
  • 1/and 1/2 cup icing sugar
  • 1-2 Tbsp warm water

Blend everything in a small bowl using the back of a spoon. Drizzle over the cooled cake. Put the coffee on!

Pecan coffee cake

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