the no-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal "cookie"

To me, no-bake cookies come right out of old cookbooks with worn canvas covers. I've seen plenty of no-bake recipes while browsing through my vintage cookbook collection, but never thought to try them myself. Then I spied these no-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies on Ezra Poundcake and something told me....Go! Now! No-bake these immediately! Well, that was last fall and I only made them a few days ago. Obviously, I'm tardy when it comes to following my gut. But no more. These are seriously the easiest cookies anyone could ever make, so what are you waiting for?

I'm actually hesitant to call this a cookie. They remind me of a chocolate haystack candy that my mom made when I was little. They were amazing and this no-bake recipe is the closest thing I've had since I was nine. It's like a sweet bite of memory overload. I followed the original recipe and used tablespoons to drop the mixture onto waxed paper, but in hindsight I'd use just a teaspoon. Smaller lumps would make for better bites. Plus, these babies are sweeeeeeeeeet! Next time I'd cut the sugar and increase the peanut butter, but I'm not sure if that would screw up the recipe. Thoughts? Oh and another bonus? Easy to make vegan by switching in soy milk and soy margarine!

These cookies/candies make use of the stove top, so they are perfect for summer sweets when turning on the oven would be criminal. Plus they are delicious served cold, which makes them a refreshing bite of chocolatey goodness. I tried a keeping a batch in the freezer and a batch in the fridge for testing sake. The ones in the freezer were stickier and gooey and the ones in the fridge were almost sandy in comparison. I liked the sandier fridge chilled cookies best, but do whatchya like! Either way, they'll go quickly.

no-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies
(adapted from Ezra Poundcake)
1/2 c butter
2 c sugar (I used a scant 2 cups)
1 t salt
1/2 c milk
4 T cocoa
1/2 c natural peanut butter
3 to 3 1/2 c old-fashioned oats
2 T vanilla

In a medium sized saucepan, mix together the first five ingredients and bring to a boil. Let boil for 1 minute and then remove from heat. Add in remaining ingredients and then use a teaspoon to drop the mixture onto cookie sheets lined with waxed paper. Chill until set. Keep in refrigerator.

for maman: date & raisin squares

When I was little, my mom had her standard dessert recipes. She made a really fantastic chocolate chip cake (always in a pretty bunt pan) for birthdays and every summer to make use of the pear bounty from our 2 trees, she made pear crisp. During the winter though, the date square ruled. It seemed healthy since it was full of oats and dates but with all that butter and sugar, this square isn't really fooling anyone. Despite the fact that I would have rather snacked on something chocolate, I really did love my mom's date squares. With a glass of cold milk and a crumbly still-slightly-warm square, it was the perfect treat.

My mom isn't doing very well health-wise and she's currently in the hospital. I wanted to do something extra special in my holiday package to my parents. Of course I packaged off my dad's favorite cookies along with trying to recreate her date square. Despite having only half the amount of dates needed and subbing in raisins for the balance, I think I surpassed her version. My friend who ate a square thought they were the most flavourful date bars she had ever eaten and some friends of Cornelius who lucked into a couple of squares immediately wanted the recipe. So here it is. Sweet, buttery, oaty goodness. Pure and simple. I know my mom will love them.

Oh, and please stop by the Canada's Food Network blog to read my latest post on my brunch experience at a new local neighbourhood restaurant, 2 Chefs and a Table.

date & raisin squares
oat mixture:
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 c butter, room temperature
1 c brown sugar
1 1/2 c rolled oats

filling:
1 c dates, cut up
1 c raisins, cut up
3 T brown sugar
1 T sour cherry jam
1 T amber rum
zest from 1 lemon & 1 orange
1 c orange juice
1 t lemon juice
1 t cornstarch mixed with a little bit of cold water to create a slurry (optional)

1. Add flour, baking powder , soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Mix in butter, sugar and oats and combine well. Press half of the mixture into a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.

2. To make filling, combine all ingredients except for the cornstarch in a small saucepan. Cook until thick and smooth. If it's not thick and smooth, add in the cornstarch slurry and cook for 3 more minutes until thick. Set aside and cool.

3. Pour cooled date mixture over the oats and spread evenly. Cover with remaining oat mixture and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cut into squares while still warm and cool in pan.

sweet success: meyer lemon & fresh cranberry muffins

This morning while our neighbours to the south were prepping for turkey and cranberry sauce, the rest of us are all business as usual. I had a meeting this morning and decided to bake some muffins for it. Super quick muffins on a weekday? What's not to love? I had a lone Meyer lemon in the fridge and some frozen cranberries that I had stocked up on for a less than a dollar a bag after our Thanksgiving last month. Cranberries seem ideal for the season and I'm glad I used fresh ones rather than dried ones in this recipe. As for the lemon, a plain ol' one will do just fine, but the Meyer worked beautifully and these muffins were so fragrant and lemony.

Enjoy these for breakfast or a late afternoon snack with tea. They are very light in texture and packed full of flavour. And did I mention really, really easy to whip up and really, really easy goin' down.

meyer lemon & fresh cranberry muffins
1/2 c canola oil
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
juice of 1 meyer lemon + enough milk to form 1 cup of liquid
1 3/4 c flour
3 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
zest of 1 lemon
1 c of fresh or frozen cranberries

Preheat oven to 400. Oil up muffin tins. Mix together the first 4 ingredients (oil through milk/juice) in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine the remaining ingredients until the cranberries are nicely coated in the flour mixture.

Add the dry into the wet and combine until just blended. Drop by spoonful into the prepared tins until each tin is 3/4 full of batter. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

oh sweet jebus: crispy salted oatmeal white chocolate cookies

It's funny. When I first saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen, there was no doubt in my mind that I'd be making these cookies. I love the combination of salty and sweet and to find such goodness in one cookie is like finding cookie nirvana. So I bookmarked the recipe and quickly forgot about it. Then I bookmarked it again. And again. Well, you know what they say, three times bookmarked is the charm!

I hope you don't choose to wait as long as I did to make these cookies. I mean it, they are good. Too good! Thin and crispy and that sprinkle of fleur du sel (hell, just use regular ol' kosher instead) on top, is the icing on the cake. The salt brings an interesting complexity to each bite...it's like a party in your mouth! As for the white chocolate? Normally, I'd go for dark, but I had some leftover from last Christmas in the freezer. But please, when using white chocolate, buy the good stuff as taste and quality really does matter here. Callebaut all the way.

crispy salted oatmeal white chocolate cookies
(recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
1 c all-purpose flour
3/4 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t kosher salt
14 T unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 c sugar
1/4 c packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 t vanilla extract
2 1/2 c old-fashioned rolled oats
6 oz good-quality white chocolate
1/2 t fleur du sel (or Maldon or kosher)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and the 1st salt measurement in a medium bowl.

2. In another bowl, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla until combined. Slowly add in flour mixture and mix until just blended. Add in oats and chocolate until incorporated.

3. Spoon up a large tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball, repeat for remaining dough. Press down on each ball to slightly flatten and sprinkle a flake or two of fancy salt on each cookie. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Makes 24 - 30 cookies.

it's a cinch: oatmeal coconut pecan squares with chocolate chips

Summer seems to be fading here in the ol' Northwest. Grey skies, constant rain and cooler temperatures set up shop this morning and things don't seem to be letting up. I'm not impressed. At least I've got some heirloom tomatoes and some Rathtrevor cheese from yesterday's farmer's market to keep me company. But instead of holding onto fading memories, I decided to take this new direction out for a stroll and do a little baking. So I dug out some pantry staples and whipped up this little number. Easier to make than cookies and the results are sweet, chewy and dense. Did I mention good? Oh yeah, really good. The recipe exists in so many places online, that it's hard to find its lineage. With so many variations, I think it's safe to say that this recipe belongs to everyone. Here's my stab at it.


oatmeal coconut pecan squares with chocolate chips
1 c rolled oats
1/2 c flour
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c chocolate chips
1/2 c unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 c chopped pecans
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
5 T unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 egg
1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all the dry ingredients (oats through salt) in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix together the melted butter, egg and vanilla. Dump the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until well blended. Oil up an 8x8 pan and pour mixture in, patting the top flat with your hands while making sure the mixture gets into the corners. Bake for 25 minutes and cool. Cut into squares.

the big bad banana: jacked-up banana bread

You should know by now that I do not like bananas. However, my one banana exception is for banana bread and it's funny that my most popular recipe is for banana bread. But I think I've found a match for the ever-delicious chocolate-chip laden and cinnamon-sugared crunch of the UBC cake. This one doesn't have chocolate or a heavy hand when it comes to spices, but that's not to say it is without kick. A nice glug of rum makes this bread even tempered but with a little bit of the crazy-eye. And every good cake needs a bit of crazy.


I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen particularly appealing since I had 3 very brown bananas tucked into the freezer. She adapted her recipe from another food blogger and I have adapted hers based on what I had around the kitchen. I didn't have a bottle of Wild Turkey laying about, so I subbed in some Jamaican amber rum and pecans for crunch. It's easy, delicious and I can't wait until I have a few more big bad bananas around so that I can mash them into submission for this cake. Scrumptious with fresh berries sprinkled about, or as my husband prefers, smeared with unsalted butter. It's good for an evening snack and even better for breakfast.

You better believe me that I was very sad to see this last slice go. One more thing...head over to the Food Network Canada blog to read my post on the Alibi Room. Finally, beer lovers in Vancouver have a place to revel that is not my living room. Hooray!


jacked-up banana bread
adapted from Smitten Kitchen
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 c melted Earth Balance margarine (but any light flavored oil or butter should do)
3/4 c lightly packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 t vanilla
1 T rum
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
1 t baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 c of flour
1/2 c chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Mash up your bananas and then add in the melted margarine and brown sugar. Mix about with a wooden spoon until well combined and then toss in the egg, rum and the rest of the spices. Add the baking powder and a pinch of salt and combine. Add the flour and then finally the pecans and pour batter into a lightly oiled loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour or until cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven. When cooled slightly, remove from pan and put on rack to cool completely. Or just dive in when ready.

oat couture: peanut butter granola

Not one to brag, but for the past week, everything that has come out of my kitchen has been amazing. I've been cooking for every single meal and trying new things like making jam and thin crust pizza–and everything has turned out great. It's a good feeling. And it all started with this granola recipe.

I've been wanting to make a peanut butter granola for a while now and I'm glad I finally gave it a try. It was so successful that I've made it twice in a row...even converting a friend who says that she hates granola! It's that good. In my first batch I decided to throw in a bit of chocolate after becoming inspired by Molly's recipe, but when I made it again without the chocolate, the granola didn't miss a thing. Chocolate or not, it's your call.

Another tip...when I first made this, the peanut butter jar was new, so the peanut butter near the top (despite all my stirrings) was definitely of the oilier variety and got more liquidy when heated. When I made it again, the peanut butter jar was close to empty, so even melting it was a bit difficult. I could have added more oil to compensate, but I decided to just use a little bit of elbow grease instead and used my hands to break-up and distribute all of that peanut buttery goodness all over those oats. It was a good move. This granola has a nice peanut butter flavour and is just a bit sweet. It's perfect over plain yogurt topped with berries or with a dollop of homemade jam.

This morning another of my posts went up on the Food Network Canada blog. This one is my interview with celebrity chef, Anna Olson. She was amazingly personable, friendly and nice. A dream interview subject, for reals. Take a peek!

More granola recipes from my archives:
Cocoa-coconut granola
No-fail granola
Vanilla-almond granola

peanut butter granola
2 1/2 c oats
1/2 c wheat germ
1 t vanilla extract
2 T canola oil
3 T natural peanut butter
2 T brown sugar
3 T chopped chocolate (optional)

In a large bowl, mix oats and wheat germ together. Set aside. In a small saucepan, heat up oil, peanut butter, vanilla and brown sugar over medium high heat and let it all get melty together. Pour hot mixture over oats and stir well, so that everything is covered. You may have to use your hands if your peanut butter mixture is extra stiff. Add chocolate, if using, and mix well. Spread mixture on a baking sheet or large glass baking pan and toast in a 325 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, checking on it and stirring it occasionally until mixture is dry. When cool, store in a tightly lidded container.

muffin top: blackberry muffins with crumble topping

Now before I can tempt you to make a muffin or twelve, check out my new post over at the Food Network Canada blog, Bazaar. It's about lunches, and sandwiches and working in an office for a week. Fun stuff!


Holiday baking is near. Time to stock up on dark chocolates and phyllo and other kinds of good stuff. The only problem with that is my freezer is still crammed to the gills with all kinds of fruit from the summer. I have to make a serious dent into my summer stash of blackberries, rhubarb and strawberries before I can make way for anything new. I know, poor me.


The other night I decided to bake a little treat for our weekly gathering of ANTM devotees (oh yeah, we put our money where our mouthes are!) and while some sugary sweet cupcakes would have been more appropriate for trash-tv watching, I went with something a little healthier. So I dug into the depths of my freezer and pulled out a container of summer-ripened blackberries. I baked up a whole lot of blackberry muffins and added a crumb topping to make them a bit more special. They were well received by the crowd and despite carrying them across town in a knapsack via bicycle, they travelled well too. Perfect bites of deliciousness! Not too sweet so they're perfect for breakfast and they make a lovely afternoon snack with tea. And if you're not as lucky as me, you could sub in whatever frozen berry you have on hand. I'm sure they'd be wonderful with blueberries, raspberries or even a rhubarb and strawberry blend! Depending on the size of your muffin tin, this should make 12 - 16 muffins. Enjoy!


blackberry muffins with crumble topping
2 c ap flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 c vanilla or plain yogurt
1/2 c canola oil
1 t vanilla
1 c frozen blackberries

crumble topping:
1/4 c flour
1/4 c brown sugar
2 T oats
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
3 T butter

1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease or line muffin tin.

2. In a medium sized bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. Prepare crumble topping in a small bowl by combining dry ingredients and then crumbling butter into the mix with your fingers until everything is all crumbly. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and eggs until pale and creamy. Add yogurt, oil and vanilla and mix well. Add flour mixture and stir until blended. Gently fold in blackberries until evenly distributed throughout batter.

5. Add batter to prepared tin, filling them 3/4 full. Sprinkle topping on each muffin and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 20 minutes or so. Serve warm or at room temperature.

a case for the lowly tuna melt

Okay, now why would I post about the lowly tuna melt? Everyone probably has their own twist and probably has been making theirs the same way since forever. Me, I only started eating tuna after 10 years of being a vegetarian. I'm kind of a tuna-newbie, but I've taken to it like honey. It was actually an old boyfriend who turned me onto tuna melts. We broke up but the tuna melt remains my constant lunch time/lazy dinner time/snack time stand by. I love the tang of the pickles, I love the melty cheese and I like that I can eat it out of one hand, so it's the perfect working on the computer and eating lunch at the same time kind of meal. I love me my tuna melt!


Now there is nothing fancy here and while I have been known to doctor up the melt with capers, red onions, parmesan and fresh dill on occassion, I like to keep things simple. Onion for flavour, celery for crunch, and definitely, definitely, pickles. The amount of mayo is really up to you, but I like to keep things light. My choice of bread is always a pita, but I know Cornelius favours a Portugese roll. The recipe below uses things like tablespoons and teaspoons, but I just eyeball it. Below is just my best guess, so taste and adjust to whatever suits you best. If you don't want to go through the trouble of making a melt, just eat it inbetween 2 slices of bread and call it a sandwich. It's good that way too.


simple tuna melt
1 can of tuna, drained
2 T mayo
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 large dill pickle, diced
1 - 2 t dill pickle juice
1/4 c grated old cheddar + extra for topping
pepper
2 large pitas

Preheat oven to 400. In your cutest vintage pyrex bowl (I like my teal butterprint bowl), mix up the above ingredients. Spread the mixture over the 2 pita breads and then sprinkle some extra cheese over top so it can get all melty. Place on cookie sheet and bake until cheese is melty and golden, about 10 minutes. I like to zap it under the broiler so the tops get extra golden - but watch out, it burns easily!

can't eat just one: peanut butter raisin bars

When I saw these squares on this blog, I wanted them in my belly, stat! But like all food porn, I knew I'd have to wait until I could make these myself. And boy, was it worth the wait. I wouldn't call these a bar cookie or a square, instead, they fit nicely in the brownie/blondie category. They reminded me of my most favorite stand-by brownie recipe in that everything is all mixed up in one pot. Chewy, dense and with a golden (almost flaky) top, these are a perfect snack. And I say snack for those of you who have restraint. Me, almost never. After one small square, I had to have another and another. I wasn't alone either....Cornelius kept heading back for seconds and thirds bits of peanut-buttery-raisiny-chocolate goodness. It's amazing that these lasted 4 days!


I made a few changes to Lynn's recipe but loved the results. I always use natural peanut butter instead of the processed stuff and this recipe didn't suffer for it one bit. I also reduced the raisins and subbed in some chocolate chips to make things a bit more decadent. Try them and see if you can resist a second piece. Be the better person...or not.

peanut butter raisin bars
1/2 c natural peanut butter
1/2 c unsalted butter
1 c white sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 T vanilla
1 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
pinch of salt
1 c raisins
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized pot, combine peanut butter and butter on medium heat until melted. Remove from heat and add in sugar. Mix well and then add in vanilla and eggs. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt and combine. Add raisins and chocolate chips. Stir well.

2. Pour batter into a greased 9x9 square pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool.

snackin' cake

As a kid, I used to hate the word "snack". I don't know what it was, but it always made me scowl and cringe with embarassment. Maybe because everyone who said "snack" ended up sounding like a big ol' whiner ("snnnaaaaaaaaaaaack") that it totally drove me up the wall. But times change and pretty much everything about "snack" just seems right. It's true that I love it for it's by-gone day notions...somehow it conjures up family rec rooms and wood paneling and the colours avocado and orange. Snack time and snack break and even "Snackin' Cake" (a commercial cake mix) totally makes me think of being a kid in the '70s.

Earlier this week, I was on a snack mission. I wanted something sweet (but not overly so) and easy to make with no muss or fuss. This square is very similar to a brownie in texture, so I guess this is what could be termed a "blondie"? It's dense and chewy and the edges got a bit crispy which is just how I like 'em. Cornelius couldn't get enough of them! And for my snack quota? Totally fulfilled.

chocolate chip walnut squares
1 c brown sugar (not packed)
1/4 c butter, softened
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1 1/4 c flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 c chocolate chips
1/4 c walnut pieces, chopped

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter, egg and vanilla until smooth. Add in flour, baking powder and salt and beat until combined. Add in chocolate chips and walnuts.

2. Grease up a square baking pan and add batter to the pan. Smooth out tops and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

summertime here we come!

The past couple of days have been weird. Pouring rain and grey skies in the morning and then hot sun and clear blue skies to follow for the afternoon. Yesterday I puttered about getting some work done, making it to the gym to re-acquaint myself with the elliptical trainer, running errands in Chinatown and then biking over to meet up with friends for Lebanese food. It made me excited for summer with picnics, container gardening, and beach bike rides to look forward to. When I got home, the sun was setting and the magic of golden hour was taking place and before it got too dark I wanted to keep that wonderful bit of summer sky going. My solution? Bake up some lemon cookies! I saw this recipe posted the other day at Shelterrific and bookmarked it immediately. So as the sun was setting behind the skyline, I had a batch of these cookies in the oven.

These cookies are perfection. Lemony, buttery and perfectly crispy on the outside while remaining chewy on the inside. A nice little snack to remind myself that summer is on the way.

lemon cookies
(recipe from Rachel Ray)
1/2 c butter, slightly chilled (I used Earth Balance margerine)
1 c sugar (plus another 1/4 c for rolling)
zest of 2 lemons, plus 1 T lemon juice
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a mixer, blend butter and sugar until combined. Add in lemon zest, lemon juice and egg and mix until fluffy. Dump in flour, baking soda and salt and combine.

2. Prepare cookie sheet with silpat or parchment paper. On a small plate, roll teaspoons of dough into balls and then roll in the remaining sugar. Add to cookie sheet. Bake for about 12-14 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Remove from sheet and cool on racks. Makes 3 dozen.

the apple of my eye

I pretty much love to throw apples into anything. I love them in salads, curries, porridge and sandwiches. Granny Smith are my absolute most favorite apple ever so don't even mention the bland Red/Golden "Delicious" in my company! A "Delicious" is an insult to the apple family with it's mealy texture, lack of flavour and ornery appearance. I like my apples tart, juicy and crisp and a Granny Smith fits the bill. I'm eating one right now, in fact! It's nature's perfect snack. But want to dress up that apple and take it to the next level of awesomeness? Nature may not have born this little baby, but oh my!, it sure makes for the perfect snack/breakfast/lazy dinner. Nothing much to it but some sliced apple, sharp cheese, a little bit of cinnamon honey for sweetness and spice and a sturdy whole wheat bagel as a transportation base. Can't find cinnamon honey? Then just sprinkle some cinnamon over your honey and call it a day.

apple-cheddar-bagel snack
1 toasted whole wheat bagel
1 thin slice of sharp cheddar
1 granny smith apple, sliced
1 schmear of cinnamon honey

1. Lightly spread cinnamon honey on toasted bagel. Cover generously with apple slices and top with a slice of sharp cheddar. Broil in broiler until bubbly, brown and delicious.

snack attack

I hope everyone had the most delightful of holidays and let's all ring in the new year with good cheer. Hello, 2007! Now before we all batten down the hatches with resolutions, let's continue the festive snacks just a bit longer. I came by this recipe from David Lebovitz via Not Martha and I can truly say that this is the best holiday snack ever. Sweet and salty and spicy! A treat that is easy to make and will make your guests love you even more. I made this for a Boxing Day snack for friends and it got rave reviews. I used only pretzels and a small amount of almonds since I was out of mixed nuts but if you've spent all your cash on booze and don't want to spring any more $$$ for fancy nuts, you can certainly buy a cheap bag of pretzels and still ring in the new year with a tasty snack. Tasty delicious!

spicy-sweet glazed pretzels and nuts
4 c combo of pretzels and raw (unroasted) nuts but keep the nuts separate so that you can roast them (step 1)
1 T butter, melted
3 T brown sugar
1/2 t ground cinnamon
3/4 t cayenne pepper
1 1/2 T maple syrup
1 1/2 t kosher salt

1. Spread nuts (if using) evenly on a baking sheet. Bake them in a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes or until toasty and fragrant. Pour roasted nuts into a large bowl and mix in pretzels.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne and maple syrup. Pour this over the pretzel/nut mixture and mix well to coat. Sprinkle with salt.

3. Spread this mixture back onto a baking sheet and toast lightly for 15 minutes at 300 degrees. Or, if you're making this at one in the morning like I did, just turn off the oven and have them sit in the oven over night and it will all come out perfectly. Remove from oven and keep in a covered jar until ready to eat.

breakfast cake!

Who loves cake for breakfast? I do! I do!! I saw One Whole Clove had Maple Syrup Tea Loaves on her site and I decided that I had to try out this loaf recipe. It didn't have any eggs to fuss with and it would be a very simple recipe to make vegan -- just substitute the milk for soy and the butter for vegetable oil or Earth Balance. I didn't have any soy milk and I only had half the amount of milk, so I added some plain yogurt to make up most of the milk portion. The cake turned out lovely and I could definitely eat this cake for breakfast, lunch or supper!

maple breakfast cake
2 1/2 c flour
1/2 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 T butter, melted (or vegetable oil or Earth Balance)
3/4 c maple syrup
1 c milk (soy or dairy or part yogurt!)
1/4 t vanilla
1/2 c walnuts

1. Mix together flour, soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.

2. In a smaller bowl combine and blend remaining ingredients, except nuts. Stir in liquid ingredients into dry. Fold in nuts.

3. Spread batter in a loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes. (It took longer for my old-time oven -- I had it baking at 400 degrees for about 1 hr.)

less is more

I would hate to say that a mere scone could result in fistacuffs, but it would be a lie to say that making these scones were easy-breezy. I'm a bit touchy when it comes to things I'm not completely sure about...things like making bread and pie crusts or recipes with excessively complex directions just turn me into a bowl of jelly and I get the freak-outs quite easily. Funny thing, I've made this recipe 3 times previously and found it to be wickedly simple to make and amazingly easy to eat.

So what went wrong this morning? Maybe it was lack of coffee in my system or maybe I still had a bit of fighting spirit from last night's Critical Mass bike ride. Whatever it was, the makings were a bit messy. My original plan with these scones was to add some frozen strawberries and some grated coconut to jazz these babies up. However, when I had Cornelius read the recipe from Molly's blog, he "forgot" to mention when to add the additions until it was too late. I had already added in the wet ingredients and was about to start kneading when I asked Cornelius, "when do I add the berries?" Oops! He claims that he did indeed tell me when to add the extras but I wasn't paying attention*. A heated debate insued and it was finally decided that it would be best to keep the scones as is because I was afraid as to what might happen if I added in the extras too late in the game. What can I say, I'm a chicken through and through. Bruised and battered but still a team in this endeavour, we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best with our virgin scone recipe.

The results? Simply amazing. I never thought that a plain scone would satisfy. It did, but I'd be lying to say that the addition of a schmear of butter and a dollop of drippy sour cherry jam didn't make them closer to god. Divine, truely.

[As an aside, thanks to the very lovely design blog, Oh Joy! for saying such nice things about this little space. Thank you!]

molly's scones
1/2 c milk
1 egg
2 c flour
2 t baking powder
½ t salt
1/4 c cold butter, cubed
3 T white sugar
Flavorful additions of your choice, to taste (currents, dried cranberries, lemon or orange rind, frozen berries, grated coconut, candied ginger, chopped nuts, chocolate chips, etc.)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Mix the milk and the egg together until frothy and then set aside. In a large bowl, blend the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the cubes of butter and blend the mixture through with your hands until it's blended through and you have no lumps larger than a pea. Add the sugar and any flavour enhancements of your choice. Add the milk and egg mixture, reserving about a tablespoon as a glaze for later.

3. Turn dough out onto a clean counter and knead it no more than 12 times. Pat dough into a round approximately 1/2 an inch thick, and cut into 8 wedges. Place on an ungreased baking sheet or a Silpat. Using a pastry brush, glaze wedges with remaining egg/milk mixture. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

* Hmmm, was I paying attention? I'm not telling.