Fresh Cranberry Chocolate Chip Scones

I am on full fledged baking mode. I bought the Costco sized bag of flour, stocked up on spices and chocolate chips, and am counting down the days to when all the littles come over for the cookie decorating party. But I am also trying to pace myself because I don't need to have cookies, cake, and candies all over the house quite yet. The season is young and the time for stuffing your face with all the candies and cookies awaits. Until then, (next week sounds about right) sensible baking like bread and scones (yes, scones are sensible)

The other morning I woke up and was very determined that I must make scones. I don't really know why scones, maybe it was the news of Prince Harrys engagement  (the dream of being princess is now dead)  but it was a fierce determination..  And they had to be cranberry because well, I have a tone of cranberries in the fridge. And I know I could have made them just cranberriy, but why not add a little chocolate. Still sensible in my book.  So scones I did make. And after he shared one with Barb, the mr has been eating them for breakfast which is just another reason why they are sensible...they are breakfast food. 

The stuff. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt (all in the bowl). Sugar, coconut oil, cinnamon, soy milk and vinegar. And of course fresh cranberries and chocolate chips.

The sugar and cinnamon go into the bowl with the rest of the dry...whisk it all together. Oh, and preheat the oven.

Mix a tablespoon of vinegar into the milk so it starts to sour.

Coconut oil gets cut in to the mixture.. You want a course crumb, kind of like pea sized chunks of oil mix around in there.

And now rough chop the cranberries which is a little difficutl because they all want to roll away, but you can do it. 

I rough chopped the chocolate chips as well because why not.

Mix the cranberries and chocolate into the mixture until evenly incorporated.

Then dump the milk in.

Gently mix until the dough just comes together. Dump our onto a well floured surface. 

Pat the dough into a circle and flatten out until it's about an inch and a half thick. Cut the circle into 8-10 equal pieces. 

Place the scones on a baking sheet and brush with a little milk. Pop them into the preheated oven 

Pop them out when they are all nice and golden brown. 

Place them on a cooling rack.

And watch them disappear or like a sensible person, eat one everyday for breakfast. 

Have a great weekend.

-C

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Fresh Cranberry Chocolate Chip Scones 

makes 8-10 scones

• 2  1/4 cups flour 
• 1/3 cup  sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1  teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 hefty cup fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup plant milk plus about a tablespoon more for brushing on top
• 1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 

Preheat oven to 375. 

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and sugar. Add the vinegar to the milk and set aside. With a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the coconut oil into the dry mixture until it becomes a course crumb. 

Rough chop the cranberries and the chocolate chips (optional on the chocolate chips) and toss both into the bowl. Give it a quick mix to coat it all then dump in the milk. Mix until the dough comes together (DON"T OVER MIX) then dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gather the dough into a ball and flatten out into a disk that is about and inch and a half thick. Cut into 8-10 equal sized wedged and place not a baking sheet. Brush the tops with a little milk and pop into the preheated oven.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are all nice and golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Then eat them .

Cinnamon Star Bread

I have been so excited all week to make this star bread. About a week ago, while perusing  King Arthur Flour recipes, I saw this  amazing star shaped cinnamon bun situation and just knew that I had to make it. I checked the recipe, made a a bunch of tweaks (made it vegan and a little simpler) and set a date with the oven. I figured that Friday was the day because well, this bread is basically a really pretty cinnamon bun and cinnamon buns are great for the weekend and plus the temperature in the world dropped to like super freaking freazing cold and what better way to stay warm then to crank the oven. 

And make it I did. And honestly. this was one of the most satisfying bread bakes that I have had in a while. It is just so dang pretty and smells so good and was honestly way easier to make then it looks (seriously, really simple). I don't know if I am ever going to be ale to make cinnamon buns the regular way again. I mean look at this.  And best to let you know that it feeds a crowd, which is fantastic if you are going to be having any big family/friend gatherings in the next month or two. (or if you are just awesome and want to eat the whole thing to your face). Think about it, if you make this for the people (or yourself)  how cool and awesome and fancy you are going to seem. It's really a win win win all around here so I don't see a reason to not make it. Trust me, and thank me later. 

The stuff of stars. Flour. salt. yeast and soy milk. A little oil, sugar, mashed sweet potato, earth balance  and cinnamon. 

To start, a  couple of tablespoons sugar and the yeast go into the warm soy milk to kick start that yeast and get mixed together.

Salt, oil, and mashed sweet potato go into the big bowl with the flour.

Then the yeast mixture gets pouted in too. Get ready to mix. And mix.

And after mixing, some kneading.  A well floured surface with a extra flour on the side is needed here. You are going to want to knead the dough for about 5 minutes, adding a little flour whenever the dough gets to sticky. 

Once the dough is nice and smooth looking, cover it in oil and stick it into a bowl and cover it  and let  rise for about an hour. 

Make your cinnamon sugar mixture while waiting . 

Dough doubled in size and dumped onto the well flour counter. 

Take a dough cutter or knife and divided the dough  into four equal pieces and roll each piece into ball.

While keeping your surface well floured, roll a dough ball into circle (or as close to a circle as you can get it) about 12 inched wide 

Place rolled dough onto parchment paper and cover the surface with  earth balance. Then sprinkle a third of the cinnamon sugar mixture all over that.

Grab another ball of dough and roll it out the same size as the first and place on top the first dough. Repeat the earth balance and sugar mixture and then cover that with another rolled out dough. Earth balance and sugar mixture one more time, then the last dough.

All stacked up.Take the rolling pin and give the whole stacked thing a gentle little roll, just to make sure all layers are stuck together.

The fun part. Grab a small circle cutter or lid (I used small jar lid) and place directly in the middle. Take your dough cutter and score your cuts. Score into quarters then each corner into six pieces. You end up with twenty-four pieces. There needs to be a even amount of pieces in order for the design to work so you could do  22-16 pieces. I wouldn't  go less.

To get the twist, grab a piece in each hand, give a little tug and twist the pieces towards each other 3 times. Take the ends and kind of tuck and pinch them together.  Repeat until all the pieces care twisted. 

 This is probably the most pretty cinnamon thing I have ever seen. 

Slide the star on the parchment onto a baking sheet and cover to rise and rest for about half hour or so and get the oven preheated.

After the second rise and right before you stick it into he oven, brush the top with a little plant milk.

And into the hot oven it goes. 

Aaaaa. So freaking pretty! 

After a few minutes, if you decided you want a little glaze action, go for it. I made up a super simple one, just a splash of vanilla in powder sugar with a splash of milk. 

Drizzled and ready for action. 

Now let the people eat. 

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Cinnamon Star Bread

makes 12-13 servings 

For the dough 

• 2 3/4 -3 cups all purpose flour plus more for kneading.

• 1/4 cup mashed sweet potato *

• 1 1/4 cup warm soy (or any plant) milk plus 1 tablespoon to brush on pre bake

• 1/4 cup neutral oil plus 1 tablespoon to coat dough

• 1 packet or 2 teaspoon yeast

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

for filling

• 7 tablespoons sugar

• 2 tablespoon cinnamon

• 3 tablespoons room temperature earth balance

For icing (optional)

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 2-3 teaspoons plant milk

*I just mashed up a 1/4 cup of a roated sweet potato that I had in the fridge. If you don't have a roasted potato laying around, you can steam of roast a sweet potato and mash it up for this. 

Measure milk into a large jar or bowl. Mix in 2 tablespoons sugar and the yeast. Set aside to activate. In a large bowl mix together the lesser amount of flour and salt. Add in the sweet potato, oil, and the soy yeast mixture. Mix together with a wooden spoon or dough spoon until you can't. If the dough seems really wet, add in another 1/4 cup of flour.  Once mixed as well was you can get it, dump the dough onto well floured surface. Start kneading the dough, adding a little flour as you go if needed. Knead for about 5 minutes or until the dough is a nice soft but not to sticky uniform ball. Cover dough with a little oil and place into large clean bowl. Cover with a towel and let dough rise in a warm place for about an hour or until it doubles in size.

Mix the cinnamon and sugar together while waiting.

Once dough has risen, dump it onto a well floured surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball then grab the first ball and roll out into a large circle about 12 inches wide. Don't worry hear if the circle is not perfect, its going to be fine. Place first circle onto piece of parchment paper and cover the surface with 1 tablespoon of earth balance. Sprinkle with a third of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Grab another dough ball and roll out to the same size as the first and place onto of the cinnamon sugared dough. Repeat the earth balance cinnamon sugar and top with another rolled out dough. Once more with the remaining earth balance and cinnamon sugar and top with the last rolled out dough. Take rolling pin and give the whole stacked thing a little roll to make sure it's all stuck together well.

For the design part. Grab a small circle shaped thing about 2 inches wide (I used a jar lid) and place directly in the center of the dough. Take a dough cutter or sharpe knife and lightly score into quarters then each quarter into 6 pieces You could also cut less pieces, but the main thing you need is to have an even number of pieces for the design to work. Once your lines are good, cut the lines by pushing down into the dough and not slicing back and forth.  Grab a piece in each hand and gently  twist the pieces towards each other 3 times then pinch the ends together. Repeat until all the pieces are twisted together. Slide the star onto a large baking sheet, cover, and let rest and rise for another 1/2 hour. 

Preheat oven to 400

When the star is risen again and right before it's going into the oven, brush the top with a little plant milk. Pop it into the oven and bake for about 20- 25 minutes, or until the top is a nice deep gold brown.

Remove from oven and let cool a little bit. If you want a little icing, mix together the vanilla, powdered sugar, and plant milk. Wait until the star is less the hot and drizzle all over.

And now it's time to get at it. Eat what you want and store the rest in an air tight container. 

Apple Cinnamon Red Lentil Porridge

I know that sometime some of the foods that I eat might seem a little strange to people. But think about it. Isn't there something that you eat that other people think is kinda weird or that you know might be a little on the strange side and yet you love it. 

So apple lentils. I know some people think it's weird, but trust me, it's not, it's actually pretty freaking magical. Lentils, especially red lentils, have a mild, nutty flavor that make them perfect to use in any type of dish, sweet or savory. And so nutritional value, with protein up the wazoo, these little guys are mega fantastic and yeah. SO don't knock it till you try it.

Now first off, YAY for apple season!!! Aren't we just so happy for fresh delicious apples? I am, so much so that I have made up a super cool apple jig where my head bobs up and down and my legs shift and convulse all over the place. ( could be mistaken for a seizure) It's a sight to see for sure.  And a second YAY for warm food again. The past week or two I have been waking up to temps in the 50's giving the world just enough chill for a cozy morning sweater, a throw blanket and a nice hot bowl of breakfast porridge. (It also taste fantastic made ahead then eaten cold if the world decides to get warm again) My morning have been great, all cuddled on the couch with a book. my coffee, ad a bowl of apple lentil porridge. Best way to start the day.

The stuff. An apple, some red lentils, water, and some cinnamon. You can also add some maple or brown sugar to the mix if you want more sweetness.

Firstly, water ans lentils go into a pot and placed on the stove until the the water is boiling.

While that is happening, chop up you apple.  Big pieces, little pieces, or both. I like both because the smaller pieces kinda of dissolve in the lentils and the bigger chunks will keep shape.

So once your lentils have started to boil, dump inmost (save a little bit to toss on after the lentils are cooked)  of the chopped up apple and a good pinch or two of cinnamon. Mix it all around and place back on heat on low so simmer and cook.

Soft and all cooked to perfection. Gorgeous.

Dump the porridge into a bowl, add on the left over chunks of apples and give it another good sprinkle of cinnamon.

Breakfast of champions right here.

And because it's what I eat every day...I am a champion.

You can be one too! (just eat some lentils)

-C

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Apple Cinnamon Red Lentil Porridge

Makes one serving but can easily be double

• 1/2 cup dried red lentils
• 1 cup water
• an apple ( mac, honey crisp, paula red are good varieties)
• 1 teaspoon or so of cinnamon

Optional... Add a little sweetener like maple or brown sugar if you want

Stick water and lentils go into a pot and bring to a boil. Chop apple into pieces, some big, some small or all the same size. Once the lentils are boiling, dump in most of the chopped apple (save about 1/4 of it for later) into the pot and sprinkle with cinnamon. Stir around, reduce heat to a low and cook until the lentils are soft (about 10 minutes) Once they are cooked, taste and decide if you need sweetener. If you do, add a teaspoon or two of whatever in now and mix around then,transfer the lentil goodness into a bowl, toss on remaining apple chunks, sprinkle with cinnamon, and go to town.

Spoon to mouth. Happiness.

Strawberry Zucchini Bread

I am a glutton for punishment. 91 degrees, super humid, and what do I do, I turn on the oven to make bread. And this is after I drag the poor mr to the middle of a field on the hottest most humid day to pick strawberries. He didn't complain once (well, maybe on our walk back to the car, but I was bitching a little too).

At home. recuperating from the picking, I made myself a snack of shredded zucchini with chopped strawberries covered in black pepper (try it, it is so freaking good) and was like "this would make a killer bread situation". And that's when I turned on the oven and went to town making bread with the zucchini and strawberries (minus the pepper cause, well I wasn't sure if the mr would like it, but I think I'll add it to the next loaf). And I know, hot day, hot oven=no but really, I was so F*ing hot that I didn't think I could have gotten any hotter, so I figured why the hell not turn on the oven. (The mr and he pup where at the other house so I wasn't torturing them with the heat)

And when the mr came home sure the house was still hot, there was fresh loaf of the sweetest smelling strawberry zucchini bread waiting for him. And so what ifI might have been slightly delirious, I had accomplished something great and was then okay with spending the rest of the say laying in a heap on the floor.

The mr says the bread was worth it.

The stuff. A good sized zucchini and a pint or so of the loveliest strawberries . Also have a bowl with flour (all purpose and while whole wheat) baking soda and baking powder, and a little salt. Sugar, oil, cinnamon, and a little vinegar are needed and a handful of walnut if you want too.

Oil and sugar go into a bowl and get mixed together until combined.

Zucchini gets shredded and added to the bowl.

And strawberries get chopped (stems removed) and go into the bowl along with the zucchini.

Mix the wet mixture up until it starts to get all juicy then mix in the vinegar.

The dry stuff gets mix together along with the walnuts.

 Now in goes the wet mixture. Mix it all together until just combined (don't over mix)

Batter goes into a nicely greased pan and if you have it, sprinkle a little brown sugar on top.

Pop pan into preheated oven to do it's thing.

And it's thing it did. All dark brown and pretty with red and green bits all over. Quite the stunning loaf if I do say so myself. Remove from pan and let the bread cool for a little while..(you should wait until it's completely cooled, but at 15 minutes would be ok)

You have waited long enough.. time to cute the bread.

Bread all day long.

Enjoy.

-C

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Strawberry Zucchini Bread

makes 1 loaf

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup brown sugar plus about a tablespoon to sprinkle on top
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 medium zucchini (2ish cups shredded)
• 1 pint fresh strawberries (about 2 cups chopped)
• 1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder ans soda, salt, cinnamon, Toss in the walnuts as well.

In a separate bowl mix together the sugar and oil until combined then shred zucchini and dump it it. Grab strawberries, remove the stems, and chop those up into small chunks and add to the bowl with the zucchini. Mix until everything is mixed and starts to get juicy then mix in the vinegar.

Now dump the wet mixture into the dry and mix just until everything is incorporated and pour/scrape batter into a well greased loaf pan. Sprinkle he top with a little brown sugar and stick the pan into the oven.

Let cook for about an hour or until the top is a deep brown and a tester stuck into the middle comes out clean. Once out of the oven, let cool for a a few minutes, remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Cut cooled bread and eat it to your face.

Tahini Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

I wanted to be in the kitchen so I asked the mr what he wanted me to make him. Anything he wanted, like a cake, or cookies, or donuts.

He asked for granola bars. (so cute)

I think the reason that he requested granola bars was that he knew I wanted to test out the golden syrup that I brought back from Ireland and I had mentioned that I was going to make myself some granola.  (not him, me) but I went with it. And really, I was excited to bust out the golden syrup.

Now what kind of granola bars was the question, but I didn't even ask him I just went with tahini chocolate chip. Tahini cause its amazing, chocolate chips because, just because. And the golden syrup. The bit of research that I have done on golden syrup had told me that this stuff is like glue (it really is) and that it can be used in lu of other binders that I would normally add to granola bars (like dates) It is pure can sugar that has been turned into a thick, golden syrup (hence the name) and has a more nutty, earthy flavor then just sugar, which went together quite nicely with the oats ans tahini in these bars. (next thing to try it with.. rice crispy treats!)

 So I got some kitchen time, the bars where made, the syrup was used, the mr was happy.

Win win win. WIN!

The stuff. Oats, tahini, golden syrup, cinnamon, sesame seeds, chocolate chips, and sea salt. Not a whole lot of stuff and nothing else is needed. But if you are feeling it, add some more. (cranberries, chopped dates, coconut, some nuts)

In a big bowl, combine the oats, cinnamon, sesame seed and chocolate chips.

In a separate (microwave safe) bowl or jar mix together the golden syrup and the tahini. Stick it in the microwave for 15 seconds, take it out, stir it, then another stick it in for another 15 seconds. You just want the mixture to be runny. Another way you could do this is on the stove top or, Like me, place jar in the oven and stir until loose. (I don't have a microwave and I didn't want to dirty a pot)

Pour the warm mixture into the oat mixture and stir until all the oats and stuff are all coated.

Dump the mixture into a parchment lined pan and press it down as hard as you can with your hands or a bottom of a glass

And optional, but really good, sprinkle the top with sea salt. (do not use table salt)

Now here is the deal. You can do one of two things. If you want a chewer granola bar, place these bars in the fridge for at least an hour until they set up and call them done. For a cruncher bar,  stick the granola into the oven for a little bit to give them a slightly crunchier texture

I tossed my into the oven, just for like 12 minutes, just to give them a little color and a bit of crunch. (the longer you leave them in there, the harder and crunchier they become)

Pulled from the oven, chillin out and waiting to be cut.

And piled high. a stack of bars, awaiting a mouth to eat them.

What a bar. The mr is a lucky guy.

Happy day to you!

-C

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Tahini Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

makes 8 Bars

• 3 cups oats (gluten free if needed)
• 1/3 heaping cup golden syrup (can be bought at some grocery stores but can be found online as well)
• 1/3 heaping cup tahini
• teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2-1 cup of chocolate chips
• a few pinches of sea salt(optional)

Note. Feel free to add more mix ins if you want (nuts, coconut, dried fruit) just don't add more then another 1/2 cup of stuff.

In a large bowl toss together the oats, cinnamon, sesame seeds and chocolate chips. In a separate microwave safe bowl (or a pot), combine the golden syrup and the tahini. Place in microwave for 15 second increments,  stirring in between until the mixture is loose and pourable. (or heat on stove on low heat until pourable)

Add tahini mixture into oat mixture and mix until all the oats are evenly coated.  Dump into a parchment lined, 9x9 inch baking pan and evenly press the granola down as hard as you can with either your hands or a bottom of a glass (or whatever) Sprinkle the top with sea salt.

And now you have two decide if you want a more chewy granola bar or or a slightly crunchier bar. For a chewier one,  stick the pan into the fridge for at least an hour until they firm up. For a but more crunch,. place bars in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350, just until they get a slight golden brown and a little bit of crunch on top.  Remove from oven and let cool.

Once bars are ready, remove from pan, grab a knife, cut into bars (or whatever shape you want) and eat them. Store extra in an airtight container (raw ones in the fridge, baked ones are ok on the counter)