Texanerin Baking

Grain-free Raspberry Sour Cream Crumble Cake

Erin — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:55:06 +0000

Back in October, I got an email from a reader asking for camera and photography advice. We emailed back and forth and months later… this reader, Rose, started her own blog: The Clean Dish! You know how most people start off blogging with some pretty bad pictures? Rose’s aren’t. I kind of feel like a proud mama. ;) Rose’s posts are usually grain-free, vegan, and refined sugar free. And she makes it look good! Just look at these coconut surprise bars and this chocolate mousse. They look incredible! Now over to Rose. :)

Hi! My name is Rose – author of The Clean Dish! I started my blog earlier this year; food blogging had been on my mind ever since I found Erin’s blog. That’s right; looking at her stunning food photography and trying her cleverly worked out recipes inspired me to start my own page. Thanks to Erin, I followed through with it; she pointed me in the right direction and was generous enough to share her expertise with me – so, thank you Erin! You’re invaluable to the food blogging community.

I am both excited and a little nervous about posting for Erin – the Texan Meister baker! Excited because, well, it is a great big honor for a newbie blogger to be invited to guest post at a well established blog and nervous because … I knew I just had to produce a quality recipe for Erin! Luckily, I think I was able to concoct something that you all will enjoy: A Raspberry Sour Cream Crumble Cake!

It’s easy to make; it tastes wonderfully fresh and light and above all, it is a healthy treat. I used almond slices and coconut flour instead of grain flour (so it’s gluten free, y’all!), there is no processed sugar in this cake (it’s sweet, though, I promise!) and it’s free of any chemically processed or artificial ingredients.

If you enjoy grain free and processed sugar free recipes, come visit me at The Clean Dish! I cook as much as I bake so perhaps you will find other recipes that are of interest. :)

Grain-free Raspberry Sour Cream Crumble Cake

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 45 min
Ready in: 1 h
Yield: one 8½" cake

Ingredients

Crust and crumbles:

¼ cup + 1 tablespoon raw coconut oil
6 large medjool dates
1 cup toasted almond slices (I buy them at Trader Joe's)
1 cup coconut flour
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling / topping:

½ cup sour cream
¼ cup maple syrup OR honey OR agave
2 tablespoon coconut flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ bag of frozen raspberries (1 bag = 12oz / 340g)

Directions

Defrost raspberries.
Preheat oven to 325F and grease the bottom of an 8½" spring form or line with parchment paper.
In a small saucepan, slowly melt coconut oil on low heat.
Chop dates into small pieces and process in blender or food processor.
Add almond slices and process again.
Add coconut flour, coconut oil, sea salt and vanilla extract and process until you have a sticky-wet, crumbly consistency. If you pinch it, it should hold together.
Set ¼ of the crust aside and press the remainder into the bottom of the spring form and up to about 1 inch on the side.
For the filling, beat egg and add sour cream, maple syrup, coconut flour and vanilla extract; mix well. It should be a thick, creamy consistency – if it is too runny, add another tablespoon of coconut flour.
Pour your filling over your crust and spread out evenly.
Cover with raspberries and add crumbles on top.
Bake for 40 - 45mins. Make sure the center is cooked through.
Allow to cool down before serving.
Enjoy!

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/06/grain-free-raspberry-sour-cream-crumble-cake.html

Recipe by Rose @ The Clean Dish | www.texanerin.com

100% Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

Erin — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:55:02 +0000

In one more week, I’ll be back in Germany. I’ve been having a great time over here and have definitely been enjoying the food! Today Heidi of Food Doodles is sharing some awesome chocolate muffins with you. I’ve been struggling to come up with a great chocolate muffin recipe so I was super excited when I saw what she came up with! I’ve made and loved several of her recipes, like this raw oatmeal raisin cookie dough bars, chocolate no-bake energy bites and whole wheat cranberry orange shortbread. We have a similar baking style so if you like my stuff, you should definitely go check her out!

Hello everyone! My name is Heidi and I blog over at Food Doodles. I’m so happy to be guest posting for my friend Erin today! Let me start by saying I’ve been a fan of Texanerin Baking for years now. I do all my baking with 100% whole grains as well so of course I absolutely love everything Erin makes. Her goodies, not to mention her pictures are always gorgeous, so I’m so excited that Erin gave me the chance to share one of my own recipes with you while she’s away.

Introducing… 100% Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Chip Muffins!

Don’t let the plain appearance of these muffins fool you, they are incredible! They are perfectly moist inside, but not too much so that they get sticky and messy all over your fingers. And did I mention they’re healthy? Check out the ingredients: bananas, plain yogurt, pure maple syrup and of course all whole grain goodness.

These are the kind of treats I don’t mind letting my kids have on a regular basis. And I don’t mind enjoying these for breakfast either. You can always omit the chocolate chips to make them a little more breakfast friendly… But why would you? ;)

I’m so happy with how these turned out, I hope you enjoy them! Thanks again to Erin for letting me post on her wonderful blog! And I hope you’ll drop in at Food Doodles sometime!

100% Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

Prep Time: 8 min
Cook Time: 17 min
Ready in: 25 min
Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

3 tbsp grapeseed oil (coconut oil or another mild flavored oil will work)
¾ cup mashed banana, about 2 small bananas
½ cup sucanat (or brown sugar)
¼ cup pure maple syrup (or honey)
1 large egg
¾ cup plain yogurt (low fat is fine)
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup white whole wheat (from soft wheat) or whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp cinnamon
½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 °F (218 °C). Grease a muffin tin and set aside.
In a bowl stir together the oil, mashed banana, sugar, maple syrup, egg, yogurt and vanilla. Set aside.
In another bowl combine the flour with cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips being careful not to over mix.
Divide the batter evenly between 12 muffin cups and place in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes and reduce the oven temperature to 375 °F (191 °C). Continue to bake for 12-14 minutes or just until done. Do not over bake! A toothpick inserted in the middle to test for doneness may still be slightly gooey but the muffins will continue to cook while they cool so do not continue to bake any longer. You really can't wait for the toothpick to be totally clean, it'll be just slightly sticky.
Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin before gently removing and placing on a cooling rack until completely cool. These will last in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days.

Notes

Applesauce should work in place of the mashed bananas, but they might be less sweet so consider adjusting the sugar slightly as well.

Recipe adapted from Skinny Double Chocolate Chip Muffins and Spelt Banana Oat Muffins

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/06/100-whole-wheat-double-chocolate-chip-muffins.html

Recipe by Heidi @ Food Doodles | www.texanerin.com

Gluten-free Assorted Nut and Seed Healthy Quinoa Granola

Erin — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 09:55:21 +0000

Hey everyone! Today I’m headed to Columbia, South Carolina to visit another blogger. I’ll be there for 6 days and then I’ll return to Texas. I hope y’all are enjoying the goodies that the guest posters have made you! And look at this. Carla made you something. And it’s gluten-free. And pretty darn healthy! Don’t like granola? Go check out her healthy 3 ingredient natural strawberry banana ice cream or her mixed fruit smoothie with kale and chia seeds. And I really want to make this whole wheat chicken and bacon mac & cheese. Cheese and carbs… YES! :D

Hi there! My name is Carla! You may or may not recognize my name from a couple weeks back when Erin guest posted over on my blog Carla’s Confections. Since she was kind enough to help me out while I was over in the USA, I figured it was time I returned the favor for her. I was truly honored when Erin asked me to guest post for her (she actually asked me before I asked her to do one for me, so thank you for thinking of me Erin!!). I love Erin’s blog, and I recently used some of her amazing tips on whole grain baking for my Baked Banana Bread Donuts. It was one of my first times baking with whole wheat flour, and now I am looking forward to using it more!

I am pretty jealous of her trip to the USA, but I really shouldn’t be, since I was just over in Disney World not too long ago ;) But while she is having the time of her life at BlogHer Food conference, and hanging out with family and friends, I wanted to share one of my breakfast favorites with her readers!

I have a confession to make: breakfast is my least favorite meal of the day. If it were up to me, I would wake up in the morning (8am everyday if I had the choice), savor a cup of coffee while catching up on some social media, skip breakfast altogether and then eat an early lunch at about 11:30am.

Buuuuuuuuuut, since breakfast is the most important meal of the day and all… I know I have to have tasty breakfast treats in the house at all times in order for me to actually be diligent about eating in the morning.

I also want to make sure the breakfasts I have on hand are healthy and filling, so we aren’t stocking up on empty calories first thing in the morning (well except for Donut Fridays… but that can be our secret). ;)

Granola is the perfect way to have your breakfast and eat it too.

Let’s pretend that phrase makes sense.

I had a REALLY hard time coming up with a name for this granola. At first I wanted Peanut Butter to be in the title, because that is one of the binding agents, but I also wanted it to be known that there were assorted nuts and various types of healthy seeds in there too. Goodness recipe naming is tough business LOL!! But Assorted Nuts and Seeds Healthy Quinoa Granola is good, as long as you imagine that the “nuts” is a broad term and also includes peanut butter.

Is your imagination feeling worked out this morning?

One of my favorite breakfasts to eat (when I do eat breakfast that is) is a small bowl of yogurt with fresh fruit and lots of granola on top. I love that granola is so customizable, and that it is easy to add flavor while still keeping it healthy and simple! And, as usually is the case, homemade is a thousand times better than store bought (except for where I contradict myself in the next paragraph).

In this granola you will find healthy alternatives such as honey to sweeten rather than sugar, as well as chia seeds and ground flaxseed. I used store bought crunchy peanut butter, but please feel free to use homemade peanut or any other nut butter you would prefer. I personally like store bought better than homemade, but I have also only tried it once, so I suppose I am not a good judge of the homemade stuff ;)

I also added quinoa, and I love this addition, because it is super simple to do (no cooking required) and adds a perfect crunch to your morning granola!

Thank you for allowing me to share this recipe with you!! If you like this granola, make sure to check out my Heart Healthy Quinoa Granola and also my Sunflower and Pumpkin Seed No-Bake Energy Balls for more healthy breakfast choices!

Thank you Erin so much for letting me share this granola with your readers and I hope you are having the time of your life in the USA!! Say hello to US soil for me!

Gluten-free Assorted Nut and Seed Healthy Quinoa Granola

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Ready in: 45 min
Yield: 9 cups prepared

Ingredients

2 cups old fashioned oats (non-contaminated for GF)
⅓ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
½ cup ground flaxseed
Scant ¼ cup whole chia seeds
2 cups assorted nuts of choice, roughly chopped (I used walnuts and almonds)
½ cup peanut butter (I used crunchy)
½ cup honey
3 Tbsp. sunflower oil
1 tsp. vanilla
⅓ cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C and line a large baking tray with parchment paper or silpat.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, quinoa, various seeds and nuts and stir together well.
In a measuring bowl, combine peanut butter, honey, sunflower oil and vanilla and stir together well with a fork, until fully combined.
Pour the peanut butter mixture over the dry ingredients and toss together well.
Lay the granola out flat on the baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 min, stirring around every 10 minutes, until golden brown and toasty.
Allow to cool slightly and stir in the chocolate chips.
Store in an airtight container. Will last at least a month. Serve as desired.

Recipe adapted from Carla's Confections

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/06/assorted-nut-and-seed-healthy-quinoa-granola.html

Recipe by Carla @ Carla's Confection's | www.texanerin.com

Dark Chocolate And Mint Avocado Ice Cream

Erin — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 09:55:26 +0000

Today I have a post from Miryam for you. Miryam’s recipes are the entire reason why I started whole grain baking. Before I found her blog, I was making everything with all-purpose flour. I’ve probably made about 20 of her recipes and my favorite one is her peanut butter and dark chocolate krispie bars. And then there’s the peanut butter coconut and chocolate bars and Irish cream and pistachio fudge. But every recipe I’ve tried from her has been awesome. Definitely go take a look if you haven’t already!

Hello everyone, my name is Miryam and I am the dietitian behind the blog Eat Good 4 Life. I’m so thrilled that Erin has asked me to do a guest post for her. We have never met before but we will be meeting soon. She will be coming over to the USA, all the way from Germany, to attend a food blogger event in Texas. Before arriving in Texas she will stop in NJ, where I live, so that we can visit the most famous bakery shops in Manhattan and do some baking and perhaps some cooking too.

I am so excited to meet her at last. :-)

So has anyone ever had any dessert involving avocados?

I know it may sound a bit strange at first, but if you haven’t tried it already I suggest you do. I have made a dark chocolate avocado mousse in the past that everyone really loved. This is my second dessert recipe using avocados and I don’t think it will be my last.

This dessert is not only super easy to put together, but it is healthy and refreshing. Perfect for the coming hot weather. I think if you don’t have an ice cream maker, you should invest some money on one. It is fairly inexpensive and you can make ice cream, sorbet and frozen yogurt with it. I think this machine is a must for the summer.

We never buy ice cream anymore. I just keep the ice cream maker bowl in the freezer at all times and when ever we feel like we want to eat ice cream, I just come up with an easy recipe and have the ice cream ready in just 20 minutes.

I wanted to make this avocado ice cream mint and chocolate flavor because of the green color. I guess I took advantage of the green natural color of the avocados and made a healthy mint and chocolate ice cream version. My kids thought they where having the real deal, which in my opinion, that is the best thing.

Don’t be turned off by the avocados. Try it and least once to be able to really tell weather you like it or not. I hope you do though.

Dark Chocolate And Mint Avocado Ice Cream

♥♥♥♥♥

Rated 5.0 by 1 reader

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 0 min
Ready in: 1:25 h
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

4 ripe avocados, peeled and flesh removed
½ cup unrefined sugar
⅓ cup Greek yogurt
2 tsp real mint extract
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp dark chocolate chips
3 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. About 30 seconds or so should be sufficient.
Cover the mixture and place it in the freezer for 1 hour.
Freeze mixture in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. If you like a firmer ice cream, store in the freezer for a couple of hours before serving.

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/06/dark-chocolate-and-mint-avocado-ice-cream.html

Recipe by Miryam @ Eat Good 4 Life | www.texanerin.com

Strawberry Swirl Frozen Yogurt

Erin — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 21:00:51 +0000

I made it! After sitting next to an incredibly stinky man for 9 hours and lifting 100 pounds of chocolate and beer up and down the stairs of NYC train stations… I’m here. I’m really shocked by the lack of elevators. Score 1 for German public transportation!

So. We have some yogurt today! I prepared this thinking, “Oh yeah… it’ll be hot in June! People won’t want to bake then.” I’m in New Jersey and it’s not even that warm here. But I’m okay with that! Today Miryam and I are going into New York City to visit some bakeries and I don’t think I’d handle warm weather that well.

I’ve made frozen yogurt before but this time I added some cream. Just to you know, de-healthify it a little. ;) I wanted it to be creamier and it was, but you can absolutely use more Greek yogurt instead of cream. As far as preparing the yogurt, it’s pretty simple. There’s no cooking or even any heating involved. Just mix everything together and put it in the ice cream maker!

For the recipe, head on over to Good Life Eats – Strawberry Swirl Frozen Yogurt.

I took your bakery suggestions and have them all on my list! Hopefully I’ll get to most of them and can maybe even make a post about it.

Tomorrow I’m headed to Austin for BlogHer Food ’13. I’m going to get to meet people whose blogs I’ve followed for years and am super excited about it. I’ll be there until Sunday night and then going on visit my parents in Dallas. And on Monday, I’ll be bringing you a post from Miryam so be sure to come back to check it out. :)

Gluten-free Chocolate Oat Bites

Erin — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 10:00:19 +0000

In about 6 hours I’ll be landing in New York City! I’ve asked some blogger friends to help out the next three weeks while I’m visiting friends and family in the US. First we have another Erin! Erin blogs over at Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts. She has a lot of other healthy snacks that I’m sure you’ll want to check out like these Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars, Homemade Cliff Bars, and Healthy Peanut Butter Cups. She posts a lot of savory goodies too so be sure to go and check her out! Now over to Erin.

Hi! I’m Erin from Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts. I am excited to be helping Erin out today. She was gracious enough to make Espresso Chocolate Chip Scones for me while I was traveling a couple months ago, it was the least I could do to repay the favor. Not to mention Erin has quickly become a great friend. This blogging world can be tough to navigate sometimes, it is so nice to have a friend to turn to.

So as Texanerin Baking fans you are used to the healthier side of sweets. Erin said I didn’t have to make something healthy, but I wanted to try to fit in around here. So I made these chocolate oat bites. They are kind of a cross between a no bake cookie and a granola bar, rolled into one little bite. I love making my own granola bars; I have done a Biscoff Granola Bars, Almond Butter Granola Bars, Chewy Granola Bars, and a Chocolate Granola Bar. They are so easy, and so much better than the store bought kind.

Chocolate oat bites come together in just a few minutes, with no baking involved. So they are perfect now that we are in the hot months of summer. They can be left out or stored in the fridge. I enjoyed mine cold, straight out of the fridge. You can even mix up the flavors very easily too – mix in dried fruit, nuts, or a different flavored chip. We are taking a road trip this summer, and I know I will be packing these in the car for quick healthy snacks.

Thanks for letting me take over today Erin!

Gluten-free Chocolate Oat Bites

♥♥♥♥♥

Rated 4.0 by 2 readers

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 0 min
Ready in: 1:05 h
Yield: 20 bites

Ingredients

1 banana, mashed
½ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup cocoa powder
1½ cups old fashioned oats (non-contaminated for GF)
¼ cup peanut butter chips

Directions

In a bowl mix together the mashed banana, coconut oil, honey and vanilla.
Mix in cocoa powder until well combined.
Add oats, mixing until everything is evenly coated.
Fold in the peanut butter chips.
Scoop golf ball sized balls of dough, place on a baking sheet.
Place in fridge for 1 hour to harden.
Store in an air tight container.

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/06/gluten-free-chocolate-oat-bites.html

Recipe by Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts | www.texanerin.com

100% Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches

Erin — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:00:46 +0000

In celebration of Sunday’s return of Arrested Development, some other bloggers and I got together to create some of the dishes mentioned in the show.

I could have been more creative and made something like bone stew or shish ka-bob-loblaw, but I figured they wouldn’t go over too well. Since bananas are so important to the show (yes, it’s true) I tried making some super healthy banana peanut butter ice cream, but it didn’t freeze nicely.

So we have some unhealthy, yet delicious, peanut butter ice cream. I just can’t do healthy ice cream. It makes me weep. At least I used coconut sugar instead of regular sugar. That surely counts for something, right? ;)

In the show, the main character, Michael, is visiting his father in jail. Michael’s trying to have a conversation with his father, but he’s too busy “having a love affair” with the ice cream sandwich to really pay attention. I feel confident in saying that you will also have a love affair with these. Peanut butter cookies + peanut butter ice cream. And the chocolate on top? They were supposed to be bars, because, get it… the father’s in jail eating ice cream sandwiches! But they’re just stripes.

For the cookies, I used normal (not natural) peanut butter. I just don’t like natural peanut butter in my cookies. It yields unpleasantly textured and tasting cookies. So if you insist on using it – you’ve been warned. ;)

I also used regular peanut butter in the ice cream, but you could use the natural stuff. I’m pretty sure it’d be a little gritty and not totally smooth. I didn’t heat anything when making the ice cream, so I had tiny little peanut butter specks. And I liked that. If you prefer, you can heat up the milk and then add the peanut butter and mix until combined.

I always freeze my ice cream mixes for 30 minutes or an hour before churning. This time, I forgot about the ice cream and when I went back to it, it was pretty much already in ice cream form. I could only churn it for a minute or two before the machine revolted and started making some unsettling sounds. So you don’t need an ice cream machine for this one! If you don’t decide to churn it, mix the ice cream every 20-30 minutes after putting it in the freezer. This helps it to freeze more evenly rather just than having the outer parts freeze.

The cookie recipe was adapted from these chewy peanut butter cookies from Confections of a Foodie Bride. I’ve made them as written and they’re definitely my favorite peanut butter cookie!

I took her recipe, reduced the sugar and used all coconut sugar, used coconut oil instead of butter and used all whole wheat flour. This resulted in a more cakey cookie. I’m normally against all things cakey (except cake) but here it turned out to be a good thing since I didn’t want my cookies to be too hard for the sandwiches.

You could eat these straight from the freezer, but they’re really best if they sit at room temperature for 10-20 minutes first. It just brings out the peanut butter flavor somehow! And they’re softer and gooier. It’s just an all-around much more pleasant experience.

Now I know you want to go check out the other Arrested Development inspired dishes, so here you go!

Blue Vodka Lemonade – Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
Cornballs – Emily Bites
Salted Chocolate Frozen Banana Bites – Gimme Some Oven
Banana Stand Smoothies – In Katrina’s Kitchen
Banana Donuts & Homemade Soda – Nutmeg Nanny
Afternoon Delight – Stetted
Bluth Frozen Banana – The Realistic Nutritionist

Thanks to Nutmeg Nanny (and her brother) for arranging this fun celebration of Arrested Development!

100% Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches

♥♥♥♥♥

Rated 4.7 by 3 readers

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Ready in: 2:30 h
Yield: 10 - 15 ice cream sandwiches

Ingredients

Ice Cream:

1 cup peanut butter
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
2 cups whipping / heavy cream
½ cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cookies:

½ cup coconut oil, melted
⅔ cup coconut sugar
½ cup smooth commercial peanut butter
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Directions

For the ice cream:

In a medium bowl, mix everything together with a hand mixer.
Churn according to your ice cream machine's instructions.
Line a 8"x8" pan with parchment or wax paper.
Spoon the ice cream over this, flatten the best you can, and freeze for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, remove the ice cream from the freezer, and cut out circles with a cookie cutter. The cutter should be the same size that you want your cookies.
Put back in the freezer and freeze for another hour.

For the cookies:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line a 9"x13" inch pan with parchment or wax paper.
In a large bowl, with an electric hand mixer, mix together the coconut oil and coconut sugar and let sit for 5 minutes to help dissolve the sugar.
Add the peanut butter, egg, vanilla and mix until combined.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined.
Scoop the batter onto the paper, spread as evenly as possible, and bake for 8 - 13 minutes or until the middle is set.
Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes and then, using the cutter you used for the ice cream, cut out little cookie circles.
Let the circles cool completely and then freeze for at least 30 minutes or until you're ready to assemble the ice cream sandwiches.
To assemble ice cream sandwiches: place an ice cream circle between two cookies and freeze until ready to eat.

Cookie recipe adapted from Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies - Confections of a Foodie Bride

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/05/100-whole-wheat-peanut-butter-ice-cream-sandwiches.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

100% Whole Wheat Chocolate M&M Cookies

Erin — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:31:05 +0000

In less than two weeks, I’ll be in the US. And I’m super excited about it! I haven’t been back to the US in three years and I desperately need a break from Germany. And I miss the food. I have a big long list of all the meals I want to eat while there. It will be… glorious.

My first stop will be in New York City and New Jersey. I’m going to visit one of my best blogger friends, Miryam, bake a bunch of healthy goodies, and hopefully visit some NYC bakeries. Any recommendations? :)

Before I go to the US and indulge in smoked brisket, steak, and Pizza Hut pepperoni pan pizzas (they’re not the same over here!), I have some cookies to share.

I saw some Chocolate M&M cookies on Dinners, Dishes and Desserts a few weeks ago, and since then I’ve been craving M&M cookies. They look absolutely perfect but I wanted a slightly healthified cookie, and I was just too lazy to mess around with the recipe. So I just used one of Miryam’s that I’d made before. It seemed fitting.

I’ve tried making these with less sugar and they’re still tasty that way but they’re not as chewy and more cakey. I’m not down with cakey cookies and I bet you aren’t either. Use the sugar!

And they’re super easy to make. Just mix the wet stuff together with a spoon and add the dry ingredients. Fewer dishes = better, right? The only downside is that there aren’t any beaters to lick. Just a spoon. And when you have a spoon, it’s quite likely that you’ll just eat all the dough. Try not to do that because these are really awesome in baked form.

100% Whole Wheat Chocolate M&M Cookies

♥♥♥♥♥

Rated 5.0 by 2 readers

Prep Time: 6 min
Cook Time: 8 min
Ready in: 14 min
Yield: 16 small cookies

Ingredients

¼ cup (56 grams) melted coconut oil
⅔ cup (95 grams) coconut sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup (65 grams) whole wheat flour
¼ cup ground flaxseeds
½ cup (45 grams) rolled / traditional oats
¼ cup (20 grams) dark cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup (90 grams) mini M&Ms

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a cookie sheet with a Silpat or a piece of parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, mix the wet ingredients (coconut oil through vanilla extract). Add the remaining ingredients, except the M&Ms, and stir until combined.
Drop teaspoon-sized dough balls, two inches apart, onto the cookie sheet, pat down slightly, and sprinkle the mini M&Ms on top.
Bake for 8 minutes.
Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Double Chocolate Walnut and Flax Cookies - Eat Good 4 Life

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/05/100-percent-whole-wheat-chocolate-m-and-m-cookies.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

100% Whole Grain Strawberry Banana Muffins

Erin — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:10:25 +0000

Today I’m guest posting over at Carla’s Confections while she’s down in Orlando having fun.

I made strawberry banana muffins. With streusel. And I know y’all like your streusel. And they’re fruity and summer-y. Whole grain, too, if you want them to be. If you’re not into whole grains, you can use all white flour instead. These delicious muffins are for everyone! ;)

But before you go – did you know that today is Food Revolution Day? It’s all about bringing communities together to celebrate healthy eating and sharing the cooking skills needed to prepare real food. There are activities all around the world and you can check here to see if there’s anything going on in your area.

Also, if you want to learn a little bit more about me, Mommypage interviewed me recently. Go check it out! :)

I wish you all an amazing weekend!

100% Whole Spelt Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Erin — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:21:22 +0000

Good 100% whole grain bread recipes aren’t that easy to come by. And most of them can be a bit fussy. But this one? It’s just as easy as a recipe made with white flour!

I tried making this with whole wheat flour and it didn’t work out. When you use spelt, it makes things a little tricky. Spelt requires less moisture than wheat, but the question is exactly how much less to use. I’ve read that you should use 10 – 25% less less liquid when using spelt and I know a 15% differential doesn’t sound like that much, but in bread baking it seems to be. I sub whole spelt for whole wheat all the time in non-yeasted baked goods and haven’t had a problem. It’s just in yeasted bread that I have this issue.

So I was extremely excited when I found a recipe on Sonya’s page already calling for whole spelt. My changes were to add more cinnamon because I wanted more of a cinnamon taste and less of a spelt taste, and to give it a cinnamon swirl. You could leave that out if you really want to, but it makes the bread so much more fun and tasty. And whose morning doesn’t need some more excitement?!

I put some icing on top and then realized it was a pretty silly move. This bread is really best toasted and icing in the toaster isn’t the best idea. So ignore that! No comments about how you burned down your kitchen with toasting icing will be allowed. ;)

I don’t know what’s up with German dry yeast, but I haven’t had much luck with it. And neither have my American bread baking friends over here. For this loaf, and all my other yeast breads, I’ve been using a two pound bag of active Red Star Yeast I bought at Sam’s or Costco three years ago. It was only about $4 at the time so it was an amazing value.

And one important thing to note: With most of my recipes, you can’t tell that they’re whole grain. You can with this one but that’s not a bad thing if you actually like whole grain goodies! Just letting you know because this might be a difficult one to sell to the whole grain haters.

And I just realized that this is vegan. Bonus! And this here maple cinnamon almond butter would go perfect on it. It’s like eating spreadable maple cinnamon candy. :)

Some other cinnamon raisin goodness!

Cinnamon Raisin Honey Whole Wheat English Muffins – A Kitchen Addiction
Cinnamon Raisin Nazook – Barbara Bakes
Oatmeal Cookie Granola (gluten-free) – Cakes ‘N’ Bakes
Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Fritters – Scarletta Bakes

100% Whole Spelt Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Ready in: 2:25 h
Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup (235ml) warm water
2 tablespoons honey or agave
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil or canola oil
3 to 3½ cups (450 - 525 grams) whole spelt flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
½ - 1 cup (70 - 140 grams) raisins
¼ cup (.6 dl) coconut or brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together the yeast, warm water and honey. Proof for 5 minutes.
Add the oil, 1½ cups flour, cinnamon, salt and raisins. Mix with a hand mixer until well combined.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 30 minutes or until doubled.
Add more flour, ¼ cup at a time, just until the dough comes together. I used about 1½ cups in this step, meaning I used 3 cups in the entire recipe.
Mix the dough on low for 3 minutes. The dough should be just slightly sticky, but not so sticky that you can't work with it.
Spray an 8 x 4" loaf pan with cooking spray.
On a floured clean surface or a Silpat, roll the dough into an eight inch square.
Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface.
Roll into a tight loaf and place in the prepared loaf pan.
Spray the plastic wrap you used to cover the bowl with cooking spray and use this to cover the loaf.
Let the dough rise for 30-60 minutes in a warm place or until doubled.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake the loaf for 30-40 minutes. It should be golden brown and when tapped, it should sound hollow.
Let the bread cool in its pan for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Arrowhead Mills as seen on Home Cooking with Sonya - Spelt Cinnamon Raisin Bread

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/05/100-whole-spelt-cinnamon-raisin-bread.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Grain-free Raw Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Erin — Sat, 11 May 2013 11:53:52 +0000

I’ve been trying to get pictures of these buggers since August. That means I’ve consumed about 7 pounds of peanut butter in dough form and more importantly – I’ve had some time to perfect the recipe!

My problem at the beginning was that my cookie dough was too greasy. I used homemade vanilla and really have no idea why this resulted in greasiness. So I left it out this final time and it worked. I also used a vanilla bean but I really didn’t taste any difference between pre and post vanilla bean. So save your vanilla beans for something else!

For the flour, I had to use something a little more neutral tasting than whole wheat flour. Almond flour worked wonderfully and you can’t taste it at all. So if you don’t like almonds, you can still make and enjoy these!

I have to admit that I wasn’t exactly sure about the yield. Because every time I make them, I roll a ball, eat a chuck of dough. Eat another piece of dough, roll a ball. Eat half of the ball and then repeat. So I just made 1/6 of the recipe and got 2 nice sized balls. That makes these the perfect solution for people with self-control issues. All you do is mix together the four ingredients and roll the dough into balls. So it’s not like you’re putting in a lot of time and effort for such a small yield. Woohoo!

If you store them in the refrigerator, they harden and get crumbly when you bite into them. So I left mine at room temperature and ate them up really quickly. I had no problem with this. :)

If you’re dealing with peanut allergies, stick around! I have some ideas for a few other nut butter variations.

Grain-free Raw Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

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Rated 5.0 by 3 readers

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 0 min
Ready in: 5 min
Yield: twelve 1.5" balls

Ingredients

¾ cup (192 grams) natural peanut butter (see notes)
2 tablespoons (40 grams) honey (agave for vegan - see notes)
70 grams almond flour (see notes)
6 tablespoons mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
a pinch of salt if your peanut butter is unsalted

Directions

Mix everything together and roll into 12 1.5" balls.
If it seems crumbly, let it sit for 10 minutes. If it doesn't seem doughy enough, add a teaspoon of water at a time until you like the consistency.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Notes

I haven't tried these with commercial peanut butter (Skippy, Jif, etc.) but I'm assuming that they would not work.
I used honey in these but agave would also work for a vegan version. Maple syrup also might work, but I'm thinking you might have to add a little extra almond flour.
70 grams almond flour is about ½ cup + 1 tablespoon but it's really better to weigh almond flour as most brands are different.

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/05/grain-free-raw-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Browned Butter and Sage Lemon Gnocchi – Even He Can Do It!

Erin — Tue, 07 May 2013 19:13:57 +0000

I know, I know. Another savory recipe. I’ll get back to the sweets later in the week! But for now, Mr. T wanted to share this with you. – Erin

Hey everyone, It has been a while since I last got around to making something for you and I am sorry for that! If you have been around in the last couple of days, you might know with what I have been busy this whole time… Thank you so much for all the positive feedback, it really made my day week!

Anyway, today is a special day for Erin and me and since I normally wake up a good while before Erin, I thought I’d make her breakfast. So I went to the recipe index and looked for something to sweeten her start to the day.

I decided to make her these tasty apple fritters. Everything went smoothly until I had fry them. Well, to cut a long story short: my breakfast surprise plan was thwarted by a malfunctioning thermometer. Instead of 375°F the oil was probably double that and so the fritters turned to charcoal within like five seconds. The light smoke rising from the pot should have warned me, but my trust in technology was bigger.

Since I didn’t want to ruin the whole batch, I decided it is best to consult with Erin. With a shriveled black wannabe fritter in my hands and repeatedly mumbling “I did them at 375, I followed your directions!” I woke her up. That certainly surprised her, just not the way I had intended it to. What a sad story, huh? Luckily I had not dumped all of the dough in the pot at once, so we were able to have a little fritter fest in the afternoon. I had enough of hot oil for one day though, so Erin made them herself.

In order to make up for a ruined breakfast surprise, I decided to do the unthinkable: attempting to make two recipes in one day! We’ve had these gnocchi a couple of times already and we both like them a lot. They are super quick (about five minutes) and easy to make — I like!!, they produce almost no dishes — I like!!!, and, most importantly, they just taste divine. :)

I used the potato version of gnocchi which come in nice little bags and should be available either fresh or frozen in almost every supermarket. One of these days we have to try and make gnocchi from scratch (recipes suggestions in the comments, please!) instead of using store-bought ones, but I can’t really imagine them being that much better than the fresh ones I got at Aldi.

Buon appetito and please let us know how you like the recipe!

Want gnocchi from scratch? Look here!

Buckwheat Gnocchi with Tomato and Butter Sauce (vegetarian) – London Bakes
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Bolognese (gluten-free) – Running to the Kitchen
Beet and Potato Gnocchi with Mint Hazelnut Pesto (gluten-free + vegetarian) – Tartine and Apron Strings
How to: Homemade Gnocchi – Tracey’s Culinary Adventures

Browned Butter and Sage Lemon Gnocchi

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 5 min
Ready in: 10 min
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

300 grams gnocchi
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons chopped sage
1 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 - 4 tablespoons Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
salt, to taste

Directions

Prepare the gnocchi according to the package's instructions.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sage and cook until the butter starts to turn brown and smells slightly nutty. Be careful that it doesn't burn.
Turn the heat down to medium and add 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Add the gnocchi, stir them a little in the sauce, and then add 2 tablespoons of cheese. Add salt to taste, and more lemon juice and cheese, if desired.
Serve immediately.

Notes

These are really best when freshly prepared. We've tried leftovers in the microwave and they're not nearly as delicious.

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/05/browned-butter-and-sage-lemon-gnocchi.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Creamy Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas

Erin — Sat, 04 May 2013 21:34:09 +0000

I really did try to think of something sweet to bake for Cinco de Mayo. But my love for cheese and carbs won over! This quesadilla recipe uses the filling from a baked taquito recipe I adore. I posted this on Instagram and loved the quesaditos suggestion. Isn’t that cute?!

You take some spicy chicken, shred it, add some more spices and then some cheddar and cream cheese. And of course I left out the salsa and onions called for in the recipe, just because I don’t like them. Go check out the original recipe if you want a “fancier” version. ;)

These are more work than your usual slap-some-meat-and-cheese-in-there-quesadillas. But it’s still really quick. And you can make the mixture ahead of time and just pull it out of the fridge when you need it.

I used these homemade tortillas. You can make them 100% whole wheat if you like, and I do that sometimes, but to be honest… tortillas are just so much better with all all-purpose flour. So soft and pillowy and perfect.

If you’ve never made homemade tortillas, then you’re in for a treat. They’re so much better than what you can find at the store (at least the stores here in Germany!) and aren’t that difficult to make. And there’s no lard, either. Just two teaspoons of oil.

These quesadillas can also be made on the grill! Cook directly on the grates over high heat for about 2 minutes or until the bottoms start to brown. I don’t think I’d fire up the grill just for these, but if it’s on anyway, I’d definitely throw these on. That and some tortilla pizzas!

Some other fun looking quesadilla recipes:

Buffalo Chicken Dip Quesadillas – Chocolate Moosey
Brie & Brisket Quesadillas – Confections of a Foodie Bride
Grilled Corn Quesadillas – Taste and Tell
Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas – Very Culinary

Creamy Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas

♥♥♥♥♥

Rated 5.0 by 1 reader

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 16 min
Ready in: 26 min
Yield: 4 quesadillas

Ingredients

2 cups shredded chicken
4 ounces (110 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (125 grams) grated cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons lime juice
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
8 small tortillas

Directions

Mix everything together except the tortillas in a medium bowl and set aside.
Over medium heat, heat a non-stick frying pan or cast iron pan that's slightly larger than you tortillas.
While the pan is heating up, spread the chicken mixture over four tortillas. Place the remaining four tortillas on top of the filling.
One by one, cook the quesadillas until the bottom or the tortilla is browned in several spots and the filling is halfway melted. Flip over, and brown the other side of the tortilla.
Cut into four pieces and serve hot.

Notes

If you don't have any shredded chicken on hand, butterfly 13 ounces (380 grams) chicken breasts, rub with 1 teaspoon of Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning (or whatever spices you like!) and pan fry until no longer pink in the middle. Shred the meat by pulling apart with two forks.
If these cool too quickly, you can reheat them in the microwave at half power for 10-15 seconds or until warm.

Adapted from Our Best Bites - Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos, as seen on The Comfort of Cooking - Baked Chicken Taquitos

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/05/creamy-cheesy-chicken-quesadillas.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Site Redesign!

Erin — Wed, 01 May 2013 07:24:43 +0000

Mr. Texanerin has been working very hard behind the scenes. If you don’t realize what he’s done, this is what my page looked like a few hours ago:

But it’s not just a redesign! You can find recipes so much easier now. If you go to the recipe index, you have a visual index of categories like cake, fall recipes, and vegan as well as the most important ingredients like chocolate, pumpkin and peanut butter.

And since so many of you have told me that you’re mainly interested in my gluten-free recipes, there’s a label just for that. I also added a label called naturally GF. I know that some blogs label everything as GF if it doesn’t contain any gluten, but do potatoes, smoothies and ice cream recipes really need that label? For me, if I’m looking for gluten-free recipes, I want to see recipes that were developed in a special way to be gluten free and not just stuff that happens to be gluten-free.

Below the visual index, you’ll find the complete index by recipe category. Further down, you can also browse recipes by ingredient, which is really nice if you don’t know how to use up that bucket of expiring Greek yogurt that was on sale.

It’s now also easier to comment. With just your name and email address (which isn’t displayed), you can leave a comment. So you no longer have an excuse to not leave a comment. ;)

And because it’s now way easier for me to reply to your comments, I can go back to replying to them. It was just a huge pain in the butt with Blogger! And if you select the checkbox that says Notify me of replies to my comment via e-mail, you’ll get an email when I or someone else replies to your comment. Woohoo!

You can also now rate the recipes. But you get to select hearts instead of boring stars. That was totally Mr. T’s idea. He was very proud of himself. :D

The About section now has more than a few sentences about me. And it was a great excuse to post some pictures of baby animals.

The Ingredients section has been totally redone and you can find out where to get some of the more unusual ingredients I use and explanations about flours. And if you live in Germany, you definitely need to go check it out.

And finally, if your puppy is ever walking across the keyboard, or maybe he’s looking for something and he’s just not that good of a typer, an entertaining animal friend will be there to help console him. See for yourself!

Some of the recipes aren’t in their pretty recipe boxes quite yet. I should get that finished in a few days but I couldn’t wait any longer to share my new look!

If you see anything that’s not working or that looks wrong, please leave a comment to let me know. We don’t actually know what we’re doing with this web design thing. Thank you. :)

And if you see a lot of my posts all at once in your newsfeed or by email – sorry for the inconvenience! It should just happen this one time (it was because of the switchover).

100% Whole Grain German Chocolate Inspired Brownies

Erin — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:06:00 +0000

These are hands down the best brownies I’ve ever made. Healthy or not. It could have something to do with the fact that I used way more sugar than usual but I’ll just try to ignore that.

I developed this recipe in hopes of winning a contest that an oil company is running. The challenge was to re-imagine a recipe that generally uses butter or vegetable. That just screamed brownies to me! Only on the final batch did I whip out the precious bottle of grapeseed oil that I’d been hoarding. And it worked out beautifully! Definitely give grapeseed oil a try if you haven’t already. It was nice and light and I’m looking forward to using it more in my baking.

You can absolutely make these as plain brownies and they’re really amazing that way. And much quicker to make! But I wanted to make these brownies pretty. So I went to Facebook and asked you guys what to do with them and tried to combine as many suggestions as possible. That’s where the caramel + coconut + pecan / walnuts combination came from.

I fully intended on making these as real German chocolate brownies and not just inspired but then I read what German chocolate filling is made of. It didn’t really appeal so much to me so I just made a simple chocolate ganache and spread this over the brownies. And then I added toasted coconut and pecans and drizzled on some caramel.

I baked the brownies and then put on the toppings but next time, I think I’ll just add some chocolate chips, caramel bits, nuts and shredded coconut right into the batter. Much easier and quicker! And that way, you can leave out the cream. Which means saved calories and that of course means you can eat more brownies. :)

If you do make these and you want to reduce the sugar, please note that they won’t be as gooey and they’ll be more cakey. These brownies really aren’t greasy, even if pictures kind of make them look that way.

I kept my brownies refrigerated but they’re fine at room temperature, as well. They just seem better cold!

100% Whole Grain German Chocolate Inspired Brownies

♥♥♥♥♥

Rated 5.0 by 2 readers

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 27 min
Ready in: 42 min
Yield: 24 servings

Ingredients

Brownies:

1⅓ cups sugar
½ cup grapeseed oil
3 large eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla
1⅓ cups (175 grams) whole wheat flour
½ cup dark cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Topping:

⅔ cups shredded coconut
⅔ cups pecans or walnuts
2½ ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons caramel bits
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place a sheet of parchment paper over an 8x8 inch pan and press it around the edges. This makes it easier to remove the brownies once baked. Or you can spray the pan with non-stick baking spray.
In a large bowl with a wooden spoon, mix together the sugar and grapeseed oil. Let it sit for 5 minutes to help dissolve the sugar.
Add in the eggs and vanilla, all at once, and stir until thoroughly combined.
Add in the whole wheat flour, cocoa powder and salt all at once and stir *just* until combined. If you overstir, the texture might be affected.
Bake for 17 minutes. If you stick a toothpick in the middle, it will come out wet and this is okay! They continue to cook after you remove them from the oven. Do not bake until the toothpick comes out clean!
Let the brownies cool in the pan.

Topping:

Toast the coconut and pecans for 5 - 10 minutes at 350 degrees F or until they smell toasted. Check after 5 minutes to stir the coconut, if needed.
Place chopped chocolate in a small mixing bowl and heat ¼ cup heavy cream in a small pot over medium heat, just until it starts to simmer. Pour this over the chopped chocolate. Stir until smooth and set this aside.
In the small pot you just used, over medium heat, add the caramel bits and another tablespoon of heavy cream. Stir together and continue stirring until combined.
To assemble brownies: Spread on the chocolate layer. It will be very thin. Then add the toasted coconut and pecans and finally the caramel. You can either use a spoon to drizzle it over the brownies or pipe it.

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/04/100-whole-grain-german-chocolate-inspired-brownies.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Whole Grain Baking Tips

Erin — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 23:54:00 +0000

After 1 3/4 years of blogging on this whole grain baking blog (which is now half gluten-free it seems!) I’ve never posted any tips for how to get started with whole wheat baking. It’s kind of ridiculous, right?

Baking with whole wheat flour and other whole grain flours is nothing to be afraid of but it’s a little easier with some guidance at the beginning. A few years ago, I would have scoffed at anything made with whole wheat flour. I think the problem was just that all the whole grain goodies that I had tried tasted like cardboard. And they also tasted healthy. I just can’t enjoy something if it tastes healthy. But that’s the thing – whole grain goodies don’t have to (and shouldn’t, in my opinion) taste healthy. :)

Mosey on over to Good Life Eats: Tips for Whole Grain Baking to read all about how to start the conversion to whole grains!

I know you’re here for the sweets but learning about whole grains is a good thing. So go check it out! I’ll be back on Monday with something gooey. And sweet. And chocolatey. I think you’ll be happy with it.

100% Whole Grain Chocolate Peanut Butter Macaroons

Erin — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 22:14:00 +0000

Lauren is the queen of macaroons. The only other macaroon recipe I’ve posted was also adapted from her recipe. Why go elsewhere when she’s got in down?!

She recently posted some double chocolate macaroons and I just had to get some peanut butter involved in there. So I replaced half of the coconut butter with peanut butter. And they were awesome. I just had to make them the next day to see if using all peanut butter would work, and it did. So there you go. No need to buy expensive coconut butter or make it yourself. Just please, use natural peanut butter. These will not come out well if you use the regular stuff!

Don’t like peanut butter or have allergies? Go check out the original. It’s peanut butter free! And I’m not so sure about using other nut butters here but now that I think about it, I’m so trying these with hazelnut butter.

I used 1/2 cup of maple syrup and it was enough for me, but I imagine these would be even tastier with the 3/4 cup called for in Lauren’s recipe. And because I recently found a few bags of peanut butter chips in my cupboard, I threw some of those in, too. So I guess I basically added the sugar back in peanut butter chip form, but that’s so much more exciting than in maple syrup form, right? I suppose you could leave them out, but that’d just be plain silly. And plus the peanut butter flavor isn’t strong enough without them.

I just realized that these are 100% whole grain, gluten-free and vegan if you leave out the peanut butter chips. But don’t let these labels deter you from making these. They just taste like little balls of happiness.

Oh, and another thing. I promise to stop posting chocolate + peanut butter + coconut recipes for a while. I didn’t want to post this today, but everything else I’ve tried lately hasn’t been blog-worthy. Or it just totally failed. So bear with me I try to come up with something a little different!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Macaroons

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 12 min
Ready in: 17 min
Yield: 24 cookies

Ingredients

8 ounces (225 grams) natural peanut butter
½ cup - ¾ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup dark cocoa powder
1 cup shredded or desiccated coconut
1 cup old-fashioned / rolled oats, non-contaminated for gluten-free
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
¼ cup peanut butter chips, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet with a Silpat or a piece of parchment paper.
Using a hand mixer, mix all the ingredients through salt together in a large bowl. Add in the chocolate and peanut butter chips.
Using a 1 tbsp measuring spoon, scoop out tablespoons of dough and place about 1 centimeter apart on the prepared baking sheet. They will not spread very much.
Bake for 12 minutes and let cool until set. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Adapted from Healthy Food for Living - Double Chocolate Macaroons (thanks Lauren!)

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/04/chocolate-peanut-butter-macaroons.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

100% Whole Grain Cheddar Bacon Beer Bread

Erin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:07:00 +0000

When Kelly posted her fully loaded beer bread last year, I made it almost immediately. I don’t like beer but beer bread is another thing. And as if it weren’t enough that it was beer bread, it had cheese and bacon. How could I not make it?

I took it to a BBQ and it was pretty much all I wanted to eat. I love cheese and carbs like nothing else.

The original is a bit fancier with garlic, onion and bell peppers but I was too lazy to deal with the garlic and don’t like the other two things. So look at Kelly’s version if you want that stuff. :)

Okay. That picture makes the bread look pretty unappetizing, but really, it’s just the picture. And you can just ignore that chip on the plate. But as someone who always wants to see the texture of something before making it, I’m forcing myself to post this picture. So there you go.

I went with 100% whole wheat and with all the beer, cheese, and bacon in there… I don’t think anyone will mind, even if they don’t like whole wheat bread. I’ve made this with white flour and half white flour before and the texture was just the same as when using 100% whole wheat. Nice and moist and a little dense (but in a nice way!)

The second time I made this, I only made half the recipe, and that’s what you’ll find below. The entire recipe is just too much for two people, especially when one has a cheese + carb addiction that just won’t quit. If you don’t have a small loaf pan, you could bake these as muffins for what I’m guessing would be about 15 minutes. Or if you have more than one person to share with, definitely go with the whole recipe!

100% Whole Grain Cheddar Bacon Beer Bread

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 35 min
Ready in: 45 min
Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

3.5 ounces (100 grams) bacon
1¼ cup + 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1¼ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
½ cup (120ml) beer
¼ cup (60ml) buttermilk
2 tablespoons melted butter or coconut oil
2 tablespoons (40 grams) honey
¾ cup (85 grams) sharp cheddar cheese, divided
¼ cup green onions, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and spray a 3" x 7" (8cm x 17cm) loaf pan very well with baking spray or simply place a piece of parchment paper in the pan.
Cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium heat until crisp. Let the bacon cool on a paper towel lined plate and then using your fingers, crumble the bacon into ½" pieces.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cayenne powder.
In a medium bowl, stir together the beer, buttermilk, butter, honey, bacon, ½ cup of the cheddar cheese and chopped green oninos.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes. Take the bread out of the oven and add the remaining ¼ cup of cheese to the top of the loaf.
Bake for another 15 minutes and then let cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool.
Best enjoyed immediately or on the same day of baking, but it stays moist for days.

Adapted from Fully Loaded Beer Bread - Evil Shenanigans

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/04/100-whole-grain-cheddar-bacon-beer-bread.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Gnocchi with Lighter Tomato Cream Sauce

Erin — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 17:38:00 +0000

I’ll get back to actual baked stuff next week, but for now, I just had to share this gnocchi with you.

Gnocchi is something I only discovered recently and I love it. What I do not love is my failed attempt at making it. So many people say it’s really easy, but mine was just a disaster. So this recipe uses the kind you find in the refrigerated or frozen section. Hooray!

This recipe is so quick and easy that Mr. Texanerin made it for me. This was actually supposed to be one of his Even He Can Do It! posts but he’s a bit tied up. Hopefully next week, you’ll find out why. ;)

I saw this recipe on Prevention RD and sent it to Mr. Texanerin. Kind of as a joke. Kind of not. But he actually made it for me a few days later. You think if I send him my “chore list,” he’ll do that, too? Because I really hate cleaning up. In general, tidiness is not my forte.

Looking at the ingredients, you’d probably never figure that this is so delicious. But it really is! The red pepper flakes add just a little spiciness and the cream cheese… man. I wish I would have known about this cream cheese in pasta sauce business sooner! I’ve been missing out.

Don’t like or can’t find or don’t want to make gnocchi? Use pasta! 8 ounces will do it.

And congratulations to Cathy K. on winning the coconut oil! Go check your email, Cathy. :)

Gnocchi with Lighter Tomato Cream Sauce

Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Ready in: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

22 ounces (600 grams) gnocchi
1½ teaspoons olive oil
4 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 28-oz (800 grams) can of crushed tomatoes
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 ounces (125 grams) cream cheese
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
4 tablespoons Parmesan or Pecorino Romano

Directions

Prepare the gnocchi according to the instructions on the package. For the kind I buy, all you do is put them in boiling water and let them boil about 2 minutes until they're floating.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Then add the garlic and stirring occasionally, cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
Stir in the can of crushed tomatoes, salt, and red pepper flakes and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the cream cheese and basil, stir, and then add in the prepared gnocchi. Top with Parmesan and serve.

Adapted from Cooking Light, as seen on Prevention RD

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/04/gnocchi-with-lighter-tomato-cream-sauce.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com

Chocolate Avocado Smoothie

Erin — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:17:00 +0000

So for about 6 weeks, no matter where I went shopping, all I could find were rock hard, awful, turned-rotten-before-ripening avocados. As soon as the good ones returned, I just had to go and buy six of them. A few days later and, “Oh… I have a lot of ripe avocados that need to be used immediately. Whoops.” But it didn’t turn out to be a problem because I just love throwing avocados into random things. It’s an art form that I’m continually trying to master. ;)

About a year ago, I was extremely dubious of this whole avocado in sweets thing. I thought those people eating avocado pudding were a bit daft, to put it quite nicely, but they had just seen the light before I had. Avocados in smoothies and desserts just works. If you haven’t tried it, you definitely should!

I’ve been making a lot of smoothies lately, and always with frozen berries. They’re just so cheap and it’s a quick way to get in a few servings of fruit. But I’ve started to get sick of them and that’s why I just had to come up with something different. I wanted something chocolatey. And with banana. I am allergic to bananas but recently I’ve discovered that I can eat some and not others. It’s incredibly odd. But I like this banana allergy rebellion thing. It’s fun. :)

This is almost on the verge of being pudding. Actually, if you want pudding, just leave out the milk. And if you want this more liquidy like smoothies normally are, just add more milk and it’ll be thinner.

I sometimes see smoothie recipes with ice called for, but I never use it in my smoothies because I don’t like my smoothies icy. I like them like slightly runny yogurt. And creamy! This is super creamy with a banana and half an avocado in it. You can leave out the banana and have it just chocolate and avocado, but the problem with this is that you need a lot more added sugar to make up for the banana. Those suckers are just full of natural sweetness!

Oh, and you can’t taste the avocado in this. It’s all chocolate. And banana. I found it sweet enough without any added sweetener at all, but you can add honey or any other sweetener if you want. But the way the recipe is, I feel like I’m eating dessert when I’m actually eating something that’s completely guilt-free and totally healthy. Yes, a chocolate milkshake is tastier, but for those times when you don’t feel like consuming 500 calories and loads of sugar and unhealthy fat, there’s this. :)

And if you haven’t already, go check out the coconut oil giveaway ending on Thursday!

Chocolate Avocado Smoothie

♥♥♥♥♥

Rated 4.0 by 1 reader

Prep Time: 3 min
Cook Time: 0 min
Ready in: 3 min
Yield: 1 large smoothie

Ingredients

85 grams cold avocado flesh (~ ½ avocado)
2 tablespoons Dutch-process / dark cocoa powder
1 medium cold banana (mine was 120 grams without the peel)
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular yogurt - just leave out the milk or use less)
2 tablespoons milk

Directions

Blend everything together in a food processor (or a blender if you have a very good one - mine requires too much liquid for a thick smoothie like this) until it's very creamy. Add more milk until it's the desired thickness.
Serve immediately or keep covered in the refrigerator for up to one day.

http://www.texanerin.com/2013/04/chocolate-avocado-smoothie.html

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com