Happy Holidays!!!

Hello all! I apologize if it seems that I have been neglecting you and my dedication to sweets. 
Not to worry though.. I have just been busy traveling home to visit family and friends, to celebrate, bake, and eat!! Which I am sure all of you are doing as well!
Anyway I just thought I would drop you a note, to say hello! I hope everyone is having a happy and safe holiday season.
Here is a sneak peak of what recipes to expect...next year!
Happy New Year and cheers!

cookies:

Cake:



TINA's cookie balls

and cupcakes oh my!

National Cupcake Day 12/15: Gingerbread Cupcakes

Since national cupcake day is smack dab in the middle of the holidays..what a better flavor cupcake to have than gingerbread?
This is a classic recipe gone cupcake!
I used my great grandmother’s gingerbread recipe to make these cupcakes.
The cupcakes turned out just fine..however the gingerbread did not taste how I made it the last time for a dinner party..which was exquisite!

Maybe this recipe is not meant to be doubled (which I did in order to make 24 cupcakes) or perhaps I tampered with it a bit!

Bad Marge! Bad! The recipe requires 2 cups flour..but since I doubled the recipe, I thought I’d experiment by incorporating 3 cups regular flour, 1 cup cake flour.

I believe the cake flour had a lot to do with the bread tasting a bit different…and a bit dense.

Other than the taste being a bit off than I remembered..they were great!

There are tons of gingerbread cupcake recipes out there..but for this special occasion I wanted to use a family recipe!

I absolutely recommend baking this gingerbread for the holidays. (don’t steer away from the recipe like I did for cupcakes) Use the exact amount of ingredients as directed!

My Aunt Kathleen would make this cake, cut it while it was still hot, split the piece and butter it. Yum!
I like my mother's description of her grandmothers gingerbread: "It's a cozy dessert!"
This bread is also yummy with whipped cream, a lemon sauce, or ice cream; also another great breakfast substitute!

Ingredients:
1 Tbl butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses (Grandma's unsulphured)
2 eggs
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup boiling water with 1 tsp baking soda dissolved in it
Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together at once except the water. Make sure the baking soda has dissolved in the water and add. Mix well. Pour into 9x13 greased and floured pan. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Serve immediately or let cool.
For the butter glaze icing I used for the cupcakes visit this Martha Stewart link!

LIGHT!!! Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread

Here is an option to start off the holiday on a healthy note!

Don’t let the whole wheat flour, fat-free yogurt, and egg substitute trick you.

This bread is moist, dense, and sweet enough to feel like a real indulgence. And don’t we all need that?

I am a nut lover so I did miss the crunch of walnuts as I bit into the bread; but if you are not a nut lover this is a perfect treat for you!

Marbled-Chocolate Banana Bread

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

3 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 3)

1/2 cup egg substitute

1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt

1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl whisk the flours, baking soda, salt and nutmeg until blended.

2. Place the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on HIGH 1 minute or until almost melted, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly.

3. Place the sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute.) Add banana and egg substitute, and yogurt, beating until blended. Add the flour mixture with a wooden spoon, stirring just until blended.

4. Add 1 cup batter to chocolate, stirring until well combined. Spoon chocolate batter alternately with plain batter into an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Swirl batters together using a knife.

5. Bake 40 minutes to an 1 hour or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Makes 1 loaf, 16 slices.

And because this is a “light” version of banana bread, here's the nutritional info:

Per 1 slice - Calories 185; Fat 5.4g; Protein 3.4g; Cholesterol 8.2mg; Carbohydrate 32g

Recipe from Enlightened Chocolate by Camilla Saulsbury