Category Archives: Baking

pecan cookies
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Pecan Orange Chocolate Cookie Bars

If you love toasted pecans in cookies, you’ll love this. A light pecan treat with just a hint of orange chocolate to give it a unique and delightful flavor.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons whipping cream or milk
1 Green and Black brand Mayan Gold chocolate bar (organic dark chocolate candy bar with an orange flavor).

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease bottom and sides of a 13- x 9-inch baking dish or pan.

2. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.

3. Mix flour, maple syrup, and 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press mixture on bottom of prepared pan.

4. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven.

5. Bring honey, other 1/2 cup of butter, and whipping cream or milk to a boil in a 3-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in toasted pecans, and spoon hot filling onto prepared crust.

6.) Shave or grate the chocolate bar over the top.

6. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 30 minutes). Cut into square cookie bars.

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Fried Apple Rings

When you have about 2-3 apples you just want to use up, this is a quick way to do it. These taste like apple donuts. Great as a snack/treat or for breakfast with some scrambled eggs and orange juice.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup flour

2 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

2 Tbsp honey

3 Tbsp butter

Olive oil for frying.

DIRECTIONS:

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix well or whisk. Melt the butter in a microwave. Remove and add honey to butter while it’s hot so honey is easier to mix into batter.

Add eggs to dry ingredients, then butter and honey and whisk out all the lumps.

If you have an apple slicer/corer this next step is super easy. Core and slice the apples (peeling them is optional). Pour about 2 cups of olive oil in a deep frying pan and wait until it is hot enough to sizzle the dough when a bit is dropped into the oil.

Dip the apples slices into the batter coating them evenly on both sides. They fry in the oil until browned. Remove to a plate with paper toweling on it to soak up excess oil.

Dip the fried apple rings in sugar/cinnamon mixture, powdered sugar, or drizzle a little maple syrup on them.

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pumpkin muffins in a pan
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Pumpkin Pecan Muffins

It’s that time again: fall. And you will be looking for creative things to do with pumpkin. Here’s one you can make any time, you don’t have to wait for the holidays, just the pumpkin to be ready at the farmer’s markets.


Makes 12.

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup honey, or 2/3 cup evaporated cane juice or sugar, or 1/2 tsp stevia

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 egg, beaten

2 2/3 cup flour ( Can substitute 2/3 cup of buckwheat or

whole wheat flour for more nutritional value.)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup fresh, cooked pumpkin

pumpkin muffins up close

DIRECTIONS: 

Cream the butter and sweetener. Beat in egg. Add flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder, mix well.

Add pumpkin and stir in. Mixing the pumpkin with the flour mix before adding the milk will absorb some of the water from the pumpkin.

Add milk and mix well with a spoon. Add pecans.

Fill baking cups 3/4 full and bake in a preheated 350º oven for 35-38 minutes until toothpick inserted in muffins come out clean. These are best fresh-baked but if your family cannot eat 12 muffins at once, you can bake 6 muffins and put the rest of the dough in the refrigerator and bake the rest the next day or later in the week. Or, bake them all and freeze what you don’t eat right away.

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vegetable crackers recipe
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Veggie Crackers

Making your own crackers is not as daunting as it seems. This recipe is actually quite quick to make if you have a food processor. These crackers taste great with cheese, dips and spreads.

Veggie Crackers Recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 veggies finely chopped in food processor. Some good veggie choices are onions, spinach, kale, broccoli, carrots, beets, herbs. You want to make sure the veggies you choose do not contain to much water or they may mold.

2 cups organic white flour

1 cup ground buckwheat or buckwheat flour, or rye flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup olive or grapeseed oil

1/4 cup butter

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Enough water to form a dry dough that sticks together enough to roll it out (about 1/4 cup)

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Add all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chopped veggies and mix well. Add the oil and cut it in well so there are no pieces bigger than the size of a pea.

Melt the butter and cut in well.

Add just enough water to get the ingredients to start forming a dough that sticks together. The less water you use the quicker the baking time.

Cut the dough in half. Grease two cookie sheets. Roll out each piece of dough to fit a cookie sheet. Cut the dough on the cookie sheets into about the size of the crackers you want. You don’t have to cut through the dough all the way, you can just score it and break it apart later. Cutting it up before you bake it allows the crackers to dry quicker.

Bake at 325º for 35 minutes or until crackers are crispy and lightly browned. Let cool, break apart, and place in a glass jar with a lid, like a cookie jar. That’s it!

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Oatmeal Bread

Oatmeal bread is my absolute favorite bread because it is so moist, nutritious and delicious.

Makes 1 loaf.

2 cups warm water

1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast

1 Tbsp honey

2 eggs

1 Tbsp grape seed or olive oil

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup oatmeal

Heat 1  cup water to boiling and pour just enough over the oatmeal in a small bowl to cover the flakes. Let is sit for about 10 minutes to soften the oatmeal and cool down to room temp for the yeast.

Once the oatmeal and water has cooled down so it is just warm to the touch, heat the remaining 1 cup of water to luke warm, pour it into a mixing bowl, add the honey. Stir the honey to dissolve it, sprinkle yeast on top and let it proof for about a minute.

In a mixer with a dough hook or a bread machine (or do it the old-fashioned way in a bowl and kneed it later) mix in the eggs, salt and oil until mixed well. Gradually add the flour in 1 cup amounts at a time mixing well in between each addition. Add oatmeal last and mix thoroughly.

Turn dough out on a floured surface and kneed untilwell mixed. Most dough machines do not mix the dough well enough to avoid having to kneed it by hand altogether. Formthe dough into a loaf and place it in a lightly greased bread pan, cover with a light cloth and let rise in a warm place (atleast 70º) for an hour.

After an hour when the bread has risen, bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes until lightly brown on top. Remove to a wire rack and leave the bread in the pan for about 15 minutes before you try to remove it from the pan or it will stick.

Want to follow our recipe club and get updates on new postings, holiday recipes when they get posted and special pages? Follow this online recipe book.

THIS RECIPE SPONSORED BY:

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red_white_blue_pie
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Red White and Blue Pie

In honor of the 4th of July, of course. Impress your guests by bringing out this pie after the cookout is done.

MAKES: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup plus 1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1-1/2 cups water
  • 4 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons raspberry gelatin
  • 1 pint fresh or frozen unsweetened blueberries
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 pastry shell (9 inches), baked. Do a search on our site for the recipe.
  • 1 pint fresh or frozen unsweetened strawberries
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 3 Tbsp honey
  • 1 pint whipping cream
In a large saucepan, combine the honey, cornstarch and water until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in gelatin until dissolved.Divide mixture in half. Stir blueberries and lemon juice into one portion; spread over crust. Chill until set. Gently fold strawberries into remaining gelatin mixture; cool to room temperature and set aside.Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream on high until stiff peaks form. Gradually drizzle in 2 Tbsp honey and keep beating until all is mixed in. In another bowl, beat cream cheese and 1 Tbsp honey until smooth. Fold in whipped topping; spread over blueberry layer. Chill until set, about 2 hours.

Carefully spread strawberry mixture over cream cheese layer. Chill for at least 4 hours.

Nutritional Facts

1 slice: 460 calories, 15g fat (9g saturated fat),21mg cholesterol, 161mg sodium, 79g carbohydrate (56g sugars, 3g fiber), 3g protein

THIS RECIPE SPONSORED BY:

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peanut butter chocolate banana pie
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Banana Cream Pie

Banana Cream Pie

Makes a 9 inch pie.

Without all the processed, pre-packaged ingredients typically used in banana cream pies.

Ingredients:

Mash bananas with the juice from 1-2 fresh lemon slices, or 1/2 tsp ascorbic acid (vitamin C) so the bananas don’t turn

brown. Mix bananas with the prepared vanilla pudding. Either layer the banana mix with the whipped cream, or fold the whipped

cream into the banana pudding mix. Put into prepared pie shell and refrigerate. Before serving, garnish with chocolate shavings

or cocoa powder.

Note: The problem with garnishing this pie with fresh bananas is that they will usually turn brown and yucky before

you get a chance to eat the entire pie. Unless you think you can eat it all in one sitting, or you are going to have at least 8

guests helping you eat it, we wouldn’t recommend using fresh bananas on top of the pie.

Variations:

Chocolate / Peanut Butter Layer: Make the chocolate pudding recipe on page 8, add about 1/2 cup of peanut butter to it

and optional walnuts and use it for the bottom layer of the pie. (See photo above.)

Blueberries: Sprinkle some blueberries in between layers of bananas, pudding and whipping cream and then sprinkle

some blueberries on top as well. Don’t mix the blueberries with any of the filling unless you want a purple pie.

THIS RECIPE SPONSORED BY:

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hamburger buns recipe
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Homemade Hamburger Buns

These hamburger buns beat anything you would buy in the store. They are very tasty with onions roasted on top. Make the whole batch of buns and freeze what you don’t use. They will last in the freezer for 3-4 months.

Hamburger Buns:

Makes 12 buns.
3 cups flour
2 cups whole wheat our
2 tsp salt
2 envelopes active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 Tbsp Dijon-style or whole grain mustard, or 1 tsp dry mustard
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp butter, melted
Sesame seeds, poppy seeds or finely chopped onion.

In a large bowl, pour the warm water, add 1 Tbsp honey and the yeast. Let the yeast proof for 2-3 minutes (float to the top).

Mix in the 3 cups white flour, the whole wheat flour and salt. Add the mustard, the 1/3 cup of butter and honey. Mix well into the dry ingredients.You may need to mix it with your hands.

Stir in enough additional flour, if needed, to make a fairly stiff dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 5-7 minutes. Divide into 12 equal pieces and form each into a smooth ball. Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheets, cover with a clean cloth and let rise for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350o. Brush the tops of the rolls with the melted butter and sprinkle with chopped onion or seeds. Bake for 20-25 minutes until browned and they sound hollow when tapped with yourfinger. Cool on racks for at least 10 minutes.

THIS RECIPE SPONSORED BY:

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PRINTING, PROMOTION AND DESIGN

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Honey Raisin Quinoa Bread

This batter bread is easy to throw together in no time and is excellent for toast or breakfast. Adding quinoa to bread is an excellent way to add protein, B vitamins, minerals and texture to it. Just make sure to rinse the quinoa thoroughly and it won’t alter the taste of the bread at all, just add nutrients.

Honey Raisin Quinoa: Bread: Makes 1 loaf

1 cup pre-cooked or pre-sprouted quinoa

2 3/4 cup white flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 Tbsp grapeseed or olive oil

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup milk

1 cup raisins

1 tsp cinnamon

Pre-sprout the quinoa the night before or cook it for about 25 minutes until it is soft and the grains have burst. See our previous post under “Cooking Tips: for how to properly rinse and cook or sprout quinoa.

Preheat oven to 325º. Grease a bread pan. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Beat the egg, oil and honey in a large bowl. Stir in the flour mixture alternately with the milk just until moistened. Stir in the raisins and quinoa.

Sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp cinnamon and stir once or twice just to swirl cinnamon into dough. Bake in oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cover the bread with foil for the last 30 minutes of baking time to prevent it from getting too brown while the inside of the loaf cooks.

Want to follow our recipe club and get updates on new postings, holiday recipes when they get posted and special pages? Follow this online recipe book.

THIS RECIPE SPONSORED BY:

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Swedish Limpa Bread

Swedish Limpa is one of our favorites. It’s made with molasses, so it’s a dark, and very nutritious bread. It has a very good flavor and tastes great toasted for breakfast. Because it’s a sweet bread, it does not lend itself well to sandwiches except for peanut butter and jelly. It is best eaten alone or used for french toast.

Swedish Limpa Bread. Makes 1 large artisan loaf or two regular loaves.

1 1/4 cup warm water

1 Tbsp grapeseed or olive oil

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup molasses

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp salt

1 egg

1 1/2 cup rye flour

3 1/2 cup white bread flour

4 tsp anise seed

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

Add 1 Tbsp honey to the water and sprinkle yeast on top. Let proof. Add rest of wet ingredients. Mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Kneed until well mixed. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or large baking pan. Form the dough into a large round loaf and place on the cookie sheet. Cover with a clean, light cloth and let rise for 1 hour.

Bake at 350º for 35-38 minutes until brown and toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

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