Oatmeal Muffins

This is a recipe that my friend Laurie shared with me from Epicurious from the Gourmet February 2005 issue.
She's the director at Lite for Life in Los Gatos.  If you need help with achieving weight loss talk to her!  And visit her blog to see the results her clients are getting.  Great job Laurie!
She makes these all the time and now that I've made them, I can see why! They taste like buttery biscuits with a hint of sweetness. Yum, Yum, Yum!
It's a very easy recipe and quite healthy...minus the butter...you simply can't live without it, no matter how hard you try and if Laurie says its OK, then you're good to go :)

Oatmeal Muffins

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, beaten lightly
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup dried currants

In a large bowl, combine oats and buttermilk and let stand 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400°F. and butter twelve 1/2-cup muffin tins.
Add egg, sugar and butter to oat mixture, stirring until just combined.
Into another large bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and add to oat mixture, stirring until just combined. Fold in currants.
Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin tins. Bake muffins in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

It took exactly 20 minutes for these to rise to perfection!  I used raisens instead of currants and loved it.  I'm sure you could just substitute a dried fruit of your choice.  This is the first time I've used buttermilk for anything!  What else can I use buttermilk for?  Any suggestions?


These muffins have already disappeared, so if I make 2 dozen I think that would do it with the milk!

DRIED CHERRY BANANA BREAD

DRIED CHERRY BANANA BREAD

Makes 1 loaf, about 20 slices.

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups unsifted, all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup mashed banana (about 3 medium)
• 1 cup dried tart cherries

Directions:
Combine butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed 3 to 4 minutes, or until well mixed.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg; add flour mixture and bananas alternately to butter mixture, beating just until ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix.
Fold in dried cherries.
Pour batter into a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.
Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven 50 to 60 minutes, or until done. Let cool in pan on wire rack 5 minutes, then remove from pan. Let cool completely.
Wrap in plastic wrap to store. This bread is best served the day after baking.

Recipe is from the Food Reference

Classic Cranberry Nut Bread

CLASSIC CRANBERRY NUT BREAD
Yum, Yum, Yum! I searched and searched for the perfect cranberry bread recipe and Ocean Spray delivered!  This is a simple yet scrumptious bread recipe. Good every time! I used canola oil instead of shortening and I used walnuts but didn't chop them up. Recipes usually call for chopped walnuts, but I actually like them unchopped maybe just broken up a bit.



INGREDIENTS:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 tablespoons shortening
1 egg, well beaten
1 1/2 cups Fresh or Frozen Cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped nuts

DIRECTIONS:Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in orange juice, orange peel, shortening and egg. Mix until well blended. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Spread evenly in loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. Wrap and store overnight. Makes 1 loaf (16 slices).

PER SERVING (1 slice): Cal. 211, Fat Cal. 54, Protein 3grams, Carb. 37grams, Fat 6grams, Chol. 18mg., Sodium 313mg.

This past winter, I probably made this recipe the most!  Everyone kept asking for more...and that's a good sign!

Recipe and photo from Ocean Spray

Banana Chocolate Walnut Cake

This one looks to die for! When I'm in the mood for something with a little bit of pizazz I'm coming back to this recipe! I don't think this recipe will go into the "very healthy" file but we can't always deprive ourselves!!! :)


Serves8
Active Time:30 min
Start to Finish:2 1/2 hr
February 2008 Gourmet Magazine

A great way to use very ripe bananas, this easy-to-make cake incorporates everything you love about banana bread and adds a few more favorites—chocolate, walnuts, and cinnamon—for good measure. (It's also much more tender, with a light, moist crumb.)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons, melted and cooled
1 cup sugar, divided
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
2/3 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (3 1/2- to 4-oz) bar 70%-cacao bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup walnuts (3 oz), toasted, cooled, and coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Butter a 9-inch square cake pan.
Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.
Beat together softened butter (1 stick) and 3/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in eggs 1 at a time until blended. Beat in bananas, yogurt, and vanilla (mixture will look curdled).
With mixer at low speed, add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated.
Toss together chocolate, nuts, cinnamon, melted butter, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Spread half of banana batter in cake pan and sprinkle with half of chocolate mixture. Spread remaining batter evenly over filling and sprinkle remaining chocolate mixture on top.
Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes, then turn out onto rack and cool completely, right side up.

Cooks' notes: Cake can be made 2 days ahead and kept in a airtight container at room temperature.

Recipe By Ruth Cousineau
Photograph by Romulo Yanes from Gourmet Magazine

Whole-Wheat Bread with Walnuts and Cranberries

You really can't go wrong with any Gourmet magazine recipe. Here's my first recipe that's not a "cake" bread that requires kneading and yeast! I'm going to make 2 loaves and keep one in the freezer....it's got to be tasty!

Makes2 loaves
Active time:30 min
Start to finish:3 hrs (includes cooling)
October 2008 - Gourmet Magazine

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading
2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 (1/4-oz) package fast-acting yeast such as Fleischmann's Rapid Rise yeast
1 cup warm water (120° to 130°F)
1/2 cup warm milk (120° to 130°F)
1/4 cup molasses (not robust or blackstrap)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups walnuts (8 oz), lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (7 oz)

Whisk together flours, salt, and yeast in a bowl. Whisk together water, milk, molasses, and butter in another bowl until combined well, then stir into flour mixture until a wet dough forms. Stir in walnuts and cranberries. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead, working in just enough additional flour to prevent dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, 7 to 10 minutes. Form dough into a ball and put in an oiled bowl, turning to coat, then let rest in bowl, uncovered, in a draft-free place at warm room temperature 10 minutes.
Divide dough in half and form into 2 balls. Arrange about 4 inches apart on a large baking sheet. Loosely cover with oiled plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in lowest position.
Lightly sprinkle dough with some flour and bake until golden brown and bottoms sound hollow when tapped, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Cooks’ note: Bread keeps, wrapped well, at room temperature 2 days or frozen 1 month.

Recipe and photo from October 2008 - Gourmet Magazine

Carrot Bread

Amy Frank (now Amy Walsh....married this past May!) has shared her Carrot Bread Recipe with me. Looks good!!! Here it is:

2 cups grated carrots
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two medium loaf pans by greasing and dusting with flour or lining with parchment paper.
1. Grate and measure the carrots and set aside.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
3. Whip the eggs together in a medium bowl. Stir the sugar in and then add the oil, extract, and milk.
4. Make a depression in the dry ingredients and add the wet mixture along with the carrots and nuts. Mix with a spatula until combined.
5. Divide the batter between the two loaf pans. Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until the loaves test done when a toothpick is inserted in the middle of the loaves. Remove the loaves from the pans and cool on wire racks.

As simple as 1 - 2 - 3 - 4......5!  This recipe is fantastic. I made two loaves and they came out brilliantly. This is a keeper! The walnuts go perfectly with the recipe. Big hit!

Where did you get this recipe Amy?  Family recipe?

Orange Yogurt Bread

I am very excited about making this one! I have organic plain yogurt in the fridge that I used for the last batch of breads so I wanted to find a recipe that I could incorporate it in and bingo! Orange YOGURT bread:)
It came with rave reviews but you know how that can be.....stay tuned.......

Ingredients
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Glaze:1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar2 to 3 teaspoons orange juice

****They recommend grating an extra teaspoon of orange zest and add it to the glaze. Also they recommend poking holes in the top of the bread with a toothpick before spreading it with glaze.

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add yogurt, orange juice and peel. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well.
3. Pour into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (cover loosely with foil if top browns too quickly). Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack to cool completely.
4. For glaze, combine confectioners’ sugar and enough orange juice to achieve desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled bread.

Recipe source: The Taste of Home Baking Book

OK- so this is pretty tasty. I actually didn't do a glaze for this. It didn't seem necessary to add all that extra sugar on top. It was the right decision! The crust is delicious on top-no glaze needed.
This did take about 10 minutes longer than anticipated. About an hour and 10 minutes.

Also, I didn't realize how much sugar was needed for this plus the sugar from the orange juice. I think I might avoid this recipe for next time. The light n' luscious banana bread only had about 1/2 cup! That recipe is looking better and better every day.