Snickerdoodle Bread

Snickerdoodle cookies are such a holiday favorite of mine that I can't bear to save them just for the holidays, so I was pretty excited to stumble upon this recipe for snickerdoodle bread. The recipe was a cinch and made the house smell heavenly.

I made four mini loaves and two extra-mini loaves with this recipe, and actually only managed to snag a few slices before the entire stash disappeared. My mother, the main culprit behind the disappearing bread, claimed that it tasted even better after it sat tightly wrapped for a day or two.

Snickerdoodle Bread
Makes 5 mini loaves or 2 large loaves

Bread

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups (1 package) cinnamon chips
• 2 tablespoons flour

Topping

• 2 tablesopons sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 5 mini loaf pans (about 5 3/4“ by 3 1/4” by 2 1/4").
2. In a medium bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups flour and baking powder.
3. In a separate bowl, use a mixer to cream butter, 2 cups sugar, salt and 2 teaspoons cinnamon until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix to combine.
5. Add flour mixture, stirring until just combined.
6. Coat the cinnamon chips with 2 tablespoons flour and stir into batter.
7. Spoon batter into pans (don’t fill more than 2/3 full.)
8. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over the top of the batter in the pans.
9. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. (If you're making large loaves, increase the baking time to 60-70 minutes.)
10. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from pans. When fully cool, wrap tightly in plastic wrap to store.
 

Low-Fat Lemon Pound Cake

My apologies for the lapse in posts these days. To say there's a lot going on would be an understatement. And when I'm stressed, I take comfort in food. Especially sweet food.

But hey, at least this one is lower in fat!

This is a Cook's Country recipe that hits just the right citrusy note without being too overpowering with the lemon. And while it's not quite as moist as its full-fat relation, it's nothing that a small dollop of fat-free Cool Whip can't fix.
Low-Fat Lemon Pound Cake
Serves 8-10

For the cake:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup light or low-fat sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon shortening
3 eggs, at room temperature

For the glaze:
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Unload your dishwasher. This is one of those 5-bowl recipes, and you'll appreciate the head start.

2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F, and make sure that the oven rack is positioned in the middle so the cake bakes evenly. Grease and flour an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan.

3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. In another small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla.

5. In yet another small bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest.

6. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, shortening, and the sugar mixture about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined.

7. Reduce mixer speed to low, and add one-third of the flour mixture, followed by half the sour cream mixture. Repeat, and then add the last of the flour mixture. Mix on low until smooth, for about 30 seconds.

8. Pour batter into loaf pan and tap pan against the counter several times.

9. Bake until cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 60-70 minutes. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pack and cool on rack for a few hours.

10. When the cake is cool, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth. Pour glaze over cake and let set 10 minutes before serving. (I actually think it tastes better if it's refrigerated before serving.)

Cheesy Olive Bread

Belated happy holidays, from Angel in the Kitchen, the hubby, and the little man!

I hope you can tell who's who in this pic.

We've been busy, to say the least. But we had a wonderful Christmas, and it was so much fun now that Jack is getting old enough to understand more. Jack loves Santa. Jack loves carols. Jack loves Christmas cookies. And Jack loves opening presents.

We're all in withdrawal now.

But back to the food! I'm always on the lookout for easy bread recipes to go with soups and such, and I've been eying this Taste of Home recipe for the hubby. He loves mayo-based cheese breads, and this one looked especially ooey and gooey.

I don't care for mayo, and the spread was a bit too strong for me from that standpoint. But the hubby is a mayo fan, and he really enjoyed it.

Note that this makes a ton of bread, and it's pretty rich. And this is only half the recipe. I did leave off the onions and mushrooms, as per the hubby's wishes, but if I were a mayo and cheese spread kind of person, I think I'd prefer them on.

Cheesy Olive Bread
Serves 8-12

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 scallions, thinly sliced
4 ounces canned mushrooms, drained and chopped
1 4.5-ounce can chopped olives
1/2 loaf (1/2 pound) unsliced French bread, halved lengthwise

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

2. Combine cheese, butter, mayonnaise, scallions, mushrooms, and olives in a medium bowl. Spread on bread.

I actually had help with this part. Meet Kitty.

Kitty keeps Jack company while he's sleeping. Jack also sleeps with a second kitty, aptly named Other Kitty. Other Kitty did not join us in the kitchen this evening.

3. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted. (Pop it under the broiler if it needs some help.)

4. Cut into slices to serve.

Quick and Easy Caramel Rolls

This Betty Crocker recipe has been a longtime favorite of mine, when I'm craving some warm, homemade caramel rolls, but I don't have the time to deal with actual dough. And I love the uber-creamy caramel.

No, these aren't the best caramel rolls I've ever had in my life. But they're still quite good, and they're definitely the best homemade caramel rolls I've had that only take a few minutes to throw together. I recommend serving alongside some bacon, as I recommend serving almost anything.

Quick and Easy Caramel Rolls
Makes 8 rolls

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cream (either whipping cream or heavy cream)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 11-ounce can refrigerated soft breadsticks

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine brown sugar and cream in an 8-inch round pan. (I use a silicone spatula so I don't scratch the pan's coating.)

3. Combine sugar and cinnamon.

4. Unroll breadstick dough.

(I put these on waxed paper for easier cleanup.)

5. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

6. Roll up dough from the short end, separate into rolls at the perforations, and place in pan.

7. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until golden.

8. Cool 1 minute, and then invert onto a plate and serve warm.

Parmesan-Garlic Bites

This is an adaptation of a Taste of Home recipe, and these tasty little bites are a quick addition to a soup or pasta meal (although quite a bit smaller than I'd envisioned). But they're still yummy. And cute. And very easy to make.

Note that I'd recommend using the good ol' grated Parmesan cheese in a can, rather than freshly grated. The fresh Parmesan cheese just kind of gums up the oil mixture, and doesn't leave the distinct little Parmesan flecks behind after the oil is absorbed into the rolls.

Parmesan-Garlic Bites
Makes 30 small rolls

1 12-ounce tube refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet or spray it with cooking spray.

2. Cut each biscuit into 3 pieces. Roll each piece in a 4" rope and tie it in a knot, tucking the ends underneath. Place 2" apart on baking sheet.

3. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until golden.

4. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients.

5. Brush warm rolls with seasoned oil mixture.

Apple Turnovers

Apple turnovers are one of my favorite pastries, but it seems like it's tough to find a great one. (Although I still more than willingly eat the not-so-great ones.) So many of them have canned pie filling, which I don't particularly care for, or they leave kind of a funny feeling on the roof of your mouth, which probably means they've been sitting on the shelf for too long.

Or maybe I need to find a better bakery.

The good news is that apple turnovers are quite simple to make at home using store-bought puff pastry. And you can customize the filling to your tastes, just like I did mine. (And the little man did his, although more about that later.)

I think the best apples to use for this filling are apples that aren't terrible sweet, or too tart. (Or at least use a few of each to balance the other out.) Use the same type of apples that you'd use for an apple pie, because that's essentially what these are -- mini pies. I highly recommend the apples that grow on my parents' tree, if you can manage to get ahold of them. (I have connections.)

Apple Turnovers
Makes 9 turnovers

1 1/2 pounds apples (about 4 large apples)
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash of freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 package puff pastry (16-18 ounces)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup powdered sugar
A few teaspoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Peel, core, and cut apples into 1" pieces.

3. Place apples in a saucepan with water, lemon juice, sugars, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until apples are very tender, about 15 minutes.

4. Remove apples from heat and stir in butter. Slightly mash apples into smaller pieces. Cool completely.

5. Stack puff pastry sheets together and roll into a 15" square. Cut into 9 even squares.

Correction: Cut into 9 uneven trapezoids.

6. Divide filling amongst the squares.

Wait a minute. Which of these things is not like the others ... what happened? Let's check the instant replay.

Jack decided to go the route of a makeshift pain au chocolate. Which worked pretty well, by the way.

7. Lightly brush edges of squares with beaten egg. Fold half of pastry square over to form a triangle. Use a fork to crimp the folded edges to seal them shut. Brush triangles with beaten egg.

Sealing them is important, but I sort of overfilled mine and had trouble keeping the filling contained. But my turnovers were fine. They didn't explode like, say, pizza rolls.

8. Using a sharp knife, cut three small slits in the top of each turnover, in case the turnovers just need to let out some steam.

9. Bake 15 minutes on two separate racks, and then switch each pan to the opposite rack. Bake an additional 15 minutes, or until turnovers are golden.

10. Let turnovers cool slightly. Combine powdered sugar and milk to desired consistency, and then drizzle icing over turnovers.

Double-Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I got an unexpected delivery of zucchini from my mother-in-law the other day, and I was caught totally off-guard. Is it that time of year already? Not wanting this precious produce to go to waste, I tried something that I've never made before: zucchini bread.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a fan of zucchini bread. Or banana bread. Or anything of that ilk. I don't know if it's the texture or the spices used with them, but they've just never really been my thing.

But if you add chocolate, well, that's a completely different story.

This zucchini bread, based on a Food Network Kitchens recipe, is studded with dark chocolate chips, and also has some cocoa in the batter. The cocoa isn't overwhelming ... it still has a bit of zucchini-bread flavor, but actually has a taste and texture that's more like cake than bread.

And did I mention the chocolate chips?

This bread is tasty on its own, but would be incredible topped with some whipped cream. Or cream cheese. And maybe some more chocolate chips. I deserve a reward. I hit the treadmill today. For 10 whole minutes, too.

Double-Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Makes 2 loaves

2 1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. buttermilk, at room temperature
2 c. shredded, unpeeled zucchini (8 oz.)
6 oz. dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9"x5" loaf pans.

2. Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

3. Using a mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high spped until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

4. While mixing, drizzle in the oil and beat until incorporated. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

5. Add the vanilla to the buttermilk.

6. Slowly mix 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, and then 1/2 the buttermilk mixture. Mix in another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remaining buttermilk, and then the last of the flour mixture.

7. Fold zucchini and chocolate chips into the batter.

8. Divide the batter between the two pans.

9. Bake until a toothpick in the center of the bread comes out clean, about 45 minutes for a glass pan and 55 minutes for a metal pan. (I tried one of each.)

10. Cool in pans on rack before removing loaves from pans.

Cheddar-Garlic Biscuits

After the hubby and I slaved away on our big meal for lunch yesterday (OK, so it was actually a pretty simple meal), we spent the rest of the day cleaning and organizing the garage. Organization makes me happy. A clean garage makes the hubby happy. Everybody wins.

I'm spending today inside, doing laundry and cleaning out the basement. (Does anyone have need of a 4-foot stuffed Pepe Le Pew? Anyone? Bueller?) The hubby and I were going to finish our garage project, but the hubby got called away to do bales at his ma's ranch.

I'm not allowed to do bales, even when I am not heavy with child. The hubby and his sisters grew up tossing 80-pound bales of hay. I was town folk; I can barely lift a rake. When I go with for baling, my official job is to stay in the kitchen where I belong and feed people. Again, everybody wins.

But I stayed home today, and I'm taking a quick break from my projects to make a pot of fiesta beef soup. I thought it might go well with the leftover cheddar-garlic biscuits from lunch yesterday.

These biscuits are supposedly a knock-off of the cheddar biscuits you get at Red Lobster, and I love them. They're actually very easy to make -- no rolling out the dough! -- and they turned out fabulously. Everyone thought the biscuits tasted just like the real thing. The trick seems to be the garlicky melted butter that's brushed over the biscuits when they come out of the oven. I have a feeling I'll be asked to make these on a regular basis.

Cheddar-Garlic Biscuits
Makes 1 dozen

2 1/2 c. Bisquick
4 Tbsp. cold butter
1 heaping c. shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 c. cold whole milk
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Topping
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. dried parsley flakes
Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine Bisquick and 4 Tbsp. butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter. The butter should be about the size of small peas.

3. Add cheese, milk, and 1/4 tsp. garlic powder. Mix by hand just until ingredients are combined.


4. Using an ice cream scoop, drop portions (about 1/4 c. each) onto a baking sheet.

5. Bake 15-17 minutes, or until biscuits are golden.

6. Combine 2 Tbsp. butter, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, parsley flakes, and salt in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.

7. Brush melted butter over the tops of biscuits (use all the butter mixture).

Mmm ... biscuits ... Charlie wants some biscuits ...

Herbed Cheese Twists

I love garlic bread with my pasta, but I get tired of the same old frozen stuff. I found this recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook and was dazzled by the pretty picture. So dazzled, in fact, that I misread the recipe and made these twice as large as they're supposed to be. (I'm not very good with instructions.) The hubby and I both agreed they're probably better this way.

The recipe is quite simple; the most challenging part is rolling out the dough. Especially if it's been sitting in your freezer too long. And while it takes 40 minutes for the twists to rise, that’s a great time to cook the rest of your meal. Or take a nap.

We were really impressed with these. The hubby and I each nibbled on a couple while we were waiting for the pasta to finish. They were the perfect accompaniment to our Zucchini-Beef Spaghetti. For a snack or appetizer, I’d like to make a version that includes pepperoni and is served with pizza sauce.

Herbed Cheese Twists
Makes 1 dozen

¼ c. butter, softened
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. dried basil
¼ tsp. dried marjoram
1 lb. frozen bread dough, thawed
¾ c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
Sesame seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 375.

2. In a small bowl, combine butter, garlic powder, oregano, basil, and marjoram.

3. Roll out the dough in a 12” by 12” square.

I use the term “square” quite loosely. This was as close as I could get. I was hungry.

4. Carefully spread the herbed butter over dough, to within ½” of the edges. Sprinkle with cheese.

5. Fold dough in thirds, folding in first one side and then folding the other side over the top. Cut dough into 12 slices. Twist the bottom of each around, so twists resemble a figure-eight.

6. Place rolls on a baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm spot 40 minutes.

7. Brush tops of rolls with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.