Gingerbread Stix

Yummy homemade gingerbread is the essence of Christmas baking.  In fact when I told most people that I was making Gingerbread, they said, "Gingerbread... what?"  GingerBREAD.  The actual thing!  Not gingerbread cookies, mousse, lattes.... the bread.  This recipe is from the Gramercy Tavern.  It is dark, sticky, spicy and perfect for dessert or breakfast. Enjoy!

Gingerbread Stix

• 1 cup Guinness Stout
• 1 cup dark molasses
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup canola oil

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter bundt pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess.
2. Bring stout and molasses to a boil in a large saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs and sugars. Whisk in oil, then molasses mixture. 
4. Add to flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
5. Pour batter into bundt pan and rap pan sharply on counter to eliminate air bubbles. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely.
6. Cut into stix for easy eating 

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gramercy-Tavern-Gingerbread-103087#ixzz1hHhYX7zG

Cinnabun Muffins

After a week of prelim exams all I wanted to do today was bake and enjoy the most gorgeous October day Ithaca has even seen.  I couldn't decide if I wanted to make coffee cake or sour cream pound cake... so I compromised and created my own recipe.  These cinnabun muffins are inspired by my favorite breakfast treat- but less caloric, messy and guilt-inducing.  They are sweet, soft, and crunchy all at the same time.  Most importantly of all for us college students is that they are made with cheap and readily available ingredients!

Cinnabun Muffins
Cost: $$$$$
Yields: 12 muffins

• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1 3/4 cup yellow cake mix
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp sugar
• Cream cheese frosting (optional)

Streusel Topping:

• 3 tbsp melted butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, line a muffin tin with muffin cups
2. Beat the butter, eggs, oil, sugar, and sour cream together in a bowl
3. Slowly fold in the cake batter and cinnamon
4. Pour batter 2/3 of the way up in each muffin cup
5. Mix all of the ingredients of the streusel topping and add on top of muffin batter
6. Take a fork and gently swirl the streusel topping into the batter
7. Bake for 12 minutes and top with frosting if desired

Isn't it a lovely fall day???

Honey Butter Cowboy Biscuits

So I'm not from the south, but there's something about watching Paula Deen that makes me wish I was.  I wish I could throw a stick of butter in every dish I made and call it a day.  But for now, I'll leave southern cuisine as an occasional treat.


These biscuits were described by one of my friends as "the most delicious thing I've eaten here (college) so far."  That's a pretty good review I'd say!  They are salty, cheesy, sweet and spicy! They hit all of the flavor notes, while being very pocket friendly.


Honey Butter Cowboy Biscuits

• 2 cups pancake mix
• 1/2 cup cheddar cut into little cubes
• 3 jalapenos seeded and finely diced
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup cream
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp honey

1. Preheat oven to 450 and grease a baking sheet
2. Mix the first 5 ingredients together
3. Melt butter and honey in microwave for 30 seconds
4. Form batter into drop biscuit balls and brush with honey butter
5. Bake for 12 minutes

Best Banana Bread (Secret Ingredient!)

While produce is very hard to afford during the college years, bananas seem to be bountiful.  The cafeteria has no problem with you taking a banana to go and if this is practiced by everyone in your dorm, they accumulate quickly.  Instant oatmeal packets are also everywhere in the dorm kitchen, usually sent by parents in hopes that their children are making "healthy choices." 


I decided to work with what I had.  So I took the overripe bananas and abandoned oatmeal packet and created well... magic banana bread. This bread came out of the machine (thank you to my field hockey coach Marty) and was piping hot, with steam rising from its glistening crust.  Even though it could literally burn a tongue, my dorm mates flocked around it like vultures at a carcass. Honestly, it was late and I didn't think I was hungry to even try it. I ate two pieces. 


It is the moistest banana bread I have ever tasted, thanks to the sour cream.  I wanted to label it "Super Moist Banana Bread" but several of my friends hate the word moist, so keeping it in my I just said best.  But it is both the best and super moist.  Plus it is pretty cheap to make, especially when the bananas are free :)


Best Banana Bread
Yield: 1 loaf
Cost: $$$$$
Time: 1.5 hours

• 1 2/3 cup flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup melted butter room temperature
• 2 eggs room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 3 overripe bananas mashed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 packet Cinnamon Spice Quaker Oats Instant Oatmeal (notso SECRET INGREDIENT)

For an Oven:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease loaf pan
2. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and oatmeal packet in a bowl
3. In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar together until light yellow and fluffy
4. Add honey, vanilla extract, butter, sour cream and bananas
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just homogenous, do not over mix or your bread will be dense!!
6. Add ingredients to the loaf pan and back for one hour

For a Breadmaker:

1. Follow instructions under quick bread, layer ingredients as appropriate. Mine took 1 hour and 40 minutes