Love is blonde, and lovers cannot see

I don't know what I just did, but it was delicious. I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting when I made this recipe but this wasn't it. I went into this with the intention of making Snickerdoodle Blondies. For those who don't know a Blondie is basically just a brownie without cocoa giving it more of a toffee flavour than chocolate.  Even though I wasn't baking for Count No-chocula he has made me more aware of recipes that contain chocolate so his presence lingers on long after the dust (flour? cocoa powder?) has settled. Also I just happened to have all the ingredients needed on hand so it's not like I'm thinking about him or anything..

   So these Snickerdoodle Blondies are a white, toffee-esque chewy square with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on the top. I had to cut the recipe into 2/3, because I'm a glutton for punishment and a mathematical challenge and also because that's approximately how much smaller our pan was than the one used in the original recipe. I used butter instead of the Crisco used in the original recipe (because Crisco makes me uncomfortable unless it's in pastry and even then I have to not think about it) and they ended up a little on the greasy side, but seriously as long as there was a serviette close by who cares, they tasted amazing. The bake time/temperature was also a bit off on my oven and so I ended up with gooey centres and crispy tops and sides which is the greatest thing ever and I'm not complaining.
 
Snickerdoodle Blondies

1 c butter, softened
1 1/2 c sugar
1/2 dark brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1/2 tbsp vanilla
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
less than 1/2 tsp salt

Topping:
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 180º C (350º F, gas mark4) and line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper (purely for ease of cleanup, you can lightly grease the pan and just whack it right in if you don't mind doing the dishes)

Cream butter, both sugars, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add in flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and mix until well combined. Pour it into your prepared pan and spread evenly using a rubber spatula or your good ol' hands. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and the centre has set.

Clean up the flour that has managed to cover 2/3 of your kitchen.

That last one might just be for me.

Happy Baking!

-Holly

Snickerdoodles

       I've never had a Snickerdoodle before. I didn't know I wanted one. Now I know. I do want them, they are chewy cinnamon sugar goodness. How is this the first time I've discovered these? There's no going back now though, these cookies are officially in my rotation and I will be making them again son. They're simple enough to make and with the exception of the chilling time, don't take very long at all. 

Snickerdoodles
Makes 14


1/2 butter, softened
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/3 c brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 c granulated sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
Add egg and vanilla and continue to mix until well combined.
Beat in the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar.
Roll the dough into 2 inch balls and roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Flatten each ball slightly and place on a plate, covering and refrigerating for at least one hour (or freeze for 30 minutes).
Remove dough from freezer and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. 
Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet or transfer to a wire rack after a few minutes. 

Happy munching!
-Holly

This Bread is Bananas

I have discovered the mother of all banana breads which is very poetical as the plethora of bananas I used to make it came from my mother. At the end of her visit in London she found herself loaded with very ripe bananas destined for the bin. Not one to waste anything and being an avid baker herself she bestowed them upon me to freeze and use for later baking endeavours. As my time in this particular flat in London is coming to an end I needed to use them up stat. I'm having trouble as it is finding storage for the things I'm not willing to lug back and forth without adding a small corner of the freezer for five overly ripe bananas to the list of requests. I searched my beloved Pinterest for banana bread recipes and was, of course, drawn to the one with cinnamon and sugar. Also I was too cheap to go buy chocolate chips. 

It turned out so moist, and delicious that I ended up using the remaining bananas originally allocated to try a different recipe to make a second batch weeks later. It was a huge hit with all who tried it. One friend even exclaimed that it was so good she felt she should've paid £5 for it. I informed her she was welcome to, but sadly it never came to be. 

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
Original Recipe courtesy of Shari Blogs

3 medium or 2 large overripe bananas, smashed

(if you freeze and thaw them before smashing it makes the bread nice and moist)

1/3 cup melted butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg, beaten

2 tsp milk or almond milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

dash of salt

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 cup bread flour

CINNAMON SUGAR

1/4 cup white sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC)
2. Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with grease proof (parchment) paper
3. Melt the butter and let stand while you mix the bananas, egg, sugar, milk and vanilla. Mix in melted butter.
4. Gently stir in baking soda, salt and flour just until combined. If you over mix it will lose it's fluffiness. 
5. In a separate dish combine cinnamon and sugar.
6. Pour half the banana batter into your loaf pan and sprinkle it with half your cinnamon mix.
7. Add the remaining banana batter topping with the rest of the cinnamon sugar.
8. Bake for 40-50 minutes depending on your oven. It should be just to the point where a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean for optimal texture. 

-Holly

Wherefore art thou, Sconeo?

  A couple of weeks ago I got a hankering for a cinnamon raisin scone. Such cravings are not strange for me, but the thing about my cravings is that they are very specific and the standard for satisfying them is very high. Thus, I spent weeks searching high and low for the perfect cinnamon raisin scone to pacify me. Being in London, I thought I'd have no trouble, but alas, a grocery store scone was not going to cut it, and I couldn't find a bakery that carried them. I even went to afternoon tea at a hotel hoping they would be there, but alas, it was not to be. I soon realized that if I was going to find the scone of my dreams, I was going to have to get over my anxiety of baking in my unfamiliar London kitchen, buy some ingredients and do it myself.

   I didn't have a recipe in mind so I did what all Martha's in the making do and turned to Pinterest. My criteria were simple; fewest number of ingredients I had to purchase, ease of execution. I managed to save a few pounds, and storage space by turning a roasting pan upside down instead of purchasing a baking tray. Necessity is the mother of invention, as is being cheap. I found the one and after enjoying the fruits of my long labour I am convinced that it is, in fact, The One. The results were everything I had hoped for, crumbly, warm, delicious cinnamony goodness. So good, I ate three and had to immediately bag up the rest and pop them in the freezer or else I would've been going back to them every hour on the hour until they were finished!

   You can find the recipe below, I followed it pretty much to the letter with the exception of substituting soy milk for milk (I can only handle so much dairy). I also added an extra 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and skipped the chocolate chips. I'm a big believer in keeping things simple and classic and adding anything to the already delectable combination of cinnamon and raisin seems unnecessary to me, but hey, that's just me, you do you.

The recipe:

http://www.crunchycreamysweet.com/2013/10/08/brown-sugar-cinnamon-raisin-scones-recipe/

-Holly