Banana Cupcakes with Candied Hazelnuts

Birthday Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Hazelnuts sprinkled with Nutmeg.  Official recipe name but much too long.  It sounds complicated and intimidating.  In reality it is so easy, comes together quickly and helps you use up those spotted bananas in the corner of the fruit bowl. Plus so yummy.
Win. Win. Win. Win.
This is a recipe that has a "dress to impress" kind of look but is a basic banana quick bread that everyone knows how to make.   Don't forget to save a step and a dirty dish using my Kitchen Technique #8 with the mashed bananas.

Banana Cupcakes with Candied Hazelnuts
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½ C unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ C raw cane sugar
2 large eggs
1 C full fat, plain greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 C whole wheat pastry flour
1 ½ tsp aluminum free baking soda
¼ tsp celtic sea salt
3 spotted bananas, mashed (KT#8)

1. Grease or line with paper liners a 12 cup muffin tray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, whip the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in one egg at a time. Stir in the yogurt and vanilla.

3. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt into the wet batter. Stir in the mashed banana thoroughly. (Kitchen Technique #8)

4. With a spoon or cookie scooper, fill the cupcakes until ⅔ full.

5.  Bake for 14-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only crumbs remaining. Let cool 5 minutes, remove from tray and finish cooling on a wire rack before frosting with Cream Cheese Frosting and topping with Candied Hazelnuts, lightly sprinkle with a bit of nutmeg over top of cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting
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1- 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
¼ C unsalted butter, softened
1 C organic powdered sugar
½ tsp pure vanilla extract

1. With a mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.
Note:  This is a small batch recipe intended for 12 cupcakes.  If you are frosting a cake, double the ingredients listed.

Candied Hazelnuts
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2 TB sucanat or brown sugar
½ tsp raw cane sugar
1 TB unsalted butter
1/2 C whole hazelnuts
pinch of celtic sea salt
pinch of ground nutmeg

1. Over medium heat, melt together the sugar, butter, salt and nutmeg in a small pan stirring frequently.

2. Keep stirring until it bubbles, add nuts and stir until coated.

3. Continue cooking for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly until nuts turn golden brown in color and smell toasted. Transfer to waxed paper or plate to cool. Break apart and store in a cool dry place.

Happy Birthday Grandma~!!!

Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  Mels Kitchen Cafe,  AllRecipes and Saved by the Egg Timer

Pumpkin Pound Cake with Butterscotch Ganache

This is my first time joining in to bake with The Cake Slice Bakers!  Unveiling today is the new book we will be baking along with for the next 12 months, Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman.  Starting with Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake.  I love the simple excuse I got to make to go to Barnes and Noble to look for this.  I paged through it and decided it was worth the purchase, oh darn! 
My chocolate chips called in and used a vacation day, butterscotch will be the kitchen temp for this cake- to be made into a ganache (pronounced guh-nosh).  Ganache sounds fancy, you can add to any cake recipe, making it sound like you slaved away in the kitchen.  It is actually much easier than making frosting or making the cake itself!  Give it a try if you have never made it, make sure to throw the word around to feel impressive.  I want to include the original recipe for anyone wanting to just dump in a cup of chocolate chips and call it a day.  Which would also be a very good choice. 

Pumpkin Pound Cake with Butterscotch Ganache
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1 3/4 C all purpose flour, unbromated and unbleached
1 TB golden flaxseed, ground (optional)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Vietnamese Cinnamon
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Pinch nutmeg
1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 C canned pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 C heavy cream
1 C walnut, coarse chopped

Butterscotch Ganache

1 C butterscotch chips

1 T unsalted butter, softened

1/3 heavy cream

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the inside of a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Lay the walnuts on the bottom of the pan and set aside.

2. Combine the flour, ground flax, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves and nutmeg in a medium mixing bowl.

3. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.

4. With the mixer on medium low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the pumpkin puree and vanilla. Stir in the heavy cream.

5. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is firm to the touch and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, turn over onto your serving plate so that the walnut crust is on top and let cool.

7. Make ganache while the cake is cooling.

          a.  Place butterscotch chip and butter in small mixing bowl.

          b.  Heat cream in small sauce pan until a boil.

          c.  Pour over butterscotch and let sit 3 minutes, whisk until smooth and let cool to thicken to your desire and pour over cake or individual pieces.

8. Store uneaten cake at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic for up to 1 week.

We however, could not let it cool.  We poured the hot sauce over the hot cake and ate it as a bedtime snack.  This had the 3 necessary senses to make good food.  Flavor, color and smell of October in a piece of cake.

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Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Caramelized Nuts

Fall is here- mums, leaves, pumpkins, gourds, squash, corn, maple and apples!

Let the fall baking begin!  I made these and brought them to a gathering last week, they were a huge hit.  Recipes where asked and the few left overs where spoken for...as a passionate cook, that to me equals success!  I know a few are waiting upon this recipe post from that night, I told them it would be posted this week so here it is!

There is a little prep work for this recipe with the Caramelized Nuts.  It only takes a few minutes to make and are fully worth it, if you are in rush then just skip, through in toasted or raw nuts instead.  As always, I made my nutritional modifications.  Use what you have in your pantry and if you ever spot the ingredients I use, give them a try because you will not be disappointed.  I chose first on taste, second on nutrition.  It would not seem that way but as it turns out...things taste better when you have them the way they were originally grown/ made. 

Caramelized Nuts

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2 TB organic brown sugar
1/2 tsp raw cane sugar
1 T unsalted butter
1/2 C nuts of your choice
Optional: 1/8 tsp cinnamon (very good for Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie recipe)

1.  Place brown sugar, cane sugar, butter and cinnamon (if adding) in a skillet on the stove top.
2.  Heat on medium, stir the mixture while it becomes melted together.
3.  Keep stirring until it bubbles.
4.  Add nuts and stir until coated.
5.  Continue cooking for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly until nuts turn golden brown in color and smell toasted.
6.  Transfer to waxed paper or plate to cool.
7.  Break them apart and add to your favorite recipe, unless they disappear first!

Here is my Kitchen Technique #4-  My top secret baking ingredient, the cinnamon.  If you have never heard of, or tried Vietnamese Cinnamon you are missing out.  You don't even realize what cinnamon taste like until you have used this!  I buy mine at Penzey's Spices.  I am lucky enough to have one in my city and they are expanding all of the time, they also have an online store.  They are excellent spices at a decent price.  If you cannot find Vietnamese Cinnamon, then I would say Chinese Cinnamon is a runner up.  Good 'ole cinnamon is wonderful too. 



One cookie- two faces.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
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1 C white flour, unbromated and unbleached
1 C whole wheat flour, unbromated and stone ground
1 1/2 C old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tsp aluminum-free baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground Vietnamese Cinnamon (seriously find this!)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice*
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
1 C unsalted butter, softened
1 C packed light brown sugar (Rapunzel whole cane sugar)
1 C granulated sugar (Heavenly Organics for baking is the best!)
1 C pure pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 C white chocolate chips
1 C dried cranberries

1/2-1 C Caramelized Nuts

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.  Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt in medium bowl.  

3.  Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy.

4.  Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract; mix well. Add flour mixture; combine until all ingredients are incorporated. Fold in white chocolate chips, dried cranberries and Caramelized Nuts.

5.  Drop by rounded tablespoons or your cookie scooper onto baking sheets.

6.  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

See the difference?  When I brought these for a gathering, I wanted to bring the presentation up a notch.  I did a few trays of regular, few trays of fancy.  When plating, stack the pretty ones on top.  They taste the same, but this is why bakery cookies always look better.  Place a few of the add-ins on the top of dough before baking with any cookie recipe.  Both beautiful, both yummy.  One simple, one fancy.

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Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from: OurBestBites and MyBakingAddiction.