Chocolate Revel Bars

Although I've made both chocolate chip banana bread, and granola since making this indulgently tasty, yet ridiculously easy cookie, I won't bore you with my old favorites.  While I love banana bread, I seem to have fallen into a banana rut.  I blame my Grandmother, who purposefully leaves out bananas to become overripe so that when I come home I will bake with them: banana bread, banana muffins, banana...  The granola I own up to though.  There is nothing like crunchy, sweetly spiced oats.  

I love oats.  Wholesome alone.  Hearty for breakfast.  Comforting as a cookie.  Plus, it's a whole grain, so let's just forget the sugar bomb of sweetened condensed milk that goes into this recipe for now. 

From Better Homes and Gardens' New Cook Book 15th Edition (another old favorite).

Banana Nut Muffins

I am going to be completely honest here, because I think the truth is a good thing, and I don't want to be called a liar.  These muffins are healthy.  On their own they aren't very tasty.  BUT, (and isn't there always a but?) they are a perfect vessel for streusel topping.

Streusel.  I would eat it on pretty much anything.

Brown sugar, melted butter, chopped pecans.  Is there really anything better?  I think there was a bit of flour in the mix too, but I left that out of the list of deliciousness because nobody thinks flour is good on its own.

BUT, (there it is again!) flour mixed with mashed bananas, nuts, sugar, an egg or twothat is baked in the oven for less than a half hour produces a nice, sweet package that can pass for either breakfast or dessert.

In the world of baked goods, versatility is a virtue. 

Sweet Petite Cherry Pie

Cherry pie is one of my favorite pies.  Buttery pie crust and tart yet sweet, juicy fruit filling.  I was lucky enough to have just enough pie crust left over in the freezer from the butter tarts of January, that the laborious process of pulsing shortening into flour until the size of peas was not even an issue.  Much to my pleasant surprise, the flavor of the crust was not sacrificed with this short-cut, and to me seemed even flakier!

Using a greased cookie sheet I was able to make three individual cherry pies for each of the lovely ladies in my home.  I was able to practice lattice-crust making, which is actually a lot easier than it appears, but also a bit more messy.

As a sparkling finishing touch I added egg wash and some coarse granulated sugar.

These were perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

Baked at 425 F for about 22-23 minutes.

The Ultimate Brownie

My Grandmother is a chocoholic.  Chocolate crumbs are often found on her recliner, as are See's candy wrappers in the pocket of her robe.  But I love her for it.  I suppose, if you have to be addicted to something, chocolate isn't necessarily a bad choice.

When I finally had a 3-day weekend of which to take advantage of and go home, I instantly knew what I wanted to make.  Not these.

No, I had dreamt of individual cherry pies for months.  The butter tarts and pumpkin pie still left me hankering for more flaky pie dough...Mmmm.  So, when my grandmother batted her long lashes at me and asked, "So, Courtney...are you going to bake anything while you're home?  Maybe something chocolate?  Brownies?" my initial response was:

"Well, I wanted to try something new..."

How can you resist an octogenarian?  You can't, especially once you realize that it is very possible that the dessert you make could very well be the last desert they EVER eat.  Sorry to sound morbid, but it's true, and maybe I secretly wanted these brownies too.

This is the same recipe as the one here, although the "surprise" has been replaced by chopped walnuts (what is called for in the original recipe).  One can't go wrong with Ghirardelli, and the crunch of the nuts is an even lovelier surprise.

A side note: I have upgraded to using the camera on my new iPhone, and I am loving the results!

Butter Tarts

I'll admit that picture looks pretty gross; but that just goes to show that it is what is on the inside that matters.

My favorite food is raisins.  They are nature's candy, and they become (candy)^2  when combined with butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup in this lovely family recipe (which, sorry, but I won't share).  

The crust is a basic pie pastry (something I have certainly improved in making since the pumpkin pies of Thanksgiving and Christmas), both buttery and flaky.  

On my last day at home during winter vacation my best friend (aka Mom) and I made these together.  Not once did I attempt to commandeer the baking process (another improvement), and the tarts tasted all the better for it, I'm sure. 

I won't bake again until I go home for the 3-day weekend in February, but I see much baking in my future.  Why, you ask? 

Today I found out that my application has been approved and I will have my own studio apartment in June!  I will be able to bake, cook, and blog to my heart's content with reckless abandon, without fear of the countless germs that loom in the dorm kitchen but will be recognized enemies in my pristine studio. 

Truly home, sweet home (away from home).

(only remembered to take a plated photo after I had taken a few bites, oops)

Italian Almond Macaroons

This is a classy cookie.  It is the kind of cookie I imagine eating as I sit in a cafe in some little Italian town while sipping at my white china cup of espresso.  Please ignore the lack of class in the photo exhibited by the Gadware container these cookies sit in.  They were popular with company, and it wasn't until evening that I noticed they were almost gone.  I could waste no more time!

These cookies are unique, using no flour whatsoever, but almond flour (ground up almonds).  This adds even more to the almond flavor that comes from the almond extract in the batter and crushed almonds on top. 

Even though this cookie was popular with others, I didn't particularly like them.  The recipe (which I won't bother pasting here) was a bit bizarre.  It claimed it would make 24 cookies, and instead made 50!  Also, almond flour is very temperamental to work with--it literally sweats in your hands!  Who needs hand lotion?  The texture was what bothered me the most though, they were hard upon first bite, and instead of being crumbly, felt like a stale cracker on the tongue.

They are tasty dipped in coffee, but I'd save myself hours of work and buy a biscotti from the store any day.

Mint Brownies

In returning home for Christmas I was so looking forward to doing some holiday baking and documenting my tasty adventures on this here blog.  It simply wasn't meant to be, however, as just a few days after arriving home my computer did not want to cooperate, the screen broke, and I was without it for three weeks.  This may have stopped the planned blogging, but not the baking.  Thankfully the oven didn't break too.

The first dessert I baked was this pan of mint brownies to satisfy my grandmother's chocolate craving.  "Forget See's!" she said as she finished the first brownie.  This along with my grandmother's prediction that I will become a "great baker" were two of the nicest compliments I've received since I've been busying myself in the kitchen. 

There really isn't much to this recipe; but, simplicity can be delicious.  Bake up your favorite brownie recipe (mine comes from the back of the can of Ghirardelli cocoa powder can), and after the pan comes out of the oven, just cover the top with Ande's mints (creme de menthe candies).  The heat on the brownies will help to melt the chocolates; swirl until covered, and place in fridge until top is hard.

Is there anything better than melted chocolate?