Chocolate Yogurt Snack Cake

Undoubtedly, you know what Saturday is. I mean, how could you not? If one more person asks me what I'm doing for The-Holiday-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named, I might have to end it all.

Now I'm not one of those girls you'll find with mascara-stained cheeks sobbing over a bottle of red wine and a pint of ice cream, but I still find the whole thing kind of tedious. Restaurants are overpriced, the food usually falls flat, and it's nearly impossible to navigate the streets without bumping into some starry-eyed, star-crossed lover on a mad dash to buy roses (hey, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, am I right?).

Instead, I want to have a day filled with delicious things. Things I make myself. Though if I'm being honest here, there might be an extra-large Domino's pizza heading to my door, if I play my cards right. This chocolate yogurt snack cake is the perfect thing to make. You can have a slice for breakfast, another for lunch, and then polish of the rest of the cake for dinner. And no one can stop you.

Chocolate Yogurt Snack Cake
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Makes 1 loaf

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
200 grams semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt (ideally Greek or Icelandic, for a thick texture)
1 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons coconut milk
1 tablespoon almond extract
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons Brandy

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9-inch loaf tin, line with parchment paper, and grease parchment. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and sea salt. In a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, melt the chocolate with 1/4 cup coconut oil. Once melted and smooth, remove from heat. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining 1/4 cup coconut oil, yogurt, brown sugar, eggs, and almond extract. Whisk in chocolate mixture. Gently fold in dry ingredients. Pour into prepared baking tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until smooth and light. Add coconut milk and almond extract and beat to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture and beat to incorporate.

In a large bowl, whisk heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar and Brandy and whisk to incorporate.

Once cake is cooled, ice and serve with brandied whipped cream.

More Snack Cakes
Mango Bread
Blueberry Cardamom Crumb Cake
Strawberry Almond Crumb Cake

Almond Pumpkin Muffins

Fall is the favorite season of Basic Bitches across the world. The turn of seasons allows every self-respecting Basic Bitch to proclaim that she "doesn't know why, but something about the autumn leaves makes her want to curl up in a cozy sweater with a good book and a mug of tea." After suffering through the long summer months, it is finally time for her to shed her Nasty Gal crop top and don her favorite 'Lulu' leggings and Uggs.

But lest we forget the most important part of the BBC (the Basic Bitch's Credo, not the British Broadcasting Corporation). The pillar upon which every Vera Bradley-wielding, Fifty Shades of Grey-reading girl has built her altar to Autumn. The Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Once Labor Day has come and gone, the inundation of snapchats, Instagrams, and tweets about their "favorite time of year ;)" begins. And I begin to bundle up. Not to brace myself against the dipping mercury, but rather to drown out all of the basic. I need something to get me through, and these are my answer. These muffins are the Pumpkin Spice Latte of the Basic Bitch's wilder cousin, the Bad Bitch.

Almond Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 12 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cup caster sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 14-ounce can canned pumpkin

1/3 cup coconut oil

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup flaked almonds, toasted

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 12-inch muffin pan with paper muffin cups. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together canned pumpkin, coconut oil, eggs, and almond extract. Gently fold in dry ingredients until just incorporated. Divide evenly between muffin cups. In a small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over top of batter. Sprinkle flaked almonds on top. Bake for 30 minutes, until fragrant and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

More Pumpkin Recipes

Pumpkin Spice Latte Popsicles

Gingerbread Eggnog Pumpkin Pie

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pie

Earl Grey Tea Cake

No matter what else is going on in my life, there is one constant. I may be transitioning. I may have a lot on my plate. But I always have a cup of tea.

The season and my mood dictate the type I reach for. And my schedule may lead me to choose a bag of tea over a nicer loose leaf. No matter the variety, I can't actually remember the last day I went without a mug of tea. Or a cuppa, as the Brits call it.

Because I've been going pretty non-stop for the past few months, my body is run down. Travel, work, and settling into a new life in a new city have left me tired and a bit lackluster, so my usual cup a day has turned into mug after mug. I'll stop into the tea parlor down the road for a match a latte, having just downed a thermos full of Darjeeling at home.

I know it's not a cure-all, but it is comforting. And whatever else I put my poor body through (I am well aware that eating out and going out are not exactly easy on my system), I feel that tea helps me detoxify and decompress. And while I'm more than happy with a simple Genmaicha or Oolong, it is nice to have some accompaniment every now and again. And what goes better with tea than tea cake?

Earl Grey Tea Cake

Adapted from Paris Pastry Club

Makes 1 loaf

For the cake:

1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Zest from two clementines

1 1/4 cups caster sugar

2 tablespoons Earl Grey tea leaves

4 large eggs, at room temperature

Beans from one vanilla pod

2/3 cup creme fraiche

3 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted

For the clementine confit:

4 clementines, thinly sliced

1/2 cup water

1 cup caster sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Beans from one vanilla pod

To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter one loaf pan and line with parchment paper. Butter parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and zest. In a large bowl, rub caster sugar and tea leaves together until it is a fine meal and fragrant. Add eggs and beans from vanilla pod and whisk until light in color, about 4 minutes. Gradually fold in flour mixture, careful not to overbeat. Fold in creme fraiche and butter. Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.

To make the clementine confit: Place clementines, water, caster sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla beans in a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until clementines are soft and syrupy. Serve clementine confit over cooled, sliced tea cake.

More Tea Cakes

Blueberry Tea Cake

Coconut Cardamom Lime Tea Cake

Coconut Tea Cakes

Bay Leaf Pound Cake

Or should I call it Bae Leaf Pound Cake? Anyone? No? Everyone else may be over the bae phenomenon, but I most certainly am not. I think the appearance of the word bae in our vernacular was, quite possibly, the single greatest linguistic advent in my lifetime.

Now this may seem like an exaggeration to you, but I find 'bae' slipping into my conversations at the very least a handful of times a day. It's my favorite of endearment. It's tender. It's sweet. And it suits all of my best baes perfectly. Just like this pound cake.

Bay leaf isn't usually the first flavor that comes to mind when you think sweets, but please don't relegate it to the realm of ragù and lentil soup. It brings an earthy, herbal quality to this pound cake that indulges my penchant for desserts that taste like soap. The moist, tender crumb studded with vanilla beans becomes hearty and complex with the addition of bay leaves, and the richness is cut by the tart clementine glaze.

So I implore you. Make this cake now. And make it before bae (bay) leaves.

Bay Leaf Pound Cake

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Makes 1 loaf or small bundt cake

For the cake:

6 tablespoons salted butter

3 fresh bay leaves, plus more for decoration

1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup golden caster sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup mascarpone

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

Finely grated zest of 2 clementines

Beans scraped from one vanilla pod

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

Juice from 2 clementines

1 teaspoon Grand Mariner

Preheat oven to 350. Thoroughly grease bundt pan or loaf pan, dust with flour, then tap out excess. In a small saucepan set over low, heat butter until melted. Place bay leaves in melted butter and leave to steep for one hour. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together mascarpone, eggs, zest, and vanilla beans. Once butter has steeped for an hour, whisk into mascarpone mixture. Make a well in dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients in. Gently stir in wet ingredients in a figure-8 motion, careful not to over-mix. Spread batter evenly in prepared baking dish. Lay extra bay leaves over top of the batter in any pattern you choose. Place in oven for 35-40 minutes, until top is golden brown and firm to the touch and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. While cake is cooling, in a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, clementine juice, and Grand Mariner. Once cake has cooled, remove from pan and drizzle with glaze.

More Pound Cake

Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Lemon Pound Cake with Lemon Poppyseed Buttercream

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Maple-Coconut Granola

 

Now, I realize this isn't a particularly exciting post for many of you. I mean this blog is called Baking the Book, for god's sake. And the past few recipes haven't even really been baking either, though the ice creams aren't exactly something to turn your nose up at. But let me explain myself before you click back to more...well...exciting food porn.

If you've been reading for a while, you'll probably already know that indulgent food is one of my greatest vices. When something delicious is placed in front of me, all willpower I may have once possessed (though realistically, I'm not sure I had much to begin with) disappears as quickly as the salted caramel brownies or oatmeal cookies before me. So, on occasion, when I head into the kitchen, I like to pretend to be a bit more virtuous.

Instead of delving straight into a recipe for a black forest gateaux or a cheesy pull-apart bread, I test my abilities, hoping to create something that is both irresistible and marginally less artery-clogging. A tall order, if you ask me. Despite the arduous journey to virtuosity and deliciousness, I finally landed on a recipe that ticks every box you could hope for. Enter Maple-Coconut Granola.

Like many granola recipes out there nowadays, this one uses olive oil as the fat. It tones down the sweetness and gives the granola a full-bodied robustness that's just what I want in the morning. Or the afternoon. Or at midnight. The maple syrup is a little bit funkier than honey or brown sugar and just so happens to be (sort of) good for you. You can obviously use any nuts you like, but I've found that the combination of macadamia nuts and pistachios strikes the right balance between rich and buttery and salty-crunchy. So, if you ever considered taking my advice, now is most definitely the time.

Maple-Coconut Granola

6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

3 cups unsweetened thick coconut chips (these have a nice heft in the granola that shredded coconut won't give you)

1 1/2 cups macadamia nuts

1 1/2 cups shelled, salted pistachios

1 cup dark amber maple syrup

2/3 cup olive oil

A pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large roasting pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss together oats, coconut chips, macadamia nuts, and pistachios. In a measuring cup, stir together maple syrup, olive oil, and salt. Make a well in the oat mixture and pour maple syrup mixture in. Fold until all dry ingredients have been coated. Spread mixture evenly over prepared roasting pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and fragrant, stirring every 15 minutes or so. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container- it will keep for up to a week, though it certainly won't last that long

More Granola

Apple Cranberry Granola Bars

Pistachio and Goji Berry Granola

Cherry Almond Granola

Sugar Buns

If you were to ask just about anyone who knows me, they would likely wholeheartedly agree that 'all black everything' is a pretty apt description of my wardrobe. My brothers have taken to calling me the Princess of Darkness, and dressing up as Wednesday Addams for Halloween wasn't all that much of a stretch for me. Normally, I don't really notice my monochromatic wardrobe. When I'm in London or St Andrews or New York, I am swimming in a sea of black. But when I come home? Well that's a different story all together.

It comes a shock to all of my friends at home that I still tend to dress like I could be dashing to a funeral at any moment. If pressed, they might even call it drab. While I avoid looking too delicate or sweet when I dress, I have all the time in the world for sweetness and delicacy when I bake. I can't resist anything tiny and dainty and adorable- macarons, palmiers, you name it.

When I was trolling the internet for a recipe to make and spotted these beauties, I was hooked. I couldn't get the idea of them out of my head. They were just too prettttttyyyy. Don't you think? They are tender and flaky, made with a Danish dough, and are softly spicy. The diaphanous pastry unfurls to reveal a sticky center heady with butter. I promise, just one won't do.

Sugar Buns

Adapted from Seven Spoons

Makes 12 buns

For the dough:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup bread flour

1 packet active dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup milk, at room temperature

1/4 cup warm water

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

16 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

For the buns:

6 tablespoons butter, browned and cooled

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

All-purpose flour for dusting

Granulated sugar for dusting

1 recipe Danish dough

To make the Danish dough: In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, bread flour, yeast, sugar and salt. In a measuring cup, whisk together milk, water, egg, and almond extract. Scatter the cubed butter over the flour mixture and, using a snapping motion, work the butter into the flour until it is in pea-sized clumps. The dough will be shaggy. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in milk mixture. Sweeping your hand in a figure-8 motion, incorporate wet ingredients into dry ingredients until it forms a dough and comes together in a ball. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, bring the dough to room temperature. On a lightly-floured surface, roll out the dough to a 20-inch square. Fold the dough in thirds like a letter, turn the dough 90 degrees, and roll out again to a 20-inch square. Repeat the process 3 more times. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes before using.

To make the sugar buns: In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and nutmeg. Brush the inside of a 12-hole muffin tin with browned butter and sprinkle generously with sugar. On a lightly-floured surface, roll out the Danish dough to an 8-by-12-inch rectangle. Brush with browned butter, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the sides. Sprinkle sugar mixture over top and press into dough. Roll dough into a tight log and slice into 12 equal pieces. Place one piece in each hole of the muffin tin. Put muffin tin in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375. Once the buns have doubled in size, bake for 25 minutes, until firm to the touch and golden brown. Remove from oven and turn out onto a baking sheet. Roll each bun in granulated sugar and place right-side up on baking sheet. They're best eaten still warm.

More Morning Treats

Bubble-Topped Brioche

Monkey Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze

Brown Butter Biscuits

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Banana bread seems to be sort of a thing. Do you know what I mean? It seems like every self-respecting person, most particularly those who gravitate toward yoga, granola, and Lululemon, feel like there is nothing better than a great, hulking slice of banana bread.

 I think it's the fact that bananas feature in the title of this breakfast (or afternoon, or evening, or anytime really) snack that makes it so popular. That fruit quotient makes banana bread consumers feel just virtuous enough to justify an extra slice or two (shall we call them slivers?) down the gullet.

To be perfectly honest, I never really got it. I felt that anything that included cooked bananas was, well, revolting. Throughout high school, so many of my friends brought in their moms' "famous banana bread." I was so thankful anytime a tin of it made its way through the doorway at Ashley Hall because I wasn't even remotely tempted. A tray of oatmeal cookies? A plate full of coffee cake? Forget it. I was a gonner.

 But banana bread? I turned my nose up every time. I thought everyone was crazy. Until a week ago. After one of my friends broke her thumb and had to have surgery in Scotland- God forbid- my flatmate, Arden whipped up a batch of banana bread as a little pick-me-up. She sweetly wrapped up half of the bread, and, quite devilishly, left the other half on the counter for Caitlin, Cokie, and I to devour.

I circled around the bread. Paced back and forth in front of it, eyeing it. I don't like banana bread, do I? I'd pretty much run out of food at this point, and it did smell awfully good. How bad could it be? So, I inched a little closer. I pinched off a corner. And. Oh. My. God. It was a divine revelation. I'd been missing out for years. Banana bread is delicious!

But of course, you knew that already, didn't you? So, while I'm painfully behind the times, I'm sure you have your own recipe for banana bread. But let me implore you to try this one. Because it is really, really good. I mean, knock your socks off good. What have you got to lose?

  Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Adapted from Orangette
Makes 1 loaf

For the batter:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3 ripe bananas
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the topping:
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, mash bananas well until only small chunks remain. Add eggs one at a time and whisk to combine. Whisk in vanilla extract.  Slowly stir in dry ingredients until just incorporated. Carefully fold in chocolate chips, but do not overmix. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Stir together sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle mixture over top of batter. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.

  More Banana Recipes

Spiced Banana and Brown Sugar Ice Cream

Banana Layer Cake with Passionfruit Cream Cheese Icing

Banana Cream Cheesecakes

Apple Tea Cake with Oat-Pecan Streusel

Hey. How are ya? I'm going to skip right over the whole apologetic blogger thing, and get straight to the point. This tea cake? It's delicious. And if you make it, you'll think it's the second coming because your house will smell heavenly.

I have been baking quite a bit, after finally settling into my new flat, but seeing as the charming security agents in Kiev Borispol, which, let me tell you, is one hell of an airport, destroyed my camera lens, photographing the tasty things that paraded out of my oven proved problematic. There have been so many things that I wanted to tell you about- Toblerone cookies, toffee caramel chocolate chip cookies, and some seriously good blondies my flatmate Caitlin made. But I just didn't have any way to share them with you.

Luckily, I have my brother's camera on loan until I sort out my own camera. It's taking some getting used to, but hopefully I'll get the hang of it before too long. Though I can honestly say these are certainly not my finest photos, I do implore you to try this recipe. It's easy peasy and really couldn't be much tastier. I had all of the ingredients on hand, save the apple juice, and it came together in no time. And, it's so moist and so moreish, I think it'll be gone from my kitchen table before too long.

Apple Tea Cake with Oat-Pecan Streusel
Makes one 9-inch loaf

For the cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup rapeseed (Canola) oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup cloudy apple juice
2 granny smith apples, peeled and diced
1/2 cup chopped, pitted dates

For the streusel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 teaspoon table salt
4 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9-inch loaf pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together brown sugar and rapeseed oil. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in vanilla extract. Beat in dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with apple juice, and ending with dry ingredients. Fold in apples and dates. Pour batter into prepared baking sheet.
For the streusel: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, pecans and salt. Add butter and beat on medium speed until the mixture is in pea-sized lumps. Sprinkle over top of tea cake.
To bake: Slide filled loaf pan into the center rack of the oven. Bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack. Once cool, remove from baking tin and invert, streusel-side up, onto a cake plate or serving platter.

  More Tea Cakes
Sticky Ginger Spice Cake
Fig and Raspberry Tea Cake
Spiced Persimmon Tea Cake

Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

Cinnamon toast was a staple in my diet growing up. My mom had a little jar tucked away in the spice cabinet to house the precious mixture of cinnamon and granulated sugar. That jar came out morning after morning, as my mom would generously sprinkle the mixture on top of two slices of raisin toast slathered in salted butter.

 When I was lucky enough to spend the night at my friend Charlotte's house, or when her mom was feeling extra motherly and would send her to my car with a special treat for me, I got to have some of Charlotte's mom's homemade cinnamon bread. Though I couldn't quite stomach the breakfast of champs that Charlotte was known to indulge in (cinnamon toast and a chocolate milkshake. ever. single. morning.), that cinnamon bread was just what I wanted to shake up my sweet and spicy breakfast routine.

 On Christmas morning, my brothers and I always awoke to the scent of cinnamon buns wafting through the house. My mom would wake up at 5 am to start the dough, so that we could all spill into the dining room and devour them just as the last present had been opened. I remember my friend Molly had a warm and sticky batch of monkey bread at her house from time to time that I could have single-handedly consumed in one sitting. There was something both comforting and remarkable about each of those cinnamon breads.

Though this cinnamon pull-apart bread doesn't really have much of a story behind it, I feel like it might just make its way into regular rotation at my house. It's quick and easy, which is not something you can say for all yeasted doughs, and doesn't require much kneading, taking the intimidation factor out of things. It's actually quite beautiful and makes the house smell amazing.

  Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread
Makes 1 loaf
Adapted from Joy the Baker

For the dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast, dissolved in 3 tablespoons warm water with a pinch of sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling:
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and browned

Whisk together 2 cups flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, activated dry yeast, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs. In a small saucepan, heat butter and milk until butter has melted. Add water and vanilla extract. Mix milk mixture into dry ingredients. Add egg yolks and stir to combine (dough will be quite sticky and will take a couple minutes to come together). Add the remaining 3/4 cup flour and stir to combine. Transfer to a well-greased bowl, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and a clean dish towel. Place in a warm area and let rise for an hour, until doubled. While the dough is rising, mix together sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl and set aside. Once dough has doubled in size, deflate the risen dough and knead in 1/4 cup more flour. Cover with a clean towel and let rise for five minutes. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out using a floured rolling pin until the dough is 20 inches long and 12 inches high. Using a pastry brush, brush the dough with the melted, browned butter. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over dough. Slice the dough vertically into six equal strips. Set the strips on top of one another and slice into six squares. You will now have six stacks of six squares. Layer dough into greased loaf pan like a flip book. Cover dough with clean kitchen towel and let rise for 30 more minutes. While dough is rising, preheat the oven, with the rack set in the center, to 350 degrees. Place loaf in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until deep golden brown on top to ensure it is cooked all the way through. Rest on a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.

  More Cinnamon Treats
Browned Butter Cake with Cinnamon Chocolate Frosting
Baked Apple Cinnamon French Toast
Strawberry-Stuffed Cinnamon Cupcakes

East Coast Grill Cornbread

Thank God it's sweet corn season. My mom has been churning out batch after batch of homemade corn and black bean salad that is so irresistible, Riley and I have to practice intense self-restraint so as to leave at least one spoonful of the stuff for the other. There was a rich, sweet lobster and corn chowder at dinner only a few nights ago, corn has made its way into my big green salads, and I've been toying with the idea of a sweet corn ice cream. I'm pretty smitten.

While corn isn't actually a vegetable (it was quite a blow to my health consciousness when I found that out), it still feels healthier than a hunk of crusty bread of a big bowl of silky noodles. I almost feel saintly when I choose a handful or two of popcorn over a bag of chips. It is whole grain, after all. So it just must be good for you, right? Glad we're in agreement.

 One of my favorite ways to indulge in the honeyed, golden grain is in the form of cornbread. At my house, we generally use a cornbread mix because it's quick and easy and churns out tasty, though not extravagant, results. But this time, after Riley's beseeching request, I wanted to make something from scratch. Originally, I was leaning toward a skillet-cornbread, only to realize that I do not have a single cast iron pot or pan. How on earth is that possible? So I decided to go with a recipe from the New York  Times and give it a little tweaking here and there.

I love the extra hit of sweetness the kernels of fresh corn give to the bread. It is super moist and perfectly corny (in a good way, I promise). It makes as wonderful an accompaniment to a plate piled with barbecue as it does a special, indulgent sort of breakfast, slathered with salted Irish butter and a squirt of honey.

  East Coast Grill Cornbread
Serves 6-8

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup finely-ground yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups almond milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan or loaf pan and put in oven to heat. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together almond milk, butter, and eggs. Pour almond milk mixture over dry ingredients and stir to combine, but be careful not to over-mix. Fold in corn kernels. Remove hot pan from oven and and pour batter into it. Return to oven and bake for 50 minutes to an hour, until cornbread is golden brown and a knife inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool.

  More Cornbread Recipes
Sour Cream Cornbread with Aleppo
Custard-Filled Cornbread
Zucchini Green Chili Cornbread

Strawberry and Cream Biscuits

There is nothing more emblematic of summer than fresh, juicy strawberries. It is easy enough to enjoy them right out of the carton on the way home from the farmer's market, but sometimes putting in the tiniest bit of effort makes those lovely jewel-like berries shine even more than they would have on their own. Strawberry shortcake has been my go-to summer dessert for as long as I can remember.

 After drooling with envy over my little brother's asian-inspired strawberry shortcake a few nights ago, the switch was flipped. It hit me that it was strawberry shortcake season. Rather than going the more traditional route, I decided to try for something a little different. Lucky for me, there was a post on Smitten Kitchen not too long ago that I had filed away in my brain as a must-make for summer.

Having spent three months with Nathalie Dupree making biscuits five days a week, I'm always intrigued by biscuit recipes. As I've said before, I was never really into biscuits. I guess that's the non-Southerner in me talking. But after that fateful summer of biscuit, a good biscuit can really turn my head. And these? Well, these are good biscuits. They're probably more akin to a scone than a biscuit, but let's not split hairs here. Think of them as a portable strawberry shortcake- the perfect accessory to a summer brunch or breezy picnic.

  Strawberry and Cream Biscuits
Makes about 12
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen


2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes
1 cup diced strawberries
1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing onto biscuits


Preheat the oven to 425. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add butter to dry ingredients, and, using a snapping motion, work butter into dry ingredients until butter is in pea-sized lumps. Toss strawberries in dry ingredients, coating. Make a well in center of dry ingredients and pour in heavy cream. Stir in heavy cream using a figure-eight motion, careful not to over-mix, until dough is shaggy but cohesive. Dust your work surface with all-purpose flour and coat your hands. Fold the dough in half; pat it out into a 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick round, using a little additional flour only if needed. Fold the dough in half a second time. If the dough is still clumpy, pat and fold a third time. Pat the dough out into a round 1/2-inch thick. Brush off any visible flour from the top. For each biscuit, dip a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter into the reserved 1/4 cup of flour; cut out the biscuits, pressing firmly, starting at the outside edge and cutting very close together, being careful not to twist the cutter. Transfer the biscuits to a baking sheet, each butting up against another. Brush with heavy cream. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the biscuits are a light, honey color. Turn the biscuits out upside-down onto a plate.

More Biscuit Recipes
Cream Cheese Biscuits
Black Pepper Biscuits
Cheddar Jalapeño Biscuits

Olive Oil Granola

Living on your own (and by living on your own, I mean not with your parents) is a lot of work. You have to take care of bills, set up a phone and internet plan, clean the bathroom, and remember to turn the heating on. You have to stock the fridge and the pantry. Which means you have to remember to get butter and baking soda and vinegar.

Of course, you don't forget the essentials like chips and cookies, but it's much harder to remember to get the things that are necessary for making actual meals. Oh god, and making meals? Three of them a day? So much harder than it sounds. It's so much easier to eat a cereal bar than to make a bowl of oatmeal and cut up fresh fruit.

Who needs roast chicken and vegetables when there's cereal in the cupboard? Not me. I suppose having cereal for dinner is better than going out all the time. Because eating out every night would really add up, for my wallet as well as my waistline. Honestly though, after nearly a week of haphazard meals, I'm ready for real food.

I whipped up a big pot of cauliflower-parsnip soup that I'll have for dinner tonight along with a salad and maybe even some roasted vegetables. I'll be able to freeze most of it, so I can pull out a cup at lunch when I'm at a loss for what to eat or on a hurried weeknight when I don't have time to make something fresh. Unfortunately, I can't really eat it for breakfast. I mean, I guess I could, but that's not all that appealing.

Instead, I think I'll just make a batch of this granola. It is seriously addictive. Once I make it, I truly cannot stop myself from eating it. My mom and I discussed the possibility of portioning it off into individual bags for fear of consuming the entire container in one sitting. It's just barely sweet and perfectly crunchy. I really hate when granola is soft and doesn't have big chunks. I usually hunt for the clusters, so this granola is even better as it is basically all clusters!

  Olive Oil Granola
Adapted from The New York Times
Makes about 9 cups

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup pistachios, hulled
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup shredded dried coconut
1/2 cup almonds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 cup raisins
1 1/4 cups brown rice syrup
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease a rimmed baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine oats, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, dried coconut, almonds, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and raisins. Add brown rice syrup and olive oil and stir to combine. Spread mixture evenly over prepared baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool. Transfer to a large bowl or serving container.

  More Granola Recipes
Easy Homemade Granola
Honey Granola
Pumpkin Butter and Pepita Granola