Recently, I ran across this recipe for Banana Pina Colada Muffins. Since I had some ripe bananas that needed to be used, I decided to give the recipe a try. They’re a nice change from the typical banana muffin. I don’t think they tasted anything like a pina colada, though. The name must be referring to the ingredients used (dried pineapple and coconut) instead of the flavor. So even if you don’t like the famous tropical beverage, you could still enjoy the muffins.

I followed the recipe except that I ran out of wheat flour so I used 1-1/2 cups wheat flour and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour. I also found that I only had about 1-1/4 cups of mashed banana so I spooned in a few tablespoons of plain yogurt to bring the amount up to 1-1/2 cups. The muffins turned out moist and not-too-sweet, and make a great afternoon snack!

For more recipe ideas, check out Foodie Friday , Food on Fridays  , Friday Food or Finer Things Friday.

Banana Pina Colada Muffins
-recipe from kingarthurflour.com

Coconut and pineapple team beautifully in that famous rum drink, the piña colada. The two play just as nicely together in this whole-grain muffin. Banana adds pleasingly moist texture, and an additional taste of the tropics.

1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) butter
1/2 cup (3 3/4 ounces) brown sugar, light or dark
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon coconut flavor or rum flavor (optional)
1 1/2 cups (13 1/2 ounces) mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium to large bananas, about 22 ounces before peeling)*
1/4 cup (3 ounces) honey
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour, organic preferred
3/4 to 1 cup (4 1/2 to 6 ounces) diced dried pineapple**
generous 1/3 cup (1 ounce) shredded or flaked coconut, sweetened or unsweetened, for topping

*Did you guess wrong and find yourself a bit short of 1 1/2 cups mashed banana? Rather than cut a chunk off another banana, top off the measuring cup with applesauce, if desired.

**Don’t use canned pineapple; it’s too juicy and will make the muffins soggy. If you like, substitute another dried fruit: chopped dates, raisins, or chopped apricots are all good choices.

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin cups, and grease the cups.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla, and coconut or rum flavor. Add the bananas, honey, eggs, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt, beating until smooth. Stir in the flour, then the dried fruit. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups. Sprinkle each muffin with coconut.

Bake the muffins for 25 to 28 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and as soon as possible tilt each muffin in its cup, to allow air to circulate and prevent the bottoms from steaming. Serve warm, or at room temperature. Yield: 12 muffins.

Tags: banana, coconut, dried pineapple, Muffins, pina colada

Try these buttery sugar cookies if you’re looking for a fun treat to serve on St. Patrick’s Day. The cookies are easy to make and have a light peanutty taste.

The recipe calls for rolling each dough ball in chopped peanuts. I used 50% Less Salt Roasted & Salted Peanuts that I found at Trader Joe’s. Do not buy dry roasted peanuts because they’ve got spices on them like paprika and garlic salt that would probably taste funky in a cookie. Just stick with regular ol’ peanuts for this recipe.

After finding this recipe for Blarney Stone Cookies, I then had to research what in the heck a Blarney Stone was. Here’s what I learned: the Blarney Stone is a stone set in the wall of the Blarney Castle in the Irish village of Blarney. Legend has it that kissing the stone is supposed to bring the kisser the gift of blarney (or persuasive, flattering talk). It sounds a whole lot easier just to eat a few of these cookies!

BLARNEY STONE COOKIES 
-recipe from landolake.com

This rich butter cookie, rolled in chopped peanuts before baking, resembles the Blarney Stone in Ireland.

Yield: 4 1/2 dozen cookies 

2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened
1 LAND O LAKES® All-Natural Egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 LAND O LAKES® All-Natural Egg yolks
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups finely chopped peanuts

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine powdered sugar, butter, egg and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add flour. Beat until well mixed. Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls.

Beat egg yolks and water with fork until well mixed in small bowl. Dip balls of dough into beaten egg yolks, then into peanuts. Place onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly in center.

Tags: Blarney Stone Cookies, butter, Irish, peanuts, St. Patrick's Day, sugar

Chewy and delicious, these gussied-up chocolate chip cookies have a few bonus ingredients thrown in for kicks (oats, coconut, raisins and/or pecans). You can have fun changing up the add-ins each time you make them. Add more chocolate chips if you don’t like raisins or pecans. Anyway, you get the picture…just make ‘em how you like ‘em!

I followed the recipe except I used coconut instead of pecans. I also threw in extra chocolate chips. The combination of chocolate chips, raisins and coconut was great! A few of these cookies and a cold glass of milk might just make your day…it’s worth a try!

John’s Kitchen Sink Cookies
-recipe from marthastewart.com

Makes 24
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat together butter, sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated. Gradually beat flour mixture into butter mixture just until combined.

With a rubber spatula, fold in chocolate chunks, raisins, pecans, and oats.

Drop 2-inch balls of dough, spaced 2 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten dough balls slightly. Bake 12 to 16 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned, rotating sheets halfway through.

Cool 5 minutes on sheets; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

From Everyday Food, March 2008

Tags: chocolate chip, coconut, John's Kitchen Sink Cookies, oats, pecans, raisins

This delicious, easy-to-make appetizer combines two great flavors: smoky bacon and caramelized onions. YUMM! 

The recipe calls for refrigerated pizza dough in a tube but I used Trader Joe’s fresh pizza dough instead. I had some trouble with the rolled-out dough sticking to itself when I tried to transfer it to the baking sheet, so I ended up rolling it out on parchment paper then transferring both parchment and dough to the baking sheet. Don’t worry if you don’t have caraway seeds or don’t want to buy them–the tart will still be great without them.

Onion and Bacon Tart
-recipe from Paumanok Vineyards
Bon Appétit Magazine, October 2005

Every visitor to Paumanok Vineyards enjoys a warm welcome from owners Ursula and Charles Massoud. She learned viticulture in her parents’ vineyards in Germany; he taught himself to make wine when his job with IBM took the family to the Middle East. Ursula, who is known for her outstanding comfort food, pairs Paumanok’s semi-dry Riesling with an onion tart she makes at harvest time. “It’s traditional in my hometown to serve it when the Riesling juice is still fermenting. The sweetness of the onions matches the sweetness of the new wine.”

Makes 6 servings.

8 bacon slices, chopped
5 cups sliced onions (about 3 large)

1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg

1 13.8-ounce tube refrigerated pizza dough
1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds 

Preheat oven to 375°F. Sauté bacon in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until slightly crisp. Drain all but 1 tablespoon bacon drippings from skillet. Add onions to bacon and sauté over medium heat until onions are very tender but not brown, about 20 minutes. Cool.

Whisk egg, sour cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in large bowl to blend. Stir in cooled onion mixture.

Roll pizza dough out on lightly floured surface to 13×10-inch rectangle. Transfer to baking sheet. Spread onion mixture over dough, leaving 1/2-inch plain border around edges. Sprinkle with caraway seeds.

Bake tart until onion custard is set and crust is golden brown around edges and brown on bottom, about 25 minutes.

Tags: bacon, caramelized onions, onion and bacon tart, pizza dough, sour cream

If you’ve got a few ripe bananas to use up then you should give this recipe a try. It’s moist, easy to make and a nice change from plain ol’ banana bread. Each bite of this coffee cake is loaded with cinnamon and chocolatey goodness.

The recipe calls for a metal pan but the glass Pyrex 8×8 pan I used worked fine. I added a teaspoon of vanilla to the cake batter and omitted the walnuts from the streusel. Speaking of the streusel, next time I’d only use about a teaspoon of cinnamon instead of the tablespoon that the recipe calls for. And you could cut down on the chocolate chips if you want it less chocolatey.

Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel
-recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine

Use bananas with some black spots on the skin, a sign that they are really ripe. Makes 12 servings.

1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (about 8 ounces)
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 large)
3 tablespoons buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan. Stir chocolate chips, brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon in small bowl until well blended; set streusel aside. Sift all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, room temperature butter, and egg in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in mashed bananas and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients and blend well.

Spread half of batter (about 2 cups) in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with half of streusel. Repeat with remaining batter and streusel. Bake coffee cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool coffee cake in pan on rack.

Tags: banana, chocolate chip, coffee cake, struesel

Looking for a way to use up some fresh cranberries that didn’t get put to use during the holidays? These orange-scented muffins are delicious, moist and not too sweet.

Since I didn’t have buttermilk, I substituted a mixture of 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup 2% milk. I made 6 muffins as is, then added chocolate chips to the rest of the batter. Both versions were great. Because of the added chocolate chips, I ended up with a total of 14 muffins instead of 12. The Wilton Sparkling Sugar I sprinkled on top of the muffins adds a pretty finishing touch.

Cranberry-Orange Muffins
-recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine

Orange zest brings a sweet complement to the tart fresh cranberries crowding this muffin. Yields 12 muffins.

1-1/2 cups fresh cranberries, picked through and rinsed
9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pan
2 oz. (1/2 cup) cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. table salt
5 oz. (10 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature; more for the pan
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1-1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest (using a rasp-style zester, this is the zest of 1 small orange)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbs. turbinado sugar (such as Sugar In The Raw)

Position a rack near the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F. Generously butter a standard 12-cup muffin tin, including the top rim, and dust the pan with flour. Tap out any excess.

Using a food processor, coarsely chop the cranberries.

In a medium bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 min. Scrape the bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing for at least 30 seconds at medium speed and scraping the bowl after each addition. Beat in the orange zest and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, briefly beat in one-third of the flour mixture, then add 1/2 cup of the buttermilk; when combined, mix in another one-third of the flour; then mix in the remaining 1/2 cup buttermilk and the orange juice, and finally mix in the rest of the flour. Scrape the bowl and beat the batter just until smooth, another 10 seconds. Using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, fold the cranberries into the batter.

Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin tin (each cup will be quite full). Sprinkle the tops of the muffins generously with the turbinado sugar.

Bake until the tops are golden and a skewer inserted an inch into the top of a muffin comes out clean, 15 to 18 min. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 min. and then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. These muffins are best eaten the day they’re made.

Tags: Baking, buttermilk, fresh cranberries, Muffins, orange zest

If you’ve never made Russian Tea Cakes (also known as Mexican Wedding Cakes or Snowball Cookies), you’ve probably eaten them at some point in your life. They’re extremely easy to make, very tasty and a great addition to any holiday cookie platter.  

Although the recipe calls for 1 cup of pecans, I decided to try 1/2 cup of chopped pistachios and 1/2 cup of chopped dried cranberries (soaked in a bit of Grand Marnier or orange juice before chopping to soften them up). I really like how the cookies turned out: a tender, buttery cookie with the added flavor and color of the green pistachios and ruby red cranberries (perfect for Christmas). A little freshly grated orange zest would also be a delicious addition to the pistachios and dried cranberries. The recipe calls for flattening the cookies but I left them in round balls.

After baking, the recipe says to roll the hot cookies in powdered sugar, which is messy and melts the sugar. I find that letting the cookies cool first then rolling them in the powdered sugar works best. I try to knock off the excess powdered sugar from each cookie so that the sugar isn’t inhaled when taking that first bite. Yumm!

Russian Tea Cakes
- adapted from a recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse on foodnetwork.com

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar, plus more for rolling cookies
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (I used 1/2 cup chopped pistachios & 1/2 cup dried chopped cranberries)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Cream butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla then gradually add the 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Sift the flour, measure, then sift again with the salt. Add gradually to the butter mixture. Add the pecans and mix well.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten slightly using the bottom of a glass, then bake for 20 minutes, or until edges are very lightly browned. Remove the cookies from the baking sheets and roll in powdered sugar while still hot. Cool on wire racks and roll cookies again in powdered sugar before serving.

Once they are completely cooled, cookies may be stored in airtight containers for up to 1 week.

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Homemade for the Holidays

Tags: Christmas cookies, cranberries, holiday, mexican wedding cookies, pecans, russian tea cakes, snowball cookies

Most people have some tradition that marks the holiday season for them. Mine is Pecan Tassies, a bite-sized version of pecan pie that is made with an easy cream cheese pastry crust and a not-too-sweet brown sugar-pecan filling. I grew up with these cookies. My mom was given the recipe almost 40 years ago and has been making these delicious treats for all our family gatherings from Thanksgiving throughout the Christmas season. And now that I’ve got my own family, I’m continuing the tradition.

One of the reasons I love Pecan Tassies is because they’re small (made in a mini muffin tin) — a single tassie can be eaten in a bite or two. Molding the dough into the muffin tins is easy but definitely the most time-consuming part of the whole recipe. To make up for it, I use a nut chopperto simplify the process of chopping the pecans. Make a few batches and give them as gifts or add them to your holiday treat platter. Pecan lovers will thank you!

Pecan Tassies
Make these delicious, bite-sized cookies a part of your holiday tradition.

Pastry:
1 (3 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), softened
1 cup flour

Filling:
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans

For pastry: Blend cream cheese and butter, add flour. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Divide dough into 24 balls and press in mini muffin pans. Sprinkle chopped pecans in each pastry shell (about 1 teaspoon of nuts per shell).

For filling: Combine melted butter and brown sugar in a small bowl. Add egg, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Fill pastry shells 2/3 full. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until light brown. Cool 5 minutes and remove from pans. Makes about 24 tassies.

Note: Store tassies in an airtight container, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, at room temperature for 1 week.

I’m linked to:
Homemade for the Holidays

Tags: bit-sized, brown sugar, cookies, cream cheese pastry crust, pecan tassies

Baking and cooking with pumpkin makes me happy, so I was eager to try this recipe for Pumpkin & Ginger Pound Cake. Let me tell you, it was everything I hoped it would be: moist, deliciously spiced and a great alternative to pumpkin pie.

Finely mincing the fresh ginger before adding it to the cake batter ensured that there weren’t big chunks of ginger to bite into (grating the fresh ginger would also work). A simple dusting of powdered sugar right before serving dresses up the cake and makes it party-ready. Serve with vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream garnished with a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg.

Pumpkin & Ginger Pound Cake
-recipe by Diane Morgan, Fine Cooking Magazine (October 2002)

This delicious twist on pumpkin pie will keep for two days at room temperature if wrapped tightly. You can also make it up to three weeks ahead: Wrap it first in plastic, then in foil, and freeze it; pull it out of the freezer four hours before serving.

Serves eight, with ample leftovers.

1/2 lb. (1 cup) unsalted butter, completely softened at room temperature; more for the pan
9 1/2 oz, (2 1/2 cups) cake flour; more for the pan
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. table salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup unsweetened pumpkin purée
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1 to 2 Tbs. confectioners’ sugar for dusting
1 qt. vanilla ice cream (optional)

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan or 12-cup bundt pan, preferably nonstick. Tap out any excess flour.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves; set aside. Separate the eggs, putting the yolks in a small bowl and the whites in a large mixing bowl.

Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, cream the butter on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the vanilla and the brown sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time. When all the brown sugar has been added, stop the mixer, scrape down the sides, and cream the mixture on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Use a fork to lightly beat the egg yolks; then, with the mixer on low speed, add them slowly to the butter-sugar mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, increase the speed to medium, and beat for 1 minute. On low speed, add the pumpkin purée, oil, and fresh ginger. Beat until smooth.

Using a rubber spatula, stir in one-third of the flour mixture, and continue stirring just until the flour disappears (don’t beat or overmix). Repeat, adding the remaining flour mixture in two more passes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and set it aside.

Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and beat with an electric mixer just until they hold soft peaks. Gently but thoroughly fold them into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake until the cake springs back when touched with a fingertip and a pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, 45 to 50 minutes. Set the pan on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Carefully run a paring knife around the inside edge of the pan. Invert the cake onto the cooling rack and gently remove the pan. Let cool completely. (If you’re making the cake ahead, wrap it now). Just before serving, use a fine sieve to sift the confectioners’ sugar over the cake. Cut into 3/4-inch slices and serve with a scoop of ice cream, if you like.

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Homemade for the Holidays

Tags: bundt, cake, fresh ginger, ground ginger, pound cake, pumpkin

Here’s a great appetizer for holiday entertaining: pimento-stuffed olives wrapped in an easy-to-make cheese pastry then baked until golden brown. They are tasty, bite-sized and sure to be a party pleaser…you may even want to double the recipe!

Note: The recipe says to “drop the dough by tablespoons onto wax paper” — just make sure you don’t bake them on the wax paper or you will probably end up with a waxy baked olive mess. The wax paper is for prepping purposes only.

Baked Cheddar Olives
-recipe from Gourmet Magazine

Makes about 24 Cheddar olives

1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
a 3-ounce jar small pimento-stuffed green olives (about 24), drained and patted dry

In a bowl combine the Cheddar and the butter, add the flour and the cayenne, and blend the dough until it is combined well. Drop the dough by tablespoons onto wax paper and wrap or mold each tablespoon around each of the olives, covering each olive completely. Bake the wrapped olives on a baking sheet in the middle of a preheated 400°F. oven for 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden, and serve them warm.

Tags: Appetizer, pimiento-stuffed green olives, sharp cheddar cheese