Bready or Not: Overnight Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake
Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! Whether or not you observe the holiday, I offer a breakfast cake recipe that you can throw together tonight and bake in the morning.
It will serve a whole bunch of people. The leftovers are delicious. And heck, it’s CAKE. For breakfast. Actually, it’d be pretty darn good at any time of day.
Sour cream is the secret weapon here. It creates a cake that is moist and luscious without any sour cream taste. Combine that tenderness with the crackled top and the crunch of pecans, and you have a total winner.
Tweaked from Overnight Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake at Relish Magazine.
Bready or Not: Overnight Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
Streusel:
- 3/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Make the streusel topping first by combining the brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a big bowl, beat the butter and white sugar until light and fluffy; add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt. Slowly add the flour mix to the eggs and butter. Pause to add in some sour cream, then more flour, going back and forth until it's all blended.
- Apply nonstick spray to a 9x13-inch pan. Pour in the batter and spread to the edges. Sprinkle the streusel all over the top.
- Cover well with plastic wrap and chill overnight, or up to 18 hours.
- Preheat the oven at 350-degrees. Remove the plastic wrap. Bake the cake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Mint Chocolate Chip Bars
You want something chewy, minty, and luscious? Here’s your new favorite cookie bar.
I used mint chocolate chips from King Arthur Flour here but you can substitute any kind of mint chocolate chips you get from the grocery store. I do love the seasonal colors of these particular chocolate chips!
[The bars, right before baking.]
These bars are kind of amazing. They are EASY. They look like they are more work-intensive than they are. The results really impressed me because they are so chewy, even the side pieces. The mint flavor is definitely there but it doesn’t knock you upside the head; if you want it heavier, add an extra splash of extract. Another note: after a day, the mint flavor in the bars gets even stronger.
You’ll definitely want to chill this before you slice into bars. I store them in the fridge after that because I live in Arizona, but these might be okay at room temp for you folks who actually experience winter.
My husband loves mint chocolate. These bars have his full endorsement.
Modified from Recipe Girl.
Bready or Not: Mint Chocolate Chip Bars
Ingredients
Chocolate Layer:
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
Cookie Dough:
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup oats quick-cooking or old-fashioned rolled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups mint chocolate chips
Instructions
Mint chocolate filling:
- Place semi-sweet and/or milk chocolate chips and condensed milk in a small saucepan. Heat on low, stirring often, until everything has melted and the mix has thickened. Remove it from the burner and pour in the peppermint extract and stir. Let the pot cool until about room temperature.
The cookie dough:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper (the combination aluminum foil/parchment paper works well here) and lightly butter or use nonstick spray. Have paper overhang the sides for easy lifting later.
- Place the butter and sugars in a large bowl. Mix until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix with the butter mixture. Add mint chocolate chips last.
- Place about half the cookie dough in the prepared pan. It will be sticky, but drop it in dollops and smooth it to the edge as best you can. With a solid layer on the bottom, now dollop the cooled chocolate from the saucepan. Use an offset spatula to smooth it to the edges. Plop the rest of the cookie dough on top and don't worry if some chocolate shows through. The dough will ooze out and even as it bakes.
- Bake until lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside to cool for a few hours, then place in fridge to completely set. Cut into bars. Store in sealed container in fridge or on counter.
OM NOM NOM!
Virtual Cookie Exchange Blog Hop: Chewy Cardamom Cookies
I saw a retweet on Twitter earlier this month about a cookie exchange blog hop. Despite my deadlines and stress, I couldn’t help but perk up in interest. COOKIES! BLOG HOP! This is so my sort of thing.
The Blog Hop originated with Linda Poitevin and I was tagged by Debra Vega, who shared a tasty looking recipe for Pumpkin Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I had a tough time deciding on what cookie recipe to share, but I decided on one of my old favorites: Chewy Cardamom Cookies.
This recipe makes chewy, spicy pillows. They are the perfect cookie leading right into Christmas. They smell divine, and the taste is just as amazing!
The rules of the blog hop ask participants to tag four authors in turn, but you won’t be smote for tagging more or less (… or will you?). In any case, I tag Dawn Bonanno and Pam Wallace! Their cookie posts are due in a week, 12/23.
Bonus Bready or Not: Chewy Cardamom Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cardamom
- 1 teaspoon teaspoon ground cinnamon heaping
- 1/4 cup molasses [could try substituting honey]
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, blend the butter and shortening until creamy. Add in the brown sugar, baking soda, cardamom, and cinnamon.
- Add the molasses and egg, and once that's combined, slowly mix in the flour.
- Using a teaspoon scoop or spoon, shape dough into small balls and roll in the cardamom and sugar.
- Bake cookies for about 10 minutes or until edges are set and tops are slightly cracked. They will be pillowy--if too much so, flatten the next batch with a spatula or glass, if you wish.
Makes about 45 cookies, teaspoon-size.
OM NOM NOM.
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Bready or Not: Cake Batter White Chocolate Fudge (Microwave)
Last week was all about fast and easy gingerbread cookie dough fudge. This Wednesday I introduce you to a microwave fudge that uses cake mix.
Eating this is like licking the paddle after mixing up cake mix batter. If you prefer savory over sweet, this recipe isn’t for you. This is for the people who love fudge and frosting and all things sweet.
I didn’t limit myself to sprinkles in this. I had some Christmas candies, the type for topping cupcakes and such, that had been sealed away for a year. It had been a great post-holiday clearance buy. I wanted the containers GONE, so I pretty much dumped the contents into this fudge. That’s why you see little light bulb shaped candies in there.
This is obviously a great Christmas recipe, but it’s an easy one to customize year round depending on the colors you mix in. Make fudge to support your favorite sport team, or pink and red for Valentine’s Day, or pastels for spring. Cake mix goes on sale all year round, too, making this a pretty cheap recipe to throw together.
Whatever you add in, I’m sure it will be pretty. And delicious. So very, very delicious.
Modified from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Bready or Not: Cake Batter White Chocolate Fudge (Microwave)
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 Tbsp white or yellow cake mix any brand, sifted
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar sifted
- 1/2 cup salted butter cut into chunks (or use unsalted and add a pinch of salt)
- 1/4 cup milk almond milk works
- 2/3 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles/non pareils/jimmies
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside. Measure the white chocolate chips and the sprinkles in separate dishes so they are ready to add quickly.
- Mix sifted cake mix and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Add milk and butter, without stirring, and microwave for 2 minutes.
- Promptly mix ingredients until the butter is fully melted and incorporated. The batter will be very thick. Fold in white chocolate. Add the sprinkles last and stir gently so they don't leak too much color.
- Scoop into prepared baking pan. Level it across the top. Chill the fudge in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before cutting into small blocks.
- Fudge will keep upwards of a week in the fridge, if it lasts that long.
OM NOM NOM
Bready or Not: Gingerbread Cookie Dough Fudge (Microwave)
Bust out the elastic-banded pants! It’s fudge season!
This particular fudge is especially appropriate for the holidays, too, as it tastes like gingerbread cookie dough. Yes, really. No worries about raw eggs or taking the time to bake.
I love microwave fudge recipes. They are so easy, taste as great as the candy thermometer fudge, and aren’t anywhere near as finicky. It’s pretty much a matter of melt, combine, chill. EAT.
Next week’s Bready or Not will be another microwave fudge. Consider yourself warned.
Modified from Lauren’s Latest.
Bready or Not: Gingerbread Cookie Dough Fudge (Microwave)
Ingredients
- 14 ounce sweetened condensed milk
- 4 ounces white chocolate
- 2 Tablespoons molasses or honey, though it will be mild
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar sifted
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves
Instructions
- Prepare an 8x8 glass dish by lining it with parchment or aluminum foil and greasing the surface.
- In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, place the sweetened condensed milk, white chocolate and molasses. Microwave on high for about 2 minutes total, but do so in 20-30 second chunks. Stir well between each time until the chocolate is melted into the milk.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the warm mix. Stir until smooth. Pour the fudge into the prepared dish. Chill it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before cutting fudge into small pieces to serve.
- The gingerbread fudge will keep well in the fridge, covered, for upwards of a week, maybe longer.
OM NOM NOM.
Bready or Not: Maple Pecan Pepitas Cookies
Maple, maple, maple. I love maple. It’s only right to transition with a cookie that is perfectly fall or Christmas–both its flavor and appearance.
Have you ever had Pecan Sandies from the grocery store? These are kinda like that, but better. They boast a strong, clean maple flavor. I loved the combination of pecan bits and pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds); they both crunch, but in different ways.
Plus, look at the red and green colors! Perfect!
These are fridge cookies. That means you roll them into logs, like so, then keep them in the fridge for a day or two, or freeze them.
When it’s time to bake them, just slice. Sometimes the dough crumbles a bit because of the nuts. That’s okay. Just mush it together again.
As shortbread-style cookies, these will also keep exceptionally well–days, and probably for over a week, if you can make them last that long. I’d bet they are great for mailing as gifts, too.
The gift of maple-flavored things is the gift of happiness and love.
Recipe modified from Jo Ann Kurtz’s Maple Pecan Refrigerator Cookies recipe, as featured in Relish Magazine (December 9th 2012).
Bready or Not: Maple Pecan Pepitas Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 3 Tb real maple syrup
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3/4 teaspoon maple flavor
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 3/4 cup pepitas
Instructions
- Beat the butter for several minutes, until creamy. Slowly add the sugar. Add syrup, egg yolk, and extracts. Stir in the flour and nuts.
- Divide dough in half. On plastic wrap, shape the dough into long log shapes about 1 1/2 inches or so high. Completely wrap the logs and stash in fridge until firm, at least two hours. They can also be frozen.
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
- Slice logs into 1/2 inch thick rounds and set on parchment papered or greased baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until cookies are set and just barely tinted with color.
- OM NOM NOM.
