Dark chocolate and apple bread pudding

This is the second time I have made bread pudding. I am not much of a custard, pudding type of person but since it was a long time since I made my last bread pudding I figured I make another version and see.

This one was much better though, I actually kind of liked it. Maybe because of the dark chocolate...I don't know!!

I think this is nothing but comforting. I liked it best warm and even though I stored the left over bread pudding in the fridge I still warmed it in the microwave before I ate it again. I think cold bread pudding is kind of yucky :-)

I actually toasted the bread before using it for the pudding however you don't have to do this step.

Anyhow, I have seen many versions out there. I think I would like to try a pumpkin and raisin kind. Maybe I will venture and do that one next, will see.

For now, here you have this comforting dessert.

Enjoy!!

Cut the bread into cubs, well sort of, and measure about 9 cups of bread loosely packed like I did :-) If you are toasting the bread just place it in a large skillet over medium heat and toast slightly. No oil or butter necessary.

Here you can see my bread slightly toasted as well as the bread being placed in the bowl to soak up all of the milk and egg mixture.

Here you can see the soaked up bread. There is still some liquid at the bottom of the bowl which you can distribute among the 4 ramekins once you are done dividing the bread amongst them.

and this is the pudding right after taking in out of the oven. Yummy...

 This is best eaten when warm. You may add a little bit of warm milk to it if you like.

You can sprinkle a little bit of powdered sugar over the top. Just a tiny bit though :-)

Ingredients Miryam's original recipe

Yields 4 10 oz ramekin bread puddings. Each one serves two.

9 cups cubed whole grain bread, I used 7 grain bread from Trader Joe's. Toasted is optional.
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup eggs whites
1 egg
1/4 cup unrefined sugar
1 1/4 cup organic low fat milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1-2 organic apples, finely chopped
1/3 - 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl mix apple sauce, sugar, milk, cinnamon, egg and egg whites.

If you would like to toast the bread just place it in a large skillet over medium heat. Lightly toast the bread this way making sure you stir it once in a while. It took me about 4-5 minutes to toast mine.

Add bread and almost all of the chopped apples and chocolate chips to the milk mixture reserving some apples and chocolate chips for sprinkling over the top. Soak the bread well until most of the liquid is gone.

Divide soaked bread over the four 10 oz ramekins and sprinkle the remaining apples and dark chocolate chips over the top.

Place ramekins in a cookie baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes. Let bread pudding cool for a few minutes and serve while still warm.

You may add a little bit of warm milk to it if you like. I did :-)

I store left over pudding covered in the refrigerator and warm in the microwave before consuming again.

Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe yielding 4 10 oz ramekins. Each one is good for 2 people so 1 ramekin = 2 servings

Cooking Is Fun! Tips And Techniques To Help You Make Great Meals!

Everyone loves the idea of sitting down to a delicious home-cooked meal, but with today's busy schedules, it can be harder than ever to find the time to put one together. Fortunately, help is out there. The tested advice in this article will help you put together healthy meals for your family in a surprisingly, short time.

To make perfect deviled eggs, ensure the yolk is evenly centered within the egg by spinning the egg on a flat surface before boiling. Place an egg, lengthwise, on the top of the kitchen counter and gently spin it a couple of times. The spinning action helps center the yolk within the shell. This method helps create perfectly-formed deviled eggs.

To cook foods kids will (probably) like, follow these simple rules. First, serve foods that are bland, unless you know the children are familiar with (and like) a particular spice. Second, avoid "complex" flavors and sauces. Children usually prefer simple tastes which they can identify.  Try football food for your kids, I'm sure they would love it.

After you have cooked a piece of food in the oven, you should give it several minutes to rest before serving. The last thing that you will want to do is serve any part of your meal that is too hot, which will ruin its overall quality for the person you are serving.

Some recipes call for peeled half or quarter peaches. In most cases peeling is not easy, as the skin sticks to the fruit and doesn't come off. The easiest way to remedy the problem is to place the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds. After removing the fruits, place them into ice water to stop the boiling effect. Their skin will come off easily.

When making sandwiches, follow this tip. Take a portion of mayonnaise and spread it on the bread from corner to corner. Spreading from corner to corner rather than the widely used method of spreading down the middle allows every area of the bread to be evenly coated with mayonnaise, making a more flavorful sandwich.

As you've seen, cooking a delicious meal for your family doesn't have to mean spending hours slaving away in the kitchen. There are any number of recipes you can use to whip together a great meal in a short time. Just remember what you've learned from this article and soon your family will be enjoying the fruits of your labors.

Baked Apple and caramel rustic donuts

I think that is is safe to say that I have been using apples quite a bit lately. Still have more apple recipes to come though, so far I think some sort of pudding and cheesecake, which I have not made in a long time.

This donuts sure were good. A bit messy, and like always, really hard to get out of the donut pan. Even though I tend to grease and flour the baking pan really well, I always have trouble getting them out. Either way, even though they may not look perfect they are really really good.

The recipe for the batter came from my whole grain strawberry donuts recipe that I tweaked just a bit and my recipe for the caramel sauce that I used for the drizzle.

You can just sprinkle some confectioner sugar over the top of the donuts if you prefer, or just leave them as they are. However, these donuts are not sweet at all so if you plan to leave them plain you can use 1/3 cup of sugar instead.

Here are some other donut recipes I have whipped together in the past that I think you may like.

Whole grain strawberry donuts 
Triple chocolate whole grain donuts 
Triple chocolate donuts with home made sprinkles 
Blueberry whole wheat donuts 
Superb healthy donuts 

Anyhow, I think my next post will probably have apples as well. Until then

Enjoy!!

Spend time buttering and flouring the donut pans really well. Even though I am pretty thorough with this step I always have trouble getting the donuts out :-( As you can see here I place some chopped apples at the bottom of each hole before adding the batter and for others I placed the apples over the batter. I don't know which I liked best.

Here you can see the donuts before and after applying the topping. They were not perfect but super good. According to my husband, the best baked donuts I have made. Just don't go over board on the caramel. A little goes a long way.

I think I might have gone a bit over board on the caramel :-) Oh well...it was good!!

I used both confectioner's sugar and caramel for these donuts but you can use which ever you like or just leave the donuts as is. Also for some apples I placed the apples in the bottom before adding the batter and for others I place the apples on top of the batter. I don't know which ones I liked best.

Ingredients  Miryam's original recipe

Yields 9 donuts

1 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup low-fat milk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 apples, chopped

Caramel Sauce 

1/4- 1/3 cup caramel sauce

Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare pan by spraying donut pan with cooking oil and dusting with flour.

In a bowl, whisk eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and oil. Add flour, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk until combined. Divide apples and place them at the bottom of each donut hole. Fill each 3/4 full.

Bake for 17-20 minutes. Cool for about 20 minutes in the pan and then remove the donuts to a wire rack to cool completely.

Drizzled the caramel over the donuts and serve.

Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe giving 9 donuts

Honey upside down apple cake

I think you can say I am on an apple baking week sort of speak, after all, on my last three posts there were apples involved...what can I say... I just love apples.

This upside down apple cake is simple and extremely delicious. You just need to try it for yourself.

I have made a pineapple upside down cake before but using the regular method of sugar and butter for the bottom. This method? way way better, or at least we think so.

I was afraid of inverting the cake and my apples getting all over the place and making a mess out of the cake. However, first try, and the cake was a success...thank goodness for that!

Once again I used the batter recipe that I used when I made the wild berry danish cake. I think this batter is just genious, since it is the batter that I also used for the Apple and caramel coffee cake.

Wait and see what other cake variations I come up with because I already have a list waiting for me using this same cake batter!

I also think I might be coming up with other apple desserts. Sorry but I just like apples a lot :-)

Enjoy!!

Cover the bottom of the 9 inch round baking pan with honey and place the apples over it in a decorative manner. 

Place the batter over the apples and bake the cake at 350F for about 45 minutes.

You can make this cake with other fruit such as pears or peaches. I am sure those variations would be as good!

First time around making this honey upside down apple cake and I had to eat two pieces :-)

 

Ingredients Miryam's original recipe
Yields 8-10 servings

3/4 cup honey, next time I will do 1/2 cup instead.
1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup unrefined sugar
2 eggs, I always use organic
2/3 cups Greek plain yogurt
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
2-3 organic apples, peeled and sliced thin.

Preheat oven to 350F. In an 9 inch round baking pan place the honey and cover the entire bottom with it. Place the sliced apples in a decorative manner just like in the pictures.

In a bowl, place eggs, sugar, vanilla, oil, milk and yogurt and combine together. I do this step with a regular wire whisk. Incorporate the flour and baking powder.

Pour batter over the apples and bake the cake for 40-45 minutes. I baked mine about 40 minutes. Let the cake cool completely and inverted on a plate before unmolding.

Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe yielding 8 servings.

Fall baking: A roundup

I am not a big recipe roundup blogger. However, looking around my blog recipe files, I though it would be worthy in doing one.

By looking at my files I have noticed that I had even forgotten about some of the recipes I had in here!

The ones I have posted are some of my ultimate favorite. I don't know which one I would pick if I had to choose one but what I know for sure is that I will be making the rustic apple cake very shortly. It is so easy and yummy...

I am on the works of trying some other new fall baking recipes. I have looked around and there are lots of inspiration out there.

Well, I thought you might enjoy these goodies and may ventured to try one of them. If you do let me know :-)
Until my next post,

Enjoy!!



  

APPLE AND BANANA OATMEAL MUFFINS

PUMPKIN SPICED BARS

UNCONVENTIONAL APPLE PIE

WILD BLUEBERRY AND APPLE PIE

APPLE AND ALMOND CAKE

CREAM CHEESE PUMPKIN MUFFINS

                                                    

RUSTIC APPLE CROSTATA

                                                                   

APPLE MUFFINS WITH PECAN STRUDEL TOPPING

RUSTIC APPLE CAKE

                    

PUMPKIN PIE WITH HONEY AND CARAMEL WHIP TOPPING

Just click on the name to go to the recipe. Happy baking!!


                                       

Apple and caramel coffee cake

 

Who said you can't have cake?

As long as you don't eat a huge piece all at once, or two or three pieces a day, you should be all right!! A little goes a long way...trust me :-)

For me, indulging is part of life. One way or another we should be able to indulge once in a while right? For me, this cake is it. Granted, this is not something that I will have on a regular basis, neither have tons of it all at once, but just a little piece... and I am good to go.

I got the cake batter recipe from my wild berry danish cheesecake I made a while back and my cinnamon caramel sauce recipe as well. I have had it stored in the fridge for a few months, and still it is good, or so I hope :-)

When is fall starting? I think in about or week or so right? Fall is one of my favorite seasons, and this cake is my introduction to it. I am going to make many more apple desserts, or so I hope, but until then, here you have this sweet awesome cake.

Enjoy!!

Place the batter, which would be rather thick, in the prepared pan followed by the sliced apples. They don't have to be placed perfectly.

After placing the apples, follow by placing the strudel topping over them and bake the cake for about 50-60 minutes at 350F. The right picture is the cake already cooled and ready to be drizzled with the caramel. Next time for me though, no caramel!!

I found this to be a rather rich cake with the strudel, caramel and all. A small slice will suffice and next time I make it, I think I will omit the caramel :-)

This is truly and awesome perfect cake for the fall. We loved it and I think you would too!!

Ingredients Miryam's original recipe

Yields 10-12 servings

1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup unrefined sugar, you can add more but because of the caramel and strudel topping I think 1/3 cup is plenty
2 eggs, I always use organic
2/3 cups Greek plain yogurt
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
3 organic apples, sliced thin, any type of apples you prefer really
1/4 - 1/3 cup caramel sauce, I probably used about 1/4 cup

Strudel topping

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, you can also use pecans
1/3 cup coconut oil, you can also use olive oil
1/2 cup unrefined sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9 inch spring form pan.

In a bowl mix eggs, oil, yogurt, vanilla and sugar. Add the flour and baking powder and combine. Pour thick batter onto the prepared baking pan. Place apples over the batter like in the picture.

In another bowl combing strudel topping and place over the apples. Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I baked my cake for 55.

Cool cake in pan.

Remove cake and pour caramel sauce over the cake and serve.

Nutrition facts calculate based on the recipe giving 10 servings.