Pineapple Banana Loaf

This is truly my favorite loaf, all year round. The pineapple makes this banana loaf incredibly moist. It also freezes really well. This is recipe makes 2 - 9inch loafs. 

3 cups All-Purpose Flour

2 cups granulated sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup crushed pineapple, undrained

3 eggs

1 1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 cups mashed banana (about 5 bananas)

2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350degrees F
2. Combine first 5 ingredients.
3. Beat together remaining ingredients in large bowl until blended. Add dry ingredients, stirring until throughly combined. Divide evenly between prepared pans. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes in pan, then transfer to rack and cool completely.

Recipe courtesy of “Robin Hood: Baking Festival Cookbook.”

Dark Chocolate Truffles

Small decadent bites of perfection. No other words required.

3/4 cup whole blanched almonds or 1/2 cup silvered almonds

8 squares dark/bittersweet chocolate

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup sifted icing sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup rum, almond, orange or raspberry liqueur

Cocoa powder

1. Preheat broiler. Whirl almonds in a food processor until finely chopped but not ground. Spread on a baking sheet and place 6 in from broiler. (Or do what I do: place almonds in a non-stick frying pan over low heat and toast that way). Watching carefully and shaking often to avoid burning, toast until lightly golden, from 2 to 3 mins. Set aside to cool.
2. Break chocolate into small pieces and place with butter in a small saucepan set over medium-low heat. Stir until melted and smooth. Using a rubber spatula, turn into a medium size mixing bowl. Stir in icing sugar and almonds. Refrigerate, uncovered, until firm enough to roll into balls about 2 hours. Form into 1 inch balls and roll in cocoa powder. Store in airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 weeks.

Recipe courtesy of “Chatelaine Recipes: Easy Holiday Cooking.”

Marbled Candy-Cane Bark

This is a easy chocolate bark that looks quite beautiful and makes a great gift for the chocolate lovers on your list.

6 squares of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate

6 squares of white chocolate

3 candy canes, crushed

1. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Coarsely chop semi-sweet chocolate. At this point you can either melt your chocolate in the microwave or on the stove top. Melt both of the chocolates separately. 
2. Pour the dark chocolate onto the waxed paper making 2 thick strips about 1 1/2 inch apart. Pour the white chocolate in the middle and along one side of the chocolate. 
3. Take a knife and drag the chocolate back and forth to create the marbled look. Tap the pan to level chocolate as required. Sprinkle with candy canes. Refrigerate until it hardens approx 45 to 60 minutes. Break into large pieces.

Shortbread Cookies

Soft, crunchy, melt in your mouth shortbread that is seriously easy to make and always a hit with guests. Avoid over-mixing.

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sifted icing sugar

2 to 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1. Preheat oven to 300F. Place butter in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer or wooden spoon, gradually beat in the sugar until smooth and creamy. Mix well. Using a wooden spoon stir in the 2 cups of flour until just mixed, do not overmix. Finish forming dough with your hands. If dough is sticky add more flour.
2. Place a quarter of the dough on a floured board and using a floured rolling pin, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness for more depending on how thick you want your cookies. Cut shapes out with a floured cookie cutter. 
3. Place on an ungreased baking sheet with at least 1 inch apart. Decorate as desired.
4. Bake in preheated oven until pale golden  colour and set in the middle with lightly touched, 15 to 18 minutes.

Makes approx 65 cookies

Bread

I dug into the “Happy Days with the Naked Chef” by Jamie Oliver cookbook again and decided today was a perfect day to bake some bread. I love baking bread. I love the entire hands-on process. It’s kinda messy, but it’s really rewarding. 

In the cookbook Jamie gives the “Basic Bread Recipe” and then some yummy breads to try. This morning I decided to make 2 different breads. I made the “Onion Baguettes” and “Banana and Honey Bread”. I have made the “Onion Baguettes” before and loved them. I made 6 baguettes last time and froze 4 of them. All 4 are long gone now and it was time to re-stock. 

This morning I decided to try and be a little healthier and use half white flour and half whole wheat. The whole wheat took an additional cup of liquid and doubled the rising time. Unfortunately, I don’t like the taste as much. Well, I tried to be healthier!

The “Banana and Honey Bread” is absolutely delicious. Sweet, moist and lovely with butter.  Instead of using water, Jamie said to use 6 bananas blended up. And damn if that wasn’t a really cool and tasty thing to do. My bread however, looks nothing like the picture in the book. Weird.

I’m not going to post the recipes here. First, because that’s a lot of typing and I’ve been baking bread people! My hands are tired! If you want to try to bake bread for the first time message me and we’ll talk. I find it’s easier to learn something sometimes if you work with someone in person. 

If you are an expert bread baker and just want the recipe, message me and I’ll send it over. These recipes should be shared.