Lovin' From the Oven

Thick & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

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The ingredients that I usually bake with are the ones that are the most popular with my boyfriend, the one who eats the majority of my baked goods: toffee, chocolate, & candy. I rarely bake desserts that contain the ingredients that he hates: oatmeal, coconut, & raisins, (He also hates eating any and every vegetable, so don’t even get me started on that) primarily because they’ll never disappear. I know what you’re thinking… no coconut = no Samoas/Caramel Delights Girl Scout Cookies! How can you live?! I don’t know how he does it because I don’t think you’ve lived until you’ve eaten one of those cookies. They’re pure heaven in a box. Okay now I’m just getting a bit carried away just thinking about them, so back to my story…

Luckily for me, my mom requested a “healthier” cookie when I came home last weekend and I had the chance to bake something out of the norm for me. She requested something with oatmeal, and left the rest to me. Oatmeal raisin cookies it was! I used golden raisins instead of purple raisins and will never go back. They make the cookie much more moist and flavorful. You may not notice a difference, but I do! This cookie also didn’t spread much, so i’d recommend flattening them out and shaping them a bit prior to baking. This recipe is adapted from the Quaker Oats Oatmeal Raisin recipe found on the lid of their box. It makes a heartier and chewier cookie than the original. I put walnuts in half the batch and left the other half as is. The verdict? They’re both equally tasty. My mom loved them and they disappeared within 2-3 days.

I’m at my 97th post right now, and 3 more makes 100! Stay tuned for the 100th post because I’ll be having my very first giveaway! 🙂

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2-3/4 cup golden raisins (depending on your taste)
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F

In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins (& nuts if using them); mix well.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Chocolate Chip Toffee Walnut Cookies

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I baked a bunch for my boyfriend’s niece’s birthday party on Sunday, and these were one of the treats that I brought. They were delightful and turned out perfect! The adults loved them more than the kids, though (probably because of the walnuts). I think the combination of toffee and anything always turn out good, so you can’t go wrong with this recipe. These cookies are thick, chewy, and sturdy. I imagine that they’d be perfect for shipping across the states to someone, for they stack up well upon one another and can handle a lot of moving without breaking.

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup toffee bits
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips, toffee bits and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
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Now, my boyfriend’s niece had a princess birthday party and absolutely LOVES all the Disney princesses. She was turning 3 this year, and I decided to do something fun and creative for her. I made her her own mini princess purse! At first, I bought a plain mini canvas tote and sketched some of the princesses on it. Hah, whoever knew that a baker was capable of other things than just baking, right?

This is how one side looked like after sketching, all free hand!
And a little bit of paint later…(Yes, I used an eyeliner brush. I find that they make the best paintbrushes and I don’t wear make up, so why not?)

Voila! Finished product of both sides. She loved it! I also got her a huge Disney princess puzzle kit thing.

For the paint, I used a bit of acrylic paint mixed with textile medium, which is really the greatest thing ever invented. That is also the only brand that I use, Ceramcoat. I’ve experimented with a lot of acrylic paints and always come back to that one. Anyways, medium textile turns any acrylic paint into fabric paint. It also saves you money because fabric paint is a lot more expensive to buy than acrylic paint.

If you want to buy a canvas tote bag, you can find one HERE.

Banana Cake w/Cream Cheese Frosting

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Yay for finally being home and being able to bake! Baking really is such a great stress reliever for me. I was supposed to go out last night but the plans fell through, so I stayed home and baked instead. My mom had some ripe bananas (I swear she buys fruit in bulk so that I would make something out of them when they’re too ripe to eat) and suggested that I make something with them. I’ve already made banana bread a million and two times, so I settled for a cake instead. Honestly, there isn’t that much of a difference between banana bread and banana cake. They both taste the same.. one’s just a tiny bit lighter than the other. I added a bit of yogurt and oil to make the cake a bit moister, and that definitely did the trick. I baked the batter in one 9 inch pan and the other into a mini loaf pan. I don’t think there was enough batter to make two 9 inch cakes, but there would be for an 8 inch round pan. The cake was just okay in my opinion, but I’m not really a fan of banana desserts unless it’s banana flambe. Mmmmmm… banana flambe…

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
4 ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside.

Cream together the butter and the sugar.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well in between each addition. Add bananas and vanilla extract; mix well. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour batter into the prepared pans.

Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Cool and frost cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Baking From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

4 ounces low-fat cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 stick ( 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 pound or about 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/2 to 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract
Finely chopped toasted pecans and toasted pecan halves

In a large bowl, working with your mixer of choice, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the confectioner’s sugar and keep beating until the frosting is very smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract.

Frost the cake and decorate the sides with the chopped walnuts.

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