Tag: baked goods

Posted in appetizers/snacks, Baked goods, breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Food, lunch box

Rise and Shine Morning Muffins

Posted on by lmc

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Rise and Shine Morning Muffins

Well, I have the last of this week’s school lunches packed and heading out the door with my children. It’s Friday and as we head into the weekend, I will have to plan my selection of items that I will bake for next week’s menu.
This is one of my favorite lunchbox recipes to send to school. These little gems are filled with whole grains,apples, nuts, pineapple and raisins. Plenty of goodies to keep a hungry tummy satisfied. I bake a large batch and store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for a week’s worth of lunches.

Rise and Shine Morning Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all- purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup peeled and finely chopped apple
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; line muffin pan cups with paper liners. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; set aside. In another mixing bowl, stir together butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in carrot, apple, coconut, pecans, pineapple and raisins. Add flour mixture and stir just until blended.
Spoon batter into prepared cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer muffins to cooling racks to cool completely. Store muffins in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Posted in appetizers/snacks, Baked goods, breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Food, lunch box

Easy Banana Crumb Cake

Posted on by lmc

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Well, it’s back to school for my high school kids this week and I am baking
packable lunch items for the start of the school year. I spied a few overly ripe bananas on the kitchen counter last night so I searched my old recipe folder for a banana recipe that would be suitable for lunch box storage. I used to make this cake all the time but it seems other recipes have become favorites and this one was moved to the back of the folder. I seriously can’t figure out why…this is a great moist, sweet, crumbly cake that is really easy to assemble quickly. Once again, I am using a cake mix to reduce time while adding flavor.

Easy Banana Crumb Cake

1 package white cake mix
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 medium ripe bananas
3 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chopped pecans

Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed and cold
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray with cooking spray a 13×9″ baking pan. Place first seven ingredients in a large bowl. Beat well. Pour into prepared pan. In a medium bowl, combine topping ingredients until crumbly; sprinkle evenly over batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.

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Posted in appetizers/snacks, Baked goods, Desserts, Food, lunch box

Chocolatey Oat and Peanut Butter Cookies

Posted on by lmc

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So, tomorrow my oldest will be leaving for college…I am surely going to miss her smiling face on a daily basis. It will be hard for me to let her go….
I have spent a good part of the morning baking goodies to pack in containers and load into boxes. Cooling on the counter top, there is a loaf of Irish soda bread, a tray of granola bars, and some Chocolatey Oat and Peanut Butter Cookies (recipe below).
I will wait for them to cool completely and then arrange them in containers for the long drive down to Purdue University. My hope is to continue to send her “care packages” on a weekly basis so that she knows that we miss her and that she is in our thoughts…sending a little “home-baked love” her way as she begins her journey through college life on campus. We love you, K!

Chocolatey Oat and Peanut Butter Cookies

2 cups peanut butter
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Extra oats for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray cookie sheets with non-stick spray. In a medium bowl, stir peanut butter, oats, and sugar together until smooth. Beat in the eggs. Mix in the baking soda, salt, and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips. Roll dough into 1 inch balls (or scoop out dough with a small ice cream scoop) and place 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Press down with slightly damp fingers. Lightly sprinkle with extra oats.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for 5-10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Posted in Baked goods, Desserts, Food

Rich Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Posted on by lmc

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I have been making this recipe for years. While this cake is delicious anytime, I think the flavor is best when the cake has had a day to sit. However, once your family knows that the cake is out of the oven, the countdown begins as to when it’s cool enough to eat. And after the first slice is gone, it seems only minutes before the rest of the cake follows and only a few crumbs are left at the bottom of the baking pan. Either way, this is an awesome cake recipe.
The mayonnaise may seem like an odd ingredient but it sure makes this cake moist and flavorful.

Rich Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

2 cups hot tap water
2 cups mayonnaise
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray with non-stick spray, a 9×13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, cocoa and baking soda. Add the mayonnaise, water, and vanilla. Beat for about 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

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Posted in Baked goods, Brunch, Desserts, Food

Apple-Blueberry Slices

Posted on by lmc

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When my kids were young, we used to find every opportunity available to pack up the car to find a local farm or orchard where we could pick the latest harvest. We’d arrive home with our bounty of goodies and spend the next few days canning, freezing, and baking with the produce that we picked. One of my favorite apple orchards was in Wisconsin. The owner would always have a recipe sheet displayed on the front counter for customers to take home with their purchase. All of the recipes were tested on the owner’s family and proved to be delicious.
One year, we picked bushels of apples and arrived at the front counter to see the usual list with various apple recipes listed along the front and back of the page. When I got home, I tried the recipe for Apple Slices. Wow, was it delicious! Every time I make the slices, I am asked for the recipe.
This week I added a handful of blueberries to the filling mix. I had a few leftover blueberries and I thought they would compliment the apple and cinnamon flavors.
I was right! These are delicious! The original apple slice recipe will always be at the top of my favorite recipe’s list.
Here’s the recipe for the revised apple-blueberry version.

Apple-Blueberry Slices

Dough:
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shortening
1 egg, slightly beaten
Filling:
3 cups apples, cored, peeled and chopped
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray with cooking spray a 9×13″ pan.
For the dough: In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, and baking powder. Cut in shortening and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan. Set the rest aside.
For the filling: In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Gently mix in the apples and blueberries. Sprinkle the apple-blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the apple- blueberry layer. Bake for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely. Use my powdered sugar glaze recipe to drizzle over cooled pan.

Posted in Baked goods, Brunch, Food

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake

Posted on by lmc

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Boy, if you don’t like this cake, I don’t know what to say! A bonus…it’s super easy to make. Once again, I started with a basic cake mix.
Years ago, I found a recipe for a cinnamon coffee cake that was a bit time consuming to pull together. It tasted great so I continued to make it for the family. Then, a couple of years ago, I found a similar (but easier) recipe in the newspaper and tucked it away for another day. Yesterday, I had a taste for my original cinnamon coffee cake recipe. While looking through my recipe binder, I found the page ripped from the newspaper that I had tucked away some time ago. I thought…why not give it a try? After altering the recipe a bit, I quickly mixed it up and threw it in the oven.
Well, the smell of the cinnamon and extracts was enough to make me salivate in front of the oven, as I watched the cake rise and take shape. Mmmmm, it sure smelled wonderful! And, after letting it cool and giving it a taste, I was not disappointed! This sweet, moist, cinnamon roll coffee cake is absolutely delicious!

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake

1 box yellow or white pudding cake mix
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon butter extract
Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon softened margarine
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Prepare cake mix as directed on the package. Add extracts to the batter and mix well. Spray, with cooking spray, a 13×9″ baking dish. In a separate bowl, mix together the topping ingredients. Pour half of the batter in the baking dish. Sprinkle half of the topping mixture over the batter. Pour on the remaining batter and finish by adding the remaining topping. Swirl through the cake mix with a knife. Bake according to package directions. Cool and top with my powdered sugar icing. Yummy!

Posted in Baked goods, Desserts, Food, Kids in the Kitchen, lunch box

Easy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Snack Cake

Posted on by lmc

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Growing up, I remember a boxed mix that my mom used to buy to make something called a snack cake. The favorite in our household was the spice mix flavor. Mom used to quickly bake it in a square pan and slice it into 9 squares. Once our family had grown to a count of 10 people, she was out of luck and needed to find a larger cake mix recipe…the traditional, full-sized cake mix that could be baked in a 9×13 pan.
What I like best about the snack cake is the ease of it all…only a few ingredients and no frosting needed.
This recipe is certainly a favorite. I pack quite a few lunches on a daily basis and this cake is really quite easy to slice, wrap and pack. As my oldest child will be heading to college in August, this will be a great cake to bake and send in a care package as I am sure she will be missing our traditional home-baked goodies. (And we will be missing her!)

Easy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Snack Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13×9″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except chocolate chips; mix until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
Pour batter into prepared baking dish; bake 35-40 minutes.

Posted in Baked goods, Chicken, Food, Kids in the Kitchen, Main Dish

Crispy Corn Flake (Baked) Chicken Strips

Posted on by lmc

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When I was in college, my roommate invited me to her hometown to spend the weekend with her family. My roommate’s mother was a wonderful cook, she prepared all kinds of goodies for us to munch on during out weekend visit. On Sunday afternoon, just before heading back to our college dorm, J’s mom prepared these delicious chicken strips with oven baked fries and a fresh garden salad. I thought the chicken was absolutely delicious. The meat was super tender, while the crust was flavorful and crunchy.
Years later, after I had graduated and was ready to start a family of my own, I asked J’s mom for this recipe. Oh, it’s so easy to make these strips…the oven baking eliminates the greasy mess that fried chicken leaves behind. Yet, these delectable strips are crispy and delicious. Once you try them, this might be the only way you prepare chicken for your family.

Crispy Cornflake Chicken Strips

4-6 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 1/2 cups corn flake cereal, finely crushed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 15×11″ baking pan with non- stick cooking spray. In three separate mixing bowls, individually place the flour, butter, and corn flakes. Dip the chicken strips in the flour, then the butter, then the corn flake cereal. Place the coated chicken strips on a baking sheet.
Bake 20 – 25 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink. Serve with ketchup, BBQ sauce, or ranch dressing.

Posted in Baked goods, Desserts, Food, Kids in the Kitchen, lunch box

Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookies

Posted on by lmc

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This past weekend, we celebrated my daughter’s graduation from high school. I knew the temperature was predicted to reach 90 degrees so I got all of my baking out of the way during the week, while the temperatures were mild and breezy. A couple of weeks ago, I saw that the local market was having a sale on cake mix. I had cake mix coupons to stack onto the sale price so the final price came out to 75 cents per box! I bought 5 boxes and remembered that I had a great recipe for Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookies. I thought that this would be a great addition to the dessert table at the graduation party. These cookies are crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle. They have great flavor and the guests really enjoyed them. Store in an air-tight container (if they last that long).

Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookies

1 box yellow cake mix
2 cups old fashioned oatmeal, uncooked
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

Combine cake mix, oatmeal, and sugar in large bowl; mix well. In a medium bowl, combine oil, eggs and extract; mix thoroughly. Next, add wet mixture to dry ingredients, stir well. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips.
Use a small ice cream scoop to drop on ungreased cookie sheets about 2″ apart. Bake at 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Posted in Baked goods, Desserts, Food, Kids in the Kitchen

Cake Mix Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Posted on by lmc

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I love when my family has the opportunity to kick back in the evening and spend some time together. We often relax while watching a movie, sitting on the deck of our pool, having a bonfire, or just talking around the kitchen table. I always turn to this recipe for an evening treat because it is so quick and easy to assemble and everyone can join in to make their own favorite treat. I usually have the cookies made ahead of time. Then, I line up the counter with various tubs of ice cream flavors and an assortment of toppings. Everyone can load up their cookie sandwich with all of their favorites and enjoy family time together. In this busy world, I just love munching on this scrumptious treat and sharing quality time with those that I hold dearest in my heart.

Cake Mix Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Cookie:
2 eggs
1 box of white cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Filling:
Ice Cream, any flavor
Toppings: Chocolate Chips, Sprinkles, Candies, etc.

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, eggs and oil.
Use a small ice cream scoop to make 1″ balls with the dough and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 6-10 minutes and light golden brown around the edges. After five minutes, remove to a wire rack to completely.

For filling, place a large scoop of ice cream between two cooled cookies, press firmly to flatten ice cream a bit. Press chocolate chips into the ice cream for added flavor.

Note: Use any flavor cake mix, ice cream, or toppings, to make this a personalized family favorite.