Perfect Cornbread

The best. Enough said.

1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups milk

Whisk together the oil, butter, eggs, and milk in a large bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Pour into a greased 8x8 square and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Doubles perfectly for a 9x13 pan.

Recipe from here.

Have any questions about this recipe? Email me at me@amandaabby.com

Orange Yogurt Sweet Bread

Light, airy, fluffy, moist, perfectly orangey, and perfectly sweet.

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup yogurt (I used vanilla Light & Fit)
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange zest
1/2 cup oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan (or 2 mini ones) with shortening and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together yogurt, sugar, eggs, zest, vanilla and oil. Add baking powder and salt and whisk. Add flour and whisk. Pour into one loaf pan or 2 mini loaf pans. Bake for 50 minutes for a normal loaf pan and 30-35 minutes for the mini ones.

Let the bread cool slightly and remove from loaf pan to cool.

source: recipe from here

Have any questions about this recipe? Email me at me@amandaabby.com

The Best Banana Bread

Remember when I said that these banana muffins were the best (and better than your's)? Well, I take that back. I found a different recipe, and it's awesome! Thanks to Epicurious, I made this heavenly banana bread. I just changed a few things, like reducing the sugar some and making one loaf with no nuts and the other with pecans (because I had no walnuts)- I actually preferred the loaf without the nuts. This bread is perfectly moist, perfectly sweet, and just so darn good. Try it, you'll love it.

And be careful with the oven, I badly burned my poor little thumb. I think I have more battle wounds from cooking than the kids who are bruised and scratched up from playing sports. I'm currently sporting a blister on my thumb and 2 fading scars are my right forearm from six months ago. That silly oven.

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour


• 2 teaspoons baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 4 eggs at room temperature for 30 minutes (I set them out for 15 or so minutes while I was prepping the other ingredients)


• 2 cups sugar


• 1 cup vegetable oil


• 3 cups mashed ripe bananas (I used 7)


• 1/4 cup creme fraiche ( I used sour cream- who ever has 'creme fraiche' lying around?)


• 2 teaspoons vanilla


• 1 1/3 cups walnuts, chopped (I preferred the bread without nuts)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 2 (9 x 5 x 3 inch) metal loaf pans, then dust with flour, knocking out the excess flour.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl.

Beat together eggs and sugar in bowl of electric mixer at medium-high speed until very thick and pale and mixture forms a ribbon when beater is lifted, about 10 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add oil in a slow stream, mixing, then mix in bananas, creme fraiche (or sour cream), and vanilla. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in flour mixture and nuts gently but thoroughly.

Divide batter between loaf pans, spreading evenly, and bake in middle of oven until golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean, 1 to 1 hr. 15 minutes. (The loaf without nuts took 1 hour and 5 minutes, whereas the one with nuts took about 1 hr. and 20 minutes. Make sure you don't underbake. No one likes a doughy banana bread. Also, I covered the banana bread about 17 minutes into the cooking process with a lightly greased piece of aluminium foil).

Cool loaves in pans on a rack 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Cool completely.

Banana bread keeps wrapped well in plastic wrap at room temperature for 2 days or frozen for 1 month.

-amanda

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are your good old fashioned chocolate chip cookies. I like this recipe better than the Toll House one by far. These chocolate chip cookies taste caramelly- one of my favorite flavors.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Kitchen Aid: Great Baking and More

• 1 cup sugar


• 1 cup brown sugar


• 1 cup softened butter


• 2 eggs


• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla


• 1 teaspoon baking soda


• 1 teaspoon salt (a bit less if you're using salted butter)


• 3 cups all-purpose flour


• 1 cup chocolate chips (most recipes call for 2- but I think that's waaaay too much chocolate for the cookie)

 

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla- mix. Add baking soda and salt. Mix. Add flour- mix. By hand with spoon, stir in the chocolate chips.

Scoop onto greased cookie sheet with a cookie scooper (I used a 18/8 scoop). Bake at 375 degrees F for 9-12 minutes.

Yields 4 1/2 dozen.

Homemade Granola

This is my favorite granola- and it doesn't even contain butter! Most granolas are loaded with fat- this recipe isn't overly sweet or overly buttery.

From Real Simple - makes 6 cups

• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats


• 1 cup sliced almonds


• 1/2 cup shredded coconut (preferable unsweetend) - We got ours from Harmon's in Utah (when we used to live there....). You're very lucky if you live near a Harmon's.


• 1/4 cup unsalted pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds) or shlled sunflower seeds - I use the sunflower seeds


• 1/2 cup maple syrup - doesn't have to be "pure" maple syrup


• 2 tablespoons canola oil


• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


• 1 cup dried fruit (cherries, cranberries, raisins, or currants) - I use 1/2 cranberries and 1/2 raisins

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the oats, almonds, coconut and pepitas (or sunflower seeds) with the maple syrup, oil, and salt.


2. Bake, tossing once, until golden and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes.


3. Add the dried fruit and toss to combine. Let cool.

 

 

Banana Muffins

These seriously are better than your banana muffin/bread recipe. I dare you to try them. You'll like them much better. They're not dry or mushy.

Here's the recipe that's better that yours ( I promise!!!)

• 1 cup sugar


• 1/3 cup butter, softened


• 2 eggs


• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (3 or 4 medium)


• 1/3 cup water


• 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour


• 1 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1. heat oven to 350 degrees F.


2. Mix sugar and butter in bowl. Stir in eggs until blended. Add bananas and water, beat 30 seconds. Stir in remaining ingredients until moistened.


3. Pour into muffin tins (with cupcake liners). Bake for 18-25 minutes (check to see if done with toothpick)

The Best Caramel Corn in the World

Caramel corn- in the summer? Maybe not the first dessert that comes to mind in 90+ degree weather with humidity that is disgustingly bleh, but it is seriously good. Goodbye, smushy, overly butter-ified soggy caramel corn. Hello yum.

photo from here

Paula Deen's Caramel Corn

1 cup butter

2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda


Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
Over medium heat, combine first 4 ingredients and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. Stir well. Pour over 8 quarts popped corn. Stir to coat well. Bake in large roaster or pan for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on waxed paper to dry.

-amanda abby