Oatmeal Quick Bread with Scotch-Maple Glaze

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A few years back, my mother gave me a coffee grinder as a Christmas gift.  Great present, I love coffee and require a great deal of it to wake myself up every morning.  Very sweet, Mom.

I never use it.  I know, I know, but it’s just one more step in the morning and I have enough trouble as it is getting myself looking somewhat presentable and out the door.

So how was it that I was able to bake pre-lunch shift yesterday, if I can’t even come up with the time to deal with whole bean coffee in the morning?  I was wearing clean, matching socks AND carrying a loaf of maple-oat bread when I arrived (on time, even!) at work.

This oatmeal quick bread is that quick.  It’s hardly more trouble than grinding coffee and doesn’t require an electric mixer so it’s a whole lot quieter, too.  It’s pleasantly nutty and chewy and tastes a little bit like pancakes made over a campfire, thanks to the smokey Scotch whiskey and maple syrup.

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Apple Pie & Sharp Cheddar Biscuits

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Apple & Cheddar Double Decker Biscuits

These biscuits are a throw-back to what I would consider my finest culinary creation circa 1989.  Only then I called them mini-apple breakfast pizzas.  And I’m not sure I can call them my “creation” as I think I ripped off the idea from a fellow first-grader’s mommy at snack time.

Way back when, these little delights were made with biscuits out of a tube, a can of apple pie filling, and shredded cheddar.  People were so impressed with with my talent in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, I grew up and my apple breakfast pizzas had to grow up, too.  You just can’t wow people with tube-biscuits the way you could when you were six.  Which is unfortunate because I love opening those biscuit tubes with the back of a spoon.  So satisfying.  Oh, well, c’est la vie.

apples

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Pumpkin & Goat Cheese Tart with Hazelnut Brittle

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Pumpkin & Chevre Cheesecake with Candied Hazelnuts

Something important happened this week.  I am taking a stand, committing to a position.

Don’t worry, it’s not political.  It’s about pumpkin.

For years I’ve been undecided, straddling the fence between loving and hating pumpkin desserts.  I should like them- I adore squash and like not-too-sweet desserts, but pumpkin has never been my pie of choice, nor have I ever gotten excited about pumpkin bars or the crazy pumpkin drinks coffee shops are hawking this time of year.  I probably would have happily stayed on the hate-side of the fence if it weren’t for my pumpkin-lovin’ bf whose taste buds occasionally influence what I bake.

It has taken me years to get to this place in my life, but this recent concoction makes me proud and confident in taking a stand and saying it.

People, I’m no hater.  I love pumpkin!

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Salted Espresso-Oat Cookies with Nutella Cream

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I baked for you again.

Why?  As if I need a reason!  Because you’re you and I’m so glad you’ve found your way over to strawberryplum.  Plus, it’s Monday and you really look like you could use a little cookie love about now.

And, to be perfectly honest, it wasn’t a completely selfless act.  I did manage to combine four of my favorite ingredients into one awesome sandwich cookie.  Let’s hear it for oatmeal, espresso, sea salt, and Nutella.

Prepare for cookie action.  Softened butter, sugars, oatmeal, egg, flour, espresso powder.

Put it all together.  You know the drill.  Cream the butter and sugar, add an egg, finish with dry ingredients.

Roll your dough into uniform balls.  Normally, I’m not too precise, but today I’m going to sandwich these cookies so I want them to be fairly similar in size.  Press and flatten dough balls.  I’m going to sprinkle mine with some flaky sea salt because I like my sweets a little salty and my savories a little sweet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake, cool.  You could stop right here, grab the milk, and  get down to cookie eating…

…or you could be like me and get a little cookie-kooky.  I’m about to define the term “gilding the lily”.

Ahhh…my cookie fantasy, come to life.  What a world.

 

Salted Espresso- Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies with Nutella Cream
 
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These cookies are delicious with or without the Nutella filling.
Author:
Serves: about 24 cookies
Ingredients
  • 1 c. All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 tsp. Espresso Powder
  • ¾ tsp. Baking Powder
  • ½ tsp. Baking Soda
  • ½ tsp. Salt
  • 14 Tbsp. (1¾ sticks) Butter, softened
  • ½ c. Granulated Sugar
  • ½ c. Light Brown Sugar
  • 1 large Egg
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla
  • 2½ c. Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
  • Flaky Sea Salt (optional), to taste
    For the Filling
  • 3 Tbsp. Butter, softened
  • ⅓ c. Nutella (chocolate- hazelnut spread)
  • ⅓ c. Powdered Sugar
  • 1 tsp. Espresso Powder
  • pinch Sea Salt
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment.
  2. Combine flour, 1 tsp. espresso powder,baking soda, baking powder, and ½ tsp. salt in medium bowl.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add egg and vanilla, beat to combine.
  4. On low speed, slowly add dry ingredients, mix until just combined. Stir in oats.
  5. Form 1 Tbsp. balls of dough and flatten slightly with juice glass. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely before sandwiching.
  6. For the filling- Whip together butter, Nutella, powdered sugar, espresso powder, and pinch of salt until light and fluffy. Spread filling on bottoms of half the batch of cookies and place another cookie on top to sandwich.

Autumn Harvest Quinoa Muffins

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I’ll admit it.  On occasion, after eating what is essentially dessert for breakfast five days straight, I feel a tiny twinge of guilt.

But what’s a girl to do?  A girl’s gotta eat.  And this girl has got to bake!

Solution: a healthy, hearty, grainy, good-for-your-body muffin.  No delicate, dainty muffin here.  This is a muffin that wakes up, steps into steel-toed boots, fastens its toolbelt, and gets to work.  And it works hard.  It’s going to get you out of bed, out the door, and carry you all the way through ’til lunch.  This muffin is not going to flake out on you.  How many other muffins can you count on to do the same?

Building blocks:  quinoa (it’s a super-food, you know), squash, apples, raisins, nuts.

That’s grated butternut squash, not cheddar cheese.  Hmm…cheddar might not be a bad idea…next time.

Combine dry ingredients, brown a bit of butter, whisk egg with buttermilk, toss the quinoa and other tasty touches together in a bowl.

butternut squash, golden, raisins, pecans, apple, brown butter, cinnamon

Bring it all together.  Into a muffin tin and into your oven.

butternut squash, quinoa, muffin, golden raisins, pecans, nuts, apples, cinnamon, hearty, healthy, whole grain, whole-wheat

Golden & toasty, a little crunchy, a lot healthy, super satisfying.  I call middle-right, you can have top-left.

squash, apple, raisin, quinoa, muffin, fall, hearty, healthy

You are going to love these wholesome, nutty muffins.  They’re so good you might not even want to go back to your more decadent breakfasts next week.  You may even make another batch, try another variation, other whole grains, different secret vegetal add-ins.

healthy, whole grain, squash, apple, pecan, raisins

Or maybe you’ll rediscover the jar of nutella.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Autumn Harvest Quinoa Muffins
 
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These muffins are wholesome, flavorful, and moist with just enough crunch. Customize them with your nuts and favorite dried fruits.
Author:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1½ c. All Purpose Flour
  • 1 c. Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1 tsp. Baking Powder
  • ½ tsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. Cinnamon
  • ½ c. Dark Brown Sugar
  • 1½ c. Buttermilk
  • 1 Egg
  • ¼ c. Unsalted Butter, melted and browned
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 1 c. Cooked Quinoa
  • 1 c. Grated Apple (1 medium apple)
  • ½ c. Grated Butternut Squash
  • ½ c. Golden Raisins
  • ½ c. Pecans, chopped
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375°. Butter or spray a 12 cup muffin tin.
  2. Combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon in large bowl. Mix well.
  3. In medium bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, browned butter, and vanilla.
  4. In another medium bowl, combine quinoa, apple, squash, raisins, and pecans.
  5. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined.
  6. Fold quinoa mixture into muffin batter and scoop into prepared muffin cups.
  7. Bake until golden and tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes.