mini pineapple upside down cakes • welcome little one

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Today I’m happy. Today I’m joyous! Today I’m ecstatic!

And why is that, you may be asking…or maybe not.

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Well, I have a healthy and beautiful niece that was born two days ago. She is adorable and will become my little piece of life (if she hasn’t done so already). She is sneaky and subtle in her dominion and occupation of my heart. She is already taking over it. Just like that.

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Unfortunately she is in Austin right now and I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her yet. Fortunately I will be hopping on a plane this coming Monday morning and will be holding her in my arms on that very same day. I can wait, I can wait, I can wait. Yes, I can do this and hold it together until then.

Before she was even born I day dreamed of the moments she and I would share: bed time stories, sweets, picnics in the yard, homework time, movie nights, smiles, laughter, cries, and of course….quality baking time. In my mind, quality baking time consists of creating a basic recipe together, following it, and to simply chit chat and share a few smiles. That simple. That great.

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I dedicate this recipe I have literally just jotted down on my recipe book to my niece Isabel Annette and to all those precious moments I am patiently waiting to embrace and enjoy with her. I’ll consider myself a winner if I’m able to offer her even an ounce of happiness, inspiration and guidance with my new “auntie skills”.

Welcome little one!

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**Yields about 14 mini cakes**

Note: For these mini cakes, I used the basic ratio for pound cake= 1 flour: 1 butter : 1 eggs: 1 sugar and modified/experimented with it.

Ingredients for Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes:

4 oz butter, softened

8 oz granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

8 oz eggs

2 oz sour cream

2 oz pineapple juice

8 oz AP flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 crushed pineapple, drained

dark brown sugar–> I didn’t have any in stock so I used natural cane sugar instead. However, I recommend using dark brown sugar instead if you have it.

About 9-10 canned pineapple slices

Procedure/Recipe for Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes:

1. Cream butter and sugar in a standing mixer with a paddle attachment at medium speed until butter becomes light and fluffy.

2. Add vanilla and add eggs one at a time so that they are gradually beaten into the batter.

3. Combine sour cream and pineapple juice in a small bowl. Set them aside.

4. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add half of the dry ingredients into the mixture. Add half of the sour cream/pineapple juice mixture and keep alternating between additions of dry and wet ingredients, starting and ending with dry ingredients.

5. Fold in drained pineapple to batter. Set batter aside.

6. Cut 6-7 pineapple slices in half to end up with 12-14 thin pineapple rounds. Set aside.

7. Cut the remaining pineapple slices in half as well. Cut each layer into small pieces at are about1/4″-1/2″ wide. Set aside.

8. Grease the whole area of the cupcake tins and line the bottom of each one with a piece of foil or parchment paper. I simply cut the round part of some baking cups and discarded the rest. You can also cut rounds out of parchment paper and place them on the bottom.

9. Sprinkle a generous pinch of dark brown sugar onto the base of each cupcake tin and place 3-4 small pieces of pineapple over the sugar.

10. Scoop batter into cupcake tins until shy of the top and place a halved pineapple round over the batter.

11. Bake at 375 F for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick that is inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in tins, about 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool down completely.

Ingredients for Light Pineapple Cream:

1 1/2 C cream cheese

1 C 10x sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 C crushed pineapple, drained

1 1/2 C heavy cream

Procedure/Recipe Light Pineapple Cream:

1. Combine and mix cream cheese, 10x sugar, and vanilla with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until all ingredients are fully combined.

2. Add crushed pineapple and continue mixing until pineapple is well incorporated. Scrape sides of bowl if necessary.

3. Change to a whisk attachment and slowly stream in the heavy cream. Whip at high speed until stiff peaks form.

Putting it all together…. Drop a dollop of the light pineapple cream onto a plate and place the mini cake right on top or….drop a spoonful of the light pineapple cream over a mini cake and spread it with the back of a spoon. Enjoy!

Observations: 

- the cake almost resembles a moist and tender corn bread cake in that it has a slight savory flavor.

- the creamy, light, and sweet pineapple topping compliments the faint savoriness of the actual cake really well.

- the pineapple flavor stands out prominently.

- the base of the mini cake is sweet because of the pineapple layer. The surface of the mini cake is also sweet due to the sprinkled sugar and the additional pineapple layer. These two sweet layers compliment the cake that is sandwiched in between which was less sweeter. Therefore, a good balance of sweetness, savoriness, and tartness is created.

- the top of the cake did not achieve the brownish color I had hoped for because I didn’t use dark brown sugar. I used natural cane sugar instead because I didn’t have any dark brown sugar.

- since I used less butter as part of the original pound cake ratio and replaced it with sour cream and pineapple juice instead, the cake didn’t end up resembling the richness and texture of a pound cake after all. This one came out to be lighter but still delicious.

Conclusion:

These mini pineapple upside down cakes will be on my niece’s and my “to bake list” when she is old enough to do mix ingredients with a spatula or whisk (…and if she enjoys sweets as much as I do.  I really hope she does!).

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strawberry everything muffins • for mom

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I made strawberry everything muffins for my mom today, not because mother’s day is nearby, but simply because.

Simply because she deserves all the best and most pleasant things in the world every day. Strawberry everything muffins sound pretty pleasant, don’t you think?

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She is spending some time with me in DC and I feel very fortunate. I would feel even more fortunate though if we didn’t live so far away from each other and could enjoy each other’s company more than just during the summers or winter breaks.

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I have always dreamed to be in that sort of living situation where I could simply call her and say, “Hey mom, you feel like checking out that new Italian restaurant tonight? Great, let’s meet at 8:00 pm,” or “Mom, let’s go to Ikea and get that dresser we both know I sooooo need. Alright, pick me up at four….since I’m still a bum and don’t own a car.” Unfortunately, we live an ocean apart, but I think that makes us cherish our time together even more.

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She is amazing and incredibly incredible!

I love her more than anything and these healthy and delicious low-sugar strawberry everything muffins are just for her…and for me too, I guess. I did have more than a couple. I just couldn’t resist.

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I wrote this recipe based off the quickbread ratio 2 (flour) : 2 (liquid) : 1 (egg) : 1 (fat). I wanted to make these muffins very healthy and low-sugar, while maintaining the “yummm” factor. It was very crucial to make these healthy, since mom is a tiny bit diabetic. That is why I chose to use healthy ingredients such as strawberries (which have flavonoids that fight diabetes!), oats, pastry wheat flour, flax seeds, walnuts, and a mixture of honey/light brown sugar/natural cane sugar and natural lightly sweetened strawberry jam for the gentle touch of sweetness. My mom does not do Stevia…”No me gusta,” was her honest reaction when I suggestively pointed at the Stevia boxes on the shelf. We always say that it’s okay to consume sugar as long as it’s done in moderation.

Right…because I certainly do that.

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I hope that you enjoy these healthy strawberry everything muffins as much as she and I did. “Que rico!” was mom’s sincere reaction.

And since it’s right around the corner and I may not get around to congratulating anyone on the actual day, happy mother’s day to all the great mommies out there while we’re at it!

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**Yield: About 12 cupcakes**

Research Question: Will these strawberry everything muffins be the ultimate representation of “health” while also maintaining a nice and pleasant flavor?

Hypothesis:

- The combination of fresh strawberries, cane sugar, honey, light brown sugar, and lightly sweetened strawberry jam will add a delicate touch of sweetness that will keep your sugar cravings satisfied.

- Whole wheat pastry flour + oats + walnuts + flax seeds + soy milk + low fat yogurt will offer a great boost of omega 3, fiber, calcium, proteins, and nutrients that will do wonders for your body and health.

- Adding cane sugar to the top of each muffin will add a nice crunch that will contrast with the texture of the soft and moist muffin.

- Brushing a thin layer of lightly sweetened strawberry jam on each muffin help bring out the fresh strawberry flavor.

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Ingredients:

4 oz AP flour

3 oz pastry wheat flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

3 oz light brown sugar

4 oz soy milk

4 oz low fat yogurt

4 oz vegetable oil

4 oz egg (about 2 large eggs)

1 oz honey

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 C walnuts, chopped

1/2 C quick oats

1/4 C flax seeds

1 C fresh strawberries, roughly chopped

2 oz lightly sweetened strawberry jam (such as Polaners)

1/2 oz water

natural cane sugar (such as Sugar In the Raw)

Procedure/Recipe:

1. Sift AP flour, pastry whole wheat flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.

2. Add light brown sugar to dry ingredients and mix well to combine.

3. In a different bowl, whisk soy milk, eggs, vegetable oil, low-fat yogurt, honey and vanilla together.

4. Combine the wet and dry mixtures together, just enough so that all ingredients are incorporated into the batter. Do not over mix.

5. Add chopped walnuts, quick oats, flax seeds, and chopped strawberries to batter and gently fold after each addition. Allow batter to rest 20-40 minutes in fridge.

6. Spray cupcake tins with vegetable oil and fill them with about 1/4 cup batter or until they’re just shy of the top. Bake at 425 F for about 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick that is inserted in the center tests clean. (Baking the muffins at such high temperature will result in “volcano tops” instead of flat tops. Let cupcakes cool in tins, about 5 minutes, then turn them out onto wire racks.

7. Combine strawberry jam and water in a small pot and cook over medium heat while continuously stirring with a heat-proof pastry brush until the mixture beings to lightly simmer/boil.

8. Brush strawberry jam over each muffin top and sprinkle a pinch of natural cane sugar over the hot glaze right after the jam has been applied so that each sugar grain sticks to the muffin.

 Observations:
- Awesome contrast of texture with a super moist interior and crunchy muffin top achieved from the cane sugar, walnuts, and flax seeds.
- Gentle and satisfying sweetness.
- Delicious strawberry and fruity flavor from the fresh strawberries and from the the lightly sweetened strawberry jam.

Results/Conclusion: Yummy yummy in my tummy. My mom is asking for more and I don’t blame her!

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biscuits • nothing more, nothing less

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This morning I made biscuits for breakfast. They were warm, flaky, and buttery.

I had them with butter and peach marmalade because that’s just how I like to have them. Simple, right?

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Biscuits with peach marmalade for breakfast. Nothing more, nothing less.

Delicious.

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When I was a little girl and my mom would ask me what I wanted to have for breakfast I would usually reply with a sad “nothing” during weekdays. I rarely felt like eating anything for breakfast during weekdays because weekdays would = school days.

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I guess that going to school would cause my stomach to close up and make me lose my appetite in the morning. Who knows what the cause of all those butterflies in my belly was–the responsibility of going to an all English-speaking school while still trying to learn the language, my thick Spanish accent, being away from home for so many hours, the pressure of trying not upset my teacher, my first crush, all of the above…?

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Not wanting to eat anything in the morning would break my mom’s heart, so there were times when I tried to take a few bites of whatever was around just to make her happy.

When the weekend came, my appetite was as strong as a 8.6 magnitude earthquake and my stomach was relaxed and anxious for food. I always craved waffles, pancakes, or biscuits for breakfast and they all had to be accompanied by a tall glass of Nesquik.

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But biscuits were my favorite breakfast treat. Biscuits with butter and peach marmalade precisely. Yes, if I was going to have biscuits, they just simply had to be served that way.

So on a relaxing Saturday morning I would take the warm biscuits my mom had prepared…I cut them in half…I spread some of the softened butter and waited for it to melt and sink into the soft interior…Finally, I dropped some peach marmalade on the buttery and moist biscuit and spread it all over. I was young, but I already knew the ways of the world…

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And then I was ready! I could finally enjoy my splendid breakfast while settling my focus on the morning cartoons.

It was a perfect moment. Exactly what I wanted. Nothing less, nothing more.

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(Yield: 4 -6 biscuits. This recipe was taken from the simple biscuit ratio of 3 (flour) : 1 (fat) : 2 (liquid). The recipe for the biscuit dough is presented in the book  Ratio by Michael Ruhlman. Therefore, I did not write or develop this recipe).

Ingredients:

9 oz flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3 oz chilled butter, diced

6 oz milk

Procedure/Recipe:

1. Strain the flour, baking powder, and salt directly over a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.

2. Press and pinch the cold butter into the dry ingredients until the butter becomes pea-size. This step can also be done in a mixer with a paddle attachment.

3.Pour in the milk and combine just until dough forms and holds together.

4. Sprinkle working area with flour and roll dough into a rectangle that’s about 4″ x 6″. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for about half hour, until dough has chilled and is firm.

5. Remove dough from fridge and unwrap it. Sprinkle working surface with flour and roll dough to a rectangle that is about three times its size.

6. Fold dough into thirds and roll it out again.

7. Fold it in thirds again and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate for about half hour, until dough has chilled and is firm.

8. Remove dough from fridge and unwrap it. Sprinkle working surface with flour and roll dough to a rectangle that is about 1/2″ thick.

9. Cut dough into rounds with a ring cutter and place rounds onto a sheet pan.

10. Bake at 400 F for about 20-30 minutes

chocolate almond tart • my other one and only

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If I didn’t have a significant other, this tart would be the one–my one and only.

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In fact, I would keep pursuing it until it had no other option than to be with me, and I would leave it no choice but for it to fall head over heels for me. I would work my magic to make this tart become completely infatuated and addicted to me, just like I have become completely infatuated and addicted to its individuality and existence.

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But up to this day, I do have a significant other.

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So in the meantime, I will just have to be unfaithful to him with this super decadent, elegant, and sexy chocolate almond tart. Please enjoy.

I truly think you will.

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(Yield: one 8″-9″ tart)

Research Question: Will this chocolate almond tart have the power to make my taste buds sing and dance of blissful euphoria…or something of that nature?

Hypothesis:

- Using chopped almonds in the chocolate custard will add nice texture that will contrast the smoothness and tenderness of the chocolate filling.

- The semisweet chocolate custard flavor + the almond flavor that is achieved from the almond extract and toasted almonds will in fact make my heart and taste buds sing.

- The light and airy créme chantilly on top will provide a nice contrast to the rich and dense chocolate custard.

Ingredients for Tart Shell:

6 oz AP flour

4 oz butter, cubed and chilled

About 2 oz water or less

1/2 tsp salt

4 tsp sugar

Procedure/Recipe for Tart Shell:

  1. Put flour on the surface of a clean table or cutting board. Add salt and mix with hands.
  2. Add cubed butter to flour and cut butter into flour with a dough scraper or a knife until butter cubes become pea-sizes or smaller.
  3. Start incorporating water by adding 1 tablespoon at a time. Blend water well into the flour by folding everything together with dough scraper. Stop adding water once the dough holds together.
  4. Wrap dough in plastic and allow it to rest in refrigerator or in freezer until the dough is completely chilled, about 30 minutes or more.
  5. Roll dough:
    1. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on the table so that dough doesn’t stick.
    2. Push rolling pin down on dough to flatten it out a bit.
    3. Begin rolling dough away from you. Rotate dough 180 degrees and continue to roll away from you. Dough should be rolled only once before turning. Continue to do this process until dough resembles the shape of a square.
    4. Being to roll and turn dough 90 degrees. Roll once away from you and turn 90 degrees. Continue to do this until the thickness of the dough is close to 1/16” thick.
    5. Spray tart pan with vegetable spay to aid dough get into pan. Put dough over tart pan and ease it into every corner by pushing it in. Squeeze edges a bit to have a little of extra dough that extends inward.
    6. Trim edges by rolling the rolling pin over the tart pan.
  6. Place a circular shaped piece of parchment paper over dough and put baking beans over parchment paper, enough so that baking beans come to the rim of the tart pan.
  7. Bake tart shell for a total of approximately 25 minutes with the beans, until crust sets and becomes golden brown.
  8.  Remove beans and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes, until crust is baked all through out. Set aside.

Ingredients for Chocolate Custard:

8 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

5 oz heavy cream

5 oz milk

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

Procedure/Recipe for Chocolate Custard:

  1. Heat heavy cream and milk and bring to a simmer.
  2. Put chopped chocolate in a large bowl and pour simmered heavy cream and milk over chocolate. Allow cream and chocolate to rest for about a five minutes so that chocolate softens and melts.
  3. Whisk mixture until everything is well combined and emulsified.
  4. Set ganache aside until it cools.
  5. Beat eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a separate bowl and add them to ganache. Stir well to combine.

Ingredients for Créme Chantilly:

7 oz heavy cream

1/2 C 10x sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Procedure/Recipe for Créme Chantilly:

  1. Whip heavy cream on medium speed and continue whipping until stiff peaks are just about to form.
  2. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and finish whipping by hand until stiff peaks form.

Ingredients for Toasted Slivered Almonds:

1 C slivered almonds

2 T 10x sugar

Procedure/Recipe for Toasted Slivered Almonds:

  1. Spread slivered almonds onto a sheet tray.
  2. Sprinkle 10x over slivered almonds.
  3. Bake at 325 F until almonds are golden brown, for about 25-30 minute, and toss them every 5 minutes.
  4. Place half the amount of almonds into a food processor and pulse just until almonds are roughly chopped. Reserve the other half for topping.

FINALLY-Time to put it all together!!

1. Sprinkle some of the roughly chopped toasted almonds evenly over the base of the tart shell.

2. Pass chocolate custard through a sieve and fill tart shell with chocolate custard just shy of the top.

3. Sprinkle additional roughly chopped toasted almonds evenly over the chocolate custard.

4. Bake at 250 F – 275 F for about 40-45 minutes until it jiggles in the center when it’s tapped. Allow tart to cool completely.

5. Cut slices of tart and dallop or pipe créme chantilly over the top. Finish with a few toasted slivered almonds over créme chantilly. Serve warm.

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Results/Conclusion:

- warm, smooth, and tender chocolate custard with a nice spark of texture from the almonds and the crispy crust.

- perfect harmony of chocolate and almond flavors.

- topping of créme chantilly contributes to the overall smoothness and velvety feel of the filling.

I’m in love all over again!

chocolate & peanut butter sandwich • a true fairy tale story

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Once upon a time, in a very far away land (AKA D.C.) a young girl (okay, not that young) went to the village market in search of goodies to bake a sweet feast.

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The young girl always felt a strong compulsion to eat sweet things–pastries, ice cream, chocolate, and all kinds of desserts–to prevent her from growing sad.

“What shall I ever bake on this splendid and sunny morning to keep me smiling through this day?” she pondered, as there was a deep lack of inspiration on this particular day. After thinking and rethinking she exclaimed, “A chocolate & pine nut tart!” What exactly drove her to that conclusion is still a bit unclear, but her mind and heart were set on that delicious tart.

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And so she packed her bags and strolled past the swaying trees, the grumpy villagers, and the singing birds to get to the village market to buy her ingredients: pine nuts, cream, eggs, butter, etc.

But to the girl’s surprise, there wasn’t much of a market left. “Where is all the butter? And the eggs? What has happened to our village market?!” she cried.

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It seemed as if a storm had made everything vanish and disappear, but the truth is that it wasn’t a storm nor a cyclone the ones responsible for the decline and fall of the village market. It was the grumpy giant from the west. According to village rumors, the wretched giant had run out of his yearly supply of gummy bears and had come to the village market to take everything in a demented revenge.

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So without any ingredients in her bag, the young and saddened girl hurried back home in a melancholic mood, as she would not be able to have her dessert that day. As she searched and rummaged through her kitchen, she only found some chocolate, peanut butter, and bread. No eggs, no butter, no flour, no nothing!

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“Alright, let’s work with what we’ve got,” stated the hopeless girl. She knew that nothing could stop her from getting her dose of sweetness.

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And so the girl tried her best to dry her tears and make a sweet and delicious dessert with the only three ingredients that she had at hand: bread, chocolate, and peanut butter.

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And she comforted herself by knowing that sweeter and better days were soon to come. As for today, this simple and basic, yet fulfilling chocolate/peanut butter sandwich would have to suffice.

True story.

The end.

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Ingredients:

2 slices of bread

about 2 oz of milk chocolate (I used a combination of dark and milk. Totally up to you).

peanut butter

1 tsp 10x sugar

1/2 tsp cocoa powder

Procedure/Recipe:

1. Toast slices of bread until bread gets crispy and a bit brown.

2. Spread peanut butter on one of the sides of each slice of bread and set them so that the peanut butter sides are facing upward.

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3. Place chunks of milk chocolate over one of the slices of bread and put the other slice of bread over the chocolate, peanut butter side facing downward, to create a sandwich.

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4. Place sandwich on a sheet tray and bake at 300 F for about 5 minutes, until the chocolate fully melts. Cut sandwich diagonally in half. You can also trim the crust if you’re not a fan of them.

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5. Mix cocoa powder and 10x sugar in a small bowl and sift mixture over sandwich.

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coconut bread pudding • for two

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I’m sorry, but I have never been a passionate lover of white bread, not even of French baguettes. Too plain, too boring, too….vanilla.

Look, it seems so sad and pathetic, just being there….

Like you know may (or may not) agree, vanilla is the most basic of all ice cream flavors and I tend to never enjoy it alone. It must be accompanied by something with substance and strong character. Like a dark amber caramel or an irresistible warm and moist brownie. Something with punch! BANG!

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Same with white bread. I just can not enjoy it on its own. I don’t even love to use it in sandwiches. But give me a hearty and rustic loaf of whole wheat or multigrain and I will attack it like there is no tomorrow.

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I know, I know…You may be thinking, but a French baguette has such a crisp and crunchy crust and such a soft and delicate center. How can you not be into it?? What is wrong with you!?!?!?!111

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But the sad truth is that I’d rather use a French baguette as a baseball bat and aim for a home run or even first base if I’m ever forced to eat it by itself. Being on any of those positions on the field would be waaaaaay more exciting than to munch on a white loaf of bread or a French baguette.

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Enough with the severe criticism of the poor French baguette. It does have a lot of potential after all. In fact, it can turn into something magical!

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I present to you the one and only coconut bread pudding for 2 with coconut caramel sauce…Made with the one and only French baguette, of course.

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(I based this recipe on the basic custard ratio: 1 egg: 1/2 C dairy and went from there).

* Yield: 2 individual servings *

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Ingredients for the Bread Pudding:

4 eggs

1 1/4 C coconut milk

3/4 C milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

(1/4 tsp coconut extract)–>this ingredient is optional. I didn’t add it but I believe that it would make a nice addition to enhance the coconut flavor. I simply didn’t have any and I didn’t like the “Imitation Coconut Flavor” that I found at the store, so I didn’t buy it.

5 T sugar

pinch of salt

1 C of shredded sweetened coconut

about half of a french baguette, stale and cubed (about 2.5 oz in weight)

Ingredients for the Coconut Caramel:

1/2 C sugar

1 T water

1/4 C cream

1/4 C coconut milk

vanilla to taste

coconut extract to taste (about 1/4 tsp)

lemon juice to taste

salt to taste

Procedure/Recipe for Bread Pudding:

  1. Grease two ramekins with butter.
  2. Arrange pieces of bread in ramekins so that they are both filled all the way up.
  3. Spread sweetened coconut on a sheet tray and bake at 350 for about 8 minutes until coconut is toasted and has a nice golden brown color. Be sure to rotate the tray midway baking time.
  4. Sprinkle a generous amount of coconut over bread and spread it so that there is coconut all throughout the bread: on the top, in the middle, and on the bottom. Reserve the left over toasted coconut for later use.
  5. Make custard by combining eggs, coconut milk, milk, vanilla, coconut extract, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and whisking everything together. Strain custard into another bowl to remove the eggs’ chalazae.
  6. Pour custard over bread and wait for bread to absorb the custard. Repeat pouring until bread is completely saturated and it doesn’t seem to absorb anymore custard.
  7. Allow bread to rest for about 15 minutes until bread absorbs custard.
  8. Pour more custard over the bread but only do this if the bread looks dry and if it has absorbed all the custard.
  9. Bake at 300 F – 325 for about 1 hour, until a toothpick that has been inserted in the bread pudding comes out clean.
  10. Sprinkle some of the reserved toasted coconut over the top and drizzle coconut caramel over the bread and coconut. Serve warm.

Procedure/Recipe for Caramel Sauce:

  1. Combine water and sugar in a pot and cook over medium heat until sugar reaches a a nice golden brown.
  2. Stir sugar to make sure that it cooks evenly and remove from heat when it reaches a dark amber color.
  3. Stir in the coconut milk and the heavy cream and whisk.
  4. Add salt, vanilla, coconut extract, and lemon juice to taste. This is really just to taste. You’re trying to create a balance and achieve the correct amount of sweetness, saltiness, acidity, and bitterness. Stir well to combine.
  5. Allow it to cool down before serving.

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    Results/Conclusion:

    YUMMYYYYYYYYYY!!!

    Warm, moist, coconutty, sweet, rich! There is smoothness from the bread and just the right amount of crunchiness from the toasted coconut.

    This recipe yields two individual servings of bread pudding. I do want company at the moment to enjoy this dessert with me. On the brighter side, how fortunate am I that I at least get to devour both servings all by myself!

    Once again, YUMMYYYYYYYYYY!!!

chewy choco banana nature bars • for the long journey

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Have you ever tried an Odwalla bar? If so, you will find that these particular choco banana nature bars kind of resemble their taste and texture: kind of chewy and with a lot of substance, and all natural of course.

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And where could you take one of these chewy choco banana nature bars? The park? A drive cross country? I recommend to take more than just one if that’s the case!

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It seems that when people seek nature bars, it’s either to help them loose weight and be healthy, or to have a good boost of energy during a journey. And that “journey” could be anything and the destination could be anywhere. How motivating and exciting if you think about it!

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Well, I have a whole sheet tray of these nature bars and I’ve been asking my self the same question. On what occasion(s) would it be appropriate to be munching on these chewy chocolate banana nature bars? The answer: anytime, anywhere.

The journey is opened to interpretation. A journey to the West Coast. A journey to the beach. A journey through a recipe. A journey to the wild side. A journey through this day…

Just as long as we’re always on a journey to keep life meaningful and captivating.

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Just to give you some ideas, here is a list of how I will be getting rid of my stash…My little journeys if you will.

• Pack a few chewy choco banana nature bars for bike trips. My most recent and commendable purchase has been a Trek 7.3 and I will need a good boost of endurance on the bike trail!

• Pack a few bars for my bff Mark. He is a member of a progressive metal band called Periphery and he leaves on tour tonight. He will be on the road for 3.5 weeks and the plan is that he will stay sweet, healthier, and will miss me even more with every bite that he takes.

• Share with friends, especially the ones who have a special appreciation for healthy and natural snacks.

• Eat a nature bar after a long run to the National Monument (I live in D.C. and like running to that area, but eating one after any jog/run to any specific place in your city/town will do).

• Pack nature bars along with a good book, sunglasses, and a towel. Munch on them while laying on the grass and catching up on good literature.

• Take a few bites while blogging and youtubing favorite 90′s music videos.

What else? I could keep going!

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Materials/Ingredients:

scale

6 oz ripe bananas, peeled

2 oz vegetable oil

4 oz brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

7 oz AP flour

1/2 tsp salt

4 oz old fashioned oats

1/2 C chocolate chips and additional for topping

12 oz granulated sugar (for dry caramel)

Procedure/Recipe:

1. Cream the bananas, the vegetable oil, and the brown sugar with a mixer at low-medium speed until all the bananas have been fully mashed and the ingredients have been well combined.

2. Add the egg and the vanilla and keep mixing.

3. Turn the mixer speed to low and add the flour and salt. Mix until the flour has been fully incorporated into the mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary.

4. Fold in the oats and the chocolate chips.

5. Spread and press a thin layer of the dough onto a sheet pan that’s about 13.25″ x 9.25″. (Be sure to grease the sides of pan and to place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom). Reserve the remaining dough in a bowl and set it in the fridge for later use.

6. Bake at 350 F for about 10 minutes, until dough sets and becomes slightly hard. Remove from oven and allow it to cool off.

7. Meanwhile make dry caramel with 12 oz of sugar:

a) Add a layer of sugar into pot on high heat.

b) Smoosh sugar with a silicon spatula that’s heat proof until sugar begins to melt and caramelize.

c) Continue to smoosh sugar until caramel is smooth and has a nice amber color. Remove from heat.

8. Pour caramel mixture evenly over crust.

9. Spread reserved dough evenly over caramel mixture. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips over dough if desired.

Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. Run knife around edges of pan and cool completely before cutting.

10. Cut vertical strips that are about 1.5″ – 2″ wide.

11. Cut strips in half to end up with bars.

Results/Conclusion:

- the taste of banana and chocolate is very pronounced and delicious.

- the layer of dry caramel adds a crunchy texture that contrasts the chewiness of the bar. It also adds an appropriate amount of bitterness that balances the sweetness from the sugar, bananas, and chocolate chips.

- the actual bar is dense and chewy and not crunchy (aside from the layer of dry caramel in the center). I think this has to do with the high amount of banana, sugar, and oats and the low amount of fat, egg, and flour.

Eating these chocolate banana nature bars makes me feel healthier while satisfying my taste buds at the same time. Win-win!

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