Cinnamon Bread, or Faux Amish Friendship Bread?

Many years ago someone gave me a bag of Amish Friendship Bread (AFB) starter mix.  If you aren’t familiar with this mix, it’s a yeast based dough (sourdough) that requires your attention nearly everyday.   I really don’t want to rewrite Amish Bread history so I am going to refer you to an awesome blog that I found called Friendship Bread Kitchen.  Darien Gee is the mastermind behind the Friendship Bread Kitchen, and it appears that Darien is an expert on AFB.  She’s published a series of books called The Friendship Bread Novels, and her blog hosts over 250 AFB recipes.

Since I really like AFB, and I didn’t (and still don’t) have a starter mix of AFB on hand, I decided to do the next best thing -  look for a faux recipe for it.  I found a delicious looking (alternative) recipe for AFB posted by Melissa at Redfly Creations.  Melissa was given the recipe from a lady who claimed her husband had been eating it for breakfast for the last twenty years.  Melissa’s photos of the bread were the deciding factor that I would give faux AFB a chance.

This recipe is slightly adapted from Redfly Creations.  I cut the recipe in half, added 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon to the batter, along with a tsp. of vanilla extract.  I also lowered the oven heat to 325 degrees because my oven tends to run a little hot. 

Cinnamon Bread

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

1 large egg

1 c. soured milk

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Grease a bread pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a small bowl mix 1/4 c. of sugar and 1 tsp. of cinnamon together; set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together butter, 2 cups of sugar, and eggs. Add milk, flour, and baking soda. Pour about 1/2 of  the batter into the greased pan and sprinkle half of the prepared cinnamon and sugar on top of batter.  Add remaining batter to pan and sprinkle with last of cinnamon mixture on top. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick tester come clean.

Cool in pan before removing and slicing.

This Cinnamon Bread is so sweet, moist, and delicious.   And while I’d say there are some subtle differences between this recipe and the real AFB,  I’d say it’s a tasty alternative.

Have you ever made AFB?

Join Me in My Write a Letter Campaign

What is it that you find in your mailbox these days?  Junk mail?  Bills? Local advertising publications? And more junk mail? 

When is the last time you actually received an honest to goodness letter from a close friend or relative? 

It’s sad to say, but letter writing is nearly extinct these days.  I suppose it’s understandable with text messages, instant messaging, and email at nearly everyone’s fingertips. 

The reason that we  resort to our tablets, computers, and phones to communicate?  Time and convenience.

But honestly, I miss getting notes or letters in the mail (the old-fashioned way).  I miss the personal touch a handwritten letter conveys, and  I miss buying pretty stationery and notecards to  send my letters and notes on.

Can you think of someone you’ve lost touch with, or someone that you know would really appreciate a heartfelt, old-fashioned note or letter from you?  If so, consider this post an opportunity to get in on my write a letter campaign.  It doesn’t have to be complicated or even time consuming,  just a quick note on a pretty notecard will suffice.

I happened to have some  plain cards hanging around my craft room, and I bought these pretty little paper flower kits on clearance at my Michaels last fall.  I wasn’t sure what I would do with them until I decided that I was going to write my favorite aunt a letter.  I want my letter to be as pretty, as it will be personal.

Do you still write letters and notes and send them by mail?  If you decide to join my write a letter campaign, who will you send yours to?

I’m sharing this post with BeBetsy.com –  one of my favorite websites.  To help promote my letter writing campaign please share this post on your favorite social media sites!

Frosted Carrot Muffins

Rather than save stacks of magazines from years gone by,  I make it a habit to rip out the pages from my magazines that I am super impressed with.  And that’s where this recipe came from.  The original recipe for these muffins was featured in one of my favorite magazines; Country Living (January 2009).

I significantly modified the original recipe, and while there is a little more tweaking to yet to be done, I think I am onto something here.  Frosted Carrot Muffin anyone?

Frosted Carrot Muffins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line 16 standard-size muffin pan cups with baking wrappers and set aside.

1/3 c. olive oil

1/4 c. granulated sugar

1/3 c. brown sugar

2 large eggs

3 tbsp. milk

1 c. grated carrot

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, cream together oil, sugars, milk, and eggs.  Mix  in salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla, and flour.  Fold in grated carrot.  Divide batter equally between baking cups.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.  Immediately remove muffins from the pan and cool completely.  Frost with your favorite frosting recipe. 

As far as the tweaking goes, I’m going to work on making this muffin slightly moister.  I’ll be sure to update you once I accomplish that.

Do you rip pages from your favorite magazines to refer to later?  Or, do you have stacks of magazines to refer back to?

 

 

 

Triple Chocolate Brownies

Sometimes you just have to overdose on chocolate.  And I’ve found that one of the best ways to do that is with these Triple Chocolate Brownies.

This brownie recipe comes from my cookbook, In the sweet of it. 

Triple Chocolate Brownies

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 c. granulated sugar

2 eggs, warmed to room temperature

1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. baking cocoa

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 8”x8” square glass baking pan.

In large bowl, add butter, sugar, eggs, and melted chocolate; stir thoroughly.  Add baking powder, salt, cocoa, and flour.  Mix all ingredients together until blended.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the brownies.  Remove from oven and cool thoroughly before cutting.  

These brownies are chewy on this inside with a light crusty top.  Many times I will use a double Dutch cocoa when I make these, but I did not do that for this particular batch.

Do you have a recipe that you are drawn to when you need a chocolate overdose?

Happy Easter!

Let’s Get (Apple) Sauced…

Last fall’s apple season in the Northeast was less than stellar.  Apples have been hard to come by, and those that are available are expensive. 

Typically, I make a lot of  batches of homemade applesauce throughout the apple season.  And sometimes I will actually can some applesauce to enjoy throughout the  winter months, but that didn’t happen this year, and I’ve missed it!

Applesauce is simple to make, and many of you probably have made it many times before.  But if you haven’t made your own sauce, you don’t know what you are missing. 

Depending on the type and sweetness of the apples you use, you can even skip adding sugar to homemade sauce which makes it all natural, and healthier than most jars you buy in the grocery store.

This recipe will make about 2 cups of applesauce.  I like to be a bit adventurous and use different types of apples for sauce from time to time.  This batch was made with Empire apples.  I really like the flavor of the sauce from this type of apple.

Remember, if you  mix more than one type of apple together when making applesauce, they will need to have very similar textures because some apples are harder and cook down at a slower rate than others.  This will overcook the softer apples if you cook them together.

This recipe makes about 2 cups of sauce.

Peel, core, and thinly slice 4 apples.  Place the apple slices in medium saucepan and add 3/4 cup of water.  Cover the saucepan and cook on low heat until apples become tender – stirring and mashing with a fork occasionally.  If you notice that you need more water, add about a 1/4 of a cup more until the apples are thoroughly cooked.   Remove the sauce from the heat and spice to your liking. 

I like to add a dash of cinnamon, or a few Red Hots Cinnamon Candies.  If the apples aren’t quite sweet enough, add a package of sugar substitute.  Serve it warm, or chilled.

Do you ever make applesauce from scratch?

 

 

 

3 Favorite Recipes and 3 Years of Blogging

Today marks my 3 years in the blogosphere.  I hadn’t even given it a thought until WordPress sent me a congratulatory message this morning.

To celebrate my blog turning 3 years old, I decided a virtual party was in order, so here are a few of my favorite desserts for you to indulge in.

These HOMEMADE LEMON CUPCAKES are one of my favorite cupcake recipes. Moist and lemony – these are perfect recipe for any Spring or Easter celebration.

This OLD-FASHIONED CUSTARD PIE WITH STRAWBERRY SAUCE is one of my favorite pie recipes.  The smooth sweet taste of custard is countered with the tangy strawberry sauce.  This pie will delight your flavor buds – guaranteed.

And these CHOCOLATE COVERED CARAMEL CHEESECAKE BARS are one of my favorite bar recipes.  These cheesecake bars will take care of any craving you might have for chocolate and cheesecake at the same time.  The caramel is just a huge added bonus.

Thank you all, for reading my blog and helping it grow.  Without you, the readers, it wouldn’t be what it is today.  Your interest is what inspires me to continue baking, writing, photographing, and sharing glimpses of my country life.