Name: Apple Blondies with Walnuts and Whiskey Caramel
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Yield: 9-16 blondies
Ingredients: !For the Caramel; 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar; 6 tablespoons ((90 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces; 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream; 2 tablespoons whiskey (I used Chattanooga Whiskey); 1 teaspoon kosher salt; !For the Blondies; 13 tablespoons (185 grams) unsalted butter, softened; 1 2/3 cup (330 grams) packed brown sugar, light or dark; 1 1/4 teaspoons salt; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; 2 large eggs; 1 3/4 cup (245 grams) all-purpose flour; 1/4 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (I used MacIntosh); 3/4 cup (85 grams) walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Apple Blondies with Walnuts and Whiskey Caramel + Video

September 10, 2017

Apple blondies with walnuts and whiskey caramel are (1) rich; (2) decadent; (3) perfect for Fall; and (4) made in one bowl. ONE BOWL! Scroll down for the video.
Apple Blondies? Yep, apple blondies. With walnuts. Maybe I’ve mentioned here a time or two that apples are pretty much a quintessential Fall food for me? One day recently I was struck with the need for a chewy, cinnamon-y bar cookie full of apples. Apple-walnut blondies. And they would be topped with caramel sauce. With salt. And whiskey. Definitely whiskey.

It didn’t take me much digging to find a recipe that was perfect for adapting to make exactly what I needed. Yvonne Ruperti’s book One-Bowl Baking has a whole section devoted to bar cookies, which makes sense because what use is a bar cookie if it isn’t easy? Brownie, blondies, lemon squares, magic bars…they are perfect desserts because they come together quickly and don’t require rotating through cookie sheets over and over and over.

It took a little playing around to get the recipe right…turns out that when you throw a couple of apples into the batter it adds enough volume to require 15 or 20 more minutes of baking. No biggie, though. That just gives you a little extra time to stir together the caramel, which I promise you won’t want to omit. Though you can leave out the whiskey (I used Chattanooga Whiskey, by the way) if you must. And the salt, though I really have no idea why you would do that.

Another thing…if you bake these apple blondies in an 8×8 pan you will look at the pan and think to yourself, “Maybe I should just cut nine squares.” Don’t do it. If you do, you will end up with a stomach ache. No one really ever thinks of fruity desserts as rich, but this one, full of butter and white sugar and brown sugar, is, especially when accompanied by homemade caramel and some ice cream (not pictured…it really doesn’t need ice cream at all).

After the 9-bar debacle, I made these again and took them to work, this time cut into 32 pieces. I came home with 4 pieces. I’d call that success. I didn’t share my caramel, because I wanted to hoard it in my fridge for dipping apples and pear slices and spoons into. And that’s exactly what I did.

Apple blondies with walnuts and whiskey caramel are perfect for a get-together or just a fun snack or dessert for your family!

Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Plate!

Mary

Yield: 9-16 blondies

Apple Blondies with Walnuts and Whiskey Caramel

The blondies are adapted from the book One-Bowl Baking by Yvonne Ruperti. The caramel is adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction .

15 minPrep Time:

40 minCook Time:

55 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

For the Caramel

1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
6 tablespoons ((90 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream
2 tablespoons whiskey (I used Chattanooga Whiskey)
1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Blondies

13 tablespoons (185 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 2/3 cup (330 grams) packed brown sugar, light or dark
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cup (245 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (I used MacIntosh)
3/4 cup (85 grams) walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Instructions

For the caramel: using a wooden spoon, stir the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat until melted and light golden in color. Be sure to stir constantly and don’t let it burn! Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, stirring each until melted before adding the next. Be careful as the sugar will bubble when add the butter and boiling sugar is essentially the same as boiling hot lava. Once all the butter is melted, add the heavy cream and, with the heat turned off, the whiskey. Turn the heat back on and boil for one minute, continuing to stir constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt. Allow to cool until no longer molten before serving.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Liberally butter an 8-inch square baking pan.
In a large bowl, use a sturdy spoon to stir together the butter, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla until well combined and smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, and stir until completely combined.
Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir until well combined. Fold in the apples and walnuts.
Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the pan then cut into 9 or 16 pieces. Serve with warm caramel.

Recipe Type: desserts, fruit, cookies, baking

https://chattavore.com/apple-blondies-whiskey-caramel/

Print the recipe for apple-walnut blondies!

Apple blondies with walnuts and whiskey caramel are (1) rich; (2) decadent; (3) perfect for Fall; and (4) made in one bowl. ONE BOWL! | recipe from Chattavore.com

Chocolate Chip Banana Beer Bread

August 28, 2017

Banana beer bread with chocolate chips is a delicious and simple to make bread that is just sweet enough for dessert but you can eat it for breakfast too!

Things I never make:

Banana bread

Weird, right? Banana bread is one of those super-basic things that everyone makes. But I really never do. I mean, until now. Because what else are you going to do when you have four super-ripe bananas about to start attracting flies in your kitchen?

You get your husband to bring a brown ale home from work and you make banana beer bread. Yep. Plus chocolate chips, because in my humble opinion banana bread is always made better by the addition of chocolate.

I was pretty concerned that this banana beer bread would turn out too wet. There is a lot of liquid in there. It turned out perfectly, though – so moist and sweet enough for dessert but wholesome enough for breakfast (because bananas and whole wheat flour). Put your banana beer bread in the fridge, though. I didn’t. It did not end well.

Since I made this banana beer bread, maybe I’ll up the ante on my banana bread making game. Banana bread is one of the few ways that I can get Philip to consume bananas, and if beer is included, even better (the brown ale that I used was Maduro Brown Ale from Cigar City Brewing, and I have also had great luck with Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale).

This recipe was shared on The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!

Mary

Yield: 1 8 1/2 inch loaf

Chocolate Chip Banana Beer Bread

15 minPrep Time:

1 hrCook Time:

1 hr, 15 Total Time:

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Ingredients

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or 1 cup all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour - I used white whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 very ripe bananas
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup brown ale
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350?. Spray a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray or grease with butter.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, mash the bananas then stir in the butter, eggs, brown sugar, and beer.
Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture. Add the chocolate chips and stir until no dry spots remain. Pour into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake the banana bread for 55 minutes to an hour, rotating the pan halfway through baking. When the bread is done, a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and let it cool completely before serving.

Recipe Type: breads, snacks, desserts, breakfast

https://chattavore.com/banana-beer-bread/

Banana beer bread with chocolate chips is a delicious and simple to make bread that is just sweet enough for dessert but you can eat it for breakfast too! | Recipe from Chattavore.com

This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!

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Other ways to use your overripe bananas:

Hummingbird Sheet Cake + Video

August 13, 2017

Hummingbird sheet cake transforms a slightly fussy classic Southern cake into something easy and portable yet still SO delicious – and pretty. Scroll down for video!

Being a Type A perfectionist and a blogger with a full-time job are things that are sometimes at odds in my life. My time is limited, and sometimes if I know a recipe is good I just want to get it up here to share with you guys. That means that my photos aren’t always perfect, but sometimes I just don’t have the time, energy, or, honestly, desire to retake the photos before I put them up here. I hope you guys will forgive me.

Another thing is that in the frenzy of beautiful images that I am surrounded by every day on blogs, Pinterest, and Instagram I sometimes start to feel like my recipes aren’t enough. Like, if I can’t put lavender or goat cheese in all the things then I probably shouldn’t share them. Or if I can’t make the prettiest deconstructed and perfectly lit bowl meal then I lose👎🏼. Oh boy. We’re our own worst critics, right? Seriously, no one has ever criticized one of my recipes for not being pretty or fancy enough (it’s probably coming now that I’ve put it out there. Que sera sera).

I listen to a few podcasts for food bloggers and one of the things I’ve heard recently is that we need to blog for our audience, not for other bloggers. That hit me like a splash of cold water in the face. I realized that thinking that everything I post has to be vegan, Paleo, and artfully arranged in a handmade ceramic bowl being held in front of a window by a European hand model was not based on any preference that a single one of my readers has ever expressed to me. It’s based on the things that I think are pretty on Instagram but not the way that I cook, eat, or live or probably the way that the majority of my readers cook, eat, or live (the last handmade ceramic bowl I priced was like 70 smackers. If any of y’all have that kind of dough to spend on dishes, pass some my way).

That’s where this hummingbird sheet cake comes from. Hummingbird cake, with pineapple, bananas, and spices baked into a cake coated in a thick layer of cream cheese icing (💯) and toasted pecans, is one of my favorite cakes. But the first version I posted, while tasty and beautiful, was incredibly fussy. It broke while I was taking it out of the pan! While a perfect four-layer cake is what my overbearing perfectionist brain aspires to (and yes, I am perfectly capable of making it), a hummingbird sheet cake is what my tired, full-time job working, rest of the time blogging self finds realistic. And goodness, look at it. Is this hummingbird sheet cake really less pretty than this hummingbird layer cake? Personally, I don’t think so. That could just be because the approachability of Exhibit A is about 10000 times higher than Exhibit B. But I digress. They both taste equally delicious, and that’s really what matters anyway, right?

So if you’re a little short on time (or even just a little lazy, which is just fine with me), hummingbird sheet cake is where it’s at!

Shared on Weekend Potluck on Served Up With Love and Meal Plan Monday on Southern Plate.

Mary

Yield: one 9x13 cake (about 20 servings)

Hummingbird Sheet Cake

30 minPrep Time:

50 minCook Time:

1 hr, 20 Total Time:

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Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I used 1 1/2 teaspoons Alchemy Spice Wake and Bake Blend in place of the cinnamon & nutmeg)
3 eggs
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
8 ounce cans crushed pineapple (with juice)
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3-4)
2 cups finely chopped pecans (can toast them lightly if you wish)
8 ounces (1 block) cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup unsalted butter-1 stick (softened)
1 lb powdered sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter 9x13 baking pan and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
In another medium to large bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, and sugar. Stir in the mashed bananas, the pineapple, and one cup of the pecans (I did all of the mixing for this cake by hand...do not use a mixer. I also forgot to put pecans in the batter, and the world did not come to an end).
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (it's fine if you have a couple of lumps of flour in your batter). Pour into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool briefly in pan then turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
Make the frosting: using a hand or stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and the butter until well incorporated, then beat in the powdered sugar a little bit at a time, making sure that the previous addition is fully incorporated before adding more (going slowly will keep you from making a gigantic mess...like I did). Beat in the vanilla.
To assemble the cake, spread the frosting across over the top of the cake and sprinkle the cake with one cup of toasted pecans.

Recipe Type: Southern, desserts, cakes, baking

https://chattavore.com/hummingbird-sheet-cake/

Hummingbird sheet cake transforms a slightly fussy classic Southern cake into something easy and portable yet still SO delicious - and pretty. | recipe from Chattavore.com

Blueberry Creme Brûlée + Video

July 31, 2017

Blueberry creme brûlée is a simple but fancy dessert that is a perfect use for fresh summer blueberries (but is just as good with frozen)!

Philip loves creme brûlée. Anytime that we go out to dinner at an upscale restaurant, I can count on eating creme brûlée unless I want to order my own dessert. He is pretty much obsessed with the stuff. I mean, not that I mind. Creme brûlée is freaking delicious.

My blueberry creme brûlée is lightened up a little bit, with milk in addition to the heavy cream (creme brûlée is usually made with all cream). You can make the homemade blueberry sauce ahead of time if you want…the recipe comes together quite quickly. It does take some time to cook and chill, but this blueberry creme brûlée is so worth it, and most of that time is hands-off! You can also leave out the blueberries or use another berry instead!

Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Plate and The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!

Mary

Yield: 4 custards

Blueberry Creme Brûlée

15 minPrep Time:

1 hr, 30 Cook Time:

1 hr, 45 Total Time:

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Ingredients

For the Blueberry Sauce

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

For the Creme Brûlée

4 egg yolks
1 1/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus about 4 teaspoons to brûlée
pinch salt

Instructions

To make the blueberry sauce, combine the blueberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir constantly, mashing the berries slightly with the spoon, until the sauce thickens somewhat. Divide the sauce among 4 6-ounce ramekins.
Preheat the oven to 300?Fahrenheit.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they are homogenous. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the cream, milk, sugar, and salt. Set over medium heat and cook until the sugar has dissolved.
Pour a ladleful of the warm cream mixture into the egg yolks and whisk to combine. Add the tempered egg yolks into the pan of warm cream and whisk until completely combined. Strain into a large measuring cup or another container with a spout.
Place the ramekins with the blueberry sauce into a 9-inch square baking pan. Divide the cream mixture among the ramekins. Pour water into the pan until the water reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekin. Cover with foil and bake, checking often for doneness, for 45 minutes up to 1 1/2 hours, until mostly set but still slightly jiggly (it took 1 1/2 hours in my countertop oven).
Allow the custards to cool in the pan to room temperature then refrigerate until completely chilled. Sprinkle the custards evenly with granulated sugar and brûlée with a kitchen torch until the sugar is completely melted. Allow to stand until the sugar has cooled down, then serve.

Recipe Type: desserts

Notes

This recipe is adapted from the book My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz.

https://chattavore.com/blueberry-creme-brulee/

Blueberry creme brûlée is a simple but fancy dessert that is a perfect use for fresh summer blueberries (but is just as good with frozen)! | Recipe from Chattavore.com

This recipe is adapted from the book My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz.

Recommended for this recipe:

This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Easy Scones with Plums and Greek Yogurt + Video

July 28, 2017

These easy scones with Greek yogurt are full of good stuff – yogurt, whole wheat, and fruit – and they’re so delicious you won’t be able to resist! (Scroll down for video)

A while back one of my friends posted on Facebook about trying what some tout as the best biscuit in Chattanooga (I contend that my biscuits are the best in Chattanooga…I still need to open that biscuits and gravy food truck). A British friend of hers commented that she really didn’t understand what an American biscuit was, as “biscuit” is the word that Brits use for what we in the States call a cookie. I commented and told her that I thought of a biscuit as a slightly more moist, savory scone.

I think that was a pretty decent explanation.That post and my tea at the English Rose made me start thinking that scones are really something that I don’t make enough. I mean, I love scones, and even though they’re not exactly like biscuits they’re definitely just as easy.

A couple of weeks ago I was racking my brain trying to think of a recipe to put some fresh plums into. I considered putting them into my chicken biscuits, but ultimately decided that was a peach’s job and instead decided that plums needed to go into some easy scones. These easy scones have fresh chopped plums, Greek yogurt, and milk. I even went and healthed them up even more by adding some whole wheat flour.

I’m not going to lie…the butter and Greek yogurt make these plum scones pretty dang tender and biscuit-like, so I don’t want anyone fussing that they aren’t authentic. I’m a Southern cook, so it’s going to come across in just about everything I make. Still, if you taste these easy scones I don’t think you’re going to complain, especially if you have them with some salted butter or some lemon curd (my personal preference). And whether you have a cup of coffee or tea, I don’t think you can go wrong. Try them and see for yourself!
Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Bite!

Mary

Yield: 8 scones

Easy Scones with Plums and Greek Yogurt

20 minPrep Time:

20 minCook Time:

40 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup chopped fresh plums (3-4 plums)
2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the flours, 1/2 cup of sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour mixture until only small pieces of butter are visible. Stir in the Greek yogurt and milk.
Turn the scone dough out onto a floured surface. Fold and turn until a cohesive dough forms. Form into a large rectangle (use a rolling pin if needed - I just patted it out with my hands).
Sprinkle the chopped plums onto the dough and roll the dough into a tube. Flour again and form a disc, about 8-10 inches in diameter. Cut into 8 triangles and place on a baking sheet.
Brush the tops of the scones with heavy cream or milk and sprinkle with the additional tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on top and no longer doughy. Serve warm with butter, jam, lemon curd, or clotted cream.

Recipe Type: breakfast, brunch, baked, desserts, snacks

https://chattavore.com/easy-scones/