Vegan Chocolate Banana Muffins

Vegan Chocolate Banana Muffins

I woke up Saturday and wanted to bake something for the library (yeah, most days are like this). Working on Saturdays isn't always the most fun...especially when it's 85 degrees outside and the A/C in the library is broken.

However, I opened the refrig and realized I was out of eggs. What?! Out of eggs? What kind of baker am I? Anyway, I didn't find any eggs, but I did find some old bananas.


So, I searched for a vegan recipe and found Love and Olive Oil's Chocolate Banana Cupcakes. Her recipe has a frosting, but I skipped that so I'm calling them muffins.


The recipe includes coconut milk, banana, cocoa powder and a bit of cinnamon. I doubled the amount of cinnamon because I love it.

Quick and easy to make...the resulting muffin is moist. If you are vegan or don't find any eggs in your refrig, give these a try!


Recipe:
Love and Olive Oil's Chocolate Banana Cupcakes
Notes:
1. I used 1/4 t cinnamon instead of 1/8.
2. I did not make the frosting.
3. I used Callebaut Dutch processed cocoa powder.
4. I overfilled my muffin tins and got 10 muffins. Baked for 24 minutes. Next time, I will definitely shoot for 12 muffins!

Orange Creamsicle Jello - National Library Week Day #3

Orange Creamsicle Jello

Yippee! It's National Library Week! Every day, I’m highlighting a library thing, baking something and giving something away. Today is Day 3 and we are all about the Jello, childhood memories, and free audiobooks & eBooks!

The Library Thing:

Sometimes, you don't have to even walk into the library to grab a book or audiobook! You may be able to download audiobooks and eBooks from your library while in your pajamas. More and more libraries are offering free downloadable books. One of the largest providers is OverDrive and you can download books to almost anything…except a Kindle (Amazon’s economic model is to have you buy books from them). You can transfer to a Barnes & Noble Nook or Sony Reader, and OverDrive has apps for the iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberries…yes, you can read the latest Michael Connelly while waiting in line at the grocery store! And for those who always have late fees on print books, this is perfect for you... there are no late fees…titles automatically expire! Ask your library if they provide downloadable media!

The Baking Thing:

As a kid, my mom would drive my brother and me through a local "dairy". No, there weren't any animals, but it was the original drive-thru. My mom would pull up the stationwagon and a guy would come to window and take our order. He would grab it from the shelves and refrigerator (mostly milk and Wonder bread) and sometimes, if we were really lucky, my mom would buy us ice cream. I loved the Orange Creamsicle. I would carefully eat the outside to expose the vanilla center before eating that. So, today's treat is a Creamsicle in Jello form!

This is beyond easy to make. Seriously. I mean, it's Jello and Cool Whip. Together. It magically separates as it chills. You can make this tonight and have some happy friends tomorrow. As with all my jello desserts, this was way popular in the library.

Recipe:

Orange Creamsicle Jello

2 cups boiling water
1 large box Orange Jello (6 ounces) or 2 small boxes (3 ounces each)
½ cup cold water
2 cups Cool Whip (about 75%-80% of a carton of Cool Whip), thawed
8” square pan

1. Place contents of orange Jello packet in a large bowl. Add 2 cups boiling water. Stir until completely dissolved.
2. Add ½ cup cold water.
3. Stir in 2 cups (about 75-80% of the basic Cool Whip carton) of Cool Whip. It will melt and dissolve. The mixture will be opaque. It will separate into a two layer Jello as it chills.
4. Pour into 8” square pan.
5. Chill until firm (preferably overnight).
6. Cut into squares. I cut 6 x 6 for 36 squares.

The Giveaway Thing:

Day #3: I'm giving away a one-year subscription to Everyday Food. I really enjoy this magazine and thought you might want a copy as well!
To enter, just leave a comment on this post. If your email isn’t associated with your Blogger account, please be sure to leave your email in the message.
Note: This giveaway is limited to United States mailing addresses.
Deadline: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at midnight, Pacific Daylight Time
Disclosure: This giveaway is paid for by me.
*** Updated: Contest is closed. Congrats to Susan (entry #71) ***
Don't forget to enter the Day #1 (Sarabeth Bakery Cookbook) and Day #2 (Crate & Barrel Ramekins). By the way, thanks to all those who came to the poor rhubarb's defense yesterday! :) I will definitely give it another try...

And, if you are currently working in a library or in library school...stay tuned this week for a special giveaway just for you. :) Happy National Library Week! Libraries, librarians and library staff rock!

Espresso Bundt Cake - National Library Week 2011 Day #1

Espresso Bundt Cake for National Library Week 2011

Whooooo Hoo!! It's National Library Week!! This is my third year celebrating NLW on the blog. Every day, I’m highlighting a library thing, baking something and giving something away. Sound like a plan? Okay, here goes Day 1.

The Library Thing:

Dude, of course today’s library thing is your library. It’s a fantastic place where you get to grab stuff and bring it home. FREE. You just need to bring it back. How many other places let you do that? McDonald’s? Starbucks? Your cable company? Nope. The library gives you stuff free. Cool. Go. Visit. Check out stuff. Tell your friends. And treat our DVDs nicely please.

Yes, there is the Librarian Action Figure. It's based on real-life librarian and author Nancy Pearl (you can hear her on NPR). And she's showing you this cake has coffee and instant espresso. It's caffeinated and good.

The Baking Thing:

A Bundt. What else would I make?! This is a DELICIOUS bundt. The crumb is awesome. It's from Sarabeth's Bakery: From my hands to yours - a lovely new cookbook by Sarabeth Levine. This is the first item I've made and it rocks. Can't wait to try some more recipes...and if you want to make some, keep reading for a chance!

This has coffee and espresso in the batter and glaze. But it isn't overpowering...just a great cake that is perfect with, you guessed it, a cup of coffee or tea.

Look at that lovely crumb!

The Giveaway Thing:

Day #1: I'm giving away a brand new copy of Sarabeth's Bakery: From my hands to yours cookbook!
To enter, just leave a comment on this post. If your email isn’t associated with your Blogger account, please be sure to leave your email in the message.
Note: This giveaway is limited to United States mailing addresses.
Deadline: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at midnight, Pacific Daylight Time
Disclosure: This giveaway and shipping is paid for by me.
*** Updated: Contest is closed. Congrats to Ann (entry #95) ***
Recipe:

Espresso Bundt Cake

Adapted from: Margaret's Espresso Cake in Sarabeth's Bakery, From Hands to Yours (Sarabeth Levine)
Find it on Amazon or check to see if your library has it here!

Printable copy here

Cake:
1 cup hot strong coffee (I used one packet of Starbucks Via)
3 Tablespoons instant coffee or espresso (I used instant espresso)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t kosher salt
2 sticks butter, chilled and cut into cubes
2 cups sugar (recipe calls for superfine sugar, but I didn't have any)
1 t vanilla extract
4 large eggs, separated and at room temperature

Glaze: (This is different from the cookbook. Check page 117 of the cookbook for Sarabeth's version. She heats the glaze and uses brewed coffee and espresso powder)
1 teaspoon instant espresso
1 Tablespoon boiling water
1 Tablespoon milk (I used soy milk because I had that on hand)
2 cups powdered sugar

Cake:
1. Prep bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix hot coffee and espresso powder to dissolve. Let cool.
3. Sift together dry ingredients (flour, powder, salt) in a bowl.
4. Beat butter in mixer with paddle attachment at high speed until smooth (1 minute or so). Gradually add in sugar. Add vanilla. Beat until light in color.
5. Add the eggs yolks one at a time, blending in each one before adding the next.
6. On low speed, alternate adding 1/3 of the flour mix and 1/2 of the coffee mix, starting and ending with the flour. Beat until combined, but don't overbeat.
7. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites to soft peaks.
8. Fold some of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it, then carefully fold the rest of the egg whites into the batter.
9. Pour batter into Bundt pan. Smooth out the top and place in the oven.
10. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, depending on your oven. A cake tester should come out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack. Make sure the Bundt is cool before glazing it.

Glaze:
1. In a bowl, dissolve instant espresso in boiling water. Add milk. With a whisk, gradually add the powdered sugar. The consistency should be pourable...add some powdered sugar (to thicken) or milk (to thin) if necessary.
2. Pour over cooled Bundt cake. Let sit for a few minutes before cutting.

Furikake Chex Mix or Furikake Party Mix

Furikake Chex Mix or Furikake Party Mix

Who doesn't love a snack? And this one - Furikake Chex Mix? It's slightly sweet, a bit salty and oh so yummy!

This is an Asian / Hawaiian version of Chex Mix. A buttery, sweet syrup covers any number of cereals, chips and popcorn and a bottle of Furikake tops the goodness. Furikake is a rice topping of seaweed, sesame seeds, salt and sugar.

For this version, I included Crispix, Corn Chex, Popcorn, Bugles and, of course, a bottle of Furikake. You can pick up a bottle of Furikake at a Japanese or Asian grocery store. It is a yummy topping on rice...kids really like it. However, be sure you look at the ingredients. This is the "Nomi Komi" Furikake that has seaweed (nori), sesame seeds, sugar and salt. There are a bunch of varieties and some include wasabi, bonito (fish) flakes and other stuff. Avoid the one with bonito or fish for this snack!

The mix is coated with a syrup of butter, oil, sugars, soy sauce, and some corn syrup. A bottle of Furikake is sprinkled on top and the mix is baked at low heat for an hour. You may need a couple bowls to mix everything!

Sweet, Salty, and Crunchy. My favorite flavors all in one. I can eat a whole batch of this while watching Law & Order: UK, The Closer, or the new AMC show The Killing. Yay, I got a bunch of stuff on my DVR.

I made the Furikake Chex Mix for the recent Bake Sale for Japan. This was a nation-wide fundraiser that raised $2,500 in Los Angeles alone! Check out Bake Sale for Japan to see the final total (they are still tallying)! Thanks to all those who baked, purchased and supported the event.

Recipe:

Printable recipe here

Furikake Chex Mix or Furikake Party Mix
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 bottle Nomi Komi Furikake
Cereal, Chips, Popcorn, or Pretzels

You can use any number of cereals that equal about 2 boxes of Chex Mix or Crispix.

For this batch, I used 1/2 box of Crispix (about 5 cups), 1/2 box of Rice Chex, 4 cups of plain popcorn, and 1 bag (4.1 ounces) of Bugles chip-things (are Bugles chips or cones?) I've seen pretzels added to this mix. Use your imagination!

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a couple 9x13 pans or sheet pans with foil (for easy clean up)
2. Heat oil, butter, corn syrup, soy sauce and sugars in a saucepan until butter melts and the sugars dissolve.
3. Place the cereal in a bowl or two, and drizzle some of the syrup over the cereal and carefully mix with a rubber spatula or spoon. Sprinkle some of the Furikake over the mix. Continue drizzling and mixing the syrup and Furikake until the cereals are coated.
4. Place mixture on the pan and bake for 1 hour. Stir the mix every 15 minutes.
5. Let mixture cool and enjoy!
6. Store in airtight container...if you have any left.