Do you have some spotty brown bananas and some leftover pumpkin puree?  I did this weekend and came up with the perfect solution–Spiced Banana Pumpkin muffins!  These muffins are a tasty treat on a cool fall afternoon and not too shabby in the health department either

3 ½ cups whole wheat all-purpose flour

2/3 cups rolled oats

½ cup oat bran

4 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

4 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

3 ripe bananas, mashed

½ cup applesauce

½ cup CoasunSA

15 ounces canned pumpkin

4 eggs

½ cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease or line muffin tins

Combine flours, bran, oats, b.p., b.s., and salt in a medium bowl

Using a whisk or spoon, stir until well mixed.

Combine remaining ingredients (except nuts) in a large mixing bowl; beat until smooth

Gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined, mix in toasted nuts if using

Spoon into prepared pans or tins (3/4 full)

Top with a sliced banana (just for looks)

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean

Remove muffins from pan and cool on wire rack

Happy Baking & Eating

It’s that time of year again…..the leaves are bright with yellow, orange and red, there’s a chill in the air and pumpkins are in season!!  Thanksgiving is around the corner (in Canada literally 2 days away) and this Pumpkin Walnut Loaf is a great addition to a turkey feast or a perfect hostess gift.  The cake is moist, light, crunchy with walnuts and deeeeelicious!!  I got a great new pumpkin loaf pan- perfect for this recipe!

Modified from www.joythebaker.com

31/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups light brown sugar

1/3 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree, or just under two cups

1 cup Coasun’s shortening alternative

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place a rack in the center of the oven.  Grease and flour two loaf pans (mine are 8×4×2) and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.

In a medium bowl, carefully whisk together pumpkin puree, Coasun’s shortening alternative and maple syrup.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a spatula to fold all of the ingredients together.  Fold in most of the chopped walnuts, reserving some to sprinkle on top of the batter once in the pan.

Divide the dough between the two greased pans and sprinkle with a few walnut pieces.  Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from the oven.  Let rest in the pans for 20 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack.

Enjoy & Happy Baking!

Well…..it seems as though the weather is suggesting that summer is coming to an end.  These next few weekends may be the last to enjoy some s’mores over a campfire….why not enjoy these s’mores with some homemade graham crackers and marshmallows?!  The marshmallow recipe can be found @ http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2008/07/homemade_marshmallows

The homemade graham crackers were inspired by Martha Stewart (http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/homemade-graham-crackers) with a slight healthified spin using Coasun’s shortening alternative.

These homemade treats turned out to be even more delicious then I expected!!  When Martha says you won’t go back to buying them from the store she didn’t lie, especially with the healthier fat profile Coasun adds to this recipe!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup untoasted wheat germ

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup Coasun’s shortening alternative

3/4 cup light-brown sugar

2 tbsp. good quality honey (or agave nectar)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Mix dry ingredients together; set aside

2. Put Coasun’s shortening alternative, brown sugar and honey into the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment; mix on medium speed for 1 minute, scraping side of bowl as necessary.

3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined, ~45 sec.

3. Turn dough onto a floured surface, and divide into quarters.  Roll each piece between 2 sheets of floured parchment paper into rectangles a bit larger than 9 x 6 inches, about 1/8 inch thick.

4. Using a pastry cutter (or knife) trim the edges cut and divide into desired shape. (You can only partially cut and bake in large rectangles breaking apart after baking, or cut all the way through (which I did because I liked the edges a bit crispier)

5. Chill dough on parchment in freezer until firm ~20 minutes.

6.  Remove dough from freezer.  Pierce crackers with a fork

7. Transfer crackers to a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake until dark golden brown ~10-12 minutes

8.  Let cool on sheet for 5 minutes and transfer to wire racks to cool completely

These are super tasty, I couldn’t stop snacking on them.  They are particularly delicious with a homemade marshmallow and dark chocolate chips in between wrapped in tinfoil and lightly roasted on a crackling fire with a bright moon and a sky full of stars

Happy Baking!

Mmmmm….some people love brownies, while others prefer cookies.  Why not combine them for an ultimate treat with a decadent chocolate brownie cookie?  Leaving these cookies at room temperature prior to baking gives them a tender meringue like crust that melts in your mouth.  A delicious blend of chocolate, crunch, and chewy brownie!

Recipe inspired by: http://www.applepiepatispate.com/american/chocolate-brownie-cookies/

3 tbsp. (23 grams) all- purpose flour

½ tsp. baking powder

Pinch salt

6 ounces (171 grams) semi-sweet chocolate

2 tbsp. (23 grams) Coasun’s shortening alternative

2 ½ (123 grams) large eggs

½ + 1 tbsp. (109 grams) granulated sugar

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Method:

1. Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl
2. In a double broiler, melt chocolate
3. After chocolate has slightly cooled, mix in Coasun’s shortening alternative
4. Whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract to the ribbon stage.  The eggs will be foamy and considerably increase in volume (Didn’t know how clear ‘ribbon stage’ was so check picture below.
5. Once chocolate has cooled, add to the whipped eggs and mix until thoroughly incorporated
6. Add the dry ingredients, fold until batter is smooth
7. Portion into 16 mound on a parchment-lined cookie sheet
8. Let sit at room temperature for 30 min (this gives them the tender exterior crust)
9. Bake at 375 degrees F for 12-15 minutes, the cookies should be moist and appear slightly under baked in the middle when you remove them from the oven

Have a garden?  Love getting fresh produce from the farmer’s market?  Always looking for new ways to use up some veggies (or get them into your kid’s diet)?  Giant zucchini’s seems to be plentiful this year, and when they start growing it’s like they multiply overnight.  Here’s a great recipe that incorporates some garden fresh vegetables, fiber, and healthy fat – canola oil utilized in Coasun’s shortening alternative, alongside flaxseed meal with the addition of some nuts and seeds.  (Recipe adapted from Bob’s Red Mill).

Recipe & Method:

1 ½ cup all purpose flour

¾ cup flax seed meal

¾ cup oat bran

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 cups zucchini, shredded

2 hard pears peeled and shredded

¾- 1  cup inclusions (optional) (I used ¼ c. pumpkin seeds, ¼ c. hazelnuts, ¼ c. raisins/cranberries)

½ cup milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

½ cup Coasun’s shortening alternative

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Pre-blend dry ingredients for 1 minute on speed ‘stir’ in your KitchenAid mixer
2. Cut Coasun’s shortening alternative into dry ingredients on speed ‘Sitr’ for 2 min.
3. Stir in zucchini, pears and nuts
4. Combine milk, egg and vanilla and add to mixer bowl
5. Fill muffin cups ¾ full.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes.

Going to a bbq, picnic, family reunion?  These are the perfect summertime, campfire reminiscing brownies to take with you.  In fact I am doing all of the above (bbq, picnic, family reunion) this weekend and am happy to be taking this mix of a healthier (if that’s possible with these brownies….they are at the least lower in fat then their butter counterpart) version of Rocky Road/S’mores brownies.  Yes, I did sample the brownies before taking the picture….AND shared one with my mom!

I was inspired to make these by 2 posts on www.joythebaker.com who was inspired by a Toll House Recipe

1 2/3 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 cup Coasun’s shortening alternative

2 Tablespoons strong coffee or water

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup roughly chopped graham crackers

2 cups miniature marshmallows

1/4 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9 or 10-inch square baking pan.  Set aside

Combine all the above ingredients except the chocolate chips and graham crackers in a KitchenAid mixer bowl.

Mix on ‘Stir’ for 1 minute

Fold in the chocolate chips and graham crackers

Pour the batter in the pan.  Bake for 20-30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and set the oven to broiler.  Sprinkle the top of the hot brownies with miniature marshmallows.  Once the broiler is heated, place the brownies on an upper shelf close to the broiler heat.  Watch the marshmallows CAREFULLY and remove once they’ve browned.  Use a clean blade and hot water to cut the brownies and prevent them sticking to your knife.

These “skinny” oatmeal raisin bars were inspired by a health blogger www.carrotsncake.com.  I took the recipe and modified it to be further skinnyfied using Coasun’s shortening alternative, and added some extra protein so the bars would classify as a well balanced snack all by themselves.  Overall they were delicious and I devoured them over the course of the day- sharing of course! They aren’t too sweet and I replaced ¼ of the raisins with dark chocolate chips, though that wasn’t further skinnying the bars it was a special treat and satisfied my cravings

Recipe:

“Skinny” Protein Oatmeal Raisin Bars

(inspired by www.carrotsncake.com)

Makes 18 bars

Ingredients:

4 cups dry oats

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup wheat bran

2 tbsp. flaxseed powder

¼ cup protein powder (vanilla adds some extra flavour)

½ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup agave syrup

½  cup Coasun’s shortening alternative

2 eggs

2 egg whites (60g liquid egg white)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 ¾ cup raisins

¼ cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Spray 9 x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine ingredients until smooth.

3. Spread batter in prepared baking pan, and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes until bars are cooked all the way through.

4. Let bars cool completely in pan before cutting.

CAKES

There are 100’s and 100’s of variations of cakes.  They can be divided; sub-divided and further sub-divided by ingredients (fat, no fat, high-ratio, low-ratio), shapes (bunt, layer, sheet, cupcakes), purpose etc… a lot of time could be wasted trying to categorize these sweet treats that often are the center of attention at big events such as birthdays, weddings and anniversaries.  Bakery geeks like me even get entertainment from watching t.v. shows dedicated to cakes such as Cake Wars, Ace of Cakes, Ultimate Cake Off or Cake Boss.

Definitions of cakes range from

“A sweet baked mixture of flour, eggs, liquids, and other ingredients in a loaf or rounded layer form.” (The American Heritage Dictionary)

To

“…a semidry foam resulting from the setting of a medium that has been expanded by gas produced from chemicals dissolved therein.” (Yamazaki and Kissell, 1978)

Or Wikipedia tries to be all encompassing with a definition of:

“Cake is a form of food, typically a sweet, baked dessert. Cakes normally contain a combination of flour, sugar, eggs, and butter or oil, with some varieties also requiring liquid (typically milk or water) and leavening agents (such as yeast or baking powder). Flavorful ingredients like fruit purées, nuts or extracts are often added, and numerous substitutions for the primary ingredients are possible. Cakes are often filled with fruit preserves or dessert sauces (like pastry cream), iced with buttercream or other icings, and decorated with marzipan, piped borders or candied fruit”

In fact if you look up the word ‘Cake’ in the American Institute of Baking (AIB) Glossary of Baking Terms there are 25 different definitions to define the many cake variations.  Even though the word ‘Cake’ requires 25 definitions in their glossary, AIB does a good job of classifying these cakes into 3 categories.

1. Batters

Shortening gives aerating properties (oil in water emulsion

• Pound cakes – air leavened (or chemically leavened)
• Layer cakes – chemically leavened

2.Foams

Eggs give aerating properties

• Angel food cake- leavened by egg whites
• Sponge cake- leavened by whole eggs and/or yolks

3. Chiffons

A combination of batters and foams aerated by egg whites and chemical leaveners

SHORTENINGS IN CAKES

There are many types of shortenings that can be used in cakes including

• Butter
• Margarine
• Hydrogenated shortening
• Emulsified shortening – generally referred to as ‘cake shortening’
• Fluid shortenings- hard fats blended with emulsifiers

Butter and margarine have poor emulsifying properties in cakes, though provide familiar and often preferred taste profile

The function of shortening in cakes can be many, hence why specific shortenings are chosen for specific cakes.  Those functions include:

1. Tenderizer- lubrication
2. Aeration- the beginning stages of cell structure
3. Emulsifies liquids- holds water
4. Flavoring- butter or margarine
5. Flavor carrier

As mentioned earlier batter cakes rely on shortening for structure.  In batter systems during mixing an oil in water emulsion is formed, and the shortening/emulsifiers encapsulate air bubbles.   During baking the fat crystals melt, the air cells go to the oil-water interface, carbon dioxide migrates to the air cells and expands with assistance from moisture vapor pressure.

Coasun’s Shortening Alternative has shown to have great functionality in batter cakes.  It incorporates air well, supports cell structure during baking, and give cakes a nice even grain with a soft tender mouthfeel.  More posts to come on strategies for using Coasun’s ‘healthier’ fat to decrease saturated fat levels in cakes by 20% compared to zero trans emulsified cake shortenings, to produce a nearly identical cake!

Nothing screams the beginning of summer like fresh, tart rhubarb!  With the plentiful green leaves and long stalks taking over half of my grandparents garden, I decided to let some of the other garden goodies get some sun, cut down the rhubarb and put it to good use.  Starting with a rhubarb coffee cake, quick, easy and delicious….also a little healthier with Coasun’s shortening alternative!

Here are the ingredient’s necessary to assemble this rhubarb packed coffee cake.  The buttermilk can be substituted for sour cream or yogurt.  I like the texture of the cake with buttermilk, and the decreased fat content when you don’t use sourcream (this cake recipe actually originated from a sour cream coffee cake recipe….modified obviously).

Coasun’s shortening alternative is softer than butter or margarine and easily incorporated into cakes.  A modified mix method is quick and easy, cuts down the time to make this cake, freeing up more of your time to make rhubarb goodies.  The modified mix method cuts CoasunSA into the pre-blended dry ingredients, then add the liquid ingredients, mix for 1 minute sprinkle the whole thing with cinnamon sugar and VOILA

Let the cake cool, flip it over and if you’ve sprayed some baking spray into your bundt pan before filling with batter, hopefully the cake comes out looking like this

Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe

1 cup Coasun’s shortening alternative

1 cup granulated sugar (you can do 1/2 brown, 1/2 white if you want)

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 c. whole wheat soft flour & 1 cup all- purpose)

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2.5 cups diced rhubarb

Method

If you have a KitchenAid mixer (if you don’t, follow similar directions mixing by hand)

1. Pre-blend all dry ingredients for 1 minute on speed 1.

2. Add CoasunSA, blend for 30 second on speed 1.

3. Add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla, start mixing on low speed than increase to speed 4 for 1 minute.

4. Dump in rhubarb and blend on low until dispersed.

5. Distribute batter in a greased bunt pan and sprinkle cinnamon sugar (1/4 cup brown sugar + 2 tsp. cinnamon) on top.

5. Bake at 350 degrees C for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

6. Let cake cool, flip bunt pan over, slice and enjoy!

Happy Baking from Baker Britt

Mmmmm…..who doesn’t love snuggling up inside a warm house with the smell of pumpkin, apples and cinnamon baking away as you sip on a hot mug of cocoa, coffee or tea??

This cake incorporates two of fall’s favorite flavors–pumpkin and apple.  Pumpkin cake is topped with cinnamon and brown sugar enrobed apples with a scrumptious streusal topping.  Serve warm or cold by itself or with fresh whipped cream, vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream.  Coasun makes the pumpkin cake light and fluffy while significantly decreasing the saturated fat content.  Healthier tips for this dessert are included in brackets.

Apples

• 4 cups diced peeled cored apples (about 4 large, any type, I prefer a Spy, Russet combo)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cake

• 11/2 cups all purpose flour (or use ¾ whole wheat flour, ¾ all purpose flour)
• 1 cup golden brown sugar
• 1/2 cup CoasunSA
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
• 1/3 cup sour cream (or use low fat plain yogurt)
• 2 tablespoons sugar (omit if you prefer things to be less sweet)
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 large eggs

Method:

For apples:
Chop apples into chunks and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Gently stir to distribute the sugar and cinnamon.  Set aside

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan or 9 x 13 “ rectangular pan. Combine flour, brown sugar, CoasunSA, and salt in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until mixture resembles coarse meal. Set aside 2/3 cup of mixture for topping. Beat pumpkin, sour cream (or yogurt), 2 tablespoons sugar, spice, and baking soda into remaining flour mixture, beating just until smooth. Beat in eggs. Transfer batter to pan. Scatter apples evenly over top. Sprinkle reserved streusel topping over apples.

Bake cake until topping is golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cake cool to remove from springform pan, or serve cake warm with whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream. (Health conscious enjoy with frozen yogurt or just plain yogurt).

There’s no better excuse to invite some friends over for some coffee, cake and catch up!