Peanut Butter Honey Cookies

These cookies came from the book "Baking with Less Sugar", written by Joanna Chang, of the Flour bakeries in the Boston Area. I had heard about Flour many years ago, and had the good fortune to visit one in Cambridge last year. We had a peach dessert and it was fantastic. When I saw this book, I immediately got my hands on it because I have the same problem as Chang's husband-- I'm very sensitive to sugar. I love the stuff, too much. But I have such a problem controlling how much of it I eat and I inevitably end up high on it, and then crash later. It's not pretty. It's something I'm working on-- but moderation is an elusive concept sometimes, especially to someone who loves putzing around the kitchen as much as I do. So anyway, I had high hopes for the book. At first pass, the recipes don't necessarily seem to be super low sugar-- really, I think the book would've better been named "Baking with Less White Refined Sugar". Chang has organized the book based on sweetner-- recipes using honey, recipes using maple syrup, or just chocolate, etc. But overall there is still a sizeable amount of sugar (unrefined, but still) in the recipes. Granted, certainly less sugar than the traditional recipes, but still.

I picked this recipe to try out first because the DH was given a jar of honey from one of his attendings who owns his own apiary. I thought it might be nice to make a treat that was sweetened only with the honey to give back. However, while the recipe did come out, the honey was masked by the peanut butter so I don't think I'll be sending them along. Which is fine! More for us, and another excuse to try another recipe. :)

Nutty Fruit Seed Bars

So these bars I made last Saturday. They are from Joanna Chang's Baking with Less Sugar. I have to admit, this is the third recipe I've made from the book, and while I wasn't super impressed with the other two, this one is definitely keeper!




Ingredients
75g/ 3/4 cup of walnuts, coarsely chopped
75g/ 3/4 cup of sliced almonds
75g/ 3/4 cup pecan pieces
40g/ 1/2 cup dried apple slices, chopped
60g/ 1/2 cup dried cranberries
60g/ 1/2 cup dried apricots, diced

60g/ 1/2 cup sultanas (golden raisins)
60g/ 1/2 cup raisins
50g/ 1/2 cup almond flour
60g/ 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
100g/ 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant or quick cooking)
40g/ 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
100g/ 1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as canola
115g/ 1/3 cup honey
1 super-ripe banana, mashed (optional)
40g/ 1/4 cup flaxseed
35g/ 1/4 sunflower seeds
50g/ 1/4 cup millet

Instructions:
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
2. Put the walnuts, almonds, and pecans on a baking sheet and toast for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool.
3. Put the dried apples, cranberries, apricots, sultanas, and raisins in a medium bowl and pour boiling water over the fruit to cover. Let sit for 30 minutes.
4.  Decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. In a large bowl, combine the nuts, almond flour, buckwheat flour, oats, coconut, salt, cinnamon, vegetable oil, honey, banana (if using), flaxseed, sunflower seeds, and millet. Using a wooden spoon, stir well until thoroughly combined.
6. Drain the fruit into a medium bowl, reserving 1/4 cup (60mL) of the soaking water and discarding the rest of the liquid. Divide the fruit roughly in half, place half in a food processor or in a blender and add the reserved soaking water. Process until you have a chunky jam. Add the jam to the nut mixture along with the remaining whole fruit. Stir well to combine.
7. Press the mixture evenly on the prepared baking sheet into a rectangle about 12 by 8 inches. Using a sharp knife, cut the rectangle in half lengthwise and then cut each half into 8 pieces widthwise so that you have a total of 16 bars. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown throughout. Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees and continue to bake for another hour. Turn off the oven and let the bars sit in the oven until completely cool. They will get pretty dark but that is okay.
8. Remove from the oven and, using a sharp knife, recut the bars along the marks to separate (they will have joined slightly during baking). The bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.





My notes:
1. It's not the most appetizing thing in terms of looks, which is probably why I neglected to take pictures of it.  It's delicious, though.
2. I did not use the coconut (blech) or the apple slices or the apricots. Instead I used dried mangoes and dried blueberries and I added some sesame seeds as well. I also added extra spices (allspice, more cinnamon)
3. I used a blender to make the fruit jam and needed more than the recommended 1/2 cup of soaking liquid the process. I think this made the overall mixture a little more "wet" than it should have been, because the "precut" marks I made didn't not at all stay.
4. I also totally neglected to lower the temperature to 250 degrees and bake for an hour-- but I did let the bars completely cool after the 45 minute bake. The resulting bars were moist and chewy, and crumbled. I wonder if I had followed through, would the bars have been crunchier or perhaps less crumbly?
5. The millet was a really nice addition-- it made for a nice texture punch!

Burger Buns

Pretzel Bun from Smitten Kitchen

So because I was on a veggie burger kick this weekend, of course that meant that I needed to make buns.

Naturally, the pretzel bun was on my mind. I used the first method she outlined in her post, the baking soda method, but I have to say, even though I bathed my buns for a minute on each side like her directions said to, the "pretzel" flavor was very mild and honestly, the browning was laughable. They made good chewy soft buns-- but I could have saved myself the grief (and baking soda!) by skipping the bath. I doubt that my curiosity will lead me to buy food-grade lye to really get the "pretzel" flavor, but you never know. 

Pics:

Honey Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2014/03/whole-wheat-bun-recipe.html

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter or coconut oil (If using coconut oil, select the refined kind that doesn't taste like coconuts)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast (or one packet)
• 2 to 3.5 cups of whole wheat flour (see note below)
• Sesame seeds or rolled oats (optional--for garnish)

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, gently heat the honey, butter, and milk over low heat until the butter is just slightly melted. Don't boil or simmer this mixture-- you want it just barely warm.
2. Place the yeast in a mixing bowl.
3. Mix the lukewarm honey/milk mixture into the yeast and stir well. Add the egg and salt. Gradually add in the flour, mixing and kneading as you go.
4. Once the dough gets to the point where it is forming a ball, I let it rest for 2-3 minutes. The whole wheat flour tends to soak up liquid over time, so giving it a few minutes allows the flour to soak up liquid and helps to prevent you from adding too much. After this resting period is complete, I go back in and add more flour if needed.
5. Knead 6-7 minutes, adding flour as needed. Cover the dough ball and allow it to rise in a warm place for one hour.
6. Punch down the risen dough and divide it into 8 portions (12 if you like smaller buns). Roll each portion into a ball, then flatten it.
7. I flatten mine so they are pretty close to the size I want my finished buns to be-- during the rising process, they will mostly rise up, not out.
8. Cover the dough circles and allow them to rise 30 minutes in a warm place.
9. Bake at 375 degrees in a preheated oven for 12-18 minutes.
10. A minute or two before they come out of the oven, you can brush them with melted butter and sprinkle on some sesame seeds or rolled oats. This isn't necessary, but definitely makes for a pretty end product. 
11. These buns are best if served on the same day they are made.

MY NOTES:

1. I used the technique of not adding too much flour to start and I have to say that I like it! I think in total I must have used around 3 cups of whole wheat flour in all.


2. These didn't poof much. The yeast packet I used was perhaps not the freshest, so maybe that's why? I also let them rise in the bowl I mixed it together in (instead of using a clean, oiled bowl, like I usually would).

3. Overall, I like these, and I'd make them again :)

NYTimes Ultimate Veggie Burger

Labor weekend with no plans to get out of the city makes this wife very sad. The DH was working, and I was not. No barbeque plans, and soaring temperatures outside in the city kept me firmly indoors. Beets and cotija cheese in the fridge meant that it was finally time for the NYTimes Ultimate Veggie Burger recipe.

Ultimate Veggie Burger
by Melissa Clark (NYTimes)
Makes 6 burgers

TOTAL TIME

1 1/2 hours, plus at least 2 hours to chill

Ingredients

• 4 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained
• Olive oil
• 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
• Black pepper, as needed
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 medium beet, peeled and coarsely grated (3/4 cup)
• 3/4 cup tamari almonds or cashews
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 ounces Cotija cheese or queso blanco, crumbled or grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon dulce pimentón or sweet smoked paprika
• 4 ounces tempeh, crumbled
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice

Preparation

1.

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Slice tofu into 1/4-inch-thick slabs and pat dry with paper towel. Arrange tofu on one half of a rimmed baking sheet; brush both sides with oil. Spread mushrooms on the other half of the baking sheet; toss with 2 tablespoons oil and salt and pepper.

2.

On a second rimmed baking sheet, toss beans and grated beet with 1 tablespoon oil and salt and pepper, then spread the mixture into one layer.

3.

Transfer both baking sheets to the oven. Roast bean-beet mixture, tossing occasionally, until beans begin to split and beets are tender and golden, about 15 minutes. Roast mushrooms and tofu until golden and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 25 minutes. Let everything cool.

4.

Place nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Add cooled bean-beet mixture, mushrooms, tofu, panko, cheese, eggs, mayonnaise, scallion, garlic, pimentón and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Pulse until ingredients are just combined. Pulse in tempeh and rice but do not overprocess. You want small chunks, not a smooth mixture. Scrape mixture into a bowl and chill at least 2 hours or up to 5 days (you can also freeze the burger mix).

5.

When you are ready to make the burgers, divide mixture into 6 equal portions and form each portion into a patty about 1 inch thick. Return to the fridge until just before grilling. They grill better when they start out cold.

6.

Heat the grill. Cook the burgers over a low fire until they are charred on both sides and firm when you press on them, 4 to 6 minutes per side. If they start to burn before they firm up, move them to the sides of the grill to finish cooking over indirect heat. Alternatively, you can cook these on a grill pan or in a skillet over low heat.

My Notes:
1. I pretty much followed this recipe to the T. I pressed the tofu overnight, I bought green onions, and I measured and weighed and roasted everything. I did use regular breadcrumbs instead of panko breadcrumbs because I doubted it would make a difference. I also added a finely chopped green chile because it just didn't seem spiced enough.
2. I didn't have tamari almonds so I made my own (only the 3/4 cup I needed) using the recipe from thenakedkitchen blog:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups raw almonds
• 1/3 cup low sodium tamari (if you follow a gluten free diet be sure to use a gluten free sauce)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up.
2. Spread the raw almonds in a single layer on the baking sheet.
3. Bake approximately 10 minutes stirring occasionally or until you smell a nice nutty aroma but not browning the nuts.
4. Remove to a heat proof bowl and pour the tamari over the nuts. Stir to coat.
5. Let sit 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Transfer the nuts back to the baking sheet with a slotted spoon. Spread in an even layer.
7. Place the baking sheet back in the oven and bake, stirring occasionally for 15-18 minutes or until dry and nicely browned.
8. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

3. I did not grill these, but 5 minutes on each side on a cast iron pan seemed to do the trick.
4. Verdict. It was work, and procuring some of the ingredients was complicated (e.g., getting the DH to bring home mayonnaise from the food court of his office) but in the end it was a delicious burger that skirted every veggie burger pitfall-- mushiness, crumbliness, blandness, dryness-- and stuck the landing. Would definitely make again, if ever the stars were to align this way in the future.