S'mores Ice Cream

How do you make s'mores ice cream, you ask? You begin with the vanilla ice cream, flavored with extra sugar for that 'marshmallowy' taste and texture. Then make some chocolate ice cream, flavor it with a little liquid smoke, and swirl it through. If you really want some more s'more flavor and texture - add some graham cracker pieces or crumbs. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Loaf

Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Loaf
2 1/2 cups prepared pumpkin pie filling (not from the can - homemade prepared filling you would pour right into a pie)
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup oil

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Stir together the pumpkin pie filling, flour, baking powder, and sugar. Pour 2/3 of the mixture into pan.
Add cocoa and oil to remaining mixture and place in spoonfuls on top of batter. Use a knife to swirl it in.
Bake for about 45 minuted until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Pistachio Mint Swirl Cake

Pistachio Mint Swirl Cake
1 package (two layer size) marble cake mix
1 package (four serving size instant pistachio pudding)
4 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
1 cup mint chocolate chips, divided

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease a tube or bundt pan.
In a large bowl, beat together all ingredients except the chips and chocolate swirl mix until smooth. Remove one cup of batter and stir in the chocolate swirl packet and 1/2 cup chips.
Pour half of the plain batter in prepared pan. Spoon chocolate batter over top. Top with remaining batter. Gently swirl a knife through batter a few times. Then sprinkle with remaining chips.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before unmolding.

This cake may look fairly basic from the outside, but as you can see from the slice placed on top, it is a nice light green color from the pistachio, with a chocolate swirl in the middle. The mint chips add another depth of flavor that pair well with both the pistachio and the chocolate. 

Raspberry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

What to do with more leftover raspberry filling? Make it into swirl brownies of course! Cream cheese swirl brownies are delicious, and the addition of a little fruit makes them even tastier. These are reminiscent of the strawberry version I made here {Strawberry Cheesecake Brownies}. The brownie base is a dark chocolate vegan brownie base, that uses all whole wheat flour, but you cannot even tell!

Raspberry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons granulated (white) sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 cup milk of any kind
1/3 cup oil
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips
1/2 recipe raspberry cream cheese filling (see yesterday's post)

Preheat oven to 330◦F. Line an 8x8 inch square pan.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, sugars, powder, and salt. 
In a separate small bowl, stir together the milk, oil, vanilla, and flax.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then stir in the chips.
Spread a thing layer (using about one third of the batter) into the bottom of the pan.
Dot spoonfuls of the filling over top (about one third of filling).
Repeat, alternating layers, placing spoonfuls of each on top. Then gently swirl the mixture with a butter knife.
Bake for 25 minutes, until the edges are just set, and center is no longer liquidy but only slightly jiggly. Cool completely, then refrigerate until cold. Squares will firm upon cooling. 

Machine Cinnamon Swirl Bread

My father actually made this bread to test out my bread machine. He bought it for me after all, so of course he may use it as he pleases. He began with a white bread, a cinnamon swirl bread similar to a recipe he has made before by hand. He left out the raisins this time, since he doesn't use them in the usual cinnamon swirl bread he makes. This recipe takes a little extra effort than a typical bread machine recipe, because the dough must be rolled and shaped by hand after kneading and before baking. However, it is certainly much easier than the traditional cinnamon swirl bread recipe.

Machine Cinnamon Swirl Bread
3/4 cup low-fat milk
1 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups white flour
1 3/4 teaspoons bread yeast
3 Tablespoons granulated (white) sugar
1/2 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cups raisins (optional)

Place first seven ingredients in bread pan on order given, or according to manufacturer's instructions for white bread, small loaf. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and raisins, if desired, set aside. 
After final kneading cycle, pause the machine and transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Roll to a 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over top, then roll the dough into a tight cylinder starting with a shorter side. Seal ends. Put dough back in bread pan and continue cycle. 

The result? We all agreed it wasn't quite as good as the one done completely by hand. It was a bit more uniformly shaped, and definitely very tasty and fresh, so it is a very reasonable substitute. The recipe came with the bread machine manual, so of course it worked very well. 

Espresso Mocha Swirl Loaf

Espresso Mocha Swirl Loaf
1 Tablespoon instant coffee powder
3 Tablespoons boiling water
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter or hard margarine, softened
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 Tablespoons milk
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup granulated (white) sugar
2 cups + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose (plain) flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir together the coffee and water, set aside to cool, then stir in the cocoa.
Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter, yogurt, and milk. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Beat in the sugar. Beat in the remaining ingredients, beat well for one minute. 
Divide batter in half. Add the coffee mixture to one half. 
Place three spoonfuls of each batter into the bottom of the pan, alternating flavors. Repeat this for two more layers, ensuring chocolate batter is on top of vanilla and vice versa. Gently swirl the batters together with a knife.
Bake for about an hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

This is a fairly easy snack loaf to make. It has a nice coffee flavor, but not too much of a chocolate flavor. The swirled flavors make it look pretty. It is light and fluffy and can be served in a variety of ways, or simply as well with a steaming mug of espresso. 

Nutella Muffins Re-done

This is a little edit on the self-frosted Nutella swirl muffins from yesterday. They are good,  but best warm from the oven. The muffin is a bit plain and a tad dry. This makes them ideal for a not-too-sweet Nutella breakfast on World Nutella Day, but Nutella lovers don't exactly mind a lot on Nutella now, do they? These just need a little extra something something. They have sugar, salt, vanilla, butter, and eggs, so what is missing? Here are several options to vamp them up a little:

1) Add chocolate chips to the batter.
2) Replace some of the flour in the batter with cocoa powder for an extra chocolate hit.
3) Place half of the batter in the cups, add a spoonful of Nutella for a Nutella-filled center, and add remaining batter.
4) Add a buttercream icing (preferably Nutella buttercream).
5) Serve them drizzled with a chocolate sauce (aka more melted Nutella).
6) Combine two of the above ideas.
7) Combine three of the above ideas.
8) Combine four of the above ideas.
9) Combine the first five ideas.
10) Just grab the jar of Nutella and dunk the muffin in it.

I tried a variation on these muffins myself. The irony of it is, I made a version without Nutella. Yeah, that's right, for World Nutella Day I made a few Nutella Swirl Muffins without the Nutella. Why? Because my mother has a slight allergy to hazelnuts, and didn't want to overdose on Nutella, considering I made several other Nutella treats. So I made two muffins especially for her. Instead of swirling Nutella into the top of the muffins, I sprinkled a spoonful on miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips on top. This is a bit like variation number one, but the chocolate chips were only on top and not studded throughout the batter. My mother agreed with the rest of us in that the muffin is a bit plain, and could use a little something more (more chocolate perhaps?) I always try to cater to all my dedicated tasters, as I hate to make treats that not everyone can enjoy, and usually there is a simple solution to ingredient avoidances. 

Nutella Swirl Muffins

Here is another Nutella recipe that I made to celebrate World Nutella Day. This simple muffin recipe is featured slightly differently on several different sites. Here is my take on it. In my opinion (as well as the opinion of most Nutella fanatics), with this recipe, the more Nutella, the better! The Nutella swirled on top of these muffins bakes up and makes these self-frosted muffins. 

Nutella Swirl Muffins
1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon butter or hard margarine, softened
1/3 cup granulated (white) sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-3 Tablespoons milk
Nutella, as needed

Preheat oven to 325◦F. Grease or line ten muffin cups with paper liners.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
Stir in the next three ingredients, followed by the milk. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, trying to make even, round scoops. 
Take a spoonful of Nutella (teaspoon or Tablespoon - as much as you wish) and use another spoon to drop it on top of each muffin. Use a wooden skewer to gently swirl the Nutella through the top of each muffin.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in a part without Nutella comes out clean. These are tastiest served warm!

Cake and Glaze

Tomorrow I will be assembling a Fudge Marble Swirl Cake from a little Robin Hood Flour booklet. It is in the oven baking now, and it is starting to smell really good! I had to wait until the evening when it finally cooled down a degree or two to make it, since it was such a lovely warm day today! It is in the oven now. I'll allow it to cool completely overnight, and early tomorrow I will drizzle it with a simple vanilla glaze. I'm hoping it will be good! Here is a picture of it right before it went into the oven.

I'll share my vanilla glaze recipe that I plan to use with you, but it is nothing special. Short, sweet, and simple. Foolproof.

Vanilla Glaze
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 Tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, mix all of the ingredients together until smooth. Add more icing sugar or milk, depending on the consistency, to suit your needs. Drizzle or pour over cake.

This glaze is also great for cookies, cinnamon rolls, muffins, bars, and almost any other baked good. It's flavour can be changed by substituting another flavour extract for the vanilla and/or using juice or liquor in place of the milk. Chocolate glaze can be obtained by adding a touch of cocoa.

“Fudge Marble Swirl Cake.” http://www.simplyhomemade.ca/recipes/recipe-details.aspx?rid=4493. Simply Homemade, n.d. Friday, August 19, 2011.

Swirl Squares

Well, I still have not baked anything, so I decided to share with you a recipe I made a while ago. They are called Swirl Squares and they are from (yet another) Company's Coming cookbook "150 Delicious Squares." They are super quick and easy, a good alternative to brownies, do not require icing, and are just a yummy square reminiscent of chocolate chip cookies. When I made them, I left out the nuts and used an 8x8 inch pan lined with waxed paper, and they turned out just great!

Swirl Squares
1/2 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 brown, 1/2 granulated
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 1/8 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips


In a large bowl, measure butter, sugar, vanilla and egg. Beat together until blended. Stir in flour, soda, salt and nuts. Spread in greased 9x9 inch (22x22 cm) pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over top. Bake in 375◦F oven for 1 to 2 minutes until chips are soft enough to marble. Run knife through batter to obtain a marble effect. Continue to bake for about 20 minutes more, until firm and tests done with toothpick. Cool and cut into 36 squares.

Paré, Jean. "Swirl Squares." Recipe. 150 Delicious Squares, Edmonton Alberta: Company's Coming Publishing Limited, 1981. 125.