Chocolate-Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake

After making a coffee cake awhile ago, I realized how easy it is to put one together. This time I used cocoa powder and cinnamon in the swirl, but I felt like the chocolate flavor didn't come through even though I increased the amount of cocoa. Still, the coffee came out moist and with a delicious crumble on top. This is an easy way to impress someone for breakfast or even dessert with a cup of coffee.

Quick and Easy Cookies - Snickerdoodles

Cookies!

Snickerdoodles are a quick and easy cookie. I used to make them when I was little. It was always fun to roll the little balls of dough around in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. This recipe is from a cookie recipe book called Cookies Galore. The cookies came out pretty tasty, but I think I prefer mine a little flatter and thinner (I think this is my preference in general for cookies...). I used a tablespoon to measure out the cookies and I think I needed more sugar and cinnamon for the coating.

Snickerdoodles

from Cookies Galore by Jacqueline Bellefontaine

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 scant cups flour

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp baking soda

Coating:

1 tbs sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Sift the flour, cream of tarta, and baking soda together and blend into butter mixture to form a soft dough.
3. Break off pieces of the dough about the size of a small walnut and roll into balls. Mix the 1 tablespoon of sugar and cinnamon together and roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar. Arrange on baking sheets, allowing room for the cookies to spread.
4. Baking until pale golden, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

I'm Back...with Coffee Cake!

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

I'm not doing a very good job at posting recipes on a regular basis. I am going to try to take more time out to bake something and actually get it on here!

I've been craving sweet breakfast baked goods. Making a decision between cinnamon buns and coffee cake was difficult, but in the end coffee cake won...mostly because I had all the ingredients and it is a lot quicker to make. This coffee cake has a crumb topping with cinnamon and walnuts and I added a layer of cinnamon and sugar in the middle.

Cinnamon-Walnut Coffee Cake
adapted from A Taste of Home

Ingredients:
Cake
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
Middle Layer
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
Topping
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp cold butter
1-1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x9 square pan.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream together shortening and sugar until fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Beat in vanilla.
4. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.
5. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk until just combined.
6. In a small bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
7. Transfer half of the batter to a greased 9 in square baking pan.
8. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly over the batter.
9. Pour the rest of the batter into the pan and spread it out evenly.
10. In a bowl combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon; cut in butter until mixture resembled coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts. Sprinkle over the top.
11. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Mmm Brownies!

Brownies with Cinnamon

I haven't made anything in a couple weeks. There wasn't anything I wanted to make and I've been busy on the weekends. This week I decided that I needed to bake something and decided that brownies would be perfect. I found a recipe, but I didn't have all the right ingredients so I improvised and this is what I came up with. They have cinnamon in them, which is a little different than the usual brownie.

I've been reading about how to freeze brownies since I don't want to eat a whole pan of brownies by myself. It kind of scares me to freeze them because I don't want them to get really dry after they thaw. Supposedly, if you wrap them in saran wrap, then aluminum foil and put them in a plastic zip bag they will be fine. Then just thaw them before eating. I will try this and see if it works.

Ingredients:

3 oz unsweetened chocolate

8 tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tbs cocoa powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a small saucepan, combine unsweetened chocolate and butter. Mix over low heat until everything is evenly melted together, stirring frequently. Take off the heat and let cool slightly.
3. While butter and chocolate are melting, whisk eggs and sugar in a medium bowl. After they are combined add cocoa powder, cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt.
   
4. Slowly mix in butter and chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Then mix in flour until just combined.
5. Fill baking pan with the batter.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Let brownies cool in the pan for at least half an hour before cutting.