Pumpkin Muffins

These tasted like pumpkin bread and were gone quick. I made mini ones so it was 2 or 3 bites and gone.

Recipe taken from here.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups + 3 TBSP flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 + 1/8 cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• pinch allspice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup + 2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 cup + 3 TBSP canola oil
• 3/4 cup + 2 TBSP pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup + 2 1/2 TBSP eggs (2)
• 1/2 cups + 1/2 TBSP golden raisins

Directions:

1) Mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and salt together in a large bowl.

2) Mix the sugar and oil until combined.

3) Add the pumpkin and mix until smooth.

4) Add the eggs, in 2 additions.

5) Add the dry ingredients to the wet in 2 additions, scraping the sides.

6) Fold in the raisins.

7) Place in a container that you can cover for 8-26 hours.

8) Preheat the oven to 435F.

9) Spray the muffin pan with cooking oil.

10) Add the batter to the pan.

11) Add the muffins to the oven.

12) Lower the temperature to 325F.

13) Bake for 45 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Standard Granola Bars Take 2

I tried this recipe before, but here was a second take. When I tried before, I said I would try making them more non-toaster-oven-friendly. Well, I did it! All you have to do is add olive oil to the pan, add the oats and nuts and toss occasionally until they are toasted.

I also used maple syrup instead of honey and it came out fine.

I also used less chocolate (about 1/4 cup instead of 1 cup) and they were still great and held together fine.

Granola Bars

I’m into hiking (i.e.: all my hikes here) This past weekend I went on my longest hike (30 kilometers) and climbed the third highest mountain in Korea (Daechongbong Peak, 1,708 meters tall–some sites I’ve looked on say other mountains, but in the park it said it was the 3rd highest) and the highest mountain I’ve ever hiked.

I knew I needed to make some good sharing food–because that’s what hiking is all about in Korea: sharing your food–that was also energy food and brought PBJ, oranges, boiled eggs and these homemade granola bars. I kinda followed this recipe as an outline, but, even as they say, you can put anything you want into a granola bar!

I’m sure you can make these by toasting the oats in a pan, which is what I will try next time to make it more non-oven-house friendly!

The honey can be replaced with maple syrup to make them vegan as well.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups oats
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts: I used walnuts, almonds and cashews
• olive oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp Bacardi 151 (I’m out of vanilla, and you can replace it with dark rum, or other dark liquors and Bacardi 151 was the easiest to get and I love the flavor it adds)
• dash of salt
• 1/2 cup dried fruit: I used raisins, cranberries (chopped) and apricots (chopped)
• 3/4 cup-1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350F/170C or toaster oven to 130C.

2) Mix the oats and nuts.

3) Place foil on the baking tray and rub olive oil on it (or spray if you can).

4) Add the oats and nuts and bake until starting to brown (I had to do this in two batches). Should take about 10 minutes and you should stir halfway though.

5) Pour into a bowl and allow to cool.

6) Add the honey, butter, light brown sugar, rum/vanilla and salt to a pot and cook on medium heat until the sugar and salt has dissolved. I brought mine to a boil to get a bit of the alcohol out.

7) Add the honey mixture to the oats and mix.

8) Allow to cool for about 5 minutes.

9) Add the dried fruit and chocolate chips and mix.

10) Press into baking tins and place int he refrigerator for 2-8 hours. I wrapped them in tin foil before heading out into the heat.

 

 

Lemon Apple Bars

Recipe taken from here, but halved and with extra lemon! It’s almost like a granola bar. I found the bottom a bit dry on it’s own, but when mixed with the rest it’s great.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/8 cups flour
• 1/6 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup + a bit of butter
• 1 TBSP cold water
• 2 apples, peeled and diced
• 2 TBSP sugar
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/6 cup raisins
• 1/6 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup oats
• 1/3 cups walnuts, chopped

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 380F/180C or the toaster oven to 135C.

2) Mix the flour, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and butter.

3) Slowly add the water until the mixture forms a dough that sticks together.

4) Press half into the bottom of a tin or baking tins and bake for 20 minutes. Place the rest of the dough in a plastic bag or cling wrap and freeze. After this I turned off the toaster oven not to waste electricity because the apples had to cool as well.

5) Add the apples, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice into a pan over low heat until the sugar dissolves.

6) Increase the heat to medium and place a lid on the pot and cook for 10 minutes, keeping an eye on them because they could burn.

7) Allow to cool before mixing in the raisins and cranberries.

8) Add the raisins and cranberries. This was when I turned the toaster oven back on.

9) Place on top of the dough.

10) Grate the frozen dough and mix with the walnuts and oats.

11) Sprinkle on top of the apple mixture.

12) Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe taken from here. I’m excited to eat these for breakfast for a week.

Ingredients:

• 3 bananas, mashed (easier with your hands)
• 3/4 cups peanut butter
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2/3 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups oats
• 1 tsp baking powder (if you only have baking soda do NOT triple it)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350F/175C or toaster oven to 140C.

2) Mix the bananas, peanut butter, raisins, brown sugar, egg and vanilla.

3) Add the oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

4) Make tablespoon sized balls and bake on a tray with tin foil for 10-15 minutes. You can let them stay soft or get a bit crispy!

Irish Soda Bread

I didn’t expect this to turn out well, since I’m making it in a toaster oven, but it came out great flavor wise! It is a bit dense, so I guess I’ll have to work on using a toaster oven a bit more.

Recipe taken from here.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups flour
• 4 TBSP sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 TBSP butter, cold, and cut into small pieces
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 cup dried currents, I used 1/2 cup cranberries, 1/2 cup raisins mixed with 1 TBSP of flour

Directions:

1)Preheat the oven to 375F/190C or toaster oven to 150C

2) Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

3) Add the butter and mix until the butter is no longer found in clumps.

4) Mix the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest in a small bowl.

5) Slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture.

6) Mix in the dried currents (cranberries, raisins).

7) Flour a cutting board and pour the batter on it and knead it a bit until it can form a loaf.

8) Place onto a baking tray with tinfoil and cut an X into the top.

9) Bake for 45-55 minutes.

10) Allow to cool before serving.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Mouthful to say the name, but there’s a lot of stuff in these cookies. Don’t eat a mouthful and try to say the name though. Recipe taken from here.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup chocolate chips, I used dark chocolate
• 1 cup white chocolate chips, raisins and cranberries (you can leave this out or add different things, like nuts or seeds or other dried fruit)

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 325F/160C or the toaster oven to 130C

2) Mix the butter and the sugars.

3) Add the peanut butter and mix.

4) Mix in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla.

5) Add the oatmeal and baking soda and mix until combined.

6) Slowly add the flour, I did it in 1/2 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup batches.

7) Add the chocolate chips and whatever else you are adding. This part I found was best to do with my hands.

8) Make the dough into just-larger-than-golf-ball-sized balls and place onto a tinfoil lined cooking tray and cook for 10-12 minutes.

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

A friend is allergic to eggs, so when I made this recipe I made it in two bowls, splitting everything. One batch (red bowl) used 1 banana and the other batch (yellow bowl) used 1 egg. The recipe below will talk about using 2 eggs, but if you ever don’t want to use eggs while cooking, uses bananas! (or applesauce)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup + 6 TBSP butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cups quick/old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1) Heat the oven to 350F/176C.

2) In a large bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, and sugar until creamy.

3) Add the eggs (or banana) and vanilla and mix.

4) Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and mix.

4) Add the oats, raisins, and dried cranberries and mix.

5) Drop tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets.

6) Bake for 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown on top.

7) Cool for 1 minute before removing from the cookie sheets.

 

 

cookies with banana are above

cookies with eggs above

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Since I am experimenting with my new oven I wanted to make something pretty standard, so I decided on oatmeal raisin cookies. I had also just bought oatmeal at the international market, so why not make cookies with it.

The recipe turned out a bit melt-y and the bottom crisped before I wanted it to, but this is a pretty small toaster oven, and it will improve with time. The cookies were fine though!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 10 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

1) Heat the oven to 350F.

2) Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl and mix.

3) Beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar together in another (large) bowl.

4) Add the egg to the butter mixture and mix.

5) Add the flour mixture and oats and mix.

6) Add the raisins and mix.

7) Make the batter into balls and cook for about 15 minutes, until the edges start to brown and the cookie is solid on the top.

8) Allow to cool.