Sweet & Savory ~~ "Honey Almond Cake"

Fresh honey, almond flavoring, applesauce and pecans make for a scrumptious combination in this moist, melt-in-your-mouth cake!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup honey (I used light colored clover honey)
• 1/2 cup applesauce, slightly heated in microwave
• 1 teaspoon almond flavoring
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 Tbsp. hot water

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease and flour a 9 x 9 inch square baking pan.
• Cream butter and honey until well blended in mixing bowl.
• Add heated applesauce along with almond flavoring and mix well.
• Fold the dry ingredients into the honey and applesauce mixture.
• Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water and mix thoroughly and quickly.
• Add to mixture inside bowl.
• Blend well.
• Pour batter into baking pan.
• Bake for 38 - 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Yields 10-12 servings.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

• Serve warm or cold.
• Delicious with ice cream or whipping cream.
• Iced tea or warm tea enhances the honey flavor of the cake.
• Iced or cold coffee is a nice beverage to serve with cake

Happy Baking & Enjoy!

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram 

Sweet & Savory Tuesday - Nutritious Breakfast Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• Shortening
• 1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (I use crunchy style)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt, optional
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup rolled oats, non-instant variety
• 1 cup dried fruit such as apricots, bananas, cranberries, etc.
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease cookie sheet with shortening.  (If you're using a stoneware pan, you don't need to grease it.)
• Place butter in large mixing bowl and beat until creamy.
• Add brown sugar and mix until well blended, scraping sides if necessary.
• Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix on medium speed until combined.
• Add the peanut butter and mix until well blended.
• Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Stir with a wooden spoon or small whisk.
• Stir flour mixture into the egg mixture.
• Stir in oats, fruit, and chopped nuts.
• Drop dough 2 inches apart onto baking sheet.
• Cook for 13-16 minutes or until cookie edges begin to brown. 

HELPFUL HINTS:

• I double the recipe and freeze the extra cookies if I have any left over.
• These are great to eat during your morning commute or pack in your lunch.
• This is a fun recipe to experiment with by adding additional dried fruits, nuts, seeds, etc.
• I especially like the peanut butter addition.
• Other types of flours can be substituted for the whole wheat; however, you would need to experiment as to determine exactly how much to add.

Here's to a Healthy Breakfast which is the most important meal of your day!

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram    

Sweet & Savory Friday ~~ "Delish & Easy Pecan Rolls"

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 stick of butter
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• dash of salt, optional
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup ground cinnamon
• 2 tubes large refrigerated biscuits, any brand

DIRECTIONS:

• In a medium sized saucepan, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, vanilla, and salt. 
• Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved.
• Add the pecans.
• Pour into a greased 13 inch x 9 inch baking pan.
• Combine sugar and cinnamon in a shallow container such as a glass pie plate.
• Cut each biscuit in half and dip it in the sugar and cinnamon mixture.  (I wear a pair of those latex gloves for this part of the project and it seems to work out nicely!)
• Place the biscuits, cut side down, on top of the brown sugar mixture in bottom of baking pan.

• Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until tops of biscuits are golden brown.
• Invert onto serving plate.

These easy to fix rolls are so delicious they will disappear before your very eyes. They are a consistent family favorite.

Happy Baking, Eating & Reading!

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram    

Sweet & Savory Thursday ~~ Sundae Pie

There are desserts, and then there are desserts. This one has been around for decades, but is still an all time family favorite.  Every now and then it's okay to set aside your calorie counter.  You will need to do that for this recipe, too!

• STEP 1:
• Mix and spread in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes:
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup butter (mix in with pastry blender or fork)

Remove from oven and place baking dish on cooling rack.  Cool to room temperature.

• STEP 2:
• Mix together and spread onto cooled crust:
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup whipped cream or cool whip  (if you whip the cream in a mixer, make sure to measure it after whipping)

• STEP 3:
• Mix together and pour over ingredients of Step 2:
• 1 large package vanilla instant pudding
• 1 large package chocolate instant pudding
• 4 cups milk

• STEP 4:
• Spread whipped cream or cool whip over the top and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Serve with a nice cup of coffee or tea.  Enjoy!

Happy Reading & Eating.

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Sweet & Savory Thursday ~~ Guest Food Blogger Anna Crisman

As a Christian wife and mother, it is my desire to inspire and encourage you with the richness of God’s many blessings! At LifeBellissima.com, I blog on a variety of topics that are near and dear to my heart — family life, homeschooling, organic food/recipes (which of course includes chocolate!) and our many adventures in the country with a tabby cat, several rabbits, and seven Rhode Island Red hens!

I love the flavor of candied pecans as well as the combination of chocolate with pecans, so I’ve tried to incorporate all three flavors into this new muffin recipe. These are great for a snack, light dessert or sweet breakfast. I hope you’ll give them a try and let me know how you like them!

Honey Pecan – Chocolate Chip Muffins

*I prefer to use all organic ingredients

1 cup pecans, finely chopped or pulsed in a food processor

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon coconut sugar

2 cups flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup vanilla almond milk

2/3 cup raw honey

6 Tablespoons coconut oil, softened

1 Tablespoon vanilla

3/4 cup chocolate chips

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

-In a food processor, pulse together the pecans, cinnamon and coconut sugar. You can also finely chop the pecans and mix together in a small bowl.

In a food processor, pulse together the pecans, cinnamon and coconut sugar. You can also finely chop the pecans and mix together in a small bowl.

-In a stand mixer, with a hand mixer or by hand, gently whisk together the eggs, vanilla almond milk, honey, coconut oil and vanilla until combined.

-Gently blend in the flour, baking powder and salt until incorporated into the wet ingredients.

-Gently fold in the pecan, cinnamon, coconut sugar and chocolate chips by hand.

-Fill muffin liners or cases approximately 2/3 full, and bake for 13-15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

-Garnish with chopped pecans and shaved chocolate, if desired.

Enjoy!

Please stop by Anna's blog and take a tour:  http://lifebellissima.com

Happy Eating & Reading!

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Sweet & Savory Thursday ~~ "Sour Cream Coffee Cake"

This is one of the best coffee cake recipes of all time! 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup butter softened to room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt, optional

DIRECTIONS:

• Cream butter and sugar together in mixing bowl for 2 minutes on medium speed.
• Add eggs, one at a time and beat well.
• Fold in sour cream and vanilla.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add to above mixture, and beat until well blended.  Mixture should be satiny and smooth at this point.
• Pour 1/2 mixture into well greased and floured bundt pan.

Mix together the following ingredients and spread evenly in bundt pan.

• 4 tsp. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans

Spoon remaining 1/2 of batter into pan and spread evenly across top.

Cook 1 hour @ 350 degrees. Insert toothpick into center of cake to make certain it is fully cooked throughout.

After removing from oven, cool on rack for 20 minutes.

Remove from pan, invert onto rack, and allow to cool to room temperature.  

Store in air tight container.  

Happy Reading & Eating!

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram