Cinnamon Sugar Stuffed Chocolate Chip Scones

Scones are one of those baked goods that seem really simple to make, but are also really simple to mess up. A bit too much or too little of something and they venture off into the realm of the dry and unappetizing... You go along, following the recipe as you should, seemingly making no errors, yet they come out of the oven dense and crumbly. They must be good friends with pie crust. It also likes to journey to tough, dry, barely edible baked goods land. That being said, when a scone comes out well, it is heaven with a cup of coffee. 

These scones combat the dry, crumbly problem, giving you a leg up on the game with a rich, moist filling of cinnamon, butter, and sugar. It's pretty hard to go wrong with that! The batter is speckled with dark chocolate chips and they the recipe includes oats, which made me feel better about all the butter I was consuming. The recipe hails from one of my favorite sites, mykitchenaddiction.com. I have tried many of the recipes on that site, and I haven't had a bad one yet! The original recipe calls for flax seed, so all you health nuts can go crazy with it ;) I left them out, some days I don't feel like a nut... okay, it's been a long day, and I need to stop with the puns, so here's the recipe, enjoy!! 

Cinnamon Sugar Stuffed Chocolate Chip Scones

mykitchenaddiction.com

For the filling:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 

2/3 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed 

1 tablespoon cinnamon 

1 tablespoon all purpose flour 

1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder (optional) 

For the dough: 

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats 

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour 

1/2 cup all purpose flour 

1/4 cup milled golden flax (I left this out) 

1/3 cup granulated sugar 

1 tablespoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter (cold) 

6 ounces plain greek yogurt 

1/4 cup lowfat milk plus additional to brush on tops of scones 

1 egg 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 cup chocolate chips 

Cinnamon sugar for sprinkling on top of scones 

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a nine-inch cake pan and cut a circle of parchment to line the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for the filling, using a fork to evenly incorporate the butter to form moist crumbs. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the dough – the rolled oats, white whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, milled golden flax (if using), granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. 

Use a cheese grater and grate the butter into the dry ingredients, working it in with your fingers until the mix resembles sand. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, milk, egg, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients and the chocolate chips to the dry ingredients. 

Use a fork to incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry, just until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and use your hands to gently knead the dough and form it into a ball. Don't overwork the dough, or you may get a drier scone. 

Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a disc that is approximately 9 inches in diameter (to fit into the pan). 

Place one of the discs of dough in the bottom of the prepared baking pan. 

Spread the prepared filling on top of the first disc. Top with the second disc of dough, pressing down lightly to remove any air bubbles.

Use a dough scraper to cut the scones into 12 wedges (as you can see from the picture below, mine was ten uneven wedges, nobody's perfect).

  

Brush with milk and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Bake the scones for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Use a wire rack to flip the scones out of the pan, and then use a plate to invert the scones one more time so that they are right-side up. 

Thank you to 'My Kitchen Addiction" for originally posting this great recipe! Hope you all love it! 

S'Mores Granola Bars

Granola bars are my favorite grab and go snack and you really can't get any easier than this recipe. I love the Quaker Chewy S'mores Granola Bars, so I tweaked the recipe to be as s'mores like as possible. I used Kraft mini marshmallows, they taste like the marshmallows in Lucky Charms, or the kind that come in those little packets of hot cocoa, so they were perfect for these bars. The finished product was quite similar to the Quaker bars, but a bit chewier and more chocolaty tasting. Definitely a keeper. 

No bake S'mores Granola Bars

Adapted From laurenslatest.com

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups quick cooking oats {not rolled oats!}
1 cup crispy rice cereal
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips, plus more for topping

1/2 cup mini marshmallows, plus more for topping

Mix together Rice Krispies, oats, 1/2 cup marshmallows, and mini chocolate chips (if you want them with less chocolate flavor, leave out the chips till the end). Set aside.

 In a small pot, melt butter, honey, and brown sugar together over medium high heat until it starts to bubble. Reduce heat and cook for another two minutes. Stir in the vanilla. 

Remove from heat and pour over oat/rice mixture. Mix well ensuring that all ingredients are moistened. Line a small jelly roll pan (12x8x1) with aluminum foil.

 Pour mixture into lined pan. Pack it in really tightly or the bars won't set and will fall apart when cooled.  

Sprinkle the top with more chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Let cool, then cut into bars.

 Have a sweet day! 

Apple Pie Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread

When I saw a recipe on pinterest for cinnamon pull apart bread I was inspired, why had I never thought of cinnamon rolls in bread form? Amazing! I also saw a recipe for apple pie cinnamon rolls, so I put those two together and what resulted is Apple Pie Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread. I had to cook it a lot longer than the cinnamon roll bread recipe called for, possibly due to the liquidity of the apple filling. If I make it again I am going to try and figure out a way to decrease the runnyness of the filling. It was quite messy to cut the apple filled dough into slices, but the messiest part by far was smooshing the rolls together. I imagine this is a cooking project that kids would LOVE!

Apple Pie Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread

Smooshed together from Top With Cinnamon and Alli n Son

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 teaspoon dried active yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup water

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For cinnamon sugar filling...

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon cornstarch

For apple filling...

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup peeled, cored, grated apple (1 to 2 large apples, 3-4 small apples)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup butter, melted

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached, place the cornstarch, sugar, yeast, salt and 2 cups of flour. Heat the milk and butter together in a small saucepan until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and add the water. Let this cool for about a minute, then add the vanilla, and pour all the liquid into the bowl with the flour. Stir this all together until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Start the mixer on a low speed as you add the eggs one at a time until they're just incorporated.

Stop the mixer and add 1/2 cup more flour to the bowl. Mix again at low speed for about half a minute. Add 2 more tbsp of flour and mix in on medium speed until you get a smooth, slightly sticky dough (about 45 seconds). On a work surface sprinkled with about 2 tbsp of flour, knead the dough until it's not sticky (about 1 minute). Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl and cover it with cling film. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place until it's doubled in size which should take about an hour.

While the dough rises, make the fillings. In one bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch, set aside.

In another bowl, stir together the sugars, flour and spices called for in the second filling.

Mix the grated apples with the lemon juice, then add to the flour and sugar mixture. Mix well, and place in the fridge until ready to use.

Once the dough is ready, lightly flour your work surface and gently tip the dough onto it, sprinkling a little more flour on top of the dough.

Roll the dough out into roughly a 40 x 40 cm square, then brush about 2/3 of the butter over the entire surface of the dough.

Sprinkle 3/4 of the first (cinnamon sugar) filling mixture evenly on top of the butter on the dough.

Top with the apple filling then roll the dough tightly into a log. Be prepared for some oozing.

Place the log horizontally on your work surface. Take a piece of thread and place it vertically on your work surface. With the thread still vertical, place log on top of the middle of the thread. Move the thread to the left or right, so it is still under the dough, and is one centimeter in from the end of the log. Take the ends of the thread and hold them above the log. Cross them over each other once and pull them away from each other until the thread has cut through the dough completely. (you are effectively making a loop of thread around the dough and pulling on the ends to make the loop smaller so that it cuts through the dough on all sides with an even force). On a piece of parchment paper, lay the slice down, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cut another slice and place it on top of the first slice, sprinkle with cinnamon.

Continue until you have a stack about five slices high.

Smoosh the stack a bit and place horizontally in a greased 9x13 inch bread pan. Continue in this manner until you have no dough left. Be prepared for lots of leakage, I covered the entire area with a slip pat and clean up wasn't too bad.

When all of your slices are in the pan, cover pan with plastic wrap and put in a warm place to rise for another hour. Fifteen minutes or so before dough is done rising, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the bread for 1 hour, when it should be golden brown on top.

Let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

Run a butter knife around the edge of the pan and gently tip the loaf out onto the wire rack. Put the bread the right way round again and enjoy!

Have a sweet day!

Blueberry Poppyseed Coconut Crunch Muffins

Whenever I come across a recipe that claims to be the "best" anything, it immediately makes me want to try it. I was craving muffins this morning, so after rummaging through my freezer and finding a bag of frozen blueberries, I decided to try out this recipe for the "Best Blueberry Streusel Muffins" from Barbrabakes.com. I changed the recipe up by adding poppyseed and coconut. I am in love! I don't know why coconut and blueberry don't come together more often! The juicy blueberries are perfectly complemented by the sweet crunchy coconut. The streusel and poppyseed add even more crunch and texture. You should really make these for breakfast. Soon.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Poppyseed Coconut Crunch Muffins

adapted from barbarabakes.com

Yield: 12 muffins

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons poppyseed

3/4 cup coconut

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup whole milk

2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or vegetable oil, or line with paper muffin liners. Prepare streusel topping (recipe below) and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and milk.

Add flour, coconut, poppyseed, baking powder, and salt and stir until just combined.

Stir in blueberries.

Divide batter evenly into 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle muffins with streusel topping.

Bake at 350º for 20 to 25 min, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

When muffins are done, cool for a few minutes in the muffin pan before removing to cool on a wire rack.

Streusel Topping:

4 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon flour

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons coconut

In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, coconut and flour. Add oil and mix together until incorporated and you have a sandy texture.

Now get your coffee, sit back, relax, and bliss out on blueberry muffins!

Have a joyous New Year!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Nutella Zucchini Muffins

I love taking great healthy ingredients and assimilating them into tasty delicious baked goods. Every time I successfully incorporate a vegetable into a dessert it makes me that much prouder of what I have made. I'm not sure why... maybe it is the melding of ingredients that aren't traditionally used together, maybe it is the surprise on people's faces when I tell them the ingredients... Case in point, Coconut Chocolate Chip Nutella Zucchini Muffins! The muffins are super moist and on the heavier more decadent side. I spread half with a layer of chocolate frosting to kick them up a bit. They are the perfect (if a bit unbalanced) mix of healthy and indulgent.

Coconut Chocolate Chip Nutella Zucchini Muffins

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 egg

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup white sugar

1 cup grated zucchini

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup flaked coconut

3 tablespoons Nutella

3/4 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour or line muffin tins.

In mixing bowl beat egg, oil, and sugar. Warm nutella a bit in the microwave to make is a softer consistency.

Stir in zucchini, nutella and vanilla.

In another bowl, measure flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, and coconut. Stir to combine thoroughly. Pour all at once over batter in mixing bowl. Stir to moisten.

Spoon into muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 - 25 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn out on rack.

Allow to cool a bit, and enjoy!

You could also make this in a loaf pan for a chocolaty twist on zucchini bread!

Hope you have a wonderful memorial day with family and those you love!

Linking up to Tasty Tuesdays and It's A Keeper Thursday.