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Pineapple Spice Scones

I went through a phase of really liking canned pineapple.  The ease of not having to deal with cutting a pineapple and the ability to just open a can (without even the use of a can opener) sent me to request multiple cans from my grandma.  However, this led to an high bulk supply of canned pineapple, Costco style.  Now, in my last weeks in San Diego, I searched for various recipes to dispose of my excess.  I found this recipe on the dole website, and since I had success with making scones my first time, I decided to try making pineapple scones.  Since I only have an excess of pineapple chunks, and not crushed, I crushed my own.  I poured the whole contents of the can, self-crushed chunks, juice and all, into the dough.  However, this made the texture wet and sticky, unworkable and unthinkable of forming into scone-like substances.  Instead, I threw the result into a 8x8 pan and made my own bar-like bread.  I don't remember how long I cooked these, since I have been having trouble with my pineapple recipes coming out too moist/uncertainly raw.  


Wowwwww, and now as I type up this recipe, I realize my mistake.  I used 1 20 oz. can of pineapple instead of 8 oz. I should learn to read.  BIG MISTAKE!  At least they were edible, and I don't believe anybody got sick...
Plus my pictures look pretty decent.



Pineapple Spice Scones

from Dole

Ingredients:

2-1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided

2-/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 can (8 oz). crushed pineapple, undrained (or my case, 1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks, crushed)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla soy milk

3 tablespoons almonds, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions (for real scones):

1. Combine flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make well in center. Stir in undrained pineapple and vanilla until dry ingredients are just moistened and forms ball. 


2. Knead dough gently 10 to 12 times on a lightly floured surface. Pat dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with floured 2-1/2 inch biscuit cutter. 


3. Place on baking sheet, sprayed with cooking spray. Brush tops with milk or cream.


4. Combine almonds, remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over tops of scones. Bake at 400^° F., 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.

papaya scones

Coconut-Pineapple Loaf Cake

Once again, a very "moist cake."  This one I felt the need to get rid of the many cans of pineapple chunks my grandma has provided me with in the bulk supply of costco.  I found this cake, but unfortunately I do not have sour cream sitting around.  I've been running into a lot of recipes lately that call for sour cream, so I looked for a substitute and found that for every cup of sour cream, you can use a cup of yogurt plus 1 tsp. of baking soda.  For this recipe, I did not have any plain yogurt, so I used 8 oz. of yoplait pineapple upside down cake yogurt and 1 tsp. of baking soda.  I like to freeze my yogurts, so I thawed the 8 oz. I needed in the microwave at 20 seconds, and so the yogurt had a thicker texture than regular refrigerated yogurt.  I was very satisfied with the outcome, and would definitely make again.



Coconut-Pineapple Loaf Cake
adopted from Martha Stewart
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda + 1 teaspoon added w/yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup (8 ounces) Yoplait Pineapple Upside-Down Cake yogurt
• 1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks in juice, drained well
• Directions:
• 
  
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until lightly toasted, tossing occasionally, 6 to 10 minutes; set aside. Butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch (8-cup) loaf pan; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  2. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low, and alternately add flour mixture in three parts and yogurt in two (remaining 1 tsp baking soda divided between the two parts), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix just until combined (do not overmix).
  3. Using a rubber spatula, fold pineapple and 1 cup coconut into batter. Spoon into prepared pan, and smooth top; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup coconut. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 65 to 70 minutes (cover pan with foil halfway through). Let cake cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Housewoman

Today, after my late awakening, almost into the late afternoon, I decided to be ultra-productive, and make some cookie dough, mop the tile floors, and bake a cake.  The cake was due to my need to get rid of a bunch of bananas I haven't touched since I put into the fridge (which turned completely black, without loosing their shape or form).  I found this recipe that instead of an upside-down pineapple cake, used bananas.  It produced a very "moist" cake.  The peanut butter cookies I have made before, also gluten free, but the idea to dip them in chocolate came from bakerella.  Since I ran out of Baker's chocolate, I decided to use the chocolate fruit dip I had stored in my fridge.  After letting the cookies sit out for two days, the chocolate still did not harden.





The pictures of the banana cake look unappetizing, as it looks more like an anchovie cake.
upside down banana cake:

I cannot find the exact recipe I used, but it is similar to the one found here.


PB cookies

Oats 'n Shit

Gluten free recipe, Peter suggested I should promote to BJ's as new pizookie flavor called "Oats and Shit." When I first started making these, I didn't follow the instructions exactly and did not food process the oats (due to my lack of machinery). So when they started baking, they looked really mushy like they would not solidify into a cookie texture. However, after baking for the directed time, and letting them rest on the baking sheet, they molded into cookies, with nice crispy edges that had a carmelized taste. I'd like to brag and say that rumor has it, Anthony said they were the best fucking cookies he has ever had.


Salted Cashew Crunch Cookies
from Bake or Break
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, ground for 30 seconds in a food processor (I did not food process, because I did not have equipment)
• 2 cups salted cashew pieces or coarsely chopped cashews
• Directions:
• 
  
  Preheat oven to 350°.
  In a medium bowl, beat butter, sugar, salt, baking powder, vanilla, and egg. Add oats and mix. Then, mix in cashews.
  Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto lightly greased or lined baking sheets. Sprinkle each cookie with salt. Flatten cookies to about 3/8-inch thick.
  Bake 12-14 minutes, or until light golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking pans.

Brownie filled Cookies

I love making bigass cookies.  And these top it. Consisting of brownie AND cookie, makes this masterpiece a brookie.  When I saw these on bakerella, I immediately bookmarked them and knew I had to make them some point this summer.  I had to take care that the dough stayed chilled, so that it was easier to work with.  However, the dough was still frustrating,  probably due to my disability of putting too large of brownie chunks inside the cookies.  Cookies worthy for a celebration, and celebrate we did with the best ice cream everrrr.

Dough and Brownie:

Interior:

Brownie Pillow Cookies

from bakerella

Ingredients:
1 package brownie mix

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 oz. bag miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips (I just used regular sized chips)

Directions:
Make brownies according to package and let cool. Cut about ten 1 inch squares. I used a 13x9 pan.

For the chocolate chip cookie dough, beat butter with a mixer until creamy.

Add brown sugar and beat until smooth.

Add eggs, yolk and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt in a medium bowl and stir together with a wire whisk.

Add flour to butter mixture and beat until combined. Stir in mini chips.

Let dough chill covered in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Use a measuring cup to scoop batter by the 1/2 cup. Since it’s chilled, you may need to pack it with a spoon. Then use the spoon to remove the dough from the cup and place it on parchment paper. Work quickly so the dough remains chilled or either prepare one cookie at a time so the rest of the dough remains cold.

After the dough is on the parchment paper, make an indention and place a 1 inch square brownie in the center. Press the brownie down gently and work the remaining dough around the brownie. You can use your hands to shape the dough into a ball.

Chill the dough that you are not working with.  Once you complete a sheet, chill the formed balls in the fridge until you are ready to bake.  The key is to make sure the dough stays cold.

Prepare six cookies at a time using a large baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes. Return the remaining dough to the refrigerator until time to bake the second batch.

Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes about ten cookies using a little less than a 1/2 cup of dough for each cookie.

If your cookies start to get too brown before they are done baking, you can place a sheet of aluminum foil over top for the last few minutes.

My face and Cookie:

Celebration of Faye's last day of server training! Cookie and Ice Cream (Rite-Aid Chocolate Malted Krunch, om nom nom) Party

Lime Bars

Since Key Lime Pie is Anthony's favorite dessert, these were made in part by me and faye to seduce/bribe him into giving us both a day off to go to SeaWorld.  Except everyone thought I was trying to bribe my way into a server promotion.  Super easy recipe, definitely do-able with my lack of any type of tart or springform pan.

Won us a day at SeaWorld. SHAM SLAM! (now to be adopted/initiated into the entourage)

Lime Bars   

by Evil Shenanigans

Ingredients:

For the crust:


1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs


6 tablespoons salted butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar
zest of one lime

For the filling:


2 large egg yolks


1-14 oz. can fat free sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lime juice

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350F, then grease an 8″ square pan, line it with parchment paper that hangs over the edge of the pan by a few inches (so you can remove the bars from the pan more easily). 

2. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and zest.  Press into the prepared pan, pressing the crust mixture one inch up the side of the pan.  3. Bake for 10 minutes.  Allow to cool completely.

4. Once the crust is cooled combine the egg yolks and condensed milk until well mixed.  Stir in the lime juice and combine.  It will begin to thicken slightly.

3. Pour the filling into the crust, making sure the filling reaches the edges.  Bake for 15 minutes, or until just set.

4. Cool to room temperature, then chill for at least one hour, overnight is better.  Pull the bars out of the pan using the parchment paper and transfer to a cutting board.  Cut into 16 squares with a serrated knife.  To make cutting cleaner wipe the knife with a damp cloth between cuts.

Hershey's Chocolate Cake for the Chocolate Lover

At 3 am, Faye and I slaved away to make this cake. After messing up and pouring granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar, we had to make a trip to CVS where the creepy security guard who had encountered us previosuly in the tgifridays parking lot and offered his semi-personal bathroom a week before and recognized us. I digress, but point is, that this cake was a very early morning ordeal. We opted not to make the mocha cake we planned for Elliott (sorry), which called for 3 lbs of powdered sugar anyways. The cake sat out all day at the party, probably not the best idea, especially for the strawberries. The ghiradelli touch was from Richie who suggested covering the whole cake with the squares Aaron always eats from work.

HERSHEY'S "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" Chocolate Cake


from Hershey's Kitchen


Ingredients:


2 cups sugar

• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water
• "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)

Directions:

• 
  
  
  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. 
  
  
  2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans. 
  
  
  3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings. 
  
  
  "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING
  
  
  1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
  2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
  3 cups powdered sugar
  1/3 cup milk
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  
  Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.
  
  
  
  

Ingredients:

Directions

Dirty Bananas

Having extremely ripe bananas, to the point where they are no longer brown, but blackening, so old that they no longer have their usual texture but are slimy and stick to the peel, I decided to channel my inner Martha Stewart (I usually don't make any of her recipes) and make a couple banana recipes to save waste and be resourceful.  The first was a banana walnut chocolate-chip cookie, which spread out way too much when it was baked.  It had a really cake-like texture, and the taste was pretty bland.  My conclusion: they were shmehh, but I would probably never make again.  Not very proud to take them to work/share.  The second recipe was a banana cupcake, which was supposed to have honey-cinnamon frosting, but unfortunately I delayed the frosting process, and never got around to making it.  So they remained plain banana muffins more-or-less.  In a smell test, these proved to have a stronger banana scent than the cookies.  And they had a nice texture, a good interior, which a slightly crunchier top.  I would probably try making this again with the addition of the frosting.  Until next time I let my bananas get to their worst...

Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies

from Martha Stewart

Ingredients
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/4-inch chunks

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (about 2 ounces), toasted

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flours, salt, and baking soda ina small bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chunks, and walnuts.

2. Using a 11/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and just set, 12 to 13 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers up to 2 days.

(my pictures are definitely not as clear as they used to be)
Banana cupcakes, sans frosting
from Martha Stewart
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

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

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas)

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Make a well in center of flour mixture. In well, mix together butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Stir to incorporate flour mixture (do not overmix). Dividing evenly, spoon batter into muffin cups.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack.