In celebration of my blog’s 3rd birthday, I made a birthday cake (kind of). Fittingly, this recipe is a variation of Heidi Swanson’s Lemony Olive Oil Banana Bread because her blog (and this recipe) inspired it all. For my version, I subbed the dark chocolate for dark chocolate toffee, nixed the lemon, and topped the cake with a toffee-molasses glaze. I really love this for its simplicity, its not-too-sweetness, and its shape shifting abilities to act as a breakfast bread or dessert.
Spiced Kale and Cranberry Whole Wheat Scones
These sweet/savory scones are chock-full with kale, dried cranberries, and green onions and are topped with nutty parmesan and toasted pine nuts. The spice blend within (the Healthy Solutions-Encrusted Haddock variety) gives the scones a depth of flavor that leaves whoever’s eating them wondering, “I don’t know what’s in this, but I love it!”
Christmas Stollen
Stollen has a hint of sourdough flavor and a dense, almost cake-like crumb, partly because it sits for at least two weeks before serving. Booze-soaked fruit and nuts are folded into the batter, along with some additional flavorings and spices, and there you have a colorful canvas of flavors. No candied citrus peel in this gorgeous loaf. I went the less saccharine route and made a whole wheat substitution to make this a little more wholesome and a little less sugary.
Filled Croissants – 3 Ways
The croissant dough recipe (thanks Julia) is versatile and is a great canvas for just about anything you want to fill it with. Chocolate-Hazelnut, Blue Cheese-Honey, or Brie-Apple is a good place to start!
Cardamom Plum Crisp+Cardamom Whipped Cream
If you’re hankering for a fruit cobbler or a traditional, super sweet fruit crisp, you might want to pass on this rendition. WAIT! There is a take-away: use cardamom in place of cinnamon and plums as your fruit in any crisp/cobbler recipe you DO try. The flavor combination is out.of.this.world.
Fig, Honey-Chevre, Salted Butter, and Rosemary Tostini
With a food as perfect as a fig, you need very little to enhance the flavor. The base is a thick slice of toasted or grilled sourdough bread, slathered with a good amount of salted butter. On top of that, there’s a healthy layer of Honey Chevre, sliced figs, and a sprinkle of fresh rosemary. Simple. Delicious.