Challah French's Toast

My daughter Haley's best friend from school, Jessica, LOVES french toast.  She has very few meals she likes to eat.  Jessica spends the night in our home often, and so I make french toast just about every time we have her with us for breakfast.  Since I make french toast so often, I wanted to try something new.  One of my favorite grocery stores sells the best Challah bread ever.  This seemed like the best way to change up french toast.  I purchased it on a whim and made french toast.  I have decided it is the best way to eat french toast ever.  When we lived in California, I would buy french bread to make french toast.  Well, this is so much better.  Believe me, you will want to try this for yourself.  This is a very simple french toast recipe.  In my hometown in California and my friend's home in Maryland, I found Challah bread.   You should be able to find it easily enough.

Ever wonder why we call this french toast?  It is actually named for Joseph French, an
innkeeper from Albany New York.  We should actually refer to it as French's Toast, but
a grammatical error changed history forever.  Not unlike German's Chocolate Cake
being renamed.

Ingredients:

1 loaf of Challah Bread
6 Eggs
3/4 cup Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

Slice the challah bread into 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick pieces.

My husband photographed me here. It's
 a very good shot of me cracking eggs into a bowl.

Mix eggs, milk, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a bowl.  My son Donovan would very
much want to make sure the eggs are very well mixed and no whites are visible.

The custard mixture and bread are ready to join together.

Preheat a skillet over medium heat.  Spray the skillet with nonstick spray. Dip the
bread into the egg mixture and cook until browned on both sides.

Butter the toast and sprinkle with powdered sugar if you would like to create
Jessica's french toast.  

Enjoy!

Challah French's Toast

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

1 loaf of Challah Bread
6 Eggs
3/4 cup Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

Process:

Slice the challah bread into 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick pieces.

Mix eggs, milk, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a bowl.

Preheat a skillet over medium heat.  Spray the skillet with nonstick spray. Dip the bread into the egg mixture and cook until browned on both sides.

Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

I shop at Costco on a regular basis, especially with a family of seven to feed.  The thought of being a mother to five children surprises me whenever I have it.  Back to my story, on occasion I bring my friend Whitney and her daughter with us to Costco.  We went to her home after Costco, and she shared the most delicious butterscotch cookies.  You might be asking yourself why I'm telling you about butterscotch cookies when clearly the title of the post is double chocolate cookies.  I used Whitney's recipe is a wonderful base recipe to add any sort of chips.  The double chocolate is actually white and milk chocolate chips in these cookies.  You can do what I did and add whatever chips you would like, semi-sweet, white, butterscotch, the choices are yours.

I have tried a multitude of chocolate chip cookies, these are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made.

Ingredients

1 1/2  cup Butter 

1 1/2 cups White Sugar

2 cups Brown Sugar

3 Large Eggs

2 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

4-6 cups Flour

1 1/2 cups Milk Chocolate Chips

1 1/2 cups White Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit

 Combine baking soda, salt, sugars, and butter in mixing bowl.  Mix with a whisk until combined.

 Fluffy sugar, this is known as creaming the butter and sugars.  Mix until the sugar is noticeably lighter in color.

Crack eggs into bowl and whisk until combined, add vanilla and whisk to combine.

 Add flour starting with 4 cups or more depending on the consistancy and whisk on low until combined.  Flour helps give cookies structure, to little creates flat cookies and too much creates dry cookies.

 Add chocolate chips and whisk on low until combined.

 Using either a cookie scoop or a spoon create 1 1/2 inch balls of cookie dough.  Place cookie dough on ungrossed cookie sheet, leave room between balls to allow them to spread.

Bake cookies for 7-10 minutes.

You will have A LOT of cookies, really you will if you make this cookie dough.

Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2  cup Butter 

1 1/2 cups White Sugar

2 cups Brown Sugar

3 Large Eggs

2 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

4-6 cups Flour

1 1/2 cups Milk Chocolate Chips

1 1/2 cups White Chocolate Chips

Process:

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit

Combine baking soda, salt, sugars, and butter in mixing bowl.  Mix with a whisk until combined.  Mix until the sugar is noticeably lighter in color.

Crack eggs into bowl and whisk until combined, add vanilla and whisk to combine.

Add flour starting with 4 cups or more depending on the consistancy and whisk on low until combined.  Flour helps give cookies structure, to little creates flat cookies and too much creates dry cookies.

Add chocolate chips and whisk on low until combined.

Using either a cookie scoop or a spoon create 1 1/2 inch balls of cookie dough.  Place cookie dough on ungrossed cookie sheet, leave room between balls to allow them to spread.

Bake cookies for 7-10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Baked Mini Pumpkin Donuts

I ordered mini donut pans recently, oh my goodness they are so little and cute.  Today we used them, my friend Whitney and I made pumpkin donuts.  We had pumpkin puree I had made recently was perfect for donuts.  These donuts are small and a perfect Fall treat for fingers to hold onto and eat.

Small little bites of sugar, spice, and pumpkin!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup melted Coconut Oil
3 large Eggs
1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 cups Pumpkin Purée (canned pumpkin can be substituted)
3/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon 
1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg 
1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 3/4 cup All Purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 Farhenheit.

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl with a whisk until combined.  Do not over mix.

Pour batter into a zip top bag.  Spray donut pans with non-stick spray.

Cut corner of the bag and squeeze batter into donut pan 3/4 full.

Bake for ten minutes.

Fill zip top bag with cinnamon and sugar, place donuts in bag and coat in cinnamon sugar.

Enjoy!

Baked Mini Pumpkin Donuts

Ingredients:

1/2 cup melted Coconut Oil
3 large Eggs
1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 cups Pumpkin Purée (canned pumpkin can be substituted)
3/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg 

1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 3/4 cup All Purpose flour

Process:

Preheat oven to 350 Farhenheit.

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl with a whisk until combined, do not over mix.

Pour batter into a zip top bag, spray donut pans with non-stick spray.

Cut corner of the bag and squeeze batter into donut pan 3/4 full.

Bake for ten minutes.

Fill zip top bag with cinnamon and sugar, place donuts in bag and coat in cinnamon sugar.

Enjoy!

Barley Bread

We ran out of bread this morning, normal people would go out and buy bread, but that wouldn't be as much fun as making it for me.  Don't get me wrong, I love grocery shopping well as long as I don't have my children with me I do.  My options for bread ingredients are somewhat limited at the moment, it being before my bi-monthly grocery shopping.  Necessity is the mother of invention in my kitchen and cooking philosophy.  With that said this is a bread made with what I had more of, barley of course.  My forming skills are somewhat lacking, after the fact I realized a better way to make a pretty loaf oh well.  The taste is really good, it is similar to a quick bread with the texture versus a gluten rich white bread so you are prepared.  Spread some butter on a warm slice just cut from a fresh baked loaf and you will not be disappointed, I promise.

 Can you think of anything better than the smell and tatse of fresh baked bread? Of course you can't.

Ingredients:

1 cup Plain Yogurt
2 large Eggs
1 cup lukewarm Water
3 cups Barley Flour (or Whole Wheat Flour)
1 tablespoon Instant Yeast
2 teaspoons Sea Salt
3 tablespoons Coconut Oil (or Canola Oil)
4 tablespoons Honey
4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup lukewarm Milk
1 tablespoon Vital Wheat Gluten

Place water, coconut oil, honey, salt, milk, and yeast in a mixer bowl.  Let the yeast bloom for at least 5 minutes and get happy.

 Mix yogurt and eggs in a measuring cup or bowl.

 Add flours, and yogurt mixture to bloomed yeast.

 Mix and knead dough with dough hook for 5 minutes. 

 Put dough in a large greased lidded container in a warm spot and allow to double in size.

Prepare two large bread pans or two normal bread pans by brushing with coconut oil (or Canola Oil) and  barley flour (or Whole Wheat Flour).

Divide dough in half, flatten and roll tightly like a cinnamon roll and place in prepared pans.  Brush with cocnut oil (or Canola Oil).  Cover with towel and place in a warm place to double in size.

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit

 Our doubled dough is ready to bake.

Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes.

 Remove from pans and allow to cool on a rack on the counter.

Slice and serve.

Enjoy!

Barley Bread

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

1 cup Plain Yogurt
2 large Eggs
1 cup lukewarm Water
3 cups Barley Flour (or Whole Wheat Flour)
1 tablespoon Instant Yeast
2 teaspoons Sea Salt
3 tablespoons Coconut Oil (or Canola Oil)
4 tablespoons Honey
4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup lukewarm Milk
1 tablespoon Vital Wheat Gluten

Process:

Place water, coconut oil, honey, salt, milk, and yeast in a mixer bowl.  Let the yeast bloom for at least 5 minutes.

Mix yogurt and eggs in a measuring cup or bowl.

Add flours, and yogurt mixture to bloomed yeast.

Mix and knead dough with dough hook for 5 minutes. 

Put dough in a large greased lidded container in a warm spot and allow to double in size.

Prepare two large bread pans or two normal bread pans by brushing with coconut oil (or Canola Oil) and  barley flour (or Whole Wheat Flour).

Divide dough in half, flatten and roll tightly like a cinnamon roll and place in prepared pans.  Brush with cocnut oil (or Canola Oil).  Cover with towel and place in a warm place to double in size.

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit

Our doubled dough is ready to bake.

Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes.

Remove from pans and allow to cool on a rack on the counter.

Enjoy!

Oat Pumpkin Nutella Muffins

I'm excited about this muffin, I was wanting to make muffins that used what ingredients I already had on hand.  Not to mention I have a big bowl of fresh pureed pumpkin puree that I NEED to use, no really it would be a shame for it to go to waste.  These muffins smelled divine when they came out of the oven, and the taste was over the top delicious.  It made 32 muffins, you are welcome to split the recipe but as my husband pointed out for my family that is only 5 muffins per person and likely they'll be gone before the end of the day.  Yes my friends these are that good.

 These have the most fantastic smell, and the taste is just as yummy.

Ingredients:

2 cup Pumpkin Puree

1/2 cup Molasses

2 cup Brown Sugar

4 Eggs

1 cup Coconut Oil (or melted butter, cooled)

2/3 cup Water

2 teaspoon Vanilla

1 1/2 cups Oat Flour (or all-purpose flour)

1 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour

2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Nutmeg

1 teaspoon Ginger

2/3 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit

 Whisk eggs, water, coconut oil, vanilla, molasses, and pumpkin puree together.

 Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt together in a seperate bowl.

Add half flour mixture to wet mixture, whisk until combined.  Add second half od flour mixture and whisk.  Do not over mix.

Grease two 24 cup muffin pans or use paper liners.  Fill each well 2/3 full.

Microwave Nutella for 30 seconds in a microwave safe bowl.  Scoop 1 teaspoon of Nutella on top of each muffin batter.

 Swirl chocolate with a toothpick in a figure eight shape.

 Bake for 18-20 minutes, turning them halway through and switching them.

Enjoy!

Oat Pumpkin Nutella Muffins

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

2 cup Pumpkin Puree

1/2 cup Molasses

2 cup Brown Sugar

4 Eggs

1 cup Coconut Oil (or melted butter, cooled)

2/3 cup Water

2 teaspoon Vanilla

1 1/2 cups Oat Flour (or all-purpose flour)

1 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour

2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Nutmeg

1 teaspoon Ginger

2/3 cup Nutella

Process:

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit

Whisk eggs, water, coconut oil, vanilla, molasses, and pumpkin puree together.

Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt together in a seperate bowl.

Add half flour mixture to wet mixture, whisk until combined.  Add second half od flour mixture and whisk.  Do not over mix.

Grease two 24 cup muffin pans or use paper liners.  Fill each well 2/3 full.

Microwave Nutella for 30 seconds in a microwave safe bowl.  Scoop 1 teaspoon of Nutella on top of each muffin batter.

Swirl chocolate with a toothpick in a figure eight shape.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, turning them halway through and switching them.

Enjoy!