Chocolate Granola

I love homemade granola. I don't recall ever buying it from the store because it's so easy to make at home, and there are so many delicious recipes online to follow. While I have chocolate granola recipes I love, I couldn't resist trying this one from Blue Bowl. 

I added in cocoa nibs near the end, simply because I have them in the cupboard and love their flavor and texture. I also had to swap walnuts for pecans based on what I had on hand. I highly recommend tripling or quadrupling the recipe if your family goes through granola like mine.

Chocolate Granola
1 1/2 cups whole oats
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. cane sugar
1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. cocoa nibs
Flakey sea salt

Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine all dry ingredients together, except the chocolate chips and cocoa nibs. Add in liquid ingredients, and mix well to combine. Spread onto parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake 12 minutes, and then stir, adding cocoa nibs if desired. Bake another 12-14 minutes until done. Sprinkle on chocolate chips, and then sprinkle with salt once chocolate is slightly melted. Let cool completely (up to 2 hours) before packaging to enjoy the best clumps. 

Brezeln (Authentic, Soft German Pretzels)

One of the best parts of my trip to Germany last year was the pastries and baked goods. If you like soft pretzels, then Bavaria should be on your bucket list. (Apparently, according to my friend in Bavaria, pretzels (or brezeln) aren't nearly as good in the north of Germany. It's just not the same as a true Barvarian pretzel.)

This recipe from Drindl Kitchen gave me great success, and my family and friends have been quite happy! It's a bit intimidating to work with lye, but I take all the precautions.

Brezeln

500 grams flour
15 grams brown sugar
30 grams butter, room temperature
10 grams salt
4 grams active dry yeast
275 milliliters lukewarm water
Lye Solution
12 grams food-grade lye
300 milliliters cold water

Stir together water, brown sugar and yeast and allow to bubble for 5 minutes. Sift together flour and salt, and add in the butter and yeast mixture. Knead dough in an electric mixer on low for 8 to 10 minutes using the dough hook.

Cover dough with clean towel, and let it rest 5 minutes. Weigh out 2.8 ounces of dough or divide dough into 10 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a little hot dog bun shape, and cover again with the towel. 

Working one at a time, shape your pretzels, keeping them covered when you're not rolling them. Watch a video online to understand the technique, as I can't describe it nearly as well as a video. Once all your pretzels are shaped, let them rest 30 minutes covered with a clean towel. Stretch them out a bit more, and then freeze them for 30 minutes to help them hold their shape in the lye bath.

Prepare your lye solution in a well-ventilated area (wearing a mask, glasses and gloves just to be safe) by adding the lye into the cold water. (I suggest wearing old clothes as any splashing as you dip will discolor your clothes.) Carefully combine the mixture with a whisk until the solution is clear. Dip each pretzel in the solution for 5 to 10 seconds, and then place on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Sprinkle pretzels with coarse salt prior to baking.

Bake at 355°F (I find I need to bump my oven higher) for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 10 pretzels, so I highly recommend doubling the batch. If you've never enjoyed a pretzel warm with butter, I highly recommend this way I learned in Barvaria. 

Raspberry Crumble Bars

It's been quite a while since I've posted, as life gets busier and busier it seems. I continue to bake and cook my way through life and decided I needed to get back into the habit of posting the recipes here, so I can find my favorites again.

Our garden produces an abundance of raspberries, so this recipe from A Classic Twist caught my eye. The raspberries are the star of the show, though I added a drop or two of rose water to make them extra special.

Raspberry Crumble Bars
Crumble
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 sticks butter, melted
Filling
12 oz. fresh or frozen raspberries
1/3 cup sugar

2 1/2 Tbsp. flour
Zest and juice of a small lemon
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 x 9 pan with butter, and line it with parchment paper. 

Combine all crumb ingredients together, and press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake 15 minutes. 

While the crust is baking, combine the filling ingredients, mashing the raspberries as you mix. Spoon filling over crust layer, and top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake another 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown and the raspberry mixture is jam-like in consistency.

Cool at least 1 hour before cutting.  

Soft White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

This recipe from Sally's Baking Recipes is now the base of so many of my favorite cookies. I've made this version with cranberries, a blueberry version and used it as a base for M & M cookies. It's soft, chewy and delicious.

Soft White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
3/4 cup butter (170 grams)
3/4 cup brown sugar (150 grams)
1/4 cup sugar (50 grams)
1 egg, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour (250 grams)
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cups white chocolate chips (135 grams)
1 cup dried cranberries (140 grams)

In a large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together on medium until combined and creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides as needed.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Gradually mix them into the butter mixture on low speed. Add in the mix ins (chocolate chips and cranberries). 

Cover the dough tightly and chill at least one hour or up to 4 days. If dough has chilled longer than 3 or 4 hours, let it sit at room temperature 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Scoop dough into 1.5 Tbsp. balls. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place dough onto it. Bake 11 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. The centers will still look soft. If the cookies didn't spread much, you can lightly tap the baking sheets on the counter while the cookies are still warm. You can add a few extra chips or cranberries for garnish while the cookies are still warm if desired.

Let cookies stand at least 10 minutes, and then cool completely on a cooling rack. Makes 2 dozen cookies. 

Sticky Meatballs

This recipe from Half-Baked Harvest was a hit with our family. Everyone enjoyed it, though we substituted venison. We will repeat this again.

Sticky Meatballs

1 lb. ground meat

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 green onions, finely chopped, or half an onion, chopped

1 inch fresh ginger, grated

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup sesame oil

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

1 head broccoli, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp. chopped ginger

Toasted sesame seeds

Combine meat, 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. ginger, onions and a pinch of pepper into a bowl. Combine until mixed. Roll into tablespoon-sized balls. The mix will be wet. 

Place 2 Tbsp. cornstarch in a shallow bowl. Dredge the meatballs in cornstarch to coat. Take remaining 1 Tbsp. cornstarch, and combine with 2 Tbsp. water and set aside. 

To make the sauce, whisk together 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup honey and 1/3 cup water.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs, and cook until seared on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, and add broccoli, and cook until lightly charred (5 minutes). (Note: I just steamed broccoli and added in to the sauce at the end.) Add in ginger, garlic and chili flakes. Poor in sauce mixture, and bring to a boil. Add chicken, and toss with the sauce. When sauce starts to thicken, add the cornstarch slurry, and cook another 2-3 minutes, until the sauce is thick and coats the meatballs. Serve meatballs with steamed rice and sesame seeds. Serves 4.