Applesauce Pecan Bread

Our spring weather has hit a bit of a snag - with temperatures dropping to freezing last night, I had to bring the more delicate plants inside. It's going to be a bit chilly today, but it should warm back up pretty quickly. In anticipation, I'm getting things together for a few more outdoor plantings. Even though I know harvest is a long ways off, each day I grow more eager for harvest time. For now, I have to console myself with baking bread. And that's how this hearty loaf was born. 

This is a quick bread, meaning it's not yeast-raised so there is no rising time. It's sweet, but not overly so, and heavily studded with nuts and raisins. And between whole wheat flour, honey for sweetness, and only a bit of butter, it's not so bad in the health department either.

I like a slice of this bread, warmed for a few seconds in the microwave, with my coffee.  It's dense and not overly moist (like some banana breads can be), so it's fairly sturdy.You can see how many nuts and raisins there are from these pictures - trust me, this bread does not skimp on flavor!

Keep this loaf in the fridge, and it will easily keep a week or more. The aroma of the spices as this bakes are truly heavenly - it's worth making just to fill the house with that smell.

Applesauce Pecan Bread
Yield: 1 loaf

INGREDIENTS
1 large egg
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup honey
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9"x5" loaf pan with nonstick spray.
2. Combine egg, applesauce, butter, and honey in a medium bowl and stir to combine. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir to combine.
3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in raisins and pecans.
4. Bake for one hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove bread from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Like what you read? Subscribe to the feed in your favorite feed reader, or follow me on Twitter to keep up with new posts!

Tips and Techniques: Peanut Butter Cups

This past winter, I was lucky enough to spend a few days down in Florida. And let me tell you, a few days of sun can do a girl a world of good!  While there, we visited a candy shop and I couldn't pass up this massive peanut butter cup. It was the size of my fist. And I enjoyed every bite!

With Easter approaching, and Reese's PB eggs on my mind, I settled in to recreate this treat in a more reasonable size.   

Homemade peanut butter cups are something that's so simple, it's almost un-intuitive. I hadn't even considered making a home-made version before consuming that monstrosity, but I realized that it was probably just as easy as it seemed - and it was. Anyone can make these! The process is simple, the flavor is customizable, and the end result is more than worth the effort.

The only tricky thing here is figuring out what to make the cups in - what can you use as a mold? I found mini silicone cupcake molds at a kitchen supply store.  They hold about 1 tbsp volume each.  (Which raises the question: who would make/eat cupcakes that tiny? It's almost cruel!) You could also use mini paper cups from the baking supply section of your store, or use regular cupcake papers for mega-peanut butter cups!

I filled my candies with Justin's honey almond butter - I would recommend using any sweetened nut butter. If you're starting with store-bought peanut butter, sweeten it with a bit of sugar or honey until it tastes good to you. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips here, but feel free to use dark, milk, white, or whatever kind you like.

How to Make Home Made Peanut Butter Cups
Of course, these don't have to be peanut butter - mine were almond butter! Use any nut butter you like. 
Yield: 12 candies

What you'll need:
1 cup chocolate chips
6 tbsp or so nut butter, any variety, preferably sweetened
12 mini molds
Microwave-safe bowl for melting chocolate
Teaspoon

Directions:
1. Melt half of the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe container. Spoon about 1/2 tsp chocolate into each mold, and use your finger to spread it up the sides of the mold a bit.
2. Let the molds sit long enough for the chocolate to dry. (Put them in the fridge to speed up this process.)
3. Place a rounded teaspoon of nut butter in the center of each mold.

4. Melt the remaining chocolate chips in the same container as before, and top off the molds with chocolate. Gently tap the mold on the counter if you suspect air bubbles are trapped, so the chocolate settles around the nut butter.
5. Let the chocolate fully solidify (again, you can use the refrigerator to make this go faster). Remove molds, and consume candies!

Tomorrow, it's back to gardening topics - I want to talk to you about our seed starting efforts, and other garden progress!

Like what you read? Subscribe to the feed in your favorite feed reader, or follow me on Twitter to keep up with new posts!