Kahlua Brownies

I've been on a crusade to clean out my pantry and use up things that have lingered there for a while.  One of those lingering items was part of a bottle of Kahlua that I bought for a recipe, and never finished.  Since neither my husband nor I have been drinking alcohol lately, it was just going to keep sitting there.  So I decided to bake brownies with it.  Go pull out the bottle of Kahlua (or other coffee liqueur) in the back of your cupboard and make these.  Trust me. The added instant coffee ups the depth of dark chocolate flavor, and helps the Kahlua shine through.  

Kahlua Brownies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp salt

1 stick butter, softened

1/2 cups dark brown sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp (or 2 packets) instant coffee granules (regular or decaf)

1/2 cup Kahlua

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 or 9×9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Combine the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.  Whisk together and set aside.

Beat together the brown sugar and softened butter. Next, add the eggs one at a time fully incorporating before adding the next egg. Add in the instant coffee granules, and the Kahlua and mix to combine. 

Mix in the dry ingredients until just incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the mini chocolate chips.  Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes till done.

Coffee Infused Banana Bread

A couple of months ago I was chatting with my friend Abbeeroad, who asked for a good banana bread recipe.  In pulling up the one I normally used from the Better Homes & Gardens classic red gingham cookbook, I stumbled onto a version of a coffee banana bread.  Since I also had bananas to use up we both made some that day.  The original recipe called for adding ground coffee straight into the flour mixture, which sounded silly to me.  No matter how fine ground your coffee, it's still going to make for gritty bread, so I swapped it out for instant coffee which would dissolve.

Over the course of the pandemic, I've made this bread 5 times now, changing something every time.  I've finally perfected my version of the recipe, which includes changing the technique for infusing the coffee flavor, and upping the whole grains by using some whole wheat flour and some ground flax seed.  But don't worry if you don't have those things, you can still use AP flour.

Coffee Infused Banana Bread
1 1/4 cups AP flour +  ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour + 1/4 cup ground flax seed
OR
2 cups AP flour

1 – 2 teaspoon instant espresso or coffee
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup granulated sugar (I use a scant cup, especially if my bananas measure more than 1 cup)
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 large)
⅓ cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons milk of choice (I have used cashew or hazelnut with great results)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons espresso sugar or turbinado/raw sugar (optional)

In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave.  You want it liquid, but not boiling hot.  Add in the instant espresso or coffee powder, and stir well.  Let the coffee infuse the butter for 5-10 minutes, while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

Preheat your oven to 350°. Grease the bottom and partway up the sides of an 8" x 4" loaf pan.

In a large bowl whisk together flour(s), baking soda and salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture and set aside.

In a separate medium bowl combine the beaten egg, granulated sugar, banana, milk and vanilla. Once the coffee butter has finished infusing, add the butter into the wet ingredients and stir well.  Break up any little clumps of coffee than may have not dissolved.

Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened.  The batter will be lumpy. Spoon into the prepared pan. If desired, sprinkle with the espresso or raw sugar.  Honestly, I don't feel this bread needs it at all, but some folks like things sweeter.  You do you.

Bake for 60 - 70 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on the rack.

Cranberry Olive Oil Cake

I've been following the Mediterranean Diet which focuses on lots of colorful veggies, whole grains, fish high in Omega-3's, and healthy fats in the form of nuts and olive oil.  Meanwhile I  had some cranberries to use up in the freezer.  (Being a New Englander exiled to the South, I stock up on them when they show up in stores in the fall, and hoard them all year long in my freezer.)  So the question becomes, how do you use up cranberries in a baked good that tastes great, but also adheres to the whole grains and healthy fats Mediterranean Diet?  Make an olive oil cake!

Cranberry Olive Oil Cake 
Ingredients:
grated orange zest from 1-2 oranges
1 cup coconut palm sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 ounce bag cranberries
3 eggs at room temperature
juice from 1-2 oranges, plus water to make 1 cup
1 cup olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a bunt pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs together with the sugar and orange zest.  Beat for a few minutes and then slowly pour in the apple sauce, orange juice and then the olive oil.

With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour mixture, leaving out 1/4 cup of flour.  Mix until all the wet & dry ingredients have been incorporated.

Toss the cranberries with the remaining flour. 

Gently fold in the flour coated cranberries with a spatula.  Do not crush the berries. 

Pour in the batter into the bundt pan and bake on the center rack in your oven for 1 hour. 

Remove from oven and let cool almost completely before removing it from the bundt pan.

If desired you can top the finished (cooled) cake with a powdered sugar glaze, or a drizzle of honey and some chopped nuts, but I found it lovely just the way it was.