Pear-Hazelnut Breakfast Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces toasted shelled hazelnuts, chopped
• 2 ripe pears, peeled, chopped, and pureed to applesauce consistency
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• zest of one lemon, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 egg whites plus 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
• 1 cup white flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a standard loaf pan.

In a large bowl, stir together pear puree, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients, including nuts. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until just combined.

Bake for 60-75 minutes or until top is lightly brown and wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm or room temperature.

Serves 10-12.

A practice that has fallen by the wayside in our house is making large batches of muffins and freezing them for later breakfasts — this recipe was in constant rotation. The finished muffins are moist even after the freeze/thaw cycle, but are best warm from the oven. If you’re not a fan of walnuts, mini chocolate chips work well here too!

If you regularly bake with bananas, try buying the bruised ones on sale and freezing them – they mash easier when thawed and there’s no difference in taste.

Banana-Walnut Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup mashed banana
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter, banana, milk, egg, sugar, and vanilla until well-combined.

In a larger bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Pour wet ingredients onto dry and mix until just combined – dry spots and clumping are OK, and the batter will be very thick. Fold in nuts.

Pour into muffin tins and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until skewer inserted in center is mostly clean but still damp.

Makes 12 regular muffins, 8 jumbo muffins, or 3 dozen mini muffins.

Image by Liquid Lucidity

Biscotti is a great treat to have with your coffee on a lazy weekend morning. It’s simple to make, but time-consuming, due to its twice-baked nature. Be sure to keep the finished product sealed tightly in an air-tight container; stale biscotti are soft and blah.

Iced Anise Biscotti

For biscotti:

• 6 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 teaspoons anise extract
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 5 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For icing:

• 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
• 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until very light and fluffy (about 15 minutes with electric mixer). Add eggs, one at a time, and both extracts. Slowly add flour mixture, 1/3 at a time.

Divide dough into fourths. On cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or a silpat, shape each portion into a flat loaf. Bake for 15-20 minutes of until lightly colored. Remove from oven and cool slightly.

With a serrated knife, cut each loaf into 1″ thick slices. Lay each slice flat on a lined baking sheet and return to oven for about 15-20 minutes, flipping slices halfway through cooking. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

While cookies are cooling, whisk together confectioner’s sugar, lemon extract, and milk until mixture is smooth. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Allow icing to dry completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 5-6 dozen cookies.

“Cranberry Light” by Withrow

Scones. They look and taste complicated, but are easy to throw together, even if your caffeine levels are low. They’re excellent fresh, but I also enjoy day-old scones dipped in coffee or tea.

White Chocolate Cranberry Scones

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch salt
• 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• the zest of one orange, finely grated
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup buttermilk, plus extra for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine dry ingredients, including sugar, in a large bowl and mix well. Cut in butter using a pastry blender, fork, or fingers. When butter has been fully incorporated, mixture should resemble clumpy damp sand.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup buttermilk, sour cream, vanilla, and orange peel. Pour over dry ingredients and mix until just moistened and still clumpy. Stir in cranberries and chocolate.

Divide dough into 8 equal portions and form into small rounds. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silpat. Brush tops with reserved buttermilk and bake for 15-20 minutes or until tops begin to color slightly. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a serving basket or cooling rack.

Serves 8.

Some of the best recipes out there are new twists on old foods. This takes the crustless quiche and stands it on its head with the added sweetness of ricotta cheese and orange juice. The result is a cream, fluffy dish that’s sure to be a hit at your next brunch.

Crustless Ricotta Quiche

Ingredients for quiche base:

• 1/4 pound butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Ingredients for ricotta filling:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 pound whole milk ricotta cheese
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

For quiche base: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13″x9″ pan and set aside. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until well-blended. Slowly blend in sour cream and orange juice. Sift together flour and baking powder and stir into the batter. Set aside.

For filling: In a separate bowl, whip the cream and ricotta cheeses until well-combined. Stir in egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla.

Pour half of the quiche base batter into the pre-greased pan. Drop tablespoons of filling mixure onto the batter, spacing them as evenly as possible. Top with remaining batter.

Bake 50-60 minutes, or until center of mixture is set.

Serves 6-8.