Coffeehouse Coffee Cake Muffins

Ingredients
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease or line 12 muffin cups. Combine pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, set aside.

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar and salt. Just give it a little stir with your spoon or spatula.
Take 8 tablespoons of your butter, slice into small pieces and drop into flour. Using pastry blender, mix butter into the flour until butter is small and crumbly. It only takes a minute or two.

Remove 1 cup of flour mixture and add it to brown sugar mixture

Stir with a fork to blend and add in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, you can melt the butter or just soften it in the microwave (this is what I did) creating a nice crumb streusel topping. 

Remove 3/4 cup of streusel and set aside.

Add baking powder and baking soda to remaining flour mixture.

Combine egg, sour cream and vanilla till well blended and creamy. I did this in the 2 cup measuring cup I used to measure my sour cream. 

Add sour cream mixture to flour mixture and stir just till all combined and moist. Batter will look lumpy. 

Now add the 3/4 cup of streusel topping to your batter, just fold it in so it's evenly distributed.
Spoon batter evenly into muffin tins.

Now start topping with the streusel. You'll need to press the streusel into the batter a bit to keep it all in.

Place in oven and bake for 18-25 minutes. Start checking at 18 minutes by inserting a toothpick, the only thing that should be on the toothpick might me some of the crumb topping. Mine took about 22 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks.

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Pecan Cheesecake Pie Fudge

Ingredients:

For the Crust and Filling:

16 saltine crackers

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

For the Cheesecake Fudge:

3 cups white chocolate chips

1-1/2 tablespoons butter

pinch of salt

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

1-1/2 cups marshmallow cream

1 – 3.4 ounce instant cheesecake pudding mix

1 cup pecans, chopped

Method:

For the crust and filling:

Preheat the oven to 220C. Line an 8x8 inch baking dish with baking paper.

Arrange the saltine biscuits in an even layer on the bottom of the dish.

In a medium saucepan, bring the butter and brown sugar to the boil over a medium-high heat. Cook for 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the condensed milk. Pour over the crackers.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Set aside and make the fudge topping.

For the cheesecake fudge:

In a medium saucepan combine the white chocolate chips, butter, salt and condensed milk. Heat until all is melted and smooth.

Add the pudding mix and stir until the mix dissolves.

Add the marshmallow and stir until melted and smooth.

Pour hot fudge over filling. Smooth using a plastic spatula.

Sprinkle on pecans, pressing down gently with the palm of your hand.

Refrigerate until set.

Remove from the fridge and cut into squares.

Pecan Pie Bars

Ingredients:

For crust:

250g unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup packed soft brown sugar

2 2/3 cups flour

2.5ml salt

For topping:

1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar (I used dark)
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 cups chopped pecans

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 180º and line a 9×13-inch pan with baking paper, leaving enough for a 2-inch overhang on all sides.

First make the crust by creaming together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy with a mixer. Add in the flour and salt and mix until crumbly.

Press the crust into the paper-lined pan and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

 

While the crust bakes, prepare the filling by combining the butter, brown sugar, honey and heavy cream in a saucepan and stirring it over medium heat. Simmer the mixture for 1 minute, then stir in the chopped pecans.

Remove the crust from the oven and immediately pour the pecan filling over the hot crust spreading it to cover the entire surface.

Return the pan to the oven and bake an additional 20 minutes.

Remove the pan and allow the bars to fully cool in the pan.

Use the paper overhang to lift out the bars and transfer them to a cutting board. Peel off the paper, slice into bars and serve.

Chocolate Pecan Nut Freezer Fudge

Everybody loves fudge. This is a different way to make it that I thought I would try. 

At room temperature coconut oil may be a thick white semi-solid; don't be tempted to melt it as this is not necessary. It will whip up to a thick creamy texture without bringing it back to a liquid consistency  Use whatever nuts you prefer to make a different variety of fudge. If you prefer vanilla fudge, substitute icing sugar for cocoa powder and add 5ml vanilla essence.

This fudge can be stored in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for a month or two.

Ingredients:

500ml coconut oil

250ml cacao powder

85ml maple syrup

375ml cups Pecan nuts , roughly chopped

Method:

Whip coconut oil in a bowl with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until fluffy.

Add cocoa powder and maple syrup and continue to whip for about a minute, scraping the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the mixture, until completely combined.

Add the walnuts and fold in gently to combine.

Spread into a 9x9 inch baking pan, lined with baking paper, and chill in the fridge for at least an hour to set. Cut into squares and serve. 

Banana Nut Muffins

As a family, we love to have muffins with breakfast.

With lots of fibre and minerals,

these banana muffins make a great energy boost for the start of your day.

Research has shown that banana,

believed to be the first fruit cultivated by man,

can increase alertness and help children with concentration in school.

You could say,

"A banana a day keeps the doctor away,"

as there is hardly an organ in the body that doesn't

benefit from this wonderful fruit.

All the more reason to eat banana muffins!

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Ingredients:

500ml cake flour

250ml whole-wheat flour

250ml white sugar

250ml muscovardo sugar

10ml baking powder

5ml bicarbonate of soda

2ml salt

250g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 extra-large eggs

175ml whole milk

10ml vanilla extract

2 mashed ripe bananas

1 ripe banana, chopped

250ml chopped walnuts or pecan nuts

250ml granola

250ml desiccated coconut

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Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Line one full and one half large muffin pans (18 large muffin cups) with paper liners.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt into a large bowl. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don't over-mix.

Fold the chopped banana, walnuts, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each to the top.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

Spiced Pecans In Chocolate

This makes a lovely home made gift.

Gift box it for a festive present.

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Ingredients:
For the chocolate:
200g milk chocolate
200g dark chocolate
200g white chocolate
75g butter

For the spiced Pecans:
100g butter
125ml Muscovado sugar
2.5ml cayenne pepper
2.5ml ground clove
5ml cinnamon
200g pecan nuts
Fruit such as dried cranberries, blueberries, raisins, glace cherries or crystallised ginger.

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Melt the chocolate in three separate bowls over hot water. To each bowl of chocolate, add 25g butter and mix into the chocolate.
Melt 100g butter in a pan and add the Muscovado sugar. Add the spices and simmer gently until a caramel forms. Add the pecan nuts and mix into the caramel.
Prepare a baking tray, lined with baking paper. Spread the nut caramel in a flat layer on the pan.
Bake for 6 minutes in the oven, 180C, to dry the nuts.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Pour each of the chocolate melts over the tray of nuts randomly. When the chocolate is all poured on, spread so that the tray is all covered and the nuts are evenly spread out. The chocolate will be a little marbled. Try not to mix the different chocolates too much.
Sprinkle over fruits such as dried cranberries, blueberries, raisins, glace cherries or crystallised ginger.
Allow to set before removing from the tray. Break into pieces.