honey pistachio cashew cranberry granola

we like having granola on hand around the house to snack on and to put onto yogurt.  i threw together a batch of this granola over the weekend so that we would have it to snack on during the week.  i was originally intending to make this batch into granola bars, but they didn't want to stick together so it just became loose granola.  oh well, still tastes the same!

honey pistachio cashew cranberry granola
total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
yields: approximatley 3 cups
adapted from table for two

ingredients:
2 cups oats
1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted cashews, chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

directions:
in a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, cranberries, chia seeds, and flaxseeds.  in a sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter and the honey together until it comes to a boil.  remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.  pour the hot mixture over the dry ingredients and stir together until all is evenly coated.  pour out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and allow to cool in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

enjoy!

love, laurie

cranberry brown butter pancakes

oh gosh, our love for pancakes runs deep.  i'm so glad that ryan and i have that in common.  there's just something about warm pancakes on a sunday morning that makes you feel like all is right with the world.

we had some fresh cranberries that we wanted to use up, so we decided to incorporate them into our pancakes over the weekend.  the results were delicious!

i typically crave cranberries in the late fall / early winter, but there's no reason we can't enjoy cranberries year round!  tart fresh cranberries meet rich and nutty brown butter in this pancake recipe.  let me tell you, these guys smelled amazing as they cooked on the griddle.

each bite had a little bit of cranberry.  they were so good, and they remind me so much of cranberry muffins, which i love.  these pancakes are perfect topped with some warm maple syrup.

cranberry brown butter pancakes
prep time: 5 minutes
cooking time: 15 minutes
yields: 2-3 servings
adapted from pancakes

ingredients:
2 tablespoons salted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup fresh cranberries, cut in half

directions:
to brown the butter: in a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat, stirring constantly.  once the butter starts to bubble and foam up, watch it very closely.  as soon as the butter begins to turn a deep golden color, remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

in a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar.  in a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and vanilla.  combine the wet ingredients all at once with the dry ingredients.  whisk gently to combine.  whisk in the brown butter.

heat a lightly buttered griddle or frying pan on medium heat.  pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake.  place several cranberries in each pancake.  cook for 3-4 minutes until small bubbles begin to form.  flip the pancakes when they start to bubble, then cook for 2-3 minutes until they are golden brown and cooked throughout.  serve warm, topped with additional cranberries and warm maple syrup.

enjoy!

love, laurie

mini cranberry coffee cake loaves

we really enjoyed staying at home all weekend and not leaving the house, and a lazy winter sunday morning at home in our pajamas called for a fun breakfast.  since we had fresh cranberries at home, i made cranberry coffee cake for breakfast.  it was a lovely treat to go alongside our scrambled eggs.

the cake is super moist and delicious, and the flavor of the tart cranberries goes so well with the sweet batter and the streusel topping.  instead of making one large coffee cake, or individual muffins, i made two mini loafs.  (my mom found these adorable mini loaf pans at michael's craft store last winter.)  i love a recipe that only makes a small amount.  one mini loaf was the perfect size to share, which meant we had one for breakfast and one leftover to enjoy the next day.

mini cranberry coffee cake loafs
prep time: 10 minutes
baking time: 30-35 minutes
yields: 2 mini loafs (5 inch by 3 inch)
adapted from dessert for two

muffin ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup fresh cranberries

streusel ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted

directions:
preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  in a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, sour cream, beaten egg, vanilla, sugar, salt, and spices.  sift the flour, baking powder, and baking soda into the mixture.  whisk together to combine.  fold in the cranberries.  in a separate bowl, stir together all of the streusel ingredients with a fork.

grease two mini loaf pans.  fill the pans half way with the batter, then add about 1/4 of the streusel mixture on top on each.  pour the remaining batter on top and cover with the remaining streusel mixture.  place the loaf pans on a baking sheet, and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loafs comes out clean.  let cook in the pan for 15 minutes before serving.

enjoy!

love, laurie