Candace in the Kitchen

Archive for the ‘Miscellaneous’ Category

This is the best granola I have ever had. I will never buy it from the store again when this is so easy to make, so delicious and has no preservatives.

Please excuse that HORRIBLE picture. I will replace it with another one when I make it again.

Source: Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Polifito

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats

1 t cinnamon

1 t salt

3 T plus 1 t vegetable oil (I use canola oil and probably not 3 T, just enough so that the misture is moist)

1/4 c honey

1/4 c light brown sugar, packed

1 t pure vanilla extract

1/3 c whole almonds (I use sliced)

1/3 c whole hazelnuts (I could only find chopped, so I use those, probably 1/2 cup)

1/3 c golden raisins

1/3 c dried cherries

1/3 c dried cranberries (not in original recipe, but I like them)

Preheat oven to 325° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

In a large bowl, mix oats, cinnamon and salt

In a medium bowl, mix oil, honey, brown sugar and vanilla

Pour honey over oat mixture and stir to combine. You may have to use your hands a little bit. Just squeeze it to make a few clumps.

Pour onto baking sheet and spread evenly.

Bake for 10 minutes then flip granola over (I just kind of stir it around).

Sprinkle almonds over the top and bake for 5 minutes.

Stir granola around then sprinkle with hazelnuts.

Bake for 10 more minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Sprinkle raisins, cherries and cranberries over the granola and transfer to an airtight container.

Will keep for one week. (I’ve never had it last long enough to test that out though.)

As soon as I saw the Hello Kitty Cake Pops on Bakerella’s website I knew I had to make them, I just didn’t have an occasion. Then I remembered that Punkie was turning four (today!) and I talked her into a Hello Kitty themed party so I could make the pops as favors. This was about a month ago.

I came home today and baked the cake, let it cool, mixed in the frosting and got as far as getting them shaped, on the sticks and attaching the ears.

It was all downhill from there.

The candy melts were way too thick no matter how much I reheated them. It was making a super thick coating on the HK heads and when I tried to lightly tap it off they broke apart. I  think my HK heads may have been too big/heavy.

I read something on the package about adding vegetable shortening but I didn’t have any on hand (because it’s gross and I never use it) so I just dumped the heads in the trash with the candy melts and called it a night.

I know- a couple hours of work wasted, but I didn’t want to fuss with them into the wee hours of the morning and I definitely didn’t want to serve the cake pops as they were. They looked like those creepy hairless cats. Not cool.

I will try these again sometime, when I have plenty of time and without the pressure of a birthday party the next day.