Auntie M's PB Pancakes

Pancakes in general are pretty straightforward.
A basic recipe reads something like:

1 cup flour                        3/4 cup milk
1 tsp baking powder        1 egg
1 tbsp sugar                     1 tsp vanilla


Mix in a bowl and fry in a pan.  Simple!  For the more adventurous, you can add or substitute ingredients as desired, such as adding chopped apples or jam or cocoa powder or chocolate chips, berries... the list goes on, really! 

My own culinary tastes tend to go against anything basic, so I have used this quick from the brain recipe and modified it to make a tasty, filling and healthy breakfast option!

Auntie M's PB Pancakes  (Peanut Butter & Banana)
yields approx 15 med-sized pancakes

In small bowl mix together the following dry ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour (can use whole wheat if you like)
1/4 cup oat or wheat bran
1 tsp (heaping) baking powder
dash of sea salt

Set aside the dry ingredients.  In a medium/large bowl, blend together

1/2 cup unsweetened organic peanut butter
1/2 cup liquid honey
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 large ripe banana
1 tsp vanilla

Tip: I used a Magic Bullet to blend the milk, banana and vanilla together - way easier than doing it by hand.  I also melted the PB and Honey so that the texture was easier to combine with the other moist ingredients.

Stir the dry ingredients into the larger bowl until well blended.  The batter will be a little lumpy, that's ok!

Drop portions of the batter onto a prepared frying surface.  Flip when small bubbles have formed on top - careful not to burn them!

Enjoy 'as is' or with jam.  Because there is so much honey, they shouldn't need to be sweetened anymore, although I would never object to a splash of maple syrup!!

Baker's Day

Today I made some delicious treats that are not only tasty, but also good for me (and likely you too!)

First on the board was a batch of banana muffins, with a twist! Because I'm completely incapable of following a recipe from beginning to end as written, here is how I put these yummy breakfast bites together!

Banana Bran Muffins à la Auntie M.

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C)

In a small bowl, whisk together the following dry ingredients and set aside:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup oat bran
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl mix together:
- 1/3 cup raw honey
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (rice or soy milk will work too)
- 2 med size ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil

Add dry ingredients to the large bowl and stir until just mixed. Let sit 5 min.

While waiting, chop up the following 'extras' into fine pieces:
- 2/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup walnuts (can be replaced with almonds or pecans, as desired)
- 1/2 cup ground flax

Fold extras into dough and divide out into muffin pan (should be just enough for 12 med/large). Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in tray.

Base recipe from 'The Complete Baking Cookbook' by George Geary, published by Robert Rose Inc. Modifications include select ingredients and process.

The second thing I made was a batch of my all-time favourite cookies. They're my fav because they don't need a lot of sugar to be really good, and they are packed with healthy fillers so that I don't have to feel too bad about eating them *snicker*.

What also makes these cookies special is that they are from a cookbook given to me by my dad right before he died, so they have extra meaning for me and I can remember him every time I make them... which is often!

Apple-Cranberry Oat Cookies à la Auntie M.

In a small bowl, whisk together the following dry ingredients and set aside:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup wheat or oat bran
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg

In a large, warm bowl cream together the following ingredients, mixing after the addition of each additional item:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup raw honey
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla

Add flour mixture to the large bowl and stir until well blended. Fold in the following fillers:
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats (not instant oats)
- 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup chopped apple (golden delicious work well, nothing too sweet or too tart)

Drop heaping spoons of cookie dough onto a prepared cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned (will depend on your oven).

Base recipe from 'Dietitians of Canada - Cook Great Food' published by Robert Rose Inc. Modifications include select ingredients and quantity. Original recipe says it makes 36 but I only ever get 15-20 doz at 1.5 oz per cookie.