baking » Living Lou

Holiday Recipes

Can you believe that it’s Christmas again? I swear, each year it comes faster and faster and I become less and less prepared. As in, I just did my Christmas shopping yesterday – 3 days before Christmas. What is everyone planning for Christmas? We’re having some family over as usual, and will be making a turkey and all the fixings and some yummy desserts. Of course, I’m still thinking about a few hors d’oevres to serve before the meal. Now that is planning at its finest my friends!

Christmas is definitely one of my favourite times of the year. It’s so wonderful and happy and festive and fun. I also love ugly Christmas sweaters – I have a wide range and keep adding to my collection each year. I think everyone needs at least one, preferably two or more, ugly Christmas sweaters. I wish I had an ugly Christmas sweater with our little friend Santa peaking in the bottom of the photo above. Now that would be a good one.

Last year my cookie spread wasn’t the greatest because, well, I ate all the cookies before Christmas. Shh. I just can’t help snacking when they’re sitting out there all nice and pretty. This year I made five types of cookies and they were all winners and will all be present in the cookie spread. I promise.

Ginger Molasses Cookies

Chocolate Snow Caps

For me, Christmas is all about tradition. I look forward to my Aunt Mari’s stuffing, and my dad’s mashed potatoes. Christmass Eve always includes watching A Christmas Story and singing carols and the opening of the first gift – a new pair of pajamas. While Christmas is a time for tradition, sometimes there are some side dishes that you can throw into the mix, while remaining traditional they are still a little different and add a nice element to the meal.

Green Beans in Vinaigrette

And then of course you can’t forget Christmas desserts. We usually have two desserts, I’ll make one (always involving chocolate) and my mom makes her trifle which has a gluten free cake base and layers of custard, strawberries and whipped cream. It’s definitely a well loved dessert.

Last year I made a chocolate layer cake with chocolate mousse filling, but there was a dessert which I made earlier this year, the Flourless Chocolate Cake and I just can’t resist making it again. It’s so rich and decadent, and finishing off Christmas dinner with a small slice of flourless chocolate cake is a great way to end an amazing time.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

I’m looking forward to all the delicious food, spending time with friends and family and general feeling of Christmas that will occupy the next few days. Will be back to regular posting in the New Year! If you’re looking for some Holiday tips check out my latest posts on The Kit Stress-Free Holidays, Wellness Gift Ideas and Six Easy Health Tips.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and holiday season!

- Lou

Cinnamon Swirl Muffins

After those Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins a couple of weeks ago I knew that I had fallen in love with muffins again. And you know what this means, they are going to be getting baked in the Living Lou kitchen a lot more often. So when I was assigned the wonderful blog Busy-at-Home for this month’s Secret Recipe Club I was on the hunt for muffins.

Glenda, who is the face behind Busy-at-Home is such an inspiring person. I was so happy to be assigned her blog which is filled with recipes, such as these No Bake Peanut Butter Bars (which I have already made!) She also has great reviews and lots of fun giveaways. What I found the coolest about Glenda is how passionate she is about homeschooling. You may not know this about me, but I’m passionate about many things, so to see someone who is as equally passionate about something she believes in is so inspiring! What it boils down to folks, is that Glenda is a pretty amazing person and I just reading her About page brings a smile to my face.

These Cinnamon Swirl Muffins come out of her Cinnamon Roll Cake I took her delicious sounding cake recipe and adapted it into a Living Lou favourite – the muffin! These muffins are sweet and make a nice snack, not the healthiest, but made with whole wheat flour.

Cinnamon Swirl Muffins (makes 6-8)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce

Cinnamon Swirl

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tbsp cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 and line a muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl whisk together whole wheat flour, salt, cloves, baking powder and sugar.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, vanilla and apple sauce.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, gently mixing. Do not over-mix! Scoop batter into muffin tin.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, combine meltedbutter, sugar, whole wheat flour and cinnamon. Spoon a little over a teaspoon of the cinnamon swirl onto the top of each muffin. Create the swirl using a knife, by drawing it through the batter.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until fully cooked.

Hope you’re having a great Monday!

- Lou

Coconut Topped Brownies

Hi world! Want to know a secret? I’m a little in over my head at the moment, but as a college student, I mean, who isn’t? Want to know another secret? Today, I’ve eaten more chocolate chips than anything else. I don’t think my nutrition teacher would be very please with me. Oh well, my mind is happy and soothed.

You know something that is not a secret? My love for brownies. Seriously, I love them. If brownies were an animal, they would definitely be my spirit animal. Does anyone else remember that spirit animal phase from The O.C? AKA, the time when Summer went to Brown, slightly lost her mind, and then when Seth visits he discovers that his spirit animal is an Otter. This phase of The OC is also remembered, not too fondly, as the steep, downhill, turn for the worst ending of a one time fabulous show. Why am I talking about spirit animals?

Back to brownies, now these are some delicious brownies, perfectly fudgey and topped with coconut which caramelizes in the oven – hello heaven! While I do love to share healthy recipes, sometimes, all you need is a good brownie, or three. If you’re in the mood for some healthy talk, check out my most recent posts on The Kit, but if you’re having a day where brownies are required, please make these.

Coconut Topped Brownies (makes 15)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

4 oz semisweet chocolate
2 tbsp butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup apple sauce
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder

Topping

3/4 cup unsweetened coconut
2 1/2 tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3 tbsp brown sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 and line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper.

Melt chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. Set aside and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together applesauce, eggs and vanilla.

In a large bowl, whisk sugar, flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together. Stir in the liquid ingredients. Finally mix in the cooled, melted chocolate. Pour batter into the lined pan.

Prepare the topping by mixing the coconut, melted butter, chopped walnuts and brown sugar together. Evenly spoon on top of brownies.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Lastly, place the brownies for 1-2 minutes under the broiler, or until topping is caramelized.

Please enjoy these brownies, I’m going to find out what my real spirit animal is.

- Lou

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

It’s been far too long since I’ve talked about muffins. These whole wheat pumpkin muffins popped into my mind on Sunday. I had picked up a can of pumpkin puree at the store and was in the mood for some fall baking; I’d already made Pumpkin Pancakes and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread so naturally, muffins came to mind. Now, these muffins aren’t your regular muffins, they are loaded with chocolate chips, pecans and topped with a cinnamon pecan streusel, all while remaining healthy. They are made with whole wheat flour and with no added butter or oil to the actual muffin (there is butter in the streusel topping).

These muffins make the perfect treat to bake over this last October weekend and the perfect snack as we transition into November and prepare ourselves for duh, duh, duh… The Holidays. Whether it’s Thanksgiving, or preparations for Christmas or Hannukkah, November and December are often two of the busiest months of the year. So if I were a doctor, I would prescribe you all to make some whole wheat pumpkin muffins, and munch on them while relaxing, whether it be watching a favourite movie or reading a book. Enjoy these last autumn days doing some fall baking and playing in the leaves with your kids and taking them trick-or-treating.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins (makes 8-10 medium sized muffins)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla

Streusel Topping (makes 1/2-3/4 cup)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

*Streusel Topping may be frozen.

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line or grease a muffin tin.

In a large bowl whisk together all dry ingredients including spices and pecans and chocolate chips.

In another bowl, whisk pumpkin puree, honey, eggs and vanilla.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir together. At first, it may seem as though there are not enough wet ingredients, but stir and it will distribute evenly.

Scoop into lined or greased muffin tins, top with streusel topping and bake for 18-20 minutes.

I hope you enjoy these whole wheat pumpkin muffins and this last week of October!

- Lou

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

With October just a few days away, I, and many food bloggers seem to have pumpkin on the brain. Speaking of October being a few days away, I’m sorry, where did September go? With September coming to a close, I now have two posts up on The Kit – check them out here.

Anyways, all day I have recipe ideas popping into my head, pumpkin-this and pumpkin-that. Seriously I have at least 10 ideas involving pumpkin floating around my brain. There isn’t room for much more up there, which may be why my test didn’t go so well the other day… woops. Don’t worry though, Living Lou isn’t going to be all pumpkin all the time, only some of the time. And today is one of those days where pumpkin is the secret, or not so secret, ingredient.

Last weekend, a good friend of mine was back in town visiting from university and she was coming over for breakfast. Being the pumpkin fanatic that I am, I quickly texted her and asked if she would rather banana pancakes, cinnamon pancakes or pumpkin pancakes. Expecting her to say cinnamon, I was ecstatic when she quickly replied with “PUMPKIN!!!!!”. See, it’s not only food bloggers who are pumpkin crazy.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes (makes 8 pancakes)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup white flour
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup milk
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
3 tbsp melted butter + butter for frying
1 egg

Directions

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.

In a medium bowl whisk together wet ingredients.

Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Whisk until combined.

Melt butter over medium-low heat Using a ladle, ladle the batter into the pan. You can use the bottom of the ladle to spread the batter if necessary. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until you see bubbles form in the center of the pancake. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until fully cooked.

Serve with maple syrup.

Does anyone else have pumpkin on the brain?

- Lou