Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip-Oatmeal Cookies

This is another Smitten Kitchen recipe that I couldn’t resist trying. I love baked goods that incorporate whole wheat flour and this one also includes oat bran and old-fashioned rolled oats. 🙂

The recipe was adapted from Smitten Kitchen.com. I modified the size and baking time and refrigerated the rationed dough overnight.

Yield: about 20 (1 1/2 tablespoon) cookies or 10 (3 tablespoon) cookies

• 4 T (50 g) raw or turbinado sugar
• 1/2 cup (95 g) dark or light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup (95 g) whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat flour) or medium rye flour
• 1/4 cup (25 g) oat bran, wheat germ, wheat bran, or finely chopped nuts (such as walnuts)
• 1 1/2 cups (120 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup (6 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
• flaky sea salt, optional

1. In a large bowl, beat sugars, butter, and salt together until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2. Add egg and vanilla; beat until mixed.
3. Sprinkle baking powder and baking soda over the batter and beat until very well-combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat again.
4. Scrape the bowl down and add the flour, oat bran (or another option), oats, and chocolate; mix just until the flour disappears.
5. Using a 1 1/2 tablespoon or 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, ration the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
6. When ready to bake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees, preferably on convection. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Arrange the mounds of dough 2 inches apart for smaller scoops or 3 inches apart for larger scoops on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with a couple flakes of sea salt.
8. Bake 1 1/2 tablespoon cookies for about 10 minutes and 3 tablespoon cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time, or until golden brown all over.
9. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.

Note: Extra dough will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days and longer in the freezer. Freeze rationed scoops of dough on a tray and transfer to a freezer bag when solid. If baking frozen scoops of dough, add 1 to 2 minutes to the baking time.

Oat Bran Bread

This is the ultimate peanut butter and jelly sandwich bread. Super moist whole grain bread with subtle sweetness.

The original recipe made 3 loaves which seemed like a little much to me… I made half the recipe and baked it in my favorite Pullman loaf pan. Perfect!

This recipe was adapted from Kathleen’s Bake Shop Cookbook: The Best Recipes from Southampton’s Favorite Bakery for Homestyle Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Muffins and Breads by Kathleen King. I doubled the wheat bran in lieu of using wheat germ, used 1 percent milk in lieu of skim, and made half the recipe as a Pullman loaf.

Yield: Makes 1 Pullman loaf (double the recipe makes 3 standard loaves)

• 1 1/8 tsp dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 3/4 cups skim or 1 percent milk
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1 T canola oil
• 1/2 T coarse salt
• 1 3/4 cups oat bran
• 1 whole wheat flour
• 2 T wheat germ
• 2 T wheat bran
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, separated

1. In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over the warm water. Stir until dissolved and set aside for 5 minutes.
2. In a saucepan, heat milk and add molasses, oil, and salt. Cool to lukewarm.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together oat bran, whole wheat flour, wheat germ, wheat bran, and 1 1/2 cups of the all-purpose flour.
4. Add cooled milk mixture and oat bran-flour mixture to yeast mixture. Beat for 5 minutes.
5. Stir in remaining 1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour.
6. Turn out onto a lightly floured board, and knead until smooth and elastic.
7. Transfer dough to a large oiled bowl; brush top with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk. (I placed mine in a proofing oven for 1+ hours.)
8. Punch down the dough and form into a loaf. Put into a greased Pullman loaf pan.
9. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. (I placed mine in a proofing oven for 1+ hours.)
10. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees, preferably on convection, for 35 to 45 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped with your finger.

One Year Ago:

• Apple Dutch Baby

Two Years Ago:

• Oatmeal Toasting & Sandwich Bread

Three Years Ago:

• Popovers

Whole Wheat-Bartlett Pear Crumb Cake

This cake was nutty, earthy, and really really moist. The entire house smelled absolutely incredible while it baked- much of the credit should be given to the orange zest in the batter. Even more wonderful orange flavor was added after the cake was removed from the oven when fresh orange juice was drizzled all over the top. Fabulous!

This recipe was adapted from Huckleberry: Stories, Secrets, and Recipes from our Kitchen by Zoe Nathan with Josh Loeb and Laurel Almerinda. I weighed whole roasted almonds and then finely ground them in a mini food processor instead of using store-bought almond flour. I used fat-free Greek yogurt instead of whole plain yogurt. I also substituted oat bran for the toasted wheat germ in the original recipe. Wheat bran or ground flaxseed would also work as substitutes. I also baked the cake in a 9-inch springform pan instead of a 10-inch cake pan.

The authors offer seasonal adaptations to this recipe by substituting blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, apricots, peaches, or figs for the pears. Yummy!

Yield: Makes one 9-inch cake

For the Topping:

• 1/2 cup (110 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 55 g (1/2 cup plus 2 T) almond flour
• 20 g (1/4 cup plus 2 T) rolled oats
• 50 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 30 g (1/4 cup) whole wheat flour
• 3 T all-purpose flour
• 2 T oat bran, toasted wheat germ, wheat bran, or ground flaxseed
• 2 T light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp coarse salt
• 20 g (1/4 cup) sliced almonds

For the Cake:

• 170 g (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
• 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 2 T light brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp coarse salt
• 1 T pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 160 g (1 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
• 55 g (3/4 cup) oat bran, toasted wheat germ, wheat bran, or ground flaxseed
• 25 g (1/4 cup) almond flour
• 3 T rye flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup (240 ml) plain yogurt (I used fat-free Greek yogurt)
• zest of 1 orange, *fruit reserved*
• 3 pears, peeled and thickly sliced into 6 pieces each (I used Bartlett pears)

To Make the Topping:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the butter, almond flour, oats, granulated sugar, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, wheat germ, brown sugar, and salt. Blend with a pastry blender until homogenous.
2. Add sliced almonds and blend with your fingers. Refrigerate until needed.

To Make the Cake:

1. Position a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line and grease a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and cooking spray.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Incorporate the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl well.
4. Pause mixing and all the all-purpose flour, wheat germ, almond flour, rye flour, baking powder, baking soda, yogurt, and orange zest. Mix cautiously, just until incorporated. Do not over mix!
5. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and cover evenly with the pears.
6. Top with the crumble, allowing a little fruit to poke through.
7. Bake for 1 hour 5 minutes or up to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Do not over bake!
8. Allow to cool for 15 minutes in the pan; then squeeze the orange over the entire cake.
9. Remove the side of the pan and gently pull the parchment paper from every nook and cranny of the cake.

Note: This cake is best served the day it is made, but it will keep, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 days at room temperature.

One Year Ago:

• Jacques Pepin’s Plum Galette
• Oat Cake with Blackberries & Blueberries

Two Years Ago:

• Buttermilk Cake with Raspberries
• Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp

Whole Wheat Oat Bran-Raisin Muffins

I had to squeeze a healthy baked good into our Easter weekend! These whole wheat-bran muffins are very moist and tasty. I baked them in my Easter egg-shaped pan, but of course they could be made in a standard muffin pan. This recipe was adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman.

Yield: 9 egg-shaped muffins or 12 standard muffins

• 3 T grapeseed or other neutral oil
• 1 cup oat bran
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, honey, or molasses
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk, plus more if needed (I used 1 percent)
• 1/2 cup raisins

1. Preheat the over to 375 degrees (if using a non-stick/dark pan) or 400 degrees for a standard pan. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan or line it with paper liners.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Beat together the egg, milk, and oil. (I do this in the measuring cup to save dishes!)
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Using a large spoon or rubber spatula, combine the ingredients swiftly, stirring and folding rather than beating and stopping as soon as all the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter should be lumpy, not smooth, and thick but quite moist; add a little more milk or other liquid if necessary.
5. Fold in the raisins.
6. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling them about two-thirds full and handling the batter as little as possible. (I had to use my egg pan twice, so I filled the empty cups with water on the second batch.)
7. Bake for 12-14 minutes (convection), or until the muffins are nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of them comes out clean.
8. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before taking them out of the pan. Serve warm.

One Year Ago:

• Blueberry Scones

Oat Bran Blackberry Muffins

I love blackberries! These blackberry muffins are wonderful, moist, tender, and just sweet enough. We ate them warm from the oven on an unseasonably cool summer morning. A great special breakfast. 🙂 This recipe was adapted from Everyday Food. I substituted whole wheat flour for some of the all-purpose flour and sprinkled the top of the muffins with vanilla bean-infused turbinado sugar.

• Yield: Makes 12 muffins

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
• 2/3 cup oat bran
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 cups blackberries, cut in half
• turbinado sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 12 standard muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners. Whisk together flour, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat butter and 1/2 cup sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in 2 additions, alternating with buttermilk, and beat until combined. Fold in blackberries.
3. Divide batter among muffin cups and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out with moist crumbs attached, 16 minutes (in a convection oven), rotating pan halfway through. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes, then transfer muffins to rack and let cool completely.

Note: Muffins can be stored in an airtight container, up to 3 days.