Elizabeth is 25!

Well, the day is finally upon us. It's Elizabeth's birthday! Only one other day might be as important (my birthday) but ultimatley, she is older, cooler and much more experienced in the baking/cooking area so November 22nd will be dubbed "The most important day of the year." Without it, we wouldn't have Elizabeth and then I wouldn't have my other half and then I  wouldn't have my baking partner and then we wouldn't have Apron Afternoons (since it was her idea) and then...well you get the idea. Since I couldn't be with the birthday princess today, I didn't get to bake her a cake.  So I want to share with you one of Elizabeth's and my previous baking adventures which took place about two weeks ago when she came home and we had the afternoon to do what we love and do it together. We had one of those I-want-to-stay-in-the-kitchen-and-bake-all-afternoon days. We both had a couple recipes stored up that we wanted to bake, so with our butter supply stocked, we picked two recipes and got to work.


Here are the results:

"Crack" pie: a delicious with its oat cookie crust and brown sugary type filling. A great pie recipe I have never seen and definitely worth making. The oat cookie crust might be a new staple pie crust. 

Peanut butter banana bread with chocolate chips: a classic banana bread loaded with lost of great flavors that took the bread to a whole new level. I have never been a banana bread lover, but this bread was addicting.

"Crack" Pie Recipe:

From: Bon Appetit

Ingredients: 

Oat Cookie Crust:

- 9 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 5 1/2 tbsp golden brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 1 large egg

- 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/8 tsp. baking powder
- 1/8 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Filling:

- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup golden brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. nonfat dry milk powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 6 1/2 tbsp. heavy whipping cream
- 4 egg yolks

- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- powdered sugar; for dusting
Directions for cookie crust:
preheat oven to 350 F. Line a metal baking pan with parchment paper; coat with nonstick spray. Combine 6 tbsp. butter, 4 tbsp. brown sugar, and 2 tbsp. sugar in medium bowl.

Using mixer, beat mixture until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping the sides of bowl. Add egg; beat until pale and fluffy. Add oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat until well blended.

Turn oat mixture out onto prepared baking pan; press out evenly to edges of pan. Bake until light golden on top, 17 to 18 minutes. 
Transfer baking pan to rack and cool cookie completely.

Using hands, crumble oat cookie into large bowl; add 3 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar. Rub in with fingertips until mixture is moist enough to stick together. 

Transfer cookie crust mixture to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. 

Using fingers, press mixture evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie dish. Place pie dish with crust on rimmed baking sheet.

Oh, look who I found. The birthday girl herself.

Filling:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk both sugars, milk powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add melted butter and whisk until blended. 

Add cream, then egg yolks and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Pour filling into crust. 

Bake pie 30 minutes (filling may begin to bubble). Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
Continue to bake pie until filling is brown in spots and set around edges but center still moves slightly when pie dish is gently shaken, about 20 minutes longer. Cool pie 2 hours in pie dish on rack. Chill uncovered overnight. 
Sift powdered sugar lightly over top of pie. Cut pie into wedges and serve cold.
We ate it warm with ice cream! just as good.

Banana bread recipe:

From: For Goodness Sake

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup unbleached flour

- 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

- 6 tbsp. white sugar

- 6 tbsp. brown sugar, packed

- 1 tsp. baking powder

- 1/2 tsp. baking soda

- 1/4 tsp. salt

- 3 medium very ripe bananas, mashed 

- 1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter

- 2 tbsp. plain fat-free yogurt

- 1 large egg

- 2 tbsp. canola oil

- 3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips tossed in 1 tbsp.flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 9X5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray; add a strip of parchment paper to bottom of pan for easy removal.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl.

 In another bowl or bowl of mixer, mix bananas, peanut butter, yogurt, egg, vanilla, and oil.

Fold in flour mixture until no streaks of flour remain, then gently fold in chocolate chips. Scrape batter into loaf pan. 

Bake 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out with few moist crumbs. Cool in pan on wire rack 15 minutes; carefully remove from pan and allow to cool completely on wire rack before slicing.

-Sarah-