Aunt Cathy emailed me a request for brunch recipes, so I thought I'd post a couple of my favorites.
5 Grain Rolled Cereal Daybreak Cookies
I believe I got this recipe from the Cooking Light board (although it's by no means light). I made these for friends who were traveling through Rochester and spent the night at our house. They wanted to get an early start, so I thought I'd make them something that they could eat in the car without making a mess. I kept some for us, of course. Coconut is not usually my favorite ingredient, but it added a great flavor and texture to this recipe.
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups five-grain cereal (I used oats)
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecan halves -- chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Blend melted butter and sugar with a whisk until smooth. Add vanilla and egg to butter mixture and mix well. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cereal. Stir flour mixture into egg and butter mixture until just combined. Add remaining ingredients, mix until combined. Drop 1 1/2 inch balls (about 2 tbsp per ball) onto parchment lined cookie sheets.
Bake 10 minutes or until lightly brown on edges but still soft in the middle. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheets and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Makes 20 cookies.
Swedish Coffee Cake
A former neighbor brought this to me when I had one of my babies, and I begged her for the recipe. I was surprised at the ingredients. It doesn't taste like boxed mixes, and it doesn't taste strongly of butterscotch. By the way, I'm not sure what is Swedish about it.
Cake:
1 package yellow cake mix
1 package instant butterscotch pudding (vanilla also works)
4 eggs
2/3 cup oil
3/4 cup water
Streusel (mix together):
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Glaze (mix together):
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together all the cake ingredients and beat for 10 minutes. (Why so long? I don't know.) Grease and flour Bundt or tube pan well (Baker's Joy or another cooking spray with flour works great.) Pour 1/3 of the batter into the pan. Sprinkle with struesel and use a knife to swirl. Repeat two times. Bake 35-40 minutes, until tester comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes in pan, then turn onto a baking rack or plate. Cool completely. Drizzle with glaze.
