Apple Apricot Nut Tea Bread

This is a bread! It isn't a cake so don't expect a cake like texture. It's great for slicing, and toasting then spread with butter. Of course, it may also be just spread with butter and eaten with your favorite tea. It's a very mild tasting bread, but also very fragrant.

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cups oatmeal

¼ cup flax meal

1 cup sugar

3 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon oil

½ cup half and half

¾ cup of water

1-2 teabags of peach mango tea

1 egg

Juice ½ lemon

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup finely chopped dried apricots

Upside Down Mixture

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter cut into small pieces

½ apple, peeled and cored, sliced into ¼ inch wedges

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

Directions

1.      Line the bottom of a standard sized loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour sides.

2.      Placed sliced apples in a bowl with 1 tablespoon brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix well and arrange in bottom of pan. Make sure the apples remain within the parchment covered area. Dot with small pieces of butter. Set aside

3.      Bring the water to a boil, pour over chopped apricots, ½ cup sugar, and teabags. Add juice of ½ lemon.  Set aside

4.      Measure flour, oatmeal, flax meal, chopped pecans, salt, remaining ½ cup sugar, baking soda and baking powder

5.      Lightly whisk the ½ cup half and half, yogurt and egg together.

6.      Add the wet mixtures to the dry and mix until just combined. Make sure no islands of dry ingredients remain.

7.      Pour batter into the loaf pan, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 55-65 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven. Allow to cool and invert bread to cool on a rack.

Apple Banana Tea Bread

This is a very easy tea bread to make. It is not too sweet and all the ingredients are mixed together in a single bowl.

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

½ cup white sugar

½ cup dark brown sugar

3 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons Greek style plain yogurt

½ cup half and half

1 egg

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cored

2-3 ripe bananas

Juice from half a lemon

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon allspice

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

2.      Grease and line the bottom of a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides. Cut half of the apple into thin slices and arrange at bottom of pan.

3.      Finely grate the remaining half of the apple and place in a mixing bowl, along with the juice of half a lemon. Mash 2-3 ripe bananas (enough to give you 1 cup of “mash”, and add to finely grated apple.

4.      Add the yogurt, egg, and half and half to the apple/banana mixture and set aside.

5.      Measure the flour, baking powder, salt, spices into a mixing bowl.

6.      Add wet to dry ingredients and mix using a paddle attachment on the stand mixer for about 1 minute.

7.      Pour batter into loaf pan and top with cranberries and pumpkin seeds.

8.      Bake for 55-65 minutes until top is brown and cake tester inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then invert on a rack to cool.

 

Oat, Flax and Cranberry Cookies

These are not your usual chewy oatmeal cookies. If you want them soft, just bake for 12-15 minutes, and omit the second baking that dries out the cookie and results in a harder texture. They are filled with breakfast style nutrients that will keep you full for a while. They have a lovely toffee type flavor, and if you like to "dunk" your cookies in coffee or tea, these will hold up well without becoming soft and mushy!
Ingredients

½ cup butter

1/4 cup Almond Butter

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup white sugar

1 egg

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon allspice

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup chopped pecans

½ cup sesame seeds

1 1/2 cup oats

½ cup oat bran

½ cup flax meal

½ cup dried shredded coconut, unsweetened

Directions

1.      Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, along with the spices, and the nuts , sesame seeds and cranberries.

2.      Melt the butters, sugars, water, at low heat. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat. Add vanilla and allow to cool.

3.      Lightly beat egg then add to dry ingredients along with melted butter and sugar mixture.

4.      Mix to form a dough. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons on to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Stop at this point if you want a soft, chewy cookie. For a harder cookie, remove from oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes, and then put back in over at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for another 45 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container.