Strawberry Lemon Pudding Bread (whole wheat, dairy free)

The Weather

0000 1st Sky

Universe 99999

To whomever it may concern,

My name is Mary Frances McNellis and I'm a high school junior.  I'm involved in sports, as are my brothers, and we really enjoy warm weather.  The recent temperatures of 75 were absolutely wonderful.  My athletic shorts haven't felt so loved since last year.  I was wondering if you could continue this stretch of spring weather for several more weeks?  It is March, and many people, including myself, have taken advantage of, and love, these warm temperatures.

I appreciate your time.  Thank you for considering this opportunity.

Mary Frances McNellis 

 

 

 

I've been writing letters to different businesses and people I would like to shadow this spring.  I never would've thought how difficult it would be!  Or maybe I'm just making things difficult.  I want to be formal, so they take me seriously, but at the same time, I don't want to sound like I want their job.  And I want to be personable.  It is a fine line and after more than a week of writing, having Mom rewrite it, then I rewrite it, then formatting, and more editing, they are finally printed and in the mail.  We'll see what happens!

 

 

But for reals, I am so excited about this warm weather!  Getting to wear athletic shorts again?  I know I will be sick of them by this July, but for now, I'm soaking it up.  Yesterday was super windy, so the volleyball tended to blow every direction, making it hard to practice.  If you are ever in the mood, try setting with a basketball.  Seriously, it works.  The basketball is heavy enough that nothing (except for a hurricane) is going to blow it off course.  And then today, it hit 80.  80 DEGREES!  Crazy, right?  But it was amazing, although being hot isn't the best.  It sure beats cold fingers and toes!  Being able to send everyone outside, without boots and snow pants, and gloves was the best. 

  

Another thing I love about warm weather is it means warm weather fruits are almost in season!  Like, strawberries, pineapples, blueberries, peaches, -> yes yes yes!  So, in honor of all that jazz, I made lemon strawberry bread.  Doesn't that sound amazing?

 

 

If you haven't noticed, I have a thing for pudding mix.  I love moist and soft things and since pudding mix guarentees those things, I enjoy tossing a box into whatever I'm baking.  This time, it happened to be bread.  If you haven't noticed, I also have a thing for bread.  But for the first time, I couldn't use Greek yogurt and I ALWAYS have used Greek yogurt.  It makes the bread (you guessed it!) moist and soft, and adds protein.  But since I couldn't use it this time, I turned to new recipe and added a couple things, including lemon pudding mix.  Some mixes aren't dairy free, so double check if that is a big deal.

 

Now, if you don't like the undercooked center in most quick breads, then you won't like this bread.  I'm giving you a fair warning, okay?  I hadn't planned on the pudding mix making the bread this soft, but it amazing!  And I personally am stuffing my face with it, but if that isn't your thing, omit the pudding mix, or find a different recipe. 

Now, if you DO like undercooked centers, then this is the bread for you.  The whole thing is on the verge of being categorized as undercooked.  Plus, the flavor combo of strawberries and lemon is bright and fresh and absolutely delicious.  My Mom especially liked this.  The lemon is really subtle and she admitted the strawberries paired with the lemons perfectly, even though she prefers her strawberries in fresh form and fresh form only.  If you want more lemon punch, add some lemon zest.

Letters in mail: check

Strawberries.: check
Lemon undertones: check

Moist and soft bread: check

Warm weather: pretty please!

 

 

 

Strawberry Lemon Pudding Loaf

Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life.  Adapted from Williams Sonoma

Yield: 12 servings

 

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup +2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar 

1 (4 serving) package instant lemon pudding mix

1 tsp. baking powder 

1/4 tsp. baking soda  
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup almond milk

1/4 cup canola oil 

1 tsp. vanilla extract 
1-1/4 cup strawberries, diced

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease loaf pan.
Combine flours, sugar, lemon pudding mix, powder, and soda.
In another bowl, beat eggs. 
Add lemon juice, almond milk, oil, and vanilla to eggs.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until combined.
Fold in strawberries.
Pour into prepared pan.
Sprinkle reserved strawberries on top, if desired.
Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean or top is lightly browned.  *The back of my oven is hotter than the front, so I turned the bread half way through baking time.*
Let cool overnight before cutting and eating.

Double Chocolate Pudding Brownies

Hi, my name is Mary Frances and I am a brownie snob.

I obviously need help with my diplomacy skills, but I don't think you'll mind when you take a look at these brownies. 

 

If I worked at a brownie factory (which I actually kind of do ... that's a scary thought) this would be my checklist:

 

Super fudgy

Intensely chocolatey

Soft and moist

A little undercooked in the middle

Packed with baking chips, preferably more chocolate.

Crackly edge on top

Melt in your mouth brownie in the middle

 

Check, check, check ...

 

These pass with flying colors.

 



  

Pudding mix has become a pantry staple and not because I love pudding.  Pudding mix is the key to super soft everything.  I've only tried it in cookies, but I thought, why not in brownies?  Pudding mix is basically cornstarch (that is the secret right there) and sugar - how could I hurt anything? 

 

These brownies are the softest, moistest, fudgiest brownies ever. 

 

And the prep work takes only five minutes.  I found myself very short on time and in very much need of a pan of brownies.  Duncan Hines Fudgy Brownie Mix to the rescue!  This is also a pantry staple.  I know some of you have perfected the copycat bersion, but nothing beats mixing egg, water, oil, and a bag of brownie mix when I am stressed and short on time.  Dressing up brownie mixes makes me feel better about myself - I'm not the one bringing store bought desserts, no, not I! 

 

Don't say anything, okay?

 

In my head, using brownie mix and pudding mix makes these practically homemade.  Two negatives make a positive, right? :)  These are positively delicious and the white and dark chocolate chips make them even better.  Plus, what kid is going to pass up white and dark chocolate chip studded brownies?  Not I!

 

Neither did my family - the whole 9x13 pan was gone in a very short time.  The brownie factory is back on call and in hurried business again, as usual.  Time to go find that checklist!



 

 

So, I confessed, I am a brownie snob.  We all are snobs (the word is really bothering me now - it looks so ugly in print!) about some food - my dad is a cinnamon roll snob (though I doubt he would admit it ;) and our whole family are apple snobs (sweet and crunchy is the only way to go.)  How about you?  What food do you hold a high standard for?

 

 

Double Chocolate Pudding Cookies
Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life
Yield: 16-24 servings

1 package instant chocolate pudding mix (the four serving box)
1 (18.5 oz) package brownie mix
1/2 cup oil*
1/4 cup water*
2 eggs*
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Dark and white chocolate chips for sprinkling on top (opt)

Preheat oven to 350.
Beat eggs in a large bowl.
Add water and oil.
Whisk pudding mix and brownie mix together.
Add to wet ingredients and stir.
Fold in dark and white chocolate chips.
Pour into a lightly greased 9x13 pan.
Sprinkle reserved white and dark chocolate chips on top, if desired.
Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Double Fudge Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Happy Monday everyone!

I'm so glad we have nothing on Mondays.  No volleyball, no co-op classes, no football, no doctor appointments, just school.  It's so nice to start the week off slow and have a day to finish everything from the weekend and begin everything for the week. 

If you need a smile this morning, make these cookies. They're incredible. I've made the cookie base before, but instead of chocolate chips, I wanted to use peanut butter chips. 

Guess what. We were out. 

So, I remembered this recipe from Heather's French Press for homemade peanut butter chips!  I froze peanut butter and stuffed it into these cookies, but this time, I followed her recipe, which adds coconut oil and sugar and milk, and froze them in chips. They were a tad bit more difficult to work with because they had to be frozen and stirred in quickly, but they melted into the batter more than store bought chips and packed more of a peanut butter flavor. Totally a win and if you have more time on your hands, use the homemade on chips. They make these cookies even better.

So often, I feel like I'm one thing short. One package of peanut butter chips. Or one point short in a game. Our world offers so many of those situations. For example, one compliment short of popularity. One size short of fulfillment.  One iPhone too late. One thing, one thing. 

But really, how important is that one thing?  I think our world places so much emphasis on the short term, in the moment things. We forget the big picture. In 20 years, will I really care if I had the bag of peanut butter chips or not?  Will I really care whether I could fit into size 4 or 10?  Will I really care if so and so liked my hair?  Is that what I want to matter, that one thing that I made a big deal about in the moment?  I don't think so.

The things that last, the relationships, are the things to focus on. Those kinds of things take time, lots of little "one things" and they last and they will be something I care about. I often sucked into the little picture, me only, mindset that is so prevalent. And honestly, I feel worse about myself and life when I focus on them. One award, one game, one word, one follow ... the list goes on and on. Wouldn't it be nicer if I invested my time in spending time with people, enjoying rather than worrying or envying?  It is so much better!

So if you're a bag of peanut butter chips short, don't sweat it. Use whatever baking chip you want!  And share them with someone ... (you don't need two dozen cookies laying around *cough*) and someone, somewhere, needs their Monday brightened.  

Double Fudge Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life. Adapted from this recipe.  Peanut Butter Chips from Heather's French Press

Yield: 2 dozen

1/2 cup butter 

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 eggs 

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 

1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup cocoa powder 

1 (4 serving pck.) instant chocolate fudge pudding 

1-1/2 cups peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease cookie sheet.

Soften coconut oil and butter; beat with sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.  Stir in flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, and chocolate pudding mix until incorporated.  Add peatnu butter chips and stir.

Drop by rounded tablespoon on prepared baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes.   

Related Recipes: 

Peanut Butter Brownie Pie

 

Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies 

Double Dark Chocolate Pudding Cookies

Strawberry Dark Chocolate Granola Parfait - Chopped Result

Okay, I said I was going to make pie.  But that didn't happen.

After a fail, a lack of time, and nobody to eat it, I decided to go with Hannah's idea and make a parfait.  Except I added chocolate.  Because, you know, everything is better with chocolate.  (Well, most of the time.)

So I made my chocolate shredded wheat granola and then stirred my pudding with yogurt and layered slices strawberries with it all.  I myself was surprised by how much I liked the result.  In fact, instead of being an experiment, this is going onto my repeat list.  I knew I would get good ideas from you guys!

We have smooth yogurt pudding with crunchy, mildly sweet dark chocolate granola.  Add strawberries and we have a elegant, fast, delicious parfait.  I mean, you could even eat this for breakfast!  It is lovely for dessert as well.  Whatever floats your boat, er, parfait glass.

Strawberry Dark Chocolate Granola Parfait
Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life
Yield: 3 servings

Granola
1 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
1 tsbp. honey
2 tsp. dark cocoa powder
1/3 cup shredded wheat (about 7-8 bite sized)
1/3 cup old fashioned oats

Yogurt Pudding:
1 pkg. vanilla pudding
2 cups milk
1 cup yogurt (plain or vanilla)

6-8 large strawberries, sliced or chopped

For the granola: Preheat oven to 350.  Stir together oil and honey until smooth.  Add cocoa powder and stir until there are no clumps.  Crush shredded wheat and add to oil, honey, and cocoa powder.  Stir in oats.  Place granola mixture on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.  Stir and continue baking for 5-10 more.  Let cool for 30 minutes before using.

For the yogurt pudding: Whisk pudding mix with milk according to package directions.  Chill.  Before serving, stir in yogurt.

Layer yogurt and strawberries until parfait glass is full and top with granola.  Serve immediately.

Notes:  You will have leftover yogurt pudding. 

Banana Bread Cream Cookies

This is what happens when banana bread and cookie dough get together.

All you have to do is close your eyes when you bite into one of these and you can taste both worlds.  It's amazing.  (Well, closing your eyes is optional, but highly recommended.)  Oh, and there are peanut butter chips in these, too.  Just saying.

Between the pudding mix and the banana, this is the softest cookie I've ever eaten.  By subbing mashed banana for some of the butter, the banana flavor, sweetness, and softness were all amped.  My fear was they would be gummy from the banana, but that fear was definitely unfounded.

Soft and thick banana cookies have stolen my once chocolate heart.

Did I mention cookie dough?  That amazing texture which only people who have snuck dough understand. And yet it still tastes like a baked cookie.  Despite the name, it doesn't have bread texture, just banana bread flavor.  Which is obviously amazing.   

I love these cookies.  Really, even more than any chocolate one I have made.

These are deceptive, I will admit.  They look plain and not very exciting, but just take that bite (close your eyes!) and you will be transported to banana bread cookie paradise.  Don't let their appearance fool you.

I got several "you're pudding banana cream pie pudding mix in cookies?" while I was making these.  However, there was not one family member who didn't like these.  All that was said was "can I have more?" when we ate these for dessert.  How could they not have?

Banana Bread Cream Cookies

Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life

1/3 cup mashed banana (about one medium ripe banana)

1/3 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2-1/4 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 pkg. banana cream pie pudding mix (4 serving)

3/4 tsp. salt

8 oz. peanut butter chips

Lightly grease cookie sheet.  Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk butter and mashed banana.  Whisk in sugars.  Add eggs and beat well after each addition.  Stir in vanilla. 

Add flour, soda, pudding mix and salt to banana mixture and stir until combined.  Fold in peanut butter chips.  Scoop onto cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes. 

And if you want the ultimate case of soft banana cookie, bake 'em in cupcake pans.  Wow, now we are really talking soft.  Do it, you will thank yourself later.

 

 

Other pudding cookies from The Sweet {Tooth} Life:

Double Dark Chocolate Pudding Cookies

Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

 

Shared with A Peek into My Paradise, Chef in Training and nap-time creations.

Double Dark Chocolate Pudding Cookies

Two is better than one.

Unless we are talking about homework assignments.

But we aren't today. Today is all about chocolate and more chocolate. This is based on the best chocolate chip cookie recipe that I have ever tasted. Savanna hinted twice about snack possibilities (oh decisions decisions!) and I had to choose between the Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies (link above) and the Oreo Cheesecake Reeses Brownies. I decided on the cookies. Except this time, the chocolate lover in me whispered, "Sub chocolate pudding for the vanilla."

So I did. 

 And to amp up the chocolate flavor even more, I added some dark cocoa powder in place of the flour.  When being mixed, there are lovely swirls of cocoa in the cream colored dough.  Keep mixing though and you will be rewareded with a deliciously dark dough that is sinful on a spoon.  I always eat cookie dough.  And I am still alive.  Someday I will make this dough (fine, without eggs) and eat the whole thing . . . well I guess I'll share with my mom since she taught me the art of raw cookie dough eating, but still, I'll eat the half bowl myself and it would be worth feeling sick afterwards.

Even after tasting the dough to make sure it was, you know, good cookie dough, I generously bit into one of them, just to show you the deep fudge flavor and brownie like texture.  No, these aren't gooey, but wonderfully chewy.  I added more chocolate chips this time and they are not optional (when are they ever?) because they add a creaminess to every bite.

One more change from the original recipe - I substituted coconut oil for some of the butter.  The beautiful thing about coconut oil is that it does not make your cookies taste like coconut and coconut oil has many healthy benefits.   Listing all of them would take too long, but some include

•strengthening your immune system
•increasing metabolism
•improving digestion
•boosting healthy skin and hair
•and providing long lasting energy.

Double Dark Chocolate Pudding Cookies

Yeild: 3 dozen

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup coconut oil

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1/4 cup dark cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding (4 serving)

8-12 oz. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease cookie sheet.

Soften coconut oil and butter; beat with sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.  Stir in flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, and chocolate pudding mix until incorporated.  Add chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoon on prepared baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes.   

Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life

Finally, a picture of the cookies linked a jillion times above:

And the Oreo Cheesecake Reese Brownies, just in case you want them for a snack instead;)

Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

I am in chocolate chip cookie heaven. 

I have searched for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe for months now only to find that it was under my nose the whole time.  My mom pulled this recipe card out of her box and said it I needed to try it.

I am never using another chocolate chip cookie recipe again.  Ever.

And this time, I stuffed it for you all with some sweet peanut butter.  Yep, this is the recipe.  It doesn't spread out all over the pan nor does it stubbornly stay in a ball.  It makes the perfect sized cookies.  I cannot describe how ecstatic I am at finding it!  And the ingredient missing from all my other recipes?  Vanilla pudding mix.  I had never tried it in my cookies before.  (The only time I've had it was when I first got braces.)  I am never going back to pudding-less cookies.

This is everything a cookie is supposed to be:

Firm enough to be held and soft enough to melt in your mouth. Sugary sweet with creamy chocolate chips in every bite. Smooth peanut butter waiting in the middle. Waiting for you me.  

Freeze your peanut butter to make it easy to stuff into your dough.  And the dough!  Oh wow, it is too good.  That pudding mix makes it so soft and yet the dough is very moldable.  It is the best cookie dough for filling!  It will fix all my woes with the Snickers Birthday Cookies.  In fact, eating these any time will solve my problems.

Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

You can omit peanut butter filling for chocolate chip cookies.

Yield: 2-1/2 dozen cookies

Cookie:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2-1/4 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1 package instant vanilla pudding mix (4 serving size)

6 oz. chocolate chips (or more if you want)

Filling:

3/4 cup peanut butter

1-1/2 tbsp. sugar

Preheat oven to 375.  Lay wax paper on baking sheet.  Stir peanut butter and sugar together.  Place by teaspoons on prepared baking sheet and freeze for 10-15 minutes.

Cream butter and sugars, add vanilla and eggs and beat well.  Stir in flour, baking soda, salt, and pudding mix until well blended.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Roll into balls.  Spread out and put one frozen peanut butter on cookie.  Roll dough around it and seal.  Place on greased baking sheet.  Repeat.  Bake for 9-10 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.



I love curly qs!

Now roll up and around ...

Say goodbye! But only for a little while. Bake . . . Eat some dough . . . Wait . . .

 ... Have a countdown (my sisters do that all the time for baking) ... Eat! And enjoy!

So are you all in a peanut butter chocolate coma yet?  If not, you're safe, because the next post is not a brownie, and it doesn't have chocolate.  Yes, Mary Frances is still writing this post.  Hope you enjoy this cookie recipe though!  I took it to a gathering where they were really popular and and when I brought the container back, Elizabeth looked at it, her jaw dropped, and she exclaimed, "They ate all the cookies!  But, didn't they know I wanted them!"  Looks like I need to make another batch!