creative
cooking
Salted Peanut ’n’ Caramel
Banana Bread
Marrying banana bread with the upbeat flavor
duo of salty and sweet (peanuts and caramel)
demonstrates how classic baking can become
cutting edge with a few twists and tweaks.
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
3½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup shredded coconut
2/3 cup chopped salted peanuts
½ cup toffee bits, or caramel or
butterscotch chips
Eat your veggies and have your cake too
SALTED PEANUT CARAMEL TOPPING
¼ cup shredded sweetened coconut
½ cup chopped salted peanuts
¼ cup toffee bits, or caramel or
butterscotch chips
2 tablespoons caramel sundae topping
By Marcy Goldman
FOR MANY PEOPLE, quick breads and rustic muffins with grated or puréed fruit or vegetables are defined by either classic banana
bread or the wunderkind of the first wave of
’70s California cuisine, carrot cake. But there
are so many other variations and twists on
these classics that an adventure into this genre
of baking is irresistible.
The possibilities are unlimited as the
health benefits spiral up. You don’t have to be
Dr. Oz to know that the more fiber, roughage
and deep-hued, vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables you can pack into your daily diet, the
better. To my baker’s mind, that translates
into taking the harvest of ingredients most of
us have in our kitchens, such as carrots,
bananas, squash and beets, and using them
in main-event desserts, breakfast breads and
snacky treats, instead of their usual roles as
side dishes.
Who said vegetables can’t be recast in
appetizing ways? Sweet potatoes take on a
whole new guise tucked inside a spicy sweet
potato Bundt cake. Or how about taking
some bright A-list carrots, zucchini and tart
apples for a new spin in a coffee klatch loaf
or zesty morning muffin? Nutrition never
tasted so good. Root vegetables, starchy sweet
potatoes and squash of every variety also
tend to add moisture to cakes and breads.
Marcy Goldman is the host of BetterBaking.com
and the author of several cookbooks.
JUPI TER IMAGES
Preheat oven to 350 F. Generously spray a
12-cup Bundt pan or two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.
Place on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet.
In a mixer bowl, cream the butter with the
sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, then vanilla, yogurt
and mashed bananas, scraping down often to
blend batter evenly.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt,
baking powder and baking soda. Stir the dry
ingredients into the wet batter. Fold in coconut,
peanuts, and toffee, caramel or butterscotch
chips, making sure ingredients are well blended,
1 to 2 minutes. Spoon into baking pan.
MEDIA BAKERY/CHRIS A RUSNAK
To make the Salted Peanut Caramel Topping,
mix coconut, peanuts, and toffee, caramel or
butterscotch chips in a small bowl. Sprinkle on
top of cake. Drizzle on caramel.
e done. Cool 10 minutes before re-MORE MORE
ORE RECIPES ON PAGE 70
Bake 50 to 55 minutes, until cake tests
done. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan, and drizzle
on more caramel, if
desired. Makes 8
to 10 servings.
The Costco Connection
Costco members will find fresh fruits and
vegetables, as well as spices and baking
ingredients, at their local Costco.