Cookies, Brownies and Music

Goji Berry Brownies

Someone recently asked me why I have music related posts on a blog that’s supposed to be about food. My initial reply was the less than informative “It’s my blog and I’ll do what I want.” A more intellectual response would have been that music and food are two things I really enjoy so combining them seems only natural. If you listen to any number of song lyrics, it would appear as though I’m not the only person who thinks so. From comfort foods, to cake, ice cream, umpteen songs referencing pie and all things sweet, food is everywhere. Need some examples?

“Because she's the cheese and I'm the macaroni”
Get it Together, Beastie Boys

“The stew that you're cooking, it smells so good
It's got every man talking in the neighborhood
Your spice's so spicy, your sugar so sweet
Your meat is so tender and your juice is a treat
…
Too many cooks are gonna spoil the stew
There ain't nobody cooking but me and you”
Too Many Cooks, Robert Cray. Unfortunately I couldn’t find an original version of this song. Robert Cray really does it best. If you can find an original, it’s much better, but here’s a cover.

One Bowl Blondies

“I love you like a fat kid love cake”
21 Questions, 50 Cent. This line makes me laugh every time. Is it wrong that I also find it oddly endearing?

“Cool cherry cream, nice apple tart
I feel your taste all the time we’re apart”
Savoy Truffle, The Beatles

“She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
She’s an angel of the first degree
She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee”
Tupelo Honey, Van Morrison

“Pour some sugar on me
Ooh, in the name of love
Pour some sugar on me
C'mon fire me up
Pour your sugar on me
Oh, I can't get enough”
Pour Some Sugar On Me, Def Leopard

Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

“She's my cherry pie
Cool drink of water
Such a sweet surprise
Tastes so good
Make a grown man cry
Sweet cherry pie”
Cherry Pie, Warrant. The video for this one is priceless, just check out the hair.

Want more pie? There’s Country Pie by Bob Dylan, American Pie by Don McLean, (and later by Madonna) and Making Pies by Patty Griffin.

I rest my case, food and music and inextricably linked. Of course, it would be more appropriate to post food from the songs I mentioned, but once again, it’s my blog and I’ll do what I want. And by that, I mean as I perused my long list of “Stuff Left to Post” I found a bunch of sweets that I’ve made sometime over the past year that deserve their 10 seconds of fame before they get buried in the depths of my computer, never to surface again.

Roasted Banana Bread

One Bowl Blondies: Smitten Kitchen’s One Bowl Blondies have been made a few times in my kitchen because they’re ridiculously easy and infinitely adaptable. If you’ve craving something sweet without a lot of hassle, these are it. They’re also good with a scoop of ice cream on top. But then again, what isn’t?

Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies: The recipe comes from Coconut and Lime and that’s really all you need to know. Check out her wealth of original recipes for more great dishes.

Roasted Banana Bread: The trouble with taking a year to post about something is that sometimes I don’t have a clue what recipe I used to make it. To the best of my recollection, I took a standard banana bread recipe and substituted roasted banana for raw. I also baked it in an 8x8 or 9x9 pan so that it could be cut into squares.

Goji Berry Brownies: Like with the Roasted Banana Bread, time is not on my side for these. They appear to be brownies with goji berries in them… That’s all I’ve got.

Coconut Oatmeal Raisin Cookies: Just so you know I care, these really deserve a post all of their own, that’s why I’ve included the recipe for them. It’s actually a Brilynn original, so treasure it.

Brilynn’s Coconut Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

½ cup + 2T butter
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
1 egg
1 ½ cup oats
1 ¼ cups flour
¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp coconut extract
¾ unsweetened desiccated coconut
¾ cup raisins

Cream together butter and sugars until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and coconut extract and mix. In another bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Combine with wet ingredients until just mixed. Add in oats, coconut and raisins.

Scoop onto parchment or silpat lined baking sheets and bake at 375F for 9-11 minutes until edges are golden brown and cracked. Cool on racks.

To end a post that’s already pretty random, my current favourite song that’s unrelated to food: Closer by Kings of Leon.