nutella swirled blondies with toasted hazelnuts and chocolate

Blondie Week, day four. Also known as Nutella Swirled Blondies with Toasted Hazelnuts and Chocolate day. You are going to need a great big glass of milk to go with these amazing bars.

My partner Greg has quite the affinity for Nutella. It’s a hazelnut spread with skim milk and cocoa. It’s very big in other parts of the world. Often more popular than peanut butter. If we can get enough people to munch on these bars, I think that Nutella-Mania will sweep the states.

With this recipe, I knew that I was going to swirl the Nutella into the batter right before baking. I also wanted to really play up the Nutella flavor by mixing in toasted hazelnuts and semi-sweet chocolate morsels into the batter. It worked perfectly.

To toast the hazelnuts, just place about half a cup of raw hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in a preheated 350 degree oven for about ten minutes.  You’ll be able to smell their toastyness. That’s when you know they’re done. Once cooled, you can roughly chop them for the recipe. Be careful, they roll like little nutty marbles.

Nutella Swirled Blondies with Toasted Hazelnuts and Chocolate

• Non-stick cooking spray
• 8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 rounded tablespoons Nutella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. Spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix melted butter with brown sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla extract.

Add salt and flour. Mix until just combined. Add hazelnuts and chocolate chips.  Mix until evenly distributed in batter.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Drop three rounded tablespoons of Nutella onto the batter. Swirl into the batter with a knife.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until the middle is set. Do not over bake. Let cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then lift using the foil or paper and transfer the blondies to a rack to cool completely. Remove the foil or paper and cut into squares.

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snickerdoodle blondies – blog blast from the past

Since we’re celebrating Blondie Week here on made by mike, I thought I would reintroduce you all to the most wonderful blondie ever baked.  If you haven’t made these yet, you must! To follow is my original very brief post about this incredibly delicious blondie.

I’m going to keep this very short.

Stop whatever you are doing. Seriously, stop. Click this link to get the Snickerdoodle Blondie recipe from Beantown Baker. Make them, eat them (or rather devour them), then come back here and let’s discuss in the comments section what we have all just experienced. You probably already have the ingredients, and it all comes together very quickly. So go!  Do it!  Now!

cherry chocolate almond blondies

It’s day two of Blondie Week. Today we feature the Cherry Chocolate Almond Blondie.

Dried cherries are one of my favorite additions to baked goods. So I knew that when I was experimenting with blondie recipes, there would definitely have to be a cherry version. A couple of things that go very well with cherries? In my humble opinion, those two items are chocolate and almonds. In addition to the sliced almonds I swapped out the vanilla from the original blondie base for some almond extract. You can certainly taste the difference in these bars.

They bake up pretty pale. So be careful to not over bake.  When the center no longer jiggles, you’ll know that they’re done.

Cherry Chocolate Almond Blondies – Adapted from Mark Bittman’s HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING

• Non-stick cooking spray
• 8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. Spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix melted butter with brown sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and almond extract.

Add salt and flour. Mix until just combined. Add dried cherries, chocolate chips and almonds. Mix until evenly distributed in batter.

Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until the middle is set. Do not over bake. Let cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then lift using the foil or paper and transfer the blondies to a rack to cool completely. Remove the foil or paper and cut into squares.

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white chocolate mocha blondies

So, you know how I made those Strawberry-White Chocolate Blondies a few weeks ago. Since then I’ve barely missed a day of baking up a new blondie concoction. So what the heck. Let’s just call it Blondie Week on made by mike. There are worse ways to celebrate a rainy spring week. Am I right?

After trying several “base” recipes for the blondie batter, I’ve finally settled on one that I love. I found it through Smitten Kitchen. Deb swears by Mark Bittman’s basic butterscotch brownie recipe from his phenomenal cookbook, HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING. I go back to this book frequently for the basics in cooking. Honestly, if I could only have one cookbook, this would be it.

From Bittman’s blondie base you can add your own mix-ins and flavors. It’s nearly impossible to go wrong. The flavor combination possibilities are endless.

Want to know how you can get a freshly baked batch of these blondies or other baked goodies? Check back on Monday, May 2 for all the details about the first Made by Mike Relay for Life Bake Sale. My partner Greg will be participating, for the second year, in the Relay for Life. All proceeds from the event benefit the American Cancer Society. Greg will be walking in memory of his father.

White Chocolate Mocha Blondies – Adapted from Mark Bittman’s HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING

• Non-stick cooking spray
• 8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 teaspoons instant espresso powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. Spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix melted butter with brown sugar until smooth. Beat in egg, vanilla and instant espresso powder.

Add salt and flour. Mix until just combined. Add white chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed in batter.

Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until the middle is set. Do not over bake. Let cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then lift using the foil or paper and transfer the blondies to a rack to cool completely. Remove the foil or paper and cut into squares.

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strawberry white chocolate blondies

Make these. Really, you must make these Strawberry White Chocolate Blondies.  For one, it only takes about 10 minutes to put everything together before you send them off to the oven to bake to their golden deliciousness. And secondly, as far as I’m concerned, there’s no better baked treat than a moist and chewy blondie.

I was inspired by recipe in  Food Network Magazine. Their version called for butterscotch chips and chopped walnuts. I think this version is better. Especially for those averse to nuts in their baked goods. As the jingle goes…”sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.”

Strawberry White Chocolate Blondies – adapted from Food Network Magazine

• Non-stick cooking spray
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. Spray with cooking spray.

Put butter and brown sugar in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until butter is melted, about 1 minute. Stir in vanilla and let cool slightly, then stir in the beaten egg.

Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Stir in the white chocolate chips then spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Drop dollops of the jam and swirl with a knife. Bake until set 20 – 25 minutes. Let cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then lift using the foil or paper and transfer the blondies to a rack to cool completely. Remove the foil or paper and cut into squares.

Suggested playlist to make blondies to:

• Strawberry Fields Forever – The Beatles
• The Tide is High – Blondie
• Strawberry Swing – Coldplay
• Chocolate – Snow Patrol
• One Way or Another – Blondie
• Johnny B. Good – Chuck Berry
• Strawberry Avalanche – Owl City
• Chocolate – One eskimO

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ultimate chicken salad

Chicken salad, it’s one of my favorite things to enjoy for a quick-lunch or to entertain a group with. There are many great versions of this classic. I think that I’ve created a pretty amazing recipe. The sweet burst of the grapes, the tang of the cider vinegar and the bite of the shallot add a great flavor and texture. Nestled in a leaf of crisp bibb lettuce, or piled between two layers of buttery croissant, I hope you’ll enjoy this made by mike original.

Also, be sure to check out my suggested chicken-salad-making playlist. Who doesn’t need some great tunes to enjoy while cooking in the kitchen? It follows right after the recipe below.

Mike’s Ultimate Chicken Salad

• 1 rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 4 ounces of swiss cheese, diced
• 1 cup of red seedless grapes, halved
• 1 granny smith apple, diced
• 1/4 cup of sliced almonds, toasted
• 1 cup of mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Remove the breasts from the cooked rotisserie chicken. Remove the skin from the breasts. Cut the white meat into one inch chunks and add to a large mixing bowl. Reserve the dark meat for another recipe or make your dog very happy by adding it to his or her food bowl.

Add the shallot, swiss cheese, grapes, apple and almonds to the chicken. Toss gently.

In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, cider vinegar, dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken mixture and toss well. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld and get to know one another. If you can wait a day, it’s even better.  Best of luck with that.

Suggested playlist to make chicken salad to:

• Another Day – Jamie Lidell
• Seattle – The BPA
• Song for No One – Miike Snow
• Heard It On the Radio – The Bird and the Bee
• This Is Your Life – The Killers
• Can’t Go Back Now – The Weepies
• For Your Love – Marching Band
• Kandi – One eskimO
• Madly – Tristan Prettyman
• Somewhere Only We Know – Keane
• Lovers In Japan / Reign of Love – Coldplay
• Under the Influence – James Morrison

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we have a winner!

Thanks to everyone who helped celebrate my one year blogiversary last week. I had my friends at random.org select a comment to win their very own jar of made by mike granola. The winner was the lucky comment #13 that belonged to Jane. Congrats Jane! The granola of your choice is on its way.

coffee, hazelnut and banana granola – everyday food challenge

And now, the final entry in Granola Week, Coffee, Hazelnut and Banana Granola. I know what you’re thinking. Coffee flavored granola? Don’t worry, there are just four teaspoons of instant espresso in the recipe. It’s very subtle and adds just a little bit of additional flavor to the granola. Give it a try, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Coffee, Hazelnut and Banana Granola – Everyday Food, April 2011

• 3 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking)
• 1 cup raw hazelnuts
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter cut into pieces
• 1/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons instant espresso powder mixed with 3 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup dried banana chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a bowl, combine oats and hazelnuts. In a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, espresso mixture and salt over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until butter melts.

Pour melted butter mixture over oat mixture and toss until oats and nuts are completely coated. Transfer mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread in an even layer. Bake until oats are golden, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Let cool completely, about 20 minutes, them stir in dried banana chips.

*Don’t forget that you can win some of my tasty granola. Click here for more details.

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