Corn Bread Coffee Cake

This recipe came from my neighbor, Texanna Dutrow, when I lived on Rock Creek Drive in Frederick, Maryland.  I can't even remember when I started making it, but it's been a family favorite since Texanna gave it to me.  Carrie included it in her Family Cookbook under the title Quick Coffee Cake.

I've altered a few things over the years, but the texture and flavor have only improved, I think.

Enjoy.

Corn Bread Coffee

Cinnamon Topping

• 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons butter margarine melted

Batter

• 1 cup yellow corn meal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (I use whole wheat white flour)
• 1/2 cup white sugar (I use raw, unprocessed sugar)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup milk (I use Silk, a soy milk substitute.)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 beaten egg (You can use an egg replacer, but I like  how the yoke brings out the golden color of the corn meal).

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. For topping, combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, butter, and set aside.  I use a fork and stir until mixture is crumbly.
3. For batter, mix together corn meal, flour, sugar,  and baking powder.  Add oil, milk, and egg; stir only until dry ingredients are moistened.  Pour half of batter into greased 8" square pan.  Sprinkle with half of cinnamon topping.  Top with remaining batter and sprinkle with the rest of the topping.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Snow Day Cooking

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Dough Bites

I found myself home for a much-needed snow day wondering what I could make that would satisfy a sweet tooth and not be a diet destroyer.  Low and behold, I found this posted on Facebook.  I don't even know who posted it, but I copied it to my timeline.

I've made a slight change, in that I used an entire can of chickpeas.  The cookies were delicious.  I can attest, because I ate almost the entire batch.  CAUTION:  You may want to double.

Makes 20 (I could fit them on one cookie sheet.)
Heat oven to 350 degrees
Bake about 10 minutes.

• 15 oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drained, rinsed, and patted dry with paper towels.  The recipe called for 1 and 1/4 cups which left about two tablespoons of beans.  I just used the whole can.
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter.  Recipe says if you use processed peanut butter you will end up with a gloppy mess.
• 1/4 cup honey or agave
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt (optional)  If you're are using chickpeas with salt, not necessary.
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips in food processor.  Process until smooth, being sure to scrape sides as needed.
2. Mixture will be very stiff.  You can remove bowl from processor and stir in chocolate chips or process a few times.  Not too much or  you'll chop up your chips.
3. If you have kitchen gloves, they come in handy now.  I used latex gloves, got them slightly wet and shaped into 20 walnut size balls.  Recipe says wet hands and shape into 1 1/2 inch balls.  It should make 14 like that. Mine were perfectly big enough.
4. Place on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet so that sides do not touch with a little room for expansion.
5. You can flatten if you like, so that they look more cookie like.  I put a piece of saran wrap over the cookies and used a glass bottom to flatten down a bit.  No mess!
6. Cookies do not rise much and taste a bit like cookie dough when finished.
7. Allow to cool on cookie sheet. 
8. You can store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Fresh from the oven.