The Ninja Baker - Monica Holland

Chocolate Cherry Brownie Kisses, #Lick the Bowl Good

NinjaBaker — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 22:18:13 +0000

Kissing deep chocolate is a splash of kirsch in my Chocolate Cherry Brownie Kisses. Just because Valentine’s Day has passed doesn’t mean chocolates and kisses are no longer relevant.

Chocolate Cherry Brownie Kisses

The recipe is adapted from popular blogger Monica Holland's Lick the Bowl Good cookbook. As this Ninja Baker was gifted with permission to print the recipe for Chocolate Cherry Brownie Kisses, I wanted to share the present with you!

Chocolate Cherry Brownie Kisses

Lick the Bowl Good Popular cookbook author and blogger, Monica Holland, kindly granted this Ninja Baker the permission to print her delectable Chocolate Cherry Brownie Kisses recipe. Inspired by Monica's innovative spirit, instead of maraschino cherries I used real ones. (Pitted, of course!) And substituted kirsch cherry liqueur for maraschino cherry juice. Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate was also added to compensate for the tart cherries.

Ingredients:

For the Brownies:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tablespoons sweetened (drinking) cocoa
(I used Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate)
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the Filling:

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
10 ounces fresh cherries with pits removed

For the Frosting:

½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
2 tablespoons kirsch
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon meringue powder (not in the original recipe)

Directions:

For the Brownies & Filling:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Shower a mini muffin tin with butter flavored cooking spray.

Combine the canola oil, egg and extract with a whisk. Pour in the sugar. Mix well.

Add in the flour, baking powder, cocoas and salt. Keep stirring until all ingredients have merged. The batter will look slightly granular. But make sure there are no lumps.

Divide the mix between the mini muffin cups. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes. Once a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, the brownie is ready to remove from the oven.

While still hot, gently press the centers of the baked brownies down with the wooden handle of a spoon. Into the well of the cup, drop 3 (or more!) chocolate chips. Allow the lovely chocolate to melt and cover the bottoms of the well. Cool completely before filling with frosting.

For the Frosting:

Blend the butter and cream cheese with a beater. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar. Add the kirsch and vanilla. Fill a piping bag with the frosting. Swirl into the cooled brownie cups.

Wishing you lots of lovely chocolates and kisses.

The Ninja Baker

© ™ Watkinson 2012

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

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#Chocolate Cherry Brownie recipe

Lick the Bowl Good

Monica Holland

Banana Pecan Breakfast Cupcakes

NinjaBaker — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 06:37:50 +0000

After tasting my banana pecan breakfast cupcakes, a shower of sparkly compliments washed over me from appreciative dance classmates. Monica Holland’s Lick the Bowl Good recipe for banana pecan breakfast cake served as the foundation for the cupcakes. Bananas and buttermilk blend into a moist, soft sponge cake. A sprinkle of brown sugar and pecans on top, make for a crunchy contrast. Here’s the ironic part: The recipe is super easy! Out of all the labor-of-love intensive maple pecan chiffon cakes or red velvet cupcakes with fancy frosting, my dance friends cheer loudest for the easiest treat!

Banana Pecan Breakfast Cupcakes

Life is ironic… From the hundreds of dollars spent on our cats’ entertainment, their favorite toy is crumpled up paper. Yes, our feline friends love playing catch with scraps of paper. True story: When working in the corporate world, I came home to find our cleaning lady had thrown all the scattered paper balls away! I can only imagine the tsks, tsks of her tongue as she tossed our kitty cats’ toys.

Banana Pecan Breakfast Cupcakes are great with that first cup of coffee.

Anyway, I digress from the subject of cupcakes. Please be assured, the only place you’ll be tossing these tantalizing good banana pecan breakfast cupcakes is in your mouth!

Lick the Bowl Good Banana Pecan Breakfast Cupcakes
may have you licking the bowl and your fingers!

Thanks to Monica Holland author of Lick the Bowl Good and this delightful banana pecan cake, you can print the recipe below. For another take on this treat, you can also visit my friend Felice at All That’s Left Are The Crumbs for her rendition of banana pecan cake. Monica may also be baking up another batch of cakes at her site, Lick the Bowl Good.

Banana Pecan Breakfast Cupcakes

Just the right touch of cinnamon spice is swirled into a moist banana sponge. Pecans and brown sugar top off the delectable cake.

This recipe is seen here courtesy of permission from Monica Holland, author, of Lick the Bowl Good. Makes approximately 20 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

For the banana cake:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup softened unsalted butter
¾ cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup smashed ripe bananas
¼ cup buttermilk

For the pecan topping:

½ cup brown sugar
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Line muffin tins with cupcake cases and preheat an oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
Set aside.

In another bowl, with an electric mixer, blend the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and bananas. Pour in half of the flour mixture. Empty the ¼ cup of buttermilk into the bowl. Stir in the rest of the flour until all is combined well.

With an ice cream scooper, divide the batter into the cupcake cases. Smooth the tops with a frosting spatula.

Swirl together the brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon spice. Sprinkle atop the cupcake batter.

Bake for 32 minutes.

Wishing you effortless and delicious days of joy.

The Ninja Baker

© ™ Watkinson 2012

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

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banana pecan breakfast cupcakes

Lick the Bowl Good

Monica Holland

Lick the Bowl Good Author, Monica Holland, Interview & Cookbook Giveaway!

NinjaBaker — Sun, 08 Dec 2013 06:07:28 +0000

Congratulations to Dorothy of Shockingly Delicious!
She is the lucky recipient of Monica Holland's Lick the Bowl Good.

Monica Holland is living the dream! A publisher fell in love with the recipes on Monica's Lick the Bowl Good blog. Months later, Monica's cookbook Lick the Bowl Good was born. Flip through the pages of her book and you'll see mouthwatering photographs and recipes for Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes, Lemon Shortbread Tarts, Chocolate Cranberry Oat Bars and dozens of other treats. In addition to baking, Monica is a dedicated mom...Even if you never bake a single thing from Lick the Bowl Good (unfathomable!), Monica's introduction to her cookbook is heart-searing honest and inspirational. You can purchase Lick the Bowl Good here. Or you could win Monica's delicious cookbook by entering a comment below!

But first, meet Monica Holland!

Ninja Baker (NB): Thank you for taking time out of your busy baking and mommy schedule for this interview.

Monica: You're very welcome.

NB: You started your blog in 2007 to share recipes with friends and family. Was there one specific recipe that was requested? Or did you find that every time you baked, people wanted the recipe?

Monica: Not particularly, I started Lick The Bowl Good as a creative outlet because I liked to bake and wanted to share. I would send out emails of pictures and recipes to my friends and family and while no one ever said they didn't appreciate the emails, I thought blogging was a better way of sharing the goodies that came out of my kitchen.

Chocolate Gingerbread from Lick the Bowl Good:

Classic chocolate cake with a spicy zing!

NB: What is your most popular post / oft-requested recipe? Is it in Lick the Bowl Good? To which recipe(s) do you have the sweetest memories?

Monica: Not many people requested my recipes in the beginning because I am the family baker. If asked (for a specific dessert) I'd bake it for them again. My mom especially loves the Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake that I make. (Page 31) I have made it countless times, for birthdays and special occasions and just because. It is a favorite for sure. The most popular recipe on my blog is for Pepperoni Pizza Puffs, believe it or not. And the favorite sweet recipe is for Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies. Neither are in my cookbook but they're both quite tasty!

NB: How did the cookbook come about? Did you contact a publisher? Please share your process with aspiring cookbook authors.

Monica: I know many people strive to get books published and never succeed. I was very blessed in this department because a publisher at Skyhorse Publishing was a fan of my blog. She went to her head publisher and pitched the book to the others. They all believed in me and offered me a cookbook deal. Of course, I had to write and photograph everything by myself and I had less than 6 months to do it, but I knew what a unique experience this was and I dove in. The team at Skyhorse Publishing was a dream to work with. I provided the content and they designed the layout. Together we created a beautiful (and functional) book.

NB: What is the single most important thing for an aspiring cookbook author to know? And what’s a key element to successful blogging?

Monica: Don't compromise your point of view or who you are. Stand by what you believe in and don't let your content be dictated by someone else's ideas. Be passionate.

NB: For blogging and cookbook writing: Looking back, what shortcuts do you regret taking?

Monica: Not so much a shortcut, but I signed my contract towards the end of the year, 2012. I was so busy with family and holidays that I didn't actually get to working on the book until January. I regret that because I lost about 6 weeks of valuable working time and felt rushed. I also underestimated the time it would take to test recipes. That was the most frustrating part of it all.

NB: What shortcuts do you recommend?

Monica: I didn't take many shortcuts, but one thing I found especially helpful was to make several batches of pie crust (page 109) at once. When I needed them, all I had to do was reach into the freezer. It was a time saver.

NB: How old is Hayden?

Monica: Hayden is 2 years and 3 months old. And very curious!

NB: How do you balance baby and baking time?

Monica: That is difficult because I can't devote 100% of myself to either one. It is a balancing act and I try to get as much baking done as I can when Hayden is napping. Hayden is taking fewer naps these days and likes to help, so I try to incorporate him into my baking, when it's safe to do so. I also consider myself "The Midnight Baker" and get a lot done at night when everyone is in bed and the house is quiet.

Classic holiday spices and sweets in one chocolate gingerbread!

NB: Does someone help you?

Monica: No one helps me bake but hubby helps with grocery shopping and clean up. My mom helps watch Hayden when I need uninterrupted time in the kitchen.

NB: Did you always live in Texas?

Monica: I was born and raised in Texas, but we moved around a bit when I was a kid. We lived in the Washington D.C. area as well as in Virginia, but Texas is my home.

NB: Do you come from a family of bakers?

Monica: No, I don't. My great Aunt Mary is a from-scratch baker. She bakes cookies, pies and cakes for all holidays, especially Christmas. Other members know how to bake and do it occasionally but it's not their passion.

NB: What does your husband do?

Monica: My husband does a lot of things! He's quite the handy man, automobile enthusiast, race car driver and DIY-er.

NB: What would people be surprised to know about you?

Monica: I love to go thrifting and am a bargain hunter. I will search high and low to find the best deal on anything. I like nice things but I'm very frugal. I love to give gifts but I have a hard time spending money on myself because I always feel guilty about it.

NB: What are you most proud of?

Monica: My son. It was a long journey to get him here and he amazes me every single day.

NB: Also, may I reprint your scrumptious chocolate gingerbread recipe with this post?

Monica: Yes, you may.

NB: Thank you for taking time for this interview, Monica.

Monica: Thank you Kim for taking the time to do this. I appreciate your support and enthusiasm!

Chocolate Gingerbread from Monica Holland's LIck the Bowl Good Cookbook

Courtesy of Monica Holland, author of Lick the Bowl Good, I'm happy to share the classic gingerbread with a twist of chocolate!

Ingredients:

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup unsulfured molasses
1 large egg
¼ cup sour cream (Greek yogurt is a great substitution.)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Coat an 8” pan with baking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

Whisk together the cocoa, flour, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, molasses, egg, sour cream and vanilla. Make sure all ingredients are incorporated into one smooth batter.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir until just moistened and incorporated. (Do not overmix.)

Add the chocolate chips.

Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool. Garnish with powdered sugar, whipped cream or ice cream!

All of Monica Holland's Lick the Bowl Good recipes can be yours. Purchase the cookbook here. Or leave a comment below for a chance to win a free copy of Lick the Bowl Good. For an extra entry to the giveaway, share this post on Facebook or Like the Ninja Baker on Facebook. (Be sure to leave another comment telling me you have done so.)

Giveaway ends 9 p.m. PT on Sunday, 15 December 2013.

Wishing you do-able, delicious Lick the Bowl Good recipes to brighten your holidays.

The Ninja Baker

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

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