Baking is something I started developing an interest only over the past few years and it has definitely become a more frequent thing to have the wonderful smell of something baking in our home since my little girl decided she loved baking (over the past couple of years!).
My 10 year old girl loves spending time with me in the kitchen and is always earmarking pages on cookbooks specifically baking related) with recipes she wants to try out and her library bag is invariably filled with books on baking. So it was no wonder that we had to try out a couple of our favorite recipes as a twist on the #MakeItYours challenge from CountryCrock when we received a free sample of Country Crock – thanks to Influenster and CountryCrock.
A quick review of the product itself first:
This was maybe the second time I was using this product – the first time being years ago.
Pros: It was better than I expected – perfectly spreadable at all times, even straight from the refrigerator – it was great on toasts, and with pancakes too! It is buttery, lending itself easily to all my recipes – I used this for a twist on the #MakeItYours recipe inspired by a rainbow tie-dye sugar cookies recipe I had done with regular butter earlier as well as for a much loved banana bread. They were both enjoyed. The cookies turned out more chewy than crispy – had expected slightly crispier cookies – but they were definitely yummy. The banana bread was delicious and not very different from the time I used regular butter.
Cons: Well, it is not butter! and it is a little salty for my tastes (though others at home loved this as they need that additional zing of salt!).
Overall: A product I would buy again and store in the refrigerator as a backup for those days when I run out of my regular butter or I just need spreadable butter on toast rightaway!
The County Crock Make It Yours recipe is here. And below is my twist on the same – my twists in italics below.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Country Crock® Spreadable Sticks or Tub, cold from the refrigerator
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk used 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- food coloring mixed to portions of the dough and mixed up to create a tie dye effect.
- sparkly sugar to add on top of the cookies
- marshmallows, M and Ms, mini Oreos cut in halves to add as mix-ins
Spread, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, egg, egg yolk and vanilla
in large bowl until well mixed. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and
baking soda until blended. (Dough will be soft and creamy.)
Including a photo of a few mini cookies I made with the dough in a mini muffin pan 🙂 They turned out crispier than the rest but aren’t they cute?
As for the banana bread, the recipe is straightforward and makes for a super moist, delicious banana bread.
What is needed:
3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup butter (I used the Country Crock original spread)
3/4 cup coconut sugar (oh, I am in love!)
2 cups all purpose flour (I instead used Trader Joes multigrain mix (my favorite one to use) and slightly reduced the baking powder/baking soda)
1/2 cup yogurt (you can use 2 eggs instead)
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinammon
1/2 cup raisins (and or walnuts/cranberries/chocolate chips – as you wish)
1 tsp salt (reduced the salt to 1/2 tsp as the Country Crock butter I used in this instance was salted)
How to:
Preheat the oven to 325 F
In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork, add the butter, the yogurt, vanilla, milk to this and mix well till creamy.
Add the sugar to this and mix well.
Now add the remaining dry ingredients one by one – baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, and lastly the flour – and mix till it all well.
Add the raisins (and/or other items) and stir
Pour in a greased 9 in by 5 in loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Serve warm with vanilla icecream
