Welcome to this month’s Secret Recipe Club! This is my first month back at university and it has been hectic. I’m currently buried in research with almost no spare time, so cooking and blogging have been a bit neglected.
I’ve been exhausted lately — between studying and trying to keep on top of everything, I’ve had little energy beyond eating and sleeping. The university keeps changing schedules and deadlines, which only adds to the stress. I can’t wait for my final hand-in on 19th May 2014 so I can breathe again. I even have a countdown app on my phone that I check way too often.
This month I was assigned Erin’s blog, Making Memories With Your Kids. I loved reading about why Erin started her blog and how she prioritises family time. It’s a lovely reminder of the importance of bonding with kids in our busy lives.
I wanted something seasonal and autumnal, so I looked for cinnamon-forward recipes. Erin’s Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake was tempting, and her Salted Caramel Mini Cheesecakes made my mouth water — there were so many choices! After much deliberation I settled on her Snickerdoodle Bread because I realised I’d never tried snickerdoodle flavors in quick bread form.
I’m so glad I chose it. Cinnamon chips aren’t available where I live, so I boosted the cinnamon in the batter and added chocolate chips instead — the result was divine. It’s moist, warmly spiced and studded with chocolate. I even had a slice for breakfast and another as a morning snack (which made my jeans feel a little snug afterwards).
The addition of sour cream keeps the bread light and moist, and the recipe is simple enough to make during a lunch break between study sessions. I’m officially a snickerdoodle convert — I’ll be trying cookies and other snickerdoodle-inspired treats this season. Cinnamon season is officially on.
Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodle Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
- 2 sticks (226g) butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin.
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Place the flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon and chocolate chips into a large bowl and stir together until the chocolate chips are coated in flour.
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Place the butter and sugars into a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium-high speed.
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Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until well incorporated, about 1 minute on medium-high speed.
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Add the flour mixture and sour cream and mix on low until just combined. Increase the speed to medium for 30 seconds to ensure the batter is smooth and well mixed.
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Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and level with a spatula or wooden spoon.
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Bake for 60–75 minutes, until the loaf is risen and golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
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Cool in the tin for at least 1 hour before removing, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Once cooled, slice into 10–12 pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
And this is what happens when you try to balance a fork so it stands by itself — food blogger problems!