Rainy day baking projects

It's a rainy Sunday afternoon so I decided to bake a couple of desserts - an apple bread (for breakfast this week) and chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, which I have been craving for awhile. 


Apple Bread
Here is my version of the above recipe: 
1/2 cup oil (I used slightly less) 
1-1/2 eggs
1 cup (light brown) sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla  (I had no vanilla) 
1-1/2 cups (old Fiji) skinned apples, diced - 1 medium sized apple
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
I also added about 1 cup of mashed soybean paste (I don't know what to call it) that was leftover from making homemade soybean milk. 

INSTRUCTIONS Combine and set aside the oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Sift flour, cinnamon, soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients to oil mixture gradually. Add apples and nuts. Bake in 2 regular loaf pans or 3 foil loaf pans for 1-1/2 hours 45 min at 300 350°F. Cool 10 minutes in the pan. Sprinkle with sugar, if desired.

*note: I baked the bread at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes


My bread did not rise as much as I expected it to... Perhaps not enough baking soda? I had a slice and it was delicious and moist! Also since I used light brown sugar instead of granulated (the recipe does not specify), the bread is sweet without being overly so and the taste of the apples really comes through. 


Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies 
(adapted from Quaker Oats' Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies) 
Ingredients 
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened (I left it at room temp for a few hours)
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 
1/2 (maybe 3 tablespoons) of granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla (again, no vanilla)
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 2 cups Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup raisins Trader Joe's semi-sweet chocolate chips :) yes I'm very healthy


Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins (chocolate chips); mix well.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 (14) minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time Time: 14 min
Yield: I made my cookies fairly big, but this recipe should yield about 2 dozen cookies

(Yes, these really do vanish) 

• PS Happy Earth Day!