Tag Archives: skor bits

Skor and chocolate chip biscotti – it’s my 2nd anniversary!

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Skor and chocolate chip biscotti

I can’t believe two years have passed since I wrote my first post. It’s a riot to scroll through the first few months. Those posts took me hours to create. Ralph used to hear me yelling at the computer screen after I deleted finished work because I would forget to hit the ‘save’ button. The day I topped fifty views was over the top. I couldn’t believe anyone besides my family would be interested in the musings of a fifty year old woman suffering from separation anxiety. For those of you who are new to my life, I started writing ‘bite by michelle’ just after my third daughter left home. The girls love to cook so I started telling them stories about our family via my blog and then attaching a recipe with it. Retelling the stories of our lives, helped me to see the joy in my life instead of focusing on the emptiness I felt after they had left home.

Two years later, I’ve settled into a this new phase of my life and although I still miss my girls, I’m having a ball. Thank you so much for taking this journey with me. It wouldn’t have been the same without you.

Skor and chocolate chip biscotti

Skor and Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Preheat oven to 350* F

2 cups flour
½ cups good-quality cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
½ cup butter
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup Skor baking bits
½ cup chocolate chips

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy add eggs and beat well

Gradually blend in the dry ingredients, then mix in the Skor bits and the chocolate chips until the dough holds together.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into two logs the length of the baking sheet. Transfer the logs onto the baking sheet, evenly spaced apart.

Gently flatten the tops of the logs and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the cookies from the oven and cool 10 minutes.

Reduce oven heat to 300*F

On a cutting board, use a serrated bread knife to cut the cookies into 1/2-inches slices. Lay the cookies cut side down on baking sheets and return to the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, turning the baking sheet midway during baking. I stood mine up which is why they look a little funky. Unlike my other biscotti recipes, this one has butter which makes a softer dough.

Cool the cookies completely on a cooling rack then store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

THE LOVE: Try to get your hands on some really great cocoa - ‘Dutch processed’ if possible. It makes a huge difference!

printable copy

Skor and chocolate chip biscotti

one year ago: asparagus and Portobello mushroom tart

two years ago: fresh tomato salsa

Thanks for reading

banana split bread and a dive bombing hummingbird

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I love making banana bread.

Not because it is effortless or because it’s delicious. Banana ‘anything’ completely appeals to my frugality. You have to use over ripe bananas. The more disgusting the bananas look; the better they will be in whatever you are baking. If a banana in my house has so much as a blip on it, my family turn up their noses! When the girls were little, I ended up with a lot of rejected bananas and not enough time to use them up – UNTIL…

A friend of mine told me that she kept her ripe bananas in the freezer until she was ready to use them. They continue to ripen as they freeze and then once frozen will keep until needed for baking. Thaw them overnight to make sure that they are at room temperature, peel them [which is extremely gross] then follow your recipe. Use the brown liquid from the thawed bananas as well as the fruit.

I got up early Saturday morning so I could get a jump-start on the day. I love the light at that time of day for photographing my food. While I was setting up my equipment on our veranda, I heard a roaring sound inches away from my head. It was a hummingbird. It was dive bombing me so that he could get near the banana bread. The sweetness from the peanut/skor topping must have sent him into attack mode – I kid you not!

He may look delicate but when banana bread is at stake he turns into a World War 1 ace fighter pilot. It was hilarious.

Happily, he went back to his feeder and we got to enjoy the warm Banana Split Bread. I used some of the flavours from Dairy Queen’s classic banana split when I wrote this recipe. Sinful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Banana Split Bread

preheat oven 350*F

Butter and flour two 9×5″ bread pans

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

6 large ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup milk with 1 teaspoon lemon juice, allow to curdle

1 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cups finely chopped salted peanuts

1/3 cup skor bits

In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat eggs with sugar until very thick – about 10 minutes.

Reduce speed to low and add oil in a steady stream.

Stir in bananas, curdled milk and vanilla.

Fold in flour mixture and chocolate chips

Divide batter between pans, spread evenly.

Mix peanuts and skor bits together and sprinkle over the two breads

Check at 60 minutes, toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean.

Cool loaves for 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Turn loaves right side up and cool completely.

Thanks for reading.