Orange Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten by way of Smitten Kitchen, who provides a list of suggested variations on Lemon Yogurt Anything Cake. I decided on an orange/blueberry combination, using frozen berries. I was really afraid that these berries would sink since they were so wet after thawing - I let them sit in a sieve to thaw/drain for an hour then spread them out on paper towel for a while. I've changed the recipe to include only half of the amount of vegetable oil, since it really wasn't necessary and next time I might just leave it out and sub extra yogurt.

Orange Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

• 1 1/2 c. + 1 T. flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. kosher salt
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (a 500 g. container didn't quite have enough so I tossed in a spoonful of vanilla yogurt also)
• 3 eggs
• 2 t. grated orange zest (I went a little over this using 2 oranges)
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 1/4 c. vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 c. blueberries
• 1/3 c. freshly squeezed orange juice

Glaze

• 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 1 T. freshly squeezed orange juice

Grease and flour a loaf plan, lining the bottom with parchment paper. Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk together yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, orange zest, and oil. Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Toss the blueberries with the remaining 1 T flour (I used 1.5 T for my frozen, wet berries and mixed in a dry bowl instead of letting any flour touch wet paper towel). Gently, but quickly, fold berries into batter and pour immediately into prepared pan.

Bake for about 50 (+) minutes or until a cake tester placed in the center comes out clean. Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup orange juice and remaining 1 T. sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. Allow loaf to cook in the pan for 10-15 minutes before flipping out onto a cooling rack. Place rack over a sheet pan. While loaf is still warm, use a toothpick to poke holes all around, then pour the orange-sugar mixture over the top and allow it to soak in.

Combine powdered sugar and orange juice to make the glaze (the amount I used is half of what Ina's recipe calls for, but it was plenty). Pour glaze over cooled loaf. My berries may have clustered a little but they didn't sink...success!

Gooey S'mores Brownies

Yes, I've been reading Joy the Baker's blog again. Back at it with the brownie thing. This time, I wanted to use up the rest of the s'mores supplies that my family brought down from the US. I haven't seen marshmallows or graham crackers anywhere in Argentina so you may have to do some importing for this recipe. After reading through the comments for S'mores Brownies, I decided to go with a more fudgy batter, but I thought the mallow placement and incorporation of graham crackers was genius. So I combined these elements with this batter. I really wanted them to be reminiscent of s'mores, so I used pieces of Hershey's chocolate for an authentic flavor. I also wanted a more gooey marshmallow so I didn't add them until 15 minutes into cooking time.

I'm so in love with these brownies. They're very similar to the taste of a s'more combined with everything you love about brownies. These are my favorite.

Gooey S'mores Brownies

• 1 1/3 c. flour (plus another 2 T. if using Argentine flour)
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 150 g. butter
• 3/4 c. cocoa powder
• 2 T. strong coffee
• 1 2/3 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 t. vanilla extract
• 1 c. graham cracker, broken into pieces
• 1 Hershey's chocolate bar, broken into small pieces
• 12 marshmallows

Butter and flour a baking dish - the baking time for this recipe is based on using an 8x12 glass pan - if you use 9x13, you will want to decrease baking time by possibly 10 minutes. (Note that Joy's recipe is for 18-25 minutes.) Preheat oven to 350.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt - set aside. Combine butter and cocoa powder in a double boiler, add coffee and stir to melt ingredients - set aside to cool slightly. Whisk together eggs and sugar, add vanilla. Slowly add chocolate mixture to sugar mixture. Add flour mixture and stir to combine. Fold in the graham crackers.

Pour batter into prepared pan and top with chocolate pieces. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven and quickly place the marshmallows on top of the batter (don't worry if it seems not to stick - don't push them in too hard). Put brownies back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes. (Adjust time if using a larger or metal pan).

Allow to cool for 20 minutes, cut into 12 squares, then I recommend eating immediately while still warm.