Sour Cream Blueberry Coffee Cake

~the farmgirl story~
This recipe is from my friend Anne. Anne is amazing and I love her. She is my food twin. We understand each other on many levels. None more so than on food and treats. I have made this on many occasions. Yesterday it was for a little breakfast party. It's always a winner. Thanks, Anne.

Sour Cream Blueberry Coffee Cake

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 t vanilla
2 cups cake flour (which I never have on hand and regular flour always turns out just fine)
1 t baking powder
1/2 cup blueberries

filling:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts
mix until combined

cream butter and sugar, add eggs. fold in sour cream and vanilla. sift together dry ingredients, add to wet mixture. fold in blueberries. pour 1/3 batter into greased bundt pan. sprinkle with 1/2 the filling. pour 1/3 batter over top, sprinkle remaining filling. gently swirl cake with a spatula. bake at 350 for one hour. cool and invert onto a serving platter. dust with powdered sugar. serves 12-16

~the farmgirl disclaimer~
As I have discovered over the last 6 months, baking at a higher elevation really does make a difference. This ended up needing to be baked longer than I have ever needed to bake it before. I don't know if that is because of the elevation or not, it's just what happened.

Carmel Pecan French Toast

~the farmgirl story~
I first tasted this amazingness at a Christmas breakfast party about 7ish years ago. They are really, really good. I hadn't made them in quite some time, until I had a little Christmas breakfast get together of my own yesterday. They were a HUGE hit.

Carmel Pecan French Toast

1-cup brown sugar packed

½ cup butter

2 Tbl light corn syrup

1-cup pecans chopped

1 loaf French bread sliced into 18 slices

6 eggs beaten

1 ½ cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbl sugar

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

In a medium saucepan, stir together brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. Heat and stir until the butter is melted and brown sugar is dissolved. Pour into a 3 qt. Rectangular baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the pecans. Arrange half of the bread slices in a single layer over pecans (you may have to cut some to make them fit). Sprinkle with remaining pecans and top with the remaining bread slices. In a medium bowl stir eggs, milk, and vanilla. Pour over bread slices. Press with back of spoon to moisten. Stir together sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sprinkle over bread. Cover and chill 8-24 hours. Bake uncovered in 350* oven for 30-40 mins. or until lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes. Invert onto serving plates. Serves 9.

~farmgirl disclaimer~
I don't usually layer the bread. I like the caramely, nutty goodness on every bite. So I will double every thing else and make two pans (because, really, no one will complain about having too much). It's best served with a bit of whip cream on the top. Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Dream Cookies.

~the farmgirl story~
First of all, you need to know that I really do make things other than treats and breads. I just make treats and breads a lot. And most of the time I don't use a recipe when I make dinner I just throw something together. And, well, that just doesn't seem very exciting. So, anyhoo...Double Chocolate Dream Cookies is a recipe out of my Nestle Toll House cookbook. Me madre gave it to me and my sisters nigh unto 14 years ago, there's some tasty stuff in there. This one is a definite favorite. These cookies are chocolatey deliciousness!

Double Chocolate Dream Cookies

2 ¼ cups flour

½ cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1-cup butter- softened

1-cup brown sugar

¾ cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

2 cup chocolate chips

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, sugar and vanilla in mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake 375* for 8-10 minutes.

~the farmgirl disclaimer~

I sometimes use half shortening, half butter.