Sourdough Success!

Finally, success! As you may know, last week I started a sourdough starter using the simple recipe from King Arthur shared on Tracey's Culinary Adventures. My starter sat at room temperature for three days until I tried in on Sunday in my breadmaker. Though I used a simple King Arthur recipe, it was a disaster. I programmed the custom cycle exactly as described, however the thing either did not rise a second time or somehow collapsed before baking. Thus, it did not have the wonderful bread top and looked like a pale lump (though this wasn't quite as alarming if you do a quick search of breadmaker sourdough breads). It was also tangy as heck. I wanted to throw it out, but my husband said he'd eat it (and has on sandwiches). However, I couldn't stomach it. Thus, I was determined to try again.

After feeding my starter and letting it rest at room temperature for another couple days, I tried this Rustic Sourdough Bread recipe, also from King Arthur. I used my stand mixer for the kneading of the dough rather than my bread machine, then baked it in the oven. Fantastic! First of all, it looks like bread! Second, it's comfortably sour rather than overpowering like the first loaf. (It may be that a younger starter, which did smell quite strong as I noted on Saturday, makes a different sort of loaf than an older one but I think something went wrong during the bread machine cycles). I increased the rise time because it was a bit chilly this morning and swapped in bread flour for all-purpose. The recipe below reflects my changes.

This recipe makes two good-sized loaves. If you have more patience, let the dough rise a bit longer at each step.



Rustic Sourdough Bread
1 cup sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
5 cups bread flour

1. Proof yeast in water for 5 minutes. Mix in sugar, salt, and half the flour until moistened. Add starter and rest of flour. Knead in stand mixer for 5-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add a bit more flour if dough seems too loose.

2. Place in a large bowl spritzed with canola spray. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 90-120 minutes or until doubled in size.

3. Divide dough in half and shape into loves. Cover with a towel and let rise for 1 hour.

4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spritz loaves with water and make a few slashes. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.

Makes 2 loaves

Teddy Bear Challah Bread (Breadmaker Instructions)

Happy Presidents' Day! Maybe I should have put a cute little Uncle Sam hat on this guy or at least given him a flag, but I think he's cute enough as it is. On Saturday I posted that I intended to make bread and soup that afternoon. Well, somehow only the soup was made and I didn't make this bread until Sunday. It was well worth the wait as he's both CUTE and yummy. Oh, and this way there might be a little left for my husband to try when he returns home from his trip.

I found this recipe on Sweet Happy Life and basically only modified it to work with my breadmaker. Absolutely no muss or fuss with my breadmaker. I had originally intended to make two smaller bears with this recipe but I got a little impatient when putting him together that it seemed easier to make just one. Also in my impatience, I forgot to make a nose or belly button as shown in the original recipe. Goals for next time!

Teddy Bear Challah Bread


1 cup milk (whole is recommended)
2 eggs (+ 1 for the glaze)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 TBS of olive oil (+1 tsp for glaze)
1 TBS honey
4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 TBS granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1.5 tsp active dry yeast
Raisins for decorations

If you have another method for adding ingredients to your breadmaker, go for it. Mine works best if all the wet ingredients are in the base of the pan, as to prevent the yeast from becoming activated too early I assume. (I just know that if I put the honey on top, sometimes my loaves of bread have dimples which is only cute to a point ;). Since I use the preheating stage, I slightly beat my eggs into the milk mixture. Set machine to "dough" cycle and plan your bear design.

Once the dough is ready, turn out onto a floured surface. Shape your bear. The original recipe recommends using 1/2 of the dough for the tummy, 1/4 of the dough for the head, and the other 1/4 for the hands, feet, ears, and nose. I kinda winged it (and forgot about the poor bear's nose).

Cover bear loosely and let rise for 30 - 40 minutes, until almost doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut small slits for the bear's eyes, nose, and belly button and insert raisins or other dried fruit of choice. Whisk together egg and 1 tsp of olive oil and brush liberally over bear.

Bake for 30 minutes or until bear in golden brown and sounds hollow when thumped.

Transfer to a cooling rack.

Makes one loaf or large bear.

Cinnamon Muffin Rolls

I'd been wanting to try this recipe from the Baker Chick ever since I woke up with a craving for cinnamon rolls while staying at my in-laws home last month. However, there just never seemed enough time (and apparently some pantries lack what I consider staples). Once I finally tried this recipe, visually these muffin/rolls did not disappoint. Taste-wise, I found them doughy and a little tough. However, I may have cut them too thick, which is why I'm posting this recipe and just may try them again. Plus, my husband ate at least 5-6! They also can be whipped up in about 30-45 minutes, which you obviously can't do with a yeast dough. Alternatively, I may try this recipe instead. Here's the recipe I tried:

Cinnamon Muffin Rolls


Dough
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
3 cups flour plus more for dusting

Filling
2 tbsp. butter, room temperature (another tbs or two would probably help)
2/3 cups brown sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tbsp. milk or cream

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Whisk together the brown sugar, baking soda, salt, vanilla and egg into a mixing bowl. Add the buttermilk. . Add the flour. Stir until thoroughly combined - do not over mix!

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or two. Roll the dough into a 12-inch by 24-inch rectangle. Using a rubber spatula, spread with butter. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

Roll the dough into a log and stretch slightly. Cut into two-inch pieces (next time I'd go with 1-1.5") and put the pieces into a greased muffin pan or muffin liners.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes, and then remove from the muffin tins.

Drizzle with icing when cool.

Makes 8-12 muffin rolls.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Happy New Year, everyone! Yes, I know the new year rolled in nearly two weeks ago, but at least it's still January. Since we've returned from our Chicago/Disney World trip, I haven't tried too many new recipes, making a lot of familiar dishes such as my buttermilk oven-fried chicken, grilled flank steak, black bean and rice burritos, pizza, and pasta to name a few.

I have, however, found time for a bit of baking, including a new bread recipe and two new muffins recipes. Here's the first new recipe which was a hit. I found it on the Skinny Mom's Kitchen and made it just as directed, except I used skim milk instead of 1% and added a handful of walnuts. If for some reason you do not wish to make these healthy-ish, the apple sauce may be replaced in whole or in part by oil.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins


1 cup whole wheat Flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 cup applesauce
1 cup finely chopped apples
1/2 c walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.

Separately, mix together eggs, brown sugar, milk, and applesauce.

Slowing combine dry ingredients into wet ingredients, being careful not to overmix.

Fold in apples and nuts.

Spray muffin pan with cooking spray or use muffin liners. Fill muffin cups about three-fourths full. Bake 15 – 18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 1 dozen muffins.

Panetone (or really fancy raisin bread)

I wanted to make raisin bread, however I was intrigued by this recipe for Panettone in my Bread Machine Bible. The only familiarity I had with panettone was the packaged variety from Williams Sonoma which was $40+ for what seems like a glorified fruitcake with the peculiar ingredient of chestnuts. A little bit of research yielded that panettone is a traditional Italian Christmas bread, generally made with raisins (or sultanas), citrus peel, butter and eggs.

This recipe was simple enough with my trusty breadmaker, although it is a two-step bread--dough in the breadmaker and bakes in the oven. Not having any dried citrus peel (and really wanting to make a raisin bread), I used a full cup of raisins. Other than to make it more presentable for gift givng, I don't understand why it is baked in a round shape, thus I may in future try it in an ordinary bread pan or possibly cook it all the way in my breadmaker. My bread browned a bit more than I liked, which made for an extra crunchy crust at points (but the inside is soft and yummy). Although I have a thermometer in my oven (a must for baking), I didn't look at it too carefully and learned only later that my oven is 15 degrees cooler than it claims, not 25 degrees as I had been adjusting for until now. I'm not sure if that 10 degrees would really make such a difference, so it might be best to watch it closely during the initial browning stage. Still a nice-looking bread.



Panettone
3 eggs, slightly beaten
3 tbs milk
2 2/3 c bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c sugar, superfine if available
1/2 c butter, diced and softened
2 tsp instant dry yeast
2/3 c raisins
1/3 c mixed candied peel
zest of small lemon
Extra handful of flour
1 tbs butter, melted

Mix eggs and milk and pour in base of bread pan. Cover with flour. Place salt and sugar in opposite corners. Dot with melted butter. Make well in center of flour and add yeast. Set bread machine to "Dough" cycle. When machine beeps, add in fruit and lemon zest.

Prepare a 7" round cake pan by greasing it lightly and lining with parchment paper. Tie a double layer of wax paper (or parchment) around the rim of pan about 3" higher than rim. (This will allow the bread to rise and maintain its shape.)

When dough cycle is complete, my machine takes about 2 hours with preheating, turn dough onto floured surface and punch down lightly. Shape into a ball and place in pan. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place until double in size (about 45 min).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush with melted butter and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 and bake for 30-35 minutes until top is golden brown and crisp. Cool on a wire rack.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Happy Halloween! I had originally intended to make these pumpkin chocolate chip bars, but muffins seemed to be the easier option when I started baking at 11pm. I haven't tried them yet, but the batter tasted yummy and they look beautiful. I used this recipe which I found at Lynn's Kitchen Adventures, which is also posted at Allrecipes.com.



Ingredients

3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 c whole wheat, 1 c all purpose)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 each ground nutmeg and ground cloves (I subbed 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare muffin pan.

Mix sugar, oil, eggs. Add pumpkin and water.

In separate bowl mix together the baking flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt.

Add wet mixture and stir in chocolate chips.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cherry Scones

This was my first attempt at making scones in quite a while. I have lately taken quite a liking to them at the local bakery and even at Starbucks because they seem more filling than a muffin. I remember once thinking that they were too dry to be enjoyed, but either recipes have become less so or my tastes have changed. Anyway, I adapted this recipe at Cranberry Morning to swap in whole wheat and make the recipe a little lighter. (Sorry the pictures aren't so hot. I snapped them in the morning before taking them to work and it was overcast.)


Printable Version

Ingredients
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1.25 c all purpose flour
1/3 c sugar
2.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c butter, diced
2/3 c half and half (I used 2% and it was okay but a little dry)
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 c chocolate chips or dark chocolate
1 c dried cherries (or cranberries)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk dry ingredients together in the base of the stand mixer. Cut in butter and mix until crumbly.

In a separate small bowl, mix half and half (or milk), vanilla, and egg. With the mixer on low, gradually add in liquid until well-mixed.

Stir in chocolate chips and dried berries.

Drop large scoops onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. (I used my muffin scoop, which is about 1/4 to 5/8 of a cup).

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. You may also want to use a toothpick to check for complete doneness.

Makes 10-12 medium scones.

Whole Wheat Banana-Chocolate Muffins with Pecans

This is my first recipe using the GORGEOUS raspberry ice Kitchen Aide stand mixer that my auntie bought me. I will definitely post a picture of the stand mixer later, but you can see it here.

I woke up in the mood for muffins. After a quick Google search I found this recipe at Epicurious. It's a 1999 Bon Appetit recipe. I modified it slightly by adding whole wheat flour, using a few less chocolate chips, and adding pecans. After looking at the pictures, I probably could have added a few more chocolate chips, although the muffin I munched fresh from the oven had just enough.



1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 tsp baking powder
2/3 c sugar
1/2 c butter
1/4 c milk
1 egg
1 c mashed bananas
1/2 c chocolate chips (original recipe calls for 3/4)
1/2 c pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg, mixing thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Slowly add dry mixture to wet, adding milk, as well. Add mashed bananas, mixing well.

Stir in chips and nuts.

Pour into prepared muffin pan, about 3/4ths full. This is a particularly dense batter, so it took about 40 minutes to bake. The muffins are done when a tooth pick comes out clean.

Makes 12 regular muffins

Honey Wheat Bagels

It's bagel time! Yes, I've been saying that I wanted to make bagels pretty much since we moved in to our current rental...in November! Well, over the weekend, I finally got around to it, with a little help from my trusty breadmaker. I followed this recipe from the blog This Chick Cooks, except for the final baking which I took from a recipe I made a couple summers ago. The original recipe called for broiling the bagels, which I didn't think would result in a lovely golden brown.



Ingredients
1.5 c warm water
2.5 c whole wheat flour
1.5 c all purpose flour
3 TBS honey
1 TBS sugar
1 tsp sea salt
2.25 tsp yeast

1 egg white

Directions
Combine all ingredients except for the egg white in your bread maker in the order according to the manufacturer's instructions. My bread maker calls for the order listed above. Set to dough cycle.

When dough cycle is complete, divide dough into 12 round balls. Use your thumb and a hulu hoop type motion to make a hole. Cover with a towel as you make each bagel shape. While forming bagels, bring a large pot of water to boil.



Boil each bagel for 2-3 minutes. Drain on a rack while you preheat the oven to 425 degrees.



On a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, place bagels and brush with egg white.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread - this is the one!

I think I've finally set upon the whole wheat bread recipe for me. I've now made it twice and it's came out gorgeous both times. The second loaf is cooling as I post, but it looks just as lovely as the first that I am optimistic it will taste the same. The first loaf lasted us all of three days but it was scrumptious. I'm not extremely good at flavor nuances, but you definitely taste the honey. Now this bread is not 100% whole wheat as you use half whole wheat flour and half bread flour, but I think that negative is out-weighed by the taste and versatility of this bread. I've nibbled on a slice right out of the machine, made toast, sandwiches, and french toast. All perfect! Anyway, I found this recipe at Allrecipes.com and the only change I made was to increase the salt.

Here's the bread fresh from my Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme bread machine.



Here's it sliced.



And here's the turkey grilled cheese sandwiches I made for lunch.



Ingredients

1 1/8 cups water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions (for my bread machine)

Add ingredients in the order above (liquids first). Make a little well in the center of the flour and place the yeast (be careful not to allow it to come into contact with any wet ingredients).

Bake on whole wheat setting.

About 12 slices

Cinnamon Raisin Granola Bars

Happy Tuesday! I might start posting a "Tuesday Treat" although that title is already used by a Youtuber I follow, so I'd have to come up with another name. This recipe is adapted from Lynn's Easy Homemade Granola Bars. It's crazy how many granola bars that my husband eats in a week--at least a box (of 8, I think) from the store. Since I often forget to restock I decided to look for a recipe where I could make my own without all the preservatives, salt, etc. To Lynn's recipe, I added raisins and cinnamon, because oatmeal raisin are his favorite type of cookies. I didn't have corn syrup, so I doubled the honey, which is why mine aren't quite sticking together as they should. Nonetheless, they're extremely yummy. Note: In addition to my add-ins, I'm also extending the suggested baking time to 25-30 minutes from the 22 she suggests.

(Update: I tried the recipe again with corn syrup and they came out perfect!)



1/2 c butter
1/2 c brown sugar
2 tbs honey
2 tbs corn syrup
2 1/3 c quick oatmeal
1/2 c raisins (or other dried fruit)
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) In a medium saucepan, melt butter, sugar, corn syrup. Remove from heat.

3) Stir in oatmeal, cinnamon, salt, and raisins. Pour into a 8" square baking pan that has been spritzed.

4) Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

5) Cool in pan for 5-10, then cut into bars. Cool completely on a wire rack.

8 bars

Easy Cornbread with Turkey Chili

Tonight I used up all of my turkey leftovers to make my turkey chili recipe. With that we had to have cornbread, so I tried the recipe on the back of the cornmeal carton. It was extremely simple and whipped up in a flash. I will definitely try it again.





Ingredients

3/4 c cornmeal
1.25 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 sugar
1/2 tsp salt, if desired
1 egg
1/4 c vegetable oil
1 c skim milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Whisk together flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Make a well in the certain and add egg and oil. Stir mixture together with milk until no lumps remain.

Pour mixture into an 8" square pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake for 20 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean.

Serves 9-12.

Fall Banana Bread

I've never really made a shaped cake or bread until this one. I always worried that the entire product would be ruined by failure to remove it properly from the pan. However, finding an abundance of rotting apple bananas (extremely ripe, not really rotting), I couldn't resist the urge to try this pumpkin loaf pan that my auntie bought from William Sonoma. It turned out beautifully, I must admit. I was a bit worried that the bread was darkening too fast as a result of the color of the metal pan, but it worked fine. This recipe is the same as I use for my Easy Banana Muffins, just with a slightly longer cooking time. Maybe next year, I'll try a pumpkin bread recipe.



1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, if desired

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in the bananas, mix well. Add the flours, baking soda, salt, oatmeal, and walnuts stirring just enough to moisten. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serves 8-10

Cheddar Bacon Biscuits

My auntie and I received this recipe in a Thanksgiving handout at a William Sonoma demo on Halloween, although it was not one of the items presented. Thought I'm not overly fascinated with the demos, I found a number of tasty-sounding recipes in this handout, including this one. See the original recipe at the William Sonoma website here. We followed the directions to cook the biscuits in the frying pan in the bacon fat, but I recommend baking on a cookie sheet. Ours were a little flat as you can see in the pictures, which might be solved by a better baking surface.



Ingredients
6 oz. bacon, diced
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
8 Tbs unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces, plus 2 Tbs. melted butter
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. buttermilk

Directions
1. Fry bacon in its own fat until crisp. Chop finely.
2. Whisk flour through pepper together. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your hands until pea-sized crumbs form.
3. Add in cheeses and milk and knead until dough comes together.
4. On a floured surface, gently turn out dough and roll until 1/2" thick, possibly 3/4" since ours turned out flat. Cut using a 2.5" biscuit cutter.
5. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Pumpkin Muffins with Raisins and Walnuts

Sorry for such a long break in blogging. I finally completed my move from Chicago to Hawaii and having been enjoying having my husband back. We moved into a cute little cottage in Kaneohe. No dishwasher, but decent kitchen for now. I actually have been both cooking and baking, but haven't posted until now. I did take pictures, and will hopefully get around to posting them. These muffins were made for my auntie's friends at her weekly cooking classes. Hope they liked them. I adapted a recipe found here at Food.com.


Printable Version

Ingredients

1.5 c all-purpose flour
1 c oatmeal (quick)
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 c dark brown sugar
1 c raisins
1/2 c walnuts, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1/3 c canola oil
3/4 c skim milk
1 c pumpkin (I used canned)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Whisk flour through brown sugar together.

3. Make a well in the center and whisk in egg, milk, canola oil, and pumpkin.

4. Stir in raisins and walnuts.

5. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.

7. Remove from tins and cool completely on wire rack.

Makes 12-14 regular muffins

Super Easy Cornbread Muffins

Happy Friday! Although it's supposed to be a bright, beautiful, and warm weekend, today's posts will be comfort food in case it isn't quite as toasty where you are--Chili and cornbread muffins. Here's the cornbread recipe which is from Bon Apetit, November 2009. The chili recipe will post later today.



Ingredients
1 c cornmeal
1/2 c all-purpose flour
3 Tbs sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c creamed corn (this is sweet, so you could omit the sugar)
1/4 c butter, melted
1 egg

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk dry ingredients together. Place egg in a well in the center and beat slightly. Combine dry with butter and creamed corn until well-mixed. The mix will be thick. Pour into 9 regular muffin cups or an 8" square pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.

Makes about 9 muffins or slices

Apple Oat Muffins

As you may know, I went apple picking on Sunday at the Countyline Orchard in Hobart, Indiana. To make apple muffins, I decided to modify this blueberry-oat muffin recipe. I also had some ground flax in the fridge, which I added for extra protein and fiber. It changed the color of the muffins to a dusty brown that I didn't much care for, so I added a sprinkle of sugar on top. These were a big hit at work.



Printable version

Ingredients
1/2 c butter, melted
1/2 c + 1 tbs brown sugar
1/2 c granulated

2.25 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c to 1/2 c ground flax
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

1 egg + 2 egg whites
1 c 2% milk

1 - 1.5 c apples, peeled and diced
1/2 c oatmeal

1 tbs butter, melted
1 tbs granulated sugar

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Mix butter and sugars together until fluffy. Add eggs.

3. Whisk flour through salt together in another bowl.

4. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternating with the milk.

5. Stir in apples and oatmeal.

6. Pour into prepared muffin tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes until cooked through.

7. Upon removing from oven, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Cool completely on a wire tack.

Makes 12-14 muffins.

Chocolate-Chocolate Muffins

Sorry for the lousy pictures. Once again, I forgot to take pictures before I bundled up the goodies and took them to work. Thus, these were shot in the office with my Iphone. I wanted to make something decadent for a Friday treat. It was also my co-worker's last day, so something a little more special was required. This recipe is adapted from one I clipped from a British Mag called Fresh. I have no idea when I clipped this recipe.


Printable Version

Ingredients
250 g all-purpose flour
25 g cocoa powder
4 tsp baking powder
150 g granulated sugar
6 oz skim milk
1 egg and two egg whites, slightly beaten
100 ml (3.5 oz) canola oil
1/2 c chocolate chips (plus an extra handful, if desired)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Sift dry ingredients together.
3. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix together wet and dry until you have a fluffy cake batter mixture. I use a spatula to wet all the dry ingredients, then turned the mixer on a higher speed for about 15 seconds.
4. Pour into a prepared muffin pan--6 big muffins or 12 regular.
5. Bake for 25 minutes, then check for springiness or with a toothpick.
6. Cool for 5 minutes in tins, then completely on a wire rack. Before removing from tin, I decorated the muffins with a few chips. After the chips had melted, I used a knife to smear the chocolate for a glaze.

Makes 6 large muffins or 12 regular muffins.

Buttermilk blueberry muffins

I have no idea where I got this recipe from as I found it scribbled down in a composition book where I used to write/paste all my recipes--this was before I subscribed to 10 different cooking mags and trolled food websites and blogs. I wanted to use up some buttermilk and make the recipe a little healthier, so I sub'd in some wheat flour and did my usual egg trick. One key change that I'm noting below--the oven temp called for in the recipe was 375 degrees with a suggested baking time of 30 min. I kept the 375, but decreased the baking time to 25 min, however I still think they're a tad over-done. Thus, I'm going to write 350 in the recipe with a cooking time of 25-30. Just make sure to do the spring test with your finger or use a toothpick.



Ingredients
1 1/4 c all purpose flour
3/4 c whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 c butter, soften
3/4 c sugar (recipe called for 1 c, adjust depending on sweetness of berries)
2 eggs (2 egg whites + 1 egg)
1/2 c buttermilk (I added a splash more to get the consistency I wanted)
2.5 c blueberries

Topping
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs sugar

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream butter and sugar together until lightly and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture with buttermilk, mixing until smooth.

4. Add blueberries and combine well. I raise the mixer to high for a couple of pulses to mush up a few of the berries.

5. Fill muffin cups 3/4ths full.

6. Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

7. Brush with lemon juice and sprinkle with sugar immediately upon removal from oven.

8. Cool on rack.

Makes 12-15 muffins.

Blueberry-Oat Muffins

I was absolutely positive that I took several pictures of these after they came out of the oven and before I took them to work. However, when I went to upload them, there were none. Guess I imagined it. Anyway, this single muffin was one of two that were made in a second pan after I filled my 12-muffin tin. Since it was a darker metal, the two muffins browned faster. The bottom line is that the ones you're not seeing were prettier, but they all were tasty (I had 3 yesterday :). This recipe is adapted from blueberry crumb muffins in the Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri. I skipped the crumb topping and added oatmeal.



2.5 c all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c butter, melted
1/2 c brown sugar
3/4 granulated sugar

2 eggs (1 egg + 2 whites)
1/2 c skim milk
1/4 c half and half

1 pint frozen blueberries
1/2 c oatmeal (quick cooking)

Preheat oven to 375.

Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon in a small bowl.

In stand mixer, beat together sugars and butter until well-mixed and fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time.

Mixing on medium, add in half of flour mixture. Scrap down bowl, as needed.

Mix in milk, half and half, and remaining flour, beating until thoroughly moistened.

On low, add in blueberries and oatmeal. Pulse (or speed up) mixer a couple times to mush some of the blueberries.

Divide evening into muffin cups. Tap pan on counter to eliminate air bubbles.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until a tester comes out clean.

If desired, sprinkle with a couple teaspoons of sugar and cinnamon as soon as they come out of the oven.

12-14 servings