Blueberry Muffins

Wow, its been so long since I last updated. My apologies! Between marathon training, family visiting, and a new job, I have not had much time to try lots of new recipes. However, I did try a few new things, and I hope to be posting on a more regular basis again.



These muffins were easy to make and tasty. The streusel topping really makes them taste more like mini coffee cakes.

Blueberry Muffins (Annies-Eats.com)

yield: 8 muffins

Ingredients:
1 ½ c. flour
¾ c. sugar
½ t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 egg
~1/3 c. milk
1 cup blueberries (or more)
streusel topping:
¼ c. sugar
2 T. and 2 t. flour
2 T. butter, cubed
¾ t. cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°. Grease or line 8 muffin wells with muffin liners.
Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Pour into lined muffin cups; fill to the top.
To make streusel topping, combine listed ingredients and mix well with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over tops of muffins.
Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes.

Chewy Molasses Cookies

These are really tasty. I think they improve with age too, so keep them in an air tight container!



Chewy Molasses Cookies (Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a shallow bowl, place 1/2 cup sugar; set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat butter and remaining cup of sugar until combined. Beat in egg and then molasses until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in dry ingredients, just until a dough forms.

Pinch off and roll dough into balls, each equal to 1 tablespoon. Roll balls in reserved sugar to coat.

Arrange balls on baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. Bake, one sheet at a time, until edges of cookies are just firm, 10 to 15 minutes (cookies can be baked two sheets at a time, but they will not crackle uniformly). Cool 1 minute on baking sheets; transfer to racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 4 days.

Buttermilk Blueberry Scones

These scones were pretty good, but I'd recommend eating them right away. They didn't taste as great later in the day. I also think that I should have cooked them a bit longer to get a more golden glow.



Buttermilk BlueBerry Scones (Average Betty)

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
6 tbsp salted butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh)

For the tops:
2-3 tbsp buttermilk
1 tsp sugar

Preheat oven 400(F).
In a bowl, combine flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together.

Cut stick of butter into pieces. Add butter pieces to dry mixture.Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, incorporate butter pieces until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl combine egg, 2/3 cup buttermilk and vanilla.

Carefully coat blueberries with dry mixture. This will also prevent blue “bleed.”

Create a well in the center of mixture. Add buttermilk mixture all at once to the well. Carefully combine, just until moistened.

Pour onto lightly floured countertop and shape into a circle. Cut into 8 pieces.

Brush tops with buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake in a preheated 400(F) oven for 12-14 minutes until golden brown.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Well, one could have hoped for a better picture, but I swear it was delicious!

I love to make pizza at home but I rarely make my own pizza dough. However, this time, I decided to give it a shot and I was really impressed with the results. It was even better than my Trader Joes pizza dough, but it did take a couple hours to make, so while it tasted better, time is not always on my side.

Amazing Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (MRS SAC'S PURPLE KITCHEN)

INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
I added 1/2 tbsp of dried Italian herbs & 1 tsp garlic powder

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.

Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining all-purpose flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes (I just kneaded it with the dough hook in my stand mixer). Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crust, or leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll a ball of dough with a rolling pin until it will not stretch any further. Then, drape it over both of your fists, and gently pull the edges outward, while rotating the crust. When the circle has reached the desired size, place on a well oiled pizza pan. (I'm sorry, but this is next to impossible for me to do, so I just roll it out with a rolling pin and transfer to the baking stone).

Top pizza with your favorite toppings, such as sauce, cheese, meats, or vegetables. (I used mushroom, red peppers, onions, and salami).

Bake for 16 to 20 minutes (depending on thickness) in the preheated oven, until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

After 2 weeks without a fridge, I am finally back in business! Its amazing how much your life is dependent upon keeping things cold ;)

To celebrate our working fridge, I made a coffee cake. This is a sour cream coffee cake with a pecan-cinnamon streusel. It turned out really good and I highly recommend it. The cake was moist and the streusel added some great flavor. I doubled the streusel recipe and I recommend you do as well. Next time I make it, I would do more layers of streusel instead of just the bottom, middle, and top.



Sour Cream Coffee Cake (foodtv.com)

Ingredients:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream (I used fat free)
2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the streusel (this is doubled from the original):
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional (I used pecans)

For the glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons real maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. (I used a bundt pan)

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in the nuts, if desired.

Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. (I put it on the bottom, middle, and top, but I think it would be even better with more layering.)

Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. Whisk the confectioners' sugar and maple syrup together, adding a few drops of water if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.

Oreo Cheesecake

I've made cheesecake in the past, but this was my first time with Oreo cheesecake. It tasted great but the crust was a bit hard. That was probably my fault, but regardless it tasted great. I would make it again.



Oreo Cheesecake (Kraft Foods)

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (1 lb. 4 oz.) OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided (I used reduced fat)
1/3 cup margarine or butter, melted (I used butter)
3 pkgs. (8-oz.) cream cheese, softened (I used 2 regular and 1 low fat)
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream (I used light)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Whipped cream, for garnish
Additional OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, halved, for garnish (I didn't have any left)

Directions:
Finely crush 30 cookies and coarsely chop remaining cookies; set aside. Mix finely crushed cookie crumbs and margarine or butter in bowl. Press on bottom and 2 inches up side of 9-inch springform pan; set aside.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Blend in eggs, sour cream and vanilla; fold in chopped cookies. Spread mixture into prepared crust. Bake at 350°F for 55 to 60 minutes or until set. (If necessary to prevent top from overbrowning, tent with foil for the last 15 to 20 minutes of baking).

Cool on wire rack at room temperature. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Remove side from pan; garnish with whipped cream and cookie halves to serve.

Christmas Baking

The lack of posts has been due to all my time going to Christmas baking. Everything is finally finished, so now I can post about all the goodies that I made this year.

First up, Chocolate Almond Biscotti.



Chocolate Almond Biscotti (Adapted from joyofbaking.com)

Ingredients:
4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa, preferably Dutch-processed
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder (I skipped this)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup almonds (toasted and coarsely chopped)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). To toast almonds: spread on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. and the skins begin to flake. Remove from oven. Cool and then chop coarsely. Set aside while you prepare the dough.

Reduce temperature of oven to 300 degree F (150 degrees C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the coarsely chopped chocolate and brown sugar and process until the chocolate is very fine; set aside.

Sift or whisk together the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl; set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer combine the eggs and vanilla extract and beat to blend, about 30 seconds. On low speed mix in the chocolate/sugar and flour mixtures until a stiff dough forms, adding the almonds about half way through mixing.

On a floured surface divide the dough in half. Form each half into a log 12 inches (30 cm) long. Do this by rolling the dough back and forth into a cylinder shape with floured hands. Transfer the logs to the baking sheet, spacing them well apart (width-wise on the pan), and pat to even the shapes. Bake until almost firm to the touch, about 35 - 40 minutes (logs will spread during baking). Remove from the oven, place on wire rack, and let cool for 10 minutes.

Using a long spatula transfer the logs to a cutting board. Using a serrated knife cut the dough into slices 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick on the diagonal. Arrange the slices cut-side down on the baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Turn the slices over and bake until crisp and dry, about 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.


CONCLUSION: The biscotti turned out well, but I probably should have cooked them a bit longer to get them a bit more dry.

Next up (my personal favorite), Russian Tea Cakes.



Russian Tea Cakes (from my mom!)

Ingredients:
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups finely chopped pecans
Powdered sugar

Directions:
Heat oven to 400 . Mix butter and powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix
flour , salt and nuts into dough until it holds together. Spape
dough into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Bake
for 10 to 12 minutes until set and not brown. Roll in powdered sugar
when warm and then roll in powdered sugar again when cold.


CONCLUSION: The key to good Russian Tea cakes is to not overcook them. Do not let them brown or they will be too dry and fall apart. These turned out fabulous this year!

The third cookie I made was Spritz which s a tradition in my family since my mom is German. These have special meaning to me because my grandma (Oma) passed away 2 years ago on Christmas. I made these in her honor.



Spritz (ala Oma)

Ingredients:
1/2 lb butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
2 eggs
1/4 cup finely chopped almonds. (food processor works great)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
little lemon zest
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon backing powder

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and egg yokes, vanilla and lemon
zest. Sift together flour, baking powder and almonds. Add to
creamed mixure. Roll into a ball on floured board and wrap in
plastic and place in fridge for an hour. Take out and cut chunks off
and put into cookie press and press into desired shapes. Place on
greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on
rack. Check cookies because sometimes they take more time like 20
minutes. This depends on how thick they are.


CONCLUSION: It can be difficult to get them through the cookie press if the dough is not at the right temperature. But on the flip side, you don't want the dough too warm or it wont stick to the sheet when you are pressing. So find a happy compromise.

The fourth cookie I made was Cinnamon Stars. Well.. they aren't star shaped because I realized the star cookie cutter I had wasn't right (long story). You can use any shape though.


Cinnamon Cookies (from my mom)

Ingredients:
1/2 lb butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat
well. Shift together flour, salt, cinnamon and baking powder. Add
to creamed mixture. Chill about and hour for easy handling.
Roll on floured board to 1/8 inch thick and cut into desired shape.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 to 12
minutes. Cool on wired rack.


CONCLUSION: The trick to getting really good Cinnamon cookies it to roll the dough out thin. If you do too thick they will taste very blah. I made mine a bit too thick this year.

The fifth and final cookie was the required Sugar Cookie!



Sugar Cookies (foodtv.com)

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Directions:
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.


CONCLUSION: These cookies are very easy to make. I use colored sprinkles instead of icing.

Moving on to the candy making, I attempted two different candies this year. This was actually my first year making candy and I learned a lot.



Two Toned Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge (desertculinary.blogspot.com)
Ingrediants:
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 7 ounce jar marshmallow cream
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Line an 8" X 8" pan with foil. In 2 separate heat-safe medium bowls, place 1 cup peanut butter chips in one and chocolate chips in the other In a heavy 3 quart sauce pan, combine sugar, marshmallow creme, evaporated milk and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils; boil and stir 5 minutes. Remove from heat and quickly stir in vanilla.

Working safely, but quickly, stir one-half of the hot mixture into peanut butter chips and the other half into the chocolate chips. Stir the peanut butter mixture until fully melted and quickly pour into prepared pan. Stir the chocolate chips mixture until fully melted and carefully spread over top of peanut butter layer.

Let sit at room temperature until completely cool. Cut into small squares.


CONCLUSION: The thing with fudge is you have to boil the mixture until it reaches a certain temperature or it will be too soft and don't go over that temperature or it will be too hard. My jar or marshmallow cream said 234 degrees I think. So I attempted to get it that hot. My second attempt worked well. Be sure to have a good candy thermometer! I need to get one for next year ;)

Lastly, we have Peppermint Bark.



Layered Peppermint Bark (desertculinary.blogspot.com)
Ingredients:
17 ounces high quality white chocolate, finely chopped
6 ounces peppermint candy canes, crushed
7 ounces high quality bittersweet chocolate
5 1/2 tablespoons whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Directions:
Turn large baking sheet bottom side up. Cover securely with foil. Mark 12 x 9-inch rectangle on foil. Stir white chocolate in metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch
water) until chocolate is melted and smooth and candy thermometer registers 110°F. (chocolate will feel warm to touch). Remove from over water. Pour 2/3 cup melted white chocolate onto rectangle on foil. Using
icing spatula, spread chocolate to fill rectangle. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup crushed peppermints. Chill until set, about 15 minutes.

Stir bittersweet chocolate, cream and peppermint extract in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat until just melted and smooth. Cool to barely lukewarm, about 5 minutes. Pour bittersweet chocolate mixture in long
lines over white chocolate rectangle. Using icing spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate in even layer. Refrigerate until very cold and firm, about 25 minutes.

Rewarm remaining white chocolate in bowl set over barely simmering water to 110°F. Working quickly, pour white chocolate over firm bittersweet chocolate layer; spread to cover. Immediately sprinkle with remaining
crushed peppermints. Chill just until firm, about 20 minutes. If you let the bark go much longer than this - it will be very hard to cut neatly.

Lift foil with bark onto work surface; trim edges. Cut bark crosswise into 2-inch-wide strips. Using metal spatula, slide bark off foil and onto work surface. Cut each strip crosswise into 3 sections and each section diagonally into 2 triangles. You can also just break into large chunks and enjoy!


CONCLUSION: I actually cheated and melted my chocolate in the micro. You have to be really careful when you do this so that you don't burn the chocolate. Go in 15 sec increments and go slowly. The bark turned out excellent and was very easy to make. Did you know this stuff sells for $35-$40 in the stores???

So that concludes the 2007 Christmas Baking Spree. I hope you enjoyed it as much as me. I am now exhausted!

Apple Crisp

I had some HUGE apples to use up, so I made this. I halfed the recipe and other changes noted below.




Apple Crisp II (AllRecipes.com)
This large 9x13-inch crisp is made hearty with cooking oats mixed into its sweet crumbly topping. Underneath are all the lovely things that compliment apples -cinnamon, brown sugar and butter. Serve warm with rum raisin ice cream or a big dollop of freshly whipped cream."
INGREDIENTS:
10 cups thinly sliced apples
1 cup white sugar ( I used brown sugar)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup water

1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degree C).
2. Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all.
3. Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 45 minutes.

Pumpkin Muffins

I made these pumpkin muffins. They were good, but not the best I have ever had. However, the ingrediants are ones that you will most likely have on hand.



Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (Allrecipes)
Submitted by: Donna
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 232 members Yields: 12 servings
"These muffins use canned pumpkin, spices and chocolate chips. They can be made any time of year, but are especially good during Autumn."
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate
chips
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners.
2. 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.
3. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.