Maple Pumpkin Muffins with Oats and a sliced Almond topping

I've been trying to make different things for the the DH to take for breakfast this new year. My first recipe to that end this year is from the wonderful blog Cookie and Kate (love her photography).

Maple-Sweetened Pumpkin Muffins with Oats from Cookie & Kate

http://cookieandkate.com/2014/healthy-maple-pumpkin-muffins/

INGREDIENTS

• ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup maple syrup or honey
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• ¼ cup milk of choice 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon allspice or cloves
• 1¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour or regular whole wheat flour
• ⅓ cup old-fashioned oats, plus more for sprinkling on top

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius). If necessary, grease ten cups of your muffin tin with butter or non-stick cooking spray (my pan is non-stick and didn’t require any grease).
2. In a large bowl, beat the oil and maple syrup or honey together with a whisk. Add eggs, and beat well. Mix in the pumpkin purée and milk, followed by the baking soda, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice or cloves.
3. Add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined. If you’d like to add any additional mix-ins, like nuts, chocolate or dried fruit, fold them in now.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the ten muffin cups. For these muffins, it’s ok to fill the cups a little higher than you normally would. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a small amount of oats, followed by a sprinkle of cinnamon. Bake muffins for 23 to 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack. These muffins are delicate until they cool down (you have been warned!), so it’s best to wait until they have cooled down to remove them from the tin. You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan. Enjoy muffins as is or with a spread of nut butter or regular butter.

MY NOTES:
1. I used olive oil, regular milk, and a combination of whole wheat flour and white flour (3/4 cup and 1 cup, respectively). Of course I put way more of the spices in there than the recipe called for.

2. I opted to hold the oat topping, and instead mixed sliced almonds, sugar, and a bit of salt together and spooned that on top of the muffins before baking.

3. They came to about 11ish small muffins. Pretty moist as far as whole wheat-y muffins go, but definitely would go down better with coffee or milk.

4. I froze half of them for about a week, and they were fine on the defrost.

Molasses Crinkles
by Elaine Khosrova from Fine Cooking Issue 54
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/molasses-crinkles.aspx

 9 oz. (2 cups) all­purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1­1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. table salt
4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/3 cup molasses
1 large egg
Granulated sugar for rolling
Yields about thirty-six 3-inch cookies.

Several hours before baking: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. With an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until light in color and texture. Beat in the oil until blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the molasses and the egg, and beat until blended. Stir in the flour mixture until well combined. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill until firm, about 3 hours.

To bake: Heat the oven to 375°F. Measure the dough into tablespoon­size pieces and roll each piece between your palms to form 1­inch balls. Roll the balls in granulated sugar to coat. Put the balls 2 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Sprinkle the tops with more sugar and bake until the center surface of the cookies is barely dry, 9 to 10 minutes (don’t overbake). Let cool on the sheets for 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

MY NOTES:

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate Crinkles Cookies
from Cook's Illustrated
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/8125-chocolate-crinkle-cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour

½ cup (1 ½ ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder (either natural or Dutch processed is fine)

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½cups packed (10 ½ ounces) brown sugar

3 large eggs

4 teaspoons instant espresso powder (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup (3 ½ ounces) granulated sugar

½ cup (2 ounces) confectioners' sugar

Makes 22 cookies

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in bowl.

2. Whisk brown sugar; eggs; espresso powder, if using; and vanilla together in large bowl. Combine chocolate and butter in bowl and microwave at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until melted, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Whisk chocolate mixture into egg mixture until combined. Fold in flour mixture until no dry streaks remain. Let dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.

4. Place granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar in separate shallow dishes. Working with 2 tablespoons dough (or use #30 scoop) at a time, roll into balls. Drop dough balls directly into granulated sugar and roll to coat. Transfer dough balls to confectioners’ sugar and roll to coat evenly. Evenly space dough balls on prepared sheets, 11 per sheet.

5. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until puffed and cracked and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), about 12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let cool completely on sheet before serving.

MY NOTES:

1. Even after I let the dough rest longer than 10 minutes on the counter it was still pretty sticky-- it did better with a little time in the fridge, but overnight might be better next time.

2. I did not use any instant espresso powder. I used Dutch processed cocoa powder.

3. I really did like the effect of the granulated sugar + the powdered sugar-- it really did make for a beautiful cookie.

4. I used an electric mixer to mix up the egg mixture, but I did fold in the chocolate mixture and the flour mixture in-- not sure if it was necessary or not, but it really made it fast :)









PICTURES:

Pumpkin Pie Attempt 1 - my notes

This year, we've been asked to bring the pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. Which of course has made me slightly anxious because pie has always been my nemesis. I've had too much failure with making pie crusts from scratch, or making them only to have them not cook in the oven or have them slightly burn or just not be tasty. 

But the thing is, I love pumpkin pie, and I want to do this. So I've decided for my own sanity, I'm going to make a cookie crust. 

For this attempt, I tried a graham cracker crust, and used the Trader Joe's Organic Canned Pumpkin in the Libby's recipe. I followed the Libby's recipe exactly, except for using more spices-- more cinnamon and heaping spoons of everything else. 

The graham cracker recipe is from this blog and the only change that I made is that I used less sugar (more like 1/4 cup) and added two pinches of salt. 

When I attempt this again, I want to try a gingersnap crust and the filling recipe on the back of the trader joe's pumpkin can (which uses heavy cream, not evaporated milk). 

Some notes: Remember to cover the pan with foil so as not to have the top of the crust burn. Make sure to cool completely on the counter before letting it chill before covering because of condensation. 

Peanut Butter Honey Cookies

These cookies came from the book "Baking with Less Sugar", written by Joanna Chang, of the Flour bakeries in the Boston Area. I had heard about Flour many years ago, and had the good fortune to visit one in Cambridge last year. We had a peach dessert and it was fantastic. When I saw this book, I immediately got my hands on it because I have the same problem as Chang's husband-- I'm very sensitive to sugar. I love the stuff, too much. But I have such a problem controlling how much of it I eat and I inevitably end up high on it, and then crash later. It's not pretty. It's something I'm working on-- but moderation is an elusive concept sometimes, especially to someone who loves putzing around the kitchen as much as I do. So anyway, I had high hopes for the book. At first pass, the recipes don't necessarily seem to be super low sugar-- really, I think the book would've better been named "Baking with Less White Refined Sugar". Chang has organized the book based on sweetner-- recipes using honey, recipes using maple syrup, or just chocolate, etc. But overall there is still a sizeable amount of sugar (unrefined, but still) in the recipes. Granted, certainly less sugar than the traditional recipes, but still.

I picked this recipe to try out first because the DH was given a jar of honey from one of his attendings who owns his own apiary. I thought it might be nice to make a treat that was sweetened only with the honey to give back. However, while the recipe did come out, the honey was masked by the peanut butter so I don't think I'll be sending them along. Which is fine! More for us, and another excuse to try another recipe. :)

Nutty Fruit Seed Bars

So these bars I made last Saturday. They are from Joanna Chang's Baking with Less Sugar. I have to admit, this is the third recipe I've made from the book, and while I wasn't super impressed with the other two, this one is definitely keeper!




Ingredients
75g/ 3/4 cup of walnuts, coarsely chopped
75g/ 3/4 cup of sliced almonds
75g/ 3/4 cup pecan pieces
40g/ 1/2 cup dried apple slices, chopped
60g/ 1/2 cup dried cranberries
60g/ 1/2 cup dried apricots, diced

60g/ 1/2 cup sultanas (golden raisins)
60g/ 1/2 cup raisins
50g/ 1/2 cup almond flour
60g/ 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
100g/ 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant or quick cooking)
40g/ 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
100g/ 1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as canola
115g/ 1/3 cup honey
1 super-ripe banana, mashed (optional)
40g/ 1/4 cup flaxseed
35g/ 1/4 sunflower seeds
50g/ 1/4 cup millet

Instructions:
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
2. Put the walnuts, almonds, and pecans on a baking sheet and toast for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool.
3. Put the dried apples, cranberries, apricots, sultanas, and raisins in a medium bowl and pour boiling water over the fruit to cover. Let sit for 30 minutes.
4.  Decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. In a large bowl, combine the nuts, almond flour, buckwheat flour, oats, coconut, salt, cinnamon, vegetable oil, honey, banana (if using), flaxseed, sunflower seeds, and millet. Using a wooden spoon, stir well until thoroughly combined.
6. Drain the fruit into a medium bowl, reserving 1/4 cup (60mL) of the soaking water and discarding the rest of the liquid. Divide the fruit roughly in half, place half in a food processor or in a blender and add the reserved soaking water. Process until you have a chunky jam. Add the jam to the nut mixture along with the remaining whole fruit. Stir well to combine.
7. Press the mixture evenly on the prepared baking sheet into a rectangle about 12 by 8 inches. Using a sharp knife, cut the rectangle in half lengthwise and then cut each half into 8 pieces widthwise so that you have a total of 16 bars. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown throughout. Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees and continue to bake for another hour. Turn off the oven and let the bars sit in the oven until completely cool. They will get pretty dark but that is okay.
8. Remove from the oven and, using a sharp knife, recut the bars along the marks to separate (they will have joined slightly during baking). The bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.





My notes:
1. It's not the most appetizing thing in terms of looks, which is probably why I neglected to take pictures of it.  It's delicious, though.
2. I did not use the coconut (blech) or the apple slices or the apricots. Instead I used dried mangoes and dried blueberries and I added some sesame seeds as well. I also added extra spices (allspice, more cinnamon)
3. I used a blender to make the fruit jam and needed more than the recommended 1/2 cup of soaking liquid the process. I think this made the overall mixture a little more "wet" than it should have been, because the "precut" marks I made didn't not at all stay.
4. I also totally neglected to lower the temperature to 250 degrees and bake for an hour-- but I did let the bars completely cool after the 45 minute bake. The resulting bars were moist and chewy, and crumbled. I wonder if I had followed through, would the bars have been crunchier or perhaps less crumbly?
5. The millet was a really nice addition-- it made for a nice texture punch!

Burger Buns

Pretzel Bun from Smitten Kitchen

So because I was on a veggie burger kick this weekend, of course that meant that I needed to make buns.

Naturally, the pretzel bun was on my mind. I used the first method she outlined in her post, the baking soda method, but I have to say, even though I bathed my buns for a minute on each side like her directions said to, the "pretzel" flavor was very mild and honestly, the browning was laughable. They made good chewy soft buns-- but I could have saved myself the grief (and baking soda!) by skipping the bath. I doubt that my curiosity will lead me to buy food-grade lye to really get the "pretzel" flavor, but you never know. 

Pics:

Honey Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2014/03/whole-wheat-bun-recipe.html

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter or coconut oil (If using coconut oil, select the refined kind that doesn't taste like coconuts)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast (or one packet)
• 2 to 3.5 cups of whole wheat flour (see note below)
• Sesame seeds or rolled oats (optional--for garnish)

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, gently heat the honey, butter, and milk over low heat until the butter is just slightly melted. Don't boil or simmer this mixture-- you want it just barely warm.
2. Place the yeast in a mixing bowl.
3. Mix the lukewarm honey/milk mixture into the yeast and stir well. Add the egg and salt. Gradually add in the flour, mixing and kneading as you go.
4. Once the dough gets to the point where it is forming a ball, I let it rest for 2-3 minutes. The whole wheat flour tends to soak up liquid over time, so giving it a few minutes allows the flour to soak up liquid and helps to prevent you from adding too much. After this resting period is complete, I go back in and add more flour if needed.
5. Knead 6-7 minutes, adding flour as needed. Cover the dough ball and allow it to rise in a warm place for one hour.
6. Punch down the risen dough and divide it into 8 portions (12 if you like smaller buns). Roll each portion into a ball, then flatten it.
7. I flatten mine so they are pretty close to the size I want my finished buns to be-- during the rising process, they will mostly rise up, not out.
8. Cover the dough circles and allow them to rise 30 minutes in a warm place.
9. Bake at 375 degrees in a preheated oven for 12-18 minutes.
10. A minute or two before they come out of the oven, you can brush them with melted butter and sprinkle on some sesame seeds or rolled oats. This isn't necessary, but definitely makes for a pretty end product. 
11. These buns are best if served on the same day they are made.

MY NOTES:

1. I used the technique of not adding too much flour to start and I have to say that I like it! I think in total I must have used around 3 cups of whole wheat flour in all.


2. These didn't poof much. The yeast packet I used was perhaps not the freshest, so maybe that's why? I also let them rise in the bowl I mixed it together in (instead of using a clean, oiled bowl, like I usually would).

3. Overall, I like these, and I'd make them again :)