My officemate at work first tried this recipe and we were both a little underwhelmed by the result. The end result was a very dense muffin with an odd texture. The coconut flavour just didn't come through enough either. I decided to liberally adapt this recipe, taking Deb's suggestion to use coconut milk instead to add more coconut flavour and adding some raspberries. I made quite a few changes as well (buckwheat flour, dark brown sugar) and the end result was great. The flavour seemed to get even better after the first day. Note this recipe only makes 10 muffins.
One year ago: Mint and Scallion Soba Noodles
Two years ago: Raspberry Lemonade
Triple Coconut Muffins with Raspberry (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
Ingredients
1/2 cup (110 grams) virgin coconut oil
3/4 cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (60 grams) buckwheat flour (or you could use whole wheat)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup brown sugar sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature is best
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
3/4 cup (90 grams) sweetened shredded coconut, divided
1 cup raspberries, frozen or fresh
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Either grease 10 muffin cups with butter or coconut oil, or line them with papers.
2. In a small saucepan, warm your coconut oil just until it melts. It should still be on the cool side.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together your flours, baking powder and salt.
4. Stir in 1/2 cup shredded coconut.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, sugar, coconut oil, coconut milk and vanilla.
6. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups then sprinkle the top with remaining 1/4 cup coconut, about 1 to 2 teaspoons on each. [I omitted the coconut on top.]
7. Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out batter-free, about 20 minutes. Transfer muffins to a rack and let cool.
Showing posts with label muffins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label muffins. Show all posts
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Apple Pie Streusel Muffins
We went apple picking yesterday and came home with a giant bag of apples. You can expect many apple recipes to come as we try to work our way through these apples. The only problem is, I like apples, but I'm not a huge fan. Any bets on how long it takes before I cave and turn them all into applesauce for baking later?
The apple muffins turned out surprisingly well. They're light and moist with a rich cinnamon and nutmeg flavour. I followed the recipe exactly (except for adding 1 tsp vanilla which was mentioned in the directions but not the ingredient list and substituting pecans for walnuts) despite a few misgivings while mixing and was rewarded with 12 very large and tall muffins.
One year ago: Veal and Tomato Ragout with Potatoes, Cinnamon, and Cream
Apple Pie Streusel Muffins (from Sprinkled with Flour)
Ingredients
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons low fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 cups shredded or diced apple (peeled and cored)
Streusel:
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2-3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans)
1. Preheat oven to 425F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
2. For the Streusel: In a small bowl combine the 1/4 brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Using a fork cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chopped nuts, set aside.
3. In a medium bowl combine the flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the milk, sugars, yogurt, oil, eggs, vanilla,baking powder, salt and baking soda. (If you don't have a mixer, you don't really need it for this recipe!)
5. Fold in flour, stirring just until incorporated. Gently fold in the apples.
6. Divide the batter between 12 muffin tins, making sure each one is filled to the top.
7. Sprinkle the streusel topping over each muffin.
8. Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 375F and continue baking for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
The apple muffins turned out surprisingly well. They're light and moist with a rich cinnamon and nutmeg flavour. I followed the recipe exactly (except for adding 1 tsp vanilla which was mentioned in the directions but not the ingredient list and substituting pecans for walnuts) despite a few misgivings while mixing and was rewarded with 12 very large and tall muffins.
One year ago: Veal and Tomato Ragout with Potatoes, Cinnamon, and Cream
Apple Pie Streusel Muffins (from Sprinkled with Flour)
Ingredients
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons low fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 cups shredded or diced apple (peeled and cored)
Streusel:
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2-3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans)
1. Preheat oven to 425F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
2. For the Streusel: In a small bowl combine the 1/4 brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Using a fork cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chopped nuts, set aside.
3. In a medium bowl combine the flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the milk, sugars, yogurt, oil, eggs, vanilla,baking powder, salt and baking soda. (If you don't have a mixer, you don't really need it for this recipe!)
5. Fold in flour, stirring just until incorporated. Gently fold in the apples.
6. Divide the batter between 12 muffin tins, making sure each one is filled to the top.
7. Sprinkle the streusel topping over each muffin.
8. Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 375F and continue baking for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Walnut Muffins with Coffee Glaze
With more walnuts than flour, these muffins are strictly for walnut lovers. I wasn't too sure about this recipe as I was mixing the batter together, but it ended up being perfectly fine. I cut the glaze down to only 1/3 of the original due to being low on powdered sugar and think that's a perfectly fine amount for the recipe. I ended up using pre-chopped walnuts to save myself some work (and they come in convenient 100g bags!). Note this recipe only makes 6 muffins.
Walnut Muffins with Coffee Glaze (from The Harried Cook, originally Muffins Galore)
Ingredients
muffins
100g chopped walnuts
75g butter
75g sugar
3 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp vanilla
75g flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1. In a heavy-based saucepan, melt the butter, stirring it often. The butter will froth a lot. After a little while, the frothing will stop, and the butter will start turning darker. Soon you will notice there are tiny brown specks in the butter. Once the butter reaches this point, take it off the heat. You should be able to smell the nutty aroma of the brown butter. It should not smell burn.
2. Stir in the sugar while the butter is still hot. Set aside to cool.
3. In the meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir the flour and baking powder together. Stir the walnuts into the flour and set aside.
4. Add the egg yolks and vanilla into the still warm butter-sugar mixture.
5. Stir in the walnut, flour and baking powder mixture.
6. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold the egg whites into the walnut batter.
7. The final batter will be quite thick, but soft and smooth.
8. Divide the batter into a muffin tray (6 muffins), and bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden and firm to the touch.
9. Allow them to cool in the tray for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
10. Spread over the coffee glaze, and garnish with a walnut half.
Coffee Glaze
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp instant coffee
1/2 tsp butter, softened
50g powdered sugar
1. Heat the milk and coffee together until the coffee has completely dissolved. Remove from heat.
2. Add the butter, and stir until the butter has melted.
3. Add the sugar and stir until you have a smooth glaze.
Walnut Muffins with Coffee Glaze (from The Harried Cook, originally Muffins Galore)
Ingredients
muffins
100g chopped walnuts
75g butter
75g sugar
3 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp vanilla
75g flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1. In a heavy-based saucepan, melt the butter, stirring it often. The butter will froth a lot. After a little while, the frothing will stop, and the butter will start turning darker. Soon you will notice there are tiny brown specks in the butter. Once the butter reaches this point, take it off the heat. You should be able to smell the nutty aroma of the brown butter. It should not smell burn.
2. Stir in the sugar while the butter is still hot. Set aside to cool.
3. In the meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir the flour and baking powder together. Stir the walnuts into the flour and set aside.
4. Add the egg yolks and vanilla into the still warm butter-sugar mixture.
5. Stir in the walnut, flour and baking powder mixture.
6. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold the egg whites into the walnut batter.
7. The final batter will be quite thick, but soft and smooth.
8. Divide the batter into a muffin tray (6 muffins), and bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden and firm to the touch.
9. Allow them to cool in the tray for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
10. Spread over the coffee glaze, and garnish with a walnut half.
Coffee Glaze
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp instant coffee
1/2 tsp butter, softened
50g powdered sugar
1. Heat the milk and coffee together until the coffee has completely dissolved. Remove from heat.
2. Add the butter, and stir until the butter has melted.
3. Add the sugar and stir until you have a smooth glaze.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Rhubarb Streusel Muffins
As promised, another rhubarb recipe. This is a filling breakfast that feels healthy, but still tastes delicious. The mixture seemed a bit dry when I was putting it into the cups but turned out well. I measured the stalks based on weight and think I ended up with more than 1 cup of diced rhubarb, but I certainly wouldn't have wanted to have less. I paired this with a little bit of leftover raspberry sauce for tarty muffin bliss.
One year ago: Fajitas, pico de gallo and sangria ... oh my!
Rhubarb Streusel Muffins (from Smitten Kitchen)
Ingredients
Streusel
1/4 cup (31 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (28 grams) white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon (13 grams) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons (38 grams) light or dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter, melted
Muffin
1 large egg
1/4 cup (50 grams) light or dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons (38 grams) granulated sugar
5 tablespoons (71 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup (approx. 120 grams) white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup (63 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup diced rhubarb, in 1/2-inch pieces (from about 6 to 8 ounces of stalks, see note above)
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 12 muffin cups.
2. Make streusel: In a small dish, stir together flours, sugars, spices and salt. Stir in butter until crumbly. Set aside.
3. Make muffins: Whisk egg in the bottom of a large bowl with both sugars.
4. Whisk in butter with egg and sugar, then sour cream.
5. In a separate bowl, mix together flours, baking powder and baking soda and stir them into the sour cream mixture, mixing until just combined and still a bit lumpy.
6. Fold in rhubarb and 1/3 (feel free to eyeball this) of the streusel mixture.
7. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle each muffin with remaining streusel, then use a spoon to gently press the crumbs into the batter so that they adhere.
8. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until tops are golden and a tester inserted into the center of muffins comes out clean. Rest muffins in pan on cooling rack for two minutes, then remove muffins from tin to cool them completely.
One year ago: Fajitas, pico de gallo and sangria ... oh my!
Rhubarb Streusel Muffins (from Smitten Kitchen)
Ingredients
Streusel
1/4 cup (31 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (28 grams) white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon (13 grams) granulated sugar
3 tablespoons (38 grams) light or dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter, melted
Muffin
1 large egg
1/4 cup (50 grams) light or dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons (38 grams) granulated sugar
5 tablespoons (71 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup (approx. 120 grams) white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup (63 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup diced rhubarb, in 1/2-inch pieces (from about 6 to 8 ounces of stalks, see note above)
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 12 muffin cups.
2. Make streusel: In a small dish, stir together flours, sugars, spices and salt. Stir in butter until crumbly. Set aside.
3. Make muffins: Whisk egg in the bottom of a large bowl with both sugars.
4. Whisk in butter with egg and sugar, then sour cream.
5. In a separate bowl, mix together flours, baking powder and baking soda and stir them into the sour cream mixture, mixing until just combined and still a bit lumpy.
6. Fold in rhubarb and 1/3 (feel free to eyeball this) of the streusel mixture.
7. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle each muffin with remaining streusel, then use a spoon to gently press the crumbs into the batter so that they adhere.
8. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until tops are golden and a tester inserted into the center of muffins comes out clean. Rest muffins in pan on cooling rack for two minutes, then remove muffins from tin to cool them completely.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Doughnut Muffins
I'm a little behind the recipe trend. Doughnut muffins have been making the rounds for quite some time and I seem to have never gotten around to trying them. This week's pub trivia focused on Tim Horton quite a bit, so it seemed only appropriate to finally make doughnut muffins. These don't quite taste like a doughnut, but they're incredibly light. At the end, you're supposed to dip the muffins in melted butter and then dip in sugar and cinnamon. I didn't want something quite that messy, so I cut back on the butter and sugar and simply brushed butter on the tops and then sprinkled on the sugar. Original directions are included below.
Doughnut Muffins (from lemanda on Tasty Kitchen)
Ingredients
1 3/4 cup (195g) Flour
1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoons Salt
1/2 teaspoons Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/3 cups Oil
3/4 cups (170g) White Sugar
1 whole Egg
3/4 cups Milk
Topping
1/4 cups Butter
1/3 cups White Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
2. Combine oil, sugar, egg and milk in a separate bowl.
3. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir only to combine.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a bowl.
6. Combine the white sugar with the cinnamon in another bowl.
7. Shake muffins out while still hot. Dip muffins in butter, then into the sugar/cinnamon mix. Let cool.
Doughnut Muffins (from lemanda on Tasty Kitchen)
Ingredients
1 3/4 cup (195g) Flour
1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoons Salt
1/2 teaspoons Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/3 cups Oil
3/4 cups (170g) White Sugar
1 whole Egg
3/4 cups Milk
Topping
1/4 cups Butter
1/3 cups White Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
2. Combine oil, sugar, egg and milk in a separate bowl.
3. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir only to combine.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a bowl.
6. Combine the white sugar with the cinnamon in another bowl.
7. Shake muffins out while still hot. Dip muffins in butter, then into the sugar/cinnamon mix. Let cool.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Whole Wheat Jam Muffins
One of the many trials of winter is the lack of fresh fruit. Right now, I am craving fresh local raspberries, strawberries, and wild blueberries. I could do muffins with frozen fruit, but it's just not the same as cooking with fresh and snacking as you go. While I was in Alabama, I found a recipe for maple crunch muffins that I wanted to try, but I never have granola in the house and I keep forgetting to buy it. Instead, I went searching for another maple muffin this morning and found this recipe. It's not super-maple-y, but it does come together easily. Best of all, it only calls for ingredients that I almost always have on hand.
I scaled this recipe down and ended up with enough batter for 8 muffins. The scaled recipe is below.
Whole Wheat Jam Muffins (found online, originally from The Ultimate Muffin Book)
Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 teaspoons jam (I used strawberry, but was wishing I had blueberry)
1. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line muffin tin.
2 Whisk the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Set aside.
3 In a large bowl, whisk the egg until lightly beaten, then whisk in the honey and maple syrup until smooth, about 30 seconds.
4. Whisk in the milk, oil, and vanilla.
5. Finally, stir in the prepared flour mixture until incorporated.
6. Fill the prepared tins one-third full. Add 1 tsp jam to each muffin. Top with rest of batter.
7. Bake for 22 minutes, or until the muffins have rounded, cracked tops and a toothpick inserted in the center of one muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
8. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Gently rock each muffin back and forth to release and remove it from the pan. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes more on the rack before serving. (If you have the discipline for this.)
I scaled this recipe down and ended up with enough batter for 8 muffins. The scaled recipe is below.
Whole Wheat Jam Muffins (found online, originally from The Ultimate Muffin Book)
Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 teaspoons jam (I used strawberry, but was wishing I had blueberry)
1. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line muffin tin.
2 Whisk the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Set aside.
3 In a large bowl, whisk the egg until lightly beaten, then whisk in the honey and maple syrup until smooth, about 30 seconds.
4. Whisk in the milk, oil, and vanilla.
5. Finally, stir in the prepared flour mixture until incorporated.
6. Fill the prepared tins one-third full. Add 1 tsp jam to each muffin. Top with rest of batter.
7. Bake for 22 minutes, or until the muffins have rounded, cracked tops and a toothpick inserted in the center of one muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
8. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Gently rock each muffin back and forth to release and remove it from the pan. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes more on the rack before serving. (If you have the discipline for this.)
Monday, July 19, 2010
Blueberry Cake Muffins
I debated whether or not to even post this recipe, because the other blueberry muffin recipe so clearly beats this one for me. This one is too much like eating a cake (yes, I was warned it was cake-like, but I didn't realized my strong anti-cake muffin feelings until trying it). That being said, I think it could be converted to a very lovely coffee cake ... and mainly for that reason, I don't want to lose this recipe (and since I found it on a chowhound thread, losing it permanently is a very likely possibility!).
I cut the recipe in half, but the original for 12 muffins is included below. If I were making it again, I might cut back a little on the nutmeg because I found it slightly overwhelming. I also skipped out on cake flour (yes, I know I need to buy some) and cheated on the buttermilk (why oh why can't I find it in the grocery store again? I can't make the red velvet cake recipe I want to make until I find the real thing!). Note also that the crumble makes a ridiculous amount and could probably be halved for the 12 muffins.
P.S. It's hard to type with a cat trying to sleep on your hand. What do you do with a super needy, shedding furball?
Blueberry Cake Muffins (from Fine Cooking July 2002)
Ingredients
For the crumble:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Scant 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
For the Muffins:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated or ground nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup fresh blueberried, picked over
1. Heat oven to 350F. Line a muffin tin with liners.
2. Make the crumble by combining flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add butter and work in with fingertips or pastry blender until uniform and moist. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
3. Make Muffins: Sift together both flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl.
4. In an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 mins.
5. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after you add each one.
6. Scrape sides and add vanilla.
7. On low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating between buttermilk in two additions.
8. Gently fold in the berries with a spatula.
9. Spoon into the muffin cups until they are almost full.
10. Scatter a good amount of crumble over the batter in the muffin cups.
11. Bake until the tops are golden and springy to the touch. 20-25 minutes for regular muffins, 30 to 35 for large.
12. Cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
I cut the recipe in half, but the original for 12 muffins is included below. If I were making it again, I might cut back a little on the nutmeg because I found it slightly overwhelming. I also skipped out on cake flour (yes, I know I need to buy some) and cheated on the buttermilk (why oh why can't I find it in the grocery store again? I can't make the red velvet cake recipe I want to make until I find the real thing!). Note also that the crumble makes a ridiculous amount and could probably be halved for the 12 muffins.
P.S. It's hard to type with a cat trying to sleep on your hand. What do you do with a super needy, shedding furball?
Blueberry Cake Muffins (from Fine Cooking July 2002)
Ingredients
For the crumble:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Scant 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
For the Muffins:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated or ground nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup fresh blueberried, picked over
1. Heat oven to 350F. Line a muffin tin with liners.
2. Make the crumble by combining flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add butter and work in with fingertips or pastry blender until uniform and moist. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
3. Make Muffins: Sift together both flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl.
4. In an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 mins.
5. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after you add each one.
6. Scrape sides and add vanilla.
7. On low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating between buttermilk in two additions.
8. Gently fold in the berries with a spatula.
9. Spoon into the muffin cups until they are almost full.
10. Scatter a good amount of crumble over the batter in the muffin cups.
11. Bake until the tops are golden and springy to the touch. 20-25 minutes for regular muffins, 30 to 35 for large.
12. Cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Very Blueberry Muffins
Thanks to chowhound, I found two recipes that are contenders for my ultimate blueberry muffin recipe. This is the first one. Thanks to the quick blueberry jam, it has a rich blueberry flavour. While I adore the lemon sugar topping, the original also has suggestions for a streusel topping and an orange glaze topping that both sound amazing. Is this the best blueberry muffin recipe? I don't know, I need to try the other one soon! Will I be making it again? Almost certainly!
I cut the recipe in half so I wouldn't be overwhelmed with blueberry muffins (and would have enough blueberries leftover to make the other batch of muffins), but the original is included below. I also cheated with the buttermilk (I haven't seen it in the Metro lately!) and made it by combining 1 cup milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice and letting it sit for 10 minutes or so. The original suggests substituting 3/4 cup plain whole-milk or low-fat yogurt thinned with 1/4 cup milk, which sounds even better, but I went with what I had and have used before.
Very Blueberry Muffins (from the Bitten Word) (from Cook's Illustrated (May/June 2009))
Ingredients
Lemon-Sugar Topping
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp finely grated zest from 1 lemon
Muffins
2 cups fresh blueberries, picked over
1 1/8 cups plus 1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp table salt
2 large eggs
4 tbsps unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1. FOR THE TOPPING: Stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined; set aside.
2. FOR THE MUFFINS: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or line with 12 muffin cups.
3. Bring 1 cup blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with spoon several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to 1/4 cup, about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl.
5. Whisk remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until thick and homogeneous, about 45 seconds.
6. Slowly whisk in butter and oil with eggs until combined.
7. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla with eggs until combined.
8. Using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and remaining cup blueberries into flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not overmix.)
9. Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly).
10. Spoon teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter.
11. Using chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using figure-eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over muffins.
12. Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.
I cut the recipe in half so I wouldn't be overwhelmed with blueberry muffins (and would have enough blueberries leftover to make the other batch of muffins), but the original is included below. I also cheated with the buttermilk (I haven't seen it in the Metro lately!) and made it by combining 1 cup milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice and letting it sit for 10 minutes or so. The original suggests substituting 3/4 cup plain whole-milk or low-fat yogurt thinned with 1/4 cup milk, which sounds even better, but I went with what I had and have used before.
Very Blueberry Muffins (from the Bitten Word) (from Cook's Illustrated (May/June 2009))
Ingredients
Lemon-Sugar Topping
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp finely grated zest from 1 lemon
Muffins
2 cups fresh blueberries, picked over
1 1/8 cups plus 1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp table salt
2 large eggs
4 tbsps unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1. FOR THE TOPPING: Stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined; set aside.
2. FOR THE MUFFINS: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or line with 12 muffin cups.
3. Bring 1 cup blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with spoon several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to 1/4 cup, about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl.
5. Whisk remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until thick and homogeneous, about 45 seconds.
6. Slowly whisk in butter and oil with eggs until combined.
7. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla with eggs until combined.
8. Using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and remaining cup blueberries into flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not overmix.)
9. Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly).
10. Spoon teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter.
11. Using chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using figure-eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over muffins.
12. Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins
Strawberry season is in full swing and of course I couldn't resist buying a ridiculously large bundle of fresh Quebec strawberries at the Val-Mont ... especially after I saw someone pull up in a pickup truck and start unloading strawberries. I decided strawberry muffins should be the breakfast of the week and started searching on foodgawker for some inspiration ... maybe with cream cheese? I stumbled upon this recipe and couldn't pass by the concept, but there was something lacking in the execution. Granted, I made changes, but that's only because I looked at the recipe and got a little too skeptical ... melted butter? dumping everything in at once? strawberry extract? oh no that won't do! I may have to revisit this recipe again ... without the strawberry jam (with strawberries this amazing who needs jam?).
Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins (adapted from She's Becoming DoughMessTic)
Ingredients
2 cups All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Sugar
2 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp Salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
zest of one lemon (optional)
1 cup diced fresh strawberries
2/3 cup Strawberry Jam
Cream Cheese Center
1/2 cup Cream Cheese, softened
3 Tbsp. Sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 12 muffin tins.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In stand mixer, cream together butter and 1/4 cup sugar.
4. Mix in eggs one at a time.
5. Mix in vanilla and lemon zest.
6. Mix in 1/3 flour mixture, followed by half of the milk, 1/3 flour mixture, remaining half of milk and finishing with final third of flour mixture.
7. Fold in berries and jam.
8. In separate bowl, stir sugar and cream cheese together until well combined.
9. Pour muffin batter into muffin tins. Spoon cream cheese mixture into each tin equally, pressing it into the center of the batter.
10. Bake at 350 for 20 - 25 minutes.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins (adapted from She's Becoming DoughMessTic)
Ingredients
2 cups All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Sugar
2 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp Salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
zest of one lemon (optional)
1 cup diced fresh strawberries
2/3 cup Strawberry Jam
Cream Cheese Center
1/2 cup Cream Cheese, softened
3 Tbsp. Sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 12 muffin tins.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In stand mixer, cream together butter and 1/4 cup sugar.
4. Mix in eggs one at a time.
5. Mix in vanilla and lemon zest.
6. Mix in 1/3 flour mixture, followed by half of the milk, 1/3 flour mixture, remaining half of milk and finishing with final third of flour mixture.
7. Fold in berries and jam.
8. In separate bowl, stir sugar and cream cheese together until well combined.
9. Pour muffin batter into muffin tins. Spoon cream cheese mixture into each tin equally, pressing it into the center of the batter.
10. Bake at 350 for 20 - 25 minutes.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins
Fresh raspberries were on sale this week! How could I resist buying them? And since my grocery store is still closed and the Val-Mont doesn't believe in classic cereals, I've been baking breakfast more often lately. I'm not sure what to say about these muffins. They're good, they're moist, but they're nothing amazing. If you want amazing muffins, go here, but it will be more work.
I scaled the recipe in half because it said it made 12 muffins, but that's more like 12 puny muffins. I think this would've been better as 9 large muffins. The original had low fat everything, but i just used regular ingredients. I suppose you could pretend it's healthy if you used low fat. It also didn't see worth it to me to make buttermilk for such a small quantity, so I just used 2% milk. I left out the walnuts, but feel free to add some back in. Finally, no raspberry muffin is complete without lemon in my world, so I added lemon.
Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins (from Cooking Light)
Ingredients
1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
5 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
zest of one lemon
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended.
3. Add sugar; beat until fluffy.
4. Add vanilla, egg whites, and lemon zest; beat well.
5. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
6. With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and milk to cream cheese mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
7. Gently fold in raspberries.
8. Place 12 foil cup liners in muffin cups (or 9 for larger muffins). Spoon batter evenly into liners.
9. Bake at 350° 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans; cool on a wire rack.
I scaled the recipe in half because it said it made 12 muffins, but that's more like 12 puny muffins. I think this would've been better as 9 large muffins. The original had low fat everything, but i just used regular ingredients. I suppose you could pretend it's healthy if you used low fat. It also didn't see worth it to me to make buttermilk for such a small quantity, so I just used 2% milk. I left out the walnuts, but feel free to add some back in. Finally, no raspberry muffin is complete without lemon in my world, so I added lemon.
Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins (from Cooking Light)
Ingredients
1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
5 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
zest of one lemon
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended.
3. Add sugar; beat until fluffy.
4. Add vanilla, egg whites, and lemon zest; beat well.
5. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
6. With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and milk to cream cheese mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
7. Gently fold in raspberries.
8. Place 12 foil cup liners in muffin cups (or 9 for larger muffins). Spoon batter evenly into liners.
9. Bake at 350° 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans; cool on a wire rack.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Berry Pie Muffins
I made these for a weekend brunch. They're not the simplest muffins out there, but they are delicious. This recipe makes 12 extremely large muffins. If I were making them again, I might scale the recipe down or else make 18 muffins.
I made two changes. First, I realized I had only half the amount of blackberries, but rather than scaling down or rushing out to the store, I added in an equal amount of frozen raspberries that I had hiding in the freezer. Second, I didn't have quick oats, so I substituted bulgar wheat.
Berry Pie Muffins (from The Hazel Bloom)
Ingredients
Topping
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats (or bulgar wheat)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Muffins
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest (I used zest from 1 lemon, so it ended up being a little more)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk (I subbed 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice)
12 ounces fresh blackberries, cut in half (I used half fresh blackberry and half frozen raspberry)
1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees, and line 12 muffin cups with liners (or grease the cups).
2. In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients until crumbly. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg and then stir in the sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla, and lemon zest.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, along with the buttermilk, and stir just until moistened.
6. Add the blackberries and stir until well incorporated.
7. Fill your muffin cups almost to the top with the batter.
8. Sprinkle the topping evenly over each cupcake.
9. Bake for 25 - 35 minutes, until they're golden brown and the tops spring back when you poke at 'em.
I made two changes. First, I realized I had only half the amount of blackberries, but rather than scaling down or rushing out to the store, I added in an equal amount of frozen raspberries that I had hiding in the freezer. Second, I didn't have quick oats, so I substituted bulgar wheat.
Berry Pie Muffins (from The Hazel Bloom)
Ingredients
Topping
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats (or bulgar wheat)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Muffins
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest (I used zest from 1 lemon, so it ended up being a little more)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk (I subbed 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice)
12 ounces fresh blackberries, cut in half (I used half fresh blackberry and half frozen raspberry)
1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees, and line 12 muffin cups with liners (or grease the cups).
2. In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients until crumbly. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg and then stir in the sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla, and lemon zest.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, along with the buttermilk, and stir just until moistened.
6. Add the blackberries and stir until well incorporated.
7. Fill your muffin cups almost to the top with the batter.
8. Sprinkle the topping evenly over each cupcake.
9. Bake for 25 - 35 minutes, until they're golden brown and the tops spring back when you poke at 'em.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Potato and Bacon Muffins
The first time I saw the pictures of these, I knew I had to make them. Potatoes, bacon, cheese ... what's not to love? The original author serves them as a dinner side, but I think it can qualify as breakfast too ... these are all ingredients that are found in a good Montreal breakfast, so why not?
The only downside to this recipe is it requires leftover mashed potatoes. I couldn't wait until after Thanksgiving for leftover mashed potatoes, so I made a quick mini-batch last night while the chicken curry masala was cooking.
This recipe is as good as it looks/sounds, but I do have one change. If you didn't put much garlic in your mashed potatoes, go ahead and add 1 tsp of garlic powder when you're mixing everything together.
Potato and Bacon Muffins (from Kayotic Kitchen)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup grated cheese (I used medium Cheddar)
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder (if your mashed potatoes are lacking garlic)
2 tsp salt
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter (melted)
1 cup milk
4 - 5 slices bacon
2 eggs
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Cook bacon and drain on paper towels. Crumble in a small dish.
3. Cook onion in bacon grease.
4. In a large bowl, combine mashed potatoes and milk.
5. Lightly beat the eggs and add them to the potato mixture.
6. Add sour cream, thyme, garlic powder, salt, and butter.
7. Stir in bacon, onions, and cheese.
8. Add flour and baking powder. Stir.
9. Butter muffins pan liners (the silicone muffin tins work great with this recipe!). Fill 12 - 14 muffin tins or 6 large muffin tins.
10. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes depending on the size of your muffin tins.
The only downside to this recipe is it requires leftover mashed potatoes. I couldn't wait until after Thanksgiving for leftover mashed potatoes, so I made a quick mini-batch last night while the chicken curry masala was cooking.
This recipe is as good as it looks/sounds, but I do have one change. If you didn't put much garlic in your mashed potatoes, go ahead and add 1 tsp of garlic powder when you're mixing everything together.
Potato and Bacon Muffins (from Kayotic Kitchen)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup grated cheese (I used medium Cheddar)
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder (if your mashed potatoes are lacking garlic)
2 tsp salt
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter (melted)
1 cup milk
4 - 5 slices bacon
2 eggs
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Cook bacon and drain on paper towels. Crumble in a small dish.
3. Cook onion in bacon grease.
4. In a large bowl, combine mashed potatoes and milk.
5. Lightly beat the eggs and add them to the potato mixture.
6. Add sour cream, thyme, garlic powder, salt, and butter.
7. Stir in bacon, onions, and cheese.
8. Add flour and baking powder. Stir.
9. Butter muffins pan liners (the silicone muffin tins work great with this recipe!). Fill 12 - 14 muffin tins or 6 large muffin tins.
10. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes depending on the size of your muffin tins.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Raspberry-topped Lemon Muffins
Another recipe found while trying to look for creative and delicious ways to use raspberries. I need to start keeping lemons in my kitchen all the time, because I'm beginning to be obsessed with all the blueberry/raspberry and lemon combinations. I'm posting the recipe as is, but if I had it to make over again, I would put more raspberries on each muffin (or maybe my raspberries were just small).
Raspberry-topped Lemon Muffins from Smitten Kitchen (from Bon Appetit)
Ingredients
1 1/8 cups sugar, divided
4 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel (from two large lemons)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice left to sit for 10 minutes)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 1/2-pint containers (about) fresh raspberries
1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners.
3. Mash 1/8 cup sugar and lemon peel in small bowl until sugar is slightly moist.
4. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend.
5. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 1 cup sugar and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg. Beat in buttermilk, then vanilla and lemon sugar. Beat in flour mixture.
6. Divide batter among muffin cups.
7. Top each large muffin with 4 raspberries.
8. Bake muffins until lightly browned on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
Raspberry-topped Lemon Muffins from Smitten Kitchen (from Bon Appetit)
Ingredients
1 1/8 cups sugar, divided
4 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel (from two large lemons)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice left to sit for 10 minutes)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 1/2-pint containers (about) fresh raspberries
1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners.
3. Mash 1/8 cup sugar and lemon peel in small bowl until sugar is slightly moist.
4. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend.
5. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 1 cup sugar and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg. Beat in buttermilk, then vanilla and lemon sugar. Beat in flour mixture.
6. Divide batter among muffin cups.
7. Top each large muffin with 4 raspberries.
8. Bake muffins until lightly browned on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
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