I know. Big whoop. Blueberry muffins. C'mon, Julie. You're totally phoning it in with this recipe.
Or am I?
O.K., well I kind of am.
Just hear me out.....after you look at all of this streusel:
What this recipe may lack in terms of originality, it certainly makes up for in terms of flavor. I know that sounds incredibly cliched, but it's true.
About 8 years ago, I went on a personal kitchen crusade. The purpose of this endeavor? To create "the best" recipes, at least in my opinion, for some of the basics: brownies, banana bread, peanut butter cookies, and yes, blueberry muffins.
I mean, let's be honest here. For every great--or even pretty good--blueberry muffin out there, there are at least a dozen that are dry, tasteless, gummy, overly sweet, or dense as a cinder block. Sometimes, if you are really lucky, you get a muffin that is all of these things rolled into one. It's roughly the size of your head, it contains 3 blueberries, and it apparently has Elmer's Glue as a secret key ingredient due to the way in which it sticks to the roof of your mouth.
I won't go so far to say that a bad blueberry muffin can ruin your day, but it can certainly put you on the expressway to Crankytown. I've been there. It's not nearly as nice as Funkytown.
Everyone should have a never-fail great blueberry muffin recipe up their sleeve(next to their never-fail chocolate chip cookie recipe.) It should be a recipe that you can whip up for overnight guests at a moment's notice, one that wafts an intoxicating aroma throughout the house while baking and, more importantly, impresses the heck out of your mother-in-law.
What it should not be is rocket science. We're talking minimal effort here. These are blueberry muffins, people. No electric mixer required. Ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry and refrigerator (except maybe the blueberries--but seeing as these are blueberry muffins.....) And streusel. Always streusel. You know how I feel about my streusel.
While I was doing my experimenting, I tried recipes that used both butter and oil in the batter. Hands down, the oil created a moister muffin. I didn't use gobs of oil--a mere 1/3 cup--but it still yielded good results and fluffy muffins that don't dry out for days. The muffins themselves are not overly sweet, which is balanced out by the crunchy streusel topping. Adding a generous amount of fresh blueberries, which start to bubble and burst while baking, was a no brainer.
I should add that these are just my idea of the "perfect" blueberry muffin. Others might like them cakier (is that a word?), without streusel (crazy!), or the way that their family has always made them. But, if you aren't married to any one particular recipe, I encourage you to give these a try. You won't be disappointed.
Here are a few extra tips for making these berry best muffins:
As noted below, this recipe makes extra streusel. I happen to like a generous amount of streusel, but feel free to cut back on it if you do not (or you can eliminate it altogether.) The streusel will also keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to one week.
If you want to make larger 'bakery-sized" muffins, this recipe should make about 8.
The muffin batter can be prepared and refrigerated, covered, one day in advance.
These muffins freeze nicely sealed in zip top bags. Thaw them at room temperature.
For the streusel (makes a lot--cut in half if you don't like lots of streusel!)
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cubed
Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners or spray them with nonstick baking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and oil. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Fold in the blueberries. Using an ice cream scoop, fill the muffin cups almost to the top.
For the streusel topping, mix together all ingredients with your fingers, rubbing to make a coarse meal. Sprinkle the streusel over the muffins before baking, pressing lightly to adhere. Bake the muffins for 18-22 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean. Cool muffins in the pan for five minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
In honor of the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday, I give you:
A Love Letter to Trader Joe's
My Dearest Trader Joe's,
How do I love thee? Certainly too many ways to count, but please indulge me as I list a few (in no particular order.)
I love that, without fail, I can fill one of your cute red carts to the brim with everything from pomegranate seeds to prosciutto, and I still spend less than $100. I love that I get to exclaim "That's all?!?" after my items have been rung up at the register (and I do exclaim this every single time -- sorry about that -- it's just exciting, that's all.)
I love that said cart filled with groceries is somehow neatly consolidated into two compact double-bagged paper T.J.'s totes, making me feel less sheepish about not bringing my own eco-friendly bags. An expertly packed Trader Joe's bag is the clown car of the grocery container world. How you manage to fit it all in there is a mystery that we customers will never solve. At the other end of the spectrum, my local Albertson's bagger places each of my ten items into their own plastic bag. You are clearly masters of your craft.
Pound-Plus Belgian dark or milk chocolate bars for $4.99.....enough to make any baker fall in love.
Your guacamole "kits" are the only way that I can bribe my husband to go grocery shopping with me, and they are most certainly on his list of "Top Ten Favorite Things Ever." Via a plastic container filled with two avocados, a tomato, a jalapeno pepper, a lime, a shallot, and garlic, you have managed to turn Mr. I-can-barely-find-the-kitchen into Mr. I-always-make-the-guacamole. At $3.25, what's not to love?
When I toss 18 packs of Wasabi Roasted Seaweed Snacks into my cart, I love that your impressively polite staff doesn't bring up the fact that, yes, I did just buy some last week. I might be slightly addicted. I might be eating some as I type this.
And most of all, I love that every visit to your stores inevitably results in my discovery of at least one (adorably packaged and reasonably priced) new item. Typically, this is a product that I didn't know I was lacking until you were kind enough to bring it to my attention. It's strategically stacked into a pyramid on an endcap with signature whimsical Trader Joe's signage. You know what you are doing in the marketing department.
On my most recent shopping trip, this new discovery was Trader Joe's Organic Tri-Color Quinoa ($4.99/bag). I love that you created this item, because it provided me with the inspiration to make today's recipe, Tri-Color Maple Cranberry Breakfast Quinoa, a dish that is not only healthy, but so much more interesting and beautiful than plain ol' oatmeal.
That's all, T.J. I just wanted you to know how I feel about you. I'm certain that I am not alone. For example, you are opening a new store in a few weeks near my mom's house, and I think that she is already in line. She loves you too.
I'll be back next week for more Wasabi Seaweed Snacks.
XOXO,
Julie
Here are some extra tips for making this protein-packed oatmeal alternative:
This is a great recipe to make at the beginning of the week and enjoy for breakfast throughout the week. You can either reheat it or eat it cold.
Feel free to mix and match your dried fruit and nut combinations in this recipe. Other options could be chopped hazelnuts and dried cherries, cashews and diced tropical fruits, or chopped walnuts and dried blueberries.
You can substitute honey, brown rice syrup, or agave syrup for the maple syrup.
If you prefer butter, you may use it in place of the olive oil, but pay close attention as you saute the nuts to avoid burning them.
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed (such as Trader Joe's Organic Tricolor Quinoa)
Generous pinch of salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup pecans or almonds, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup golden raisins
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Zest from 1/2 orange, plus more for garnish
3-4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Greek yogurt (optional)
Prepare the quinoa: Combine the quinoa with two cups of water and the salt in a medium saucepan; stir to mix. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until all of the water has been absorbed by the quinoa, about 15 minutes. Allow the quinoa to rest, covered, for 5 minutes, then fluff it with a fork.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet overr medium heat. Add the pecans and cook, stirring frequently, until they are fragrant and toasted, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the dried cranberries, raisins, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, zest, and 3 tablespoons of the maple syrup; continue to cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, 1 minute more.
Add the cooked quinoa to the skillet and toss to incorporate with the fruit/nut mixture. Divide into serving bowls. Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt and/or drizzle with additional maple syrup, if desired.
Like most people, I usually make a few New Year's resolutions, which inevitably are broken or, as I like to say, become more "loosely interpreted" by the end of January. "Broken" is such a negative way of putting it, don't you think?
For 2012, I resolved to not make any New Year's resolutions. Part of my decision was based on the fact that people generally expect resolutions to be broken, so they never really have a fighting chance. I also couldn't settle on just one or two items. I had too many ideas running around in my head for things that I wanted to accomplish this year. Oh yeah, I have big plans for 2012.
So, I did what any slightly nerdy and super Type-A person would do. I put together a Power Point presentation entitled "My Goals for 2012." Yes, really.
I'll give you a moment to snicker.
Here was my reasoning: If I had simply scrawled a goal list on one of my 139 legal pads, it would be neither be organized nor legible. It would just be a mess of random phrases with lots of !!!'s and ***'s. Plus, I would likely lose the list or spill red Crystal Lite all over it. So that method was out. By arranging my goals neatly by category on PowerPoint slides (i.e. "Granola", "Fitness", "Writing", "Home Improvement"), they seemed much easier to tackle, and they were easier to prioritize.
By presenting my slides to an audience of Eric and my dogs (and yes, I actually did this--do you need more time to snicker?), I upped my level of commitment to the goals. Plus, who can't afford to brush up on the ol' presentation skills? Apparently I could be a bit more engaging. The dogs are a tough crowd. One fell asleep while the other chewed on his foot.
Also, PowerPoints are kind of fun to put together. Did I just type that? Wow, I am a nerd.
So back to the "mess up." I've been doing pretty well with my PowerPoint of goals, crossing off at least a few items every week. One of my ongoing goals is to start eliminating the clutter from our house. While we are by no means hoarders, we have somehow managed to accumulate unnecessary "stuff", and lots of it. For example, it might be time to cut the cord and get rid of our impressive VHS tape collection, especially since we have not had a VHS player for close to a decade. Just a thought.
Anyhow, this de-cluttering most certainly applies to my kitchen as well. Like many of you, I'm sure, my cabinets are jam-packed with oddly shaped bakeware, super-specialized tools, and items that I don't recall ever seeing before.
NO MORE! I am going to get this kitchen tidy, cleaned out, and organized, and I am not going to buy any new stuff (unless of course I really need it.)
Then I went to Target on Monday. Target is my kryptonite. (Shakes fist) Darn you Target and your reasonably priced, adorably themed holiday displays!! This is all your fault!!
Long story short, I bought a heart-shaped doughnut pan.
In my defense, it was only $7.99, and it's pretty slim, so it won't take up much room. Plus, it was just too cute to pass up. There must be some sort of cuteness clause that makes this a viable purchase, right?
Well, time to make the doughnuts :)
This was my first attempt at making increasingly popular "healthier" baked doughnuts, and I was a bit skeptical of how they would turn out. The flavor choice was dictated by ingredients that I had on hand, specifically, ripened bananas. I've always liked cardamom in my banana bread, so I added it to the doughnut batter, along with toasted pecans, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I opted for oil instead of butter in the batter, as I thought that it would help to keep the doughnuts moist. Overall, I was very happy with the results -- nice banana-y flavor and cake-like texture. In my opinion, the sweet glaze is a non-negotiable. Even if you don't want to do a coconut glaze, do some sort of glaze (vanilla, chocolate, maple, etc.)
Glaze, for lack of a better word, is good.
Here are some extra tips for making these healthier banana bites:
I like to puree my bananas in a food processor when adding them to batters, but you can simply mash them in a bowl or squeeze them in a sealed zip-top bag. The only difference is that you might have a few larger banana pieces in your doughnuts.
If you don't want to glaze the doughnuts, you can roll them in confectioner's sugar or in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar while they are still warm. I do suggest coating them with something though.
These doughnuts are best eaten the day that they are baked.
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Spray a doughnut pan with nonstick baking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the brown sugar with the oil and the eggs at medium speed for 2 minutes. Mix in the banana puree, the buttermilk, and the vanilla.
With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing until incorporated. Mix in the pecans.
Transfer the batter to a large zip-top bag, and cut off one corner. Pipe the dough into the doughnut pan, filling each mold about halfway full. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the doughnuts spring back when lightly touched. Carefully remove the doughnuts from the pan and allow them to cool on wire racks.
Prepare the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioner's sugar, coconut milk (or milk), and extract until smooth. You can add a bit more of the extract if the flavor is not "coconutty" enough for you.
Dip the cooled doughnuts in the glaze and decorate with toasted coconut, sprinkles, or your topping of choice!
Well, sort of. Read on. (But first, another cookie shot.)
It all started with Costco....
I have a love-hate relationship with Costco. Like everyone, I love being able to buy certain items in bulk, like say, 52 pounds of dog food, 42 rolls of Charmin, or necessities like pillow-sized bags of Stacy's Pita Chips (if you've tried Stacy's Pita Chips, then you will concur that they are indeed a necessity.)
A trip to Costco is an event in my house, since all of our locations are inconveniently located across town in different directions. It's as if the VP of Costco Business Development used my house as a starting point on a map, stuck in a thumbtack, and drew three straight lines to the opposite edges of the Las Vegas Valley, thinking "Aha--perfect! These will be our store sites." (Cue evil laugh.)
Before each trip to Costco, it's imperative that I take thorough inventory of my pantry and household supplies and make a list of what I need. IM-PER-A-TIVE. I need a list, and I need a plan. Said list serves as my personal suit of armor, ensuring that I will purchase only, well mostly only, the items that I need and not get swept up in the cleverly marketed displays and constant supply of new items that make Costco Costco.
I hate it when I forget my list.
10 pounds of Jolly Ranchers!! I loooooooove Jolly Ranchers! Well, all but the grape ones, but that's just one flavor. Sold!
Eric apparently doesn't like grape Jolly Ranchers either. We now have 2 pounds of them, if anyone wants 'em.
Another inevitable result of leaving my list at home is that I toss some item into my cart because I am pretty certain that it was on my list or that it would have been on my list if I had made one......only to go home and discover that we haven't even made a dent in the supply that we already have. Happens every. single. time.
Enter world's largest bag of quinoa.
Now, I don't recall ever purchasing a big bag 'o quinoa from Costco in the past, but apparently I had. I don't know, perhaps I blacked out due to Costco eureka! euphoria, which is why I had forgotten that there was already one of these huge, unopened bags sitting in my pantry. And now I have two. Lucky me.
Don't get me wrong. I loooooooove my quinoa like I loooooooooove my non-grape Jolly Ranchers. In the past few years, quinoa has become the Emma Stone of the ancient grains. The "it" girl, if you will. You can see it in all of the hottest food publications and included in recipes from the trendiest chefs. My prediction is that within the next 6 months, it will also be on an InStyle cover, land a Revlon contract and start dating Ryan Gosling. That's how HOT quinoa is right now.
So, I should have no lack of resources in which I can find recipe inspiration for my two lifetime supplies of quinoa, right? Right. Today's recipe was inspired by an idea that I have seen a few times on-line and, most recently, by one that I read in Bon Appetit magazine: Quinoa Breakfast Cookies.
I'm sorry, did you say "breakfast cookies?" Why yes, yes I did.
Sorry, that picture came out a little dark.
Now, before you get too excited, these are not your Keebler Elves' cookies. So if your mind is saying "Chips Ahoy" when you take a bite, then your taste buds might be a tad bit disappointed. Make no mistake, (I think) that they are still delicious, but they are also pretty healthy and full of whole grains, dried fruit, and nuts -- not chocolate chips, white sugar, and monoglutopseudohydrotransbrominal. The texture is fairly cakey, and they are definitely hearty. These cookies are also not overly sweet.......which is why I couldn't leave well enough alone, and I drizzled them with a little glaze. Just a little glaze, mind you. A little glaze never hurt anyone.
1 quinoa recipe down......463 to go.
Here are some extra tips for making these deceptively diet-friendly cookies:
I decided to use dried cherries in these cookies because I think that they have a more concentrated flavor than cranberries, and cherry pairs nicely with almond. Plus, dried cherries were on sale at the grocery store :) Feel free to substitute dried cranberries, raisins, chopped apricots, or a combination of dried fruit.
I made the simple glaze for the cookies by whisking together confectioner's sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice. You could do the same with orange juice, or you could make an almond glaze by whisking confectioner's sugar, water, and a bit of almond extract.
To make your own variation on these cookies, try adding some shredded coconut, orange or lemon zest, banana puree instead of applesauce, or pure maple syrup in place of the honey.
Preheat the oven to 375F degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the honey and then the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the applesauce and both extracts. On low speed, mix in the quinoa until well incorporated.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the batter, mixing on low speed until just combined. Remove the mixing bowl from the stand and stir in the dried cherries and almonds.
Using a small ice cream scoop or a spoon, drop the dough in generous 2-tablespoon portions onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing 2-inches apart. Flatten the mounds of dough with the bottom of a glass or with your moistened palm (otherwise the dough might stick to your hand.)
Bake the cookies until they are golden around the edges and on the bottoms, 12-15 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. If desired, drizzle the cookies with a simple glaze (either confectioner's sugar mixed with lemon juice or confectioner's sugar mixed with water and almond extract.)
Approximately 140 calories and 6 grams of fat per cookie.
20 Random Things That You Never Wanted To Know About Me
Now that I have my new Facebook page up and running (thanks to all who joined!), I thought that it would be fun to occasionally post 20 random facts about myself on my blog. This will allow new readers to get to know me, and long-time readers to learn some more things about me (which hopefully won't scare either group off.) If random facts don't interest you, then by all means skip down to the recipe at the bottom of the page. These are all fairly short and, in case you didn't catch it, also quite random.
1. I was a contestant on Wheel of Fortune when I was 17. I won, but I've either hidden or burned all of the photographic evidence because I was wearing a hideous Laura Ashley number, which should never have been allowed on national T.V.
2. Fast food: I've never eaten a Big Mac, and I've never been to Taco Bell. I love Wendy's Frosties. Oh, and that freaky Burger King mascot in their commercials gives me nightmares.
3. When I was little, I was afraid of the windshield wipers on our car. I also thought that the Empire State Building was called the "Vampire" State Building. Looks like I wasn't alone:
4. I once got my arm stuck in a pool table. That was embarrassing.
5. I also once locked myself in a dumpster. That was even more embarrassing.
6. I'm really good at shooting pool (providing I don't get my arm stuck in the table, which takes my skill level down a few notches.)
7. My brother Jay is the single most interesting person I know. You should take him out for a beer sometime. He has some great stories to tell, my favorite of which includes the dog from There's Something About Mary and a very unfortunate chicken.
8. I can say the Pledge of Allegiance in french which, now that I think about it, makes no sense whatsoever.
9. I absolutely hate mayonnaise. It's pretty much a mayo-phobia. That goes for aioli too. You chefs aren't tricking me with your fancy french terms (see #8.)
10. I'm left-handed. So is my husband, Eric. We figured that there aren't very many of us in the world, so we might as well get married.
11. One of my pet peeves is when people over age 16 use terms like "preggers", "vacay", and "adorbs!" to shorten words that really weren't that long to begin with. Scratch that -- it bugs me when anyone uses those terms.
12. I once had a 5-minute conversation with Tom Brady at a party. Unfortunately, I did not know who Tom Brady was at the time. I've been kicking myself ever since.
13. I like to eat frozen peas.
14. I put Tabasco Chipotle sauce on almost everything (but not frozen peas.)
15. About 10 years ago, I developed an allergy to scallops, which sucks because I really like scallops. Why can't I be allergic to mayonnaise?
16. I love to cross-country ski. Unfortunately, I live in the desert so my opportunities are limited.
17. Music: I love listening to Hair Nation on Sirius, and I wish that the original members of Guns 'n Roses would get back together (although that could be a disaster.) I think that Eminem is a brilliant lyricist, although he could afford to ease up just a hair on the profanities. I think the Dave Matthews Band is completely overrated. Josh Groban's "O Holy Night" always makes me cry. I have a Justin Bieber song on my iPod. Don't judge. It's good for working out.
18. I have one blond eyelash and one brown eyelash.
19. I'm a stickler for punctuality. We are a dying breed.
20. I don't have much of a green thumb, which I partially attribute to the climate in which I reside. That said, a few things grow beautifully here, including Meyer lemons. I have two huge Meyer lemon trees in my backyard, which yield in excess of 500 fat yellow-orange lemons each year. If you live in the area, let me know. I'll give you some :)
Which leads me to today's recipe.........
This weekend, it became evident to me that this year's Meyer lemon supply had gotten a bit out of hand. Branches drooped due to clusters of fat oval-shaped fruit, some of which looked more like oranges. The ground was dotted with dozens of bruised lemons that my dogs had snatched from the tree and discarded. It was time to bake something lemony (not using the dog discarded lemons, of course)!
Have you ever tasted an olive oil cake? It sounds a bit weird, I know. Most of us are used to enjoying a nice, fruity, extra-virgin olive oil drizzled over something savory, not baked into dessert. The olive oil cake is very common in Mediterranean baking, and there are countless variations on it. Olive oil replaces butter as the main source of fat, creating a lovely moist cake that is neither too sweet nor too heavy. Adding polenta (or cornmeal) to the batter yields a slightly crunchy texture and a crisp crust. I decided to load up this cake with plenty of Meyer lemon zest and a bit of fresh lemon juice. Then, at the last minute, I tossed in some blackberries (the cake was just calling out for some fresh berries!)
Overall, I was quite happy with the results. The cake sunk in the middle a little bit, which I sneakily hid with some extra blackberries, but I know that the sinking was due to my frequent checking for doneness (thus the fluctuation of the oven temperature.) Try to avoid doing this, tempting as it may be. See the notes below for a few variations that I will try next time.
Here are a few additional tips and twists for this citrusy snack cake:
As you can tell from the photo, some of the blackberries sunk to the bottom of the pan during the baking process. This is fine, but the next time that I prepare this, I might just sprinkle the top of the batter with the blackberries and allow the cake to bake up around them. If you try it this way, please let me know what happens!
The lemon flavor in this cake is definitely evident, but it is by no means strong or overly tart. If you would like something like that, I would suggest drizzling the cake with a lemony sugar syrup while it is still warm and/or a lemony glaze after it has cooled. Instructions for both can be found in my Mini Blueberry and Meyer Lemon Pound Cakes recipe.
This recipe will keep well for 3-4 days in an air-tight container or tightly wrapped.
Zest from 3 large Meyer lemons (or 4 large regular lemons)
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
8 ounces fresh blackberries
Powdered sugar for dusting
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Spray an 10-inch springform pan with non-stick baking spray - or - spray a 10-inch round baking pan with baking spray and line it with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, polenta, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the sugar and the eggs on medium-high speed for 4-5 minutes, until the mixture is pale yellow and tripled in volume. Mix in the lemon zest.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and the lemon juice. Add this to the egg mixture, alternating with the flour mixture, in two additions each, mixing after each addition until the ingredients are incorporated. Gently fold the blackberries into the batter.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake the cake until the top springs back when lightly touched, and a cake tested inserted into the center emerges clean, 30-35 minutes.
Cool the cake in the pan set on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then release the sides of the pan and allow the cake to cool completely.
Sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar and garnish with additional fresh blackberries (optional) before serving.
Well, it only took about four years, but I've finally created a Facebook page for Peanut Butter and Julie. Hey--I've never claimed to be an early adopter. I wanted to wait around and see if this whole Facebook gimmick has any longevity. One billionaire, one pending IPO, and 800 million users later, I've concluded that it does (although my husband, Eric "I'm not on Facebook" Hession, is still resistant to join.)
So I'm starting this post out with a shameless plug for my new Facebook digs along with an even more shameless attempt at bribing you to give me a "like." This attempt comes in the form of (what else?) A GIVEAWAY.
Required blogging disclaimer: This particular giveaway is completely of my own doing. I wasn't approached by a sponsor, and one of the prizes is my own product.
In order to be entered for the drawing, all that you need to do is give me a "thumbs-up" or a "like" on my Peanut Butter and Julie FB page. As of right now, your chances of winning are absolutely stellar. Since my mom isn't on Facebook either, I have a fan count of 1. And yes, that 1 fan is yours truly. It's kind of lonely over there. Come on over and say hi.
Now, for the delicious deets: In December, I won second place in a Lindt chocolate recipe contest. My prize package included a gift card to the Lindt on-line store, with which I purchased a few copies of their cookbook, Lindt Chocolate Passion. One for me, and one for you! From Stracciatella Mousse to Orange Crepe Souffle with Chocolate Sauce, this book is a chocoholic's dream, and it would be perfect inspiration for your Valentine's Day dessert. It also contains some helpful tutorials on tempering, ganache, and types of chocolate. I think that I gained a few pounds just looking at the photos. One lucky PB&J Facebook fan will win a copy of this cookbook.
A second fortunate fan will win not one, but TWO bags of my Julie Anne's all-natural Decadent Raspberry Truffle Granola, which also served as the inspiration for today's recipe below. I call this granola my "Cocoa Krispies for adults", with its dark cocoa, toasted almonds, intensely flavored dried raspberries and a sprinkling off bittersweet chocolate. It's a great way to get your chocolate fix first thing in the morning (or in the afternoon, or in the evening.)
The official drawing will take place on Wednesday, January 25, which will give me plenty of time to get the prizes to you well ahead of Valentine's Day. Good luck, and thanks!
Speaking of ways to get an early morning chocolate fix......how about a way to get an early morning DOUBLE chocolate fix? I thought that might catch your attention.
As I mentioned above, these muffins were inspired by my Decadent Raspberry Truffle Granola, which was originally inspired by my mom (her favorite flavor combination has always been chocolate and raspberry.) She has a recurring shipment of the granola sent to her to replenish her stash, so I don't feel so badly about her not having a Facebook page. Mom, I know that you are almost due for your next shipment. I'm on it.
I originally attempted to create a lower-fat version of these muffins, using fat-free sour cream and applesauce instead of the oil. I could tell right away when the muffins emerged from the oven that the recipe would be a do-over. They just looked so sad and lifeless as they shrunk back into their paper liners. The taste test, while O.K., wasn't great and the texture was dry. Sometimes it's just not worth the flavor sacrifice to use lower-fat ingredients. This is when the "everything in moderation" rule really comes into play.
For Round 2 I decided to use full-fat sour cream and a little bit of oil along with low-fat buttermilk to keep the muffins moist. I also used whole wheat flour as an alternative way to make the muffins more healthy. Chopped chocolate adds an second chocolate punch, and tart fresh raspberries were folded into the batter just prior to baking.
These muffins came out of the oven looking shiny and happy. Raspberries peeked out from the tops, and an enticing chocolate aroma wafted throughout the kitchen. My recipe made 18 generously sized muffins, but you could also make 40-50 mini muffins for those mini afternoon or post-dinner chocolate cravings.
Here are a few extra tips for creating this chocolate-y way to start the day:
Whole wheat pastry flour or a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour may be used as substitutes for the whole wheat flour
Depending on how large your raspberries are, you might not need to halve them. The ones that I used were particularly large, so it made sense to cut them in half.
I would not recommend substituting frozen raspberries in this recipe, as they will likely result in a soggier muffin.
A good substitute for fresh raspberries would be chopped pitted fresh cherries.
I think that these muffins are best served while still slightly warm (and the chocolate is still melted!)
1/2 cup fine chopped bittersweet chocolate or mini chocolate chips
1 cup halved fresh raspberries
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line two muffin tins with paper liners or spray the cups with nonstick baking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat both sugars with the oil on medium speed until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
On low speed, add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, in two additions each. Increase the speed to medium and beat until smooth. Add the sour cream, beating until fully incorporated. Stir in the chopped chocolate and carefully fold in the raspberries (try to avoid breaking them up too much!)
Using an ice cream scoop or a spoon, divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 17-19 minutes, until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin emerges clean.
Allow the muffins to rest in the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
My 2012 has gotten off to a bit of a slow start. This is because, for the first time in several years, I actually had something fun to do on New Year's Eve -- New Year's weekend for that matter.
Usually, Eric and I can be found at home on December 31, doing anything that we can to avoid the chaos and the Kardashian-magnet that is the Las Vegas Strip on New Year's Eve. I'll whip up a batch of cheese fondue or an antipasto platter, and we'll watch the ball drop in Times Square, declaring that it "counts" as staying up until the New Year.
We'll head to bed by 10, unless Eric happens to discover a Storage Wars marathon on T.V., in which case I will just head to bed, ready to get a good night's sleep and a fresh start on the new year.
But not this year. This year, I had a wedding to attend. A New Year's Eve wedding! Sounds fun, right? Believe me, it WAS. I mean, I stayed up until the actual midnight, maybe even 12:35. That's BIG for me. I even got my husband onto the dance floor. That's HUGE for me.
My handsome cousin, David, and my beautiful new cousin-in-law, Claire, got married in Dallas, and the weekend was jam-packed with activities (including, of course, lots of eating.) It was great to spend time with my extended family, who I don't get to see often enough, and the weather was consistently perfect.
The icing on the incredibly delicious lemon and berries wedding cake was that our travel could have not gone more smoothly. I mean, think about it: We left Vegas for New Year's, and we traveled back to Vegas after New Year's. Who does that?
Here's a little non-wedding photo from the wedding weekend: I am modeling a Christmas gift from my mom with my brother, Jay. I didn't know that he was sticking his tongue out at me until after I saw the photos. Typical. (Note: She really likes me best.)
When we returned home, the house was in a complete state of disarray. Between winding down from Christmas and getting ready for the wedding, there hadn't been much effort exerted in the cleaning department. So making the house look somewhat presentable (should Martha Stewart drop by) and catching up on work were my first orders of business. Then, I could get back to blogging.
So, my obligatory "start the New Year with a healthy blog post" post has been delayed by a few days. My house is still kind of a mess, but I saw Martha on the Today Show this morning, so I figure that I have at least until tomorrow to prepare for any surprise drop-ins.
Resolving to go on some sort of an extreme diet/cleanse in 2012 is setting yourself up to fail. Sure, they might work well in the beginning or for the short term, as with many popular cleanses, but following a regimen that only allows you to eat beet greens for six months will, at the very least, make you cranky.
Resolving to eat a healthier than you did in 2011? To incorporate raw fruits and vegetables into each meal? To introduce whole grains to your diet? That sounds more like it.
Some people have no problem whatsoever eliminating bread from their diet. I am not one of those people. I love bread. Not just any bread though. Admittedly, I am a total bread snob, so when I choose to consume bread it must be good bread. Fresh bread. Artisanal bread. And more often than not, whole grain or multi-grain bread. I don't go for the grains simply because they are healthier, although that does make me feel better about reaching for the bread basket and spreading on a little butter. To me, bread and rolls made from whole grains are so much more interesting to consume -- they generally taste better, have greater depth, and have a more complex texture than their white flour counterparts.
I've mentioned in previous blog posts that one of our favorite places to go on vacation is Jackson Hole, Wyoming. While in Jackson, Eric and I make sure that we go to The Bunnery at least a few times for breakfast and usually once for lunch too.
The main reason for these multiple visits? The Bunnery's signature O.S.M. menu items. For breakfast, I'm all about those massive O.S.M. blueberry pancakes prepared on a cast iron skillet, perfect fuel for a long hike or a morning on the slopes. Lunch tends to be a sandwich on The Bunnery's O.S.M. bread, lightly toasted to perfection.
Oh, sorry! How rude of me--let me explain: O (Oats). S (Sunflower). M (Millet).
I've never been much of a pancake eater. I enjoy them, but I'll usually opt for an egg-white omelet or oatmeal when I am out to breakfast. The Bunnery O.S.M. pancakes are the exception to my rule, and I found myself craving them long after we had departed Wyoming. Fortunately, smart businesspeople that they are, The Bunnery sells their O.S.M. pancake and waffle mix at their store and on-line, and it produces flapjacks that are pretty darn close to the real thing.
So we've got the pancakes covered, now what about the bread?
I wanted to start the new year off by making a few loaves of homemade multi-grain bread, so that we could have easy access to healthier options for toast, sandwiches, and even croutons for soups and salads. I've made other good bread recipes before, but I decided to try my hand at recreating The Bunnery's O.S.M. recipe. Using the ingredients on the back of the pancake mix as my guide, I came up with a recipe that I think is pretty close. I added the wheat bran and cracked wheat, not only for extra fiber but because I had them in my pantry.
The resulting loaves rose beautifully, giving the kitchen an enticing aroma as they baked. I tried the bread several ways (for research purposes, of course), and my conclusion is that it actually tastes best after it has rested overnight, tightly wrapped, and I also prefer it toasted. It makes a killer PB&J too. Next, I'm turning it into a panini.
One last thing! Just before the holidays, I did my first official gig as the Sterling Ultimate Host on our local Fox newcast. I'll give myself about a B grade on this one....maybe a B+. I start out a little shaky, but I think that I ended pretty smoothly. All in all, not too shabby. I didn't knock anything over, and I had a lot of fun. PLUS, one of the original Pips (as in Gladys Knight) and celebri-stylist Kim Vo were hanging out in the green room with me. That was pretty cool! Enjoy (and no laughing.)
Here are my extra tips for making this healthy, whole grain bread:
When you first glance at the list of ingredients below, you will likely see several which are not currently in your pantry. Fear not! There is a bit of flexibility with the ingredients. You can omit the cracked wheat/wheat bran and substitute another whole grain, such as additional oats, oat bran, etc. I would recommend investing in the millet and sunflower seeds though, as they add a nice crunch to the texture.
Regarding the tip above, I would not recommend substituting a raw larger grain, such as wheat berries, for the smaller grains. Wheat berries take a bit longer to soften, and you don't want to break a tooth when biting into the bread! If wheat berries are a MUST for you, then boil them per the instructions on the package before adding them to the dough.
I like to use maple syrup as a sweetener as often as possible, because we always have plenty in supply. You can certainly substitute honey, agave nectar, or brown rice syrup.
This bread will keep, tightly wrapped, for several days. You can also freeze it: My suggestion is to slice the bread, tightly wrap it, and freeze it. That way, you can remove slices from the freezer as needed and place them directly in the toaster/toaster oven.
(PB&J's attempt at) The Bunnery's Famous O.S.M. Bread
In the bowl of an electric mixer, stir together the water, maple syrup, and the yeast until the yeast has dissolved. Allow the mixture to rest until the yeast is foamy, 10 minutes.
Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment, and mix in the oil on low speed. Add one cup of the whole wheat flour and the two cups of bread flour to the mixture. Increase the mixer speed to medium, and beat the mixture until smooth and shiny. Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes before continuing.
Add the oats, wheat bran, cracked wheat, millet, sunflower seeds, and salt to the bowl; mix until well blended.
Switch the mixer attachment to the dough hook. Add two more cups of the whole wheat flour to the bowl, and mix on medium speed until the flour is fully incorporated. Gradually add the remaining cup of whole wheat flour to the bowl, and mix until the dough is soft, but not sticky, about 5 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times with your hands. Shape the dough into a ball, and place it in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel, and place it in a warm location for 1 1/2-2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Spray two 9X5-inch baking pans with nonstick baking spray, and line them with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and punch it down to deflate. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, and shape each piece into a loaf. Place each loaf into one of the prepared pans. Cover the pans loosely with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise until doubled, 45-60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and place the oven rack in the center position. Bake the loaves until they are browned and sound hollow when tapped, 35-45 minutes. The internal temperature should be about 200F degrees. Allow the loaves to rest in the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
I take pride in my punctuality. If anything, I am usually 5 minutes early for appointments, and I just can't understand why some people are always running late. True, sometimes delays are unpreventable, but habitual tardiness is just plain rude.
This post is about 1 1/2 weeks late, and you can imagine how much it has been driving me bonkers. It's been staring at me from the top of my to-do list, waiting to be crossed off, and I've started it three different times, only to be deleted due to my dissatisfaction with the content.
Today is a good day. I am going to finish this post.
Before I go on, I want to congratulate Debbie R. for winning the Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen cookbook giveaway from my last post. Yay, Debbie!! I know that you will really enjoy cooking your way through Sara's recipes.
A small portion of this delayed post was due to work commitments. It seems that, with my business, when it rains granola, it pours granola. I just received a huge order (woo-hoo!) from a new customer, Central Market in Texas, which I have been working on for about a year, so I have been putting in overtime to get that shipped. At the same time, I have been trying to get ready for the Summer Fancy Food Show in Washington D.C., where Julie Anne's Granola will have a booth (#5034 if you happen to be there!) This involves making samples, packing up my "set", preparing paperwork, and getting my highlights done so that I don't scare away potential customers with my Cruella Deville hair. You know, the usual stuff.
I mentioned above that I started this post three different times. Why? Well, in addition to being perpetually punctual, I'm a bit of a Type-A perfectionist. In other words, I probably annoy lots of people (at least I'm self-aware, right?) The first idea that I had for this post sounded great in theory. It looked great when I typed up the recipe. The finished product even tasted like I anticipated it tasting. All of that said, it still kind of had that meh, who cares? factor, which didn't make it very exciting for a blog post, and I didn't just want to post any old recipe just for the sake of posting. I still might try to rework it for the future though, so I'm keeping it under wraps for now (the suspense is killing you, I know.)
Then, I was scrolling through my Epicurious recipe box for ideas, and I came across a highly-rated recipe for brioche, for which almost all of the reviewers gave glowing remarks. Having little past experience with brioche, I thought that I would give it a try. Let me clarify, I have little past experience baking brioche. I have plenty of past experience eating brioche, so I know what the finished product should look like and taste like. This wasn't it.
Now, I don't know if I did something wrong, or if I just wasn't satisfied with the total results. The brioche tasted fine: buttery, rich, and slightly yeasty. Fine, but not "WOW!" I wanted to be wowed. The texture of the bread was much too dense, as it didn't rise as much as it should have during the proofing process. I also felt like the baking temperature (400F) was too high, as the loaves browned much too quickly, and the recipe could have used a few more eggs.
So I was again left without a post, but I was now determined to find the perfect brioche recipe.
I think that it was fate that I happened to be leafing through one of my newer additions to my cookbook collection, Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home (which, by the way, I found at Costco for something like 50% off), later that same evening. The first recipe featured in the "Breads, Crackers, and Cheese" section is, you guessed it, "Brioche." As I read through the ingredients and T.K.'s signature well-explained technique, I noticed many differences from my first batch of brioche. It's kind of nerdy how excited I was to try his recipe the next day. Thomas Keller won't let me down! Thomas Keller is a genius! I'd been to his Bouchon bakeries, and I'd tried their brioche, so my hopes were high.
T.K. didn't disappoint. The two buttery loves of brioche rose as they should rise, and they baked up golden brown as an enticing aroma filled the kitchen. This recipe is a keeper, and I encourage you to give it a try. Just a note: Brioche needs to rest overnight, so start preparing it one day in advance. Here are the major differences between the two attempted recipes:
T.K. used a combination of cake flour and all-purpose flour. Epicurious just used all-purpose flour. The cake flour resulted in a finer crumb texture.
T.K. used 6 large eggs, which likely helped with the rising. Epicurious used 3.
T.K. set the baking temperature at 350F, while the Epicurious recipe was set to 400F. I found the 400F temp to be much to high, resulting in over-browned loaves.
The Epicurious recipe also used an egg wash on the loaves prior to baking, which also increased the browning process.
I'm going to go make a slice of the world's best toast now. Jealous?
**BONUS RECIPE: Since I found some beautiful ripe peaches at Trader Joe's (a rarity here in Las Vegas!), I decided to make some spiced peach butter to go with the brioche. This recipe couldn't be easier when using a slow-cooker: Peel, pit, and chop 4 pounds of ripe peaches. Place the peaches, 1 1/4- 1 1 3/4 cups sugar (depending on how sweet you like your spreads), 1/3 cup orange juice or peach nectar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice in the slow cooker; stir to mix. Loosely cover (wedge a butter knife in the lid to allow for air) and cook on low for 8-10 hours, stirring occasionally, until the peaches are broken down and the mixture has reduced. Puree the mixture with an immersion blender or by placing it in a blender/food processor. Spread on brioche -- yum!
Here are my extra tips for making this rich and buttery bread:
The brioche not only makes outstanding toast, it can also be turned into croutons or even breadcrumbs. To make the croutons, cube the brioche and toast the cubes at 350F degrees until golden brown, tossing once, about 10 minutes. For the breadcrumbs, allow the loaf of bread to dry overnight unwrapped. Then, cut it into pieces and pulse the pieces in a food processor to get coarse crumbs. Bake the crumbs at 250F degrees for 1 hour, tossing once, until completely dried out.
I hate to sound like Ina Garten, but be sure to use "good" butter with this recipe. It matters.
Regarding the rising times, depending on the temperature/humidity conditions in your kitchen, it may take a bit longer for your loaves to rise. Since my kitchen runs a bit cold, I turn the oven on for 1 minute to pre-heat, and then I turn it off. Then I place the dough in the oven to rise in a "warm" place.
Brioche (Recipe from Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller)
One 1/4-ounce package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
2 1/3 cups cake flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons fleur de sel or sea salt
6 large eggs, at room temperature
2 1/2 sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes, at room temperature
Combine the water and the yeast in a small bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes, then stir until the yeast is completely dissolved. Set aside.
Sift together the flours, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the eggs and beat for 1 minute at low speed, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed. Slowly add the dissolved yeast and continue beating at low speed for 5 minutes. Stop the machine, scrape any dough off the hook, and beat for another 5 minutes.
Add the butter cubes, about one-quarter of them at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each addition. Once all the butter has been added, beat for 10 minutes more, until the dough is smooth and silky.
Transfer the dough to a large floured bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 3 hours.
Turn the dough out onto a generously floured work surface and gently work out the air bubbles by folding the dough over several times while lightly pressing down on it. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
Generously butter two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by-3-inch loaf pans. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. With floured hands, divide the dough in half, shape it into 2 rectangles that fit into the loaf pans, and put the dough in the pans. Let the dough rise, uncovered, in a warm place until it is about 1/2 inch from the top of the pans, about 3 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
Bake the brioche until it is well browned on top and sounds hollowed when tapped on the bottom, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately turn the brioche out onto a cooling rack.
If serving immediately, let the bread cool for 10 minutes, then slice. If serving within a few hours or up to two days, promptly wrap the hot bread in aluminum foil and set aside at room temperature until ready to use. To freeze, wrap the hot bread in foil and promptly freeze. The bread can be frozen for up to 2 months. When ready to use, reheat (without thawing, and still wrapped in the foil) in a 250F degree oven until heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.
Much like my dad, I have a weakness for doughnuts. Unlike my dad, I cannot eat as many doughnuts as I want without turning into a doughnut. If you inherit the weakness, then it should be a given that you also inherit the metabolism, right? *Sigh* So unfair.
My dad is particular to those cinnamon-sugar coated apple cider doughnuts found at the farm stands during the fall months. I, in a rare turn of events, am less picky. Cake, yeast-raised, Boston cream, glazed, powdered sugar, holes, crullers, sprinkles, spice, chocolate, coconut......I pretty much like 'em all.
I have, however, always been much more partial to the Dunkin' Donuts variety vs. any of the other brands. And for some reason Krispy Kremes don't appeal to me at all. Must be a raised-in-the-northeast thing. Biting into a powdered cake or a glazed chocolate Munchkin immediately takes me back to elementary school recess. Those special "Munchkin Days" were the best days ever!
Not only do I love to eat doughnuts, I have also developed a fondness for making them from scratch. There is something very satisfying about producing a beautifully raised and glazed, perfectly round batch of doughnuts and holes. Maybe it's the "You made those?!?" reaction, which you are almost guaranteed to hear (although it usually comes out more like "Yuh muh thuh?!?", due to mouth full of doughnut.) Or maybe it's due to you conquering that somewhat daunting task of frying pastries, and then thinking to yourself "Hey! I made those!" ("Ah muh thuh".)
When I do prepare doughnuts, I need to find a home for them, stat (after the requisite sampling, of course.) Otherwise I'll pick at them, crumb-by-crumb, all day long. This distributing of the doughnuts, as you can imagine, is not the most difficult of tasks. I have yet to find a potential recipient whose reaction is of the "Fresh doughnuts? Thanks, but I'm good" persuasion.
These guys are going to the FedEx office. They always get my stuff where it needs to be when it needs to be there, and they run a lot this time of year, so I figure that donuts are just what they need.
I've been on a huge gingerbread kick lately: creme brulee, macarons, and my planned recipe for Thanksgiving breakfast, blueberry gingerbread pancakes. So, creating a gingerbread-flavored doughnut has been on my list. I decided to give this recipe an extra fall kick with the addition of pumpkin puree in the dough, which also helps to keep these treats nice and moist. As far as toppings go, some people love a glaze, while others go for the sugar (while some of us, ahem, go for both.) So, I have included maple glaze and a spiced sugar options below.
These doughnuts would be a welcome addition to breakfast for your family and guests on Thanksgiving morning -- or on any morning this holiday season. Because the dough can be prepared in advance, all that needs to be done that day is the cutting, frying, and glazing/sugaring. Enlist kids or a willing helper to assist with the rolling and cutting portion as well as the finishing touches. Anything leftover from breakfast will taste great served alongside hot cider as a mid-day treat.
Here are some extra tips for making these holiday-spiced sweets:
If you like an extra punch of ginger in your gingerbread, chop up some crystallized ginger and add it to the dough, or sprinkle it on top of the glaze for garnish.
You can also dress up theses doughnuts even more by adding chopped dried cranberries, raisins, or toasted nuts to the dough.
When cutting out the shapes, try dipping the cutters in flour first. This helps to prevent the dough from sticking to the cutters.
One of the handiest tools that I own for frying is a spider skimmer, pictured below. It facilitates removing items from the fryer while draining. I found mine for about $4 at the international market, in the Asian foods section.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, salt ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the shortening with both sugars at medium speed until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the molasses and beat for one minute more, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream and the pumpkin puree. Add this mixture alternately with the dry ingredients to the electric mixer bowl, mixing after each addition until combined. At this point, the dough should be very sticky and resemble buscuit dough.
Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover, and chill for at least one hour or overnight.
Place enough canola oil in a large pot to reach 2-inches in depth an place over medium heat.
For the spiced sugar: Stir together the sugar and the spices in a medium bowl.
For the maple glaze: In a medium bowl whisk together the confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, vanilla extract, maple extract, and maple syrup. Whisk in enough of the hot water to yield a thin glaze.
Transfer the chilled dough onto a generously floured work surface and roll out to a 1/2-inch thickness. Using either a doughnut cutter or two round cutters (about 2 1/2-inches and 1-inch in diameter), cut the dough into as many doughnuts and holes as possible. Carefully reroll any scraps and cut out more doughnuts and holes.
Once the oil has reached a temperature of about 325F degrees, add the doughnuts and holes, a few at a time, to the pot, making sure not to crowd them. Fry the doughnuts for about 15 seconds, then carefully flip them. Fry them for about 1 minute, until golden brown, then flip and fry again on the other side for about 1 minute more, until dark golden brown.
Transfer the doughnuts to a wire rack set over paper towels to drain and continue the process with the remaining doughnuts.
If using the spiced sugar, toss the still warm doughnuts in the sugar mixture until coated on all sides.
If using the glaze, dip one side of the still warm doughnuts into the glaze, then place them on wire racks until the glaze sets, about 15 minutes.
Some people are snackers, while others make it a policy to never eat in between meals. Of course, some members of the latter group also subscribe to the "six-small-meals-a-day" plan, popularized by Hollywood diet gurus who warned their clients about the dangers of unconsciously over-snacking.
They call it a "small meal." I call it a "scheduled snack." Po-tay-to, po-tah-to.
I, for one, am proud to be a snacker, a grazer, a nosher. Since I'm a pretty active person, hunger often strikes at odd hours of the day. And I'm not one of those people who can just ignore my hunger, hoping that it will pass. I need to drop everything and address the dire situation at hand, immediately, if for no reason other than to quiet my very embarrassingly vocal stomach. I might be a snacker, but my stomach is a growler.
My challenge is finding snacks that are both healthy and filling, so I generally stick to a rotation of a handful of options. These include tamari almonds and turkey jerky, sliced carrots and hummus, a mini Golden Spoon fro-yo if I'm out and about, and those 100-calorie Think Thin bars. Most recently, I have become slightly obsessed with those Trader Joe's Wasabi Seaweed Snacks too (feel free to say "Ewww, seaweed." My husband does.) But seriously, they're really yummy, inexpensive, and healthy--the entire package is something like 70 calories. Why, that's a snacking trifecta!
Of course I cannot talk about snacking without mentioning my go-to pre-workout snack, which also used to be one of my favorite after-school snacks, which also occasionally makes a guest appearance as a bedtime snack: apples and peanut butter. I prefer a cold, crisp Granny Smith paired with a salty, natural, crunchy peanut butter (Whole Foods' 365 brand is good), but Honeycrisps and Galas are great too.
Whoever thought up this apples & peanut butter ingredient and flavor combination was nothing short of a genius. Maybe it was an accident, kind of like the old 80s Reese's Peanut Butter Cups commercials, where a girl just happened to be walking down the street with an open jar of peanut butter, and the guy was walking towards her with a chocolate bar. And whaddayaknow? They run into each other and then -- eureka! -- awesome new flavor combination. Don't remember that? Here, let me help:
Oh yeah! Those stylin' 80s. Seriously, this has got to be a front-runner for most cheesy commercial ever.
So, anyway, no matter how the apples & peanut butter combination came about, it's one of my favorites. Smearing a tart, juicy apple with some good quality natural peanut butter is not only a nutritious snacking option, it is filling, satisfying, quick, and inexpensive. Why, that's a snacking quint-fecta!
The other day, I was thinking while I was snacking (because I am a multi-tasker.) Despite the fact that apples and peanut butter blend so well together, it is rare that you ever see this flavor combination used in cookies, cupcakes, pies, and other baked goods. Why is that? Does the pairing not translate well to sweet treats such as these? Well, there was only one way to find out.
But what to make? I started to prepare a list of all of the possibilities, which soon became fairly lengthy. In the end, it was between cupcakes and scones. The scones won out, since I already make pretty tasty peanut butter and banana scones, and I was afraid that the cupcake would end up being more of an apple muffin with peanut butter buttercream on top.
Because I have a hard time making scones without adorning them with some sort of topping, I decided to drizzle these guys with a sticky-sweet honey glaze, which just kind of soaks into the top. The scones themselves aren't super sweet, so the glaze was a nice complementary flavor. Technically, you're supposed to allow the glaze to set before eating the scones, but I kept picking at them. That's a good sign!
While these scones probably won't be inducted into my everyday healthy snack rotation, they are definitely up for nomination in the "special occasion" category. Here are a few extra tips for making these two-great-tastes-that-taste-great-together treats:
Tart apples really do work better with the peanut butter and honey flavors. Instead of Granny Smith, you could also use Honeycrisp, which start to become available this time of year.
The scone dough, once shaped into a disk, can be tightly wrapped and frozen for up to 2 weeks or refrigerated overnight. If freezing, thaw the scones overnight in the refrigerator.
You can also cut the scones into wedges and then wrap and freeze them. That way, you can bake them one at a time!
If you want to skip the honey glaze, you can use this alternative topping: Before baking, brush the scones with an egg wash (1 egg mixed with 2 tablespoons buttermilk.) Then, sprinkle the tops of the scones with coarse or Turbinado sugar.
The scones are definitely best eaten the day that they are prepared!
Honey-Glazed Peanut Butter & Apple Scones
Makes 12 large scones
Ingredients:
4 cups flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 ounces cold butter, cubed
1 1/4 cups diced Granny Smith apples
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup peanut butter (crunchy or creamy -- your choice!)
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup honey
About 1 tablespoon hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In the work bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Pulse the mixture several times to blend.
Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture and pulse several times, until the mixture resembles a coarse meal (you should still be able to see pieces of butter.) Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the apple pieces, tossing to mix.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and the peanut butter until well blended. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture, mixing until just combined and the dough begins to stick together. If the dough is still too dry, add more buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape it into two rounds, each about 1 1/2-inches thick. Cut each round into 6 wedges. Place the wedges onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing a few inches apart.
Bake the scones until they are puffed, golden brown, and firm when touched, 20-23 minutes. Allow the scones to cool for a few minutes, and then transfer them to a wire rack placed over foil or a baking sheet.
Prepare the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioner's sugar and the honey until blended. Add enough hot water to create a smooth, thick glaze. Whisk in the vanilla.
Drizzle the glaze all over the still warm scones. Allow the glaze to set, at least 10 minutes. Enjoy!
