Lemon Blueberry Scones

These were some great scones for a summer morning. Very easy to make. They are a bit crumbly, but I love how they aren't overly sweet. The lemon and blueberry really works well together!

Lemon Blueberry Scones
Gimme Some Oven

• 1 cup all-purpose flour


• 1 cup whole wheat flour


• 1 Tbsp.  sugar (optional)


• 1 Tbsp. baking powder


• 1/4 tsp.  baking soda


• 1/4 tsp. salt


• 1 Tbsp. lemon zest


• 1/4 cup  butter, chilled and cut into pieces


• 1/4 cup olive or canola oil


• 3/4 cup milk or buttermilk (I used 2% milk)


• 1 cup fresh or frozen berries (don’t thaw them)


• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice


• 1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Put the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest in the bowl of a food processor or into a medium mixing bowl and pulse or stir until well blended. Add the butter and oil and pulse or stir with a wire whisk or fork until crumbly. If you’re using a food processor, transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.

Add the milk and berries and stir gently just until the dough is combined.

Pat the dough into a circle that is about 1” thick and 8”-9” in diameter on the cookie sheet. (If they are sweet and you want a brown, crunchy top, brush them with a little milk and sprinkle with sugar.) Cut the circle into 8 wedges with a knife or pastry cutter and separate them on the sheet so that they are at least an inch apart.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden.  Remove from oven.

If you would like to add glaze, stir together lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl until well-blended.  (Feel free to add more/less powdered sugar to make the glaze your desired consistency.)  Brush or drizzle glaze on top of cooled scones (or if you’re impatient like me, brush while they’re warm), and serve.

Donuts

I got a donut pan for my birthday a few months ago (thanks Kali!) and just haaaad to make some donuts with them. I chose some very basic donuts for my first go-round.


The donut pan is perfect. I think you can fill the holes with most muffin mixes and they will come out as a donut! Pretty sweet if you ask me!


I sprinkled some chocolate chips on the top of a few as well as some flaked coconut. Both were delicious and a fun surprise for the donuts.

I dipped the glazed part in some chocolate and rainbow sprinkles, which would make them very fun for kids!


Donuts

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon shortening

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons hot water
Sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly grease the doughnut pan. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk, eggs, vanilla and shortening. Beat together until well blended.

Fill each donut cup approximately 3/4 cup full. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until doughnuts spring back when touched. Allow to cool slightly before removing from pan.

To make glaze, blend confectioners' sugar and hot water in a small bowl. Dip donuts in the glaze and dip into sprinkles if desired.

Whole Grain Waffles

These are great, easy waffles to make. I made a big batch and froze most of them so that I would have breakfast waffles during the week. Definitely better than eggo's with all those preservatives!

I topped them with sunflower seed butter and some mixed berry spread I got at the Union Square Farmers Market.



Whole Grain Waffles
Eating, etc.

2 eggs, beaten
1 3/4 cups milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, applesauce and vanilla. Beat in whole wheat pastry flour, flax seed meal, wheat germ, all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar and salt until batter is smooth.

Preheat a waffle iron and coat with cooking spray. Pour batter into waffle iron in batches, and cook until crisp and golden brown.

Favorite Pancakes

Get a load of this: Breakfast is almost eclipsing dinner as my favorite meal of the day. And I credit it to new, fun and healthy options. These pancakes are another in a long line of recent breakfast creations that I have come up with.



They are packed with nothing but good, fueling food for a morning on the run. Since I am frequently on the run from dance classes to running to the gym most mornings, I really do need something good that sticks to my rubs.

Toppings are endless with these, but my favorites are nut butters, pumpkin butter, cranberry sauce, coconut and nuts. Let me know if you come up with other fun toppings!

Also, these pancakes freeze very well. I made them a month or so ago and keep popping them out of the freezer and into the toaster oven for a quick breakfast!



Pancakes
With a Side of Sneakers

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
cinnamon
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup pumpkin puree 
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup almond milk
2 heaping tablespoons Chia seeds
2 heaping tablespoons Ground flax seed
1/4 cup Oat bran
2 heaping tablespoons Wheat germ 

Mix together dry ingredients. Whisk in coconut oil. Stir in yogurt and milk (and pumpkin if you're using it). Cook pancakes a few minutes on each side.

Toppings:
Vanilla Cinnamon Peanut butter
Pumpkin butter
Walnuts

PW's Cinnamon Rolls

I've been wanting to make The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls for awhile now. Pretty much since I saw that every comment on her post of them was a positive, OMG comment. Apparently, these cinnamon rolls could be used to cure world peace. Perhaps its all the butter...



This is definitely a great recipe to have in my back pocket for potlucks, friends and Christmas morning. The original recipe makes a crazy ton of cinnamon rolls, more than I would ever need in a lifetime, so I halved the recipe and wound up with two full 13 by 9 inch pans of rolls.



On top of the cinnamon-y goodness, I thought the icing was fall on the floor awesome. And good thing, too, because there was so much, I pretty much drowned the rolls in it!



The flaky and gooey inside was my favorite part, but I resisted going through and digging out the insides of all the rolls. Besides I had guests, and it would have been rude =)



Cinnamon Rolls of Wonder
The Pioneer Woman

1/2 quart whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 package Active Dry Yeast
4 cups (plus another 1/2 cup) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1/8 cup ground cinnamon

1 pound powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4-1/2 cup milk
1/8 cup melted butter
1/8 cup brewed coffee
scant 1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 30 to 45 minutes. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in the Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 4 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

After rising for at least an hour, add 1/2 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).

When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.

Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 375- 400 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls.

Chocolate Donut Holes

I really like frying things. I don't have a fryer, but the process of putting things in a huge pot of super hot oil gives me the warm fuzzies. Call me weird, I don't care!

These little dudes were no exception! They were very easy to make and didn't require a long resting process, so I was able to whip them up one day after work for some guests who were coming over.



As Smitten Kitchen did, I had some troubles with the stickiness of the dough, but I refrigerated it and rolled it out with lots of flour, and they worked perfectly. Mine didn't turn out as round as hers, but they certainly were delicious. Although I had leftovers (and ate them all up), I think these were a lot better the day I made them. As a last minute whim, I stuck a chunk of chocolate between two of the cutouts before frying and sealed it. They made for an extra chocolate treat! I'd definitely recommend trying it out.



Chocolate Donut Holes
From Smitten Kitchen

2 3/4 cups (12 3/8 ounces or 352 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (3 ounces or 90 grams) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
2 teaspoons (about 3/8 ounce or 10 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (about 1/8 ounces or 4 grams) salt
4 large eggs
1 1/2 (10 5/8 ounces or 300 grams) cups sugar
1/3 cup (2 7/8 ounce or 84 grams) sour cream (what I used) or buttermilk or you can make your own
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces or 42 grams) butter, melted and cooled a bit
Your fat of choice for frying (solid vegetable shortening or canola, peanut or vegetable oil are popular choices)

Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium one, whisk eggs, sugar, sour cream or buttermilk and butter. Stir wet ingredients into dry until well blended. Chill batter until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 3.

Flour your counter generously and scrape dough onto it. Flour dough. Flour your hands. Gently pat dough out until it is 1/2-inch thick. Dip a 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-inch round cutter into a dish of flour and cut rounds from dough. Pat scraps of dough together and cut them again. If your dough or doughnut holes have gotten too soft to easily pick up, put them on a floured or parchment or waxed paper-lined tray and put them in the freezer for a few minutes, until they’re firm enough to gently handle again.

Fill a 5 to 6-quart with 4 inches of oil. Heat to 375°F (190°C). You can fry 6 to 12 doughnut holes at a time, about one full minute on each side. The trickiest parts will be visualizing when the doughnuts are done — since they’re chocolate, the color change will be subtle; I suggest practicing with scraps of extra dough first — and keeping your oil at an even temperature, if you’re not using a deep-fryer. Make sure you bring the oil back to 375°F after each batch.

Drain doughnut holes on a stack of paper towels. Once cool, roll in glaze (below) and let drain and dry on cooling racks.

Doughnut Glaze
8 ounces powdered sugar
3 tablespoons water, milk or buttermilk (what I used, highly recommended)
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk together until smooth. If you need it thinner, add more water, milk or buttermilk, a few drops at a time.

Pop Tarts

Oh boy, was I a Pop-Tart kid or what?! My mom believed that if she allowed me to eat what I wanted (to an extent) I would tire of it and therefore not care for it anymore. This method worked like a charm for soda. My beverage of choice has been water for many years now, and I hardly ever drink any carbonated beverages.

One area where my mother's method failed was sugar. My mom let me have Pop-tarts, sugary cereal, candy, etc. Of course, I'm pretty sure there were restraints on my consumption but, still, I love sugar. My tastes have grown with me, but when I saw a recipe for homemade Pop-tarts on Smitten Kitchen, I, well, was smitten.

I remember vacations where I would eat a pop-tart for breakfast and a pop-tart for lunch. Just call me the Queen Child of Healthy Eating. Or not. Luckily, nutrition has prevailed.



These Pop-tarts were a fun project and came out delicious! The crust was flaky and buttery, and each filling popped right out of the tart! I made 4 tarts with a cinnamon and brown sugar filling, 4 with a nutella filling and 2 with a lemon-curd filling. I bet if you froze these after baking them, you could pop them in a toaster oven for a yummy, quick breakfast. Or dessert. I'll let you choose.

Homemade Pop-Tarts
From Smitten Kitchen, adapted from King Arthur Flour

Pastry
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pats
1 large egg
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) milk

1 additional large egg (to brush on pastry)

Cinnamon Filling (this is enough for 9 tarts, if you do less, I would halve it)
1/2 cup (3 3/4 ounces) brown sugar
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, to taste
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Nutella, lemon curd, jam, chocolate chips or any other filling you can think of!



Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Work in the butter with your fingers, pastry blender or food processor until pea-sized lumps of butter are still visible, and the mixture holds together when you squeeze it. If you’ve used a food processor, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Whisk the first egg and milk together and stir them into the dough, mixing just until everything is cohesive, kneading briefly on a well-floured counter if necessary.

Divide the dough in half (approximately 8 1/4 ounces each), shape each half into a smooth rectangle, about 3×5 inches. You can roll this out immediately (see Warm Kitchen note below) or wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

If the dough has been chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to soften and become workable, about 15 to 30 minutes. Place one piece on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8″ thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even 9″ x 12″. [You can use a 9" x 13" pan, laid on top, as guidance.] Repeat with the second piece of dough. Set trimmings aside. Cut each piece of dough into thirds – you’ll form nine 3″ x 4″ rectangles.

Beat the additional egg and brush it over the entire surface of the first dough. This will be the “inside” of the tart; the egg is to help glue the lid on. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each rectangle, keeping a bare 1/2-inch perimeter around it. Place a second rectangle of dough atop the first, using your fingertips to press firmly around the pocket of filling, sealing the dough well on all sides. Press the tines of a fork all around the edge of the rectangle. Repeat with remaining tarts.



Gently place the tarts on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick the top of each tart multiple times with a fork; you want to make sure steam can escape, or the tarts will become billowy pillows rather than flat toaster pastries. Refrigerate the tarts (they don’t need to be covered) for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 350°F.

Remove the tarts form the fridge, and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown. Cool in pan on rack.

Vanilla Bean Scones

Before a few months ago, I had not had the pleasure of working with vanilla beans. I was perfectly happy unscrewing the vanilla bottle I bought at the grocery store and using it to my heart's content.

Then, I got it in my head to make my own vanilla extract, so I ordered some vanilla beans online. After my vanilla extract was finished, I used it with such frequency that I had to start a new bottle brewing almost immediately. I couldn't believe how much of a difference homemade vanilla extract made!

So, when I saw The Pioneer Woman's vanilla bean scones, I knew they were in my future. I've made scones before, but the addition of vanilla beans in these really took them above and beyond the call of scone duty. With the glaze on these, they are really almost like a dessert! I ended up glazing them about 3 times because I really wanted them to be coated in the sweet vanilla.

As always, PW has an excellent tutorial on her site, so I wont even try to walk you through it. I don't however, have a pastry cutter, so I used the old trick of using a cheese grater for cutting the cold butter and then working it with my hands. Works like a dream!



Every step in these scones had me pausing to marvel at the little vanilla bean speck throughout...its the small things in life. =)



These scones stayed fresh for a very long time! I had them in a tupperware container and they were still every bit as good a week after I made them!

Vanilla Bean Scones

3 cups All-purpose Flour

⅔ cups Sugar

5 teaspoons Baking Powder

½ teaspoons Salt

2 sticks (1/2 Pound) UNSALTED Butter, Chilled

1 whole Large Egg

¾ cups Heavy Cream (more If Needed)

2 whole Vanilla Beans

3 cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted

½ cups Whole Milk

1 whole Vanilla Bean

Dash Of Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Split the vanilla beans down the middle lengthwise and scrape out all the vanilla “caviar” inside. Stir caviar into cream. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Sift together flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Cut cold butter into pats, then use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour. Keep going until mixture resembles crumbs.

Mix vanilla cream with egg, then combine with flour mixture; stir gently with a fork just until it comes together.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until it forms a rough rectangle. (Mixture will be pretty crumbly.) Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick. Use your hands to help with the forming if necessary.

Use a knife to trim into a symmetrical rectangle, then cut the rectangle into 12 symmetrical squares/rectangles. Next, cut each square/rectangle in half diagonally, to form two triangles.

Transfer to a parchment or baking mat-lined cookie sheet and bake for 18 minutes, removing from the oven just before they start to turn golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, split one vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the caviar. Stir caviar into milk; allow to sit for awhile. Mix powdered sugar with the vanilla milk, adding more powdered sugar or milk if necessary to get the consistency the right thickness. Stir or whisk until completely smooth.

One at a time, carefully dunk each cooled scone in the glaze, turning it over if necessary. Transfer to parchment paper or the cooling rack. Allow the glaze to set completely, about an hour.

Doughnuts and a Blizzard

Woo hoo hoo hoo! Did we get some snow yesterday or what?! It looked to me like it ended up being about 12 inches in Queens. And everyone on my way to work this morning was shoveling. Suckers!


I, luckily, don't have to shovel because I don't own my apartment. That's why I get to call the shovelers "suckers". Also, just because I'm nice!

I trecked my way into work yesterday for a full hour before they closed our office. Que suerte!

I got the chance to get out to the park by my apartment and take some pictures. There were some people out tubing, sledding and building snowmen.



My favorite though, was the people who were out for a run.

Let me repeat myself: OUT. FOR. A. RUN. IN A BLIZZARD! Are you nuts?? I wanted to slap them and shove a doughnut down their throats.

Anyways, after I trudged myself home from work, I found it to be an excellent opportunity to make doughnuts. That pesky Pioneer Woman put it into my head earlier this week. It's not my fault.

I definitely can't explain the doughnuts any better than she can, so you can go there to see the step by step tutorial she put together. What a kewl gal.

But before you click over, emmerse yourself in the deliciousness:


And oh boy oh boy! Were these dudes delicious! I was pretty proud of my success, but I didn't even realize how proud I was allowed to be until these disappeared a full .2 seconds after I set them out at work. Such a fun project for a snow day!

Blueberry Muffins

I got so much for Christmas this year that it was simply impossible to pack it all in my suitcase back to NY. So the parental units and I packed whatever I couldn't fit (my Martha Stewart Cupcake and Cookie books, a cookie decorating book, 2 cookie sheets and The New Best Recipe Cookbook, among other things). I know, I'm a fairly spoiled young lady =) Get over it!

When the mailman came to deliver this nice, large, pretty heavy box, no one was home (such my luck). And, of course, the Post Service here in NY will not try to redeliver. Unfortunately I live 10 blocks away from the post office, which happens to be right next to the subway station, but is always closed when I get home. One morning a few weeks ago, I decided my arms were ready for some fun and decided to get said box.

Now, I am not a weak person, but as the post office woman laughed at me as I struggled out of the door, I realized the next 15 minutes were going to be brutal on my poor arms. With a hurt foot, I figured my arms could use a little workout. I got a full 2 blocks before I had to set my precious gifts down and take a breather.

I finally managed to lug the big box back to my apartment. And don't worry, even though my arms were sore for about 2 days afterwards, the contents of the box made up for it! And if I hadn't done said box lifting, I wouldn't have been able to share these really awesome blueberry muffins with my co-workers.

Blueberry Muffins

The New Best Recipe Cookbook

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 cup sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 1/4 cups sour cream (I used greek yogurt)

1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Whisk the egg in a second medium bowl until well combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add the sugar and whisk vigorously until thick and homogeneous, about 30 seconds; add the melted butter in 2 or 3 additions, whisking to combine after each addition. Add the sour cream (or greek yogurt) in 2 additions, whisking just to combine.

Add the berries to the dry ingredients and gently toss just to combine. Add the sour cream (or yogurt) mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until the batter comes together and the berries are evenly distributed, 25-30 seconds (small spots of flour may remain, and the batter will be thick. Do not overmix).

Using a large spoon, divide the batter among the greased muffin cups. Bake until the muffins are light golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

While the muffins are cooling, mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a small bowl and melt 4 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. After the baked muffins have cooled 5 minutes, working one at a time, dip the top of each muffin in melted butter and then cinnamon sugar. Set the muffins upright on a wire rack.

Baked French Toast

It's Annie Bananie's birthday week and I made her breakfast! Yay! 

Someone used to make me what I remember as a french toast casserole. It was kind of like a bread pudding. I asked for the recipe and tried my hand at it. The best part about this breakfast was that you make it the night before and then just pop it in the oven in the morning! And who can go wrong with bread and maple syrup?! Not me, thats for sure! 

When I make french toast, I usually use Challah bread because it is sweet and soft. I don't think it would work in this recipe, though because it would just get soggy. If you figure out how to make it happen, let me know please!

Baked French Toast

Ladyjaypee

1 dozen eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 loaf french bread, cubed

8 oz. cream cheese

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Lightly spray a 9 by 13 inch dish with cooking spray.

Whip together eggs, milk, maple syrup and cream cheese.

In prepared baking dish, layer half of the bread cubes.

Pour half the egg mixture over the bread cubes.

Add other half of bread cubes.

Pour the remainder of the egg mixture over bread cubes.

Sprinkle with cinnamon. 

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Serve with maple syrup and butter.

Gingerbread Pancakes

So Saturday morning I'm minding my own business. Drinking coffee and rolling out Christmas cookies, when all of a sudden Annie Bananie says from the couch, "I want some pancakes."

I couldn't just blatantly ignore a plea for pancakes. That would be so out of character. So I said I would make her pancakes when I was done making cookies. And of course I couldn't just make regular pancakes. I made gingerbread pancakes! Brilliantly delicious. I also added chocolate chips because Annie Bananie wanted them. These were great pancakes. Perfect for a cold Saturday morning!


Gingerbread Pancakes
Baking Bites

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8-1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I used regular milk, but I think it would be better with buttermilk)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup chocolate chips

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and spices. In a medium bowl, mix together the buttermilk, eggs, vegetable oil and molasses. Pour into dry ingredients until batter is well combined. Whisk in chocolate chips.

Heat a non-stick or lightly greased pan over medium high heat. Drop large dollops of batter to make 4-inch pancakes. Flip when edges begin to look dry. Cook until second side is golden. Serve with maple syrup and devour!

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins

Yes, more attempts to rid myself of the applesauce that is taking over the refrigerator.

Awhile ago, Spice bought a new muffin pan because I only had a 6 muffin one. She bought one of those silicone ones...which I am beginning to loath! I find the darned little guy frustrating! He is so absurdly flexible for a baking pan and bends way too easily for my tastes. I find that muffins and cupcakes don't cook very well in it either, requiring much more time than usual to bake. He is also extremely difficult to clean! I can't get him to be stable enough to scrub and just get so frustrated! Grrr...point being, I don't recommend silicone baking products. If they work for you, I give you major brownie points (brownies...mmmm).

Despite my frustrations, I am happy to say that these muffins are delicious! MUCH better the next day and I added a bit of a streusel topping just to make me happier! Because it's all about me, after all =)


Whole Wheat Pumpkin-Applesauce Muffins
All Recipes

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon raw sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin cups or line the cups with paper muffin liners.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice; set aside.

Combine the brown sugar, white sugar, oil, applesauce, pumpkin, buttermilk and beaten eggs and mix until well blended. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Divide the batter evenly in the prepared muffin pan.

In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, raw sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut butter into mixture until it resembles a crumbly mixture. Top each muffin with streusel mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes (unless you have a lame silicone muffin pan and then its more like 25 to 30 minutes). Cool the muffin pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan to cool completely.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Scones

Weekend two of Candide down...one more to go! Whoopie!

What better way to get myself through another weekend at the theater than Whole Wheat Pumpkin Scones?! I really can't think of one (obviously, or else I would have made it)!

Confession: I went to the grocery store last week and, upon seeing a fully stocked shelf of pumpkin puree, I bought 4 cans of the stuff! What?! They are just hanging out in my pantry just waiting to be made into deliciousness! Obsessed? Never.

These scones were brilliant. Great pumpkin flavor without being overwhelming. I added mini chocolate chips, which were a great choice because they didn't detract from the pumpkin, but added that bit of sweetness!


Whole Wheat Pumpkin Scones
Adashofsass.com

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
2 eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fat free milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, grated
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non stick cooking spray.

Stir together the pumpkin, milk, vanilla and one egg until combined. Place bowl in refrigerator until ready to be used.

Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Stir in the spices.

Using your fingers (or a pastry cutter if you have one), work the grated butter into the dry ingredients until it becomes a crumbly, sandy mixture.

Add the cold, wet ingredients to the mixture and stir until combined.

Add the mini chocolate chips and mix until just combined. Gather the dough into a round ball and place on a lightly floured surface. Lightly press down on dough to make a disc. Using a knife, cut into 8 triangles (like a pizza). Place on baking sheet.

In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg. Brush onto each scone and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 17 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

Hmmm...what did I do on Saturday? Pretty much nothing. Plus, I made some Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes. Therefore I was about .01 percent productive! Yes! Victory!

Just kidding. I had planned to take it easy Saturday because I am in tech for a show this week and will be getting home really late. I needed my beauty rest.

So Spice and I pretty much rocked out on the couch all day long and watched some excellent television. Might I interest you in some True Blood or My So Called Life on DVD? Anyone? Well, it was awesome.

While I was baking, Spice decided to do a little home improvement. I was impressed with her productivity. Unfortunately it was an epic fail and a trip to Home Depot may be in our future. Bummer...

These little guys were an excellent addition to the day of Sugar does nothing. They are pretty much cinnamon rolls in a cupcake liner, but how cute is that idea?! They were perfectly proportioned and very portable. I was able to take them to the theater on Sunday to share with my cast mates. They now love me....or so I hope!

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes
BeanTown Baker

1 packet dry active yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 cup warm milk
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon alt
4 1/2 cups bread flour

1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar

Dissolve the yeast and 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar in the warm milk in a large bowl and let stand for about 10 minutes until foamy.

Mix in the eggs, butter, salt and other 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Add flour and mix until well blended and the dough forms a ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 5-10 times. Place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour).

After the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners and lightly spray over the top of them with cooking spray.

Roll dough into a 12 by 22 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 24 rolls. You may have to unroll and re-roll in order for the dough to fit in the cupcake tin.

Place each roll in a cupcake liner. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. Let rolls cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, mix cream cheese and butter using the whisk attachment of a mixer. Slowly add the powdered sugar until desired consistency had been reached.

Banana Mini Muffins

You can now say I am OBSESSED with the mini muffin tin Spice brought home several weekends ago. Things are just so cute in miniature sizes!

Random though...mini muffins always make me think of that episode of Friends where Ross tries to get Ugly Naked Guy's apartment. He sends him mini muffins while other people are sending extravagant gifts to try to win the lease. Long story short, he ends up getting the apartment. But, it wasn't because of the mini muffins ;)

I had some bananas to use up, so I made these cute little Banana Mini Muffins. They turned out really well. I didn't use the orange juice, because we didn't have any. Didn't use any nuts and added cardamom and cloves.

My only qualm with the mini muffin tin is that we only have one, so each time I take something out of the oven, I have to wait for it to cool and then remove it from the pan, rinse it off and re-load it with whatever I'm making. Sort of time-consuming and obnoxious. Oh-well, all for the love of baking =)

Banana Mini Muffins
Adapted from Vintage Victuals

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pasty flour
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup buttermilk
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (I used 2 large bananas)
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend together the shortening and sugar. Add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together the flours, spices, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Add the mashed bananas and mix well.

Grease a mini muffin tin with cooking spray. Fill each hole about 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Cool completely on wire racks. When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Vegetable Frittata

My Dad makes the BEST frittata. He makes it every Easter. I always kind of took it for granted how good his frittata really was. Then one year, I just couldn't eat enough of it and begged my Dad to make another one. I'm not sure if he did, but from then on, I have made sure that he makes at least two entire casserole dishes full of frittata. Then one year when I was in college I came home and made him make one and we froze it and I brought it on the plane with me back to school! Haha. Good times.

Now I'm a grownup (well, kind of) and I can make my own frittata. Of course, it will never be as good as my Dad's, but at least I have something to aim for!

This one turned out REALLY well! I make frittata different from the rest of the world, I think, thanks to my Dad. I dont cook the egg mixture on the stove but put it in the oven for longer. I LOVED all the different vegetables that I was able to put in! Of course, it was WAY better the second day after all the juices could sneak in. Gotsta love the juice sneakage!

Vegetable Frittata
Adapted from eCurry

Asparagus spears, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup spinach, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic
Green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
Shiitake mushrooms
8 eggs
few tablespoons milk
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Blanch the asparagus by putting them in boiling water for a few minutes, then picking them up and placing in a cold ice bath.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Saute the onions and garlic until onions are translucent. Add the bell peppers and spinach. Saute for a few minutes, before adding the asparagus and green onions. Place cooked vegetables in a large casserole dish.

Whisk the eggs and milk together, then pour over the vegetables. Place in oven for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until eggs are set.

Whole Wheat Berry Pancakes

As I have said before, I am not much for pancakes or waffles in the morning. I feel like it isn't worth the few bites of yumminess to feel kind of sluggish all day. Enter whole wheat and berries.

These pancakes definitely have some sugar in them, but it is nothing like a bisquik pancake because of the whole wheat and the blueberries and strawberries I added to them! So have a great morning and make some of these for yourself!

Whole Wheat Berry Pancakes
From Whole Grain Gourmet

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups fat free milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
Blueberries
Strawberries

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt together. Set aside.

Combine the milk, eggs, vanilla and orange zest and then add the dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in the berries. Heat a non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray and pour 1/3 cup batter into pan. Cook until bubbles appear on the top. Flip pancake and cook until baked through.

Lazy Saturday Morning Breakfast

I woke up Saturday morning exhausted, thus avoiding my laundry. So, I baked. These little buggers made for a VERY delicious breakfast! In fact, I think they made a better Sunday breakfast after having sat for a day. These are pretty sweet and could probably be dessert, but if you know me at all, you know that is how I roll morning, noon and night!

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Scones
adapted from Annie Eats

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
3/4 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg

For egg wash:
1 large egg
1 tablespoon buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and raspberries. In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt, vanilla and egg. Add to the flour mixture until just combined.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and kneed the dough before shaping into a 7 inch circle. Cut dough into 8 triangles and transfer to the baking sheet. Make the egg wash by combining the egg and buttermilk and brush onto the tops of the scones. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

A Breakfast of Champions...or a breakfast for muffin lovers

Either way, I woke up yesterday morning and HAD to clean the apartment. My consolation prize to myself: Blueberry Muffins. Yum!

I found this recipe on Joy the Baker's blog. They turned out well for me (good little muffin-wuffins!), and they were pretty light for a muffin too. Blueberries were plentiful in our grocery store so I was able to use fresh ones (!!!!! = me being really excited about fresh fruit starting to come into season). Next time I make these, I think I will try a berry combo with perhaps blueberries, raspberries AND blackberries. I know. You think I've probably gone nuts, but I just LOVE me some fresh berries!

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins
adapted from Joy the Baker

1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 large egg
3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a separate bowl combine the applesauce, milk, brown sugar, molasses and egg.

Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix well. Fold in the blueberries.

Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full with batter. Bake 16-18 minutes.