Strawberry Muffins

I recently bought some strawberries with no plans for them... and decided to make muffins!  Strawberries are a berry... and blueberry muffins are common and popular, right?

Strawberries are often cheaper than blueberries and the prices can often dip low, so this is a great recipe to keep handy.

I'll have to go check where my strawberries are from but CaliforniaStrawberries.com says shipments from the northern California areas begin in April, peak in May or June, and continue through November and that strawberries are also grown as an annual crop in California.

I do wonder why strawberry muffins aren't as common.  Maybe it's cause you have to put extra work into slicing the strawberries so blueberries are easier...?

I just googled recipes for strawberry aqua frescas and that's what you might be seeing next!  (It sounds super simple: strawberries, sugar, lime, water, ice and some mint sprigs!)  Last summer I made strawberry popsicles and they were a hit!  Guess I have lots of ideas for strawberries after all.  :)

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Strawberry Muffins - adapted from All Recipes

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar 

1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup chopped strawberries, plus a little more to press into the tops

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, line muffin pan with paper liners.

In a small bowl, combine oil, milk, egg, and vanilla. Beat lightly. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, brown sugar, and white sugar. Toss in chopped strawberries and stir to coat with flour. Pour in milk mixture and stir together.

Fill muffin cups a little over 3/4. Take the "plus a little more" strawberries and press at least 3 small pieces into the the tops so that the red parts show.  (I like having my muffins speak for themselves what kind of muffins they are!)

Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes.  Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans to cool on a plate (or a cookie rack).

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What are your favorite kinds of muffins?  Have you had strawberry muffins before (since they don't seem as common?)

Maple Snickerdoodle Cookies

Since people are requesting I SEND snickerdoddles... from the South Bay to Australia... I thought I'd just do a public service and post the recipe so y'all can make it!  You know...

"give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" ~ English Proverb

Seriously guys, a LIFETIME of cookies.  Doesn't that sound like a much better deal?  :)  And while we're at it, we should all read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie!

This is my go-to Snickerdoodle recipe!  I realized I only have Kickerdoodles (snickerdoodles with a kick) on my blog, so I shall post these Maple Snickerdoodles!

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Maple Snickerdoodles by Lovin' from the Oven

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup salted butter (or you can use unsalted and add about 1/4 tsp salt)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tblsp real maple syrup
• 1 egg

• 3 parts sugar to 1 part cinnamon (this is the only thing I really changed.  I found that 2 parts sugar to 1 part cinnamon made them very dark and I think a lighter mix of cinnamon makes them prettier and less "burnt" looking)

Note: you will need to refrigerate the dough for at least an hour before baking!  I wanted to highlight this cause sometimes I don't read through the directions first and then find out I have to WAIT.  I also would recommend mixing everything in a plastic bowl, not metal, if you plan on refrigerating the dough in the bowl.  I usually like to put it in plastic/saran wrap into a little package before putting it in the fridge.  It seems to not dry out as much.  See below for a picture!

1. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cream of tartar, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the maple syrup and egg until combined. Add dry ingredients, stir until just mixed.
3. Refrigerate dough for at least an hour.  I like to wrap it in plastic wrap instead of leaving it in the bowl.  See below for picture!
4. Preheat oven to 350F.
5. Roll dough into balls. Roll each ball in the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Arrange balls on cookie sheets, with space in between.  (I usually do 12 cookies to one cookie sheet.)
6. Bake until tops are crackly, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and leave cookies on sheets to cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Eat a few and then when they are all cooled, box 'em up!

Dough wrapped in plastic wrap before refrigerating for at least an hour.  Like a block of C4!  :oP

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Let me know if your cookies turn out wonderful!  What are your favorite flavor of cookies?

      

Blueberry Muffins

I made these a few weeks back and wanted to make more today BUT WE'RE LOW ON FLOUR.  How is that possible!

Anyway... these were definitely different from the Chocolate Chip Muffins!  Whilst the Chocolate Chip Muffins were more dry and scone-like, these Blueberry Muffins were super moist!  I thought these were more muffin-like, but Tim said he liked the Chocolate Chip Muffin-texture better.  I think this Blueberry Muffins recipe was less "healthy" because of the buttah and sour cream... but that was probably why it was so moist!  :)



Some organic blueberries!

 

All the dry ingredients together

The egg, sugar, butter, sour cream concoction!  It was super thick and smooth.



Pop 'em in the oven at 350 degrees.  I topped them off and they turned out fine.

All done!



Instagram-ed  :)

Blueberry Muffins
By Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
 1 tablespoon baking powder
 ½ teaspoon salt
 1 egg
 1 cup granulated sugar
 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
 1¼ cups sour cream
 1½ cups frozen or fresh blueberries

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F*. Line standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

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

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

4. Using a large spoon or a cookie scoop sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, divide the batter amount the muffin cups. Bake until the muffins are light golden brown and a toothpick or thin knife inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through the baking time. Immediately remove muffins to a wire rack and cool for at least 5 minutes. Serve immediately or at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.



Can you SEE how moist they are? :D

They took a little more "work" than the other muffins I've made -- mainly because of the butter and sour cream part.  But they were super delicious!  You can taste the buttah.  haha.  I made these as a trial batch intended for my BFF new parents, but I haven't actually gotten around to making a second batch for them.  Maybe sometime this week!

What's your favorite blueberry muffin recipe?  Do you like 'em more dry and scone-like or more moist?
                                

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Here are the chocolate chip muffins I mentioned yesterday. For some reason, I stated on Facebook that they were the first muffins I've baked from scratch. Then I found out I had made Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins before!  :oP

 

Do you like the new oven mitt Tim got me for Christmas?  :)

 

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Adapted from allrecipies.com 

(I made some adjustments based on the comments/feedback people posted on the original recipe.)

 

Makes 12 muffins.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1egg

1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For topping:

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line muffin pan with baking cups.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, chocolate chips, and salt; mix well. In a small bowl, combine milk, oil and egg; blend well. Add dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened (batter will be lumpy.) DON'T OVER STIR.
3. Fill cups 2/3 full. Sprinkle tops of muffins before baking with the brown sugar.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 1 minute before removing from pan.

I haven't figured out why my batter was so FOAMY -- it was like the consistency of steamed egg! So my first batch last Saturday actually kinda turned out tasting like scones? Scone muffins Tim called them! And the second batch from Tuesday night were still foamy, though I tried to mix it less so maybe that helped. I also filled the cups 2/3 full the firs time like instructed, but they didn't rise very much so I put more in the second time and they came out better then. If I didn't fill them mostly (if not all) full, they did not have any sort of muffin top, and I was able to make ~15 muffins. I would say it's probably worth just using all the batter for 12 muffins and disregarding the 3/4 rule.

 

I want to try making blueberry muffins, and then hopefully will expand to other kinds as well.  :)  And hopefully figure out how to make them more moist and less crackly-like, though that's kind of tasty in its own way.  :)

 

What are your favorite kinds of muffins?  To eat?  To make?

                        

Meals for new parents

My BFF just had her first kid!  So I've been learning about cooking meals for new parents.  Though I'm beginning to think it's really just my excuse to go over there to hold little Sammy (short for Samuel).  :)

Hello Sammy!!!

 Last Saturday we brought over enchiladas to share with them, then a Mexican rice casserole for later, chocolate chip muffins, and cinnamon buns!  From the last time some friends had a baby in Boston, I learned (from reading blogs) that new parents often receive many freezable meals like lasagna and casseroles, but don't have things to eat for breakfast!  Since then I've tried to include muffins in addition to bringing over a meal.  In this case I happen to know the dad loves cinnamon rolls, so I grabbed a tube of that at the grocery store.  The muffins I made from scratch and will feature tomorrow!

We went Pillsbury on this one!

Chocolate Chip Muffin!

We got a Costco rotisserie chicken that day and put it to good use in the enchiladas and Mexican rice casserole.  The Mexican rice casserole is one of my favorites to make because it's so easy.  I liken it to Mexican fried rice, without any cooking.  (Just mixing and baking!) 

The recipe is from Sugarcrafter's "Mexican Chicken and Rice Bake"!  (Sorry no pictures.)  She includes a bunch of cheeses I usually don't have, so I usually adapt it to what I have on hand.

So here's my version, adapted from Sugarcrafter:

1 1/2 cup chicken breast, cooked and shredded

4  cooked white rice

1 can sweet corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 can diced tomatoes (or dice up a fresh one)

1 tsp ground cilantro

1/2 cup fat free sour cream

1/2 to 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (depending on how cheesy you want it)

1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese (sometimes I forget this one if we don't have any)

Extra cheddar cheese and fresh cilantro, for topping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Add all the ingredients together, except for the last line (extra cheddar cheese and fresh cilantro), in a large bowl.  Transfer into a greased 9x13 pan.  Put extra cheddar cheese on top and then pop it into the oven!  Bake for ~20 minutes or until it's warmed through.

It makes for fabulous leftovers since it's a pile of stuff all mixed together already anyway.  :)  One issue we found was that if you make it for new parents or put it unbaked in the fridge (overnight) before baking, it may dry out a bit (rice soaks up the sour cream/liquids?)  So you may want to have some extra sour cream handy and/or hot sauce!  Sometimes I throw in some Tapitio Hot Sauce in while I'm mixing it or if it's with others and someone might not eat spicy, I just add it to my plate. 

If you're cooking for new parents or other people, make sure to check whether they can eat spicy, have certain ingredients they don't like, or if they're allergic to any food items!

Have you cooked for new parents?  What are some favorite new parents you've made or have received?  Or have recipes that freeze well?  Please share!
                                                          

FFF6

Grabbed this shot waiting for Tim to get out of work.  I reeeally like it.  Finding interesting things on the street.

I've baked like 200% more than I used to.  Well, at least in the winter and spring.  Summer got too hot since the apt felt like an oven!

Have you mailed a smile today?  :D  Second round of Pixar stamps.  I still haven't used them yet.  I think I enthusiastically bought too many of the first round ones.   :oP

I believe this was the day I traded writing favors for an iced coffee with a co-worker.  This is how we roll.

Front porch.  After the rain.  Beauty in everyday life.

                                                                                   

Earl Grey Tea Cookies

Yesterday we hosted a "Pride & Prejudice: Tea & Crumpets" tea party with our community group (aka Bible study). On a Friday night. :oP It was actually all Tim's idea. No kidding. :)

It was fabulous! People brought the yummiest desserts! I learned what crumpets are... English muffins! Or as wiki puts it, "a savory griddle cake." And that didn't seem very fun at 7:30pm on a Friday night, so we went with cookies and cakes and scones and other lovelies. :)

The spread! Tartlets, chocolate cake balls, cheesy scones, rice krispy treats, digestives!, coffee cake, and cookies. And tea of course!

Earl Grey Tea cookies

I made Trader Joe's Cinnamon Crumb Cake (so easy, so good!) and Earl Grey Tea Cookies! The tea cookies were a big hit and I was quite happy by how they turned out. Except they were a bit salty. And I just realized I had used salted butter instead of unsalted. Which explains everything. Which is great because that means when I make them correctly they will taste even better!!!

 

(Taken with Instagram)

Earl Grey Tea Cookies (by theKitchn)

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon Earl Grey tea leaves*
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon water
1/2 cup unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 375°F. Pulse together all the dry ingredients in a food processor until the tea leaves are pulverized.

Add vanilla, water, and butter. Pulse together until a dough is formed. Form the dough into a log onto a piece of wax or parchment paper. Wrap the paper around and roll the log smooth. Freeze now, or chill for at least 30 minutes.

When chilled, slice the log into 1/3 inch thick pieces. Place on baking sheets and bake until the edges are just brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks.

Makes two dozen.

*Note: theKitchn said they got better flavor from ripping open teabags for the tea leaves than from buying more expensive loose leaf. I've only made this once, with Twinings Earl Grey Tea bags, so I don't have a comparison but I thought it turned out great with the tea bags.

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I am quite excited to try this with other teas... green tea... chai tea... oh the possibli-teas! heh heh heh. :D

What kind of tea cookies are your favorite? Or if you haven't tried any, what flavor do you think you'd like?

                

Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Muffins

I was all ready to post this but then I was too busy to pull pictures off my camera so this is a bit late! But here goes the first time I try making muffins.

Up in these New England parts, there is a state-wide/civic holiday called Patriots' Day (this year it fell on April 16), which commemorates the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord (the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. However, because *I think* my org gets Lunar New Year day off... we don't get Patriots' Day. :(

So I decided some chocolate chocolate-chip muffins were in order to start the week off while everyone else will be enjoying their day off (and/or running the Boston Marathon!)

In blog-speak: the cast of characters!

Mix the dry ingredients together, the wet together, then mix them both together!

Then pour into your lined muffin pan

(This one taken with Instagram)

Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Muffins (from the Food Network, Nigella Lawson)
(Never heard of her or seen her show!)

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons best quality cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup superfine sugar*
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

* I didn't know what superfine sugar was (it's exactly what it sounds like), so I put in regular granulated sugar. Though some further research/googling AFTER I stuck the muffins into the oven... you can make supefine sugar by putting regular graduated sugar in a food processor.


Directions

Line muffin pan with baking/paper cups.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, sugar, and 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips into a large bowl. Pour all the liquid ingredients into a measuring cup. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together. (Nigella says a lumpy batter makes the best muffins.) Spoon into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips on top and then bake for 15-20 minutes or until the muffins are dark, risen and springy. (Make sure to check them between 15 and 20 minutes.)
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I thought they turned out okay.  I don't know why but I always get slightly coned shaped muffins!  I think it's because I tend to fill them more than I should.  :oT  (There are only 12 muffin slots so it's not like I can squeeze an extra one like I can on a cookie sheet for cookies!)  It was also unfortunate the first chocolate in "Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Muffins" didn't really live up to its chocolatey-ness.  The cocoa powder made them brown but it didn't really taste like a chocolate muffin.  They were also kind of... not sweet enough but it's most likely totally because I didn't use "superfine sugar."  They weren't hard at all and I think I'll have to try making muffins again sometime!

What are your favorite kinds of muffins?
                    

Kickerdoodles

It's been sooooo long!  >_<  Lots to blog about but I never seem to find the time to!  But today I decided to get a post in on my new wrangled idea.  :D

So it was our turn to bring snacks to Bible study and I decided to make maple snickerdoodles.  They were recommended by my friend Abby and from Lovin' the Oven!  This is a FANTASTIC recipe.  I've gotten rave reviews about it.

A few months ago, I tried another snickerdoodle recipe from Lovin' the Oven and randomly (possibly with Tim's help) got the idea while rolling the dough in cinnamon and sugar, to roll some in cinnamon and sugar + cayenne pepper!  They had a bit of a kick, so I came to name them KICKERDOODLES.

This shall be patented/copyrighted/licensed soon!  :oP

The Kickerdoodle

(It basically looks like a snickedoodle with some red dots)

I made half the batch normal for my office and half the batch kickerdoodles for my collesague/friend who likes all things hot and spicy, and she loved them!  She thought they were only a little tingly, so for the hot and spicy lovin' folks, you might have to kick it up a few notches to compensate for their burnt, shot out, over spiced tongues.  :oP

I made them exactly like the maple snickerdoodle recipe but in addition to the two parts sugar to one part cinnamon, I added one part cayenne pepper.  You can of course add less or more.  Though if you don't add enough, you probably won't be able to taste it (unless you're super sensitive to spicy things).  It's very, very easy extra step at the end to pack a punch.  And cayenne pepper in a cookie is kinda fun, zany idea.  :)  [thinkoutsidethebox]


KICKERDOODLES  (Adapted from Maple Snickerdoodles by Lovin' the Oven)

•2 cups all-purpose flour
•1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
•1/4 teaspoon baking soda
•1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
•1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1/2 cup salted butter (or you can use unsalted and add about 1/4 tsp salt)
•1 cup granulated sugar
•3 tablespoon real maple syrup
•1 egg
•2 parts sugar to 1 part cinnamon and 1 part cayenne pepper


1. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cream of tartar, and salt.

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the maple syrup and egg until combined. Add dry ingredients. Beat until just mixed.

3. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes to an hour (the longer the better)

4. Preheat oven to 350F.

5. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Roll each ball in the sugar/cinnamon/cayenne pepper mixture. Arrange balls on cookie sheets, 2 inches apart.

6. Bake until tops are crackly, about 9-12 minutes. Remove from oven and leave cookies on sheets to cool slightly, about 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

If you make 'em, lemme know how you like them!
                         

icebox cookies

Had lots of various things I was going to blog about.  But laziness has set in, so you get to see the cutest icebox cookies ever!  That I did not make but feel... if I put my mind and effort to it could accomplish such a baking feat.  :]

According to WiseGeek, icebox cookies are:

"Icebox cookies are cookies which are made from a dough which has been refrigerated or frozen, typically in a log shape. Although many people may associate these cookies with logs of frozen dough in supermarkets, there are a number of home icebox cookie recipes as well. The freezing or cooling makes the dough stiffer, and ideally suited to slicing into thin rounds for baking. There are numerous ways to make icebox cookies, and if you want unusually patterned cookies like pinwheels and checkerboard cookies, a refrigerated dough recipe is the way to go."

(Source)

I stumbled across this more adorable lion icebookx cookie on CutestFood.com and after a quick Google search (because cutestfood.com annoyingly doesn't link to original posts), found my way to the original post on Diamonds for Dessert:

(Source)

She has these super simple but cute drawings that explain the techniques!  (Source)

You can make Domo cookies!  (Source)

Penguin cookies!  (Source)

Turtles!  (Source)

The turtle ones make me think of green tea cookies.  Mmmmm.  So my baking adventures still involves a box.  :oP  Yesterday I made some Double Chocolate Chip cookies courtesy of dear Abby's recipe.  (Dear Abby, get it?  haha)

-1 box Devil’s Food cake mix (Betty Crocker brand)
-1 stick of butter, softened
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-2 eggs
-1 cup chocolate chips

-Cream the butter with half of the cake mix
-Add the vanilla and eggs
-Add the rest of the cake mix and chocolate chips
-Drop spoonfuls of batter onto baking sheets
-Bake at 350 for 10-12 min

Super quick and easy, and the cookies come out thick and soft!  :-D  You can also jazz them up by adding toffee bits, macadamia nuts, white chocolate chips, etc.
                                                

Chocolate Orange Layer Cake!

I love chocolate and orange and cute fondant things and layer cake so... I had to share.  :]  It's UH-MAZE-ZHING!

(Source)

BEHOLD!  A Fun, Festive Halloween Chocolate Orange Layer Cake by Bakingdom.  I am in love!  Chocolate and orange just sound delicious together.  The fondant pumpkins are adorable.  Layer cake is visually awesome.  Please put some in my mouth!