Best Chocolate Chip Muffins

Many times throughout the last year, I'd think about this blog I started many moons ago, and how I never post anything (mostly due to lack of time!) and how I should probably just stop posting on it.  But in the last week, I discovered the BEST recipe for chocolate chip muffins, and I felt compelled to post it so that more and more people will see it.  The recipe is on Little Sweet Baker and it is a definite keeper.  

It sounds silly, but I have really fond memories about chocolate chip muffins.  Probably the first time I ever had one was during a trip my sister and I made to visit my cousins who lived across the state.  One of our favorite things to do together was play restaurant.  The four of us would pair up into teams, typically me with Julie and Megan with Laura.  Each pair would meticulously prepare and print a menu, and then we'd take turns going to each others' "restaurant."  One of things that was always on the menu (whether it was breakfast, lunch or afternoon) was chocolate chip muffins.  And I'm pretty sure I ordered it every single time.  Made for a really healthy breakfast/lunch/afternoon snack :-)    

The difference is that back then we were baking muffins with a Pilsbury mix.  Now that we're grown-ups, we make things from scratch. 



Ingredients:

• 2 and ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk (whole or buttermilk is preferred), lukewarm
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 and ½ cups chocolate chips 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F and spray a 12 cup muffin tray with non-stick cooking spray.  You could use paper liners, but I think it turns out better straight in the pan.  Personal opinion-- muffin liners rob you of the beautiful golden crunchy outside crust that develop in the muffin tin.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar.  Add the vanilla, then quickly whisk in the eggs.  Last, carefully whisk in the milk. It really keeps the batter homogeneous if the milk is lukewarm and not cold, milk and vanilla. Slowly add to the dry ingredients. Gently fold together until the flour has just combined.

Divide the batter into the 12 muffin cups and bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then turn the oven heat down to 375°F and bake for another 13-15 minutes. Let cool for about 5-10 minutes and enjoy warm.

Notes: As the post from Little Sweet Baker points out, the key to getting the beautiful tops on these muffins is the blast of heat from the 425 degree oven, and then cooking them at a lower temperature for the remaining time (so they don't burn). 

 

I mean.... come on.

 

Dark Chocolate Coconut Biscotti

No new post since September of 2013.  Uh oh, I think the Blogger police is going to come after me for unreasonably long inactivity.  It's not that I've been slacking in the kitchen; there's just always a dozen of other things that keep hopping over this blog on my to-do list.  

So why the sudden post today?  Well, it's not often that you have great recipe success while simultaneously (1) using a new ingredient and (2) trying someone else's recipe and (3) not really following that recipe to the letter.  Today I made these cute little biscotti bites by taking great inspiration from the blog Climbing Grier Mountain from this cookie post.  

I also was pretty psyched today because the husband and I installed a new faucet in our kitchen sink and it is spectacular.  It was only logical that I should 'dirty up' one of the largest bowls in our kitchen, just to see how much better my life was going to be from now on.

A couple of changes from Lauren's recipe (less butter, which is traditional for biscotti; less cornmeal since the kind I had in the pantry was not very finely ground; and swapping in chickpea flour to be one of the starches).  I have never used chickpea flour in anything before, and I bought it for a vegan recipe I plan to make later this week.  One MAJOR caveat to using the chickpea flour in this dough:  The cookie dough will not taste great while unbaked.  It will have an off-putting, raw-bean flavor to it, and I did not find it very appetizing.  In fact, I was worried about how the cookies would turn out, but thankfully this flavor gets completely "baked out" after the cookies are done.  Yay!

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup finely ground cornmeal
• 3/4 cup chickpea flour
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 to 3/4 dark chocolate chips

For a quick ganache, use 3 oz dark chocolate and 1/4 cup half-and-half.

Directions:

Mix your dry ingredients together in a medium bowl, then set aside.  Using a mixer (I used my KitchenAid stand mixer with the paddle attachment), cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, 2 -3 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla extract.  Add the dry ingredients in, about one-third of the mix each time.  Once the batter is fairly incorporated, add the coconut flakes and chocolate chips.  Mix until the chocolate chips and coconut is evenly distributed, then turn off your mixer and remove the bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  

Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Start rolling the dough (about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons at a time) into small balls, and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Alternatively, you could spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray if you did not have any parchment paper.  The cookies will spread a little bit, so try to leave an inch or more between each ball of dough.  Bake 17 - 20 minutes until lightly browned.  Scoop the cookies onto a wire rack and let them cool completely before dunking in the ganache.

For the ganache, heat the half-and-half in the microwave until you see little bubbles that indicate it is boiling.  Add the chocolate pieces to the hot half-and-half and allow it to sit for a couple of minutes, then whisk until smooth.  You may need to let the ganache cool for 5 - 10 minutes before dunking the cookies; you do not want it to be too hot and runny.  Dip each cookie so it is half-covered in the ganache and allow to cool on waxed paper or more parchment paper.  Sprinkle the chocolate side with leftover coconut, if desired.

Enjoy!

Here's before the ganache:

And after:

It's amazing how just a little dip in chocolate makes them both professional-looking and adorable.

Chocolate Cupcakes, Reminiscent of Hostess

There was a time in my life where I absolutely loved having a Little Debbie or Hostess snack cake tucked into my lunchbox for dessert.  Then during college, I went on a big nutrition kick and tried to eliminate unnecessarily processed foods from my diet.  That doesn't mean I kicked the sweets habit (believe me!).  Instead, I made the conscious choice to bake treats at home instead of buying any pre-wrapped or grocery-store bakery desserts.  In the end, you get a lot more satisfaction out of it. 

Exhibit A:  These homemade "Hostess-style" cupcakes

Acknowledgements:  I pretty much followed this YumSugar recipe exactly, with the exception of a couple ingredients.  I like using coffee with chocolate in baked goods; it really intensifies the cocoa flavor.  So I used coffee + milk instead of just milk.

 Ingredients:

For cake:

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder (try to use something high quality, if possible.  Store brands probably won't cut it) 
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar 
• 2 eggs 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/4 cup milk 
• 1/2 cup brewed coffee, cooled

For marshmallow filling:

• 1 egg white 
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar 
• 1/3 cup water 
• 1/3 cup sugar 
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup 
• Pinch of salt 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For chocolate ganache:

• 1/2 cup half-and-half 
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  

Directions

1. To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 12 cupcake tins with liners. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.
2. In bowl of standing mixer, lock in the whisk attachment and beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly mixed, then add the vanilla extract.  Mix the cold coffee and milk together in a pourable measuring cup.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternate adding in the milk and flour mixture in 1/3 increments.  Try not to over-mix, but make sure the batter is thoroughly combined.  Divide batter equally between the cupcake liners.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick test comes out clean from the center.  Let cupcakes cool for 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.
3. To make marshmallow filling:  Brace yourselves.  This is basically like making a candy, because you need to have a thermometer to know just how hot your mixture is before adding to the other ingredients.  But if I can do this on the first try (and by using a digital meat thermometer), then so can you.
   Carefully wash and dry your stand mixer bowl plus the whisk attachment and return them to stand mixer. Do not touch the clean whisk or inside of the bowl with your hands (the oil from our fingers can interfere with getting the egg whites fluffy).  Add the egg white and cream of tartar to the bowl, and turn the mixer on medium speed.  Allow the mixer to run until soft peaks form on the whisk.  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine water, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until a thermometer reads 240ºF.  Immediately remove the pan from heat.
4. Turn the mixer speed to low, and slowly pour the hot syrup into the bowl to incorporate with the fluffy egg whites.  You don't want to go too quickly and deflate the egg whites, so make sure the mixer is "keeping up with you" and incorporating the liquid into the egg whites.  Then, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat for 5 - 6 minutes, or until mixture looks thick, fluffy, and slightly glossy.  Add the vanilla extract and beat another 1 - 2 minutes.  Transfer 2/3 of marshmallow cream to a pastry bag or a gallon Ziplock.  Cut one of the corners off of the bag; the size of the snipped corner doesn't matter too much-- just as long as you can control the amount that comes out at one time.  Transfer remaining 1/3 of marshmallow fluff to a separate pastry bag (or a smaller Ziplock bag).  This small bag will be for icing the white swirled pattern on top of the ganache, so the opening needs to be very small. For now, set the marshmallow cream aside.
5. To make ganache: Place the half-and-half in a small saucepan over low heat and cook until small bubbles form on the side.  You could also do this in a glass measuring cup in the microwave on power 7 or 8 (not full power) but watch closely for the liquid to simmer with bubbles.  Immediately remove from heat (or microwave).  Add the chocolate to the bowl or saucepan and let sit for about 2 minutes.  Then, whisk the mixture until smooth and the chocolate is completely melted.  Use within 10 -15 minutes or else refrigerate the ganache until ready to assemble cupcakes.
6. The main event:  assembling the cupcakes!  Since I do not have a pastry bag with metal tips, I had to improvise on how to fill these.  I carefully used a paring knife to cut a quarter sized cutout about 1 to 1.5 inches deep into the cupcake.  Then I trimmed the bottom of this "cake cutout" to allow more room for the filling.  Do not scrap the top half because you will be placing them back into the cupcake after the filling is added.  But you have full permission to eat the "cake trimmings."  After all cupcakes are cutout, use the gallon Ziplock full of marshmallow creme to pipe it into the cupcakes (about 1 tbsp of creme, or whatever fits).  Then, replace each cake cutout back into the cupcake and press down.  The ganache should be warm enough to drizzle and spread onto the tops of the cupcakes, but not too hot (runny) so that it does not set on the cupcakes.  Use about 1 tbsp of ganache per cupcake and spread to the edges with a butter knife or icing knife.  
7. Allow the ganache to cool completely before adding the trademark white curly-cues on top.  When the ganache has set, use the smaller Ziplock with the marshmallow creme and cut an extremely small corner off of one side (too big of a hole and you will have trouble controlling the size and speed of the creme).  Carefully pipe a design onto the icing (whether it is the Hostess curly-cue or not).  Take a bow for your hard work, and enjoy!

Summer Berry Pie

Earlier this summer, I was visiting a friend in Cedar Rapids.  One of the highlights was our trip to the city's giant 16-block farmer's market.  We bought all of the ingredients we needed to make dinner and also, a bumbleberry pie.  This was one delicious pie, and needless to say, it did not last the night.  Since that weekend, I vowed to make a pie this summer, and I followed through!  This is one is actually a no-bake recipe from Baking Illustrated, clearly one of my favorite cookbooks.  The pie turned out perfectly.  The graham cracker crust actually stays together and doesn't get soggy from the berries!  I will tell you upfront that although it is no-bake filling, there is some time involved.  Totally worth it though.

Quick note about the berries: You can use any combination of the berries to get 6 cups; I am not a huge blackberry fan because of the seeds, so I only used 1 small container of the blackberries, 2 small raspberry containers and 1 large blueberry container. Also, I thought it was weird to have the red currant jelly in the ingredient list, but I still bought it and used it. I think it adds a nice tart undertone.


Ingredients:


For the Graham Cracker Crust:

• 9 graham crackers, broken into rough pieces 
• 2 tbsp sugar (I ended up using one tbsp white sugar and one tbsp brown sugar) 
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and still warm 
• pinch of cinnamon (optional) 

For the Berry Filling:

• 2 cups raspberries 
• 2 cups blackberries 
• 2 cups blueberries 
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 3 tbsp cornstarch 
• 1/8 tsp salt 
• 1 tbsp lemon juice 
• 2 tbsp red currant jelly 

Instructions:

1. FOR THE CRUST: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.


2. In a food processor, process graham crackers until it turns into fine crumbs, about 30 seconds, then add sugar and pulse to combine. Continue to pulse while adding the warm melted butter (and cinnamon, if desired) in steady stream; pulse until mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer crumb mixture to 9-inch glass pie plate. It's important to press the crust down as firmly as possible for it to stay together later; it may help to press it with a small bowl or measuring cup. Bake the crust until fragrant and beginning to brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely while making the filling.


3. FOR THE FILLING: Combine berries in large colander and rinse carefully; spread them out on paper towel-lined rimmed baking sheet and gently pat dry with additional paper towels.


4. Using a food processor, puree 2 1/2 cups mixed berries until smooth and fully pureed, about 1 minute. Strain puree through mesh strainer into a measuring cup or directly into a small saucepan. This will take some work, because with all of the seeds, the liquid will have trouble getting through the strainer. With all of the berry puree, you should have 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of liquid. Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt in small bowl to combine, then whisk this mixture into puree. Bring puree to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. Eventually, the berry puree will start to boil and thicken to the consistency of pudding. Remove the saucepan from heat, stir in lemon juice, and set aside to cool slightly.


5. While puree is cooling, place remaining berries in medium bowl. Heat jelly in second small saucepan over low heat until fully melted; drizzle melted jelly over berries and toss gently to coat. Pour slightly cooled puree into cooled pie shell; top with fresh berries. Loosely cover pie with plastic wrap; refrigerate until chilled and puree has set, about 3 hours (or up to 1 day).


I served the pie with some Reddi-whip, but if you are feeling ambitious, you could whip up some fresh whipped cream. ENJOY!

Black Bean and Corn Salad with Roasted Jalapeno Dressing

Earlier this summer, my fiance and I bought two jalapeno pepper plants at our local farmers' market, since we didn't have any luck growing them from seed.  The two plants we bought have just EXPLODED with jalapenos after a couple of months, and now we are trying to find a use for them!  I adapted this recipe from one I found on Pinterest (surprise, surprise).  I pretty much doubled it, and adjusted the ingredients to my own personal preferences.  Here is the link to the original recipe:

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Fiesta-Black-Bean-Salad-Recipezaar_1?columns=6&position=14/36

I wish I had a picture to share, but I wasn't planning to post the recipe until I discovered how awesome it turned out.  And by then, it was all gone  :-)


Ingredients:

• 4 ears of corn, husks and silk removed, rinsed and patted dry
• two 15 oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
• two jalapeno peppers, whole
• one bell pepper, de-seeded and chopped (any color, but I used green)
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato, seeds and pulp removed
• 1 ripe avocado, chopped (do this at the very end)
• the juice of one lime
• 1 tsp grated lime zest
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• black pepper, to taste

Start by cooking the corn-- preheat the oven to 400 degrees and wrap the corn individually in foil.  Place the jalapeno peppers (whole) on a baking sheet with the corn and bake everything for 20 minutes.  Check on the jalapenos after 15 minutes; if the peppers are already look sunken in with darkened skin, they may be ready to take out.  

When the corn is done, let it cool before cutting the kernels off with a knife (or one of those fancy corn kernel cutters, which I don't have).  In a large bowl, mix the corn kernels, drained black beans, bell pepper, green onion, and tomato.  

In a smaller bowl, combine the lime juice, lime zest, garlic, olive oil, dried oregano, honey, salt, black pepper and cumin.  Carefully remove the stem of the jalapeno and roughly chop them up to your liking (seeds and veins removed if you don't want too much heat, but you may leave them in for some extra kick).  Add the roasted jalapeno to the dressing and whisk to combine.  Pour the dressing over the vegetables and mix to coat.  Have a taste, if it needs more salt or pepper, go ahead and adjust the seasoning.  

This can be served immediately, but it also tastes great if it is left to "mingle" overnight.  Right before serving, cut up the ripe avocado and toss everything together.  This is to prevent the avocado from browning if it sits too long.  Enjoy!!

Rosemary, Raisin and Pine Nut Crackers

I searched for this copy-cat recipe after trying Trader Joe's Raisin Rosemary Crisps at a party.  They are so addicting, and that is saying something since I'm not always crazy about raisins in my food.  I think the Trader Joe crackers have sunflower seeds in them, but I thought pine nuts were a good swap.  I adapted my recipe off of this recipe on Pop Artichoke.  It is not a quick recipe since there is a lot of waiting time, but it is pretty damn impressive to bring your own crackers to a party.  Give this one a try!  

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted in a skillet
• 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced

Let me just start by saying how important it is to use fresh rosemary for this, and also that you will need to use buttermilk rather than milk in order for the baking soda to properly rise.  If you do not have buttermilk, simply pour almost a full cup of milk, and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar (let it sit on the counter for 3 - 5 minutes before using).  Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray two loaf pans with cooking spray or use a little vegetable oil.  In a medium bowl, mix both flours, baking soda, salt, rosemary, and sugar with a whisk.  Switch to a large spoon and mix in the buttermilk and honey so that it is thoroughly incorporated.  Carefully add the raisins and pine nuts, stirring enough so that they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.  Divide the batter into the two loaf pans, and do your best to spread it to the corners in an even layer.  Bake the loaves in the preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes, until the loaves are golden brown and starting to pull away from the sides.  Straight from the oven, remove the loaves from the pan onto a cooling rack; the loaf should come out easily if you turn the pan over onto the cooling rack and tap the bottom a few times.  Let the loaves cool completely before moving on; when they are cool, wrap the loaves in foil and freeze for at least 2 hours.  This is the only way you will be able to thinly slice this loaf without it crumbling.  I kept mine in the freezer for a couple of days and then re-baked them the day before Thanksgiving.  

When you are ready to turn these into crackers, preheat the oven to 300º F.  Spray a couple of baking sheets with cooking spray or smear a light coating of vegetable oil onto the surface.  Place the frozen loaf on a cutting board and use a sharp knife (preferably serrated) to thinly slice the loaf into crackers.  I aimed for 1/8 of an inch in thickness.  Arrange the slices on the baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes then flip the crackers over and bake for another 10-12 minutes.  You are looking for a deep golden brown color all over the cracker, not just the edges.  If they need a little longer, keep them in for a couple more minutes but watch them carefully.  Allow the crackers to cool on a wire cooling rack, 20 or so minutes.  Enjoy!  These will keep for over 1 week if you seal them in a container.  My family ate them all before I could really tell how long they would last.  Enjoy!

Chocolate-dipped Almond Shortbread Cookies

I made these cookies as part of our family's "dessert spread" for Thanksgiving.  Nope, we can't just have pumpkin pie; we need pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, chocolate hazelnut biscotti, flour-less chocolate cake and SHORTBREAD cookies.  I found the recipe on Cooking Channel and just tweaked it a little bit for my own taste.  These are really simple to make since there are only a few ingredients, and you are able to "slice and bake" the dough.  How lovely.  

Ingredients:

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups roasted almonds, ground in a food processor
• 1 tsp orange zest
• For glaze: 1 cup chocolate chips + 1 tsp shortening

First, mix the flour and ground almonds together and set aside.  NOTE:  If your almonds are salted, you do not need additional salt in the dough.  However, if your nuts are unsalted, add 1/4 tsp of salt to the flour mixture.  Using a mixer, cream the softened butter and sugar together for 3 - 4 minutes on a medium speed until it looks light and airy.  Reduce the speed on the mixer and add the egg, orange zest and vanilla extract.  Slowly add the flour and almonds into the mixing bowl on a low speed.  Scrape the sides every so often to make sure the flour is all incorporated.  When the dough is all mixed, spread a large sheet of plastic wrap onto your counter.  In big spoonfuls, line the dough up on the plastic wrap so it is easier to form into a log.  Use your hands to pat and roll the dough into a log that spans about 2 inches in diameter.  Roll the plastic wrap tightly around the log and store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.  

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking liners.  Remove the plastic wrap from your log of dough and use a butter knife to slice 1/4 inch thick rounds.  Place each round a few inches apart from each other on the cookie sheet.  Bake for 13 - 15 minutes until the edges turn golden brown.  Let cool on the cookie sheet for 2 - 3  minutes before removing to a cooling rack.  

To dress these up a little, dip them in chocolate.  Do it.  

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in the microwave with 1 tsp of shortening (microwave tip:  only use half power and stir the chocolate frequently).  When the chocolate is fully melted, but not piping hot, carefully dip each cookie into the chocolate and place back onto wax paper or parchment paper.  These will need to cool for 15 - 20 minutes before they harden.  I used Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you could use milk chocolate if you prefer.  Enjoy!