Chai Spice Muffins

Last night we watched the movie the 100 Foot Journey which was probably the best movie I watched all year. The movie inspired me to use some of my favorite spices (Cinnamon, Cardamom, Clove, Pepper). In fact I start my day every day with a hot Chai Tea with a splash of skim milk.

Ingredients
1 cup All-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground Vietnamese cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp Mexican vanilla
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup natural applesauce (no sugar added)
1/4 cup canola oil
2/3 cup raw sugar
1 large egg (farm fresh or England’s best)

This recipe yields 12 standard size muffins using a size 16 scoop and filling with scant amount of batter.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 and 23 muffin tins with paper liners and spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking.

1. Mix with whisk all dry ingredients ( spices, salt, baking powder, flours) together in medium bowl. With the exception of the sugar.

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Set aside.

2. In a medium to large bowl mix together oil, applesauce, vanilla, sugar, and milk.

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Add egg and whisk to incorporate.

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3. Add dry ingredients into wet using a spatula.

Mix well to incorporate.

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4. Portion out perfectly the batter into the prelined muffin tins.

5. Place in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

6. Remove muffins from pan right away be carful not to burn you hands and set the muffins on wire rack to cool.

Enjoy with your favorite chai tea ! It cannot think of a better way to start the New Year… let’s spice this year up!

Mom’s Favorite “Copy That Almond Joy” Cookie

Growing up the running joke in my family’s house was always around the almond joy mini candy bars. My mom would always try to hide them from my dad, sister and I. Unfortunately for her we always found them (either in the freezer or in the drawer with the electronics). Every year for Christmas there are always almond joys in her stocking. This year I decided to make some from scratch. This recipe is pretty simple and no bake.

This recipe yields: 50 cookies using a #60 scoop.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup mashed potato (the original recipe called for Bob Evan’s Frozen Mashed Potatoes)
16 oz of sweetened coconut flakes
1 tsp of Mexican vanilla extract
4 1/4 cup powdered sugar
50 whole raw almonds
50 slivered almond pieces
12 ounces of your favorite chocolate, chopped finely (almond joys are traditionally milk chocolate) I used half semi sweet for 1/2 the cookies and half dark chocolate 70%)
2-3 tb vegetable shortened

Directions:
1. Mix with paddle attachment the mashed potatoes, coconut, vanilla and powdered sugar.

Refrigerate for for 30 minutes to an hour in order for the batter to set.

2. Take a # 60 scoop and form cookies into a ball and top with raw almond pressing into ball with a gentle touch.

Refrigerate or freeze the cookies for an hour.

3. Once the time has elapsed. Start to prepare chocolate and shorten in double boiler for dipping.

4. Place cookie on fork and spoon chocolate overtop the cookie. *Helpful hint it really helps if you have two people doing this my husband is an excellent helper and I enjoy our time in the kitchen together!) Make sure to cover the cookie in it’s entirety. Helpful hint we do this right over the bowl of chocolate so no chocolate goes to waste. Also make sure to allow for the excess chocolate to drip off prior to placing the cookie on parchment paper to cool.

Garnish with 1 to 2 slivered almonds. Allow the chocolate to harden prior to placing in tins or plastic containers. Do not freeze after dipping in chocolate. The chocolate will turn white.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Expresso Cookies

My husband and I took a holiday cookie class at one of our all time favorite places to venture in the strip district. These Expresso cookies are one of the many treats we baked amongst a flourless chocolate cake, Italian shortbread cookie and cream puff. We loved the Expresso cookie so much we made them for Christmas this year. I highly recommend taking either Enrico’s bread Class or cookie class for a memorable and delicious experience.

This recipe yields 63 cookies using a size 60 scoop

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 1/2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Set aside.

Directions:
1 1/2 cup ap flour
1/2 cup Dutch processed cocoa
2 sticks of cold unsalted butter (1/2 a pound)
2 tb of ground Expresso powder
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Ingredients:
1. Place all the ingredients in a stand mixer ( I have the professional series Kitchenaid which you want to made sure you start the on low speed and keep stand portion elevated and gradually lock into position as the dough starts to incorporate.

2. Mix until the mixer melts the butter. This can take time and differs. This method can take 5 to 8 minutes but it is like magic you will know when the dough is ready.

3. Portion out on 1/2 sheet pan using the number 60 scooper. Place cross design with fork like your favorite peanut butter cookie.

4. Bake in 350 for 12-14 minutes. Remove from pan right away and allow to cool on wire rack.

Enjoy! Only for adults!

Josh’s Favorite Gingersnap

I love the smell of these cookies in the oven! They are the perfect cookie if you are looking for a soft bite and will remind you of what grandma use to make. When I made these the first time my husbands said these are a “keeper”, which means for the Bakery someday ❤️. The original recipe was inspired by my favorite spice store and can be found here.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cup ap flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 egg
1/4 cup of grandma’s molasses
3/4 cup vegetable shorten
2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp Vietnamese ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 ground cloves
1/3 cup raw sugar (to roll the cookies in)

yields 32 cookies using a size 60 scoop

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 and parchment paper line 1/2 sheet baking pans. Set side.

1. Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, spices) and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl with paddle attachment cream granulated sugar and shorten. Then add egg and mix to incorporate.

3. Add dry ingredients a cup at a time on low speed. about half way through add molasses

4. Remove paddle attachment and start to scoop the batter into small balls using a size 60 scooper.

5. Place the raw sugar in a deep bowl to roll the spheres into prior to placing on the pan.

6. Roll the ball around to coat with sugar to its entirety. Place the sphere on pan three to a row and 15 to a half sheet pan. They really spread out beautifully.

7. Lightly flatten with a glass cup to allow for even baking.

8. Bake for 11 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on pan for a minute then remove to finish cooling on a wire rack.

Enjoy! They don’t last long in my house!

Banana Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Swiss Buttercream Frosting

My nephew turned three on the first and wanted a spiderman mini cake and cupcakes. It seems just like yesterday he turned two and I was preparing a pistachio cake with a rocket-man theme Rice Krispy treats.

The party my sister had planned for him was a brunch and so I didn’t want an over powering sweet frosting first thing in the morning. After some investigative work I developed these treats for the celebration. Honestly these mini cakes taste like fresh homemade banana bread spread with butter.

Yields 16 cupcakes and one mini two tiered 5 inch in diameter cake Or just 42 cupcakes

Batter Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of Bananas (I used 6 frozen bananas & 2 fresh bananas)

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 Cup butter (2 sticks)

4 eggs

1 Cup sour cream

2 tsp. baking soda

3 Cups all-purpose flour

1 TB. pure vanilla extract

Directions for the cake and mini cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line cupcake tins with cupcake liners and set aside.

2. Mash the bananas and set aside.

3. Cream the butter and sugar together until well mixed.Add one egg at a time and beat well after each addiition.Mix in the sour cream and blend until incorporated.

7. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda.

8. Add to the creamed mixture and beat well.
9. Add the mashed bananas and pure vanilla extract and mix well.

10. Scoop out batter evenly using a size 16 scoop portion into 16 lined muffin tins. Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

11. Divide remaining batter evenly among the prepared cake pans (spray with baking joy). Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool a few minutes and remove from pans. Let cupcakes and mini cakes cool completely before frosting.

Swiss Meringue Vanilla Bean Butter Cream Frosting Ingredients: Yields about 10 cups of frosting

10 Large Egg Whites

2 cups plus 4 TB of granulated Sugar

Pinch of Salt

1 TB of pure vanilla extract

Frost as you wish.

These are perfect for a brunch like my sister had for my nephew the taste is almost like eating homemade banana bread with a spread of butter.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Spiderman aka Max!

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Double Garlic Pumpkin Seeds

One of the bonuses to this beautiful fall squash the pumpkin is it’s nutritious seeds. They can be a sticky mess when you are dissecting the vessel but well worth the final product.

This recipe yields 2 cups of seeds.

Ingredients:
2 cups of raw dried out squash seeds (2-3 pumpkin pie pumpkins should yield this amount)
1/2 tsp sandwich sprinkle (from penzeys) (celery salt, Thyme, marjoram,black pepper, basil and oregano)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 tb canola oil

Directions:

1.Place all ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix with small rubber spatula. Until all ingredients are mixed well and seasonings coat the seeds evenly.

2. Spread 1 cup of seed blend onto a microwavable safe plate. Try to space the seeds so they don’t overlap.

3. Microwave for 1 minute and mix with spatula. Microwave for another minute and up to 4 minutes mixing with spatula in one minute intervals until seeds are golden brown.

4.,Repeat directions above in step 1 & 2 above with remaining cup.

Let cool on parchment paper. Enjoy!

Oreo Chocolate Cupcakes with Oreo Buttercream Frosting

I made these for my sister’s fiancé’ 30th birthday! He was home this past weekend and we were finally able to celebrate at our favorite restaurant. I brought these little cakes for our dessert. My husband and I watched our almost 3 year old nephew as they went out to celebrate the night before, I thought it would be fun to bake with my nephew and to have him help make his dad these mighty tasty cupcakes. My nephew was able to help me add the flour and scoop the batter into the tins which made them so much more special.

This recipe yields 16 standards size cupcakes using a size 16 scoop.

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 Stick (1/2 cup) plus 2 TB unsalted butter

1/2 cup of Dutch process cocoa powder (do not cheat yourself use a high quality) …. I love penzey’s!

1 1/4 cup AP flour

1 Tsp baking soda

1/16 Tsp of kosher salt

1 tsp expresso powder

2 eggs (farm fresh or egg land’s best)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup of raw sugar or brown sugar

3 (1/8 cups) of light sour cream or plain fat free greek yogurt

3/4 cup low fat buttermilk

Cooking spray

Cupcake Instructions:

1. Preheat ove to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners and spray with canola oil cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a medium to large bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, expresso powder, and cocoa. Set aside.

3. Place in an electric mixing bowl butter and sugars and beat on medium to medium high speed until creamed (light and fluffy).

4. Add one egg at a time, beating using standing mixer until well incorporated. Make sure if you do not have a beater with rubber spatula sides that you scrap down sides of bowl often with hand spatula. Once eggs are incorporated add sour cream and decrease the speed to low. Add flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk in thirds (only mix after each addition until everything is incorporated). Be careful not to over mix the batter.

5. Using number 16 scoop portion perfectly into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 10 minutes on 350 degrees and rotate the tins and bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Rotating the tin will allow for even baking.

6. Remove from oven and allow to set in tin for 1 to 5 minutes, remove from tin and place on wire rack to cool completing before frosting. If you allow the cupcakes to stay in tin they will continue to bake and will dry out.

7. In the meantime start to work on the frosting.

Oreo Buttercream

Oreo Buttercream
6 cups of Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
9 TB of Heavy Cream
8-10 Oreos (place in food processor and crush)
1 stick of butter ( 1/2 cup ) room temperature
2 Ounce of 1/3 Fat Reduced Cream cheese room temperature

16 Mini oreo’s (optional for decoration)

Directions for Oreo Buttercream:
Cream the butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer until fluffy. Add one cup of powdered sugar at a time until incorporated. Mix slowly! Add liquids mix. Lastly add crushed Oreos add more cream as needed to desired consistency.

ENJOY!

Pumpkin spice pancakes

One fall squash I cannot get enough of is pumpkin. Last weekend I made these tasty breakfast cakes.

Yields 7 small/medium sized pancakes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup AP flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 TB flaxseed
1 TB Canola oil
3/4 cup purée pumpkin
1 tsp pure vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 TB raw sugar
2 egg whites or 1 egg
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup skim milk

Directions:
In a large bowl combine egg, milk, pumpkin, and canola oil. Whisk to blend.

set aside.

In a separate bowl mix flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and flaxseed.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet.

Mix to fully incorporate.

Pour or ladle small amount of batter into a cooking sprayed hot skillet over medium to medium high heat. The trick to pancakes is you don’t flip them until they start to bubble and become golden brown on surface adjacent to the pan.

Flip and allow to cook fully on other side.

Remove finished pancakes, set aside.
Repeat process with remaining batter.

Pumpkin Buttermilk Waffles

Pumpkin everything this month! Especially today. Later I will be making pumpkin soup and pumpkin challah bread.

yields 5 (6 1/2 in diameter waffles)
Ingredients:
1 tb flaxseed milled
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup AP Flour
1/8 cup blackstrap Molasses
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup puréed pumpkin
1/3 cup egg whites or egg substitute
1 tsp pure vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup fat free sour cream or fat free plain Greek yogurt
Toasted pecans for garnish (optional)

Directions
1. Place all dry ingredients in small bowl.

2. Whisk to blend.

Set aside.

3. Place wet ingredients into large bowl.

4. Whisk to fully incorporate.

5. Add dry mix into wet batter.

6. Cook waffles according to waffle iron. My iron took a half cup of batter for each waffle. Before adding batter spray iron with cooking spray to prevent sticking. I also spray between every other waffle.

Sprinkle with toasted pecans and/or enjoy with syrup.

The waffles freeze really well if you place in a ziplock freezer bag and place parchment between each one.

Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year and also my excuse to add pumpkin to everything.

Recipe yields 12 standard size bars

Ingredients:
2 cups of brown puffed rice
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup Milled Flaxseed
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds in shell
1/2 cup honey
2/3 cup raw sugar or brown sugar
2 tsp pure Mexican vanilla
1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 Tb coconut oil
2 TB puréed pumpkin
1 8 by 8 inch pan

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 and place oats, walnuts, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds on parchment lined pan. Roast for 4 minutes and stir and roast for 4 more minutes.

Place all ingredients on the pan into the food processor along with dried cranberries. Pulse the food processor 6 to 7 times to desired consistency. Place the dry pulsed ingredients in a large bowl with dried cranberries, and puffed brown rice set aside.

In the meantime over medium to high heat in a 2 quart sauce pan, heat honey, sugar, salt, puree pumpkin, coconut oil and pumpkin pie spice to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Pour warm sauce over dry ingredients and fold to incorporate.

Place mixture in an 8 by 8 inch parchment lined (overhang the paper to make for easy cutting later) baking dish using a spatula to press to even the batter throughout.

Cover and let rest for 2-3 hours to set.

Remove from dish using parchment paper as a handle.

Cut evenly using a sharp knive into 12 bars. Enjoy!

A Pinch of Luv

from scratch baking and cooking blog