I've been feeling like muffins for about a week now. Sort of an odd craving, I guess, but most mornings lately, I've been wishing I had something sweet to start my day--or any time of the day. Since the craving started taking over any
after-work fatigue, I finally got around to doing a little baking tonight. I got started a little late in the evening, so I kept it easy--which also meant substituting a few ingredients because I didn't want to run out to the store to pick anything up. And, of course, I wanted to keep it healthy, so I modified more than a few things. The result was better than satisfactory (taking into account all the substitutes I made), though my major regret was not adding chocolate chips--which doesn't really help with the healthy factor but always makes things taste better.
It's already well past 11PM now, so this will be short and sweet. Without further ado, here is...my cranberry pecan loaf! (Okay, so it's not muffins, but close enough).
Cranberry Pecan Loaf
Adapted from The New Best Recipe's "Cranberry-Nut Bread"
Makes one 9"x5" loaf
Preheat the oven to 375F degrees, and grease a 9"x5" loaf pan.
1. Mix together in a bowl:
- 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 t. salt
- 1 t. baking powder
- 1/4 t. baking soda
2. Stir together in a separate bowl:
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
- 1/3 cup apple sauce
- 3 T. vegetable oil
3. Pour the liquid mixture from #2 into the bowl with the dry mixture from #1, and stir together until just combined.
4. Add to the bowl and mix together:
- 2/3 cup chopped pecans (lightly toasted, optional)
- 1-1/2 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
(add chocolate chips if you want, too)
5. Pour the batter into the greased pan. Bake at 375F degrees for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350F and bake an additional 40 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack completely before slicing (which I almost never do but should because cooling completely makes cutting easier).
The forecast for today said chance of rain with a high of 57 degrees and a low of 44. Yesterday, Easter Sunday (one of my favorite days of the year not only because it marks the arrival of Spring but even more so because of all it really means), the weather was cold and rainy. Could someone remind me what time of the year this is? I've always loved rain and colder weather--during the right season--but now I'm itching for Spring to come full bloom so I can let my (pasty) legs see some
sun finally. I've even prepared my wardrobe for Spring with floral prints, but instead I am wrapped up in turtle necks and wool coats.
Regardless of the weather condition, Spring always says "girly" to me. It anticipates freshness, flowing flowery dresses and pink tulips. For a bridal shower I helped throw recently, we pulled out all the stops and celebrated all the girlishness that is appropriate (and possibly bearable) for a bridal shower in the Spring. The theme was *pink*, and we showed little restraint in how we used the color: pink table cloths, pink plates, pink cups, pink napkins, shower games on pink paper, pink desserts, all a la Martha Stewart. Only after the shower was over did I check with the bride-to-be on whether she even liked the color pink, which to my relief, she said she did. Or maybe she was being nice.
My contribution to the shower consisted of yellow cupcakes with pink buttercream and pink sprinkles and pink frosted heart-shaped sugar cookies for the guests to bring home--tied up with a pretty pink bow, of course. The recipe I used is my favorite sugar cookie recipe which consistently yields what I think is the perfect texture (a little soft but very buttery). Someone even said it was better than the sugar cookies from a well-known bakery in the area. I don't think I'm someone who needs many compliments, but hearing stuff like that makes me all giddy inside.
Sugar cookies with royal icing
Adapted from Sherry Yard's The Secrets of Baking
Makes about 18 4" heart-shaped cookies
1. Cream the following with an electric mixer on low to medium until light:
- 12 T. (1-1/2 sticks) of unsalted butter
2. Add the following and continue creaming on medium:
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/4 t. of salt
- 1 t. vanilla extract
3. Mix in the following, one at a time, each until combined and scraping down the bowl in between:
- 1 large egg
- 1-3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
4. Once the dough is evenly combined, wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F degrees with the rack positioned to the lower third of the oven. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out the dough to about 1/3" thickness and cut into your shape of choice using cookie cutters. Place on the baking sheet about 1" apart. It's helpful to refrigerate the cut-out cookie dough about 15 minutes before baking to prevent the cookies from losing their shape when they bake.
5. Place one baking sheet in the oven and bake for approximately 13 minutes or until firm and very lightly brown on the edges. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.
6. To make the royal icing, combine the following in mixing bowl with an electric mixer on low:
- 1 large egg white (I sometimes use powdered egg whites since I can be a little paranoid about salmonella poisoning)
- 1 t. of lemon juice or vanilla
- 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
Once the mixture is smooth, the consistency should be ideal for piping. To spread, add 1 t. of water at a time and continue mixing until the frosting thins out but is still thick enough to spread on the cookies.
As I'm typing this, I'm planted on my sofa in front of the TV. I am an Olympics junky. There is something about the triumphs and spills of competition at the Olympics, and getting caught up in the stories behind the athletes who train for years for a singular moment that determines their place in the world. It never ceases to amaze me all the sacrifices these athletes make and the injuries and adversity some of them overcome to get to this point, all to have the chance to be crowned number one in their sport. It reminds me just how resilient the human spirit can be, that come what may, people have the ability to grow from hardship and not only survive but also excel.
Sadly, watching the Olympics can also make me wonder what I'm doing with my own life and consider what I have "accomplished" so far.
But at the same time, I do wonder what person I would become if I were "great" at something the way these athletes are. Would I be able to maintain any sort of humility and remember that all my abilities are really not my own but a gift? Knowing myself, there is a pretty good chance that I would forget all that and revel in my achievements. (I already forget and I don't even think I've accomplished that much.) Maybe what's truly admirable are those who stay humble when they have done so much.
NBC is showing the half pipe competition, and I'm waiting to see Shaun White *throw it down* (as the announcer would say) for the finals in the hopes of back to back gold medals. As you can imagine, with all this time in front of the TV, there isn't a whole lot of time to be baking (or doing much else), so I have no new recipe today. Instead I'm posting photos of cupcakes I made for a recent dinner, using the same recipe from my very first post, which has always proven to be a winner. (I really think it's the ganache that does it). I think I'll go back to enjoying watching the games now and just appreciating the amazing things these athletes can do.
Sorry about my cheesy title--I simply could not think of what to title this post. This may come as a surprise to some, but I love football. I know very little about the rules and strategy and all that (pretty sure I got touchdowns and field goals down), but I love the enthusiasm it creates in players and fans rooting for their team, and I love the white noise in the background as I fall asleep on the sofa when a game is on. I do really enjoy watching football games (especially teams that I care about), but sometimes, on a Sunday afternoon, the crowd noise, crunching sounds from the tackles and the refs' whistle just lulls me to sleep. It's a pretty close-to-perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon. Someone once said they should come up with an iPhone app with "football game white noise"--maybe there's already one that has it. That said, I am looking forward to watching the upcoming Super Bowl (and not napping through it), especially since I like the Mannings.
Now that I've set this all up, I have to tell you that my recipe for today probably wouldn't be considered tailgating-worthy by any means. While every foodie is putting together their Super Bowl party menus and food sites are channeling Super Bowl party tips with the big game just days away, today I am posting something completely irrelevant and a little...boring. I don't think people eat muffins while watching the Super Bowl, but I don't have any baking tailgating recipes. There also isn't anything particularly fancy about these muffins, but I like them because the recipe is fool-proof and easy to build upon depending on what you like (e.g. you can use wheat flour if you're more health conscious, add raisins, apple chunks, chocolate chips, different spices). You could probably use this for your next tea party or brunch. But if you're looking for a Super Bowl recipe, I'm pretty sure if you go to marthastewart.com, she'll have you covered.
Applesauce Spice Muffins
Adapted from epicurious.com
Makes about a dozen regular-sized muffins
Grease or line muffin pan. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
1. Stir together in a bowl:
- 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour (or substitute 1/2 or 1 cup with whole wheat flour)
- 1-1/2 t. baking powder
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1/2 t. cinnamon
- 1/2 t. ground allspice
- 1/4 t. grated nutmeg
- 1/4 t. salt
2. Using and electric mixer on low or by hand, whisk in a separate bowl until combined:
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup brown sugar
3. Add to the mixture in #2, one at a time:
- 1 stick + 3 T. unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
4. Fold into the apple sauce mixture, one at a time:
- flour mixture from #1
- 1 cup pecans or other chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds)
5. Divide batter evenly among the muffin wells. Bake for approximately 20 minutes. Cool for a couple of minutes in the pan, then cool muffins completely on a rack.
(Epicurious includes a topping, which I forgot to use when I made this. It consisted of sugar, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Some reviewers of the recipe suggested using granola, which you can sprinkle on the top of each muffin before baking.)
It's hard to believe that after about five months from my last post, I'm finally back here. I've probably lost all my readers by now, so anything I write now could be going into some void or jumbled with all the other distractions the internet has to offer. Just a collection of random thoughts (pretending I can write) and experiments with baking, and hoping that there would be others out there who could find a little amusement in my deliberations and pretty pictures (if anyone bothers to read more than the recipe).
At some point, I lost any inspiration and motivation to continue, and started to think about what this was really for, especially since I didn't have too many readers. There were a few somewhat significant events (some really cool, some not as much) that diverted my attention, but I think I fell off the wagon on a few things, not just this blog. For example, I used to be a little bit of a runner, and ran a 10K last year--I might've written about it (I can't remember, it feels so long ago). And then the latter part of last year, one week off turned into two weeks, then a month, and then it was the holidays--and no running or working out ever occurs during that time of the year. But it appears last week was my week to get back on it. There was no particular reason, it was just a choice--kind of like when you feel unhappy, but if you make yourself smile even when you don't feel like it (though that can be very hard), you might feel a little happier after all. I baked up some cookies, started running again, even felt a little bit of renewed vigor at work, and knew it was time to channel some creative energy back into this site.
So here I am, back in the saddle at the beginning of a new year--hopefully for a while. I'm not much of a New Year's resolution type of a person, but I do have a few thoughts for the upcoming year that I hope to live by: (1) give more--Nicholas Kristof recently wrote in the New York Times that helping others really ends up helping ourselves (and I wouldn't mind a little help); (2) pray more--prayer in and of itself may not solve problems, but prayer to a God who loves us infinitely can give us the strength to endure; and (3) no regrets--I'd like to be able to say that I did everything I could in any given situation or circumstance. I'm sure I won't live up to these, but there is a goal to work towards. Oh, and what is this blog really for? I guess I decided it was enough to blog for no real reason at all.
On that note, here's a recipe for what is now my favorite oatmeal cookie EVER. Hope you try it because it's pretty awesome.
Chocolate [Chip] Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
Adapted from epicurious.com
Makes about 36 2-1/2" cookies
Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
1. Cream together with an electric mixer:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1-1/4 cup brown sugar
2. Mix in the following, one at a time, on medium-low speed:
- 2 large eggs
- 1-1/2 t. vanilla
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3. Stir in by hand:
- 2-1/4 cups oats
- 1-1/2 cups shredded coconut (unsweetened)
- 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped pecans
4. Roll balls of cookie dough around 1-1/2" in diameter and arrange on the baking sheet about 2" apart. Press down on each lightly to about 1/2" thickness. Bake for about 11 minutes, until lightly brown. Cool cookies on the sheet for about a minute, then transfer to racks.
