Posts filed under 'Bread & Muffins'
J. took the day off Friday to go to an event at the boys’ school, so he cooked dinner! (I had a feeling it would pan out this way, which is why I scheduled pancakes for dinner to begin with.) Although he doesn’t get much opportunity to do so, J. is a great cook and the boys absolutely love his pancakes. They devoured them plain — they could not be convinced to try a little syrup, even for dipping. Less mess for me.
This recipe comes from my copy of The All-New, All-Purpose Joy of Cooking, which is apparently no longer published under that title (it’s called The 1997 Joy of Cooking). I use this cookbook much more as a reference for cooking techniques (I can never remember how to hard boil an egg) rather than for recipes, though this pancake recipe is a keeper. J. thinks what makes them so delicious is the sugar and vanilla. They have just a hint of sweetness, without tasting like you’re eating dessert (and leaving plenty of leeway for syrup).
Silver Dollar Pancakes
Adapted slightly from Basic Pancakes in The All-New, All-Purpose Joy of Cooking
1½ c. white whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1½ c. milk (we use 1%)
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
½ tsp. vanilla
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat with a small pat of butter.
With a whisk, combine all ingredients in a large bowl, mixing until they are just combined. (If batter seems too thick, add cold water by the tablespoonful until it is corrected.)
Drop batter onto the pan in small circles (about 2-3 inches across), and cook until the tops start to bubble. Then flip and cook another couple of minutes, until the bottom is browned. Take the pan off the heat in between batches, adding a new small pat of butter each time. Serve immediately.
April 5th, 2008
My aunt gave me this recipe at my bridal shower, and I always enjoy seeing her handwriting on the recipe card when I make this bread. She is a fantastic cook and I aspire to have the cooking repertoire that she does!
Today I baked the banana bread in a coffee can — we’d just finished a can of Medaglia D’Oro Caffé Espresso (yum!) so the opportunity was there. My mom used to bake zucchini bread in coffee cans every summer when our garden with overflowing with squash. Unfortunately, I overfilled the can and lost quite a bit of the batter as it rose up and over the rim. So I’m not recommending you try that with this recipe! Or, try it and only fill the can about 2/3 of the way full — you’ll need to bake it about an hour and a quarter. Then throw the rest of the batter into muffin tins.
For this dessert bread your bananas should be so ripe that you’re practically ready to throw them out. If they’re about to go bad and you’re not ready to bake just yet, peel the bananas, seal them in a Ziploc bag, and freeze them until you need them. They defrost quickly and although they’re brown and slimy looking when they thaw, they work perfectly for this bread and taste great.
This recipe works best when you use mini chocolate chips — regular-sized chips seem to clump up and fall to the bottom of the pan. (I did not take my own advice in the photo above.) My aunt also recommends adding sliced strawberries to the batter if you have them — I’ve added up to half a cup of them and they’re a nice change.
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Adapted from my Aunt Barbara’s recipe
3 very ripe bananas
1/4 c. white sugar
1 egg
1½ c. white whole wheat flour
1/4 c. melted butter, cooled
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 c. mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375° F.
With a fork, mash bananas and sugar in a large bowl until they are smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix until combined.
Pour batter into either lined muffin tins or a load pan coated with non-stick spray. Bake until golden brown on top and a toothpick in the center comes out clean — about 40 minutes for muffins to an hour for a loaf.
March 16th, 2008
I like this recipe a lot, and usually make it as muffins since the boys prefer it that way. You can make it in a 9×13 pan, too, and just increase the baking time.
The only recipe I’ve made that’s more moist than this is a copycat Marie Callender’s version which combines a 9-oz. box of corn muffin mix with a 9-oz. box of yellow cake mix (thanks, Paula!). Oy. Needless to say, that makes a hugely delicious corn bread, but it’s not something I’d make regularly.
I keep meaning to try substituting honey for the sugar in this recipe, but I haven’t yet. Let me know if you do.
Corn Muffins (Dairy)
Adapted slightly from Homesteader Cornbread
Makes 2 dozen muffins
1 1/2 c. cornmeal
2 1/2 c. milk
2 c. white whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. canola oil
Preheat over to 400° F.
Combine cornmeal and milk and allow them to sit for at least 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients and then add milk and cornmeal mixture. Mix well until batter is smooth, beating for about 50 strokes.
Grease muffins tins liberally with non-stick spray. Fill cups about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
March 8th, 2008
I had originally planned to try to make these into a kid-friendly version, but decided at the last minute to just make them as I think they’d taste good, and see if I could get the boys to try one for breakfast. (I haven’t offered them yet, so their reaction is still to come.) They’ve been very receptive to muffins recently, so I have a tiny bit of hope…
Last night’s dinner included sauteed spinach, which I just briefly cook in a pan with olive oil and slivered garlic. I had about a cup leftover, which I chopped finely and use in these muffins. Kalyn, the creator of the original recipe, uses mushrooms instead — broccoli would taste great, too. It’s from Kalyn’s site that I first heard of Spike seasoning (somewhat of a signature ingredient in her dishes). Normally I’m a Mrs. Dash kind of a chick, but I decided to try out Spike — the salt-free version — for a change. It’s definitely more flavorful than Mrs. Dash, and also more finely ground. So while I may continue to use Mrs. Dash on top of chicken, I think Spike integrates more easily into a recipe.
The almonds, eggs, and cheese make this a hearty grab-and-go breakfast muffin, but I think they’d also go nicely with a light soup to make a more filling dinner.
Spinach & Cheese Muffins
Adapted from Cottage Cheese & Egg Breakfast Muffins
Makes one dozen muffins
1 c. cooked veggies (spinach, mushrooms, or broccoli), chopped
1/2 c. small curd cottage cheese
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1 4-oz. package crumbled feta
1/4 c. white whole wheat flour
1 c. unsalted almonds, ground to slightly more chunky than flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. Spike seasoning (I use the salt-free version)
4 eggs, beaten
3 Tbsp. water
Preheat over to 400° F.
If you don’t have leftover veggies to use up, prepare those first and allow them to cool.
Combine all ingredients and mix until well-blended. Spoon into a well-greased muffin tin (the batter can nearly fill each cup). Bake for 25 minutes, until lightly browned. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
March 8th, 2008
Please know that it is very rare that I bake fresh muffins for breakfast! But we had friends coming over for a playdate this morning, so it seemed like a good way to have a special breakfast and have a nice snack for later. Take it from me, one of the slowest cooks in the world: you can have this recipe on the table in 25 minutes or less.
The flavor of these muffins is very mild — not too sweet, not too much apple, not too much cinnamon. Maybe a tiny bit boring. I’ll take boring, since my boys gobbled them up for breakfast, and they were a hit with our friends too.
Note that you need to use non-stick spray like Pam on the paper liners (or go without) to avoid having your muffins stick to the paper.
Applesauce & Oatmeal Muffins
Adapted from Applesauce Oat Muffins
Makes about 16 muffins
1-1/2 c. white whole wheat flour
3/4 c. quick-cooking oats
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
3/4 c. milk (I use 1%)
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
2 Tbsp. canola oil
Preheat oven to 400 F. Prepare a muffin tin with paper liners; then mist liners with non-stick spray.
Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix until batter is just combined (do not overmix).
Fill muffin liners almost to full. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
March 6th, 2008
I wrote earlier in the week about my intent to create my own granola bars. They were a mixed success: A. loved eating one for a snack. G., on the other hand, took a bite, chewed it once or twice, and then hung his head over the table so it could drop out of his mouth without touching his tongue ever again. He was horrified by them. I will never figure them out, I’m afraid. J. and I thought they were tasty. The consistency was nice and chewy (I stored them in Tupperware) and they held together without a problem.
I will make these granola bars again, but not the same way exactly. I’d like to try adding peanut or almond butter to the mix — maybe instead of the applesauce? And I think other dried fruits would work well, as long as I chopped them up into smaller pieces first. Because of their size and color, it is hard to distinguish the blueberries from the chips in this version, and that couldn’t have hurt A.’s acceptance of them.
Blueberry-Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Adapted from Playgroup Granola Bars on Allrecipes.com
2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. wheat germ
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
1/2 c. dried wild blueberries
1/4 c. honey
1 egg, beaten
1/3 c. canola oil
1/2 c. applesauce
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until well-blended.
Lightly mist a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray, and press mixture firmly into the pan using your hands.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges of the bars turn golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cutting board. Slice into 20 equal bars and cool completely before wrapping.
February 24th, 2008
I came across You Bars three times today: in the New York Times, on Serious Eats, and even from my mom in an e-mail. You Bars are a cool concept: choose your own ingredients to adjust the protein, fiber, sugar, and other flavors. You can name your creation, too. They’ll make them, wrap them, and ship them to you. I don’t have any need for a product like this, but seeing them mentioned all over the place reminded me I wanted to look for a healthy snack bar recipe for the kids. Something they would see as a treat, but that was good for them.
I’d recently bought Entenmann’s Chocolate Chip Multi Grain Cereal Bars for the boys — I guess I had an “ooooh! multi grain!” moment in the store and decided to ignore the fact that these are really cookies with a smidge of fiber. They’re apparently delicious, though — even J. likes them — so can I find a recipe that is gobbled up just as readily?
Here is some of my inspiration, I hope to try out a version this weekend:
Have you made any protein- or energy- or cereal- or granola- or snack-type bars that are kid-friendly? Let me know.
February 21st, 2008
I found this recipe when searching for a non-dairy cornbread recipe to serve with meat (pareve means it is made without meat or milk). It is egg-free, too, so I’ll keep it in mind since I have a family member with an egg allergy. This is a simple, easy recipe that yields a very straightforward result: decent cornbread, on the table quickly. The recipe makes about 40 mini-muffins.
Update: I can really only recommend this recipe if you are eating them straight out of the oven. I found that once they cooled, they were a bit tough and really not moist at all. I’m going to keep looking for a better recipe — maybe using soy milk?
Pareve Cornbread
Adapted from Cornbread - Dairy Free
1 c. cornmeal
1 c. flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1½ Tbsp. baking powder
1 c. water
1/3 c. canola oil
Preheat oven to 400° F. Combine all ingredients and beat with a whisk until there are no lumps. Drop a generous tablespoon-full of batter into a lined mini-muffin tin. Bake for 15 minutes, or until tops are barely golden.
January 17th, 2008
This recipe didn’t meet any raves from my family, though my father-in-law enjoyed it. I thought it was fine and an easy way to get homemade bread on the table when you don’t have time to let something rise. Since it was convenient and decent, I’d try it again with some adjustments. (For instance, allowing the bread a half hour to rise in the pan, even though it is technically a quick bread.) I might try making it with a darker beer or even stout (I used Dos Equis this time), omitting the sugar and adding Parmesan and herbs. This recipe reflects the way I baked the bread on my first try.
Adapted from Vickie’s Beer Bread on Allrecipes.com
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1½ Tbsp. baking powder
3 Tbsp. white sugar
1 12-oz. beer, at room temperature
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly coat a 9 x 5 bread pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine everything BUT the butter, mix well. Spoon into pan, brush with butter. Bake 45 minutes, or until top is lightly browned.
December 30th, 2007
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I'm Dara, the chick in the kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two boys, ages 3 and 5, and husband. Trying to feed my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Reach me at .