Tag Archives: recipe

MIXED BERRY MUFFINS

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berrymuffins_3A

Call me crazy, but I have a list of cute foods. Cute foods are also the only ones I’ll eat on the go or in super public places. (I said you can call me crazy). They usually consist of non-bulky, non-noisy, handheld foods. Some examples include granola bars, grapes, and anything bite-sized. Muffins happen to fall in the category as well and these mixed berry muffins I made on Sunday are no exception. Not only do they burst with colorful shades of maroon and purple, but they also happen to be completely delicious.

MIXED BERRY MUFFINS…Adapted from Joy the Baker

INGREDIENTS

For the Muffins: 7 Tablespoons unsalted butter; 1/3 cup whole milk; 1 large egg; 1 large egg yolk; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 1 cup fresh blueberries; 1 cup fresh blackberries

For the Topping: 3 Tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Place muffin liners in muffin pan.

Melt butter in microwave for about 30 seconds.Whisk milk, egg, yolk and vanilla until combined.  Add melted butter and stir to combine.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl  Add milk and butter mixture all at one and stir gently to combine.  Gently but thoroughly fold in the blueberries and blackberries. Divide the batter among muffin cups.

To make the topping combine all topping ingredients in a bowl and rub them ogether with your fingertips until crumbly.  Sprinkle evenly and generously over the batter in the cups.

Bake until golden and crisp and a wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

berrymuffins_4 berrymuffins_2berry muffins

PEANUT BUTTER MARSHMALLOW SANDWICH COOKIES

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gluten free cookies

Josh’s sister and I were scouting the web for gluten-free recipes that didn’t require a bazillion ingredients or Julia Childs cooking skills. When we found the key to these peanut butter marshmallow cookies, we began making them instantly. I mean, the cookies themselves are only 4 ingredients. And they’re totally and completely flourless. And they’re ready in 20 minutes. And they’re delicious. And when you crave sweets as often as I do, sometimes its nice to know what you’re eating is just a teensy bit healthier.

PEANUT BUTTER MARSHMALLOW COOKIES…Adapted from Bakers Royale

INGREDIENTS

Cookies: 1 cup natural peanut butter, smooth or crunchy ; 1 cup sugar ; 1 large egg, lightly beaten ; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Marshmallow Frosting: 5 large egg whites; 11/2 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line bake sheet with parchment paper.

Mix cookie ingredients on low speed in a stand mixer bowl. Drop 1 1/2 tablespoon of dough on bake sheet in rows, then flatten cookie with a fork, creating a criss-cross design. Bake cookies for about 10-12 minutes or until golden around the edges. Transfer to cooling rack after 5 minutes.

Combine egg whites and sugar in a stand mixer bowl and place it over, but not touching, simmering water. Heat mixture to 160 degrees F while whisking constantly. Transfer mixer bowl to stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on medium high speed (speed 8 for a KitchenAid stand mixer) until mixture cools, doubles in volume and forms stiff peaks. This should take about 10-12 minutes.

cookie ingredients peanut butter cookies

no flour cookies peanut butter recipe

gluten free dessert

PASTEL MERINGUES

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pastel meringues

Whether you celebrate Passover, Easter or no holidays at all, these pastel meringues will work. They’re flourless, pastel colored, and super sweet. Josh and I spent the weekend at his family’s home and his sister and I spent Sunday in the kitchen. I love that Josh has two very smart & sweet sisters to perfectly balance out my boy-filled household (my mom & I were always outnumbered by my dad & brothers). I’ve always wanted sisters, so much so that I chased after my poor brothers with my tutus and lipsticks trying to get them to dress up (it didn’t work). Now I get to paint nails, watch Revenge, and make pastel colored meringues for the holidays, and Josh can talk sports and “guy stuff” with my brothers all he wants…It’s the best of both worlds.

PASTEL MERINGUE COOKIES…Adapted from Red Shallot Kitchen

3 egg whites, room temperature; 1/8 tspn salt; 1/4 tspn cream of tartar; 1/2 c. fine granulated sugar; 1/2 cup confectioner sugar; 5 drops vanilla extract; 5 food coloring


DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 225 F. Line baking sheets with wax paper and set aside.
2. Whisk the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add food coloring, food flavoring and cream of tartar and continue to beat until the egg whites form soft peak. Slowly add sugar and continue to beat on medium-high speed (8 for kitchen-aid stand) until the egg whites form stiff peaks.
3. Transfer meringues to a piping bag fitted with a tip. Pipe meringue onto parchment paper and bak for about 80 minutes.  Turn off the oven, then leave the baking sheets inside the oven for several hours to overnight to dry the cookies.

meringue_2

meringue_5

Recipe – Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

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chocolate raspberry cupcakes

Chocolate raspberry cupcakes are pure love. The combination of chocolate & raspberry just works…Because I don’t have class on Mondays it’s my day to be very productive. Yesterday, I got ahead on some school readings, cleaned the apartment, went grocery shopping, and (most importantly) made cupcakes to surprise Josh after his long workday. He appreciated them so much, that in return, I got to watch The Bachelor without any complaints. Like I said, cupcakes = love.

baking chocolate cupcakes

 CAKE INGREDIENTS … Adapted from Martha Stewart

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour :: 1/4 tspn baking soda :: 2 tspn baking powder :: 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder :: 1/8 teaspoon salt :: 3 tablespoons softened butter :: 1 1/2 cups white sugar :: 2 eggs :: 3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract :: 1 cup milk :: 1 jar raspberry preserves

WHIPPED CHOCOLATE GANACHE INGREDIENTS…Also adapted from Martha Stewart

1 lb semisweet chocolate, chopped :: 1 1/4 cups heavy cream

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CUPCAKES RECIPE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup cupcake tin with paper liners.

Sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, salt and set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla, while continuously beating. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture, alternately with the milk; beat well. Pour batter into cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake about 22 minutes.

While cupcakes are baking, bring cream to a boil and stir in the chocolate . Let sit for 10 minutes; use rubber spatula to stir until smooth. Refrigerate mixture for 30 minutes. Once chilled, place mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on medium speed until ganache holds its shape and is slightly lightened in color.

Once cupcakes are baked and cooled, scoop out center of cupcake to make room for filling. Spoon a tablespoon of raspberry preserves in each cupcake, and then replace scooped out cake. Top off with whipped chocolate ganache and a raspberry for garnish.

chocolate filled cupcakes

baking chocolate cupcakes

chocolate and raspberry

the best chocolate cupcakes

Recipe – Raspberry & Chocolate Macarons

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chocolate and raspberry macaron recipe

The first time I tried a french macaron I was in a Paris bakery about 4 years ago. I had an embarassing moment where I unconsciously closed my eyes and took it all in. Macarons have since become my absolute favorite dessert. Ever. Hence my blog header. But in NYC, at $2.50 each, the tiny little things aren’t so cheap (especially when I eat two almost daily). So I’ve been meaning to try my hand at whipping up a few of my own.

I used this recipe for both the raspberry and chocolate macarons, substituting food coloring with unsweetened cocoa powder for the chocolate macarons and chocolate ganache for the filling. I have to be honest, they are tricky little buggers. The recipe requires lots of patience when whipping the egg whites. Tip – Add a pinch of cream of tartar. Also, if you don’t have wax paper (I didn’t), then go out and buy some. I used tin foil (rookie mistake) and they stuck. When I tried to peel each individually, they began to crack. So don’t be a macaron killer like me.

Setbacks aside, they ended up tasting like they came from L’aduree. I made about 30 and they were gone way too soon.

macaron ingredients red food coloring baking

baking macarons  french macaron