Pistachio Chai Muffins

Chai chai chai!



For the muffins:

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup packed medium brown sugar

1/2 cup caster (white) sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tea bags blended chai tea, opened
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided
1 large egg
cooking spray (or oil)
1/3 cup shelled dry-roasted pistachios, chopped

For the drizzle:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Next, prepare the chai. Use scissors to open the tea bags and add it to the flour mix. If the tea is coarse rather than fine, pulse in a food processor prior to adding it to the flour mix.

In a separate bowl, combine the egg, buttermilk, butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture. Stir until just combined.

Spoon the batter into greased or lined muffin cups. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios over top. 

Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While the muffins cool, make the icing. Blend together the powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon water. Drizzle over top of the muffins.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Not your grandma's bran muffins

Today was 75º and sunny. I went for a run, read on my roof, and had my windows open all afternoon. What an ideal day. But, no. A tornado decided to pay a visit to Ann Arbor. It has been hailing for a good hour, there are flash floods all over town, and there is an official Tornado Advisory Warning on Washtenaw County right now. Department of Public Safety sent around an email to the student body telling everyone to stay indoors. And a number of houses the next town over got destroyed by a funnel cloud. Funny to think that 5 hours ago I was basking in the sun in my bathing suit (Hell yeah, 75º is tanning weather. Don't judge).

So naturally, I stayed inside and baked. I'm now holding up in my kitchen with flour all over my arms, still sporting bathing suit bottoms and a big tee. And I've got these lovely little bran muffins in the oven. I guess it's still a perfect day. They are so moist and soft and surprisingly not dense and sweetened by raisins! I will for sure be making these again soon.

Update: I brought these into work and my boss liked them so much he's begging to pay me so I can make him more. Yeah. They're THAT GOOD.

For the muffins:

2 cup wheat bran
1 cup, plus 1/2 cup dark raisins
1 cup, plus 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk or plain low- or non-fat yogurt
a few swipes of fresh orange zest
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

Spread the wheat bran on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for six to eight minutes, stirring a few times so it cooks evenly. Let cool.

While the bran is toasting, heat 1 cup of the raisins with 1/2 cup of the water. Simmer for ten minutes, or until the water is all absorbed. Puree the raisins in a food processor or blender until smooth.

In a large bowl, mix together the toasted bran, buttermilk or yogurt, 1 cup water, then mix in the raisin puree, orange zest, and brown sugar.

Stir in the oil, and eggs.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and sift directly into the wet ingredients. Stir until the ingredients are just combined, then mix in the remaining 1/2 cup raisins.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, making sure the batter is mounded slightly in each one. Because muffin tins can very in size, if your tins are larger, make fewer muffins.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the muffins feel set in the center.

Recipe adapted from Pastries from La Brea Bakery by Nancy Silverton

Pumpkin cheesecake muffins

There's nothing like cooking with friends. Everything tastes better, calories count less, and you get to be with the people you love. I highly recommend this recipe with friends on the side. So0o0o corny but so true.

For the muffkeys:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup canola (or /vegetable) oil)

For the cream cheese swirl:

8 ounces cream cheese

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Add eggs, oil, milk, vanilla, and pumpkin puree. 

Grease muffin trays. Pour half of the pumpkin batter into 12 muffin cups. Then add half of the cream cheese filling on top. Swirl with a knife to create a marbled effect. Scoop the remaining half of the pumpkin mixture into the 12 cups. Top with the second half of the cream cheese mixture. Swirl again with your knife to combine. Dust with ground cinnamon. Bake until knife comes out clean when inserted into muffin, about 20 minutes. 

Call me a regular bread maker...

Various unsuccessful attempts at bread-baking over the course of my childhood caused me to become very of any recipe calling for yeast. Nervous that it will turn out horribly, I shy away from yeasty baked goods, although they tend to be the best kind (who doesn't want bread and sugar melded together in perfect harmony?). However, one day I came across this recipe for english muffins and decided to tuck them away in my recipe book, somewhat anxiously anticipating the day that I would chose to take on a yeast-related recipe. Today was that day. I woke up and decided to take on the morning with these english muffkies (as my dad calls them). And you know what? Not only were they super easy, but they tasted like real english muffins! Just as good as Pepperidge Farms or Thomas'. They were airy and delish,  cut in half easily, and they even looked like the real thing! With my new found confidence I think I might just take on the world. Or at least another yeasty recipe...


Makes 6 english muffkies

For the muffkies;

2 1/4 cup bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoons  sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon shortening (such as Crisco)
3/4 cup buttermilk (plus 1/4 cup)
Cornmeal

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Add shortening and 3/4 cup buttermilk and mix with a hand mixer or in your stand mixer. Add extra 1/4-cup buttermilk, a little at a time, until dough comes together.

Knead dough by hand for 10 minutes or in the stand mixer for 8 minutes. If using a stand mixer, knead the last minute by hand. The dough should be tacky, but not sticky. Oil a medium bowl and place dough inside. Turn dough in bowl to coat in oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let dough sit until doubled in size (about 60 to 90 minutes).

Prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper and sprinkle with cornmeal. Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Shape pieces into balls, spray with oil, and sprinkle cornmeal on both sides before placing on prepared baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let the muffins rise for about an hour.

Heat a griddle to medium heat and preheat oven to 350°F. Add muffins to the griddle and cook for 5 minutes on each side. Place muffins in the oven and bake for an additional 6 minutes. Allow muffins to cool completely on a wire rack. Enjoy with butter and jam!

Recipe from The Bread Baker's Apprentice via Wilde in the Kitchen.