Blueberry Muffins

I've been making these muffins since I was about 9 years old. NINE. Does that tell you how good this recipe is? It has stood the test of time. 

I first found the recipe when I went to the hair salon with my mom. She was spending hours underneath that dome shaped heater thing (still to this day don't know what it's called) with tin foil covering her head and I honestly thought all the women looked like aliens. I flipped through every magazine in the place trying to entertain myself. That's when I found this gem. I ran it over to my mom and asked if we could make it that weekend- and being the amazing mom that she is, she said of course and sneakily ripped it out of the magazine and put it in her purse. (PS don't tell my mom you know she's not a natural blonde ;) 

The original recipe called for muffin tops, and I was nearly heartbroken when I found out we didn't have a muffin top pan. My mom had (and still does have) every. single. kitchen appliance known to man. But no muffin top pan in sight. So we went rogue and did the exact opposite- we made jumbo blueberry muffins. 6 fat, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth, fantastic blueberry muffins. They've been a family favorite ever since. 

This was really my first solo baking mission and probably why it's so near and dear to my heart. Before this, I wasn't allowed to use the stove/oven without supervision and cooked eggs in the microwave. I would bring them to my parents in bed, and being as nice as possible, they'd take a bite, tell me how wonderful they were, and promptly flush them down the toilet the second I left their bedroom. They were about as thrilled as I was to discover my talents ranged farther than microwave eggs. 

These muffins are a perfect weekend treat. I LOVE them when they're right out of the oven, but they are just as good at room temperature (and the perfect pack-and-go breakfast). You can also freeze them for up to 3 months, which is fab if you find yourself in need of a muffin with zero desire to bake (aka the morning after one glass too many ;) ). I hope these babies bring as many good memories to your family as they have to mine! 

Blueberry Muffins 

For the Batter:

• 3/4 stick (6 Tbsp.) unsalted butter 

• 1/3 cup whole milk

• 1 whole large egg 

• 1 large yolk 

• 3/4 tsp vanilla 

• 1 1/2 cups King Arthur all purpose flour 

• 3/4 cup sugar 

• 1 1/2 tsp. Clabber Girl baking powder 

• 3/4 tsp. salt

• 2 cups fresh blueberries (12 oz.)

*This is a thick batter- don't fret! You're on the right track.*

For the topping:

• 3 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into bits 

• 1/2 cup King Arthur all purpose flour 

• 3 1/2 Tbsp. sugar 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375° F

2. Generously butter muffin pans (you can use a regular 12 muffin tin or a jumbo 6 muffin tin)

3. Melt butter in a small saucepan over moderately low heat. Once melted, remove from heat.

4. Whisk in milk first, then the whole egg, yolk and vanilla until well combined.

5. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

6. Add milk mixture and stir until just combined.

7. Fold in blueberries gently but thoroughly. 

For the topping: 

1. Rub together all topping ingredients in a bowl with your fingertips until crumbly.

2. Sprinkle evenly over batter in muffin tin. 

3. Bake until golden and crisp, about 18-20 minutes. (Tip: Diagonally insert a wooden toothpick into the center of the muffin- if it comes out clean, you're good to go!)

4. Cool in pans on a rack for 15 minutes.

5. Run a knife around the edge of each muffin and carefully remove from the tin.

6. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

P.S. if you want to be really bad, but really good- slather some buttah on a cut muffin when it's fresh out of the oven. You will swoon. 

Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies (Copycat)

I am forever on a quest for the best chocolate chip cookie. It's no easy feat- there are so many to choose from. Do I want a chewy cookie, a soft cookie, a crisp cookie...? I'm the world's most indecisive person when it comes to food so I don't think I'll ever know the answer. I'm so bad at choosing what I want when I go out to eat (usually because I want it all), I occasionally let my boyfriend order for the table. Maybe that's super 1950's of me but it takes the pressure off and it's a fun surprise when it gets to the table. Otherwise I'd end up ordering the same thing over and over again. I'm a creature of habit.

I think I get that trait from my dad. Whenever we would go on a vacation in a foreign country, instead of dealing with 4 kids picking their dinner from a menu written in a foreign language, my dad would simply ask the chef to "feed us". And it always ended up being the BEST experience. So many surprises would show up at the table and we would all eat without knowing exactly what it was, all while debating what was our favorite dish.

But back to cookies- I've been to NYC a decent amount of times and I've yet to make it to Levain Bakery. I know, sue me. They apparently have one of the best chocolate chip cookies out there. And since I can't jet up to New York to try one at the moment, I did the next best thing. Made them at home! I found this recipe from Broma Bakery  and as far as I can tell, she was spot on. I ate half the cookie dough before I even got it in the oven, which isn't necessarily unusual... but it was one of the best cookie doughs I've ever eaten. And I've taste tested a lot of cookie doughs. #TuckThePuppy is low-key begging for one right now... so you know it's good. 

Yield: 12 GIANT cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour (I used King Arthur Unbleached AP Flour)

• 1 teaspoon baking powder ( I used Clabber Girl)

• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

• ¾ cup + 4 teaspoons (6 ounces) light or dark brown sugar

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• 2 eggs, cold, lightly beaten in a separate bowl

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups dark chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli dark chocolate baking chips)

DIRECTIONS

1. Line a large baking sheet with a silicon mat or parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until it comes together in one lump, about 1 minute. Add in the sugars and beat for another 1-2 minutes, or until the sugar dissolves into the butter. Lower the speed to medium-low, and mix in the eggs and vanilla and beat until mixed (the batter will be lumpy). Gradually add in the flour mixture, beating until a little flour remains. Fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.

4. Divide the dough into 12 even pieces. Shape the dough roughly into a ball, but do not roll it. Place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes but up to 12 hours before baking.

5. Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake cookies for 15-20 minutes, until light golden brown. When in doubt, take your cookies out early. The cookies will continue to cook as they cool. There's nothing that ruins them more than being overcooked. I can't stress this enough! Cool on a wire rack, then serve!

NOTES

This recipe works best if:
-You undercook the cookie. It keeps baking as it cools, so be sure to take it out of the oven early.
-Use large chocolate chips. They create those beautiful melted chocolate puddles inside your cookie!

Funfetti Cake with Momofuku Truffles

So I had the urge to bake a cake the other day. Not for any particular reason- I just wanted to bake a cake. I didn't even really want to eat it... Just bake it. I've seen so many amazing cakes on instagram lately that I've been dying to try my hand at something that's even remotely as pretty as something that Chelsweets or Georgia's Cakes, or Goodies by Dani. I opted for a box of Funfetti mix on this one. I know, scratch made cake is more impressive- but some days you just need a box mix. I bake my layer cakes in these Wilton pans and it has made cake making a BREEZE. 

My cake might not be as much of a show stopper as Chelsweets or Georgia's Cakes, or Goodies by Dani- but it's pretty impressive when you need a cake in a pinch! 

If you want the real Momofuku Truffle recipe- find it here. 

 

INGREDIENTS

- 1 box funfetti cake mix 

- 1 container vanilla icing 

- pink food coloring (paste- not liquid) 

DIRECTONS

- Divide funfetti cake between 5 layer pans 

- Bake at 350 F for 13 minutes

- Meanwhile, add food coloring to icing until you reach desired color 

- Let cakes cool

- Slice off rounded tops of cake, making them all flat on top

- Place 1st layer on a cake plate, spread on 1/5 icing, and repeat with the next 2 layers (Reserve 2/5 of the icing & 2 of the cake layer for funfetti truffle topping) 

FOR THE TRUFFLES:

- With a fork, mix the remaining icing with crumbled cake layers until combined

- Refrigerate for 15 minutes

- Roll into balls (however big you want! I did all different sizes) 

- Place the funfetti cake truffles on the top of your cake and go wild! #CAKEBYTHEOCEAN 

Salted Caramel Pretzel Brownies

I would say something really deep and insightful about these salted caramel pretzel brownies, but I'm too busy eating them for breakfast. Go make them. Now. You are dismissed. 

DIRECTIONS

- Make a box of brownies according to the package instructions

- Let cool

- Spread with slightly warm caramel (see recipe below) 

- Press pretzels lightly into caramel 

- Refrigerate until cold

For the Salted Caramel

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 5 Tablespoons salted butter, cut up into 5 pieces

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)

Directions:

1. Heat granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a high heat resistant rubber spatula or wooden spoon.

2. Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber-colored liquid as you continue to stir. Be careful not to burn.

3. Once sugar is completely melted, immediately add the butter. Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added.

4. Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted, about 2-3 minutes.

5. Very slowly, drizzle in 1/2 cup of heavy cream while stirring. Since the heavy cream is colder than the caramel, the mixture will rapidly bubble and/or splatter when added.

6. Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute. It will rise in the pan as it boils.

7. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Allow to cool down before using.

Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

MilkBar Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have the WORST cookie issue. I have zero self restraint in this area- zero. If there is a cookie in front of me, I will eat it. If there are 4 cookies in front of me, I'm going to eat 4 cookies. And when I'm baking homemade cookies, I generally eat half the cookie dough before it goes in the oven... and then lay in my bed for at least an hour watching Chelsea Does and nursing a stomach ache. But it's all worth it. 

In case you thought I was lying.

I have test baked somewhere around 15 chocolate chip cookie recipes in my lifetime (did you even know there were that many different chocolate chip cookie recipes in the world? Now you know.) But this one takes the cake (Takes the cookie? HA.) The recipe comes from the MomoFuku Milk Bar store in NYC, which is heavenly. But if you're like me and not cool enough/rich enough to live in New York, you have to make do with pretending.

Happy cookie baking- eat a dozen for me!!! Let me know your thoughts!

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

• ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• 1 egg

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons non-fat milk powder

• 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks ( I do a mix of both!)

• ¼ cup flaked salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. With a wooden spoon, mix the sugars together in a large bowl and add the melted butter. Stir vigorously for about a minute or more. Mix the egg and vanilla in the measuring cup you used for the sugar and add to the mixture. Stir until the mix gathers a glossy sheen, about one more minute.

3. Mix in the flour, milk powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.

4.  Form into balls about the size of a golf ball) and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper about 2 to 3 inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown around the edges but still soft in the middle. The cookies will fall as they cool. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

The Best Fudgy Brownies

Yesterday was Fat Girl Sunday. My favorite day of the week. And I was *gasp* healthy. This is unheard of for me. I wait all week for Fat Girl Sunday. It is THE BEST. And honestly I didn't really think about the fact that it was Sunday until around 8 at night. I stopped by my boyfriend's house and low and behold he was celebrating Fat Girl Sunday like a true patron. He had a chocolate peanut butter milkshake and I got suckered in. So what did I do the second I got back to my apartment? Made brownies. Because I am weak. Chocolate controls my world. And my waistline for that matter. But it was so worth it! I adapted the recipe from Martha Stewart and they're so fudgy! In my mind, that's the only way a brownie should be. And of course, I added mini M&M's on top because, like I said, chocolate controls my world. So hear I am, sweatpants, hair tied, chillin' with a plate of brownies. Fat Girl Sunday has officially turned into Fat Girl Monday. #hooray 

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for foil

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

• 1 1/4 cups sugar

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 3 large eggs

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

• 1 cup mini M&M's

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with foil; butter foil. Set aside.

2. Place butter and chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water; stir frequently, until almost melted. Remove from heat; stir until completely melted.

3. Whisk in sugar and salt until smooth; whisk in eggs. Gently whisk in flour just until smooth (do not overmix). Fold in nuts, if using.

4. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan & sprinkle mini M&M's on top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached (they should form a ball when rolled between your fingers), 45 to 50 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

5. Use foil to lift brownie cake from pan; peel off and discard. Cut into 16 squares.

Everything Bagel Donuts

I know it's almost the end of January but I might change my New Years Resolution to eating these bagel donuts every weekend. There is a restaurant in NYC called Flex Mussels... that serves them. I've always seen them on Instagram and have to wipe the drool off of my chin. And since I'm unfortunately not filthy rich, I can't jet up to New York to give them a try. So what's a girl to do? Make them myself of course. These take about 10 minutes total to put together. Be warned, they are intensely addictive.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package biscuit dough (I used Pillsbury Grands)

• 1 package cream cheese

• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted 

• Everything bagel seasoning 

• Oil for frying

• Chopped chives for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a high rimmed pan to 350 degrees 

2. place dough into oil 2 at a time and fry for 30-45 seconds a side until golden brown

3. place on paper towel to drain

4. poke a hole in each donut

5. fill with cream cheese

6. Brush outsides with butter and coat with everything bagel seasoning

7. Top with chopped chives

Nutella Dumplings

Two blog posts, one day?! What's happening?! You're welcome.

Tonight I introduce to you… NUTELLA DUMPLINGS. Never heard of them? Neither had I. But now they're a thing… says me.

Ready, GO!

P.S. This is legitimately the exact same thing as my Nutella Donut post… except that I shaped the dough in to dumpling for. But hey. Dumplings deserve a chance too. 

INGREDIENTS

- 1 package biscuit dough, such as Pilsbury Grands

- Nutella

- Canola oil, for frying

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat 2 inches of oil to 350 degrees in a heavy bottomed dutch oven

2. Flatted individual biscuit dough into flat disks 

3. Dollop a spoonful of Nutella in the middle of the dough 

4. Pull up edges around the Nutella and pinch shut in the shape of a dumpling. (Make sure your edges are completely closed or else you'll have a Nutella explosion! Which sounds great, but isn't.)

5. Fry for 30-45 seconds per side, until golden brown

6. Place on paper towel to absorb excess oil

7. EEEEEAT

Georgetown Cupcake's Red Velvet Recipe

Christmas is a mere 10 days away, which is an excuse to eat as many red baked goods as possible. Well, really it's an excuse to just eat baked goods in general. I've been on a bit of a health kick lately (shocking, I know) and I made these cupcakes after an early morning work out #ironic. But they're for a good friend and co-worker of mine, Kenya. My internship at Myjive is ending on Friday, and to say that I'm sad to leave is an understatement. The people that I've met here have turned into friends and family, and even though I'll still see them I'm going to miss working with them day in and day out.  But the point of this story is that I NEED A JOB. And Keyna, my beloved Kenya, put in a good word for me at an agency in town that I'm dying to work for. When I told her  I would repay her with any baked good her heart desired, the immediate answer was "Red velvet cupcakes!!!" 

So on the menu this morning... Red Velvet Cupcakes. The perfect post-workout breakfast. 

Recipe courtesy of Georgetown Cupcakes (because honestly what's better?)

INGREDIENTS

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
4 tablespoons no-taste red food coloring
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

For the vanilla cream cheese frosting:
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

DIRECTIONS

1. For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 standard cupcake pans with paper baking cups.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar at medium speed for 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Lower speed and add eggs, one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, red food coloring, and vanilla. On low speed, slowly add this to the stand mixer bowl, mixing until well incorporated. In a small bowl, combine salt and milk. On a low speed, alternate between adding a third of the flour, followed by a third of the milk, and mix. Repeat and mix until incorporated, and stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. In a small bowl, quickly stir baking soda and apple cider vinegar together (it will fizz!) then pour this reaction into the batter. Mix until just incorporated.

3. Using a standard-size, spring-release ice cream scooper, scoop batter into the lined cupcake pans so each well is 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

4. For the frosting: In the bowl of an stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment; beat cream cheese and butter on medium to high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla extract. On a low speed, slowly mix in confectioners' sugar until well combined. Then beat on a high speed for at least 2 minutes to ensure a light and fluffy frosting.

5. Transfer frosting into a plastic piping bag fitted with a round metal tip. Make sure cupcakes are completely cooled before piping the frosting on each cupcake.