Tag: Baking

Blueberry Muffins
Recipes

Blueberry Muffins

Sarah

I saw this recipe in an email from a Mennonite nursery/farm in Maryland, located across the river from us.

I didn’t do the final step, which was to dip the warm muffins in butter. I am not working that hard on a farm for that luxury. They are not overly sweet, but still quite a treat. Fresh summer blueberries shine in this recipe.

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 2½ tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 large egg
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil, such as avocado
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries, dry
  • 1-2 Tbsp granulated sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Line a 12-count muffin tin with parchment liners.

In a mixing bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk egg, milk, and oil.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing until just combined.

Gently stir in the blueberries.

Divide equally between the tin.

Sprinkle a bit of the remaining sugar on top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, ours took 21 minutes.’Let cool on a rack.

Store cooled muffins in a sealed container.

Makes 12 muffins.

~Sarah

Blender Gluten-free Cottage Cheese Blueberry Muffins
Clean Living · Recipes

Blender Gluten-free Cottage Cheese Blueberry Muffins

Sarah

3 weeks into our new place, I have found most of the kitchen boxes and have finally been cooking and baking. It’s so jarring when you can’t cook like one is used to. The movers put my blender in the basement, because that’s totally where it belonged….

An easy muffin recipe is what I was thinking of, that would have fiber rich oats and fresh blueberries, which are just coming into harvest in the United States in the south. As a base recipe this would work with chocolate chips and other flavors of extract.

If you like a smooth texture, run the oats thru the blender first, then proceed. I prefer a rustic texture so processed with the wet ingredients.

Blender Gluten-free Cottage Cheese Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • ½ cup pure maple syrup
  • ¼ cup avocado oil
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups rolled oats (gluten-free if needed)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup fresh blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° and line a 12 count muffin tin with liners, preferably metal or parchment paper.

Add all ingredients except for the blueberries into a blender, process until smooth. Stir in 1/3 cup blueberries.

Divide between the cups (about a ¼ cup batter per muffin).

Top with the remaining blueberries on top.

Bake for about 18 minutes, until golden on top.

Let cool on rack. Store sealed, eat within 2 days for best taste.

Makes 12 muffins.

~Sarah

Chocolate Chip Scones
Recipes

Chocolate Chip Scones

Sarah

I try hard to be good, but the craving for a treat sometimes cannot stop. And I don’t worry about it if I make it from scratch. I know what ingredients I use and can make it how I want it. And with how many humans in our family, we each get a bite to enjoy, but don’t over do it.

A good scone is a delightful treat. It’s not sweet like cake or a cookie, and more filling.

But more importantly, I had all the ingredients on hand, so it was an easy prep.

Eat slightly cooled, right out of the oven. The top is crispy. Once they fully cool, the tops become softer.

PS: I liked using lemon extract in this scone, but you can, of course, use vanilla. The lemon gives it a brighter flavor profile.

Chocolate Chip Scones

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar or favorite 1:1 sugar substitute (used Splenda)
  • 1¼ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1 stick (½ cup) cold unsalted butter
  • ¾ cup milk
  • ½ tsp vinegar (used rice) or lemon juice
  • 1 tsp pure lemon extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Stir the vinegar into the milk and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour with chocolate chips.

Grate the butter and add to the flour mixture. Toss gently to coat.

Stir in the milk and lemon extract till just mixed.

Knock out onto a work surface lightly dusted with flour, and knead, using a scraper, until the dough pulls together.

Shape into a circle about 1½” high. Cut into half, then into 8 wedges in total. Transfer to the baking sheet.

Take a little milk and gently pat it on the scones with your fingers or a pastry brush.

Bake for about 22 minutes, until golden on top.

Let cool for a few minutes then score the scones to seperate.

Makes 8 scones.

~Sarah

Rich Bread Machine Rolls
Recipes

Rich Bread Machine Rolls

Sarah

The boys prefer rolls to bread for lunches, so I often try new recipes. These rolls are enriched with butter and egg, giving a rich roll.

Rich Bread Machine Rolls

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup water
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, diced
  • 1 egg
  • 400 grams all-purpose flour + more as needed
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 Tbsp dry active yeast

Directions:

Add ingredients in the order listed to the Zojirushi bread machine or as directed for other bread machines. (Zoji machines have a warming cycle; if using a brand that doesn’t use a room-temperature egg, use water at the temperature called for and melt the butter.)

Select the dough cycle. During the first kneading, check the dough for wetness. If necessary, add a bit more flour. The dough cycle on Zojirushi machines takes 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Near the end of the time, preheat a heating pad to medium. Lightly oil a 9″ x 13″ glass baking dish with avocado or olive oil, and let it warm on the pad.

Lightly flour a work surface. Punch the dough out and shape it into a rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Cut dough into 14 to 15 pieces, gently shape into balls, and place in the baking dish.

Spritz a piece of plastic wrap with a bit more oil and cover the rolls.

Let rise for 40 minutes on the heating pad.

In the last 10 minutes, preheat the oven to 375°.

Uncover the rolls, and bake for 15 minutes or until golden on top.

Let cool on a rack, or serve warm. If storing, once fully cooled, stash in a glass container or ziptop bag. Eat within 24 hours for the best taste, or wrap and freeze.

~Sarah

Gluten-Free Blender Banana Bread
Recipes

Gluten-Free Blender Banana Bread

Sarah

I haven’t been baking much the past few months, but we had a lot of bananas that needed to be used up. I wanted a non-wheat bread, and oats are a great option. I paired it with sugar-free maple syrup, though regular syrup would work fine. We are using up what we have in the house and avoiding added sugar.

The youngest boy liked it, especially with a bit of butter spread on a slice. It was a nice treat that I didn’t feel very guilty over enjoying.

Gluten-Free Blender Banana Bread

Ingredients:

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° and lightly oil an 8″ x 4″ baking pan, setting it on a small baking sheet.

Add eggs through vanilla into a blender and process until smooth.

Add in the dry ingredients and process until the oats are broken down but not smooth.

Scarpe into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes.

Let cool for a few minutes, then knock out and let cool on a wire rack.

Store covered on the counter.

~Sarah