Moosewood Muffin Madness

Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home's Muffin Madness

This is probably one of the easiest muffin recipes I've ever made. It was very little mess in the kitchen and would be a perfect quick home made treat for someone with kids or very little time.

-- Basic Wet Ingredients --
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 - 1 cup brown sugar (I accidentally omitted this ingredient & the muffins were great)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (I usually double the vanilla just because its so good)

-- Basic Dry Ingredients --
2 cup unbleached flour (I use half whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Choose one of the following combos to add to basic ingredients (the above is NOT a plain muffin recipe, but the base for the following)

Apple muffins: Add 2 cups of grated apple and 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel to wet ingredients and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to dry ingredients.

Banana muffins: Add 1 1/2 cups of mashed banana to wet ingredients and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to batter. Sprinkle more chips on the muffin tops before baking. (You can also add 1/2 tsp. of orange zest to batter for an extra little something)

Blueberry - lemon muffins: Add 1 1/2 cups of blueberries and 1 tablespoon of grated lemon peel to wet ingredients.

Zucchini muffins: Add 2 cups of grated zucchini to wet ingredients and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom to the dry ingredients. Fold in 1/2 cup of raisins or currants and 3/4 cup of chopped nuts to batter.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine wet ingredients, combine dry ingredients. Add two mixtures together and take care not to overmix. Spoon batter into oiled standard muffins tins and bake for 15-22 min. for regular size muffins, 8-10 min. for mini-muffins.

Leite’s Consummate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from David Leite via The New York Times

Takes: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling
Makes: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons
(8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content
Sea salt

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and try to incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. [Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.]

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

* I found Valrhona’s fèves or oval-shaped chocolate pieces, at Whole Foods in half pounds. Baking discs can be found from a number of brands, from Jacques Torres to E. Guittard (Fresh Direct used to sell these by the quarter pound, but now just in one pound boxes, but still at a very reasonable price) to Ghiradelli. Can’t find them? Use the largest chocolate chips you can find. Ghiradelli sells some slighly larger ones in the brown bag (as opposed to the standard-sized chips in the gold bag).

Irresistible Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a very good basic chocolate chip cookie recipe from Real Simple Magazine.


2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

With an electric mixer on medium-high, beat the butter, sugars, and vanilla for 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the baking soda. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture to the egg mixture until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Scoop the dough into tablespoon-size mounds and place on the prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly browned at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool completely.

Panzanella

Italian Bread Salad

Why throw away the rest of that good, dense loaf you picked up at the bakery the other day? This is what the Italians do with day-old (or older) bread. Simply delicious!!!

Ingredients

* 2 tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
* 1 small cucumber, peeled and sliced
* 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
* 1 clove garlic, very finely minced
* 1 cup fresh basil leaf, torn into small pieces
* 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
* 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar, plus more as needed
* salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
* 6-8 slices thick country bread, torn into bite-size pieces (sourdough is good - dense, bakery bread)

Directions
In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, garlic and basil. Drizzle with the 1/2 cup olive oil and the 3 tblsps vinegar, season with salt and pepper and toss well. Place half of the bread in a wide, shallow bowl.
Spoon half of the tomato mixture over the bread.
Layer the remaining bread on top and then the remaining tomato mixture.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Just before serving, toss the salad and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
If the bread seems dry, add a little oil or vinegar Serve immediately.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups Earth Balance Non-Hydrogenated Spread (soy butter)
1 1⁄2 cup turbinado sugar (or agave nectar)
1 1⁄2 cup Yellow D Brown Sugar (a vegan "brown sugar")
2 tablespoons Ener G Egg Replacer
8 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1⁄2 -3 cups vegan chocolate chips (we use regular ones)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine egg replacer and water, mix until "puffy" and frothy. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream Earth Balance and sugars. Add egg replacer/water mixture and vanilla, blend well. Next, sift in flour, baking soda, and salt. Stirring after each one or two cups of flour. Once all flour is mixed in, slowly add chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 7-9 minutes. Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.

Oatmeal Coconut Cake

Yumdillyicious Oatmeal Cake

2 1/4 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cup oatmeal (quick cooking)
Pour boiling water over oatmeal and set aside to cool.

3/4 cup shortening, smart balance or butter
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
2 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
Mix in order given (dry ingredients together first)
Add oatmeal
Pour into greased 9x13 inch pan
Bake at 350 for 40 or so minutes

Topping:
6 Tbsp butter, 1/4 c. cream, 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 2/3 cup coconut
Add 1 cup crumbled walnuts if desired.
Let cake cool before applying topping.
Broil -watch carefully until bubbly and brown

Eggnog and Eggless Nog Recipes

EGGNOG (non-vegan)

2c. Whole Milk
1c. Cream or Half and Half
3/4 c. Sugar
4 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg


Heat milk over low heat, whisking constantly. Do not let boil or scald. With an electric mixer, beat egg yolks until they are light and creamy. Add sugar and blend for about 30 sec.
Slowly add about 1/2 c. of the heated milk to the egg/sugar mixture until it is tempered, blend. Add the rest of the warmed milk and mix completely. Next, add the cream, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Blend.

Most recipes say to serve cold but I thoroughly enjoyed it warmed on a brisk, snowy cold day. After pouring it into cups, grate more nutmeg on top. Add 1 Tb. of rum and/ or bourbon if you need more warming ;-)


VEGAN EGGNOG

3c. Soy milk
1 package soft tofu (silken)
1/2c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until tofu is incorporated. Refrigerate for 1-2 days before enjoying. I also enjoyed this one served warm. You can also add 1 Tb. of rum and/or bourbon to each adult cup = adult beverage.


OR here's another vegan one that looks good:

• 2 10-oz packages silken regular or low-fat tofu
• 16 oz. vanilla soymilk
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 tablespoon ground tumeric
• 1/2 to 1 cup rum or brandy (for a non-alcoholic version you can use fruit juice)
• nutmeg to taste