Chocolate Chip Banana Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins

This is absolutely a mish-mash recipe. I even had two open on my computer, neither of which I committed to following in any way. One for oatmeal pumpkin muffins and one for banana muffins. Then I mixed them, used applesauce instead of something else, and threw in some chocolate chips. Muffins are great bases for whatever you feel like cooking with or just getting out of your pantry/fridge. Don't be afraid.

At any rate, these ended up being pretty good. I calculated the calories to be around 110 each (without chocolate chips). They were definitely not dry at all, and I love anything with bananas cooked in because they get so sweet and caramely.

I can't totally remember what I did, so here's the recipe for pumpkin oatmeal muffins with my notes:

1 cup flour [possibly I did 1.5 cups but I can't recall - you can always add more if it looks too wet]
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or apple pie spice or cinnamon/nutmeg/cloves/ginger)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1.25 cups pumpkin [I think I used the full 15 oz can]
1/2 cup milk [I don't think I had/used milk, just a self-serving size cup of applesauce]
2 eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup oats
plus chocolate chips if you're into that
plus sliced bananas if you're into that [I think I used 3?]

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray muffin cups with cooking spray or put in liners.

Whisk all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.

Stir pumpkin puree, milk, eggs, and maple syrup into the dry ingredients until batter is smooth; fold oats into batter. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups, filling them to the top.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes; set aside to cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Christmas Cupcakes

Super simple, just wanted to make some cupcakes to take to work that were Christmas-y. Plus I love using food coloring (ask my mom - I used to make awfully colored pancakes as a kid, you're welcome for helping with brunch) and seem to always have a lot of holiday sprinkles in stock.

Trader Joe's cocoa powder provided the recipe for this one, and then I just made basic frosting to go with. I think I did a basic butter and powdered sugar frosting, but must have added a bit of milk and vanilla to have the consistency (less stiff). But potentially that's just an effect of my proportions and/or food coloring.

Trader Joe's "The Greatest and Easiest Chocolate Cake"
3 1/3 cup flour
1 1/3 cup cocoa
3 cups sugar
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
12 oz butter
3 cups buttermilk (I likely used regular milk)
5 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour two 9" round baking pans or line cupcake cups with liners

Place all ingredients in electric mixer bowl and beat on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl once during mixing. Pour into prepared pans or cupcake cups [I like to pour into a measuring cup with spout to make this easier to use a measuring cup to scoop and pour - mostly for neatness sake].  Bake cakes for about 55 min or cupcakes for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool before frosting; otherwise, they will make the frosting melty and make a mess.


[I usually don't use all the frosting, so perhaps use half the recipe for starters]

2 sticks butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons whole milk

In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, confectioners’ sugar, and salt. Beat on low speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then increase speed to medium high and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop mixer, add the vanilla and milk, then continue beating 3 minutes on medium high on a stand mixer, or 5 minutes on a handheld mixer.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

A while ago, I made these cookies to take in to work. I can't remember if there was an occasion or not, nor can I find the bookmarked recipe. So am I helpful or what?! The moral of this post is that doubling chocolate is always good and everyone likes cookies. I'm pretty confident I just made a basic chocolate cooking recipe with cocoa powder and then mixed in chocolate chips.

Brownies

I've been negligent. But I've also been cooking a little bit lately, and I wanted to get my last bits of Austin cooking endeavors up on the blog. I know you've all been waiting with bated breath (at this point, I'd make some joke about my mom being the only one reading this, but I know she doesn't, so...).

I think this was a Joy of Cooking brownie recipe. Or maybe Smitten Kitchen. Either way, it was simple. Theoretically, it was easy, but it still took me three attempts to get it right. I think for one (or all? It was a couple months ago), I used this SK recipe. The first time, I accidentally used rancid butter. The whole time, I could tell that things smelled/tasted funky, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Finally, after a beautiful batch of brownies came out of the oven, I connected the dots and realized it was terrible. I even tried to eat a bite, and it was so bad I just had to throw it all away. I can't remember what trick I pulled on the 2nd batch that I ruined, but eventually, I made a simple batch of brownies. Huzzah!

 Nice totally sick filter from my hipstamatic. 

Yes, I admit to using it. I love the way the pics look except that the downside is that you have to think ahead and pick the filter first. That means I use the same one pretty much always. 

Because you noticed/asked/cared.

10 tablespoons (140 grams) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (250 grams) sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (65 grams, though some brands may weigh more) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon salt (or a heaping 1/4 teaspoon flaky salt, as I used)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, cold
1/2 cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (75 grams) walnut or pecan pieces (optional)

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.

Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot. It looks fairly gritty at this point, but don’t fret — it smooths out once the eggs and flour are added. [Note, many people who have tried this recipe have found that this step works just fine in the microwave. Couldn't test this because we don't have one, but it sounds like it would work.]

Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one. When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. Stir in the nuts, if using. Spread evenly in the lined pan.

Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 20 to 25 minutes is Medrich’s suggestion but it took me at least 10 minutes longer to get them set. Let cool completely on a rack. (I go further and throw mine in the fridge or freezer for a while; it’s the only way I can get them to cut with clean lines.)

Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares.

Chocolate Mayo Cake

I wanted to make some cupcakes and cake to take to my friend's slip n slide party (it was AWESOME! a blow-up rental slip n slide, like a bouncy house), and I found this recipe in my Joy of Cooking. I didn't have any milk, and this was one of the few recipes that didn't need it. Oddly enough, it used mayonnaise. I hadn't heard of that in desserts before, but when I told a friend, he said that he'd heard of mayo in cakes and stuff before, so I guess it's more of a thing than I realized.

We hosted Good Times Fest at Galaxy Cafe last weekend, and I was manning the cookie decorating booth, which was really fun. We ended up with a lot of leftover icing and sprinkles, so I took them home and decorated the cake and took some supplies for people to decorate their own cupcakes at the party.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
3 large eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/3 cups water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl. Separately, melt the chocolate [I put some water in a pot and then set the chocolate in a pyrex bowl so that it balances on the rim of the pot (as shown), double-boiler style].

Beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla at medium high speed, about 3 minutes. Mix the melted chocolate with the mayonnaise. Beat chocolate/mayo mixture into the wet batter. On low speed, add in flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the water. Beat until smooth and pour into prepared pans or cupcake tins.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-40 minutes, depending on whether you make cupcakes or a cake. Let cool and ice. 

valentines: molten chocolate cake

I was going to make my souffle cupcakes with white chocolate cream for my special valentine's dessert, but as I'm not very observant, I ended up having 2 kinds of chocolate and 0 kinds of white chocolate in the pantry. And as much as I wanted to make my boyfriend an incredible dessert, I wasn't going to the grocery store at 5 pm on v-day. So I spent about 20 minutes prowling the interwebs for a good chocolatey recipe (little did I realize that our dinner would be straight out of Chocolat) and found this one for a molten chocolate cake. First of all, it was delicious and I was very proud of it. Second of all, it was very easy. Third of all, I sort of expected that lava centered melted explosion to happen, but that is not this cake. It is denser and moister in the middle, so I can see the "molten" part, but if you want the chocolate to come pouring out, I don't know. Find a different recipe, I guess. My boyfriend suggested that you have to stick a hershey's kiss or something in the middle, but I haven't tested that theory yet.

*I make 1/2 the recipe for 2 servings, below is the full recipe


1 stick unsalted butter, plus melted butter for brushing
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
6 ounces dark chocolate (70 percent cacao), chopped
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling


Preheat the oven to 425°. Brush four 6-ounce ramekins with melted butter. In a small bowl, whisk the cocoa powder with 1 tablespoon of the flour; dust the ramekins with the cocoa mixture, tapping out the excess. Transfer the ramekins to a sturdy baking sheet.

In a medium saucepan, melt 1 stick of butter with the chocolate over very low heat, stirring occasionally. Let cool slightly.

In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the granulated sugar with the eggs and salt at medium-high speed until thick and pale yellow, 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the melted chocolate until no streaks remain. Fold in the 1/4 cup of flour. [We ended up having a lot of time left to cook dinner and this was already ready, but I knew I wanted to serve it warm. I let it sit out for a while and then refrigerated it for a while, and there didn't seem to be any problem - just in case you find you need to do the same. It's definitely key to serve it warm. And probably with whipped cream or ice cream, even though it is crazy dense and filling.]

Spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins. Bake in the center of the oven for 16 minutes, until the tops are cracked but the centers are still slightly jiggly. Transfer the ramekins to a rack and let cool for 5 to 8 minutes.

Run the tip of a small knife around each cake to loosen. Invert a small plate over each cake and, using pot holders, invert again. Carefully lift off the ramekins. Dust the warm cakes with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately.

valentines: chocolate covered strawberries

Enter recipe 1 from the Valentine's Day extravaganza!! Okay, it wasn't an extravaganza, but it was extra delicious and sweet and so much better than going out or doing anything else. My boyfriend made me dinner (we'll get to that in another post, but basically, mind=blown) and I made desserts. Item 1 was chocolate covered strawberries. Everyone was selling them (I didn't realize that was the v-day option, other than flowers and chocolates), so I thought, why don't I make some myself? Not only was it less expensive (not that that's why), but I love new cooking projects and this was super easy. Do you have dark chocolate and strawberries? Oh okay, you're pretty much there.

Okay, there isn't really a recipe. Basically, use semisweet chocolate (I used Baker's baking chocolate) and white chocolate (I thought I had some and didn't want to mess with the hordes at the grocery store, so we did without, but I would have liked some). I made about 10-12 strawberries with 4 or 5 oz of chocolate (I started with 3 oz added more later and now I can't remember how much).

Use a double boiler (say whaaat???) to heat the chocolate. In case you don't have one (like me), it's so easy to replicate that it's almost silly. Get a saucepan and put some water in it. Put a bowl in the saucepan that can get hot (like glass) that will sit above the water (so not sitting in it but resting on the sides). [See pictures below.] Turn the heat on the stove to high to get the water boiling. This creates a nice, warm, but not aggressive environment to heat up things like chocolate in.

Then you just dip your strawberries into the melted chocolate. After they are dipped, point them up to the ceiling a bit to get the chocolate to set before placing them on parchment paper. While they are still wet, you can sprinkle shredded coconut or grate nutmeg or pistachios (I did this because my boyfriend loves loves loves pistachios - you can't really taste it but the green looks pretty) or whatever floats your boat.

If you, unlike me, remember white chocolate, melt it in the same way as the dark, using a double boiler. Then you can do all sorts of fun stuff like drizzling the white chocolate over the dark or dipping strawberries half in one and half in the other (you should wait for one to dry first, but you knew that) or making cute designs or writing stuff (like I wanted to). Then put them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to harden and voila!

What matters most is that they are delicious, pretty, and for some reason, very romantic and exciting (I'm not arguing but it doesn't make much since - they are so simple!). I decorated my valentine's table like this so that when my boyfriend got home from working out, I had a little romantic set-up for us. Luckily, he liked it and didn't think it was too cheesy (or was sweet enough not to say so). The pink roses are from him. <3

Don't forget to read about dinner! It was incredible!
[note: does anyone play that Zynga Scramble game? If so, you will know what I mean about that voice and how it says amazing! incredible! etc and that's now how my brain says it.]

oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

I know that I just posted a recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, so this is fairly repetitive. I have been trying to use my new Joy of Cooking cookbook whenever possible, though, and my sister specifically requested oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. How can I say no to a simple request like that?

Blonde moment: forgot the oats. Seriously. I made it, noticed the consistency was a bit drippy while putting them on the cookie sheet, and put them in the oven. I turned around, tidied up a bit, and then noticed the very large and obvious cylinder of oats. Oh, ohhh, yeah. Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Well the first 6 weren't (and unsurprisingly were quite thin) and then the rest were. I hastily gave my sister the first 6 still hot (she was off to pick up kids to babysit), so I didn't get to try how they turned out (too crispy? too thin? off flavor?). The dough sure as heck was delicious and I liked the cookies too. The cookbook says not to put in the cinnamon and nutmeg if not making oatmeal raisin, but I like those flavors so I kept them to make the chocolate chip version more interesting.

Still don't notice something is missing...

 Growing suspicious about cookie dough texture...

 After realizing that they were missing the OATS!

 That's more what we had bargained for...

I made a half recipe, which gave me about 24 cookies. Below is the original recipe from Joy of Cooking 75th edition

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
3 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well blended.

Stir in dry mixture. Stir in raisins and oats. Shape into balls and place on cookie sheet (greased or parchment lined, I prefer parchment). Flatten into rounds. Bake until lightly browned, 12-14 minutes.

chocolate chip spice scones

I've made variations on these scones a few times, but this was the most improvising I've done. They really should be called everything but the kitchen sink scones because I did not have all the ingredients on hand by a long shot. I'll post the original recipe and my interpretation this time... They turned out all right, though. I did some with chocolate chips and some without, and I definitely thought the chips added something good and necessary to it.

Courtney’s Cardamom Ginger Scones

3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¾ tsp ground cardamom
1 egg
1 cup yogurt/crème fraiche
¼ cup chopped candied ginger
½ cup sugar

*my version

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¾ tsp apple pie spice mix (ground cinnamon, cloves, etc)

1 egg

1/2 cup yogurt/crème fraiche

1/2 cup applesauce [I may have used more to get it to a workable consistency]

½ cup sugar

3/4 cup chocolate chips

preheat oven to 375
mix dry ingredients first
then add stick of butter (cubed into small pieces) [if you want to add butter, I don't usually]
add egg, yogurt, sugar, spices, and chocolate chips
mix together until thick dough mixture
bake in oven for around 25 minutes

oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

All right, I'm semiconverted. My boyfriend loves allrecipes and now I'm starting to become a fan, too, since searching for a recipe that is exactly what I want to make (or what I have on hand) is pretty easy. I still love SK, but I have ventured to allrecipes for quite a few things lately. I decided to make these cookies because I'm babysitting/chauffeuring the kids my sister watches while she is out of town, and who doesn't like a babysitter who brings you homemade cookies? Well, one of the kids didn't because she refuses to eat oatmeal, but things like that happen. I found this recipe and did a half-batch, which made 18 relatively big cookies (plus lots of batter snacks for me).

Evidently I did not take any pictures. Or maybe I took some on my phone, but then I had to restore it and  all the jazz, so it's a clean slate. Whatever, they looked like oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. *Edit: I just can't distinguish my various baked goods in my iphoto.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips


In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets [I always use parchment paper]. Bake at 350 degrees F for 11-12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Nutritional information (for 1/18 of this recipe)
162 calories
8g total fat
23g total carbs
2g protein

white chocolate oatmeal cookies

Winter makes me want to bake. Also, I think I have finally orchestrated people for me to pawn off my baking onto, which makes me much more excited to do it, knowing it won't end up in my garbage bag again. On a bit of a cookie run lately, I decided to make these white chocolate oatmeal cookies from SK. I couldn't find fleur de sel in the grocery store (and didn't see it at Whole Foods today either), so mine weren't salted. They still got good reviews from everyone I gave them too, though. I liked them. They were a bit crispy, but warmed they were heavenly soft. They did taste pretty good, even though I'm not the biggest white chocolate fan.

The full recipes makes 24ish large cookies. They really spread out when they bake, whether you press them down or not. Make sure you space them out well, otherwise you end up with a big Pangaea-esque cookie map on your baking sheet. Oh, and just go ahead and use parchment paper, it's the best for cookie making without frustration.

 Lesson: more spacing, otherwise you end up with a Pangaea-like mass of cookies. 

Cookie world isn't really the worst, though...

I actually made the full recipe this time. It made about 24 large cookies.


1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

6 ounces good-quality white chocolate bar, chopped (not “white chocolate” chips; they’re almost always artificial. I am adamant about this.)

1/2 teapoon flaky sea salt (like Maldon or fleur de sel) (for sprinkling on top)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and table salt in a medium bowl.

Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then add egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down bowl again. Add flour mixture gradually and mix until just incorporated and smooth. Gradually add oats and white chocolate and mix until well incorporated.

Divide dough into 24 equal portions, each about 2 tablespoons. Roll between palms into balls, then place on lined baking sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart. Using fingertips, gently press down each ball to about 3/4-inch thickness.

Sprinkle a flake or two of sea salt on each cookie

Bake until cookies are deep golden brown, about 13 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool.

chocolate cookies

SK labeled these as brownie roll-out cookies, but I just didn't want to 100% copy her. Either way, they are delicious. Important note! Don't make them too thin. I made this mistake with my first batch, and they burned a bit and were too crispy. I made the subsequent ones thicker and they have stayed nice and soft for three days. You can tell in her pictures that hers were relatively thick as well. I made a half batch (since I'm always cooking for one instead of many, *sad*), which at the right thickness would have made about 20 cookies I think. At any rate, these taste quite delicious. Make sure you factor in the hour or so of chilling into your time, but otherwise, they were quite simple to make.

 Too thin!

 Better thickness. Especially the thicker ones. Aim for that.

As mentioned, I made a half recipe. Make sure you factor in the 1 hour of chilling time. Also, make sure they are thick enough to be soft and not crispy.


3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup lightly salted butter, softened (Deb note: I don’t really see “lightly salted” much these days, so I used one stick salted, one stick unsalted)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa [I used the HEB baker's cocoa]

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Whisk dry flour, salt and baking powder in bowl and set aside. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cocoa in mixer. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.

Roll out cookie dough on floured counter. Cut into desired shapes, brushing extra deposits of flour off the top. (It does disappear once baked, though, so don’t overly fret if they go into the oven looking white.) Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8 to 11 minutes (the former for 1/8-inch thick cookies, the latter for 1/4-inch cookies) until the edges are firm and the centers are slightly soft and puffed.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.