Merry Christmas

Dear Daughters:

Merry Christmas!!  I love you all so much.  I hope this little Christmas present can be of benefit to you.  I have found that there are just a couple of things you can do to have your muffins and cupcakes go from ordinary to extraordinary. You can start with the muffin or cupcake papers - AWESOME!!!   The tips and tricks below can also be helpful.  

 

Muffin Mix Baking Tips

In a pinch for time or don’t like to bake? Here is a way to make every muffin you make taste like homemade.

HOW TO GET A HIGH DOMED MUFFIN: Make sure to preheat your oven to 425°. Some boxed muffin mixes state 375° to 400°. HERE’S WHY: The high heat creates steam that gives your box muffins rise. If the box mix instructions state 425°, then leave the temperature. If the instructions call for a lower baking temperature, reduce the heat after the first 4-5 minutes WITHOUT opening the oven.

MILK VS WATER: You can…but it’s not recommended. Muffins and cupcakes are not the same. If your muffin mix lists water, it’s probably because milk will make the muffins too moist. Adding too much moisture is why the muffin sticks to the wrapper. A tender crumb is good. Too much moisture is not. That being said, if your muffin mix states to add milk, then add milk. The Martha White just add milk muffin mixes are wonderful. For extra tang, switch it up and use buttermilk.

DON’T OVER MIX: You don’t need a mixer. Using a whisk or even a spoon will do the job. Overmixing the muffin mix will lead to tough or rubbery muffins, and you definitely don’t want that. Mixing by hand is the way to go.

EGGS: Don’t add any extra eggs. Keep the amount to what is stated on the box. You don’t want to change the science of your muffins….just add more flavor.

Box Muffin Add-Ins

• BLUEBERRY MUFFIN MIX: Your mix will have a few berries; add a few extra for more flavor. NOTE: Add only a few…remember, we want to avoid adding too much moisture. I recommend adding the extra berries individually (3-4 berries) to each muffin, rather than adding all the berries to the batter. BLUEBERRY LEMON MUFFINS: Transform blueberry muffins into blueberry lemon muffins. Add the zest and juice of one lemon to a blueberry muffin mix.
  • —FOR A BLUEBERRY MUFFIN MIX THAT MAKES 12 MUFFINS—
  • A few fresh (not frozen) blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • Sprinkle turbinado sugar on top of each muffin (before baking)
• LEMON POPPY SEED MUFFIN MIX: For extra flavor, add lemon pop to your lemon poppy seed muffins. ONE FRESH LEMON. Add the zest and juice of one lemon to the batter. Add another layer of lemon with a lemon glaze.
  • LEMON GLAZE:
    • 1 cup powdered sugar
    • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
      • In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over a hot cake. With an offset spatula, spread the glaze evenly over the cake.
• CRANBERRY ORANGE MUFFIN MIX: Add the zest and juice of one orange to the batter. Or use the orange juice and make a drizzle and top with orange zest.
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
  • ½ teaspoon orange zest
    • To a medium bowl, add the sugar, orange juice, and zest. Whisk until combined and smooth.
• CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFIN MIX: To really drive home the chocolate flavor, add a chocolate drizzle. Scroll down for how to make a chocolate chip cookie streusel.
• CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE:
  • 1 1/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream
    • Place chocolate and cream in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Stir until the chocolate is melted, creamy, and shiny. Pour melted chocolate into a squeeze bottle, zip-top bag with one corner snipped, or use a fork and drizzle over muffins.
• BANANA NUT MUFFIN MIX: Add one smashed banana and top with a streusel (recipe below).
• CINNAMON MUFFIN MIX: Dip baked muffins in melted butter and then in a cinnamon sugar mixture (recipe below).
• CHOCOLATE MUFFIN MIX: Substitute the oil with sour cream. The addition of sour cream lifts the crumb and will keep the muffins moist. Plain yogurt works too! You will end up with the best decadent, delicious chocolate muffins.

Universal Box Semi-Homemade Muffin Add-Ins

Here is a list of ingredients that can be added to any muffin mix.

• VANILLA EXTRACT
• DRIED FRUIT
• NUTS
• HEMP SEED
• FLAX SEED
• CHIA SEED
• TRUBINADO SUGAR
• BROWN BUTTER (instead of oil)

FRESH FRUIT VS. FROZEN

You can use fresh or frozen fruit to enhance your box muffin mixes. The only frozen fruit I question is BLUEBERRIES. Not that they will mess up the flavor of the muffin mix, but that they will turn your batter blue.

Create Delicious Muffin Tops

• STREUSEL MUFFIN TOPPING: One of my favorite ways to jazz up muffins, whether they’re made from scratch or a mix. Streusel adds a buttery sweetness.
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
    • Mix it up to a crumby consistency (You can use your fingers for this) and sprinkle over the top of the muffins.
• CINNAMON SUGAR MUFFIN TOPPING: In a small bowl, mix together ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Stir to combine. Bruthe melted butter on the tops of the muffins and dipped them in the sugar mixture. An easy way to add a nice buttery, crunchy top.
• COOKIE MUFFIN TOPPING: Any flavor of cookie will work.
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup cookie crumbs (fine like flour)
  • ½ cup cookie pieces
    • Add the cookies to a blender or food processor and blend until they reach a flour-like texture. Mix together with the butter and cookie pieces. Sprinkle 1 heaping tablespoon over the top of your muffins.

 

CUPCAKE ADD INS

Hacks to Make Your Cupcakes Taste Amazing

BUTTER HACK: Replace the oil called for with melted butter.  Here are the swap stats: ¼ cup oil =1/3 cup melted butter, ½ cup oil = 2/3 cup melted butter, ¾ cup oil = 1 cup of melted butter, and 1 cup of oil = 1 ¼ cups of melted butter.

EXTRA EGG: Always add an extra egg.  Always.  Trust me.

WATER SWAP: Amp up the flavor of your cupcakes by swapping out the water with other options.  Milk, almond milk or coconut milk go well with any flavor of cake.  Coffee makes chocolate cake taste amazing.  Flavored sodas are also a good swap.  Try lemon/lime soda with a lemon cake mix or cola with chocolate.  Or use fruit juice (orange juice with a white cake mix would be yummy).  Buttermilk is another good swap (add a few extra tablespoons since it is so thick).

CREAMY HACKS:  Add ¼- 1/2 cup of sour cream or yogurt to your batter or two tablespoons of mayonnaise.

PUDDING:  Add a dry pudding mix to make your cake more decadent and add flavor.

MIX-INS: Add grated lemon or orange peel to your batter.  Throw in some chocolate chips or nuts.  How about dried fruit or candied sprinkles?  And, I always add almond extract to the batter (because I’m Norwegian and that’s what we do!).  But, you could add vanilla, orange extract, lemon, maple, or whatever tickles your fancy.

Now that you have the basics down, here is a recipe I came up with.  My family loved them and I ate way too many (so much for the pre-portioned thing).

HIDDEN SURPRISE CUPCAKES:

Follow the directions on a box of funfetti cake mix, EXCEPT: Add an extra egg, replace the water with the same amount of milk and add ½ teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract.

Bake the cupcakes for half of the recommended time.  Remove them from the oven and press a chocolate kiss or a small mini candy bar (those tiny square ones) well into the dough.  Return them to the oven and finish baking.  This method assures that the candy doesn’t just sink to the bottom.

Once baked and cooled, stir another ½ teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract into a can of fluffy white frosting.  Frost and enjoy!

Candied Yams

 3 Cups mashed yams

3 eggs

1 Cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 Stick Butter melted

 

Topping:

1 Cup brown Sugar

1/3 Cup flour

1/3 Cup butter to drizzle

1 Cup nuts

 

Mix the yams, eggs, sugar, vanilla and melted butter together.  Place in an 8 x 8 pan.  Make topping with brown sugar, and flour.  Drizzle 1/3 Cup butter over the entire mixture and top with chopped nuts if desired.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 

Ginger's Chocolate Chunkers

 Ingredients

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (used Trader Joe's Pound Plus Dark Chocolate Bar)

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 cup store-bought chocolate chips or chunks

6 ounces premium-quality milk or white chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 cup store-bought chocolate chips (Used Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate Pound Plus Bar)

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped nuts, preferably salted peanuts or toasted pecans

1 cup moist, plump raisins or finely chopped moist, plump dried apricots (Used dried cherries - optional)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Add the butter, bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate and heat, stirring occasionally, just until melted — the chocolate and butter should be smooth and shiny but not so hot that the butter separates. Remove the bowl from the heat and set it on the counter to cool.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until they are pale and foamy. Beat in the vanilla extract, then scrape down the bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the melted butter and chocolate, mixing only until incorporated. With a rubber spatula, scrape down the bowl, then, on low speed, add the dry ingredients. Mix just until the dry ingredients disappear into the dough, which will be thick, smooth and shiny. Scrape down the bowl and, using the rubber spatula, mix in the semisweet and milk (or white) chocolate chunks, nuts and raisins — you’ll have more crunchies than dough at this point.

Drop the dough by generously heaping tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about an inch of space between the mounds of dough.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes. (I did it 11 minutes) The tops of the cookies will look a little dry but the interiors should still be soft. Remove the baking sheet and carefully, using a broad metal spatula, lift the cookies onto a cooling rack to cool to room temperature.

Repeat with the remaining dough, baking only one sheet of cookies at a time and making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches.

If, when the cookies are cooled, the chocolate is still gooey and you’d like it to be a bit firmer, just pop the cookies into the fridge for about 10 minutes.

PS. The cookies in the picture were made by scooping out about 2 tablespoonfuls of the dough and flattening the mounds of dough slightly.

White Chocolate Madacamia Nut Cookies

Ingredients

  

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup roughly chopped macadamia nuts
• Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling on cookies

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until creamy and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. This will take 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
• With the mixer off, add all of the dry ingredients. Turn the mixer on low and mix until just combined. Don’t over mix. Stir in the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.
• Form the cookie dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Place on prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
• Bake cookies for 8 to 12 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden brown. Check early to make sure you don’t over bake, every oven is different. Remove from oven and sprinkle the cookies with flaky sea salt. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.

Million Dollar Spaghetti

 Ingredients:

• 1 lb spaghetti

• ½ tbsp oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 lb mild Italian sausage
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 28 oz jar marinara sauce (plus 1 cup water)
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper

Alfredo Sauce:
• 1 stick butter
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp dried parsley

Topping:
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• Fresh parsley for garnish

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a pan and sauté onion, bell pepper, and garlic for 5 minutes. Add ground beef and sausage, season with salt and pepper, and cook until browned. Stir in marinara, water, and seasonings. Let it simmer with the lid slightly open, stirring occasionally.
2. While the sauce simmers, cook spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
3. In another pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in heavy cream, stirring constantly, and bring to a gentle simmer. Let it thicken slightly, then stir in Parmesan, garlic salt, and parsley until smooth.
4. In a deep baking dish, toss spaghetti with Alfredo sauce and spread evenly. Top with meat sauce, then sprinkle mozzarella.
5. Bake at 350°F for 25 min, then broil for 3-4 min. Garnish with parsley & enjoy!

Sweet Spicey Sticky Chicken

 Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces 
  
  
   
• 1 ½ pounds chicken tenders
• Salt and pepper
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup white or apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
• Hot, cooked rice, for serving

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place butter in glass 9X13-pan. Place in oven so the butter can melt. (Don't let it burn!) Remove from the oven when butter is melted. Alternately, you can melt the butter and spread in the pan (but where's the fun in that?).
• Pat the chicken tenders dry with paper towels. Season lightly on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Place the flour in a shallow dish. Dredge the chicken tenders in flour to coat. Shake off excess. Place the chicken in a single layer in the buttered pan.
• Bake for 10 minutes. It will bake longer in a following step. While the chicken bakes, make the sauce.
• In a medium saucepan, whisk together the broth, vinegar, ketchup, granulated sugar, brown sugar, soy sauce and chili garlic sauce. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Pour the sauce over the chicken and return to the oven to bake for 15 minutes until chicken is baked through and the sauce is bubbly and slightly thickened. The sauce will continue to thicken out of the oven as it cools.
• Serve the chicken and sauce over hot, cooked rice.

Raspberry Cheesecake Pie

Ingredients: 

8 ounces of cream cheese

1 Cup powdered sugar

1/2 Pint whip cream

Cream cream cheese and powdered sugar together.  Set aside.  Whip the whipping cream until it peaks.  Fold in the cream cheese mixture with the whipping cream.  Pour into cooled baked pie crust (fun no-roll-out pie crust below).  Can be used with a regular crust or graham cracker crust.

Topping:

1 bag of frozen raspberries  Defrost the berries, drain out the juice and save.  Place juice in a sauce pan with 1 TBS of cornstarch.  Stir constantly over medium heat until thickened (boiling)   Add the berries and let cool.  Top cream cheese filling with topping.

 Piecrust:

1 1/2 Cups flour

1 TBS sugar

1/2 tsp salt

place in a pie plate and mix with a fork.

1/2 Cup vegetable oil

2 TBS milk

Mix the oil and milk until they are creamy.  Then pour over the flour mixture.  Mix well until moist.  Take fingers and press dough on sides and bottom of pan.  Make sure that it is fairly thin.  Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees or until slightly brown.