Blueberry Muffins-Humming a New Tune
My first stop at the farmers market is the blueberry stand. I love those little blue gems and find myself adding them to salads, eating them out of hand, and feeding them to Moose (Jamie’s dog, not actual moose). But my favorite thing? Baking blueberry pastries like snacking cakes, hand pies, cobblers, and of course, MUFFINS! A couple of weeks ago I made Smitten Kitchen’s Blueberry Muffins, easy and pretty darn tasty BUT I just found another recipe and it might just beat out SK’s (sorry Deb). From Michelle Lopez’s blog, Hummingbird High, her version of Levain Bakery’s Blueberry Muffins. Bursting with blueberries, tender, and a bit cakier in texture, with a fine crumb texture and a fantastic crunchy top.
If her version of Levain Bakery’s Blueberry Muffin is any indication of the scrumptiousness of Levain Bakery’s pastries-I am making a beeline there when I am in New York (which will be soon since I now have a kid living there-oh happy day). I hear they have a decent Chocolate Chip Cookie too, lol. This muffin is so good it prompted me to pull out her cookbook (of course I have it-Silly), Weeknight Baking. Her recipes are easy to follow and she provides detailed info, even a novice baker will be successful.
Pros and Cons
The Smitten Kitchen muffin gets the nod for quick and easy. Melt butter and stir all the ingredients together. How simple is that? While good right after they come out of the oven, they tend to fall off the scrumptious curve quickly. SK’s suggestion is to split, toast, and butter day-old muffins, I agree.
Her homage to Levain Bakery’s muffin is delicious. The muffins are moist, bursting with blueberries, and tender, thanks to the addition of almond flour. The top is crunchy from the generous sprinkling of sugar which is crunchier if you use raw sugar. With crispy edges and a classic pointy dome, it is an impressive muffin. But, it is a bit more work than the SK version. Butter is creamed with sugar and the batter should rest an hour before baking. So if you are looking for a freshly baked morning treat..get up early for this blueberry bad boy. The cake part of the muffin holds up well but the top loses its crunch after a day. I use paper liners because…well, I’m lazy. The original recipe does not use paper and notes that it changes the outside texture. What are ya gonna do? 🤷🏻♀️
I’m keeping both muffin recipes in my repertoire, a quick fix muffin and the out-to-impress late-morning Sunday Brunch muffin. After all, you should always be prepared! Make either of these recipes, they are guaranteed to chase away the blues-berries.
Mine did not have the super domed peak but that may be because I did not fill the muffin tin as much as Hummingbird High’s. I ended up with 11 muffins. Fill for 9 to get the domed top. But they’re still “purdy” and tasty.
Levain Bakery Blueberry Muffins
From Hummingbird High, fabulous blueberry muffins, her take on NYC's Levain Bakery
Servings 9 servings
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 9 ounces or 255 grams
- ½ cup almond meal or almond flour 1.75 ounces or 50 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup whole milk, at room temperature 4 ounces or 113 grams
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar 7 ounces or 198 grams
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 4 ounces or 113 grams
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 ½ cups fresh blueberries, at room temperature 13 ounces or 369 grams
- For the Garnish
- 9 teaspoons granulated sugar If you want more crunch use raw or turbinado sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a small liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk and the vanilla. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and butter. Beat on medium-high until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 2 to 3 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Reduce the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, adding the next egg only after the previous one is fully incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition.
- With the mixer still on low, add the dry ingredients in three equal parts, alternating with the wet ingredients in two parts. Start & end with the flour mixture. Beat until just combined, then scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more then beat on low for an additional 30 seconds.
- Take ½ cup of the blueberries and crush them with your hands so they are juicy; add to the batter and increase the mixer speed to high for 5 to 10 seconds to break up the berries to release their juices a bit more.
- Reduce the mixer to low and add the rest of the berries, mixing until incorporated evenly throughout the batter, another 30 seconds.
- Rest the batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
- While the batter is resting, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400℉ using the convect setting (if possible).
- Prepare two muffin tins by spraying the inside and border of every other cavity in the muffin tin generously with cooking spray. I have USA pans that are non-stick, so I didn't to spray and the muffins were easy t remove.
- Use a 1-Tablespoon or 3-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop to fill each sprayed cavity with 6 tablespoons of the batter. It will be a ot of batter in each. The first muffin tin will have six cavities filled, whereas the second muffin will have three cavities filled.
- For the second muffin tin, pour water into every other cavity to mimic the placement of the batter in the first muffin tin. Sprinkle the top of each cavity, aiming for the batter and avoiding the pan, with 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar each. Don't skimp! It helps the top form.
- Bake each muffin tin for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the muffins are domed and golden brown around the edges. A skewer inserted into the center of a muffin should come out with a few crumbs attached.
- Cool the muffins in their muffin tin on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then use an offset spatula to run underneath the edges of the blueberry muffin tops to prevent them from sticking in the pan. Be careful to just run the offset spatula under the edges—you don't want to accidentally cut into the muffin bottom and decapitate the muffin from its top!
- After unsticking the muffin tops, keep cooling the muffins in the tins completely to room temperature. DO NOT TRY AND TURN THE MUFFINS OUT WHILE THEY ARE STILL WARM. Because these muffins are so top-heavy, you'll run the risk of accidentally pulling the tops and bottoms apart if the cake is still warm! Wait until they are cooled completely before turning them out of the pan. Run the offset spatula underneath each muffin top once more and gently tilt the muffin upwards to turn it out of the pan.
- Serve and store. Serve at room temperature. The muffins are best on the day that they're made, but can be individually wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Smittened by Blueberry Muffins
The last few weeks our favorite blueberry vendor has been at the local farmer’s market. These sweet, plump, juicy nuggets have made their way into salads, breakfast yogurt with granola, or popped straight into my mouth like candy. My bounty of blueberries had me delving into the archives for blueberry recipes. Favorites like Blueberry Hand Pies, Blueberry Boy Bait Cake, Cornbread Cake with Blueberry Balsamic Glaze (delish), and Vivian Howard’s decadent Blueberry Cobbler with a Cornmeal-Sugar Cookie Crust will definitely make an appearance this summer.
This past Sunday was their last day for the season so I went crazy and bought a boatload of berries. I got home and thought, I have quite a few blueberry recipes but not one for blueberry muffins! What’s with that? As if reading my mind, what should pop up on Instagram? Smitten Kitchen’s Perfect Blueberry Muffins. Yep, perfect timing.
Berry Easy and Berry Delicious
Smitten Kitchen’s Blueberry muffins are quick, easy to make, and berry-licious. The recipe starts with melted butter, no creaming of butter and sugar. This is one-bowl baking territory. Add sugar, sour cream, egg, and lemon zest to the melted butter and whisk to combine. I also add a touch of vanilla extract to the wet ingredients. Cause that’s how I roll. Next, add baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the mixture, and stir to combine. Finally, fold in the flour and blueberries. Reserve some of the berries to stick on top of the batter after you have filled the muffin tin. The berries on top highlight the muffin, just a nice visual.
The batter is fairly stiff, like a soft dough. This helps keep the blueberries from sinking, genius. Sprinkle the muffin batter with raw sugar or the crumb topping before baking. The raw sugar topping adds some sweetness and a whole lot of crunchiness to the muffins while the crumb topping is sweet and buttery with a hint of cinnamon and a softer texture. My family is in the crumble camp, both add a nice finish to the muffins.
That’s how the muffin crumbles…
Blueberries are definitely freezer-friendly. Extra berries can be tossed into storage containers or Ziploc bags and stored in the freezer for approximately 10 months (this according to the National Blueberry Council, lol) Ahh blueberries in the off-season, life is good, berries any time of the year.
Blueberry Muffins
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Perfect Blueberry Muffins
Servings 9 muffins
Ingredients
Dough
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter 70 grams
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 3 1/2 ounces or 100 grams
- Finely grated zest from 1/2 a lemon or orange would be good too
- 3/4 cup sour cream or full fat yogurt but Sour Cream is preferred
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 7 grams
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 195 grams
- 1 1/4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen (no need to defrost) SK recommends 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cup of berries. I think 1-1/4 cups is plenty. Reserve some berries to add to the top of the batter after filling the muffin tin.
- 3 tablespoons turbinado sugar in the raw sugar
Crumb topping:
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar or brown sugar I like to do half and half
- 2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter slightly melted
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- 1 tablespoon chopped nuts optional
Instructions
For the Muffins:
- Heat oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with 9 paper liners or spray each cup with a nonstick spray.
- Melt butter in the bottom of a large bowl and whisk in sugar, zest, sour cream or yogurt, and egg, until smooth and vanilla if using. Whisk in baking powder, baking soda and, salt until fully combined, then lightly fold in flour and berries. Batter will be very thick, like cookie dough.
- Divide between prepared muffin cups, press a couple of the reserved blueberries into the top of the batter, and sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar, which will seem over-the-top but will be the perfect crunchy top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until tops are golden and a tester inserted into the center of muffins comes out clean (you know, except for blueberry goo). Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then the rest of the way on a rack.
For the Crumb Topping: (optional)
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Add cinnamon, if desired. Slowly drizzle the butter into the bowl while stirring the crumbs with a fork. I like to start with 1.5-2 Tablespoons and add more as needed until the crumbs form. Do not over-mix (you do not want this to become like a dough).
- Place in freezer while making muffins remove from freezer and break it up using Sprinkle across muffins, quick breads, or pie.
Another Biscuit? SWEET!!!
Bleary-eyed, I arrived home at 6:15 AM after dropping off Jamie at the airport at 5 AM. I actually live only 10 minutes from the airport. Are you wondering is California traffic that bad? A protracted goodbye with the kid? A flat tire?
NOPE
Being very nice, enabling parents, we offered to drop her off for her flight and return the rental car. The plan went smoothly, I dropped her off curbside and headed to the car rental lot to pick up the Hubster. As soon as I entered the return lot a voice in my sleep-deprived brain said…hmmm, is this a good idea? Apparently not. The parking guys that man the exit booth do not arrive until 6 AM. I guess it stands to reason if you are dropping off a rental car, you are probably catching a flight. 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️. So we sat in the car for 50 minutes, the Hubster occasionally looking over at me and shaking his head while playing Spelling Bee. I ignored him.
By the time we got home, I was wide awake. I might as well bake, I deserve a morning treat (ok, not really). A recent article by my fav NYT cooking columnist, Eric Kim, highlighted (glowingly) the Buttermilk Sugar Biscuits from Tandem Coffee + Bakery in Portland, Maine. I LOVE biscuits and a recommendation from Eric…turn on the oven now, please.
These biscuits are sweeter than most biscuits. They have a crunchy exterior due to the high sugar content and yet are still flaky and tender inside. This makes them sturdy enough for biscuit sandwiches, think ham or fried chicken.
First, grate cold butter and lightly blend it with flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. This eliminates cutting the butter into the flour step. By grating the butter you have strands of butter that help create those flaky layers.
Let’s Skip to the Good Part
Pour the crumbly mass of butter and flour onto your counter. Take out your bench scraper and push your dough mass together and gently press down to compress, you want to roll or pat the dough into a rectangle.
Fold one half over on top of the other half using the bench scraper, gather the escaped bits, and press them into the dough. Then roll the dough out again into a rectangle. Repeat the process a total of 5 times, rotating your dough ninety degrees each time. The dough will come together and be less crumbly. This is the process of lamination, creating layers of butter and flour in pursuit of flakiness.
With the last fold, shape the dough into a square. Use your bench scraper to cut the dough in thirds both lengthwise and crosswise yielding 9 squares. Cut straight down without sawing through the dough. Sawing would smoosh the layers creating an uneven rise while baking.
Next time I will trim the outside of the dough to help with an even rise.
Flaky, crispy, buttery, and sweet. Brush the biscuits with butter and sprinkle them with Maldon salt or any coarse finishing salt you like to highlight the sweet-salty vibe. Enjoy!
Buttermilk Sugar Biscuits
Ingredients
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter 227 grams
- 3⅓ cups all-purpose flour 425 grams plus more for rolling
- ½ cup granulated sugar 100 grams
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2½ teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or 1¾ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1¼ cups cold buttermilk 300 grams
- Melted butter and flaky sea salt both optional, for finishing
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.
- Coarsely grate the butter onto a plate, then freeze until cold and hard, at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Add the butter to the dry ingredients. Using a spoon, toss together until all of the butter is coated with flour.
- Add half the buttermilk and toss with the spoon. When incorporated, add the rest of the buttermilk and gently toss again, without mashing together or overmixing, until the dry ingredients are lightly hydrated throughout. The mixture will be crumbly.
- Flour a clean surface and dump the mixture directly onto it. Using your hands, gently press the crumbs together and then use a floured rolling pin to roll the mass gently but firmly into a 1-inch-thick rectangle.
- Fold the dough in half: Using a bench scraper, lift the top half off the surface and fold it over the bottom half. This step may be crumbly and messy at first, but just go for it and fold what you can down from the top. Repeat this roll-and-fold motion 5 times, flouring the surface and dough as needed and using the bench scraper to straighten the edges as
- Build the final layer: Fold the dough in half one last time, then roll to about 1½ inches thick to create a 6-inch square, using the bench scraper to straighten out the edges.
- Using the bench scraper or a sharp knife, cut straight down into
- the square to create a 3-by-3 grid of 9 squares, then place them on your sheet pan, upside down if you’d like taller biscuits.
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until risen, golden brown on top, and slightly pale on the sides.
- Don’t worry if a couple of the biscuits tip over or if melted butter pools underneath. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using
It’s The Great Pumpkin Bread, Charlie Brown!
Who else besides me groans at the first sign of the fall season. You walk outside, take in the fall air, admire the color of the leaves on the trees, the golden orange rays of sunlight that filter through…
When you notice
All around, everywhere you look…PUMPKIN, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin soup, pumpkin yogurt, pumpkin ice cream, yes, ALL THINGS PUMPKIN. There is no escape.
Consequently, aside from the mandatory Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, I have developed a slight aversion to pumpkin. This year, still cautious, we needed only one pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. So, what to do with the remaining pumpkin puree (Libby’s of course). I took a family poll, and it was a unanimous vote (except for me, lol) for pumpkin bread. Despite having numerous pumpkin bread recipes on 3Jamigos, I decided to do a search. The first recipe that popped up was Pumpkin Bread from Once Upon a Chef. Her family’s favorite, the recipe was given to her by her grandmother who had clipped it out of a magazine eons ago. With a 5-star rating and over two thousand ratings, this was a no-brainer.
The recipe reminded me of my Best Damn Banana Bread, instead of oil, the recipes call for butter. Hmmm, good start. The butter is combined first with sugar, it’s a lot of sugar, and the mixture will be crumbly not creamy so don’t keep beating it until the cows come home. Add eggs one at a time and combine thoroughly. Beat until mixture is light and fluffy. Add the pumpkin puree. The mixture might look curdled or separated, but that’s ok.
BTW, the recipe calls for 16 ounces of pumpkin, std cans are 15 ounces 🤷🏻♀️. Don’t sweat the one ounce. If you happen to have some applesauce you need to use up, throw in a heaping tablespoon. I had some yummy apple butter so I threw that in. You’ll be fine skipping it. Don’t open another can of pumpkin purée!
At low speed, add the flour. Mix just until combined. The batter will lose that grainy look. This is a pretty thick batter so you will need to scoop rather than pour it into your loaf pans. Divide between 2 8×4 loaf pans.
I mulled over adding a streusel topping but since this was the first time I was making it, I deferred. I’ve included a simple topping for those of us who cannot leave well enough alone.
This bread is delicious! It has a nice crumb, cake-like, not as tight as pumpkin bread made with oil. A nice balance of spices although I’m already tweaking it in my mind (less clove, add ginger) but totally good as is. One note, sift the dry ingredients together. I didn’t, and a few bites had too much clove.
I had forgotten how much I like pumpkin bread and how easy it is to make. This recipe is definitely going in the rotation!
Best Damn Pumpkin Bread
Moist and delicious, best damn pumpkin bread recipe
Servings 24 servings
Calories 166kcal
Equipment
- 2-8x4 loaf pans
Ingredients
Da Dry Stuff
- 2 cups all-purpose flour spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground clove or 3/4 tsp clove and 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg can substitute mace
Da Butter-Sugar
- 1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup
- 2 cups sugar
Da Wet Stuff
- 2 large eggs
- 1 15-1/2 oz can 100% pure pumpkin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Generously grease two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans with butter and dust with flour, or use a baking spray with flour in it, such as Pam with Flour or Baker's Joy.
- Sift flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until just blended. It will be grainy not creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until very light and fluffy, a few minutes. Beat in the pumpkin. The mixture might look grainy and curdled at this point -- not to worry, flour to the rescue in the next step.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Do not overmix.
- Turn the batter into the prepared pans, dividing evenly, and bake for 65 – 75 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Start checking at 55 min. Let the loaves cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
This bread freezes well. Eat one now and save another for a rainy day or surprise guests! Wrap well, you know the drill, and store for up to 3 months.
Gotta have a topping? Check the ones out for these:
- Pumpkin Apple Bread-Here, There, Everywhere for an easy streusel topping
-
Place 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar in a small bowl. Dampen your fingertips with water and work them into the sugar until it just begins to look like snow-if you pinch some, it should just barely hold together. Sprinkle the dampened sugar over the batter, aiming to get it clumped up together in spots. If you want, add a 1/2-1 tsp of cinnamon.
- Right before baking, sprinkle the batter in loaf pans with the nuts and finish with cinnamon sugar. Adds a bit of crunch.
“Drop” Everything & Make This Biscuit Berry Cobbler
Are you like me? Our farmer’s market in the summer is like a candy store and I’m the kid in it, running around and grabbing baskets of berries, peaches and whatever looks delish. The past few weeks I’ve come home with way too much fruit for the hubs and me. Thankfully, Dorie Greenspan came to my rescue with a recipe for a Drop-Biscuit Peach Blueberry Cobbler. It is so good and so easy, I have made this more times than I can count this summer.
Cobbler, Crisp, Crumble…explained
I LOVE pies…but even I have to admit, when I want an easy dessert, pies do not come to mind. Enter the 3 Cs, cobbler, crisp and crumble, easy, homey and delicious.
First, a cobbler is your choice of fruit baked with a biscuit topping. Second, a Crisp is fruit covered with a streusel topping that contains butter, flour, sugar, and oats. You can find me making Apple Crisps in the fall to chase away the summer is over blues. A crumble is the English version of a crisp and does not usually have oats in the streusel. But it can, as in this Strawberry Rhubarb Hazelnut Crumble that I adore! Finally, from Vivian Howard of A Chef’s Life, her Blueberry Cobbler with a Cornmeal-Sugar Cookie Crust is so amazing and worth the calories.
So, get thee to a Farmer’s Market now.
Dorie’s original recipe calls for peaches and blueberries. I’ve used all berries, berries plus peaches, nectarines, and mangoes-it’s all scrumptious. Berries and fruits with a lot of moisture will need cornstarch to thicken the juices. Adjust the sugar depending on the sweetness of the fruit (and to your taste of course). Add lemon juice and a bit of lemon zest, for a refreshing citrus zing.
Biscuits Until I Drop
The biscuit dough is essentially a cream biscuit and comes together in a snap, no butter to mess with!). Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir in the buttermilk and heavy cream. The fat in the heavy whipping cream stands in for butter. Mix just until combined without any dry spots, try not to overmix. The dough will be wet and loose. Use a large ice cream or cookie scoop (about 2-3 T) to drop the dough onto the fruit. Leave a bit of space between dough scoops (aesthetics).
Bake until the crust is a nice golden brown and the fruit is bubbling. The biscuits will be tender, light, and cakey, the perfect foil for the delicious fruit compote underneath.
Spoon out warm, just baked wedges into bowls and top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. It doesn’t get much better than this although my family would beg to differ. They actually like it straight out of the fridge the next morning. The biscuit has had time to absorb some of the lovely juices, the fruit has a toothier bite. It’s all good in my book. Let me know if you like this cobbler straight out of the oven or fridge!
Drop Biscuit Berry Cobbler from Dorie
A quick, easy and DELICIOUS Cobbler perfect for the summer fruit season! Berries, mangoes, peaches, or nectarines all work beautifully in this summer dessert. Thanks Dorie!
Servings 8
Ingredients
Da Fruit- Use whatever fruit you like! You will need 6 cups of cut fruit.
- 3 pounds ripe peaches or nectarines, peeled or not, your choice. about 1 1/2 kg
- 1/4 cup sugar, or to taste 50 grams
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice, and zest of 1/2 -1 lemon Zest is optional but I love the flavor zest imparts
- 1 cup blueberries 150 grams
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch and up to 1-2 tablespoons for juicy fruit
Biscuit Top
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 204 grams
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt reg table salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup cold heavy cream 240 ml
- 1/2 cup cold buttermilk (shake well before measuring) 120 ml
- Ice cream or whipped cream for serving (optional, although in my universe this is not optional)
Instructions
- Center rack in oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Butter a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and put it on the baking sheet.
- If you want peeled peaches, cut a shallow X in the base of each peach. Blanching makes peaches very easy to peel. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop in the peaches a few at a time, leave for about 15 seconds, lift out and transfer to a bowl filled with very cold water and ice cubes. Leave for a couple of minutes, then drain and peel.
- Cut the peaches into bite-sized chunks or slices and toss them into the pie plate. Taste and decide how much sugar you want and then, if you’d like, add some lemon juice. Add the blueberries and then make a decision about the cornstarch: It’s only a tiny bit, but it will thicken the juices a little. If your peaches are very ripe, I’d add it. Give everything a good stir and set aside.
- To make the biscuit topping: Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. In a measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together the cream and buttermilk. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and, using a table fork, stir until the flour is evenly dampened and you’ve got a moist batter.
- Using a medium (1 1/2-tablespoon capacity) scoop or a tablespoon, dollop the topping over the fruit — leave a little space between each pouf of batter.
- Bake the cobbler for 45 to 55 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the fruit juices are boiling under, and maybe up, through and over, the biscuits.
- Transfer to a rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes, or until the cobbler reaches room temperature, before serving, with or without ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes
You can vary the cobbler according to what fruits are in season and within reach: Keep in mind you need about 6 cups of cut-up fruit, sugar to taste and juice of 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon. For an all-berry cobbler — mix whatever berries you can get and, if you want, cut in some ripe mango; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to the berries — they’re very juicy. I've used 3 cups of halved strawberries, 2 cups blueberries and a cup of mango, delish. Let your imagination go...plums make a pretty cobbler and work well with peaches or nectarines. Early summer, try rhubarb and strawberries (and some cornstarch).
STORING: The cobbler is best the day it is made. You can keep it covered overnight at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
STORING: The cobbler is best the day it is made. You can keep it covered overnight at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Muffins de Mochi con Misugaru
You might be wondering why this post is named Muffins de Mochi con Misugaru.
WELL, let me tell you why…
Apparently, I’m not supposed to use the term Mochi Muffins. It’s been trademarked.
How crazy is that?
Third Culture Bakery, out of Berkley, has trademarked mochi muffins and has been sending Cease and Desist letters to folks that have used the term mochi muffins, including small mom & pop bakeries, bloggers, Instagrammers, and AAPI-owned businesses.
The term mochi muffins, if you are Asian or Hawaiian, is pretty ubiquitous. And yet some bozo in the government granted a trademark to Third Culture Bakery in 2018. Shame on the trademark office for not doing their due diligence and shame on Third Culture for trying to trademark a term that is descriptive for a product they did not invent. Y’all, folks have been making mochi muffins, donuts, and cakes long before they came into existence.
The Happy Ending
It took a little while for me to post these mochi muffins and in the interim much has happened! After more bad press and focus on the story, Third Culture Bakery re-examined its stand and relinquished the trademark. Yay! Score one for the little guys and Subtle Asian Baking, a FB group that brought to light the trademark issue. So now I can go back to using Mochi Muffins!
Best of Both Worlds
I love how Asian American pastry chefs have been blending Asian ingredients with French techniques and visa versa. Croissants filled with Chinese BBQ pork or mochi, custard flavored pandan, ube snickerdoodles, I could go on and on.
So my contribution? A riff on Butter Mochi Muffins. I added Misugaru Powder and oat milk (instead of regular milk) to my butter mochi muffins and SHAZAAM, we have a winner.
Misugaru Powder is a Korean multigrain drink that includes different grains, rice, and beans like sweet rice, brown rice, oats, azuki beans, and sesame seeds. You can find Misugaru at any Korean store or online. Mixed with milk or water it is a drink with a sweet, nutty, malty flavor. Kind of like Carnation Instant Breakfast, but tastier and healthier. I found various recipes using the powder in cookies and breads and thought, why not?
For the uninitiated, mochi is glutinous rice flour also known as sweet rice flour. “Stuff” made with sweet rice flour has a wonderfully chewy, elastic texture, think dense but still soft marshmallows. My first post on Mochi Muffins is by far the most popular post on 3jamigos. A staple in Asian and Hawaiian desserts, it was only a matter of time, before it would make its way into mainstream American desserts like muffins, donuts, and brownies. Besides being delicious and texturally so intriguing, mochi desserts are gluten-free! Win-win.
Notes on Making Mochi Muffins
Sweet Rice Flour: There are different mochi flours available. Mochiko by Koda Farms is probably the most widely available and works for almost all recipes. Asian stores will carry Thai and Korean Sweet Rice Flour in addition to Mochiko.
Milk: Regular or 2% milk can be used in place of the oat milk. Skip the skim. For Coconut milk, use full fat if possible. My go-to brands are Arroy-D, Chaokoh, and Trader Joe’s (super convenient).
Butter the muffin tins generously, and use regular rice flour (not the mochi flour) to prep the pans. If you don’t have any, skip the flour and just butter the pan.
I played with the baking temp to see if I could minimize the pointy top. I lowered the temperature to 360 degrees on a subsequent batch and it did seem less domed. This is appearance preference, the muffins tasted the same.
Misugaru Mochi Muffins
Misugaru, is a multigrained Korean beverage that adds a subtle, toasty, malty, nutty flavor to these delicious chewy mochi muffins.
Servings 12 muffins
Ingredients
The Wet Stuff
- 1/4 Cup Unsalted butter 55gm
- 3/4 Cup Coconut milk 170gm
- 1 Cup Oat Milk 240gm, You can use reg 2% milk, do not use skim
- 2 Large Eggs
The Dry Stuff
- 1-3/4 Cup Glutinous rice flour 225gm
- 2 tbsp Misugaru powder
- 1 Cup Granulated sugar 200gm
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt If not using sprinkling salt, increase this to 1/2 tsp
Wrapping it up
- Butter for muffin tin
- Fleur de Sel or Maldon Flake Salt to sprinkle
- Shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened for garnish, optional
- Black and white sesame seeds for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
- Brush the cupcake tins liberally with butter and dust with regular rice flour
- Combine coconut milk and butter in a microwavable bowl, nuke for 1 minute on full power
- Remove and add milk or oat milk and eggs. Whisk until combined.
- In a medium-sized bowl combine the glutinous rice flour, sugar, salt, Misugaru powder and baking powder.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until smooth. Use a spoon or spatula instead of a whisk to minimize bubbles. The batter will be the consistency of pancake batter.
- Pour the batter evenly into a 12-cup muffin tin. Tap gently on a counter to remove air bubbles. You will have enough batter to fill each cup 7/8 full.
- Top with black and white sesame seeds or coconut flakes if you like, and sprinkle with Fleur de Sel or any flaked salt, bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown center and dark brown edge.
- Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes in tin, then remove to cookie rack. Allow muffins to cool completely.
- Muffins will keep at room temp for 2-3 days. They can be frozen for longer storage.
Pao de Queijo (Jeremy’s Cheese Bread-Food from the Heart)
Earlier in the year as I was clicking through my Instagram, perusing what my favorite bloggers and IGers were up to, I landed on Two Red Bowls. A black and white photo of a young man hugging Luke, her son, and Luke gazing up at him. It was and is a beautiful photo. As I read her post, my chest tightened and my heart sank, the young man was her brother, Luke’s uncle, who had just passed away from colon cancer, far too young. It was so sad and so brave of her to share this with us, strangers, who feel a connection to her through her beautiful writing and wonderful recipes.
A few months later she posted a recipe for Pao de queijo, a Brazilian cheese bread. This was her brother’s contribution to holiday feasts. She described how he made these savory bites in the afternoon for everyone to enjoy while prepping for the evening feast.
I made a mental note to make his Pao de queijo for Thanksgiving. I did, and as I watched my family gobble them up, I hoped her family was also together for Thanksgiving and finding comfort in the shared memories of her brother.
How to describe Pao de queijo? They look like Gougeres, those airy, light, cheesy, French puffs. The KEY difference is these puffs are made with tapioca flour which gives them an elastic, stretchy quality, kind of like mochi.
Let’s Starch Here
These puffs are incredibly easy and quick to make. I did a little sleuthing for background on these savory Brazilian morsels. Recipes called for Tapioca Starch or Cassava Flour. Both forms come from the cassava plant, cassava flour uses the entire root while tapioca is only the pulp and therefore contains very little protein or fiber. This recipe calls for tapioca starch or flour (same thing) not cassava flour. Bob’s Red Mill offers a Tapioca Flour and most Asian markets carry multiple brands of Tapioca Starch/Flour. Bonus, it is gluten-free!
Traditional recipes for Pao de queijo call for heating up the liquids and then adding the starch which becomes a dough that is kneaded and formed into balls before baking. This recipe is an easy but no less delicious version.
Throw all the ingredients, sans cheese, in a blender and pulse to combine. The tricky part is the tapioca flour which gets gooey really fast. Add your tapioca flour after putting at least some of the liquids in the blender. Blend well.
Say Cheese
Add the shredded cheese last. Pulse the blender a couple of times and you are done. Don’t pulverize the cheese. I like the combination of Parmesan and Mozzarella, it provides a nice balance of flavor and texture. Use any cheese you like, cheddar, pepper jack, Farmer Cheese. Adjust for the saltiness of your cheese.
Pour the batter into mini-muffin tins, it reminds me of making popovers. It should be just the right amount of batter to fill the 24 cups equally. Watch them rise as they bake. Serve immediately. I plan to make a batch for Christmas too.
I made a batch with butter just to satisfy my “butter is better” mantra. Straight substitution, 1/4 cup melted butter for 1/4 cup oil. I added 1 tsp of oil (very arbitrary) since butter is 80/20 fat to water. I warmed the milk a little (not hot) to keep the butter from solidifying. The puffs turned out fine, they seemed a little heavier than the all-oil batch. The butter did give the puffs a fuller flavor (built-in butter bias perhaps). Your choice. Whatever you do, make them, they’re lovely.
JEREMY’S CHEESE BREAD (PAO DE QUEIJO) Two Red Bowls
Brazilian cheese bread made with tapioca flour. Stretchy and cheesy, the perfect munchie.
Equipment
- mini-muffin tin
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 gram) tapioca flour or tapioca starch
- ½ cup whole milk or milk of your choice
- ¼ cup vegetable oil or unsalted butter plus more for greasing the pan
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup about 2 ounce shredded cheese of your choice (Parmesan and mozzarella or Farmer's Cheese or blend of cheeses)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 24-well mini-muffin pan with cooking spray or oil.
- In a blender, combine the flour, milk, vegetable oil, egg, and salt. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed, about a minute or so. Add the cheese and pulse once or twice more, until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly into the greased mini-muffin pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Baking for less time will give stretchier, chewier rolls, and more will give a crispier exterior. Serve warm. Leftovers can be frozen and reheated at 400 for 5 minutes.
Notes
Using a blender helps fully emulsify and aerate the batter, especially as the tapioca flour has a cornstarch-y consistency that can be difficult to mix by hand. YOu could probably use a handheld blender or food processor.
Try different cheeses, cheddar, or Monterey Jack, Farmer's Cheese.
Replace a few tablespoons of the milk with sweetened condensed milk which nicely complements the tapioca flour’s natural sweetness. But keep the amount of egg and oil the same, as that can affect how well the puffs rise and hold their shape.
May your holidays be filled with love and laughter shared with family and friends.
Lasso Some Biscuits From Milk Bar (Ted Lasso Biscuits)
Yes, you are not seeing double, this is a different recipe for Ted Lasso’s biscuits! AND it’s a good one. I am a Johnny come lately to Ted Lasso having ignored the initial buzz about the show until…
Biscuits with the Boss
…recipes and articles started popping up on the internet for Ted’s Biscuits. That’s when I took notice. The show is funny, endearing, cute, and a bit bawdy, just the escape we all need. All that and biscuits, made it irresistible.
It seemed only fair that I try the “official” Ted Lasso Biscuit from Apple TV first. The biscuits had a smooth texture, were a bit crumbly and not too sweet. The second day brought out the buttery flavor making this a very respectable shortbread biscuit. Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. I would make these again, say, if I didn’t have eggs for Christina Tosi’s version or if I wanted an easier, simpler, cookie.
I have been a fan of Christina Tosi for a long, long times since her days at Momofuku. Her Corn Cookies, Crack Pie and Compost Cookies are iconic. Soooo, when she posted her version of Ted’s Biscuits, yeah, I ran not walked to my kitchen and got busy.
Tosi’s version is more typical of a shortbread recipe, beat the butter and sugar just until smooth and creamy, not fluffy. Atypical are the addition of egg yolks to the batter. This adds fat and moisture to the cookies making them softer, moister than shortbread. The powdered sugar lowers the protein for a tender cookie. Adding a touch of brown sugar gives the cookie a caramel finish. The cookie is rich, buttery, with a super fine, tight crumb almost like a dense pound cake.
The addition of egg yolks makes for a soft dough. Try not to overmix dough, I stopped mixing once the dough starting clumping. Press the dough into the pan. You can dampen your hand which helps with the stickiness. Use an offset spatula to smooth the top.
It isn’t necessary to line the pan with parchment, but I did, it’s easier to remove from the pan. The baking temperature varied on different sites between 315 and 325 degrees. At 325 degrees, the cookies were ready in 35 minutes. Force of habit, I docked the dough with a fork for even baking. Unlike traditional shortbread, during baking, the holes disappeared, probably due to the egg yolks. Docking shortbread allows steam to escape, no bubbles, and even baking, is it necessary with this recipe, not sure.
During baking, the top of the dough forms a shiny, golden brown layer, the edges will be a deeper brown. Completely cool the cookies before cutting. The texture is soft, and cutting was not a problem. Cut cookies out to desired size and shape, rectangle or square. I divided the dough into 3 then cut each third into 8-9 rectangular cookies. Perfect pink box size. Make these cookies now.
Ted Lasso Biscuits
Christina Tosi’s version of Ted Lasso Biscuits. It’s a winner!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, 2 sticks softened
- 1 ⅓ cup confectioner’s sugar
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 ¾ cup All purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp scant kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325F Line a 8x8” baking dish with parchment, grease pan
- Using a mixer, beat butter, sugars and salt together on medium speed until smooth and creamy
- Stir in the egg yolks
- Add the flour and mix just until the dough just comes together. Do not over mix.
- Press dough into an even layer in the pan. The dough will be sticky, dampen hands (just a bit) to press dough in. Spread and level dough with an offset spatula. Dock dough with a fork 2 inches apart.
- Bake at 325F for 35 minutes or until a thin, golden brown layer forms on top.
- Cool completely before cutting into 3 rows. Cut each row into 8 pieces.
Notes
Can be baked at 315 degrees for 45 min or until golden brown