Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

From smittenkitchen.com

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely cubed

extra brown sugar for topping the muffins

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease and flour a standard muffin pan.

Whisk together the whole wheat flour, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar together and add the brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until combined. Mix in the buttermilk gently. Scrape the bowl, and stir in the dry ingredients. Fold in the apple chunks, and fill the muffin cups equally. Sprinkle and generous amount of brown sugar on top of each muffin to give it a sweet, crunchy top. Bake for 10 minutes at 450, turn the oven to 400, and bake for 5 more minutes. Cool the muffins before serving.

Honey Chai Cupcakes

These are incredible. I'm a huge tea drinker, and I'm so ready for fall and the flavors that accompany it that I decided to make these cupcakes to say farewell to the summer (even though it's still August).

Cupcakes:

3 chai tea bags

2/3 cup boiling water

1 1/4 cup flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup honey

1/2 stick butter (4 tablespoons), melted

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

THESE ARE SO DELICIOUS. Literally, I cannot describe to you how good these are. You just have to make them.

Cupcakes:

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 stick of butter (4 tablespoons)

1 egg

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1 teaspoon lemon zest

3/4 cup sour cream

1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries

a few tablespoons of sugar to sprinkle on top

Lemon Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard muffin pan with paper cups. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another larger bowl, cream together the sugar and the butter for about 2 minutes. Add the egg, lemon extract, and zest and beat until completely combined. Add the flour mixture a little at a time. Stir in the sour cream. Divide the batter equally in the cups. On top of the batter in each separate cup, create a layer of blueberries and sprinkle with sugar. This gives the cupcakes a crunchy texture on top that meshes well with the lemon glaze and softness of the cupcake. Bake the cupcakes 18-20 minutes, and let cool completely before drizzling the glaze and serving.

To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. It should look thick enough to spread, but thin enough to move around in the bowl. Drizzle over the cupcakes, and it should create a bit of a shell and harden a little.

Mini Chocolate Soufflés

1/3 cup sugar plus some extra to sprinkle inside the ramekins

5 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate

3 egg yolks

6 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter 4 to 6 ceramic ramekins and sprinkle with sugar. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or in a glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water; stir until smooth. When chocolate is completely melted, remove from heat and stir in the egg yolks. The mixture will stiffen. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and a pinch of salt at medium speed until they hold soft peaks. Add sugar, a little at a time, and when all of the sugar has been added, beat the mixture on high until the egg whites hold stiff peaks. Stir a cup of the whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten, and then add the entire chocolate mixture to the remaining egg white mixture. Fold gently until completely combined. Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into separate prepared ramekins. Bake for 24-26 minutes or until puffed and crusted on top. They should still jiggle in the center. Let cool for a few minutes, and they're ready to be served or top with whipped cream, powdered sugar, fresh fruit, or whatever other topping sounds good.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

This was a Paula Deen recipe that I used to make jumbo cupcakes for the Fourth of July. They were so rich and delicious that I would actually recommend sticking with the standard cupcake size.

Cupcakes:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

2 tablespoons red food coloring

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting:

1 pound softened cream cheese

2 sticks butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard or jumbo sized muffin pan with paper cups. In one bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. In a larger bowl, mix together the vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla. In multiple additions, sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Bake at 350 for 20 to 22 minutes for standard cupcakes and 26 to 28 minutes for jumbo cupcakes.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Sift in the powdered sugar until completely combined. Stir in vanilla. Frost or pipe the icing onto the cupcakes after they have cooled completely.

Banana Buttermilk Pancakes

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs

6 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 ripe mashed bananas

In one bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, mix together the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. In multiple additions, whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. When well combined, whisk in the mashed bananas. Pour onto heated griddle and let the pancakes cook for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Keep checking as they cook, but be patient; these take a bit, but they're completely worth it. You could also add blueberries, chocolate chips, or pecans or make a flavored syrup, but I just stuck to the basic maple syrup and added some fresh banana on top.

Yellow Cupcakes

I was inspired by the summer and my amazing job at The French Bouquet. So I made them my favorite cupcakes and decorated them with white chocolate daisies. I love my job, I love flowers, and I love cupcakes.

Cupcakes:

1 1/4 cups flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cups sugar

6 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup milk

Icing: (Hershey's. It's delicious, and I can't make better.)

1 stick butter, melted

2/3 cup cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

To make the decorations:

1 to 2 cups of white chocolate chips or white almond bark

1 teaspoon cream/half and half/milk (optional)

yellow icing dye (Don't use food coloring. It causes the chocolate to seize because it's water-based.)

Lay out a large sheet of wax paper on a sheet pan or flat surface. Melt the chips in the microwave or with a double boiler, stir in the cream, and set aside a small amount to dye yellow (for the centers of the flowers). Using a spoon, ladle petal-shaped white chocolate onto the wax paper. Do the same with the yellow chocolate but form circles instead of petals. Allow the chocolate pieces to chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. When ready to decorate, carefully remove from the wax paper and place on cupcakes.

Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In one bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, cream butter an sugar for 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, add the vanilla, and mix well. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk, ending with dry ingredients. Mix only until combined and try not to overmix for the best texture. Pour the batter into a paper cup-lined standard muffin pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Icing: Place cocoa in a bowl. Add melted butter and mix well. Alternate adding powdered sugar and milk. Stir in vanilla. (It makes about 2 cups, so if you plan to double the cupcake recipe, you'll have enough icing for both batches for sure.) Frost cupcakes with the icing and decorate with the white chocolate by arranging the pieces in the shape of a flower.

My Great-great-grandmother Clara's Chocolate Cake

My family got together for Memorial Weekend at the lake, so I made this family cake recipe.

2 cups flour

1/3 cup cocoa

1 stick butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 9-inch cake pan. Dissolve baking soda in the buttermilk. Combine flour and cocoa in one bowl. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Alternate mixing in dry ingredients and buttermilk. Add vanilla and boiling water and mix until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes. I just used my favorite chocolate icing recipe (Hershey's), which is on the back of the cocoa jar and in my yellow cupcakes post.

Srawberry Apple Tart

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 sticks butter, cold, diced

1/2 cup ice water

4 Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apples

1 small package of fresh strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 stick butter, diced

Place flour, salt, and sugar either in a mixing bowl or a food processor. Add the stick and a half of butter by pulsing the food processor or cutting in with a butter knife, until the pieces are pea-sized. Mix in the ice water until the dough comes together. Place on a floured surface and quickly knead into a ball. Wrap the ball of dough and chill for an hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or wax paper. Roll the dough to about a 10 by 15-inch rectangle and place on the prepared sheet pan back in the refrigerator.

Peel the apples and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Overlap the edges of the apples as you arrange them in whatever pattern you choose, leaving space to add the strawberries later. Sprinkle the 1/2 cup sugar over the apples and dot the pieces of butter over the tart. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

While the tart bakes, rinse and cut the strawberries into thirds. After 30 minutes of baking, remove the tart from the oven and place the strawberries in the leftover space (or on top of some apples if you didn't leave space). Bake for 15 to 20 more minutes (no more than that unless you like squishy strawberries). When you remove the tart, be sure to slide a spatula under the pastry to make sure it doesn't stick to the parchment paper as it cools.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

We had so many ripe bananas, so I made muffins. Mine were extra chocolatey and didn't rise very well so they were really dense and thick (but yummy). I'll probably tweak the recipe and try it again to get a more muffin-y texture.

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/4 cups banana

3/4 cup sugar

1 stick melted butter

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mix together butter and sugar. Mix in bananas, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and mix until just combined. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes

Texas Sheet Cake

Yay summer! I made this for a pool party. Usually, it's smooth on top, but it shifted on the ride over. Still delicious.
Cake:

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

4 tablespoons cocoa

2 sticks butter

1 cup water

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 beaten eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place sugar and flour in a bowl. Place cocoa, butter, and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the cocoa mixture to the flour mixture, and mix well. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour batter into a 17x12 inch sheet pan (I used a 15x10) and bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes.

Icing:

4 tablespoons cocoa

6 tablespoons milk

1 stick butter

16-ounce box powdered sugar

Place powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Bring cocoa, milk, and butter to a boil in a saucepan. Add cocoa mixture to the powdered sugar and mix well to remove the lumps. Pour icing over warm cake and let cool.

Basic Banana Bread

For Blake.

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 ripe bananas mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a standard loaf pan. In a bowl, beat sugar and oil until combined. Mix in eggs one at a time until completely blended. Alternate between dry ingredient mixture and buttermilk (1/3 flour, 1/2 buttermilk, 1/3 flour, 1/2 buttermilk, 1/3 flour), mixing completely between additions. Mix in mashed bananas, and pour into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 stick of butter, softened

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup lukewarm water

1/4 cup buttermilk

Frosting:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup half and half (or heavy cream)

1 bag of Mini Reese's Cups

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin pan with white paper or foil cups. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In a larger bowl, beat together granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter until light and fluffy (2 minutes). Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. On low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with water and buttermilk. After all ingredients are added, beat on medium until the batter is mixed thoroughly (30 seconds should be fine). Fill the cups about 3/4 full, and bake for 18-20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

To make the peanut butter frosting, beat together the butter, sugar, peanut butter, and half and half until completely combined, about 2 minutes. You can pipe the icing on, but I thought peanut putter looked good a little messy. I topped mine with Mini Reese's cups, but it would also be cool to drizzle some melted chocolate on them or put some chocolate curls to make them look fancier.

White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup butter softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) dried cranberries

1 1/4 cups white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 35o degrees F. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Gradually beat in dry ingredients. Stir in oats, cranberries, and white chocolate chips. Place round tablespoons onto baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving to a wire rack.