Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins

Are you an oatmeal lover? Recently I started adding strawberries to my breakfast oatmeal and thought the combination would make a pretty good muffin too. 

The muffins get plenty of leavening from eggs, baking powder, and baking soda. The baking soda and the baking powder will react with the yogurt and vinegar as soon as they come together, so work quickly. Do not let the batter sit around. Get it into a muffin tin and into the oven as soon as you can after you mix the wet and dry ingredients.

Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins Recipe

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 25 minutes

The addition of black pepper to this recipe is important, but make sure you are using finely ground black pepper, not coarsely ground. If all you have is coarsely ground, skip it.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 pound strawberries
• 2 teaspoons granulated white sugar
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

METHOD

1 Mix the oats and plain yogurt together in a large bowl.

2 Rinse and core the strawberries. Roughly chop the strawberries (I cut them in quarters lengthwise and then make one or two crosswise cuts). You should have about 1 1/2 cups of chopped strawberries. Place in a small bowl. Sprinkle with white sugar and balsamic vinegar. Gently stir to coat the strawberries with the sugar and vinegar.

3 Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare a 12-well muffin tin by coating with butter or lining with paper muffin cups.

4 Whisk together in a medium bowl the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, finely ground black pepper, and cinnamon.

5 Add the eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract to the oatmeal and yogurt mixture. Stir until just incorporated.

6 Use a wooden spoon to gently stir the flour mixture into the oatmeal. Stir until just incorporated and the flour is moistened. Do not over-mix! Or your muffins will end up rubbery. The batter should be rather lumpy, not smooth.

7 Gently fold in the strawberries, including any of the sugary vinegary liquid the strawberries have been sitting in.

8 Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin tin wells or cups. Bake until the tops are browned and the muffin bounces back when you gently press on the top with your finger tips, about 20 minutes. A bamboo or metal skewer inserted into the center should come out clean. Let cool for a couple minutes in the muffin tin before removing to serve.

Yield: Makes 12 muffins.

Strawberry Shortcake

What better way to conjure up memories of the joys of youth than strawberry shortcake? Strawberry shortcake consists of sliced strawberries that have been macerated with whipped cream served over a white cake or biscuit. I’m from the camp that insists that strawberry shortcake is made with a biscuit, not a cake. Growing up we always made the shortcake biscuits with Bisquick baking mix, which now, thankfully, has a zero-transfat version of their product. The best of course are biscuits made from scratch, using butter and cream. I’ve included recipes here for excellent homemade biscuits, the Bisquick biscuits, and also wheat and gluten-free biscuits for those who don’t want to give up strawberry shortcake just because they can’t eat wheat.

Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Strawberries and whipping cream:

• 3 baskets of fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Whipping cream
• Vanilla

METHOD

Remove the stems from the strawberries. Slice into thin (1/4" to 1/8") slices. Put into a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of sugar (depending on how sweet the strawberries are to begin with) and mix into the strawberries. Set aside at room temperature to macerate (which means that the sugar will soften the strawberries and help release their juices).

After the strawberries have been sitting for 20 minutes or so, take a potato masher and mash them a little. Not too much, just enough to get more juice out of them.

Whip the cream, adding a drop or two of vanilla and a teaspoon of sugar.

To serve, break up one biscuit per person into big pieces into a bowl. Ladle strawberries over the biscuit. Add a dolop of whipped cream.

Biscuits from scratch

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Toss with a fork to combine. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or a fork until the largest pieces of butter are the size of peas. (Or pulse several times in a food processor.) Combine the cream and vanilla in a liquid measure. Make a well in the center of the flour and and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the dough is evenly moistened and just combined; it should look shaggy and still feel a little dry. Gently knead by hand five or six times to create a loose ball.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat it into an 8-inch square, 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment or silpat, cover with plastic and chill for 20 minutes in the refrigerator. Heat the oven to 425ºF. Remove the dough from refrigerator. Cut the dough into 9 even squares and spread them about 2 inches apart from each other on the baking sheet. Bake until the biscuits are medium golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.

Makes 9 biscuits. (Adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine, July 2003)

Bisquick biscuits:

• 2 1/3 cups Bisquick baking mix
• 3 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 Tbsp sugar

The strawberry shortcake biscuit recipe used to be on the side of the Bisquick box. For some unfathomable reason, the company has started to print the recipe on the inside of the box. Talk about not understanding your customers! If you can't find the recipe, here it is:

Heat oven to 425°F. Stir baking mix, melted butter, milk, and 3 Tbsp of sugar in a mixing bowl until soft dough forms. Drop by 6 spoonfuls on to a greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 6 biscuits.

Gluten-free biscuits:

• 1-1/2 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour 
• 1 Tbsp. Sugar
• 2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 tsp. Xanthan Gum
• 1 tsp. Guar Gum
• 1/2 tsp. Salt

• 1/4 cup Shortening
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1 large Egg White

Preheat oven to 350º. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or grease lightly.

In food processor, pulse dry ingredients (flour through salt) with shortening until mixture is consistency of small peas. Add milk and egg white. Blend until dough forms ball, scraping down sides with spatula, if necessary. Dough will be somewhat soft.

Place dough on parchment-lined or greased baking sheet that’s been lightly dusted with rice flour. Gently pat to 3/4-inch thick circle with hands or spatula. Lightly dust dough with rice flour. Cut into ten 2-inch circles with floured biscuit cutter. Shape remaining dough to 3/4-inch thick and cut again. If dough is sticky, lightly dust with more flour. Arrange evenly on baking sheet.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until nicely browned. Best when served warm or gently reheated in microwave oven. Serves 10. (Recipe from Bob's Red Mill)

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Red velvet cake is classic Americana cooking with its roots in the south. Deliciously festive, moist, flavorful, and maybe a hint of playful tackiness it’s a dessert that has gained newfound popularity in bakeries coast to coast.

If you haven’t had it before red velvet is like yellow cake but with a little kiss on the cheek of chocolate. The red color can come from beets or even strawberries but personally I unapologetically prefer red food dye and in large quantities as it does a better job of disguising the brown chocolate without altering the flavor. Be sure to be careful when putting this recipe together as the batter can stain, so you may not want kids putting it together (better to put them on frosting duty).

Adapted into little red cupcakes and topped with a dollop of cream cheese frosting, they make for a colorful and tasty dessert for late winter picnics and are especially sweet for Valentine’s Day or for the Fourth of July if adorned with some blueberries.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, room temperature
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 1/3 cups of cake flour
• 2 tablespoons of Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of buttermilk*
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar

Frosting ingredients

• 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
• 2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

*You can make your own buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of distilled white vinegar to milk and letting it stand for about 10 minutes.

METHOD

The cupcakes

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer for 3 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy.

2 Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

3 In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring.

4 Add a fourth of the dry ingredients and mix, then add a third of the wet. Continue adding in a dry, wet, dry pattern, ending with the dry ingredients.

5 Scoop into cupcake papers, about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Rotate the pan after the first 15 minutes of baking to ensure even baking.

6 Allow to cool for one minute in the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

The Frosting

1 Cream the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

2 Add the vanilla extract and mix.

3 Add the powdered sugar, continually taste to get to desired sweetness. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Yield: Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes.

Flourless Lemon Almond Cake

Holiday meals can be so heavy, it’s refreshing to have a dessert that is relatively light, like this flourless lemon almond cake. This is a classic cake recipe, if I’m not mistaken, from southern Spain. The basic ingredients are simply almond flour (finely ground blanched almonds), eggs, sugar, and lemon zest. No butter or wheat flour. The cake behaves a bit like a soufflé in that it gets most of its rise from the eggs in the batter, and then gently falls as it settles. I’ve included a bit of baking powder to help the cake maintain a bit more structure as it cools. The result is a light and tender crumb, softly sweet and lemony. You could easily twirl some raspberry sauce around it, or add a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!

Flourless Lemon Almond Cake Recipe

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 40 minutes

It helps to separate the eggs first, while they are cold, and then let them sit to come to room temperature as you prep the other ingredients.  Eggs are easier to separate when cold, and they perform better as leavening agents when at room temperature. When whipping egg whites, make sure your equipment is perfectly clean. Any fat (or even bits of egg yolk in the whites) can keep the egg whites from properly whipping up.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 eggs, separated into 4 egg yolks and 4 egg whites, room temperature
• 2 Tbsp lemon zest, packed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 cup (100 g) white sugar, divided 1/4 cup (50 g) and 1/4 cup (50 g)
• 1 1/2 cup (170 g) finely ground almond flour*
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (make sure your baking powder is fresh!)
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• Pinch of salt
• Powdered sugar for sprinkling

* If almond flour is not available at your market, you can grind up blanched, slivered almonds in a food processor until finely ground.  I would start with a little more than 1 1/3 cups, perhaps 1 1/2 cups. Our local Whole Foods carries a Bob's Red Mill brand of finely ground almond flour which is what we used for this recipe. 

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (175 °C).  Place a round of parchment paper on the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, and grease it and the sides of the pan with butter or cooking spray.

2 In a large bowl, beat together with a wooden spoon the egg yolks, lemon zest, and 1/4 cup sugar until smooth.

3 In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, and baking powder.   Add the flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture and beat until smooth.

4 With an electric mixer with a very clean bowl and clean whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, starting on low speed and gradually increasing the speed. When bubbles start to form, add a pinch of salt and the teaspoon of vinegar (both the salt and the vinegar will help the beaten egg whites maintain better structure, as will the sugar in the next step). As the egg whites begin to increase in volume, sprinkle in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, a little at a time, as you continue to beat the eggs whites.  Beat until soft peaks form.

5 Fold the beaten egg whites into the almond mixture a large scoopful at a time.  You won't get much lift with the first third of the egg whites, but as you add more, you'll be able to gently fold in the whites in such a way as to create a light batter.

6 Gently scoop the batter into a the prepared springform pan and place in the oven. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake helping it to separate from the side of the pan. Release the springform pan sides, and gently move the cake (on parchment) to a cake serving plate. Sprinkle with a little powdered sugar before serving.

Yield: Serves 8.

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

White chocolate and macadamia nut cookies are such a classic, aren’t they? We’ve been over here brainstorming about ideas for Christmas cookies and thought we might try our hand at this one. The challenge was with macadamia nuts and white chocolate, both very rich ingredients, how to give this cookie a bit of sparkle. Our solution? A touch of instant coffee granules added to the dough. The cookie already has macadamia nuts and vanilla, both tropical ingredients. A little coffee flavor added to the mix, coffee also being a tropical ingredient, gives this cookie a splash of pizazz. While any instant coffee granule will do, I use and recommend the VIA packets sold at Starbucks. The granules are finely ground, and dissolve easily in the mixture. If you use decaf granules, you won’t have to worry about getting a coffee buzz from a cookie.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies Recipe

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 15 minutes

This recipe can be made either with a stand mixer, or by hand with a bowl, a wooden spoon, and strong arms. If you use salted butter, please omit the added salt in this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (160 g)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick, or 8 Tbsp, or 112g) at room temperature
• 1/2 cup white sugar (90 g)
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed (85 g)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules or instant espresso powder
• 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts (3 1/2 ounces, or 100 g)
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Vigorously whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.

2 Beat the butter until fluffy. Add the brown and white sugars and beat until smooth. Beat in the egg. Add the vanilla extract and instant coffee and beat until creamy. Add the dry ingredients a third at time, mixing after each addition. When the batter is combined, fold in the nuts and chocolate chips with a wooden spoon.

3 Drop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoon amounts on a greased baking sheet, place 2 inches apart from each other to allow enough room for the cookies to spread as they bake. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges are nicely browned and the center is just barely cooked. Take the cookies from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes, then move them to a rack to cool completely.

Yield: Makes about a dozen cookies.