Triple Chocolate Muffins

 

Muffins = legally sanctioned cake for breakfast.  

{Please don't tell the First Lady.}

These Triple Chocolate Muffins may not be the most gorgeous, but, oh baby....warm from the oven with two kinds of melty chocolate chips?   They are pure decadence.

The day I made them, I ate one for breakfast, one for a mid-morning snack, 1.5 for lunch and one mid-afternoon.  {Muumuus will be all the rage this summer, right?}

Triple Chocolate Muffins

1/2 c. (1 stick) salted butter
1 and 3/4 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
2/3 c. dutch-process cocoa (such as Hershey's Special Dark)
1 and 1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 c. bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
1 c. milk
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 tsp. white vinegar

Line a muffin tin with 12 paper cups. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 425.

Melt the butter; set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla and vinegar until blended. Stir in the cooled, melted butter.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.  Stir with a rubber spatula, just until blended.

Spoon into the prepared muffin liners...the cups will be very full. {Be sure to lick the spoon...this batter is SO yummy!}

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the muffins bounce back when pressed with a finger.  Cool on a wire cooling rack for 5 minutes.


Remove from the pan and let them cool just a bit longer.  Serve warm.

Confession: I have one small white plate. Once we started, kiddo would.not.stop.eating to let me take a picture of the melty insides of his on the pretty white plate.  Note to self: buy more white plates.

Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts

 
One reason I like running errands with kiddo is that, well, I just like having him with me. The other is that when I talk to myself in a store, it looks like I'm talking to him.

This is a big problem in a store like Williams-Sonoma.  I find myself "oooing" and "ahhing" and "isn't that cute-ing" all over the place.

When I saw this....

I ooo'd and ahhh'd and isn't that cute'd...and IMMEDIATELY picked up two (one for you, one for me). I think I might have startled the salesclerk working in the area.

These homemade pop tarts are really easy to make...and there is a recipe right on the back of the box.  My only tip for you is...make them the day before you want to serve them. There's a lot of chilling time and waiting time...so plan ahead. You do NOT want to start these when you are trying to get your kids off to school.

Homemade Toaster Pastries (Pop Tarts)
{adapted from Williams-Sonoma Kitchens}

2 & 1/2 c. flour
3/4 tsp. coarse salt
2 TBSP sugar
2 sticks salted butter, cut into chunks
6-8 TBSP ice water
strawberry preserves or jam
1 egg beaten w/ 1 tsp. water
1 & 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 TBSP milk
pink food coloring
sprinkles

(If you don't have a food processor, combine these with a pastry blender.)  In a food processor, pulse the flour, salt and sugar a few times, until combined.

Add the butter, and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal.  Add 6 TBSP of ice water and pulse until the mixture holds together when squeezed.  Add more water, a teaspoon at a time, if needed.

Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight.

On a floured surface, roll the dough to 1/8th thick. Cut pieces with the large cutter (you will have 10-16 overall depending on how thin you roll the dough).  Place half of the cut pieces on cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment.
 
Spread 1 TBSP of preserves onto each piece, leaving a 1/2" border.  Brush the egg mixture along the edges.  Top each piece with one of the remaining pieces of dough.  Using the toaster pastry mold, press down with the small mold to seal.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350.  Bake for 25 minutes or so, rotating the sheets in the oven halfway through.  Let sit on the sheets 10 minutes, then remove to wore cooling racks to cool completely.

Meanwhile, mix the powdered sugar and milk.  Adjust the thickness with more milk or sugar.  Add the pink food coloring.  Spoon onto cooled pastries and spread with and offset spatula.  Add sprinkles.  Let the icing set before serving.

It's like having frosted pie for breakfast.  Just look at those flaky layers.

Do you want one?  I know you do!  How about a $50 Williams-Sonoma gift card to go with it?  

OK....here' s whatcha have to do to enter:
Giveaway closed....congrats to a_manda!!! Look for an email in your inbox!

We're having a BLOGGY SCAVENGER HUNT!

To enter, leave a comment answering the following questions about some fabulous bloggers. (NO PEEKING at the comment above you! The winner will be chosen from the CORRECT entries on Monday, May 23rd at 8pm CST. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you!!!)
(Giveaway closed....congrats to a_manda!!!)

1. Teresa from Blooming on Bainbridge has a darling doggy.  What is his name?
2. Amy from She Wears Many Hats, well, wears many hats.  How many hats is she wearing in her header?
3. Amanda from i am baker recently made _____________-decorated cookies for the Share Our Strength Bake Sale. (fill in the blank)

Ready....GO!

{This giveaway is not associated with Williams-Sonoma...they only know me as the crazy lady who talks to herself in the store.}

Nutella-filled "Frenched" Tortillas

 
This post starts with a happy accident. 

I love to make french toast in the mornings for kiddo.  It's easy, no measuring....eggs, a little milk, sprinkle of sugar, dash of vanilla....whisk it all up...bread, pan, BAM!...french toast.

Well, a few weeks ago, I whisked up the eggs, milk, etc. and realized....I was OUT.OF. BREAD.

What's a girl to do?  In Texas, you might run out of bread, but you always have tortillas.  So, "frenched" tortillas were born and they are now a staple in our house.

Let me tell you how to make them.  Prepare....you are about to achieve domestic goddess status in 5 minutes.

OK....I like the start with these "ready-to-cook" tortillas.  But, these may be just a Texas thing. (They're in the refrigerated section at HEB, y'all.)  So, start with flour tortillas. (If they are the ready-to-cook kind, cook them.)

Whisk up 2 eggs, about 1/2 cup milk, a TBSP or so of sugar (or cinnamon-sugar), and a dash of vanilla.  (Eyeball it.)

Heat up a pan and add a pat of butter.....I like salted, but whatever you have.

Dip both sides of the tortilla in the egg mixture; let the excess drip off.  Cook briefly in the pan; flip and cook the other side (but you knew that).

Once cooked, add a spoonful (1-2 TBSP) of Nutella down the middle of each tortilla.  Roll.
 

{Don't you want to dive right in?}

Dust with powdered sugar.  If you're feeling fancy (and you probably are), heat up a bit of Nutella in the microwave.  Drizzle over the tortillas.

SOMEDAY, when kiddo goes off to college, he will come home for *THESE*.

Pumpkin Muffins, two ways

It's still November, so it's STILL pumpkin season, right?

I've confessed my love for pumpkin already...let me share with you two of my favorite muffins. One savory, one sweet.

These Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins come from the Baked Explorations cookbook.  I am IN.LOVE. with these muffins (I would happily eat all 12 in one sitting).  Even though they are listed in the breakfast section of the cookbook, they are wonderful with a cup of butternut squash soup or a bowl chili.

Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins
{adapted from Baked Explorations}

1 c. canned pumpkin
3 TBSP sour cream
2 eggs
1 stick unsalted butter, cooled and melted
2 c. flour
1 & 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 & 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1 & 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 & 1/4  c. grated sharp white cheddar

Preheat oven to 400.  Use a paper towel to lightly coat the insides of 12 muffin cups with vegetable oil.

Whisk together the pumpkin and sour cream.  Whisk in the eggs and cooled, melted butter until combined.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cayenne, salt, pepper and brown sugar.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Add the wet ingredients into the well and gently fold until combined.  Fold in 3/4ths of the cheese.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups.  Sprinkle tops with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out the muffins to a cooling rack.  Serve warm.

{{*sigh*}}

Next up....the sweet.

These muffins can also be called "cake muffins."  They're SO easy and SO delicious.  Yes, they are made from a cake mix...and you know, a cake mix now and then comes in handy.

{And that pumpkin makes 'em healthy. Trust me, I'm a blogger.}

If you are one of the crazy pumpkin-haters (and I know you're out there), never fear, these don't taste like pumpkin, they taste like CAKE!

Vanilla Pumpkin Muffins

2 egg whites
1 box French Vanilla cake mix
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
sanding or sparkling sugar

Preheat the oven to 350.  Lightly coat 15 or so baking liners with cooking spray or vegetable oil.  Place in a muffin tin.

Lightly beat the egg whites. Stir in the cake mix and the pumpkin.  Stir until combined.

Spoon into the prepared baking cups and top with a bit of sanding sugar for a little sparkle.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops bounce back when gently pressed.

Cool 10 minutes in the pans, then remove and cool completely on a cooling rack.

How do you like your pumpkin?  Sweet or savory?

Pear & Buckwheat Pancakes and a (Gorgeous!) Cookbook GIVEAWAY!

I know I should be eating more whole grains. I know I should be eating a variety of whole grains.

The truth is, they intimidate me.  I stand in the specialty flour section, looking at the bags, then grab my bag of good ol' unbleached all-purpose, go home and make cookies.

Happily, I received this book:

Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours by Kim Boyce. Kim (a former pastry chef at Spago and Campanile) has taken all of the mystery away from those exotic bags of flour in the grocery store.

The book is divided up by grain, such as:

• whole-wheat flour
• amaranth flour
• barley flour
• buckwheat flour
• and 8 more...

If you melt like I do over a cookbook with beautiful food photos, be prepared to melt.  The pic of Cherry Hazelnut Muesli makes my heart pitter-pat every time I see it.

{I didn't know Muesli could do that.}

You can win one for your very own!!!  Just keep reading!


I made Pear and Buckwheat Pancakes; they were fluffy and delicious!  And, I felt so GOOD eating them...even with a side of bacon! ;)


Pear and Buckwheat Pancakes
{from Good to the Grain}

Dry Mix:
1 c. buckwheat flour
1 c. whole-grain pastry flour (I used unbleached, all-purpose; Kim says that's OK.)
3 TBSP sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt

Wet Mix:
2 TBSP unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 & 1/4 c. whole milk
1 egg
2 medium ripe pears

Finish:
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/2 c. honey


Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl.

Whisk the melted butter, milk and egg until thoroughly combined.

Peel the pears. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the whole, peeled pears into the milk mixture.  The pear juice should fall into the milk along with the grated pears.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and gently combine with a rubber spatula.

Meanwhile, melt the butter & honey together in a small saucepan and cook until boiling, emulsified and slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.  Pour honey butter into a serving pitcher and keep warm.

Heat a cast iron pan or griddle over medium heat until water sizzles when splashed on the pan.  Rub the pan generously with butter.  Working quickly, dollop 1/4 cup mounds of batter onto the pan.

Once bubbles have begun to form, flip and cook until bottoms are golden brown.

Wipe the pan with a cloth before the next batch and rub the pan with butter again.

Serve the pancakes hot with the pitcher of honey butter.



I think this cookbook has opened a whole new world of possibilities in my baking.

{But, never fear, I'm not giving up my all-purpose!}

Now you can win a copy of Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours!  A random entry will be chosen on Friday, March 12th at 10pm CST. Good luck!!!

Earn up to 2 entries in the giveaway:

1. Leave a comment here telling what specialty flour you've always wanted to try or already love.
2. Tweet about the Giveaway: "Gorgeous Good to the Grain Cookbook Giveaway at Bake at 350! http://ow.ly/1g7iD" and leave a separate comment letting me know you tweeted and your twitter name. 

{Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this cookbook for review.  The opinions expressed are my own.}

Chocolate Nutella Turnovers

Nutella and chocolate wrapped in puff pastry...

...if only every morning could start like this!

As part of FoodBuzz's tastemaker program, I received a coupon for a free box of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry. {Who says blogging doesn't have it's benefits?}


All I could think of was chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. And let me tell you, I was a hero in my 10-year-old's eyes after serving these for breakfast. (That lasted all of 15 minutes, but it was worth it.)

Even my husband who "doesn't like Nutella" ate two of them and said these belonged on the menu at a "fancy pastry place." Sorry, honey...I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you officially like Nutella now.


Chocolate Nutella Turnovers

1 sheet Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry (from the 17.3 oz box), thawed
1 & 1/2 c. chocolate chips, divided
1/2 c. Nutella
1 egg
1 TBSP water
2 TBSP slivered almonds
1 TBSP shortening (such as Crisco)

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.


Stir together 1 cup chocolate chips and the Nutella.

On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a 12 x 12 inch square. Use a pizza cutter to cut into 9 squares.

With a fork, whisk together the egg and water. Using your finger, apply the egg wash to 2 adjacent sides of each square.

Add 1 heaping tablespoon of the chocolate/Nutella mixture to the middle of each square. Fold over to make triangles and press to seal edges.

{There will be some of this mixture leftover. What happens in the kitchen, stay in the kitchen.}

Brush the top of each turnover with egg wash. Sprinkle with the slivered almonds. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the reserved 1/2 c. chocolate chips and the shortening in the microwave on 50% power in 30-second intervals. Stir after each interval until melted. Set aside.

Remove the turnover for the oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.

Spoon the melted chocolate into a quart-sized freezer baggie (a storage baggie might burst) and snip a hole in one corner. Squeeze over the turnovers in a decorative pattern.


Having guests for Christmas? They are going to love these!

Related breakfast posts:

• sweet potato pancakes
• chocolate pumpkin mini-muffins
• banana cinnamon chip muffins
  

Sweet Potato Pancakes

At our house, we eat these a lot as breakfast for dinner. For years, I told my son they were "fall pancakes" because I knew "sweet potato pancakes" wasn't going to go over so well. (He's 10 now, so he can handle the truth!)

Call them what you will...they are yummy!

These are made with canned sweet potatoes. They could certainly be made with fresh cooked & mashed sweet potatoes, but it makes me smile buying that can of Sugary Sam's. :)

Sweet Potato Pancakes

1 ¼ c. all purpose flour
¼ c. chopped pecans, toasted
2 ¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ginger
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
¼ tsp coarse salt
1 c. buttermilk (or regular milk)
¼ c. packed dark brown sugar
1 TBSP vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 (16 oz) can sweet potatoes, drained & mashed

Whisk together flour, 2 TBSP pecans, baking powder, spices and salt.

Combine milk through vanilla; add to the flour mixture. Stir until smooth. Stir in the mashed sweet potatoes.

Ladle about 1/4th cup batter for each pancake onto a non-stick griddle. Turn when edges are cooked and top is covered with bubbles.

Top with maple syrup....

...and maybe a little more syrup...

and sprinkle with remainder of pecans.


Related posts:

• lemon-blueberry pancakes
• homemade, whole-grain pancake mix

Flavor-of-the-Month link up is tomorrow, November 30th!

Chocolate Pumpkin Mini-Muffins

Have you made those muffins that call just for a box of cake mix and a can of pumpkin?


I made them last year, but I had forgotten all about them until blog hopping one day brought me to The Bake-Off Flunkie. It's really a great blog and she posted a similar recipe, but with CHOCOLATE cake mix and chocolate chips. Now why hadn't I thought of that?!?

This is the easiest recipe. The pumpkin keeps the muffins moist, adds fiber and makes me feel a little less guilty eating 7 of them in one sitting. ;)

Chocolate Pumpkin Mini-Muffins
(makes approx 43 mini muffins)

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1/2 c mini chocolate chips
2 egg whites
2 TBSP water

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease the insides of your mini muffin liners, otherwise the muffins will stick to the paper. (I use vegetable oil and a paper towel for this job.) Place in mini muffin tins.


{Yes, it is a pain, but it'll give you more time to appreciate the cuteness of your liners.}

In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until a little foamy.


Add in the remaining ingredients and stir until well-blended. Use a tablespoon to fill prepared baking cups. Bake for about 13-15 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from pans and let cool on a rack.

Disclaimer: See those chocolate chips on the top of every muffin? I added those as soon as they came out of the oven because without them they looked a little like, ahem, poop muffins. These are not elegant looking muffins. Call 'em poo-poo muffins if you have boys; we did. You won't hurt my feelings. Don't let that stop you from eating them, though!


In case you missed it, Jessica of This, That, and Your Blog is offering Bake at 350 readers a 5% discount off her already reasonable prices on a custom blog design of $35 or more. Just mention Bake at 350 when placing your order.


Related posts:

• banana cinnamon chip muffins
• meyer lemon-vanilla scones