Showing posts with label snacks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snacks. Show all posts

June 16, 2012

Blueberry-Oatmeal Muffins with Mascarpone & Orange Glaze



A perfect early summer morning consists of dragging children out of bed for a short drive up the mountain to pick blueberries.  And to make it even more so dreamy, how about stuffing handfuls of the freshest blueberries on the West Coast into their happy little mouths?


Eat your heart out Maine!

I am certain that we ate more than ended up in our bucket, but seriously, who is counting?

 
What a beautiful mess!
Which I would gladly endure again in spite of the muffin pan that I will spend two hours scouring.....maybe we will save this for a long, hot, soapy bath in the sink. It really does look as though I walked in on my daughter with a tube of finger paint and a brilliantly white wall :) 

Blueberry explosion = Success.

These muffins have somewhat of a quick break consistency rather than a spongy-box muffin type.  I used bread flour since it was all I had in the pantry.  I'm sure you could try all-purpose flour instead and see what happens.  I am a huge advocate for "seeing what sticks on the wall" rather than always following the rules. 

That's where the best recipes come from, right? 

Enjoy!

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Ingredients for Blueberry-Oatmeal Muffins with Mascarpone & Orange Glaze

by Splendor in the Kitchen

1 1/2 Cups Buttermilk
3 Tbsp Honey
1 Cup Rolled Oats {instant or quick-cook}
2 Cups Bread Flour
1/2 Tsp. Salt
2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
4 Tbsp Canola Oil
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Egg, slightly beaten
2 Egg Whites
2 Cups Fresh or Frozen Blueberries

1/4 Cup Mascarpone Cream Cheese {softened at room temperature}
1/2 Cup Powdered Confectioner's Sugar
2-4 Tbsp Orange Juice {freshly squeezed if possible}

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin pan with paper liners, or grease pan with softened butter. Set aside.

Heat buttermilk and honey in microwave until hot but not scalding, about 1 minute.  Pour in rolled oats, stir and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients {flour, salt and baking powder}.  Stir in vanilla, oil, sugar and whole egg. Add in the buttermilk/honey & oatmeal mix that has been soaking.

In another bowl, beat egg whites on high until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold egg whites into batter, careful not to break up the peaks.

Gently stir in blueberries and combine just until berries are evenly distributed in the batter.

Divide batter evenly amongst prepared muffin pan, filling until about 3/4 way full.  Bake in preheated oven, 20-24 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of muffin. Let muffins cool in pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack for 5 minutes.

While muffins are baking in the oven, prepare glaze by whisking together softened mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar and enough orange juice to thin out glaze for drizzling.  Glaze should be smooth with no lumps from the cheese.

When muffins are still warm, drizzle mascarpone & orange glaze over all muffins with a small spoon. Serve immediatley.

Makes 12-16 muffins.











May 20, 2012

Homemade Granola




Happy Sunday!

  What an absolutely gorgeous May morning.....70 degrees,which prompts me to relish in sitting on my back patio, coffee in hand and scoping out our panoramic forest views. 

Lucky me.

This batch of crispy granola that I whipped up this weekend lends itself perfectly to my morning, and to my bowl of tangy Greek yogurt too.

Yep, and there is a hummingbird fluttering overhead. 

Doesn't get much better than this today :)

So here is my pretty simple and quick version of semi-sweet & semi-savory granola step by step.  It was extremely well received by the handfuls when we offered up a bag for the in-laws to try, but I may tweak it slightly to my taste, so I will keep you posted!


Step 1. Puree Bananas with Agave Syrup & Canola oil.





Step 2. Mix together Rolled Oats, Sliced Almonds, & Banana/Agave & Oil Puree.


Step 3. Spread out onto a baking dish lined with a Silipat mat or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.


Step 4. Remove from oven and let cool completely.  It will crisp up more here {the bananas keep the granola moist, so you really need to let it set and crisp}.


Step 5. Scoop up and savor every last crumb!


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Ingredients for Homemade Granola
by Splendor in the Kitchen

4 Cups Rolled Oats
2/3 Cup Sliced Almonds
1/2 Cup Agave Syrup
6 Tbsp Canola Oil {divided, 4 & 2}
2 Bananas
2 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup

Directions

Preheast oven to 400 degrees.

In a food processor or blender, puree together the bananas, agave syrup and 4 Tablespoons of Canola Oil.

In a mixing bowl, add rolled oats and sliced almonds.  Stir in the banana puree mixture, coating the oats evenly. 

Spread out oats onto a baking tray lined with a Silipat mat, or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Make sure this is an even layer and not clumped.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.  Turn oven down to 325 degrees, and stir oats around. Bake for another 10 minutes.  Pour additional 2 Tbsp of canola oil and 2 Tbsp of Maple Syrup onto oats.  Stir, and bake in oven approximately another 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely. Store in airtight container for snacks or sprinkled over yogurt.