Grape Juice Jigglers

Grape juice jigglers are a healthy treat your children will love, made with vegetarian gelatin and naturally sweet grape juice. Maybe make some for Easter? 

When my girls were growing up, I was a bake-from-scratch-type mom, but the two exceptions to that were boxed chewy brownie mix and Jello®. I guess I have to include Jello® pudding in that category as well. I had to help with brownies and Jello® because of the hot oven and the boiling water but instant pudding was sooo easy that my girls could make it by themselves from when they were very little. Cold milk, whisk in the powder. Done! How did it thicken? It was like a creamy sweet miracle. 

I don’t know who the genius behind jigglers was but I put him or her right up there with the marketing person who first thought of “lather, rinse, repeat” on shampoo bottle labels. After all, jigglers get you to use two boxes of that powdered, sweetened gelatin to make the same size pan and it’s probably eaten just as quickly. Or maybe even more quickly since jigglers of all flavors are kid favorites. A cold jiggly treat you can eat with your hands? Yes, please! 

A little research reveals that jigglers were first touted in a cookbook given away by the makers of Jello® in the 1930s. The recipe was rediscovered in the ’70s when, as sales declined, the company looked for ways to reinvigorate the market for their jiggly product, thumbing through their old cookbooks for inspiration. And another generation of jiggler lovers was born. Count me and my girls in that number.

I know a lot of moms try to limit their children’s intake of sugar with no nutritional value and I did too. So drinks and sugar-full Jell-O® were a special treat on weekends. I was not a fan of sugar-free versions because sugar seemed less harmful than the chemicals that made up the unnatural sweeteners. And what about all the coloring additives? Let’s not even go there. So what’s a mom to do?

 

Make grape juice jigglers from pure, naturally colored, naturally sweetened grape juice! Or frankly, any juice of your choice, as long as it is not very acidic, which inhibits the gelatin from firming up.

 

Grape Juice Jigglers

Most gelatin powders are still made from animal products, but vegan/vegetarian friendly gelatin is now widely available as well. Just read the labels if that is a concern for you. I will tell you that if you use the non-animal gelatin, you need just a bit more than usual to get your juice to set. 

Ingredients

4 1/4 cups cups or 1 liter no-sugar added grape juice

4 1/2 teaspoons unflavored vegetarian gelatin powder 

Method

Sprinkle the vegetarian gelatin powder over the grape juice in medium-sized pot.  Stir thoroughly until the powder is completely dissolved and the liquid appears to thicken just a little.

 

Put the pot on the stove and, over a medium flame, heat till just boiling. (About 200°F or 93°C by my candy thermometer.) Tiny bubbles will start appearing. 

Pour the hot liquid into a heatproof rectangular casserole dish about 9x13 in or 23x33cm. 

Leave to cool, then cover with cling film and chill for at least 2 hours or until firm. 

Cut into squares to serve.

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 8th edition of our 2024 Alphabet Challenge being brought to you by the letter G. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the G sponsored recipes below:

• Sneha’s Recipe: Gavar Sabji 
• Culinary Cam: Aïgo Bouido (Provençal Garlic Soup) 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Shrimp and Grits 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Guacamole Salad 
• Food Lust People Love: Grape Juice Jigglers 
• Palatable Pastime: Grilled Vegetables with Hot Bacon Dressing 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Gyoza Wrapper Pizza Bites 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Garlic Butter Gnocchi with Green Beans 
• Blogghetti: Easy Baked Garlic and Brown Sugar Chicken 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Creamy Simple Stovetop Gouda Mac & Cheese 
• Magical Ingredients: Green and Red Salsa Paratha

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Jalapeño Cheddar Muffins #MuffinMonday

Slightly spicy and oh so cheesy, these jalapeño cheddar muffins are fluffy inside with a little cheesy crunch on the outside. In short, they are delicious. Perfect for breakfast OR snack time. They are also a great accompaniment for soup!

Once again, I’m sharing a small batch recipe for Muffin Monday, the last Monday of the month. It makes just six normal sized muffins but I must confess that my husband and I each ate two, one after the other, as soon as I took the photos for this post. They are so good! Just double the ingredients if you need 12.

Jalapeño Cheddar Muffins

I used a English mature cheddar for the extra sharp cheddar in this recipe because it’s our favorite but I have to admit for prettier muffins, an orange-colored cheddar might make a nicer contrast with the green jalapeños on top. Does anyone know why we color our cheddar here in the States? I must research this but if you know, please tell me why! 

Ingredients for 6 muffins

1 fresh jalapeño

Drizzle olive or canola oil to grease 6-cup muffin pan

1 cup or 125g flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Few good grinds of fresh black pepper

4 oz or 112g extra sharp cheddar

1/3 cup or 78ml milk

3 tablespoons canola or other light oil

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (We prefer Lea & Perrins.)

1 egg

Method

Slice six thin rounds from your jalapeños to use for decoration, then mince the rest of them, discarding the seeds (if you want them less spicy) and stems. 

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and grease your 6-cup muffin pan liberally with canola or olive oil.  I don’t recommend using muffin liners when baking with cheese because the melty cheese makes the muffins hard to remove from the paper.

Grate your cheese. Put aside a small handful for topping the muffins. Whisk together your flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl. 

Add the bigger pile of cheese to the flour bowl and stir to coat the cheese.

Now add the minced jalapeños and stir to coat again.

In another bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, Worcestershire sauce and egg. 

 

Pour your wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold them together until just mixed. 

This is a really stiff batter, almost a dough. But trust. When the muffins bake, all that cheese is going to melt and you will end up with lovely tender muffins.

Divide the batter evenly among the 6 muffin cups. Top each with some reserved cheese and a slice of jalapeño.

Bake in your preheated oven about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool on a rack for a few minutes and then remove the muffins from the pan to cool completely.  

If, despite liberal greasing, your muffins still stick to the pan a little, just run a knife or silicone spatula around the outside of each muffin and they should pop free.

Enjoy!  

As I mentioned above, it’s Muffin Monday, our favorite day of the month! Check out the other recipes my blogger friends are sharing: 

• Banana Pineapple Muffins with Macadamia Nuts from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Ginger & Lemon Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Jalapeño Cheddar Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Lemon Zucchini Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Sourdough Tangerine Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

Pin these Jalapeño Cheddar Muffins!

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Blueberry Banana Muffins (Small Batch) #MuffinMonday

Overripe banana and juicy frozen blueberries make these blueberry banana muffins some of the best I’ve ever baked. Small batch of six! Highly recommend! 

I never worried about getting rid of ripe bananas when my mom was around. Her attitude (and my maternal grandfather’s, for the matter) was that when it comes to bananas, the darker, the better. Sadly, after several months of declining health, Mom passed away three weeks ago. I am blessed to tell you that she was here at home with us and her transition was peaceful. 

After she died, I had one last black banana to use up so I made these muffins. She would have really liked them but I console myself that in heaven, there are probably all the muffins she wants. And all the super ripe bananas too. 

Banana Blueberry Muffins - Small Batch

This recipe makes six normal sized muffins. My husband declared them chock full of blueberries and so they are. We think that’s a good thing and I hope you agree. 

Ingredients

1 cup or 125g all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup or 60ml canola or other light oil, plus extra for the pan

1 medium overripe banana (mine weighed 65g without peel)

1/3 cup, packed, or 66g brown sugar

1 large egg

1 cup or 125g frozen blueberries

Method

Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C. Prepare your six-cup muffin pan by brushing it will a little canola oil. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, add the banana, oil and egg. Mash the banana with a fork. 

Then use the fork to mix the three together thoroughly. 

Add all but six of the frozen blueberries to the dry ingredient bowl and fold gently so they are covered with the dry ingredients. 

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl.   

Fold until well combined. Adding the frozen blueberries to the batter while they are still frozen means they don’t mush or fall apart while you fold them in. They do add moisture as they thaw while the muffins bake so don’t be worried that the batter is more like a dough as you spoon it into the muffin cups. 

Spoon the batter equally into the 6 muffin cups. Top each with a single reserved blueberry.

Bake for 5 minutes in your preheated oven then decrease the oven temperature to 350°F or 180°C WITHOUT opening the oven door, and bake for 15-18 minutes more until domed and set. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with just a couple crumbs attached.

Let cool for a few minutes.

Enjoy!

It’s the last Monday of the month so that means it’s Muffin Monday time. Check out the muffins my fellow bloggers are sharing below.

• Banana Crumb Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Blueberry Banana Muffins (Small Batch) from Food Lust People Love
• Lemon Cranberry Corn Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Matcha Chocolate Chip Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Orange and Strawberry Whole Wheat Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Sourdough Banana Carrot Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

Pin these Blueberry Banana Muffins! 

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Egyptian Mahlab Bread #BreadBakers

Puffy and crispy yet chewy around the edges, this Egyptian mahlab bread is sprinkled with kalongi aka nigella seeds for flavor and decoration. 

First, I have to tell you that this bread doesn’t actually contain mahlab. I haven't even been able to figure out why this particular kind of bread is called mahlab. It has nothing to do with cherries or the spice made from the kernel in their pits. 

Suffice to say that it is Egyptian so it fits this month’s Bread Bakers theme of Mediterranean breads and that’s gonna have to be good enough for me right now. If someone has more info, please let me know. 

Egyptian Mahlab Bread

This recipe is adapted from several I found online. It makes 8 mahlab breads. For some reason, they all didn’t puff up but even the flatter ones were still delicious. 

Ingredients

For the bread dough:

1/2 cup or 120ml warm water

3/4 teaspoon dry yeast

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 cups or 187.5g flour

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the egg wash:

1 egg whisked with 1 tablespoon milk

For flavor and decoration: 

Kalongi aka nigella seeds

Method

In your mixing bowl, mix the warm water with the yeast and sugar. Set aside for a few minutes to make sure your yeast is active. It should start to foam up.

In a separate bowl, whisk together your flour and salt. 

Add the flour and salt to the warm water/yeast bowl a little at a time and stir well until you form a soft smooth dough. I have a Danish whisk that is perfect for this job. 

Knead the dough by hand for several turns then form it into a ball. Place it in an oiled bowl and let it rise for an hour or until doubled in size. 

As you can see from this photo, I let mine over prove but no harm, no foul. Life got in the way. Just punch it down and carry on. 

Divide the dough into eight equal pieces. Mine each weighed about 38g.

Use a cupped hand to roll them into balls against the countertop. 

Roll out the balls to a 1/4 inch or 6mm thickness, brush the tops with the egg wash.

Sprinkle the seeds on top.

Let the little dough circles rest for about 10-15 minutes while you preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C. They will rise again slightly. 

Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the bottoms are nicely browned.

Remove from the oven. If you'd like the bread crunchier, leave it to cool completely. 

Enjoy!

As mentioned above, it’s Bread Baker time! Yep, it's the second Tuesday of this new year (and month) and that means it’s time for my Bread Bakers to share their recipes. My daughter Cecilie chose the theme of Mediterranean bread and I was grateful since my brain wasn’t working so great. Fortunately, a lot of my fellow bread bakers are more organized than I am. Check out all their links below:

• Bazluma from Magical Ingredients
• Cheese Fatayer from Sneha's Recipe
• Egyptian Mahlab Bread from Food Lust People Love
• Halloumi Cheese, Olive, and Mint Bread from Cook with Renu
• Ka'ak Asfar from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Olive Oil Blueberry Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pita from Passion Kneaded
• Scones with Za'atar and Feta from Palatable Pastime
• Sourdough Man'oushe (Za'atar Flatbread) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Vasilopita from A Messy Kitchen

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin this Egyptian Mahlab Bread! 

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Classic Gingerbread Muffins #MuffinMonday

Cinnamon, ginger, cloves and molasses give these classic gingerbread muffins their traditional flavor. Tender and light, they make a perfect snack or breakfast.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! 

This month’s Muffin Monday snuck up on me! I was certain that there was one more Monday next week still in December. When I realized I was wrong, I knew immediately that I wanted to make gingerbread muffins. I love the wonderful aroma when gingerbread is baking. It smells like Christmas to me. 

Classic Gingerbread Muffins

This recipe makes 15 regular sized muffins. If you don't have a nine cup muffin pan, I suggest you use a 12-cup and a six cup. Simply add a half cup of water to the empty cups when baking to keep the heat distribution even. 

Ingredients

2 ½ cups or 313g all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup or 113g unsalted butter, softened

½ cup or 100g white sugar

1 large egg

1 cup or 240ml unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)

1 cup or 240ml hot water

Optional for serving: a sprinkle of icing sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Prepare 9-cup and 6-cup muffin pans by greasing them or lining them with paper muffin cups. 

Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in a large bowl.

In another mixing bowl, whisk the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and whisk again. 

Whisk in the molasses until smooth and homogeneous.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold until almost completely combined. 

There may still be a little flour showing. Whisk in the hot water until smooth.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups in your prepared pans. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center of a muffin at 20 minutes; it should come out clean. If not, cook for a few additional minutes.

Allow the gingerbread muffins to cool before serving. 

Sprinkle with a little icing sugar, if desired, to serve.

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the last Muffin Monday for 2023! Check out the links below:

• Buttermilk Herb and Fontina Cheese Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Classic Gingerbread Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Honey Yogurt Muffins from Palatable Pastime

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

Pin these Classic Gingerbread Muffins!

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Rough Puff Pain au Chocolat #BreadBakers

These rough puff pain au chocolat beauties are so much easier than regular puff pastry but still have the requisite flaky layers we all love so much.

When our host for this month’s Bread Baker event chose laminated dough as our theme, I really hoped to have time to make actual puff pastry. It’s something my son-in-law used to make and, in true Dai fashion, he made it look easy. I know it wasn't!

Time got away from me, as it does to most of us this time of year so I resorted to rough puff yeast dough. No regrets though. It was delicious. 

Rough Puff Pain au Chocolat

If you have access to the special chocolate batons that French bakeries use instead of chocolate bars, by all means, use them. As you can see from the photos, the chocolate does melt out somewhat but my taste testers all agreed that there was still plenty of big chocolate flavor from the dark 70 percent cocoa.

This recipe was adapted from one on Baking a Moment. 

Ingredients for 10

For the rough puff dough:

2 2/3 cups or 333g flour

1/4 cup or 50g sugar

2 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup + 1/3 cup or 188g unsalted butter, cold

2/3 cup or 160ml milk, (add up to 2 – 3 tablespoons more if needed)

For the egg wash:

1 large egg beaten with a teaspoon or two of water

For the filling: 

4 3/4 oz or 135g good quality chocolate (I used Lindt 70% cocoa dark chocolate. Bought 2 bars, used about 1 1/3.)

Method

Place the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a large bowl and whisk together until combined. 

Slice the butter into 1/8-inch or 1/3 cm thick slices and toss in the flour mixture to coat.

Add the milk and stir together until a shaggy dough forms. 

If you still have too much dry flour showing, add the extra tablespoons of milk, one at a time, mixing well in between. 

Wrap the dough tightly in cling film and chill for at least 1 hour. This can also be an overnight rest without any problems. 

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a wide rectangle.

Fold it into thirds (like a letter), turn 90 degrees, and roll the dough out again. 

Repeat 4 to 6 more times, folding and rolling, until the dough has large streaks of butter in it but it is smooth and flat. If your kitchen is warm, chill the dough folded and wrapped in the refrigerator or freezer until stiff, before rolling out again. 

Wrap tightly and chill for 1 more hour, then roll it out to a rough square shape about 12 inches or 30cm wide.

Trim off any uneven edges. (Bake these rolled in cinnamon sugar for an easy treat.)

 Cut the dough into 10 rectangles (about 5x3 inches or 13x7.5cm.) I have a very hard time cutting things evenly when you can't cut halves then halves again but it's easy if you fold the two sides in and leave an equal part in the middle. 

Simply cut that middle piece out, then cut the other two pieces on the fold lines. Voilá, five reasonably even pieces! 

Cut your chocolate bars into short lengths and line a large baking pan with parchment. 

Place one piece of chocolate near the short end of each rectangle. Place another piece of chocolate about 1 1/2-inches from the other short end of the rectangle.

Roll the dough up around the chocolate pieces. Place the pain au chocolat seam side down in your prepared pan.

Cover them loosely with cling film and put the pan in a warm place. Prove until doubled in size. Alternatively, you can prove them overnight in the refrigerator then allow them time to rise at room temperature before baking the next day.

Preheat the oven to 375°F or 190°C and gently brush the pain au chocolate with the egg wash.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until puffed, golden brown, and flaky.

Enjoy! 

It’s the second Tuesday of the month so that means it’s Bread Baker time! Today we are sharing baked goods made with laminated dough. Check out the treats below! Many thanks to our host Kelly from Passion Kneaded.

• Cranberry Brie Appetizer Pinwheels from A Messy Kitchen
• Croissant Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Herbed Cheese Scrolls from Sneha's Recipes
• Kakaós Csiga from Passion Kneaded
• Rough Puff Pain au Chocolat from Food Lust People Love

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin these Rough Puff Pain au Chocolat! 

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