Monday, February 25, 2019

Brown Sugar Spice Swirl Muffins #MuffinMonday

These brown sugar spice swirl muffins require four bowls, two more than my normal muffin recipes because of the sweet spicy swirl and crumble topping, but I promise they are well worth the washing up!

Food Lust People Love: These brown sugar spice swirl muffins require four bowls, two more than my normal muffin recipes because of the sweet spicy swirl and crumble topping, but I promise they are well worth the washing up! The muffins themselves are plain with only vanilla for flavoring. They’d be fine on their own if you chose to make just the batter. Adding a bit of a swirl and/or the crumble topping does make them special though.

Our younger daughter has been needing knee surgery so last week she came to Dubai for the procedure, where we could take care of her after. If there’s anything that makes a mom’s heart gladder than having one (or more) of her grown babies at home, I don’t know what it is. I don’t get that opportunity often enough anymore.

She’s been a great patient, resting when appropriate, taking the right pills when necessary and doing her recommended leg exercises. I’ve mostly been responsible for sustenance and helping her carry things while on crutches. Her motto is “everybody loves plain things” so fruit and nuts in muffins are not allowed. I decided to make a fancier muffin by adding a swirl. The crumble topping was her special request, as long as it didn't have oats.

Brown Sugar Spice Swirl Muffins

The muffins themselves are plain with only vanilla for flavoring. They’d be fine on their own if you chose to make just the batter. Adding a bit of a swirl and/or the crumble topping does make them special though.

Ingredients
For the muffin batter:
2 cups or 250g flour
1/2 cup or 113g golden caster sugar (or sub regular caster sugar)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 240ml milk
1/4 cup or 60ml canola or other light oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste

For the ginger cinnamon swirl:
1/4 cup or 60g butter, melted
1/3 cup, firmly packed, or 66g brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger

For the crumble:
1/2 cup, firmly packed, or 100g dark brown sugar
1/4 cup or 60g butter
1/4 cup or 31g flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch salt

Method
Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or grease with extra butter or oil.

In a small bowl, whisk the ginger cinnamon swirl ingredients together until well combined.

Use a pastry blender or a few quick pulses of a food processor to make the crumble with those ingredients. Set the swirl and crumble aside until ready to use. If your kitchen is warm, put the crumble bowl in the refrigerator.



To make the muffin batter, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

In a another smaller bowl (or large measuring jug), whisk together milk, oil, egg, and vanilla. Fold the wet ingredient mixture into dry ingredient mixture until just combined.



Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter to each of the prepared muffin cups. Then add 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon swirl filling to the center of the batter. Swirl with a toothpick.

Food Lust People Love: These brown sugar spice swirl muffins require four bowls, two more than my normal muffin recipes because of the sweet spicy swirl and crumble topping, but I promise they are well worth the washing up! The muffins themselves are plain with only vanilla for flavoring. They’d be fine on their own if you chose to make just the batter. Adding a bit of a swirl and/or the crumble topping does make them special though.


Top with an additional 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter then share the balance of the swirl between the cups.



Swirl again with the toothpick.

Divide the crumble between the 12 muffin cups. Press down very gently with your fingertips so the crumble adheres to the batter.

Food Lust People Love: These brown sugar spice swirl muffins require four bowls, two more than my normal muffin recipes because of the sweet spicy swirl and crumble topping, but I promise they are well worth the washing up! The muffins themselves are plain with only vanilla for flavoring. They’d be fine on their own if you chose to make just the batter. Adding a bit of a swirl and/or the crumble topping does make them special though.


Bake at 350°F pr 180°C for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Food Lust People Love: These brown sugar spice swirl muffins require four bowls, two more than my normal muffin recipes because of the sweet spicy swirl and crumble topping, but I promise they are well worth the washing up! The muffins themselves are plain with only vanilla for flavoring. They’d be fine on their own if you chose to make just the batter. Adding a bit of a swirl and/or the crumble topping does make them special though.


Leave the muffins to cool in the pan for a few minutes before carefully removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

The muffins rose nicely lifting the swirl up higher than anticipated but I'm still calling this a win because of the flavor the swirl adds.

Enjoy!

Food Lust People Love: These brown sugar spice swirl muffins require four bowls, two more than my normal muffin recipes because of the sweet spicy swirl and crumble topping, but I promise they are well worth the washing up! The muffins themselves are plain with only vanilla for flavoring. They’d be fine on their own if you chose to make just the batter. Adding a bit of a swirl and/or the crumble topping does make them special though.



Check out the lovely Muffin Monday recipes my friends are sharing today. They all sound delicious!

Muffin Monday
#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of 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 Brown Sugar Spice Swirl Muffins!

Food Lust People Love: These brown sugar spice swirl muffins require four bowls, two more than my normal muffin recipes because of the sweet spicy swirl and crumble topping, but I promise they are well worth the washing up! The muffins themselves are plain with only vanilla for flavoring. They’d be fine on their own if you chose to make just the batter. Adding a bit of a swirl and/or the crumble topping does make them special though.
 .
Posted by at 12:31:00 AM 0 comments
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Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Kakor Chokladflarn or IKEA Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies #CreativeCookieExchange

Kakor Chokladflarn or IKEA chocolate oatmeal cookies are a special treat we usually buy at that famous Swedish superstore but they are really quite easy to make at home. The bonus, of course, is that you know exactly what is in these. (Read: no palm oil or odd additives.) These delectable delights are crispy thin oatmeal cookies with dark chocolate sandwiched between them. In my copycat version, I leave them single file. You get more dark chocolate with each bite that way. Which, in my humble opinion, is always a good thing.

Food Lust People Love: Kakor Chokladflarn or IKEA chocolate oatmeal cookies are a special treat we usually buy at that famous Swedish superstore but they are really quite easy to make at home. The bonus, of course, is that you know exactly what is in these. (Read: no palm oil or odd additives.) These delectable delights are crispy thin oatmeal cookies with dark chocolate sandwiched between them. In my copycat version, I leave them single file. You get more dark chocolate with each bite that way. Which is always a good thing.
When today’s Creative Cookie Exchange theme was announced as “copycat cookies” I asked friends and family which cookies they might like to eat if I recreated a store-bought favorite. Most people were very helpful.

My husband suggested his favorite McVitie’s Ginger Nuts while at the same time allowing that he doubted any remake could duplicate the original successfully.

Wow, man.

Ordinarily that would make me say, “Challenged Accepted!” but he is really, really picky about his gingersnaps. Only McVitie’s will do.

I was all set to bake homemade Hobnobs when it suddenly struck me. There is one cookie I love to the point that I hate to buy them because I will eat them all. And they come in a very big box! You’ll have guessed from the title of this post that I’m referring to Kakor Chokladflarn from IKEA. (Recently renamed Kakor Havreflarn, which is not nearly as magical a name.)

When I tried to translate Kakor Chokladflarn into English, Google Translate struggled. Kakor was easy: Cookies. Chokladflarn became Chocolate Flap. Clearly choklad must be chocolate so I separated that second word in two. My persistence was rewarded by the following translation: Cookies Chocolate Flake. According to the French IKEA site, the flakes in the cookie title – flarn -  refer to oat flakes, in other words, whole rolled oats.

Kakor Chokladflarn or IKEA Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

My jumping off point for these cookies were these two recipes on Not Quite Nigella and Cuisine de Fadila and a couple in Swedish that were most amusing once translated. As well as a few ingredient changes, I also simplified the method and was super pleased with the results.

This recipe makes 2 dozen+ (about 27) single cookies or 13+ sandwich cookies.

Ingredients
1/2 cup or 113g butter
1 1/2 cups or 125g wholegrain rolled oats
2/3 cup or 150g caster or superfine sugar
1/4 cup or 25g ground almonds
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
7oz or 200g dark chocolate (I used a French dark chocolate called noir corsé or full-bodied black)

Method
Preheat oven to 400°F or 200°C and line two baking pans with baking parchment or silicone liners.

Measure the rolled oats, ground almond, flour, cornstarch, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into a large mixing bowl.



Melt the butter in a saucepan or microwaveable vessel. I used a measuring pitcher. Pour the melted butter into the dry ingredients. Stir well to combine.



In another small bowl, whisk the egg and vanilla paste together. Stir them into mixture in the bowl until well combined.



Use a small scoop to portion the dough out onto the prepared baking pans. Leave at least an inch around them to allow room for spreading as the cookies bake. My cookie scoop holds 2 tablespoons so I filled it about half full.



Bake for 6-7 minutes or until golden. Keep an eye on them because when they start to brown, they turn golden on the edges very quickly.

Food Lust People Love: Kakor Chokladflarn or IKEA chocolate oatmeal cookies are a special treat we usually buy at that famous Swedish superstore but they are really quite easy to make at home. The bonus, of course, is that you know exactly what is in these. (Read: no palm oil or odd additives.) These delectable delights are crispy thin oatmeal cookies with dark chocolate sandwiched between them. In my copycat version, I leave them single file. You get more dark chocolate with each bite that way. Which is always a good thing.


Leave the cookies to cool on the parchment or silicone liner until they are set. then use a thin spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. If you try to move them too soon, they might break.

Heat the chocolate in a microwave in 10-15 second bursts, stirring well in between, until it is smooth and completely melted. (You can also use a double boiler.)

Use a pastry brush or a palette knife to add the chocolate to the bottoms of the cookies.

Food Lust People Love: Kakor Chokladflarn or IKEA chocolate oatmeal cookies are a special treat we usually buy at that famous Swedish superstore but they are really quite easy to make at home. The bonus, of course, is that you know exactly what is in these. (Read: no palm oil or odd additives.) These delectable delights are crispy thin oatmeal cookies with dark chocolate sandwiched between them. In my copycat version, I leave them single file. You get more dark chocolate with each bite that way. Which is always a good thing.
If you are leaving them single, as I did, place them chocolate side up on parchment or silicone liners until the chocolate sets. Or sandwich them together, chocolate side to chocolate side, if you want to make authentic kakor chokladflarn or IKEA Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies. They are fabulous with a cold glass of milk, coffee or tea.

Food Lust People Love: Kakor Chokladflarn or IKEA chocolate oatmeal cookies are a special treat we usually buy at that famous Swedish superstore but they are really quite easy to make at home. The bonus, of course, is that you know exactly what is in these. (Read: no palm oil or odd additives.) These delectable delights are crispy thin oatmeal cookies with dark chocolate sandwiched between them. In my copycat version, I leave them single file. You get more dark chocolate with each bite that way. Which is always a good thing.
Enjoy!

Many thanks to this month's Creative Cookie Exchange host, Karen of Karen's Kitchen Stories. We are a small group this month. Just three tasty cookies. Check 'em out!



 You can use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links.


Pin these Kakor Chokladflarn aka IKEA Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies! 

Food Lust People Love: Kakor Chokladflarn or IKEA chocolate oatmeal cookies are a special treat we usually buy at that famous Swedish superstore but they are really quite easy to make at home. The bonus, of course, is that you know exactly what is in these. (Read: no palm oil or odd additives.) These delectable delights are crispy thin oatmeal cookies with dark chocolate sandwiched between them. In my copycat version, I leave them single file. You get more dark chocolate with each bite that way. Which is always a good thing.
 .

Posted by at 4:02:00 AM 0 comments
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Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Steamed Apple Date Bread #BreadBakers

A quick bread cooked on the stovetop? Yes, it’s not only possible, but I highly recommend it! This steamed apple date bread is so easy to make and it is chock full of flavor with sticky dates, tart chopped apple and brown sugar.

Food Lust People Love: A quick bread cooked on the stovetop? Yes, it’s not only possible, but I highly recommend it! This steamed apple date bread is so easy to make and it is chock full of flavor with sticky dates, tart chopped apple and brown sugar. Enjoy these two little loaves simply sliced or toasted and buttered. Either way, they are perfect for breakfast, coffee breaks, snack or teatime.

This month my Bread Bakers event has an unusual theme: Catch up!  Our host Pavani from Cook’s Hideout proposed that we make a bread from a past Bread Bakers theme that we missed participating in.

This steamed apple date bread is my 52nd Bread Bakers recipe and, if you care to do the math that means I’ve only missed one event since I started the group in September 2014. I missed Steamed Breads in August 2017 because my daughters and I were making the cross-country trek from the Boston to Los Angeles. Truth be told though, I wasn’t that disappointed.

You see, I am not really a fan of steamed bread. It’s often pale and anemic looking and needs a filling to make it worth eating. If I wanted to participate this month, I decided that the ingredients needed to bring some color as well as flavor to my bread. Dates and brown sugar seemed like a good idea.

My neighbor and very good friend Sandra very kindly gave me some sweet dates from her date palms and she also shared her microwaveable date loaf recipe. (It’s fabulous and you’d never guess it was “baked” in the microwave!) I merged hers with one on the King Arthur website for a harvest bread steamed in a pudding bowl (the misleading accompanying photo aside), and the method for Boston brown bread steamed in coffee cans which does actually turn out cylindrical.

This bread is sooooo good! Just sweet enough with a tender crumb, great flavor and lovely color. I can now say that I like, nay LOVE, steamed bread.

Steamed Apple Date Bread

Enjoy these two loaves simply sliced, or toasted and buttered. Either way, they are perfect for breakfast, coffee breaks, snack or teatime. Without ever turning your oven on.

Ingredients
8 oz or 225g sweet ripe dates, pits removed, then chopped
1 cup, firmly packed, or 200g brown sugar
1 cup or 245g plain yogurt
1/4 cup or 60g butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups or 190g flour
1 1/2 cups or 180g wholemeal flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
2 eggs

Method
Place the chopped dates, brown sugar, yogurt and butter into a small pan and cook over a medium low heat until it starts to boil, about 4-5 minutes.





Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl and stir in the baking soda. It will get very bubbly. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally to speed up the process. (I popped mine in the freezer for about 10 minutes as well.)



Grease the insides of two coffee cans with melted butter or non-stick baking spray. Bring a teakettle of water to a boil.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, salt and spices. Tip in the chopped apple and stir well to coat.



In another bowl, beat the eggs. Whisk in the cooled date mixture.



Fold your wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients until just mixed.



Divide your thick batter between the two greased coffee cans.

Cover the cans with a square of baking parchment, then hold it in place with a square of aluminum foil. Secure the foil with poultry string or silicone rubber bands.



Place the coffee cans in a deep stock pot on top of a vegetable steamer or some crumpled foil so they don’t touch the bottom.



The pan should be deep enough so its lid can cover top of the coffee cans. Fill the pan with boiling water two-thirds of the way up the coffee cans. You may have to boil another kettle of water if you are using a vegetable steamer, which will lift the cans quite high off the bottom of the pot.



Cover, bring the water back to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Steam the two coffee cans for about 2 hours, adding water to the pot if necessary.

Remove the cans from the pot and take off the foil and parchment paper.

Food Lust People Love: A quick bread cooked on the stovetop? Yes, it’s not only possible, but I highly recommend it! This steamed apple date bread is so easy to make and it is chock full of flavor with sticky dates, tart chopped apple and brown sugar. Enjoy these two little loaves simply sliced or toasted and buttered. Either way, they are perfect for breakfast, coffee breaks, snack or teatime.

Leave to cool for at least 30 minutes before turning the loaves out.

Food Lust People Love: A quick bread cooked on the stovetop? Yes, it’s not only possible, but I highly recommend it! This steamed apple date bread is so easy to make and it is chock full of flavor with sticky dates, tart chopped apple and brown sugar. Enjoy these two little loaves simply sliced or toasted and buttered. Either way, they are perfect for breakfast, coffee breaks, snack or teatime.


Enjoy!

Food Lust People Love: A quick bread cooked on the stovetop? Yes, it’s not only possible, but I highly recommend it! This steamed apple date bread is so easy to make and it is chock full of flavor with sticky dates, tart chopped apple and brown sugar. Enjoy these two little loaves simply sliced or toasted and buttered. Either way, they are perfect for breakfast, coffee breaks, snack or teatime.


Check out the rest of the wonderful bread recipes my Bread Bakers are sharing today. Many thanks to Pavani of Cook’s Hideout for hosting this month.

#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 Steamed Apple Date Bread!

Food Lust People Love: A quick bread cooked on the stovetop? Yes, it’s not only possible, but I highly recommend it! This steamed apple date bread is so easy to make and it is chock full of flavor with sticky dates, tart chopped apple and brown sugar. Enjoy these two little loaves simply sliced or toasted and buttered. Either way, they are perfect for breakfast, coffee breaks, snack or teatime.
  .

Posted by at 3:06:00 AM 0 comments
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