Whole-wheat biscuits

Well, hi there! Nice to see you again after a bit of a hiatus. Obviously things have been very busy, blah blah blah -- but really, I want to know about you. How are you doing? What have you been up to?

As you know, making weekend breakfasts with The Mush is one of my very favorite things to do. (Remember these? And these? And mmm -- this?) She's 3 now, if you can believe it, and becoming quite the baker. Recently I had a hankering for biscuits, so that's what we made. I couldn't find my pastry blender, so we got in there with our hands and smooshed the butter into the flour mixture with our fingers. (Yes, "smooshed" is the correct culinary term. Look it up. ;)

Usually I like biscuits a bit on the salty side, and these were a touch sweet, though the addition of whole-wheat flour helped lend some nuttiness. But the great thing about discovering these biscuits is that they will be perfect for shortcake on a summer afternoon very soon. Freshly whipped cream with a touch of vanilla in it and some macerated strawberries, anyone? Or maybe some lightly sauteed peaches with fresh raspberries folded in? Oh yeah!

In the meantime, here's the biscuit recipe. Enjoy!

Whole-Wheat Biscuits

Adapted from this recipe in Gourmet

Yield: 6 biscuits

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

4 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup plain yogurt (not nonfat)

1/4 cup milk (not skim)

1 Tbsp. milk or cream for brushing biscuits

1. Put oven rack in the middle position and preheat to 425ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or Silpat. 

2. Sift both flours, sugar, salt and baking soda into a large bowl. Blend in butter with your fingertips (that's right -- smoosh it in there!) until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk together yogurt and milk, add to bowl with flour mixture and stir with a fork until just blended (dough will be moist).

3. Turn dough onto a well-floured surface and knead 6 times. Flour your hands, reflour surface and pat down dough to a rough 8-by-5 1/2-inch rectangle. Cut dough in half, then cut both halves into thirds (I used a floured bench scraper, but a knife would work just as well). Transfer biscuits to baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart, and brush tops with milk or cream.

4. Bake until biscuits are pale golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer biscuits to a rack to cool to room temperature.

NOTES:

• These are best enjoyed the day they're made. We had a fewleftovers, so we put them in a ziplock bag, and they were still delicious that night.
• You may substitute whole-wheat pastry flour for all of the flour, or use just all-purpose if you don't want whole wheat.
• I used the yogurt-milk combo because I didn't have buttermilk on hand. If you do, use 3/4 cup.
• For less-sweet biscuits, use only 1/2 Tbsp. sugar. 

Blog foul!

Hi friends -

Wow, there was a random half-finished post up here for a little while there -- my apologies!

It was about these cookies, which I made for The Mush's 3rd birthday, but it didn't have the recipe or the photo -- yipes! So here are both.

Enjoy!

Chocolate-Toffee Oatmeal Cookies

Very slightly adapted from this recipe on the amazing Food 52

Makes: About 48

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

16 Tbsp. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup toffee bits

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. In a large bowl, beat butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Slowly add flour mixture and beat until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chips and toffee bits, mixing well.

2. Using a 1 1/2 Tbsp. cookie scoop, portion cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or Silpat. Freeze until firm, then transfer to ziplock bags and freeze until ready to use.

3. Place oven racks in top and bottom thirds of oven and preheat to 350ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or Silpat. Place about 9 dough balls on each baking sheet and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, switching sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through. (Or bake the sheets one at a time in the kiddle of the oven and just turn the sheet around halfway through.) Let cookies cool on the baking sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes, then remove the cookies to the racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

Coffee Cookies with Cacao Nibs

Happy spring! Just a quick post on this beautiful day to share these grown-up treats with you. Cookies infused with espresso, studded with chocolate-covered cacao nibs and toasted almonds. What else is there to say except...

Enjoy!

Coffee Cookies with Cacao Nibs and Toasted Almonds
Makes: 32

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup chocolate-covered cacao nibs**
3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, optional

1. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; whisk to mix well. In a small bowl or cup, dissolve the espresso powder in the vanilla.
2. In a large bowl, combine melted butter and both sugars. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the mixture until well combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, yolk and espresso mixture. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Fold in the cacao nibs, almonds and white chocolate chips (if using). Place the bowl in the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour, or cover and chill for several hours, up to overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment. Using a 1 1/2 Tbsp. size ice cream scoop or 2 teaspoons, portion the dough into balls, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Return any remaining dough to the fridge. Bake the cookies for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown around the edges, switching cookie sheets from top rack to bottom and front to back halfway through. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the sheets on a wire rack before removing the cookies to the rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough (you can use the same sheets of parchment).

**I used Sweet Riot cacao nibs coated in 65% dark chocolate. Feel free to use cacao nibs coated in darker or sweeter chocolate, or ones that are not coated in chocolate at all. If you can’t find cacao nibs, or don’t care for them, just swap in chocolate chips.

Note: The white chocolate chips add a nice touch of vanilla and a bit of sweetness that offsets the coffee and the bittersweet cacao nibs. Plus, they look pretty. But leave them out if white chocolate doesn’t appeal to you.

Popovers with honey butter

Hello friends! Quick post tonight -- it's Sunday evening, the Mush is in bed, her lunch is made, the kitchen is clean and I'm ready to curl up for a bit of quiet quality time with my sweet Mark.

We had a great friend over this morning, along with her adorable daughter, who is a buddy of the Mush's. The two little girls were a whirlwind of giggling, playing, drawing, reading and negotiating the way only a pair of 3-year-olds can be. They've been pals since they were babies, and every time we get our two families together, we marvel at how much the girls love each other. 

Here they are:

Anyway, on the menu were whole-wheat popovers with homemade honey butter, along with a delicious butternut squash-potato-parsnip hash that Mark whipped up, chicken-apple sausage and fruit. Needless to say, we all ate ourselves silly. Don't wait for a special occasion to make these popovers, they just could not be simpler. You whirl a few basics together in the blender, pour the batter into a muffin tin, stick it in a piping-hot oven and before you know it, you're in popover heaven.

Enjoy!

Whole-Wheat Popovers with Honey Butter

Slightly adapted from this recipe by King Arthur Flour

Makes 12

Popovers:

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups whole milk, lukewarm

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Honey butter:

8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. honey

1. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Don't start making the batter until the oven is fully preheated.

2. Whirl the eggs, milk and salt together in the blender until combined. Add the flour and whirl until smooth. Add the butter and whirl until frothy. Generously mist a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray, misting the space between the cups as well as the cups. Pour the batter into the cups, filling each one about 2/3 full.

3. Bake the popovers for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF and bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer, until the popovers are a deep golden brown. Be sure to keep the oven closed the whole time. Err to the side of making the popovers slightly on the darker side to ensure that they're cooked through and not too eggy inside. 

4. While the popovers are baking, make the honey butter: Cut the butter into pieces and place in a bowl. Add the salt and honey and stir well with a spoon or small flexible spatula until thoroughly combined. Transfer to a small serving bowl. If not using right away, cover and refrigerate, and bring to cool room temperature before serving. Serve the popovers hot, with the honey butter.

Pumpkin pancakes

Happy National Pancake Day!

In honor of this, ahem, most important, um, holiday, here's a healthy pumpkin pancake recipe. I know it's February and long past the typical pumpkin season, but I love pumpkin, and there's always a can or two lurking in my pantry. In fact, the Mush is hooked on this super-healthy pumpkin bread that I make for her... more on that in a post coming soon.

Speaking of the Mush and pancakes, if you noticed the photo when you first got here (taken with a phone, apologies for the quality!), you might be wondering why the pancakes are wrapped in plastic and not set out on a pretty plate, dripping with syrup. I wanted to take a moment to answer a question I get a lot from friends, which is what I send for lunches for the Mush.

One favorite of hers is pancakes. So whenever Mark or I make a batch over a weekend (often), we make sure they're full of good, healthy ingredients, and we cook extras so we can wrap them in twos, freeze them and send them to school with the little one. That, along with a vegetable (usually raw green beans, chopped cauliflower, corn, carrots or cucumbers), some kind of protein (usually scrambled eggs, Ian's fish sticks, edamame, chick peas, black beans or roasted chicken) and a snack (usually a little container of plain yogurt, an organic stick cheese, some cheerios, Annie's bunny crackers or occasionally some applesauce), and that's lunch. Pretty uncomplicated, and fairly wholesome.

Anyway -- here's the pancake recipe. Enjoy!

Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes

Makes about 12

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup oat bran

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup whole milk (or almond milk)

1/3 cup plain yogurt (not nonfat)

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

4 large eggs, separated

1/4 cup grapeseed oil or melted unsalted butter (or vegetable oil)

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 200ºF. Combine flour, oat bran, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk milk, yogurt, pumpkin, yolks, oil or butter, maple syrup and vanilla. Pour pumpkin mixture into flour mixture and stir until combined.

2. In another clean, dry bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into pumpkin mixture in 2 batches.

3. Preheat griddle; brush with melted butter (or mist with cooking spray). Spoon 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto griddle and cook until bubbles form on top and bottoms are golden, about 1 1/2 minutes. Flip and cook until golden on other side, about 1 minute longer. Keep pancakes warm on a plate in the oven while cooking remaining pancakes. Serve with additional maple syrup on the side.