Sunday, November 14, 2021

Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

1/2 C. cooled melted butter

1/2 C.  granulated sugar

1/4 C. dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 C. yogurt or sour cream

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. each: baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon

1 3/4 C. flour

1/4 C. milk or cream

1 1/2 C. blueberries


Streusel Topping:

1/4 C. Flour

1/2 C. brown sugar

1/4 C. granulated sugar

3 T. melted butter

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 C. oats

Mix well all topping ingredients.  Set aside.


In a large bowl, cream together sugars and butter.  Mix until pale and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, mix well between each addition.  On low speed, add sour cream or yogurt and extracts.  Mix for 2-3 minutes.  Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.  Mix on low until almost combined, add milk and mix for 15-20 seconds.  Fold in blueberries by hand.

Chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 425.

Line a muffin tin with cupcake wrappers and lightly spray with cooking spray the muffin tin.  Fill each wrapper to the top with muffin batter, sprinkle on streusel topping.

Bake for 7 minutes at 425, then drop the oven temperature to 350 and bake an additional 12-15 minutes.

(The cold batter and the high oven temperature gives the muffins a better rise, the lower oven temperature helps cook the batter through.)

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

The Fabulous $5 Chicken Dinner

 So, hubby's boss came for dinner tonight.  I've done more than a few meet and greet, invite the boss to dinner nights in the past 10 years, I almost consider myself a pro at this.  Until today....


Today was a 3:55pm, oh-by-the-way should I invite my new boss over for dinner - a message delivered via text that truth be told, sent me running straight to Kroger for some basics.  Mainly, chicken and bread.


Why chicken and bread?  Because I didn't have any entree planned for dinner.  And bread because every meal seems fancier with garlic bread.  Yeah, yeah, yeah.... that's probably a me thing, but it's an instant, easy side dish that few people actively dislike.


I did a quick scour of the fridge and pantry, came up with all the fixings for cheesy potatoes, stuffed mushrooms, cinnamon apples, and salad.  That sounds like a meal fit for a king.  Or a boss, in my case.


The cheapest cut of chicken is usually bone-in, skin on dark meat.  For which I am eternally grateful, it's my favorite cut of chicken too.  I grabbed a few things out of my pantry and had a flavorful and bold marinade ready in minutes.  And I had about an hour to marinade the chicken at room temp.  Here's what I used:


1 C. cheap Italian salad dressing

3 T. Worcestershire sauce

3 T. Olive oil

2-3 T. White wine, whatever you have in hand, I used moscato

2 tsp. each thyme, garlic, dry minced onion, basil

1 tsp. garlic pepper

1 tsp. sugar

Whisk together all ingredients until well combined.


Marinade 5 lbs. cut up chicken for 1 hour.

Spread chicken out on a sheet pan, dust with parmesan cheese.

Roast at 350 for 45-50 minutes, or until internal temp reaches 180F.



Sunday, September 19, 2021

Toffee Butterscotch Cookies

 1 C. butter

1 C. dark brown sugar

1 C. granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. Butterscotch extract or butter extract
2 T. Molasses, optional
1/8 C. milk or coffee creamer
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
3 C. flour
pinch of salt
1/2 oats
1 C. mini butterscotch chips
2/3 C. each: toffee bits and chopped pecans

Heat oven to 375.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cream together sugars and butter, mix in eggs and extracts.  Mix in molasses and milk/creamer.  Fold in oats, flour, and baking soda.  Stir in chips and nuts.

For bakery style cookies, portion dough with a 1/4 C. sized scoop.  Bake at 375F for 13-15 minutes.

Sunday, September 5, 2021

Chocolate & Butterscotch Banana Nut Bread

 7 is overripe bananas

1 C. melted and cooled butter

2 eggs

1 1/2 C. Dark brown sugar

3 tsp vanilla

1 tsp rum extract

1/8 C. Heavy cream or creamer

2 C. Flour

1 C. Cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 C. Chocolate chips

2/3 C. Butterscotch chips

1 C. Walnuts, chopped and toasted (if you prefer)


Heat oven to 350.

Grease and sugar 2 9x5 loaf pans.

In a large mixing bowl, mix bananas on medium low speed until well blended.  Add in dark brown sugar and melted, cooled butter and mix for 2-4 minutes on low, until well blended and fluffy.  Add in eggs, extract, and creamer and mix an additional 2-3 minutes.  Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder and add to the wet mixture.  Mix until just combined, stir in chips and nuts.

Pour into prepared pans, adding a handful of butterscotch chips on top.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until top is just set.

Cool and cut.





Thursday, July 29, 2021

Butterscotch Chipper Cookies

 While these darling butterscotch cookies aren't your tried and tired as hell oatmeal scotcheroos, they are still all notes of butterscotch through and through.  I used to think that I didn't like butterscotch.  I was absolutely convinced of it.  It just wasn't my thing.


Until scotcheroo ice cream came home with me.  What can I say?  It was 2020, I was pandemic sweets shopping, and choices were thin on the ground.  Here was an ice cream with a butterscotch flavor, bits of oatmeal cookie, some kind of ripple, and dark chocolate chips.  Then I got it home and tried it a day or two later.  With all the pandemic baking, I lost track until I had my cohort in dessert at home.  With mom in residence, ice cream is a must.


We popped the top on that carton and instantly I was transported.  Long Minnesota winters with iffin' cookies, mugs of hot cocoa, and snow piling up on the ground.  Christmas tree decorating and bad Elvis Presley Christmas music that's equal parts nostalgia and cringe worthy.  I was a kid again, then a bookish teen, finally a college student stuck in the dorms and grateful for the homemade care package that brought my ragtag circles of friends together for a bit of holiday cheer and of course..... cookies.


How could I have summarily dismissed butterscotch all these years?  Fast forward to life mere months before covid and me finally making friends with the most awesome person in the world.  My new bestie opened my eyes to more butterscotch delights - and has a daughter as head over butterscotch heels as I am.


A happy bonus?  She knows how to get to the Amish grocery store!!  Why is this exciting??  They have.....mini butterscotch chips.  And butterscotch extract!  Score!!!  Yes, I used butterscotch, Amish, and score in one paragraph.  Welcome to thrifty middle age where cheap baking supplies, mini chips, and great snacks are the highlights in life - and making a new friend is a huge deal.


So, tonight while bestie's butterscotch loving daughter is here, butterscotch cookies are definitely on the menu.  Here is what I came up with:


1 C. Butter

1 C. dark brown sugar

1 C. granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 T. milk

2 T. molasses

2 tsp. each vanilla and butterscotch extract

1/2 C. oats

1 tsp. each baking powder and baking soda

3 1/2 C. flour

1 1/2 C. mini butterscotch chips

1/2 C. each pecans and dark chocolate chips


Directions:

Cream together butter and sugars over low speed for 2-3 minutes.  Add in eggs, milk, extracts, and molasses and mix for 3-5 minutes.  Add in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and oats, and mix until almost combined.  Add in all remaining ingredients and stir to combine.  Chill for 1 hour to overnight.

Bake on parchment at 350F for 15-17 minutes for a large cookie, bake for 11-12 minutes for a small cookie.