Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

photo via smitten kitchen

Last week, I hosted a baby shower for my best friend, Katie. It was a definite success and I was so happy to be able to prepare some delicious food and fun games. The shower was at 10:30am, so we dined on brunch foods, including eggs with salsa, fruit, doughnuts, veggies, cranberry punch and baked goods. I re-vamped this yogurt bundt cake to include raspberries instead of strawberries, and found a new whole wheat muffin that is moist and delicious.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen to be 100% whole wheat

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Bake Time: 15-20 Minutes

Total Time: 30-35 Minutes

Yield 18 muffins

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed, divided

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup (8 oz.) buttermilk or yogurt

2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Grease and flour 18 muffin cups and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and set aside. In a large, cream the butter using electric beaters and add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well. Mix in the buttermilk gently (apparently the buttermilk can cause the mixture to curdle if you overbeat). Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks. 

Divide the batter evenly among prepared muffin cups and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top of each unbaked muffin. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400 degrees, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Waffles

My favorite breakfast items are those that require syrup to eat them. This can be a problem as those are often the least healthy. Well, let me present you with a gorgeous, healthy, and delicious way to eat waffles. 

Start with whole wheat waffles (recipe below), top with 3 large dollops of yogurt (I used peach), add fresh berries, then drizzle with maple syrup. Good morning to you!

From The Laidlaws

Yield: 6 Belgian-style waffles

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: About 5 minutes per waffle

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups whole wheat flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 Tablespoons sugar

2 large eggs

3 cups lukewarm milk

2/3 cup melted butter or vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat waffle iron while you make the batter. Whisk together the egg, milk, and butter. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Stir until just combined. Pour 1 cup of batter onto a greased waffle iron and cook as directed by the instructions for your waffle iron. 

If you have leftovers, wrap each waffle individually with saran wrap and place in a large ziploc bag. Keep in the freezer. When ready to eat, unwrap waffle and heat in the microwave for 90 seconds.

White Chocolate Raspberry Bread Pudding

Some foods are a bit more difficult to photograph than others. Bread pudding is one of them. I can only hope that this photograph does justice to the decadent, comforting, and mouth-watering taste and texture of this delicious white chocolate raspberry bread pudding. It is really, really good, and it gets better with age. I made it with the intention to eat it as dessert (which I did), but the last 4 mornings in a row I've found myself dishing this up for breakfast. The chocolate in this recipe is really subtle, so it doesn't feel overly indulgent. Such a great way to start the day.

Are you ready for another amazing fact about this recipe? It is BETTER with stale bread. One of my biggest annoyances and challenges as a cook is not letting food to go waste. So when you buy a french loaf and it starts to get stale, don't fret! Make bread pudding!

Just one day after I made this, I watched an episode of Kelsey's Essentials where she made a tres leches bread pudding in a slow cooker! It looks equally delicious. Check it out here.

From Maureen Wittman

INGREDIENTS:

1 loaf of french bread (16 oz.)*

1 cup of white chocolate chips (or the whole bag if you're really feeling chocolate-y)

1 pint of fresh raspberries (this is two of those small rectangle packages)

6 eggs

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons butter

*I used a whole wheat french bread loaf and it is delicious and nutritious!

DIRECTIONS:

Cut up the bread into bite-size pieces. (This recipe works best when the bread is stale.) 

In a bowl mix together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and sugar. Pour over the bread and let sit for an hour to allow the bread to soak in the liquid. You can also do this ahead of time (or the night before) and let it sit covered in the fridge.

Fold in the chocolate chips and raspberries. 

Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray and put the bread pudding into it. Put dabs of butter all over the top. 

Place into a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. 

Let cool and enjoy!!!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

It is very possible that my most favorite food in the whole world is homemade chocolate chip cookies. There is something so comforting about drinking a glass of cold milk accompanied by a perfect disc-shaped, chocolate-speckled treat. My go-to recipe is my mother's prize-winning recipe (hint: you can find it on the back of a bag of toll house chocolate chips) but, if you can recall, we currently don't have white flour in our house.

So, the search for a great whole wheat chocolate chip cookie has been at the top of my cooking priority list. I tried one that was OK, but not great. And then I found this one. This one.

My. Oh. My.

I'm pretty convinced that this is better than chocolate chip cookies made with white flour. Right before my mother tried this cookie, she said, "This looks like a Mrs. Field's cookie!" And then she made her "Mmmmm" noises that always make me feel good about my cooking. And I know it's my own mother, but she really is a connoisseur of all things chocolate. And let's face, I am my harshest critic. And this cookie is delicious! I'll try to stop rambling my excitement, but it's a little hard to contain when you've just found an amazing and beautiful chocolate-chip cookie recipe. Oh, and then top it off that it is 100% whole wheat. Eek! Could it be better? I think not. Ok, I'll be done now. Just go make this.

From Orangette

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 sticks butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup lightly packed brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces or chocolate chips (I don't have bittersweet, so I used semi-sweet chocolate chips)

DIRECTIONS:

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment (or tin-foil).

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

Put the butter and sugars in a large bowl. With electric beaters (or a stand mixer with paddle attachment) on low to medium speed, mix just until the butter and sugars are blended. (This may take a while depending on how cold the butter is.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. 

Add the flour mixture to the bowl and blend on low speed until the flour is just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. 

Add the chocolate and incorporate with a wooden spoon. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then use your hands to turn and gently massage the dough, making sure all the flour is absorbed.

Scoop mounds of dough, about 3 tablespoons in size (yes, larger than your typical c.c. cookie), onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2-3 inches in between each cookie. You should be able to fit about 8 cookies on each sheet. 

Bake the cookies for 16-20 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the cookies are evenly browned. 

Let cool, pour some milk, and go to your happy place.

Whole Grain Banana Bread

Remember when I said I'd be cooking a lot more with 100% whole wheat flour? Well, here you go.

Apparently this recipe is inspired by banana bread that is sold along the famous Road to Hana in Maui. Mmmm... doesn't that sound delicious? I opted to leave the chocolate chips and walnuts out of my version of this, hoping to find a simple, delicious, wholesome banana bread recipe and this is it! I found it on the first try! Yay!!!

 

This is super moist, delicious, and nutritious.

From WholeGrainGourmet.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed over-ripe bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup hot (not boiling) water
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan with butter.

Combine flour, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine butter, honey, and sugar, and beat for two minutes. Add the eggs and lightly beat until just combined. Mix in bananas and vanilla. Do not overmix. Gradually beat in the flour mixture in thirds.

Dilute baking soda in 1/4 cup hot water, then beat into batter.

If using, stir in, by hand, the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake at 325 degrees for 52 minutes. (I know every oven is different and 52 minutes seems quite 'exact'. But this was the directions stated in the original recipe, and it was the perfect amount of time for me. This said, I still recommend checking at about 47 minutes for doneness, by inserting a knife to see if it comes out clean.)

Place on a wire rack to cool and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

Oatmeal Pancakes

A couple weeks ago, we ran out of white flour. Since we are grocery store procrastinators in this household, this meant I had to withhold making any recipes that used white flour for about two weeks. Luckily, we did have whole wheat flour, so I used whole wheat flour for several recipes, like the lovely pancakes you see above. 

Despite finding whole wheat flour a great substitute when used as a smaller ingredient (like as thickening for a sauce, or as a batter for breaded chicken), I was excited to finally get white flour back into my kitchen. 

Fast forward to the grocery store, Baking Needs aisle. I am perusing the items and mention to Brad that we only have whole wheat flour and I need white flour. He says to me, "Wait, why do we need white flour? Let's just use whole wheat." "Well it just doesn't rise up the same as white flour and there's a different consistency to it", I reply. And then we both think about it and he says, "Well, whole wheat tastes really good. I like it." And I add, "it is a lot healthier than white flour." 

And we end up walking out of the grocery store with another package of whole wheat flour, continuing to leave our house void of the white version. 

And so the whole wheat journey begins. We'll see how this goes. (Even though I think I will most definitely be using some white flour to make Linda's delicious orange rolls sometime soon--referenced here.) 

But these pancakes, they are healthy and DELICIOUS and filling and the perfect wake-me-up breakfast. I recommend making these on a Saturday, freezing the pancakes you don't eat, then toasting up the frozen pancakes throughout the week for a fast and nutritious breakfast on a busy morning. Ahh, life's little shortcuts.

Adapted from Aarean at Just Cook Already

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups regular oats

2 cups buttermilk*

2 eggs, whipped

1/4 cup melted butter

1 - 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon plus 1 dash cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon salt

*If you don't have buttermilk, then substitute with white vinegar or lemon juice and regular milk. For one cup, place one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup, then add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one cup line. Let stand for five minutes, then use as much as needed.

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all ingredients together and scoop batter by 1/4 cup-ful onto a well-greased griddle over medium-high heat. When bubbles start to pop, flip pancake. After 30-45 seconds, remove from heat and place on a plate.

Serve with Annie's Syrup and enjoy!

100% Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

When I graduated college and started working, I discovered this wonderful thing called Saturdays. Instead of worrying about an assignment I had due or, as more often was the case, my volleyball game prep schedule, I discovered that I could spend an entire Saturday relaxing, without a watch, without worrying where I had to be or what I had to do. For me, that meant time to cook or bake something delicious for breakfast. This weekend that came in the form of 100% whole wheat cinnamon rolls.

Which brings me to cinnamon rolls. I've had a love/hate relationship with them for the past few years. They are so amazingly tasty in my mouth, but then five minutes after I eat one, they are so amazingly heavy in my stomach. Enter whole wheat flour. This recipe creates a delicious taste in my mouth and has enough fiber to start breaking down the goodness in my stomach quicker than its average white flour counterpart. Yippee!

*Adapted from Heavenly Homemakers

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup water

1 Tablespoon (1 packet) yeast

1 teaspoon honey

1 1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup honey

2 teaspoons sea salt

4-4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

butter 

salt

(for the "innerds"):

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

(for the frosting):

3-4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, mix 1/2 cup very warm water, 1 Tablespoon yeast and 1 teaspoon honey.  Stir this together and let sit for a few minutes while you do the next step.

Melt a 1/2 stick of butter in a large saucepan. Add 1/4 cup honey, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 1/4 cups of milk. Heat this over medium heat for about three minutes (to 120 degrees).

Pour milk mixture into yeast mixture and stir. Stir in 4 cups of flour, two cups at a time. Add more flour if the consistency feels too soft.

Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes, either using your hands, or a kneading attachment on an electric mixer (yes!). Invert dough into a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 1-1 1/2 hours.

Once dough has risen to about double in size, punch down the dough and knead our all the bubbles. 

On a well floured surface, roll dough into a nice, big rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick.

Using a pastry brush, spread melted butter over the rectangle. Then sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar mixture over the rectangle.

Roll up the dough. Using a serrated knife, cut into slices, about 1 inch thick. Place rolls side by side in a baking pan. Let rise for another 1/2 hour.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Make frosting. Beat all ingredients in a bowl until well mixed. Frost generously on rolls.