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Blueberry Muffins

Breads, Desserts

I love blueberry muffins and this recipe makes the moistest muffins I have ever had. The act_Blueberry muffinsbest part is they stay moist for a whole week. Once you make them at home you will never be happy with the store bought ones and you do not need to be an expert baker to make these lovelies, all you need to master is stirring with a wooden spoon.

You will need:

1 ½   + 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour separated

¾ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup melted butter

1 egg at room temperature

1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons of buttermilk

1 teaspoon cinnamon

What you need to do:

  • Combine the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of the all-purpose flour so that each of them is well coated with the flour. This will prevent them from sinking at the bottom of the muffin while baking.
  • Combine 2 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon and keep it aside.
  • In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
  • In a separate bowl combine the butter, sugar, egg and buttermilk and mix it well.
  • Now pour in the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and combine well with a spatula or wooden spoon till there are no dry lumps left. Avoid over mixing the batter for a better texture of the muffins.
  • Fold in the flour coated blueberries and leave a few to add over the muffins.
  • Line a muffin pan with muffin or cupcake cups and spoon in the batter equally. Tap the pan gently to get rid of air bubbles and top the muffins with the rest of the blueberries and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar.
  • Bake in a preheated oven at 400 °F or 210° C.
  • Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before indulging.

 

 

Coconut Jalapeno Pouches

Appetizers-Snacks

act_Coconut Jalapeno PouchThis recipe is very close to my heart, I have grown up eating it and it was my mother’s go to recipe for a quick snack with just three simple ingredients. It is vegan friendly so everyone can enjoy it.

The recipe consists of two different sections: The shell and the filling.

Ingredients you will need:

For the pouch you will need:

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon oil

1 and 1/2 cups of warm water

 

What you need to do:

Mix all the above ingredients into smooth dough and add more flour if you need. It would be fairly stiff dough. Keep aside wrapped in plastic.

 

For the filling you will need:

1 cup grated coconut

1 jalapeno chopped

1 medium sized onion chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon salt

 

What you need to do:

Mix all the above ingredients.

To make the pouch you will need enough neutral oil to deep fry, the oil will not be infused with any smell so it can be reused.
Divide the dough into small balls about 1 inch in diameter.
Flour your work surface and roll the little balls into circles just like wanton wrappers.
Now place the rolled out circle into your palm and scoop in 1 tablespoon of the filling.
Fold the circle into half to make a pouch and pinch the open side together. You can use water as an adhesive.
After making all the pouches, deep fry them until they get golden brown. This should happen fairly soon, in about 2 minutes.
Drain the excess oil from the pouches onto an absorbent paper and serve it hot.

Tips:

Store bought wanton wrappers are a time saver.

Add salt to the filling when you are ready to make the pouches or else they will release water and the pouches will fall apart.

 

Sticky Date and walnut cookie

Appetizers-Snacks, Desserts

act_sticky date and walnut cookiesDates and walnuts have been an integral part of Middle Eastern desserts for many years. Now that dates and walnuts are available nearly everywhere, it is time to put together an easy to do dessert and for me it will be sticky gooey cookies. Yum!! Just writing about it makes my mouth water. I have made it healthier by adding oats. The measurements for this recipe yields about 18-20 medium sized cookies and can easily be multiplied for a bigger batch.

 

Ingredients for the cookies:

½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature

½ cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 and ½ cup of oats (crushed)

1 cup chopped dates

½ cup chopped walnut

 

Ingredients for the Toffee sauce:

1 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoon heavy cream

 

What you need to do:

  • To make the sauce, heat the butter and sugar in a saucepan until bubbly and then add the cream and stir.
  • To make the cookies, beat the butter and sugar till it is an even paste.
  • Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat till it is properly incorporated.
  • Mix all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and gradually add the dry mixture gradually to the wet mixture until fully combined.
  • Make small balls from the dough and refrigerate for an hour.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F or 175°C.
  • Place the cookie balls 2 inch part on a baking sheet and bake the cookie balls for 18 mins or until golden brown.
  • Cool on a wire rack and pipe over some of that delicious toffee sauce.

No Knead Whole Wheat Bread

Breads

Home baked bread not only is delicious but it also makes the house smell like a bakery. I am not a fan of spending a huge amount of time kneading and rolling dough so this no knead bread recipe is perfect for any day when I do not want to eat store bought bread. Once you make your own bread, there is no going back, you might never be happy again with the store bought ones. I baked my bread on a crisp spring morning and accompanied it with home-made strawberry preserve and local organic wild flower honey. This recipe calls for 18 o 24 hours rising period but that varies with the temperature and humidity in your area.Edited Whole wheat bread

You will need:

1 tablespoon of dry active yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon oil (olive/ vegetable)

1 cup water at 125°F (52°C)

2 cups of whole wheat flour

 

What you need to do:

Combine the yeast and sugar in the water and leave it aside for 15 minutes or until it is frothy.

In a mixing bowl, add all the other ingredients and the yeast solution an combine well with a wooden spoon till there are no lumps. The dough will be very sticky and wet but do not add any more flour at this point.

Leave the dough to rest for 12 to 18 hours. If where you live is humid and warmer you can reduce the time to 8 hours.

After the raising time, flour the work surface and scrape the dough from the bowl. Try making a rough ball of the dough. Add some extra flour if the dough is very sticky and if not leaving the work surface.

Dump the dough ball into a preheated Dutch-oven at 425 °F and bake covered for 35 minutes and then uncovered for 10 minutes. You can also bake it without a Dutch oven; just use a heavy duty aluminum foil to cover the baking container that you are using.

Let the bread cool completely on a wire rack before slicing it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Tart

Desserts

 

Chocolate TartWho does not like a decadent chocolate cake? Well, this Chocolate Tart takes it up a notch and is extremely addictive as it is extremely easy to be put together and you really have to try hard to mess it up. It sure tastes and looks like a star dessert.

You will need:

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon instant coffee powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

3 egg yolks

2 cups of crushed chocolate cookies

1/2 cup melted butter

And do this:

  • To make the Tart base, combine the cookie mixture and the melted butter to make a loose dough.
  • Press it down evenly on a greased 9 inches tart pan to make the base and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, bring the cream to a simmer and remove from heat and add the chocolate, coffee, vanilla extract and the salt to it and stir till everything is well combined.
  • Add the milk to the mixture and stir to combine. This will bring down the temperature of the mixture and will prevent curdling of the egg yolks.
  • In a bowl, whisk the sugar and the egg yolks till the mixture is pale in color.
  • Slowly pour in the chocolate mixture in the egg yolk mixture and whisk to combine well.
  • Take out the refrigerated base and pour the chocolate mixture evenly onto the base and tap gently to get rid of any air bubbles.
  • Bake it at 300°F (140°C) for 35 minutes.
  • Allow the tart to cool completely and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Tips and tricks:

  • Always place the tart pan on a cookie sheet for easier transfer from working surface to oven and vice versa.
  • Use cold milk to bring down the temperature of the chocolate mixture.
  • Do not use instant coffee which contains chicory.