Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Holiday Boutique in Old Town Pasadena! Dec 17th, Saturday

Hi All! YEP  - still keeping busy! Sorry for the lack of updates...

Next on The Appropriated Muffin agenda is a Holiday Boutique taking place THIS Saturday in Old Town Pasadena!


Hope to see and meet lots of people and share the yummy treats I'll be making!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Whoopie pies- this season's must-have treats! - NYPost.com

Just wanted to share! Great description of whoopie pies... especially for us Californians who haven't had much exposure (yet) to whoopie pies!

Whoopie pies made with red velvet, gingerbread are the new must-have dessert - NYPOST.com


Updated: Wed., Dec. 7, 2011, 10:45 AM

Whoopie!

The all-American sweet is this season’s must-have treat

Last Updated: 10:45 AM, December 7, 2011
Posted: 10:31 PM, December 6, 2011


The people of Pennsylvania and Maine can debate all they want about the origin of the whoopie pie (was it dreamed up by Amish moms or a frugal New Englander with a bit of extra chocolate cake batter?). Here in New York, we really only care about the important things: taste, convenience and style. Similar to the cupcake in ingredients but even easier to eat, the whoopie pie is essentially a layer cake sandwich, with frosting in the middle only. Traditionally as big as a small hamburger, today’s whoopies range from thick to thin, shareable to bite-size. And they’re giving the c-cake a run for its money, showing up at weddings and parties all over town. Here are some of the most delicious, holiday-flavored whoopies in the cases of local bakeries.
RED VELVET!
Want festive? Try the pumpkin and red velvet whoopie pies from Rainbo’s and Cakes and More.
Red Velvet Whoopie Pie
$2.50 at Rainbo’s and Cakes and More, Essex Street Market, 120 Essex St.; 212-982-8585
When baker Ron Budinas first started making whoopie pies about 12 years ago, interest was limited, but he knew the timeless all-American snack would make a comeback: “This isn’t a fad like macarons. American people like big pieces of cake with creamy stuff in the middle.” Throughout December, you can special order festive green-hued cream cheese-based filling inside your red velvet, and there will be peppermint stick whoopies with mint cake exteriors, too. They’re massive so prepare to share.
Chocolate Peppermint Whoopie Pie
$4.95 for three at Blue Smoke Bake Shop, 116 E. 27th St.; 212-447-6058
At Blue Smoke Bake Shop, inside the Murray Hill barbecue restaurant of the same name, pastry chef Jenn Giblin folds melted marshmallow into buttercream to stuff her trim, cocoa-rich whoopies. These are the most delicate whoopies in town, less hamburger than its peers in girth and weight, which means you might eat more than one. “Whoopie pies are good, solid comfort food — real Americana,” says Giblin, who vacations in whoopie-mad Maine every year. This holiday season, she’s adding her own twist with a chocolate peppermint whoopie pie — devil’s food cake filled with chocolate peppermint buttercream.
Chocolate Eggnog Whoopie Pie
$3 at Robicelli’s at Dekalb Market, 138 Willoughby St., Brooklyn; 917-509-6048
Robicelli’s began making whoopie pies three years ago. What’s changed since then, says Allison Robicelli, co-chef and owner, is how often she has to answer the “What’s a whoopie pie?” question. Now, everyone knows. Robicelli’s whoopie pies are traditionally sized, with a flat shell (more flying saucer than slider), and crafted with adult palates in mind. Think eggnog buttercream sandwiched between two layers of dark Valrhona chocolate. Holiday flavors rotate (Nutella praline, chocolate candy cane, etc.), so call ahead to see what’s in store. These whoopies are also sold at the Union Square Holiday Market, Booth C34 (in the first row by 14th Street), through 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
Ginger Whoopie Pie With Lemon Cream Cheese
$2.50 at Baked Brooklyn, 359 Van Brunt St., Brooklyn; 718-222-0345
Whoopie pie mania is “slower than the cupcake thing, but building,” says Baked co-owner Matt Lewis, who trades traditional fillings for cream cheese or Swiss meringues. But building it is — in part, says Lewis, because they are easy to make and eat at parties. You’ll find an array of flavors — including ginger-molasses cake with lemon cream cheese, which has a light quality that won’t leave you feeling like you’ve over-indulged. You can try to make these at home, too. Baked now sells boxed mixes that are available in the Red Hook shop ($16) and at Williams-Sonoma ($16.95).
Pumpkin Whoopie Pie With Cranberries, Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese and Dark Chocolate Dip
$11.95 for six, $21.95 per dozen at e.e. cookies; eecookies.com, 646-145-7408
After years of baking cookies for holidays, bake sales and PTA meetings, former legal billing coordinator Kori Stanton opened her Web-based small-batch cookie company in 2009, with hand-delivery below 125th Street in Manhattan (shipping to the outer boroughs and beyond). So it comes as little surprise that Stanton’s pumpkin whoopie pie was born as a cookie and evolved from there. The dark chocolate dip is the final stage, says Stanton. “It is the perfect balance of sweet, sour and chocolate.”
Gingerbread Whoopie Pie
$1.75 at Tribeca Treats, 94 Reade St.; 212-571-0500
Tribeca Treats owner Rachel Thebault has been selling whoopie pies for a little more than a year. This month, pumpkin has been replaced by gingerbread filled with a Fluff-based icing. “It’s just a fun, modern twist on a conventional holiday dessert,” says Thebault. “We have so many cookie and cupcake options during the holiday season, but people always immediately gravitate to the whoopie pies.”

Don’t forget the milk!

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/food/whoopie_pAsgtXatUAoz6RGZQU9iaO#ixzz1fsXeYNlb

Monday, November 28, 2011

Charity Bake Sale!

It has been a whirlwind of a season so far... but its only just begun! I'll be making some amazing holiday gift baskets for clients and friends! From brioche cinnarolls to decorated rice krispy treat trees... I'm making it special for everyone!

I've already kicked off some holiday/seasonal items at the Long Beach Patchwork in November... next up will be for a charity bake sale put on by Eat My Blog, with proceeds going to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank! Hope you can stop by and show your support!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Patchwork - Indie Arts & Crafts Festival

I'll be at the Long Beach Patchwork festival on November 6th!! So excited and now so busy with preparing everything! I've got the classic items on the menu, plus a few seasonal selections... can't wait to share with you all the final packaging and displays!

Check out their blog for more details!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

If you're like me and manage to spend hours in a bookstore just browsing through cookbooks... you're sure to have come across this book:
and now... the follow-up:

But rarely do you ever splurge on getting these pretty books for yourself. So it was quite exciting when I got the second book for my birthday this year!

There are so many great recipes I'm dying to try! Double-Chocolate Loaf with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Spread, Boston Cream Pie Cake, Cowboy Cookies...

My first pick (simply because I had all the ingredients - but isn't that how it always is?) was the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. YUMMM.

Like the recipe describes, it has a really good flavor of an oatmeal cookie, but as a nice dense cake reminiscent of a banana bread loaf. Can you imagine?
I used a dark baking pan, when the recipe calls for a glass or light-colored one... so I will admit, it did get a bit overdone by the time I realized. But still good!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Chocolate Crack!

What a loooooong time it has been (again)! Not much time to do actual baking as of late - except for a few repeats of the classic recipes. But here's something I couldn't wait to try as soon as I saw it online.

We are all familiar with my "crack fish" yes?
Well, when I went to Unique LA a couple of weekends ago... I came across Bacon Crack from Cast Iron Gourmet. SO good... and then I didn't feel so un-PC by calling my crackers "crack fish".

So when I found this recipe for "chocolate crack"... why the hell not give this a shot? Plus, all I had to pick up from the store were the saltines.

Chocolate 'Crack' from Serious Eats

Ingredients:
Approx 2 sleeves Saltine Crackers
8oz Unsalted Butter
8oz Dark Brown Sugar
1tsp Vanilla Extract
12oz (or random handfuls) of Dark Chocolate (chopped or chips)


Line a half sheet pan with aluminum foil.
Then lay flat saltine crackers all along the bottom of the lined tray.
Melt butter on the stove. Add sugar and vanilla. Cook until thick and bubbly.
Pour over crackers. Spread evenly.
Place into preheated 350 oven, until butter mixture gets super bubbly. (I might have pulled this out earlier and may not have reached optimal bubbly-ness.)
With butter mixture still hot, drop chopped or chips of chocolate all over the top. Let it melt from the residual heat and spread with a spatula.
Let cool to room temp. Then place in refridgerator to let it chocolate firm up.


*I sprinkled some sea salt on the top. I like a distinct contrast of salty and sweet.


This is definitely Trial 1. The crackers got a bit chewy/soggy. Perhaps from prematurely taking them out of the oven. And I think I would play with the thickness/thinness of the butter-sugar layer as well as the chocolate layer. But great flavors together. Got to brainstorm something for the texture. I want crunchy. Crunch crunch.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Tuesday Night Cafe - Los Angeles June 21st!

The Appropriated Muffin will be vending at the bi-monthly Tuesday Night Cafe in Los Angeles this coming Tuesday, the 21st! Stop by for some treats and get your fill of live artists and performers!

For more information, go to:
website: www.tuesdaynightproject.org
facebook: www.facebook.com/tnproject
twitter: www.twitter.com/tnproject