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!

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

By SARA PEPITONE

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

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!

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!

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!

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.

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

A "Thank You"

I sometimes find myself struggling with the (weak) correlation between my education and my "career". Art and baking, respectively. But then, I get a "project" that gives me reason to believe again. LOL.

Hand-cut/shaped rice krispy treat letters.

Sea Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies, PB Cup Rice Krispy Treats, Krispy Marshmallowy Peanut Buttery Chocolate Brownie Squares

Cookie Cutouts

We all know I have a slight aversion to decorating. It drives me (almost) bananas. I try not to decorate any of my cutout cookies or sugar cookies simply because I don't like icing/decorating a whole bunch of individual items. But when you get some cute ass cookie cutters, why the hell not make an exception?

We've seen these before!

Got this tree cookie cutter from Sweet Baking Supply. Awesome shop! Great stuff, quick to ship!

I love my snail cookie cutters too! Still looking out for "the" perfect dino cookie cutter though.

Sugar-crusted Strawberry Muffins

In the "early years" of my baking adventures, I would jot down recipes into this little 3"x5" Hello Kitty notebook. (What other way is there, really?)

And even so, I still look through it for treats to make! Thus, a re-visit to fresh strawberry muffins.
The source of the original recipe is now lost, but at least I still have it to work from!

Sugar-crusted Strawberry Muffins

Strawberry Muffins - yields 1 doz

2T Butter
2/3C Sugar
1/2C Milk
1 Egg
1/2tsp Salt
1-1/2C Flour
1tsp Baking Powder
1C Chopped Strawberries
Turbinado Sugar to top

Cream butter + sugar.
Add egg.
Add milk.
Then add the (already combined) dry ingredients.
Fold in fruit.
Portion into muffin cups.
Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake at 350 for 35 min, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Banana Bread Mini Loaves

So, its been a while since I've made banana bread. How could I forget those several failed attempts previously? Armed with my new loaf pans... I think its time to try again!

Banana Bread Mini Loaf

Baby Lemon Loaf

Aaaaaand it's been over a month since I've blogged. Needless to say I've been uber busy!

Anyhoos, just wanted to share that I'm loving my new mini loaf baking pans!

Lemon Loaf with Lemon Glaze

Buttermilk Pound Loaf

This super moist and lightly sweet & buttery cake is perfect for tea time or a coffee break!
I tend to like more slim sized loaves, so perhaps a 9x5 loaf pan was too hefty. But still good!

 I am on a loaf baking binge... next up will be lemon loaf and banana bread!

Lemon Bundt Cake

So, buddy Ila moved. Thus, a housewarming gift = cake. Cake made with the kugelhopf bundt pan she gave me!

Lemon Bundt Cake with Lemon Glaze (not pictured)

2.75C AP Flour
1.5 tsp Baking Powder
0.75 tsp Salt
8oz unsalted Butter
1.5C Granulated Sugar
4 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
0.75C Milk
0.25C Lemon Juice (approx 2)
Lemon Zest from juiced lemons (approx 2)

Sift dry ingredients. Set aside.
Beat butter (at room temp) with sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs until combined. Then beat in vanilla extract.
Alternated adding in the dry and the liquid. Starting with the dry and ending with the dry.
Scrape down bowl as needed.
Spoon batter into prepared pan; Spread so that sides are higher than the center.
Bake at 325 for 55 to 60 min, toothpick test.
Once toothpick comes out clean and cake pulls away from the sides of the pan, transfer to wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes.
Then turn out cake and drizzle with lemon glaze. (OR, let cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.)

Lemon Glaze (based off of Gonna Want Second's Kathleen Meyer Lemon Cake recipe)
0.25C Lemon Juice
8oz Powdered Sugar
2oz unsalted Butter, room temp

Just beat all together until smooth. Throw in some lemon zest too, if you like!


It was my first time using the pan, so I wasn't sure about how well it would release the cake after baking. I HEAVILY buttered and floured it all. But I must not have done a good job spreading in the butter into the nooks- or I should have tapped the pan to get out the airbubbles. Either way, I'm sure next time will be better.

The usuals...

I'm always getting orders for these "usuals"... why? BECAUSE they are awesome. :)
I got to play around with some old china plates I got at an estate sale too!

Sea Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cheerios Marshmallow Treats

Classic Chocolate Whoopie Pie with Marshmallow Filling

Rice Krispy Treats

"Crack" Fish

Krispy Marshmallowy Peanut Buttery Chocolatey Brownie

Dark Espresso Brownie

Cap'n Crunch Marshmallow Treats

Chewy Ooey Gooey Brownies

These. Are. The. Best. Chewy. Ooey. Gooey. Brownies. Ever.

Made with Valrhona cocoa powder, Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate and espresso powder...

You know you want one (or ten) with a tall glass of cold milk!

Bread in the oven

My favorite thing about baking bread? The smell! MmmmMMMMMmmm! Oh, and eating the warm bread right outta the oven too!

Rustic Country White Bread

Divided and packaged up for sharing!

One of my favorite breads... brioche! My brioche a tete is still in practice, obviously.

I love that nutty brown color! MMMM!

Happy Valentine's Day (p2)!

Oh Valentine's Day... you have come and gone once again. Your obnoxiously commercialized pinks and reds and hearts each year continue to nauseate me every time I walk into a store. Too bad I still end up buying into all of it...

and this year I actually CELEBRATED IT! With a boy! ♥
A homemade dinner of teriyaki salmon, brown rice and steamed asparagus, followed by our attempted dessert of individual molten chocolate cakes.

Based off the recipe I found from America's Test Kitchen. I thought it would be perfect for Valentine's since it was portioned exactly for 2!

After folding the beaten egg mixture with the melted chocolate mixture, my hopes (like the batter) deflated. So that was obviously the major problem.

It was still edible... but no molten chocolate center either. Hmmm. Must have baked too long. Sad face.

Happy Valentine's Day (p1)!

Valentine's Day includes pink and red and flowers and mushy gushy stuff and sweets! Lots of sweets!
Here's a kickback to some of the sweets of V-Day's past.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Scones + Treat Bags
Gift Baskets with a whole mess of homemade treats

And what was in store for this year's Valentine's sweets orders?

Why, a TOOL BOX (a red one no less) filled with treats!

Contents include:

Pink(Strawberry) Rice Krispy Treats

Sea Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies (of course!)

Heart Shaped Chocolate Whoopie Pies (whoopie!)

Tiramisu for me, Tiramisu for you!

Homemade tiramisu... not as daunting as it might seem.

 I pared down the recipe to serve just two (instead of a whopping 8 people).

Recipe from my CIA book:

Yields 2 4" rounds - used springform pans

1/3C Espresso
2T+2t Kahlua/coffee liquer
1/2C Granulated Sugar- divided into 1/3C and the remainder
2 Egg yolks
1/3 of an Egg (tricky tricky - I divided using weight)
13oz. Mascarpone Cheese
1/3t Vanilla Extract
1 Large Egg White
16 stale Ladyfingers (approximately, I used a whole package of 24)
Cocoa powder for dusting
Powdered sugar for dusting

Combine espresso and Kahlua. Set aside.
Whisk together the 1/3C granulated sugar, egg yolks and the 1/3 of a whole egg. In the stand mixer bowl, set over simmering water, whisk until volume nearly doubles and becomes a light lemon yellow color.
Transfer bowl to mixer with whisk attachment and whip at high speed until mixture is cooled to room temperature.
Add half of the mascarpone cheese and vanilla extract at low speed until very smooth. Scrape bowl as needed. Add remaining mascarpone and mix enough to combine evenly.

In a separate bowl, whip egg white with remaining sugar until forms medium peaks. (This won't be very much). Fold beaten egg white into the mascarpone mixture.

Press 3-4 ladyfingers into the bottom of springform pan. Generously brush with espresso/Kahlua mix. Spread mascarpone filling on top. Top with ladyfingers and brush with espresso/Kahula. Repeat 3-4 times depending on height of your pan. End with mascarpone on top. Dust entire top with cocoa powder and powdered sugar.
Wrap and chill overnight in the fridge.

Carefully unmold! And enjoy!

Gift Bakets Galore (aka holiday baking bonanza part II)

This post is quite overdue... oops!

Just wanted to tie up the holiday season, though its been long gone...

2 baskets from the Holiday Baking Extravaganza

Special Gift Basket a la The Appropriated Muffin

 Included: the usual Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies and...

Homemade Peppermint Marshmallow with Semisweet Chocolate

Holiday shaped Rice Krispy Treats

Dachshund shaped Butter Cookies with Mini Chocolate Chips for eyes (the recipient was a doxie owner)