Shiner Bock Beer Bread

My future son-in-law, Chris, loves Shiner Bock beer, and when he visits, the fridge is well-stocked with it. There was one lone bottle left from the last visit, and hubby and I aren't beer drinkers, so what better use to make of it than in bread.

We recently visited Salt Grass Steakhouse (Texas to the bone!) and enjoyed their pre-dinner bread. I found a "copykat" recipe and made a couple of adjustments to accommodate what I had on hand and for the bread machine. My changes were to substitute rye flour for whole wheat flour, to eliminate the water, and to use part honey, part molasses in place of all honey.

My iPhone photos don't do the bread justice, but the results were excellent! Moist and slightly sweet, it tasted like what we had in the restaurant, only better. Rye flour gave it a nutty depth, and the molasses, well it always makes bread better, in my opinion. The bread sliced easily, smelled so good while baking, and was the perfect accompaniment to our grilled chicken and salad.

Shiner Bock Beer Bread
See CopyKat.com for original recipe
adapted for bread machine

1-1/2 -1-3/4 cup Shiner Bock beer, flat and room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cups unbleached flour
1 cup rye flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons yeast

Mix beer, honey, molasses, and oil and pour into bread pan. Whisk together flours and salt and scoop onto liquid. Make a well in flour mixture and pour in yeast. Set bread machine to Dough cycle. When cycle is complete, remove dough onto floured surface and punch down. Knead in small amounts of flour if necessary to keep from sticking. Cut dough into 3 equal portions and form each portion into round loaf. Place loaves on lightly oiled or parchment prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap that has been lightly sprayed with baking spray. Let rise until doubled, or about 30 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove to wire rack and allow to cool before slicing.

Butternut Squash Braid

A recent butternut squash purchase prompted me to revisit a braid recipe I made in 2008, which I remembered for its deliciousness.

The original recipe called for cooked mashed squash, but this time around I roasted the squash whole before I pureed it. I love the rich, buttery goodness of roasted squash and the flavor it imparts to the bread. The texture is somewhat Hawaiian bread-ish, and this loaf was a wee bit more dense than the last loaf. Offering a warm slice with butter is a good way to get my hubby to eat his veggies. He not only loved it, but he loved the color of it!

Butternut Squash Braid
adapted for bread machine

1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup warm milk
1 cup cooked and pureed butternut squash
1 egg
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
*3 to 4 cups unbleached bread flour
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
* Level of moisture in cooked squash affects flour addition. My dough was very sticky after rising in the bread machine, so I added more flour so that I could more easily shape the dough. The extra flour and kneading probably contributed to the slight denseness of this batch.

Melt butter in warm milk, add squash and egg; whisk until well blended. Pour into bread machine pan.

Whisk together brown sugar, salt, and 3 cups flour and spoon mixture onto liquid in bread machine pan. Make a well in center of flour and add yeast. Turn bread machine to "Dough" cycle and let it do its magic.

After dough has completed cycle, remove and place on a lightly floured surface or Roulpat. Punch dough down and divide into 3 parts. Shape each portion into an 18 inch rope. Take ropes and attach them by pinching tops together and tucking under. Gently braid and finish by pinching together bottom ends and tucking underneath braid. (An excellent tutorial for bread braiding can be found here). Cover and allow to rise until nearly doubled. Mine rose to elephantine proportions in only 25 minutes. At this point, if you like to glaze your bread, you may whisk together an egg and a tablespoon of water and brush over braid before baking.

Bake in 375 degree oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Light and Fluffy Banana Cupcakes

"I had some bananas that were going bad, so..."

How many times have you seen that as a preface to a blog post about banana bread or banana cake? Well that was the case at my house a few days ago. My grandkids were coming, and I didn't want to make the usual banana bread (although I have made and blogged about banana bread at least half a dozen times). I wanted it cake-like, and I wanted it to be light, not dense.

My previous attempts at a light textured banana cake have not been successful; then I stumbled upon this recipe (on a blog that is no longer active). It is not only the best banana cake recipe ever, it is one of the best cupcakes I've made. I made it even better by adding cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter.

I had one plain, and it was just sweet enough, moist, tender, and just the light texture I was seeking. And my grandkids loved them!

Light and Fluffy Banana Cupcakes
Made 15 for me

1-1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup melted butter
1-1/2 cups ripe mashed bananas
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put cupcake liners into wells of muffin or cupcake pan.

Whisk together cooled melted butter, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla; set aside. In large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Make well in center and add banana mixture. Stir until smooth but do not overmix. Spoon batter into cupcake liners.

Bake about 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan to wire rack and cool. Spread with favorite frosting, such as this one:

Light and Fluffy Frosting
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1/3 - 8oz package cream cheese (about 3 oz) softened
2-1/2 – 3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream butter and cream cheese for about 2 minutes at medium high speed. Whisk together sugar and cinnamon. Gradually add sugar mixture in 1/2 cup increments, beating about a minute each time and scraping down bowl frequently. Add vanilla and mix another minute.

Homemade Hot Dog Buns and Waffle Batter Bread

After many attempts at trying to make hot dog buns out of some of my favorite hamburger bun recipes, I think I am getting closer to the elusive shape. Today I tried them with a tested-and-loved recipe from the blog of Let Them Eat Cake.

I first blogged about this amazing recipe here. Today I tried the recipe in a bread machine, and I have to say, it tasted every bit as good as the first time, but much easier. I simply put the ingredients into the pan of the bread machine and set it to Dough. When the cycle was finished, I placed the dough onto a floured board, pressed out all the air, and let it rest for a few minutes. I cut it into 9 pieces and roughly followed Baking Bites' instructions on how to shape hot dog buns for rising. They were a little whale-ish looking, but overall I was pleased with bread to wiener ratio. Our Nathan's never tasted so good!

Our breakfast this morning was Whole Grain Waffles, a delicious and crispy waffle containing flax seed, wheat germ, and whole wheat pastry flour. I sometimes make bread out of leftover pancakes, so with 2 cups of batter left over. I tried my hand at a loaf of bread from the batter. I threw it into the bread machine with a 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, about 1-1/2 cups flour, and 2-1/2 teaspoons yeast. After it completed the Dough setting, I put it into a greased bread pan and let it rise. I lost track of time on rising, and it rose too high. There was some deflation when it baked - for about 30 minutes on 350 - but it was still quite tasty, with flecks of flax seed and a little crunch on the crust from the wheat germ.

A high-carb day around here, and that makes me happy.

Cheddar Bacon Pinwheels

These were some of the yummiest rolls I've ever made, and I have to thank blogger extraordinaire Pattie Tierney of Olla-Podrida. Along with a richly varied collection of tempting recipes and beautiful table settings accompanied by well-written narratives, Pattie consistently presents the most beautiful breads on her blog, and many of them are made using her bread machine. This recipe is adapted from her Ham and Cheddar Rolls.

I started making yeast breads when I was a newlywed, and through the years I have made countless cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, kringles, loaves of bread, and pizza dough. I resisted buying a bread machine because I felt that my hands and mixer were more than adequate to the task of mixing and kneading. As I grow older my desire to bake and cook is waning as I long to spend more time quilting and creating in my loft. But we do still love homemade bread!

I was intrigued by the endless supply of delectable looking breads that Pattie attributed to her Sunbeam bread machine, so I asked her a few questions about using it. Last week (with Pattie egging me on) I just decided to do it, and my husband said "go for it", so I ordered it from Amazon, and it arrived Tuesday evening. Yesterday I threw the ingredients for the rolls into the machine, set it to "Dough", and away it went. One and one half hours later I had risen dough. I rolled it out, filled it with goodies, let it rise, and baked it. So easy!

Be sure to visit Pattie's tutorial with photos. Pattie made her rolls in a muffin tin, and I baked mine on a baking sheet to resemble cinnamon rolls. I changed the recipe slightly, adding some self-rising cornmeal and using whole wheat pastry flour instead of wheat flour. I love adding cornmeal because I love the texture and flavor it lends to a bread recipe. I forgot to buy ham, so I crumbled a couple pieces of cooked bacon over the dough, and I had no scallions so I used what I had on hand - dried chives. What resulted was a tender, buttery, savory, melt-in-your-mouth roll that rivaled any I've made in the past 40 years. My goal is to try every bread on Pattie's blog.

Cheddar Bacon Pinwheels
Adapted from the original Ham and Cheddar Rolls
My version produced 16 rolls

Dough:
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup 1% milk
6 tablespoons shortening
3 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 pkg dry yeast
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 extra-large eggs

Filling:
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
crumbled bacon bits
2 tablespoons dried chives

Place dough ingredients into work bowl of bread machine in order suggested by manufacturer. Set machine on "Dough" setting and press "Start". When machine has completed dough-making cycle (90 minutes on mine) remove dough to lightly floured surface and roll into large rectangle. Spread with butter; sprinkle cheese evenly over buttered surface and top with bacon and chives. Beginning at long end, roll up as tightly as possible, pinching seam to seal. Slice into 1" thick pieces. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet in warm spot and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 40-50 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and leave in pan for 5-10 minutes before carefully removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

New Potato Soup with Ham and Queso Blanco

My husband loves my old-fashioned potato soup, which is very simple and satisfying, but every once in awhile I like to shake things up and serve something similar to the baked potato soups I love to order at restaurants. I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and adapted it to what I had on hand.

For this soup I chose new potatoes. I really crave their hearty, edible-skin-goodness this time of year. Preparing them is so easy - just scrub them and pop them into boiling water - no peeling necessary. I had some leftover deli ham, and it gave the soup a very nice hint of smokiness. For the cheese I used Velveeta Shreds in the Queso Blanco flavor, and it melted easily and made the soup extra creamy, yet didn't overpower the flavor of those awesome potatoes.

New Potato Soup with Ham and Queso Blanco
adapted from Allrecipes.com
Serves 2-4

9 new potatoes, scrubbed
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 cup salted butter, cut into slices
1-1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups milk
1-1/2 cups Velveeta Queso Blanco Shreds
1 cup minced ham
Minced green onions to garnish

Place new potatoes and onion in a soup pot with salted water to cover; bring to boil. When potatoes are tender, drain all but about 1/2 cup water and place pot back on stove with heat set at low. Season with salt and pepper, add parsley, butter, and chicken broth. At this point take a pastry cutter or potato masher and smash the potatoes to desired consistency - I like small to medium-sized chunks of potato. In a measuring cup, whisk flour and milk until smooth; add to soup mixture, turn heat to low, and cook until soup becomes thickened. Stir in cheese and ham and stir until cheese is melted. Top with green onions and serve immediately.

Sugar-Crusted Greek Yogurt Pound Cake

My hubby had a few days off last week, so I decided to celebrate with a little cake. Allrecipes has a good recipe for a pecan pound cake that I made for his birthday a few years ago, so I halved it, left out the pecans, and used lowfat Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. Sprinkling the prepared pan with sugar lent a sweet crunchy crust, and with some fragrant strawberries from the local HEB and light Cool Whip, it made for a simple and delectable dessert.

Here is my halved and lower fat version of the recipe, with a link to the original.

Sugar-Crusted Greek Yogurt Pound Cake
adapted from Allrecipes.com

1-1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup salted butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

White sugar for cake pan

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 8 or 9-inch Bundt pan. Sprinkle generous amount of sugar into pan and shake to evenly distribute throughout greased area; discard excess and set pan aside. Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside. In measuring cup, whisk together Greek yogurt and vanilla; set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add flour mixture alternately with Greek yogurt mixture. Scrape batter into prepared pan.

Bake 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.

Creamy Garlic Angel Hair Pasta

I found the recipe for Creamy Garlic Pasta on the blog of What A Dish! and decided it would be perfect for us. My hubby loves angel hair pasta but always wants lots of butter and Parmesan on it. This dish uses very little butter but chicken broth makes the pasta flavorful. One of the ingredients is cream, but I used 2% milk and light sour cream with excellent results. Although my husband prefers his pasta unadorned except for a sprinkle of Parmesan, I sauteed some red bell peppers in a little olive oil with baby kale and cooked, cubed butternut squash to top my portion. And by the way, he loved it!

Creamy Garlic Angel Hair Pasta
adapted from What A Dish!

2 teaspoons granulated garlic
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 box (about 7 oz) whole wheat angel hair pasta
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used a mix of Parmesan and aged Havarti)
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup light sour cream
2 tablespoons salted butter

Mix milk with sour cream; set aside. Pour chicken broth into a pot, add garlic, and stir. Bring to boil and add spaghetti. Boil according to package directions, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until desired tenderness is reached. Remove from heat; do not drain. Stir in cheese until completely melted and add milk mixture; stir until thickened. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and serve immediately. May be topped with sauteed vegetables.

Blaack Cheese Rosemary Rolls

My sister-in-law sends us the most amazing gifts for Christmas - gifts such as Maytag cheese that make a foodie like me gasp with delight.



Last year was no exception. We received a wheel of Beekman 1802 Blaak, an exceptional cheese made from a 60/40 mix of goat and cow milk made on the farm of the Fabulous Beekman Boys in upstate New York. When it arrived in its unique wrap of black ash, wafting its sharply pungent aroma into my nostrils, I bravely cut a piece and was blown away by the smooth, creamy quality and delicious mildly tangy flavor - best cheese ever! The first night we had it with a nice loaf of Italian bread, fruit, and wine. I used it in everything, including grilled cheese sandwiches. Finally I shredded the remainder and froze it in little baggies, using it judiciously from time to time, sadly watching the number of baggies diminish.



Today I used the last bit of it in this fine recipe, which I found on Recipes for Divine Living. Blogger Andrea used Gruyere, which is probably what I will use hereafter, since I am out of the celebrated Blaack. I also used part buttermilk in my version, and my changes are reflected below. This is an outstanding recipe, producing beautifully crusted, light, fluffy interior, and the punch of that wonderful cheese and gentle bite of lemony rosemary.



I made 8 sandwich-sized buns and 8 dinner-sized rolls. The buns were perfect for our parmesan crusted tilapia sandwiches.


Blaack Cheese Rosemary Rolls
adapted from the original recipe at Recipes for Divine Living

1 cup milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
2-1/2 cups shredded Blaack, Gruyere, or other savory cheese, divided
5 cups flour

Scald milks; remove from heat, add butter, and let cool to lukewarm. Combine water, sugar, and yeast; let stand 5 minutes.

Combine milk mixture, rosemary, salt, and eggs; beat at medium speed until blended. Beat in 2 cups cheese and yeast mixture. Gradually beat in 5 cups flour, switching to dough hook when dough is formed, and knead 5 minutes.

Place dough in well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in warm place about 1 hour, or until doubled.

Punch dough down; turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead 2 or 3 times. Shape into rolls or buns and place on lightly greased or parchment covered baking sheets. Cover and let rise 45 minutes or until doubled.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush melted butter over rolls.

After I took this picture, I promptly ate half and unselfishly offered the other half to my husband. When I asked him what he thought, he was speechless and could only make "ummmmmm" sounds.

Cinnamon Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

My daughter texted me after she arrived back home on Christmas Day, apologizing for not eating the bananas she asked me to purchase for her visit. She didn't realize that I love banana bread, and I welcomed the leftover bananas for the opportunity to make it again.

Although I have posted many banana bread recipes on this blog as well as on my older blogs, I feel there is always room for one more version. In this case I revisited a recipe by Eva Longoria in her cookbook Eva's Kitchen. This time I used her basic recipe, which I find excellent, changed the rum and cognac to Irish cream, used oil instead of butter, and added chocolate chunks and a streusel crust. I also changed up the method a bit; you can find my adaptation of the original here, as Boozy Banana Bread.

I loved the crunchy sugary crust, and the hint of Irish cream combined with the chocolate was really delicious!

Banana Bread
adapted from Eva's Kitchen

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 very ripe bananas
2 tablespoons Irish cream
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons milk
2 cups unbleached flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, well beaten
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Streusel:
3 tablespoons salted butter
1/4 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 9 X 5 loaf pan with cooking spray or shortening. I find it helpful to put a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the loaf pan in addition to greasing the pan to help release the bread after baking.

Process streusel ingredients in food processor until crumbs form. Set aside.

Process oil, brown sugar, and bananas in food processor until smooth. Set aside.

In bowl, whisk together flour, white sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add chocolate chunks and pecans to flour mixture and toss.

Combine Irish cream, sour cream, milk, and vanilla in small bowl and whisk until smooth; add eggs and mix until well blended, then add banana mixture. Add this mixture all at once to flour mixture and mix just until blended. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Evenly sprinkle streusel over top. Bake until well browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few crumbs, about 1 hour or longer - start checking at 45-50 minutes. Place pan on wire rack and cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely.

Chocolate Pecan Toffee Bars

I showed my husband a photo of these goodies from A Southern Grace, and at his insistence, 20 minutes later they were in the oven! Waiting for them to cool was the hardest part. They are insanely good - caramel, chocolate, and roasted pecans with a buttery crust.

I modified the recipe only slightly, using my preference of ingredients, and my changes are reflected in the recipe below. I used an entire bag of milk chocolate chips for extra decadence, and I always use salted butter. My pecans, which I purchased at HEB and toasted in the oven, are grown in Texas and so delicious. I have no idea what variety they are, but they are slightly sweet, crunchy, and have a rich pecan flavor.

Chocolate Pecan Toffee Bars

Crust:
2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup salted butter
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Caramel:
2/3 cup salted butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

Topping:
1 - 12oz bag milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place crust ingredients in food processor and process until fine crumbs. Pour into an ungreased 9x13 inch baking pan and pack very firmly and evenly to form crust.

Cook 2/3 cup salted butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar over medium heat until mixture begins to boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Pour over crust. Bake 18-22 minutes, until entire caramel layer is bubbly. Do not over bake. Remove from oven and sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips. Let set for 2-3 minutes, then spread melted chocolate chips with knife. Sprinkle with chopped pecans, pressing nuts gently into chocolate.

Let cool completely before cutting into bars.

Pumpkin Biscuits

Pumpkin and/or cranberries make an appearance in just about every meal I make this time of year. I needed a biscuit to go with grits and bacon for a lazy Saturday morning, so these pumpkin biscuits were perfect.

The dough is quite moist, so the key to keeping the biscuits flaky is a light hand with the flour and gentle kneading.

I was so eager to eat these I only managed an iPhone photo. The recipe yielded a tender, flaky biscuit, slightly sweet from the brown sugar and scented softly with a hint of pumpkin pie spices. With the salty bacon, they were magnificent.

Pumpkin Biscuits

1-3/4 cups unbleached flour, plus additional for rolling
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup cold salted butter
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425°.

Whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Cut in 1/2 cup butter until coarse crumbs form. Combine pumpkin and buttermilk in separate bowl; stir into flour mixture just until moistened.

Scrape dough onto lightly floured surface and knead gently 3 or 4 times, sprinkling on a tiny bit of flour to keep from sticking. Pat or roll to 1-inch thickness and cut with floured biscuit cutter. Place 1 inch apart on baking sheet.

Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes about a dozen. Yield depends on size of biscuit cutter. I got 11 using a 2-1/2 inch cutter.

Vanilla Roasted Pear Muffins

After enjoying these ambrosial pears with our roasted chicken dinner the other night, I took the leftovers and pureed them, strained out (and saved to freeze) as much juice as I could, and ended up with a cup of beautiful pear sauce. This provided just the right ingredient for perfectly moist, tender muffins that actually did have a faint taste of pear, which is difficult to taste in most baked goods. The streusel provided just enough sweet crunch.

Vanilla Roasted Pear Muffins
Makes about 48 mini muffins*

Muffins
2-1/4 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup vanilla roasted pear puree (from this recipe)


Streusel
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup salted butter, diced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray mini-muffin pans with cooking spray.

For streusel, mix flour, sugars, and cinnamon; cut in butter with a pastry cutter until small crumbs are formed.

For muffins, whisk together flour and spices; set aside. Mix together buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla; set aside.

Combine sugars, oil, and pear puree; add buttermilk mixture and mix until well blended. Fold in dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Divide the batter evenly in pans; sprinkle streusel over tops. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 15 minutes. Cool pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing the muffins from the pan.

*Although the recipe indicates 48 muffins, I ended up with enough batter for an additional dozen regular sized muffins.

Vanilla Roasted Pears

These vanilla-infused pears were tender, fragrant, and totally satisfied my sweet tooth. I found the recipe on the blog of An Edible Mosaic, whose author, Faith Gorsky, has a cookbook being published this fall. I used a combination of Bosc and Red pears, and I found the Bosc to be superior for baking because they were tender yet retained their firmness. The red pears, while delicious, were almost reduced to sauce.

I barely changed the recipe, using lime juice in place of lemon (simply because that's what I had), salted butter (because I always think sweet needs just a touch of salt), and a whisper of cinnamon.

Vanilla Roasted Pears
adapted from the blog of An Edible Mosaic
Serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and seeds scraped out
6 medium (about 2 lb) pears, any firm variety
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons salted butter, diced
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Combine sugars and vanilla seeds in small bowl and set aside; reserve vanilla pod.

Peel pears or leave them unpeeled if the skin is unblemished; cut in half lengthwise, scoop out core. Arrange pears cut side up in baking dish.

Drizzle lemon juice over pears, dot tops with butter, and sprinkle on cinnamon. Pour water into dish and place vanilla pod in bottom.

Roast until pears are tender and caramelized and sauce is slightly thickened, about 35 minutes, depending on ripeness of pears. Flip pears midway through baking and occasionally basted wotj juices from bottom of baking dish.

Pour pan juices into small pitcher and serve with pears.

I saved my leftovers and pureed them to use in muffins, which I will blog about later this week.

An Edible Mosaic