cinnamon muffins

muffins with layers of cinnamon filling and streusel topping

I couldn't wait to bake these muffins as soon as I saw them on the King Arthur Flour baking blog. This was also another good opportunity for me to use one of my favorite ingredients, Baker's Cinnamon Filling from King Arthur Flour. I had no doubt these muffins would please my husband who has a weakness for cinnamon. True enough, they were a sure hit. The surprise cinnamon filling made them extra flavorful. I like to combine all purpose and whole wheat flour when I bake so I adjusted the recipe as I went along. I also run out of oats so I omitted it. I also combined milk with some light sour cream not just to lessen the sweetness but to make the muffins extra moist.

CINNAMON MUFFINS (adapted from King Arthur Flour ~ Simply Sinful Cinnamon Muffins)

For the cinnamon filling:

1/2 cup Baker's Cinnamon Filling (or substitute a mixture of ground cinnamon, brown sugar and melted butter)
3-4 tablespoons water

Gradually stir the water into the cinnamon filling mix. Transfer the mixture to a small ziplock bag then cut a small hole in one corner. Set aside.

For the streusel topping:

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons butter, softened

Combine all the dry ingredients then cut in the butter with a fork or small spatula. Set aside.

For the muffin batter:

1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs, slightly beaten

Grease and flour (I used a non-stick baking spray) a 12-cup muffin pan. In a big mixing bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix the butter, sour cream, milk and eggs together then pour into the dry ingredients. Lightly mix with a fork just until combined. Spoon about two tablespoons of the batter into each muffin cup. Spoon or pipe the filling mixture generously on top. Spoon more of the batter then pipe more filling on top to complete the layers. Finally, spoon about 2 tablespoons of the streusel on top of each muffin. Bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and streusel topping is lightly toasted.

cross section showing the filling inside

weekday cooking ~ English peas

This beautiful batch of English peas was in our produce box this week. It was good to try them out for a simple weekday side dish. A bunch didn't make much, just enough for two servings. They were so fresh and easy to peel but I have to say it was a lot of work. However, it took only a few minutes to sautee the peas with finely minced onion followed by a light sprinkle of salt and pepper to highlight the fresh flavor of the peas. It was nice to have a bright shade of spring green on the dinner table. It was a perfect dish to serve with a simple weekday meal.

fresh ginger cookies

This big batch of fresh ginger we got sometime ago made me search for ginger cookie recipes made with fresh grated ginger instead of the usual ground ginger. My online search led me to two interesting recipes. The first recipe I tried was an oatmeal cookie version with fresh ginger and lemon. It was a very good combination, however, it needed more ginger flavor. The next one I tried was a ginger cookie recipe from the All Recipes website. I followed the recipe and procedure but for a more intense ginger flavor, I doubled the amount of grated fresh ginger.  The additional amount took these ginger cookies to another level.

Grating the fresh ginger using a microplane was labor intensive and time consuming but the painful process was easily forgotten when I finally tasted these cookies :-) They were crispy along the edges with a chewy center and interior. The baking time may be adjusted to achieve a chewier or crispier cookie. I sprinkled them with sugar crystals before baking.

FRESH GINGER COOKIES (adapted from All Recipes Fresh Ginger Cookies)


1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4-5 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup Crisco shortening
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg

sugar crystals for topping

In a large mixing bowl, combine all purpose and whole wheat flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat butter, Crisco, grated ginger and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. Fold in flour mixture until just combined. Chill for a few hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Scoop or roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls then sprinkle them with the sugar crystals. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake until edges start to brown, about 15 minutes. For crispier cookies, bake for 18-20 minutes. Let them cool slightly on cookie sheets for 1 minute then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

dragon fruit (pitaya)

It was my first time to try this tropical and very exotic looking fruit called dragon fruit. The tree is from the cactus family and commonly grown in Southeast Asia and South America. I've never seen and even heard about it in the Philippines when I was still living there but they must have started importing it by now. Many fruits and vegetables are now available there just like those colorful bell peppers. I've been curious about dragon fruit since I first saw it sold in neat little packs, cut-up into cubes and mixed with other fruits, at one of the many fruit stands inside the La Boqueria Market in Barcelona. I regretted not buying the fruit mix to eat back at our hotel. Finally, my husband spotted it at an Asian market we visited this weekend. It wasn't cheap at more than $5 per fruit but it was worth trying.

the bright pink dragon fruit peels easily like a banana

We always like to try unusual fruits but we had our share of hits and misses in the past. We were not really blown away by the taste which was very mild bordering on the bland side but it was good and juicy. Biting into the black seeds reminded me of kiwi. The texture is comparable to kiwi as well but slightly crunchier. I read that it also mixes up well with other fruits. A combination of dragon fruit, kiwi, cantaloupe and watermelon cubes will make a very refreshing and colorful summertime treat. We would definitely buy it again, hopefully at a more reasonable price :-)

apple custard tart

I needed a new idea for some Granny Smith apples we got recently. I wanted to try another tart recipe and was delighted to find this Apple Custard Tart in the Joy of Baking website again :-) This website is getting to be my favorite with all the featured tested recipes and demonstration videos that I enjoy watching.

The tart shell was a basic sweet pastry dough which may be made ahead. It was pre-baked for about 15 minutes until golden brown then allowed to cool before filling. It may also be brushed with beaten eggwhite before baking to seal the crust and prevent it from being soggy when filled with the custard.

The Granny Smith apples were cut into uniform slices, about 1/4" thick, then simmered in a pot  for a few minutes until almost tender. The apples will continue to cook in the oven. Evenly spread the custard in the baked tart shell. Arrange the apple slices on top of the custard as suggested in the picture below. Brush with melted butter, generously sprinkle with ground cinnamon and cover with aluminum foil. The foil is necessary to trap the heat and moisture from the apples while baking and make them very tender. The sweetness of the custard was a good balance to the tartness of the apples. I love how the sweet aroma of the cinnamon filled the kitchen during and after baking. Both the recipes for the sweet pastry crust and for this apple custard tart may be found in the Joy of Baking website.

baked in a 9" tart pan with removable bottom

cranberry walnut cookies

I was craving for some crispy drop cookies but these turned out softer with a cakelike texture. The edges were crispy when they first came out of the oven, however, as they cooled they became softer. I have no complaints with the flavor though, the combination of cranberries and walnuts was really what I was going for.

Lately, I've been watching more of the video tutorials in the Joy of Baking website and trying out a few of the tested recipes. These Raisin Cookies were light and not too sweet. I just substituted dried cranberries and chopped walnuts, one of our favorite combinations. The recipe is one of the easiest I have tried. The ingredients were just added to the mixing bowl one after another then mixed until well combined. I think even young kids will have no problem making these cookies with a little supervision of course.

  

CRANBERRY WALNUT COOKIES  

(adapted from the Joy of Baking Raisin Cookies)

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup light or dark brown sugar

12 tablespoons (1.5 sticks) softened butter

1 large egg

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a big mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the brown sugar, softened butter, egg, milk and vanilla and beat for one minute. Add the dried cranberries and walnuts and mix until combined. Use a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon to drop the cookie batter onto the baking sheet. Bake the cookies for about 8-10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Makes about 3 1/2 to 4 dozen cookies.

pernil ~ Puerto Rican roast pork

One of the most comforting kitchen moments for me is the aroma of pork roasting in the oven. In the Philippines, the most popular version of roast pork is lechon, a whole pig roasted over hot coals in an outdoor pit. When served, it becomes the highlight of festive celebrations. Roasted meat of any kind has universal appeal. Take a big chunk of meat, slow roast it for a few hours and with plenty of patience, you will be rewarded with a most flavorful, succulent and fall-off-the-bone kitchen creation. I was planning to get a picnut cut pork shoulder for this project but ended up with a pork shoulder blade instead. Both cuts are ideal for roasting, however, the picnic cut is preferable with the skin or rind left on. It has more fat than the pork shoulder blade roast. More layers of fat melting during the cooking will result in a very tender and moist pork.

slow roasted pork shoulder swimming in the rendered fat

This Puerto Rican version of slow roasted pork shown above is called pernil. It's best marinated overnight in the refrigerator for maximum flavor. I also found a recipe video with lots of tips and techniques. I used about 10 cloves of garlic for this 6-pound pork. I also added half a tablespoon of sazon, a Latin American seasoning mix, to the rest of the ingredients.

After the long cooking process (5-6 hours) and resting the pernil for about 30 minutes, it was very easy to just use a fork to pull the meat. Tender chunks of pernil are shown above served with a black bean side dish and steamed rice. The rice was tossed in a little bit of the flavorful drippings from the roast. Fried plantains may be served to complete the meal.

leftover pernil turned out good for tacos the next day

I found this basic pernil recipe from the Saveur website which I used as a guide but I reduced the amount of garlic. I also used lime juice combined with a little vinegar. A combination of fresh orange and lime juice with the zest will work just as well. There were plenty of leftovers which were perfect for tacos the next day.