Sweet Potato Pie Muffins

One of the ladies at work and I like to talk about food.  Recently, she had me look at two different muffin recipes to get my opinion on them (her daughter eats very, very healthily and the recipes were for an attempt to make her muffins) .  We started talking about various things and the lady told me about sweet potato pancakes they make.  After a day or so, I just couldn't stop thinking about sweet potatoes and muffins.  I've been wanting to bake some sweet potato muffins for the past week, but never got around to it (i.e., I've been rather lazy).  Finally, I couldn't resist my urge to bake.  More than just bake though, I wanted to create something.  I am so hesitant to just dive head first into making something, in trusting myself to have the skill and knowledge.  I am so terrified of failure in the kitchen... and this is preposterous!  So even when I do venture out on my own, I usually scan some recipes to get general ratios (flour to sugar, wet to dry) before embarking.  But not this time, buddy!  I marched into the kitchen with just my brain to guide me.  It was a little scary but also exhilarating.  I feel I'm finally becoming an actual, honest-to-goodness baker, and damn, does it feel good.

 Was that enough exposition?  I'm not usually so verbose -- at least not lately -- but I am really proud of these muffins.  And myself.  For risking failure in an attempt to  create and succeeding.

Sweet Potato Pie Muffins
(Yields 1 1/2 dozen muffins)

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 15 oz. can sweet potato puree (feel free to make your own puree)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup finely to mediumly chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup cinnamon chips

Preheat oven to 350F.  Generously oil a muffin pan.  

In a large bow, beat eggs and both sugars until light and creamy.  Mix in sweet potato puree and vanilla until well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine  flour, oats, baking powder, and salt.  Add into sweet potato mixture and mix well.  Stir in pecans and cinnamon chips.  

Spoon into prepared muffin pan, filling each cup about 2/3 of the way full.  The muffins will rise a bit.  

Bake 10-15 minutes or until the tops look firm and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool further. 

August 2010 Daring Baker's Challenge: Baked Alaska

The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”.

 As you can see from the title of this blog entry, I opted for the baked alaska.  My reasoning was twofold: 1) I've always been intrigued by mentions of the dessert, and 2) I have this great dislike of petit fours (even though the ones made in the challenge would be completely different than those I dislike).  For those who don't know, baked alaska is a layer of cake topped with ice cream, all covered in meringue that is lightly toasted (or torched).

 It wasn't really what I expected, but I couldn't really tell you what it was that I had expected.  From the past few challenges, I've learned something about myself: I do not like desserts that chill cake along with ice cream.  They're fine if they are separate, but I do not like cold cake.  You learn something new about yourself every day!


A heads up: I am super crazy excited about September's Daring Cook's challenge!!!!!!!!

Strawberry Pielettes

Last weekend, hubby and I finally hosted a housewarming party after being in our house for approximately two months.  I came up with this monstrously long list of things I wanted to make, which hubby then had to help me cull down.  I stuck mostly with recipes that have been a hit before, but I really wanted to make little bite size fruity pie/tart hybrids.  The coffee shop across from my college - Brewed Awakenings in Cedar Rapids, IA if you're ever in town - made little tarts that were amazing, ESPECIALLY the mulberry one.  The crust was perfectly sweet and tender.  I wanted to do something similar.  I knew what I did not want my crust to be; I didn't want it super flaky (a la apple pie) but I didn't want it to be hard and buttery (a la lemon meringue tarts).  I wanted something almost cookie like, but not quite.  Looking through  my recipes, I came across the hand pies my sister and I made for her husband months ago and TADA we've got a crust.  

These little pielettes (name in progress, not quite a pie, not quite a tartlette) were a smash! Everyone, including me, thought they were great.  I used strawberry preserves for the party ones, and having a few empty shells after the strawberry ran out, used some fig  as well.  Hubby preferred the fig.  I think you could do just about any fruit in these: peach, apple, berries galore. 

 The crust isn't exactly what I wanted; next time, I'll use butter instead of crisco and substitute some brown for white sugar. 

Strawberry Pielettes

(makes 48)

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tbsp vinegar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• approximately 2 cups strawberry preserves (or any other variety)
• whipped cream
• sliced fruit/additional berries for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease 2 mini-muffin pans (or if you just have 1, bake in two parts).

Cream together sugar, shortening, and egg until fluffy.  Beat in vinegar, milk, and vanilla extract.  

In a separate bowl, whisk together baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1/2 cup flour.  Add to the wet ingredients.  Add flour in 1/2 cup increments, mixing well after each addition.  Add additional flour, if necessary, to ensure dough is not sticky. 

Roll 1-inch balls of dough and drop into each cup of the muffin pan.  Press the dough to fill the muffin cup, creating an indentation into which you will put the preserves.  You can use your fingers for this; I used the end of my ice cream scoop which had the perfect diameter.  If you use an instrument, make sure you keep it greased or the dough will stick to it and pull up.

Bake for approximately 10 minutes.  The crust will puff up a bit; if it puffs too much, use a spoon to gently remove some from the center.  Spoon a tablespoon or so of preserves into each, filling them almost to the very top.  Try not to drip preserves on the rims of the pielettes.

Bake approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the crust  appears set and slightly golden.  Let cool in pan for a few minutes, then remove to a cooling rack.  A tip for removing them: if you rotate the pielettes in the muffin cup, then should pull out easily.  

Once cool and you're ready to serve, garnish with a plop of whipped cream and slice of strawberry (or whatever fruit you've used). 

August 2010 Daring Cook's Challenge: Pierogi

The August 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by LizG of Bits n’ Bites and Anula of Anula’s Kitchen. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make pierogi from scratch and an optional challenge to provide one filling that best represents their locale.

Man, I just barely completed this challenge.  Hubby and I threw a housewarming party today for which I made waay too much food.  Prior to that, we've been  fixing and painting and cleaning and all the wonderfully time consuming things owning a house has.

For my filling, I actually used mashed potatoes and mushroom cream sauce left over from the party.  Worked quite well!  The pierogi were delicious and easy to make! Next, I want to use bacon in them somehow,.