Ricotta Anything Muffins: Two Ways

These muffins are delectable.

The ricotta in the batter is so unbelievable dreamy and creamy. The sugar on the tops add a teeny bit of crunch and the berries add a bit of tang. The almond extract is a nice addition as well, as it goes great with both blueberries and raspberries.

I ended up trying two different recipes just for experimental sake. I had only planned on making the blueberry muffins but the recipe only yielded 10 muffins plus I had tons of ricotta left over. The blueberry muffins use almond meal, which is a bit harder to come by and just a teeny bit more of a hassle to make. So for the raspberry muffins I eliminated the almond meal but still had all the delicious almond flavor by using extract and topping it with more almonds.

Raspberry Ricotta Muffins

Yields: 10 muffins

Slightly adapted from here.

Printable Recipe

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

pinch of salt

1/2 stick butter

1 egg

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 cup fresh raspberries

1/4 cup slivered almonds, for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with liners and set aside. Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl cream together the sugar and butter. Add the egg, ricotta and extracts and mix well. Mix wet with dry until just moistened. Fold in the raspberries carefully. Pour batter into prepared tin. Sprinkle each with a little sugar then top with slivered almonds. Bake for 28 - 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

I really can't tell which muffin I like better. Each of them were incredible in my opinion. The ricotta is what really makes these muffins. They were so moist and full of flavor! But honestly you could add whatever fruit or flavorings you'd like in this muffin, I'm sure anything would be just as delicious as these combinations!

Blueberry Ricotta Muffins

Yields: 10 muffins

Original recipe from Stick to Your Hips, which can be found here.

Printable Recipe

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

1 egg + 1 white

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with liners and set aside. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg, egg white, vanilla, almond extract and ricotta cheese. In a small bowl mix the flour, almond meal, salt and baking powder. Stir into the ricotta mixture until just moistened. Fold in 1 1/4 cups of the berries. Fill muffin tin with batter and press the remaining berries on top of the batter, then sprinkle with extra sugar and bake for 18 - 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

Moist and bursting with juicy blueberries!

Midterms Mixtape

Yep. It's that time again; midterm season, the time when I am just mere inches away from my death. But my savior? Music; especially these upbeat mixes.

1. Walter Meego - Forever

2. Santogold - Lights Out

3. Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks

4. Passion Pit - Sleepyhead

5. Friendly Fires ft. Au Revoir Simone - Paris (Aeroplane Remix)

6. Vampire Weekend - Ottoman (Redlight Remix)

7. Fleet Foxes - Summertime (The Professor Remix)

8. Thao Nguyen with The Get Down Stay Down - Goodbye Good Luck

9. Britney Spears - 3

10. Gonzales - Let's Ride

11. The Pragmatic - Circles (RAC Maury Mix)

12. Metric - Help, I'm Alive

Spooktacular Cupcakes

These are some cupcakes I made for an upcoming event for my club at school, The Flying Samaritans. It's an amazing club and I'm so proud to be a part of it! It was only a matter of time until I made some cupcakes for them. We are gonna be selling these to help fundraise for our club, I hope people will like them!

Furry Swamp Monsters!

Blood Bones!

Brains!

Spiderwebs!

Mummies!

I didn't have much time so I used boxed cake mixes. But I did make my own Swiss meringue buttercream! I used Martha's recipe but let me warn you, this recipe makes SO much frosting. I made 36 cupcakes and I still think that I had enough frosting left over to frost another 36! Even though the recipe said it was only for 28! Make sure to cut the recipe in half if you aren't making a ginormous amount of cupcakes!

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Yield: enough for 40 - 50 + cupcakes

Original recipe can be found here.

Printable Recipe

2 1/2 cups sugar

10 large egg whites

8 sticks/ 4 cups of unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Place sugar and egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a pan of simmering water and whisk until the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. Test by rubbing the mixture between your fingers, it should feel completely smooth. Transfer the bowl back to the standing mixer and using the whisk attachment, whisk on high speed until mixture has cooled and forms stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes. Add the butter, a little at a time and beat after each addition. DO NOT WORRY if it starts to look like it curdled, keep mixing and it should eventually become smooth again. Beat in vanilla and just mix until combined. Enjoy!

To make the furry swamp monsters:

I used a smaller star tip and just piped small stars around the whole cupcake surface until it was covered. I used M&Ms for the eyes and edible ink pens for the irises.

To make the blood bones:

I used a 2D closed star tip to frost on the frosting. To make the bones I used red candy melts, melted them, then put them into a ziplock bag with the tip cut off to pipe out bone shapes. After they hardened, I added them to the cupcakes.

To make the brains:

I used a medium sized circular tip, first divided the cupcake through the center then swirled the tip around to fill each hemisphere of the brain.

To make the spiderwebs:

I used an offset spatula to spread some dark grey frosting in a thin layer across the top of the cupcake as a base. Then I used a small circular tip filled with white frosting to pipe concentric circles on the top of the cupcake. Then I used a toothpick to drag the frosting from the center out to the edge of the cupcake.

To make the mummies:

I used a rectangular basketweave tip to pipe lines in random ways across the top of the cupcake. I used M&Ms for eyes and used edible ink pens to make the irises.

The Kooples

Not yet available here in the states yet, sadly, but you can find these amazing pieces here. Aren't they just perfect for a Californian winter?

Tailored Tuesdays

It's getting colder. FINALLY!

I'd probably suggest a light cardigan or jacket with this one then.

1. Denis Colomb "Two tone horizontal stole"

2. James Perse "Casual cotton t-shirt"

3. Chloe "Wool flannel turn up shorts"

4. Yves Saint Laurent "Divine peep toe pumps"

5. Chloe "Paraty leather tote"

6. Mawi "Heiloom multistrand necklace"

all images can be found at net-a-porter.com

Monkey Bread

The Pioneer Woman strikes again. That woman has it out for me. Well, actually this recipe found me through a long string around the world wide web. First I saw it on Honey & Jam, where she found the recipe from Ryan via the Pioneer Woman. What a tangled web we weave...

But this monkey bread? Not so tangled nor complicated. Quite possibly one of the simplest and most satisfying recipes yet. It takes pre-packaged biscuits and turns them into something so much more than you could ever think possible. Really how could cinnamon, sugar and butter go wrong? It can't. And I do believe that is a fact. Cold hard facts people.

This bread is sticky sweet and slightly chewy in texture. It's quite sweet so I think a nice, steaming hot cup of black coffee would be the perfect accompaniment. Or even a cold glass of milk too! Enjoy the bread warm though, it's best that way!

Monkey Bread

Yields: 2 of the loaves shown above

Original recipe from Ryan via The Pioneer Woman, which can be found here.

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 sticks/ 1 cup butter

2 - 3 tsp. cinnamon

3 cans buttermilk biscuits (the non-flaky ones)

1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. Open up all three cans of biscuits and cut each one into quarters. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a large zip lock bag and shake it to mix evenly. Drop biscuits into cinnamon sugar mix, close the bag and give it a vigorous shake to nicely coat each piece. Spread them in any bundt pan of your choice. Melt the butter together with the brown sugar in a medium saucepan until the two become incorporated. Pour over the biscuits and bake for 30 - 40 minutes until the crust is a deep brown on top. Allow to cool for 15 - 30 minutes before turning it over onto a plate.

Spring Ready-to-Wear 2010

My FAVORITE collection this season, BY FAR.

Fresh Corn and Avocado Salsa

Again, with The Pioneer Woman. I think I should just set the goal of cooking my way through her entire recipe list, I've made a pretty nice dent so far. If I had the time and money, that is something I would love, love, love to do. Every recipe I've tried from her has been irresistible, this one is no exception. It's the epitome of summer and what better way to send this gorgeous season off?

This recipe makes a big tub but no problem, you'll finish it in no time!

PW's Fresh Corn and Avocado Salsa

Yields: enough for a crowd (10+ servings)

Original recipe from The Pioneer Woman, which can be found here.

Printable Recipe

4 ears of sweet corn, cooked

1/2 red onion, diced

2 large, firm avocados, diced

2 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced (I like it spicy)

Juice of 1 lime

Plenty of chopped cilantro

Salt, to taste

1 tbsn. vinegar

1 tsp. sugar

Slice the kernals off the corn and combine with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Enjoy!

Top an omelet with it, it's delicious:

Spring Ready-to-Wear 2010

Here are my favorites of the 'feminine' theme of Spring RTW:

Healthy Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins

It's fall. The weather might not agree, but the mood just reads fall. Do you know how I know it's fall? I know when I start to crave all things pumpkin; when my mind won't linger off of the topic of pumpkin. I... can't... get... it... out... of... my... MIND.

That's why I made these. Fall also marks the beginning of school for me. Times when I need something that sustains me yet is easy to bring around. Muffins qualify as a school-friendly snack to me. You can grab them and just go. But these? These will keep you satisfied since they're filled with loads of oats and yummy fall-ish pumpkin flavor.

They're made with whole wheat flour, just a smidgen of sugar and oats. So that way you can snack and still feel good about it, well even feel great about it, since it tastes so yummy! Without the glaze it's more like a pumpkin bread but I think the glaze added the right amount of sweetness to qualify it as a muffin.

Healthy Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins

Yields: 12 muffins

Slightly adapted from here.

Printable Recipe

For the streusel:

2 tbsn. pumpkin puree

2 tbsn. honey

2/3 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

For the muffins:

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/4 cups quick cooking oats

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground allspice

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas, about 1 large banana or 2 small

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 tbsn. canola oil

1 large egg, lightly beaten

For the glaze (optional):

1/8 cup brown sugar

1 tbsn. milk/ half and half/ whatever you have on hand

1 tbsn. butter

1 tbsn. pumpkin puree

1/2 cup powdered sugar, as much as needed

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a muffin tin with liners, set aside. In a bowl combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. In another bowl combine the pumpkin, bananas, brown sugar, oil and egg. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the liquid mixture. Stir together until incorporated. To make the streusel, combine the pumpkin, honey and cinnamon. Mix well, then mix in the oats, set aside. Divide batter evenly among muffin tin, top with streusel and bake for 16 - 18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. To make the optional glaze, combine the brown sugar, milk and butter in a small saucepan. Heat until sugar is melted. Pour into small bowl, let cool a little then add in the puree and powdered sugar, mix well. Glaze each cooled muffin with 1 teaspoon of glaze. Enjoy!