Espresso Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

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chocolate, cookies, espresso, oatmeal

Whenever I’m in the mood for sweets, and I want them quickly, cookies are my go-to dessert of choice. They whip up quickly, bake in a relatively short amount of time, and can be eaten warm so they don’t need to cool as long! These cookies in particular are fast since it uses melted butter and can be mixed by hand. I based this recipe off my Oatmeal Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies, which is heavily adapted from Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. All these are great to make with kids, by the way. I made the original chocolate chip cookies with my 4 year old nephew. He got to help mix, and even help scoop the cookie dough (and maybe sample some dough too…)! He had so much fun that he wanted to make cookies again the next time he came over. 🙂 But these oatmeal cookies are sort of an adult twist on a classic. The coffee flavor is mild but definitely present, and pairing it with chocolate and oatmeal makes it the perfect breakfast cookie, afternoon pick-me up treat, or even dessert. I might have been sneaking a cookie for breakfast every now and then myself… Give these cookies a try the next time you have a sweet craving!One Year Ago: Kimchi Fried Rice

Espresso Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons espresso powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, mix butter and sugars by hand or with a mixer until thoroughly combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix slowly until just combined. Gently stir in the oats, then stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop ¼ cup scoops of dough onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until edges are starting to harden and brown, but the center is still soft without being overcooked. Cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes then move cookies to wire racks to finish cooling.

Source: Inspired by Brown Eyed Baker

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Whole-Wheat Blueberry Muffins

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blueberry, egg-free, muffins, whole-wheat flour

Three muffin recipes in a row. What can I say… I love muffins! Before I made these muffins, I planned on making a different muffin recipe. It still had cinnamon and blueberries, but I ran into one problem… I didn’t have enough all-purpose flour!! How is that even possible!! Has that ever happened to you? So off to the internet and my google reader where I was so happy to find a recipe using blueberries and used ALL whole-wheat flour.I’ve always heard that it’s okay to use half all-purpose and half whole-wheat flour, but to never fully substitute with whole-wheat. Leave it to King Arthur flour to come up with a recipe that successfully uses all whole-wheat flour and saves the day! So I was off to work again making these delicious muffins to bring to my parents as a snack while I was dog/house sitting. My mom loved these so much that I made her 2 batches while she was gone and froze them for a quick breakfast whenever she wants. It’s no wonder she loves me! 😉 And besides being healthy since they’re made with whole-wheat flour, they are also egg-free which makes them a perfect treat, especially for friends with an egg allergy!One Year Ago: Zucchini-Pineapple Cupcakes with Lemon Sour Cream Frosting and Oreo Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins
Yield: 12 muffins

Muffins:
2¼ cups whole wheat flour
1 cup brown sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1½ cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1½ cups buttermilk

Topping:
½ cup packed brown sugar
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter, melted

To make the topping: Stir together brown sugar, flour, rolled oats, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Drizzle in the melted butter, mixing until well blended.

To make the muffins: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a muffin tin with paper baking cups; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients, including the blueberries; set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, vegetable oil, and buttermilk. Pour the bowl of liquids into the dry ingredients, stirring just to combine. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups; cups will be overly full. Sprinkle with cinnamon-oat topping.

Bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins come out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool 5 minutes, then remove the muffins and finish cooling on the rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers loosely wrapped at room temperature.

Source: Adapted from King Arthur Flour via Sweet Pea’s Kitchen

Plum Muffins

Tags

cinnamon, cream cheese, muffin, plum, yogurt

A few weeks ago, I was dog/house sitting for my parents while they went on a trip to Hawaii. Lucky them! I therefore had a lot of time on my hands. I was at my parents, an hour and a half from my place, with nothing to do and noone to hang out with other than my parents’ dogs! Needless to say I had a LOT of time on my hands. So what’s a girl to do? Why not make muffins! Lots of them! Some of what I made was by request, and the rest was based on what I had on hand and what would expire before my parents go back, such as the strawberry muffins.

As for the plums that went into these muffins, there is a large tree in the backyard that had so many ripe plums just waiting to be picked. Normally, I just eat plums straight. They’re so good and so hard to resist as a quick snack, but I was determined to find some ways to use them in recipes. I found many options and I didn’t have a chance to try everything I wanted to. Thankfully, I had a chance to make these muffins. Again, I used what I had on hand and I had part of a cream cheese block leftover after making creamy taco mac so I substituted that for some of the butter and yogurt. Cinnamon added a hint of spice to give the muffins a little something extra. They came out wonderfully and were a big hit with the neighbors, who to sample the variety of muffins made! 🙂 So if you ever find yourself with some plums laying around, why not make muffins! And don’t worry, there will be one more muffin recipe on the way soon. 😉One Year Ago: Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Homemade Barbecue Sauce

Plum Muffins
Yield: 18 muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
1½ cups chopped plums, about 5 plums
Coarse sugar, for sprinkling tops (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or spray with cooking spray; set aside

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until blended and smooth. Add sugar and mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the yogurt, beating until incorporated; batter will be thick. Gently fold in the plums.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle tops lightly with coarse sugar, if using. Bake for 8 minutes and then decrease oven temperature to 375 degree F and bake for about 12 more minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes in the pan before removing and cooling completely.

Source: Adapted from  Strawberry Muffins