Monkey Muffins

 

If you are like any other Asian person I know, then you probably have know idea what Monkey Bread is. I guess this dessert was just not a part of the typical American desserts Asian kids were given. Growing up, the only desserts I really got were Cookies and Cream ice cream, Nestle cookies (cut and bake 'til burned), Crunch ice cream bars, and the occasional Marie Callendars apple pie from the frozen aisle of the market.

Monkey Bread is a type of cinnamon bread that you can pull apart easily because they're little balls of cinnamon/sugar dough pressed together to make one massive cake. It's delicious. I saw these Monkey muffins on Pioneer Woman's blog and wanted to make them whenever I remembered to buy biscuit dough from the market. 

I adapted from PW's recipe because I wanted to make it my own...sorta. If you want the original recipe, go here to Pioneer Woman's website. 

First off, roll the biscuits into small balls. They should be about the size of a small meatball or walnut. 2 biscuit cans made 24 servings for me. 

In a separate bowl, combine the white sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon.











Next, you want to put a pat of butter into each muffin cup.

Add about half a teaspoon of the sugar mixture over the butter and add 3 balls to each cup. I don't have a picture, but you need to put another pat of butter and some sugar mixture over the 3 balls.

 When the balls have risen and are golden brown, take them out of the oven and drizzle them with the icing.

Voila!

Ingredients

• 2 cans of Refrigerated Biscuit Dough
• 1 stick of butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbl Ground Cinnamon
• 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tbl milk, 1 tsp vanilla for the icing

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Add pats of butter to the bottom of each cup. You should use 1/2 the stick for the bottom, and 1/2 for the top. Sprinkle in sugar mixture.

Roll dough into walnut sized balls (or cut refrigerated biscuit dough into thirds). Place three into each muffin tin.

Top with the rest of the butter. Sprinkle on more sugar mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. 

Combine the ingredients for the icing until smooth. Pour icing on top of each muffin.

Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto!

A friend posted this blog on my facebook a loonngg time ago, and I bookmarked it hoping that I'd get a chance to make it someday. Well, that day finally came. A different friend of mine has this odd obsession with Domo-kun, that strange little Japanese character. Why? Who knows. I guess it's cute in its own little way. I wanted to make it for her as a little treat.

Several steps went a little south when making this cookie, but overall, it looked okay. Something weird happened with the salt content, and the cookies came out really salty. Maybe it's because I used kosher salt in the dough. Definitely won't be doing that next time. Actually, I think I would lower the salt content in the recipe by half just to be on the safe side.



So here are the instructions from the blog. The only adaption I made was to lower the salt content. You can see photos on the original blog to help you assemble the brown and red dough.

Domo TKOs

adapted from The Essence of Chocolate

Brown Dough
1 cup + 2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2/3 of 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
10 tbsp butter, cut into 3/4" cubes, room temperature

Red Dough
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 of 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
5 tbsp butter, cut into 3/4" cubes, room temperature
a few drops red food coloring

First for the brown colored dough, mix the flour, cocoa powder,sugar, baking soda, and salt together. Add the butter and incorporate it into the dry ingredients until it comes together as a dough. Gather it in a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for 10 minutes.

For the red dough, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Incorporate the butter with a spatula and then add the food coloring, mixing just until no more red streaks remain. Gather the dough and refrigerate for 10 minutes.


Take some of the brown dough and make it into a rectangular prism so that the short sides measure 1 1/4 x 3/4" and place it so the longer edge (1 1/4") is parallel with your table. Next take a red piece of dough and make a rectangular prism with 3/4 x 1/2" short sides. Center this red rectangular strip on top of your first brown one with the longer edge (3/4") touching the brown dough.

Then make two narrow rectangular prisms with the brown dough with the short sides measuring 3/4 x 1/4". Place them on both sides of the red rectangular piece of dough with the shorter edge (1/4") touching the brown base. Finally, make another brown rectangular prism with the short side measuring 3/4 x 1/4". Place that prism on top of the red prism and between the other two narrow brown prisms.

Now smooth away the lines between the dough pieces and round the corners of your large rectangular prism. I find it easier to repeat this whole process multiple times with all of the dough to ensure that the shape of the mouth doesn't get distorted by working with too much dough at once. Once finished, wrap the shaped dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate till firm, around 30 minutes.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Take the dough out from the fridge and slice it into 1/8-inch pieces, placing them onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake them for 12 minutes. Let them cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. 


I used store bought white frosting and chocolate frosting to make the eyes and mouth.

Lemon Pound Cake

The best thing I like about this recipe is that it is so simple. It's a true "no fuss, no muss" type of loaf. And what's even better, you probably already have all the ingredients in your kitchen! The only advice I can give for those of you who wish to make this lemon cake is to watch how much you mix the batter. You don't want to over mix as this will cause the cake to become tough. Mix just until the ingredients are incorporated together. Then stop. Just stop. Leave it alone. It's okay if there are lumps. The final cake will be soft and moist. I really like that this cake is more of a mix between pound cake (dense) and normal cake (fluffy). Delicious.

So here is the recipe for Easy Lemon Pound Cake:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Mix together 1 cup sugar and butter.
   
   
   Add eggs and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice; mix well. (I also added the zest of 1 lemon)
2. Add salt, flour, and baking powder to mixture.
3. Add milk and stir until it becomes a smooth batter. (Don't overmix!)
4. Bake at 325°F in a well greased loaf pan for 1 hour,or until golden brown.
5. Mix 1/3 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup sugar.
6. Use a toothpick to make holes in top of cake and drizzle lemon juice and sugar mixture over the top of the cake when removed from the oven.
7. Serve warm or cool. 

The Real Deal Banana Bread

This banana bread recipe caused an uproar in my blogging world. Why? Because I found a healthy banana bread that is moist, fluffy, and banana-y. I even went back to a previous post on a different recipe and DELETED it forever from my blog! (Whaaaa?) This bread is from All Recipes' website. It's healthier and softer than any other recipe I've tried, which is amazing considering it's whole wheat. And you know what's so great about banana bread? You can add other ingredients like chocolate chips or nuts to it, and it won't change the consistency of the bread itself.

You start with some ripe bananas.

Here's a trick I learned from someone, somewhere, I just don't remember where. When measuring honey in a normal measuring cup, it's best to spray some oil into the cup before you add the honey. This will reduce the amount of honey that gets stuck to the cup rather than going into your bowl. Genius, I know.

Mix all the ingredients just until combined. Too much stirring will cause the bread to lose its soft quality.

So here it is. The only banana bread I will ever make in my future from All Recipes:

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, beat oil and honey together. Add eggs, and mix well. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt. Add baking soda to hot water, stir to mix, and then add to batter. Blend in chopped nuts. Spread batter into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.
3. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 1/2 hour before slicing.

*I added chocolate chips to only half of the loaf because my dad and I love them, but my mom likes it simple. Add whatever you wish!

Coffee Macarons with Chocolate Filling

Need a little kick to upstart your morning? These little macarons will brighten up any sad day. It sure brightened mine. Here's to one of the better recipes for macarons that I've done.

This macaron is light with a wonderful coffee flavor and aroma. When adding the filling, just add a dab of chocolate ganache in between the two shells because you really want the coffee flavor to shine, not the chocolate.

The recipe says to use aged egg whites, but who has time to age egg whites when you need a macaron NOW? So it goes to say that I never age my egg whites, yet they still come out pretty good. Do it if you like, but it won't kill the macarons if you don't.

There aren't very many steps or ingredients that go into making a macaron, but every step requires great care and patience. So show it some love, and it'll reward you in return. First off, we start with the chocolate ganache. In a pot, pour the heavy cream until it's just bubbling at the edges.

Take it off the heat and add the chocolate. .

Stir until it becomes nice and smooth. Set aside to cool and thicken.

When making a macaron, the best results occur when you use a scale to measure the ingredients. A scale allows you to be precise every time. You can get a cheap one from Target like I did. Measure out all the ingredients before assembling. You'll thank me later.

Another tool for any baker wanting to make macarons: the silpat.

For the macaron shells, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the caster sugar gradually until the whites become stiff peaks. It should be glossy and incredibly thick. In a separate bowl, combine the ground almonds, powdered sugar, and espresso powder. Add half the dry mixture to the egg whites and fold gently.

Pour in the rest of the dry mixture into the eggs whites and continue folding until the mixture is JUST combined. It should be thick like "magma". Pipe out little circles onto the silpat and bake in the oven at 270F for about 18 minutes. I learned a little secret this time, use the convection oven setting if you have it. It made a world of a difference!

Allow the shells to cool before you try to remove them. Let them cool completely before you add the ganache in the middle. Enjoy!

Coffee Macarons with Chocolate Ganache by Italian Food Forever:

Ingredients:
For The Shells

90g Egg Whites (About 3) At Room Temperature And Aged For 3 Days

30g Caster Sugar

200g Powdered Sugar

110g Finely Ground Almonds

1 1/2 Teaspoons Instant Espresso Powder (Additional for Topping If Desired)

Directions:

1. Combine the almond flour, powdered sugar, and espresso powder.

2. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the egg whites until foamy. Slowly begin to add the granulated sugar until you have created a glossy meringue. Add the almond mixture to the meringues all at once, and quickly fold to blend and break up some of the air. Continue to slowly mix until the almonds are incorporated into the meringues and the mixture resembles lava. It should not take more than 50 strokes to accomplish this.

3. I find it best to test the meringue at this time but dropping a small spoonful onto some parchment paper. The mixture should smooth out, but not flatten completely and you shouldn't have a peak. If you have a peak fold the mixture a few more times. If the mixture has flattened completely you might have over mixed and removed too much air.

4. Once you have the right consistency, fill a pastry bag with a plain tip with the mixture. Carefully pipe circles 1in. circles 2 in. apart onto a silpat or parchment paper. In my experience, I've noticed that silpats produce better shells than parchment paper. 

4. Preheat the oven to 270 degrees F on the CONVECT setting. Bake the macarons for 15 to 20 minutes depending on how large you piped them. While baking they should rise with airy feet developing. Once baked remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Carefully remove from the parchment using a small metal spatula.

Chocolate ganache

INGREDIENTS:

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped 1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, watching very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil out of the pot. When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth.
2.	Allow the ganache to cool and thicken before filling each macaron shell. Sometimes, I'll put it in the fridge for 10 minutes to help it cool faster.

Meyers Lemon Bundt Cake

Last week, I won a new Kitchenaid Artisan Stand Mixer in an online auction for $2.75. Yup, you read that right - $2.75. With shipping and handling, the total came out to a whopping $30. With these stand mixers retailing at $300, I was beside myself with joy and vowed to make everyone I knew some type of baked good with all the money I saved. Well, the stand mixer came in the mail. It was quite an adventure opening up the box, within a box, within a box. Pretty intense packaging if you ask me, but I don't mind as long as it keeps my baby safe!

Box 1

Box 2

At last! The last box!

It's just so beautiful...and NEW!

It just so happens that my wonderful aunt supplies me with a steady supply of Meyers lemons. Meyers lemons, if you don't know, are a little different from regular lemons. They are slightly sweeter and have an orange tint to the peel making them perfect for baking. I was recently browsing through a few blogs and found this mouth-watering Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake recipe that I wanted to try. So here we go!

Meyers Lemons

Here are the lemons graciously provided by my aunt...beautiful, aren't they?

The ingredients that you'll need.

Grease and flour a bundt pan.

Lemon juice...

Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake by Baking Bites

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 tbsp Meyer lemon zest

1/2 cup Meyer lemon juice

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tbsp Meyer lemon juice

1 cup confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 10 or 12 cup bundt pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, followed by lemon zest. Stir 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, followed by the Meyer lemon juice. Add in additional 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by the buttermilk. Stir in all remaining flour, mixing only until no streaks of flour remain visible. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs attached. Let cake rest in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the glaze, whisk together lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Serves 12-14