Sunday Dessert – Cappuccino Chip Muffins with Espresso Spread

 

Since my 85 years have started to catch up with me, I don’t cook as often, particularly experimenting with new recipes that I can share. I do still cook the family holiday meals, though, and every Sunday fix lunch for my two daughters which features a favorite recipe and is followed by 3 hours of various kinds of needlework and chatting. For these lunches, I always make something they especially like from my blogs of over 10 years and I thought it might be fun to share my Sunday desserts each week.

This week’s Sunday dinner is different because my youngest granddaughter is celebrating her 15th birthday and we’ll be at her house for the occasion.

     The birthday girl and friend

I thought my older daughter and I could have something light here at home in the evening and made my favorite muffins. I always say if I were asked to contribute something to a luncheon for a queen or princess, I would serve these muffins. I would hope her majesty likes coffee because they have a strong coffee flavor. The chocolate chips and the cream cheese spread just add to the enjoyment. From 2010:   https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2010/10/30/cappuccino-chip-muffins-and-spread/

Cappuccino Muffins with Espresso Spread

• Servings: 12
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2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. instant espresso coffee powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips)
Preheat oven @ 375 degrees F

Grease or place paper cups or silicone liners in a 12-cup muffin tin

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, espresso coffee powder, salt and cinnamon.

In another bowl, whisk together milk, butter, egg and vanilla until blended.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; add milk mixture and stir just to combine. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups; bake approximately 20 minutes @ 375 degrees F or until a cake tester inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean.

Remove muffin tin to wire rack. Cool 5 minutes before removing muffins from cups. If using silicone liners, remove the muffins in the liners to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, then remove from liners. Continue cooling muffins on the rack. 

These muffins freeze well.

They are delicious plain or extra-delicious served with an Espresso Spread:

ESPRESSO SPREAD

• Servings: 3/4 cup
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4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 Tblsp. chocolate chips (Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips)
1 Tblsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Mixing can be done by hand, but a small food processor makes quick work of it. Place the chocolate chips in the food processor and grind into small pieces. Add sugar and espresso powder and process to blend. Add cream cheese and vanilla and process until smooth

Remove spread to a small bowl. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate. To serve, let stand 10 minutes at room temperature to soften.

Blueberry Streusel Kuchen

I had some beautiful farm market blueberries and decided to go to my favorite kuchen recipe which is adapted from a German version.  The original recipe called for quark, but I used ricotta.  Sour cream or yogurt will also work fine.  The cake base is covered with an easy, cooked blueberry sauce …. …and topped with a delicious streusel … This makes a lovely breakfast or dessert cake, served warm or room temperature.

• Servings: 6
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Blueberry topping

• 1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tblsp. cornstarch
• 2 tsp. water
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Kuchen

• 3 Tblsp. canola oil
• 3 Tblsp. ricotta cheese, yogurt or sour cream
• 3 Tblsp. milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup plus
• 2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour

Streusel

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 3 Tblsp. light brown sugar
• 2 Tblsp. granulated sugar
• 2 Tblsp. butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray or grease an 8-inch baking pan

To make blueberry topping: In a medium saucepan, place blueberries, granulated sugar, cornstarch and water.  Cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until sugar and cornstarch are dissolved and mixture just begins to bubble.  Remove from heat – stir in vanilla.   Set aside.

To make kuchen: In a medium bowl, place the oil, ricotta/sour cream, milk, sugar, salt and baking powder.  Whisk until blended.  Stir in flour just until mixed well.  Batter will be thick – spread batter in prepared 8-inch pan, using fingertips dampened with water to push the batter in place.

To make streusel: In a small bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar and granulated sugar.  Mix in the butter until mixture is blended. Spread the reserved blueberry mixture on top of the batter and then cover with streusel. Bake @ 350 degrees F for approximately 30 minutes until cake is browned on edges and beginning to brown on top. Serve warm or room temperature.  Yield:  6 servings

Cherry Lemon Scones

When I first started blogging in 2007, I found Sweet Rosie’s blog (http://sweetrosie.wordpress.com/2014/08/04/lovely-scones-for-sharing/) and have followed and loved it ever since.  She has some amazing recipes from Australia and a recent one was a scone that used two ingredients I didn’t have on hand – cream and Schweppe’s Lemonade.  I substituted undiluted evaporated milk plus butter for the cream and 7-Up soft drink (regular) for the Schweppe’s.  This produced the best scones I ever made, so on the next try some lemon peel, lemon extract, and dried cherries were added.  A new favorite was born.

Here is my adapted version:

• Servings: 8 scones
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2-½ cups all-purpose flour
1 Tblsp.  baking powder
1 tsp. salt
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar (plus a small amount for sifting on top of baked scones)
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
¼ cup butter, cut into small cubes
½ cup dried cherries
1/2 cup 7-Up soft drink (regular)
½ cup undiluted evaporated milk
1 tsp. lemon extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar and lemon peel.  Cut in butter.  Mix in the cherries.

Stir in with a fork the 7-Up, cream and lemon extract.

Form into a craggy, moist circle about 8 inches wide …

… and place on parchment lined sheet.  With floured knife, cut into 8 wedges.

Separate wedges to allow some space between each one.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 20-25  minutes.

Place on rack to cool and sift confectioners’ sugar over the top.

Enjoy while still warm.

To reheat scones, place scones on a baking pan in a cold oven.  Turn the oven to 350 degrees F and let warm until it reaches 350.  Immediately, turn off the oven and remove the scones.  This method warms them just the right amount to make them taste freshly-baked.

Beer and Cheese Muffins

I first made these muffins in 1998.  I had bought a muffin cookbook to send to my daughter-in-law in St. Louis, but first copied recipes that appealed to me.  These muffins are very good, just a tiny bit of sweetness and the flavor of cheddar cheese along with raisins and crunchy nuts.  I consider two of these small muffins as a good serving for a breakfast treat.  They are also nice to serve along with summer salads.

I have a note in my binder:  “January 23, 1998 – This is one of David’s (my husband) favorites.  Very good.”

BEER CHEESE MUFFINS

• Servings: 12
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1/2 cup beer
1/2 cup raisins
1 egg
2 Tblsp. oil
1/3 cup granulated sugar
¾ tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Dash salt
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2.5 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Grease 12 muffin cups or insert paper or silicone liners

In small pan heat beer to boiling.  Remove from heat, add raisins and let cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, oil and sugar.  Whisk in the soda, nutmeg and salt.

Stir in the beer/raisin mixture and flour.  Stir in the cheese and chopped nuts.

Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups and bake in preheated 375 degree F oven for 15 minutes.  Muffins should be golden brown on top and a tester inserted in the center of one muffin should come out clean.

Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 7-10 minutes.

Remove muffins from pan or silicone liners and allow to continue cooling on a wire rack.

Yield:  12 small muffins 

These muffins are delicious warm from the oven and can be warmed a few seconds in the microwave if necessary.

Tag;  cook,cooking,recipe,recipes,baking,quick bread,muffins,beer,cheese,cheddar,nuts,raisins,breakfast,lunch

New York Style Crumb Cake

In the 1960s, we used to buy some wonderful streusel-topped squares at a little bakery in Oakley (suburb of Cincinnati). Everyone loved the thick topping and I’ve never found a streusel quite like the one from the old German bakery. This one comes very close, although I believe the bakery squares were made with yeast rather than being a quick bread. This is truly a quick bread to put together to get really good results. The cake is soft and tender and the topping is crunchy and sweet. We used it today as our Sunday dessert. The recipe was adapted from one on Fake Ginger.

• Servings: 6-9
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Crumb topping:

• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ¾ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ cup (1 stick) melted butter
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Cake:

• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 6 Tblsp. butter, softened
• 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ cup plus 2 Tblsp. sour cream
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Butter the sides and bottom of a 9×9 pan.

Make the crumb topping first:

Mix both sugars, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and whisk until combined. Fold in the flour until it is absorbed. Spread out a large sheet of parchment paper on a flat pan and spread this mixture out on the parchment paper to dry while mixing the cake.

To make the cake:

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and add the sour cream and vanilla, beating until just incorporated.

Add the dry ingredients 1/3 at a time, beating only until incorporated and scraping down the bowl each time.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan. The dough is quite stiff and by wetting your fingertips with water, you can spread the dough evenly in the pan.

Use your hand to scoop up a handful of topping and make a fist. The topping should hold together. Break off in pea-sized chunks and drop them all over the cake. Use all of the topping, sprinkling the crumbs on the top of the cake evenly.

Bake the cake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for approximately 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6-9 servings  [/recipe]

Banana Apricot Muffins

I wanted to use up some ripe bananas as well as some apricots I had bought for another recipe.  I went back to a recipe for Banana Nut Bread that I thought was good enough for the Ohio State Fair in 1987.  It didn’t win a ribbon, but it’s a great quick bread (not every entry in a fair wins a prize) and I adapted the recipe to add apricots and make 24 delicious muffins.

• Servings: 24
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• 3 eggs
• 2 cups ripe bananas, pureed (3-4 medium bananas)
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup chopped dried apricots*

*I bought some wonderful, moist apricots which did not have to be soaked.  If you have the very dry kind, rehydrate by pour scalding water over the fruit and let set covered for 20 minutes. Drain well and pat dry with a paper towel before using.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Have two 12-cup muffin tins lined with Silicone or paper liners, or grease and flour cups.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, then add pureed bananas, oil, sugars and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, soda, baking powder and salt.  Add to banana mixture, stirring just until all of the flour is absorbed.  Stir in chopped nuts and apricots.

Divide batter between the 24 muffin cups (about ¼ cup per section – an ice cream scoop works well for this).

Bake @ 350 degrees F for approximately 20 minutes until muffins are golden brown on top and a tester inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean.

Let muffins rest in the tins for 5 minutes, then remove muffins to cool on wire racks. 

Yield:  24 muffins.  These muffins freeze very well.  Let thaw overnight, pop them in a cold oven, turn on oven and heat to 350 degrees F.  At that point, turn off the oven and remove the muffins to a rack.  They will taste as if they were freshly baked that morning.

Carrot Cake Muffins

This recipe is from a book I bought in 1982 to send to my daughter-in-law in St. Louis.  I copied a lot of the recipes before mailing and I’m just getting around to making this one.  It’s a very good muffin – moist and full of healthy things like carrots and pineapple.

• Servings: 12
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• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• Dash of mace
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained (juice reserved)
• 1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice
• 1/2  cup vegetable oil
• 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease or insert liners in 12 muffin cups.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and mace.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg lightly,  stir in the pineapple, juice, oil and vanilla.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the pineapple mixture, stirring just to combine.

Stir in the carrots and raisins.

Spoon batter into prepared cups and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean.

Remove muffin tins to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes.  If using silicone liners, I like to remove them right away to cool on a rack.

Remove the muffins from the cups/liners and finish cooling on rack.

Makes 12 muffins.  These muffins freeze well.

Walnut Streusel Coffeecake

This recipe makes a nice nine-inch cake that is big enough for a family breakfast (leftovers are good, too).

• Servings: 6
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• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 vegetable oil
• 1 Tblsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Streusel:

• 1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 3 Tblsp. melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Oil a 9-inch baking pan

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar and oil.  Whisk in the baking powder and salt, then the milk.  Stir in the flour just until blended.

Pour into the prepared 9-inch baking pan.

To make the Streusel:  In a small bowl, stir together nuts, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon.  With a fork, mix in the melted butter.

Sprinkle the Streusel on top of the batter in the pan.  Bake @ 350 degrees  F for approximately 30 minutes until top is golden brown and a tester comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake.

Set on a wire rack to cool.

Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Faux Maple Muffins

I started to make these muffins and found that I didn’t have the maple syrup or buttermilk that the recipe called for and had to improvise.  This version turned out very well – not too sweet and with a nice maple flavor.

• Servings: 11
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• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 Tblsp. dark brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup pancake syrup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp. maple flavoring
• 1/3 cup oil (Canola)
• 1 cup toasted, coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Oil 11 muffin cups – or insert paper/silicone liners.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, brown sugar and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, pancake syrup, milk and maple flavoring.  Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.  Stir in the chopped walnuts.

Divide batter between 11 muffin cups.  Fill the empty muffin cup with water.  Bake @ 350 degrees F for approximately 20 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of one muffin tests done.

Cool muffins in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes.  Then, remove muffins from pan and from silicone liners and finish cooling on rack.

Yield:  11 muffins

I have a note in my recipe binder for 9/26/09:  Made for breakfast on a grey, drizzly Saturday morning – excellent.”

Fresh Blueberry Teacakes

These little teacakes are just right to serve with cold lemonade on a hot summer day.   They are not as thick as muffins and make a nice afternoon snack.

BLUEBERRY TEA CAKES

• Servings: 12
• Print

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (Canola)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2-3 tsp. granulated sugar for sprinkling tops

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Lightly oil or line a 12-cup cupcake tin

Note:  There is no milk in this recipe

In large mixing bowl whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla.

Place blueberries in a bowl.  Measure the flour and from this, take two tablespoons of flour to mix with blueberries.

In medium bowl mix remaining flour, baking powder and salt.  Add to oil mixture, stirring just enough to blend.  Stir in the blueberries gently.

Spoon mixture into greased or lined muffin tins.  The mixture will be thick. Sprinkle the tops with sugar.

Bake @ 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes.  Let pan cool on rack for 3-4 minutes, then remove cakes to rack to cool.

Yield:  12 teacakes