Tag Archives: yogurt

by

Banana-Yogurt Muffins

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
19

Muffins, ya’ll.

Sometimes a girl–or dude–just wants to bake something that’s homemade, but stress free. Muffins are both of those things and they almost never disappoint.

My favorite thing about the humble, homemade muffin is that it can be almost-healthy to actually-healthy–using flours and germs and brans and fruits and healthy fats to boost the health factor. See, most store-bought varieties are packed with enough sugar and other stuff that makes them basically cake. I mean, cake is delicious and sometimes makes the BEST breakfast, but even I can’t go for cake-breakfast everyday. That’s why I love a muffin. It’s a quick bread in a cupcake outfit.

These muffins are of the almost-healthy variety. They use pantry staples and fresh, ripe banana for tenderness and flavor. The sunflower seeds are in there for some crunch–because I can’t resist adding texture to most things. The batter comes together by simply folding the whisked up wet ingredients into the sifted dry ingredients, and uses only a few dishes. The baked muffins are ultra-moist due to the combination of yogurt, banana, and olive oil. The dusting of powdered sugar is totally optional but makes for a pretty and slightly sweeter muffin.

Banana-Yogurt Muffins

Adapted from Donna Hay Modern Classics Book 2

Makes 12 regular muffins. 

For tender and light muffins, be sure to mix the batter until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Lumpy batter is okay, over-mixing the batter until it’s completely smooth will result in a chewy and dense muffin. 

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup sunflower seeds plus more for sprinkling (optional)

1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used greek yogurt)

2 very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork

2 eggs

1/3 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Spray/grease or line a muffin tin with paper cups.

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Toss in the sunflower seeds and mix to combine. In a large measuring cup whisk together the yogurt, banana, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add the yogurt-banana mixture to the dry mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. Divide the batter between the 12 prepared muffin cups and bake in the center of the oven for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

by

Sour Cherry & Vanilla Frozen Yogurt Pops

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
18

Oh, hey! It’s another ice pop! These pops are the creamy, frozen yogurt variety, blended with tart sour cherries and bit of vanilla. The cherry-vanilla situation reminds me of the cherry push-pops of my youth…but more tart, more vanilla-y, and more better.

Yeah, they’re totes more better.

Since moving to Michigan I have become obsessed with sour cherries. They are mouth-puckering on their own, but a little sugar makes them sweet-tart and I find that they have an almost cinnamon-spice background flavor that just makes me crazy for them–dried, frozen, or jarred. The thing with sour cherries is that they can be tough to find. They’re the red gems you find in a classic cherry pie–sans pie goop. Even here in Michigan–a major sour cherry producer–I have never seen a fresh one. I get by just fine with whole, frozen sour cherries. The complex flavor of the cherries is perfectly matched with smooth vanilla, making this frozen treat a sure winner.

Sour Cherry & Vanilla Frozen Yogurt Pops

Makes 10 ice pops

I used non-fat greek yogurt here because it’s basically the only yogurt I buy. I also used homemade vanilla sugar–I keep a jar around or simply rub the guts of a vanilla bean into the sugar–if you don’t have a vanilla bean, stir 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract into the yogurt mixture. If you can only find dark, sweet cherries feel free to use those and add a tablespoon or so of lemon juice to the puree to brighten the sweetness…though, I urge you to find the sour ones if you can. They really are something special. 

2 cups plain greek yogurt

3/4 cups vanilla sugar, divided

8 ounces frozen sour cherries, defrosted, plus more cherries (20-30) for garnish

In a mixing bowl, combine yogurt with 1/2 cup of the vanilla sugar, stir to dissolve the sugar. Divide the mixture in hal between two bowls, set aside.

Puree the cherries with 1/4 cup of the sugar and any collected juices from defrosting. Press the cherry puree through a fine mesh sieve, pressing to extract as much as possible, discard solids left behind. Stir the cherry puree into one of the bowl of yogurt–leaving the other plain.

Fill the pop molds 1/3 full with the cherry-yogurt mixture, freeze for 30-60 minutes until the layer begins to set before adding the vanilla layer. In the vanilla layer, drop in 2-3 whole cherries reserved for garnish. Freeze the vanilla layer 30 minutes (this layer is more stable since it doesn’t have any puree and won’t need to set up long). Fill the pop molds with the final cherry-yogurt layer, add sticks, and freeze until solid–8 or more hours.

 

by

Blueberry Muffins with Streusel

Tags: , , , , , ,
14

Heeeeyy! I am currently in arrid Nevada, getting ready for my friends wedding, we have poolside plans, drinks, silly bachelorette festivities, baby-niece play time, and about a billion other things in the game plan before I leave next week.

Every time I travel solo, I always miss Sean a ton. I also always try to make him a little something, to remind him how much he misses me…ha! This time I made him these muffins, classic blueberry with a little sugary streusel for good measure, and yogurt for moisture.

Blueberry Muffins w/ Streusel

Adapted from this recipe. 

1 cup all-purpose flour

6 Tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg, beaten lightly

1/2 cup plain yogurt

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup blueberries

Streusel

3 Tablespoons flour

3 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons butter

pinch of salt and cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Line a muffin tin w/ 8 liners.

FOR STREUSEL: In a small bowl work the butter for the streusel into the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon until the mixture is crumbly. Set in refrigerator until ready to use.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a large measuring cup mix the egg, yogurt, oil, milk, and vanilla to combine well. Fold the wet mixture into the dry to just combine. Fold in the blueberries. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups and top with streusel. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Cool on wire racks for a few minutes before eating.

by

Recipe: Cherry Chocolate Chip Muffins

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
17

I love muffins.

I think that’s because muffins are similar to cupcakes–they look alike and share that tender cake-like quality. Though muffins and cupcakes dress in the same outfit, muffins make the perfect breakfast by being less sweet, un-frosted, and they should beg for a pat of butter or smear of jam.

These muffins are a new favorite, I baked up a batch this week AND last. I love to make muffins on a Sunday so we have an easy and quick breakfast bite throughout the week. This recipe contains yogurt and olive oil–making for a moist and tender crumb. There are dried sour cherries and bits of chocolate in there for a little decadence in the morning, as well as a little (white) whole wheat and wheat germ–you know, for a bit of health and science. My favorite thing about this recipe is probably the quantity, it makes 8 perfectly sized muffins–just enough so we can have them for more than one breakfast, but not so many they don’t turn stale and we don’t get bored.

Treat yo’self to a muffin in the morning. It’s just breakfast dressed up as a cupcake, after all.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Muffins

Adapted from Taste of Home

I used White Whole Wheat flour from King Arthur and White Lily Flour. White Lily is a bit softer than regular all-purpose…I’d liken it to cake flour. You can use cake flour or regular all-purpose–either way, use a light touch when mixing to ensure a tender muffin.

3/4 cup cake or all-purpose flour

6 Tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup white whole wheat

1 tablespoon wheat germ

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

1/2 cup plain yogurt

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

scant 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup dried sour cherries

Preheat oven to 350F and line 8 cups of a standard muffin tin with paper liners.

In a medium bowl whisk together flours, wheat germ, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large measuring cup whisk together egg, yogurt, oil, milk, and extracts.

Toss chips and cherries in the flour mixture to coat. Create a well and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir/fold into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Divide batter among the 8 muffins cups. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Sprinkle hot muffins with additional chopped chocolate chips if desired. Cool on wire racks, can be eaten warm or cooled completely and stored in an airtight container for 4 days.

 

 

by

Recipe: Blood Orange Sorbet + Yogurt Granita

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
13

There isn’t much I can say about blood oranges that you don’t already know.

They have the prettiest flesh that makes the most gorgeous jewel-toned juice. Opening one up, especially one without the tell-tale blush on the rind, is like the best citrus surprise–all garnets and rubies.

Whenever winter citrus rolls out, I am most excited and eager to get my mitts on blood oranges. I love to just juice or eat them, plain and simple. When I do make something with them, my main goal is to keep that color–bright and unadulterated.

It didn’t take much thinking for me to land on sorbet, but the idea for the granita came to me after I saw this post on Not Without Salt (one of the prettiest blogs there is) while I was lying in bed battling a serious case of insomnia. Sometimes, ideas just swarm my brain when I can’t sleep–which is good for the blog, but bad for the sleeping. It’s a fine line, but sometimes delicious things happen when you toe it. The combination of the silky, soft sorbet with the creamy–yet crunchy/icy–granita is textural bliss. I’m already thinking of more sorbet/ice cream and granita combos…which may lead to more sleepless night, but ones that will totally be worth it.

Blood Orange Sorbet

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

I used my juicer to extract the juice, but you can certainly just squeeze or use a citrus reemer to obtain the liquid. You can also use a combination of citrus (cara cara (pink) oranges would be nice) if you don’t have enough blood oranges for 3 cups of juice. 

3 cups fresh blood orange juice

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vodka (optional, this keeps the sorbet from freezing solid)

Mix some of the blood orange juice (1/4-1/2 cup) with the sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium until sugar dissolves and stir the syrup into the rest of the juice, stir in the vodka. Chill the mixture well (at least 4 hours, if not overnight) and churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Scrape the mixture into a container, cover well, and freeze for a few hours until firm. Serve alone, with granita, or in glasses with some bubbly.

Yogurt Granita

adapted from Not Without Salt

2 cups plain yogurt

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeded–pod saved for another use

In a medium bowl rub vanilla seeds into the sugar until fragrant and combined well. Stir in yogurt and mix until sugar is pretty much dissolved. Scrape the mixture into a shallow dish (an 8X8 baking pan is perfect for this) and freeze, scraping the mixture with a fork ever 30-60 minutes to break up the ice crystals. The larger the pan, the faster the granita will freeze and be ready.