Spiced Carrot Muffins

Hi, Everyone! The other day, I realized I had a huge two pound bag of carrots sitting in the fridge that really needed to be used up, so I decided to make some of these Spiced Carrot Muffins! They are really good, and I thought it would be a good way to get rid of all the carrots. Well, I only needed 2 carrots for this recipe, which means I still have a lot of carrots left to use up! These are some of my favorite muffins, they are wonderfully moist and have that warm taste of cinnamon and allspice which goes so well with the carrots! They are a quick and easy (and relatively healthy!) breakfast or afternoon snack to make! Happy Baking!

SPICED CARROT MUFFINS

(Adapted from Williams-Sonoma)

*Makes 12 Muffins*

YOU WILL NEED:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground allspice

2 large eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

2 large carrots, peeled and shredded

3/4 cup peeled hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup golden raisins

DIRECTIONS:

1. First, prepare your carrots, hazelnuts and golden raisins. Shred the carrots using the largest holes on your box grater, then set them aside. Soak your raisins in boiling water (or orange juice) until nice and plump, then drain them and set them aside. Lastly, peel your hazelnuts (you can find my post on how to peel them really easily here). Once peeled, coarsely chop the hazelnuts.

2. Next, in your electric mixer bowl, combine eggs, sugar and oil. Beat on medium speed for about a minute, until you get a nice thick and creamy consistency. In a different bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Then, with the mixer running on low speed, begin adding the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Once incorporated, fold in the shredded carrots, hazelnuts and raisins.

3. Preheat your oven to 350 deg F, and line a standard size muffin pan with liners. (To make your own bakery style muffin wrappers, check out my tutorial here!) Spoon the batter into the prepared liners, filling them up about 3/4 of the way. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until they are golden brown on top!

Happy Baking, Everyone!

Check out my posts on how to easily peel hazelnuts and how to make your own bakery style muffin wrappers here:

DIY Bakery Style Muffin Wrappers                   How to Peel Hazelnuts Easily

I will be linking to:

Mangia Mondays at Delightfully Dowling, Makin' You Crave Mondays, Skip to My Lou, Tip Junkie, The Shabby Nest, My Romantic Home, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Tatertots and Jello, Six Sisters' Stuff, Be Different, Act Normal and Country Momma Cooks.

Kitchen Tip: How to Peel Hazelnuts

Hi, Everybody! I'm always so excited when I learn a new kitchen trick that makes cooking or baking easier and faster! I love hazelnuts and love using them in my baking, but I don't love trying to peel them unsuccessfully and making a big mess. Traditionally you peel the hazelnuts by roasting them first, and then rubbing the skin off, which is a lot of work and the skins don't come off very easily. I was so excited when I saw this method of peeling them! All you need is some boiling water and baking soda, and the skins literally slip off themselves! Here's how you do it...

1. You will need 2 cups of boiling water and 3 tbs of baking soda for 1 cup of hazelnuts. Start off by bringing the water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Once it's boiling, add the baking soda (this will make the water bubble up and fizz). Then, add the hazelnuts. This is what it will look like:

2. Boil the hazelnuts for 3 to 5 minutes. After three minutes, take one hazelnut out and check if the skin will come off easily by rubbing it between your fingers. If it's not coming off, boil them for a little longer (I boiled mine for about 5 minutes to get the perfect). The water will turn a reddish black color, this is normal. In the meantime, prepare a bowl of ice water and set it aside. 

3. Once the hazelnuts are done, drain them and place them in a bowl of ice water. You can start peeling them immediately. The skins should pretty much slip off by themselves when you rub them between your fingers. 

4. Dry the hazelnuts thoroughly with a paper towel, and they are ready to be used! This method is so easy, so quick and always works! Try it out and see for yourself!

I will be linking to:

Mangia Mondays at Delightfully Dowling, Makin' You Crave Mondays, Skip to My Lou, Tip Junkie.

Summery Peach Cobbler

Hi, Everyone! Happy Weekend! I hope you are all enjoying your summer so far! I'm sharing this delicious Summery Peach Cobbler recipe with you today! Fresh peaches are one of my favorite things about the summer, there is just nothing that can compare to that fresh peach smell! This peach cobbler is deliciously sweet and juicy and is the perfect summer treat paired with some vanilla ice-cream! Have a great weekend, everybody! 

SUMMERY PEACH COBBLER

(Recipe adapted from All Recipes)

*Serves 6*

YOU WILL NEED:
Peaches:
6 - 7 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp all-purpose flour

Topping:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 - 8 tbs unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup boiling water

To sprinkle on top:
3 tbs white sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. First prepare your peaches. Begin by peeling them (you can do this by cutting a cross into each peach, placing it in a pot of boiling water until the skin begins to peel off itself where you made the cross, and then place it into a bowl of ice water). Once you've peeled your peaches, cut them into thin slices.

2. Preheat your oven to 425 deg F and grease your baking dish. Place the sliced peaches in a large bowl, and add the sugar, ground cinnamon, lemon juice and flour. Mix well and transfer into your baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes, then take it out of the oven and spoon your topping on.

3. While the peaches are baking, prepare the topping. Combine flour, white sugar,  brown sugar, baking powder and salt, then add the butter and mix until the mixture resembles coarse meal. At the end, pour in the boiling water and whisk until you get a nice, smooth batter.

4. Take the baking dish with the peaches out of the oven, and spoon the topping over the peaches evenly. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar (I ended up using only about half of it), and bake for 20 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice-cream!

Happy Baking, Everyone!

I will be linking to:

Mangia Mondays at Delightfully Dowling, Makin' You Crave Mondays, Skip to My Lou, Tip Junkie, Tatertots and Jello, Six Sisters' Stuff, Be Different, Act Normal and Country Momma Cooks.

Julia Child - My Life in France

Hi, Everyone! I hope you're all having a great weekend! We had no plans for this weekend, and since life is usually pretty busy for us, I love it when I have nowhere to go and nothing to do! Yesterday we went to get some produce at a local farm; we got some delicious peaches (that smell heavenly!) and fresh sweet corn (the best sweet corn I have ever had in my life! It was as sweet as candy!) Here's a glimpse of my lazy Saturday morning... English Breakfast Tea, fresh fruit and a Julia Child's My Life in France. This is my idea of a lazy summer morning!

If you are a fan of Julia Child or enjoyed the movie Julie&Julia, and haven't yet read this book, I would definitely recommend it! It's an endearing account of Julia's life and culinary adventures in Paris, and it is laugh-out-loud funny! From all the funny stories and familiar moments from Julie&Julia to insights into post-war Paris and Julia's memories of Le Cordon Bleu and Parisian life, it's a heart-warming story of her love for her husband, their life in France, and good food! It's a perfect summer read!

I love this part of the book where Julia describes how her teacher at Le Cordon Bleu made scrambled eggs- "His eggs were always perfect, and although he must have made this dish several thousand times,  he always took great pride and pleasure in this performance. Bugnard insisted that one pay attention, learn the correct technique, and that one enjoy one's cooking - 'Yes, Madame Scheeld, fun!' he'd say. 'Joy!' It was a remarkable lesson. No dish, not even the humble scrambled egg was too much trouble for him. 'You never forget a beautiful thing that you have made,' he said. 'Even after you eat it, it stays with you - always."

Have a great rest of your weekend, Everyone!

Oven Baked Zucchini Fries

Hi, Everyone! I have a great little snack or side dish recipe to share with you today! They are my Oven Baked Zucchini Fries! Here on the East Coast, we've had temperatures in the high 90's every single day for at least two weeks now, and I don't know about you, but I can't even think about food when it's this hot! I literally feel like melting every time I step outside. So I've been trying to come up with light and easy meals and snacks using ingredients that are in season right now. One of my favorites - zucchini! I made a really good Zucchini Chocolate Chip Loaf last week, and these delicious zucchini fries this week! These "fries" are oven baked which means you're saving all those calories (always a good thing!), they have great flavor from the parmesan cheese, and are crisp on the outside, and really soft on the inside! The perfect summer snack or side dish! Here's how I made them...

OVEN BAKED ZUCCHINI FRIES

(Adapted from All Recipes)

YOU WILL NEED:
1 large zucchini, peeled
1 tbs olive oil
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs (you could use seasoned for extra flavor)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp kosher salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line a baking sheet with foil (you can spray it lightly with cooking spray) and preheat your oven to 425 deg F. Peel your zucchini, cut off the ends and cut it into "fries". Toss with the olive oil, making sure that every piece is well coated.

2. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and salt. Cover the olive oil coated zucchini pieces with the bread crumb mixture (shake off excess breadcrumbs), then place them on your baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, until the zucchini looks crispy and golden, and is soft when pricked with a fork. Serve warm!

Happy Baking, Everyone!

I will be linking to:

Mangia Mondays at Delightfully Dowling, Makin' You Crave Mondays, Skip to My Lou, Tip Junkie, The Shabby Nest, My Romantic Home, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Bubbly Nature Creations, Tatertots and Jello, Six Sisters' Stuff, Be Different, Act Normal and Country Momma Cooks.

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

Hi, Everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend! We've had some terrible storms here in New Jersey over the past couple of days, but thankfully didn't lose power as many other people did. One of my favorite things about the summer are the beautifully warm nights, but so far this year it has just been super hot and humid! My husband and I have been going out for walks almost every night when it hasn't been raining, and when we stepped outside tonight, it was so humid you almost couldn't even breathe! It's been a busy summer so far, so at the beginning of every week I try to make something that will last through the week and that I can just quickly grab for breakfast. I made this Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread a couple of days ago that I love for breakfast (it would be SO good with some apple butter or even made as French toast!), and wanted to share it with you today! There's nothing like the warm smell of cinnamon drifting through the house as something delicious is baking in the oven. It's just so comforting and reassuring, and always reminds me of the cinnamon rolls that my mom makes. I love how different smells can instantly bring back happy memories! This bread is soft, sweet and so delicious! Here's the recipe...

CINNAMON RAISIN SWIRL BREAD

(Adapted from The Pioneer Woman)

*Makes 1 Loaf*

YOU WILL NEED:
BREAD:
1 cup milk (I used fat free)
6 tbs unsalted butter, softened
1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
2 eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour (use more if the dough is too wet)
1 tsp salt

FILLING:
2 tbs ground cinnamon
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins

EGG WASH:
1 egg yolk
1 tbs milk

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small saucepan, heat together butter and milk, until the butter melts, but the mixture doesn't come to a boil. Take it off the heat and sprinkle in the yeast. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside for 10 minutes.

2. Next, beat together the eggs and sugar. With the mixer running, pour in the yeast mixture. Sprinkle in the salt. With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding the flour, cup by cup, until the dough forms a ball. If the dough is too wet, just add more flour. Attach the dough hook attachment to your mixer, and knead the dough for 10 minutes. Then, take the dough out, and place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place for at least an hour.

3. Once the dough has had time to rise, turn it out onto a floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle (the bread will be baked in a loaf pan, so the width of the rectangle should be the length of the loaf pan, and the length of the rectangle should be about 18 to 24 inches). Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the rectangle. Sprinkle with raisins. (You could also drip melted butter over the rectangle but I wanted to avoid the calories and skipped this step! Don't worry, the bread is just as buttery and delicious!)

4. Roll the dough tightly starting at one end and pinching the seam at the end to make sure none of the filling comes out! Place it in a buttered loaf pan (or parchment paper lined), cover it and let it rise for another hour and a half to two hours.

5. Preheat your oven to 350deg F and make an egg wash for the bread by combining one egg yolk with 1 tbs of milk. Brush the bread with the egg wash, then bake for 30 - 40 minutes.

Happy Baking, Everyone!

I will be linking to:

Mangia Mondays at Delightfully Dowling, Makin' You Crave Mondays, Skip to My Lou, Tip Junkie, The Shabby Nest, My Romantic Home, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Bubbly Nature Creations, Tatertots and Jello, Six Sisters' Stuff, Be Different, Act Normal and Country Momma Cooks.