Amy Ruth

Early in the morning, or late at night when you still have lots to do, you might just need a kick in the head as some of the old crooners sang.  Now Michael Buble and a whole host of Michael “wanna-be’s” are singing, “Ain’t That A Kick In The Head?”   I spent 10 or 15 minutes on YouTube watching/listening to videos while the muffins were baking away.

These muffins are really called Coffee-Break Muffins and the recipe is from Dorie Greenspan’s, Baking From My Home to Yours. I have baked with Tuesdays With Dorie, intermittently for a while now.  I have to say there is a lot positive, like new recipe favorites, lessons learned, new friends both locally and on the internet and of course more incentives to exercise a little more diligently,  hehe . That being said, the list of ingredients contain both coffee (yes, the kind from your coffee pot) and instant espresso powder.  The idea is for us coffee lovers to have just one more reason to love coffee because we can have them in our muffins.  There you have it!

Just take a little trip over to  Chocoholics Anonymous and it will net you the recipe for these quick little muffins.  It only takes some left over coffee and a handful of other ingredients, and “snap” you have yourself a great little “pick me up.”  Thanks Rhiani for choosing a simple recipe this week for TWD.

Thank you for stopping by.  If you have your coffee cup in hand….. I have a muffin to share.  :”)

Just a side note:  Corbin, the last of the Schleider kids at home, has been spoon feeding me this whole blog thing and teaching me to use Aperture and FileZilla and Photoshop.  Oh My….yawn.  Its late and we giggled as he took me through, step by aching little step.  Bless his patient little almost 17 year old heart.  Thanks Corbin!  You are the best!  (Its about time I learn, huh?)

Either way…. small batch baking is way better than anything else. Do you agree?

Typically, I open a book and discover a recipe that sounds good or if there is a photo, challenges me to make it as perfectly as the photo depicts. What is that? Its not all about the taste, some say. I guess its the same with personal attraction. Usually there is a quality seen with the naked eye that initially stirs your tastebuds.

I made a couple of selections from Sherry Yard’s, Desserts by the Yard. One is the Campton Place Coffee Cake and the second is her version of a Traditional English Scone with chocolate chips. You’ll find the recipes by clicking on the highlighted names and the magic of google.  You can even see Sherry’s beautiful photo of her cake from the book, baked in a Kugelhopf mold.  Quite impressive.  On the other hand my photos are courtesy of my iphone.  :”)  Shucks!

Campton Place Coffee Cake & Traditional English with Chocolate Chip Scones

Campton Place Coffee Cake has the lovely brown and granulated sugars, cinnamon, cocoa and fresh chopped peaches for the filling.  At first taste I believe I have decided to increase slightly the amount of peaches and also use Saigon Cinnamon in the filling for just a little more punch in the flavors.  A lovely sour cream coffee cake with a wonderful moist texture and surprise in the middle.

As for the Traditional English Scones with Chocolate Chip, in case you’re asking, they are very nice.  I am not a scones expert, however I do make a mean biscuit so all in all I really like these.  Sherry describes her Traditional English Scones as being less sweet than typical American scones.  They contain only 1/4 cup of sugar which is nice.  Sugar can always be sprinkled on top before baking or your favorite fruit jam would make a nice accompaniment. I kind of like that idea as well.  Chocolate and fruit jam is not all bad.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have had a lovely weekend.  We are at the middle of September….how did that happen?

In real life?  I think that it means it really happened in this case it was caused to happen.  What about that?  Imagine what we cause to happen each day with each tiny little unintentional choice we make.  Whether its the way we respond with a certain tone or the way our eyes cut to look.  Maybe its the warm smile or perhaps a forced reaction to another’s behest.  Either way you look there is another view from the opposing direction.

Well, that could go on and on but lets just examine these blondies.  These are brownies but the chocolate is intentionally not included.  It is left out.  Sad don’t you think?  I suppose if you are conditioned as I am to expect that unctious melted chocolate, to bathe the inside of your mouth as you take your first bite.  Well, you will be surprised because while they have chocolate chips or chunks,  of your choosing,  your  best or your next favorite, this is intentionally a different kind of brownie, kids.  This is a blondie.  The chewy factor is supplied by the abundance of brown sugar, mixed with a lot of butta baby.  Well it does have coconut and chopped walnuts.  The magic?  The magic is that you can switch, add or take away any of those items, intentionally.   I just love the magic I’ve learned while baking with Tuesdays With Dorie.  Even with the science of baking, many variations as Dorie refers can be enjoyed.  You can actually change things around and “magically” have a successful baked good.  Chocolate or no.

They are gooey and delicious even without the majority of it being chocolate.  However, I adore chocolate.  Need I say more?

Thanks Nicole of Cookies on Friday for choosing this wonderful cookie (bar). I know you love cookies and this one is really more amazing than I expected without its intentional chocolate.  Of course thanks goes to Dorie as well for creating the book that has inspired untold numbers of people to get in the kitchen and be intentional about their ingredients. Thanks!  You must not forget to visit and drool at the other TWD bakers.

Do you see that “one” pan in there?  The one with the New Cake Pan wrapper?

Well, you know I missed the Brrr-brownies.  I was fluffing off (code for shopping) with my daughter.  That folks, is why there were no brownies.  I’m really sorry Karen.    Even though the York Peppermint Patties have been starring at me from the kitchen counter for over a week.  Ugh.  Anyway, Libby and I went to STL to get a few things for her trip.   She looked at clothes, shoes, purses and makeup .  We bought the necessary items for her trip.  Did I shop for shoes, purses, makeup, perfume, clothes?  Uh No….I shopped for kitchen toys.  What is wrong with me?  Anybody?  Ferris?

I do have a question.  How do you tame those wild animals in your cabinets masquerading as cakes pans, tart pans,  bundt pans?  Oh yea, the springform collection too.   You know every species in the baking kingdom.  They come in all sizes and various shapes.    ”Noah, what were you thinking?”

Well, I do the best I can and then sometimes I just give up and let them be.  I think they get in there together and conspire against me anyway.    Back to this new pan.  I don’t know what came over me while in WS (kitchen toys r us store) but I typically talk myself out of impulse buys and tell myself  ” Oh Amy, you can certainly live without that.”  You know you have told yourself a variation of this statement before.  Anyway, it came home in my shopping  bag.  Can you believe that?  So, this is my first excuse to use it.  I hope it releases well.  We will see.   I just thought I would share this first experience with you.  Be it success or failure.  There is a chance for both.  You see it makes 6 little cakes.  Okay, now I gotta get busy.  See ya in a while.

The cakes are baking in the oven.  I had more batter than pan so I pulled out another little pan, a molten cake pan, with push out bottoms.  I thought it would be my fail safe pan.  Again, waiting.

Dorie’s recipe for the Lots of Ways Banana Cake  allows for  wet and dry variations.  I used brown and granulated sugars, spice rum and sour cream ( just because I had some I needed to use) and toasted coconut.  I didn’t want to use too much texture because of the pan.  I would love to make this next time with some dried fruits and coconut milk suggested in the recipe.

An observation:  I’ve never used a mini-bundt  before.  Must learn to use proper amount of batter in order to avoid cakes rising over the top.  :”)  Hmmm

Well, you be the judge….  Perhaps I need a little practice with these “cute” little cake pans.

This is a really moist delicious recipe, that would be code for yep, I ate one of the cakes from the molten cake pan and it was warm.  Really so good!  Better than a muffin, not sure why.

Here is my attempt (remember its the first time I’ve used the pan)  at using a mini bundt.   I have a lot to look forward to in the future.  I chose the pan and Kimberly of Only Creative Opportunities chose this recipe for our baking group this week.  I always have bananas.  They are just something I always keep and so its wonderful that Dorie gave us such a “this way” or “that way” kind of recipe for those occasional unattractive bananas.  Thanks to Kimberly for her wise choice.  You should really go to her blog and get the recipe for your files.  After you get the recipe you really should see what all the other fabulous  baker people have done with their bananas.  Not kidding!  Its the Tuesdays with Dorie baking group.   Speaking of files if you use google you can copy and paste all your net recipes to the documents and put them in files of your making.  Make your very own cookbook, folks.  Thanks for your visit.  I love making friends.

Those Brrrownies are on their way… have something fun to show you later, if you come back by for a visit.  Hope to see you then.