More Vintage Muffins

Dear Turkey,

No matter how healthy and granola I try to be, vintage muffins always disappear faster than healthy muffins. What can I say? People just like to feel vintage. This time, I made my muffins even more vintage: 

By using vintage bananas (circa last week) [I made this picture gigantic so you can read the recipe]

And vintage square muffin tins

And vintage muffin papers

I followed the recipe for "sweet" muffins (doubling it, of course). Then I mashed in 3 bananas and I added about a cup of frozen blackberries. I baked them for 18 minutes, even though the vintage recipe says 20, because time moves faster now.

I moss you,
Tofu

Flour-less Chocolate Cake for People on Weird Diets

Dear Turkey

As you remember from when you were on a weird diet, I love cooking and baking challenges. So I was excited when I was having my friend over who doesn't eat gluten or dairy. She hasn't had any real desserts in a while, so I knew that she'd probably like anything I made, but I am proud to say this this was delicious, much to the surprise of the naysayers (ahem -- Mom).

The naysayers thought that I couldn't make a flour-less cake without butter. But a flour-less cake is really just a baked custard, and, anyway, eggs and canola oil set up when you make mayo.

Here's what I did:

In the kitchen-aid, beat 8 eggs until they start to get lighter and foamy, about 5 mins (don't be afraid to over-beat), then slowly add 1 1/4 c sugar, 1 c good-quality dutch-process cocoa, and 1/2 c canola oil (do this in a drizzle). I added these one at a time while the mixer was running (which is why my lungs are coated with cocoa now).

When it's all combined, bake it in a ever-so-slightly oiled spring-form pan at 325 degrees for about 50 mins. The middle will not be totally set up when you take it out; that's why it's all molten and delicious. Let it stand in a cool place or the fridge for an hour or so. Then, cut carefully around the outside of the cake, open the pan, and sprinkle with confectioners sugar:

Go me,

Tofu 

Cocoa Pear Crisps

Dear Turkey,

It was my dream come true: my mom said, "Tofu, can you do something with these eight overripe pears?" So, I made Cocoa Pear Crisps from Food52. This is really a Food52 classic. I just sprinkled them with brown sugar and lots of cocoa, but I can tell you from experience that it's good their way, too. 

The only downside is that, at 275 degrees, it really takes hours for them to be ready. And your oven is taunting you with the most delicious smell the whole time. They are better than candy. 

I moss you,

Tofu

Bubble Tea Should Always Be This Big

Good job, Unique Tea House

How to Use Up Bananas and Chickpeas (In One Meal, Not One Dish)

Dear Turkey,

Chickpeas from a can can last a long time in a Tupperware in the fridge, but after a week or two I was getting antsy. So we sprinkled them with season salt and chipotle powder and baked them in the oven along with these samosas (from the freezer -- I didn't make them). You can bake them until they are just a little crispy but still soft and melt-y inside, which is what we did, or you can bake them until they are totally light and crispy, almost like popcorn (I've had this at a restaurant and it was really good, too). Just one more reason why chickpeas are cheap, healthy, and awesome. 

For dessert: these are my latest banana chocolate muffins. I think that they are tied with these muffins as my favorite muffins ever. I used the recipe in the link above, but I replaced the whole wheat flour and flax with 3 c of white flour (no wonder they were good), and I replaced the chocolate chips with a very scant 1/4 c of cocoa powder. I still had to get out the bag of chocolate chips though, because my smallest constituent thinks that "baking" means "sitting in the high chair eating chocolate chips and watching Mama work" (I am ashamed [not]).   

I moss you,

Tofu 

Squash Is Good

Dear Turkey,

Since it is the time of year that we celebrate commercials (especially food commercials), I am going to give you a commercial for squash:

I could eat a butternut squash every week. (I'm told that I say that about a lot of things, mostly involving beans and rice.) It makes me happy to buy one: it's cheap, it's healthy, and I can put it in so many things. I can make it into bread or muffins or cookies. I can chop it up in a can of Trader Joe's Chili with cheese on top. 

I had never had squash in Annie's Mac and Cheese until the other day. I topped it with Chipotle Tabasco sauce. It was so good. It made the pasta just sweet and creamy enough (not to mention healthier), and it was a good way to make one box of mac and cheese feed two hungry people. Trust me -- try it.

I moss you,
Tofu