Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Muffins

Last week I was wanting to bake something that I could stockpile in the freezer, to pull out when I needed something to take with me for breakfast. I wanted something tasty and beautiful, something that I would get excited about eating. It makes me happy when I have something delicious to look forward to in the morning. My mind went immediately to muffins because they are so easy, and extremely portable. The perfect on-the-go breakfast treat in my opinion. 

I immediately went to my 'muffins and quickbreads' Pinterest board to browse through the options I had there. In the end I decided on these whole wheat chocolate chip muffins. First of all I thought the photo of them was just so pretty, it made me want to make them. It is so true that you eat with your eyes first, and these just looked so tasty. They also were on the healthier side for a muffin which was another plus; a lot of whole wheat flour, not tons of sugar, yogurt and applesauce, and only a little bit of butter. It sounded like a nice combination, so I just had to give them a try. 

So how did they turn out? Well I ended up really liking them a lot. They are hearty and definitely muffins, not cakey at all. They are not overly sweet, but with the chocolate they don't need to be extremely sweet anyway. I did end up having to adjust the amount of liquid in the recipe, adding a little extra milk, because otherwise the batter was just way too dry. And the whole wheat flour definitely shines through, giving them a nice nutty flavor that I really like. It might be a little strong for some people but I really enjoyed it. 

One complaint I did have was they turned out a little on the dry side, still perfectly edible and delicious, but slightly dry, and this was even with me cutting down on the baking time. I want to play around with the recipe a little more and see if I can get them to come out a bit more moist next time. I was thinking about possible adding a little more milk, and maybe trying buttermilk instead of the milk (just because I love buttermilk!). But we'll see, I'll keep you posted. One thing I do know, these muffins are definitely worth trying again. 

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Muffins

Adapted from

A Spoonful of Photography

Ingredients

• 2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 Pinch Salt
• 1/2-2/3 cup (around 4 oz) Sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup (4.25 oz) Yogurt
• 5 Tbsp Milk 
• 1/2 cup (4.25 oz) Applesauce
• 2 Tbsp Butter or Oil
• 150g dark chocolate chunks

Directions

Preheat your oven to 425 °F. Grease or line your muffin tin with parchment paper. Mix together both flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a seperate bowl beat together egg and sugar, then add in the yogurt, applesauce and butter. Gently fold in the wet ingredients into the dry, gently adding the chocolate chips when only some flour isn't mixed in - be careful to not overmix!

Scoop the batter into your muffin tins until each one is filled about 2/3 and put it in the oven at 425 °C for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 375 °C for further 10-12 minutes. Take out, let cool and enjoy!

Yields: 12 nice sized muffins

Chocolate Chip Cream Scones

This semester my sister Lara and I started a new weekly tradition. Once a week, usually Wednesday or Thursday mornings, we head over to our favorite local bakery, Wealthy Street Bakery, where we split a pastry and enjoy a cup of super dark coffee with plenty of half and half. It has probably become my favorite time of the week! Each week it can be difficult to decide what to get to eat, the options are all so good. There are muffins, scones, croissants danishes, cinnamon rolls, breakfast cookies, babka and bread pudding to name just a few! There is absolutely no way I can name a favorite breakfast treat, but I do have to say that I absolutely love the flavor and texture of their scones. They are so light and soft, yet slightly crisp, light but not overly delicate. In the last few months I have been on the search for a scone recipe that may somewhat compare to these little beauties. Here is one attempt at this difficult and important challenge.

I decided to start by trying Martha Stewart's scones from her Baking Handbook, which is a wonderful cookbook and has never let me down. This was no exception. These scones turned out delicious, with a great texture and were beautiful too. I have been enjoying them all week with a smile on my face.

With that said, these scones were not exactly like the scones from Wealthy Street. They are not quite as tender, and just a little too crunchy. Instead of being lightly crisp on the outside, they are slightly firmer, not quite as light. I fixed this a little by turning the temperature of the oven down partway through baking which worked very well, but they were still a little harder than I want. Still delicious of course, but not the texture I am looking for. However, the flavor is excellent and the scone overall is fantastic. Definitely something I can make again (after I find the copycat recipe I want so badly!). Give these scones a try, they really will make your breakfast extra special.

Look at the height of that scone

Sugary and crunchy top, beautiful 

golden brown

Chocolate Chip Cream Scones

Adapted From: Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick butter, cold, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 cup heavy cream, plus more if needed
• 1 egg yolk
• sanding sugar for sprinkling

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger clumps remaining. Mix in chocolate chips

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the cream into the flour mixture. Slowly draw the dry ingredients over the cream, gradually gathering and combining the dough until just coming together. If it is too dry, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands press and pat the dough into a circle, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches tall. Using a sharp knife, cut the circle into 8 wedges. Place the wedges on a parchment lined baking sheet; cover with plastic and freeze until very firm, at least 2 hours, or overnight. (At this point you can freeze the unbaked scones in a resealable plastic bag until ready to bake, up to 3 weeks.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolk with a couple tablespoons of cream or milk; brush over the tops of the scones and sprinkle generously with sanding sugar, if using. Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet, reduce the heat to 325 degrees and continue baking for 15 to 20 more minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm, or at room temperature. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

As you may have noticed, I really love muffins. A few weeks ago, I went online to look up a new bakery/restaurant I'd heard of. When browsing their menu one particular thing jumped out at me; peanut butter chocolate chip banana muffins. Do you ever get that? One thing just catches your eye and sounds so delicious that you feel like you have to try it? I don't know what it was about this combination that made me want desperately to try it, it was just the right thing at that moment. I of course went straight to the internet to try to come up with a recipe that sounded as yummy as these did.

When I saw this recipe it sounded perfect. They were described as somewhat healthy, yet not so much that they tasted healthy, and not too dense, but more cake-like. That's a wonderful combination if you ask me. They turned out wonderfully, just what I was looking for. Both the flavor of the peanut butter and the banana really comes out and complement each other very well. Add a little chocolate to this combination and you have a winner!

There is no oil or butter in this recipe, the fat comes from the peanut butter and Greek yogurt. I know sometimes quick breads without oil or butter can have a funky texture, or baked up dry or dense, but these didn't have any problems. They are moist and light and full of flavor. I really like the addition of a little cinnamon and just a dash of both cloves and allspice. These spices all add a subtle flavor to the finished muffins that is detectable but hard to place. The muffin base itself is not very sweet, but that's okay, and with the addition of the chocolate chips you don't even notice. All in all, a very nice muffin to enjoy for breakfast, or as a mid afternoon snack.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
From The Craving Chronicles
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (8 ounces) flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• dash cloves
• dash allspice
• 2 very ripe medium bananas
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (about 6 ounces) Greek yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips 

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with papers.

Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices in a small bowl. In a large bowl, mash together bananas and brown sugar with a fork. Add yogurt, milk, egg, peanut butter and vanilla. Whisk to combine (may be lumpy). Add flour and stir until just combined. Don’t over mix! (Batter will be thick.) Fold in chocolate chips.

Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each cup about 3/4 full. (Scoop any remaining batter into lined mini muffin cups.) Bake at 375°F for 15-18 minutes (10 minutes for minis) or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Death By Chocolate Chip Cookies

Double chocolate chip cookies always sound like a wonderful idea to me, but so often they just don't deliver that decadent, intense chocolate flavor I'm looking for. But have no fear, I have finally found the perfect recipe. These cookies are dark, decadent and intensely chocolaty, the perfect way to treat your chocolate craving. What I love most about them is that there is 8 ounces, yes, half a pound, of melted chocolate in the dough. Most double chocolate cookies have maybe a couple tablespoons of cocoa powered and that is all. This doesn't cut it in my book. I want real chocolate in my chocolate cookies and lots of it, not just a little powder. So this is it, finally a real chocolate lovers chocolate cookie.

If you aren't looking for something rich, these aren't for you. But if rich and chocolatey doesn't scare you, make these cookies immediately. The only difficult thing about these cookies, is waiting the 30 minutes for the dough to chill before you can bake them. But 30 minutes isn't too bad, and the wait will definitely be worth it in the end.

Death By Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction
Ingredients

• 1 cup + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups of your favorite chips; dark chocolate, peanut butter, white chocolate etc. 

Directions
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave for about 1 minute. Stir. Continue to melt in 30 second increments until fully melted and smooth. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla. Set aside. With an electric or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and creamy – about 1 minute. Beat in the sugars, scraping down the sides every 10 seconds or so. The mixture will be granular.

Mix in the beaten egg/vanilla until incorporated. Add the chocolate in a steady stream and beat until combined. Add the dry ingredients on slow speed. Fold in the chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Do not overmix at any point in this process.

Chill dough for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Scoop about 2 Tbsp of dough and roll into a ball. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cookies have just begun to set with the centers still appearing very soft. They will firm up as they cool.

Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with M&M's

Well, I have been gone for quite a while! It's been a very busy couple of weeks and I just couldn't get around to posting anything. First of all, I had a week of orientation to start out med school with a bang. An entire week of get to know you games, lectures, and information overload. It was crazy, but wouldn't have been so bad, except that in the middle of the week the hard drive on my computer decided to die. So I was computer-less for about a week, and didn't have any of my food photos. When I finally did get my computer back med school started. Just let me say that they don't ease you into school. It was a super busy week, but a good one. Now that I have a few minutes on Sunday morning I'm going to share a new cookie that I tried out a few weeks ago. A very delicious PB oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with my favorite addition, M&M's!

I took these cookies out to the lake one day to go boating and they were very well received. They're kind of like the cross between a monster cookie and a chocolate chip cookie. A hint of nuttiness from the PB, a bit of chew from the oats, and of course a nice, hefty dose of chocolate. You really can't go wrong with this combination. A definite keeper!

 Start with butter of course!

 Add the sugar and cream until

nice and fluffy

 Next is the PB, egg, and vanilla

 Nice and creamy

 Time for the dry ingredients

 Mix until just combined

 Finally, the oats!

 And the chocolate!

 Mix it all up

 Onto a cookie sheet

 Ready to bake

 Bake until just golden on the edges

 Cool them off on a wire rack

Grab a nice big glass of milk, and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with M&M's
Adapted from: Pinch of Yum
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup unpacked brown sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup M&M's

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended. 

Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir until just moistened. 

Mix in the oats, chocolate chips, and M&M's until evenly distributed. 

Drop by tablespoonfuls on to lightly greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges start to brown. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

I took my third exam of the semester yesterday. That means I've now had one test in each class. It's nice to have that out of the way. No more wondering what the tests will be like. But because of this test, I missed out on the most beautiful weekend of the fall. It was in the upper 70s and low 80s all weekend, sunny and gorgeous. The trees are starting to change colors and I was stuck inside for almost all of it, bent over my notes, trying to learn as much pathophysiology as I could. But because I couldn't study all weekend, I managed to whip up a batch of these decadent double chocolate chip cookies. They helped, at least slightly, make up for missing the weekend. If you can't enjoy the weather, you mind as well eat chocolate!

Although I love a good chocolate chip cookie, if I'm in the mood for even more chocolate, these cookies come to mind. If you're looking for a chocolate fix, these are the cookies for you. Chocolate on chocolate; sweet, intensely chocolate and slightly salty. Your mouth will cry out for a glass of ice cold milk after just one bite. But don't take my word for it, whip up a batch and see for yourself.

Yes please!

Getting everything together

My favorite

All set to go

What a beautiful day, sun streaming in the window

Chocolate is melted

Butter, ready to be creamed

Nice and fluffy

Add that chocolate

Mixed, yum

Chocolate chips folded in, ready to bake

Scoop onto a cookie sheet

Baked!

Now all I need is a glass of milk...

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread
Ingredients

• 1 5/8 cup (236 gram) flour
• 3/8 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup (120 grams) brown sugar (dark if you have it)
• 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup toasted pecans (optional in my opinion, I omitted them and added more chocolate chips)

Directions
In a large bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk together. In a separate bowl, melt 1 1/2 cups (284 grams) of the chocolate chips in the microwave at 30 second intervals. Stir them to make them smooth, then set aside to cool.

In the bowl of a electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes, scraping down the side of the bowl frequently. Pour in the melted chocolate (it should be pourable, but not hot, or the butter will melt) and continue mixing until the mixture is uniform in color. Gradually add the eggs and the vanilla, mixing until everything is well combined.

With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in stages. Mix only until everything is well combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl frequently. there should not be any pockets of dry flour left in the dough. Add the remaining chocolate chips and pecans (if using), and use a spatula or wooded spoon to fold the chocolate chips and nuts in by hand. Chill the dough in the refrigerator until it is firm, but not hard.

Place scoops of cookie dough on a parchment lined baking sheet. (They recommend making each ball 90 grams, or a scant half cup, but there is no way I am going to eat a cookie that big. I just used my 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop.) Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 13-14 minutes (or 18-20 minutes if you make the behemoth cookies) until just set, the middle should still be soft, and they make look slightly underdone. Do not over bake. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.