Lemon-Yogurt Muffins

I honestly can't believe how fast this year has flown by! It seems like just yesterday that we were saying "Wow, we're in 2009!" when in a few weeks we'll be saying "Wow, we're in 2010!" As the weeks have gone by, I've been busy catching up with school work and also with my baking. To start off the baking and posting spree, I decided to post these muffins up. This recipe comes from Williams-Sonoma Bread, and it doesn't disappoint. It has a tripe shot of lemon in it: lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon oil. The texture of the muffins is really nice, but one thing I didn't understand is why they didn't really grow. They grew just a bit above the rim, but my muffins usually grow more than just a bit over the rim. One thing I didn't like about the recipe was the topping. The topping includes mace, which I had never baked with before. As the muffins were baking, the mace let out a weird smell throughout the house, and then it gave a weird aftertaste. If I were to make these again, I'd definitely change up the topping. One thing I did like about the recipe was the fact that it included yogurt. It added moistness and a nice subtle flavor to the muffin. The recipe gave me a nice side note about yogurt:

"YOGURT: Yogurt, a thick, creamy fermented milk product, contains beneficial living bacterial cultures and is an easily digestible food. Made from whole, low-fat, or nonfat milk, yogurt may be used as the liquid ingredient in quick breads, bestowing a tart flavor and tender texture. It can also substitute for sour cream in many baking recipes, delivering the same pleasant dairy taste with far fewer calories. Before purchasing a carton of yogurt, always check the sell-by date to ensure the freshest possible product."

Lemon-Yogurt Muffins
*makes 12 muffins*

Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
grated zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
1 1/4 cups plain yogurt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
1/4 tsp lemon oil

FOR THE TOPPING
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground mace

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan.
2) In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. Make a well in the center and pour in the yogurt, eggs, melted butter, lemon juice, and the lemon oil. Vigorously whisk together the wet and dry ingredients until thoroughly combined, about 20 strokes. The batter should be fluffy but slightly lumpy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling each cup between three-fourths full and just short of its rim.
3) To make the topping, in a small bowl, stir together the walnuts, sugar, and mace. Sprinkle about 2 teaspoons topping over each muffin.
4) Bake until golden around the edges and dry and springy to the touch, 16-20 minutes. A cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean. Using a small metal spatula, remove each muffin from its cup and place on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Yule Logs

I know, I know. It's not Christmastime yet. It's not even Halloween yet (even though it's only a couple of days away), but I wanted to try my hand at making these Yule Logs. Mind you, I've never even known what a yule log is. You see, yule logs aren't very traditional in Hispanic homes, so when I saw these interesting cookies, I had to try them out. I thought they were a bit too sweet for my taste, but my co-workers really liked them. They immediately said it reminded them of Christmas. According to The Ultimate Cookie Book, "Symbolic of a Yule log on a blazing fire, these sweet and spicy little cookies add to the warmth and fellowship of the season."

Yule Logs
*makes 48 cookies*

Ingredients:
1 cup salted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 egg
1 tbsp dark rum
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 recipe Browned Butter Frosting
extra ground nutmeg

Directions:
1) In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, the 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and the ginger. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, rum, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough into six portions. Cover and chill dough about 30 minutes or until easy to handle.
2) Preheat oven to 350F. On a lightly floured surface, shape each portion of dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rope. Cut ropes into 3-inch logs. Place logs 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes or until light brown. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool.
3) Frost cooled cookies with Browned Butter Frosting. Run a fork through frosting lengthwise along log so frosting resembles bark. Sprinkle lightly with ground nutmeg. Let stand until set.

Browned Butter Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 cup salted butter
5 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
2 tsp vanilla

Directions:
In a small saucepan heat and stir butter over medium-low heat until melted. Cook until butter turns golden brown. Remove from heat. In a medium mixing bowl combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Add browned butter. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Beat on medium to high speed, adding enough milk (1 to 2 tablespoons) to make a frosting of spreading consistency.

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Carrot & Zucchini Bars

I really think my body's starting to ask for healthier food on its own. Why? Well, after making an amazing Zucchini Bread, I realized that I had a bunch of left over zucchini. My mom said she wasn't going to use it, and my sweet tooth definitely started to act up, along with I guess my healthy tooth. I rummaged through my baking books, and decided on making these Carrot & Zucchini Bars from The Ultimate Cookie Book. It sounded healthy and yummy at the same time. The authors of TUCB even agree: "What a delicious way to get your family to eat their veggies! No one will suspect the healthful ingredients these heavenly, moist bars contain."

Carrot & Zucchini Bars
*makes 36 bars*

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups shredded carrot
1 cup shredded zucchini
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 recipe Citrus-Cream Cheese Frosting

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ginger, and baking soda. In another large bowl stir together eggs, carrot, zucchini, brown sugar, raisins, walnuts, oil, honey, and vanilla. Add carrot mixture to flour mixture; stir just until combined. Spread batter evenly in an ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
2) Bake about 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Spread cooled bars with Citrus-Cream Cheese Frosting. Cut into bars.

Citrus-Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp finely shredded lemon peel

Directions:
In a mixing bowl beat cream cheese and powdered sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Stir in lemon peel.

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