Whole Wheat Granola Muffins

Sometimes I just stand quietly in the doorway and watch my kids.  When the days seem filled with rushing around and it seems like the people in my family barely notice each other, I try to purposely stop and simply take notice. 

My baby girl is at the age where she is beginning to understand how to play by herself so she'll wander around with her stuffed animals or books talking her secret little language to herself.  She pretends to read the books and she gives her animals huge hugs and kisses complete with a loud and thrilled "MWAH!" with each kiss.  It's the sweetest thing to watch, truly, and it makes me thankful that she came along when she did to remind us all how happy we can be.  She is so blissful and genuine and full of unconditional love.  It's pretty amazing.

Then I watch my boys standing still, running, being big brothers and I am amazed all over again.  My middle guy is still so adorably snuggly in one moment and thoughtful and grown up sounding in the next.  He struggles sometimes like when he's trying to learn to read (in two languages at once but he's doing great) and I love that he still needs and wants my help.  But then he blows me away with what he knows and how fast he can do math.  He's at this perfect age and I just don't want him to get any older.  Is that possible?

Of course, if I could stop my kids aging I probably wouldn't.  Because it's so cool to get to watch them grow into real people with thoughts and feeling all their own.  My oldest son is a, gasp and moan, tween.  Did you know boys do the tween thing too?  And that they are just as moody and unpredictable as girls?  I.  Had.  No. Idea.  He's also hit the age where I'm not allowed to hug him anymore or tell him that I love him.  Or so he thinks- it hasn't stopped me yet.  Despite being stuck in this horrible hormonal no-man's-land, every once in a while a take a quick look at him and I can see this almost adult-ness about him.  The little boy roundness is all gone and there's the shadow of the man he'll grow to be.  Sort of the opposite of Peter pan, you know? I can rely on him and have thoughtful conversations with him.  Why on Earth would I want to stop that from happening?

I've found myself doing this a lot lately.  Just watching.   It makes me so grateful for the gift of these people in my life.  I think I will do it more often.  I take a lot (an understatement) of pictures of my kids.  We get to have so many adventures here that I want to capture.  But watching is different.  Instead of just taking pictures of my kids I'm actually seeing them.  And that's really all any of us want, right?  To be truly seen by the people that we love.

Whole Wheat Granola Muffins 
Makes 12 muffins. 
For the printable recipe, click here. 

This is a very comforting muffin.  Great for the quiet moments at the start of a day.  But it has the added bonus of actually being healthy too.  Yippee!  I make my own granola and keep it in a jar on the counter, so that's what I use for my muffins.  It's a pretty simple granola- a little maple syrup, pecans and pumpkin seeds, oats and dried cherries.  It's based on a basic outline in Maggie Batista's book Food Gift Love.  You can use your favorite granola but this muffin works better with a simple granola rather than one filled with a ton of mix-ins.  In the recipe for the muffins I give a range for the milk measurement.  Every yogurt is different and you don't want one that is too runny.  But if the batter is too stiff after mixing in the lesser amount go ahead and add in the last two tablespoons.  I like to finish the muffins with a sprinkle of granola before tucking them in the oven.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup granola
1 1/3 cups Greek-style yogurt
6- 8 tbs whole milk
1/3 cup neutral flavored oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Line standard muffin pan with muffin cups or lightly butter.  Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the  flours, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda.  Stir in the granola.

In a separate bowl mix together the yogurt, oil, vanilla and 6 tbs milk.  Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry.  If the batter is very stiff or dry stir in the remaining two tablespoons of milk.  Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle with a bit of granola or raw sugar if desired. 

Bake for 16-18 minutes.  Muffins are down when the tops are gently browned and spring back to the touch.  Cool the muffins in the pan on a wire rack.  Muffins will keep for up to three days in an airtight container but are best eaten within 24 hours.

Pumpkin Scones

There are some days when I can see the eye rolls from my husband and sons even when my back is turned.  Another new recipe?  Can't we just have something we KNOW we like for dinner tonight?  Just once this week, please?

I don't mean to experiment on my family so much.  Or, at least, I don't start out intending to turn them into dinner-time guinea pigs but that's how it ends up most days.  I can't help it.  I see so many possibilities when I stand in front of the produce section and butcher case.  And most of those possibilities are not meals that have landed on my table in the past.  Why limit myself to what I've already tasted and tried?

But there's something to be said for the familiar.  And we all know it.  It's the reason comfort food exists.  And the reason why so many of those dishes we turn to when we need a break or a lift are the same ones time and time again.  We know exactly what we're getting when we reach for our favorite chicken noodle soup, mac and cheese or peanut butter sandwich.  It's always the same and there's comfort in that.

Back in the US (when I needed a few minutes of quiet to myself) I'd sneak off to my nearest Starbucks, order a chai tea and pumpkin scone and find a cozy table in the corner.  It's one of my favorite indulgences and one that I desperately miss living in Germany.  I know it seems silly.  I'm in Europe for goodness sake and there's a bakery on almost every corner!  Why on Earth would I miss the ultra-commercialized tea and scone when I could have so much better.  But that's the thing.  What I can get here may be better (and most assuredly is in most cases), but it's just not the same.  And even in the midst of my giddy joy in finding something new to try at the market or finding something fabulously different in a bake shop window I still miss the familiar from time to time.

Pumpkin Scones
Makes 9 3-inch scones.
For the recipe, click here.

This is a pretty simple scone to make and is based on my favorite cream scone recipe with a few modifications.  The dough is pretty wet, but isn't too difficult to work with.  Just give your counter a good dusting with flour and you're in business.  These scones make missing America  just a little less difficult, but even if you have a Starbucks nearby knowing how to make our own is still a good thing.

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
a pinch of ground cloves
1 tbs baking powder
6 tbs cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream, plus 1 tbs
1/3 cup pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix!)
6 tbs honey
1 large egg

For the glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
enough cream to create a drizzle-able consistency (1 to 2 tbs)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment or a non-stick liner.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, brown sugar, spices and baking powder.  Using your finger tips, a pastry blender or two butter knifes cut the butter into the flour mixture until the pieces resemble the size of peas.

In a separate bowl stir together 1/2 cup of heavy cream, the pumpkin, honey and egg.  Add all but 1/4 cup of the cream mixture to the dry ingredients and using your hands or a wooden spoon gently stir.  If the dough will not hold together when pressed add half of the remaining cream mixture.  Give the dough a few more turns in the bowl, adding the rest of the cream mixture as necessary to create a soft and slightly sticky but not overly wet dough.  Turn the dough out onto a well floured counter.  Gently pat the dough together into a ball and then pat the ball into a 9 by 9 inch square.  You can use a biscuit cutter to make 3 inch round scones or using a knife cut the scones into triangles.  I like to cut my dough into 9 square scones.  Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with the remaining heavy cream.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the scones no longer feel wet to the touch and the edges have gone golden.

Let the scones rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then remove to cool completely on a wire rack.  In the meantime, make the glaze by stirring together the powdered sugar, spices and 1 tbs of the heavy cream.  If the glaze is too thick to spread or drizzle stir in up to another tbs of cream.  When the scones have cooled completely, drizzle them with the glaze and give them a few minutes for the glaze to set up.

The scones will keep for 2-3 days if kept in an airtight container.

Strawberry Poppy Seed Muffins

There's something about your kids being sick that makes you feel helpless as a parent.  The kind of helpless that makes you start crying for seemingly no reason at all as you make a PB&J that you are hoping and praying one of your littles will feel well enough to eat.  Because after 5 days of stomach bugs and fevers that spring up out of nowhere, eating half a sandwich would be such a huge deal.  And maybe, just maybe, that helpless feeling will go away soon.   Feeling that you are absolutely powerless to make your child feel any measure of comfort may just be one of the worst things a parent can experience.

When my little one was sick last week, it was an emotionally and physically exhausting experience.  At one point while his stomach was rocking and rolling on him, he said to me "I'm scared".  Scared because he didn't understand what was happening to him.  He felt powerless to control his body and to him that was extremely scary.  And I could do nothing but rub his back and let him know that the feeling would go away.  It was the very epitome of helpless.  So when his big brother came home from school Thursday afternoon with a fever, I went over the edge and started bawling over a peanut butter sandwich.

So imagine my joy when both boys woke up the next morning fever free and with hearty appetites.  So I celebrated with a sweet breakfast to satisfy my sweet boys.  And these muffins hit the spot.  No longer feeling helpless, I was doing what I know how to do in order to bring comfort to my children.  That's the best feeling in the world.

Strawberry Poppy Seed Muffins
Makes 1 dozen.  Adapted from Feisty, Frugal & Fabulous.
For the printable recipe, click here.

4 tbs butter, softened
4 tbs cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbs poppy seeds
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries

2 tsp sugar for the tops

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line the wells of a muffin tin with muffin papers or spray with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese.  Add the sugar and beat with the butter mixture until fluffy.  Add the egg and mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and poppy seeds.  Add half the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir to incorporate.  Stir in half the milk.  Repeat the alternating additions of dry ingredients and milk.  Stir in the vanilla then gently fold in the strawberries.

Divide the batter equally among the muffin cups.  Sprinkle with the reserved sugar.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.  Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove the muffins and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Meyer Lemon Muffins

I have a serious obsession with lemons.  I think it's probably one of the most used ingredients in all of my recipes here on the blog.  I feel lost when I don't have any in my kitchen.  And I know most women will think me crazy, but 9 times out of 10 when I am offered the choice of a lemon flavored sweet over a chocolate one, I will choose the lemon.  I LOOOOVE the sweet puckery flavor of those golden gems.  L.  O.  V.  E.

But there is a citrus fruit that I hold in even higher regards than the simple supermarket lemon- the Meyer lemon.  There is something intoxicating about the scent of this special fruit.  One whiff and I am in heaven.  I have a very small tree in my backyard that is nearly crumbling under the weight of the huge Meyers that hang from it ripening.  When the wind blows in the right direction and the breeze blows their scent in through my open back door, it's incredible.  Maybe I can make an eu de Meyer lemon and keep the scent nearby all year long. 

The first little Meyers of the season made their way into my hands last week.  I've said it before and it continues to hold true, living in California is such an advantage when it comes to the availability of produce.  When it comes to citrus, this is especially the case.  When my CSA offered a 3 lb bag of Meyers for an insanely low price, I didn't even hesitate to add one to my cart.  One question remained.  How do I maximize the potential of my treasured citrus fruit?

First up, Three Citrus Marmalade made with clementines, valencia oranges and Meyer lemons (yum!  sweet, not bitter and straight up orange flavor).  Then these wonderful cookies.  At this point, I had four lemons left.  I debated making my favorite scones, but wasn't in the mood for the cranberries.  I wanted pure, unadulterated Meyer lemon.  Enter this muffin.  Thank you LA Times for understanding me and knowing just what I needed.

Meyer Lemon Muffins
Makes 18 muffins.  Adapted from the LA Times.
Click here for the printable recipe.

Get ready for some serious Meyer lemon flavor.  I would not try this recipe with a traditional supermarket lemon- they are entirely too tart and would overwhelm the muffin.  If you can't find Meyer lemons, then try another lemon muffin recipe.  But if you can find them and you can't stand wasting any part of the precious lemon, this is your recipe.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda 
4 Meyer lemons, divided
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Line a standard muffin tin with cupcake liners or butter the wells.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and baking soda.  Set aside.

Using a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, cut the zest from three of the lemons.  Try to remove the zest with as little of the white pith as possible.  Place the zest in a blender.  Return to the zested lemons and trim as much of the pith from the lemons.  Discard the pith.  Chop the lemons into several pieces, removing and discarding the seeds.  Place the chopped lemon pieces into the blender with the zest and puree until as smooth as possible.

Add the lemon puree, eggs, milk and melted butter to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  Fill the muffin wells halfway with the batter.  Slice the remaining lemon paper thin and lay a slice on top of each muffin.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.  The finished muffins will have a golden color and feel springy to the touch.

If you didn't use liner papers, run a butter knife or this spatula around the outside of the muffins to release them.  Remove the muffins from the tin and cool on a baking rack.  The muffins will keep stored in an airtight container for up to three days.

Buttermilk Crumb Muffins {Tuesdays with Dorie}

Muffins and I have a long, happy history together.  They have long been my go-to breakfast.  Especially my Mom's favorite recipe.  Seriously good stuff.  And easy- in about a half hour you can mix, bake and have on the table a batch of beautiful and delicious muffins.  But recently, I have to confess, I've been cheating a bit on my beloved little quick bread.

It all started innocently enough with a simple scone recipe.  But one bite of that gorgeous scone and I knew muffins would never quite hold the same place in my heart.  Batch after batch rolled out of my oven to the delights of my two scone loving kiddos.  It's a good thing meyer lemons and cranberries have a short season or I'd be having those scones every day!

So I hope you'll pardon my skepticism when I saw that these simple buttermilk muffins had been the first choice for November's Tuesdays with Dorie.  I was hoping for a great pie, sort of a pre-Thanksgiving warm up.  I know that's what I'm searching for when I hit the blogs and Pinterest these days. (Just so you know, I made one of those pies anyway, which you'll be seeing here next week!)  But, ever the optimist, I decided to give the muffins a chance for no other reason than my three year old loves to help mix whatever I'm baking and this recipe was simple enough for him to mix with ease.

My skepticism was thrown out the window with the first taste.  Tender, light, sweet and crumbly.  Muffin heaven.  Once again, I was won over by a Dorie/Julia recipe that I was prepared to determine was just okay.  And maybe muffins might make their way back into my heart again.  Or maybe not, after all cranberries are in season again...

Check out the other fab Tuesdays with Dorie bakers, especially Alisa at Easier than Pie who is our host this go round and has the recipe for you.  Though I have a couple of recipe notes of my own.  The original recipe calls for shortening and I just couldn't make myself use it.  So I subbed an equal amount of butter with absolutely no problem.  As I was chowing down on these beauties, I found them calling out for chocolate chips.  Don't ask me why, they just did.  So next time I may sprinkle a few dark chocolate chips in the batter.  I know it will make the muffins sing.

Blood Orange and Blueberry Jam and Mom's Muffins

Saturday was a miserably rainy and windy day.  My husband was away for work and my boys and I were stuck in the house all day together.  The boys were doing just fine for the morning, playing on the Wii and running around the house playing superheroes.  But you know that can only last so long, right?  As the morning turned to afternoon fights began to break out.  Who was going to be the hero and who was going to be the bad guy?  Which Wii game do they play?  How much noise can we make until we torture Mom into insanity?  Oh, sorry, I guess that last one was just how I felt every time I had to stop what I was doing to play referee.  Let's just say it was a very long day.

At one point in the day, the house turned quiet.  I had gotten the little one down for a nap, my oldest was playing quietly by himself, and I was finished the vacuuming and laundry I had hoped to get done.  Time for a little break and few moments for myself.  I put the kettle on for a cup of tea, grabbed a couple of my favorite muffins of all time (my Mom's recipe, of course) and my new favorite jam, and sat down with my Kindle to brush up on The Hunger Games before the movie comes out.

We all need a little time to ourselves like that.  So in case you're looking for a new favorite muffin and jam, I thought I'd share my recipes with you.  The blood oranges are so bright and tangy they will make you forget that it's a rainy and miserable day and the muffins are perfect for any occasion, especially a little Mommy time out.

Mom's Muffins 
Makes 12 standard sized muffins
 
These are the muffins my mom has been making for years, one of several recipes that's listed in my notebook as "Mom's".  I left out the usual blueberries because I wasn't in the mood.  If you would like to add the blueberries, add 1 1/2 to 2 cups to the batter after mixing in the wet ingredients.  The muffins are light and moist and come together in a snap.

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
cinnamon sugar for sprinkling the tops of the muffins

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Line the wells of a standard muffin tin with liners or butter or spray the pan with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Add the oil, milk, eggs and vanilla and stir to combine.  Distribute the batter evenly into the muffin cups.  Sprinkle the tops with a light dusting of cinnamon sugar.  Bake for 15 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned.  Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove them and cool completely on a wire rack.  The muffins will keep for only 2 or 3 days in an airtight container before they get too dry.

Blood Orange and Blueberry Jam
Makes 1 pint jam.  Adapted from SP Cookie Queen.

This jam is a real treat.  It started out with just the oranges and I couldn't quite get the sweetness level how I wanted it.  I didn't want to add more sugar so I tossed in the handful (literally) of blueberries I had hanging out in the fridge.  They did the trick perfectly and also gave the jam its slight purplish hue that is so gorgeous and jewel-like.  I have enjoyed the jam several ways- on biscuits with soft goat cheese, smeared on warm muffins, in a PB and J and, just yesterday, over buttermilk waffles.  My little one likes it best licked straight from the bowl.

10 blood oranges
1/3 cup lemon juice (preferably Meyer lemons)
3/4 cup sugar
handful blueberries (about 1/3 cup)
2 tsp low-sugar pectin

Zest three of the oranges and place the zest into a medium saucepan.  Add the lemon juice, sugar, blueberries and pectin to the pan.  Stir, but do not place on the stove yet.

Cut the top and bottom off of an orange.  Standing the orange on its bottom, cut down and around the orange to remove only the skin and white pith from the orange.  Holding the orange above the saucepan, use a paring knife to cut the segments of orange apart from each other and drop them into the pan.  Do this by carefully cutting along one side of the membrane between two segments until you reach the center of the orange.  Cut along the other side of the segment in the same way to release it from the rest of the orange.  When all of the segments have been cut away, squeeze any juice from the membranes left in your hand and discard the membranes.  Repeat this process for each of the oranges.

Stir the contents of the pan and then place over medium heat.  Bring to a simmer, turn the heat to medium-low and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened.  Stir ever few minutes and turn the heat down if it seems to be bubbling to rapidly- you don't want it to burn.  Spoon the jam into a clean pint jar and refrigerate.  The jam will keep for several weeks.

Lemon Ricotta Muffins

Many times for me cooking is about recreating a memory.  I can't bake bread or smell vanilla extract without picturing myself as a little girl of 7 standing next to my grandmother in her bakery kneading my own little ball of dough.  Every time I cut into an apple, I can see the group of women and girls around my Mom's kitchen table slicing pound after pound of apples for Thanksgiving pies.  I treasure each and every one of those pictures from the past.  So for me, the best part of my obsession with the kitchen is knowing that as I continue to cook and bake the way I was taught, I am creating those same sort of memories for my boys.

So what is the memory associated with these muffins?  Well, it's certainly sweet, but not related to my family in any way (unless you consider your best friend from high school to be family, which I most certainly do).  Like most teenage girls, my best friend and I spent quite a lot of time at the mall (duh).  What else are you going to do in South Jersey when you're 16?  We'd wander through the stores, trying on all the best lotions at Bath and Body Works, checking out what cute boys from our school were there that day, and laughing over shared stories over pizza at the food court.  My BFF and I were connoisseurs of the food court, knowing exactly which establishments served the best and cheapest food.

 

The best place to grab a quick bite, keeping my raging sweet tooth in mind, was a little shop at the edge of the food court in which another of our friends worked.  It was a little muffin shop that 20 years later is still there.  We'd stop by trying to see if our friend was working and I would get 3 mini lemon cheese muffins for $1.  Those little guys were very economical.  I'd snack on them as we checked out the Gap and Eddie Bauer for anything that we could afford.  I loved those little muffins and to this day they still hold a soft spot in my heart.  When I go to that mall on family vacations to visit my parents, I always try to grab a lemon cheese muffin.  It reminds me of being young and good times with good friends.

I have been working on my own version for a while now, and I think I may have finally gotten it right.  What clued me in?  My littlest son's face as he scooped out the muffin's sweetened lemony ricotta filling with his tongue.  You just can't get any better than that.  I can only hope that I am helping them to make their own food memories that they will share with their own children many years from now.  And they get to eat some darn good muffins at the same time.

Lemon Ricotta Muffins

Makes 12 standard muffins

I've made these muffins with just the lemon and cheese to recreate my muffin memory, but I've also made them with dried cherries.  Lemon and cherry is one of my favorite flavor combinations.  If you would like to try the muffins with the cherries, soak 3/4 cup dried cherries in hot water while you prepare the batter.  Drain the cherries and add them to the batter after mixing in the dry ingredients.

For the muffin:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup whole milk ricotta

1 egg

zest of 1 medium lemon

2 tbs lemon juice

For the filling:

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup whole milk ricotta

1/3 cup mascarpone or cream cheese at room temperature

1 tsp lemon zest

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Line a standard muffin tin with cupcake papers or butter the muffin wells.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder.  Set aside.  In a second large bowl, mix together the oil, milk, ricotta, egg and lemon zest and juice.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Spoon the batter in to muffin tin, filling the cups about 2/3 of the way.

In a small bowl, beat the powdered sugar, ricotta, mascarpone or cream cheese, and lemon zest together with a wooden spoon.  Using a teaspoon, scoop some cheese mixture onto the top of each muffin.  Lightly press the cheese mixture into the muffin batter (it may get pushed right out of the muffin as it bakes if you skip this step). 

Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes.  You won't be able to use the toothpick test with these muffins because of the cheese filling, but the edges of the muffins should be golden brown and the cheese filling should look set and not shiny and wet.  Let the muffins cool for 3 minutes in the pan and then carefully remove them and cool completely on a baking rack.

One Butternut Squash Becomes a Pizza as well as Muffins with Apple and Hazelnuts

Ideas for recipes can sometimes come from funny places.  I had a butternut squash sitting on my counter for a couple of weeks and felt no real desire to make anything out of it.  It was just sitting there next to the pomegranates looking lonely.  Haven't done anything with pomegranates either, to tell you the truth.  They just keep coming in my CSA box and keep piling up in the fruit bowl.  My little one keeps asking me to make him pomegranate juice, which I suppose I'll get around to sooner or later.  I simply wasn't feeling inspired.

Then came a little post on my Facebook page from my sister-in-law.  She had gotten a bumper crop of butternuts and was looking for a new soup recipe to try.  I immediately set to work scouring my favorite blogs and sending her link after link of great soup recipes (and pasta and chili recipes too!).  All of a sudden I remembered my lonely little squash sitting on the counter and a wonderful looking pizza recipe I had recently pinned to my Pinterest board.  Finally, inspiration!

And let me tell you, I was blown away by the simplicity of the pizza, it's beauty, and the sweet nutty flavors.  It may be my new favorite lunch.  A pizza just for me; to enjoy in the quiet of nap time.  Heaven...

Here's the one I had problem with this lovely little pizza- I only used half of the squash.  Luckily, I had the forethought to roast the whole thing all at once, so I had half a roasted butternut all ready to go for some other fabulous use.  And I found it while looking for that soup recipe.  Tucked at the bottom of a butternut squash risotto recipe from Aran over at cannelle et vanille, was a recipe for a sweet little muffin.  And I had just enough squash puree to make the muffins.  I am soooo glad I found the recipe.  The muffin is divine and made of all sorts of tasty, good-for-you ingredients like whole wheat flour, apples and squash.

I ate four the first day (that was yesterday).  I won't tell you how many are left after breakfast today, so don't ask, okay?

Butternut Squash Pizza
Adapted from alexandra's kitchen

I used pizza dough that I made from a basic no knead dough I had in the fridge.  You can find the recipe here.  Simply make up a batch and have it ready for when you are. Pull off a large orange-sized piece to use for the pizza and turn the rest into a great rustic bread another night.  You can also use store-bought pizza dough with no adjustments.  You'll need a 1 pound piece of dough for this recipe.  I didn't use the crispy sage that the original recipe called for (didn't have any), and I do regret it a bit.  I think the pizza could have used a bit of crunch.  It occurred to me afterwards that a bit a shredded prosciutto would be great sprinkled over the top before baking.  Try it and tell me what you think.

1/2 of a medium butternut squash ( the neck of the squash works well here), peeled and thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 tbs olive oil (or hazelnut oil, which is what I used- it gives the pizza a nice bit of nuttiness)
about 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
a few sprigs of thyme
1/4 cup grated pecorino or parmesean cheese
salt and pepper to taste
a 1 lb piece of pizza dough (at room temperature)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. 

Lay the squash slices on a cookie sheet and drizzle with a bit of live oil, salt and pepper.  Toss to coat.  Separate the pieces into a single layer and bake for about 20 minutes, or until they are fork tender.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

Turn the heat of the oven up to 450 degrees and slide a pizza stone in if you have one.  If you don't, a cookie sheet lined with parchment will work just fine.  You can preheat the cookie sheet if you want, just don't line it until you're ready to bake the pizza or the parchment may burn.

Mix together the olive oil and chopped garlic in a small bowl.  Set aside.  Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it reaches a 10 inch diameter.  Slide it onto a cornmeal dusted pizza peel (or the piece of parchment if you're using the cookie sheet).  Drizzle the garlic infused oil over the pizza.  You can leave the garlic in the oil or strain it out before hand- that's up to you and how much garlic you like.  Spread the ricotta thinly over the dough, leaving a 1 inch border.  Arrange the cooked butternut squash slices over the top, then sprinkle with thyme leaves, the pecorino or parmesean cheese and a bit of salt and pepper if you like.

Slide the pizza into the oven and bake for 15- 20 minutes.  When it's reached your desired level of crispiness, carefully remove it, cut into four wedges and drizzle with a bit of hazelnut oil if you have any.  Olive oil would work as well.

 

Butternut Squash, Apple and Hazelnut Muffins
Adapted from cannelle at vanille 
(makes about 18 standard sized muffins)

The original recipe is a fantastic gluten-free recipe.  I didn't have the ingredients needed to follow it exactly, so I used what I had on hand and I think the muffins came out beautifully.  They still retain the spirit of the original.

1 cup butternut squash puree (I roasted the bottom half of a medium butternut squash for 45 minutes at 400 degrees, then cooled it and pureed it in a food processor)
1 medium apple, shredded (about 1/3 cup)
3 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar (I used pure cane sugar)
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup ground hazelnuts (you can buy hazelnut meal or grind it yourself in a food processor or coffee grinder)
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Butter or spray 18 muffin cups with non-stick spray or line them with muffin/cupcake papers.

In a large bowl, Whisk together the squash puree, shredded apple, eggs, buttermilk and brown and granulated sugars.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, ground hazelnuts, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined.

Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 of the way full.  If you have any extra, sprinkle the tops with a bit of ground hazelnuts.  Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans top to bottom and back to front halfway through.  The muffins are done when they spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.  Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.