Apple Cinnamon Butterscotch Muffins

Posted by: Maggie

I think I've mentioned a couple times that I play in an adult kickball league here in DC.  In the winter since it's obviously too cold to run around on the national mall where we typically have our games, we play at a gym in Dupont Circle.

Since I'm playing on Sunday afternoons this season, our team has been either going out to brunch or taking turns hosting before the game.  Last Sunday I went to a brunch hosted at my friend's place, and brought these along as my contribution.  They were super moist and delicious, and reminded me of the muffin version of these cookies I made in the fall.

What you will need:

For the muffins:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¾ cup old-fashioned oats
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup applesauce
2 large eggs
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup milk
¾ cup butterscotch chips
¾ cup chopped apples
1/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped

For topping (optional):
Dried apple slices
Maple syrup
Granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line two muffin pans with paper liners (about 18 liners total) and set aside.


In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Mix lightly with a fork to blend, and stir in the oats.  Cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for about 1-2 minutes.  Beat in the applesauce, eggs and vanilla extract until blended.

With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients in three additions alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and beating just until incorporated.  Fold in the butterscotch chips, apples, and toasted pecans.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups.  These muffins don't rise very much, so don't be worried about filling the cups higher than you normally would.  If desired, press a dried apple slice into the top of the batter in each cup.  Drizzle lightly with maple syrup and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Source

Oh, siblings...

Posted by: Maggie

So, no new recipe until tomorrow morning, but I had to share this funny little tidbit.  Co-blogger Annie and I have an eighteen-year old sister named Emma.  Emma caught wind of the fact that we use statcounter.com  to track our blog statistics, and thought it would be funny to load up the tracker with ridiculous search terms.  I'm pretty sure my neighbors heard me howling with laughter when I saw these this evening.


(Click to see the whole search query...I'm not computer savvy enough to figure out why it won't display the whole image.)

These are only the PG rated ones; there were several more unprintable google queries. 

Thanks for the laugh Emma.  I can't speak for Annie, but I never blog drunk, I almost always cook with pants on, and I always thoroughly sanitize my hands before baking.  And uhh...when I'm cooking for others I always wear pants.  All of you out there who have actually eaten my food can continue to fearlessly do so.

Cranberry Orange Salad

Posted by: Maggie

A few years ago before I really got into cooking, my mom made me a recipe box with about a dozen easy recipes that she made while I was growing up, that were easy enough for a cooking novice to conquer.  This recipe was one of them. 

This salad, which is actually titled "Christmas Salad" on the recipe card, is frequently served in our household before - you guessed it - Christmas dinner.  However, there is nothing inherently Christmasey about it, and since I didn't have it this holiday season I felt the need to remedy that situation.

My mom never adds goat cheese to her salad, but I was eating this as a meal and wanted a little something extra to make it more filling. Feel free to leave it off if you're not into goat cheese - it will still be insanely delicious.  I'm just a sucker for any salad with the fruit/nut/cheese trifecta, and this quick recipe is no exception. 

What you'll need:

For the vinaigrette: 
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 T cranberry or white wine vinegar
2 T sugar
1 t Dijon mustard
1/4 t salt

For the salad:
1/2 cup pecan halves
2 T sugar
1 bag (10 oz) dark leafy salad blend (I think mine was called baby greens)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 small log goat cheese, sliced

Mix together the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a container with a lid, and shake well to combine.  Set aside.

Line a baking sheet with a sheet of waxed paper and set aside.  Combine pecans and sugar in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar caramelizes.  Transfer pecans to waxed paper, and let cool before breaking apart.

Toss lettuce with dressing. 

Arrange lettuce, cranberries, oranges, onions, goat cheese, and pecans on a plate.  Commence drooling.

Source: Maggie and Annie's lovely mom (Update: Maggie and Annie's lovely mom thinks the salad was possibly from Southern Living, but a quick search for Southern Living Christmas Salad didn't bring up anything similar.  Sorry to the original source!)