Lockdown, in the Kitchen?!
You know there were days during this lockdown when I felt ‘stir-crazy,’ walking back and forth I found it a bit ‘daunting’ not having much to do. Sure, I could write, work on schoolwork, or cozy on up with a good book but none of that felt quite right. I felt anxious and frustrated the more I thought about being cooped up in the house all day and night. So, after days and days of doing nothing, I finally decided, it’s time to do something!
The thing about me is, I’m a creative. I love to paint, write, imagine, and explore. I also enjoy expressing my creativity through my fashion and make-up. I love to be unique, I love to stand out and most of all, I love to make a statement!
So during this time frame of lockdown, and with creative energy surging through my bones, I often found that my mind was constantly ‘swimming’ with ideas! You see, I’m the type of person that can’t ‘sit still’ sometimes, I need to be doing or making something, whereas at other times, I don’t want to move. So, in my quest to ‘channel’ my creative energy during this pandemic I decided to do something totally ‘outside of my box,’ and something I forgot I loved to do, bake!
Now if you read last month’s blog post you would have known that I rated and gave my two cents about the popular online education platform, MasterClass. I’m sure most of you may already know, I wasn’t much of a fan, one hundred USD later thank you very much! Pffft!
It was a few weeks after signing up though, that I decided I needed to find the ‘bright’ side about this course because there was obviously a reason why I joined. Nevermind my, I’m going to be the literary world’s next best ‘thing’ fantasies, MasterClass did turn out to be good for one thing and one thing alone, it sparked my new found love for healthy, tasty and delicious baked goods. Ah yes, I think series I watched that started this whole adventure was by some acclaimed French Pastry Chef who knew how to make everything from buttery croissants to delectable after-dinner treats. So if you’re out there reading this I want to say, thank you! LOL!
On average I took to the kitchen at least once a week. Seriously, it’s quite amazing what baking did for me! Not only did it get me out of my head but it got me excited about the fact that whatever I was making was most likely going to brighten my mom and sister’s day that much more! Ah life, the simple things eh?
My first few creations were a couple of batches of a baked good recipe I knew like the back of my hand, spelt apple cinnamon muffins. Not only do they pair perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea, but they are easy to make and very healthy. These puppies come out golden brown, they’re made with good organic, gluten-free flour and instead of oil or butter, they use yogurt! Honestly, any amateur baker can make these and do feel free to substitute the apples and cinnamon with other things like orange juice and cranberries or overripe banans and chocolate chips if you do try them because either way, they are delicious! So, check out the recipe below, and if you do make them let me know how you get on in the comment section.
Apple Spelt Muffins
INGREDIENTS
-
1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup grated apple
- 1 cup apple diced into ¼” cubes
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey*
- 2 eggs, preferably at room temperature
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (I used full-fat but any variety should do)
- ½ cup applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. If necessary, grease all 12 cups on your muffin tin with butter or non-stick cooking spray (my pan is non-stick and doesn’t require any grease).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Blend well with a whisk. Add the grated apple (if it is dripping wet, gently squeeze it over the sink to release some extra moisture) and chopped apple. Stir to combine.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oil and maple syrup and beat together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then add the yogurt, applesauce, and vanilla and mix well. (If the coconut oil solidifies in contact with cold ingredients, gently warm the mixture in the microwave in 30-second bursts.)
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a big spoon, just until combined (a few lumps are ok). The batter will be thick, but don’t worry! Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with turbinado sugar. Bake muffins for 13 to 16 minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
- Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. If you have leftover muffins, store them, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze leftover muffins for up to 3 months.
*Sidenote: This recipe comes from CookieandKate!
www.CookieandKate.com
The BEST Brownie Discovery!
I’m not sure if others out there were the same but during the lockdown at my mom’s house, we seemed to always have mega sweet tooth right after dinner. And as tempting as it was to stuff our faces with processed desserts and sugar, we just couldn’t. So, I took to the internet to find a brownie recipe that was good for you! I know right?! It does exist, believe me!
Coconut Flour Brownies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter*
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips**
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
-
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8×8-inch baking dish, or line with foil or parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, mix together the coconut flour, baking soda and salt.
- Heat the coconut oil and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until melted. Add the chocolate chips, cocoa powder and honey. Stir the mixture until the chocolate chips start to melt, then remove the pan from the heat and stir until the chips are completely melted and the mixture is very smooth. Set aside to cool.
- Whisk together the coconut milk, egg and vanilla in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the cooled chocolate mixture.
- Sift the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Allow the batter to rest for 5 minutes so that the coconut flour can absorb some of the liquid.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean. Remove the dish from the oven and allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.
*Sidenote: This recipe comes from tasteandtellblog
www.tasteandtellblog.com
To add on, when you mix up the batter for the brownies don’t be baffled by the look of the batter, just stick with it! Believe me! Coconut flour is interesting because unlike other flours it soaks up a lot of moisture!
So there you have it guys, my mom and sis absolutely loved these two creations! The brownies were the biggest hit in fact, I made them twice!
Now get into the kitchen and try these for yourself, I’d love to hear how you like them!
2 thoughts on “LOCKDOWN, IN THE KITCHEN?!”
Hi Jacqui!
Thanks for these recipes!
I want to give them a try, my friend Sandy has Celiac, & has to eat gluten free.
The recipe for the Apple Spelt Muffins calls for whole wheat flour, which she can’t have. You said you made them gluten free. Did you substitute another flour. Just wondering what you used.
Ok girl, thanks! Have a great day.
Hi Dena!
The recipes are amazing, the brownie one was my lockdown fav! Well for the muffins I used speLt, which I believe is gluten-free and they turned out great! I also substituted the apples once for cranberries and walnuts, so delicious! Hope you manage to try!