Raspberry Tahini Muffins

It’s been a busy summer, and a hot one at that! I haven’t had the motivation to crank the oven or stand over the stove, so it’s been a while since I’ve experimented with any recipes. Lately though, I’ve been seeing tahini based recipes, and especially sweet variations, a whole lot. These piqued my interest, and for the 4th of July I tried out Food 52’s Tahini Cake with Blueberry Swirl recipe. Here’s a picture of the swirl:

I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out! The swirl was gorgeous dark blue, and the sesame and fruit flavors mingled perfectly to create a sweetness complemented by moist, fluffy cake that made it good for dessert and breakfast alike.

After the cake was long gone, I found myself craving tahini again and wanting to eat it all the time. When my husband and I visited a new local spot and they featured an apple tahini cake on their menu, I knew immediately that I wanted to experiment with other fruit and tahini flavor combinations. The possibilities seemed endless!

I often make pancakes and waffles for breakfast, but I thought muffins would be a nice change of pace. I didn’t know what to expect. Would the tahini flavor be too strong? Not strong enough? Too bitter? It happened that I hit on the perfect amount of tahini flavor and sweetness, while keeping a soft fluffy muffin. In fact, these muffins were so good that in the course of the weekend, my husband and I ate the whole dozen. By ourselves (don’t judge…). They were just that delicious.

 

These muffins only use one bowl to make, so they are super easy. Just mix and bake! Fluffy moist inside is made by creaming butter and sugar, and a crispy puffy top comes from the combination of high heat and raw sugar sprinkled on top. Delicious!

To make these, I followed a recommendation from Sally’s Baking Addiction for her Blackberry Lemon Poppyseed muffins, to cream the butter and sugar together first in a KitchenAid Mixer. After creaming the butter and sugar,  I added the other wet ingredients except the milk (eggs, yogurt, vanilla, and tahini), and beat it at medium speed until everything was creamy and emulsified. There should be no chunks of tahini left.

Next, I added all the dry ingredients on top of the wet mixture. I know, I didn’t pre-mix the dry ingredients, such blasphemy! I used the mixer to stir until just combined, and then added the milk, mixing again until just blended. Next, I added the fresh raspberries, folding them in.

I don’t like to use cupcake liners (unless it’s actual cupcakes) so I greased a 12-muffin pan and filled each cup to the top. Then I took raw cane sugar and sprinkled the tops of each muffin: this will give it a crispy sugary crunch!

These muffins were baked first at 425 degrees for 5 minutes and then for an additional 13 minutes at 350 degrees. The two temperatures, one high, one lower, is what gets the nice puffy muffin top.

Raspberry Tahini Muffins, makes 12:

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temp (or microwave cold butter for 5-10s)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk of choice
• 3 Tbsp Tahini
• 1 Tbsp olive oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
• 1 cup roughly chopped fresh raspberries
• Raw cane sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees and grease a regular 12-muffin pan
2. Cream the butter and sugar together using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. This took about 1 minute at medium-high speed.
3. Add eggs, yogurt, vanilla, tahini, and oil, beat at medium to high speed until creamy and emulsified, about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is getting equally combined.
4. To the bowl, add the flour, baking soda and baking powder, salt, and sesame seeds. Stir on low until just combined.
5. Add the milk and stir on low again.
6. Fold in the fresh raspberries
7. Fill the muffin cups equally up to the top
8. Pop in the oven for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Bake an additional 13-16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Let cool 5-10 minutes before removing from the tin and letting fully cool on a rack.
10. Eat and enjoy with butter, honey, or any topping of choice! Or eat plain, which is what we did after our first two…

*Recipe modified from Sally’s Baking Addiction Blackberry Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I’ll probably make these again, since the first batch didn’t last too long! I might try different fruits too. Have you tried any tahini based sweets?

Happy Weekend!

Hearty Cheddar Cornmeal Pancakes

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to post anything, the days have just been flying by! In fact, all of 2016 has been going so fast, I’ve been trying to take more time to appreciate each day, and do more things that make me happy.

Breakfast is definitely one thing I love, and it’s developed into a little ritual between me and my husband. Weeknights are long and tiring, and he usually cooks. But on weekends, we make sure to take some time to slow down, and I take the mornings as as opportunity to treat him to a hearty breakfast.

For me, pancakes are always an option. I love love love them: but I also love cheese (I may have mentioned this before). I have been wanting to do a pancake variation on the delicious cheddar cornmeal waffles I made before, and they came out pretty great. I used my favorite Old Croc cheddar and a little thyme for some herbacious goodness, and I just can’t get over how good they tasted, especially with some warm maple syrup.

I love the slight crunch of the cornmeal paired with the savory cheddar and sweet syrup…we ate them all and I still want more.

Fluffy and warm, filling and delicious. Who could ask for more?

Best of all, if you don’t finish them all for breakfast (maybe not possible…) they make a great snack in the middle of the day. A delicious hearty pick-me-up.

Hearty Cheddar Cornmeal Pancakes: serves 4

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 3 TBSP sugar
• 1 TBSP baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• a pinch of thyme (or rosemary would be good too)
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt + 1/2 cup water, mixed (or 1 cup milk of choice)
• 1 egg
• 3 TBSP melted butter (+ some butter for cooking, if desired)
• 1 cup grated cheddar

1. mix the dry ingredients together in a big bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt and water until well mixed.
3. Then add the egg and butter. The butter may seize (this can be avoided by using room temperature ingredients) but this is okay as long as you mix the pieces in really well.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, also adding in the cheddar. Mix until just combined, but not more than that. The batter will be thick.
5. Heat a griddle to medium heat with some melted butter. Dollop the batter into the pan, spreading if necessary into a pancake shape (or other fun shapes!)
6. Flip when edges are matte and bubbles are present in the middle of the pancake.
7. Cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side, store in a warm oven or eat hot from the pan with some maple syrup!

What’s your favorite breakfast food?