Bakery Style Buttermilk chocolate chip muffins

Tags

bakery, baking, butter, buttermilk, chocolate, dessert, eat, entertaining, food, kid friendly, kids, kids baking, mini muffins, muffins, simple entertaining, sugar, summer, summertime, treats

First let me start by giving credit where credit is due, this recipe was given to me by a friend who found it on Pinterest these have got to be some of the best chocolate chip muffins I have ever eaten. I have tweaked the original recipe a bit, so here is my version. 

Chloe makes them at least every 10 days or so, they freeze incredibly well all you need to do is take a muffin out of the freezer put it in the lunch bag and by snacktime it’s thawed, Voila! These are a winner winner.

 INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar or vanilla bean sugar 

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 larges eggs beaten 

1 tbsp vanilla bean paste or the best extract you can find 
1 1/2 cups miniature chocolate chips

sanding sugar for sprinkling on top – makes all the difference. 

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Use muffin liners or Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. This recipe makes 12 large and 12 mini muffins.
In a larger bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the butter, eggs, vanilla, and the buttermilk. Stir JUST until a batter with lumps forms.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill each cup in the muffin tin to be completely full (about a heaping 1/4 cup).

Bake at 425ºF for 5 minutes. Then decrease the heat to 375ºF and bake for another 13 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 2 minutes before removing from the tin and serving.

Enjoy! 

http://www.monicaskitchen.com (new website coming soon!) 

Kouign-Amann…where have you been all my life?

Tags

bakery, butter, delicious, dessert, french, kanata, kouign-amann, pastry, sugar, treats

I’m going to apologize in advance to everyone who is going to see me in a swimsuit this summer. Today I discovered a little Parisian patisserie that is officially going to throw a wrench into my beach body… but I have come to terms with it and I hope you can too.

La Maison Du Kouign-Amann (a mouthful… for time saving purposes lets just call it La Maison) just opened up in the Kanata North BIA in March 2017. It is located conveniently across the street from Greco Kanata North and in the same plaza as ProStyle Martial Arts and Fitness.

Fran Jung is the owner of this fine establishment and she is the one responsible for baking these authentic french delicious delicacies.

People… let me introduce you to the most amazing buttery morsel I have ever eaten…. the “Kouign-Amann” (insert hallelujah emoji).  It is an amazing small buttery pastry that originated in Brittany, France. It is crispy and caramelized on the outside, yet tender and soft on the inside. To make it even more delectable, drizzle with salted caramel and devour. It is Heaven on earth! Fran supplies over 35 little shops in Ottawa with these delights. To serve them perfectly heat them in a 350 degree oven for 3 minutes or in a pinch in a microwave for 15 seconds or in a pinch, don’t heat them at all… I didn’t and it still rocked.

La Maison sells out almost daily so if you miss out, you can buy other goodies like mini cakes, and mini tarts, quiches, sandwiches, the list is endless.

A box of 5 was ~ 12$ and well worth it. I can’t wait to go back next week!

For the love of tasty food.

Monica xo

http://www.monicaskitchen.com

Easter Egg Flourless Chocolate Torte

Tags

chocolate, classy dessert, dessert, Easter, entertaining, flourless, Nigella lawson

I love Nigella Lawson, always have, always will. I read her cookbooks like novels. Her cookbooks are fun to read and evoke memories of my own childhood.

I am hosting 12 for dinner tomorrow to celebrate Easter and I wanted to mix it up in the dessert department. I made a carrot cake (my favorite) but I know my husband loves chocolate. Hello flourless chocolate torte! It really easy to make and will be easy to eat I am sure.

If you are looking to try something new tomorrow, try this!

Happy Easter!

 

Craving sweet and salty? You need an Everything bar!

Tags

bar cookies, bars, cookies, dessert, easy desserts, sweet and salty

You know those days when you crave something sweet and something salty and you just don’t know what to eat? The answer is here. Everything Bars.  

 Are they healthy? No.. Are they tasty? Hell yes!

They take all of 5 minutes to assemble.  

 First of all line a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350. 

In a large bowl add 2 cups of crushed salted potato chips, 2 cups of salted peanuts, 1 cup of raisins, 1 cup of shredded coconut, 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips. Toss it well together. 

  Gently press into the prepared pan and top with 1 can of condensed milk. Bake until bubbling around the edges ~ 30 minutes. Let cool, then chill until set. 

   

 Cut into bars, and try to eat just one. 

www.monicaskitchen.com

The world’s best butter tart bars

Tags

baking, butter, butter tart, dessert, eating, food

It’s hard to beat a good butter tart, but these bars have all the gooey goodness and the rich buttery taste without having to fiddle with a pastry. Just pat the shortbread crust in a 9 by 13 deep pan and spoon the filling over top. What could be easier? The hardest part about this recipe is waiting to eat them!

Once you make these bars they will become your new favorite treat. These are the world’s best butter tart bars.

Ingredients: Base:

• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (I use vanilla sugar)
• 1 cup of butter

Topping:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups golden raisins
• 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 by 13 inch deep pan with parchment paper.

To make the base, combine flour and sugar in a large bowl. Using two knives or a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is the texture of a coarse meal. Press firmly into the baking pan, going slightly up the sides of the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes until just slightly golden. Remove from oven.

To make the topping, in a large bowl, stir together melted and cooled butter and eggs. Add sugar, flour, corn syrup, baking powder, vanilla and salt; stir until combined. Fold in raisins and pecans. Pour over base and bake for an additional ~25 minutes, or until the top doesn’t jiggle and or it springs back when touched.

Let cool on a rack. When cool, cover and refrigerate overnight before cutting into squares. This is the hardest part.. the waiting… but it is very important, as you need these bars to fully set before you cut them and eat them. They will keep for a few weeks in the fridge in a sealed container, but they wont last that long.

This recipe can be easily doubled – to do so you will need to use a 12 by 16 in baking sheet. You will have a little filling leftover but that is OK as it doesn’t not affect the outcome at all.

Enjoy!