Take a Megabite

Mini Strawberry Rhubarb Galettes

Elliot is a puppy-sized big dog. These are the cupcake of pie.

These were birthday galettes. And since they were a gift, I had to try them to be sure they were good before I gave them away, right? I also had to eat one when I got home from giving them away to be REALLY sure before bed, right? I know something’s good when I have to “make sure” by lots of sampling. Now you know.

Mini Strawberry Rhubarb Galettes (makes 8 mini galettes)
Recipe adapted from: Recipezaar + Farm Journal Complete Pie Cookbook

Ingredients:

dough-

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 T sugar
• 1/4 t kosher salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick), cold and cut into cubes
• 1/3 cup ice water

filling -

• 1 cup strawberries, quartered + chopped
• 1 cup rhubarb, chopped
• heaping 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 T flour ( 1/2 of 1/3)
• pinch of salt

topping (optional)  -

• a bit of crumb topping or turbinado sugar

Directions:

1. Make galette dough: mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the butter until it is distributed through the flour, but still in large, pea-sized chunks. Add the ice water all at once and mix just until the dough starts to come together. Gather the dough in your hands, divide in half and shape each half into a disk- don’t worry if you see large streaks of butter- they are supposed to be there. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour before rolling out.
2. Cut each disk into 4 equal pieces. Roll out each disk of dough on a lightly floured surface, about 1/8-inch thick.  Settle each circle of dough onto a baking sheet or two lined with parchment paper.
   
3. Prepare the strawberry rhubarb filling. Toss the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, flour and salt together. Divide te fruit mixture amongst the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Fold the borders of dough slightly overlapping the filling, allowing it to pleat as you work your way around. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar or some crumb topping, if you want.
   
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until fruit is bubbling and the crust is lightly browned.

Those two in the back have a bit of crumb topping. Why not?

Lemon-Scented Olive Oil Mini Muffins

Don’t bother biting these guys in half. Eat them in one bite like sushi!

And then eat at least one more, ok?

These little lemony delights use olive oil instead of butter and are flavored with real fruit! So there you go!

Lemon-Scented Olive Oil Mini Muffins
Recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

muffins -

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• scant 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1 T lemon zest
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 T skim milk
• 2 t fresh lemon juice
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white

glaze -

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• a pinch of lemon zest
• 1 T fresh lemon juice
• strawberries for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray 2 (dozen) mini muffin pans with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center.
3. In another bowl whisk together the sour cream, lemon zest, olive oil, milk, lemon juice, egg and egg white until mixed completely. Pour into the well in the dry ingredients stir just until moistened.
4. Divide batter 1 teaspoon at at time into the prepared muffin tins (mine made about 23 mini muffins). Bake for 10 minutes or until cakes spring back lightly when touched. Remove from pans and allow to cool on a wire rack.
5. Make glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon zest and drizzle juice until smooth. (You might not need all the juice. Just mix until it’s the consistency you want.) Dunk the tops of each mini muffin into the glaze and set aside until glaze sets. Top each with a strawberry sliver.

Mini Baguettes

I like Saturdays to be my bread baking day.

I try to put off lunch until bread comes out of the oven. Then I simply slice the warm bread (too soon) and butter one slice and spoon strawberry jam on the other … and there you go. Lunch. Carb-style. Get carby with it, already.

I made these mini baguettes with a sandwich in mind. A hip sandwich that would like nothing more than making my weekday lunch worth eating. Picture it. A mini baguette layered with mozzarella, fresh basil, tomatoes and proscuitto. I think it sounds like a dream. What do YOU think?

Mini Baguettes
Recipe adapted from The Thrifty Gourmet

Ingredients

• 1 t active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm water, divided
• 1 t sugar
• 4 cups bread flour
• 2 t salt

Directions:

1. In a small bowl whisk the yeast and sugar into 1/2 cup warm water. Set aside for about 5-10 minutes, or until foamy.
2. Meanwhile, mix the flour and salt in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon. Pour the yeast water into the flour mixture and stir until incorporated. Gradually add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of water until you obtain a dough ball that detaches from the the edges of the bowl when stirred. The dough will be a little bit sticky. (If the dough is too sticky add a small handful of flour, and if it’s too dry add more warm water a tablespoon at a time, or until it reaches desired consistency.) Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for about 8 minutes or until smooth. Spray a medium bowl with cooking spray and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature to rise until double in size, about 1-2 hours.
   
3. After the dough has doubled in size transfer to a floured surface and divide it into 8 equal pieces. Gently stretch each piece and roll to form a log. Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes. Starting with the first log you shaped, elongate each baguette by rolling it back and forth until it reaches the desired length.
4. Place the mini baguettes on a lightly floured baking sheet. Make 2 diagonal slashes across each loaf with a sharp knife and lightly dust with flour. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise for 40-60 minutes or until the baguettes are plump
5. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Place an empty cake pan in the bottom rack. Just before placing the bread in the oven pour 2 cups of warm water into the cake pan. This will create steam in the oven where the baguettes are baking and make sure they are crusty and light. Bake for 10 minute (rotating half way through). The bread will be golden and fabulous.

Oh Elliot. I can’t share one of these with you! I just can’t.

Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Even banana chocolate chip muffins have hearts.

Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Recipe adapted from my Mom’s classic banana bread

Ingredients:

• 2-3 mashed over ripe bananas
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 1/2 t baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 3 T oil
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips + some melted for drizzling purposes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray mini muffin tins with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl mash bananas with potato masher until no big chunks remain. Stir in the dry ingredients until combined (flour, sugar, baking powder and salt).
3. Add oil, milk and egg and stir until combined.
4. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Fill mini muffin tins using cookie scoop or a tablespoon. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until tops are firm and a cake tester comes out clean. Loosen muffins with a paring knife and gently twist to loosen. Cool on wire racks.
6. If you’re feeling fancy go a head and melt some chocolate and fill a sandwich bag and cut a teeny corner for drizzling or heart making.

Recipe makes about 43 mini muffins or one loaf of bread. If making the bread, bake for an hour!

Pocket Apple Pies

I’m sick of sandwiches. I had them for lunch and dinner pretty much all week. I’m never sick of apple pie.

I am pretty happy that tonight Jacob made a huge dinner instead of my lazy sandwiches.
I decided to make these pocket pies for dessert.

They turned out delicious and perfect one person portions. I baked two out of the eight pies this recipe made and froze the rest so that at any time of day I can simply have a freshly baked pocket pie in my life and my belly.

I use the same apple pie filling used in my Mini Dutch Apple Galettes.
This pie crust recipe has just a little bit more sugar (2 T instead of 2 t) than my Perfect Pie Crust recipe. I thought I’d try it out and it turned out delicious. So it’s up to you on the sugar content of your crust.

(I figured I’d retype the info so that you guys can have this recipe all in one place!)

Pocket Apple Pies
Apple Pocket Pie Mold from Williams-Sonoma. I really recommend it! They have a pumpkin one too! They are pretty fun, don’t you think?

Pocket Pie Crust
Recipe from Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 t salt
• 2 T sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 16 T cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 6-8 T ice water
• 1 egg slightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon water

Apple Pie Filling (makes a heaping cup and a half)
Recipe adapted from Farm Journal’s Complete Pie Cookbook

• 2 or 3 baking apples, cored, peeled, and sliced. (I used one macintosh and one granny smith)
• 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 T flour
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Make pie crust. Whisk together flour, salt and sugar. Cut butter into the flour mixture until it looks like crumbs and there are no butter pieces bigger than a pea. Add 6 tablespoons of  ice water all at once and mix just until the dough starts to come together. The dough should hold together when squeezed with your fingers but should not be sticky. If it is crumbly at all add a little bit more water 1 teaspoon at a time. Gather the dough in your hands, divide in half and shape each half into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to an hour before rolling out.
2. Meanwhile make your apple pie filling. Mix the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a small bowl. Mix lightly through apples. Set aside.
3. On a floured surface roll out 1 dough disk into a round 1/16 – 1/8 inch thick. Brush off excess flour.
4. Using apple pie mold, cut out 8 of each shape (4 with the decorative cutout and 4 without). Roll out the other disk of dough and do the same. (If you don’t have this snazzy pie mold just use a large cookie cutter and prick with a fork before baking.) Make egg wash by whisking together one egg and one teaspoon of water in a small bowl.
5. Use the pie mold. Place a solid dough shape in the bottom half of the cutter and gently press dough into the mold. Fill the center with 1-2 tablespoons pie filling and brush edges of the dough with egg wash. Top with matching shape that has the decorative cutout. Press top half of the cutter down to seal and crimp the edges of the pie. Remove pie from mold and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and freeze the pies for 20 to 30 minutes before baking.
6. Brush the pies with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is gently bubbling. 15-20 minutes. I baked them for 15 minutes and then tented them with tin foil for the remaining 5 minutes to prevent the crust from getting too dark. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. (Recipe makes about 8 pocket pies)

These would be really good with carmel sauce drizzled on top and perhaps with some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream! These are the perfect size! I’m also thinking I want to make some savory pies with this mold. Yum!

Raspberry Orange Mini Muffins with Pink Icing

My first favorite thing about these muffins is how the raspberries turn the icing pink and my second favorite thing is the way the raspberries are a surprise when you bite into these. The deliciousness is understood.

These are pretty much cupcakes, that I’ve decided to call a muffins for breakfast’s sake. They seem like the kind of breakfast cake that should be served with pink hot chocolate or at a tea party.

Mostly, they are a pretty muffin with freckles. What’s not to like?

Raspberry Orange Mini Muffins
Recipe adapted from Cupcakes!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 – 2 t grated orange zest
• scant 1 T poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup buttermilk*
• 1 t orange juice
• 27 raspberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 27 mini muffin tin cups with paper liners.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on a medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until smoothly blended and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until each is blended and batter looks creamy. Mix in the vanilla, orange zest and poppy seeds.
4. On a low speed, add half of the flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate it. Mix in the buttermilk to blend it. Mix in the remaining flour mixture until it is just incorporated and batter looks smooth. Stir in orange juice.
5. Fill each paper liner using a cookie scoop or about 1 teaspoon of batter. Pop one raspberry on top of each cupcake and press in lightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center and comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool before drizzling. It makes for prettier frosting, trust me.

*I was out of buttermilk so I used the following substitution:
Place 1 1/2 t lemon juice in a 1/2 cup measuring cup and fill to the top with milk.
Allow to sit for 2 minutes. Use in place of buttermilk! Thanks Joy!
(substitution found on Joy the Baker)

Raspberry + Orange = Pink Icing

Ingredients:

• 1 T butter, melted
• 1 cup powdered sugar, divided
• 2 t orange juice
• 2 raspberries mashed

Directions:

1. Stir butter and 2/3 cup powdered sugar together until it looks like large crumbs.
2. Add 2 teaspoons orange juice and mix completely. Mash two raspberries and stir into the icing.
3. Add remaining 1/3 cup powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time until slightly thicker than a glaze. Drizzle on top of the cupcakes and eat 26.

Here I am sifting like I mean it with my new flour sifter!

Lemon Curd Tartlets

Someday I hope to have an oven that fits the big cookie sheets. Currently my oven is small and sassy.
Someday I’ll eat these tartlets for dinner; you might be tempted to do the same…
Someday I will make homemade lemon curd for these guys.

Today, however, I used Trader Joe’s Lemon Curd which comes in a jar that deserves respect. So much so that I’ve been saving this jar for just the right recipe and didn’t want to merely use it on a whim. I did taste it a week ago and I almost fell in love on the spot. If you love lemon bars as much as I love lemon bars, you’ll love this remix.

Lemon Curd Tartletts
Recipe idea from my mom

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup powdered sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 1 jar of Lemon Curd (10.5 oz)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the flour and powdered sugar.
2. Rub the butter into the sugar and flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, and there are no butter bits bigger than a pea. Drop about a tablespoon of the crumbs into each mini muffin cup pressing onto the bottom and up the sides.
3. Bake for 7 minutes. Remove and press center of each cup down with a shot glass and then bake for 1-2 more minutes. Remove and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before lightly loosening each tartlette crust with a knife and placing on a cooling rack.
4. Using a small sandwich bag with a corner trimmed, pipe lemon curd into each mini crust. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Makes about 30 little tartlets. Mine made 31. The 31st was burnt a smidgen though. My oven has an attitude, for real.

Do you kinda see what I mean about this jar? To me it looks like it should have lemon potion in it, but what do I know?

Sugar Donut Mini Muffins

Why does the wind always blow the opposite way than my hair is parted?
Why does Elliot think that his anger at squirrels will result in a treat?
Why buy black corduroys when you can get mustard yellow?
Why eat cereal for breakfast when you have sugar donut mini muffins?
Why wouldn’t you make these?!

These are most amazing right out of the oven, just after they are rolled in sugar.
You can really taste the nutmeg in these guys. So take a nutmegabite. You’ll be glad you did!

Sugar Donut Mini Muffins
Recipe adapted from Baking Bites

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/8 t ground nutmeg
• 1/8 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 t vanilla extract

PLUS:

• 2 T butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sugar, for rolling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease muffin tin(s) with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg until light in color.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Pour into egg mixture and stir to combine. Add canola oil, milk and vanilla extract.
4. Divide batter evenly into 24 mini muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. (I used my cookie scoop)
5. Bake for 10 minutes (rotating half way through) or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. While muffins are baking, melt butter and pour remaining sugar into a small bowl. When muffins are done, lightly brush the top of each with some melted butter. Remove from the pan by twisting gently and roll the top and sides in sugar. Cool on a wire rack and then promptly eat ten.

Makes 24 donut hole-esque mini muffins.

Mini Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes with “Oh My Ganache” Frosting

You should probably know a couple things. I can be terribly impatient. I occasionally panic right before a recipe does what it’s supposed to. I’m also a mess when I stir. I’m pretty good at stirring in a way that splatters ingredients impressive distances. This frosting is beaten for quite awhile, and my cupboards and countertops and shirt and floor were freckled with chocolate when I was done. It turned out delicious though. These cupcakes are soft and perfectly rounded too. The frosting is light and dreamy. They were a match that was meant to be.

I made these cute little guys for a baby shower, and she is not finding out whether she’s having a boy or girl until she meets him/her.
So here you go. Pink and blue with hearts!

And, here’s Elliot making sure they are pretty enough to bring to a baby shower.

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from Hello, Cupcake!

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 t baking soda
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 T) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 t vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the mini muffin cups with paper liners. (Makes about 4 dozen mini cupcakes.)
2. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, with an electric mixer on high, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. About 3 minutes.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the melted chocolate. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk in batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and beating until just blended. Stir in the vanilla.
4. Using a cookie scoop, or a teaspoon fill the paper liners two-thirds full. Bake for 9 – 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from baking pan, place on a wire rack and cool completely.

“Oh My Ganache” Frosting
Recipe adapted from Alton Brown

Ingredients:

• 16 oz mini semisweet chocolate chips
• 16 oz (2 cups) heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. Measure out the mini chocolate chips in a medium sized bowl.
2. Heat the heavy cream in a quart-sized, microwavable container and microwave for 3-4 minutes on high, or until it just beings to simmer; be careful not to allow cream to boil over.
3. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand for two minutes. Whisk until all the chocolate is combined with the cream and no lumps remain.
4. Allow to come to room temperature, about 2 hours. Once at room temperature, beat on high in a circular motion until lightened in color and slight peaks form when the beaters are lifted from the chocolate. (May take anywhere from 5-10 minutes.) Refrigerate for a few hours for easier piping. I refrigerated mine overnight and found it was too firm for piping or spreading. I then microwaved it for only 5 seconds and stirred until softened, and then it piped fabulously.

P.S. I had quite a bit left over, so either make the whole recipe and plan on having extra for some other delicious treat or cut it in half, and you should be fine.