Easy Peasy Pumpkin and Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...These cupcakes are easy enough for a child to make, and while they'll never win a beauty contest, I can tell you they are are absolutely delicious and will become a favorite of all who try them. The recipe for these moist pumpkin and chocolate chip wonders was developed by Anne Coleman and it first appeared in the blog Spoonful. If you like pumpkin desserts, you'll love these moist and mildly spiced cakes. They can be iced or sprinkled with confectioners' sugar, but I like to eat them out of hand while they are still warm and completely unadorned. When served with a cup of steaming coffee or warm cider, they make a perfect afternoon pick-me-up or after school snack. If you use paper-liners for your cupcake pans, be sure to spray the liners with a nonstick spray before they are filled with batter. While it adds an extra step to the recipe, it will prevent the cakes from sticking to the liners and makes for a better presentation. I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. Yes, it is simple and inelegant, but the cakes are packed with that kind of old-fashioned down-home goodness that even city slickers will love. Here is how they are made.

Easy Peasy Pumpkin and Chocolate Chip Cupcakes...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Anne Coleman and Spoonful

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Optional: your favorite frosting or powder sugar for dusting

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease or paper-line 12 muffin cups.
2) Combine eggs, vanilla extract, pumpkin, white and brown sugar, and vegetable and olive oil in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
3) Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Fold in chips.
4) Fill prepared muffin cups 3/4 full.
5) Bake for 16 to 20 minutes or until cupcakes test done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
6) Frost or sprinkle with powder sugar if desired. Yield: 12 cupcakes.

If you have enjoyed your visit here, I hope you'll take a minute to...

      

One Year Ago Today: Vegetable Strata

Two Years Ago Today: Banana Muffins

Three Years Ago Today: Sweet Pickles

Four Years Ago Today: Salmon Chowder

Raw Apple Muffins

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...These simple apple muffins are perfect for a fall brunch or coffee. They are easy to make and they are packed with flavors that come straight from fall's harvest orchards. The muffins need no special equipment to prepare and if you have a few bowls and a wooden spoon, you can have a table ready treat in a bit less than an hour. The muffins are similar in taste to Jewish or Shaker apple cakes and because they are so packed with fruit, they stay moist and flavorful for several days after they are made. The recipe was originally developed by Marion Cunningham, the author who rewrote The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. She died at the age of 90 this past summer and while perusing an old copy of her Breakfast Book I came across this recipe which I thought would be a perfect tribute to her skill in the kitchen. I know you will love these. They are not refined and may lack style, but I promise you'll find them to be delicious. Here's how the apple muffins are made.

Raw Apple Muffins...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Marion Cunningham's Breakfast Book

Ingredients:
4 cups peeled and cored  apples cut  in 1/4-inch dice
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease or insert paper liners into 16 standard size muffin cups.
2) Mix apples and sugar in one bowl and set aside.
3) Combine eggs, oil and vanilla in a second bowl and stir to blend well.
4) Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a third bowl and stir until blended.
5) Add egg mixture to apples and sugar and mix well.
6) Sprinkle flour mixture over egg and apple mixture and mix well. This batter is very stiff and you may have to use your hands to assure ingredients are properly mixed. Fold raisins and walnuts into batter and mix until they are evenly distributed in  mixture. Spoon into prepared muffin tins.
7) Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center of a muffin. Turn muffins onto a wire rack to cool. Serve warm. Yield: 16 muffins.

One Year Ago Today: Creamed Spinach

Two Years Ago Today: Fusilli with Spinach and Ricotta Cheese

Three Years Ago Today: Wasabi Glazed Salmon

Cocoa and Banana Small Cakes

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I came across Nancy Silverton's recipe for Cocoa and Banana Small Cakes while researching the background and and culinary accomplishments that placed her on the Gourmet Live list of 50 Women Game Changers in Food. While I didn't choose it as my feature recipe, I did place it on my "must-try" list,  with the intent of making the cakes when time permitted. I pulled the recipe while Bob was in the hospital and decided to make the small cakes for the nursing staff. The cakes, which are moist and rich, are a cross between a muffin and cupcake and they have an unusual texture that makes them a stand-out treat. The recipe is straightforward and the small cakes it produces are delicious. They can be made by anyone who has a mixing spoon and large bowl, but I do have a caution or two to share with you. My muffins did not cook in the recommended time. Ordinarily, I'd say my oven was off but it had just been re-calibrated, so I don't think that was the problem. At any rate, mine took 22 minutes to bake, so if you decide to make these,  you'll need to keep an eye on them. I'd also recommend you use high-end cocoa when you make these. I've used a domestic and an imported product in separate trials and this is a case where you get what you pay for. If you like the combination of chocolate and banana, I hope you'll give this recipe a try. You will not be disappointed. Here's the recipe.

Cocoa and Banana Small Cakes...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Nancy Silverton

Ingredients:
nonstick cooking spray
2-1/2 cups pureed banana (5 to 6 bananas)
5 large eggs
1-1/4 cups canola oil
3-1/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
3-3/4 cups flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 30 1/2-cup muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
2) In a large mixing bowl, combine banana puree, eggs and oil.
3) Sift together sugar, baking powder, baking soda, flour and cocoa. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture, stirring until just moistened.
4) Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and sprinkle with chopped pecans.
5) Bake until a skewer inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 30 muffins.

One Year Ago Today: Strawberry Shortcake

Two Years Ago Today: Margarita Cheesecake