Pumpkin Muffins: Energy Food for Runners (and Other People)

So, here are some things I like to do: I like to cook. I like to eat. I like to run. Occasionally, all three come together for me. A trifecta of happiness, if you will. Like when I make (and consume) recipes created with runners in mind.

This past weekend, I did a race in Raleigh that I'd been looking forward to for weeks. Because of the running, sure, but mostly because of the carbo-loading the day before. Bagels, pizza, animal crackers, Starbursts. The foods of champions, my friends. But my favorite carb of the weekend? Pumpkin muffins.

I adapted my recipe from one by Mark Bittman, published in Runner's World a few months back. Mark is super-smart and knows good food, so you can totally trust the original, which uses sweet potato. But if you're looking to cut out a little fat, my version uses applesauce instead of oil. (I've tried this recipe with both, and they tasted the same to me.)

I'll warn you: these aren't Starbucksy muffins. They aren't cakey. Or all that sweet. But they are incredibly fluffy, especially for a baked good made with whole grains. And the pumpkin keeps them super moist. (I really hate the word "moist" but I love these muffins so much I'm willing to use icky words to deliver an accurate description.)

And if you're a runner who likes to track carbs and calories and all that stuff, I've done the nutrition figuring for you.

Check that vitamin A. Yowzah!


Pumpkin muffins for runners and other humans

• 2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour (about 300 grams)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 c wheat germ
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Heat oven to 375° F. Grease 12 muffin cups.

Combine flour, sugar, wheat germ, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together butter, applesauce, pumpkin egg and buttermilk. Fold the butter mixture into the flour mixture until just combined. The batter will be very thick.

Fill muffin cups about three-quarters full and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes.


The food: Pumpkin muffins
The verdict: Gourds never tasted so good

Hot from the oven: Baked donuts

Plain baked donuts, ready for glaze. Or a glass of milk.

I've got a small kitchen, so I try to stick to the basics and must-haves when it comes to kitchen gadgets. And a donut pan is not a must-have. But it is fun. So when Cookwear.com offered to send me something from the store to try out, I made an exception to my basics-and-must-haves rule.

The Fox Run non-stick donut pan is a pretty decent piece of bakewear. It's got a good weight (not so flimsy you'd bend it while you're scrubbing out donut crumbs, not so heavy it's annoying to hold while you fill it) and I haven't had any sticking issues, so it lives up to the non-stick name. My one complaint would be that the wells are a tad small. My recipe for a half-dozen donuts produced more batter than could be baked. And keep in mind that if you want to feed a crowd (or just a few very enthusiastic donut eaters), you'll need a couple of these.

If you're a real Krispy Kreme fanatic, I know baked donuts sound like heresy. I'll be honest; you're never going to mistake them for their fried brethren. But if you want hot donuts in a flash with a little bit healthier twist, this is a nice pan to have hanging around.

As far as recipes go, I recommend checking out King Arthur Flour. Between their tasty mixes and the recipes on their blog, you're sure to find the perfect batter for your donut pan. (And there's no shame in using a mix!) For the donuts pictured at the top of this post, I used this recipe (mixing a little whole-wheat pastry flour with plain old all-purpose). I didn't frost mine because I thought they were pretty good as is, but a little melted chocolate or a citrusy glaze would be great, I bet.

The pan: Fox Run non-stick donut pan
The verdict: A nice little pan for the donut-lover in everyone

When speed baking doesn't pay: Pumpkin cranberry scones

As they say on Arrested Development, I've made a huge tiny mistake.

Check out these pumpkin cranberry scones. They're from a recipe from the good folks at King Arthur Flour. And they would have turned out great had I not been speed baking and used baking soda instead of baking powder.

See what I mean? Huge tiny mistake. Tiny because they both look the same. They both kind of do the same thing. They both have "baking" in the name. But huge because a tablespoon of one in your scones makes them puffy. And a tablespoon of the other makes them taste like soap.

I'm happy to report I've made them since and with the right ingredients, they're mighty tasty. Find the recipe over at King Arthur. (I used cranberries in my version--their recipe calls for crystallized ginger or chocolate chips, both of which sound excellent.)

Thanksgiving Breakfast: Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

Think muffins can't be frosted?  My friend, you'd be wrong.  These pumpkin muffins demand a little cream cheese topping.  If buttering muffins is acceptable, I figure frosting them is okay, too.

I found this recipe at The Pioneer Woman Cooks, via a new fan site for Ree Drummond (who is the aforementioned Pioneer Woman).  Foodie Fans of the Pioneer Woman will issue a new Pioneer-themed challenge every week.  I answered the first challenge  — making something from Ree's Thanksgiving recipe collection — with these little fellas.

There were a lot of options to choose from, and they all looked good.  I could have gone with roasted carrots, pear crisp or dinner rolls, but I've been in a pumpkin frenzy lately and I was really on a roll.  Plus, I had leftover pumpkin puree waiting for me in the fridge.

Well, I had some pumpkin puree waiting for me in the fridge, but not as much as the recipe called for.  I substituted a little applesauce for what I lacked, and everything seemed to turn out just fine.

If you're feeling like some comfort food, or some Thanksgiving inspiration, Ree's site is a great place to start.

A Backup to Bakewells

While Bakewell biscuits will always be number one in my heart, there may come a day when a baker like me finds herself out of Bakewell Cream.  Or whipping up a batch of biscuits in the non-Bakewell-equipped kitchen of a friend or relative.  And in such a case, said baker should have a biscuit backup recipe.

My backup recipe of choice: angel biscuits.

As the name implies, angel biscuits are light and fluffy, and they get that way with yeast.  Be warned, the yeast needs a little time to work, so plan ahead.

I made these to go along with a soup we had last week, but they also make a swell breakfast.  I recommend a little peach butter.  Or regular butter.  That's good, too.

This recipe comes from an old issue of Cooking Light, submitted by reader Linda Turner in Springfield, Mo.  Linda, I salute you.  But I'm also sending you a tin of Bakewell Cream.  Watch your mailbox. 


Angel Biscuits

• 1  package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1/2  cup  warm water (105° to 115°)
• 5  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1/4  cup  sugar
• 1  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  cup  vegetable shortening
• 2  cups  low-fat buttermilk
• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
  

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes.

Combine the dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yeast mixture and buttermilk; stir just until moist. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface; knead lightly 5 times. Roll dough to a 1/2-inch thickness; cut with a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush melted margarine over biscuit tops. Bake at 450° for 12 minutes or until golden.


The food: Angel biscuits
The verdict: Tell me, tell me the words to define the way I feel about something so fine

Popovers

Sue and Peter recently sent me something I've been wanting for a while: a popover pan. Popovers are awesome because they are two things I love: bread and fluffy. I also like them because they give you the chance to invite someone to "pop over for a popover, pip pip!" Well, I guess you wouldn't have to say "pip pip" if you didn't want to.

Popovers are an interesting type of bread because they rise because of all the liquid in the batter, not because of any leavening agent. After they're baked, you'll find they are hollow -- a great place to put butter, jelly, jam, butter, honey or butter. They're also great with butter.

For my first time out, I used the trusty popover recipe from The Joy of Cooking. It's pretty basic -- milk, butter, flour, salt and eggs. Some recipes recommend starting with a cold oven, but this one suggested a preheat, so preheat I did. I've been told either method will work, though, so I guess it's a matter of taste. All ingredients should be at room temperature before you begin making the batter.

For my next batch, I'm going to add cheese and herbs to the batter -- I think savory popovers would be great with soup.


Basic Popovers (from The Joy of Cooking)

• 1 c. milk
• 1 T. butter, melted
• 1 c. flour
• 1/4 t. salt
• 2 large eggs, beaten

Mix together the milk, butter, flour and salt until just smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, being careful not to overbeat. Fill six greased popover cups about three-quarters full (don't overfill) and bake immediately in a preheated 450 degree oven. After 15 minutes, lower the temperature to 350 degrees (without opening the oven). Bake about 20 minutes longer or until done. Serve immedately. Or if you're going to keep a few until later, pierce the tops to allow steam to escape. But I'd serve immedately. Cold popovers are kind of weird.


The food: Popovers
The verdict: So good, pip pip!

Paula Deen is Nutty. So is Her Coffeecake.

For our anniversary, Ben bought me a copy of Nancy Baggett's Kneadlessly Simple. I can't wait to bake my way through it. And my friend Kim set me up with some of her excellent sweet white bread starter. Between the two, we're looking at some carb-filled weeks ahead. Recipes to come soon.

In the meantime, let me give you another carb-filled delight: Paula Deen's own nutty, nutty coffeecake (pictured above). I don't make a lot of recipes with purchased dough (mostly because they don't give me a chance to cover my kitchen in flour -- my favorite part of baking, for sure) but refrigerated biscuits make this recipe easy and fast to make, and I've never had a coffeecake I like better.

Nutty Orange Coffeecake (from Paula Deen)

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 2 t. orange zest
• 2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 each)
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
• 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
• 2 T. fresh orange juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, pecans, and zest; set aside. Separate the biscuits. Divide the cream cheese into 20 pieces. Place one piece of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit. Fold each biscuit in half over the cheese, pressing the edges to seal.

Dip the biscuits in melted butter, then dredge in the granulated sugar mixture. Place the biscuits, curved-side down, in a single layer in the hollows of a lightly greased 12-cup bundt pan, spacing them evenly (do not stack). Drizzle any remaining butter over the biscuits, and sprinkle with any remaining sugar mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Immediately invert the cake onto a serving platter.

Combine the confectioners' sugar and orange juice, stirring well; drizzle the glaze over the warm cake. Serve warm.

The food: Nutty orange coffeecake
The verdict: It's cream-cheese-filled genius

For the Love of Food: Part 1

Valentine's Day -- it's a day about love. This year, I took Feb. 14 as an opportunity to reaffirm my love of food.

I started off the day with some cheese blintzes. Talk about love. I LOVE cheese blintzes. However, I haven't found a restaurant around here that serves them and Harris Teeter carries them in the freezer section, but frozen just isn't the same and they never go on sale. (I rarely buy "fun food" if it isn't on sale.) So I decided to make my own.

A cheese blintz is a crepe rolled around sweetened cheese filling and served with fruit or sour cream. I've made crepes before but I've never been too good at it. This was not my turning point. I botched the first two completely and by the ninth one, I was able to at least get them off the pan but they were all misshapen -- more abstract than round. Think Jackson Pollock meets breakfast.

My other problem is that the filling turned out a bit runny and spilled out of the crepes when wrapped. To assemble a blintz, you cook the crepe, let it cool, put a dollop of filling on it, then roll it up (kind of like you'd roll a burrito) and fry it.

At this point I must disclose that the problems were likely of my own making: I didn't follow the recipe exactly. There were several points at which things were supposed to chill for minutes our hours and those were the points at which I said, "Eh, whatever." I was hungry for breakfast. Ben was hungry for breakfast. All the chilling seemed unnecessary.

I also used a recipe from the magazine Cooking Light. Had the filling been a full-fat version, it might have stayed put better. I think next time I'll try the recipe from The Joy of Cooking.

Despite the drippy filling and the odd-shaped crepes, the blintzes were, as the French would say, "ooh la yummy!"

The food: Cheese blintzes
The verdict: Tough to make, easy to eat

NEXT POST, tune in for more Valentine's Day food tales.

Sir, Mix a Lot?

I don't use mixes that often, but inevitably, whenever I cheat and bake something from a mix, someone wants the recipe. Basic recipe: Go to Harris Teeter. Add eggs and oil.

I've decided there is no need to apologize for using a mix -- some of them are really excellent. Betty Crocker's Double Chocolate Chunk cookie mix, for instance, makes the best cookies I've ever had.

I'm also throwing my official blog endorsement behind Country Gourmet scone mixes. My two favorites are cranberry orange and blueberry oat. Just add water. Not too sweet, not too dry. Very sconey.

The food: Double Chocolate Chunk cookie mix and Country Gourmet scone mixes
The verdict: The best thing that ever happened to an egg and two tablespoons of water

Coiled Again

If you're up for some baking this weekend, I'd recommend cream cheese coils. These are definitely a weekend project for me because they take a little bit to make, but they are excellent. I like them because they taste like cheese danishes without all the sticky sweetness.

Cream Cheese Coils

For the rolls:

• 3-3/4 to 4-1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar divided
• 2 packages yeast
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 1 egg
• 8-oz. cream cheese
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:

• 3 oz. cream cheese
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of salt

Combine 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, yeast and salt. In a sauce pan, heat the milk, water and butter to 120-130 degrees. Add to dry ingredients; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add egg and 1/2 cup flour; beat on high for two minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form stiff dough. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; divide into 18 pieces. Roll each piece into a 15-inch rope. Form a coil, tucking and pinching end to seal. Place coils 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled (about 1 hour).

Combine cream cheese, egg yolk, vanilla and remaining sugar; beat until smooth. Using the back of a spoon, make a 1-inch indentation in the center of each coil; place a heaping tablespoon of cream cheese mixture in each center.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. Combine glaze ingredients with enough water to achieve icing consistency; drizzle over coils. Makes 1-1/2 dozen.

The food: Cream cheese coils
The verdict: Yummy (if you've got a few hours)