Chocolate Chip-Espresso Scones

Really, what's better than putting a carb-y, breakfast-y baked good in your face first thing in the morning? I mean, never mind that you might feel like you're walking in mud for the rest of the day if you start things out with jelly doughnut--I'm talking more about instant gratification here. Because a croissant and coffee for breakfast? Glorious. But one morning pastry I tend to pass over, never even pausing to consider it, is the humble scone. I've always sort of thought scones were just a big snore.

Truthfully, most coffee shop specimens do leave a lot to be desired--dry, pale, lifeless, crumbly. Bah. Why bother? Pass the cheese danish, sister.

But let me tell you about the recipe that recently changed my mind about scones. Chocolate Chip Espresso Scones. Look into it.

Oh, hey, you know what? Now that I'm sitting here, pontificating scones like a crazy person, I think I've thought of another reason for my heretofore disdain for them.

It must have been about 10 years ago, because I was still living in Chicago. Probably just a year out of college. Definitely wearing something from The Limited. I was meeting with my agent at the time at a coffee shop, drinking a latte and picking at one of those aforementioned substandard cafe scones. I don't even know why I ordered it--maybe because I was barely in my 20s and could absentmindedly snack on things like horrible scones and not think about my pants size.


Anyway, the topic of my conversation with my agent was moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, and in short order she told me that I might want to "lose some pounds". As I took in that advice, I continued to snack on the horrible scone. A few beats later the well-meaning agent said, "That's a huge scone." And that was the end of my relationship with scones.

Until now. Now I know what to look for in scones. Also, how to interpret advice. So there's that.

So, hey, back to these really good scones. Scones that won't leave your mouth dry with regret and overworked flour. Scones of empowerment! Yeah!

It's no surprise that the recipe that has converted me to Scone Lover is from the amazing Karen DeMasco, she of pastry stardom and a little restaurant you may have heard of. All of the recipes in her book The Craft of Baking have this wonderful feel to them, something I can't quite put my finger on. Terrifically refined, but with a homespun feel. Every recipe has a bit of an unexpected twist--a flavor boost, a surprising technique--that takes even the most typical of baked goods to the next level. Like a throwing chocolate and espresso into a scone, and making it moist and buttery to boot. Genius.

Like most scone recipes, the dough comes together in a flash. A healthy handful of chocolate chips and a hit of espresso lend a ton of personality here. The scone itself has fabulously crunchy edges that give way to a tender, cakey interior. I really can't say enough about these scones. Or learning how to filter thinly veiled criticism. Psshh.

Chocolate Chip Espresso Scones

Adapted from Karen DeMasco's The Craft of Baking

You can cut the scones in whatever size and shape you like--I made mine into rustic squares and on the smaller side and got 16 out of a batch.

Once the scones are rolled and cut, you can wrap them unbaked tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days in the fridge or 2 weeks in the freezer. When baking frozen scones, don't thaw them, just bake them frozen for about 5 minutes longer.

Makes 12-16, depending on size

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Coarse sugar, such as turbinado or sanding sugar, for sprinkling

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add the butter pieces to the bowl. Place the bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the espresso powder with 1 teaspoon hot water, whisking to dissolve the espresso. Whisk in 1 cup of the cream. Set aside.

Take the bowl out of the freezer. Put it back on the mixer on low speed until the butter is broken down into pebble-sized pieces. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour in the espresso-cream mixture and mix on low speed just until the dough comes together.

Lightly dust a work surface and rolling pin with flour. Turn the dough out and gently knead it a few times just to bring it together. Roll the dough into a circle or rectangle (your preference), about 1-inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into equal wedges or squares (12 to 16 pieces, depending on how big you like your scones). Place the scones on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for 15 minutes, or chill for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the chilled scones with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and sprinkle generously with coarse sugar. Bake the scones until they are golden brown on the edges and bottoms, and firm to the touch, 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Ice Cream Muffins

There are several life lessons I hold dear that I'd like to pass on to Little C:

1. You should memorize all the songs from Free to Be You and Me, preferably by watching it over and over on an old VHS tape checked out from the library.

2. It is never okay for a professor to offer to give you a massage. Even if it's your Theater professor.

3. Sometimes you need to embrace the crazy and just go for it--it could turn out to be really great. Like combining ice cream and flour and making cake out of it. Seriously!


Important, Oprah-esque Life Lessons aside, I am excited to share this totally kitschy recipe for Ice Cream Muffins with you guys. It's another winner from my recipe scavenging at Gramma's house back in June, and definitely one of the wackier ones I came across. Since finding it, I've discovered that there are several versions out there, some which literally are just ice cream mixed with flour and then baked. This recipe I'm sharing with you has the extra help of a bit of oil and an egg, which I imagine makes for a better flavor, texture and mouthfeel in the finished product than just ice cream and flour alone.


Another thing that will really make these crazy little muffin-cupcake hybrids the best they can possibly be is to use a really great ice cream, the more high-end, the better. I'd look for something that doesn't have more ingredients than it needs to, not much beyond cream, milk, sugar and eggs. The cheaper the ice cream, the more air it will have incorporated into it (not to mention creepy stabilizers, gums and preservatives) and since we're measuring by volume and not weight here, you want to make sure you have enough dairy and sugar in the mix with the flour for the best texture and taste. You're already rocking the boat here with the amount of crazy in the recipe--set yourself up for success with the best ingredients you can get your hands on.

The finished product is a delight--lightly sweetened, great vanilla flavor, totally versatile. I understand that we're sort of teetering on the edge of Sandra Lee territory with this one, but I was so pleasantly surprised and basically humored by the entire experience of this recipe that I think I'll take a tablescape for the team and share it with you anyway. Enjoy!


Ice Cream Muffins
Adapted from an old strip of newsprint from an unknown Midwestern publication

The better quality ice cream you choose, the better your results here. Note that this recipe calls for self-rising flour--it will not work with any other flour. I imagine other flavors of ice cream can be substituted. These can have a crazy rise, so keep the muffin cups only about 1/2 full of batter.

Makes 12

2 cups premium vanilla ice cream, very soft
2 cups self-rising flour
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the ice cream and flour until smooth. Beat in the egg, oil and vanilla until well-blended. Divide the batter equally among the muffin tins, each about 1/2 full. Bake until the muffins are risen, lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

ATK's Banana Bread

Do the internets need another banana bread recipe? Probably not. But are we the sort of friends where I can't help but tell you about a new one I tried and had to smack the counter, because hot damn, it's some seriously good banana bread? Definitely.


Before I get into the whats and wheres of the banana bread of which I speak, I think we should talk about a few things. First, what's your very favorite banana bread recipe, and from where and who did it come? What's in it--nuts, no nuts, chocolate chips or various whimsy? Is it so moist it's almost cake-like, or a bit drier, the kind that begs to be toasted and spread with butter? Do share, my friends.


Because for me, my so-quintessential-I-need-to-capitalize-it Banana Bread is a super moist, dense loaf, free of nuts and other frippery, and a recipe of Mrs. Patsy LaMonica, a dear old family friend who laughs loud, loves big and calls you "girlfriend" within ten minutes of meeting you. She, and her amazing Banana Bread, are really something. I should tell you about that specific recipe some time. But for now, I'm telling you about a banana bread recipe that is seriously a close second, tastes freakishly close to my favorite Banana Bread (although, psst, it's even simpler to throw together), and the only reason that it's not in first place is because it doesn't involve Patsy.


But it does involve the America's Test Kitchen geniuses, who I've dreamily droned on about again and again on this site. These people are always so right on, it kind of makes me tear up a little. And their wacky ways of arriving at perfection never cease to amaze, or at the very least amuse. Even with the simplest, most classic recipes, the ATKers find a way to have you using a technique or ingredient that makes you look over you shoulder to see if anyone's watching you because it all just seems so crazy. But in this case, their usual bending-over-backwards feats of fancy give way to a pretty straightforward, easy recipe, the only commandments being to mash the bananas by hand to avoid a puree, and using very speckled (nearly black) bananas. There's also a good dose of plain yogurt to add tang and moisture.


And to me, the lack of fussiness here is a good thing, because the beauty of banana bread, whatever the recipe, is that it's such a perfectly homey, familiar thing. Anytime is the right time for banana bread, but I tend to think that God invented it on the same day he created soup and rainy Sundays, because it's seriously the best at those sort of moments. That's deep, people.


America's Test Kitchen Banana Bread
Adapted from The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook

If you're a walnuts-in-banana-bread sort of person, add about 1 1/4 cups, toasted and chopped, to the batter.

Makes 1 8-inch loaf

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Adjust a rack to the lower middle position of the oven and preheat it to350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.

In a medium bowl, stir together the bananas, yogurt, eggs, melted butter and vanilla, blending well.

Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry, just to blend--do not overmix. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 50-60 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it out and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Breakfast of Champions

So I suppose I really should be posting about something indisputably festive today, like the jazzy, brandy-spiked pumpkin pie recipe from Tartine that we'll be devouring tomorrow. But well...I'm not. At least not yet. With so many drool-worthy blog posts out there all decked out in Thanksgiving finery, I feel like a total buzzkill sharing a recipe for bran muffins with you on Thanksgiving Eve. I mean, if you think about it, even the phrase bran muffins sounds a little like that sad little trumpet noise that sounds when something falls flat in a slapstick comedy scene. Wuhn-wuhhhhnnnn. Right?! But I assure you, dear readers, that this particular bran muffin recipe is anything but wan, and in fact it may be just the thing for the mornings surrounding Thanksgiving, when you need a little jolt of nutrition to help you prepare for, or recover from, the feeding frenzy.


These muffins made their way into my repertoire recently because I'd been on the hunt for something delicious and hearty and infinitely portable. Something that would indeed break the fast first thing in the morning with my beloved coffee, but not leave me too stuffed. And the reason I was searching for such a breakfast item is because I have officially gone off the deep end and am in the midst of training for my first half marathon which, if all goes as planned, I will be running the first week of February. This is all true. And in the spirit of giving, I should let you know that you may be getting more information about this in coming weeks than you really want.


Anyway, now that that completely insane proclamation has been made, let's get back to the muffins, shall we? It's no secret that bran muffins run the gamut of taste and texture. Which is to say that they can have a very bad taste and texture not unlike that of a corrugated cardboard box, and they can also be found with such a great taste and texture that surely they must contain very little of the healthful ingredient after which they are named, in addition to so much additional fat and sugar that you may as well just go for the cherry cheese Danish, for crying out loud.


This bran muffin recipe strikes a nice balance, more or less a metaphor for how I like to approach my diet in everyday life. Lots of good fiber in the form of bran cereal and whole wheat flour, and a fat gram count made quite moderate by a good amount of plain yogurt in the mix instead of just lots of oil or somesuch. On the other hand, there is a (relatively) small amount of white flour and butter in the batter that ensure good flavor and texture.


Add in a nice studding of cheery bits of golden raisins and dried cranberries that peek out like little jewels among the nubbly tops, and you've got yourself some morning fuel that's fit for preparing for any kind of marathon. Whether that marathon involves running or the sport of eating.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!



Nubbly Bran Muffins with Golden Raisins and Cranberries
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

Swap out the dried fruits for anything that you like--currants, dark raisins, dried cherries and apricots would all be good here. For the cereal, you want to get for Kellogg's All-Bran, and look for the "Original" variety that looks like twigs, not the bran buds. You can substitute lowfat or nonfat yogurt for the whole milk, though the muffins won't be quite as flavorful.

Makes 12 muffins

1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon water
2 1/4 cups All-Bran Original cereal
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large whole egg
1 large egg yolk
2/3 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons unsalte butter, melted and cooled
1 3/4 cups plain whole milk yogurt


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease the tin with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine the raisins, cranberries and teaspoon of water in a small microwave-safe dish. Cover with plastic wrap and cut a steam vent in the plastic. Microwave on high for 45 seconds, and then let the bowl stand, covered, until the dried fruit is plump and softened, about 5 minutes. If necessary, blot off any extra water with a paper towel.

Process only half of the cereal in a food processor until very finely ground, about one minute, and set aside.

Whisk together the flours, baking soda and salt in a large bowl, and set these aside as well.

Whisk together the egg, egg yolk, brown sugar, maple syrup and vanilla until well-blended. Whisk in the melted butter to combine. Stir in the processed and unprocessed cereal, and let the mixture sit until the cereal is evenly moistened, about 5 minutes (it will be lumpy).

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold gently to blend--do not overmix. Fold in the raisins and cranberries. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan using a standard ice cream scoop, leaving the batter in rounded mounds (this will make for prettier muffins).

Bake until the muffins are deeply golden and a toothpick inserted into one of the center muffins comes out with just a few moist crumbs, about 16 to 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes more before serving. Store completely cooled muffins at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two days.

Reunited, and It Feels So Good

As you may have sensed from my last post, I was a bit lost after discovering that a recipe from my beloved Baked cookbook was less than a complete and total success. I didn't know where to turn, what to believe in. But I am just way too tired lately to hold grudges. So I got right back on the Baked saddle with a different recipe, and now our relationship is one big love fest all over again. I have this amazing Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf to thank for that.


Hearty and irresistibly moist, this is the quickbread of dreams. Its subtle spice adds the perfect amount of dimension, and well, I don't think there's too many things in life that can't be made better by a good studding of chocolate chips.


One of things that the Baked bakery boys seem to do so well is putting just the right amount of sugar in their recipes. I've yet to whip up anything from this book that turns out cloyingly sweet or gives you that feeling like if you take more than a couple bites, your molars will start to ache (including the marshmallows, believe it or not). This approach makes for completely craveworthy baked goods that have you crazily finding ways to incorporate them into your life all day long...until you're left with crumbs. I suppose it could be considered a downside, that you might make an entire meal out of a dessert item and a side of protein. But I'll tell you, this morning's breakfast was a hunk of this pumpkin loaf and a few strips of bacon and I feel awesome.


All questionable dietetic choices aside, with the weather getting chillier and the days getting drearier, you need this recipe in your life. A thick slice of this pumpkin bread with a big mug of tea is early fall coffee break material of the highest order.


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf
Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

Note that the chocolate chips are folded into the wet ingredients here, not at the end, making for a beautifully even smattering of chips throughout the loaf. For the chocolate chips, use whatever makes your skirt fly up--the original recipe calls for semi-sweet chips, but I've been on a bittersweet kick lately, and found that I loved them in this recipe. Make it even more breakfast-worthy in the future by forgoing the chips and throwing in some toasted pecans, sunflower seeds and golden raisins. Substitute up to half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour if you wish. Double this recipe and freeze one loaf--you won't regret it. Or better yet, gift it to a lucky friend--it would be a perfect hostess gift.

Makes 1 9x5x3-inch loaf

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree (about half a 15-ounce can)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup room temperature water
3/4 cup (6 ounces) bittersweet chocolate chips (I like Ghiradelli 60% cacao)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, baking soda and salt.

In another large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, oil and sugar until well-blended.
Whisk in the eggs and the vanilla until combined, then whisk in the water. Fold the chocolate chips into the wet ingredients.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet, being careful not to overmix the batter. Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and gently knock the bottom of the pan onto the countertop to even out the batter. Use a spatula to smooth the top.

Bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick comes out clean, about 75 to 90 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before inverting the loaf onto the rack to cool completely before serving. The loaf will keep for 3 days or more wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container at room temperature.

Just the Way You Want It To

The husband and I have a theory of sorts. It's called the Skillet Cookie theory, and it goes like this: say you're enjoying a cheap, moderately satisfying meal at a good old American chain restaurant (despite my love of truly great food, I am not opposed to this on occasion--hello, Chili's queso dip?!). You've had your Monster Burger or Extreme Fajitas or whatever and just want something sweet. So you reach for the sticky dessert menu on the table (which also is bound to have some ridiculous cocktails served in like, galvanized pails or something in colors that just don't come in nature, ever) and it catches you. The Skillet Cookie. A huge chocolate chip cookie! In a skillet! Two, three servings at least! Ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream--SOLD!! The table is giddy because of the impending Skillet Cookie and drunk with the promise of more commercially made food to add to overly stretched bellies. But it just looked so good on the menu and has every dessert-related thing you can imagine, all in a cast-iron vessel! Who can resist the Skillet Cookie? Communists!

So the SC arrives, and everyone digs in with vigor. One bite, two bites, three bites, goooood. And then...well, then the sugar punch to the palate wears off and you're left with a cloyingly sweet mess--bland flavors, a badly underdone cookie with soggy edges, cheap ice cream and a chocolate sauce that tastes like it was melted down from an Advent calendar from 1984. Oh, dear. The Skillet Cookie is never as good as you think it's going to be. Too good to be true. Sigh. One of my oft-recited phrases is, "I love when something tastes just the way you want it to". The Skillet Cookie will never be that.

And so is the case with so many sweet treats that have more than one element to them. So many layered bars and embellished desserts and coffee cakes with too many things going on end up falling short somehow. So certainly I would never find the perfect blueberry muffin that I'd been craving and dreaming up for days--a sweet-smelling, tender crumb with just a bit of spring, plump berries that didn't bleed all through the muffin, and a salty-sweet crunchy streusel topping. Equally delicious served warm or at room temperature, with coffee in the morning or vanilla bean ice cream after dinner. I didn't want a mondo cupcake, but I didn't want a dense, short scone-like thing. I wanted light, fluffy, but with the integrity to stand up to juicy berries and a crunchy top hat. And by God, I found it. Seriously, these are so good, I really do think God is involved somehow. Please try.



Blueberry Crumble Muffins
Makes 10-12, depending on size

For the muffin:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen--thawed, well-drained and patted dry)

For the streusel:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed, softened but still cool
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and set an oven rack to the middle position. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper liners.

To make the streusel, using a fork or clean fingertips, mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, butter, and cinnamon until all the ingredients are incorporated, but the mixture is still very pebbly. Set aside.

To make the muffins, whisk together the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. In a glass measuring cup or similar, whisk together the vegetable oil, egg and milk. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until blended but don't overmix. There may be a few small lumps, that's okay. Carefully fold in the blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and generously sprinkle each muffin with streusel.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until the tops spring back slightly and the topping is set and golden brown. Cool in the tins for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely or serve warm.

Expanding on a Theme

October has, inadvertently, officially become Apple Month here on "Piece of Cake". There's a couple more apple recipes coming your way, and then I will start to scale back, I promise. But when you're working your way through a pile of gorgeous autumnal orbs, it's impossible to not get inspired, okay? It's just been too perfect--peeling, coring and quartering in my favorite new dove gray sweater, cinnamon and nutmeg flying everywhere. Sipping on an enormous mug of something warm while the goods are baking. And that toasty mug is what inspired me to tinker with this next recipe. I wanted THE apple muffin go along with it. Big, soft, fragrant, lightly spiced. And, of course, the pleasant surprise of a brightly flavored, al dente apple chunk here and there. Sturdy enough to be eaten with one hand, with an inspirational teacup in the other.



All too often, apple muffin recipes create lumpy, rubbery or dry results. So I decided to start with a recipe that is a phenomenal muffin all on its own, and then add my own fruit to the recipe. This Coffeecake Muffin is usually intended to be relatively subtle in flavor, with just brown sugar and cinnamon for interest. The genius of the recipe is in the space where the delicious pebbly streusel meets the just-right density of the finished muffin. But spiced apple chunks tucked into the center take it to the next level, keeping the interior delightfully moist and playing beautifully with the tender chew of the muffin and the salty-sweet crunch of the streusel.


This recipe may seem a bit confusing at first, because one moment you're making the streusel, then it's on to what seems to be the batter, but no! Take some of that mixture out and add it to what you thought was the finished streusel, then get back to the batter, adding some of the streusel...oh, man. But don't worry. Just read the recipe carefully before you begin to wrap your brain around the process, and then it will come together in a snap.


Apple Coffeecake Muffins

Makes 12

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt plus an extra pinch
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and softened
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large apple, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and set an oven rack to the middle position. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or use paper liners.

In a medium bowl, mix together the dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, a pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon of the butter with a fork until the mixture resembles wet sand. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of salt on low speed until combined. Drop the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter pieces evenly over the flour mixture and mix again until the butter is about the size of oats. Remove 1/2 cup of the of the flour-butter mixture and mix it into the reserved brown sugar mixture to make the streusel. Now divide the streusel: 3/4 cup of streusel for the muffin batter, and the remaining will be for topping the muffins. Add the baking powder and baking soda to the remaining flour mixture in the mixer bowl and stir to combine.

Whisk together the sour cream, egg and vanilla. Turn the mixer on medium speed and pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until just moistened. Fold in the 3/4 cup of streusel until distributed evenly throughout the batter.

Divide the batter into the muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full. Toss the apples with an additional sprinkle of cinnamon and press several pieces into the center of each muffin cup. Top the muffins equally with the streusel mixture. Bake for about 18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let the muffins cool in the tin for 2 minutes, and then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool for five more minutes. Serve warm and watch them disappear.

It's Two, Two, Two Treats in One!

Who wouldn't love a muffin that tastes like a doughnut? Who doesn't love dessert masquerading as breakfast? Communists, that's who.

The Nutmeg Doughnut Muffin, after it's done blowing your mind, will become one of those great recipes to have on hand whenever you find yourself having to provide something breakfast-y, but you really don't want to be the loser serving a store-bought coffee cake or somesuch (brunch, wedding/baby shower, tea party--hey, why don't people have more of those, anyway??). Fresh nutmeg, snowy powdered sugar (or a mixture of granulated sugar and cinnamon) and a tender but significant crumb give these muffins their shockingly doughnut-like flavor without being fried. This is the kind of thing that makes people think you are fantastically genius and innovative in the kitchen. And then they all try and rip you off by asking for the recipe. The Nutmeg Doughnut Muffin is a double-edged sword that way, and in other ways, too. In addition, it tastes like a muffin--AND A DOUGHNUT. And if we're getting nerdily specific, well....it's not technically a muffin. It's really a cupcake.

By culinary definition, the difference between a muffin and a cupcake is all in the mixing method. Muffins are made by stirring together--usually by hand--sifted dry ingredients (flour, baking powder/soda, salt, dry spices) and the combined liquid ingredients (eggs, oil/melted butter, sugar--yes sugar counts as a liquid with the Muffin Method) in one step. Cakes of the "cup" variety are often made with the Creaming Method, where the recipe preparation begins by creaming butter and sugar together--such is the case with this alleged Nutmeg Doughnut "Muffin". But whatever--bottom line, it just feels so much better to tell yourself you're eating a "muffin" at 10:00 a.m. . I am quite the enabler, aren't I? Bwahahaha.

Nutmeg Doughnut "Muffins"

Adapted from Orangette and Kathleen Stewart

Makes 12

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 � teaspoons baking powder
� teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
� teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (if you're using, um, not freshly grated, just add a smidge more)

� cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
2 tablespoons buttermilk

1 � sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
� cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs

For the big finish:
4 - 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 � - 2 cups powdered sugar

OR

1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamonPreheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a standard-size muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg, no need to sift. Whisk thoroughly and set aside.

Combine the milk and the buttermilk in a measuring cup, and set this aside, too.

Start by creaming the butter in a standing mixer at medium speed with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, until soft and creamy. Add the sugar in a steady stream and continue beating, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until the mixture increases in volume and gets pale, like frosting. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until they are just combined.

With a wooden spoon, mix � of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Add 1/3 of the milk mixture. Continue to add the dry and wet ingredients alternately, ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until the batter is smooth and well combined, but don't overmix.

Divide the batter between the cups of the muffin tin. A standard ice cream scoop is genius for this task. Bake until they are just turning golden, are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-32 minutes.

When the alleged "muffins" are cool enough to handle, Get the melted butter ready, and pour the powdered sugar into a big food storage bag (less mess than using a bowl). Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the entire outside of each with melted butter, and then immediately roll it in the powdered sugar.

Like most baked goods, these are best on the day that they�re made, but thanks to their protective sugar coating, they are still really good on the second day. If you want to make them ahead, this batter keeps well--covered and chilled, of course, for up to three days.