Cinnamon Muffins with a Kick of Apple Cider

These tender little muffins are good with or without the addition of apple cider syrup but I love to experiment with recipes we have used for a while and this recipe always produces a tender, delicious muffin, so playing around with complimentary flavors just adds to the fun.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose or white spelt flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg, divided

1/3 cup softened butter

1 cup granulated sugar, divided

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons boiled cider syrup

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg together, set aside. 

Lightly grease muffin pan or use paper liners. 

Preheat oven to 350F. 

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and 1/2 cup granulated sugar, add egg and vanilla. 

Put cider syrup(if you are using it) into a glass measuring cup, add milk to make 1/2 cup.

Add alternately with flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. 

Spoon into 12 muffin cups. 

Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden. While baking, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon.

While still warm, brush with the melted butter

Roll tops in the cinnamon sugar. 

Serve warm or allow to cool before storing.

 Almost perfect, but wait...

Ahhh, now...

Definitely, with coffee!

Boiled Apple Cider

This humble little bowl of brown liquid is an exquisitely powerful, flavor packed element to be used liberally in a multitude of baked goods or drizzled over pancakes, biscuits or whatever you come up with.
I took a 1/2 gallon of fresh cider from the orchard up the road and boiled it down to 1 1/2 cups making it syrupy and pungent. Boiling it down to syrup gives you the flavor with such a small amount you don't have to compensate for additional liquid.

I added 4 tablespoons of this to a batch of muffins then sprinkled the tops with cinnamon sugar. It really increased the flavor.
A few days later I tried it in a cheesecake, both the batter and the apple topping.
I would love to hear what you try it in.
Store in the refrigerator for a week or two if it lasts that long.

Apple Cider Cheese Cake--Perfect for Fall

Fall means apples here and the orchard up the road makes the best cider.
A week ago I boiled down 1/2 gallon of cider into 1 1/2 cups of cider syrup. I used this in some muffins giving them a wonderfully rich cider flavor but today a cheesecake was in order because my friend just had a baby and cheesecake is one of her favorite desserts. There will be no "finished", plated photo because the whole thing went for her family to enjoy despite the cries of protest from my own dear children, one would think they never had dessert!
The crust:
 3/4 of a bag of Archway Gingersnaps
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
8 tablespoons melted butter
Pulverize to crumbs in a food processor, the gingersnaps

 add sugar, pulse a few times to mix in,

 add butter, pulse.

Press into a 9x13" baking dish. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 450F.
Filling:
3  8oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons cider syrup, optional ( you can substitute regular cider )
Beat cream cheese until smooth,

Add sugar and mix thoroughly. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and cider.

Pour into the crust and set aside.
Topping:
3-4 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Toss together.

Sprinkle on top of the cheese filling.

Bake at 450F for 10 minutes then (without opening the door) turn down to 250F for another 30-35 minutes. It will still be soft when nudged but not jiggly or wet, it will solidify when cool.

 I always make a cheesecake a day ahead because it needs some time to cool completely and the flavors to build. This will freeze well, wrap when completely cool and freeze up to a couple months.
I am enjoying experimenting with the cider syrup, if you make it let me know what you try with it!

Espresso Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

We had this for my birthday, wow, it was so yummy! Smooth, creamy, not too sweet, perfect like a good cup of  coffee and then some.
I used a pate sucree crust that you will find on the White Chocolate Blueberry Cheesecake recipe (on this blog, http://hearthandhospitality.blogspot.com/#uds-search-results ), this, in my humble opinion, is the perfect crust for most cheesecakes. It is easy to make, very tender and delicious.

Fond memories, it was so good while it lasted, mmmmm happiness.
Because this was going to be served in the evening, I used decaf instant coffee in the batter, I like to go to bed at a decent hour and if my son is not in bed then I can't go to bed, and if there is cheesecake he will be the first in line for as large a piece as he can beg. There are only two kinds of instant coffee I like Starbucks Via (did you see that coming ;) and Trader Joe's instant decaf. I prefer the former but enjoy the latter too. I dissolved the coffee granules in hot water so there wouldn't be flecks in the batter.
Crust:
Prebaked crust http://hearthandhospitality.blogspot.com/#uds-search-results
Batter:
3  8oz. packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup sugar + 2 tablespoons
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 heaping tablespoons instant coffee or espresso powder dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
6 oz. mini semi sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 450F.
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add sugar and beat another minute or two. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and coffee.

Give it a good mixing so it is well incorporated and there are no streaks. Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into crust.

Bake at 450F. for 10 minutes then turn oven to 250F. for an additional 40 minutes. I should be jiggly but not loose or liquid.

Cracks are okay, it happens. That's the white chocolate blueberry cheesecake beside it, yummy.
Now, while I have been sitting here typing, I have been wondering why I didn't put the other half of the bag of chocolate chips on the bottom of the crust, hmmm. You could also spread a chocolate ganache on top of the baked cheesecake. If you have more ideas please share them!
Until next time, it's salad for me for a week!

Caprese Toast Bites

I was having a big green salad with chicken for dinner and wanted something really tasty to go with it.

Slice a good loaf of bread, French would be ideal but this was a loaf of potato bread I made earlier in the week, very rich but airy.
Top with these:
fresh mozzarella
basil
tomatoes
olive oil

I drizzled a bit of olive oil on the bread,

then arranged the tomato, cheese and basil on top.

Another drizzle of olive oil on top of the tomatoes.
I purchased an empty spray bottle quite some time ago and keep it filled with good extra virgin, cold press olive oil for things like this, makes it so easy to just shoot a little where ever I want it.
Place under the broiler for 2-4 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the bread begins to brown and get crisp at the edges.

 The one without tomatoes is for my son, he thinks they are evil....where do they get these ideas?!

 Yum, go make these while the tomatoes are abundant and aromatic.

I might need more than one...