Baking is my first love in the kitchen. Grandma once told me that she didn't really love cooking- she loved baking. That was the first I realized that those were two different things. You get that, right? totally. Anyway, I grew up baking. What little girl doesn't love to pick out a recipe, use her mom's stand mixer, and present the steaming result to her dad on a white paper napkin with a glass of milk? That was me. Baking was simply following instructions and getting a chocolate chip cookie at the end. and I loved following instructions. I was very by-the-book.
Now, of course, I have learned to love cooking. Majorly. To the point where it's almost the only thing I do in my free time. Where baking has the comfort of precise amounts and directions, cooking takes confidence. It took awhile for me to gain it, but I'm not too timid now, thanks to lots of practice and inspiration from the blog world. (Truly, reading blogs has been a cooking school of sorts to me.)
Coconut Flour Blueberry Muffins
adapted from the wholesome home
3 eggs
3 T. melted coconut oil (or butter)
3 T. honey or crushed dates
1/8 tsp. almond extract (which is basically 1 drop)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 cup sifted coconut flour
1/3 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
These muffins are super simple. They're shorties as far as muffin tops go, but they taste so delicious. We had them with our Christmas breakfast and I couldn't wait too long to make them again.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Blend all ingredients, except the berries, in a blender or with a hand mixer until very smooth. Line a muffin pan with 6 paper liners and drop a few berries into each cup. Spoon batter evenly between the lined muffin cups (over the berries) and top each with more berries. Bake for 12-16 minutes and enjoy warm with a big pat of butter. **If you want more rise in your muffins and don't mind an extra step, you can separate the egg whites and beat until stiff, then fold them into the batter.**
I've really been enjoying coconut flour lately, as it makes such a nice grain free option. If you've never used it before, don't be afraid. It is more dense than wheat flour and requires a lot of eggs to accompany it, but it bakes up really nice and has a lovely naturally sweet flavor. I just keep it in a ziploc bag in my fridge and use a fork to "sift" before measuring it out.
Today, given the choice between cooking and baking, what would you pick? I'm not sure which one I'd choose... I guess it depends if it's snowing.
17 comments:
Summer, I totally get your desire to bake coming to surface in cold weather - baking speaks of warmth & comfort - exactly what's needed in Winter!
Yesterday after church we had lunch with a lovely family, and they asked if my husband & I fight over who does the cooking. While I do enjoy cooking, baking is what I absolutely love to do, and so I am very thankful for a husband who enjoys cooking delicious food when he comes home from work!
So I suppose to answer your question, given the choice of cooking & baking, I would say baking pretty much every time. Although, I'm so aware of the drawback of baking & having sweet supplies to nibble on all the time though, so I am enjoying exploring baking with more vegetables & much less butter for slightly healthier sweet options! : )
I choose baking over cooking. I enjoy both, but baked goods are easier to give away than 1/2 a casserole!
I'm definitely much more of a baker. It's so easy to just follow the directions and have the yummy end result! I've taken a liking to cooking, but don't do much of it since I still live at home (yay, college student!). I'll be excited once I'm living on my own and get to develop my cooking skills a bit more.
Summer, I love cooking. I really enjoy eating baked goods, but I'm not a recipe follower! I don't like measuring because that means more dishes for me to do, which is my least favorite chore!
I could have written this post, Summer! You expressed exactly what I experienced myself! I started baking, then timidly tried cooking and discovered I was pretty good at both. Now I have to take the next step: inventing recipes!
Thanks for your words!
Yummy!! These are gluten free!!! :) Thank you!
Baking. : )
oh, these do look so amazing!
I want to try out some coconut flour. do you think it could be used without eggs, in a vegan recipe?
This looks like a delicious recipe! Thanks for sharing. I am definitely much more of a baker than a cook. Luckily my husband is a good cook!
I would definitely have to go with baking. I totally relate to the part of baking something and then taking it to my dad and watching him light up. He's told me multiple times that he misses my cooking now that I'm at college. I think there's also the part of sharing that makes baking so intriguing. Whenever you make something delicious, it usually doesn't have to be refridgerated and you can take it wherever you go and share it with someone special :)
summer, just made these today! i've been experimenting with coconut flour lately and these have been the most successful yet. they were so yummy! i'm definitely more of a cook than a baker, but i'm trying : )
I think some coconut flours can even be used raw (Coconut Secret brand)! I've been absolutely DYING to try this recipe from Bonzai Aphrodite:
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/2011/05/raw-recipe-apricot-jam-bars-with-perfect-flakey-pastry-crust/
Hmmm, I've been on a baking kick lately. Just made these TWICE!
http://theartfulgardener.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/rugelach/
That was a lot for us to eat so I gave most of them away! I think I will have to try using coconut flour, I love the taste of coconut oil when baking, I could eat it by the spoonful!, so flour would probably taste just fabulous in baked goods! Happy Baking...
Laura V.
Mouth is watering. I can't stop baking either! It's extremely problematic!!! Loving your blog. New reader!
i'm baking these today!!!
Found this recipe on Pinterest! Really yummy! I made mini muffins and added about 1/8-1/4 tsp (I didn't measure precisely) of baking soda which solved the squatty muffin issue... they puffed up like a charm! AND I got crazy and added about 15 drops of lemon essential oil which was a nice addition. Only problem with mini muffins is I've already eaten 3... oops! Thanks for the recipe!
It looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I love muffins and I can’t wait to try it! I have noticed that you used coconut flour as I always do. I love using coconut flour in baking because of its health benefits. That’s why when I bake, I always use coconut flour. It is good for a lower-carb, high-fiber and gluten-free diet. And I also use it in some of my favorite cookies, pancakes, and cakes because it does not have serious side effects that may come from ingesting other flour types. I got this information in this article: http://www.freecoconut.com/gluten-free-coconut-flour/