Fruit Topped Citrus Olive Oil Muffins - dairy free

Can we take a minute and just appreciate the cuteness of mini things? They're just better.

That's right, take a moment. Enjoy the cuteness.

Now that we've got that (mostly) out of the way, let's talk about how delicious they are. Because they are. They're perfect little sweet morsels for parties, for lunch boxes, for a breakfast treat. And the other great thing about them is that they are relatively healthy. Heart healthy olive oil, fruit, and not an overwhelming amount of sugar means you can feel good ok about stuffing twelve into your mouth. Not that I've ever tried anything like that.

These (cute) little bite sized treats were very popular party treats last month. They're nice and light, sweet, and the fruit pieces give nice juicy bursts. Olive oil is one of those ingredients that people (ahem. Mr Official Taster) think sounds odd as part of a baked good, but, invariably, if they try it, they like it. Olive oil pairs especially well with citrus or rosemary, which makes sense given their shared growing region (like how tomatoes and basil go together).

You might look at the written recipe and think it's too fussy. Think again. Although these yummies are not one-bowl wonders, they're really pretty easy, hard to mess up, and worth a couple dirty bowls. Additionally, you could definitely make a batch and freeze some for later. Put them in your freezer, label them, and forget about them. That way, you will be rooting around looking for some corn for chili one day and come across your stash. It'll be on par with finding a $5 in your jeans.

But way cuter.

Fruit Topped Citrus Olive Oil Muffins - dairy free
adapted from How to Cook Everything

The fruit topping is completely adaptable to what you like, what allergies you may be dealing with, or even what colors you want. Red and blue are great for July 4th or Memorial Day parties. How about star fruit? Red and green (kiwis, perhaps?) for Christmas. Or pink raspberries for a little kid's birthday party. You get the idea- have fun! 

cooking spray (or liners) for pan
4 eggs, separated and room temperature
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
1/4 + 3/4 C sugar
2 C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 C orange juice
zest of one lemon, orange, or lime (grapefruit should be yummy too)

chopped or whole berries (or other fruit)

Separate your eggs when you first take them out of the refrigerator because it's easier when they are cold. Then allow them to come to room temperature for 30 min or so.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray or line muffin or mini muffin trays.

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs whites in a small bowl until they foam. Then sprinkle in 1/4 C sugar while still beating the whites. Continue beating until the whites hold soft peaks.

In a large bowl, add the olive oil and 3/4 C sugar and beat together. Add the egg yolks and beat until thick and fluffy (5-7 minutes). Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Next, mix in the orange juice and zest. The mixture will be very thick and/or crumbly. If it's crumbly, add in a splash more of juice. Don't despair.

Add the beaten egg whites to this thick mixture. As gently as possible, thoroughly fold together the batter and egg whites. You may think they will never combine, but they will.

Spoon batter into cupcake pans. I used minis and topped each muffin with a couple blueberries or a slice or two of strawberry. Do what makes you happy.

Turn the mixture into your prepared pan and bake for 15-20 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean), depending on muffin size. Obviously, mini muffins will cook a few minutes faster than standard size ones. (15ish for minis, 18-20 for standards) Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes or so, then remove and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. 

Cranberry Kitchen Cookies - vegan

As I mentioned, Mr Official Taster and I moved into some new digs a couple weeks ago. Once enough boxes were unpacked and homes found for cutting boards and cake pans, I was able to start cooking dinners. That was a good first step to making this little house feel like a home, but it really took baking to make the kitchen feel like mine. I'm not sure if it's the routine of measuring and creaming, or the dance of finding bowls and spoons and dropping dough onto sheets, or the warmth of the oven, or the smell of delicious, or even the practical side of figuring out my cabinets need to be reorganized, but, somehow, baking changes a kitchen from one that I'm borrowing to one that is my domain.

Honestly, I liked these cookies a whole lot more than I expected to. I was wary of adding fresh cranberries, but there's enough sugar to counteract the tart, and the orange juice adds some nice dimension. They could certainly handle some orange or lemon zest, too. I think these may go into the regular cookie rotation, and maybe even into the Christmas repertoire. 

Cranberry Kitchen Cookies - Vegan
adapted from All Recipes


1/2 C vegan butter*
1 C sugar
3/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C + 2 Tbsp orange juice
1 1/5 tsp Ener-G egg replacer (equivalent to 1 egg)
2 Tbsp water
3 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 C fresh cranberries, roughly chopped**

Preheat your oven to 375F. Grease or line cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Mix in the orange juice, egg replacer, and water. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Using a spoon and your fingers, form rough balls of dough and place them on your prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-15 minutes (14 minutes was my sweet spot), or a little longer for crispier cookies. Let cookies cool on the sheet for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes approximately 3 dozen. maybe 4? we were eating them before I counted them.

*if you use regular butter, add 1/4 tsp salt at the same time you mix in the baking powder and baking soda

**I measured about 2 C of whole cranberries and then chopped them. If you want to mix it up and add nuts (I think hazelnuts sound good) or chocolate chips or something else yummy, I would use less cranberries.

Rosemary Olive Oil Bread - vegan

Last week in the Seattle area, it turned to fall. Cool and cloudy, with that indescribable fall feeling in the air. When I wasn't grumbling about Google, I was craving hearty, carb-loaded edibles. I wanted soft sweaters with hoods, warm socks, and blankets on the couch. I made risotto, breakfasted on burritos, and invested in some new galoshes.

For a friend's birthday on Friday, I attended a Chocolate Party. Every single dish had chocolate in it. There was salad with chocolate vinaigrette, white chocolate mashed potatoes, chicken mole, lava cakes, and homemade rocky road ice cream. Amazing. (also: why have I never thought of a Chocolate Birthday Party?!) I even saw chocolate wine, and I bet there was a chocolate stout or two. It was the perfect way to end the week, and it sent me straight into hibernation when I got home.

On Sunday, I wanted to bake and decided on this Rosemary Olive Oil bread. I've made it before successfully with Orange Peach Mango juice and lime zest. What I really wanted to make was some cranberry bread, but there aren't fresh cranberries available in grocery stores yet (the nice produce guy told me end-of-October). So it seems it's not really fall after all.

Rosemary Olive Oil Bread - Vegan
cooking spray
3/4 C juice (apple or orange. I used lemonade)
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp apple cider or white vinegar
2 C flour
1/2 C white whole wheat flour
3/4 C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp salt
zest of 1 orange (or lemon)

Preheat your oven to 350F. Lightly grease & flour your loaf pan (mine is 10x5. 9x5 is also common).

Measure the juice into a liquid measuring cup. Add the olive oil (that brings you to the 1 1/4 C line) and vinegar.

In a medium or large bowl, stir together flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, rosemary, salt, and zest. Stir in the liquid mixture, adding a splash or two of addition juice if necessary. Turn into prepared baking pan, smooth top. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean (*when cookbooks and bloggers say this, it really means "until skewer inserted in the middle comes out without any uncooked batter stuck to it").

Remove pan and allow to cool. To speed cooling, you can remove the bread from the pan once it's cool enough to handle and allow it to finish cooling on a wire rack.

Notes:
Any juice will work. You can also use a sweet white wine, and I don't see why any variety of milk wouldn't work.

You probably don't have to flour the pan, but since this was the first time I used this shiny new loaf pan and didn't want to chance it.

You can use all-purpose flour for the entire 2 1/2 C if you'd like. I just like to sneak in whole wheat when I can.

Whenever I'm zesting an orange or lemon, I am OCD about using organic fruit. I also wash it thoroughly prior to zesting.

Citrus Olive Oil Cake & Chocolate Orange Glaze - Dairy Free

I hope you had a good holiday weekend! Mr. Official Taster and I stayed very busy and spent a lot of time visiting friends (both in and out-of-towners), which was great. However, by Monday afternoon I was ready to lay in bed with a good book and read. alone. It was fabulous. (more on the book later this week)

Anyway, on Saturday this couple had a housewarming/anniversary bash, so bringing a cake seemed fitting. Plus I like cake.

This cake has lots of great qualities. It's light, sweet, and moist. It can be baked and served from the same container, which just makes things easier. It can handle lots of different frosting varieties, or none at all. It can also be made with fresh ingredients in winter or summer.

I chose a super simple glaze and decoration. If I had more time or inclination, I would have loved to have tried these candied orange slices or homemade gumdrops.

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Citrus Olive Oil Cake - Dairy Free
adapted from How to Cook Everything
cooking spray for pan
4 eggs, separated and room temperature
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
1/4 + 3/4 C sugar
2 C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 C orange juice
zest of one lemon or orange

Separate your eggs when you first take them out of the refrigerator because it's easier when they are cold. Then allow them to come to room temperature for 30 min or so.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 (or thereabouts) pan with cooking spray (I used olive oil spray)

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs whites in a small bowl until they foam. Then sprinkle in 1/4 C sugar while still beating the whites. Continue beating until the whites hold soft peaks.

In a large bowl, add the olive oil and 3/4 C sugar and mix together. Add the egg yolks and beat until thick and fluffy (5-7 minutes). Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Next, mix in the orange juice and zest. The mixture will be very thick and/or crumbly. If it's crumbly, add in a splash more of juice. Don't despair.

Add the beaten egg whites to this thick mixture. As gently as possible, thoroughly mix together the batter and egg whites. You may think they will never combine, but they will.

Turn the mixture into your prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan, frost it if you'd like, and serve it directly from there.

Chocolate Orange Glaze - Vegan and Gluten Free
This is barely a recipe. I've mentioned before that I don't really measure for glazes. Here's a previous recipe.  For this one, I mixed together some confectioners' sugar, cocoa, and orange juice until I had a good amount and the right consistency to just pour it on.

Notes:
I actually used lemon zest and Orange Peach Mango juice from Trader Joe's. It's delicious.

The decorations are also from TJ's. They are Citrus Gumdrops and the best gumdrops I've ever tasted.