Her Modern Kitchen

Eating & Living in Austin, Texas

Breakfast

Truffle and Goat Cheese Soufflé

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A savory Truffle and Goat Cheese Soufflé made with truffle salt, mushrooms, sage, and goat cheese crumbles that’s ready in less than an hour.

So often I make a recipe, document it, photograph it, then never find the time to actually post about it.  And that’s exactly what happened with this Truffle & Goat Cheese Soufflé.   

I actually made this recipe last December. Like 8 months ago.

I made it because a soufflé was on my 2019 Baking Bucket List.  I chose a soufflé as part of my bucket list because it always seemed like something difficult to make.  I’m not sure why, maybe it’s because I always saw soufflés on fancy restaurant menus and thought that they must take a great deal of culinary skill to make.

Truffle Goat Cheese Soufflé

However, even 8-months after making my first soufflé, what I’ve learned, is that they’re not that difficult to make.

In fact, like most things in the kitchen, a soufflé is quite straightforward as long as you are patient, follow instructions, and have the proper equipment.  In this case, a hand mixer, which is 100% necessary for making fluffy egg whites, the star ingredient in soufflés.

Truffle Goat Cheese Soufflé

My Truffle and Goat Cheese soufflé was inspired by some truffle salt and truffle butter I received as a hostess gift.  Truffle is such a delicious, powerful flavor and something I typically save for special occasions or dishes.  This day, making my soufflé, I decided I needed to use a special ingredient since the soufflé was so high on my baking bucket list and I wanted it to feel special.

Find more baking bucket list recipes here.

Not wanting to upstage the truffle flavor, I paired it with finely diced baby Bella mushrooms and creamy, tangy goat cheese crumbles.  The result was a savory, light soufflé with a hint of truffle.  It made the perfect fancy lunch and was delicious leftover at breakfast the next day.

And, now that I’ve finally posted about it, I’m craving a savory breakfast soufflé and may have to break out the truffle salt again to whip one up.

Happy cooking!

Baking Bucket List: Truffle & Goat Cheese Soufflé
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups finely diced baby Bella mushrooms, ~3/4 cup once diced
  • 1½ teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 small shallot, diced
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1½ teaspoon truffle butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon truffle salt
  • 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 5 large egg whites (3 egg whites from the full eggs)
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat four 10-ounce ramekins (or a 2- to 2½-quart souffle dish) with butter and place them on a baking sheet.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan then add the shallots, garlic, Italian seasoning, and mushrooms. Sauté until cooked through 5-6 minutes.
  3. In a separate saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the unsalted butter and truffle butter. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute. Adjust heat as needed to prevent the mixture from getting too dark; it should be the color of caramel. Add in the milk, mustard, and truffle salt and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in goat cheese and 3 egg yolks until well combined. Transfer to a large bowl.
  4. Beat the 5 egg whites in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
  5. Gently fold half of the whipped whites into the milk-egg mixture. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites and the reserved mushrooms just until no white streaks remain. Transfer to the prepared ramekins or souffle dish.
  6. Bake until puffed, firm to the touch, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 160 degrees F, about 20 minutes in ramekins or 30 minutes in a souffle dish. Serve immediately.

 

Smashed Pea and Beet Hummus Toast

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Move over avocado toast! Smashed Pea and Beet Hummus Toast has arrived to transform your moring breakfast habit.

Smashe Pea and Beet Hummus above

Smashed Pea and Beet Hummus Toast star creamy hummus, fresh peas, a touch a mint, and a 6-minute egg that makes for a fresh take on the standard avocado breakfast toast.

Now, in all fairness, I can’t take credit for this creation as I was inspired to make this after having a similar toast last Spring while eating brunch at The Collins Quarters in Savannah, Georgia.

The original Smashed Pea and Beet Hummus Toast from The Collins Quarter was a bit over the top for everyday breakfast with beet hummus, whipped feta, minted smashed peas, grilled halloumi cheese, and a poached egg.

And in my opinion, breakfast should be simple.

So for my version, I brought The Collins Quarter toast back to reality by simplifying the ingredient list.  I start with a thick slice of toasty bread and sub homemade hummus for the best store-bought hummus ever, Ithaca Hummus, from my home state of New York. You can pick up Ithaca Hummus at Central Market if you live in Austin, Texas and they have quite a variety of flavors.

Smashe Pea and Beet Hummus side

Ithaca Hummus makes a to-die-for lemon beet hummus that a homemade hummus could never match.  And while I’m all about homemade hummus, I’m also about convenience in the morning and Ithaca Hummus can’t be beaten. (Also, this is 100%, not a sponsored post.  I realllllyyy love Ithaca Hummus. So yea, hi, Ithaca Hummus, if you’re reading this, I’m a big-time fan!)

Now, back to the toast: on top of the lemon beet hummus, I spread chilled, smashed peas that have been seasoned with salt, pepper, and a bit of fresh mint. To top things off, I add a 6-minute egg with a glorious runny yolk, a few grinds of fresh cracked pepper and pink Himalayan sea salt and call it a day.

Easy, simple, no fuss, and delicious.

What more can you ask for at breakfast time?  I hope you enjoy my Smashed Pea and Beet Hummus Toast.  And please, let me know if you fan-girl over Ithaca Hummus as much as I do!

Smashed Pea & Beet Hummus

Beet Hummus and Smashed Pea Breakfast Toast
 
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Serves: 1 toast
Ingredients
  • 1 slice crusty bread (like sourdough or a French Baguette)
  • ¼ cup cooked peas, chilled
  • 2 fresh mint leaves, finely minced
  • 2-3 tablespoon Ithaca Hummus lemon beet hummus
  • 1 egg
  • salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. First, start your 6-minute egg by preparing an ice bath by adding 1 cup water and 1 cup of ice to a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
  2. Bring 2-cups of water to boil in a medium-sized saucepan over high heat.
  3. Once boiling, gently slide the egg (in its shell) into the water using a slotted spoon and boil on medium-high heat for 6-minutes, exactly.
  4. After 6-minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the egg from the boiling water and gently place it into the prepared ice bath for 1-2 minutes to stop the cooking process.
  5. Remove the eggs from the ice bath and gently crack to remove the shell. Be sure to remove all shell pieces from the eggs before plating.
  6. Toast your slice of bread to your desired doneness.
  7. While the bread is toasting, place your chilled peas in a small bowl and mash them with the back of a fork. Stir in the minced mint and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  8. Assemble the toast by spreading 2-3 tablespoons of hummus on the toasted bread, top with the smashed, minted peas, the 6-minute eggs, and a few cracks for fresh black pepper and salt.
  9. Serve immediately.

 

 

Blueberries and Cream Muffins from Milk Bar’s Bake Club with Christina Tosi

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Eat cake for breakfast with these blueberries and cream muffins bursting with blueberries and white chocolate chips from Milk Bar’s Christina Tosi.

At the start of the pandemic, Milk Bar’s Christina Tosi began Bake Club, a daily baking project streamed live to all of her Instagram followers.  It’s been going on now for over 50 days and she’s made everything from jam to gummies to bars, cookies, and cupcakes with hundreds of fans baking alongside her each day. And on the day I joined her on Instagram, she made Blueberries and Cream Muffins.

Blueberries and Cream Muffins fresh from the ove

How Bake Club Works: Blueberries and Cream Muffins Edition

The evening before Bake Club, Tosi posts a few images on her Instagram that show the ingredients required for the next day’s bake.  There’s usually a ‘required photo’ meaning you need these ingredients for tomorrow’s Bake Club along with a second photo that’s more of a grab-bag, choose your own adventure, that compliments the required ingredients in photo one.

Adding oil to the bowl

On the day of Bake Club, Tosi starts with a quick hello, chats about her day before, and introduces a Spotify playlist that accompanies the day’s baking adventure, which is usually playing in the background while Tosi bakes.  About 10-minutes into Bake Club, Tosi reveals what she’s baking, and on the day I chose to bake with her, she was baking muffins, stating that she was craving Milk Bar’s famous Blueberries and Cream cookies so she decided to do a play on them by making Blueberries and Cream Muffins.

Check out my other Milk Bar reviews here: Celebrating 31 Years with Momofuku Milk Bar Birthday Cake and the famous Milk Bar ‘Crack’ Pie

Tosi then takes her viewers on a whirlwind tour of her kitchen while she gathers all the necessary ingredients for the bake and then kicks off the actual recipe, walking Bake Club attendees step by step through measuring, mixing, substitution options, and finally shipping the baked good into the oven to bake.  That’s when she signs off, tells everyone to post photos of their bake once it’s complete and Bake Club wraps for the day.

Whisking together the flour and wet ingredients

All in, the day I attended Bake Club for the Blueberries and Cream Muffins, the session took about 40-minutes — which got me up to the point of placing my muffins into the oven. For the actual baking part, I was on my own, left with the rough timing Tosi supplied before signing off.

Why I enjoyed baking Blueberries and Cream Muffins with Christina Tosi

I put off baking with Bake Club for the longest time because I thought the session would be elementary and I consider myself a pretty confident baker.  However, one day I had some extra time on my hands and decided ‘why not’ and I was pleasantly surprised how much fun I had at Bake Club.

Muffin batter

Christina Tosi has a really fun personality, she’s spunky, funny, and appears genuine — she’s hard not to like! I also enjoyed the fact that she didn’t dumb down baking.  Tosi emphasized the science of baking, thoroughly explaining why the muffin recipe should use a light, neutral oil rather than butter (because of the milk fats + water in the butter wouldn’t provide the proper muffin texture) and how the addition of apple cider vinegar reacts with the baking soda and baking powder to provide height to the muffin when baking.

Looking for Tosi’s Blueberries and Cream Muffins Instagram Live video? Find it here!

The Milk Bar handle was also active in chat during the Bake Club session, offering advice to those commenting or asking questions during the session which made it even more interactive since Tosi herself wasn’t directly responding to chat inquiries since she was focused on leading the baking lesson.

Muffins ready for the oven

I also enjoyed that Tosi gave numerous substitution options so regardless of what viewers had on hand, they’d be able to create a cohesive flavor profile.  I loved some of her suggestions such as cornmeal and strawberries, olive oil and orange, blueberries and honey.  She really made baking approachable for the novice and educational for those of us more experienced in the kitchen.

I would definitely bake again with Christina Tosi during Bake Club!

Blueberries and Cream Muffins

The End Result

While Tosi did provide options to change up her Blueberries and Cream Muffins, I followed it almost exactly, only substituting frozen blueberries in place of fresh since that’s what I had on hand.  The end result was a ridiculously delicious muffin.  It was basically a muffin that served my own favorite mantra — #EatCakeForBreakfast.

This muffin browned beautifully with a nice rise and a crisp, crunchy muffin top that left me wanting to peel the tops off each and eat them all myself.  The flavor was most definitely blueberries and cream, stuffed with juicy blueberries, white chocolate chips, and a hell of a lotta sugar from the chocolate-sugar combo (thus, cake!). I also enjoyed that the muffin was light and fluffy and not overly greasy or crumbly like some muffins tend to be.

Overall, it was delicious and will serve as a base muffin recipe I plan to use in the future with other flavor combinations.

So tell me, have you done any baking with Christain Tosi during the pandemic? What did you make?

Blueberries and Cream Muffins Pin

Blueberries and Cream Muffins from Milk Bar's Bake Club with Christina Tosi
 
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Recipe from Milk Bar's Bake Club: https://milkbarstore.com/blogs/christina-tosi-bake-club/blueberries-and-cream-muffins
Author:
Serves: 6-9 muffins
Ingredients
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ¼ teaspoon vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup frozen blueberries**
  • ½ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F (I used convection setting) and line a standard muffin tray with 6-9 cupcake liners.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the egg and sugar. Add in the vinegar and stream in the milk. Whisk to combine followed by the vanilla extract and oil. Whisk again to combine.
  3. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a spatula until just combined.
  4. Gently fold in the blueberries and white chocolate chips.
  5. Using a large cookie scoop or a ⅓ cup measuring cup, fill the prepared cupcake liners. Milk Bar stated this recipe made 6 muffins when I followed it I had 9 muffins, with the cupcake liners filled about 80% of the way full.
  6. Bake the muffins in the oven for 18-22 minutes until tops are golden.
  7. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.
  8. Store in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
Notes
Blueberries should thaw for about 30-minutes on the counter the strained of any liquid that was released to remove excess moisture

 

Sourdough Chocolate Babka

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With nothing else to do during social distancing, I put my sourdough starter to use making Sourdough Chocolate Babka. It didn’t disappoint.

Sourdough Chocolate Babka featured

One of my favorite bakes from last year’s Baking Bucket List was Chocolate Babka.  With some extra time on my hands during quarantine and a surplus of sourdough starter, I decided to adapt my favorite 2019 recipe for sourdough.

The original recipe is by Melissa Clark from New York Time’s Cooking.  Her recipe starts with a traditional yeast base and yields two generous loaves of Chocolate Babka.  Since it’s just <3M and me in the house, I scaled the recipe down to a single loaf but you can just as easily double what I’ve outlined below for a two-loaf batch of Sourdough Chocolate Babka.

And my favorite part about this recipe, the chocolate crumbles on top just before baking that adds some crunch and a touch of saltiness.

Sourdough Chocolate Babka inside swirl

A Note About My Sourdough Starter

My sourdough starter is a tad liquidy, I follow a 100% hydration feeding schedule, so, if you also have a slightly liquidy starter,  then proceed per normal with my recipe below.

If your sourdough starter is more dough-like, then I’d recommend adding 2-3 ounces of milk in step one of the recipe below.  Don’t worry about adding too much milk, you can always fix the stickiness of the dough by adding in a tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough is soft and doesn’t stick to your bowl or hands.  My recommendation, always start with less milk.

Also, you need to start this Sourdough Chocolate Babka recipe with a room-temperature sourdough starter that has been fed at least once.

Sourdough Chocolate Babka sliced

Lastly, a Note about Timing

You can definitely make this recipe all in one day if you start in the morning. However, since you have the time (and I know you do!), why not make this a leisurely bake and spread it out over two days so your bread has time to develop deeper notes of flavor.  You’ll thank me later.

I ‘ve provided details on how to make this Sourdough Chocolate Babka in one day or over the course of two days, allowing the bread to have a long, refrigerated overnight rest.

Personally, I also prefer the two-day Sourdough Chocolate Babka method because it means I can enjoy warm, fresh Chocolate Babka for breakfast on day two.

Let’s get to it, shall we?

Also, if you need a few guide photos on how to roll, cut, or twist the bread, check out my original Chocolate Babka post here.

Sourdough Chocolate Babka Pin

Sourdough Chocolate Babka Bread
 
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This recipe was adapted from the New York Times Cooking Chocolate Babka recipe by Melissa Clark.
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Serves: 1 loaf
Ingredients
  • For the Dough
  • 4 ounces 'fed' sourdough starter, liquid kind*
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 eggs
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and divided

  • For the Filling
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup heavy cream
  • 3 ounces extra dark chocolate, chopped (66%-74% cocoa)
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • For the Chocolate Crumble
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
  1. Make the dough: Add your sourdough starter to an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add in the flour, sugar, instant yeast, salt, vanilla, lemon zest, and nutmeg. Mix it all together until gently combined.
  2. Add in the eggs and mix for an additional 2 minutes. If the dough sticks to the sides of your bowl, add a tablespoon more of flour at a time until it comes together, mixing between additions.
  3. Add in half of the butter (2½ tablespoons) and mix again until smooth, about 3-5 minutes then add the remaining butter and mix until just combined. Again, if the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl add a tablespoon more of flour at a time until it comes together, mixing between additions.
  4. Once the dough comes together, switch to a dough hook and allow the dough to mix on medium-high for 5-7 minutes until it becomes stretchy.
  5. Grease a large, clean bowl with extra butter and place the stretched dough into the bowl, turning it so it's fully covered (lightly) with butter on all sides. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise on the counter for 2-hours. It may not double in size but it should bulk up at least a tad.
  6. After 2-hours, check on the dough, pressing it down lightly with your hands. Re-cover and refrigerate the dough overnight (or if not overnight, at least 4-hours for the flavor to develop).
  7. While the dough rests, prepare the filling and crumble.
  8. For the filling, place the sugar, cream, and salt in a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until the sugar melts, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla extract until smooth. Set aside to cool completely then refrigerate until ready to use.
  9. For the crumble, place the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a small bowl. Stir in the melted butter until large crumbs form. Cover and set aside until ready to use.
  10. The next day (or after at least 4-hours) remove your dough from the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature, uncovered, for 30-minutes to warm up a bit, making it easier to work with.
  11. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll it into a 9-by-17-inch rectangle.
  12. Spread the filling evenly onto the rectangle (no need to leave a border).
  13. Now, be prepared to get a bit messy: starting with the long side, roll the dough into a tight coil. Transfer the coil to a large piece of plastic wrap then place it on a large baking tray. Place it in the freezer for 10-minutes to rest (no longer!).
  14. While the dough is resting, prepare your baking pan by greasing a 9-inch loaf pan and lining it with parchment paper.
  15. Remove the dough coil from the freezer and using a pastry cutter or sharp knife, cut the coil in half length-wise (the long way) to expose the filling.
  16. Again, prepare to get messy: twist the two halves around one another into one long twisted log (like a two-stranded braid). Then fold the log in half so the two ends meet. Place the twisted loaf into the prepared pan, tucking the ends under itself (honestly, the messier this looks the prettier it will be post-baking, so don't fuss too much with it here).
  17. Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 1 to 1½ hours. It might puff up some but it deifnitely won't double.
  18. When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is heating, break the crumble into pieces and sprinkle it on top of the dough, pressing it down very gently.
  19. Bake the bread for 40-50 minutes until a thermometer reads 185-210 degrees Fahrenheit.
  20. Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool on a cooling rack for 30-minutes.
  21. Once cooled, remove from pan, slice, and serve.
Notes
* Add 2-3 ounces milk in Step 1 if you have a more dough-like starter. See my note above in the blog post for more details.

 

Six Strand Braided Challah Bread

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Looking for an at-home baking project? Why not master the six-strand braided Challah Bread with my lastest Baking Bucket List post.

My baking bucket list for 2020 started with Challah Bread.  I have no idea why I chose it other than because it meant needing to work with yeast, and I find braided baked goods especially beautiful.

Challah Bread

Initially, I thought working with the yeast would be the difficult part of this whole bake but in reality, it came down to the six-strand braid. 

I gave my bread dough a real working while attempting to braid it and scrapped the braid so many times I lost count.  I watched countless videos and reviewed a number of diagram tutorials.

Eventually, I stopped trying to think so hard about it, and the braiding naturally flowed….

…Or at least it resulted in Challah Bread that looked braided. I’ll let one of you review my handy work and tell me if it was actually braided correctly or not. (Like seriously, someone look at this braid and tell me if I did it right).

Either way, I don’t care too much.  The result was a beautiful loaf of bread that actually tasted really good too with a delicious, subtle eggy-ness to it that you would expect when eating Challah Bread. I especially enjoyed it’s crusty outside (thanks to a splendid eggwash!) when toasted with a little strawberry jam on top.

I don’t have a recipe to share this go-round as I defaulted to the King Arthur Challah Bread recipe and followed it to a T.

Read for the oven

Challah bread, braid completed

Challah Bread egg wash

An egg wash before baking results in a nice golden color

Just a Couple Tips

My two tips for those of you attempting a six-strand braided Challah Bread is to 1) practice with some string before you head into braiding your dough. I’m sure my own bread would have baked a little bit lighter if I hadn’t beat it up so much figuring out the braiding sequence.  I would also 2) ensure your dough is laid out in the same direction as whatever video or diagram you’re following.  Watching someone do it from a different angle made the task even more difficult than it had to be.

Challah Bread close up

Here are a few resources for completing the six-strand braid

If I were to make Challah Bread again, I would probably stick to a three or four braided bread as I truly enjoyed the eggy flavor of the bread once baked and it’s an easy way to use up an abundance of eggs.

So, who’s making Challah Bread as we head into the Easter season?

Challah Bread Baked

Autumn Morning Maple Frosted Chai Pumpkin Donuts

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Maple Frosted Chai Pumpkin Donuts wrap all your favorite fall flavors into a breakfast appropriate treat perfect for cozy autumn mornings.

Maple Frosted Chai Pumpkin Donuts frosted

Sometimes my baking adventures are inspired by something I eat.  Other times, they’re inspired by a tool or a new piece of bakeware. And in the case of these baked chai pumpkin donuts with maple glaze, it was a little bit of both.

These donuts were inspired by a recent cake from Half Baked Harvest that I made for dinner with friends.  Eating the cake, all I could think about was how tasty the flavor combination would be as a breakfast treat.

Maple Frosted Chai Pumpkin Donuts baked

I was obsessively thinking about the spicey chai and fall pumpkin flavors being dipped into a steamy, creamy cup of coffee when I happened across the most precious donut pan while wandering around Target.  In this serendipitous moment, I made the impulse purchase and went straight home to whip up these cute little chai pumpkin donuts.  Along with the impulse donut pan purchase, I also scooped up this #squashgoals spatula for a little orange flair in my kitchen.

Squash Goals Spatula

While this donut recipe was 100% inspired by Half Baked Harvest, I revised the spice flavorings some and modified the structure of the batter to make the donuts a little sturdier and less cake-like by swapping full eggs for egg whites.  After all, these donuts need to withstand the necessary coffee dunk! 

Maple Frosted Chai Pumpkin Donuts Detailed view

Maple Frosted Chai Pumpkin Donuts mid-frosting

While I was 100% delighted with the end result of the chai pumpkin donuts I was slightly disappointed with my donut mold.  The donuts released cleanly from the mold after cooling a bit on the counter.  However, the mold has intricate details that were lost during the baking process and further covered by the maple frosting.

Maple Frosted Chai Pumpkin Donuts close up

Enjoy these donuts! They’d make a great fall breakfast or brunch treat. And if you’re looking for other pumpkin treats, check out my salted caramel apple pavlova or pumpkin spice scones.

Maple Frosted Chai Pumpkin Donuts
 
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Author:
Serves: 18 donuts
Ingredients
  • For the donuts:
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ cup coconut oil
  • ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 cup 100% pure pumpkin puree

  • For the frosting:
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons half & half
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • ½ teaspoon maple extract, optional (but it adds extra maple flavor)
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350F and lightly grease your donut mold with a baking spray then set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices.
  3. In a separate bowl whisk together the coconut oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract, eggs and pumpkin puree. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir together until fully combined.
  4. Place the mixture into a large piping bag and use it to fill the donut molds to about two-thirds full.
  5. Bake the donuts for 15-17 minutes, until a cake pin inserted into the donut comes out clean.
  6. Allow the donuts to cool for 5-10 minutes then remove them from the pan, placing them in a wire cooling rack.
  7. Repeat the process, filling the mold again with the remaining batter (don't forget to clean & grease your mold in between bakes).
  8. While the donuts are baking, make the maple glaze, you're looking for it to be the consistency of hair gel, which makes it the perfect thickness for dipping.
  9. While the donuts are slightly warm, dip the top of them into the glaze and place them back onto the rack. Wait a 2-3 minutes and dip them a second time for an extra-thick glaze.
  10. Donuts can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

 

Best Ever Iced Peanut Butter Latte

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An Iced Peanut Butter Latte made for the peanut butter lover and packed with 19 grams of protein from a mix of powdered peanut butter, collagen, and cold brew coffee.

Hi, my name’s Alyssa and I have a peanut butter addiction.

Not nut butter. But peanut butter specifically. Peanut butter melted into hot oatmeal is my favorite way to enjoy it but I also put it in smoothies, on top of acai bowls or overnight oats. I’m even known to favor the childhood snack of PB smeared on bananas, celery, or apple slices.  Embarrassingly, you can sometimes find me eating it straight from the jar with a spoon if a major peanut butter craving hits.

Iced Peanut Butter Latte

I just love peanut butter.

But one place I’ve had trouble transitioning the peanut butter flavor is to coffee.  Anytime I’ve tried something that’s said to have peanut butter & coffee in it, the result has been disappointing because the peanut butter flavor is never prominent enough for me to say ‘YES! This is peanut butter!’

Until now.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been keeping this iced peanut butter latte recipe in hiding, perfecting it to ensure the most peanut buttery flavor ever.  And today, I’m excited to announce that I’m sharing my best ever iced peanut butter latte recipe.

Iced Peanut Buttet Latte Pin

The Best Ever Iced Peanut Butter Latte

This iced peanut butter latte starts with my favorite cold brew, Austin’s own, Chameleon Cold Brew (buy it in bulk at Costco for major $$ saving).  I load up my latte with peanut butter flavor and 19 grams of protein from a mixture of PB2 powdered peanut butter, RX peanut butter (that has egg white protein), and a big scoop of Vital Proteins collagen peptides.

Looking for other PB recipes? Check out my peanut butter white chocolate scones, peanut butter lover’s monster cookie recipe, and my grandma’s dilly bar recipe for peanut butter chocolate rice krispie treats.

The nut flavor is further enhanced with almond milk, stevia, and a touch of vanilla extract.  The vanilla extract is key in helping the peanut butter flavor shine through while ensuring the nuttiness doesn’t taste ‘burnt’ when mixed into the cold brew.

Shake it real good.

In order for the latte to be mixed properly, you should put it into a protein shaker (or blender, if you’d like) and shake it like hell.  Like seriously.  Shake your little heart out to mix the powder and peanut butter into the cold brew & almond milk.  If you don’t mix it properly when you pour this latte over ice, all the peanut butter will sink to the bottom of your glass.

No bueno. Fail. So really, shake it like hell then promptly pour over ice, serve and enjoy.

If you love peanut butter, I hope you really enjoy this iced peanut butter latte.  #PBLoversUnite

Best Ever Iced Peanut Butter Latte
 
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Best Ever Iced Peanut Butter Latte Author: Alyssa Prep time: 5 mins Total time: 5 mins Serves: 1
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Serves: 1
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a blender or protein shaker, mix together all ingredients.
  2. Shake it vigorously for one minute until the powder is well blended (or blend in a blender for 30 seconds).
  3. Pour over ice and serve immediately.

 

California Breakfast Toast: a wine country inspired meal

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In March 2015, Mayank and I took a trip to wine country which inspired this California Breakfast Toast recipe with a 6-minute egg and lemon ricotta. Here’s a recap of our trip and the California Breakfast Toast recipe we’re still making today.

This post was originally published in April 2015 and updated in July 2019 with new California Breakfast Toast photos and recipe modifications.

Mayank and I both love wine and thought a trip to Sonoma County and Napa Valley would be a great, long weekend getaway where we could relax, enjoy some delicious California reds, and refine our wine pallets.

Our Trip Recap

California

We started our trip off with a tour of Lagunitas Brewery in Petaluma. This was, by far, the BEST brewery tour either of us had ever been on. The guide was engaging, the beer (and oh, there was a lot of beer) was delicious, and learning about the history of the brewery was fascinating. I highly suggest a visit to Lagunitas if you make your way to California. It’s quickly become our favorite brewery.

We also visited many wineries, including Buena Vista Winery, the oldest winery in California, Robert Mondavi (home to Mondavi’s high-end wines, not the cheap-mass produced bottles you find at your local wine shop), Failla Wines, which cellars its wines in caves within the mountains of Napa Valley, and a few other select wineries. All were wonderful. We split tasting at most wineries, which kept us even-keeled throughout the whole trip.

Mondavi

Over the weekend we enjoyed ourselves, indulged in some delicious red and white wines, relaxed and bought 5 bottles to ship home to Texas.

What surprised us during our trip though, is that most of the other winery visitors were at least twice our age — making us the youngest patrons at all of the wineries! We always knew we were old souls but we were surprised by this fact.

Evenings during our trip were a bit slow. We found that most of the attractions and shops within Sonoma (where we stayed) closed by 6pm. Restaurants, of course, remained open but after sipping wine all day our appetites were small.

We weren’t sure if shops were closed because most people had gone home after wine tasting all day (and passed out) or if the town just didn’t offer many evening activities.

failla

During our trip, we indulged in some delicious, wine country food. The Girl & the Fig in Sonoma. We split a memorable goat’s milk cheese plate there one night for dinner and came back again the next evening to enjoy a true meal. I even came home with a fig spread to enjoy with our own cheese plates!

cupcake

And of course, I couldn’t go on vacation without trying a local cupcakery. Healdsburg’s Craft Cupcakes was recommended to us but we were sadly disappointed with our choice of cupcake – the Cherry Almond – which tasted like nothing more than a vanilla cupcake.

California Breakfast Toast

Although many meals throughout our trip were wonderful, fresh and delicious, my Avocado & Egg Toast I had for breakfast at Sunflower Caffe in Sonoma stood out as a favorite — something I knew upon the first bite that I had to make at home.

California-Breakfast-Toast-3

The breakfast is simple, light and refreshing with an added twist of lemon-y ricotta smeared beneath a layer of avocado on a piece of crusty multi-grain bread. The lemon added a brightness to the dish while the creamy, cool ricotta gave it a contrasting texture when compared to the chewiness of the bread.

6-minute egg

Arriving back home in Austin, I immediately recreated this dish, of course, healthifying it some with skim-milk ricotta so it could be enjoyed on a daily basis rather than as an indulgent vacation breakfast.

Here’s my version of Sunflower Caffe’s Avocado & Egg Toast (with Texas Hill Country’s White Lemon Balsamic) – though I call mine, the California Breakfast Toast. It isn’t as grand of a meal as Sunflower Caffe’s but I am definitely willing to bet on the flavor and the ease of which it comes together during a weekday morning rush!

California-Breakfast-Toast-Pin

5.0 from 2 reviews
California Breakfast Toast
 
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A deliciously light breakfast with creamy avocado, bright lemon ricotta and a soft-boiled egg
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 1 slice whole grain bread, toasted
  • ¼ cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • ¼ of a small avocado, sliced (about 1 ounce)
  • 2 slices turkey bacon, cooked and slightly warmed
  • 1 6-minute egg, instructions here
  • coarse sea salt
  • fresh black pepper
  • White Lemon Balsamic Vinegar, optional
  • Harissa Olive Oil, optional
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl stir together the ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.
  2. To assemble, spread your toast with the ricotta, top with avocado slices, followed by the bacon and 6-minute egg. Sprinkle with coarse salt & fresh pepper to taste
  3. Drizzle with balsamic and harissa oil if desired.

Chocolate Babka

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For my March baking bucket list, I tackled Chocolate Babka, a sweet brioche bread with a chocolate twist and fudgy chocolate filling.

Chocolate Babka Baked

Although I’m posting this in April, I actually tackled my March Baking Bucket List Challenge in March.  Life was pretty busy in March so I pushed this off until the very last day and spent Sunday, March 31st in the kitchen tending to this Chocolate Babka.

To be honest, I’m not sure I’ve ever had Chocolate Babka until I made it myself.  In fact, it only ended up on my Baking Bucket List because I was intrigued by the beauty of the twisted bread and knew it would truly challenge me since it required me to work with yeast, something I’m slowly becoming comfortable baking with.

Chocolate Babka inside swirl

For my chocolate babka, I chose to follow the New York Times Cooking recipe and made it almost to spec.  This recipe intrigued me because it strayed slightly from traditional babka recipes by adding a chocolate crumble to the top of the bread prior to baking.  The chocolate twist was also sandwiched with a fudgy, frosting-like spread (which, as a twist, you could always replace with Nutella!).

I consider myself an experience baker and even for me, at first glance, this recipe seemed intimidating.

However, after breaking it down a bit, it’s really quite straight forward.  Chocolate babka requires a few ‘mini recipes’ which come together to great the delicious, chocolate bread.  If you’re able to break each of the recipes up and tackle them one by one, this chocolate babka is really quite manageable.

However, I suggest you dedicate a full afternoon to the process due to the the multiple recipes, double proofing, and time it takes to twist & bake the bread.

Chocolate Babka sliced

The only major hurdle I faced during the chocolate babka recipe was working with the dough.  As mentioned earlier, because I’m not quite comfortable with yeast and have never made brioche bread before (a bread that requires you to beat room temperature butter into the dough resulting in a unique, squishy texture) I doubted my dough.  Since I wasn’t confident with the texture of the brioche bread dough after my first rise, I believed I had done something wrong — like having killed the yeast.

This led me to trashing the entire dough and starting from scratch. 

After the first proof on the second dough, I had the same results as the first.  I quickly Googled brioche bread and learned that the ‘puckered’ texture of the dough was quite common so with a bit more confidence, I pushed forward, crossed my fingers, and hoped it would all turn out.

Note: At this time, I also strayed slightly from the New York Times Cooking recipe.  The author suggests letting the dough sit in the fridge for a day or overnight for maximum flavor. However, since I was determined to finish my chocolate babka before the end of March, I skipped this process. I believed skipping the overnight rest was completely fine since other chocolate babka recipes I had researched did not call for this step.  If you have the time to let the dough rest overnight, I’m sure you’ll have an even tastier result that I did.

Chocolate Babka top view

After the first rise is when the fun truly begins!

At this time, you split the dough in half, roll it out into a huge rectangle and spread it with the decadent, fudgy chocolate filling.  After rolling it into a tight little log, much like cinnamon rolls, you place it in the fridge for 10 minutes to chill and repeat the process with the other half of the dough (since this recipe results in two loaves of babka)

After chilling, using a pastry cutter, you split the rolled log straight down the center, revealing the beautiful chocolate center and twist the two strips together creating a dark and light braided masterpiece. (I could stare at the twisted dough all day long, so pretty!).  Once twisted, you fold the log in half and place it into a loaf pan for a second rise.  Right before baking, the proofed dough it topped with the chocolate crumble and baked to perfection.

Chocolate Babka rolled 2

rolled babka dough

Chocolate Babka fudge

chocolate fudge filling

Chocolate Babka rolled

rolled dough

Chocolate Babka split

split dough prior to twisting

Chocolate Babka twisted

twisted chocolate babka dough

Chocolate Babka second proof

second proof

Chocolate Babka crumb

chocolate crumble

After baking, the New York Times Cooking author suggests brushing the bread with a sugar syrup.  I made the sugar syrup but after looking at my baked bread, I chose not to brush it with the sugar syrup. I felt the bread may get soggy or become too sweet and chose to skip the syrup out of personal preference.

I loved the chocolate babka. It was addictingly delicious and one of my favorite bakes ever. And I don’t even like sweet breakfast breads!

Chocolate Babka inside swirl

The babka was soft with a slight chew. The chocolate swirl added a hint of sweetness and the chocolate crumble on top added texture with a touch of saltiness. It hit all my favorite flavor notes!  I savored this bread, wanting it all to myself but ultimately, with a bit of remorse, ended up sharing it with coworkers.

I will definitely be making chocolate babka again in the future and came out of this experience with more confidence in yeast breads, proud of my diligence to complete the challenge in March, and damn proud of the end result when never having tasted chocolate babka before.

How ’bout you, have you ever made chocolate babka before? What was your experience?

 

Getting Juiced! Balance Green Juice Recipe & Juicing Tips

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Today I’m sharing my Balance Green Juice recipe along with a few juicing tips including organic vs. conventional produce & how to store fresh juice.

Balance Green Juice

I used to juice all the time at home but just fell out of habit got lazy. Juicing took a lot of planning, washing, and cleaning. And in order to have fresh juice while reaping its benefits, it was something that had to be done every few days. So yea, I got lazy and started buying my juices.

But, since it’s now the New Year, and we’re doing all the healthy things, I thought I’d pick up the habit again. And, since buying cold-pressed juice at the store can get quite expensive, I’m back to making it at home on the regular.

Last year, I did dry January and after 30-days of no alcohol saw great results. Read all about it here! I’m doing it again this year and hoping juice will help fill the void.

I make a few different juices at home but my all-time favorite is what I’ve named my Balance Green Juice which is a mix of apple, orange, cucumber, ginger, lemon, kale, and parsley.

Fun fact, a few years ago I submitted my juice recipe to Austin’s Daily Juice contest and won! You can actually find a similar juice mix on their menu — also named Balance!

Below I’m sharing the recipe for my Balance Green Juice but before we head into that, here are a few of my at-home juicing tips!

You don’t have to choose organic.

It’s important to purchase quality produce when juicing but it doesn’t have to be organic — especially if you want to juice at home to save money.  If this is the case, then choosing conventional produce over organic is easier on the wallet and just as good.

Yes, I know, not choosing organic for juicing is a controversial statement but here’s the cliff notes version behind why: unless you have a ridiculously expensive commercial grade juicer,  probably oxidizes the fruit & vegetable juice when pressed which in turn kills the pesticides on the produce.

Unfortunately, the oxidization also kills a portion of the nutrients (which is unavoidable with most juicers) which means all the money you spent on organic wasn’t really worth it for your health (though kudos for organic because it IS still worth it for the environmental impact).

Also, organic produce still gets exposed to pesticides, chemicals, and germs during its journey from the farm to your table so…….it’s your choice boo! You do you (or what your wallet can afford).

To clarify, I’m only saying conventional vs. organic is okay for health benefits when juicing; the impact organic has on the environment is a whole other conversation and the environment may be an influence on your decision to choose organic over conventional.

Wash your produce before juicing.

I highly suggest washing your produce before juicing.  Even if it’s just a quick rinse under the water, that’s better than nothing. Personally, I use a produce wash on all my produce (yes, oranges and lemons included even though I dispose of the peels).  Washing your produce will remove any chemicals and bacteria it might have picked up along its travel from the field to your house.

I like to use this for all produce when juicing or cooking. I simply spray my produce with the Veggie Wash, give it a quick scrub with my hands then rinse it under water and dry it offer before prepping.

Since you’re drinking the juice raw and unpasteurized, washing the produce is at least a step in the right director towards preventing harmful bacteria growth after making your juice.

Prep your produce then juice.

Make it easy on yourself and prep all of your produce before you start juicing.  For me, I like to remove all the peels from citrus, trim root ends from carrots & beets, trim the dead ends from greens, and cut my ginger into 1-inch pieces and peel away the skin.

By prepping my produce in advance, I can streamline my juicing process and keep my work space nice and clean.

Utilize mason jars.

I’m all about when juicing. The pint jars are the prefect size for a serving of juice (16 ounces).  I also love that the tops seal on tightly which means I reduce oxygen exposure after juicing (which preserves nutrients) and I’m able to toss the mason jars in my bag without fear of bright green or orange juice leaking and staining my goods.

Drink the juice within 2-days

You might read that you have to drink your fresh-pressed juice immediately but that’s a bunch of crap or at least a little bit of crap. Yes, you may lose some of the nutrients within 48-hours and yes, there is concern about bacteria growing in the juice since it hasn’t been pasteurized but if you’ve washed your produce and used a clean juicer & jar to house it, your juice should be safe for up to 48-hours.

So my recommendation is to make your juice, refrigerate it immediately and be sure to consume it within 2 days to ensure it’s safe to drink while getting the most benefits out of it!

Now for my favorite juice recipe! The ingredients below are enough to make two 16-ounces juices.

Looking for more healthy recipes or habits? Check out my collagen gummies & healthy skin practices!

Beginner Juicing Tips & My Balance Green Juice Recipe
 
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Beginner Juicing Tips & My Balance Green Juice Recipe Author: Alyssa Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 25 mins Serves: 32 ounces
Author:
Serves: 32 ounces
Ingredients
  • 1 medium green apple cut in half
  • 1 large naval orange cut in half
  • 1 medium-sized cucumber cut in half
  • 1 lemon, peel removed
  • two 1-inch pieces of fresh ginger, peeled
  • 4-cups of greens like kale or spinach, packed
  • ½ cup of parsley, packed
Instructions
  1. After washing, drying, and prepping your produce you are ready to begin juicing.
  2. Start with the apple followed by the orange and cucumber.
  3. Next juice the lemon and ginger.
  4. Finish with the greens and parsley.
  5. If you want your juice a little sweeter, add an extra apple half.
  6. If you prefer it more tart or spicier, add extra lemon or ginger.
  7. If you want more greens, reduce the apple and orange by half and increase your greens.