Her Modern Kitchen

Eating & Living in Austin, Texas

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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
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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

 

My Milk Bar Blunder: Chocolate-Chocolate Cookies

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When you rush through a recipe, you might just end up making it wrong. Or in my case, make a completely different recipe all together which is how I unintentionally baked Milk Bar’s Chocolate-Chocolate cookies.

I had every intent on making the Milk Bar Compost Cookies as my final Milk Bar recipe but I accidentally made these Chocolate-Chocolate cookies instead, which means, I’ll still have one final Milk Bar recipe to share at a later date.

But for now, let this be a lesson in reading the recipe.

As I was saying, I fully intended on making Compost Cookies a few Sundays ago. I skimmed the recipe ingredients, made my grocery list and headed off to buy everything I needed to make these cookies — butterscotch chips, pretzels, potato chips.  And upon returning home I got to work making my compost cookies.

Milk Bar Chocolate Chocolate Cookies Cooling Bite

Except, as I skimmed through the recipe one more time, I noticed a call out for graham cracker crumbs. I hurriedly read a little further into the recipe and realized that in order to make the Compost Cookies, I first had to make the Milk Bar Graham Cracker crumbs.

And on top of that, I didn’t have any graham crackers for the Milk Bar Graham Cracker crumb recipe so I hauled myself out to the grocery store one more time to grab a box of graham crackers.

I came home, hurriedly swiped to the graham cracker crumb recipe (swiped because I was using the ) and knocked out the required graham cracker crumbs.  I quickly swapped back to the Compost Cookie recipe and began mixing.

Crack Pie Side Slice View

Other Milk Bar Adventures: Crack Pie

Milk Bar Birthday Cake Holding

Other Milk Bar Adventures: Birthday Cake

In went the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, melted chocolate….

And it’s here where I should have paused..

As I added the melted chocolate something in the back of my mind though ‘Wait, there wasn’t any melted chocolate in the Compost Cookies’ but I brushed it away and continued onward.

I added in the flour, the salt, and baking powder and then read ‘add the chocolate cookies crumbs’

Again, everything came to a halt and I thought ‘Chocolate cookie crumbs? What? I made GRAHAM CRACKER CRUMBS? What the heck are chocolate cookies crumbs?’

And that’s when I swiped to the beginning of my recipe and saw that in my hurry to make the Compost Cookies after baking the graham cracker crumbs, I accidentally opened the wrong cookie recipe.

I was about 90% of the way through making Milk Bar’s Chocolate-Chocolate cookies so I hit pause. Knocked out MORE cookie crumbs, this time chocolate, and finished the batch of cookies.

Milk Bar Chocolate Chocolate Cookies Cooling

Milk Bar Chocolate Chocolate Cookies Cooling 2

So what was the end result?  A salty, chocolate cookie that I was gloriously unimpressed with.

To be honest, Christina Tosi does note that these cookies are salt-forward but for me, they were too heavily salted resulting in an unenjoyable cookie.  However, I do have leftover chocolate cookie crumbs that are delicious a top vanilla ice cream — one of the perks from my Milk Bar blunder!

The other perk — at least the graham cracker crumbs can be frozen and are now ready-to go the next time I’m inspired to make Milk Bar’s Compost Cookies.

Have you ever had as similar experience where you missed ingredients or made the wrong recipe? I’d love to hear about it just so my own ego doesn’t feel quite as bruised.

Celebrate America with a Patriotic Red, White & Blue Cake

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This Patriotic Red, White & Blue cake is perfect for upcoming 4th of July celebrations. It’s a show-stopper of a cake with the vibrant red and blue layers striped with a tangy cream cheese frosting.

Patriotic Red, White & Blue Cake 2

I really enjoyed the process of making the Milk Bar Birthday Cake and chose to use the same technique for my Patriotic Red, White & Blue Cake.  However, I wasn’t a fan of the overall Milke Bar Birthday Cake flavor.  It was much too sweet for my liking and although I do enjoy baked goods with a hint of salt, the salt in the cake, again, was more than I preferred.

Patriotic Red, White & Blue Cake Portrait

Patriotic Red, White & Blue Cake . Top

Since the Milk Bar Birthday Cake assembly process is fun, easy, and creates a stunning cake, I used the same technique to create my Patriotic Red, White & Blue cake. My recipe modifications resulted in a cake that’s less sweet when compared to the traditional Milk Bar recipe. The cake also has less of a salty finish and overall, it’s easier to make.

Although I enjoyed the multi-layer texture of the Milk Bar Birthday Cake, it required a lot of time to make — cake, frosting, crumbs, milk soak.  The Patriotic Red, White, and Blue cake has fewer components (no soak or crumbs) which make it easier to bake and assemble because I’m all about saving time and dishes!

Stella with Cake

Alyssa with Cake

Rather than getting too fancy with the Patriotic Red, White & Blue Cake decorations, I chose to keep things simple on top with a few dollops of vanilla buttercream, a light dusting of , and a few shimmery to mimick fireworks on the 4th of July!

Here’s to celebrating America with cake, friends, and fun. Happy 4th of July, y’all! 

5.0 from 6 reviews
Patriotic Red, White & Blue Cake
 
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Ingredients
  • ½ unsalted butter, softened
  • ⅔ cup shortening, like Crisco
  • 2½ cups granulated sugar
  • 36 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • ⅔ cup vegetable oil
  • 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4cups cake flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 quarte sheet pans with non-stick cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  4. Cream together the butter, shortening, and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 2-3 minutes.
  5. Add the eggs, and mix on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes.
  6. On low speed, gradually pour in the milk mixture.
  7. Increase the speed and combine on medium-high for 2-3 minutes until fully emulsified.
  8. On low speed, add the flour mixture and mix just until the batter comes together.
  9. Split the cake batter into two bowls (use a scale to ensure even measurement).
  10. To one bowl, add 4-6 drops red food coloring and gently stir until fully distributed.
  11. To the other bowl, add 4-6 drops blue food coloring and mix until combined.
  12. Pour each cake batter into the prepared quarter sheet pans.
  13. Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes.
  14. Let cool completely before removing from pan.

5.0 from 6 reviews
Cream Cheese Frosting
 
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Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup vegetable shortening
  • 2 ounces whipped cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoons corn syrup
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2¼ cups powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Pinch baking powder
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the corn syrup and vanilla extract.
  2. Cream together the butter, shortening and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth.
  3. With the mixer on its lowest speed, pour in the corn syrup mixture and beat for 2 minutes until glossy.
  4. Add the powdered sugar, salt, baking powder and mix until smooth.

5.0 from 6 reviews
Buttercream Frosting
 
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Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup vegetable shortening, like Crisco
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon meringue powder
  • 2-3 cups powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons whole milk
  • pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Cream together the butter, shortening, vanilla extract and meringue powder in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth.
  2. With the mixer on its lowest speed, add in 1 cup of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons milk and mix until combined.
  3. Add in an additional cup of powdered sugar and salt and mix until combined.
  4. Depending on the consistency add in more sugar or milk until mixture becomes a stiff buttercream for piping.

5.0 from 6 reviews
Patriotic Red, White & Blue Cake Assembly
 
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Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 1 red quarter sheet cake
  • 1 red quarter sheet blue cake
  • 1 recipe cream cheese frosting
  • 1 recipe buttercream frosting
  • patriotic sprinkles
  • gold star toppers
  • 2 strips of acetate, each 3 inches wide x 18 inches long
  • 1 6-inch cake cutter
Instructions
  1. Using a 6-inch cake cutter cut two 6-inch cakes out of each of colored cakes (for a total of 4 round cakes).
  2. Set cut cakes aside for asseembly and discard the remaining cake or save for making cake balls.
  3. On a cake plate or stand, spread a tablespoon of cream cheese frosting and place the 6-inch cake cutter into the center of the cake stand, centering it around the cream cheese frosting. Line the inside of the cake ring with the first strip of acetate.
  4. Layer 1: Place one blue cake into the cake cutter/acetate. Using a spatula, spread one-third of the cream cheese frosting in an even layer over the blue cake.
  5. Layer 2: Carefully tuck the second strip of acetate between the cake ring and the top ¼ inch of the first strip of acetate, so that you have a clear ring of acetate 5 to 6 inches tall. Set one of the red cakes on to the frosting and layer half of the remaining cream cheese frosting onto the red cake in an even layer.
  6. Layer 3 & 4: Place the second blue cake onto the frosting. Spread the remaining cream cheese frosting in an even layer onto the blue cake and top with the remaining red cake (you do not frost the top of the red cake just yet).
  7. Transfer the undecorated cake to the freezer and freeze for at least 8 hours.
  8. At least 2 hours before you are ready to serve the cake, remove the cake from the freezer and let it thaw for 10-15 minutes. Gently remove the cake ring and acetate from the cake by carefully pulling the ring upwards.
  9. Place the buttercream frosting into a piping bag with a 1M star tip.
  10. Decorate the top of the cake using the buttercream frosting by making large star-shaped dollops of frosting on top of the cake.
  11. Complete the cake deocrations by adding the patriotic sprinkles and 8-9 gold star toppers to the center of the cake
  12. Let the cake defrost completely before serving.

 

My Obsession with Milk Bar Continues: Crack Pie

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My Milk Bar baking saga continues as I bake and review Milk Bar’s famous Crack Pie, a pop-culture phenomenon and an addictive, cult favorite dessert.

Crack Pie

I have no idea why I’m so into making Milk Bar recipes. Maybe it’s because of all the hype around the dessert spot with the release of and her feature on Chef’s Table: Pastry.  As a result, Milk Bar’s creations have become a pop-culture phenomenon.

And I guess, as the cult-like obsession grew, my curiosity about the desserts grew as well.

Check out my Milk Bar’s Birthday Cake review here.

What I really wanted to know was are Milk Bar desserts REALLY that good? If words like ‘Crack Pie’ and ‘Milk Bar’ are terms most of the foodie culture easily recognizes then ‘d expect the desserts to be damn delicious.

Crack Pie 2

And for me, damn delicious means ‘This is the best freakin’ thing I’ve ever tasted. I crave this food every single day. And I cannot stop shoving my face with it.’

Basically, all self-control should be lost.

And, if you watched Chef’s Table when Christina Tosi talks about the naming of her infamous Crack Pie, her colleagues coined the dessert CRACK PIE because it’s supposed to be addicting — thus, losing all self-control.

So, I just had to make it myself and find out.

Crack Pie Sliced

I followed the original Crack Pie recipe posted on Milk Bar’s website which actually results in TWO pies.

Though, I’m not really sure why this recipe can’t be split in half and why we need a recipe that results in two pies. Maybe it’s because Christina Tosi believed the pie was so damn delicious and if you make one and finish it took quickly, you’re going to be happy you now have a second one.

Fun fact though, you can freeze the second pie for months before actually eating it so really, having two is quite convenient!

I followed the recipe for Crack Pie pretty much exactly. The only modification I made was for the 1/4 cup of corn powder the filling required.

Crack Pie Whole

I wasn’t 100% sure what corn powder was but I made an educated guess that it was super fine cornmeal (corn flour) so I took a leap of faith, poured some cornmeal into the coffee bean grinder and spun the hell out of it until I had a 1/4 cup of light, airy corn powder.

Or, if you want, you can also order the genuine Milk Bar corn powder online. You decide. (My way’s cheaper.)

The recipe overall is pretty easy to make but it was much more time consuming that I had anticipated since there’s quite a few baking, cooling, and waiting steps.

  • First you have to bake the oatmeal cookie crust and let it cool
  • Then you have to make the crust and form it into the molds
  • Then you have to make the filling
  • Then you have to bake the pies for 15 minutes
  • Then you have to open the oven door and drop the temp by 25 degrees and bake the pies for an additional 5 minutes at the new, lower temperature

This is the part in the recipe where I was required to again improvise a bit. The recipe says the ‘pies should still be jiggly in the bull’s-eye center but not around the outer edges.’ However, I found that my pies were WAY jiggly all over so I kept them in for another 5 minutes. After checking it here, I noticed the tops getting pretty brown but they were still jiggly all over so I simply turned the oven off, shut the door, and let the pies sit in the heat for another 5 minutes before considering them done enough.

  • After you remove the pies from the oven and let them cool you then have to FREEZE the pies for at least 3 hours but overnight is best

Seriously, I don’t know what it is with Christina Tosi and freezing her desserts, the Birthday Cake had the same requirement. Sometimes you just want a sugar-rush and you don’t want to have to wait ‘3-hours or overnight is best’ #endrant

  • Then you have to remove it from the freezer and let it defrost for at least an hour, dust it with some powdered sugar, THEN  you can eat it

Crack Pie Side Slice View

So here’s my advice when making this pie —

  • Plan ahead. Make it at least a day in advance
  • If you have to bake it a bit more to get the filling to set up, you should cover the top with foil to keep the top from browning too much

Now, to be honest, I only had a sliver of this pie because I knew it was very rich in butter, sugar, and cream. And, on first bite, I wasn’t very impressed. I thought it was fine. But by the end of my little sliver, I could honestly say that it was pretty good!

Did it fit my DAMN DELICIOUS definition? No. Because I very easily gave the rest of the pie away. However, others who enjoyed my pies sent me the following reviews:

‘So delicious, just as good as Milk Bar’s itself’

‘O-M-G That may be the best thing I have ever had in my life’

‘OMG BABE! SOOOOOO [bad word here] GOOD’ <<<3M, obviously

And when I put it up for grabs at the office, it was gone in less than 5 minutes. Though, I think it was the Crack Pie’s pop-culture phenomenon that helped it along.

But, you be the judge.

Crack Pie

Anyways, my final opinion is I probably wouldn’t make this pie again unless someone asked for it. In fact, I think it’s kind of a play of the traditional Southern Buttermilk Pie, if you’re familiar. I do however, have one more recipe on my Milk Bar bucket list, the Compost Cookies. I’m a cookie fan, so I’m hoping this is the winner.

What’s your thoughts? Have you had Milk Bar’s Crack Pie? Was it addicting or were you underwhelmed as I was?

Celebrating 31 Years with Momofuku Milk Bar Birthday Cake

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In celebration of feeling young and not put together, I made myself the ultimate birthday cake, the Momofoku Milk Bar Birthday Cake. It just SCREAMS happy birthday, probably because it’s loaded with sprinkles and I loved the idea of making my own birthday cake to share with others.

Milk Bar Birthday Cake Holding

Today’s my birthday. The big 31. Is that big? I honestly don’t feel that much different than when I was 25, or 18 as a matter of fact. Maybe my life is a little bit more together but in reality, I still kind of feel like a kid who’s trying to figure it all out.

Milk Bar Birthday Cake Close-Up

Do you remember when you were a freshman in high school and you passed a senior in the hallway, and you were like ‘OMG, they’re so old and mature…and cool?!’ (No, just me? ) Well, all my life I’ve felt like I’d hit a certain age and be like NOW I’m an adult, I’ve made! I. Am. Mature.

Milk Bar Birthday Cake Portrait

But in reality, I AM an adult but I still feel like a kid. I’m still trying to figure everything out, learning, growing, exploring….

I think that’s a good thing though, right?

Milk Bar Birthday Cake Portrait 2

Thinking about it, I never want to get to the point in my life where it feels like ‘Now I know everything! I have nothing left to learn.’

I think that’s what’s awesome about growing up — I’m old(er) but still feel young and curious. And I’m totally okay that my life is ‘together’ but definitely NOT together all at the same time.

In celebration of feeling young and not put together, I made myself the ultimate birthday cake which in my mind, is the Momofoku Milk Bar Birthday Cake. I’ve never had this cake but to me, it just SCREAMS happy birthday, probably because it’s loaded with sprinkles. And I realllllyyy love sprinkles.

I found the original Milk Bar Birthday Cake recipe online and made it exactly as written.  The Milk Bar Birthday Cake has 4 key elements

Funfetti Cake, and not just any Funfetti Cake. It’s seriously the BEST funfetti cake you’ll ever taste so don’t even think about subbing a box mix here. Nothing beats homemade, from scratch cake.

Milk Bar Birthday Cake Stacked

Vanilla Birthday Cake Milk soak, or as I lovingly refer to, cereal milk.  Really it’s just milk & vanilla extract mixed together but it’s still delicious and it’s key to creating a moist cake.

Vanilla Birthday Cake frosting that’s decadently creamy with a hint of tang from cream cheese.

Milk Bar Birthday Cake Frosted

The Birthday Cake Cookie Crumb which tastes like crunchy cookie bits with a sweet, vanilla buttery taste, and sprinkles, obviously.

Milk Bar Birthday Cake Cookie Crumbs

Once you layer all of these sweet birthday cake flavored creations together, you freeze the Milk Bar Birthday Cake for at least 12 hours. I’m pretty sure this is done to help the vanilla-y, sugary, sprinkle flavors marinate (because cakes need to marinate, right?) and everything becomes ridiculously intense.

Milk Bar Birthday Cake Ready for freezer

After that, it’s time to celebrate! Sing! Slice! Eat!

Milk Bar Birthday Cake Portrait 2

I’m pretty sure I’m going have to make the Milk Bar Birthday Cake part of my regular birthday celebrations until forever. Or at least until I’m too old to do the dishes. 

Milk Bar Birthday Cake Holding

Have you ever tried the Milk Bar Birthday Cake? How do you celebrate your birthday?