Cassava Flour Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins - #MuffinMonday

This is a difficult post to write because this marks the last Muffin Monday (for now?). I barely baked this year due to a host of issues (oven, life, work, oven, gluten), but I am still extremely sad the monthly posts must end. Bundt Bakers, Bread Bakers, and Muffin Monday hold a very special place in my heart. I joined Bundt Bakers and later Bread Bakers and Muffin Monday at a very low point in my life. The groups gave me something to look forward to. I learned so much about baking thanks to them. 

In August, I realised that I was gluten and corn-sensitive. I don't live in a very "gluten-sensitivity-aware" area, so it has been quite an experience. "But it's whole wheat, whole wheat is healthy." Ah, no. Not how that works. I managed to find some Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour, but I haven't tested it yet. What I have been playing with, however, is cassava flour. Cassava is very popular in Jamaica. We typically boil it. There's also a flatbread called bammy that's made from the grated root. Bammy can be traced back to our indigenous people - Arawaks/Tainos - the times before wheat was introduced.

Using cassava flour, however, is very new. I was delighted to find out that it just might work as a great substitute in baking, and some very chocolatey muffins felt like the best way to test that.  

IT WORKED! 

The cassava flour worked so so well. I was extremely impressed. Just look at the crumb! You can't tell there's no wheat flour. The texture is a liiiiittle drier. But that's about the only difference.  

For any Jamaicans reading this, I used the Gold Seal brand, so I can only vouch for that. The recipe comes from A Saucy Kitchen, who adapted it from Sally's Baking Addiction. I can't wait to do my own experiments. 

Well, this is it. Time to close out this chapter of Muffin Monday. Thank you, Stacy, for hosting us all these years! It has been an amazing ride. Scroll down to see how the other bakers are closing out this chapter of Muffin Monday. 

Cassava Flour Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup cassava flour (180g)

1 cup sugar (I used brown sugar)

1/2 cup cocoa powder 

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

1 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

Line muffin pan with liners or grease well. Preheat oven to 425 F.

Whisk cassava flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together. In another bowl, whisk eggs, yogurt, oil, milk, and vanilla. 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently stir until just combined. Next, stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop into the muffin wells, filling each to the top. 

Bake for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 F. Bake for another 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. 

• Banana Buttermilk Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Blueberry Streusel Muffins from A Messy Kitchen
• Caramelized Pear Gingerbread Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Cardamom Cinnamon Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cassava Flour Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Maple French Toast Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Wheaties Muffins from Palatable Pastime

 

 #MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page

Bao Buns | #BreadBakers

I fully planned on shying away from Asian steamed bread for this month's "Steamed Breads" theme. I've tried doing them before, and it has always been a relatively hot mess. I had mentioned what I was doing to a friend, and she immediately vetoed my first choice of steaming bread in a Bundt pan. 

So here I am, outside of my comfort zone, doing something Asian. But you know what? It wasn't a hot mess. Apparently, using an actual steamer makes all the difference. Who would have guessed? 

So step out of your comfort zone with me and try all the steamed breads that the Bread Bakers are making this month. Thanks, Sneha, for hosting!

Bao Buns

Yield: 16 buns

Ingredients 

320g flour 

20g cornstarch 

12g sugar 

3g salt 

3g yeast

110g milk 

80g water 

22g oil plus additional oil for brushing 

Directions 

Whisk flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and yeast. Add milk, water, and oil. Mix together until it starts to form a cohesive dough then knead for approximately 5 minutes. Dough should be soft and smooth but not sticky. 

Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature until doubled. 

Cut a piece of parchment that fits into your steamer. 

When the dough is ready, divide it into two equal halves. I have a single-layer steamer and couldn't steam all of my buns at once, so I worked with half of the dough at a time. If you have a single layer, place one half in the fridge while you work. This stops it from overproofing. 

Divide the dough into 8 equal balls. Roll each ball into a 5" circle, brush it with dough, and then fold it in half. Place the folded dough on the parchment. Repeat with each ball. 

Cover and let proof for 20 minutes. 

While the dough is proofing, fill your steamer with water to about 2 inches from the top. Bring to a boil. After it starts boiling, reduce to a simmer.

When the dough is ready, cut the parchment into pieces around the bao. This is a great method to ensure you only roll out exactly what will fit in your steamer. 

Remove the lid from the steamer, dry it, and then wrap it with a towel or paper towel. I used a paper towel. Place each bao and its parchment into the steamer and cover. 

Cook for 10 minutes, then turn the heat off and let the bao sit for 10 minutes covered. Remove from heat and serve. 

Notes

• Recipe from Breadtopia.

• Bao Buns from Passion Kneaded
• Dessert Bao (Chocolate Steamed Buns) from A Messy Kitchen
• Keto Chinese Steamed Buns from Sneha's Recipe
• Paczki na Parze (Polish Steamed Donuts) from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Buns {Sheng Jian Bao) from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Steamed Cranberry Pecan Honey Bread from Food Lust People Love

Banana Cream Cheese Muffins - #MuffinMonday

These muffins are accidentally eggless. I fully planned on using one of the banana muffin bases I typically use and then topping it with a cream cheese mixture which also needed an egg yolk. As I fell asleep the night before I planned to bake, I remembered that I had forgotten to buy eggs. I could have quickly run to the supermarket that's half a mile away, but I hate few things more than leaving my house. Eggless banana muffins would have to suffice. And suffice, they did. These muffins are soft, moist, and absolutely delicious!! It's hard to eat just one, so I stopped counting after I ate two. I don't need that negativity in my life. 

Be sure to scroll down to see what other muffins the #MuffinMonday bakers have for you today!

Banana Cream Cheese Muffins

Yield: ~ 10 muffins

Ingredients 

Muffin

1 1/2 cups flour 

2 teapoons baking powder 

2 teaspoons mixed spice  (see notes)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas

1/2 cup brown sugar 

1/3 cup oil 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Topping 

3 oz cream cheese 

2 tablespoons sugar 

splash of vanilla 

enough milk to make it "swirlable"

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or line a muffin pan. 

Whisk the flour, baking powder, mixed spice, baking soda, and salt. 

Mash the banana with sugar until there are few lumps. Stir in oil and vanilla. 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Gently fold until just combined. 

Mix together the topping ingredients. 

Portion the muffin mixture into the prepared muffin wells. Then add a scant tablespoon of cream cheese to each muffin. Gently swirl the cream cheese in. 

Bake for 15 - 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. 

Clean. Hide from your family. Enjoy

Notes

• Eggless Banana Muffin adapted from The Conscious Plant Kitchen.
• Mixed spice is similar to pumpkin pie spice. In Jamaica, our most popular brand has pimento, cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, and orange peel. It's especially popular around Christimas time when it's heartily used in our fruit cakes. Here's a homemade mix from Ackee Adventures.

   

• ABC Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Banana Cream Cheese Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Panettone Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Raspberry Muffins from A Messy Kitchen
• Roasted Strawberry Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Strawberry Ricotta Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.