Dang it, Huckleberry – Blueberry Cinnamon Crumble Muffins

Gosh,  Huckleberry, why did you have to be such a dang disappointment?

You were so great in LA. Your basic building blocks are good (seeds, grains, fruit, brown sugar, crumble), so this should have worked out. But the at-home execution was a sad mess. All anyone wanted from a muffin was a domed top and crunchy crumble, and you just wouldn’t deliver.

I mean, maybe I was running too hot, and it was all my fault. One never knows with my oven these days. But still, I’m tempted to blame your sugar overload and the addition of sixteen trendy included grains. Not enough substance to hold all the goodness together.

Anyway, you still tasted like the way everyone wishes that hippie muffin from the co-op would taste, and this picture gets me every time, so

no regrets,

L

Blueberry Cinnamon Crumble Muffins

Adapted from Huckleberry

For the crumble:

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or regular)

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon raw millet

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 tablespoon flax seeds

1/2 teaspoon salt

For the muffins:

1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 tablespoons almond flour

1 tablespoon oat flour

1 tablespoon raw millet

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 tablespoon flax seeds

1 tablespoon old-fashioned oats

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a muffin tin with 12 liners.

To make the crumble, combine all ingredients and blend with your fingertips until homogenous. Set aside in the fridge.

To make the muffins, whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk the wet ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, whisking together until just combined. Fold in the blueberries.

Fill the muffin cups almost to the top, then sprinkle with the reserved crumble. Bake for 20 minutes, until the muffins are browned and spring back slightly when touched.

Favorite Shots: Wildly Abundant Life (and cheese plate)

If you like this cheese plate setup, you’ll definitely like the rest of TAPESTRY Magazine. Check them out at www.the-tapestry.com. I spent one delectable afternoon with the wind in my hair and cheese in my belly, learning about the vision for the mag and holding flowers for the camera. The whole things was such a great reminder that Jesus came to earth so that we might have ABUNDANT LIFE. He actually said that. It’s the BEST.

Lauren

P.S. I think the first ever print edition is out. You can find me within MAYBE.

Pipe Dream #340: To Mask My True Colors – Fudgy Zucchini Almond Cookies

I’ve made a lot of chocolate zucchini baked things, kind of like the rest of America making chocolate zucchini bread and only chocolate zucchini bread with the leftover squash from August.

I think Americans do the chocolate thing because it masks the green. It’s not like it has this massive zucchini flavor that needs to be fudged. If you were to make a green vanilla cake, your conditioned mind would be thinking, “This tastes like Nickelodeon slime!” So zucchini never gets baked into anything but chocolate. It’s true colors are hidden for the sake of your visual-taste-brain connection.
So bright, so right.

Almonds for texture. These babies needed the crunch because they were actually like liquid fudge, and I didn’t even underbake them. Ultra moist like these fail volcano brownies. I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE, ZUCC. I CAN TELL. “There is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” In life, and in the kitchen.

Keeping it real,

Lauren

Fudgy Zucchini Almond Cookies

Adapted from An Oregon Cottage

½ cup shredded zucchini (finely shred onto a towel to soak extra moisture while proceeding with the recipe)

⅓ cup butter

½ cup dark chocolate chips

½ cup cacao powder

⅓ cup granulated sugar

⅓ cup dark brown sugar

⅓ cup Greek yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup + 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

slivered almonds

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with Silpat.

Melt butter and chocolate chips in microwave whisking at 30-second intervals until smooth. Stir in both sugars and cocoa powder until combined. Add yogurt and vanilla. Stir in flour, soda, and salt, if using, until smooth and then add the zucchini, stirring until incorporated (mixture will be thick).

Using a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, drop onto prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle a few slivered almonds on top of each cookie. Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool on sheet for about 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.