After I’ve gone through a magazine, there are always tabs left; paper reminders of recipes that I didn’t have time to get to. They hang around in the recesses of my mind, whispering ‘hello’ once in a while. It’s because of this that I’ve created Turn Back Time Tuesday. It’s a chance to go pull out an old magazine and make one of those recipes that doesn’t deserve to be forgotten. Care to join me?
Last night Hubby made the mistake of teasing me about the fact that I bought another bag of sugar. The moment the words came out of his mouth, I could see him wishing he could take them back. He knows what happens next.
Reality check.
In this case, reality checks take the form of a family trip to the grocery store. Once there, two things happen. First, he is responsible for Dudette. He gets to hear the constant requests for that something she just has to have. He gets to explain to her that the little pieces of Cinnamon Toast Crunch will not come alive and eat each other in her bowl so no, we’re not buying a box. He gets to say no, and no, and no.
The second thing that happens is that Hubby gets to put things in the cart. Like milk. A gallon of milk that costs a good bit more than a gallon of gas. And breakfast goodies. Pop Tarts. More expensive than my bag of sugar and with words in the ingredients that we can’t pronounce.
And meat. Wow, we should be vegetarians. Hubby read an article recently that said that meat prices were bottoming out because ranchers have had to kill their stock since there’s been too little rain, resulting in not enough feed/grass to maintain them.
He gets to see the prices, which helps him understand that the only ones benefiting from the glut of beef and pork are the grocery store chains because they’re definitely not passing the savings on down to us. So, we buy a single package of ground beef. With a little kitchen magic, it will become spaghetti one night and shepherd’s pie another.
So, Hubby helps me put the bags of flour and sugar in the cart and understands that in all ways this is a good thing. We are saving money and he gets Coffee Cake Muffins, which cost .20 cents each.
The Process
This may be the first time I’ve done the combine dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in another and then unite the two thing without putting the sugar with the wet ingredients. I know it’s a strange thing to have stick out to me, but it does.
All in all, it’s easy enough to mix this together, spoon it into muffin cups, add the topping and bake it.
The Verdict
You might want to make yourself a cup of coffee so you can have one (or two) of these. They’re delicious. The coffee flavor shines through enough that Dudette wanted nothing to do with them, but for adults, they’re perfect. The jam was good, but the flavor was lost in the coffee. I don’t know that a filling is even necessary. If you’re thinking yes, a dab or chocolate, caramel or cream cheese would work. I’m easy and could just as well go without.
In any event, these will go in a freezer bag and Hubby can pull one out every evening that he wants one the next morning on his way to work.
What I’d Do Different Next Time
I’d leave out the jam filling altogether. But if including it, I think apricots need almonds. I’d swap out the chopped walnuts for slivered almonds. Or, I’d go with strawberry jam and walnuts. Or one of the fillings mentioned above. The sky’s the limit.
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup strong brewed coffee
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup apricot preserves
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons cold butter
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the coffee, oil and egg. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
- Fill paper-lined muffin cups half full. Drop 1 teaspoon preserves into center of each muffin; cover with remaining batter. In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in walnuts. Sprinkle over tops.
- Bake at 400° for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm. Yield: 1 dozen.
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I think it would probably taste good and without jam. Or just to have some jam with a baked muffin.