I've been playing around with my classic bran muffin recipe, trying to combine it with a gingerbread, to make a fantastically awesome GingerBran Muffin. I developed a taste for ginger during the "morning sickness" weeks of my pregnancy, and let's just say that I developed a fondness for bran muffins, too.
I recruited my favourite Test Pig for the trials. My other Test Pig informed me flatly that she doesn't care for ginger in baked goods. Fine, then. More for me.
The first attempt was ok, but rather blah. Who knew that bran had such a strong presence? I had followed my original recipe, but then added a tsp each of cinnamon and ginger. Meh.
Batch two (three weeks later, after we ate the first batch) also had the addition of some crystallized ginger, chopped up fine. Somehow, it all sank to the bottom of the muffin cups. It added something, but not enough.
Batch three was last night's endeavour; I not only added the cinnamon, ginger, and crystallized ginger, but walnuts and about an inch of grated gingerroot. I also mixed the batter less, in hopes of keeping the chunks suspended.
The result? Not bad, I felt, but my Test Pig graded it a complete success (however, he also really enjoyed the first batch, so his opinion shouldn't be trusted) (this is also the same man that ...well, most of you have seen him eat, so enough said). With a bit of margarine or salted butter (aside: what's the point of unsalted butter? Seriously. It has no flavour.), it would be quite good, but I want something that doesn't need extra fat added.
I should mention that it's a pretty healthy muffin, with only 1/2 cup of molasses for sweetener and 2 Tbs of butter in the whole recipe. But I don't want a GingerBran muffin that's good "for being healthy". I want it to be good, period.
So, all in all, it's a qualified success. We'll freeze this batch, and next time add another 1/4 tsp of salt, and another 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and ginger, and perhaps a pinch of cloves too. And then I'll post the recipe for all to enjoy.
Except for Test Pig #2. You wouldn't like it.
DG confession:
Along the lines of the PB&J, the DG often falls short of her title.
Like last night, when, in a desperate attempt to trick the DGB (Domestic Goddess Spawn) into sleeping past 5 am, she taped two black garbage bags over his windows, creating gorgeous White Trash Curtains.
Hey, the sun is up and his room is bright at 5 am (even through the double-layered flannel curtains that the DG so lovingly crafted) and the DG has noticed that once the pooper wakes up and it's light out, he is NOT well-disposed to going back to sleep.
The DG has also noticed that she talks about herself in the third person too much.
Anyway, it seemed to work, so the DG will have to look past the hideousness until she can find the time to make an opaque (perhaps lead?) liner for the existing curtains.
1 comment:
Vinyl roller blinds. Pretty cheap at Home Depot. Not attractive, but better than garbage bags. Mounted inside the window frames they are less ugly, but do leak light around them. When covered with other curtains this light leakage is at least muted.
-T.
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