Dairy-Free Blueberry Muffins:

So it seems that Miles, the little guy I take care of each day, is allergic to cow's milk protein. Since he breastfeeds, that means his mama is off dairy.
She is not very thrilled about this recent development.
I'm doing what I can to help make the transition a little easier by showing her that dairy-free treats are often just as good, if not better, than their milky counterparts.
First, I got her hooked on soy chai lattes. MMMMM!!
Second, I baked her these:

Dairy-Free Blueberry Muffins:

Ingredients:
3 cups of all-purpose flour (i used whole wheat, which makes for a thicker set, but if you want fluffy and light, use all-purpose!))
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tbsp unsalted milk-free margarine, softened
5 tbsp natural applesauce
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup soy yogurt (i used strawberry! mmm! i was also a little short, so i made up the difference in soy milk.)
1 tspn lemon or orange zest (i used orange.)
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 tbsp flour (if using defrosted frozen berries)

Directions:
1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle-lower part of the oven. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together, beating until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each one. Beat in the zest.

4. Mix in 1/3 of dry ingredients. Mix in 1/2 of yogurt. Repeat until all ingredients are just incorporated- Do not over beat! Fold in the berries.
*If you are using frozen berries (like i did), defrost them first, drain the excess liquid, and then coat them in a light dusting of flour.

5. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin. Fill cups about 2/3 full. Bake until muffins are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Test with a toothpick to make sure the center of the muffins are done. Set on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin and serve slightly warm.

Camera battery is dead and i don't have the energy to find the charger today, so you will just have to trust that these muffins are delicious and beautiful.

Now baby, mama, and nanny are all happy! Hooray!




In other news, it's a crazy snowy blizzard out there. Blegh.

Good Luck Muffins

I almost forgot to mention a very crucial detail in the whole new job ordeal.


I brought muffins to my interview.
AMAZING muffins!

I hereby dub these muffins
DomestiKatie's Good Luck Muffins: aka Whole Wheat Cranberry Orange Muffins
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon margarine or butter, melted
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 lightly beaten eggs
1 cup dried or fresh cranberries, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, combine the margarine or butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, and orange zest.
4. In another large bowl, mix the orange juice, applesauce, eggs, and cranberries, if desired. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
5. Evenly divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle each muffin with the sugar-cinnamon mixture.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before serving.

*A tip I learned from Howtoeatacupcake: add half of the cranberries to half of the orange juice and microwave until hot. drain off the OJ, and puree the cranberries a little bit, then add to the mixture. It adds little extra bright flavor to the batter!

The cupcakes turned out amazing, especially the brown sugar cinnamon crumble on top!


I wish I had taken a picture of these, but they went wayyy too fast for me to capture them. :)