Cappuccino Muffins
Cakes 1,001 Classic Recipes From Around the World Copyright 2003
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder I goofed and only added 1 teaspoon
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
¼ cup heavy cream I used fat-free half and half
1 cup very strong cold black coffee
I also added 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder
¼ cup confectioner’s sugar, to dust
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12-cup muffin pan, or line with foil or paper baking cups. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the center. Beat the egg and cream in a small bowl. Beat the cream mixture and coffee into the dry ingredients with an electric mixer at low speed. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, filling each 2/3 cup full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the muffins on racks. Dust with the confectioner’s sugar.
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I realized when I was transcribing this recipe that I only added one teaspoon (instead of one tablespoon) of baking powder to these muffins. They were still quite fluffy, but they had funky tops. Adding baking powder to a recipe that didn't call for it, not reading recipes closely, adding the wrong amounts - earlier this week, I was messing everything up.
I immediately thought to use fat-free half and half in place of the cream for this recipe, since I had fat-free half and half and I had no cream, not thinking that I was taking out the only other fat source besides the egg yolk. At first these were sort of chewy, but I refrigerated them and the next day they were less chewy. They texture wasn't bad for having so little fat in them (and only a third of the amount of baking powder they were supposed to have). The flavor was actually really nice. I threw in some instant espresso powder just to be safe because my coffee was regular strength. The confectioner's sugar eventually sort of melted into the tops just from the moisture but the extra sweetness was still there, which is what counts. It wasn't really necessary, but it was a nice touch.
These were rather plain muffins so I couldn't help but imagine them jazzed up somehow (maybe with hazelnuts, chocolate chips, etc). I wouldn't rank these up there with full-fat muffins, but they weren't bad at all. They satisfied my craving for something sweet, yet I didn't really want to eat more than one at a time. That's perfect when I'm trying to cut back a little on the calories, like I am right now.
A Blast From the Past: Apple Oat Bran Muffins from February 2006 - another great lowfat muffin (healthier than these Cappucino Muffins).
Question of the Day: Are you a coffee drinker? Do you like coffee-flavored foods?
12 comments:
I detest coffee and so I don't make coffee flavored items. I do love muffins though.
It depends...I just recently started liking coffee. My parents use Hazelnut flavored coffee and I like that...hotel coffee, UMC coffee...nasty! I DO like coffee flavored foods,though. I actually have some instant Cappuchino packs that I was going to try to use in some kind of baked good. DO you think that would work?
ohh i love coffee. My favorite coffee-thing must be strabucks ice cream. :)
Love coffee, don't like coffee flavoured things overly much, because they are often too sweet.
Surfed on in and read some of your recipes, nice! I liked the sound of the muffins, I wish that you had liked them better. I've never been much of a coffee drinker; started a few years ago but only really tolerate it w/lots of cream & sugar or splenda! Which doesn't make me a true coffee lover. I love the smell of it and like coffee flavored things ok too. I think I need to find espresso powder though because I have several recipes that call for it.
I really like coffee and have been drinking it all my adult life. We also have coffee mid-afternoon. I'm not a big fan of foods flavored with coffee,except for French Silk ice cream. That DOES have coffee in it, doesn't it? I could be mistaken, in which case I guess the answer is no.
Sorry, forgot again. That is my comment.
Jan
I love coffee and I love coffee-flavored foods! I eat coffee ice cream, cappucino flavored soy milk, and coffee/mocha flavored cakes!
I love coffee...and isn't a Starbucks Frappacino actually a food? :-) Coffee ice cream, coffee flavored hard candy...yeah, it's all about the coffee.
The muffins look nice but...coffee?
Yuk, yuk, yuk! LOL - I am a committed tea drinker and I HATE coffee. The smell of it makes me feel sick and there is no way I can make Hubby a coffee first thing in the morning. I don't like any foods that are flavoured with cofee - mostly it is the smell that gets me. You think this is bad you ought to see me when I'm pregnant, then I can't even be in the same room as someone drinking coffee.
I drink one double-cup of decaf with artificial sugar and real cream almost every morning. That's it. But I love coffee flavored food and drinks.
yes, and yes. While DH settles for Folgers and Costco coffee, I'll drink one cup with him in the morning and then stop at Starbucks on my way to work. I enjoy coffee-flavored foods, and even found that adding coffee or espresso powder to a low-calorie chocolate recipe (muffins, pudding, etc.) intensifies the chocolate flavor. Those muffins really look good, even though they were less than what you'd hoped. Perhaps a frosting next time - try this: cream cheese, cocoa powder, coffee or espresso powder, and Splenda. No carbs, few calories, especially if you use low-fat cream cheese.
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