Kitchen Adventures 6.1

I can't believe it's been six months since I started posting my recipes and sharing how food ties into my life! I recently looked back at all of them, and there were almost thirty recipes! I've been a busy baker! Coincidentally, my maternal grandmother's maiden name was Baker. Ironic, no? :)

This post's entry is courtesy of the Carl Albert Center bake-off contest. This contest has been going on for the past six weeks or so between people in the Archives office. I was an honorary member as I used to be a student worker and GA there. And, conveniently for me, I just moved up a floor so I can easily participate. Everyone has contributed some wonderful baked goods. I'm sure they are ready for me to stop popping in to see if they have food for me, but the contest is almost up, so no worries there.

This is a recipe I got from a friend from college. I saw that she had posted a status update on Facebook regarding this delicious-sounding recipe, and I mentioned how good they sounded. Well, she sent it to me! I'm very grateful for that, and that small move pretty much made my day when I received it. I love getting recipes that other people love as it gives it a bit more credence in my mind. The only stipulation was that I change the recipe just a bit from the original wording and credit it to the proper person, which I can totally do. I received the recipe from Danielle Leivian and she received it from another blog. My switch is the muffin size--originally it was mini muffins, but with no mini muffin pan I made regular-size muffins. Also, I used a new silicone pan I got from an estate sale for one batch and a regular metal pan for another. I also ended up being 1/4 c. short on molasses sadly, but forgot to add in more liquids to compensate for that with the first batch I baked. The second ones were a little better as I had added a bit more milk. Leaving out part of the molasses works if you are making them for people that are not big fans of gingerbread as it makes it a little less overpowering.

Gingerbread Muffins

Ingredients:
1 c. dark brown sugar
2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg (you could use closer to 1/2 if you prefer)
1 egg
1/2 c. of molasses
1 c. buttermilk (or add 1 T. vinegar to 1 c. milk and let sit for 10 minutes)
1/2 c. melted butter.

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the dry ingredients in one larger bowl.
3. Mix wet ingredients in a smaller bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just blended.
5. Spray each muffin cup and fill 3/4 full with batter.
6 Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

I liked these, but I think I need to make them again with the proper amount of molasses. Still tasty, though!