Apple and Peanut Butter Muffins

As soon as I found out that apples would be our first ingredient, I knew that I wanted to do something with peanut butter. Apples and peanut butter have been a favorite snack of mine for years. I remember the first time I had it was sitting in a friend's dorm room her freshman year of college. I wanted a snack, typical, and it was all she had available. There's something about the combination of apples and peanut butter that feels both decadent and wholesome. It's sweet and salty, crisp and creamy, and fairly guiltless...

I wanted a way to transfer those qualities into something breakfast related and portable (i.e. I can eat it in the car on the way to work without worrying about smearing peanut butter all over the steering wheel). A muffin seemed like a good bet. I used this recipe from the Pajama Chef as the starting off point- I really liked her use of the peanut butter chips instead of actual peanut butter- but I made a few tweaks based on what I did and didn't have on hand.

Apple and Peanut Butter Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour (feel free to sub out a cup for whole wheat flour, if that's your thing)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 cups diced apples (I used a mix of Fuji and Granny Smith apples, I also left the peel on because I'm lazy and who has time to peel apples?)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice (shhh... I used unsweetened apple sauce and watered it down)
• 1/3 cup coconut oil (you can use canola, instead)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup peanut butter chips (approximately)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper liners or spray with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients: flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and cinnamon.
3. Remove about 1/4 cup of the dry mix and toss with diced apples. 
4. Whisk together apple juice, coconut oil and egg. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. (The more you stir, the heavier your muffins will be. You don't want this.)
5. Fold in apples, then peanut butter chips. I liked a lot of chips in mine, adjust according to your own taste.
6. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a rack before storing.

These made 12 normal sized muffins for me. Obviously, they were best warm and straight from the oven, but they also held up well the next day. My co-workers gobbled them up. They get really moist on day two due to all the apple, so I don't think they'd be very good if you held on to them longer than that.

They're not too sweet and the apple flavor is definitely the dominant one here, but the peanut butter chips add a nice richness and slightly salty kick every other bite. I would totally make these again.

Apple and Brie Quesadillas

Sara and I both love food, we both love being in the kitchen, and we both love to read. This is our little corner of the world in which we can combine all of those loves. Each week, we'll switch turns picking an ingredient and we'll both build a recipe around it, without telling the other what we'll be making. I can't wait to see what sorts of adventures we'll find ourselves in!

Due to our geographical locations, Florida (oranges) and New York (apples), we thought it only appropriate to feature these fruits in our debut recipe sets. I'm first up with apples!

Life in the Big Apple really has nothing to do with apples, to be fair. And that's fine. I've loved apples since I was a little kid. I adore any form of the stuff. Apple juice, apple pie, apples in their natural form. I love the crunch and the sweetness and their natural ability to play with others. I really do believe that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. I'm rarely sick!

When I was first challenged with apples, I thought I'd want to make something sweet. Then I thought maybe I'd like something savory. Then I decided that I make the rules, and I wanted both. Enter the Apple Brie Quesadilla.

The idea comes from one of my favorite dishes at Stanton Social. Tart, crisp apples meet salty, savory brie. I made this on a cold afternoon a few hours before dinner and it proved to be the perfect snack.

I'm fairly certain that Granny Smith apples are used in Stanton's version. I bought a Golden Delicious by mistake, but it turned out to be a very happy accident. 

I purchased high quality brie at the gourmet market next to my apartment building. It was a bit pricey but worth every penny.

I usually like to use whole wheat tortillas but decided on white at the last minute. I think sometimes you really just have to give in.

I melted a pat of butter in the pan. Usually I just spray the heck out of it with Pam, but butter seemed like a better, purer option.

I cut the apple in half and sliced one half into the thinnest slices I could manage without a mandolin. They were uneven and sloppy, but I'm not Chris Santos so I think that's just fine. (I threw the other half back in the fridge.)

I smeared two tortillas with brie. I bought a triple cream variation, which I'd highly recommend. I think when you're using it as a spread -  the creamier, the better.

 I put one in the pan to heat up a bit before tossing a heap of apple slices on top, and finishing it off with the other tortilla.

I'm not sure how I would do this differently next time, but the apples proved to be too bulky for the quesadilla to have any cohesiveness. It wasn't the easiest thing to eat, but it sure was delicious.

I'd probably just fold one quesadilla in half if I were enjoying this by myself. But I was in a sweet mood and decided to share.

Make this. It's so easy and feels anything but. I can't wait to enjoy it for breakfast when Passover ends.

All About Teddi!

Current Location: New York, New York.

What You Should Know About Me: I lived my first 5 years in NYC without a full kitchen. Now that I have one (a BIG one, by Manhattan standards!) I'm taking full advantage. I grew up in restaurants and I love to dine out, but I now make a valiant effort to prepare my own breakfasts and lunches at least 4 days a week and make dinner 2-3 times a week. I'm a foodie with a big appetite. I don't skip meals or diet. I know you're supposed to eat to live and not the other way around, but sometimes nothing rivals a creamy pasta or a pillowy donut. My sister, parents, and I live in a 20 block radius and I'm relishing the opportunity to cook for them, as well. I love to write, read, shop, laugh, travel, and sweat. I'm high strung and hyper but I'm learning to relax. And even though I'm the apple-licious half of this duo, I was born and raised in Coral Gables and will always consider myself a Florida girl.

Favorite Foods: Bananas, berries, cheese, mushrooms, shrimp, smoked salmon, pasta, chicken, tuna tartar, ham, asparagus, grainy bread, buttery biscuits, apples, pears, olive oil gelato, chocolate chip cookies, Funfetti cake, cornichons, vanilla granola, if I don't stop now, I could go on forever.

Least Favorite Foods: Celery, peppers, steak, beef. 

I'm Allergic/Sensitive To: The law. Kidding! Nothing.

Favorite Food to Make: The Pioneer Woman's Simple Sesame Noodles and Iowa Girl Eats Parmesan-Garlic Chicken. Both are ridiculously simple and incredibly delicious.

Least Favorite Food to Make: Seafood. I love it, I just haven't quite cracked the code on how to cook it yet.

Biggest Mess in the Kitchen: Spaghetti Bolognese when I was 19. To this day I'm not sure what I did wrong, but clearly it was something because we ended up with bowls of white pasta and ground beef, but no sauce in sight. That mishap haunted me for years.

Biggest Success in the Kitchen: I haven't had it yet. I'll keep you posted.

Favorite Food/Recipe Blog(s)/Site(s): Iowa Girl Eats, Skinnytaste, The Pioneer Woman. 

Favorite Health Blog(s)/Site(s): Fitness Magazine's site, Well + Good NYC, Fitnessista.

Favorite Meal: Something savory followed by something sweet. Pasta + gelato. Sushi + fro yo. Chopped salad + cookie. 

Favorite Workout: SoulCycle. It's a spin class + a dance party in one!

Why I'm So Excited to Read Sara's Adventures: So many reasons! Sara has loved to cook for as long as I have known her, and I've always appreciated and admired her approach to food. She's adventurous and likes to try new things, but she knows the value of a simple comfort dish. She's health-conscious (like me) but loves to indulge (like me). She's married to a creative, talented chef and they both take pride not only in the food they make, but in the way it's presented.

What I'm Most Looking Forward to In This Little Journey: Surprising myself.

All About Sara!

Hi, I'm Sara! I'm the orange half of the Oranges to Apples duo. Some fun facts about me?

Current Location: Orlando, FL.

What You Should Know About Me: My husband is a professional chef. He's both my biggest fan and my biggest (constructive) critic. I grew up eating southern/Italian food and the hubs grew up eating Cuban/Brazilian. The result is that I am a pretty adventurous eater who genuinely loves food and cooking, but doesn't have a ton of time for it. I believe in investing in quality ingredients and that no one will ever make better fried chicken than my Mom. Also, in real life, I'm a librarian.

Favorite Foods: Oh god, everything. From raw oysters, medium rare steak, and sweetbreads to super fresh raspberries, dark chocolate almond milk, and spicy hummus.

Least Favorite Foods: Pretty much the only two things I really loathe are salmon and Gorgonzola cheese. Even then, the only thing I would ever flat out refuse to try again is Gorgonzola. I've tried salmon numerous times and it's just not my thing, but if someone made me dinner and that was it, I could eat it with a smile on my face. Gorgonzola on the other hand... let's just say that if you served it to me, you are no friend of mine.

I'm Allergic/Sensitive To: soy, eggplant, corn and possibly wheat. Luckily, I'm not deathly allergic to any of it, but I still avoid it as much as I can, with the exception of wheat. I think I may have been misdiagnosed with a wheat allergy as a child, since that's really common. I still try to limit how much of it I eat though.

Favorite Food to Make: My favorite food that I make myself is angel hair pasta with a tablespoon of butter, a ton of pepper, grated parmesan cheese(the real stuff, not the kind that comes pre-grated) and juice from half a lemon. Ridiculously simple, but so damn good.

Least Favorite Food to Make: Anything that involves having to temper eggs because I suck at it. Also, fish is troublesome for me. I can never tell when it's done and always end up overcooking it to be on the safe side.

Biggest Mess in the Kitchen: I have thrice attempted to make the Banana Bread from 'Wichcraft and thrice it has exploded in my oven.

Biggest Success in the Kitchen: Jaque Pepin's Crusty Chicken Thighs. Mostly because I didn't really believe that I could do it. Cold non-stick pan and all. It inspired me to try other things that I didn't think I could do, too. (Like making my own caramel for these Salted Caramel Brownies.)

Favorite Food/Recipe Blog(s)/Site(s): Smitten Kitchen, Crepes of Wrath, Inside the Kaganoff Kitchen, Ezra Pound Cake. (Clearly, I'm a sucker for a literary reference.)

Favorite Health Blog(s)/Site(s): Peanut Butter Fingers, The Chalkboard, Meals and Miles.

Favorite Meal: Red wine and charcuterie. My husband and I do this at least one Sunday a month and I love how adaptable and portable it is. Some sort of bread, really good cheese, olives, and cured meats. You can make it as simple or as fancy as you want and it doesn't leave much clean up.

Favorite Workout: The Bar Method. It's consistently engaging and challenging, it will totally change your body, and I love that I leave class feeling energized.

Why I'm So Excited to Read Teddi's Adventures: Because she says things like, "A life without cheese is no life at all". In all seriousness, Teddi is one of my favorite people to dine with because she appreciates good food just as much as I do. She also consistently inspires and encourages me to try new things and I know her recipes will help me look at ingredients in a new way.

What I'm Most Looking Forward to In This Little Journey: Accountability. It's much too easy to come home after a challenging day and have a bowl of cereal for dinner. But, if Teddi (and you, dear reader) are counting on me for a new post, that's at least one day that I'll make the extra effort. I'm sure that will motivate me to try a little bit harder on my days "off" too.
 

I'm looking forward to sharing our kitchen adventures with you!