Vanilla Sugar-glazed Oatmeal Yogurt Scuffins (or Mones)

 

I found this recipe for Oatmeal Yogurt Scones on a blog that I have enjoyed reading before. The recipe just happened to be featured on Fitsugar. The recipe is actually modified from one for quick bread, and the result is something much moister, and less flaky than a traditional scone. what this means for my adaptation is that it lies somewhere in between scone and muffin. Jarrett and Mike coined the terms Scuffin and Mones as a label for this creation. Whatever it is, here is a petite, yet filling (thanks to all the fiber) snack with just enough sweetness and substance to be a snack or part of a meal.

Vanilla Sugar-Glazed Oatmeal Yogurt Scuffins (or Mones)

Ingredients:

Image via Wikipedia

1 C oatmeal

1 1/3 C whole wheat flour

4 T flax meal

1 t baking soda

1 t ground cinnamon

1 t ground nutmeg 
1/4 C brown sugar 
1/4 t salt 

3/4 C Greek yogurt

1/4 C non fat milk

3 egg whites

1 t vanilla extract

1 T walnut oil 

Image via Wikipedia 
For The Vanilla Simple Sugar: 

2 T sugar 

2 T water 

1 t vanilla extract 

Combine and microwave until the sugar is dissolved 

Method:  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 


Stir together the yogurt, milk, egg whites, and vanilla until combined. Mix together the flour, oats, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar, and flax meal. Incorporate the dry ingredients into the mixture of the wet ingredients. Mix well until a sticky dough is formed. 


Divide into 9 portions and roll into balls. Flatten the balls and place on a baking sheet with a greased sheet of aluminum foil. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Glaze the top of each ball with simple sugar and bake for another 2 minutes. Let them rest for 5-10 minutes before eating, if you can resist.


 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 76 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  170 Calories from Fat  26

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  2.9g 4%

Saturated Fat  0.5g 3%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  1mg 0%

Sodium  236mg 10%

Total Carbohydrates  29.6g 10%

Dietary Fiber  2.6g 10%

Sugars  8.2g

Protein  7.1g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 4% • Iron 8%

Nutrition Grade B-

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Fried Pate a Choux with Cinnamon Sugar

I'd had a craving for doughnuts since I read a recipe for Buttermilk Doughnuts and French Crullers in the LA Times. Last night, however, I wanted a treat that was a little simpler, though just as fulfilling. I decided to make some pate a choux, adding a generous amount of sugar, vanilla extract and a dash of cinnamon, fry it in a mix of canola and olive oils and then cover it liberally with cinnamon sugar (about a 5:1 sugar to cinammon ratio).

The picture, from my 2008 Samsung cell phone, doesn't do this delectable treat justice. They were crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, while the heat pronounced the cinnamon flavor and mellowed the sugar. 

Fried Pate a Choux with Cinnamon Sugar

Ingredients:

1/2 C water

3 T butter, cut into cubes (for faster melting)

1/2 C flour

1/4 C sugar

1 t vanilla extract

1 t ground cinnamon

2 large eggs

cinnamon and sugar to make a 5:1 blend (reference, 1 C = 16 T, 1 T = 3 t; or better yet, get a food scale)

enough canola and olive oil to fill a small sauce pan

Method:

Place the butter, vanilla extract and water in a sauce pan over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the flour, sugar, and cinnamon, stirring vigorously until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the pan into a ball.

Turn off the heat and let it sit for 2-3 minutes off the burner as it cools. Then add the 2 eggs, one at a time, to the water-butter-flour mixture. At first it will be slimy, but then the mixture will become smooth and creamy, with continued beating. (I suggest using a whisk at this point, though my kitchen is lacking in one and so I use a spatula. A long-tined fork could also work.)

Fill another sauce pan with the oil and allow it sit over medium heat. Test a small drop of the batter. If it is hot enough, it should drop to the bottom then immediately rise back up. I used a large spoon to drop free-form spoonfuls of dough into the batter, letting it fry for about 3-4 minutes, or until golden and deliciously browned.

Drop the fried batter onto a paper towel and allow it to drain oil (essentially, the air that would fill up in the holes in the pate a choux when baking, which forms the definitive puff, such as in a gougere or a profiterole, is replaced with oil which drains out of the dough and deflates it). When drained, cover generously with the cinnamon sugar mixture, plate, and try to make sure Mike doesn't eat them all.

Experiments for next time: doused powdered sugar or melted chocolate,soaked in creme anglaise or caramel sauce.

Enjoy!

Does the End of Childhood Mean the End of Enjoying Sugary Breakfast Cereals

Image by Rob Sheridan via Flickr

I spent a couple days at home relaxing before I begin work for the summer when I say a couple of boxes of breakfast cereal lined up next to each other. I opted for cap'n crunch, as memories of the cap'n and his ship pulling up along side my house ready to float me and my brothers toward sugary ecstasy. Well, juts now, I took a bite and it was gross. I took one more bite, just to see if my tastebuds were trying to deceive me. Unfortunately, the inconvenient truth seems to be that my taste buds have matured and developed beyond the scope of kids breakfast cereals' culinary reaches. Maybe it has to do with me cooking more at home, using fresh ingredients and for the most part, doing it all from scratch. Whatever it is, I feel as though there is a little part of me inside that has died, while screaming and scratching for that last bite of breakfast cereal.

I hope that breakfast cereal magnates see this post and figure out a way to be able to appeal to my new sensibilities, because I would love to be able to bite into a bowl of cap'n crunch or lucky charms or fruity pebbles without my body completely rejecting it.

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