Power Bars

I’ve been a fan of Joanne Chang since her first book, Flour, was published. So, I knew I was going to enjoy reading her latest, Pastry Love: A Baker's Journal of Favorite Recipes. I started flagging pages right away and feel like I haven’t put the book down since receiving the review copy. The recipes are ones developed since that first book appeared. They’re based on items sold in Chang’s eight Flour bakeries in Boston, and some are inspired by the pastry chefs at those bakeries or might be things she bakes at home. The chapters corral types of pastries, and in each, the recipes progress from easier to more challenging. It’s interesting to find so many vegan and gluten-free options, and they’re not token additions. There are some delicious-looking things that just happen to fit into those categories. One of the first things I tried was the Sticky Bun Popcorn which of course is gluten-free. Joanne Chang is well-known for making the best sticky buns, and the flavors easily translate to a caramel popcorn. Next, I zipped back to the breakfast chapter for the Vegan Carrot-Ginger Muffins made with whole wheat flour, golden raisins, and carrot cake spices. Also in the breakfast chapter, I haven’t gotten to the Mushroom and Thyme Brioches or the Apple-Vanilla Pound Cake yet, but they’ve been on my mind. The I Knead Bread chapter also has me itching to try several things like Alina’s Milk Bread, Multigrain English Muffins, and Housemade Nutella Babka. For one of my home-baked holiday treats, I had to try the Mocha Chip Cookies made with rye flour, and they were delightfully crispy, chocolaty, and coffee-flavored. I’ve made the homemade Oreos from the Flour book, and now I have to try the Chocolate-Caramel Oreos included here. The cakes, pies, and tarts all look delectable. Then, the Time to Show Off chapter combines some items for plated desserts and has me very interested in the Rum Butterscotch Pudding Parfait with Ginger-Molasses Crumble. There’s even a chapter full of treats that make perfect gifts, and I still have the page marked for Almond Pistachio Cherry Honey Nougat since I ran of time to make that for the holidays this time. I’ll have to come back to it later. But, when January arrived and I needed something on hand for grab-and-go breakfasts, I turned to the Power Bars. 

I’ve lost count of how many variations on granola bars I’ve made over the years. I remember making the jam-filled granola bars from the Flour book. Those were cut into bars after baking in a sheet pan. Some are formed into bars before baking. And, I’ve made granola bark that’s broken into shards after baking in one large, thin piece. I was excited to try this recipe because it involves yet another method. First, almonds were toasted and coarsely chopped and added to a large bowl with toasted sunflower seeds. Next, cashews, dates, oats, and cinnamon were added to a food processor and chopped to a fine meal. That mixture was added to the almonds and seeds. Golden raisins, chia seeds, and maple syrup were also added, and it was stirred until completely combined. The mixture was pressed firmly into a parchment-lined loaf pan, and it was covered and refrigerated overnight. The next day, the parchment was removed, and the loaf form was sliced into bars. I hadn't made granola bars with that technique before. The bars were then baked on baking sheets and flipped halfway through baking. There’s a note pointing out that the bars don’t have to be baked if you prefer them raw, but I couldn’t resist the golden crisp edges. 

The bars are crunchy and chewy at the same time, and they’re more filling that you might expect. I loved that the sweetness came from just the dried fruit and a little maple syrup. I’ve always found Joanne Chang’s recipes to be well-tested, and that’s been true of this book too. Everything I’ve made has been fantastic, and I can’t wait to try more.

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Apple Cinnamon Crumble Muffins

The Austin Bakes group did it again. After coming together in 2011 for a hugely successful fundraising bake sale following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, additional sales have been held over the years to raise funds for recovery efforts from natural disasters and other crises. Immediately after Hurricane Harvey, this most recent bake sale was planned. Local food bloggers, food enthusiasts, and food businesses all volunteer their time and donate baked goods for multiple locations that are set up around Austin. And, once again, the local community was incredibly supportive of the event. The goal of raising $20,000 was achieved, and the online giving page is still active for additional donations. I love an opportunity to bake for a good cause, and right away I started pulling cookbooks off the shelves to decide what to make this time. I often reach for the Huckleberry book for baking, and the Muffins chapter is one I want to bake through page by page. For the bake sale, I made both the Chocolate Chunk Muffins and the Apple Cinnamon Crumble Muffins. I really liked both recipes, but I want to tell you more about the Apple Cinnamon Crumble Muffins since they’re so great for fall. 

Perfectly timed, I had receivced local apples from my CSA to use here. The apples were peeled and grated, and I waited to do that until just before folding into the batter to prevent the apple from turning brown. First, the crumble mixture was made with oats, whole wheat flour, softened butter, brown sugar, honey, millet, chia seeds, ground flax seeds, and a little salt. The butter was worked into the other ingredients by hand until well mixed and crumbly. Then, it was refrigerated. For the muffin batter, whole wheat flour, almond flour, wheat germ, millet, chia seeds, ground flax seeds, oats, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt were whisked together. In a separate bowl, melted butter, honey, buttermilk, oil, an egg, and vanilla were combined. The wet ingredients were added to the dry, and the batter was stirred to combine. Last, the grated apple was folded into the batter. After the muffins cups were filled, the chilled crumble mixture was sprinkled on top of each, and the muffins were baked for about 20 minutes. 

This is a muffin that’s packed with lots of good-for-you stuff, but it’s not at all a boring health-food kind of muffin. Even with the wholegrains and seeds, the interior has a very tender crumb. And, a crumble topping and I are always friends. I was happy to bring these to the bake sale, but now I want to bake another batch all for myself. 

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