Mint Sugar

/
Mint Sugar

Mint Sugar

As a food photographer, I find myself buying mint periodically, popping it into the occasional photograph for a bit of color. While I like to add a sprig to lemonade from time to time, mint rarely gets much use in my kitchen. The leaves are often left in the refrigerator until they are forgotten (a fate of which I am not proud). Though mint leaves are ubiquitous in Indian cuisine, my Midwestern roots have offered me fewer uses for them. I am pointed in the direction of mojitos and like minded drinks, but rarely elsewhere.

After filling my refrigerator with mint recently, I decided I wasn't going to allow this batch to go unused or uneaten.

Mint Sugar Mint Sugar

After scouring the internet for dessert ideas, I came up empty handed. While peppermint complements sweets well, its minty cousin has a little less love on its side. Despite this, I challenged myself to find a way to use up the leaves. Crushing mint leaves allows the oils inside to release, creating an aromatic scent and a bright flavor. With this in mind, I grabbed a mortar and pestle, grinding the leaves together with a little granulated sugar.

Mint infused sugar seemed like a great place to begin.

Mint Sugar

Truthfully, after licking off the sugar that found its way onto the tips of my fingers, mint sugar was not only the beginning, but the end. I grabbed a few strawberries and blueberries from the kitchen, sprinkled the mint sugar on top, and called it a fruit salad. The mint sugar, while subtle, elevated the salad into something special. Later, I macerated strawberries in the sugar before spooning them over shortcakes.

The mint sugar has a range of uses, from sweetening fruits and salad dressings to adding a bright pop on the tops of sugar cookies, making it a versatile tool in the kitchen.

Mint Sugar

Mint Sugar is an infusion of mint into granulated sugar. The ratio of mint to sugar is 1:2, which means that the recipe can be made as large or as small as you choose. While the mint sugar will keep in the refrigerator for a day or two, it is best when it is freshly made. Whether you rim it around your next cocktails or sprinkle it onto your next fruit salad, mint sugar is a quick fix that can help your next dish sparkle.

Read More

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

/
Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

The rich spice of cinnamon and the sweet tone of sugar compose one of my nearest and dearest comfort flavors. As far back as I can remember, cinnamon and sugar have been a sweet force in my life. The flavors complement each other so well, becoming the Sonny and Cher or Simon and Garfunkel of the culinary world.

Growing up, my babysitter would feed me cinnamon sugar toast on cold winter afternoons, after I had trudged home from school in the snow. The hot toast with a layer of melted butter and the spicy crunch of cinnamon sugar warmed my insides and brought the life back into my cheeks.

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

My mother makes a spectacular side dish out of white rice and cinnamon. A cross between sweet rice pudding and savory white rice, it is my favorite pairing to a grilled chicken breast. Nevertheless, the rice is creamy and just ever so sweet, with a thick sprinkling of cinnamon on top. Someday, I will be certain to share this treat with you, too.

Yet, cinnamon and sugar have found more subtle ways to pervade my life. My grandmother would coat her leftover pie crust pieces with cinnamon and sugar to make sweet, flaky cookies while we waited for the pie to bake. My mother grew up sprinkling cinnamon and sugar atop her pancakes, using a swirl of cream instead of maple syrup. I adore a light dusting of cinnamon and sugar on top of my morning oatmeal, making me feel as if I'm being decadent while enjoying a healthy meal.

That may be what I love most about cinnamon sugar—it's a sweet, simple way to bring decadence into everyday life.

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

These Cinnamon Sugar Muffins have a very unique taste and texture. It's almost as if a muffin and a doughnut got a little too cozy in the oven and popped out a batch of these muffins. Made with a little whole wheat flour, it's fun to pretend these are healthy (as long as you ignore the fact that the muffins are dipped in melted butter). These are lovely for both breakfast and a snack (and sometimes for both of these moments in the same day).

With my love for cinnamon sugar, these muffins were bound to happen sooner or later. The same, I think, can be said for this cake.

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

These Cinnamon Sugar Muffins are sweet and addictive. The muffins, straight from the oven, are not terribly sweet but they have a fantastic spiced flavor due to a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon. After cooling slightly, the muffin tops are dipped into melted butter and coated with cinnamon sugar. I love these plain, with no spreads or additives. Warm from the oven, these may very well be a small piece of heaven.

Read More

Cinnamon Sugar Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream

/
Cinnamon Sugar Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream

Cinnamon Sugar Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream

We are creatures of habit.

Good habits, bad habits, healthy habits, poor habits—we have them all. Some we are proud of, like our ability to be someplace on time or flossing our teeth before bed each evening. Some we are ashamed of, like the amount of books we don't make time to read or how often we bite our nails. Some are hard to keep and others are hard to lose. We have hundreds of little habits and, whether we like it or not, they help to define us. They help us through the day.

Cinnamon Sugar Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream

I originally sat down to write a post about my cravings to have a sweet ending with every meal, but I soon realized I wrote about that exactly one year ago. Since I've been trying to eat healthier in the new year (as I attempt every year), I often feel my sweet cravings hold me back from my fantasy health food diet. I plan on eating carrot sticks and quinoa, but cake finds its way into my daydreams instead. Sweetness has become a habit, much to the chagrin of my dentist.

I have a few good habits I'm proud to share. I make time to exercise every week. I eat breakfast every morning. I try to find the positive in every situation. I also have a few habits I would like to break. I wish I had the motivation to be more productive. I wish I made more time for the people I care about. It is as easy for me to be cruel as to be kind.

Cinnamon Sugar Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream Cinnamon Sugar Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream

It's easy to be hard on ourselves when we struggle to break our bad habits. Sometimes we actually change them and it's a true moment of self celebration. More often than not, however, we find our habits too difficult to alter, despite our best intentions. Does this make us bad people? No. Habits are habits for a reason—they are extremely difficult to change. Some are so ingrained in ourselves, our souls, that they have almost become involuntary.

Accepting our habits, for better or worse, is something we all must come to terms with at some point in our lives. Wanting to change our bad habits and turn them into positive ones is honorable. Realizing that these habits make us who we are, the big and the small, the significant or insignificant, may be the most important revelation of all.

Cinnamon Sugar Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream Cinnamon Sugar Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream

This Cinnamon Sugar Cake is frosted with a sweet Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream. The cake is made with sour cream, which lends a moist texture to the final product, but the cake itself is not very sweet. The brown sugar buttercream, however, is the perfect complement to the cinnamon sugar cake. The brown sugar addition gives the buttercream a slight grit, which is reminiscent of a warm piece of cinnamon sugar toast. This cake is an everyday cake to sweeten up your daily moments.

Read More