I have a method when it comes to my everyday baking: imagine Paula Deen’s ingredient list, and use exactly the opposite. Shortening? I think there’s a reason that’s illegal (or should be) in New York and California. Food coloring? Yellow #40 … yum! Prepackaged anything? They may not be perfect, but I’ll make my own pie crusts, icings, and caramel sauces, thank you very much.
So what ingredients make my heart go pitter patter? Interesting flours (I’m currently experimenting with whole-wheat pastry flour and King Arthur’s white whole-wheat flour), natural sweeteners (cane sugar, local honey), oats, dark chocolate, dried cherries and blueberries, premium vanilla extract and spices, and flaxseed (we touched on my obsession in the last post) to name a few.
I approach the KitchenAid from a healthy angle: The way I see it, if I’m going to eat a muffin, cookie, or brownie, I want it to be with no regrets—just bite after bite of delicious goodness. Others may pound the treadmill after indulging in cheesecake; I’ll probably be patting myself on the back for my nutritional sagacity (and reaching for another cookie).
Skeptical that my method won’t deliver? I present Sweet Coconut Curry Muffins.
