Whole Wheat Vanilla Cupcakes with Blueberry Buttercream

I wanted to make cupcakes for Levi's 2nd birthday so I tried out a few whole wheat recipes and finally found one that I really like (http://www.ninerbakes.com/2013/05/31/healthy-absolutely-yummy-tasting-vanilla-cupcakes/). I topped them off with a Blueberry Buttercream. He's going to be one happy toddler.

Cupcakes

1/2 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 cup milk
1 1/4 cups BCF Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup oil

Blueberry Buttercream

1 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup blueberry jam
2 cups icing sugar

Mix together the vinegar and milk and set aside. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, whip the eggs. Add in the sugar, vanilla and oil and mix for a minute. Add in the milk mixture and dry ingredients in small batches. Pour batter evenly into a lined muffin tin and bake at 350°F for 18 minutes. Let cool before icing.

To make the icing, whip the butter until soft and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and jam and whip again. Slowly add in the icing sugar and mix on high for 2 minutes. 

Rosemary Flatbread

Flatbread is so humble and rustic yet undeniably satisfying. This recipe goes to show that simple, wholesome ingredients don’t need a lot to make a delicious meal. We served our flatbread with garlic ricotta - it was delicious. 

1 ½ cups Partially Sifted or Whole Wheat Flour
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil
½ cup water
coarse sea salt

Mix together dry ingredients. Mix in oil and water until well combined. Roll out the dough onto 2 parchment lined baking sheets. Don’t worry if your edges aren’t perfect – crooked edges give a nice rustic look. Brush with a little extra oil and sprinkle on some coarse sea salt.  Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes or until nicely browned. 

Dill Bread

We don’t post many bread recipes since there are too many variants that can turn all of your hard work into something you just use for stuffing, that and I’m not a great bread baker. However, this flavourful, hearty loaf is a no-fail recipe. We had ours with potato leek soup and it was divine! 

½ cup warm water
1 tbsp yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 cup cottage cheese, lukewarm
2 tsp dill weed
1 tbsp onion, finely minced
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter, melted
2 ½ cups Partially Sifted Flour or 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour & 1 ½ cups Partially Sifted Flour

In a large mixing bowl dissolve the yeast and sugar into the water. Once the yeast is bubbly, mix in the egg, cottage cheese, dill, onion, salt and butter. Finally, add in the flour and mix until well combined. Let the dough rise in a warm spot for an hour. Punch the dough down and form into a round loaf. Sprinkle with a bit of water and coarse sea salt. Bake for 30 minutes at 350°F. Let cool before you slice.

Date Oatmeal Muffins

After such an abundance of sugar and chocolate we thought it was time to bake something a wee bit healthier! These muffins were the perfect recipe to play with. They bake up surprisingly light and moist thanks to soaking the oats and have just a hint of sweetness. 

2 cups oats
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
¾ cup oil
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup Partially Sifted Flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups dates, pitted & chopped

Mix together the oats and buttermilk and let sit for an hour. Beat eggs until they’re frothy then beat in sugar and oil. Mix together flours, baking soda, powder and salt. Mix together egg mixture, dry ingredients and oat mixture just until combined. Fold in dates. Pour batter into lined muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes at 350°F. 

Whole Wheat and Honey Cookies

The honey in these cookies keep them extra moist. They go perfectly with a nice cup of tea during a cool evening.  

½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup softened butter
½ cup honey
½ tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 cups Whole Grain Wheat Flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Beat together sugar, butter honey, vanilla and egg in a large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop by tablespoonfuls on a cookie sheet. Bake for 9 – 11 minutes until edges are brown.