blueberries Archives | The Vanilla Bean Blog

Homemade Blueberry Muffins

Sarah Kieffer — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 17:03:24 +0000

What Makes This Blueberry Muffin Recipe Different? My blueberry muffin experience started with a blue boxed mix, complete with tiny dried blueberries. My mom would often make them to accompany dinner, and we would devour them slathered in too much butter. I started baking them from scratch while working at the Blue Heron Coffeehouse; I always loved that their recipe added nutmeg and I took that little trick with me when I left. This recipe is revamped from my first book and now included in my latest cookbook, 100 Morning Treats; I found adding almond flour keeps the crumb tender and light, and also adds rich flavor. Bumping up the baking powder and adding another egg helped those muffins dance beautifully over the rim. You’ll find nutmeg incorporated in the perfectly sugary top (please don’t skip this!); the crunch being a perfect contrast to the moist muffin. Why Do You Fill Every Other Muffin Cup? Filling the muffin cups so that every other cup is empty can help the muffins bake higher. Leaving that extra space in between muffins gives them more room to rise, and their tops won’t bake into each other in the pan. This does mean you […]

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Blueberry Walnut Streusel Pie

Sarah Kieffer — Thu, 15 Aug 2019 17:37:52 +0000

This post is sponsored by California Walnuts. As always, all opinions are my own. I’ve been so busy working on my book, and just now realized it is now August and this is the first pie I’ve made. Hopefully there will be more to come in the near future (I’ve got a bowl full of peaches on my counter calling to me). Usually I’m a big fan of double crusted pies and prefer them over anything, but I love the blueberry and walnut streusel pairing here; the toasted walnuts really shine here and make for a delicious bite. I’ve teamed up with California Walnuts to bring you some recipes over the past year (such as this walnut snack cake with raspberry buttercream and these raised donuts with chocolate glaze and candied walnuts). Over 99 percent of walnuts grown in the U.S. come from California’s walnut orchards, many of which are on family owned and operated farms that have been around for generations. Walnuts are nutritious and heart-healthy*, and offer 4 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber per ounce. Walnuts are also the only nut with a significant amount of plant-based omega-3 ALA (2.5 grams/ounce). You can check out the CA Walnuts website for more […]

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Blueberry Orange Bundt Cake

Sarah Kieffer — Fri, 09 Aug 2019 21:57:17 +0000

I have a gigantic stack of cookbooks that I have been meaning to bake and cook from, but sadly they have sitting on my dining room table (along with heaps of legos and papers to be sorted and summer homework that hasn’t been started and laundry to be folded and and and…) while I finished working on my next book. So I am finally getting to other-than-cookbook-baking. The first book up is Sarah Copeland’s Every Day is Saturday, which is a beautiful book (photographed by the amazing Gentl + Hyers) filled with recipes and strategies for easy cooking, every day of the week. Copeland sums up the book this way: I’m not suggesting we can have it all. We all know good things take time, and often, sacrifice. They take intention. But I do think the feeling of having it all, of having life in abundance, is within our reach…By stealing back a few hours from the weekend, queuing your favorite podcast, and working through a short list of sauces and sides to tuck away in the refrigerator, you can live like it’s Saturday every day of the week, or at least most of them. I made the Almost-Famous Cranberry […]

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Blueberry-Orange Breakfast Rolls

Sarah Kieffer — Sun, 08 Apr 2018 13:54:39 +0000

“Pare down to the essence, but don’t remove the poetry.” – Leonard Koren I met Melissa Coleman (also known as The Faux Martha) so many years ago when she came to my home one cold winter day, with her husband Kevin and daughter Halle. We had a lovely breakfast together, and went from “blogger friends” to real friends. A few years after our initial meeting she ended up moving to Minneapolis (into the famous Fauxhouse), and I’ve enjoyed getting to know her and her family. We’ve talked work, food, religion and politics, and always find ourselves on the same page. Her cookbook is a lovely collection of recipes. Her philosophy in the kitchen is efficiency, less is more, and of course, minimalism. “I like to think of minimalism as a practice, because it needs constant refining. Rules that are too rigid will strip away joy. Rules that are too loose will create an overflowing and frustrating kitchen. The magic is in the space between, or as Koren refers to it, the magic is in the poetry. And mastering that kind of magic takes continual practice.” I will be the first to admit that I am not a minimalist; very far from […]

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Blueberry Crumble Bars

Sarah Kieffer — Fri, 13 Jan 2017 01:55:42 +0000

These Blueberry Apple Crumb Bars come from my 1st cookbook, the Vanilla Bean Baking Book. I’m excited to share the recipe with you! They’re a great way to use fresh blueberries, and are especially great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You can find a few of my recipes from the book around the web. Julie from Always with Butter made my chocolate chip cookies. Molly from My Name is Yeh made my yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Michelle from Hummingbird High made my cheesecake, and Cynthia from Two Red Bowls made my cheesecake with a hazelnut twist. Alex and Sonja from A Couple Cooks made my shortbread with chocolate. Food 52 made my oatmeal white chocolate cookies. Sara from Sprouted Kitchen made my whole wheat banana chocolate muffins. Cindy from Hungry Girl Por Vida made my honey cake and added grapefruit. Elizabeth from Brooklyn Supper made my orange cranberry bundt cake. Alana from Fix Feast Flair made my brown butter buttercream. Alanna from Bojon Gourmet made my peanut butter granola. Thank you again for all your support. It’s been so fun to see what everyone is making from the book on Instagram, and I appreciate all your kind […]

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Puff Pastry Tarts with Twangy Blueberry Sauce

Sarah Kieffer — Wed, 20 May 2015 02:26:42 +0000

Four years ago when I started this space I set up a Flickr account, mostly because everyone else was doing it. I browsed through pages and pages of photographs and profiles, and after falling down long rabbit holes of foodie pics and vacation photos that inspired serious bouts of envy, I found this cake made by Tara O’Brady. There was something about it that made me pause. All the subtle streaks of color in the frosting, that uneven pattern made with a spoon, and the well-worn wood it was resting on was a perfect union of comfort and class; simplicity mixed with unpretentious sophistication. Without hesitation I clicked on the link to Tara’s blog, and started faithfully reading Seven Spoons. Twangy blueberry sauce is found in Tara O’Brady’s new cookbook; a collection of recipes that is “less about innovation and more about getting supper on the table, but doing so thoughtfully, and beautifully, too.” It is everything I look for in a book on cooking: beautiful photographs, thoughtful writing, and recipes I want to put on repeat. This twangy berry sauce does not disappoint. Neither does the Basic, Great Chocolate Chip Cookies, the Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream (with candied cacao […]

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Cacoa Nib Pavlovas with Berry Jam

Sarah Kieffer — Tue, 05 May 2015 02:30:46 +0000

Sara Forte’s new cookbook, Bowl + Spoon, is beautiful, with recipes focused on simple, healthy ingredients served in the perfect vessel. I found her pavlovas to be a fantastic riff on the bowl: a delicious, edible bowl. Also, meringues with cacao nibs! Totally genius. (Also, thanks to the amazing Zoe Francois for making these pavlovas with me!) Cocoa Nib Pavlovas with Jam adapted from Bowl + Spoon by Sara Forte I’ve changed things just a bit from Sara’s recipe. Sara makes a French meringue (egg whites aren’t heated first, and the larger sugar crystals leave a little crunch) with mostly natural cane sugar, and I’ve made these a Swiss meringue with mostly white sugar (egg whites are gently heated, resulting in a more delicate texture). Either way will make for a delicious dessert. Sara also serves her pavlovas with mixed berries, but here in Minneapolis our berries aren’t quite in season, so jam was a great substitute. 4 egg whites, at room temperature 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup natural cane sugar good pinch of salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons cacoa nibs Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. In […]

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Rhubarb Blueberry Apple Pie

Sarah Kieffer — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 07:00:43 +0000

Last week I received my copy of The Homemade Flour Cookbook by Erin Alderson in the mail. I’ve been a fan of Erin’s site Naturally Ella for a long time, and last September had the pleasure of meeting her (and photographing her wedding). Erin is a hardworking, go-getting woman, and one of the most generous souls here in blogland. I’ve been terribly excited about her book. The premise of the book is exploring ‘the different ways to grind flour including electric and non-electric grinders, food processors, blenders, and even coffee grinders, making it easy for any do-it-yourself homemaker to have fresh flour whenever needed.’ The flours range from barley and einkorn, to gluten-free grains like quinoa and corn, and even legumes: chickpeas, lentils, and beans all are used. Erin explains the different ways to grind them, and has a vast array of recipes for all kinds of eaters. I had a pile of rhubarb in our garden, and a pint of blueberries that were on their way out, so Erin’s Whole Wheat Rhubarb Blueberry Apple Pie immediately jumped out at me. It’s a jem, and one I will look forward to making each summer. (Also, A few things:) Sara had […]

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Crème Fraîche Scones

Sarah Kieffer — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 16:20:41 +0000

“How can I find the words? Poets have taken them all and left me with nothing to say or do.”“Except to teach me for the first time what they meant.”-Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane, Dorothy Sayers: A Busman’s Honeymoon I’m not one for using expletives much in my day-to-day, but I must admit this past Monday a very loud one flew out of my mouth as my twitter notifications lit up my phone. Somehow, I had won the Reader’s Choice portion of the Saveur Food Blog Awards for Baking and Desserts. I’m not going to lie to you, I’m still pinching myself. It’s a huge honor, a dream come true, and I have you to thank. All you wonderful, lovely readers who took the time to cast a vote my way, thank you so much. I share the category with the amazing Izy from Top With Cinnamon (who won Editor’s Choice), and I am excited that in just over a month I get to meet her, along with so many other favorite bloggers. But in the meantime, Crème Fraîche Scones! These breakfast treats are made with mixed berries and crème fraîche, and they might be my favorite scones to […]

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whole wheat waffles with rhubarb-blueberry-cardamom compote

Sarah Kieffer — Tue, 21 May 2013 02:38:06 +0000

{most my anxiety and nightly begging pleading praying musings summed up in a nutshell. just throw in some fear of dying and you’ve got me:} ‘The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof. What I want is so simple I almost can’t say it: elementary kindness. Enough to eat, enough to go around. The possibility that kids might one day grow up to be neither the destroyers nor the destroyed. That’s about it. Right now I’m living in that hope, running down its hallway and touching the walls on both sides.’ – Barbara Kingsolver {still, the morning comes, and she is kind. I am greeted with kisses and whispers, little arms and legs rushing with smiles and snuggles and demands for waffles. so we break our bread together and spend our days giving in to joy, hoping it will once more bring us through the night…} Whole Wheat Waffles with Rhubarb-Blueberry-Cardamom Compote For the waffles, I always use the FauxMartha’s whole wheat waffle recipe. It’s never […]

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