Cupcake Rehab » blueberry

Like a lemon to a lime, a lime to a lemon.

Marilla @ Cupcake Rehab — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:55:08 +0000

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I don’t know if you remember, but I made another version of this pie back in December. That was the “winter” version; cranberries & cinnamon. This, however, is the summer version. Inspired by this.

Yes, sometimes I keep my lemons in a mortar & pestle…

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And also inspired by MCA’s lyric in one of my favorite Beastie Boys’ songs, “No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn“; “Like a lemon to a lime, a lime to a lemon, I sip the def ale with all the fine women.” As you probably know, MCA a.k.a. Adam Yauch passed away on May 4th. The Beastie Boys were always a favorite of mine, and they play a big role for me in the soundtrack of my life. I’ve got some awesome memories that match up with songs off more than just one of their albums, and some of the songs are just sentimental favorites. I think that’s the one thing that is comforting about “famous” people passing, whether it’s John Lennon or Johnny Cash or Kurt Cobain or Mozart or Adam Yauch- the fact that they never really die. The music lives on in our memories and on records and CD’s and iTunes forever. As far as my computer is concerned, The Beatles are all alive & kicking, just like it’s 1965. But it made me really sad to hear MCA died for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that he was only 47 years old, and that he left a 14-year-old daughter. Fucking cancer. The older I get, the more I realize how young 47 is, and just how much cancer really bites the big one.

Anyway, I was listening to some Beastie Boys songs, I knew I was going to bake something up, then I heard that lyric & saw the bowl of lemons, and I got an idea. Plus, add the fact that I was going to make something for my dad, and he loves blueberries… I came up with this idea of altering the infamous crustless cranberry pie into a more summery dish. Whereas last time this pie was made with cranberries & cinnamon, blueberries & lemon zest are the two main players this time, along with the sliced almonds. You can add a bit of lemon extract just to boost the flavor, but it’s not 100% necessary (I didn’t). You could also add lime zest too, if you really like that particular lyric. Another option would to be to dollop some lemon curd on top of it over the streusel before baking. It’ll brown and bubble up and get all creamy warm, like a lemon custard. Or, you can swirl some lemon curd in it before baking, or just serve it with some lemon curd & cream. It’s not really a pie. It’s not just a cake. It’s more like a coffee cake, or cobbler. And so, a new version was born. It doesn’t really have anything to do with the Beastie Boys, but it’s just inspired by a lyric. It’s not like I wanted to create a literal interpretation of B-Boy Bouillabaisse. Although, shit. That would’ve been a great idea.

Like a lemon to a blueberry, a blueberry to a lemon, I eat the def pie with all the fine women.

Listen, I’m not a lyricist. I bake.

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As you can see, streusel hates me. It always melts down into nothing. Oh well.

And just in case you’re wondering, I got that pie plate for a whopping $2.50 after Thanksgiving at Michael’s. I love the color (goes especially great with blueberries) & the large ruffle around the edge. I think collecting pie plates might be my new “thing.” I’ve only got three so far (this one, a pink one and one that was my mom’s that has a recipe for apple pie on it), but next on my list is a regular old Pyrex clear glass one. I’ve heard they’re the best for baking pies with a crust. Emile Henry makes some really nice decorative ones. Do you have a favorite pie plate?

Sorry, I got off-track there for a bit. Let’s get back to the goods.

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MCA’S “LIKE A LEMON TO A BLUEBERRY” CRUSTLESS PIE (altered from the original cranberry-based recipe which was from All Recipes, also with alterations)

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons set aside for topping
1 cup white sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup whole fresh blueberries (or whole frozen)
½ cup sliced almonds, divided, half set aside for topping
⅓ cup light brown sugar
zest of one whole lemon
½ cup butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoons butter just softened, set aside for topping
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
drop of lemon extract (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° degrees F. Grease one 9″-inch pie pan (or 8″ x 8″ glass baking dish).
Combine the 1 cup flour, white sugar, lemon zest and salt. Stir in the blueberries and half the almonds, and toss to coat. Stir in the ½ cup melted butter, beaten eggs, vanilla and lemon extracts. If you are using frozen berries, the mixture will be very thick. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
In a small bowl, mix the 2 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons softened butter & light brown sugar together to make a streusel-like topping. Sprinkle mixture on top of pie. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup almonds on top of that, or arrange neatly if that’s your bag.
Bake at 350° degrees F for 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean.

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The coolest thing about this ‘pie’ is exactly the fact that it’s not really a pie. It’s called a ‘crustless pie’ but you can call it anything you want. It’s like a zombie-pie-cobbler-coffee-cake. It doesn’t even require a pie crust! But even cooler than that- you can eat it any time of day. Because of the fruit-y aspect & the nuts, you can eat a slice for breakfast just as easily as for dessert (with some whipped cream or ice cream). And depending on how you make it, you might make it more breakfast-y or more dessert-y. Use whole wheat flour or add some oats for a totally different spin. And another amazing thing? You can use any fruit or berries in it, any kind of nuts, any kind of extract and zest.

Some other ideas include:

Blackberries & raspberries with almonds

Chopped strawberries with lemon zest & sliced strawberries & almonds arranged on top before baking

Peach slices with vanilla beans & chopped pecans

Chopped pineapple with Macadamia nuts & orange zest

Cranberries with cinnamon, walnuts & steel cut oats

Mango with flaked coconut, coconut extract, lime zest & pine nuts

Dried cherries with dark & white chocolate chips & walnuts

Banana slices with chocolate chips

Raisins & golden raisins with cinnamon, nutmeg, chopped walnuts & steel cut oats- “Oatmeal cookie pie”

Chocolate chunks with chopped hazelnuts & marshmallows (minus the streusel)- “Rocky Road pie”

Of course, some of those aren’t 100% seasonally appropriate right now, but that’s up to you. You could even mix some marmalade in with the batter, then top it with some chopped or sliced nuts, then brush it with more marmalade right out of the oven (so it gets all melty like a glaze) and make a sort of marmalade-pie-cobbler-whatever. Honestly, it’s so easy, and it’s so easy to change it up that you can totally do anything with it. You can tinker with it ’till your hearts content. Plus, it’s basically the perfect last-minute picnic or barbecue dessert. It takes no time to make, doesn’t even require a mixer, travels well & a trained monkey could do it. Or someone who’s been drinking some Brass Monkey. Whatever. It’s easy, trust me. Blast some Ill Communication and get on that shit!

Rest in peace, Adam.

“He who sees the end from the beginning of time
Looking forward through all the ages:
Is, was, and always shall be.”

“B-Boy Bouillabaisse (A Year And A Day),” Paul’s Boutique

I found my thrill on blueberry hill.

Marilla @ Cupcake Rehab — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 04:39:24 +0000

I know, you’re probably like “What the fuck is with all the berries lately!?” Well I’ve been taking a lot of requests, that’s what. Also, berries are in season now so they’re everywhere I go. And being that 4th of July weekend was so hot & humid it was impossible to bake without dying, I opted to make some other treats that didn’t require an oven, just a stove-top, which is far easier to deal with. In the new Real Simple magazine, there’s a recipe for a quick blueberry jam, and since I had such success with the rhubarb-ginger one, I thought I’d give it a go. My canning kit had arrived by this time, but I wanted to make something really easy and not a huge batch of anything- I didn’t really want to be in the kitchen all day. Well that and I was lazy.

My parents are big blueberry people. Not blueberry people like Violet Beauregarde, blueberry people as in they like blueberries. My parents aren’t blue or round or anything. They look normal. They are normal, I mean. Well as normal as they can be, they did create me. My dad is actually the bigger blueberry person, remember when he requested blueberry cupcakes in January when they aren’t in season? I do. I had to buy frozen or pay 6 million dollars for a pint. But both of them do enjoy those little blue orbs that stain everything including your teeth. I did make those blueberry muffins for my mother, after all. So I figured why the hell not make some of this for 4th of July weekend/my mom’s birthday since the blueberries in my fruit market were humongous & absolutely gorgeous (and the raspberries & blackberries were buy one get one free- but that was already talked about!).

That is not a muffin. That is jam.

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Speaking of blueberries, I recently, on a bit of a whim, bought a blueberry bush. Vaccinium Corymbosum, or Northern highbush blueberry to be exact, also known as blue huckleberry, tall huckleberry, swamp huckleberry, high blueberry, and swamp blueberry. It was on sale for 50% off and there were only 2 left, so I grabbed one. Of course I’m not expecting a harvest this year, but certainly next year I ought to end up with a few. I bought it more as a novelty than anything else; I think it’s a cool thing to have. If I get some fruit, then awesome, if not… oh well. For $4.50 it’s worth a shot, though it needs a little TLC (some browning leaves, etc). I’m also looking forward to seeing the leaves change to “a brilliant red” in the fall. It’s in a medium sized pot for now, I’m debating whether or not to plant it in a bigger pot or in the ground. I’m leaning towards a larger pot. Let’s see how it fares after this winter.

Just call me “Tall Huckleberry Finn”, a.k.a. the girl who adopts lonely plants…

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Alright so basically, this jam was just as easy as the rhubarb-ginger jam, and just as tasty. Super quick & simple… and it lasts up to a month in the fridge! Save your jars, people. Every jar you buy, make sure it’s rinsed & cleaned out thoroughly so it’s odor-free & sparkly and then save ‘em. You can make loads of stuff like this to fill them, but they’re also great just for storage; nails, screws, paper clips, beads, nuts & bolts, etc. But you can also use regular Ball jars that you’d use for canning, or buy jars like the one above in a place like Williams-Sonoma (glass, like mine in the picture) or Bed Bath & Beyond (plastic, like this one). My great-grandmother never, ever used a plastic anything. She saved every glass jar and stored her leftover food in them, and even used them as drinking glasses, which is an idea I love. Maybe she was on to something?

I’m pretty sure that with the lemon juice this is safely acidic for canning, but don’t quote me on that. I’m a newbie. Either way, I’m sure it can be made into a canned blueberry jam quite easily, and not with much more hullabaloo. But did you ever have a day where you just didn’t want to make any effort further than the very basic one? Yeah. That was me the (sweltering, blistering, scorchingly hot) day I made this. Like I said, lazy. And very hot & sweaty.

EASY BLUEBERRY JAM

Ingredients:

5 cups blueberries (about 2 ½ pints)
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan and using a potato masher or wooden spoon, mash blueberries until they release their juices.
Cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 18-25 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, transfer to containers, and refrigerate for up to 1 month or freeze up to 1 year.

This recipe can also be made with frozen blueberries instead of fresh; just buy two 10-ounce bags and cook them for 2-3 minutes before mashing, then reduce the total cooking time to 15-17 minutes. I will say this about the cooking though… be ye ever so careful of the splatters. Don’t wear a white apron or a white t-shirt while making it. But other than that, it’s so easy, really a trained monkey could do it. So do it.

Here’s a dollop of it on some of that French vanilla ice cream I made. You could even mix it into vanilla ice cream while it’s in the ice cream maker to make a blueberry-vanilla ice cream.

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Seriously, go try it. I’ve heard it’s insanely good for a 5 minute recipe. You can have it on ice cream, an English muffin, spread it on a delicious scone or piece of bread and sing this song with Fats Domino…

Blueberry shmueberry.

Marilla @ Cupcake Rehab — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 10:06:13 +0000

Only my dad would decide he wanted blueberry cupcakes… in January. Luckily I was able to get my hands on some, and I didn’t have to pay $600 dollars for them. But for this recipe, you could use frozen also, especially since in the recipe I found at Epicurious, they ask you to freeze/chill them anyway. The slightly frozen or chilled blueberries in the cake prevent them from bursting & “leaking” into the cake. This way, the cake stays true to it’s color with just blueberries scattered around within it, instead of the cake turning bluish purple (however, for the frosting, I thought using a blueberry puree would make the frosting look pretty). If you make these during blueberry season, however, it’s worth it to make the effort to get fresh blueberries. January is not blueberry season.

To be fair, we all got hit with a wicked stomach virus, it had been going around & passed around between friends & family & co-workers everywhere around here. My mother got it, then I got it, then my dad got it once we were better. Jay escaped unscathed, however. So anyway, I know when I was sick with it I hadn’t been eating much, so when he requested these I had to oblige. If all you can eat are cupcakes- I totally endorse it! Blueberries are really good for you, actually.

Researchers have shown that blueberry anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, resveratrol, flavonols, and tannins inhibit mechanisms of cancer cell development and inflammation in vitro.^[25]^[26]^[27]^[28] Similar to red grape, some blueberry species contain in their skins significant levels of resveratrol,^[29] a phytochemical.

Although most studies below were conducted using the highbush cultivar of blueberries (V. corymbosum), content of polyphenol antioxidants and anthocyanins in lowbush (wild) blueberries (V. angustifolium) exceeds values found in highbush species.^[30]

At a 2007 symposium on berry health benefits were reports showing consumption of blueberries (and similar berry fruits including cranberries) may alleviate the cognitive decline occurring in Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions of aging.^[21]

A chemical isolated from blueberry leaves can block replication of the hepatitis C virus and might help to delay disease spread in infected individuals.^[31]

Feeding blueberries to animals lowers brain damage in experimental stroke.^[32]^[33] Research at Rutgers^[34] has also shown that blueberries may help prevent urinary tract infections.

Other animal studies found that blueberry consumption lowered cholesterol and total blood lipid levels, possibly affecting symptoms of heart disease.^[35]glycosaminoglycans which are vascular cell components affecting control of blood pressure.^[36]

A study soon to be published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that supplementation with wild blueberry juice enhanced memory and learning in older adults, while reducing blood sugar and symptoms of depression.^[37]

However, I am not a blueberry fan. So I quartered all of these recipes to make 8 cupcakes, 6 just for dad. The other two? Just for mom.

Blue cupcake liners from Bake It Pretty

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You can’t tell from the photo, but yes, the cake has whole blueberries in it!

BLUEBERRY CUPCAKES (from Bon Appétit)

Ingredients:

3 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk or low-fat yogurt
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 ¼ cups fresh blueberries, frozen for 4 hours

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners.
Sift flour and next 4 ingredients into large bowl. Whisk melted butter and oil in medium bowl. Add eggs; whisk to blend.
Whisk in buttermilk, milk, vanilla extract, and peel. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients; whisk just to blend.
Stir in frozen blueberries. Divide batter among liners. Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 23 minutes.
Transfer cupcakes to racks; cool.

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BLUEBERRY PUREE (from What’s Cooking America)

12 ounces (approximately 1 ½ cups) fresh or frozen berries, (defrosted if frozen)*
¼ cup granulated sugar, or more to taste
2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice

In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine berries, sugar, and lemon juice; process to a smooth puree, about 30 seconds. NOTE: Pureeing may be done in a blender or a food processor, but if using a blender, make sure that any seeds are not ground so finely that they will pass through the sieve.
Pour into a fine sieve set over a bowl. Use a rubber spatula to stir and press the puree through the sieve; discard solids.
Taste and add more sugar if necessary.
Refrigerate in a non-reactive container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.

Yield approximately 1 cup of finished puree.

* Sort and wash berries. Drain, cap, and stem (or thaw if frozen) unsweetened berries.

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BLUEBERRY-VANILLA SWISS MERINGUE

Ingredients:

4 large egg whites
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup pureed blueberries

Directions:

Place sugar and egg whites in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, and whisk until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. Test by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should feel completely smooth.
Transfer bowl to mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.
Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated after each addition. Don’t worry if the buttercream appears curdled after all the butter has been added; it will become smooth again with continued beating. Add vanilla, and beat just until combined.
Switch to the paddle attachment, and beat on the lowest speed to eliminate any air pockets, about 5 minutes.
After the buttercream comes together, add the blueberry puree and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.
Frost your cooled cupcakes!

I did a ghetto puree and just cooked the berries down a bit in some sugar & lemon juice, then crushed them down. That meant there were still some fairly large chunks. To frost them, I continued with my laziness & also did that ghetto style; I just filled up a disposable pastry bag & snipped off the tip. I was afraid the chunks of blueberry would clog any tip I used. It still looks good, though, right? By the way, that puree recipe works with pretty much any berry. Another really great idea would be to fill these with a blueberry jam. However, just as they were, they went over pretty big. If you’re a blueberry person, try these muffins too.

I want to apologize for any strange color variations in my photos recently. Like I’ve mentioned before, I’m messing with the settings on my camera/with the lighting. Some of the experiments don’t quite work, but I’m exploring the capabilities of it & what I can do with it, so cut me a little slack, k?

Happy birthday to America (& my mom, too)!

Marilla @ Cupcake Rehab — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 13:48:16 +0000

The month of July is a crazy busy month for me. My friend Sami’s birthday is the third, then the 4th of July, then my mom’s birthday is the fifth, then me & Jay have our anniversary on the 12th. And then… my birthday is on the 30th. Yeah. INSANE. So basically I spend the entire first week baking and making treats, and the entire rest of the month eating delicious dinners & treats.

The 4th of July is a big deal to me, I’m a history buff and me & Jay recently (finally) finished watching the John Adams HBO miniseries, so the history of America is really fresh in my mind. I like to remind people that patriotism is not nationalism. Pride in my country does not mean I believe it can do no wrong or agree with all of it’s policies, nor do I believe it is beyond improvement. I love America and I’m a proud American, I’m just not always proud of my government. I often wonder if John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin & the other founding fathers would be proud of what we’ve become or horrified. Regardless, I love my country and I’m the first one to fly a flag… even if it’s on a cupcake!

I went really low-key with the cupcakes; simple vanilla with a vanilla buttercream and some fresh whole blueberries & sliced strawberries on top. No big gimmicks or anything this year. I was thinking about making three-layer cupcakes with red, white & blue layers but nixed it. Then I debated making frosting that looked like fireworks, then I nixed that too. So I ended up making these and honestly I was pretty pleased with them. Shamefully, these are my first “patriotic” cupcakes. I’ve made ones that were incidentally red, white & blue like these, but I haven’t made any on purpose. Usually, for Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day it’s always just too damn hot & I have too many other things to make, but this year I found these adorable liners and just knew I had to make some red, white & blue cupcakes. Since they’re also for my mom’s birthday… I had to do the candle thing. I was going to use them for my Military Monday tomorrow, but I found a better image to use. So these will probably pop up on another Military Monday.

I also made some panna cotta with balsamic strawberries, which is a great warm-weather dish & a favorite around here. I was going to make some more stuff, but the weather is so brutal- 95° and with the heat index it feels like over 100°- that it just didn’t happen.

Cutest patriotic liners ever? Perhaps.

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Happy (one day late) birthday Sami, aka the new Mrs. Lanza, Happy (one day early) birthday, mom… and Happy 4th of July, America. And especially this week/weekend, for Military Monday let’s really try and remember those soldiers (and cops & firemen) who can’t have a barbecue with their families, for any & every reason.

Follow the lemon brick road…

Marilla @ Cupcake Rehab — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:20:30 +0000

Every Christmas since I can remember and probably long before that, my mother has made 7-Layer Magic Cookie Bars, and now I do as well. Those are more of a wintery, cold weather treat because they’re heavy, with the condensed milk and all, and sticky so eating them in warm weather would be very irritating indeed. Why am I talking about Christmas in July? Because this post is about “cookie-bars”, treats that are quick and able to go anywhere.

Now while 7-Layer Magic Cookie Bars may remind me of winter, cookie-bars made made with lemon or lime, or fresh fruit, are a distinctly summery treat. They’re really easy to make and, like cookies, are portable enough to put in a Tupperware or even a Ziplock and bring to the park or beach or a picnic, or a birthday party in a classroom. They’re less messy to bring than cupcakes and cake for an on-the-go type of day, and slightly more exciting and different than regular brownies.

Now… combine cheesecake and cookie-bars and you’ve got me sold.

LEMON CHEESECAKE SQUARES WITH FRESH BERRIES*

Get the following ingredients:

Crust:

9 whole graham crackers
5 tablespoons butter

Filling:

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fresh berries of your choice* (blueberry, blackberry, strawberry or raspberry will suffice, but are also optional… I used blueberries as you can see)

Then do the following with them:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Fold 16-inch long piece of foil to 8×16-inch strip; place in 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan, leaving overhang on 2 sides. Repeat with another sheet of foil in opposite direction, lining pan completely. Butter foil.
Place graham crackers in a heavy-duty plastic bag. Using rolling pin or mallet, crush crackers finely. Melt butter in medium skillet over low heat. Remove from heat; add crumbs and toss to coat.
Press crumbs evenly in bottom of prepared pan. Bake crust until deep golden, about 12 minutes. Cool crust while preparing filling.
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg and sour cream, then lemon juice, lemon peel and vanilla. Spread batter over crust.
Bake cheesecake until slightly puffed and set in center, about 30 minutes; cool completely in pan on rack. Chill cheesecake until cold, about 2 hours. (can be made one day ahead, cover & keep chilled)
Using foil overhang as aid, lift cheesecake from pan. Cut into 16 squares; arrange on platter. Top each square with fresh berries. Chill until ready to serve, up to 3 hours. Serve chilled.

*Like I said, totally optional.

I gave them a sprinkle of confectioner’s sugar as well, just to add a little more sweetness as they’re sorta tart due to the lemon juice and zest.

These are really refreshing and make an excellent summer dessert. A+!

Good dog!

Marilla @ Cupcake Rehab — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 20:17:54 +0000

I’ve been getting a lot of feedback/comments on my homemade doggie treats lately. But the best endorsement I can get is this: Indy adored those Snickerpoodles so much, its almost indecent. He went insane everytime he saw the container they were in, and when he wouldn’t eat his food all you’d have to do is crumble one up on top of it and it’d be gone in seconds flat. Not that he exactly turned up his nose at the pupcakes… as you can see here. But anyway I’ve been getting a lot of comments on them, and I decided to try something new.

By the way, I’ll be donating some pupcakes or homemade dog biscuits to be raffled off (along with a dog blanket handmade by Yoyo at Topstitch) at the 2nd annual Just For Fun Dog Show this September 12th in Seaford on Long Island. If you’re an Etsy seller who creates canine clothes/collars/etc or if you own a dot com pet supply shop and you’re interested in donating something, please let me know. I plan on creating a basket filled with the ‘cakes/cookies and the blanket so I’ll have room for other things. If you’re a blog owner who’s crafty or if you just want to donate something, feel free to also let me know via e·mail. And I’d appreciate it if you could spread the word!

So I found a recipe at the White On Rice Couple blog, but adjusted it and changed it a bit to meet my needs & use what I had on hand, so I renamed it, since its not the same exact biscuit, and actually… its really pretty different. Also, you may need to add more flour/cornmeal or water when making it. I made a wetter dough and just made rough shapes of bones, but if you desire a firmer dough for cutting out shapes with a cutter you can do that as well. The blueberries aren’t necessary either. I didn’t let mine get too dark brown (although the second batch did come out darker than the first) mainly because my recipe isn’t exactly like that on White On Rice Couple so I wasn’t sure if it would just burn or get dark. But feel free to experiment and let me know how they work out for you. You can use wheat germ instead of a cup of flour or the cornmeal as well, or add other things your dog likes, like apple or carrot.

Making your dog homemade treats is fun and saves money, but please, before adding anything, if you aren’t 100% positive if its okay for dogs to eat, ask your vet. Especially if you have an older dog or one on medications for certain diseases or digestive problems or a dog under 6 months.

GOOD DOGGIE! BLUEBERRY FLAX SEED DOG BISCUITS

First you gotta get:

3 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons brown sugar
3-4 teaspoons whole Flax Seed (optional)
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup blueberries
1 cup water

Then you have to:

Combine wheat flour, ground flax seeds, cornmeal, salt, brown sugar, and whole flax seed in mixing bowl. Stir in eggs and vegetable oil.
Mix blueberries in, and then add water in.
Mix to form a firm dough that is smooth and workable (or you can keep the dough wet and form balls using a spoon or mold it into bone shapes as I did). Adjust by adding a little extra flour or water as required.
Roll the dough out to 1/2″ (1.2cm) thick (if making firm dough). Cut out biscuits using a bone-shaped cutter 3″x1.5″ (7.5×3.7cm). or whatever cutter you like. Place the biscuits on sheet pans lined with baking paper, or well greased. Or, if making wetter dough, just plop palmfuls of dough on pan and mold into desired shape, be it cookie-like circles, bones, hearts, whatever. You can also use some more flax seeds* to decorate if you wish, or, omit them from the dough and just use them on top.
Bake at 375°F (190°C) for approx. 40 minutes or until biscuits are browned and, more importantly, rock-hard. Let biscuits cool, then store in a covered container five to six feet off the floor (guess why!). Use as needed to reward your four-legged friends.

Taste test results: Two paws up!

Obviously, these were a hit. Be sure to feed them to a dog in an area where they won’t stain anything valuable- blueberries are notorious for leaving behind stubborn stains. But any self-respecting dog won’t drop a bit of biscuit, let alone blueberry.

Store these in the fridge, because flax seed oil can go bad quickly. I doubt they’ll last that long though. And yes, the small amount of brown sugar in these is okay for them to eat. Never feed a dog sugar substitutes- here’s a handy list of foods to avoid from the ASPCA.

*You may see whole flax seeds in your dogs, uh, *cough* poop. That’s fine and normal. The ground flax seed is excellent for them and so is the seed, but sometimes they go undigested. Flax seed not only adds fiber to your dogs’ diet, but also flax seed oil (which comes out when flax seeds are ground) can improve the coat and skin of pets. Also, the lignans contained in flax seed oil may have anti-cancer benefits. The blueberries are also excellent, providing antioxidants but should only be used if FRESH. Blueberries are found in many organic dog treats and food products, and are an exception to the rule of “no fruits for dogs” along with apples. Never feed a dog grapes or raisins, though, they can cause stomach upset, diarrhea and vomiting.

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Violet Beauregarde’s big blueberry muffins.

Marilla @ Cupcake Rehab — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:13:17 +0000

You all remember Violet Beauregarde, don’t you? The spoiled little gum-chewing brat from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (and the ensuing Tim Burton remake with the delicious Johnny Depp?) who ate the gum that wasn’t quite ready and turned into a giant blueberry, and the Oompa Loompa’s wrote a song about her? I think she’d have enjoyed these. Well, probably not actually, seeing as how they aren’t gum or gum-like at all. But the girl turned into a freakin’ blueberry… she needs to have a muffin named after her.

These are huge ass blueberry muffins, topped with a streusel-y topping. Me and Streusel don’t have a very good relationship, so mine probably didn’t come out as good as it should’ve, but I’m told they taste fantastic. You don’t have to top them with this topping, or any, if you don’t want to.

Singing the following song while baking and eating them is not required, but recommended.

Listen close,and listen hard, the tale of Violet Beauregarde.
This dreadful girl she sees no wrong…
Chewing, chewing, chewing, chewing, chewing, chewing all day
long.

Chewing, chewing all day long
Chewing, chewing all day long
Chewing, chewing all day long

She goes on chewing till at last, her chewing muscles grow so
fast,
And for her face a giant chin, sticks out just like a violin…

Chewing, chewing all day long
Chewing, chewing all day long
Chewing, chewing all day long

For years and years she chew away,
her jaws get stronger every day.
And with one great tremendous chew…
they bite poor girl’s tongue in two.
And that is why we try so hard, to save
Miss Violet Beauregarde

Chewing, chewing all day long
Chewing, chewing all day long
Chewing, chewing, chewing, chewing, chewing, chewing all day
long.

The recipe can be doubled or even tripled if you like. More about that after the recipe.

VIOLET BEAUREGARDE’S BIG BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Muffin ingredients:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾cup white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries

Streusel topping ingredients:

½ cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup butter, cubed
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
Combine 1 ½ cups flour, ¾ cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together ½ cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, ¼ cup butter, and 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

…

This recipe makes 12 muffins, if you want huge muffins, are using large-size muffin tins or need more than a dozen, then be sure to double it. Like I mentioned above, it could even be tripled or quadrupled, depending on how many muffins you need, or what kind of pans you’re using.