I Love Lemon!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Lemon Zest Glaze. Yum!

Hazelnut Milk and Oatmeal Muffins

I have made my own almond milk for years. I like it in cereal and baking, but it is pretty thin so it does not suffice for coffee. Recently, however, I discovered this recipe for cashew milk. It is delicious and creamy. I omit the agave and reduce the oats to 2 tablespoons (otherwise it will thicken in hot beverages, as I learned the hard way). It is the best milk substitute I have found to drink with espresso.

But, I thought I could improve it even more.

I like hazelnut syrup in coffees, why not just make hazelnut milk?

So, I did.

I soaked 1.5 cups roasted (skins removed) hazelnuts in water over night. The next day, I powdered 2 tablespoons of oats in the blender, dumped in the hazelnuts, a tablespoon of maple syrup and three cups of water. I then liquified the mixture for 3-4 minutes and strained through cheese cloth (x 2).

It was delicious.

And a bit grainy.

I was not able to achieve the smooth and creamy texture of the cashew milk. So, it's a no-go for coffee. But, it is delicious in cereal and I used both the milk and the remaining hazelnut grounds/puree to make Oatmeal Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Muffins. I used this recipe and replaced the cow's milk with hazelnut milk and the pecans with the hazelnut mash without any further modifications.

Perfection!

It's Muffin Season!

What's that you say? You weren't aware of muffin season? You can recognize muffin season by the cooling temperatures and fridges filling with wilting berries and giant zucchinis. You might feel a strange desire for cinnamon and oats.

I started off my muffin season with Black and Blue Muffins, following a recipe from Kootenay Bliss. I altered this recipe by adding blueberries and replacing the buttermilk with soy milk. Yum!