Review: Mocha Muffins!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 14, 2011
Are you dreaming of snow for Christmas? Do you long for the aromas of Christmas baking? Then you will be interested in this cookbook. I think we all love Gooseberry cookbooks because it is so cozy to read them. This one is especially filled with Christmas memories and tons of recipes. There are also plenty of decorating tips and lots of adorable illustrations. The book begins with stories and progresses to breakfast and brunch recipes, appetizers, soups, main dishes and desserts. Most of the recipes serve four, six or eight. There is one recipe for one in case you just want to make a cup of cocoa for yourself. Some of the most interesting recipes include:Cheese FondueJuice made in a Slow Cooker - apple juice, pomegranate juice and orange juice with cinnamon sticksSalmon Loaf DipTortellini SoupRosemary-Garlic TurkeyChicken KievTiramisuEggnog Pound CakeCherry PunchWhile these are all recipes I want to try I started off making the Mocha Muffins. Instead of using instant coffee I used two teaspoons of King Arthur Flour's espresso powder. I also used Penzy's cake spice in place of the cinnamon. So you can see these can be adapted to your tastes. I just bit into one of the mocha muffins and can I say yum! It is an adult taste so you might not want to make these for kids unless they like coffee. To make exactly twelve muffins use a  cup measuring cup and use a small spatula to scrape the batter into baking cups. The muffins have a moist crumb and then you get a burst of chocolate from the chocolate chips. Very satisfying. I think you'll love this cookbook.~The Rebecca Review