I was looking for a traditional Scandinavian spice cookie recipe to test out my new Moomin cookie cutters. I found a ‘traditional’ recipe over at Delicious Days.

This was sort of a disaster. My dough was too wet and I only got one good Moomin cookie before the cookie cutter was all bunged up in dough. Ugh. The rest had to settle being lowly circles and hearts.

Worst of all.. they weren’t even that spicy. I guess I like a bit more zing and zap than the Swedes.

We’re still eating them… but it’s not a keeper recipe.

After reading Nigella Lawson’s recipe for Guinness cake (featured in Feast) I was feeling particularly inspired to bake. Because over the holidays, there are no such things as calories. Right? To the grocery store I went. (My fellow Centretonians must have been baking up a storm, as the stocks of unsalted butter were dangerously low!) I ducked into the LCBO to pick up the Guinness, but first I spotted a squat little stubby and picked it up. It was the John By Imperial Stout locally made in Carleton Place. That’s when a bell went on in my head - a bake-off. Ding ding!

Let’s step into the Centretown Test Kitchen, shall we? On the left with have our local hero tipping in at 6.7% alcohol, a black syrupy consistency and a story about the Rideau Canal being a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the label. Can heritage value bake a better cake? Only our tastebuds will tell. On the right, the standard Guinness tipping in at 4.2% alcohol and only sold in a four-pack.

Heritage face-off! Who’s tangible (and tasty) barley value will produce the best cake? The John By stout took the first swing and produced a lovely dark and moist cake. Impressive.

I baked my cake in a regular 9 inch cake pan rather than the recommended spring form pan. This left extra batter for about 6 cupcakes. Bonus cupcakes definitely won a few brownie points. Oooh… that pun hurts me more than it hurts you.

And for the icing on the cake? Icing on the cake. Local lore delivers.

The competitor? Traditional draught Guinness. Let’s see if “luck of the Irish” will help in the cupcake test. Baker’s note: I ran out of large muffin papers, so the cupcake was graded only on colour and flavour.

The Guinness cupcake is on the left and clearly produced a milk-chocolate coloured cupcake while the John By Stout baked into a dark chocolate colour.

The taste test: Results were unanimous. Both the boy and I preferred the John By stout in the bake-off. Local history takes the cake!

Boyfriendly rating: 5/5

Baker’s note #2: The loser Guinness beers did not go to waste.

Baker’s note #3: The John By Stout is available for a limited time as it is a seasonal product.

Finally, a baking success. I had been reading about the health benefits of millet in Heidi’s “Super Natural Coooking” book and online. So, after some Googling I came across an interesting millet muffin recipe. Not one to play by the books, I tweaked the recipe a bit for my own kitchen.

I really love this recipe.  It reminds me a bit of bran muffins, but not so heavy.  It’s light and a bit crunchy.   Sweet, but not too sweet.  I think it will make a perfect mid-morning snack with a cup of tea. In fact, I’ve eaten two already.

No boyfriendly rating yet.

Millet Muffins

(Makes 12 regular muffins)

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 5 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. millet
• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup + 1/8 cup buttermilk *

In a food processor, lightly grind the millet to break it up. Don’t grind it to a flour, you want to keep it a bit crunchy.

Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla until mixed. Add the butter and half the buttermilk. Mix to combine. Stir in the millet, dry ingredients and the remaining buttermilk.

Line a muffin pan with paper muffin cups. Scoop the batter into cups.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350F.

* I didn’t have any buttermilk so I substituted soured milk. Take regular milk and add a tablespoon of lemon juice and let sit for 5 minutes. Easy!

With so so many carrots remaining from our veggie box, I really needed a way to use them up. After some googling, I came across a healthier version of carrot cake. Unfortunately, I think the recipe was *too* healthy. I wasn’t in love with these muffins and they turned out to be more of a cream cheese icing transportation system. Not bad, not ideal. I wonder if more flax would have helped?  I think a bit more spice was needed too - they were a tad plain.

I didn’t use their icing recipe instead I went for this:

• 1 package light cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• dash of ginger
• 1/4 cup icing sugar
• Candied ginger pieces for decoration

Boyfriendly rating: 3/5  Edible, but not quite right.

We did use up our carrots!

The quest to use up our potatoes continues with a basic potato muffin recipe. The recipe claims it is a “PEI potato muffin” recipe and it could be with one minor change, it’s definitely a “PEI potato muffin recipe from the 1800s”. Why do I say this? There is hardly any flavour. If you want to pretend you’re some sort of PEI settler with a bare cupboard, these muffins are for you.

Sure, they looked great, but that’s about where the compliment train stops. The taste? Well… to quote the boy, “it tastes like potato”. No false advertising here. Personally, I didn’t enjoy the nutmeg - maybe I’m just anti-nutmeg (I didn’t like it in the pumpkin lasagna either).

My mother suggested adding some dried cranberries or orange zest.  I think these additions would have really helped these sad little muffins.

Boyfriendly rating:  2/5 “Tastes like potatoes”

“Turn of the century” PEI potato muffins

• 2 cup  Unbleached white flour
• 2 Tbsp  sugar
• 3 tsp  Baking Powder
• 1 tsp  Salt
• 1/2 tsp  Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp  Nutmeg
• 1  Egg
• 1    cup  Cold, mashed potatoes
• 1 1/2    cup  Buttermilk
• 1/4    cup  Melted butter

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease 12 muffin cups (I used a non-stick muffin pan and omitted this step). Measure flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl. Stir with a fork until mixed. In another small bowl, beat egg, then gradually stir in mashed potatoes, buttermilk, and butter. Mixture may not be smooth. Then, pour into flour mixture, stirring just until combined.

Spoon batter into muffin pan. Bake in centre of 400F oven until golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. Turn muffins out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm.