Paper Palate

In the September/October 2006 issue of Midwest Living, “Coffeehouse Perks” features delicious home-baked desserts from various coffeehouses throughout the midwest. These enticing home-baked recipes are beautifully illustrated with tempting color photographs. Among the coffeeshops of note are Simon’s Cafe and Coffee Shop in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Capers Cafe and Bakery in Salina, Kansas, and Délice European Bakery and Cafe in Omaha, Nebraska. All of the featured coffee shops pride themselves with serving pastries and treats that have been baked with care from scratch. With the recipes included in the article, readers can enjoy the taste of these desserts without touring the midwestern states. Among the many wonderful, decadent desserts, the modest Fudge Brownie Cheesecake Muffins, from Caper’s Cafe and Bakery, seems to be one of the easiest desserts ever to prepare, using readily accessible ingredients:

Fudge Brownie Cheesecake Muffins
(recipe courtesy Midwest Living, September/October 2006)

Ingredients:
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons miniature semisweet chocolate pieces
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Lightly grease thirty-six 1 3/4-inch muffin cups or line with paper bake cups.

For topping: In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and the egg yolk with an electric mixer until blended. Fold in chocolate pieces.

In a large bowl, mix 1 3/4 cups flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and soda. Make a well in the center of flour.

In a small bowl, combine egg, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in nuts.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full. Spoon cream cheese topping on top of batter in each cup. Bake in a 400° oven 12 minutes or until edge springs back when lightly touched (do not touch cream cheese topping). Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in refrigerator. Makes 36 mini-muffins.

For regular size muffins: Lightly grease 12 2 1/2-inch muffin cups or line with paper bake cups. Prepare batter as above and spoon into muffin cups. Bake in 400° oven about 18 minutes or until edge of muffin spirngs back when lightly touched.

Nutrition facts per mini muffin: 79 cal, 4 g fat, 15 mg chol, 58 mg sodium, 9 g carbo, 0 g fiber, 2 g pro.