Cheesy Garlic Babka Muffins Food

JUMBO ZAATAR BABKA MUFFINS

Steps:

• For the dough: Whisk together the warm milk, yeast and 2 teaspoons of the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Allow to sit until it begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. Start the mixer and add the salt and eggs. Mix until the eggs are incorporated.
• Add the flour and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in batches, allowing the flour to fully incorporate with the dough between additions. Continue to mix until well combined. Add the butter in small pieces, allowing each addition to fully incorporate before adding more. Leave the mixer running to continue kneading the dough for 10 minutes. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, then cover with a towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• For the filling: Knead the dough on a floured surface for a few minutes to form a nice ball, then roll it out with a rolling pin into an 18-by-12-inch rectangle. Spread the olive oil over the dough and sprinkle with the Cheddar, sesame seeds, chile flakes, pine nuts, oregano and zaatar. Starting from the longer side, roll the dough up a quarter of the way at a time, similar to how you make a cinnamon roll, resulting in an 18-inch log. Cut the log in half, then slice each half into 12 pieces. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray, then flour it. Twist one piece of dough into a figure 8 and place in the muffin tin. Twist another piece and place in the same cavity-each muffin should be made of 2 pieces. Press down on the dough firmly to be sure it fits snugly. You will have 12 total muffins. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the egg wash: Beat together the egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the tops of the muffins with the egg wash and sprinkle with zaatar and flaky salt. Bake until risen and golden, for 20 to 22 minutes. Allow muffins to cool at least 15 minutes, then use a sharp paring knife to run around the edges to release them from the pan.

CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL MUFFINS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Line 8 jumbo muffin cups with liners. In a medium bowl, combine the oats and milk and let soak, 20 minutes.
• In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, peanut butter, vanilla, eggs and maple syrup until smooth. Add the oat mixture and flour mixture; stir to combine. Fold in the dried fruit, chocolate and coconut. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups about two-thirds of the way full. Sprinkle with seeds.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pans for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely or enjoy warm!

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE BABKA

Steps:

• For the Mexican chocolate babka dough: In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and cinnamon. Add the milk and eggs and mix with the dough hook to combine. With the mixer running, add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until it is incorporated into the dough. The butter should be soft and pliable but not melty. When all the butter is incorporated, knead/mix, stopping to scrape the hook, sides and bottom of the bowl every few minutes, until the dough is smooth and slightly sticky, another 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, flip over to coat and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest and rise until it's doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
• For the Mexican chocolate babka filling: In a medium bowl with a stiff rubber spatula, mix together the sugar, butter, cocoa powder, cinnamon, chili powder and salt until combined. Add the oil to smooth it out to a spreadable consistency. Taste and add more chili powder if you like more heat. Reserve at room temperature.
• Grease a pullman loaf pan or standard loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment so that it comes up 2 of the sides and overhangs by an inch. On a clean countertop, roll the dough out into a 10-by-22-inch rectangle. The dough should be slightly sticky, but if it's too sticky to work with, you can dust with a little flour. Spread a thin even layer of filling all over the dough, reserving about 2 tablespoons of it. Roll the dough the long way into a tight log and cut it in half so you have 2 shorter logs. Spread the top of one of the logs with the reserved filling and then twist the logs together. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan, cover with plastic, and let rise until puffy and risen by about half, another 30 to 40 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Gently brush the top of the babka with heavy cream. Bake until the top is deep golden brown, about 50 minutes.
• For the simple syrup: Meanwhile, combine the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan and warm until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• When the babka comes out of the oven, brush the simple syrup over the top. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack to continue cooling. Of course, you should try it while it's still warm!! To store, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature. This is best within a day or two--after that, use it for French toast!