Halloween is an implied occasion to indulge on the sweets, but it doesn't have to be all scary to us parents. Balance the baked homemade goodies to celebrate with some healthy and some junkie- we feel better about what we are serving and the kids won't know the difference. I discovered these great delicious bright green monster cupcakes that gets it's green from..... spinach! That's right, no dye... there's a lot of it and you can't taste it. Zero. Nada... How brilliant is that? Conducting a healthier Halloween baking session with grades 1s to 3s at Woburn Junior Public School on Halloween Day and I wanted to make sure the recipe I found on Veggie Desserts delivers on that can't-detect-the-veggie-goodness promise! Tested it over the weekend, reducing the sugar in the base as we know those cupcakes will be avalanche-laden with all the sugary stuff. Results-- ?
 |
| A cupcake admiring student at Woburn :D |
 |
| The inspiration recipe found on Veggie Desserts. |
Green Monster Cupcakes (adapted by Veggie Desserts.co.uk)
Makes 12 cupcakes
142 g packaged baby spinach (use up to 200 g if you wish, with no flavour detection)
4 Tbsp, milk
2/3 cup (1-1/4 sticks) butter (at room temperature)
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla essence
1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 170C/340F and line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners.
Boil a small pot of water. Blanch the spinach for 20 seconds. Refresh by running the spinach under cold water to cool, then drain, squeeze out any excess moisture and chop up finely.
Add the spinach and milk to a tall container, then puree until smooth with a hand blender.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the vanilla and pureed spinach.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and stir gently to combine.
Fill the muffin cups ¾ full with the batter and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled decorate as desired.
My son commented that it looks like I am baking up guacamole cups... lol
My family approves.... Sebastien guessed there was spinach in it but can't taste it.
They liked it so much, I plan to make them occasionally to pack for their school snack.
Moo-ving over to Woburn Junior Public School to start my Healthier Halloween session.
Part healthy. Part junkie.
We also got Oreo Spiders, Ghoulish Apple Mouths, Witch Broomsticks and Banana Ghosts.
In session with these awesome grades 1 to 3.
BOO!
I prepared the spinach mixture ahead of time before class and added it in the batter with the students. They had zero idea.... The guesses when I asked what they thought was inside after I said it was not food colouring.... cucumbers, broccoli, avocado.... lastly they guessed spinach, and was super astonished to learn that what they were gobbling contained the healthy leafy green. Haha!! Love it! :D
Happy Decorating!
From Ours to Yours... I hope you all had a ghoulish Halloween!
Full Recipe:
Green Monster Cupcakes (adapted by Veggie Desserts.co.uk)
Makes 12 cupcakes
200 g fresh spinach
4 Tbsp, milk
2/3 cup (1-1/4 sticks) butter (at room temperature)
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla essence
1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 170C/340F and line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners.
Boil a small pot of water. Blanch the spinach for 20 seconds. Refresh by running the spinach under cold water to cool, then drain, squeeze out any excess moisture and chop up finely.
Add the spinach and milk to a tall container, then puree until smooth with a hand blender.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the vanilla and pureed spinach.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and stir gently to combine.
Fill the muffin cups ¾ full with the batter and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled decorate as desired.
Add the spinach and milk to a tall container, then puree until smooth with a hand blender.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the vanilla and pureed spinach.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and stir gently to combine.
Fill the muffin cups ¾ full with the batter and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled decorate as desired.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.