Garam Masala Sweet Potato Muffins

I am not a muffin roll. After I made the garam masala snickerdoodles, I had the craving to use more of the spice mix in my baking. When I stumbled upon the garam masala sweet potato muffins in Whole Grain Vegan Baking, I knew you were just gonna have to deal with the fact that I made two muffin recipes from the same cookbook back to back. These were great. They weren't very sweet, I actually found them to be a little more on the savory side. I feel like I might tweak the recipe to include a little corn meal or corn flour and serve them with chili the next time around.


Time keeps slipping by me. I almost forgot to finish writing this! Next year I really have to get more planned & prepped before MoFo starts. There's just no time to actually bake something several days a week. I feel like I am missing out on a lot of small things in my life, which is definitely not the point of MoFo. I shouldn't let it stress me out so much, but I am obsessive about committing to things 100% once I sign on. Hopefully I will have a little time to catch back up this week!

Soft Pretzels

These pretzels are making me thirsty! I had to say it. I couldn't not say it. I mean c'mon. I hear it in my head every time I eat a pretzel. If you have a standing mixer with a dough hook and a few spare hours, then you should give these a shot.
I don't know why people feel like soft pretzels are so elusive. At the last bake sale that I did, they were the first thing to sell out. Pretzels really aren't difficult. The folding just takes a little bit of finesse. But after a few dozen, you'll be throwing the dough around like any Auntie Anne's employee. Heck, you don't even have to shape them like standard pretzels. Get creative. Spell your name or make your favorite sport's team's logo or just make circles. They will all taste just as good.
Most pretzels recipes are pretty similar. My recipes of choice is Alton Brown's, just substitute the butter and the egg wash for Earth Balance. But do melt the Earth Balance you're using for the egg wash step. This is one time when I really prefer weighing the flour. Doughs can be a little finicky, and it's just easier to know that you aren't too fair a hand with the flour. I also know a few people who like to throw a teaspoon or two of vital wheat gluten into the dough, but I don't find it necessary.
If you want to make a fancy snack platter with the pretzels, you could make a few dipping sauces. Maybe an agave dijon or a cheddar cheese sauce? Either way, you won't regret your foray into the saltier side of things.