Whole-Wheat Breakfast Cookies

Whole-Wheat Breakfast Cookies

Galletas Integral
Zacatecas, capital of the state of the same name, is a beautiful colonial city in north-central Mexico. On one visit, I found a wonderful bakery filled with appealing breads and cookies, many of which were made with whole-wheat flour. Large, round cookies, much like these, topped with sunflower seeds, pecans, or sesame seeds, were great for breakfast or to munch on with late morning or afternoon tea or coffee. Traditionally, the seeds and nuts are pressed into the dough in a decorative pattern.
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Ingredients

Makes about 22 to 24 (3-inch) cookies

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Whole-Wheat Breakfast Bread

Whole-Wheat Breakfast Bread

Desayuno Pan Integral
Rancho La Puerta is a world-class spa located in Tecate, Mexico, just 40 miles from San Diego, California. The food is top class, too. This bread is an adaptation of a hearty, healthy loaf that's often served with fruit and yogurt at breakfast. I prefer mine with apricot or raspberry jam.
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Ingredients

Makes 1 small loaf (71⁄2- × 33⁄4-inch pan)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°.
  • Spray 1 small loaf pan (33⁄4- × 71⁄2-inch) with vegetable oil spray.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flours and the cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • Make a well in the center.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together the egg, pineapple juice, sour cream, sugar, oil, and vanilla.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the well in the dry ingredients and fold together just to combine.
  • Do not over mix.
  • (The batter will be very thick.
  • )
  • Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, level the top, and bake about 35 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Turn the bread out onto a wire rack.
  • Cool at least 30 minutes.

Notes & Wine Advice

Slice and serve.
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Course; Bread / Breakfast
Cuisine; Mexican

Pan de Plátano

Pan de Plátano

Banana Bread
When time allows, Mexicans prepare and enjoy leisurely breakfasts at home just as we do. Banana bread fits nicely into a modern Mexican breakfast or brunch. Do as the Mexicans do, and serve this bread with a special plate of tropical fruits (Breakfast Fruit Plate or Pineapple Boats).Undiluted, thawed orange juice concentrate, as called for in the recipe, has a more intense orange flavor than diluted or fresh-squeezed. Fresh-squeezed juice may be used, if you like.
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Ingredients

Makes 2 (9- × 5- × 3-inch) loaves

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Grease two 9- × 5- × 3-inch loaf pans and line with waxed paper or parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, and salt.
  • In a medium bowl mix the mashed bananas, sugar, and eggs.
  • Add the butter and mix well.
  • Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and mix very well.
  • Stir in the orange juice, milk, and vanilla.
  • Fold in the pecans.
  • Spoon half of the batter into each loaf pan.
  • Bake 15 minutes; then reduce the oven temperature to 325° and bake 45 more minutes, or until browned on top and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Notes & Wine Advice

Cool on a rack before slicing and serving.
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Course; Bread / Fruit
Cuisine; Mexican

Walnut and Apple Muffins

Walnut and Apple Muffins

Muffins de Nuez y Manzana
I stopped in a small Mexico City bakery in the Polanco district one day, and was intrigued by a large tray of nut muffins that were made by dropping the dough on to a baking sheet instead of baking it in muffin tins. They looked like round soft bumpy cookies, even though the sign on the display said "muffin de nuez". Whatever you'd like to call them, these soft, cookie-like muffins are very good. I liked the idea, and worked out this version at home. I used walnuts, as the bakery did (although the general word nuez for nut is used), but you can substitute pecans, if you wish.
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Ingredients

Makes 12 small unmolded muffins

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375°.
  • Grease 2 baking sheets.
  • In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt.
  • Set aside.
  • Put the sugar and butter in a food processor.
  • Process until fluffy, about 10 seconds.
  • Add the egg.
  • Process about 15 seconds.
  • Add the applesauce and vanilla.
  • Process 5 seconds.
  • Add the dry ingredients and pulse 10 to 12 times to mix well.
  • Scrape the dough into a bowl.
  • (The dough should be stiff enough to hold its shape, but not dry.
  • ) If too dry, add applesauce 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time.
  • If too moist, add 1 tablespoon flour at a time and pulse again.
  • Stir the nuts into the batter.
  • Drop by generous tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets.
  • Bake until brown on the bottom and lightly browned on top, 10 to 12 minutes.
  • Cool in the pan on a rack.
  • Store in a sealed plastic bag.

Notes & Wine Advice

The muffins can be frozen and reheated, straight from the freezer, in a microwave.
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Cuisine; Mexican

Pecan Muffins

Pecan Muffins

Muffins de Nuez
Muffins are made in some Mexican bakeries and served in many hotel dining rooms. Although they are not a traditional part of the cuisine, they go very well with Mexican brunches and breakfasts. The pecans (pecana in Spanish but often just referred to in Mexico as nuez, meaning nut), and vanilla are native to Mexico and are often used in baked goods. Camille Tarantino, a friend who has traveled with me to Mexico, developed this recipe from our memories of muffins at a bakery in Oaxaca. The prune purée called for in this recipe adds moistness and rich dark color to the muffins (and a side benefit is that it's a more healthful muffin with less fat and calories).
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Ingredients

Makes 12 small muffins

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°.
  • Butter 12 1⁄3-cup muffin cups.
  • In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, put all of the dry ingredients and pulse 8 to 10 times to blend.
  • Add the pecans and process until the nuts are finely ground, 10 to 12 seconds.
  • Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
  • Add the remaining ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just mixed.
  • Spoon the batter into the muffin cups until they are about 2⁄3 full.
  • Bake until browned on top and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to 18 minutes.
  • Invert the muffins onto a rack.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve warm or at room temperature.
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Cuisine; Mexican

Muffins with Cinnamon-Sugar Topping

Muffins with Cinnamon-Sugar Topping

Muffins con Canela y Azucar
Panaderias (bakeries) all over Mexico make these cupcake-like muffins. I often buy one on my morning walks, to enjoy with coffee. Mexicans use what is called "true" cinnamon (canela), also known as Ceylon cinnamon, rather than the cassia variety. Canela has a much softer bark, which is easier to grind and has a mellower, sweeter flavor. In the United States, you can find ground canela cinnamon in the Mexican section of most supermarkets.
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Ingredients

Makes 6 small muffins

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
  • Preheat the oven to 375°.
  • Butter 6 1⁄3-cup muffin cups.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • In another bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy about 1 minute.
  • Add the egg and beat well.
  • On slow speed, mix in the dry ingredients alternately with the milk and vanilla until combined.
  • Spoon the batter into the muffin cups until they are about 2⁄3 full.
  • (Any extra batter can be baked in a small custard cup.
  • ) Sprinkle each muffin with about ½ teaspoon of the cinnamon sugar.
  • Bake until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Remove pan from the oven, and invert muffins on a rack.

Notes & Wine Advice

The muffins are best served warm from the oven.
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Cuisine; Mexican

Pumpkin Biscuits from Unknown Author

Pumpkin Biscuits from Unknown Author

Bisquets de Calabaza
In the city of Zacatecas there are some wonderful cookies, breads, and biscuits made with whole-wheat flour and topped with nuts and seeds. The biscuits here were inspired by all the sampling I've done. These golden yellow biscuits are really good while still warm from the oven, spread with sweet butter and jam or honey.
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Ingredients

Makes 12 biscuits

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons hulled green pumpkin seeds
  • 12 ⁄3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into pieces
  • ½ cup canned unsweetened solid-pack pumpkin
  • ¼ cup cold whole milk

Instructions

  • In a small dry skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds, tossing, until they start popping in the pan, 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Transfer to a bowl and reserve.
  • Preheat the oven to 425°.
  • In a food processor put the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  • Pulse to combine.
  • Add the cold butter and process to resemble crumbs.
  • Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
  • Add the pumpkin and milk.
  • Mix just until the ingredients come together.
  • Using your hands, gather the dough into a ball and place on a lightly floured work surface.
  • Knead gently 8 to 10 turns until the dough holds together.
  • Pat the dough into a 3⁄4-inch-thick rectangle about 6 × 8 inches.
  • Cut into 12 2-inch squares.
  • Top the biscuits with toasted pumpkin seeds, pushing them well into the dough, or they will fall out after baking.
  • Arrange the biscuits on a baking sheet and bake about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve warm or at room temperature
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Cuisine; Mexican

Mexican Biscuits

Mexican Biscuits

Bisquets de Mexico
Mexican biscuits are rich and slightly sweet. When ordered in a restaurant the biscuits are sometimes split, buttered, and toasted under a broiler until the butter melts and the edges begin to turn golden. They are irresistible. Serve hot with honey or jam.
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Ingredients

Makes about 16 biscuits

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425°.
  • In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  • Cut in the butter or shortening until the mixture is crumbly.
  • (This can be done in a food processor.
  • ) Then return the dry ingredients to the bowl.
  • Remove a scant 2 tablespoons of the beaten eggs to a small bowl and set aside.
  • Mix the remaining egg with the milk.
  • Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the milk mixture all at once.
  • Stir with a fork until combined.
  • With your hands, work the dough together and turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface.
  • Knead gently 8 to 10 turns until the dough just holds together.
  • Roll out the dough with a lightly floured rolling pin to about 3⁄4-inch thick.
  • Cut into rounds with a 21⁄2-inch biscuit cutter.
  • Gather the scraps, roll and cut.
  • Put the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet.
  • Brush the tops with the reserved beaten egg.
  • Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve warm from the oven. If made ahead, biscuits can be split, buttered, and toasted under a broiler.
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Cuisine; Mexican

Yogurt and Tropical Fruit Starter

Yogurt and Tropical Fruit Starter

Frutas y Yogurt
In the town of Coatepec, near Jalapa, is a gorgeous hotel—the Posada Coatepec. There, I ate a healthful and delicious fruit and yogurt starter at breakfast, very much like this recipe. Serve in pretty bowls or large stemmed glasses to lend a "resort" ambiance to your breakfast. Be sure to inspect each berry for freshness.
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Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

  • 1 large mango peeled and diced
  • 1 ripe banana peeled and diced
  • 1 cup fresh berries of choice such as raspberries, blueberries, blackberries
  • 2 8-ounce cups of plain or vanilla yogurt
  • 1 8-ounce cup strawberry yogurt
  • 4 large whole strawberries for garnish

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, mix the mango, banana and berries together.
  • Set aside.
  • In the bottom of each of 4 serving bowls, put a portion of the plain or vanilla yogurt.
  • Spoon the fruits equally over the yogurt.
  • On the top of each serving add about 2 tablespoons of the strawberry yogurt, and place a strawberry in the center.
  • Store in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve cold.
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Course; Fruit
Cuisine; Mexican

Pineapple Boats

Pineapple Boats

Barcas de Piña
Just about every resort hotel in Mexico dazzles the eye with beautiful breakfast buffets. Pineapple boats laden with chunks of tropical fruits and decorated with exotic blossoms are often part of the tempting array of morning delights, and they are easy to make at home, too
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Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

  • 1 large ripe pineapple with leaves attached
  • 1 large ripe mango peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 oranges peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 ripe bananas peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 kiwi peeled and cut into bite size pieces (optional)
  • ½ cup red or green seedless grapes
  • Fresh mint sprigs
  • Lime wedges

Instructions

  • Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise keeping the leaves attached.
  • Carefully cut out the fruit as close to the rind as possible, taking care to keep the outside shells intact.
  • Reserve the shells.
  • Cut the pineapple into bite size pieces and put them in a large bowl.
  • Add the mango, oranges, bananas, kiwi, and grapes to the bowl.
  • Mix gently and mound the fruits in the reserved shells.
  • Place the pineapple boats on a large serving platter.
  • Decorate with mint sprigs and garnish with lime wedges.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve cold.
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Course; Fruit
Cuisine; Mexican