Muffins & A Reality Check

Truth… I’ve been struggling creatively lately.

I have so many ideas and recipes that I want to share with you all, and yet when I finally get myself in gear to create something… I shut down. I bake something new, and then I don’t photograph it. I don’t share it with you…

Why? Because I think to myself… “what is the point?” Because… there is always someone who is going to do it better, isn’t there? At least in my head there is. And therefore if someone else could do it better, there is no point in my trying…

Do you feel that? I’m sure you do. I know I’m not alone in this, and yet… I have a nasty habit of being able to convince myself that I am.

Why are we our worst critics? I live to see other people take chances and share their unique creativity and talent with the world and flourish. But when it comes to myself… I just can’t seem to shake the feeling that it’s different; That I’m not good enough to share; That nobody really wants to see what I have to offer…

It’s a terrible attitude. I hate to admit that I think like this sometimes, but it’s the truth. And lately I have been thinking this way more often than not; I’ve been letting myself be crippled by this pressure and fear more so than ever before.

So what’s changed? Confession… I let instagram get to me. I fell into its trap. The one I swore I never would let myself fall into. Somehow I forgot why I was sharing there and I came to a place where I let the number of likes on my photos and the number of new follows or the number of unfollows determine my value; I let something as silly and impersonal as a like on a photo determine whether or not I should even be doing this at all.

Again, I hate to admit that… but it’s true. I fell into the instagram trap. It’s so true and I can’t help but be a little disappointed in myself for it. Disappointed in letting myself forget what Sweet & Simple really means to me – Because what it means to me is a hell of a lot more meaningful than whether or not people decide to click the heart button below my photos while they scroll through an app.

Somewhere along the line I forgot why it was that I started this blog in the first place. Because when I started it was never about the prospect of likes. It was never about whether or not I was gaining followers…

No, I started Sweet & Simple in the hopes that I might be able to get people excited about baking. I hoped that maybe the photos and the stories that I shared would remind someone of a baking memory and that it might inspire them to make new ones or that maybe I could even inspire someone to try baking for the first time…

I hoped it would mean more trays of homemade muffins would show up to the offices in the morning or that it might mean more homemade birthday cakes or more rainy afternoons spent baking banana bread…

I had some pretty lofty day dreams about what this blog might inspire because I think more than anything I just hoped we might all start baking up and sharing a little more love. I hoped that because for me food is love. Preparing & sharing food has always been something of a love language for me. I love seeing the joy that can be spread from something as simple as sharing a tray of warm chocolate chip cookies.

I hoped I could make baking less daunting, because in my mind, baking doesn’t need to be complicated. People often say baking is much harder than cooking because you have to be precise… but I don’t know I’ve never looked at it quite like that.

Call me a naive home baker who really has no idea what she is talking about… but for me, baking doesn’t need to be exact. I’ve always thought that baking is an opportunity to be creative. Baking should be fun. It should create a space to experiment; to enjoy the fruits of our successes; to mourn our mistakes, but also laugh like hell at them because let’s face it… most baking fails are pretty damn hysterical if you let them be.

I wanted to create a space where baking didn’t feel so formal. Where I could admit to you that – yeah… I always use salted butter (never unsalted), and no I don’t really ever sift my flour or whisk together my dry ingredients in a separate bowl before I add them in.

(These are my deepest darkest baking secrets) But hey… it’s the truth. Do I have baking fails? OF COURSE.

If nothing else, I hoped I could make you feel like there is always room for laughter in the kitchen. Because I really do believe that.

So that’s what I’m going to do now… I’m going to let myself laugh in my kitchen again. I’m going to stop thinking I need to make everything so complicated. I’m going to stop thinking that everything needs to be so perfect.

I’m getting back on the path where Sweet & Simple started and I’m not looking back.

And I’m starting with a classic. Chocolate Chip Muffins. Because it really doesn’t get much more Sweet & Simple than this. This is a damn good muffin. They take minutes to mix up and are tender, fluffy, moist, flavourful bakery style muffins that you couldn’t ask more from.

These muffins have got me through many a tough times and I hope they can do the same for you.

Classic Chocolate Chip Muffins

Makes: 12-16 muffins

Things you need…
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chips

Cinnamon sugar topping
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

How to make…
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. (This might sound high, but trust me – this is how you get sky high, golden muffin tops)

Grease or line a muffin pan with parchment paper liners, but leave alternating spaces open, so you will only have 6 liners actually in the pan at once. ** This is optional, you could just fill all 12, but leaving alternating spaces open will allow for better air flow, and will make for incredible bakery style muffin tops**

In a small bowl whisk together the ingredients for the cinnamon sugar topping until combined; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda; Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and vanilla until combined. Next lowly pour in the melted butter and whisk to combine. Pour the wet ingredients in to the well of the dry ingredients and use a spatula to gently fold the ingredients together. Once the mixture is just starting to come together, add in the chocolate chunks and mix gently to distribute, being careful not to over mix as this can lead to tough muffins. If you still have streaks of floury bits in your batter – this is the perfect consistency.

Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Sprinkle the muffins with prepared cinnamon sugar topping (*optional) and place in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the tops of the muffins spring back to your touch.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes (if you can) before serving.

Happy Baking lovelies!