Green Options

Cupcakes are still the dessert du jour, but forget chocolate and vanilla — try the green Matcha Meringue Cupcakes instead. Two secret ingredients give them a delicate green hue — finely grated lime peel and matcha green tea powder, a premium powdered green tea that’s used in the Japanese tea ceremony. Use organic ingredients to make the recipe even greener.

Even though these cupcakes are still a sugary, the addition of matcha green tea powder means each one will boast the benefits of green tea including weight loss, lowered blood pressure, decreased stress levels and increased energy. So when you try the Matcha Meringue Cupcakes recipe, you can feel a little less guilty about indulging.

Ever since my daughter was a toddler, she has been interested in cooking. Now that she is seven-years-old, I decided it was time for her to give it a go in the kitchen with her own cookbook. My daughter’s source of inspiration: Honest Pretzels, a cookbook for children written by Mollie Katzen of Moosewood fame.

My daughter hungrily reads the recipes in Honest Pretzels, which are laid out in an illustrated, very kid (and adult) friendly way, including a section “Ask an adult for help with”. She wanted to make something immediately, but neither her father or I had the time to help her, so we let her go at it on her own. It was her first solo cooking adventure (except for using the oven), and she did well. At one point, she asked me whether she should pour the flour from the five pound bag into the measuring cup or dip the cup in the flour. Thankfully she asked and a huge mess was avoided.

The organic Button Cupcakes were delicious. I’ve modified Mollie’s recipe below, such as omitting the Hershey’s Kiss on top (not supporting Hershey) and only using organic ingredients. I’ve written it in the step format she lays out for children, but I have not included all of her specific instructions for children.

Organic Button Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put 12 muffin papers in the muffin pan.
2. Sift 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (Mollie tells children to use a strainer and gently shake it over the bowl, which is a great solution if you don’t have a sifter).

There are a lot of foods that sound healthy, but really aren’t. For example, “Simply Fruit” jam that contains less fruit than other ingredients, or “fruit medley” treats for toddlers that primarily contain corn syrup and no other fruit besides white grape juice. Basically, if you want a healthy treat that really is healthy, you are best off baking it yourself. That’s why I like this recipe I created. I started with a formula from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Bread Bible, and modified the spices and made it into a cupcake.

What I like about the recipe is that the main ingredient is carrots. In fact, the cupcakes contain more carrot than flour, oil or sugar. As an added bonus, using fruit or vegetables in a baked good really bumps the moisture content and lets you easily use whole grain flour. Add some raisins, and this dessert packs a lot of fiber and nutrition for the calories — and still tastes great. Recipe after the jump.