Zesty Delights by Brianna Shaver

Personal Background & Journey

I’m Brianna, a pastry chef, food photographer and recipe developer. I’m a California native but moved to Seattle, WA in 2010 to attend pastry school. I’ve spent most of my working life in the food industry starting out as a host at a local chain restaurant, working my way up the ranks to bartend at multiple restaurants. During pastry school I started my first job working at a renowned french bakery and fell in love with the smell of fresh baked pastries in the morning. I’ve worked in numerous bakeries and food establishments, owned a few small businesses and was most
recently a corporate pastry chef for a large tech company. After the birth of my first child I decided to leave corporate America to spend more time with my family and pursue my love of food photography and recipe development. I now spend my days creating scrumptious recipes for companies with mouthwatering photos and videos that bring each dish I create to life. My journey in the culinary world has been shaped by diverse experiences, leading me to develop a deep appreciation and mastery of pastry and baking techniques.

As a mom of a very rambunctious toddler (with another on the way!) Takenaka Bento boxes are a very essential part of my life. We recently moved to beautiful northwest Montana to be closer
to my husband’s family and we spend as much time as possible out in nature, exploring the great outdoors. My bento boxes allow me to bring healthy, toddler approved snacks everywhere we go. I love how compact they are and that I can easily throw a couple in my bag and head out for the day. My toddler loves to help me pack her lunch and snacks in the boxes and is always so excited when it’s time to pull them out and eat!

My favorite color is green but I’ve always been drawn to soft, muted tones so the colors I chose for my boxes reflect that. I love that the options available cater to such a wide array of color palettes.

I’m excited to share with you a glimpse of what we pack in our boxes each day and a recipe for one of my favorite mini muffin recipes that my toddler goes crazy for!

For more recipes and to connect with me, you can check out my instagram and youtube.

Mini Cranberry Orange Muffins

½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cup (248g) granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon orange oil
2 cups (240g) all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon cardamom
2 fluid ounces (60g) whole milk
2 fluid ounces (60g) orange juice
¾ cup dried cranberries - Zest of 1 medium orange

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a mini muffin pan with nonstick spray. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt and set aside. Measure out the milk and orange juice together and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric handheld mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add in the eggs, orange oil and zest and mix until combined. Alternately mix in the dry and wet ingredients in three stages, beginning and ending with the dry. Fold in the dried cranberries. Using a small cookie scoop, portion the muffin batter into the pan, filling each mold about ¾ of the way. Sprinkle some sugar on top of each muffin and bake for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in their pan for a few minutes then flip them out to cool completely on a wire rack. *The mini muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.

*I used starfruit, papaya, guava, lilikoi, and fresh coconut meat. I know these fruits are not accessible to everyone. Any fresh fruit will do!