Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

Every time I ask my kids what they want me to make...it's muffins! Of course the next question was...what flavor? After going through a couple different options with Madeline, she settled on peanut butter chocolate chip. I knew these would make a great morning snack for her during the school day.

2 cups whole wheat white flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
1 cup milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking tins with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix until just combined. Fill the prepared muffin cups 3/4 full.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from tin and place on a cooling rack to completely cool.

Source: The Frugal Girls

Skinny Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! We have a busy weekend and hosted a family party on July 4th. It was small but it was fun to get together with our family and enjoy the weather. I was worried the weather wasn't going to be great, but by noon, the weather changed and it was gorgeous out. I've been busy working the kitchen getting ready for some of my monthly features; I'm so excited to share them with you! I have also been really busy trying to grow my business and I'll be sharing more information about it later this week as well as a little surprise too. 

I made these muffins months ago, but they got lost in the mix and I just stumbled across the pictures as I preparing for another post. I figured now was a great time to get them posted because they were devoured in 2 days. The kids gobbled them up and they were perfect to send to daycare for breakfast and for an after daycare snack. Plus, they're healthy too, so I didn't worry when the kids ate 2-3 in a day. 

2 large bananas, mashed 

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 egg

1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, honey, brown sugar, yogurt. egg and milk. Once combined, whisk in the peanut butter and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine the flours, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and chocolate chips. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and gently fold to combine all the ingredients together. 

Divide the batter between the twelve muffin tins. They should be almost filled to the top. Bake for 5 minutes at 425 degrees and then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for another 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before eating. 

Slightly adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction. 

Apple Cinnamon Crumb Muffins

I sometimes wonder if I should have incorporated our love for muffins in my blog name with all the muffins I have made! Since becoming a mom, I've made muffins more than anything else. The kids love them, they're quick and easy to make plus I'd rather send these to daycare as a snack than prepacked items they usually serve. 

These muffins would be perfect for the fall, but I had a few apples to use up and Madeline requested apple cinnamon muffins. I love the combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour, and the crumb on top is delicious! While baking them, it definitely smelled like fall! 

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups diced peeled apples

For the Topping:
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners and set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and spices. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the diced apple. 

For the crumb topping, mix together all the ingredients in a small bowl until the mixture becomes crumbly. 

Fill each muffin tin with batter about 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the filled muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center come out clean. Allow muffins to cool completely before enjoying! 

Source: Two Peas & Their Pod

Blueberry Oatmeal Cakes

As you know, I love making muffins for the kids! These oatmeal cakes were the perfect snack or even for breakfast. I made half with blueberries and the other half with strawberries. They're the perfect combination of oatmeal and a muffin, plus I feel better that my kids are getting homemade snacks instead of snacks that are processed with a bunch of ingredients that I can't pronounce!

So I've been thinking about adding some more lifestyle posts to my blog. I've tried Stitch Fix and thought about doing a review and have been refinishing a piece of furniture, but I want to make sure you guys would like to see those things. I'll mainly focus on food, but I think it would be fun to do some new types of posts and you'll get to learn a little more about me, my life and what else I do beside cooking and baking. What do you say?

2 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

Combine the oats and skim milk in a bowl and stir. Allow to sit overnight in the refrigerator until the majority of the milk has been absorbed (up to 12 hours).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. 

In the soaked oats, add in the egg, maple syrup, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Stir until the mixture is well combined. Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle the top of of each cake with 1/4 cup of blueberries. 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cakes spring back when they're touched and have turned light brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Serve warm. 

If you have oatmeal cakes left, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Source: Eating Well Magazine

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Cranberry and orange always remind me of the holidays and these muffins didn't disappoint! I made a few changes from the original recipe but they turned out perfect. Madeline loved them but Cooper wasn't too impressed with them - I'm thinking the tartness from the cranberries turned him off. I'm planning to use this same recipe to make mini loaves of bread as gifts. They'll make the perfect afternoon snack!

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 egg
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 Tbsp grated orange zest

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add in the cranberries an stir. In small bowl, combine the melted coconut oil, orange juice, egg and orange zest. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and combine just until moistened.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tins until they are 3/4 full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the tops are lightly browned. Enjoy them warm from the oven or at room temperature.

Recipe slightly adapted from: Joyful Healthy Eats 

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

I had a not so great day the other day and needed a pick me up and these muffins did exactly that...plus it allowed me use up two over-ripe bananas. Yes once again I found myself with over-ripe bananas. My little man has been eating bananas like crazy and they don't last long around the house.

We all loved these muffins! They were the perfect amount of chocolate, hint of banana and perfect when they were still warm from baking. The perfect after dinner snack to help turn my day around! I know I'll be making this again!

1 1/3 cups smashed bananas (about 2-3 bananas)
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat the bananas, oil and egg together. Add in both sugars and combine. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Divide the batter until each is 2/3 full. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick insert in the middle comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for a couple of minutes and then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

Source: Inside Bru Crew Life

Pumpkin and Chocolate Muffins

Today's my reveal day for The Secret Recipe Club. This last month flew by and I'm not sure where the time has gone! My assignment this month Jane's Adventures in Dinner. Jane has so many amazing recipes with mouth-watering photographs! I love her creativity and variety! I had planned to make her pretzel dogs, but my daughter had dental surgery last week and I didn't want to miss out on eating them. They're on my list to make for next week! Since she could only eat soft foods, we decided on Jane's Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Muffins. I made a substitution of flour in the chocolate batter and used whole wheat, which resulted in super thick batter that we couldn't swirl. Regardless, they tasted great and both kids loved them! They'll make great snacks for the kids to take to school this week.

On a quick note, I wanted to let everyone know of an amazing Rodan + Fields deal coming up. If you're a preferred customer, you'll have the opportunity to get a hold of the AMP MD roller at my price, 15% off the preferred customer price! There's still time to become a preferred customer, contact me today!

Now, back to the recipe. :)

15 oz can pure pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3 eggs 

2 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I would lightly spray a muffin pan instead of using paper liners. Set muffin pan aside. 

In a medium sized bowl, combine the pumpkin, vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon and eggs. Divide the batter in half and transfer half to another bowl. In one bowl, add in 1 1/4 cups of flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp baking powder. Stir to combine. In the other bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup cocoa, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp baking powder. 

Divide the pumpkin batter between the prepared muffin tins and then divide the chocolate batter. Swirl the batter together...if you can... ;) Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and allow to completely cool on a cooling rack. 

Apple Muffins {Clean}

Over the weekend, we had plans to go apple picking but Cooper wasn't feeling 100% and we decided not to go. I had plans to make applesauce and start making some other treats with apples, so I stopped a fruit stand along the side of the road and picked up a basket of Laura Red apples. I had never heard of this variety of apples before but the man selling them said they were great for both eating and baking. Perfect since I knew I wanted apples for eating and baking. They're delicious, the perfect combination of sweet and tart.

After making a batch of applesauce, I wanted to make muffins for the kids for breakfast and came across this recipe for apple muffins on Pinterest. I loved that they are clean and contain very little sugar. I also was excited to use my homemade applesauce. We all loved them warmed with a little tab of butter melted on them. YUM! The perfect breakfast muffin!

1 medium sized apple, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
3 Tbsp honey
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with liners and set aside.

In a small bowl, add the chopped apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and honey. Mix together until the apple is well coated. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the applesauce, spiced chopped apples and water. Slowly stir to combine the batter.

Divide the batter into the lined muffin tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before enjoying!

Source: Team Tuttle      

Biscoff Coffee Cake Muffins

It's been quite quiet in my kitchen lately. I haven't been inspired to cook or bake lately and I'm blaming it on the weather! Temperatures have been all over the place and I can't find the motivation to get moving. It also didn't help that Madeline came down with strep throat before the holiday weekend, but luckily after one dose of antibiotics, she was feeling much better.

I'm still working on the case of Biscoff I won a couple months ago. I gave a few jars away and I'm going to need to try out some new recipes to use it. I decided the first venture was muffins, since we all know how much I love making muffins. These were good, full of Biscoff flavor but the crumble didn't stay crumbly like I had hoped.

1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
2 eggs
1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp Biscoff spread

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold
1 Tbsp Biscoff spread
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy. Add the yogurt and mix to combine. Add in the vanilla, cinnamon and 1 egg. Mix until combined and then add in the last egg and mix.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and combine. Remove 1 cup of batter and place in  small bowl. Add in the Biscoff spread and stir to mix together.

Divide the batter and fill 1/2 way full. Add a dollop of the Biscoff batter on top and swirl with a knife.

To make the topping, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon together. Cut in the butter and Biscoff with a pastry knife (or two knives like scissors) until a crumble forms. Sprinkle the top of each muffin generously with the crumble.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until the tops begin to brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire cooling rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and place on the cooling rack to completely cool.

Source: Life Made Simple

Lemon Chia Muffins

I'm on the PTO at Madeline's school and last week we provided the bus drivers with an appreciation breakfast. I was looking for a springy muffin and I saw these muffins on Pinterest and knew that lemon muffins would be perfect! They're moist and lemon is really the highlight of these muffins. I substituted chia seeds for poppy seeds since I didn't have poppy seeds. The glaze on these muffins was amazing. The addition of melted butter makes all the difference. I'll be adding a little butter anytime I make a glaze in the future.

 

 

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp  salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 Tbsp grated lemon zest
2 large eggs
2 tsp chia seeds

 

Glaze:

1 tsp melted butter

powdered sugar

4 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tin with paper liners.

 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl.  Combine the sour cream, buttermilk and lemon juice in a small bowl.

 

In the bowl of an stand mixer, beat together the sugar, butter and lemon zest. Add one egg at a time, beating well after each egg. Beat well until the mixture is light and fluffy. Mix in the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the sour cream/buttermilk mixture. Mix until just blended. Stir in the chia seeds.

 

Divide the batter between the prepared muffins cups. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and then remove to cool completely on a cooling rack.

 

While the muffins are still warm, mix together the glaze ingredients. Drizzle or spread over the tops of the muffins. Let cool completely before serving.

Source: Thibeault's Table

Cranberry Coconut Oat Muffins

I haven't made muffins in a couple of weeks, so it was about time I whipped up a batch. I added a few things into these muffins in hopes that they would fill Madeline up. She's been a bottomless pit lately and is constantly hungry. I'm already noticing her pants getting shorter and shorter...hello, growth spurt.

These muffins were a huge hit and she loved them. They were also a great snack for after dinner and for her to take for school.

3/4 cups lowfat sour cream
1/4 cup skim milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup ground flax meal
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, oil, vanilla, egg and brown sugar. Stir in the oats. In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining dry ingredients except for the cranberries and coconut.

Combine the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Stir just until combined. Fold in the cranberries and coconut.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups, filling 2/3 way full. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Place the tin on a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from tin and cool completely on a wire rack.

Source: Tasty Kitchen

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

It's no secret that I love making muffins! I had the opportunity to bring a special snack into Madeline's class for her being Star of the Week. I asked her what she wanted me to bring in and muffins were what she suggested. I guess she's more like me than I thought! LOL! We settled on pumpkin oatmeal muffins. I figured they were somewhat healthy and the kids should like them especially since I threw in some chocolate chips.

I didn't get to see whether the kids ate them or not but one little girl told me that she didn't like oatmeal. Darn, I should have just said they were pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. I told her why doesn't she just try a bite and maybe she'll like them. :) I know kids are honest when it comes to food so I knew some wouldn't like them. Madeline told me some kids liked them while others didn't...oh well, at least my kid loved them and asked to make them again for daycare's Halloween party.

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 cups old fashioned oats

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

15 oz can pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 1/2 cups skim milk

2/3 cup canola oil

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 muffin pans with liners. This recipe made 24 regular muffins and 36 mini muffins. You could easily cut the recipe in half if you don't want that many muffins. 

In a large bowl, combine both flours, baking soda, baking powder, spices, oats and both sugars until well combined. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, pumpkin, milk and oil. 

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the dry mixture and stir until well combined. The batter will be thick. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

Divide batter into the muffin cups and bake for 15-18 minutes (regular muffins) or 8-10 minutes (mini muffins) or until the tops of the muffins bounce back when lightly touched. Cool slightly and enjoy while they're still warm. 

Source: Peanut Butter Fingers

Spiced Peach Muffins

Peach season is coming to an end but that means a whole new season of fruit is here – apples! We’re just waiting for the weather to cool down before we go apple picking but make sure you come back on Monday for my reveal for this month’s Secret Recipe Club…it’s a delicious recipe that features apples!

My friend Jill passed this recipe along to me after her family went peach picking. I was in the baking mood and had a bunch of peaches to use up and this was the perfect recipe for them. It was also my first inkling of fall baking…mmm, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. I changed the recipe slightly from the original one to try to make it a little healthier especially since I’m still working on losing baby weight and they were delicious. I have a feeling I’ll be making muffins more often since they’ll be a great snack for Madeline to take to kindergarten.

2 cups whole-wheat flour

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
4 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
¾ cup canola oil
1 ¼ cup skim milk
4 peaches, diced (keep skin on)

Granulated sugar/cinnamon and rolled oats for topping

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, salt, baking powder, sugar and spices. Stir in the eggs, oil and milk. Gently fold in the milk until the batter is well combined.

Fill the cups with batter. They should be very full. Sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar and oats. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until muffins are cooked through.

Adapted from:The Family Kitchen

 

Blueberry Walnut Oatmeal Muffins

Once again this year we had the opportunity to pick blueberries at my husband's grandfather's house. Store bought blueberries don't even come close to how delicious these one taste. We ended up picking about 12 quarts of blueberries. I froze half of them and we've been eating the other half on yogurt and just snacking on them.

As you know, I love muffins and figured it would be a great time to make muffins with our fresh blueberries. I've made blueberry muffins before, but wanted to try to make them healthier using whole wheat flour. These muffins turned out perfect. I love the texture the whole wheat flour and the oats add and they're super moist.

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
8 oz vanilla greek yogurt
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup fresh blueberries
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.

In a large bowl combine the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, combine the egg, yogurt, and butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Fold in the blueberries and walnuts. The batter will be very thick.

Fill the muffin tins 3/4 full with the batter. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan and then continue cooling on a wire rack.

Here's some of my other blueberry muffin recipes!

Lemony Blueberry Muffins

Nutmeg Blueberry Muffins

Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Muffins

Chocolate and peanut butter are one of my favorite combinations. I mean, really...how can you go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter?!?! I made these muffins the week before I gave birth to Cooper in hopes that some baking would jump start labor, well, that didn't happen; but we all were ready to indulge in these muffins.

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract

For the peanut butter swirl:
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 Tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 muffin pans with paper liners and set aside.

In a heatproof bowl, combine the butter and 1/3 cup of the chocolate chips. Set over a pot of simmering water and heat through, stirring occasionally until the chocolate and butter are melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of a electric mixer, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix briefly to combine. In a large liquid measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, egg and vanilla. Whisk until well combined. With the mixer on low, blend in the wet ingredients just until combined. Blend in the melted chocolate. Stir in the remaining 1/3 cup of chocolate chips with a spatula. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Do not fill more than 2/3 full as the muffins will rise a lot.

To make the peanut butter swirl, combine the the peanut butter and butter in a heatproof bowl and microwave until smooth. Whisk in the confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Drop a teaspoon full of the peanut butter mixture on top of each muffin. Swirl together using a skewer or a butter knife.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the muffin pans for 10 minutes and then remove and place on a wire rack to continue cooling.

Source: Annie's Eats

The Secret Recipe Club: Corn Dog Muffins

I can't believe I've been participating in the Secret Recipe Club for 9 months! Wow...time is flying by!

This month I was assigned the blog, ButterYum. Patricia has some amazing recipes and I had a hard time narrowing down what I wanted to make. Ironically before I was assigned her blog for this month's assignment, I made her Roasted Cauliflower and onions recipe. It was delicious and when I read the assignment email, I knew I couldn't go wrong with any recipe I selected. I originally wanted to make the To Die for Banana Cake, but never had overripe bananas. I know I'm always finding myself with overripe bananas but the one time I wanted them, I didn't have any!

Onto the recipe that I did selected....healthier corn muffins. I've never made corn muffins before, I'm not really sure why, but now that I know how easy and tasty they are...I'll be making them often. My daughter loves corn dogs, so I thought why not incorporate the two together and be able to give her something different and unique for lunch! She loves them and they were perfect for lunch and it impressed her teachers.

1/4 cup water
1/2 cup natural applesauce
1 egg
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
hot dogs, cut into thirds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the water, applesauce, egg and melted butter. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fill the muffin cups about 3/4 full. Press a hot piece into the center.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until muffins are cooked through.

Want to be part of The Secret Recipe Club?

Coffeecake Muffins

Here's another recipe for my mom board cooking challenge! This was easy for me since it was my week to pick 3 different recipes and then the board votes on which one they want to make. This recipe for coffeecake muffins won. Though there's more ingredients that most of the muffin recipes I make, I had all of them in my kitchen - perfect!

I took them to work as a treat for my coworkers, plus I'm also back to working out and eating better. They were delicious when warmed up and the perfect breakfast treat to have with a big cup of coffee (how all my mornings start!).

1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 stick softened unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line or grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan and set aside.
The original recipe calls for the muffins to be mixed in a food processor, but since my food processor wasn't large enough for this recipe, I made them with my stand mixer.

In a medium bowl, combine the pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix the flour, sugar, salt. Sprinkle the butter evenly over the flour mixture and using a pastry knife, combine until the butter is the size of oats. Remove 1/2 cup of the flour-butter mixture and stir it with a fork into the brown sugar mixture. Mix just enough to make a streusel topping. Remove 3/4 cup of the streusel into a small bowl, set aside. The remaining streusel will be used for topping the muffins.
Add the baking powder and baking soda to the  flour mixture in the mixing bowl and mix until just combined. Whisk together the sour cream, egg, and vanilla in a 1-cup glass measuring cup and add to the flour mixture. Mix together until the batter is just combined.. Add the remaining ¾ cup of the streusel to the flour mixture and fold to incorporate.
Using a large spoon sprayed with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking, divide the batter among 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of streusel on top of each muffin, pressing lightly so that the streusel sinks slightly into the batter.

Bake the muffins for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out with clean. Rotate the pans from front to back halfway through the baking time. Cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm.


Source: Brown Eyed Baker

Recipe swapped on: The Grocery Cart Challenge

Honey-Lemon Muffins

I was in the mood to bake last week. Yes, I haven't had a chance to post anything new for a couple days, things have been busy around here. I also caught a virus on our home computer and it's out for repair, so luckily I brought my home my laptop from work, otherwise we would have been disconnected all weekend! I don't think we would have been handle to that.

So that's an update on us. These muffins are so full of lemon flavor! They are also pretty healthy especially if you don't add the drizzle to them. I couldn't resist. I was worried they might be a little dry, but they were the complete opposite. They're a dense muffin, but really moist.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel

Drizzle
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
additional grated lemon peel (I used dried lemon peel)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin pan with 10 paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, honey, lemon juice, butter and lemon peel. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined.

Fill the muffin cups one-half full with batter. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan and cooling on a wire rack.

In a small bowl, combine the confectioners sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over warm muffins and sprinkle with the additional lemon zest.

Source: Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Magazine

Banana Crunch Cupcakes

I haven't bake in awhile and got the baking itch last night. I wanted to make something fairly healthy since we're trying to eliminate all the junk and exercise more. I searched through a new cookbook that my sister-in-law gave me for Christmas and found a recipe for banana crunch cupcakes. I looked over the recipe and had most of the ingredients and knew I could subsitute a few things. Maddie and I made them last night and they are pretty tasty - not too healthy, but they remind me more of a muffin...and no frosting!

I did learn one thing last night, flax meal is a subsitute for oil. Hmmm..interesting. It's a 3:1 ratio, so I'm sure these cupcakes could be made with vegetable oil if you do not have flax meal. I would use 1/3 cup if you're trying it. I liked the flax meal, it adds a nice nutty flavor.

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt (I used fat free greek yogurt)
3 large eggs
1 cup mashed bananas
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup oat flour
3/4 cup flax meal
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans (or other nut)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a small bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons melted butter and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the softened butter and honey. Add in the yogurt, eggs, mashed bananas and vanilla and combine well. In a separate bowl, stir together the oat flour, flax meal, baking soda and salt. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until combined. Fold in the nuts.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and sprinkle each with the brown sugar mixture. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to completely cool.

Recipe adapted from: The Rodale Whole Foods Cookbook

Apple Streusel Muffins

We went apple picking today and I bought about 10 pounds of apple. I've already used half of them to make applesauce and wanted to bake with some of the others. I found this recipe on Allrecipes and modified it to make it a little healthier and remove some of the sugar. I baked them earlier this evening and my house smelled delicious! And they're just as good as they smell!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oat flour (if you don't have, just use all-purpose flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped apples (I used 1 large and 1 medium golden delicious apples)

Streusel Topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp butter


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a muffin pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Add applesauce; stir to combine. Mix in vanilla. Stir in apples, and gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan. The batter will be thick.

In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan.

Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack.
 
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com