Eggnog Muffins

Since I had a little Eggnog leftover from last night's dessert, I went to Pinterest to find ways that I could use it up.  After a quick search I found a yummy looking recipe for Eggnog Muffins.  The original recipe is from Better Homes and Garden.

So I quickly went back into the kitchen to whip them up.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup eggnog
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon rum extract

1 recipe Nutmeg-Streusel Topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease twelve 2-1/2-inch muffin cups or line with paper bake cups; set aside. In a medium bowl sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and nutmeg; set aside.

In your stand mixer combine eggs, eggnog, butter, vanilla, and rum extract. Add dry ingredients all at once to liquid mixture. Mix just until moistened (batter should be thick).

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full. Sprinkle Nutmeg-Streusel Topping over muffin batter in cups.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden and a wooden toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups; serve warm.

Nutmeg-Streusel Topping

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter

In a small bowl stir together all-purpose flour, sugar, and nutmeg. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  I personally like using my food processor for streusel toppings.

Oh my word!  These came out FANTASTIC!  They are light, flavorful and very tender.  Hopefully I won't eat all 12 of them today.

Mini Glazed Pumpkin Muffins

3/4 cups pumpkin puree
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup pumpkin spice creamer
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

Glaze
3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoon pumpkin spice creamer (add a little more if necessary)

Preheat oven to 375
In a large mixing bowl, beat all muffin ingredients except flour and baking powder until smooth.

Add the flour and baking powder and mix gently just until combined.

Spoon into greased mini muffin tins 3/4 full and bake 9 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Do not over bake them or they will get tough.

Remove from pan and place on wire rack and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

Then dip the tops of the mini muffins into the glaze and let harden for a few minutes.

This made about 36 mini muffins.

These almost taste like Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Munchkins.   They are really good, but on the sweet side.

Apple spice muffins

Apple spice muffins

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
3/8 cup oil (that is 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons)
1 cup peeled chopped apple
1/2 to 3/4 teas. apple pie spice

Stir together dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Add wet ingredients and any optional ingredients and stir just until moistened.

Scoop into greased muffins tins (an ice cream scoop works well for this).

Sprinkle the tops with sugar if desired, and bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until done.

Makes 12 regular size muffins.

Banana Muffins with a Walnut Topping

I have some bananas that need to be baked up into something yummy.  So I am combining a couple recipes and hoping they come out ok.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Nut Topping

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix together and set aside.


Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly butter 2 muffin tins.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whisk the remaining bananas and sugar together for at least 3 minutes. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Fold in the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins to fill them about halfway.

Top the muffins with the nut topping.

Bake until a toothpick stuck in the muffins comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before turning the muffins out. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Ok these were incredibly moist and yummy!  As you can see from the second picture, I didn't mash the bananas to much.
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Plum Coffee Cake Muffins

Last week I picked up Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook at the library.  I was a bit mad when I found out that a lot of the pages were ripped out.

Anyway a school friend asked if I would like to add some baked goodies for a breakfast tray.  Sure!  I flipped through the book and settled on a couple recipes and then did an inventory on my pantry and fridge.

I had all the ingredients for these wonderful looking muffins.

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground nutmeg
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
3 ripe red plums (about 1 lb), pitted and cut into small chunks

Preheat oven to 375F. Generously butter all cups of a standard 12-cup muffin tin; set aside. Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl, set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and remaining 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and milk. Whisk in the melted butter. Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg mixture into the flour mixture until just combined.

Dividing evenly, fill each of the 12 muffin cups halfway with batter. Smooth the batter with an offset spatula. Distribute the peach pieces evenly among the cups (about 3 tablespoons per muffin), scattering them over the batter. Spoon the remaining batter on top, dividing evenly. Sprinkle tops with reserved cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until the muffins are puffed and golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean, 16 to 18 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Turn out the muffins onto the rack to cool a few minutes. Serve warm.

It does make 10 muffins which is a bit odd to me.  So I sampled one and it was really good.  It was sweet but not to sweet with just the right amout of cinnamon.

Gingerbread Muffins

The other day at Dunkies, they asked if I wanted to try their new Gingerbread Muffins.  I wasn't hungry so I just got my ice coffee.  Driving back to school, I kept thinking what would a Gingerbread Muffin taste like?  When I got home I Googled all sorts of different variations on the wording Gingerbread Muffin.  The one that kept popping up over and over were from Jason's Deli.  I love Jason's Deli but never tried their Gingerbread Muffins. 

This morning, I decided to try a recipe for Gingerbread Muffins that I found on the Back to the Cutting Board Blog.  I had to made a substitution from her recipe.

1 cup of dark brown sugar (I didn't have any dark brown, I only had light)
2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 1/2 TSP. baking soda
1 TSP cinnamon
1 TSP ground ginger
1/2 TSP. salt
1/4 TSP fresh ground nutmeg
1 egg
1/2 cup of molasses
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup of unsalted butter, melted and cooled

If you don’t have buttermilk, which most people don't keep in their fridges and I am just to cheap to buy a carton that I know would end up going to waste, just add 1 TBS. of white vinegar to a cup of regular milk and let sit out for a little while.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray muffin pan with cooking spray.

Sift sugar, flour, soda, salt and spices in a bowl.

In a small bowl mix the egg, molasses, milk, and butter.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined.  Do not over mix!!
I like using an ice cream scoop to fill my muffin tins.  This made just over a dozen regular sized muffins.  Bake for 20 minutes.  I also made a dozen mini muffins and baked them for just under 15 minutes.  For the mini muffins I used my small cookie scoop.

Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.  They don't taste very gingerbready when warm.  They tasted much better after sitting for an hour or two.

Miss V just had a mini one and she gave them two thumbs up.  I bet they will taste even better tomorrow.

Pumpkin Muffins with better pictures.

I noticed this morning that my stash of muffins in the freezer is gone.  I decided to make some of my favorite Pumpkin Muffins and this time I added 3/4 cup of chopped pecans. 

I also wanted to add some better pictures and a little tip.  When using nuts, raisins, chocolate chips in a recipe, I like to save some of the flour and gently toss the ingredients in it.  By flouring the raisins, nuts or chocolate chips, they stay suspended in the batter and they will not sink to the bottom of the muffin.

Enjoy!!

You can see some of the nuts and golden raisins throughout the muffin.

Blueberry Muffin Cake

I made this cake after I made some pumpkin muffins. I like this cake because it is not overly sweet and doughy like some blueberry muffins can be.

1/2 cup Whole Wheat flour
1 cup White flour
1 pinch if salt
1 tsp baking powder
zest of 1 orange
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup fresh blueberries (I only had frozen so I thawed them)
2 eggs slightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs melted unsalted butter

milk to glaze
Brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425. Spray an 8 inch round cake pan with cooking spray.

Sift together the flour, salt & baking powder.
Stir in the orange rind, sugar & berries. Whisk the eggs, milk & butter together. Stir the liquid mixture into the dry mix & mix well.
Transfer to the prepared pan.

Place pan in oven above the center rack, Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven, glaze with milk & sprinkle with the brown sugar.
Return to oven to bake for another 5 minutes.
Serve warm or cold.

Carrot Muffins

This morning I noticed that the muffin stash in the freezer was all gone. I wanted to try something different and I found this recipe on Food Network. It is from Ellie Krieger so it is healthy too! She calls them Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

I just made these and they are so good!

3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup natural applesauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts

4 ounces 1/3 fat cream cheese (recommended: Neufchatel)
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Sift together the first 6 ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar and eggs until well combined. Whisk in the applesauce, vanilla and carrots. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in 1/4 cup of the chopped walnuts.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

With an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and lemon zest until smooth and creamy. Frost the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts. The cupcakes should be stored in the refrigerator.

Mouth Watering Cinnamon Muffins

We made these muffins on Easter Morning. The recipe comes from Victoria's new Betty Crocker cookbook.

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter

Heat the oven to 350. Spray just the bottoms of each muffin cup.

Put the first 1/2 cup sugar, milk, vegetable oil in a medium bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until mixed. Add the egg and beat with a fork until mixed.

Add the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg to sugar mixture. Stir just until flour is wet. Spoon batter into muffin cups until cups are about 2/3 full.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

While muffins are baking, mix the second 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Put the butter in a microwaveable bowl. Cover the bowl and microwave on high for 30 to 45 seconds or until butter is melted. Cool for 5 minutes.

Use pot holders to take muffin pan out of the oven. Carefully tip pan on its side to take muffins out of the cups. Put muffins on a wire cooling rack. Cool for 5 minutes.

First roll muffins in the melted butter. Then roll them in the sugar Cinnamon mixture so they are coated. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Muffins

I just made these for my sick little girl.

1 cup pumpkin (canned "or" fresh)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup melted shortening
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup of raisins

Blend pumpkin, eggs, water, and shortening in large bowl.

Sift together remaining ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture.

Fill greased muffin tins about 3/4 full.

Bake at 350 degrees about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Makes 12 large muffins.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Brrr, it is a chily here in SW Florida this morning. Victoria and I made a batch of Chocolate Chip Muffins. While they were baking, I pulled out two sets of my Tea For One pots. We enjoyed a cup or two of hot tea. She had her favorite peppermint tea and I had English Breakfast.


This makes one dozen muffins.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup light-brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup butter -- melted and cooled
2 eggs - beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package (12 oz) chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 F. and grease twelve muffin cups.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt.

In another bowl, stir together milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla until blended.

Make a well in center of dry ingredients; add milk mixture and stir just to combine. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into muffin cups; bake 15-20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center of one muffin comes out clean.

Remove muffin tin to wire rack; cool 5 minutes and remove from tins to finish cooling.

Serve warm.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

This morning I was in a mood to make some muffins, so I raided my cabinet and freezer. I went to one of my favorite sites; Taste of Home and found this recipe. They are very good and not overly sweet (that's what chocolate chip muffins are for) ;o)

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

STREUSEL:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Fold in blueberries.
Fill 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over muffins.

Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until browned. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Yield: 1 dozen.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

I know that the themometer says we are still in the high 80's, but my brain says it is fall. I just whipped up some Pumpkin Spice Muffins for breakfast and they smell incredibly yummy!

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1/4 ginger
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray or you can use paper liners. I prefer the spray.

In a large bowl sift all of the dry ingredients and set aside.

In another large bowl, mix together the wet ingredients; sugars, pumpkin, melted butter, buttermilk and the eggs.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined, but do not over mix.

Spoon batter into muffin pan; an ice cream scoop works the best.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Turn the muffin out onto a cooling rack and let cool for a few minutes. Enjoy them plain, with butter or even a little sweetened cream cheese.

Banana Macadamia Nut Muffins

I didn't use up all the bananas yesterday, I had three more that needed to be baked up somehow. I found this recipe on Epicurious.

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
1 large egg
1 cup unsalted macadamia nuts, toasted, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease twelve muffin cups or line with muffin papers.

Sift first 4 ingredients into large bowl.

Combine bananas, both sugars, butter, milk and egg in medium bowl.

Mix into dry ingredients. Fold in half of nuts.

Divide batter among prepared muffin cups.

Sprinkle tops of muffins with remaining macadamia nuts.

Bake until muffins are golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

Transfer muffins to rack and cool.

Blueberry Muffins

In honor of National Blueberry Muffin day, we had Breakfast for Dinner! Of course I had to make some blueberry muffins.

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup frozen blueberries, thawed

Topping

1 tbs sugar

1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and blend well after each one. Add milk and vanilla.

Stir in you dry ingredients just until moist. Do not over mix!!

Fold in blueberries.

Fill greased muffin cups 2/3rds full.

Combine sugar and nutmeg and sprinkle it over the muffin batter.

Bake on 375 for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then move them to a wire rack.

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins


1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated Sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/3 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup (6 ounces) miniature semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl, combine bananas, oil and egg; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until muffins test done. Yield: about 1 dozen.