Orange Ricotta Chocolate Chip Muffins

I haven't made muffins in awhile.  When I saw this recipe I first thought of the kids (who are often the first I think of when deciding to try out a recipe!).   They love citrus and chocolate....but aren't huge fans of ricotta.  However, in these muffins, the ricotta adds moisture to them, not ricotta flavor.  The original recipe included an orange glaze.  Since we eat muffins in the morning for breakfast and I usually serve them with yogurt and fruit for the kids, I decided not to add glaze.  Even without the glaze, the muffins were flavorful and tasty and the kids didn't miss the extra sugar!  I'm not a big citrus fan so these weren't my favorite but the rest of the family really enjoyed them.

Orange Ricotta Chocolate Chip Muffins
recipe from Two Peas & Their Pod

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 12 cup muffin tin.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, add the sugar and orange zest. Rub the orange zest and sugar together with your fingers.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar and orange zest mixture together until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add the ricotta cheese and beat until smooth. Beat in the egg, orange juice, and vanilla extract.

4. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups.

5. Bake muffins for about 18-20 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown. Let muffins cool completely.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

Blackberry White Chocolate Yogurt Muffins

Although it's been awhile I like to make muffins.  They are super easy to make, convenient for my husband to take with him to work, and freezable, so we don't have to eat them all in a couple of days before they go bad!  I found this recipe in an ad in a recent Cooking Light magazine.  I normally don't pay very close attention to those ads but this one caught my eye because it sounded so good!  I ended up adapting this recipe a little bit, only because frozen blackberries were on sale at the grocery store.  I also didn't use just egg whites.  I substituted two eggs.  I have to say that these muffins are definitely in my top five of all time.  The berries with the chocolate chips is a winning combo!  My husband wasn't as huge a fan as I was (more for me!).  The kids liked these as well but unfortunately only got one each because I ended up eating them all.  I will definitely be making these again.  Next time I may try using blueberries, like the original recipe called for.....but I really liked the blackberries!

Blackberry White Chocolate Yogurt Muffins
recipe adapted from AllWhites and Better'n Eggs

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
6 ounces (1 container) low fat vanilla yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup frozen blackberries, do not thaw*
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper cup liners; set aside. In large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix well. In small bowl combine oil, milk, eggs, yogurt and vanilla; mix well. Add yogurt mixture to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Gently stir in blackberries and white chocolate chips.

2. Divide batter equally into muffin cups. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

This post is shared at:
Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Tasty Thursdays @ The Mandatory Mooch
Foodtastic Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes
Fabulous Fridays @ Real Housemoms

The Secret Recipe Club: Banana Chocolate Chunk Nutella Muffins

I am so happy to be posting my first recipe from The Secret Recipe Club today.  I had signed up on the wait list ages ago and actually forgot about it, until I got an e-mail inviting me to join.  Each month I will be assigned a different food blog and have to make a recipe from the blog and review it here, on my own blog.  For my first SRC I was assigned Spinach Tiger.  I was hooked from the moment I read the byline:  "Food a woman will love and a man will marry her for...." There were so many recipes that looked good.  These muffins were the first recipe that I made from the blog.  But I have also made the Brussels Sprouts Gnocchi with Sage Butter (see upcoming post!). Some other recipes that I have bookmarked for the future include Raw Beet Salad with Shallot Honey Orange Vinaigrette, Shrimp with Mussels and Scallops in Cream Sauce, and Cast Iron Broccoli Basil Mozzarella Frittata.  I like that Spinach Tiger (her nickname) does not use, "artificial sweetners, food substitutes, aerosol sprays, high fructose corn syrup, or MSG in her cooking." Her photos are beautiful and showcase her recipes in which she takes a modern, healthy approach to old dishes.

Back to these muffins now.  The original recipe called for a cup of spelt flour.  I have never seen (though I haven't really looked very hard for it) spelt flour in the store.  I try to avoid buying ingredients like this, where I may not use it again.  So, I used only all-purpose flour in this recipe.  The only other change that I made to making these muffins was the cook time.  I baked the muffins for only 20 minutes, though the original recipe called for 25-30 minutes.  Just check the doneness with a toothpick. These muffins were super chocolatey and tasty with the dark chocolate bar bits AND the nutella.  Spinach Tiger originally garnished her muffins with hazelnuts but noted that next time she'd try bacon or prosciutto.  Since I had some bacon in the fridge, I decided to garnish a few of the muffins with it (next time I'd make the pieces a lot smaller. As seen in the pic below my pieces were a bit big and didn't stay on top very well).  It was super tasty, with the mixture of saltiness and sweet.  These muffins were a hit in our house and I will definitely make these again!

Banana Chocolate Chunk Nutella Muffins
recipe slightly adapted from Spinach Tiger

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Serves: 12

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 very ripe bananas
½ cup sugar
½ cup plain yogurt
½ cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
¼ cup Nutella or more
2-3 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Mix together, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt in one bowl. Set aside.

Smash bananas with a fork. Add in sugar, eggs, yogurt, oil, vanilla.

Add to flour mixture. Add in chopped chocolate.

Scoop into muffin pan. Makes 12 muffins.

Spoon in about ¾ teaspoon of Nutella into each muffin. You can use more, if you desire.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Garnish with chopped bacon if desired.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up.

Might Have Missed Monday: Libby's Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

Here's a muffin recipe that I made last November that we enjoyed a lot. 

I saw this recipe, which was originally for a bread and decided to make muffins instead. I halved the recipe, only making 12 muffins. I prefer to make muffins because I can freeze some and they make for a quick, easy breakfast on a busy morning. I also used dried cranberries instead of fresh. Next time, I would definitely try to use fresh cranberries. The dried cranberries that I used had an overly sweet taste.

Libby's Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins
recipe adapted from: Very Best Baking

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 (15 ounce) can LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 12 muffin pan or use liners.

2.Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, vegetable oil and orange juice in large mixer bowl; beat until just blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into muffin pan.

3.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

Here's another muffin recipe for you!  It's been awhile and I've had this one bookmarked for some time.  I thought these would be a winner since pb & j sandwiches are almost a weekly lunch staple with the kids.  Warm, right out of the oven, these muffins were really tasty.  However, as my husband noted when he tried one, "These taste like soggy, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."  My daughter only ate a couple of bites of hers at breakfast the day after I baked these and told me that she didn't like it.  So unfortunately, these will not be made again in this house. :(

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins
recipe from Alli 'N Sons

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat (or white whole wheat) flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1-1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter 
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter chips
1/4 cup raspberry jam

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray 12 muffin cups with nonstick spray or line with muffin liners. Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl stir together the flours, sugars, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together the milk, peanut butter, egg, melted butter and vanilla extract. Whisk lightly, until the ingredients just come together.

Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, stirring until just combined.

Stir in the peanut butter chips.

Fill each muffin cup 1/2 full.

Spoon 1 teaspoon jam into each cup.

Spoon the remaining batter on top of each cup.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the muffins are a golden brown and spring back when touch lightly.

Cool 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Family Rating:  So-so.

Peach Muffins

It's time again for another muffin recipe.  My family loves muffins.....maybe because they are usually sweet and very dessert-like......for breakfast!  I give one to the kids in the morning with a yogurt and some fruit and they are good to go.  So I am always on the look out for new muffin recipes to try.  When I first saw this recipe I was thinking sweet, summer peaches when I saw "Peach" Muffins.  After some further reading I discovered I was going to be using canned peaches.  This kind of changed my idea of what these muffins were going to taste like.  But the kids like canned peaches and I already had a can in the cabinet.  These were super easy to make and were pretty tasty.  These seem like a good winter fruit muffin when there's not a lot of fresh in season fruit.

Peach Muffins
recipe slightly adapted from Talking Dollars and Cents

Yield:  10-12 muffins

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cup all-purpose baking mix
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
1 15-oz can of sliced peaches, drained and diced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray muffin tins with non-stick spray.

Combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Mix egg, butter, milk and peaches in a smaller bowl.
Stir liquid ingredients into dry ingredients
Fill muffin tins 3/4 full making sure to distribute peach bits.

Bake 20-25 minutes.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

Plantain Corn Muffins

Happy Birthday  to me!  Yes, today I'm 33 years old.  My family and I have spent a nice mini-vacation away visiting Lancaster, PA.  This has been the first time my husband has been able to take a day off since he started his new job back at the end of May.  While I thought that I'd post something sweet to eat in honor of the occasion I ended up posting this muffin recipe because I'm also linking this recipe up to the Eating the Alphabet Challenge hosted by Brenda at Meal Planning Magic.  I needed to make some more muffins for the week and I thought, why not try something new.  I've cooked with plantains a couple of times now, so they're not totally unfamiliar to me or the family.  The kids like them, probably because they taste similar to a banana.  I have to admit that the so-so rating of the recipe was probably my own fault.  I looked for the ripest plantains that the grocery store had.  However, I forgot how thick the skin of the plantain is and when I opened up the plantain, it wasn't nearly as soft as I hoped it would be.  I tried mashing it, but it was still hard and pretty chunky when it went in the batter.  Unfortunately, the kids (and I!) didn't enjoy plantain chunks in our muffins.  I think we all would have preferred these if they were smoother and less chunky.

Plantain Corn Muffins
recipe from allrecipes.com by Pixelsicle

Yield: 15 muffins

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 cup mashed, ripe plantains
2 large eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons melted butter

Directions:
1.Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 15 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

2.Stir the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Whisk the milk, plantains, eggs, oil, and butter together in a separate bowl. Mix the flour mixture into the milk mixture until just combined; do not over mix. Allow the mixture sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. Pour into prepared muffin cups to about 2/3 full.

3.Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 15 to 18 minutes.

Family Rating: So-so.

Zucchini Cheddar Corn Muffins

Yesterday I posted the Peach Gazpacho that we weren't really fans of. I made these muffins to serve with the soup for a quick and easy dinner.  These muffins were the star of the meal.  The kids loved these!  I loved that they ate them, zucchini and all.  And I was able to use up a leftover uneaten ear of corn on the cob from a previous dinner.  These were easy to make and really tasty.  They're a great way for kids to eat some extra veggies, since you couldn't really taste the zucchini.  I ate some of the left over muffins for breakfast!  I can see myself making these again!

Zucchini Cheddar Corn Muffins
recipe slightly adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup course ground yellow cornmeal
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/2 cup shredded zucchini, squeezed and drained on paper towels
1/2 cup sweet corn kernels
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Fill a regular-size muffin pan with paper muffin cups or spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, melted butter, oil, and eggs until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until combined. The batter will be lumpy. Fold in the zucchini and cheddar cheese. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

4. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from pan and serve.

Family Rating:  2 thumbs up!

Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Muffins

I went in the muffin freezer bag the other morning and there was only one muffin left!  It was definitely time to make some more.  I had this recipe bookmarked for awhile.  This was definitely one of those dessert for breakfast type muffins! These were easy to make. My son, who didn't have camp the day I made these, wanted to play instead of help me make the muffins.  I was fine with that.  Of course as soon as they came out of the oven he was by my side ready to have a taste.....which, by the way they were delicious!  We didn't really taste the graham cracker chunks/crumbs in the muffin.  My daughter was able to identify that the muffins contained cinnamon, although I don't think the flavor was too overwhelming.  It was more cute, "Mom, did you put cinnamon in the muffins?" I didn't give these a 2 thumbs up rating though because when we had these for breakfast the next morning, my son didn't finish his muffin!  I couldn't believe it!  He LOVES breakfast so it was so surprising! We'll try a new muffin recipe next week!

Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Muffins
recipe from Michelle's Tasty Creations and Crafty Ideas

Yield:  15 muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup milk
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 large egg, at room temperature, slightly beaten
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the topping:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbs. butter, melted

Directions:
Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tins with liners or spray well with cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, 1 cup graham cracker crumbs until blended and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the milk, oil, egg, and vanilla and beat until incorporated.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Add the chocolate chips and stir in by hand.

Using an ice cream size scoop, fill each muffin liner or tin with one scoop, about 2/3 full.

Make the topping:
In a bowl mix the flour, brown sugar, graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon and stir to combine all the dry ingredients well.

Add the melted butter and mix well until crumbly and looking like wet sand.

Top each muffin with 1 heaping Tablespoon of crumb topping.

Bake for 16 - 19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

It's time again for another muffin recipe.  Muffins and yogurt are a breakfast staple in our house.  The kids have that combo at least once a week.  I try to mix up the breakfast menu so they don't have the same breakfast every day.  One morning I'll give them cereal, another morning bagels, and once a week muffins and yogurt!  While I'm not a big fan of chocolate muffins for breakfast I thought it helped that these had zucchini!  The original recipe, which I've linked to below, had spices like nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom.  I wanted to keep the muffin more chocolatey than spice flavored so I left those out.  These muffins were super moist and tasty!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
recipe adapted from allrecipes.com by Larry B

Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease or line two 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners.

2.In a large bowl beat the eggs. Beat in the sugar and oil. Add the cocoa, vanilla, zucchini and stir well.

3.Stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until just moist.

4.Pour batter into prepared muffin tins filling 2/3 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Store loosely covered.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

Blueberry Corn Muffins

I bought some blueberries the other day at the grocery store, having this recipe that I recently saw, in mind.  My son asked, "Can we eat these this time since you cooked them last time?"  I told him that I was cooking with the blueberries again but I bought him some strawberries to eat!  Now that the kids have started camp I thought these muffins would be a tasty breakfast for them in addition to some yogurt, before they started their busy, fun-filled days.  We love corn muffins and blueberry muffins so I knew that these would be a hit! They were super easy to make and so tasty.  I nibbled on one warm right out of the oven, with a dab of butter.  Delicious!

Blueberry Corn Muffins
recipe slightly adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup coarse ground yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup blueberries

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Fill a regular-size muffin pan with paper muffin cups or spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, melted butter, vegetable oil, vanilla, and eggs until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until combined. The batter will be lumpy. Gently fold in the blueberries. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

4. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from pan and serve.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

Dark Chocolate Muffins

We needed some more muffins in the house for breakfast.  I was trying to find a recipe with ingredients that I already had in the house.  I normally try not to do chocolate, especially in the morning.  But I saw this recipe and the ingredients were so unusual I had to try it.  The original recipe was made with mini muffins.  But I went the regular muffin route. This recipe used no eggs and had molasses and balsamic vinegar in the ingredient list.  Interesting, right?!  Overall, they weren't too bad.  Not a favorite but good.  I could taste hints of the molasses in the muffin.  They are best warm right out of the oven.  They lost their moistness as the days went by.

Dark Chocolate Muffins
from Carrie's Sweet Life

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon molasses
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Coat muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. In a bowl combine flour, sugars, cocoa powder, soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside. In another bowl combine milk, applesauce, oil, molasses, vinegar, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Stir in half the chocolate pieces.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate pieces. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes for mini or about 15 minutes for regular muffins or until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups; serve warm.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up. 

Mini Corn Dog Muffins

A couple of weeks ago I had the rare occasion to go out with some former colleagues for dinner and too see a local play that one of the teachers was performing in.  My husband had the honor of taking the kids to the elementary school PTA sponsored Aloha Fun Fair.  They could have bought hotdogs and such at the fair.  However, I had 3 leftover uncooked hotdogs that I wanted to use up.  Plus, I felt better not having to pay a ridiculous amount for the same food that we had at home!  So before I left I quickly whipped these muffins up and served them with some french fries.  Same "bad" fair food but without the cost.  The kids enjoyed these a lot!  I ended up halving the recipe, (but I posted the original) since I only had 3 hotdogs.  And even with just the three we still ended up with quite a bit leftover.  Although these were originally posted as a Super Bowl snack I think they are the start of a great meal for kids.

Mini Corn Dog Muffins
recipe slightly adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients:
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
8-10 all-beef hot dogs, cut into 1″ bites

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine butter and sugar in a bowl, and whisk to combine. Add eggs and whisk to incorporate. Add milk and whisk to incorporate.

2. In a separate bowl, combine baking soda, cornmeal, flour, and salt, and stir to combine. Whisk into wet ingredients in two batches.

3. Spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray, and spoon 1 Tablespoon of batter into each mini muffin cup. Place one hot dog bite into the middle of each cup.

4. Bake for 8-12 minutes (oven temperatures vary), or until cornbread is golden brown. Cool in mini muffin tin for 5 minutes before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator, and re-heat for 20-30 seconds before serving.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

Fresh Strawberry Muffins

My sister lives in Maryland so unfortunately, we don't get to see her and her family very often.  My niece turned one in the beginning of May and my sister asked if she could host a small birthday party at my house for her.  Of course I said yes!  A couple of days after they returned to Maryland we got an edible arrangement from my one year old niece, thanking us for helping to make her birthday so special!  Knowing that my kids don't eat melon, my sister ordered an arrangement made of pineapple, grapes, and strawberries....lots of strawberries!  After we stuffed ourselves silly with the strawberries over a couple of days, we still had a few left.  I didn't want them to go to waste, so I found this recipe and made some muffins.  I wasn't sure if my daughter would like them because of the warm/cooked fruit.  But she did like them a lot.....like we all did! 

Fresh Strawberry Muffins
recipe from A Recipe A Day

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries
3 tsps sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preparation:
Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and mix well.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to butter mixture. Add vanilla. Gently stir in strawberries.

Spoon batter into muffin pans.

Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over muffins.

Bake at 400º for 20-25 minutes.

Makes one dozen muffins.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

Mimosa Muffins

I am happy that I can be joining This Week's Cravings over at Moms Crazy Cooking again.  It's been awhile, since I don't always make a recipe that goes with the "Craving of the Week."  Last month's supper club theme though was brunch.  So over the next few days I will post and link up the recipes that my husband and I made.  Normally, the couple hosting that month's supper club will make the protein/main dish and then everyone else is free to pick whatever they want to make to go with it - appetizer, side, salad, dessert, etc.  Several years ago we had done a brunch theme, so to add to this month's challenge, we didn't want to make anything that was made at that supper club so very long ago.  Seeing what everyone else was making I thought a muffin would be nice.  As my husband says, muffins are just an excuse to eat cake for breakfast!  These muffins looked different and with the champagne definitely said "adult."  We ate these pretty soon after they came out of the oven.  They were so fluffy from all the baking powder!  The orange flavor was much more pronounced than the champagne, so we even let the kids try some of the leftovers.  I recommend eating the first day!  The leftovers lost some of the moistness over the course of the next few days.

Mimosa Muffins
recipe from Inspired by Charm which was actually a guest post from No. 2 Pencil

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of all-pupose flour
1/2 cup of sugar
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
zest of two large oranges - 1 teaspoon reserved for glaze
1 cup of champagne (sparkling wine)
1 stick of melted butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

For the glaze:
1 cup of powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon of orange zest

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add zest from two oranges and whisk into dry ingredients. Don't forget to reserve a teaspoon of zest for the glaze. In a separate smaller bowl, combine melted butter, champagne, eggs and vanilla and stir together. Then add wet mixture to dry ingredients and stir, just until combined.
Divide batter evenly among the cupcake pan, and bake for about 18 minutes, or until light golden brown.

Remove muffins from oven, and prepare glaze while they begin to cool. Spoon glaze over muffins while they are still warm, not hot. If the muffins are very hot, the glaze will run off too quickly.

Mommy & Daddy Rating: 2 thumbs up!

To Die For Blueberry Muffins

I had so much fun participating in Tina @ Moms Crazy Cooking Crazy Cooking Challenge last month when we had to make a spaghetti with red sauce dish.  I couldn't wait for this month's challenge, which was to make a blueberry muffin.  The recipe must be found from another food/cooking blog. 

Now, I have to admit, my muffins did not look like the muffins that Avanika made on her blog (hers look MUCH better!).  I was ready to go find another recipe but you know what?  I tasted one and they were delicious!  If you go to Avanika's blog @ Yumsilicious Bakes  you can see that there's supposed to be a crumb topping on the muffin.  I made the topping, but I kind of knew when I was making the topping that it wasn't really "crumby" enough.  The butter/sugar/cinnamon topping sank into the muffin so it had bits of "crumb" mixed into the batter instead of on top.  She also gives the ingredients for a streusel topping, though I went with the crumb. Did I already mention though how moist and tasty they were?  None of these muffins even had a chance of being frozen for another time because we at them all!

To Die For Blueberry Muffins
From Yumsilicious Bakes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries

For the crumb topping [the one on the muffins]
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed [I used about 1/2, it wouldn't hold]
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the streusel topping I usually use, and would prefer with these:
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons rolled oats
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans [I usually use walnuts]
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Directions:

For the muffins:
1.Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease muffin pan or line with muffin liners.

2.In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.

3.Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup.

4.Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries.

5.Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

For the crumb topping:
1.Mix together sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon.

2.Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

For the streusel topping:
1.In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, and pecans.

2.Using a fork, cut in butter until well combined and mixture begins to hold together a bit.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

Tuscan Lemon Muffins

I don't think I've yet to make a muffin that my family hasn't enjoyed.  As the saying goes, muffins are just an excuse to eat cake for breakfast!  This recipe caught my eye because my kids are big lemon eaters.  While I'm not a big fan of lemon I thought that they'd enjoy these....and of course they did! The lemon flavor isn't too overwhelming that I actually enjoyed them too.  They were very moist possibly due to the ricotta and olive oil, which were new muffin making ingredients for me).   I do not have turbinado sugar, though I should really get some since this isn't the first recipe that I've made that used it!.

Tuscan Lemon Muffins
Cooking Light, May 2011

Ingredients:
7 9/10 ounces all-purpose flour (1 3/4 cups)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients (through salt); make a well in center. Combine ricotta and next 5 ingredients (through egg). Add ricotta mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

3. Place 12 muffin-cup liners in muffin cups; coat with cooking spray. Divide batter among muffin cups. Sprinkle turbinado sugar over batter. Bake at 375° for 16 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

Chocolate Chip Cherry Muffins

I'm always looking for new muffin recipes.  They are a breakfast staple in my house!  Once a week I give my kids a muffin, with a yogurt, and some fruit for breakfast.  I found these and have been eyeing them for awhile. 

My son takes a weekly "Cook and a Book" class where the teacher reads a children's picture book and then they cook/make a related food.  Last week they made buttermilk pancakes making homemade buttermilk using vinegar and regular milk!  I learn something new every day!  Boy has my cooking changed with this new tidbit of info!  I didn't make recipes that called for small amounts of buttermilk because it was expensive and I hated only using a little bit.  Well, now that I can make homemade buttermilk....watch out!  So, this little aside was to tell you that I used homemade buttermilk in this recipe!

These were super easy to make!  I mean, one bowl, easy!  The kids helped me make these and of course we had to try one as soon as they came out of the oven!  Delicious!

Chocolate Chip Cherry Muffins

blog: Frugal Antics Of a Harried Homemaker

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup oil
2/3-3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cherries

Directions:
In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients, including the sugar. Add the egg and oil and enough buttermilk to make a smooth, thick batter. Fold in the chips and cherries. Bake in a greased muffin tin 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until mostly golden brown. (The buttermilk keeps the muffins on the pale side).
 
Family Rating: 2 thumbs up!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I am a recipe follower.  I am not very creative in coming up with my own flavor combinations and knowing what goes with what.  My husband, a.k.a. "The Weekend Chef" on the other hand loves to throw things together and somehow, more often than not, it comes out amazingly good.  But, don't ask him to make it exactly the same or how much of an ingredient he used!  So, I was very proud of myself when I came up with the following recipe on my own (well, maybe not exactly on my own....)  I know, baking is more exact than just experimenting with something for dinner.  But I knew I wanted to make banana chocolate chip muffins and when I went looking for a new recipe to try, they all called for ingredients that I didn't have.  Looking at many different muffin recipes (not just banana chocolate chip ones!) I kind of combined and tried bits and pieces of many different recipes to get the muffin base.  Overall, I was very happy with this recipe, as were the kids, although as seen in the picture below they came out a little flat!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
The Busy Mom (my own recipe!)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
5 tablespoons butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
8 oz. plain yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Using mixer, beat sugar and butter until creamed, then add eggs one at a time.

3. Combine the dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a small bowl. 

4.  Alternately add the flour mixture and the yogurt into the sugar mixture until mixed well.

5.  Fold in the bananas and chocolate chips.

6.  Bake 15-20 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

*This made 18 muffins for me.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.

French Breakfast Muffins

It was time to make some muffins again!  I was looking for something quick and easy....meaning, few ingredients that I already had on hand!  I've had this recipe bookmarked for awhile in my "recipe box " on allrecipes.com.  They were super easy and quick to make and taste more like cake than muffin (but isn't that what muffins basically are?  Cake you can eat for breakfast?!).  My son and I had to taste these when they came out of  the oven nice and warm....delicious!  They did dry out a little bit over the next day or so, so they only got a 1 1/2 thumbs up rating.

French Breakfast Muffins
adapted from allrecipes.com - by Kelly

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

2.In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Stir together egg, milk and 1/3 cup melted butter. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir until just moistened (batter may be lumpy). Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

3.Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 2 tablepoons of sugar and the cinnamon. When muffins are finished baking, dip tops of muffins in the melted butter, and then in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve warm.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.