Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

Wow! It's been a while since I've posted a recipe on here. But, these muffins are definitely worth mentioning. I actually found a recipe online for lemon-blueberry bread, modified it a little bit (as usual), and made these delicious muffins! Lemon and any kind of berry make a really delicious combination, in my opinion, and everyone loves blueberries, right? Anyways, here's my modified recipe: 

Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

1/3 cup melted butter, cooled to room temp

1 cup sugar

3 tbsp lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

2 eggs

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole-wheat flour)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tbsp grated lemon zest

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a muffin tin, or line with paper cups.

In a mixer, beat together butter, sugar, lemon juice, eggs, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to the egg mixture until combined. Fold in lemon zest and blueberries. Pour batter into prepared muffin tin. 

Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of muffins comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove and cool on racks completely... or enjoy hot! Yum! :)

Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

Corniest Corn Muffins

Well, this recipe is not mine, but I wish it was! These corn muffins turned out delicious! I took them to a potluck and got a few compliments on them, so I thought they were blog-worthy. :) I have to say "Thank You!" to my friend who took this pic! I totally forgot to take a picture of my food! Anyways, I love that these corn muffins are the perfect amount of sweetness, with pieces of corn mixed in. My husband is a corn fanatic, so he wanted to gobble all of these up right away... I had to limit him to 2 muffins since we were taking them to a party (where he ate even more of them!). These would go great with some yummy barbeque or a hot bowl of chili! I changed up the recipe just a little bit... anytime I see a baking recipe that calls for flour, I substitute half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour to make things a little healthier. :) I found this recipe online... it's from Dorie Greenspan's book, Baking from My Home to Yours:

 

Makes 12 muffins, or 48 mini-muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground

6 tbsp granulated sugar

2-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

1 cup buttermilk

3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 tbsp corn oil (I used canola)

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 cup corn kernels (add up to 1/3 cup more if you like), fresh, frozen, or canned (drained and patted dry)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 F. Butter or spray a 12-cup muffin tin, or line with paper cups. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, oil, egg and yolk together until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients. With a whisk or rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. The batter will be lumpy. Stir in the corn kernels. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. 

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes (or 12 minutes for mini-muffins), or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the muffin tin to a rack and cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin, and serve hot, or cool completely to serve later. :) Enjoy! 

Corniest Corn Muffins

Muffin Tin Monday--Apple Theme

For more information on Muffin Tin Monday, click on the button above. 

So, Michelle from Her Cup Overfloweth told us ahead of time that just because the theme is apples, doesn't mean every tin has to only contain apples... be creative! Ummm... sorry, no. My son LOVES fruit and anything else sweet (naturally or unnaturally), so when I found out the theme was apples, I thought, "My son will finally eat his entire Muffin Tin Meal!" And, he almost did! I served him this meal on Sunday morning... what a great way to start the day! Sweet, sweeter and sweetest! I really only have one thing that is not apple related, but it could be... I'll explain later. So, from top left to bottom right, we have: Banana muffin (not apple related)... but, if I had used applesauce instead of eggs in my recipe, then it could have been apple related. ;) Next, Apple Jacks. I haven't had these in forever! I guess I forgot how sweet they are... 1st ingredient: sugar. Hmmm... Moving on. Caramel for dipping. Apples and cinnamon oatmeal (semi-healthy), Applesauce (I snuck in some butternut squash), and Apple slices. My son has recently discovered dipping, and it's a big problem... he usually only eats the dip. He eventually ended up dipping everything (yes, even the oatmeal and applesauce) into the caramel until he was a sticky mess. But, I think he got a little bit of goodness mixed in with the sweetness. 

Fun as usual! :) 

Can't wait for next week's theme! 

Muffin Tin Monday--Apple Theme

Pumpkin-Banana Muffins

Here it is... as promised! :) I made these muffins on Sunday, and was pleasantly surprised how well they turned out. I get a little nervous when I'm trying new things (and winging it) when it comes to anything baked. I've had mistakes a couple of times... muffins come out looking good, then deflate... But not this time! :) Basically, I just added some pumpkin puree and extra spices to my favorite Banana Muffin recipe, and prayed they would come out delicious. My husband kept calling them "Frankenstein" muffins, since they were "my own creation". When I was taking them out of the oven, he started chanting, "They're ALIVE! They're ALIVE!". :) What's funny is, I actually made some muffins a while back that are even more "Frankenstein" than these... I don't know why he didn't call those "Frankenstein" muffins..? Anyways, these muffins turned out yummy and all three of us are still enjoying them... 

This recipe makes about 12 to 18 muffins.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (8 oz) Neufchatel Cheese, softened (cream cheese is fine too)

1 cup sugar (or 1/4 cup Agave Nectar)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 3 medium bananas)

3/4 cup pumpkin puree*

2 eggs

1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice*

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour muffin trays or use paper liners; set aside. In a stand mixer, beat neufchatel cheese, sugar and butter on medium speed until well blended. Add banana, pumpkin and eggs; mix well. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Add combined dry ingredients to mixer; mix until moistened. Pour into prepared muffin cups until 2/3 filled. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in trays for 5 minutes; remove muffins and cool completely on wire racks... or serve steaming hot because your family can't wait to eat them! ;) 

*Note: For the pumpkin puree--canned pumpkin is okay, but NOT pumpkin pie filling. If you don't have pumpkin pie spice on hand, click here for a recipe to make your own. Also, for a boost of Omega-3, you can add 2 tbsp flaxseed meal to this recipe! Just mix it in along with the dry ingredients before you add it to the rest of the batter. :)

Enjoy!

Pumpkin-Banana Muffins

Muffin Tin Monday

Since there was no theme for Muffin Tin Monday this week, I just did my own thing... My son ate his muffin tin meal on Sunday for lunch. I had made some Pumpkin-Banana Muffins that morning, so I decided to fill a cup with one of them (stay tuned for a muffin recipe later this week). I also made some spinach and ricotta filled tortellini (the easy packaged kind) with pasta sauce, and some dinosaur-shaped quesadillas. In the second row, there are some dino-nuggets, chopped apples, and bunny crackers. My son enjoyed three out of the six cups this week. I bet you can probably guess which ones... 

Yep... Muffin, apples, and crackers. Great lunch! Oh, well... I tried... 

I enjoyed his leftovers... :)

Have a great week, everyone!

For more information on Muffin Tin Monday, visit Michelle's blog at Her Cup Overfloweth, or click on the button above. 

Muffin Tin Monday

Mini Cranberry Corn Muffins

Can you tell I'm getting excited for fall already?! I LOVE cranberries! I usually get a lot of them when Thanksgiving rolls around, but frozen are usually available all year. I hadn't made any muffins in a while, so I thought I'd make some corn muffins this time. And instead of blueberries and lemon, I used cranberries and orange. I love those flavors together! I recently got a mini-muffin tray for my birthday, and I was so excited to use it. As much as my son loves any form of bread... especially muffins, I thought it would be great to make him some "easy to eat" muffins. I normally have to break pieces of muffin apart for him, otherwise he tends to try to cram the whole regular-sized muffin in his mouth, and nearly chokes! These mini muffins are perfectly sized for little hands, and little mouths! :) This recipe is not very sweet. Cranberries are very tart, so if you want them a little sweeter, you could either coat them with some extra sugar before adding them to the mix, or use dried sweetened cranberries. I think these taste great as is, and my son agrees! :)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup yellow corn meal

1/4 cup sugar

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 large egg

3/4 cup milk

2 tbsp orange juice

1 tbsp orange zest

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped, and rinsed and drained if frozen

Preheat oven to 425 F. Spray a mini muffin tray* with nonstick spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients together. Set aside 1/4 cup of the dry ingredients in a small bowl. In a separate medium bowl, combine all wet ingredients except cranberries, making sure the melted butter has cooled. Add wet ingredients to dry, and stir until just combined, don't over-mix. Coat the cranberries with the remaining 1/4 dry ingredients before adding to the batter. Gently fold the cranberries into the batter.

Scoop the batter into the muffin cups until about 2/3 full. Bake at 425 F for 12 to 14 minutes (*or 20 to 25 minutes for a regular 12-cup muffin tray). Cool tray on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from tray, and cool completely on a wire rack. Serve and enjoy! 

Makes about 24 mini-muffins, or 12 regular sized muffins. 

Mini Cranberry Corn Muffins

7 Grain Hot Cereal

I found this at Whole Foods the other day, and I was so excited to try it and give some to my son. Seven grains?! Awesome! So, here are the seven grains that are in this delicious mix: whole grain cracked wheat, steel cut oats, whole grain barley grits, soybean grits, wheat bran, whole grain buckwheat grits, yellow corn grits, and whole grain hulled millet. Phew! That's a lot of fiber and protein! :) So, this is my new favorite mix of ingredients! Oh, and by the way it's all organic! Yay! My son loves this cereal just as a yummy breakfast mixed with different fruits. But, he really loves it when I mix it in with his muffins! It is delicious any way you like it. I also plan to create a pancake and a cookie recipe using this stuff! I'm sure there are probably other versions of this type of cereal. I found the Arrowhead Mills version at Whole Foods, but it is probably available elsewhere. Try it and enjoy a delicious and nutritious start to your day! :) 

7 Grain Hot Cereal

Apple-Cherry Amaranth Muffins

After I made my quinoa muffins, I thought to myself, "I bet I could make these muffins with amaranth too!". I had a bag of amaranth in my pantry, and some dried cherries and thought they would make some great healthy muffins! Amaranth is a seed which is similar to quinoa, but much smaller. Both are treated like grains, but are actually seeds that are packed with protein! Usually I cook up some quinoa or amaranth and mix them up with some fruits or veggies for one of my son's meals. Of course, he never turns down a muffin, and they make such a great traveling snack! As I was making this recipe, I started mixing up the wet ingredients with the dry, and then realized I had no eggs! Luckily, applesauce and mashed bananas make a great substitute for eggs in muffin recipes, and I almost always have both of those on hand at all times. So, it turns out, these muffins are also vegan! As you probably know from my previous recipes, I'm definitely no vegan. But if you are, these are a great muffin for you! They taste pretty good even if you're a carnivore like me. :) My son says, "Mmm Mmm!"

Ingredients: 

1 cup amaranth

1/4 cup canola oil

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped*

3/4 cup whole milk

1/4 cup applesauce (or 1 large egg)*

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium saucepan, bring amaranth and 3 cups water to a boil. Reduce to low heat; cover, and cook until water has been absorbed and amaranth is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. 

Meanwhile, brush a 12-cup muffin pan with oil, and dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, cherries, and 2 cups cooked amaranth. Reserve any leftover amaranth for another use. 

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, milk, applesauce (or egg), and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir just until combined. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups. 

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean 25 to 30 minutes.* Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 12 muffins. Enjoy!

*Note: It is not necessary to chop your dried cherries. I did only because I knew I would be serving these muffins to my son, and I wasn't sure if he could handle a larger-sized dried fruit. To substitute eggs in future muffin recipes, use either 1/4 cup applesauce or 1/4 cup mashed banana for each egg in the recipe. My muffins took a little longer in the oven, about 40 minutes. I'm not sure if it's because of the amaranth, or if the applesauce made the batter too moist. They still turned out good, just took a little longer. :)

Apple-Cherry Amaranth Muffins

Good For You Muffins

I think I seriously need to open a bakery or something. I make waaaay too many baked goodies! I made up my own muffin recipe this time, and it turned out delicious! I was pleasantly surprised! The best part is, they are good for you too! I didn't know what to call these muffins, since they have so many delicious ingredients in them, so I decided to just call them "Good For You Muffins". It works! I recently bought this hot cereal for my son to try that is 7-grain hot cereal. I thought, seven grains is way better than just one or two, right? The mix (I got the Arrowhead Mills version) has wheat, oats, barley, soybeans, buckwheat, corn, and millet in it! Super hearty! I made some for him, mixed it with some fruit, and he loved it! Well, on the back of the package there are a couple of recipes for muffins/bread. I think my husband noticed the big lightbulb above my head... I got so excited to experiment with a new muffin recipe, that I made some later that night after my son went to bed! I didn't use the recipe on the back of the box because I wanted to put different ingredients in it, so I just made one up based on a bunch of different ideas I had in my head (and also what I had in my kitchen)! I think they turned out great, and when my son does his usual, "Mmmm, mmm!" I know they must be good! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (8 oz) Neufchatel Cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 mashed ripe bananas

1/4 cup applesauce (homemade or no sugar added)

1/2 cup carrots, grated

Zest and juice of 1 lemon*

1 egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup Arrowhead Mills Organic 7-Grain Hot Cereal

1-1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 F. Using a handheld or standing mixer, beat neufchatel cheese, sugar, and butter on medium speed until well blended. Add banana, egg, applesauce, lemon zest and juice, and carrots. Mix well. 

In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients (except cranberries) together until combined. Add combined dry ingredients gradually to the wet ingredients and mix until moistened. Leave about 1 tbsp of the dry ingredients in the bowl to coat the cranberries. After coating the cranberries with the flour mixture, add to the batter, and fold in with a spoon until evenly distributed. Pour batter into greased and floured, or paper cup-lined muffin tray. 

Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from muffin tray. Cool completely on wire rack. Serve and enjoy! Make 12 "puffy" muffins, or up to 18 normal-sized muffins. 

*Note: I had a "Momnesia" moment and thought that I had some oranges on hand, which would have tasted delicious with the cranberries and carrot! However, when I went to grab one, I noticed that the only citrus I had was lemons... Oops! So, I used lemon and it turned out fine. If you decide to use orange, you could use half or all of the zest of one orange, and about 2-3 tbsp of the juice. :)

Good For You Muffins

Quinoa Muffins

I found this recipe in an old Everyday Food magazine that my mom gave me. I saw the words "quinoa" and "muffin" and I knew I had to try it! I was so excited to try this recipe because I LOVE giving my son quinoa (pronounced "keen-wa")! It is actually a seed that is treated as a grain. You can also use it instead of rice, couscous, or other grains with your meals as a side dish and it is sooo good for you! It is high in protein and essential amino acids, making it a complete protein source. It is also high in fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron, and it is gluten-free. You might be able to find quinoa in your regular supermarket. I had better luck at Whole Foods or Sprouts, but I think Trader Joe's may carry it as well. Look for it in the grains section. I changed up my recipe based on what I had available. The original recipe calls for raisins, but I used dried peaches instead. You can use any dried fruit you like. It wasn't overly sweet, but it was good enough for my son, and he's the best critic I have! :) Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for pan

2 cups flour, plus more for pan

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup dried peaches, chopped

3/4 cup milk

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 cup water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cover and cook until water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, 11 to 13 minutes. 

Meanwhile, brush a standard 12-cup muffin pan with oil; dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, peaches, and 2 cups cooked quinoa. Reserve any leftover quinoa for another use. 

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg, and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir just until combined. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups. 

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool muffins in pan, 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve and enjoy! 

Quinoa Muffins

Blueberry Corn Muffins

My son and my husband LOVE these corn muffins! When I'm in a hurry, I like to use the Jiffy corn bread mix because its so much easier, but I wanted to make some homemade blueberry corn muffins, so I searched for a recipe online. I found one, and adjusted it a little bit. They turned out great! :) These are another great little snack for kids of all ages, and they are pretty healthy too, with a boost of Omega 3 from the flaxseed meal. Hardly any sugar in them! Enjoy! :)

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup yellow corn meal

1/4 cup sugar

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp flaxseed meal

1 large egg

3/4 cup milk

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, rinsed and well drained

Preheat oven to 425 F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick spray. 

Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. In a large mixing bowl or stand-mixer, beat egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and milk together until smooth. Stir in the melted butter. Add three-fourths of the flour mixture to the egg mixture, stirring until just moistened. Toss blueberries with the remaining flour mixture, making sure they are coated. Fold blueberry mixture into batter. Using a small scoop, pour batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake 20 to 25 minutes* until muffins are lightly browned. Cool then serve, or eat them hot! :) Makes 12 muffins. 

*Note: My muffins took exactly 20 minutes, so keep an eye on yours. You may want to set your timer for less time, then check on them until they are done. :)

Blueberry Corn Muffins

Banana-Carrot Muffins

Ok, so I've made Banana Muffins before... But, I wanted to make these a little more nutritious, so I put a little spin on my original muffin recipe (see April 3rd post). These ones have a little bit of shredded carrot (I like to sneak in some veggies in my sweets), and another special ingredient that makes these even yummier than the regular banana muffins! My husband and son think so too! :) Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 package (8 oz.) Cream Cheese or Neufchatel, softened

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar (or 1/4 cup agave nectar)

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium bananas)

1/2 cup shredded carrot (I like to squeeze out the excess liquid from the shredded carrots using paper towels)

Zest of 1 orange

2 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice

2 eggs

2-1/4 cup flour

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 F. Beat cream cheese, sugar and butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add banana, eggs, carrot, orange zest and orange juice; mix well. 

Add combined dry ingredients; mix until moistened. Pour into greased and floured, or paper-cup lined muffin trays, about 2/3 full. 

Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of muffins comes out clean (mine took about 30 min). Cool 5 minutes; remove muffins from tray. Cool completely on wire rack. Serve and enjoy! Makes about 16 to 20 muffins. 

Note: If you would like to add nuts, you can stir in 1 cup chopped walnuts (or any chopped nut you prefer) after the dry ingredients have been mixed. If you would like to make this as a loaf of bread, pour mixture into greased and floured 9x5-inch loaf pan, and bake 1 hour and 10 minutes. You can also add 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal to the mixture for an extra boost of Omega 3! :)

Banana-Carrot Muffins

Banana Muffins

I've tweaked this recipe I found for banana nut bread to create my banana muffins many times. My son LOVES them! I haven't given my son nuts yet, and I personally don't like nuts in my "sweets", so I don't use any nuts in my recipe. But you are more than welcome to use nuts in yours, if you're a nut person! :) I have done different things with this recipe, including adding carrots, orange zest/juice... etc., and it usually turns out great, no matter what I do! I'll put other combinations I've tried as separate posts later. For this particular recipe, I added a little bit of flaxseed meal, which is great for a little boost of Omega 3! You can't taste it in the muffins, so its great for a little extra nutrition in your sweet treats! Also, if you don't want to use a lot of sugar, you can substitute 1/4 cup of Agave Nectar instead of the 1 cup of sugar. It will be just as sweet!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (8 oz) Cream Cheese or Neufchatel, softened

1 cup sugar (or 1/4 cup Agave Nectar)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, softened

1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 3 medium bananas)

2 eggs

2-1/4 cups flour

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tbsp. flaxseed meal

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Beat cream cheese, sugar and butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add banana and eggs; mix well.

Add combined dry ingredients, gradually; mix until moistened. Stir in walnuts, if using. Pour into greased and floured or paper cups in muffin trays. 

Bake 25 to 35 min, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (mine took about 30 min). Cool 5 min; remove from trays; cool completely on wire rack. Makes about 18 to 20 muffins. Serve and enjoy!

*If you prefer to make a loaf of banana bread, bake 1 hour and 10 min in a 9x5-inch loaf pan. 

Banana Muffins