Cranberry-Orange Tea Bread Muffins

NEED:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 (12-oz.) package fresh cranberries (about 2 cups)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup orange juice
24 miniature baking cups
Vegetable cooking spray
Orange-Cream Cheese Glaze

Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring occasionally.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Pulse cranberries and sugar in a food processor 3 to 4 times or just until chopped.

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add egg, beating until well blended. Gradually add flour mixture alternately with orange juice, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in cranberry mixture and pecans.

Place baking cups in miniature muffin pans; coat with cooking spray. Spoon batter into baking cups, filling completely.

Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes clean. Remove from pans to a wire rack; spoon Orange-Cream Cheese Glaze over warm muffins.

ENJOY!

7 Grain Cereal Muffins

NEED:
1 cup seven-grain cereal
1 cup dried tart red cherries - can use cranberries
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cooking oil
1-1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 tablespoon crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg, slightly beaten

Grease 12 muffin-top cups, six 3-1/4-inch (jumbo) muffin cups, or sixteen 2-1/2-inch muffin cups. (Or, line standard muffin cups with paper bake cups.) Set aside. In a medium bowl combine seven-grain cereal, dried cherries, brown sugar, and oil. Pour buttermilk over mixture; let stand for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine whole wheat flour, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Make a well in the center of dry mixture; set aside.

Stir beaten egg into buttermilk mixture. Add buttermilk mixture all at once to dry mixture. Stir just until moistened. Fill the muffin-top cups almost full or other muffin cups three-fourths full of batter.

Bake in a 400 degree F oven about 12 minutes for muffin-top cups, about 20 minutes for 3-1/4-inch muffins, or 15 to 18 minutes for 2-1/2-inch muffins or until golden. Cool on a wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from cups; serve immediately.

Makes 12 muffin tops, six 3-1/4-inch muffins, or sixteen 2-1/2-inch muffins,

ENJOY!

Chocolate Bombs

NEED:

1 cup butter
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan at low temp. In a bowl, mix the eggs, sugar and vanilla thoroughly. Sift the flour and cocoa into the sugar mixture and the add the melted butter - mix well. Pour the mixture into 12 - 1/2 cup non-stick muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes or until the muffins are cooked in the middle (poke with a toothpick and if comes out clean they are done). Cool them in the tins.

ENJOY!

Pumpkin Muffins

I had the BEST pumpkin muffins today..and went searching for a recipe that seemed like it would create the same ones. This came out very close...YUMMY.

NEED:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce

STREUSEL TOPPING
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven 350F degrees. Use non-stick cooking spray on the muffin pans, or use paper liners.

Place all the dry ingredients into a large bowl. In a separate medium bowl, mix well the wet ingredients. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir together just until moistened. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, spoon batter into muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.

For streusel topping: put sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter into a one cup mini processor and pulse until crumbly, 2-4 times. Sprinkle over muffin batter.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool slightly.

ENJOY!

Strawberry Blueberry Cheesecake Muffins

This is ultra easy because you are going to start with a mix.

NEED:
Strawberry Cheesecake Muffin mix..any brand
Blueberries

Muffin tin to make 6 muffins.

The strawberries in the mix have been dried. So, to change the texture add about 1/ 3 cup of fresh blueberries. The juice from the fresh berries adds great extra flavor and moisture.

Follow the instructions on the package and then blend in the blueberries with a spoon.

Bake as directed. Cool completely on rack before serving.

ENJOY!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Rasberry Butter

This looks like a lot of work, for the butter, but its very simple and well worth the time.

NEED:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar, plus 1 teaspoon for sprinkling
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Raspberry Butter, recipe follows


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a standard 12-well muffin pan or a jumbo 6-well muffin pan.
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and lemon juice.

Make a well in center of the flour mixture and pour the buttermilk mixture into the well. Add the melted butter and use a rubber spatula to blend with quick strokes, being careful not overmix the batter; it should still be slightly lumpy. Gently stir in the poppy seeds and lemon zest.

Spoon batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each well 3/4 full. Bake until slightly puffed and golden, 20 to 22 minutes. Cooking time may be a little longer if you are baking jumbo-sized muffins. Lightly sprinkle sugar over the tops of the muffins, if desired. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve the muffins warm, with Raspberry Butter.



Raspberry Butter:
1 (6-ounce) container fresh raspberries, picked through
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
Pinch salt


Place raspberries in a food processor and pulse until completely pureed. Place raspberry puree in a fine-meshed sieve set over a medium bowl, pressing to extract all the juice from the puree. Discard the seeds and pulp.
Pour the strained puree into a medium saucepan and add the lemon juice and sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes, or until the mixture slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and cool puree completely.

Cream together the butter, honey, salt, and cooled puree until smooth and well blended. (This may take up to 5 minutes on high speed.) Place butter in molds or onto sheets of plastic wrap and roll into logs. Refrigerate until well chilled and firm.


ENJOY!

Rhubarb Muffins

NEED:
1 1/2 cups finely chopped fresh rhubarb
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Line a muffin pan with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Place chopped rhubarb in a small bowl. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of sugar and toss.

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

In a medium bowl, stir egg, sugar, oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until just moist. Fold in rhubarb.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
Oven at 400 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick placed in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins.

Per Muffin: Calories 171, Calories from Fat 29, Total Fat 3.2g (sat 0.4g), Cholesterol 19mg, Sodium 276mg, Carbohydrate 31.6g, Fiber 1.9g, Protein 3g

Enjoy!