White Chocolate Cranberry Muffins-Juggling Act Mama

A tender and delicious muffin filled with tart cranberries and sweet white chocolate chips.

I'm sharing another recipe over at Juggling Act Mama today.  You won't want to miss it!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Wow. It is way harder than I expected to get back into the swing of things! Tuesday was my first day back at work at to say it was hard is putting it mildly. Thankfully, I have fantastically understanding co-workers!

So, please bear with me as I try to get back into the groove of blogging! There's no better way to get back into it than with a fun blog challenge--The Lady Behind the Curtain's Dessert Challenge!

Even though the temperature still feels like summer, fall flavors are making their appearance. Apples and cinnamon were this month's challenge ingredients.

Admittedly, muffins aren't typically a dessert, but they are sweet and these days I will take whatever I can get my hands on!  I personally think you can eat a muffin anytime of the day!  Plus, in the interest of full disclosure, I actually made these muffins this spring and I have been holding the post until apple season. Now that it's in full swing, this recipe is being posted at the perfect time!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons margarine, melted
2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1 Tablespoons cinnamon

1.  In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

2.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and melted margarine.

3.  Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

4.  Gently stir in diced apples.

5.  Pour batter into a greased muffin tins.  Sprinkle cinnamon on top of the batter.

6.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffins comes out clean.

Chocolate Coconut Mug Muffin

Good morning!  Today, my last guest poster, Courtney, is sharing a fabulous breakfast recipe!  Next week, I'll be back to work and back to blogging.  This mug muffin looks fabulous, and right now I'm all about healthy recipes as I'm working toward losing the baby weight :)

 

Hello!  My name is Courtney and I'm the second eldest of three sisters (Melanie and Caitlin) who blog at Fry Sauce and Grits!  My sisters and I started our blog as a way to stay connected with each other after finding ourselves having a hard time staying in touch with our busy lives!  We thought it would be fun to start a blog to share our passions, interests, and hobbies as a way to inspire others.  So our creative outlet was called Fry Sauce and Grits to best describe how we live far away from each other (Alabama and Utah), our diverse interests and our fun and quirky personalities.

I'm really excited to be guest posting for Melissa as she gets some much needed R&R and sleep from having a baby.  This week, my first born is turning one and I've been an emotional wreck!  Melissa, everybody will tell you the first year goes by so fast and they're so right!  

  

I've been trying to eat healthier ever since I lost 35 pounds after having my first baby.  It wasn't easy, and it was a lot of waking up at 5:00 a.m. to go to the gym, counting calories, and eating whole foods.    

My problem is that I have a big sweet tooth.  I inherited this very dominant gene from my mother.  As I have been on this heath and fitness crusade I've found a bunch of healthy desserts I can enjoy and that satisfies my sweet tooth, but the one I'm sharing with you today is one of my favorites!  

Before I got educated about eating right, I thought because coconut oil was really high in fat and wasn't healthy for you.  I can honestly say that by eating coconut oil daily, was one of the reasons why I lost my baby weight and haven't gotten sick this year. I used to get colds and felt like I was always visiting the doctor every couple months.  Since I started doing my LeanMoms program the beginning of this year, our medical expenses have been so much lower.  I know this isn't all due to eating coconut oil, but from my research coconut oil has so many health benefits.  So whenever I cook, I try to sneak in some coconut oil (with moderation). 

This Healthy Chocolate Coconut Mug Muffin recipe is my to-go recipe when I want something sweet, chocolate, healthy, and fast.  You can make it in less than five minutes!  This recipe was actually created as a breakfast option. I love it so much, I like to eat it for dessert too! 

Healthy Chocolate Coconut Mug Muffin (makes 1 serving)

2 Tbsp coconut flour (you can substitute almond flour or ground flaxseed)

1 1/2 Tbsp stevia

1 Tbsp cocoa powder, heaping

1 egg

3 Tbsp almond milk

1 Tbsp coconut oil

splash of vanilla extract 

Mix all dry ingredients in a large coffee mug, then add wet ingredients.  Place uncovered mug in a microwave and cook for two minutes.  *I like to pour more milk on top of it to make it more of a bread pudding!  Let the mug muffin cool off for a few minutes and enjoy!  

Nutritional per serving: Calories 300, Fat 23 grams, Carbs 24 grams, Protein 9 grams (this is for coconut flour and coconut oil)

Recipe adapted from LeanMoms.com 

Make sure to follow Melanie, Caitlin, and I on our blog Fry Sauce and Grits!  We would love to stay connected with you on Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Google+!   Thanks again for stopping by!

Blueberry Banana Muffins

How is your summer looking?  Ours is off to a busy start!  June is always crazy because of graduation open houses, plus this year we have quite a few baby showers coming up.  All these parties mean that I am eating an excessive amount of junk food and sweets.  Yesterday, one of my good friends had an open house to celebrate her graduation.  She served all desserts--it was absolutely delicious and I was on sugar overload.  I could tell because my little one kept moving around so my belly was dancing all evening!

After all the sweets I'm indulging in, it's nice to have a healthier option around the house to eat.  I took my mom's recipe for banana bread, swapped out a few ingredients and added a few more to make it healthier, and then made them into muffins.  You may notice that the muffins are a little flat.  I think that's because I took a bread recipe and made it into muffins, the bread is a quick bread so it really doesn't rise in the pan, and that was evident in these muffins.  It didn't bother me though; these muffins are moist and dense, and a little healthier than their banana bread counterpart.

As I was getting my posts ready for this week, I noticed that all of my recipes include blueberries.  So, I'm following last week's Smoothie Week with Blueberry Week.  I hope you enjoy these recipes--blueberries will be in season here soon and I can't wait!

Blueberry Banana Muffins

Makes 24 muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 eggs
1-1/2 cup mashed bananas (3-4 bananas)
1/3 cup water
1 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup blueberries

1.  In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the sugar, Greek yogurt, and eggs until fluffy.

2.  Mix in the bananas and water.

3.  Add in the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder and mix until just combined.

4.  Fold in chia seeds and blueberries.

5.  Divide batter into greased muffin tins.

6.  Bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge.

Bran Muffins

As I was thinking about what to write today, I was trying to come up with a great way to trick you.  Tell you we're really having twins...or a post about some really disgusting food...or a great story that really leaves you hanging, just to tell you it was totally fake!

I couldn't think of anything worthy of writing, but I did remember some of the tricks we've played in the past.  It was always fun to play tricks on my dad when he got home from work.  Sometimes, we'd have a plate of Oreo cookies waiting for him on the counter.  Except, they weren't really Oreos, because we had replaced the cream filling with toothpaste.

Or what about the time that we told him Mr. Lyon had called for him and needed a return call.  He called the phone number we left for him, only to get a worker at the local zoo!  He thought he had the wrong number, so he hung up before asking if Mr. Lyon was available.

Of course, one of the oldest tricks in the book was when we'd put a black rubber band around the sprayer on the kitchen sink.  I think everyone in my family has been victim to that prank!

These muffins have absolutely nothing to do with April Fool's Day.  Except maybe that they are so delicious that you would never guess they're actually healthier for you.  This is a recipe from Mike's mom.  I made a batch for my friend who recently had a baby.  I thought it would be a good option for her to have something healthy to reach for during the midnight feedings.  As I was mixing up the first batch for her, I realized that I was totally out of eggs.  I used a flax egg (1/4 cup water plus 1 teaspoon ground flax) instead and the muffins turned out great!  When I went to visit my friend the other day, she requested another batch of muffins, so the second time I used real eggs.  The muffins with real eggs rose a little more, but I couldn't tell any difference in the taste.

Bran Muffins

Makes 28 muffins

Ingredients:
3 cups bran flake cereal

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup boiling water

2 eggs (or 2 flax eggs: 1/2 cup water and 2 teaspoons ground flax)

2-1/2 cup flour

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups buttermilk
1 cup raisins (optional)

1.  Mix together bran flakes, shortening, and water.

2.  Add sugar and egg and stir until mixed.

3.  Add flour, soda, salt, buttermilk, and raisins and stir until the flour is just incorporated.
 

4.  Pour into greased muffin tins.

5.  Bake at 350° for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Hot Chocolate Oreo Muffins

I'm pretty sure I did a happy dance when I received my assignment for this month's Secret Recipe Club.  I know Mike thought I had gone crazy!  You see, I was so excited because I was assigned to Alli's blog, Alli 'n Sons. 

I've been a fan of Alli's blog for quite some time.  In fact, I've even made quite a few of her recipes.  I knew that I was going to have fun choosing a recipe.  What I didn't realize was how difficult it was going to be to choose a recipe.  I read through each and every one of Alli's posts--stalker, huh?  I finally narrowed my list down to about 10 recipes...real narrow right?  Then it went up to 11 when she posted these Sea Salt English Toffee Bars. 

I finally had to decide what recipe to make because time was running out.  I actually ended up making 2 recipes.  I made Alli's Chicken Chili in the Crock-pot and then I made these muffins.  Hot Chocolate Oreo Muffins--come to find out they had caught my eye when she posted them because I pinned them!

I knew that these muffins couldn't disappoint since they had Oreos in them.  I seem to have a slight addiction to Oreos...every time they're in the house I seem to eat them non-stop!  I try not to buy them too often, but I had to buy a package to make these muffins.  The hot chocolate gives these muffins a slight chocolate flavor.  I made 4 giant muffins and 6 regular sized ones.  I took the 4 larger ones on our trip to Frankenmuth this weekend and everyone loved them. I left the rest at home for my friend who was dog-sitting for me.  She thought they were delicious--I'd have to agree with her.

You can't go wrong with Oreos!

Hot Chocolate Oreo Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

1-3/4 cups white whole wheat flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 teaspoons sea salt hot chocolate mix
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup sour cream
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
12 Oreo cookies, broken into large pieces

1.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sea salt, hot chocolate mix, baking soda, baking powder, and sugar.

2.  In a small bowl, combine the milk, sour cream, egg, and oil.

3.  Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until just combined.

4.  Reserve 12 Oreo pieces and fold the rest into the batter.

5.  Evenly divide the batter into 12 greased muffin tins.  Place one Oreo cookie piece on top of each muffin.

 6.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

7.  Cool muffins in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Store in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Donut Muffins

The days are getting shorter and the temperatures are dropping.  The leaves are changing and the wind is picking up.  Pumpkins and apples are dominating the market and blog-land.  Fall is here in full force!

I love to use fresh seasonal products, so I'm really enjoying pumpkins and apples right now.  I made some homemade pumpkin puree and decided to use that in this recipe.  The texture and color is slightly different from canned pumpkin puree.  Mine was a light yellow color and I strained a lot of water out of it before adding it into the recipe.  The muffins cooked up perfectly and have a subtle pumpkin flavor.  The cinnamon sugar coating gives these muffins a slight crunch and they really do taste like donuts!

Pumpkin Donut Muffins

Makes 12-16 muffins

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup buttermilk
1-1/4 cups pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.  Set aside.

2.  In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk and pumpkin puree.  Set aside.

3.  Place the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

4.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined. 

5.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and add flour mixture and pumpkin mixture alternating between the two.  Beat until just combined. 

6.  Scoop the batter evenly into greased muffin tins.  (A 1/3 cup measuring cup is perfect for this!)

7.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

8.  Let the muffins cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

9.  While the muffins are cooling, melt the butter in a small bowl.

10.  In another small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.

11.  Working one a time, dip each muffin into the melted butter.  Then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture until completely coated.  Return muffins to the wire rack and cool completely.

Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Source:  Brown Eyed Baker

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

One of my favorite things about spring is planting my garden.  I enjoy planning out what I'm going to plant and where it's going to go.  This year was my second time having my own garden (though my parents had one growing up).  I think of my first year as a trial run because I wasn't quite sure what I was doing.  I can't say that I know what I was doing this year, but it's certainly fun to learn!

I don't grow zucchini in my garden, but many of my friends do.  The zucchini crop was abundant this year and I was a happy recipient of many pieces of zucchini.  The great thing about zucchini is that you can eat it in many ways.  Mike and I enjoy grilling zucchini coins.  I also grate up zucchini and freeze it to make bread and muffins. 

These chocolate zucchini muffins are a delicious flavor combination.   I made 4 jumbo muffins as well as nearly a dozen regular sized muffins.  I froze the majority of them, and I have enjoyed pulling the frozen muffins out of the freezer and thawing them for a fresh tasting breakfast!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Makes 12-18 muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup coconut oil
2 cups of shredded zucchini
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 ounces chocolate, melted

1. In a medium bowl combine flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda. Mix and set aside.

2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat eggs and sugar together on a medium speed for one minute.

3. Slowly add oil while the mixer is on.

4. Add the shredded zucchini and vanilla, and continue mixing.

5. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the dry mixture.

6. Add the melted chocolate and mix until all the ingredients are combined.

7.  Divide the batter between greased muffin tins.

8.  Bake at 350 for 20-23 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container.  This muffins also freeze well.

Source:  Will Cook For Smiles

Giant Streusel Topped Blueberry Muffins

There are very few foods that Mike and I don't agree upon.  One minor one is fish--I don't care for it, but he doesn't mind it.  The biggest issue is fruit.  I could eat fruit every meal for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy.  Mike eats his banana every day and would be pleased to continue that way for the rest of his life, with the possible exception of strawberries.

I was thrilled to get to go blueberry picking last year.  Even though Mike doesn't eat them, he still encouraged me to go picking (by myself, of course!) and freeze an incredible amount of blueberries!  I use them year-round for smoothies, in pancakes, and in muffins.  When Tina announced that this month's Crazy Cooking Challenge was to find the recipe for the ultimate blueberry muffin, I jumped on this opportunity to scour the web for the best recipe.  And friends, I do believe I have found it! 

My search led me to Christy's site, The Girl Who Ate Everything.  If the story she told in her blog post didn't draw me in, the pictures of her muffins certainly did!  Her story had me giggling, and her pictures had me drooling.  I knew I found an amazing recipe.  I borrowed a giant muffin tin from Mike's mom so I could make specialty-shop sized muffins.  Let me tell you--they did not disappoint!

Streusel Topped Blueberry Muffins

Makes 12 muffins (or 4 giant muffins)

You will need:
2 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup whole milk
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Streusel topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1.  Prepare streusel topping by combining the sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon in a small bowl with a fork (or your hands).  Mix until the texture resembles wet sand.

2.  Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl.  Set aside.

3.  In a large bowl, cream the sugar and butter together until fluffy.
 
4.  Add in the eggs, vanilla, and milk and stir until combined.

5.  Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

6.  Gently fold blueberries into the batter. (I toss my blueberries with a small amount of flour first to keep them from sinking in the batter.)

7.  Scoop into greased (or paper lined) muffin tins.  Sprinkle muffins with streusel topping.

8.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Source:  The Girl Who Ate Everything

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

I hope you're not completely sick of apple and pumpkin recipes!  I'm having so much fun coming up with fall-inspired recipes, and I can't wait to continue sharing them with you.  I'm going to try to space them out with some non-apple or pumpkin recipes though, so that you don't get tired of the fall recipes before I share them all.  Today though, I want to share these chocolate chip pumpkin muffins...

I brought a plate of these muffins to work, to my in-laws, and to my parents.  They got rave reviews.  I love the added sweetness from the chocolate chips and the slightly crunchy streusel topping puts these over the top...literally!

Before we get to the recipe, I have a little announcement.  Since I didn't celebrate my blogiversary this year, or a significant post number, I have decided to celebrate my followers.  You all are what makes blogging so much fun--I love the feedback I get from posts and the new friends I've made through blogging.  That being said, I am so close to hitting 200 followers, so when I do hit that milestone, I have a giveaway planned for you!  I think we can hit 200 by the end of the year, so stay tuned!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 16 muffins

You will need:
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Streusel topping:
2 Tablespoons margarine, cold
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons flour

1.  Combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in large bowl; set aside.

2.  Combine pumpkin, 1/2 cup melted butter and eggs in small bowl; stir until well mixed.

3.  Stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

4.  Spoon batter into greased muffin tins (or use cupcake liners).  Fill each tin about 3/4 of the way full.

5.  In a small bowl, cut the flour and brown sugar into the margarine until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle on top of the muffins.

6.  Bake at 400 degrres for 22 to 23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Adapted from: A Well Seasoned Life

Egg Muffins

One of my favorite breakfasts (or dinners) is omelets.  I love the combination of eggs, cheese, bacon or ham, and sometimes vegetables.  Omelets are great because they're so versatile, you really can fill them with whatever your heart desires.  Plus, it's a perfect protein-packed meal. 

I decided to make "mini-omelets"...actually more like egg muffins, as I decided to call them.  These are the perfect size for a quick snack or breakfast, or grab a few for a satisfying dinner.  I made a dozen one night and froze them for quick breakfasts.  I did make some with just egg whites, and some with the whole egg--either way, they're delicious!

Egg Muffins


Makes 12

6 eggs
3 Tablespoons milk
3 large potatoes
4 slices bacon
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping

1.  Beat eggs and milk together in a medium bowl.

2.  Shred potatoes into the bowl with the eggs.

3.  Fry bacon until crisp and then crumble into egg mixture.

4.  Stir in cheese.

5.  Pour into greased muffin tins.

6.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until eggs are set.

7.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese.  Serve warm.

Carrot Bran Muffins

I think bran muffins get a bad rap.  They're considered healthy, bland, tasteless, and dry.  Let me tell you, the only one of those adjectives that describes this bran muffin is healthy.  My mother-in-law makes delicious bran muffins, they're enormous and super-moist.  I asked her for her recipe and then tweaked it a bit to reduce the amount of fat and add in some extras, like the carrots and raisins.  I was very pleased with the result, a delicious and moist bran muffin, full of good things.  These muffins make a satisfying breakfast or healthy snack.

Carrot Bran Muffins

Makes 36 muffins. (I like to freeze mine and thaw them in the microwave when I want a quick breakfast.)

3 cups bran flakes, crushed
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (you can use sweetened, just decrease the amount of sugar)
1 cup boiling water
2 eggs
2-1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
2 carrots, grated
1 cup raisins

1.  Mix together crushed bran flakes, shortening, applesauce, and water.  (Be sure to crush your flakes, I learned this the hard way once and ended up with inedible muffins!) Let it sit for about 10 minutes to allow bran flakes to get soggy.

2.  Stir in sugar and eggs.

3.  Mix in flour soda, salt, and buttermilk.

4.  Carefully stir in grated carrots and raisins, being careful not to over mix your muffins.  If muffins are over-mixed, you'll end up with peaks...I grew up with muffins like this, we called them mountains and thought they were the greatest things!  So, if you want to, go ahead and over-mix! :)

5.  Scoop muffin batter into greased muffin tins, filling each cup 2/3 full.

6.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until done.

Blueberry Muffins--SRC Reveal

It's time again to reveal my assigned blog for the Secret Recipe Club.  This month, I was assigned to Chelsy's blog, Mangia.  Let me tell you, this girl can cook!  She comes from an Italian food-loving family and her passion for food is definitely apparent in her blog.

I had a hard time choosing which recipe to make, in fact I have a few bookmarked to make at some point.  When I saw these delicious looking blueberry muffins, I knew this was the recipe for me.  I love blueberries and July and August are prime time for blueberries in West Michigan.  I had the opportunity to pick berries this year so I was excited to use blueberries that I hand-picked!

Do you notice a trend here?  I love muffins so much that I choose a muffin recipe last month and again today!

Blueberry Muffins


Makes 24 muffins (or 12 muffins and 1 loaf of bread, or 2 loaves of bread)

You will need:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup olive oil
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2 cups blueberries

For the topping:
1/3 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 Tablespoons butter

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, place the flour, brown sugar, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and mix until just incorporated.

2. In a large bowl, beat together the vanilla, olive oil, egg, buttermilk, and yogurt using a whisk.

3. Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture, and combine until fully incorporated.

4. Fold in the blueberries.

5. Pour the blueberry batter into a greased muffin pan.

6. In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the crumble topping using a fork.

7. Top each of the muffins with the crumble mixture.

8. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean.

*I made 12 muffins and 1 loaf of bread.  I baked the bread at 400 for 45 minutes.

Banana Muffins

One fruit we always have in the house is bananas.  Mike and I both eat at least one a day, his is in his lunch and I eat mine before working out each morning.  We have one of those nifty green containers that prolongs the life of produce, and I really think it works!  My bananas stay spot-less much longer in the container than on the counter.  However, I have found that the hotter and more humid it is, the faster my bananas go bad.  That's not always a bad thing though, because it gives me the perfect excuse to bake banana foods!

I made this recipe as part of the Secret Recipe Club that is put together each month by Amanda from Amanda's Cooking.  Each month participants are assigned to another blog and we choose a recipe to make and feature on our blog.  It's all a secret until the day of the posting--today! This is my first time participating and I was assigned to Foodness Gracious.  There are so many fantastic recipes on this blog, but due to my overabundance of bananas, I settled on making his recipe for banana muffins, which he aptly named Bananadrama.  I thought these were delicious, and I loved the added flavor and crunch from the almonds.  I'll definitely be making these again!

You will need:

1-3/4 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1/3 cup ground almonds (I used whole almonds and ground them in my food processor)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2-3 large ripe bananas (I used 3)
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp honey/agave (I used honey)

1.  Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl.

2.  Stir in nutmeg, sugar and almonds.

3.  Mash bananas in another bowl and add eggs, oil, milk, and honey.

4.  Add to dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.

5.  Spoon into muffin trays and bake in a 375 oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when stuck in the middle.

Be sure to check out the other participant's recipes!

Chipotle Cornbread Muffins

This is the last of the recipes I made using Breakstone's Zesty Blends Sour Cream. I'm glad I made these into mini muffins because they were the perfect size for our (mostly appetizer) party.  I really liked how these tasted, you could taste just enough of the Chipotle to know it was there but it wasn't enough to burn your mouth.  Plus, they are super easy to make!

You will need:

1 egg

1 cup Breakstone's Zesty Blends Chipotle Sour Cream

2 packages (8.5 oz each) corn muffin mix

1 cup shredded cheese (I used a 4 cheese blend)

1.  Mix egg, sour cream, and corn muffin mix until just blended.

2.  Stir in cheese until just mixed in.

3.  Pour into 24 mini muffin cups, or 12 regular sized muffin cups. 

4.  Bake 15-18 minutes, until lightly browned. (Larger muffins will need more time)

Source:  Breakstone's Facebook Page

Strawberry Banana Muffins

What do you do when strawberries are on sale for $1 a pound?  Stock up, of course!  And then eat as many as possible before they start to go bad!  I bought about 6 pounds of strawberries with the intent of freezing a lot, and baking with the rest.  I froze the majority of the strawberries to use for smoothies.  Then I had to decide which recipes to try with my fresh strawberries.

I love the mix of strawberries and bananas, so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it!  I thought they were delicious; they were like a banana bread muffin with strawberries mixed in.  This recipe made about 24 muffins, so I froze most of them and pull them out of the freezer when I want a quick breakfast.  A short time in the microwave and I have warm from the oven tasting muffins!

You will need:
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar 
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup bananas, mashed (I used 3 small bananas)
1 cup strawberries, cut into small pieces
2-1/4 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon salt


1.  Melt margarine in a small microwave-safe bowl and set aside.


2.  In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and bananas.


3.  Stir in the melted margarine.


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


5.  Gently fold in strawberries, making sure they are coated in flour. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.


6.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.


7.  Scoop batter into greased muffin tins.  I like to use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop the batter, it's the perfect size for my muffin tins. 


8.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.

Source:  This Mommy Cooks