Fresh Strawberry Muffins

From: Sandhills Children's Center cookbook

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh strawberries
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 beaten eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Wash and slice berries. Drain. Sprinkle with two tablespoons of sugar. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix well. Combine dry ingredients. Stir into butter mixture just until moistened. Fold in berries. Top with chopped walnuts and sugar if desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! These were really easy to make and they tasted incredible when they were just out of the oven. I will say they weren't nearly as good the next day. But I ate three within ten minutes when they were first made, and both the kids were cramming them down their throats, so it's safe to say they were a hit here!


 

Impossibly Easy Mini Chicken Pot Pies

From: Betty Crocker

Ingredients:
Chicken mixture:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground thyme
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Baking mixture:

1/2 cup Bisquick

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

 

Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray. 


In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in oil 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in center. Add onion and chicken broth; heat to simmering. Add frozen vegetables and seasonings. Heat until hot, stirring occasionally until almost all liquid is absorbed. Cool 5 minutes; stir in cheese.

In medium bowl, stir baking mixture ingredients with whisk or fork until blended. Spoon 1 scant tablespoon baking mixture into each muffin cup. Top with about 1/4 cup chicken mixture. Spoon 1 tablespoon baking mixture onto chicken mixture in each muffin cup.




Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. With thin knife, loosen sides of pies from pan; remove from pan and place top sides up on cooling rack. Cool 10 minutes longer, and serve.

 

Verdict:
Thumbs up! This is a really easy recipe to throw together. I love chicken pot pie and this had the perfect balance of "crust" and mixture. I also loved how easy it was to heat up the leftovers and eat them on the run! I will definitely be making these again!

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

From: OMG Chocolate Desserts

Ingredients:

15 oz pumpkin puree
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup evaporated milk
2/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp pumpkin spice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cupcake pan.

In a bowl, stir together flour, pumpkin spice, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

Mix the pumpkin puree with sugar, eggs, vanilla and evaporated milk.

Add dry ingredients in the wet mixture and mix until it's evenly combined. Fill the muffin tins with 1/3 cup of the mixture in each cup. Bake for 20 minutes.

You can top the cupcakes with whipped cream and dust with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice on top before serving.

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! Hunter randomly asked one day for me to make a pumpkin pie, and while I didn't have all the necessary ingredients, I found this stand-in dessert. It was a big hit. It is meant to have the texture of pumpkin pie filling, so it's not not really cupcake-like. Add a bit of whipped cream to the top and some pumpkin pie spice and you have a very delectable dessert! 

Homemade Banana Protein Muffins

I created this recipe based off the ingredients I had on hand and other recipes I had seen.

Ingredients:
Raw bananas, 100g (this is about 1 medium banana)
Peanut butter, 3.5 Tbsp (I used honey roasted, creamy by Peter Pan)
Flour, 1/2 cup (I used King Arthur white whole wheat)
Vanilla protein powder, 40 g (about 1/2 scoop; I used Forza)
1 egg
Coconut oil, 10g (almost 1 tablespoon)

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 375 F for 15-20 minutes. You may want to adjust your oven higher and cook for fewer minutes. This was my first time making these and I was just testing the temperature.

Verdict:
These were good. They were a little bit dry but nothing a small pat of butter couldn't help! I think next time I would add a little water or maybe an extra egg to make them more moist. Also I just realized I should have had two bananas, which probably would have helped. They were still yummy though!

Nutrition information: (per muffin)
148 calories
13g of carbs
8g of fat
7g of protein

The original recipe that made me crave these for breakfast is:
200g of banana (2 bananas)
50g almond butter
60g coconut flour
15g vanilla protein powder
1 medium egg
10g coconut oil

Apple-Oat Muffins with Brown-Sugar-Cinnamon Swirl

From: Shape magazine

Ingredients:
1 cup AP flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp warm water
1 cup milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced 

Preheat oven to 400 F. Coat a muffin pan with cooking spray or use cupcake papers.

In a large bowl, combine both flours, oats, granulated sugar, baking powder, 1/2 tsp of the cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cloves. Mix thoroughly with a fork, make a well in the center and set aside. In a small bowl, combine remaining teaspoon of cinnamon, along with brown sugar and water. Whisk until brown sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, applesauce, egg, oil and vanilla. Pour liquid mixture into center of dry ingredients and stir until just blended. Fold in diced apple.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups and then top each muffin with 1/4 teaspoon of the brown sugar-cinnamon mix. Using a toothpick, swirl the mixture gently into each muffin. Bake 12 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I liked these yummy muffins. I did tell my mom I think I'd like them better without the diced apples, but that's just a texture preference. They are extremely moist and have a bouncy texture due to the applesauce in them, and I like that. They're very easy to make and have a great flavor. I definitely recommend this recipe.

Cream Cheese Carrot Cake Muffins

From: Here


Ingredients:
Filling:

• one 8-ounce package cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• a few drops of Fiori di Sicilia flavor, optional but very tasty (you can substitute vanilla or almond extract)

Muffins:

• 2 1/4 cups AP flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup grated carrots, lightly packed; about 2 medium-large carrots

1) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a standard 12-well muffin pan. Or line the pan with paper muffin cups, and grease the cups.

2) To make the filling: Place the cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat on low power for 40 seconds. Stir in the sugar and flavor. Set aside.

3) To make the muffin batter: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

4) In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, and oil.

5) Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

6) Fold in the grated carrots, stirring to combine.

7) Drop about 2 tablespoons of the batter (a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here) into each muffin cup, spreading it to cover the bottom.

8) Dollop on a heaping tablespoon of filling; a level tablespoon cookie scoop works well here.

9) Cover with enough batter to fill the muffin cups quite full. The batter will come to within about 1/4" to 3/8" of the top of each muffin cup. But don't try to use all the batter; unless you have particularly deep cups, you'll have abut 1/3 cup batter left over. Bake it in a separate custard cup, if desired.

10) Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted into the cake part of one (not into the cream cheese filling) comes out clean, about 20 minutes. The tops of the muffins will feel firm to the touch.

11) Remove the muffins from the oven, and as soon as you're able to handle them, transfer them to a rack. If you serve the muffins warm, the filling will be molten. If you wait for them to cool, it'll firm up.

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! When I make these the next time I will use just a tad less muffin mix and a tad more cream cheese on each muffin. They were definitely tasty!! I just would have loved more cream filling than what I did! I highly recommend making these. Super easy and delicious? That's a great recipe!!

Cream Cheese Carrot Cake Muffins
Ingredients:
Filling:

• one 8-ounce package cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• a few drops of Fiori di Sicilia flavor, optional but very tasty (you can substitute vanilla or almond extract)

Muffins:

• 2 1/4 cups AP flour
  
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup grated carrots, lightly packed; about 2 medium-large carrots

1) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a standard 12-well muffin pan. Or line the pan with paper muffin cups, and grease the cups.

2) To make the filling: Place the cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat on low power for 40 seconds. Stir in the sugar and flavor. Set aside.

3) To make the muffin batter: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

4) In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, and oil.

5) Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

6) Fold in the grated carrots, stirring to combine.

7) Drop about 2 tablespoons of the batter (a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here) into each muffin cup, spreading it to cover the bottom.

8) Dollop on a heaping tablespoon of filling; a level tablespoon cookie scoop works well here.

9) Cover with enough batter to fill the muffin cups quite full. The batter will come to within about 1/4" to 3/8" of the top of each muffin cup. But don't try to use all the batter; unless you have particularly deep cups, you'll have abut 1/3 cup batter left over. Bake it in a separate custard cup, if desired.

10) Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted into the cake part of one (not into the cream cheese filling) comes out clean, about 20 minutes. The tops of the muffins will feel firm to the touch.

11) Remove the muffins from the oven, and as soon as you're able to handle them, transfer them to a rack. If you serve the muffins warm, the filling will be molten. If you wait for them to cool, it'll firm up.

Coffee Cake Muffins

From:Taste of Home


Ingredients:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
GLAZE:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, beat the egg, milk and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

Spoon one tablespoon of batter into paper-lined muffin cups. Top each with 1 teaspoon nut mixture and about 2 tablespoons batter. Sprinkle with the remaining nut mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 22-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Combine glaze ingredients; spoon over muffins.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I didn't have any pecans on hand so I left them out completely. This was supposed to make one dozen, but I only had enough batter for 9, and had to make almost twice as much of the brown sugar mixture as the recipe called for. I also only cooked them 18 minutes and probably could have done it a few minutes less than that.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Oh, these are so good. The batter part is moist but the topping is crunchy, which is just how I love my coffee cake! Such an easy recipe to make, and very delicious. I'll definitely make these again in the future!

Coffee Cake Muffins


Ingredients:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
GLAZE:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract


Combine the brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, beat the egg, milk and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Spoon one tablespoon of batter into paper-lined muffin cups. Top each with 1 teaspoon nut mixture and about 2 tablespoons batter. Sprinkle with the remaining nut mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 22-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Combine glaze ingredients; spoon over muffins.

Strawberry-White Chocolate Muffins

From: Betty Crocker website

Ingredients:
1 egg
2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup white baking chips
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup raspberries (I substituted strawberries)

Heat oven to 400. Grease bottoms of muffin tin or place baking cups in each muffin cup. Beat egg slightly in medium bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients except raspberries just until moistened. Gently stir in raspberries. Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Substituted strawberries because I had some I needed to use. Also, instead of using baking chips I used chocolate chips. They melt faster but the taste is the same.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Ooh, these looked and smelled delicious and definitely lived up to that. The combination of strawberries and white chocolate is just divine, but it's not overwhelmingly sweet either. I love muffins anyway, so I'm always glad to add a new muffin recipe! Do take note - I know my strawberries melted into mush in the muffin tins so I kept thinking the bottoms of the muffins weren't cooking. But I did mine about 18 minutes and taste tested a couple just to be sure (ahem) and they were definitely done all the way through. So don't fear that, just tear open one or two to be sure but then have faith! (Oh, please pay no attention to the bad picture, it doesn't do justice!)

Strawberry White-Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients:
1 egg
2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup white baking chips
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup raspberries (I substituted strawberries)

Heat oven to 400. Grease bottoms of muffin tin or place baking cups in each muffin cup. Beat egg slightly in medium bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients except raspberries just until moistened. Gently stir in raspberries. Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan.

Ann's Blueberry Muffins

From: The Mandrell Family Cookbook

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups blueberries

In a bowl blend eggs, butter, milk and sugar until smooth. Mix in flour, baking powder, salt and blueberries. Fill greased muffin pans and bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. Makes about a dozen muffins.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up. These were good, although they sure wouldn't win a beauty contest, but to be honest they were just as good as any blueberry mix you can buy, and the mix would probably be cheaper unless blueberries are in season. But they were definitely easy and good - nothing wrong with them at all!

Printable version:

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups blueberries

In a bowl blend eggs, butter, milk and sugar until smooth. Mix in flour, baking powder, salt and blueberries. Fill greased muffin pans and bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. Makes about a dozen muffins.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

From: Busy People's Slow Cooker Cookbook.

Ingredients:
1 (6 1/2-oz) blueberry muffin mix, dry.
1/4 cup milk
1 egg white
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat a slow cooker by turning it on high. Let it preheat for 10 minutes. Spray the cooker with nonfat cooking spray and cover. Set aside 1/4 cup of the dry muffin mix. Reserve for later.

In a medium bowl, stir together the muffin mix (not the 1/4 cup), milk and egg white until well mixed. The batter will be lumpy. Spread it into the prepared cooker. Stir together the 1/4 cup reserved dry muffin mix with the cinnamon until well mixed. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the batter in the slow cooker. Place a paper towel over the slow cooker and cover with the lid. Cook on high 1 hour.

Let the cake cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen it. Place a plate on top of the cooker and turn it upside down to remove the cake. Put another plate on top of the upside down cake and flip it right side up.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Well, the first time, I forgot to spray the cooker with cooking spray. BIG no-no. I used raspberry muffin mix because the blueberry muffin mix stuck to the slow cooker... because I had forgotten to spray the cooker with cooking spray. Go figure. Also, what's the deal with the paper towel? I did it but all it did was smell like it was about to burn after 1 hour.

What I'll do differently next time:
Get it right the first time.

Verdict:
Thumbs up. Nothing special though. It tasted just like muffins. Although when I went back and read the cookbook, this recipe is really for convenience, like if your oven is being used for another recipe, you can still cook this. Which makes sense. Otherwise I'd say you might as well just make muffins. You could still make the crumb mixture for the topping.

Printable version:

Ingredients:
1 (6 1/2-oz) blueberry muffin mix, dry.
1/4 cup milk
1 egg white
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat a slow cooker by turning it on high. Let it preheat for 10 minutes. Spray the cooker with nonfat cooking spray and cover. Set aside 1/4 cup of the dry muffin mix. Reserve for later.

In a medium bowl, stir together the muffin mix (not the 1/4 cup), milk and egg white until well mixed. The batter will be lumpy. Spread it into the prepared cooker. Stir together the 1/4 cup reserved dry muffin mix with the cinnamon until well mixed. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the batter in the slow cooker. Place a paper towel over the slow cooker and cover with the lid. Cook on high 1 hour.

Let the cake cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen it. Place a plate on top of the cooker and turn it upside down to remove the cake. Put another plate on top of the upside down cake and flip it right side up.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup egg substitute
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, sugars, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk and next 4 ingredients; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Fill each cup half full with batter. Spoon 1 tsp jam into each cup. Spoon remaining batter on top to cover jam.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Let cool in pans 5 minutes.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I mix white flour and wheat flour anyway, so I just spooned out 1 3/4 cups of flour from my canister. Instead of using an egg substitute I used one egg. And instead of using strawberry jam, I used two different types that I had just small amounts of.

What I'll do differently next time:
Same as above.

Verdict:
Thumbs up. These weren't the best things ever but they were great for snacking on. I thought they had a good flavor.

Printable version:

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup egg substitute
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, sugars, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk and next 4 ingredients; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Fill each cup half full with batter. Spoon 1 tsp jam into each cup. Spoon remaining batter on top to cover jam. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Let cool in pans 5 minutes.