Category Archives: muffin

Apple Muffins

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apple muffins 1

Apple season is upon us, and as we’ve already discussed that pies are not my favorite thing to make, and after achieving great success with apples in cake form, I turned my focus to the next logical apple vessel: muffins.

I recently inherited a wonderful America’s Test Kitchen cookbook, called the “Quick Family Cookbook.”  While it’s not winning any awards in the style department, it is chock-full of AMAZING recipes.  And, I see that it’s super cheap on amazon.  If you don’t own this book, quickly run to amazon (or your local bookstore, whichever you prefer to support) and pick up a copy right now.  Like, “now,” as in before you even finish reading this post.

Do it.

Anyway, back to the muffins!

They require ingredients that you probably have on hand and very minimal effort, and  what you get in return is a light, flavorful muffin packed with apple flavor.  This muffin is light enough that it won’t make you feel guilty about going in for a second one, and flavorful enough to sate even the strongest apple craving.

 

Print
Apple Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups applesauce
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F degrees and prepare a 12-cup muffin tin (either grease or line with liners)
  2. 1. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt to combine.
  3. 2. In a separate bowl, mix the applesauce, vanilla, and sugar. Whisk in the melted butter until smooth, then whisk in the eggs one at a time, being careful not to overmix. .
  4. 3. Gently fold the applesauce mixture into the flour mixture just until combined. It might be a little lumpy, that's OK.
  5. 4. Portion batter into prepared muffin cups, Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool slightly before removing from the pan.

Notes

These are great with a sprinkle with sugar or cinnamon sugar (because what doesn't taste better with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar?) For my usual cinnamon-sugar, I mix 1 teaspoon of cinnamon with 1 Tablespoon of sugar).s - sprinkle on top of muffins before putting them into the oven.

Try adding chunky applesauce or some apple chunks to boost up the apple-appeal even further.

https://wee-eats.com/2013/10/29/apple-muffins/

[ Adapted from The America’s Test Kitchens Quick Family Cookbook ]

healthy choco-nana protein muffins

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protein muffin 9947

Since I’ve been working on my fitness lately, I’ve been trying to work more nutritious items into my life.  So I’ve been reworking some recipes that would normally cause me to feel guilt, and finding a way to make myself feel less guilty after eating them.  So, I got some vanilla protein powder, and I’ve been pretty much putting it into everything with reckless abandon.  You know, for science.

It’s basically the recipe-equivalent of throwing everything against the wall and “seeing what sticks,” so to speak.  I’ve been mixing it with granola bars, shakes, my morning oatmeal, and even rice krispy treats.  Seriously.

So far, pretty much everything has been a success.

So when I saw these “skinny chocolate banana muffins” on Sally’s Baking Addiction, clearly my first thought was to add protein (since they’re already “skinny,” part of the work has already been done for me!

protein muffin 0008

Of course I modified the recipe a bit, I was worried that the extra protein from the protein powder would make them gummy or dry.  If you’ve ever eaten a packaged protein snack, you probably know exactly what texture I’m talking about here.  I was torn between using some cake flour or additional oil (since the oil would add fat), but ended up going with a little bit of vegetable oil, which should help with both the crumb and the density of the finished product.

I swear you wouldn’t even know that these were healthy.  I took the leftovers to work and left them in the break room for my unsuspecting coworkers…  and I waited.  Everyone was raving about how good the muffins were, none the wiser that they were actually “healthy*”

*Note, by “healthy” I mean “healthier than your average muffin”

Chocolate Banana Protein Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Printable Recipe

  • 3 large over-ripe bananas
  • 2 scoops protein powder (I used vanilla ViShake mix)
  • ⅔ granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 3 Tablespoons applesauce
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup + ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, separated

1. Preheat oven to 375F and line a muffin tin with liners.

2. In a medium bowl whisk the flour, protein powder, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mash the bananas with sugar and applesauce until smooth.  Stir in egg and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients, being careful not to overmix.  When the batter is almost fully mixed, fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips.

4. Divide batter evenly between 12 muffin cups, filling them almost to the top.  Sprinkle with additional ½ cup of chocolate chips (if desired).  Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with just a few crumbs sticking to it.

5.  When done baking, cool in pan 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

[ Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction ]
protein-muffin pin

 

Sunday Brunch: Bouchon Bakery’s Blueberry Muffins

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bberry muffin 2

These muffins will change your life.  They are so light and moist that you will forget all about those dense, dry, or gummy things from the bakery case at the grocery store.  These particular muffins have juicy berries, a hint of lemon, and crunchy almond streusel.  It’s everything you could possibly ask for in a muffin (and maybe even a little more).

The magic takes place overnight.  Now I know muffins are usually in the family of instant gratification, but Thomas Keller insists that the overnight rest to allows the flour to fully hydrate and gives the flavors time to marry.

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Is it really worth it? All that t extra time between mixing and eating just so it can hang out in the fridge?

In a word: Yep.

I was positive I overbaked these muffins.  Positive.  I spent all this extra time waiting for them to cook to a perfect golden-brown, so by the time they reached that color, I did my toothpick test and it came out dry as a bone.  Now, with the the toothpick test I usually looks for a few crumbs to show there is still some moisture in there, so of course I was devastated.  After the overnight rest, I was going to have to start all over again.  I took a bite anyway, just to see how they were.

bberry muffin 1

They were perfect.  They had a perfect tender crumb and bright, blueberry flavor, with just a subtle almondy sweetness from the streusel.  If I were to do it over again, I would probably add some brown sugar to the streusel to make it more streusely (totally a word).

I adapted this muffin recipe from Shannon at A Periodic Table, who makes it a little more user-friendly for the average home cook, who may not want to measure 72 grams of eggs.  Since I was using her recipe, I didn’t even realize that I was leaving out the molasses called for in the book (which may lend a darker hue to these pale muffins) but, to be honest, I didn’t miss it one bit, and her addition of lemon helps to brighten up the flavor of these beautiful muffins.

bberry muffin 3

You can find the original recipe on page 76 of the Bouchon Bakery Cookbok, and if you don’t have molasses in your pantry, don’t fret, your muffins will survive just fine without it.  I added the almond streusel from the book, but it really wasn’t necessary, the muffins would’ve been just as delicious without it.

Bouchon Bakery’s Blueberry Muffins

Yields 1 dozen muffins

Printable Recipe

For batter:

  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup + 1 ½ Tablespoons cake flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 7 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 Tablespoons unsulfured blackstrap molasses* (I left this out)
  • 3 Tablespoons clover honey
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½  teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼  cup buttermilk + 2 Tablespoons (reserved for post-batter rest)

For berries:

  • Scant 1 cup of frozen berries
  • 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

For streusel:

  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • ½ cup granulated sugar* (Optional: use ¼ cup granulated sugar and ¼ cup brown sugar, or replace all of the granulated sugar with brown sugar)
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 stick (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter

 

  1. Toss berries with 1 Tablespoon of flour and return to the freezer.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt; set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until pale.  Scrape down the sides and add the sugar, continue beating until light and fluffy; about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl (again) and add the lemon juice, zest, and honey (molasses too, if using) and continue beating to incorporate.  Scrape down the bowl, and add the eggs and vanilla, mix on low speed until combined; about 30 seconds.
  4. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk in 2 additions (flour-buttermilk-flour-buttermilk) mixing on low just until incorporated. Be extremely careful not to over-mix the batter. Scrape down the bottoms and sides of the bowl one last time, and then either transfer to a new bowl or leave in that one, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 36 hours.
  5. While that is doing its thing, you might as well make the streusel.  Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl, melt the butter in the microwave and stir into the dry ingredients with a fork until completely mixed.  Cover and refrigerate until show time.
  6. When ready to make the muffins, take the batter out of the fridge and set on the counter to come to take the chill off.   Preheat the oven to 425˚F and line a muffin tin with paper cups.
  7. Once the oven is preheated, add the reserved 2 tablespoons of buttermilk to your batter and gently fold into the batter to loosen it.  The batter will be very thick (and conveniently scoopable).  Sprinkle the berries over the top of your batter and gently fold into batter, using as few strokes as possible.
  8. Scoop batter into muffin cups, and sprinkle with up to 3 tablespoons of streusel, lightly pressing the streusel into the muffin batter.
  9. Place the pan in the oven and lower the temperature to 325˚F.  Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool completely on a wire rack.
  10. These muffins are best served fresh, but can be stored in an airtight container up to 3 days, or individually wrapped and frozen once cooled.  Set out overnight to thaw or reheat, wrapped in foil, in a 325˚F oven for 20-30 minutes until heated through.

 

 Adapted from A Periodic Table & The Bouchon Bakery Cookbok

cream cheese pumpkin muffins

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cream cheese pumpkin muffin 1

I sent half of these muffins to work with the boyfriend, and distributed the rest amongst a few of my coworkers. Since then, I have had a few requests from those anxious to get the recipe, so I figured I better hurry up and post it already…So, by popular demand, I bring you sweet, cinnamony, pumpkin muffins… with cream cheese filling.

Since you have to make the filling a couple hours ahead of time, you can’t make these muffins at the last minute (like you can with pretty much any other muffin or quickbread, hence the “quick”). You can, however, make the filling when you’re thinking about it, and then leave it in the freezer for however long until you decide you want some muffins.

Make sure you let them cool adequately, so you don’t end up with molten cream cheese magma burning the inside of your mouth… not that you would try to eat a muffin before it was cooled anyway… What kind of crazy person does that?

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

[ Printable Recipe ]

For the filling:

  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar

For the muffins:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
  • 1 tbsp.pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
  • 1¼ cups vegetable oil

For the topping:

  • ½ cup sugar
  • 5 tbsp. flour
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

For the filling: Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl until blended and smooth.  Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 24 inches long, 1 to 1 ½-inches in diameter.  Fit tightly around the log, and reinforce with a piece of foil.  Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours.

For the topping: Combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend.  Add the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.  Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the muffins: Preheat the oven to 350˚ F and line muffin pans with paper liners.

1.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil.  Mix on medium-low speed until blended. Add dry ingredients in two additions, mixing just until incorporated.

To assemble:

1. Fill each muffin tin with just enough batter to cover the bottom (1 – 2 tablespoons).

2. Slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces.  Place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well.

3. Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely.  Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

chocolate chip pumpkin bread

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pumpkin bread 2

I’ve been (and will be traveling) lately, so I apologize if my posts become a little less frequent (and a little less wordy, too). I just got back from my very first trip to Mesa Verde National Park last week, and then tomorrow, Mommy and I are heading to Ohio. So yes, I will be a very busy little bee for the next couple weeks – eating my way around Ohio while visiting my friends and family. Possibly not having so much time to cook, bake, or post. But we’ll see how that all pans out.

I love going back east in the fall. Living in the desert requires giving up certain things in life… One of those things, ladies and gentlemen, is seasons. While I can’t say I really miss having to walk through the blistering winds and snow of winter, or the torrential downpours of spring and summer, Autumn is one thing I definitely miss.

It was always my favorite season – colorful leaves, brisk air, (occasional) sunny days, apple orchards and pumpkin patches…. We don’t get any of that here. Sad, right? So all the years I spent wanting nothing more than to get out of Ohio, this is the time of year that makes me really wish I hadn’t left. Of course this winter, I will be laughing at all my friends shoveling the snow off of their cars while I get to wear short sleeves and cook out on the grill. 🙂

Of all the things that remind me of fall, few things say ‘fall’ quite like pumpkin.  I can hardly wait for October to roll around every year for the simple fact that I adore pumpkin. Adore. Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin scones… who decided that pumpkin is only reserved for the fall? Something as delicious as pumpkin deserves to be enjoyed year-round. What is it in us that gives food seasons? Summer is for berries, winter I think of cinnamon, but autumn… that’s 110% pumpkin (maybe a little bit of apple, too, I guess).

This recipe is perfect. I’m not exaggerating. It’s the last pumpkin bread recipe you will ever need. Really. It yields a bread with a moist, tender crumb, a delightful pumpkin flavor, a hint of spice, and of course a little chocolate. I mean, a little chocolate never hurt anyone, right?  Try not to gnaw your arm off while the baking bread fills your house with the sweet aroma of fall and your tummy starts to rumble.

Pumpkin Bread  – Makes 2 – 9 x 5 inch loaves

[ Printable Recipe ]

  • 3 ¼ cups AP flour
  • 2 t cinnamon
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp allspice
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 15 oz can (1 ¾ cup) pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup veg oil
  • 3 cups sugar (You can easily cut back by at least a half cup)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  1. Preheat oven to 350F.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree and oil until combined. Add sugar and whisk again. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla and water. Stir in chocolate chips.
  3. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients being careful not to over-mix.
  4. Divide batter evenly between pans and bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 ½ hours.
  5. Cool the bread in its pan 15 minutes, then invert loaves onto wire rack and cool completely.

*Loaves will keep 3 days at room temperature, or much longer frozen for your future pumpkin needs

*You can also bake them into muffins – just reduce the baking time. It’s been so long since I’ve done the muffins, I would recommend checking them after about 20 minutes and then seeing where it goes from there.

[ Adapted from Baked ]