MAPLE-WALNUT MINI MUFFINS

The combination of maple and walnut just seem to go together in this sweet, moist mini-muffin. They are perfect with a hot cup of tea or if you are on the go. The muffins have a sweet maple syrup glaze on the top.

1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup flour
2 eggs
2/3 cup soft butter
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon maple extract
1 cup chopped walnuts

PERFECT BLUEBERRY CREAM MUFFINS

This muffin is sweet, moist, light, full of flavor and pretty to look at (I love muffins than have nice rounded tops). They are very quick and easy to make and they freeze well; what more can you ask for?

 

BLUEBERRY CREAM MUFFINS       MAKES 24

3 large eggs
1 + 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 + 1/2 cups sour cream
1 + 1/2 cups blueberries

In large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until well combined. Leave mixer running and drizzle in the vegetable oil, stir in vanilla.

In another bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Add this dry mixture (to the egg mixture)alternately with the sour cream (I added it in thirds).

Gently fold in the blueberries.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners and fill about 3/4 full (I use an ice cream scoop). 

Bake in preheated 400° oven for 20 minutes (my electric oven takes 23 minutes).

* Adapted version of recipe found on Allrecipes.com

CHOCOLATE MUFFINS

SUPER moist, SUPER chocolate-y, SUPER EASY (mix with a spoon), these chocolate muffins are a great "fix" for that chocolate craving!!

2  2/3  cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar 
1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I use mini-chips)

Mix the above dry ingredients in a large bowl, making sure they are all well combined. If you add the chocolate chips at this stage, they will not "sink" when the muffins are baked. I like to use mini-chocolate chips so the chocolate distributes evenly throughout the batter, but ANY kind of chocolate chip will work (mint is very good too!!)

In a different medium sized bowl, whisk the following wet  ingredients until smooth:

3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup coffee (cold)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

After the wet mixture is whisked until smooth, add it to the bowl of dry ingredients and stir just until everything is moist.

Line cupcake pans with paper liners and fill 2/3 full with the muffin batter.  Bake at 325° for 20-25 minutes (my electric oven takes 20 minutes exactly). Test for doneness with a toothpick.

This recipe makes 3 dozen muffins

BLUEBERRY-EST MUFFINS EVER !!

Blueberry-est...is that a word? Why yes, I think it is!! These muffins are super easy to make with just a bowl and spoon. They are ready for the oven before it even gets up to the right temperature and they are made with frozen blueberries (no need to thaw)...it doesn't get any easier than that AND... they are VERY moist and delicious.

 

1½ cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
2 cups frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

Mix the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and baking powder in a large bowl.  Place 1/3 cup of vegetable oil in a 1 cup measuring cup; add one egg to the same measuring cup; add enough milk to fill the same measuring cup (recipe says 1/3 cup...but it make take an extra tablespoon if you have a smaller egg... just make sure the egg, oil and milk equal 1 cup total). Mix with fork to break the egg.

Mix the egg,oil, milk mixture into the dry flour mixture, just until its all wet, don't over-mix, batter will be pretty thick, but don't add any more liquid. Stir in 2 cups frozen blueberries.

Fill paper liners 2/3 full (I used an ice cream scoop) and bake for 30-35 minutes or until done. Right after they come out of the oven, sprinkle each muffin with a pinch of sugar.

This recipe makes a dozen

blueberry muffins

PECAN PIE MINI-MUFFINS

These little gems taste just like a Pecan Tassie. They are made out of 6 every day ingredients and are great with a morning cup of tea, or the lunch box or a long car ride (not at all messy). These are Hubby's "new" favorite snack. Store covered.

1 cup light brown sugar

½ cup flour
2 eggs
2/3 cup soft butter
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a mini muffin pan (or spray with a cooking spray that has flour in it, like Bakers Joy). Mix the wet ingredients in a medium size bowl and then stir in the dry ingredients, its just that simple!!

Mix long enough to just get the batter smooth. Make sure you use the MINI muffin pans (not cupcake size). Fill cups with one tablespoon batter each (makes 24). Bake for 17 minutes.

NOTE: Dusting pan with flour is important.

NOTE: My oven cooked these in 16 minutes.

NOTE: Taking these out of the pan is the only (mildly) tricky part of this recipe. Letting the muffins cool for 2 or 3 minutes before you try to remove them from the pan will help a lot, but don't leave them in the pan longer than than that, since they will get harder to remove from the pan as they cool.

NOTE: Slide a  thin knife gently around the sides of the muffins, then gently lift them out using the knife.

NOTE: If you keep these muffins covered well, they will stay soft for a long time (they tend to get a little crispy around the edges if left out in the air).

MUFFIN POPPERS

My husbands winter occupation (hobby) is restoring vintage snowmachines. He has a shop on our property and needless to say, there are days when very little "restoring" happens because the shop is full of his buddies discussing their most recent snowmachine adventures. When the shop is full, I enjoy sending out a big plate of baked goods to get their opinion on a new recipe. Today, I sent these (super easy) little muffin poppers out and the "guys" hovered over them like vultures (a good sign), the little gems got a big thumbs up.

2 cups flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat your oven to 400 and lightly grease/spray a mini-muffin pan with vegetable spray.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients, then stir in the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Beat together until well blended.

Fill mini-muffin cups about ½ full. Bake in 400 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes (my oven took 13 minutes) or until they spring back when touched.

Let the little muffins cool a minute or so, then remove them from the pan. Brush all surfaces with melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar. Serve warm (but great room temperature too).

NOTE: This recipe makes about 3 dozen mini-muffins.

DOUGHNUT MUFFINS

Last week, I was watching the cooking channel, and someone was raving about a bakery that sold donut muffins (a new one for me). A few days later, I bought a baking magazine and sure enough, there was a recipe for...doughnut muffins!! I don't need to be hit over the head THREE times in order to get the message...I needed to make doughnut muffins!! I'm very glad I did, they are delicious.

Light and tender, buttery and sweet, these muffins are more like a delicious cake doughnut than a heavy dense muffin. Another delightful thing about this recipe is that it makes four dozen muffins, AND you can keep this uncooked batter in the fridge for up to three days, which gives you plenty of time to bake them all off!!

1½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1¾ cups white sugar
4 large eggs
6 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon +2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 + 2/3 cups milk
¼ cup buttermilk

Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl (stand mixer works best because it's a lot of batter). Beat in eggs, one at a time until well mixed.
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Sift the dry ingredients together and set aside. Mix the milk and buttermilk together and set aside.
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Mix the dry ingredients, into the butter-sugar mixture, alternatively with the milk mixture (add in thirds), mixing only until it is well mixed after each addition. Don't over mix.
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Grease and flour standard size cupcake pans and fill them 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until they feel firm to the touch.
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Remove the baked doughnut muffins from the pan and dip them (on all sides) in melted butter, then roll them in cinnamon sugar.

To make cinnamon sugar, just mix 2 cups of white granulated sugar with a tablespoon of ground cinnamon. If you are a BIG cinnamon fan, use two tablespoons. These muffins are extremely light and tender and taste like a very good cake doughnut.