Blackberry Muffins

Ingredients:

2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. milk
1 cup sugar
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and still warm
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1½ cups (about 5-6 oz) blackberries, cut in half (if using frozen, lay them on paper towels to absorb excess liquid)

Directions:

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Grease 18 muffin tins or line with paper muffin cups.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, milk, sugar, butter and vanilla.
4. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix together with a few light strokes, just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add the berries. Do not overmix, the batter should not be completely smooth.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tins. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of 1 or 2 of the muffins comes out clean, 17-20 minutes (or longer). Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before removing from the pan. If not serving hot, let cool on a rack.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk (or you can make your own using 1 Tablespoon lemon juice per 1 cup of 1% milk)
• 1 Tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• Cooking spray
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat over to 400 degrees F.

2. Spoon flour into dry measuring cup and level off with a knife. Dump flour into a medium-large bowl and combine with sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.

3. Add the butter to the flour mixture and cut in using a pastry blender or 2 knives. Make a well in the center of the mixture.

4. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, combine buttermilk, lemon rind, and egg. Stir with a whisk until well mixed.

5. Add buttermilk mixture to the flour and stir until it’s well blended. After that, add the blueberries and fold them in.

6. Prepare a muffin tin by coating it with cooking spray and then spoon the batter into 12 muffin cups.

7. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. Remove muffins immediately when done and place them on a wire rack to cool.

8. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar. Stir until it’s mixed well and drizzle the glaze over the cooled muffins.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

 

 

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350º. Line muffin pan with paper muffin liners.

To prepare streusel topping mix with sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon with a fork. Sometimes I use my hands to get it fully incorporated so that it has the texture of wet sand. This makes a generous amount of streusel topping which probably could be halved but I like a lot on my muffins.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside
.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and milk. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Gently fold in blueberries.

Divide batter evenly into 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle muffins with streusel topping.

Bake at 350º for 20 to 25 min, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Makes 12 jumbo muffins.

Basic Pancakes

 

3 1/3 cups milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
3 cups flour
3 Tablespoons sugar or sucanat
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
melted butter


Combine all ingredients, except butter, in a large mixing bowl, whisking until smooth. There may be a few lumps, but that is fine. Heat large skillet or griddle until droplets of water sizzle when sprinkled onto cooking surface. Brush griddle with melted butter. Pour batter, about 1/3 cup at a time onto griddle. This should spread itself into a medium circle. Cook until bubbles form in batter and start to pop. Flip with a pancake turner. Brush the cooked tops of cakes with more melted butter. Cook a minute or two more. Stack on a plate until all are cooked. This should make about 24 pancakes. (Cool, wrap, and freeze any extras.)

Greek Yogurt Pancakes

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (6 oz) of your favorite Greek yogurt
• 1 egg
• scant 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda

Directions

• Open the yogurt container and stir the yogurt until it’s smooth and creamy. Crack an egg over the yogurt and stir to combine leaving. The resulting mixture should be pale yellow in color and have a few lumps here and there.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and baking soda.
• Pour yogurt/egg mixture into the bowl with the flour and baking soda. Stir to combine. The batter will be extremely thick.
• Spoon the batter onto a sprayed griddle or pan heated to medium-high. I usually make four big pancakes, but you could also make 8 smaller ones.
• Flip the pancakes when they start to bubble a bit on the surface. Cook until golden brown on both sides and serve with butter, syrup, fruit, Nutella….anything! Enjoy!

For lower-calorie Greek yogurt pancakes, use nonfat yogurt and an egg white instead of the whole egg. Equally delicious and easy to prepare.

Glazed Doughnut Muffins

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk

For the Glaze:

• 3 tablespoons butter; melted
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar; sifted
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons hot water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with muffin liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. With the mixer on low speed, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and vanilla until just combined. Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.
3. Spoon batter into cups, filling the cups, and smooth tops. Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups. Bake until muffin tops are a pale golden and springy to the touch, 15 to 17 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 10 minutes before glazing.
4. To make the glaze, In a medium bowl mix together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and water. Whisk until smooth.
5. When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin crown into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. Once hardened, dip a second time and allow to harden then serve.

Yields: 12 muffins

Note: Muffins will keep at room temperature for about a day.

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

The school staff devoured these too.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups (8-9 oz.) strawberries, hulled and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4-1 cup plain yogurt (or buttermilk, or sour cream)
• 1 egg
• 3-4 TB. melted butter
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (minis work best)

Preparation:

1. Combine strawberries and sugar and let sit for at least one hour at room temperature (overnight or all day is even better).

2. Preheat oven to 400 degree and grease 14 muffin cups.

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

4. Strain liquid from strawberries into a medium bowl; reserve strawberries. Add yogurt, egg and butter. Mix well.

5. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. You may have to add some additional yogurt or milk if you haven't let the strawberries sit for very long. Stir in chocolate chips and reserved strawberries.

6. Scoop batter into muffin cups and bake for 20-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

**Special note: Combining the sugar and strawberries gives you an excellent syrup to flavor the muffins and concentrates the flavor of the remaining strawberries. They actually shrink to about 1/3 of their original size if you let them sit for long enough.