After the Storm Pumpkin Muffins

Hurricane Hermine brought havoc to Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, but here in North Carolina, I consider us lucky to have less than 2 inches of rain and very little wind.  It's not to say that I haven't lived through some of the roughest of storms, but anytime you don't have any damage doesn't mean you don't prepare for the worse when these storms are coming.  I have a great respect for "Mother Nature!"

The storm did bring some cooler temperatures and while the kitties were enjoying a morning on the screened-in porch, I decided to bake.  Pumpkin came to mine as the day was still overcast and cool.  It's a favorite flavor in our house and the aroma of spices while baking just gave it a warm feeling.  The rich taste of pumpkin was enhanced with cranberries and pecans, but also molasses, which was a favorite of my dad's.  He poured it on his pancakes and like him, I love the unique taste it brings to my baked goods.

Pumpkin Muffins
2 3/4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie spice
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup buttermilk*
3/4 cup dried cranberries (or raisins, dates, currants)
3/4 cup chopped pecans

*If you don't have buttermilk, add 1/2 tsp. cider vinegar to milk and let set for about 5-7 minutes.

Preheat oven 375F-degrees.  Spray a muffin pan with a nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin,oil, molasses, and buttermilk.  Whisk to combine thoroughly.  Add the dry ingredients and stir.  Finally, add the cranberries and pecans.  The batter is thick, but don't over mix.

Use a 1/4 cup scoop and divide batter among the muffin cups.

I'm pretty generous because I love to get a "muffin top"on my finished muffin!  Bake 15-17 minutes.  Let cool slightly in the pan then remove to a rack.  Serve warm with butter, if desired...I did.  Enjoy!

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffin Tops...with Streusel

Who doesn't love muffin tops...and I don't mean that extra belly area we women can succumb to when we age:-D?  When I was younger, we always pulled that part off the muffin and set it aside on our plate to savor after we ate that "other part"--it's like saving the cherry on top of a sundae for last! I was the happiest of campers when a muffin top pan was invented!

This morning, my blueberry-loving grandson and I baked the best muffin tops to have for our breakfast before starting a day full of fun.  He's such a good Sous Chef and because we've been baking since he was barely walking, he's become quite the expert.  In addition, he's suddenly got the concept that helping in the kitchen or around the house can be profitable!

Brown Butter Blueberry Muffin Tops...with Streusel
Streusel:
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup of King Arthur all-purpose flour
5 T unsalted butter, cut into smaller pieces
1 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt

Place dry ingredients into a medium bowl and cut in the butter until it becomes crumbly.  Set aside.

Muffin:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and browned
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup blueberries, washed and dried

Preheat oven to 375F-degrees.  Spray a muffin-top pan with a non-stick baking spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix the brown butter and sugar.  Add the vanilla.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the dry ingredients, along with milk and mix on low just until combined--don't over mix!
 

Ari can't control his excitement with a basket of blueberries! 

Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the blueberries.  Next, use a 1/4-cup scoop to measure the batter into the prepared pan.

Such an experienced baker--almost 5 years old!  Finally, divide the streusel among the six muffin tops.

Place in the preheated oven and 18 minutes should do it!

Golden brown and just waiting to be bitten into:-D

Muffin tops are just the best part of the day...just like grandson's visits.  Enjoy!
 

Cranberry~Banana~Date Muffins

I really have been baking, although sporadically since my oven has been "diagnosed" to have a faulty control panel:-( and I'm still waiting for the part to come in.  Cranberries, from Oregon, are still fresh in the grocery stores, so I treated my family to warm muffins this morning on a rainy day.

Ari loves muffins and they have always been a special treat from the time he was eating solid food. His mama would give him a muffin for his mid-morning snack or a treat when we picked him up from pre-school.  Their favorite places were either Whole Foods or the Co-Op they belonged to and zucchini, banana, cranberry or pumpkin were his favorites.

Muffins are easy to make and can be attributed to America; in fact they date back to the 19th century.  They are a semi-sweet quick bread that is baked for an individual serving, usually without icing, but I "pushed the enveloped" by adding a drizzle this morning and baking them in a mini-bundt pan.

Cranberry~Banana~Date Muffins
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup fresh cranberries, washed, dried, and cut in half
1 ripe banana, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup chopped dates
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup orange juice

Preheat oven to 375F-degrees.  Spray a 6-cup mini bundt pan with a non-stick baking spray or line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

In a large bowl, measure all the dry ingredients and whisk together to combine.  Add the cranberries and dates and mix again.  (By adding the fruit to the dry ingredients and coating it helps prevents the fruit from sinking to the bottom!)

 Add the wet ingredients and stir well (do not use an electric mixer--the proteins in the flour will get broken down and the batter will be runny!!)

Measure batter in the baking pan you've chosen.  The mini-bundt pan made 8 muffins and you should get 12 regular size from a muffin pan.  Bake for 18 minutes checking for doneness by sticking a wooden skewer into one of the muffins--it should come out cleanly.  Let cool slightly, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Quick Gaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 T light Karo syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1-2 T warm water

Mix glaze until the proper consistency for drizzling.  Decorate muffins or mini bundts .

It's just what Ari wanted with a cold glass of milk!  Me too...Enjoy!
 

 
   

Lemon Muffins with Blueberry Compote

One of my favorite pairings is lemon and blueberry; their flavors are just meant for one another and this morning I decided to bake a muffin that would showcase this.  However, instead of just adding blueberries to a lemon muffin, I made a blueberry compote from last year's harvest.  It was my last bag in the freezer and had just the right amount left in it, although these muffins would be just as perfect with fresh blueberries when in season.

My grandfather planted blueberry bushes in the 70s that we enjoyed long after he passed, but until then, whenever my mother baked something with blueberries, the choice was the wild huckleberries that grew along our long driveway.  They're in the same family as blueberries (and cranberries) and are one of the three indigenous fruits to America.  Because they have to be hand-picked, farmers have never cultivated these, but rather chose to do the larger blueberries for commercial use.  It was, however, a great chore for us to do when we knew the reward would be pies, cobblers, jam, or muffins as a result of our labor!

Lemon Muffins with Blueberry Compote
For the Compote:
1 1/2 - 1 2/3 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar

In a small sauce pan, heat on low/medium the blueberries and sugar until the berries have burst, stirring occasionally.  (This took about 10 minutes with frozen berries.) Remove and allow the berry compote to cool.

Preheat oven to 400F-degrees.  Line a 12-cup muffin pan with (tulip) paper cups.

For the Muffins:
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar ( I use a superfine that "dissolves faster")

1/2 cup vegetable oil (not Canola!)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)

2 1/4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cups Lemon Bits (optional, but really boosts the flavor)

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat eggs until mixed thoroughly on medium speed.  Turn mixer to low and gradually add the sugar.  Add the oil, vanilla, lemon zest and juice and beat together to combine.

Remove bowl from the stand and using a spatula or a mixing whisk, add the dry ingredients and the sour cream.  The reason not to mix these ingredients on the stand is to ensure you won't "over mix".  Stir in the Lemon Bits, if using.

Place a generous tablespoon full of batter in the bottom of the paper liner.  
Add about a tablespoon of blueberry compote and then top with about 2 tablespoons more of batter.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes (on Convection) or until the muffins are a golden brown.

The aroma was wonderful and seeing the compote bubbling from the cracks made my mouth water.  I found these cute candied lemon slices on the King Arthur catalogue website and decided to do a simple glaze to secure each one on top.

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. light Karo syrup

For many of us this period of Lent (from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday) has been a season of
penance, prayer, and self-denial and is culminated by rejoicing at Easter.  These muffins would be a wonderful addition to your brunch menu or just as a pre-snack before the egg hunt begins.  However, whatever your beliefs may be, Happy Spring to All~Enjoy! 

It's like having blueberry jam on your muffin!

 

Experiment Gone Good--Pumpkin Molasses Muffins

I'm happy when friends ask me to come up with a recipe and when that recipe turns out, I'm even happier. LOL!  A wonderful woman I met in Kentucky, who was the director of the Providence Montessori School where Ari attended, wrote to me and asked for a pumpkin muffin recipe that uses molasses and less sugar, but includes chocolate chips.  Since I've made this Pumpkin and sharing our gifts month in honor of Kelly, I played around with some flavors and came up with a muffin even Charlie Brown would wait for: )

Pumpkin, by itself, is pretty bland in taste and I think that's why you see 1 1/2 to 2 cups of sugar added to most recipes.  However, when I introduced molasses, I found the amount could be decreased to 1 cup without sacrificing flavor.  Molasses is made from young cane sugar and sulfur dioxide, which acts as a preservative.  It is a good source of calcium, potassium, magnesium, and iron and I can see why, Siobain wanted to include this ingredient with her busy schedule--3 children, including a six-month old baby and returning to competitive swimming.

Whenever, you reduce sugar you need to make sure you don't sacrifice flavor.  The molasses is a great addition, along with the chocolate chips, but I also added ground ginger and Ginger mini chips to enhance the pumpkin.

Pumpkin Molasses Muffins with Chocolate Chips
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable or Canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup Ginger mini chips
2 tsp. ground ginger
2 3/4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup chocolate chips (bittersweet or semi-sweet)

Preheat oven to 350F-degree.  Line a muffin tin with paper liners or use a non-stick baking spray.  I used a fluted mini cake pan.
In a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and while the mixer is running on medium speed, slowly add the oil.  (Anyone who has made their own mayonnaise will see a similarity with how the eggs bind together [emulsify] with the oil.)  Add the sugar and beat to combine.  Add the molasses, pumpkin, buttermilk and both gingers and mix again.  Remove from the stand and stir in the dry ingredients--stirring ensures you don't over mix the batter.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

In a regular muffin tin, you will get 18 muffins; the larger fluted pan that I used, yielded 12.

Molasses Glaze: (optional)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 T molasses
1-2 T hot water

In a small bowl stir all the ingredients together.  Drizzle or spread on top of the muffins.

I love the taste of molasses and the addition to this recipe almost gives these moist pumpkin muffins a "gingerbread" quality.  Of course, as my friend Betty said, "you bite into this delicious muffin and then you're surprised by chocolate...what could be better!"

Kelly would have loved these and Ari is no different with the same love of pumpkin--she used to buy him a pumpkin muffin every time they went to the Co-op for a snack.  I miss those times but I have this warm feeling answering a request to help a friend with this recipe using this ingredient I will always associate with Kelly.  Enjoy!

Banana-Cinnamon Breakfast Muffins

I am my mother's daughter..."waste not, want now," and with two very ripe bananas staring at me on the counter (LOL) I was once again faced with the challenge to create something more than just banana bread.  I actually think one day I'll write a cookbook with all the banana recipes I've had to come up with!

This recipe combines two of my treasured breakfast treats; muffins and pecan-cinnamon rolls.  I baked them in a 6-cup mini-bundt pan to give a little class for serving, but honestly, you could use a muffin pan just as easily and I bet no one would notice! 

My mother made great cinnamon rolls and I loved to help her spread the cinnamon, butter, and pecan mixture that we'd roll up, then slice.  I remember seeing a trick of using "dental floss" to slice the buns and that became my role to produce perfectly sliced buns. Cinnamon rolls are made from a yeast-risen dough that is commonly served in Northern Europe and North America, and Sweden is presumed the country of origin--"Kanelbulle," literally "cinnamon bun" is a favorite.  I didn't have time for yeast buns this morning and of course, there were those pesky bananas that I just couldn't throw out, so combining  these two memories just seemed to go together.

Banana-Cinnamon Breakfast Buns
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla extract + 1/4 tsp. Vanilla powder (or 1 vanilla bean, scraped)
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 3/4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

Sticky "bun" base:  
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 T maple syrup or Agave syrup
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
4 T. melted butter
1 tsp. cinnamon

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 -4 T heavy cream
1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Lightly spray a 6-cup mini-bundt pan (or 12-cup muffin pan) with a non-stick baking spray.

To make the sticky-bun base--combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and use a fork to mix together.

If you're using a 12-cup muffin pan, divide mixture among the cups, however, if you're using a 6-cup, remember to use half the mixture for the first baking.  Set aside.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy.  Gradually add the sugar and beat well.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat 1 to 2 minutes more.  Add the vanilla and mashed ripe bananas and beat just to incorporate the ingredients into the mixture.

Mix dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.  Add to the mixture and on med speed, combine thoroughly, but don't overbeat.

Use a large 1/4-cup scoop to divide the batter among the cups.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until tops spring back when touched and the muffins are  golden brown.

Immediately invert pan onto a waxed-paper-covered baking sheet.

Let muffins cool slightly, then drizzle with glaze, if desired.

As an alternative to the glaze, you could simply dust with confectioners' sugar.  Of course, as a baker, I've never grasped the concept of "Less is More!"

The comfort of warm banana muffins combined with the ooey-gooey-sticky cinnamon "topping" put a very happy smile on my face.  All I needed was some fresh fruit and breakfast was just how I like it--Sweet and Yummy.  Enjoy!

(*Note--this muffins were so moist and cake-like that you could easily make this into an elegant dessert!)

Sour Cream Poppy Seed Muffins with a Lemon Curd filling

I've never been a fan of the "typical" breakfasts of eggs and bacon.  I think I was traumatized by my father, on Saturday morning, cooking up a package of bacon in the iron skillet and when it was all crispy and removed, he'd crack eggs into an inch of bacon fat. I can hardly even type the memory. LOL! That's why for me, I chose peanut butter on toast, scones, doughnuts, and yes, muffins--warm and inviting from the oven.

This morning, with the rain falling and the temperatures barely reaching 60-degrees today (Hey! isn't this suppose to be almost summer!!), I decided to bake something that I could use the leftover lemon curd in and what better than a poppy seed muffin--they go together like Burns & Allen, Sonny & Cher, Rowan & Martin, Abbot & Costello...am I dating myself : -D!  I liked the idea of having a surprise center and what better than the tartness of the lemon curd to pair with the moist poppy seeded muffin?

Poppy seeds are an oilseed harvested for thousands of years from the opium poppy.  They have been used in baking by civilizations from all over the world.  In North America, we use them as a spice and decoration on bagels, buns and crackers, but in Europe you'll also see poppy seeds ground, mixed with butter, milk and sugar and used as fillings in yeast breads, cakes, and cookies.  For the muffins I made this morning, the poppy seeds are added to the batter, as is, and gives a subtle crunch as you bite into it.

Sour Cream Poppy Seed Muffins with a Lemon Curd Filling
2 1/2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. lemon extract
1/4 cup poppy seeds

1 cup lemon curd
Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2-3 T hot water
1/2 tsp. Vanilla paste

Preheat oven to 400F-degrees.  Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or spray with a nonstick baking spray.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients and mix with a dough whisk or spatula.  

Make a "well" in the center of the dry ingredients and add the eggs and sour cream.  Stir together, then, add the melted butter, the lemon extract and poppy seeds.  Stir until combined, but be careful not to over mix--the batter will be thick.

Use a scoop to divide the batter amongst the 12-cups.

Bake in the preheated oven 5 minutes, then, lower the temperature (without opening the oven door!) to 375F-degrees and continue baking for 15 minutes.

I've found that the "burst" of a hot oven gives my muffins a better rise.

While the muffins are cooling, slightly, fill a pastry bag, fitted with a #250 tip, with the prepared lemon curd.  

Fill the muffins by poking the tip into the center of the muffin and pipe in the curd.  
Mix up the glaze and spread the tops with about one teaspoon.

Serve the muffins warm and if your weather is like ours today, I also made a cup of cocoa to sip.

To me, these muffins are much more memorable than the usual bacon and eggs for breakfast. And, I know my mother would have preferred the lemon curd addition--sorry Dad. Enjoy!