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Lemon Ricotta Muffins

January 10, 2012 ·
Bring on citrus season!  When life gives me a bowl of lemons, you better believe I’m going to make some muffins!  And perhaps some lemonade to wash them down, but that’s another post all together.  For now it’s all about muffins, as these Lemon Ricotta Muffins definitely deserve the spotlight.  They are bright, perfectly sweet and bonus – they’re low in fat, though you would never know it.  The ricotta cheese gives the muffins a moist, soft texture, and the flavor goes perfectly with the lemon.  The taste is reminiscent of delicious lemon ricotta pancakes, only a bit more portable.

With the wonderful citrus bounty upon us, over the next few weeks I will be sharing several recipes using citrus fruits.  In the meantime, grab those lemons and give these muffins a try!

Lemon Ricotta Muffins
 
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Yields: 12 muffins
Ingredients
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoons salt (optional)
  • ¾ cup low fat ricotta cheese
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare 12 muffin cups with paper liners or cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk the ricotta, water, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, egg, and vanilla until blended.
  4. Fold the ricotta mixture into the flour mixture until just blended.
  5. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Sprinkle turbinado sugar over the tops of the muffins.
  6. Bake for 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let muffins sit in pan for 5 minutes and then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, healthy, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Coconut Cranberry Muffins

December 27, 2011 ·

I had been craving something with coconut for some time, and it occurred to me that coconut paired with cranberries would be a lovely combination.  Cranberries are so wonderful in the wintertime. They add beautiful, seasonal color, as well as a delightful zing to any dish.  Of course, my next thought was…let’s make muffins! 

The sweetness of the coconut was the perfect counterbalance to the tangy cranberries.  The whole family loved these, especially Adam (though at first, the cranberries were a bit too surprising).  Adam asked for coconut cranberry muffins every day for weeks.  Quite frankly, an almost 2 year old saying ‘coconut cranberry’ anything is quite possibly the cutest thing ever.  As if you didn’t need another reason to make these…they are just plain good!


Coconut Cranberry Muffins
Yields 18 muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup cranberries, chopped
1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut, for topping

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare 18 muffin cups with liners or cooking spray.  Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, stir flours, sugar, coconut, baking powder, baking soda and salt, until combined.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla.
  4. Add buttermilk mixture to flour, gently folding until combined.  Fold in cranberries.
  5. Divide batter evenly among muffin pan.  Sprinkle with remaining coconut.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Adapted from Food.com

Linked to Sweet as Sugar Cookies: Sweets for Saturday #50

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Grandma’s Peanut Blossoms

December 23, 2011 ·

Peanut Blossoms are a holiday cookie staple around our house, as well as many others.  This popular peanut butter cookie topped with a Hershey’s Kiss is not only delicious, but it is such a cute addition to the cookie plate.  There are countless versions of this type of cookie, but today I have a special treat for you.  Today I am sharing with you this recipe from my grandma!  When she was alive, one of her favorite things to do was to make dozens of types of cookies, bars, candies, cakes, etc. for the holidays.  She put such care in the execution of each recipe she made.  It was impressive, to say the least.  She was always so excited and proud to show us the vast array of goodies she made for us each year.  So as I sit here right now, sharing one of my favorite Grandma recipes,…I know she would be excited and proud to share it with you as well.

Happy Holidays!

Grandma’s Peanut Blossoms
Yields 3 dozen cookies

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) light butter (or regular butter, per the original recipe)
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
granulated sugar, for rolling
36 chocolate Hershey’s Kisses candies, unwrapped

  1. In a small bowl, sift flour, baking and salt.  Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together butter and peanut butter until blended. 
  3. Gradually add granulated sugar and brown sugar to peanut butter mixture – cream well.  Add unbeaten egg and vanilla – beat well. 
  4. Blend in dry ingredients gradually (Note: I do this step by hand using a wooden spoon) and mix thoroughly.  Chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (Note: I typically chill overnight).
  5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  6. Shape dough into balls using a rounded teaspoonful for each.  Roll balls in granulated sugar and place on baking sheet. 
  7. Bake for 8 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Top each cookie with a Hershey’s Kiss candy, pressing down firmly so cookie cracks around edge.  Return to oven and bake 2 to 5 minutes longer until golden brown.  Move cookies to wire rack to cool completely.
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Reindeer Snack Mix

December 22, 2011 ·
Reindeer Snack Mix {Alida's Kitchen}

What happens when you cross peanuts with pretzels and Reese’s peanut butter puffs cereal? This Reindeer Snack Mix, that’s what! Each ingredient on its own is fabulous, of course. When mixed together with some melted white chocolate, you have a snack mix that is really too good for words. Yes folks, I am speechless. Or maybe I am just too busy stuffing my face with more snack mix. 🙂 Either way, I will simply leave you with this. It’s the holidays. You are bound to have guests or to be a guest. Here is a fun and easy little snack that will leave everybody singing your praises this holiday season!

Reindeer Snack Mix {Alida's Kitchen}
Reindeer Snack Mix
 
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Yields: about 3 quarts
Ingredients
  • 4½ cups Reese's Peanut Butter Puffs
  • 4 cups miniature pretzels
  • 12 ounces lightly salted peanuts
  • 12 ounces white chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, combine cereal, pretzels and peanuts.
  2. In a microwave, melt the white chocolate chips; stir until smooth.
  3. Pour melted white chocolate over cereal mixture and toss to coat.
  4. Immediately spread onto waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Let stand until set, about 20 minutes. Break into pieces and store in airtight container.

Source: Taste of Home: Cookies and more!

Filed Under: appetizers, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Banana Graham Muffins

December 12, 2011 ·
Banana Graham Cracker Muffins

One of the reasons I often make muffins or quick breads is so that Mike can take breakfast on-the-go.  With this lastest muffin creation, I wanted to make something that Adam would love as well.  It definitely did not take me long to come up with this one.  It is no secret that toddlers love bananas and toddlers love graham crackers.  So why not put the two together in a muffin to create the ultimate toddler treat!

Banana Graham Cracker Muffins

I must confess that Adam is not the only banana and graham cracker lover in this house ~ yours truly is a huge fan as well.  These muffins definitely did not disappoint!  The crushed graham crackers definitely add a tasty spin on an otherwise simple banana muffin recipe.  In fact, they ended up being a nice combination of the two flavors.  They were not overly graham cracker-y but also not like banana bread.  I added some cinnamon, which ended up very subtle in this recipe.  That amount could be doubled if you’re looking for something cinnamony to go with your banana and graham.

So did Adam love them?  He sure did!  In fact, we all did, and I hope you do too!

Banana Graham Muffins
 
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Yields: 12 muffins
Ingredients
  • 1 cup crushed graham crackers
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 medium overripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
  • ¼ cup buttermilk
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tin with paper liners (or spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the graham crackers, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and sugar.
  3. In a separate bowl, combined the mashed bananas, oil milk, egg anv vanilla.
  4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients, folding gently until combined (be careful not to over mix).
  5. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Adapted from Baking Vintage

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Pumpkin Cornbread

November 30, 2011 ·

On Monday, I shared my favorite chili recipe of all time and gave you a preview of today’s post.  What goes best with chili – cornbread!  As I am sure you have noticed, we are all about pumpkin over here these days.  So we put the two together to make Pumpkin Cornbread.

This recipe is super easy to make, and the sweet cornbread was the perfect complement to the spicy chili.  The leftovers were a great quick breakfast on the go, while Adam enjoyed it most as a snack in the car after a trip to the zoo.  Versatile and delicious, these Pumpkin Cornbread recipe is definitely a keeper.

Pumpkin Cornbread
 
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Yields: 16 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 8x8" baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, brown sugar and cornmeal; set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, lightly beat eggs and then stir in the pumpkin, oil and molasses until combined.
  4. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and fold until just combined. Pour the batter into the pan (smooth the top, if needed).
  5. Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Slightly Adapted from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, healthy, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,
no sugar healthy whole wheat pumpkin banana pancakes for toddlers

Pumpkin Banana Pancakes

November 22, 2011 ·
no sugar healthy whole wheat pumpkin banana pancakes for toddlers

Here are the Pumpkin Banana Pancakes I alluded to in yesterday’s post.  Thankfully I did not lose the eggs and was able to make them.  It’s a good thing too.  I was excited to try a new spin on an old recipe, and Adam absolutely LOVED them!  Similar to Pumpkin Banana Bread, these definitely taste like a cross between pumpkin pancakes and banana pancakes.  Not a bad thing if you ask me!

The recipe made around 50 small-ish pancakes.  I typically make a huge batch for the freezer and package them in groups of 6 (enough for a few days in each bag).  I figured Adam would eat 1 or 2, and I would have the rest to use for pictures during nap time.  Well…that morning he ate 4. Then he asked for another one for snack.  This left me with 1 pancake for pictures.  I couldn’t quite take a picture of just 1 pancake, so I decided to do pictures the next day and took out another 6-pack from the freezer.  Of course, what did Adam do the next day?  He ate 4 pancakes!  I feared having fewer, so I made do with the 3 that remained.  I’m just so glad he likes them.  I hope you do too!

Pumpkin Banana Pancakes
 
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Ingredients
  • 1¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
  • 2 cups milk (whole, skim, 1%, whatever you like)
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Cooking spray
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, stir and sift flours, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice.
  2. In another bowl, beat eggs with pumpkin, banana and vanilla. Add milk and oil and mix until smooth.
  3. Fold pumpkin mixture into dry ingredients. Let sit for 10 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, preheat griddle to medium heat and spray with cooking spray.
  5. Drop pancake batter by the generous tablespoonful onto griddle. Cook until bubbles appear (about 2-3 minutes). Flip and cook until set (about 2-3 minutes). Repeat.
Notes
These freeze really well. I store them in a plastic baggie in groups of 6, with each pancake separated by wax paper squares. I then put all of the plastic baggies in a freezer bag.
Filed Under: breakfast, healthy, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Layered Pumpkin Loaf

November 15, 2011 ·
Layered Pumpkin Loaf - a delicious pumpkin bread with a cream cheese swirl in the middle. So good!

Layered Pumpkin Loaf is a delicious and easy recipe for pumpkin bread with a cream cheese swirl in the middle.

For the longest time, Mike and I would get ‘Pumpkin Loaf’ from everybody’s favorite coffee shop (you know, the one with the green logo).  While that bread is good, I dare say that I prefer this Layered Pumpkin Loaf.  Perhaps it’s the moist and flavorful bread, or perhaps it’s the cream cheese layer resting in the middle.  Regardless of the reason, this is just plain good.

Layered Pumpkin Loaf - a delicious pumpkin bread with a cream cheese swirl in the middle. So good!

I substituted buttermilk for the skim milk in the original recipe, and I added extra cinnamon in addition to the pumpkin pie spice.  I also added the chopped pepitas on top.  Pepitas are tasty, add some crunch, look pretty, and go perfectly with this bread.

Layered Pumpkin Loaf - a delicious pumpkin bread with a cream cheese swirl in the middle. So good!

If you will be hosting out of town guests over the holidays, or simply hosting a breakfast/brunch, Layered Pumpkin Loaf would make a lovely addition to your table.

Not sure if you noticed, but I like pumpkin just a little bit. 🙂 This bread is certainly no exception.

Layered Pumpkin Loaf
 
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Yields: 9x5 loaf, approximately 16 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • 4 egg whites, divided
  • ½ cup low fat buttermilk
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (optional)
  • 1 package (8 ounces) Neufchatel cream cheese (1/3 reduced fat), softened
  • ¼ cup pepitas, chopped (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, stir pumpkin, 1 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, 3 egg whites, buttermilk and oil, until combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Add to pumpkin mixture and fold gently just until moistened.
  4. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, remaining granulated sugar and remaining egg white until well blended.
  5. Spoon half the pumpkin batter into a 9x5-inch loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray. Spread the cream cheese mixture in a layer over that batter. Top cream cheese layer with remaining pumpkin batter (You will want to spread the top pumpkin layer a little bit with a silicone spatula, but it is ok if a little cream cheese is still visible).
  6. Sprinkle the top layer with chopped pepitas, if desired. It helps to gently pat the pepitas into the batter
  7. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 5 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Loosen bread from sides of pan; cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack; cool completely.

Adapted from Kraft

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Peanut Butter Surprise Muffins

November 10, 2011 ·

It has been far too long since I have made something with peanut butter.  I thought these Peanut Butter Surprise Muffins would be a good way to curb any peanut butter withdrawal.  You know anything with ‘surprise’ in the title is going to be something special (good or bad I suppose, but I promise only good things for you).

First you have a peanut butter muffin, which by itself would be quite delicious.  Add a surprise in the middle (in the form of a mini peanut butter cup), and you have something that is just plain fun and tasty too!

Peanut Butter Surprise Muffins

Yields 12 muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt (optional)
2 eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (chunky or creamy)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
12 miniature peanut butter cups 
1/4 cup chopped peanuts (optional, for topping)
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners or cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, which together eggs, buttermilk and vanilla.  Stir into flour mixture until just moistened.
  4. Combine butter and peanut butter.  Fold into batter (do not over mix).
  5. Fill each muffin cup 1/4 full with batter.  Place a mini peanut butter cup on top of each.  Cover with remaining batter.  Sprinkle tops with chopped peanuts, if using.
  6. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into muffin comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Taste of Home

Filed Under: breakfast, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,

Pumpkin Apple Muffins

November 4, 2011 ·

Adam’s nap cycle is pretty predictable.  He typically naps for 2-3 hours each day, but occasionally goes through week-long periods of 1 hour naps.  Sometimes it’s due to teeth, sometimes it’s due to growing, and sometimes who knows.  We have been through it enough to know that it passes in about a week.  So when we found ourselves through week 2 of short naps, it was a little disconcerting (and tiring) for all.  Fortunately, we did made it through the latest short-nap phase, and these Pumpkin Apple Muffins are a result of those extra 2 hours I was not expecting.   

I have been working on a recipe for Pumpkin Apple Muffins for quite a while.  When I found myself with extra apples from other recipes and several cans of pumpkin puree, it was clearly time to execute my vision.  The combination of my two favorite fall flavors was just so appealing.  The result is a moist, flavorful muffin that is a perfect blend of pumpkin and apple.

After Adam’s blissful 3 hour nap, I decided we should split a muffin for snack.  Before he could even finish his first bite, Adam said ‘more muffin.’  Over and over, ‘more muffin for Adam’ until he finished nearly 3/4 of our muffin.  His enthusiasm says it all…these are fantastic!   

Pumpkin Apple Muffins
Yields 12 muffins

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 eggs (or 1 egg and 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed plus 3 tablespoons water – see note)
1/4 cup applesauce
1 medium apple, cored and shredded (any variety)

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line 12 muffin cups in a standard muffin tin.  Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and baking soda until combined.
  3. In a separate medium bowl, mix pumpkin, oil, eggs, applesauce and apple until combined.
  4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and gently fold until combined. (note: batter will be thick)
  5. Divide batter evenly amongst 12 muffin cups.
  6. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 5 minutes and then move muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

Note:  I only had 1 egg, so I used ground flaxseed as a substitute.  1 egg = 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed plus 3 tablespoons water.  Mix flaxseed and water in a bowl and let sit for about 2 minutes.  Add just as you would an egg.

    Adapted from Low Fat Cooking @ about.com

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