Follow the Ruels

Apple Muffins

This is the third makeover of this recipe that I’ve done and it may be my favorite yet! 

With Fall right around the corner, I have been hankering for anything “Fall spiced”, which includes all things apple, pumpkin, and more! These apple muffins certainly check off that box with the sweet and tart apples mixed with the cinnamon-y spice of apple pie spice. They certainly are getting me in the mood for Fall!

How to Make Them

First, mix together the dry ingredients: flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. 

Then combine most of the wet ingredients. I like to whisk the milk (make sure it’s warm), butter, sour cream, applesauce, and vanilla together first so that it forms a smooth slurry. If your butter starts to harden because the other ingredients are too cold, pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds or so until you can whisk it smooth. 

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and now add the egg. Mix until the batter until it is just combined. 

Fold in the chopped up apples then portion the batter into the muffin pan.

I like to use my ice cream scoop for this because it seems to make the perfect sized muffin!

Bake the muffins at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until they are nice and brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean.

Definitely let them cool for about 10 minutes before trying to eat. The apples inside will be steaming hot if you dive into them too early!

After that, have at them! They are a wonderfully delicious breakfast treat any time of year, but especially now as we head into apple season! 

This is a great recipe to have under your belt if you plan on going apple picking this year!

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp apple pie spice
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup milk (warm or room temp)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 2 apples, peeled and chopped (approx. 2 cups)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with liners and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine flours, sugars, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until there are no more lumps.
  3. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine butter, applesauce, sour cream, milk, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
  4. Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with dry ingredients. Add in the egg and mix until all ingredients are combined.
  5. Fold in the apple pieces.
  6. Scoop approximately 1/4-1/3 cup of the batter into each muffin tin cavity. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until the tops are brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  7. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Avocado Muffins

These muffins are 100% inspired by our recent trip out to California. We were lucky enough to attend Billy’s work conference at a very nice luxury resort in Huntington Beach where they really pampered us with some good food. 

Considering that it is California, they really stuck to a healthy “California” themed menu and avocados were all over the place! Even in the muffins! I had never even heard of baking bread or muffins with avocados before (as the main ingredient and not a substitute for butter), but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised!

The avocado itself doesn’t actually provide a whole lot of flavor. But there is a subtle richness to the muffins that make them delicious all on their own. No fillings or mix-ins needed!

However, I can totally see myself making these muffins again and mixing in some blueberries, almonds, or any other favorite muffin mix-in! 

How to Make Them

First, cream together the mashed avocado and sugar just like you would butter and sugar.

Next, mix in the eggs.

Then, mix in the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then mix in the milk until smooth.

I used a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour for these muffins to make them slightly healthier and I love the nutty flavor whole wheat flour provides. 

Then spoon the muffin batter into a lined muffin tin.

One thing I think these muffins need so they aren’t so plain is a little sprinkle of turbinado sugar. It creates a really crunchy sweet top that makes these muffins even better!

Finally, just bake until the tops are golden brown, about 20 minutes. 

And there you have it. Super yummy avocado muffins! Who would have thought of making a muffin with an avocado? I guess I have to thank our trip out to Huntington Beach for this one!

Supplies and Recipe

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3154368″]

[yumprint-recipe id=’181′]

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

If you are a parent trying to sneak in extra veggies into your child’s diet…or just an adult who needs to sneak veggies into your own diet (like me), then this is the recipe for you!

Zucchini is one of those wonderful vegetables that can be a total chameleon. It can replace noodles, added to bread, and accompany some chocolate in these delicious muffins!

For those of you worried about the presence this green-skinned squash in your chocolate zucchini muffins, trust me, these muffins are way more chocolate than zucchini. At least in taste. 

The zucchini actually has no taste or texture, really. It just makes the muffins super moist and extra delicious without a whole lot of extra fat or sugar. Okay, there’s plenty of sugar in here, but not as much as you would expect for a chocolate muffin!

How to Make It

First, break out your grater and grate 1 big zucchini. That should give you more than enough zucchini to add to the batter.

I recommend that you let your zucchini drain on some paper towels while you prepare the rest of the batter so that you don’t add too much extra moisture.

Next, assemble the dry ingredients in one large bowl. Give them a good whisking to break out any lumps and bumps in the flour and cocoa powder. 

In a liquid measuring cup, combine all of the wet ingredients (except the zucchini). Mix the wet ingredients together to break up the egg and emulsify everything into one smooth liquid. 

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until it forms a very thick batter. 

Fold in the shredded zucchini which will immediately loosen up the batter so that it feels more like a regular muffin batter. 

If you want even more chocolaty goodness, toss in some chocolate chips. 

Scoop the batter into prepared muffin tins then pop them in the oven to bake. 

Note: I prefer to use an ice cream scoop for portioning out my muffins because it’s a perfect size! And much easier to use!

Once they come out of the even they will have risen slightly over the edge of the muffin liner and the chocolate chips will be soft and melted. 

Because these muffins are so moist, thanks to that zucchini, you definitely want to let them cool a bit before sinking your teeth into them. Otherwise, they will just fall apart right in your hands. Not that that’s a bad thing. I am just warning you so you can either grab a paper towel beforehand or just eat them over the sink. 

All in all, these chocolate zucchini muffins are not a bad way to sneak in an extra serving of veggies into my diet!

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”3045572″] 

[yumprint-recipe id=’163′]

Caramelized Banana Nut Muffins

Prepared to have your world rocked by these caramelized banana nut muffins. These are not your ordinary banana nut muffins. No sir-ee. These banana nut muffins blow all others out of the water! 

It has to be the caramelized bananas that add a little extra sweetness and a much deeper flavor than a normal banana muffin. It’s not a candy-sweet banana flavor. It’s more of a rich banana flavor, if that makes sense. They are perfectly complimented by the nutty, slighly bitter walnuts that add an extra crunch factor.

But of course, it all starts with caramelized bananas. To caramelize them, I just cut them in half lengthwise, sprinkled a little sugar on top, then set under the broiler for a minute or two, until they are nice and toasted. 

To make the muffin batter, I actually varied my normal go-to muffin batter recipe. Well, I should say that I varied the method. Most muffin recipes use a bread making method, where you add all the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and then mix. For these, I used a cake batter method: cream butter and sugar, add eggs (and other fat), then flour and liquids. This helps keep the muffins nice and light.

First, I creamed together the butter and sugars. Then I added the egg, vanilla, and Greek yogurt. 

To the butter mixture, I mixed in the half of the flour and then the milk. 

As for the nuts in these banana nut muffins, I used walnuts (but pecans would also be good). I crushed them into tiny pieces by placing them in a sandwich bag and smacking them with a rolling pin. It’s a great stress reliever!

Then I dumped the walnuts into the remaining flour and mixed that in with the rest of the batter. By mixing the nuts in with the flour, I ensure that the nuts are evenly dispersed throughout the muffins and don’t sink to the bottom.

Now for the good stuff. I gently mashed up the bananas and then folded them into the batter. 

After dividing the batter into the muffin tins I decided to add a little something extra. While these muffins would have been good on their own, who would turn down an extra crumb topping? Not me, that’s who!

To make the crumb topping, I combined some of the extra walnuts, flour, sugar, salt and some cold butter. Then I generously sprinkled the crumb topping on top of the muffins and popped them into the oven to bake. 

As these muffins bake they will fill your kitchen with the most wonderful smell! And once they come out of the oven, you will have a hard time waiting for them to cool before jumping in!

I certainly didn’t! I couldn’t help but taste test one before it had a chance to cool. And then to make sure they were still good, I had another. And then the top off of another. Then I forced myself to stop because my coworkers might start to wonder why I was only bringing in 9 muffins and not 12. 

I will most certainly be making these muffins again the next time I had some leftover bananas (which is pretty much all the time). They are my new favorite banana recipe, and I am sure they will be yours, too!
[show_shopthepost_widget id=”2831261″]

[yumprint-recipe id=’134′]

Blueberry Quinoa Muffins

A couple years ago I posted this recipe for blueberry quinoa muffins. Even back then when I could count my blog readers on one hand, the recipe took off on Pinterest. Even today, it’s one of my most saved Pins. Who would have thought?

I have gotten some feedback on the old recipe from a few people. But since I haven’t made the recipe in a while, I didn’t really feel I could offer much advice (or come to my own defense!). It was time to go back to the drawing boards and retry the recipe! 

A couple people mentioned that the original recipe resulted in soggy muffins. Who wants a wants a soggy muffin? Definitely not this girl, so clearly something had to change. The first thing I thing I did differently was blend half the quinoa into a flour to mix with the rest of the dry ingredients. 

I cooked the rest of the quinoa, just like in the original recipe, but this time I used milk! While this also helped reduce the sogginess, it also had another unintended consequence. A good consequence, I should add! You know that distinct nutty flavor quinoa has? Well the milk really helped tame that flavor a bit. And let’s be honest, no one is out there craving a muffin that tastes like quinoa. 

Other than these couple steps, I didn’t change a whole lot else about the recipe. I mixed the quinoa flour with whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, sugar, and baking powder. To that I mixed in all the wet ingredients – the remaining milk, apple sauce, eggs, and coconut oil – until it formed a thick batter. That’s when I folded in the cooked quinoa. 

Now these blueberry quinoa muffins wouldn’t be blueberry quinoa muffins without blueberries. Actually, they don’t have to be blueberry muffins. They can be any berry you want, or no berry at all. But I wanted to go with the classic blueberry! So I mixed the clean blueberries into the batter until they were evenly dispersed throughout. I would recommend, however, that you toss the berries in a bit of flour before mixing in (unlike me). This will help prevent the berries from sinking to the bottom of your muffins. 

After a quick bake, these muffins were ready to be scrounged up. You might think from the photo above that I artistically arranged the muffin tin so that I could highlight both the blueberries and the quinoa. Nope. I just had some muffin tins to fill after eating a couple muffins before I could remember to take pictures. 

Self control has never been my strength. 

I am definitely a fan of the quinoa muffin recipe 2.0. The texture is much more like a traditional muffin – light, airy, and slightly moist. The quinoa flavor isn’t as distinct, which I think would turn a lot of people off to this recipe. But it is still super healthy!

There is much less sugar in this recipe compared to my traditional muffin recipes. Also, the quinoa adds some extra protein, which makes it a great, well-rounded breakfast!

I would love to hear from anyone who made the original recipe and how you think this recipe compares! Let me know which one you like better! I certainly know which recipe I would vote for!

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:125]

Stuffed French Toast Muffins with Raspberries

Every year for Christmas breakfast my mom makes the same things. We have all come to expect her delicious strata and tater tot casserole. My contribution has always been the monkey bread. Of course I am responsible for the sweets!

This year she threw a wrench into the whole plan. Three days before Christmas she said, “why don’t we make something different this year for Christmas breakfast.”

Excuse me, what now? Break tradition?? 

Part of me was a bit sad to lose some of our Christmas favorites (I mean, what is better than tater tots and cheese?!). But the other part of me (the blogger, baker, recipe experimenter part of me) was excited to try something new! And I am so glad we did because I ended up making a delicious French Toast casserole. 

We went through dozens of recipes on Pinterest to find the perfect one and settled on a blueberry french toast casserole, but swapped in raspberries. It was a good first try, but afterwards I was eager to go home and make the recipe my way. And by that, I mean stuffed with cream cheese. 

I started by cubing up a loaf of Challah bread. I hands down prefer Challah bread for French toast because its a tad sweeter and so light and fluffy. It’s delicious on it’s own and even better as French toast. 

Next I mixed up some eggs, milk, vanilla, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Then I added in all the cubes of bread and gave them a good toss until the bread had completely soaked up all the liquid. 

Because I did this the night before, I let the bread sit in the bowl overnight (in the fridge). If you did this the morning of, you could transfer this immediately to a casserole dish or a muffin tin.

Once I was ready to bake my French toast, I took about 3-4 cubes of bread and pressed them into the bottom of a muffin tin. I then topped that layer with pieces of frozen raspberries.

Side Note: When I made this on Christmas Day, I used fresh raspberries, which I nestled in between the cubes of bread. After making this recipe with frozen raspberries, I will never go back! I love that I was able to basically pound them into tiny pieces that I could just sprinkle over top. That way I had little bits of raspberry in every bite. But, if you don’t like raspberries, you can add blueberries, strawberries, chocolate, or just leave them plain! Fine by me!

On top of the raspberry layer I added more cubes of bread. Then I topped everything off with a generous amount of strussel topping. I know it looks messy, but it’s worth it!

The icing on in the cake is the cream cheese filling!

One of the things I thought was missing from the recipe I made on Christmas day was something creamy to off set the soggy bread and crunchy topping. The best approach I could come up with to stuff the stuffed French toast muffins was to just pipe the filling right in there after they had baked. 

Using a piping bag with a large round piping tip, I nestled the tip into one of the crevasses between the bread cubes then piped the filling while slowly lifting the piping bag up and out. 

If you don’t have a piping bag and tip, you can use a zip top bag and just use a paring knife to help create a seam for the tip of the bag to fit in. 

The best way, in my opinion to finish off these stuffed French toast muffins is with a drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Because, you know, these muffins need more sugar. 

But holy moly they were incredible! Honestly, this version was so much better than the recipe I made on Christmas Day. In large part due to that creamy cream cheese center. But also I loved that the raspberries were interspersed in every bite. 

Now, this exact same recipe can be made in a casserole form. If my mom wants to make this recipe again next year, that’s probably what I will do. Instead of piping the cream cheese filling into each muffin, I would pipe it randomly into the casserole using the same method, or thin it down a bit to make a nice cream cheese icing. 

But I think the muffins are way more fun and they ensure the perfect bit of French toast every time! A little bit of that crunchy, caramelized edge with the soft and soggy center. Just like your classic French toast!

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:112]

PIN NOW, MAKE LATER

Cheddar Bacon Cornbread Muffins

Cheddar Bacon Cornbread Muffins

Did anyone notice anything different about the cornbread in Wednesday’s Turkey Chili post? If you looked closely, you might have been able to see that they were actually studded with bacon! And not just bacon, but bacon and cheddar cheese! Don’t you like how I make my chili healthier by swapping in turkey, then make my cornbread more unhealthy by adding bacon! Oh well!

Sometimes it’s truly about balance. You have to give up some fat in the chili to add some fat to the cornbread. And let me tell you, it was worth it. I couldn’t stop at just one cornbread muffin, they were so addicting!

I followed a basic cornbread muffin batter recipe for the base, but added in a little bit more sugar to balance out the saltiness from the bacon and cheese. Once the batter was whipped up, I folded in the bacon and shredded cheddar. It was so easy I wondered why I hadn’t been adding more fixin’s to my cornbread ages ago! I mean, corn bread is just fine on it’s own, but it can also be a great canvas to add some other wonderful flavors!

Next time I may try:

  • Jalapeno
  • Roasted corn kernels
  • Chorizo
  • Orange zest and cranberries
  • Rosemary and garlic

Cheddar Bacon Cornbread Muffins

I am sure there are unlimited options out there, but the bacon and cheddar may be my favorite. Sure, I am probably biased. But it’s good y’all (Man, the Southerner is really coming out in mean writing about cheddar bacon cornbread)! The cornbread is sweet and soft, the bacon is salty with a bit of a crunch, and the cheese just adds an extra layer of saltiness and cheesy goodness. 

Plus, if you are eating these with chili, there is a good chance you may be adding these toppings to your bowl anyways, why not have them all in one spot?!

PIN NOW, MAKE LATER

Cheddar Bacon Cornbread Muffins

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:92]

Crumbly Coffee Cake Muffins

Crumbly Coffee Cake Muffin Recipe

I have been completely under estimating coffee cake these past few years. If I am in the mood for a sweet and decadent breakfast I would much rather have a donut, croissant, or muffin. And what is so exciting about a fluffy cake topped with a generous helping of sweet and crunchy streusel? Um, how about everything!? Okay, it may not be exciting, but boy is it delicious! Sometimes I forget that simplicity can still be delicious. 

Struesel Topping

To me, the best part of any coffee cake is the super crumbly, crunchy, sweet, and salty topping. There isn’t really a trick to streusel topping, you can just about as much sugar, cinnamon, and salt you want to suite your taste. Except I would recommend that you don’t forget the flour, like I did in my first batch of muffins. The flour holds together the little crumbles of streusel so they stay in tact on top of the muffin. Without the flour, my first batch just melted down into the muffin. Don’t get me wrong, it was still delicious, but not really coffee cake material. On the second round I remembered the flour and the streusel turned out perfectly! 

Coffee Cake Muffins

I know I have talked a lot about the the topping, but it is the contrast with the light and spongy cake beneath that makes it such a classic. I like to lightly season my cake with a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg to compliment the top. 

Crumbly Coffee Cake Muffins

You could definitely make this in a square pan as a cake and it would be just as good. But I like the muffin size because it is so much easier to transport  (since I bring most of my baked goods to work) and I think the topping to cake ratio is a bit better since it doesn’t all fall off when you cut into it. 

Coffee Cake Muffins

Buttery, sweet, and delicious. Perfect to accompany your morning cup of coffee.

 

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:36]

 

Lemon Squash Muffins

 

These muffins were inspired by a recipe I saw in a recent Women’s Health magazine for lemon zucchini bars. I had obviously heard of zucchini used in baked goods before – in breads, muffins, even brownies. But it was always green zucchini, and it was always paired with chocolate.

A light bulb went off in my head and I immediately felt the need to translate the lemon bar recipe into a muffin recipe.

The grated squash not only replaces the need for some of the flour and sugar, but it keeps the muffins very moist. It does not add much flavor or texture, which is great if you are weirded out by having a vegetable in your muffin.

Other than the squash, the recipe I used was fairly close to my standard muffin recipe. I used egg whites instead of a whole egg to cut down on the fat. Because of the added moisture from the squash, the extra fat isn’t needed. I also cut back on some of the sugar even though I was using a pretty tart fruit like lemon. If you prefer your lemon baked goods on the tarter or sweeter side, you can adjust your recipe accordingly.

As usual, feel free to use whole wheat flour, almond milk, or sugar substitute in your recipe. Just bare in mind, it may change the flavor or consistency of your muffins slightly.

What other ways would you use a vegetable in a baked good?

Linking up with Weekend Shenanigans, This Weekend I, The GFC Collective, Less Laundry More Linking, Share It Link Party, Taste of Tuesday, Google Friend Conect, The Pin It Party, Pinterest Power Party, Style Sessions, Trend Spin Linkup, I Feel Pretty, What I Wore Wednesday, Random Wednesday, Wildcard Wednesday, Three-fer Thursday, Tucker Up, GYB Networking Party H54F, That Friday Blog Hop, #backthatazzup 

Theme by 17th Avenue · Powered by WordPress & Genesis