Lemony Blueberry Muffins

My cousin found a recipe for AIP/Paleo Lemon Blueberry Muffins.
I have reintroduced a few foods so was able to modify these a bit to suit what I'm eating these days.

Here is my modified version ...

1/2 cup vanilla almond milk

2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

2 eggs

zest and juice (about 1/4 cup juice) of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract ... I use my homemade stuff
2/3 cup coconut flower

1/4 cup arrowroot flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

a pinch or two of salt
1 cup fresh blueberries (I have also used frozen)

Preheat oven to 180C (350F).  Line muffin tins with preferred liner.

Combine wet ingredients using a whisk.  Reserving blueberries til the end, combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Add dry ingredients a little at a time to the wet ingredients, whisk each time until the batter is no longer lumpy.

Gently fold in the blueberries.

Spoon batter equally into 12 muffin cups.

Bake 20 minutes, rotate, bake another 10 minutes or until a toothpick come out clean.

PS.  I sprinkled some cacao nibs on top of a few of these to see if they would be a yummy addition.  I didn't love them.  BUT ... next time I am going to stir the cacao nibs through a few of them and see if it's better that way ...

Corn Dog Muffins

Was looking for some recipes that would freeze well and would give some options for lunch boxes besides sandwiches.  Found this one and it is a hit!  And so fun!

Makes 42 to 63 muffins (I like lots to freeze, but you could easily cut the recipe in half...another fun option would be to use mini muffin tins for fun finger food for a party)

Ingredients:
4 (8.5 oz) boxes of cornbread mix
4 T brown sugar
4 eggs
3 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 packages of hot dogs cut into pieces (interestingly the cheaper the hot dog the better the muffins!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).  Lightly grease muffin tins

In a large bowl, stir together cornbread mix and brown sugar.  Add cheese and mix.  In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and milk.  Combine egg/milk mixture with dry ingredients and gently stir until moist.  Fold in cut up hot dogs.  Spoon mixture into muffin tins (~2/3 full).

Bake 14 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve or let them cool and package them up for the freezer.  I usually wrap them in foil in packages of two.

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

I posted this recipe in 2008 but thought it was time for a repost.  If you haven't tried these yet, it is time.   I found the recipe here and have basically followed her recipe but over the years have adapted it just a little bit.  I use greek yoghurt, a specific amount of oil, and I use canola ... oh,  and more topping ... but anyway, I'll give you my method below ...

Dry Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 cup greek yoghurt
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablspoons canola oil
1 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1/2 stick butter, melted (about 55g)
1/2 cup sugar
1teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 200c/400f.  Line muffin pan with paper or silicon cups.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.

In a different bowl, whisk wet ingredients.  I start with the eggs, whisk.  Add yoghurt, whisk.  Add sugar, whisk ... you getting the picture? 

When the wet ingredients are combined, add the dry ingredients.  Mix gently until just mixed.  Don't over mix; batters should not be smooth.  BUT ... DO make sure the baking powder is mixed in!  The first couple of times I made these I found little lumps of baking powder when I was eating my muffin.  It was quite unpleasant!

Divide batter among the muffin cups and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 12-15 minutes.

While the muffins are baking, melt butter in a small, shallow bowl. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a different small, shallow bowl. As soon as the muffing are done, dip them one at a time in the butter and then in the cinnamon sugar. Set on a rack to cool ... or just eat straight away like we do!

Makes 12 standard muffins.

Perfect Little Apple Cinnamon "not one bad for you thing in them" Paleo Muffins

 

These are so delicious.

I saw this recipe as I was surfing the web last night and I got straight up out of my chair and made them!  I am so glad I did.  I followed her recipe exactly except that I used my sugar free, crockpot apple butter instead of applesauce.  I think that gave it a heap of extra flavor, but I'm sure that using unsweetened applesauce would be fine too.  Just don't use the sugar laden stuff!

Oh, I also made these into mini muffins ... not big ones.

Here's how you make these little beauties.

3 eggs, beaten together
2 cups almond meal
1 cup sugar free, crockpot apple butter (or unsweetened applesauce)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (don't use imitation maple syrup!)
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F/180C

Mix all ingredients, adding eggs to mixture last.  Spoon into muffin wrappers. (a dozen big ones or a whole bunch of mini ones) 

Bake 15-20 minutes. 

That's it.

Yep. 

So simple.

So delicious.

So healthy.

Apple Streusel Muffins

In an effort to make a dent in the
12 kilos of apples that I ordered accidentally,
I made these muffins.
They used ONE APPLE.
Oops.

I'm glad I made them though,

they were tasty.

I combined portions of two recipes to make these.

Cinnamon Suger Donut Muffins

and
Apple Crumble Cheesecake

This made 18 muffins.

For the muffins:

2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

2 large eggs
1 cup plain yogurt, I use greek
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
6 tbsp oil, I use canola

1 tsp vanilla

1 or 2 granny smith apples, chopped

For the streusel topping:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup butter, softened
In small bowl combine all ingredients

Position oven rack in the middle position and preheat oven to 200C / 400F. Line a standard muffin pan with paper cups.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, yogurt, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Add flour mixture and mix with light strokes until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Don't over mix; batters should not be smooth.  Add apples.

Divide batter among the muffin cups, top with streusel topping and bake until top in golden and a toothpick inserted in one or two of the muffins come out clean, 12-15 minutes.

Savory Muffins: Mexican

 

The kids, finally, talked me into letting them take sandwiches to school for their lunches.  At the beginning of the school year, I relented ... instead of leftovers, they could make sandwiches.  I guess they grew tired of them real quick because now we are looking for other options!! (just not leftovers!) I have been thinking that savory muffins might be a good bet.  Jono is home sick today and has taste tested these and given his thumbs up.  We will see what Alia thinks when she gets home in a bit. 

I tried to make these a bit 'mexican' ... will play around with different flavors and ingredients in subsequent batches.  I think the options will be endless!

what i used.

'dry' ingredients

4 cups self raising flour

1 cup chopped ham

1 cup grated cheese (I used half mozzarella and half tasty (white cheddar))
1 spring onion, chopped

1 cup canned corn, drained

1 (4oz) can green chiles

1/2 cup sliced green olives

a hand full of fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped

salt

pepper

 'wet' ingredients

3/4 cup olive oil

2 cups milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

what to do.

Pre-heat oven to 180C/375F.  Line muffin tins with cupcake papers ... or grease.  Whichever is your preference.  I use the papers. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Then add the wet ingredients to the dry.  Gently stir until just combined.   Don't over mix or your muffins will be tough.  (but make sure you get all the flour down at the bottom ... no one likes a bite of unmixed flour in their muffin!)  Bake in oven until golden.  Mine took 25 minutes.  In hindsight, I'd probably leave them another 5 minutes next time ... they are cooked but only just! 

I'm going to freeze these in individual ziplocks so they are easy for the kids to grab when they pack their lunches!

Tracey's Jam Filled Donut Muffins

My friend Tracey gave me this recipe ... I used a different flavor of jam than she does and I sprinkled powdered (icing) sugar on top ... she does caster sugar.  Either would be superb.

Preheat oven 180C/375F

Mix:
140g caster sugar
200g flour
1 tsp baking soda

Mix: (separately)
100ml Greek yoghurt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
140g melted butter

Add wet ingredients to dry.  Mix lightly.

In a muffin tin, lined with muffin papers, 1/2 fill with mixture.  Add a teaspoon of jam.  Cover with more mixture.

Cook for 20 minutes, or until top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Dip into caster sugar or dust with powdered sugar when finished.

Makes 12 muffins.

Poppy Seed Muffins

I modified these today. I've decreased the amount of sugar necessary and I've substituted whole wheat for the majority of the white flour. Next time, I'll try even less sugar until I can use as little sugar as possible and still be happy with the muffins. On a side note, I forgot to put the eggs in today and these muffins were still fine. I'll put the eggs in next time and then decide if they are even necessary.

Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F.

1 and 1/2 cups canola oil
3 cups whole wheat flour, sifted
1 cup white flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
2 cups milk
2.5 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp almond extract

Mix all ingredients 'til lumps of flour are gone. Pour into muffin tins. Bake 20 - 25 minutes. I always bake about 10 minutes, then check them every 5 minutes after that til they are done. (when a toothpick inserted into the middle of them comes out clean !)

These are so amazing ! Love them !!! Perfect for breakfast ! Perfect to go in lunchboxes ! Perfect for an afternoon snack after school ! Perfect for dessert after dinner ! The options are endless !!

Makes 24 muffins.

Basil Zucchini Mini Muffins

 

I saw these over on Join in the Feast.  Have you been to that website ?  No ?  You should go check it out !  The author is a friend of mine ... a friend I haven't met yet.  I knew her husband way back when we were in highschool and "met" her  on line ... on facebook, I think.  I can't remember, it's been a few years now.

Anyway ... go check it out.  Join in the Feast is on facebook too ... you should LIKE it !

These muffins are so cute and tiny and so very very delicious.  They were a huge hit with the kids ! Here's the recipe ... I'm sharing with Laura's permission.

3/4 c flour
1/2 c wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fresh-ground pepper
2 Tbsp softened butter
1 Tbsp sugar
1 egg
1/4 c buttermilk
1 & 1/2 c shredded zucchini
1/2 c finely sliced basil leaves

In a small bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and pepper.

In a bowl cream together the butter or shortening and the sugar, then beat in the egg and the buttermilk until the mixture is well blended.


Stir in the zucchini and the basil. Add the flour mixture to the zucchini mixture, stir the batter until it is just combined.

Divide batter among 24 well-buttered gem tins (each 1/8 cup).


Bake the muffins in the middle of a preheated 400°F (200°C)oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean, turn the muffins out onto a rack, and let them cool.

Chocolate Marble Banana Muffins

A friend of mine made these a few weeks ago...then my sister...so Saturday when I had a few bananas that needed to be used up I gave in and finally tried them. Delicious! I found the recipe here.

I only did a couple things differently, which are highlighted in orange.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup buttermilk (I poured 1 Tablespoon white vinegar into a 1 cup measuring cup then filled it up with Vitamin D Milk and let is set for 5 minutes. Ta Da! Buttermilk!)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 cup chocolate chips, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray 12 count muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, mash the bananas, then whisk in the buttermilk, sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla extract.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, and whisk until just blended.
5. Remove one cup of the batter, and add it to a medium bowl. Whisk in the cocoa powder, just until blended.
6. Mix chocolate chips into the regular, white/yellow batter.
7. Divide the regular, white/yellow batter between muffin cups.
8. Scoop 1 tablespoon of chocolate batter on top of the batter in each muffin cup.
9. Using a toothpick, swirl the chocolate batter into the banana batter.
10. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Blueberry and Zucchini Muffins

I usually make this as a loaf but decided to try it as muffins this morning. It was a huge success ! I doubled the recipe and made 24 muffins ... Here is the recipe ... already doubled !!

3 cups zucchini (grated, squeezed and drained)
1 cup brown sugar ( i didn't double the sugar ... )
1/2 cup oil
1 cup greek yogurt
3 tsp vanilla extract (oops I forgot the vanilla today !)
2 eggs
2 & 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup good white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cup blueberries
1 cup pecans (chopped)

Mix the zucchini, sugar, oil, yogurt and egg in a bowl. Sift the flour. I don't know why because I know very little about baking, but I've found sifting the flour to be a good idea when I use straight whole wheat. It seems to lighten it somehow. Mix the sifted flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Fold gently. Add the blueberries and pecans. Pour the batter into lined muffin tins. Bake in a preheated 350F / 180C oven until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean - these only took 20 minutes this morning, so start with that and see how your oven does ...

Healthy Muffins {Take Two}

So ... I tried THE MUFFINS again and these were a huge success. I'm really pleased with how they turned out. We didn't need butter on them at all ... We'll keep making these and trying different fruit variations !! Again ... this made 24 muffins !! And they are perfect for lunches !!

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups whole wheat spelt flour
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
4 eggs
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup milk
3 granny smith apples
1 cup frozen mango squares
1.5 cup frozen blueberry/cherry mixture
1 frozen banana (I chopped it, Rory reckons mash it next time ...)

Put your muffin papers in your tins.
Peel and chop apple, add 1 or 2 tsp water and cook in microwave about 5 minutes. Smush 'em up.
Combine dry ingredients.
Combine wet ingredients, minus the fruit.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine.
Fold in fruit. ( I make 12 berry ones and 12 mango/banana )
Put in muffin tins.
Bake on 180C/350F for 20/30 minutes. Mine took about 30 ...

Healthy Blueberry Muffins

The inspiration for these muffins was from a great blog called The Gracious Pantry. I've just recently discovered this blog but I love it. Probably because I can eat most everything on it !! Her Clean Eating Kiwi Flax Muffin recipe looked so good and they were ok for us to eat on our whole unprocessed journey this year so the kids and I had a go at making them !! We did make a few changed and I'll post my adapted recipe here ... It will be a bit of a work in progress though. Next time I plan to stew some apples and add them ... these were a bit dry. And pretty heavy. We're still eating them and loving having a baked good but I think apples will be a great addition ... Any other suggestions would be welcome too ...

Here's what I did. I doubled her recipe and got 24 muffins out of it. This is the doubled recipe ...

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup flax seed meal (I might replace this with whole wheat spelt flour next time)
2 eggs
1/4 cup agave ( I actually decreased this ... next time, I'll use none ... just apples)
3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup milk (I used regular milk ... next time, I'll use almond !)
2 cups blueberries (I used frozen)

Put your muffin papers in your tins.
Combine dry ingredients.
Combine wet ingredients, minus the fruit.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine.
Fold in fruit.
Put in muffin tins.
Bake on 180C/350F for 20/30 minutes. Mine took about 30 ...

And there you have it. I'm going to make some more tomorrow. With the apple. I'll let you know how they turn out ...

Banana Muffins

1 cup softened but not melted butter
1.5 cups of sugar
7 ripe bananas ... you know, the black ones that have been in the freezer for months !
4 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven ... 200C ( 375F)

Mix butter and sugar ... til light and fluffy. Add bananas, egg. Mix some more. Sift the flour, salt and baking soda. Add. Mix. Dump the mixture into your muffin tins. Bake 20 minutes.

Easy and delicious !!

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

I got this recipe out of "Good Housekeeping ~ Baking" ... a cookbook I got from the library.

2 cups flour
1/2 cups plus one tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites
8 ounces plain yoghurt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 & 1/2 cups blueberries

Preheat oven. 400F/200C. Line your muffin pans.

In a bowl, mix flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl, with a whisk or a form, mix egg whites, yoghurt, veg oil, lemon peel and vanilla. Stir this mixture into the flour mixture, until flour is moistened. Batter will be lumpy.

Gently fold in blueberries.

Spoon batter into muffin pan. Sprinkle remaining 1 tbls sugar onto top of muffins.

Bake 20/25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.

Immediately remove muffins from pan. Serve warm. Or cool on wire rack to serve later.

Makes 1 dozen muffins.

Cherry Almond Muffins

I got this recipe HERE ...

• 150g caster sugar , plus a little more to sprinkle on top
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 125g butter , melted
• 175ml Greek yogurt
• 200g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100g ground almonds
• 250g cherries, pitted and halved (I used frozen)
  

1. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with muffin cases (not cupcake ones as these are too small). Mix the sugar, vanilla, egg, butter and yoghurt together. Sift the flour, baking powder and almonds into a bowl (use a wide mesh sieve), add the liquid ingredients and mix quickly (don't worry if the mix is lumpy), add the cherries and mix.
2. Divide between the muffin cases, sprinkle a little extra sugar onto each and bake for 20 minutes or until risen and golden.