Pumpkin Muffins

It's that time of year again where everything seems to be made with pumpkins. Last year, I went a little overboard on my pumpkin use. I was whipping up pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin scones, pumpkin bread, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin granola, etc. But this year, I'm keeping it cool and sticking to some basics. I've already made some muffins and a pumpkin based chili. But now I plan to hold off on pumpkin because I want to make sure I enjoy my favorite holiday dessert (pumpkin pie) without being sick of the main ingredient!

These muffins are delicious and pack just enough pumpkin to give you a delightful taste of autumn. They are quick, easy to make, and the perfect grab-and-go breakfast. Enjoy!

Note: I always link back to the source where I found the original recipe. But sadly, I cannot find the source for these! I found the recipe scribbled on my recipe pad and could not locate a bookmark. I feel terrible so if the person who posted this recipe should ever happen to stumble on my blog, I apologize in advance. Please send a comment so I can attribute the recipe to you!
Pumpkin Muffins
Yield: 12 muffins
Ingredients

• 1 cup AP flour
• 1 cup WW flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 3 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 - 3/4 c pecans (or nuts or seeds of your choice)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare muffin tin.
2. Combine the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour through salt) in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet (pumpkin puree through vanilla extract) ingredients.
4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
5. Fold in the pecans.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Lemon Ricotta Muffins

The other day, I found myself lying around in my yoga clothes, drinking my 8th cup of coffee for the day, nibbling on freshly baked potato bread, and watching Sleepless in Seattle for what might be the 12th time since moving to Seattle. (Fun fact: We live right near Alki Beach, where Meg Ryan's character watches Tom Hanks and his son get off of their boat after they sail from their houseboat.) This was unusual for me. I don't sit down unless I'm by the computer. I don't like sitting. Sitting sucks. (It's for that reason that I don't normally watch tv and am a terrible date at the movie theater -- I'm convinced that I have restless leg syndrome -- but that's a diversion.) But I had no energy. No motivation. No pep. Nothing. It was like all of the energy had been sucked out of my body.

Then, I glanced outside. Yep, clouds. There they were. Everywhere. Gloomy. Overcast. Slight chill. Grumpy. Nastiness. Even the crows weren't making noises. They, too, were suffering. No sign of sunshine.

We've been blessed in Seattle since we moved here. Sunshine, nearly every single day. Heck, three days ago, it was still 80 degrees and sunny! But then it turned, drastically. I'm guessing this is what the locals mean when they say that "summer is great!!" And I guess I now understand why people just pull off on the side of the road and park their cars near the water on sunny days. When there's sun, you need to be in it. Because it doesn't come around much. So, I've been reading the headlines and hearing the locals talk about how "we're in for it" for the next 8-9 months. And when this bout of gloom rolled around, I think it sunk in and hit me like a ton of bricks. Copious amount of sunshine is a thing of my Seattle past. And truth is, I'm not good with clouds. Nor rain. Nor gloom. And I haven't been good with Seattle since arriving here. So I fear that our relationship will never come to be.

I stood up and walked in the kitchen, about to cut yet another slice of bread and stuff my face with it, and realized that I'm not gonna make it through this year if I keep it up at this rate. One day. It took one day of gloom for me to crash. Can we say S.A.D. much? Ron came home that night and asked me to bake an entire 4-layer chocolate cake; he had a rough day also. I told him "it's the clouds" and he looked at me in fear. It was almost like he understood that we need to buckle down and make the most out of these next months because we'll struggle if we don't. I pulled out 4 different cookbooks, bundt pans, cake pans, butter, eggs, chocolate, sugar!! I preheated the oven. But I fought every bone in my body. A giant cake will NOT solve this problem, Ashley! 

I didn't end up making a giant 4-layer chocolate cake to combat our energy-less Tuesday that felt like a Monday. Instead, I turned to these light and fresh tasting Lemon Ricotta muffins, to embrace the citrus smells of summer. And they were flippin' amazing. Just after pulling them from the oven, a ray of sunshine peaked through the clouds for one split second, I darted outside to soak it in and was instantly revitalized. And then I went and pounded out 9 miles on the pavement. Hey, I can't help it if my S.A.D. and my O.C.D. go hand in hand!

Lemon Ricotta Muffins
from Food Network, Giada De Laurentiis
Yield: 12 muffins
Ingredients

• 2 cups AP flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar, or more as needed for sprinkling
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced almonds, optional

Instructions

1. Line 12 muffins cups with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup sugar, butter, and lemon zest in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta. Beat in the egg, lemon juice, and almond extract. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended (batter will be thick and fluffy).
3. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the almonds, if using, and then the remaining 1 tsp of sugar over the muffins. Bake until the muffins just become pale golden on top, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

When I was younger, I swam competitively for the district swim team and then later for the high school team. I attribute swimming to my direct path towards type-a mania in my later years. Swimming required a lot of commitment and dedication. My daily life became a structured routine full of prioritizing: 4:00 a.m. wake up. 5:00 morning practice. 7:00 shower. 7:20 homeroom. 7:20 - 3:10 school. 3:30 practice. 6:00 lifting or running. 7:30 dinner. 8:00 - 10:00 homework. 10:00 bed. 4:00 a.m. wake up, etc. Each day. Everything was on a regime.

Thanks to swimming, I became a creature of habit. And thanks to law school, it's even more evident that I am a creature of routine in my every day functioning. Ron takes issue with it because I tend to get cranky when my routine is messed up. But this is where his laxidazical style and my high-strungtivity clash. I'm adventurous - to an extent - but I stick to the same thing pretty much every day. My study habits. My eating habits. My exercise habits. If I don't get out for my workout by a certain time, it's pretty much a crapshoot after that. My family members and close friends have pointed out than my eating schedule is so strict and rigid that if the time is overshot, my mood plummets and it is a noticeable 180 from happy to royally pissed off in a few short seconds. Ouch. This isn't a good thing but I really can't help it. I was young when I picked up on these patterns of such inflexibility and it's terribly difficult to break a longstanding habit. With swimming, I became obsessed with the same morning rituals and before the meet strategies for success. Perhaps there should have been an intervention at this time, but alas, hindsight is 20/20. O.C.D. is cute when you are 9 years old.

Mini Muffins. Mini muffins were my number one routine. You know those highly processed, fat fueled tiny little bags of muffins you get at the local gas station? Yep, that was my ritual. Morning breakfast was picked up at the Sheetz gas station nearly every Saturday and Sunday morning while en route to the swim meet. They had to be from the individual serving bag; I swore the family pack muffins tasted different. And there were 5 muffins in the white little plastic bag. I even had this cheeky conversation with my mom about the muffins. "Mom, do you want a muffin?" Mom didn't dare answer yes because she knew I needed all five. "No, but thank you." Then I'd eat them all. And mom would say "Ah man, I really wanted that last muffin" leading me to feel terrible about my decision to not give my last muffin to my mom. (Hmm, my "I want to please everyone" approach developed around this time as well.)

And the mini-muffins were always, always, ALWAYS chocolate chip mini-muffins. If I walked into Sheetz and saw only blueberry or banana-nut, my heart would sink. My stomach would drop. My throat would swell up. What the heck was I going to do with those flavors? But I'd suck it up and eat them. Something about them being the same brand or some mind-twisting b.s. like that. And then if I swam poorly, well damn those friggin' blueberry muffins and Sheetz was to blame for not appropriately stocking their shelves!!!!

Obviously, life is not structured to this extent anymore. My O.C.D. habits have dwindled enough to allow me to buy another product if my staple is not in stock. And thankfully my feelings about the food I put into my body have matured as well. (I don't buy meals from the same place I buy my gasoline.) And even more exciting is the fact that I can actually bake my own chocolate chip muffins! The entire time I was making these delicious treats, I had delightful (mostly delightful) memories of my chlorinated past. And if mom was in the house at the time, I certainly would of asked her if she wanted the last muffin.
Chocolate Chip Muffins
from Two Peas and Their Pod
Yield: 12 muffins
Ingredients

• 2 cups AP flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs, lightly beatened
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Set pan aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt.
3. In medium bowl, stir together melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until well blended. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the liquid mixture into the well and gently stir until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove muffins from the oven and allow to cool before serving.

Allspice Muffins

I've become rather forgetful as of late.  It gets frustrating at times: relying on email reminder messages or daily to-do lists.  I am hoping that once I graduate, this nonsensical habit will stop, but I'm afraid that it will not.  I, and countless others, are too reliant on "reminders" but I have always been strong in the birthday capacity.  I think this is because birthdays are so special to me.  Every one deserves a day where all attention is dedicated to them and pampering is a necessity.

So, imagine my embarrassment when I forgot not one, not two, but THREE birthdays in one week.  This was an unfortunate, depressing feeling.  Forgotten birthday number one was semi-cured with flowers.  Forgotten birthday number two was semi-cured with these muffins.  I was torn between a few different recipes I had been meaning to try, but in the end settled on Dorie Greenspan's Allspice muffins from her cookbook, Baking: From my Home to Yours.  Dorie has never failed me in the past and I was looking for a quick and easy muffin to mix up before heading to school.  One thing that I love about Dorie is that she is not afraid of butter.  This recipe was no different.

I settled on muffins because I was bringing them on a day when I needed to get to school early, so the baking had to take place before I left for the day.  This meant that these muffins were baked at 5:30 a.m. They were fresh.  (All baked goods taste better on the day they are made.)  Even better, I mixed up the streusel the night before so the actual preparation took only 20 minutes.  I didn't have one, but I believe they were received well.  Perhaps the best thing about these muffins was the fact that the house still smelled of baked goodness when I arrived 5 hours later.

Allspice Muffins
Dorie Greenspan:  Baking - from My Home to Yours
Yield:  12 muffins
Ingredients

• Streusel
• 1/2 cup AP flour
• 1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 5 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
• Muffins
• 2 cups AP flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 1 stick (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Prepare muffin tin with either butter, spray, or paper cups.  Place the muffin tin on a baking sheet.
2. To make the streusel:  Put the flour, brown sugar and allspice in a small bowl and blend.  Add the bits of cold butter, toss to coat, and work the butter into the dry ingredients until you have irregularly shaped crumbs.  Cover and put in refrigerator.
3. To make the muffins:  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, allspice and salt.  Stir in the brown sugar, making sure there are no lumps.  
4. In another bowl, whisk the melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla together until well combined.
5. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and whisk gently, but quickly, to blend.  (Batter will be lumpy.)
6. Stir in the lemon zest, if using.
7. Divide batter evenly among muffins cups.  Sprinkle some streusel over each muffin and press into the batter.  (There will be plenty leftover!)
8. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a tester comes out clean.
9. Transfer to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.

And as for forgotten birthday number three?  She's still mad... no matter how many kitty treats I have given to apologize.

Buttermilk Oatmeal Muffins

I normally have regular rolled oats in our pantry.  My granola is normally baked with the old-fashioned kind and I don't eat oatmeal enough to have quick cooking oats on hand.  But, I saw a muffin recipe that called for quick cooking oats a few weeks back.  The recipe must have appealed to me because I ran to the co-op to buy 1 cup of bulk quick cooking oats to mix up the recipe.  Naturally, I lost the recipe I was so excited to make (by lost, I mean, it got buried in the 700+ recipes I had bookmarked since that day) and ended up frowning at the oats every single time I opened the pantry door.  The lone bag even came with us on the move.  I was determined to use them.

The fact that I sheltered these oats for nearly a month (I'm lying, it was much longer) bothered me.  I need to start USING the stuff I am running to the store to get.  So, with some leftover buttermilk, I decided to mix up a new, different muffin mix.  I have no idea where I got the recipe and I have absolutely no idea how I came up with the concept, but they were absolutely delicious!!  I did not use butter or oil.  Surprisingly, they weren't so terribly dense (they still were more dense than most muffins, but I've gotten used to that; the baby food can be replaced with equal parts oil to solve this problem) that Ron balked at them.  And, I decided to experiment with baby food instead of applesauce.  I wanted to get a richer flavor and I chose to buy a sweet potato cinnamon kind.  It made the muffins taste, and smell, delicious!  By the way, baby food is disgusting.  Poor babies.  It was extremely bland and gooey.  Then I added sugar.  Much better.  But, poor babies.

I also have a confession.  I didn't put the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  ***GASP*** I, the person who follows every recipe to a tee, mixed everything IN ONE BOWL.  And guess what?  Nothing happened!!  The oven didn't spit out the pan.  The muffins didn't burn with disgust.  In fact, they tasted just fine.  And even though I probably only saved about 30 seconds of hand-dishwashing time by doing this, I'll probably do it again.

I made some freezer jam while making these with some berries I had picked.  I ended up eating one of these muffins with some of the jam and YUM!  Not such a bad snack :-)

Buttermilk Oatmeal Muffins
Yield:  12 muffins
Ingredients

• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup baby food (I used Earth's Best Cinnamon Sweet Potato)
• Can use whatever flavor you want, or can be substituted with 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 cup AP flour
• 1/2 cup WW flour
• 1/4 cup regular old-fashioned oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp french vanilla extract (or regular vanilla)
• hearty handful sliced almonds, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, soak the oats in buttermilk for 15 minutes.
3. Stir in egg, brown sugar and baby food.
4. Stir in flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon - just until moistened.
5. Add vanilla.
6. Fold in almonds.
7. Fill muffin pan (lined with liners and sprayed with cooking spray) until 3/4 full.
8. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18-18 minutes or until muffins test done.
9. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

I made these up for Ron the other day because he seemed kind of bummed that I hadn't made any baked goods (for him) in some time.  He was pretty damn happy when he saw them.  I was pretty damn happy making them.  The smell of cinnamon baking in the oven is up there with my top 10 favorite smells that emanate from the kitchen.  I mixed up a half batch to avoid watching him eat all 12 in one sitting.  Instead, I watched him eat 3 at a time over 2 days.  He even alternated his approach at eating them:  stick on in the microwave to warm up, while waiting, devour one at room temperature, then eat the microwave one, then decide what to do with the third.  

From the small taste that I had, these muffins were pretty dynamite.  The preparation method is pretty unique for a baked good (you place them in a cool oven after a brief rise period), but it is surely a lot less labor intensive than it is to make cinnamon rolls.  (To date, I have attempted 3 times to make cinnamon rolls.  Each one has failed disastrously.)

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

adapted from A Dash of Sass

Yield:  12 muffins

Ingredients

• Dough
• 1.5 c AP flour
• 1/3 c sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 tsp active dry or rapid rise yeast
• 2/3 c warm milk (about 100-110F(
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• Filling/Topping
• 2 tbsp butter, room temperature
• 2/3 c brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch ground cardamom
• Icing
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 Tbsp milk or cream

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt.
2. Dissolve the yeast in a measuring cup filled with the warmed milk.
3. Stir milk mixture, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and egg into flour mixture.  Mix well, until very smooth.
4. Divide batter between 12 greased muffin cups and let rest for 15 minutes.
5. While the dough rests, mix together butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and cardamom in small bowl using a fork until all of the butter has been incorporated into the sugar and mixture is crumbly.
6. Sprinkle filling evenly on top of rested dough and press the mixture down into the dough with your fingertips (or swirl in with a spatula).
7. Place pan into a cold oven, then set oven temperature to 350F.
8. Bake for about 20 minutes, until bread is lightly browned at the edges and the center of the bread springs back when lightly pressed.  Some of the sugar mixture on top may still be bubbling.
9. Cool for at least 30 minutes before whisking the powdered sugar and milk together to form an icing and drizzling it onto the bread.
10. Serve warm!!  Reheat in microwave as necessary.

Strawberry Muffins

Earlier this week, I realized that I was craving fruity muffins.  I turned to my recipe que and noticed that I had bookmarked a recipe from a Clean Eating site for Kiwi muffins.  Kiwi?  I was interested.  But, I'm still going forward with my spending diet and was determined not to run to the store for more fruit.  I'm stocked right now with apples, bananas and berries.  So, I decided to make the muffins with strawberries.  And, I'm so glad that I did!


I tweaked this recipe a bit.  It is no longer "clean" but I used what I had on hand.  Original clean recipe can be found by clicking on the blog title.  I made a small batch so the measurements reflect 1/2 dozen.  Two days later and they are all gone!  I guess I should have made a full dozen.  Adjust as needed :)

Strawberry Muffins
adapted from The Gracious Pastry
Yield:  6 muffins
Ingredients

• 3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 c wheat bran
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 c agave
• 1/8 c (or 2 tbsp) canola oil
• 1/8 c 2% milk (or soy milk)
• 1/2 c chopped fruit of choice (I used strawberries)

Directions

1. Prepare your muffin tin by spraying the top surface with a light coat of olive oil and placing muffins paper in the tins.
1. I use a silicone muffin pan.  It's much easier to just pop them out!
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients (flour through wheat bran).
4. In a separate bowl, combine all wet ingredients except for the fruit.
5. Mix both bowls separately and then combine.  (Batter will be thick.)
6. Fold in your fruit and scoop into muffin tins.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.  Muffins will be done when toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Blueberry Oat Muffins

I haven't posted in a while.  :(  I've been sick and virtually unable to do anything.  I'm not quite sure what's wrong with me.  Perhaps it's everything tumbling in on me at once, or the fact that I've increased my exercise far beyond anything I've ever done before, but I'm kind of a wreck.  I keep falling over.  I'm tired.  I'm cranky.  I'm dizzy.  I'm gaining/losing weight.  I'm congested.  I have what appears to be a perpetual headache.  I spent a large part of my weekend at the doctor's office.  And, for the first time in my life, I opted not to do several workouts because I felt my body needed a break.  OK.  Enough complaining.  Sorry!


Despite the above, I have been able to make some yummy food.  Though, I've opted for quick and easy recipes to limit the amount of time I'm moving around.  Some of them turned out good and others not so good.  You can tell when I put all of my efforts into something vs. not so much.  When you're sick, you want comfort food.  For me, comfort mood = muffins.  On my never-ending search for healthy muffins, I stumbled upon these.  I'm delighted to say that the muffins were very, very good.  When you use applesauce and WW flour in place of other typical muffin ingredients (such as AP flour and oil), the muffins might turn out too dry or too dense.  These combined both types of ingredients and kept the muffins moist and tasty.


I cut the recipe in half to yield 6 muffins.  They were delicious when paired with my morning cup of coffee!

Blueberry Buttermilk Oat Muffins
adapted from Steph Chows
Yield:  12-15 muffins
Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 cups oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen - double if preferred)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. In a large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. 
3. In a medium bowl combine applesauce, buttermilk, sugar, oil and egg. 
4. Make a well in dry ingredients and add applesauce mixture.  Stir until just moist.
5. Fold in blueberries. 
6. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full.
7.  Bake for 16-18 minutes.

Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Mango & Currant Muffins

One potato, two potato, three potato, four.  Five potato, six potato, seven potato, more!  Today, I realized that I was singing this while making these muffins.  Yet, I had no idea how I knew this rhyme.  When did I learn this rhyme and why has it stuck with me this long?  A quick google search told me that I must have learned it in preschool when I was learning to count.  Even though this is a simple rhyme, it has occurred to be that I seem to know a lot of lyrics to a lot of older songs that I haven't heard in a while.  Apparently, I remember things better when they are in song form.  Perhaps I should start turning the law into a song.  I wonder if I would see a jump in my gpa :)


Anyway, I bookmarked this recipe a few weeks ago when I was on a sweet potato binge.  Perhaps my favorite thing about sweet potatoes is the way they smell when they are baking in the oven.  It is definitely among my top ten favorite smells.  These muffins are very good.  They are very flavorful and I really enjoy the addition of mango.  These are good right out of the oven but I found that the spices came out more the next day.  The majority of the muffins are now in the freezer and I'm looking forward to nuking them in the microwave for a quick breakfast.


Although they are good muffins, I don't think I will be making them again anytime soon or on a weekly muffin rotation (I eat a lot of muffins)!  My parents got me Dorie's cookbook (aka the Baking Bible) for my birthday and there are TONS of recipes in there that I want to make!

WW Sweet Potato Mango & Currant Muffins
adapted from La Spicy Vita
Yield:  12-14 large muffins (I forced the batter to fit in the tin so I had 12)
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups pureed sweet potato (about 2 medium)
• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour 
• Original called for WW pastry flour
• 3/4 cup unbleached AP flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup diced mango
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger (many recipes suggested 1/4 tsp ground ginger)
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup chopped currants (or dates)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork and place on a baking sheet lined with foil. 
3. Roast for about one hour or until caramelizing and tender. 
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before peeling and mashing with a fork. 
5. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. 
6. In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potato, eggs, agave, applesauce, ginger and vanilla extract. 
7. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom. 
8. Next fold together the wet and dry ingredients until just mixed, and then add in the mango and dates. 
9. Pour into greased muffin pans. 
10. Bake for 20-30 minutes until lightly browned.  (Mine took closer to 30 because they were large)

Carrot Cake Breakfast Muffins

Ah, muffins.  One of my favorite things in this world.  Muffins can either be stuffed full of really good and healthy ingredients.  Or, muffins can be loaded up with butter and oil.

I've been used to the taste of "diet" foods for several years now.  It started with the earlier years of my OCD issues.  Oddly enough, the substitutions I got used to are now staples in my life.  I don't really eat stuff with oil and full fat anymore because I simply don't like the taste.  This is a good thing.

For the past several years, I've been making up my own batches of muffins for a quick on-the-go breakfast.  Ron normally stays away from them because I make stuff with lots of fruit.  I always substitute egg whites (or egg beaters) for eggs.  I often combine Splenda granulated sugar with regular sugar (when the recipe calls for a ridiculous amount of sugar).  I always try to incorporate some WW flour/flax seeds/wheat bran/wheat germ/oats into the recipe.  And, I always completely substitute or use 50% unsweetened/sweetened applesauce for the oil.

Despite all of these changes, I have made some incredible tasting "baked goods" that are significantly low in calories and fat, high in fiber and delicious!  Disclaimer:  This stuff tastes good to me.  It may not taste good for you, especially if you think that diet foods taste like a sponge :)

I found a recipe for some carrot cake breakfast muffins the other day and decided to see what I could do with the recipe.  I am obsessed with carrot cake.  It is such a delicious treat!  Why not have it for breakfast in muffin form?

These muffins are absolutely incredible.  Even better, they are about 300 calories and ginormous!  I normally eat a big bagel or some other type of carb-pumped breakfast food before my long training runs/bikes to keep me fueled for 3+ hours.  These will definitely be included in the rotating menu.  They are seriously awesome!!  Don't fear the giant chunks in my photos.  Obviously, you can shred your carrots or chop your apples even smaller.  But, the above is what you get if you come from my kitchen :)

I used chopped nuts in the recipe but I'm sure you can lower the calories by substituting wheat bran or wheat germ.  Yum!!

I've included my substitutions in the recipe that follow below.  However, you can check out the original recipe by clicking this link.  The original recipe nutritional stats (per muffin from a 12 muffin tin) were: 224 Calories, 11g fat, 37mg cholesterol, 225mg sodium, 29g carb, 3g fiber, 4g protein.

My substitutions would make the muffins:  145 calories, 3.5g fat.  However, I chose to make super large muffins.

*I've made this recipe with some changes recently.  I've noted them below in red.

Carrot Cake Breakfast Muffins 
adapted from Recipe Rhapsody
Yield:  12 regular size muffins or 6 large size muffins
My Nutrition Stats (for 6 large muffins):  w/ Glaze:  ~290 calories, ~7g fat (nearly all grams are from cream cheese + icing), w/o Glaze:  ~270 calories, ~6g fat (nearly all grams are from nuts)
w/ changes:  ~ 300 calories, ~6g fat
Sorry I don't have other information.  I'm too lazy :)
Ingredients 
Muffins

• 1/2 c egg beaters (or 2 eggs)
• 1/3 c applesauce
• 1/4 c FF milk
• 1/4 c agave nectar (or honey)
• 1/4 c SF breakfast syrup
• The above can be substituted for another 1/4 c agave nectar (or honey) to equal 1/2 c. 
  
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 c whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• Or omit AP flour altogether and add another 1/2 c whole wheat flour to total 1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c wheat bran
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• Or 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 c store-bought shredded carrots
• 1 large or 2 small sweet apples, peeled, cored, and finely chopped (I used Fuji, had about 3/4 cup of chopped apple) 
• 1 small box (1.5 oz) of raisins
• 1/4 c + 2 tbsp chopped pecans (Measure out as whole nuts, then finely chop)
• Or combination of pecans and walnuts

Glaze

• 1 oz Neuchâtel cheese (low-fat cream cheese)
• 1 1/2 tsp honey 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and put paper liners in your muffin pan or spray with baking spray.
2. Beat together the egg beaters, applesauce, milk, agave nectar, syrup, and vanilla. 
3. In a separate bowl mix together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. 
4. Lightly stir the wet ingredients into the dry, then fold in the carrot, apple, and nuts. 
5. Fill the muffin tray and bake for 18-20 minutes (if using 12 regular size muffin tin), 24-26 minutes (for a 6 large muffin tin) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
6. Cool on a wire rack.
7. To make the glaze, warm the Neuchâtel in the microwave, then stir in the honey. 
8. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cooled muffins with a fork, or put it into a Ziploc bag, cut the corner, and squeeze it over the muffins while sweeping the bag back and forth. 

Espresso Coffee Cake Muffins

I must be feeling bad.  I haven't been in the best frame of mind since returning from break/Pittsburgh/FL.  I appear to be unpleasant about being back in "school mode" (or lack thereof) and this must be translating over to "bad significant other'ing."  To clarify, I've been pretty testy lately and Ron is once again, pissed, that I chose to go to law school.

Hence, the weekend of Ron-approved foods.

These were very simple to make.  They smelled amazing while baking.  They certainly look very appetizing.  And, I tried one small bite and they are absolutely INCREDIBLE!!  However, I stopped at one bite :( and I chose to eat an apple instead.  Call me crazy (or a prude), but anything that leaves dabs of butter in the muffin tin and soaks through the muffin wrapper isn't appealing for a wholesome breakfast.  I love baking, but I've been getting better at making healthier muffins and I'm saving up for my Tuesday breakfast carrot cake concoction :)

Espresso Coffee Cake Muffins
adapted from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice
Yield:  I got 11 muffins.
Ingredients
For Muffins

• 1 and 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon instant Espresso(can be doubled for a stronger flavor)
• 1 tablespoon boiling water
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

For Topping

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 chopped almonds (I used pecans because that's what I had in the cabinet)
  
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons butter (I chopped up into mini pieces and put in microwave for 10 sec. ) 

For Glaze (See recipe below) 
Instructions  

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. 
3. In a small bowl dissolve the Espresso in the boiling water. 
4. Add to flour mixture with the butter, egg, milk, and vanilla.
1. Stir to combine, don't over mix. Batter will be thick.
5. Fill muffin tin/baking cups 3/4 of the way. 
6. Sprinkle with the topping, dividing equally among the muffins, press into batter gently.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. 
8. Drizzle with glaze (see recipe below).

For Glaze

• 1/2 teaspoon instant Espresso
• 1 teaspoon boiling water
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• vanilla extract, a drop
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2-3 teaspoons milk
  

1. Dissolve the Espresso into the boiling water in a small bowl. 
2. Add the brown sugar and use a fork to combine the two. 
3. Add a drop of vanilla. 
4. Add the confectioners sugar and 2 teaspoons of the milk. 
5. Whisk until well combined. 
1. If glaze is thick add another teaspoon of milk.  Whisk. 
6. Drizzle over the warm muffins.

Mini Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Every now and then, I get very strange cravings.  Today, my craving was for poppy seed muffins.  All of this stress & running is starting to really up my appetite.  I cut the recipe in half (otherwise I would be eating all of them because they are so easy to pop in your mouth in passing).

Tip:  If you are ever planning to make a recipe that calls for a minimal amount of one ingredient, check the bulk section at the grocery store (or natural food store / co-op).  Especially items like dried fruits, wheat germs, etc.  Things that you may not have good use for after the recipe.  I purchased just the right amount of poppyseeds for this recipe instead of buying a bunch.  Total cost = 47 cents!  Score!!

These tiny muffins are really good.  I enjoyed the lemon flavor.  I used egg-beaters because that's all I had, but I couldn't tell the difference.  I also had to make my own buttermilk (1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice, sit for 5 minutes) because I forgot to get some at the store.

Mini Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
adapted from The Parsley Thief

Yield:  About 3 dozen*

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 packed tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup poppy seeds 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees & grease two mini muffin tins.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt & baking soda into a mixing bowl & set aside. 
3. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk the buttermilk & lemon juice together. 
4. Using either a hand, or stand mixer, beat the butter, sugar & lemon zest together until blended. 
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each & occasionally scraping down the bowl.
6. Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, in 2 additions.
7. Mix until just blended. 
8. Stir in the poppy seeds.
9. Fill the muffin tins with heaping tablespoonfuls of the batter.  (They should be nearly full to the top.)
10. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. 
11. Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a metal rack to cool completely.

*I cut the recipe in half and the recipe yielded about 20 mini muffins.  Each one is around 65 calories or so.