Morning Mocha Rolls

Kate makes these for our anniversary every year and it's one of the best gifts ever! It makes all the work worth it. Easy for me to say, I know.  --Mark

Ingredients

DOUGH:

3 cups all-purpose flour, (375 g)

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Yeast, (about 1 1/2 packets)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup lukewarm milk

3 large eggs, (beaten in a bowl)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, (cubed and at room temperature)

FILLING:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, (at room temperature)

1 tablespoon baking cocoa powder

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Pinch kosher salt

3 ounces dark chocolate, (chopped and melted)

1 tablespoon espresso or very strongly brewed coffee

GLAZE:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, (at room temperature)

4 ounces cream cheese, (at room temperature)

2 cups powdered sugar, (sifted)

Pinch kosher salt

2 tablespoons strongly brewed coffee or espresso

Directions

TO MAKE THE DOUGH: 

1. To the bowl of a stand-up mixer (alternatively, you can do this in a large bowl by hand), mix together the flour, sugar, Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Yeast and salt.

2. Pour in the warm milk and beaten eggs. Mix together until mostly combined and then add in the cubed butter, one cube at a time until it comes together. Knead for about 5 minutes by hand or in the machine. The dough will be slightly sticky—that’s ok! Grease a bowl with oil or cooking spray and transfer the dough to the bowl, spraying or coating the top.

3. Cover with a lid or clean kitchen towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes. It should be soft and supple; it’ll have risen about 1/4 of the size.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:

1. To the bowl of a stand-up mixer (with the paddle attachment) or using a medium bowl and a fork, add the butter, cocoa powder, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar and pinch of kosher salt

2. Mix until the filling is completely smooth. Pour in the cooled dark chocolate and mix it all together. Lastly, add the espresso or strongly brewed coffee and mix together until smooth.

TO ASSEMBLE THE ROLLS:

1. Remove the dough from the bowl. Lightly flour your work surface and place the dough into the center. Lightly flour your rolling pin and roll the dough into a 1/8-inch thick rectangle that measures 15“x22“ If it’s not a perfect rectangle, that’s totally ok.

2. Add the filling to the rectangle of dough, spreading it out into an even very thin layer, stopping from about 1/2-inch from the edges. Roll the dough farthest from you, going toward you.

3. Using a serrated knife OR a piece of unflavored floss, trim off the ends. And then cut the log of dough into 12 equal pieces. Mine measured about to be 1 1/2-inches long. Transfer to a greased 9×13-inch baking pan or baking sheet. You can also use multiple baking dishes. Whichever works best for you.

4. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise for an additional 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until puffy and lightly golden brown.

TO MAKE THE CREAM CHEESE ICING:

1. To the bowl of a stand-up mixer (or a large bowl) with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese until smooth. Next, add in the butter and beat again until smooth.

2. Add the sifted powdered sugar and salt and beat for about 1 minute, until light and fluffy. Pour in the espresso and mix again until smooth.

TO SERVE:

1. When the rolls come out of the oven, pour the half or ALL of the icing over the rolls and smother the with the icing.

Notes: https://www.acozykitchen.com/mocha-morning-rolls

Pumpkin Pancakes

Stacy got a hankering for pumpkin pancakes so I went looking for a recipe. This one did the trick. Rave reviews from everyone--Mark

Ingredients  

1 ½ cups milk 

1 cup pumpkin puree 

1 large egg 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 

2 tablespoons vinegar 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

3 tablespoons brown sugar 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon ground allspice 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

½ teaspoon ground ginger 

½ teaspoon salt 

cooking spray

Directions

Stir milk, pumpkin, egg, oil, and vinegar together in a large bowl until well combined.

Whisk flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, and salt together in a separate bowl. Add to pumpkin mixture; whisk just until combined.

Spray a griddle or frying pan with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat.

Pour 3 to 4 tablespoons batter for each pancake onto the hot griddle and flatten batter slightly with a spoon.

Cook until small bubbles appear, about 2 minutes.

Flip and cook until golden brown, about 2 more minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

Notes

Instead of separate spices I used 2 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice. I would recommend adding more for flavor. Also, I sprinkled the batter with walnuts while in the pan. Pecans could also make a nice addition.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/17036/pumpkin-pancakes/

Cold Brew Coffee

Stacy loves her cold brew in the morning, and for a while we'd just buy whatever the grocery store had. Then I discovered this easy recipe and now it's pretty much all we do.--Mark

Ingredients  

2/3 cups coffee grounds

1 quart of water

Directions

Put the coffee grounds in a quart sized container. Mason jars work well for this. Fill the jar to the top. Shake well. Let stand for 10 to 12 hours.

Filter coffee. Pour into larger bottle and add water.

Notes

We use the iced coffee bottles you can buy at the store to contain our coffee. These are just about perfect for diluted the filtered coffee.

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

 I was looking for a unique fall breakfast and stumbled upon this one. Wow! So good! It got rave reviews from everyone so this is a definite keeper. --Mark

Ingredients

For the streusel:

1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
1/4 cup (32 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (60 grams) finely chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons (43 grams) unsalted butter, melted

For the cake:
2 cups (254 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 cup (244 grams) pumpkin puree
1/2 cup (100 grams) vegetable oil
4 ounces (113 grams) sour cream, at room temperature
2 large eggs, beaten

For the glaze:
1/2 cup (63 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the bottom of an 8-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Make the streusel:

In a small bowl, combine all of the streusel ingredients with a fork until crumbly.

Make the cake:

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. In a small bowl, stir together the pumpkin puree, oil, sour cream, and eggs. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour in the wet ingredients. Gently stir until just combined.

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of the streusel. Spread the remaining batter over the streusel. Sprinkle with the remaining streusel.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Glass and ceramic pans will take longer to bake than metal. Cool for 15 minutes.

Make the topping:

In a small bowl combine the sugar and maple syrup until a thick, pourable icing forms. Drizzle over the warm cake. Cut into squares and serve. Store leftovers, covered, at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Notes

Instead of individual spices, I just substituted pumpkin pie spice and it turned out great.

To Die For Blueberry Muffins

There are a million ways to make blueberry muffins and I was looking for a new one to try. These did the trick. They were moist and oh so delicious. --Mark

Ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 

¾ cup white sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

⅓ cup vegetable oil

1 egg 

⅓ cup milk, or more as needed

1 cup fresh blueberries

½ cup white sugar

⅓ cup all-purpose flour 

¼ cup butter, cubed

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and add enough milk to reach the 1-cup mark. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Crepes

The recipe we found is called "Basic Crepes." These might be easy to make, but they are not basic. They are every bit as good as the ones we get in the creperie. Get the right toppings and you're in business! --Mark

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

½ cup milk

½ cup water

¼ tsp salt

2 T butter, melted

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.

Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.

Notes

Fill these with whatever sounds good. Olives, feta, and olive oil make a great savory option. Drizzled butter with brown sugar and cinnamon makes a really good sweet one. Look at a creperie's menu and have at it!

Pancakes with Jameson Whiskey Maple Bacon Syrup

While I was looking for good Irish recipes for St. Patrick's Day, I came across this one. I saw the picture and title and was intrigued. OK. I don't get many OMGs with food, and this was one, from all the family. --Mark

Ingredients

8 oz thinly-sliced bacon

1 1/2 cups maple syrup

1 shot (25 ml) of Jameson Irish Whiskey

1 1/2 cups flour

1 T sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

3 T unsalted butter, plus more for cooking

Instructions

Dice the bacon and cook until crispy. Mix with the maple syrup and whiskey in a sauce pan and cook together on low heat. Once it comes to a simmer, remove from heat and cover it with foil.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl using a whisk and form a well in the center. Melt 3 T butter. Crack the eggs into the well and add the milk and melted butter, whisking together until just combined.

Spool large dollops of the batter onto a greased pan - thick is okay with these. Once the pancake has started to cook and bubble on the top have burst, flip. Cook until browned.

Stack the pancakes on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Serve with syrup.

Notes

I use the precooked bacon and just heat until crispy. Less work. Less mess. Less smoke. Also, I added a little extra whiskey to the syrup for flavor. Normally I use pure maple sugar for these kinds of recipes, and it really is the best, but I used a standard syrup with this and it was really good. Just don't use the high-fructose corn syrup type.

Homemade Granola

Stacy had wanted to make her own granola for years. We finally got around to doing it and it's a game changer. It's great with milk, on a yogurt parfait, or just for snacking. It's perfectly sweet and crunchy. It's hard to imagine going back to the storebought stuff. --Mark

Ingredients

1/2 cup canola oil or other neutral oil, such as coconut or olive oil 

1/2 cup honey or maple syrup 

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 

1 cup sliced almonds 

1 cup raisins or other dried, chopped fruit

Instructions

Heat the oven to 300°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Place the oil, honey, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. 

Add the oats and almonds and stir to coat. Go ahead and measure the oats and almonds right into the oil mixture — don’t worry if you add a little more oats or almonds — granola is very forgiving. 

Stir to coat well. 

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer. If the granola is clumpy, use a spatula to press it into the pan. 

Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. The granola is ready when golden-brown and the almonds have toasted — it will still feel wet coming out of the oven but will dry as it cools. 

Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and sprinkle on the raisins or fruit. If you want clumps of granola, press and tamp down the granola before it cools, which will help it stick together. 

Transfer the cooled granola to an airtight container for long-term storage at room temperature.

Notes

Pure maple syrup works the best. We find that pecans are especially good, but you can experiment with anything you think might taste great in granola.

Overnight Oats

We, and by "we" I mean Stacy especially, have been wanting to make overnight oats for a LONG time, so we finally did it. This recipe is fantastic and with all the topping options it makes it even better. So worth making them after all this time. --Mark

Ingredients

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups dairy milk or unsweetened non-dairy milk
1 cup plain Greek or non-dairy yogurt
3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Optional toppings: fruits, nuts, seeds, nut butter

Instructions

Add ingredients to a large bowl. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl.

Stir together. Stir together until well combined.

Cover and refrigerate overnight. You can divide the oats into individual jars at this point if desired. 

Stir before serving. Stir again before serving with desired toppings. 

Notes

Make sure you don't use the quick oats by mistake. It won't be the same. Coconut makes an excellent topping as well.

Eggs, Several Ways

We speak a different language around here when it comes to eggs. It's descriptive, but maybe not so obvious to others what we are talking about. Anyway, Stacy asked me to write these variations up so even if I'm not available to make them, she'll know how. But she will always say they taste better when someone else makes them. --Mark

Vavó Eggs

Beat egg by itself in a small bowl.

Melt butter on high heat in a small cast iron skillet. 

When the butter is sizzling and starting to brown, pour egg into the skillet.

Let the egg set before flipping it and scrambling.

Salt to taste and enjoy

Wet Eggs

Beat egg with a small amount of water in a small bowl.

Melt butter on medium heat in a small cast iron skillet.

When the butter is melted, pour egg into skillet.

Stir the egg continuously until the egg is cooked through and looks light and fluffy.

Salt to taste and enjoy.

Dippy Eggs

Crack egg carefully into a small bowl.

Melt butter on medium heat in a small cast iron skillet

When the butter is melted, carefully add the egg to the skillet.

Cook until the white is set and easy to flip.

Flip egg carefully so as not to break the yolk.

Cook just long enough to cook the white all the way through.

Plate with some buttered toast.

Salt to taste and enjoy.

Egg in Toast

Crack egg carefully into a small bowl.

Butter both sides of a slice of bread and cut the center out with a biscuit cutter. A glass will work as well.

Toast bread on one side over medium heat. Flip over when toasted to a golden brown.

Once you flip the bread, add a small pat of butter to the hole in the bread.

When the butter has melted, pour egg into center of bread.

Cook egg until the white has set and then flip the bread and egg over carefully.

Cook long enough to cook the white all the way through.

Salt to taste and enjoy.

Eggs Benedict Casserole

I don't even remember when I discovered this or made it for the first time. I'm guessing Stacy's birthday, or Mother's Day. I don't know. It's made an appearance several times and I'm told it's wonderful. If I were an egg eater, I'd probably love it, too. It must be served with the Blender Hollandaise Sauce. --Mark

Ingredients:

cooking spray 
8 large eggs
2 cups milk
3 green onions, chopped
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 pound Canadian bacon, cut into 1/2-inch dice 
6 English muffins, cut into 1/2-inch dice 
1/2 tsp paprika
1 (.9 ounce) package hollandaise sauce mix
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter

Instructions:

Spray 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Whisk eggs, 2 cups milk, green onions, onion powder, and salt together in a large bowl until well mixed.

Layer half the Canadian bacon in the prepared baking dish. Spread English muffins over meat and top with remaining Canadian bacon. Pour egg mixture over casserole. Cover baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Sprinkle casserole with paprika; cover with aluminum foil.

Bake in preheated oven until eggs are nearly set, about 30 minutes; remove foil. Continue baking until eggs are completely set, about 15 more minutes.

Whisk hollandaise sauce mix with 1 cup milk in a saucepan. Add margarine and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low, simmer, and stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Drizzle sauce over casserole to serve.

Notes:

I add Muenster cheese to the second layer, which is probably some form of blasphemy, but the extra creaminess is very appealing.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/221988/eggs-benedict-casserole//

Simple Scones

We've made these scones a number of times and they always turn out well. Many guests have enjoyed them a lot, and some friends even said we need to open a bed and breakfast just to serve these!  --Mark

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 T butter, frozen
1/2 cup raisins (or dried currants)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg

Instructions:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Grate butter into flour mixture; use your fingers to work in butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in raisins.

3. In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth.

4. Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball.

5. Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with raw sugar. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature. 

Notes:

If you use cold butter and use a food processor in step 2 you don't need to freeze and grate the butter. It's a bit easier this way. Do not skimp on the flour when patting it out--use plenty on your surface because the dough can be sticky.

We don't use the raisins but have two varieties we make.

Chai: Open 3 chai tea bags and mix them into the flour mixture in step 2. The rest of the recipe is identical.

Chocolate Cherry Sea Salt: At the end of step 2, add 3/4 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup dried cherries. In step 5, sprinkle with coarse sea salt rather than raw sugar. An option is to add the zest of one orange to the flour mixture in step 2.

Crustless Spinach Quiche

We tried these for a ladies' brunch and they received rave reviews. I'm not an egg eater so I'll have to take their words for it. I even made a small cheeseless one that turned out well. --Mark

Ingredients:

1 T vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 (10 oz.) package of frozen spinach, chopped; thawed and drained
5 eggs, beaten
3 cups shredded Muenster cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated.

3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt, and pepper. Add spinach mixture and stir to blend. Scoop into prepared pie pan.

4. Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes:

I made these in small ramekins and they turned out well. I made 6 individual quiche from this recipe. Check after 20 minutes to see if they are done.

Blueberry Bread

Every year we buy fresh blueberries in 20-lb boxes and eat a lot of them. And then we're left with bags and bags to freeze. Not a bad thing. Tossing them into a blueberry bread for breakfast is awesome. We love to make this as 3 mini loaves and then eat them toasted. It is so good, and not too terribly sweet. --Mark

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 cup milk
3 T vegetable oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:

Mix together beaten eggs with the sugar. Add milk and melted shortening or vegetable oil.

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Combine mixtures, stirring only until blended. Carefully fold in fresh or frozen blueberries and broken walnut pieces.

Pour into greased 5 x 12 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 50-60 minutes. Cool in pan but try to turn it out of pan before it is totally cool. It will be easier to remove. Can also be made in a normal size loaf pan or can be made into 2 pans.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Blueberry-Bread-I/Detail.aspx

The Best Banana Bread

I'm not sure who gets to say it's the "best" banana bread, but it certainly competes with any other basic banana bread I've eaten. --Mark

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed banana
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x5 inch pan.
Cream margarine and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, then bananas. Add flour and soda, stirring just until combined.
Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 1 hour (or till toothpick comes out clean). Remove from pan and let cool, store in refrigerator or freeze.

Notes:

Add salt, cinnamon, use half white and half brown sugar, use half flour and half oats, sub applesauce, add blueberries, walnuts, flax, whatever.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/The-Best-Banana-Bread/Detail.aspx

Whole Wheat Pancakes

There are so many pancake recipes out there and this is one of the best we've found. It's healthy without having that "I'm so healthy but taste like cardboard" kind of flavor. Plus, making it in the blender is so great for pouring. --Mark

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup wheat germ
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 T brown sugar
1 tsp salt
5 1/3 T unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
3 T unsalted butter

Instructions:

In a food processor or in a large bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, white flour, wheat germ or oats, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, and salt.

Cut the butter into small pieces with a knife, and add the butter to the flour-mixture. Mix until the mixture has a sand-like consistency.

Make a well in the center of the flour-butter mixture, and add the buttermilk and eggs. Stir until the liquids are fully incorporated.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat and grease the surface with 1 tablespoon of butter or oil. Ladle the batter onto the surface to form 4 inch pancakes. Once bubbles form on the top of the pancakes, flip them over, and cook them on the other side for about 2 minutes.

Notes:

Use quick oats for wheat germ. Use raw sugar for brown. Use 1/3 cup applesauce for butter. Use less than the 2 1/2 cups buttermilk. (Use lemon juice/milk substitution--1 T lemon juice for each cup of milk). Throw in some flaxseed (1-2 T). Add 2 tsp. vanilla and cinnamon for more flavor. For milk, you can also use yogurt and milk (1/2 & 1/2). Hot grill/let batter stand a bit. Use pastry brush to brush oil onto the pan in shape of letter--impression on pancake!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Whole-Wheat-Pancakes/Detail.aspx

Coffee Cake

This breakfast cake is great for breakfast, dessert, anytime, when you want a sweet snack time, whenever. It's simple to make and came from the Katie, Stacy's roommate collection. --Mark

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 T flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 T butter, melted

Instructions:

Combine oil, egg, and milk. Mix well. Add dry ingredients. Pour into a 9x9 baking pan. Combine ingredients for topping and sprinkle over the batter. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

Berry Muffins

I found this recipe years ago and liked it because it wasn't too sweet. So, we wrote it down and kept it. --Stacy

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1T baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk or cream
1 egg, slightly beaten
4T butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup berries (sliced strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400° F. Grease muffin pan. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir with a fork. Mash 1/2 cup berries with sugar in small bowl. Add mashed berries, remaining berries, milk or cream, egg, and melted butter to dry ingredients. Stir. Spoon batter into muffin pans -- about 3/4 full. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Check with toothpick. Makes 1 dozen muffins.

Notes:

Serve with butter or jam.

Apple Muffins

Another Katie Dahl recipe (former college roommate). Her food was always good! -- Stacy

Ingredients:

1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3T baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup grated apple
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1T salt

Topping:

1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup broken nuts
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions:

Mix above ingredients together until just moist. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full of batter and sprinkle with topping. Bake 20-30 minutes at 400° F.

Notes:

Great breakfast muffin.

Banana Muffins

These muffins have a little of everything in them and that's not a bad thing. These are great for breakfast, dessert, or just plain snacking. --Mark

Ingredients:

3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup oat bran
1/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 banana, mashed
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 T vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan, or line with paper muffin cups. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, wheat flour, sugar, oat bran, quick oats, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gently stir in the buttermilk, egg, oil, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix just until blended. Spoon into muffin cups, filling all the way to the top. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly touched.

Notes:

There are a number of substitutions we make with this recipe. Here they are:

*Raw or brown sugar for the regular sugar
*Quick oats for the oat bran
*Milled flax seed for the wheat germ
*One tablespoon of lemon juice in milk for the buttermilk
*Applesauce for the oil