Berry Muffins and Chocolate Chip Muffins (Egg-Free)

A lot of people have go-to recipes for everything. I am one of those people. You name it, I'm sure I will have a tried and true recipe to give you, or a recipe from someone that I know, that will be without a doubt, a success.

I have three go-to muffin recipes that I alternate and make on a weekly basis, and they all happen to be egg-free. I often make banana chocolate chip muffins because I seem to always have left-over bananas and they are my kids' favorite, but I also make these berry muffins and regular chocolate chip muffins a lot. These recipes always turn out great and are so quick and easy to make.

Berry Muffins (Egg-Free)
(recipe adapted from The Food Allergy Mama's Baking Book)
Makes 12 muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour (can use 1 1/4 cups all-purpose and 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk (can use rice or soy milk)
1/4 cup melted margarine or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 T water (slightly more if using white whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup fresh or frozen berries (blueberries or raspberries are great)
Sparkling sugar or granulated sugar, for sprinkling


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with baking spray.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour(s), sugar, baking powder, and salt with a whisk.

In a separate medium sized bowl, mix together the milk, melted margarine (or oil), lemon zest, lemon juice, water, and vanilla.

Add the flour mixture to the milk mixture and stir with a spatula until just combined.

Gently fold in the berries using the spatula. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.
Sprinkle the tops with the sparkling sugar (or granulated sugar).

Bake for about 20 minutes (checking at 15 minutes), or until a tooth pick or cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Let muffins cool in pan for a couple of minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy slightly warm or at room temperature!

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Chocolate Chip Muffins (Egg-Free)
(recipe adapted from Food Allergy Mama)

Makes 12 muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour (I use 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup white whole wheat)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup margarine, melted
2/3 cup buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk, mix milk with 1/2 T vinegar and let sit 5 minutes)
2 T water
1 1/2 T vanilla
1 cup mini chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with baking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour(s), sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a separate medium sized bowl, mix together the melted margarine, buttermilk, water, and vanilla.

Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture, and stir with a spatula until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes (checking at 15 minutes), or until a tooth pick or cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let cool for a couple of minutes in the pan and then remove muffins to finish cooling on a wire rack. Enjoy!

 

 

Chocolate Hazelnut Twists

I made this super yummy and super easy treat for my husband, for breakfast, Christmas morning (along with pumpkin spiced pancakes). If you love Nutella (who doesn't??) and hazelnuts, then you must make these very soon!

Chocolate Hazelnut Twists
(recipe adapted from Pillsbury.com)

2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls (or 2 cans of the Pillsbury seamless dough sheets)
1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 cup finely chopped hazelnuts
Powdered sugar, for garnish, optional


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with baking spray (you'll use only 8 cups though).

Unroll one can of dough on a very lightly floured work surface. Firmly press together perforations if using regular crescent rolls. Press into a 13x7 rectangle.
Spread Nutella evenly over the dough, to 1/4 inch on the sides. Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts on top of the Nutella.

Unroll remaining can of dough; seal perforations. Press into a 13x7 rectangle as well. Place over filling, and press together the edges firmly to seal.
Cut in eight (13 inch) strips. Twist each strip about 5 or 6 times. Shape into a tight coil and place one in each of the prepared muffin cups (muffin cups will be full).

Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove immediately from pan to wire racks and let cool for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Moist Pumpkin Spice Muffins (With Cream Cheese Frosting)

With Thanksgiving coming up very soon, I thought I would throw out a few of my favorite Thanksgiving dessert recipes. My entire Thanksgiving menu changes from year to year, but usually includes: an herb roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, mashed butternut squash, green bean casserole, a sweet potato casserole, sausage-sage stuffing, homemade dinner rolls and bread, olives, pickles, and cranberry sauce. But because dessert is the best part, I always make a few different pies and/or treats for dessert to make everyone happy. I traditionally make this apple pie, a pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake, pecan pie, and a chess pie (recipes to come!). I also like to make cupcakes or fun thanksgiving themed cookies for the kids (and adults).
This muffin recipe is sooooo good and when combined with the frosting, it transforms into an amazingly good cupcake. My kids love these and so do I. I like to make them as mini versions, but they are just as good regular sized. Hope you enjoy these! Stay tuned for more recipes!

Moist Pumpkin Spice Muffins (With Cream Cheese Frosting)
(recipe adapted from the pioneer woman--makes 12 regular sized or 24 mini muffins)

For the muffins:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
4 T unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup pumpkin puree (heaping)
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

For the frosting:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 pound confectioners' sugar (about 2 cups)
1/2 tsp vanilla


To make the muffins:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray a 12-cup muffin or 24 cup mini muffin tin with baking spray.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or two forks, until it is fully incorporated.

In a seperate bowl, mix together the pumpkin, evaporated milk, egg and vanilla. Pour pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture and gently fold until just combined.

Evenly pour the muffin batter into the greased muffin cups--about 1/2 full in each.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes if using a 12-cup pan or about 15-20 minutes if using a mini muffin pan.
Remove from the pan and let cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting: combine all of the frosting ingredients and mix on high speed until fluffy and soft. Frost the cupcakes per desired technique and then store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Pecan Brownie Muffins

For my birthday recently, a good friend of mine gave me a brownie cookbook for a gift. The book has a ton of great, new and intriguing brownie recipes.
Among all of the recipes, I felt the need to make the Pecan Brownie Muffins first. Although I was a little skeptical of the ingredient measurements and didn't have high hopes of a great finished product, the muffins came out awesome! They have a light chocolate brownie flavor and the pecans give it a slightly nutty taste and texture. The recipe said it makes 12 muffins, but I actually got 16 instead. I loved these and recommend that you make them soon!

Pecan Brownie Muffins
(recipe adapted from the brownies-easy and delicious cookbook)

Makes 12 muffins

1 cup pecans
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar (generous)
1/4 tsp salt
1 T baking powder
1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, broken (or a full 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, which is what I used)
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

Coarsely chop the pecans and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder into a large bowl and make a well in the center.
Melt the butter and chocolate in a small sauce pan over low heat, stirring frequently.

Add the chocolate mixture to the flour mixture and stir to mix evenly.

Add the eggs and vanilla and mix again. Stir in the chopped pecans.

Spoon the batter into the lined muffin cups, about 3/4 full.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until firm to the touch and a when a toothpick inserted into the middle, comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack and then enjoy!

Snickerdoodle Muffins

I love snickerdoodle cookies. I remember making them with my mom when I was younger, along with her recipe for Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cookies found here. The combination of cinnamon and sugar is just so comforting and sooo yummy! These muffins are wonderful and taste just like the cookie. They are light, delicate, and the flavor is phenomenal. You have to try these!




Snickerdoodle Muffins
(recipe adapted by Heather Christo from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody)

1 cup unsalted butter or margarine, softened (I used margarine)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour (I used 1 cup white whole wheat and 1 1/4 all-purpose)
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream (I used light because that's what I had on hand)
1/4 cup buttermilk (can substitute 1/4 cup milk mixed with 1 tsp white vinegar--let sit 5 minutes before using)

For the topping:

2/3 cup sugar

2 T cinnamon Preheat the oven to 350ºF.


Line a muffin tin with paper liners. *These muffins are very delicate so the use of the paper liners is highly recommended.

In a bowl of a mixer, mix butter, sugar and cream of tartar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Then add half of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture and stir to combine. Add the sour cream and buttermilk and mix well. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until you have a smooth batter.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping.

Use an ice cream scoop and plop a big, rounded scoop of batter into the bowl with the sugar and cinnamon. Gently roll the batter in the sugar and cinnamon. Then place the ball into the muffin liner. Your hands will get messy!

When you have completed all of the muffins, sprinkle the leftover cinnamon sugar onto the tops of all of the muffins. Bake the muffins at 350ºF for about 15-20 minutes or until they are golden on top and just baked through. Enjoy!

* I would like to take a moment to brag a little :) Two weeks ago, my cheap Walmart hand mixer (it was literally only $15), that I had had for over 2 years died while I was making frosting. I was very sad because even though it wasn't any where near top of the line, it had worked very hard for me and I took good care of it. BUT, I am so over that mixer now. My husband, the sweet man that he is, INSISTED that I buy myself a good (meaning expensive) hand mixer to replace the cheap one. So I bought this Cuisinart hand mixer and I LOVE it! I think I have used it almost everyday since I got it. It has sooooo much more power then my old one and I LOVE the beaters, they are awesome! Ok, thanks for letting me brag...I rarely get new appliances for my kitchen so I am very excited :)

Maple Apple Walnut Bread

I came across this recipe the other day and I instantly wanted to make it. Just the name alone intrigued me. The results? WOW. This bread is gooood. I love how moist it is and all of the different textures in it. It's pretty healthy too. I gave it to my kids for breakfast and they were very impressed. This recipe is definitely a keeper and I will be making it often!

Maple Apple Walnut Bread

(slightly adapted from a recipe by Brandi from Tasty Kitchen)

1/3 cup margarine (or unsalted butter), melted

2 cups white whole wheat flour (or regular whole wheat)

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup REAL maple syrup

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup milk (I used 1%)

1 whole apple, peeled and diced (equals about 1 full cup--I've made it using a cortland and then with a gala and both came out great)

1 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. In a smaller, seperate bowl, mix the sugar, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, milk and melted margarine.

Add sugar mixture to the flour mixture and mix well. Fold in the apples and walnuts.

Pour batter into a 9x5 bread loaf pan, greased with baking spray. Bake for 70-75 minutes or until the top is golden brown and when a toothpick is inserted in the middle, comes out clean. Enjoy!

Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins

My youngest son, Matthew, loves bananas. He is my only child that does. I buy bananas for him each week, but I always seem to have some that either get too ripe too quickly or just don't get eaten. So, I am always looking for new recipes to use them in. I've made my share of banana bread in the past and am very sick of it so I was very happy when I bought "The Food Allergy Mama's Baking Book" by Kelly Rudnicki because in it is a great recipe for Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins. My kids love these! They are always excited when I make them. I pack them in their lunch boxes for snack at school or serve them as an after school snack. Plus, this recipe is egg and nut free! Try them!

Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins
(slightly adapted by me)

2 medium bananas, mashed

2 T water

1/2 cup margarine, melted

1/4 buttermilk (if you don't have any, mix 1/4 milk with 1 tsp white vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes or so)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with baking spray or line with baking cups. In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas, water, melted margarine and buttermilk until well incorporated (I usually do this by hand, but you can use an electric mixer if you wish).

In a medium bowl, combine all flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt using a whisk.

Add dry ingredients to the banana mixture and mix well. Stir in the mini chocolate chips.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick or cake tester inserted comes out clean. Enjoy!

Jen's Beef Stew with Biscuits

Who doesn't love a big bowl of hearty beef stew with homemade biscuits on a cold winter day?! Well, that somebody USED to be my husband. That's right, I finally broke his hatred for beef stew and it only took me 12 years! Yay!
My version of beef stew is very simple and quick to throw together. I hope you enjoy it!

Jen's Beef Stew

2 lbs beef chuck stew meat (cut into small, bite sized pieces)

3 T flour seasoned with seasoned salt or kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

1 large onion, diced

6 cloves fresh garlic, chopped

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained

2 tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1 tsp garlic powder

4-6 cups beef broth (I use low sodium)

1 to 1 1/2 cups peeled and sliced carrots

3/4 cup sliced celery

2 to 3 cups red potatoes (skin on), cut into chunks

Kosher salt, to taste

Combine seasoned flour with stew meat and place into slow cooker (I always use slow cooker liners so clean up is minimal). Add remaining ingredients to slow cooker, stir, cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, stirring occasionally. Check seasonings and then serve with homemade buttermilk biscuits (recipe below). Enjoy!

*Note: if desired, during last 30 minutes or so of cooking time if stew is too thin, turn slower to high setting and add a few Tablespoons of flour mixed with enough water to make a thin paste and stir into stew. Cook on high until stew is to desired thickness, adding more flour/water as needed.

Southern Biscuits

(recipe by Alton Brown)

2 cups flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

2 T butter

2 T shortening (chilled is better)

1 cup buttermilk (if you don't have any, mix 1 T white vinegar with enough milk to make 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients together using a wire whisk. Cut in butter and shortening into flour mixture using a pastry cutter, forks or your hands until mixture looks like crumbs. Make a well in center of flour/butter mixture and add buttermilk. Stir until the dough just comes together. The dough will be very sticky

Turn dough onto a floured surface. Dust top of dough with flour and gently fold over onto itself 5-6 times. Press in 1 inch thick round disk. Cut out biscuits using a 2 inch round cutter and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet so they just touch. Reform scrap dough and continue cutting. Makes about 12 biscuits. Bake biscuits until tall and light gold on top, about 15-20 minutes.