Apple Muffins

This is another yummy recipe from my mom. Can you tell we confiscated her recipie box? For mother's day we typed up all her recipes, some were looking pretty thrashed, laminated them, put them in a cute box. As a bonus we've been reminded of many childhood favorites, some forgotten some still used regularly. These muffins are best right from the oven with a little butter melted in the middle.

1 egg
1/2 c. milk
1 c. grated apple
1/4 shortening
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

Beat egg and stir in milk and grated apple. Melt shortening and add to mixture. Add dry ingredients and stir for 20 strokes, just until all is moistened. Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes. Yields 12 muffins.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

These are a favorite after school snack at our house.  Very quick and easy!

2 cups all-purpose flour,
1/2 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease bottoms only of 12 muffin cups or line with baking cups.  Combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, chocolate chips, and salt; mix well.  In a separate bowl, combine milk, oil, vanilla and egg; blend well.  Add dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened (batter will be lumpy.) 

Fill cups 2/3 full. Sprinkle tops of muffins before baking with a combination of 3 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoon brown sugar. 

Bake for 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 1 minute before removing from pan. Serve warm.

Apple Strudel Muffins

Guess what we're having for breakfast.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups chopped apples
• 
  
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Stir in apples, and gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.
4. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan.
5. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack.

Cinnamon Streusal Blueberry Muffins

I found this recipe on allrecipes and it is truly one of the best blueberry muffins I've ever had. These are just like the Einstein Bagel Blueberry Muffins. They are to die for!

3 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon salt 4 teaspoons baking powder 2/3 cup vegetable oil 2 eggs 2/3 cup milk 2 cups fresh blueberries Crumb Topping: 1/2 cup white sugar 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup butter, cubed 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2.	Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 2 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3.	To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4.	Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Bran Muffins

I loved when my mom made these growing up! With a little butter and raspberry jam I'm in muffin heaven. It makes a big batch but the dough keeps in the fridge so you can just make a few and then save the dough and make a more a couple days later!

Bran Muffins

1 Cup Margarine
2 Cups Sugar
1 Tbsp. Salt
5 Cups Flour
3 Cups All Bran or Bran Buds
2 Cups 40% Bran Flakes
4 Eggs

Mix above ingredients and beat well.

5 tsp. soda
1 quart milk
2 teaspoons vinegar

Dissolve soda in milk with vinegar, add to muffin mixture. Bake in muffin tins at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. It makes about 48 muffins. Keep extra batter in fridge for up to two weeks.

Yogurt and Banana Spice Muffins

I found this recipe on the Picky Palate website. I tried them last week for dinner and my family LOVED them. They remind me of the yummy buttermilk spice muffins at Mimi's Cafe. I loved that there wasn't any oil or butter in them, but they were still very moist.


1 Spice Cake Mix
6 oz container low fat vanilla yogurt
2 eggs
2 medium overly ripe bananas, mashed with fork
¾ Cup water
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar for garnish if desired

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix cake mix, yogurt, eggs, bananas and water until well combined. Spoon batter into 24 traditional size muffin cups that have been lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 20-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from center of muffin.

2. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Garnish with powdered sugar if desired.

Makes 24 muffin

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

I got this recipe from Recipe Girl, and though this is a little late for your Zucchini crop where I live, it's one I don't want to forget. I usually freeze Zucchini from the summer to use all through the winter in my baking, so these were easy to throw together.

1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour ¾ tsp baking soda ½ tsp baking powder 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp salt 2 large eggs 1 cup granulated sugar ½ cup canola oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup finely shredded zucchini 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips ¾ cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

1 Position rack in middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin tin cups with paper liners. Spray the paper liners with nonstick spray. 2 In a medium bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside. 3 In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar to blend them smoothly. Whisk in the oil and vanilla until blended. Use a large spoon to stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Stir in the zucchini, then stir in chocolate chips and walnuts (if using) until evenly distributed. 4 Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter into each paper liner. Bake until the tops are light brown and a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, about 23 minutes. If the toothpick penetrates a chocolate chip, test another spot. 5 Cool muffins in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Using pot holders to protect your hands, invert the muffin pan onto a wire rack and tap the bottom to release the muffins. Turn the muffins right side up to cool for about 15 minutes and serve warm, or let cool completely, about 45 minutes.