Carrot Apple Coconut Mini Muffins

My friend Brooke often talks about Weelicious and makes their recipes for her toddlers.  I finally remembered to add it to my Google Reader, and immediately I starred a bunch of stuff.

I made these Carrot Apple Coconut Muffins a few days ago, and my entire family devoured them.  They were so easy to throw together and were absolutely delicious.  I'm normally not a fan of coconut, but it goes so well with the carrot and apple that you can't help but love them.  They definitely didn't last long in my house!

I didn't intend to make any changes, but my grocery store only had sweetened coconut, not unsweetened - but I kind of liked the sweetness they added!

Carrot Apple Coconut Mini Muffins

from Weelicious

• 1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
  
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder
  
• 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
  
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
  
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
  
• 2 Carrots, peeled & grated, about 1 cup
  
• 1 Apple, peeled & grated, about 1/2 cup (gala, fuji, pink lady or red delicious are good choices)
  
• 2 Large Eggs
  
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
  
• 1/3 Cup Milk
  
• 1/4 Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil
  
• 1/2 Cup Honey
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir to combine.

Place 1 tbsp of batter into greased mini muffin tins.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Serve.

Pumpkin Banana Chip Muffins

I love baking muffins, and I couldn't wait to get going on some pumpkin flavors this fall. I have a great recipe courtesy of my friend Brooke, but I was in the mood to try something different. As usual, a trip to my google reader presented me with exactly what I wanted.


These muffins from Cooking and Eating in the Windy City were exactly what I was looking for. I had some bananas that needed to be baked and an eager three-year-old to help me lick the spoon.

The only change I made was, as usual, to add some chocolate chips instead of the topping listed below.

These were gone in NO TIME. Seriously, I don't think they lasted 24 hours in my house. Delicious.



Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 1/2 cup mashed bananas
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp salt

Topping

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup oats/nuts
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Mix the wet ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, and add the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Spoon into greased muffin tin, and top each muffin with 1 Tbsp of topping. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Superbowl Snack Throwdown: Spicy Harvest Muffins

Happy Friday the 13th! We're back to regular weekend voting, so scurry on over to HighLowAha to cast your vote by 9pm EST on Sunday! (You can also vote for the secret ingredients for the next two weeks.)

First, thank you all a billion times for participating in last week's festivities; I certainly had a blast!

Kate won the Halftime Competition, so in addition to a week's victory, she also was granted the right to select our next ingredient. She did a very good job giving herself the upperhand; she must have known that I am not a cayenne person and that this week would be a challenge! :)

Unfortunately, I must once again present you with a very mediocre photo. I brought my baby, uhh I mean my camera, to be fixed after its little tumble, and it's not yet ready. Bummer, too, because I was really hoping to have it for Ryan's pirate party this weekend. Arrrgh.

Don't let this crappy picture fool you; I LOVE these little muffins! I had no idea what to make with the use of cayenne, so I visited my friend Google; these spicy pumpkin carrot muffins from Fancy Pants Foodie popped up. I really wasn't sure about them at first, but I figured I'd give them a shot, and I am glad I did. The flavor in these guys is just unbelievable. I actually took some liberties with the title because I wanted the name of these muffins to truly harness the fact that they really embody so many fall flavors.

If you are really hesitant about the cayenne, it can easily be omitted. I did leave it off of about half because I was afraid Ryan wouldn't eat them otherwise. Both versions were equally fantastic!

These will go very quickly - not just during your football games, but also during Thanksgiving or any event this autumn.

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter @ room temp
• 1 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 2/3 c. molasses, unsulphured
• 2 eggs, beaten, @ room temp
• 14 oz. can pumpkin (or equivalent amount cooked, pureed pumpkin)
• 1-3.5 oz. container carrot baby food (or equivalent amount cooked, pureed carrot)
• 3 1/2 c. all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 3 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 c. dried cranberries, raisins or currants
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne powder (smoked if you have it)
• cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If using fresh, cooked pumpkin, strain puree for at least 30 minutes in cheesecloth or a wire sieve.

In a standing mixer, cream the butter at medium-high speed until soft and lightened in color.

Add molasses and 1 1/2 c. of the brown sugar, beating until combined and light in texture.

Add the eggs, pumpkin and carrot, and mix on medium speed until blended.

In a separate bowl or on a flexible cutting board, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour into wet ingredients and gently fold together, being careful not to overmix.

Fold in the cranberries, raisins or currants.

Using a spoon or large disher (what I used), fill muffin cups three-quarters full. Sprinkle muffins with cinnamon sugar and with cayenne to taste.

Bake for 12 – 15 minutes.

Good Morning Muffins

As I've posted many times, I love baking muffins with Ryan (or, as he calls them, "nuffins"). I couldn't wait to try these "Good Morning Muffins" from the Pioneer Woman.


I am not sure what, but I did something very wrong. I used liners, and many of them scorched and stuck to the side of the pan. They also got really, really greasy, to the point where I felt gross just picking one up and putting it in a container for Ryan's breakfast.


They tasted good, for sure, but just became too greasy and gross to really enjoy. Any ideas what I can do differently?

(And yes, they look fine - because I took the best-looking ones to photograph. Hee hee!)


Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup shortening (can use 1/4 cup shortening with 1/4 cup butter)
• 2 cups orange marmalade
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs, beaten

Topping:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon melted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• wheat germ (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sift together flour, sugar, and baking powder. Place in a mixing bowl.

Use a pastry cutter to mix in shortening (or butter/shortening if desired).

Mix marmalade, orange juice, and vanilla in a small bowl. Pour into dry ingredients.

Beat eggs and pour into the bowl.

Mix all ingredients together gently, using fewer than 10 large strokes.

In a small bowl, mix topping ingredients.

Fill muffin pans with batter. Sprinkle 1 heaping teaspoon of topping ingredients over each muffin.

Sprinkle wheat germ over the top for extra crunch.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes until done. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Eat warm or at room temperature.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

I think I hate Annie of Annie's Eats.

First of all, she's freaken gorgeous. And she was totally skinny like 5 minutes after giving birth to her equally gorgeous little boy. And she's a doctor. And she makes all of these AMAZING dishes. And she's probably the sweetest person I "know" on the cooking message board we frequent.

Okay, I don't hate her. I think she's awesome, actually. I'm just jealous. ;)


She just posted these awesome muffins a few days ago (which she adapted from Williams-Sonoma), and I couldn't wait to make them myself. They were fast and easy... and came out perfect, even though I kind of sort of forgot to set the timer and didn't realize it until I peeked at the stove to find out how much time was left and saw... the actual time. Whoops.

I changed a couple of things, though - I used half-whole-wheat flour and half AP. I also added some cinnamon to the flour mixture (maybe a teaspoon?) and sprinkled the tops with cinnamon sugar.


I also specifically overfilled the muffin liners - I love me some fluffy, oversized muffins! (Note to self - buy mega-muffin tin.)


Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
  
• 3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• cinnamon-sugar, for sprinkling
  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 13-14 muffin wells with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir together with a fork. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions. Mix in the vanilla until well blended. Add half of the flour mixture to the bowl and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Add the milk and mix until combined. Mix in the rest of the flour mixture, beating just until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips using a rubber spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin liners. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar to taste. Bake for 21-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer the muffins to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Very Berry Muffins

I had such a blast baking cookies and Rice Krispies treats with Ryan, and he really seems to enjoy helping me in the kitchen.


I was in the mood to bake today, and thought muffins would be a good culinary activity. Plus, Ryan could have them for breakfast this week - he loves eating things he helped create!


I went digging through my Reader to find something that was reasonably healthy and didn't require a trip to the store. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I found the perfect muffin on my friend Brooke's blog (I believe Brooke found them here).

I stuck with her adaptations, and the only thing I changed was doing half whole-wheat for the flour.


And the verdict? Awesome. Ryan inhaled his, and my husband ate three of them at once!

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp butter (melted and cooled)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup sugar(plus additional for sprinkling)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries (thawed and divided)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray muffin tin with cooking spray.

Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup berries and milk and mash well. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar; add egg and beat well. Gradually mix in dry ingredients by hand. Mix in berry/milk mixture, followed by remaining berries and mix until just combined.

Using two spoons pour batter into prepared muffin tin, filling each chamber 3/4 full. Sprinkle top of muffins with sugar. Bake for 22-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Banana-Blueberry Muffins

I need to start making muffins more often.




I usually avoid blueberry muffins at bakeries or wherever because the blueberries taste funny and I'd rather have chocolate. But this recipe for Banana-Blueberry Muffins from MaryEllen is so perfect... the blueberries were so fresh and juicy! Rather than 1 1/2 cups of flour, I used a cup of whole-wheat flour and a half cup of all-purpose. Coupled with the bananas and oats, the texture was just so fabulous. I think these bad boys might become a breakfast staple for me...!




(And like Mary Ellen, I got more than the expected dozen too.)

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• 3 ripe, mashed bananas
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup oatmeal - quick or instant
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 large egg - slightly beaten
• 2 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Prepare 12 muffin cups with papers or generous coating of cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, oats, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl, mix together the bananas, milk, egg, oil and lemon juice.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just moistened.

Fold in the blueberries.

Fill each prepared muffin cup a little more than 3/4 full. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Stick a toothpick in the center of one of the muffins. If it comes out dry, the muffins are done. If there's a little batter stuck to it, you need to cook the muffins longer.

Double Chocolate Bakeshop Muffins

My breakfasts during the week are usually FiberOne bars, or something equally grab-and-go. On the weekends, I like to indulge a bit more on the most important meal of the day.

Last Saturday, I had some time to kill but was really in the mood for muffins. Brooke inspired me to buy Small-Batch Baking, and everytime time I use it, I am grateful to her all over again. I pulled it out but all of the ones that REALLY caught my eye required ingredients that I didn't have. So... I went for the chocolate!

(This is an awful picture. I was in a rush and didn't play with it enough to try to get a better one!)



Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter, at room temp, for greasing the muffin cups
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 tablespoons nonfat buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 medium egg
• 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I ran out, so I used white chocolate.)

Also need - 1 jumbo muffin pan (see "note" at the bottom for adaptations for a regular tin.)

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease only the bottoms of the muffin cups; then rub a little of the butter around the rim of each cup. (This will help them to form a rounded top.)

2. Place the melted better, buttermilk, vanilla, and egg in a small bowl and whisk to blend. Set the mixture aside.

3. Place a large fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl. Place the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the sieve, and sift the ingredients into the bowl. Toss in the chocolate chips. Add the buttermilk mixture all at once and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing equally; they should be about three quarters full. Fill the empty muffin cups halfway with water to prevent scorching.

4. Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

5. Remove the muffin pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Carefully pour the water out of the empty cups. Turn the muffins out of the cups and let them cool, upright, on the wire rack for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. (They are best eaten the day they are baked but will keep for up to 1 day in a plastic bag at room temperature.)

Note: To make regular-size muffins, bake as directed about 15-18 minutes.

Yields: 2 jumbo muffins, or 4 standard muffins

Corn Muffins

I really have to be in the mood for cornbread. I am not usually a fan; when we go to Boston Market or something, Pat is always snatching my little pieces, and I am happy to see them go.

Lately, though, I've kind of wanted it... and when I saw this recipe for muffins on Brooke's site, I starred it for later use. Today, I was totally feeling the cornbread, had all the ingredients, and went for it.

Not only was this good, but it was FAST. I couldn't believe how easy it was to make! And though it pains me to admit this, I ate three. And pieces of a fourth.

*hangs head in shame*

This is a recipe that is sure to make future appearances in my kitchen!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray or lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan.In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

I needed another muffin recipe for my in-service day tomorrow, and I knew I wanted to do this one from Brooke. I had starred this long ago and never got around to making to them; I was pysched to get to them today!

I obviously have to wait until tomorrow to try them out, but the batter? Oh. My. God. So good and tasty. And I adore dump-and-mix steps - no worries about the order of the ingredients and additions!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour


• 1 tsp cinnamon


• 1 tsp nutmeg


• 1 tsp ground cloves


• 4 tsp pumpkin pie spice


• Pinch of cardamom (optional) (I omitted because I didn't have any.)


• 1 tsp salt


• 1 tsp baking soda


• 4 eggs


• 2 cups sugar


• 2 cups canned pumpkin


• 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil


• 8 oz package cream cheese*


• Chopped nuts (I omitted.)

*The best cream cheese to use is the cheesecake flavored kind (I used plain because I didn't even notice this note until I was blogging about it - whoops!). Put the entire tub or brick on a piece of tin foil, and shape it into a long log. Put it in the freezer while you mix and fill the pans, up to an hour. Unwrap and cut with a sharp knife. If the disks are too big around, cut thick slices and then cut them in half. This keeps the cream cheese in one big lump, and also lets you push it down into the batter. (Best. Tip. Ever.)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix ingredients together except cream cheese and nuts. Fill muffin tins (greased or paper cups) half full. Put 1-2 tsp cream cheese in the middle, pressing down. (Make sure you really get it in there - I didn't do mine deep enough, and I ended up with raised blocks. I had to smooth it out immediately after taking them out of the oven.) Sprinkle with 1 tsp chopped nuts. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the muffin part (do not touch the cream cheese!). Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to racks to cool completely. Do not touch the cream cheese until it cools, as it is very very hot.

Makes 24 muffins.

Cappuccino Muffins

My district has an all-day inservice tomorrow, and they have always provided us with a lunch for these types of things. However, our darling governor has recently set in motion some legislature which prohibits any educational state funding to be used to feed the faculty. Thanks, Johnny boy. You're swell.

So, our department has decided to pull together for a little pot-luck action. I signed up to bring Giada's Creamy Orzo (YUM!) and a couple of different kinds of muffins.

When going through my GR for ideas, I came across this one from The Food Duo. And... it's a recipe from William Shatner! Go figure!

(I haven't eaten them yet, so I can't give a verdict... but they sure as hell look and smell yummy!)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour


• 1/2 cup sugar


• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder


• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder


• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1 egg


• 1 cup milk


• 1/2 cup butter, melted


• 1 teaspoon vanilla


• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400° and grease muffin tins or line with paper baking cups.

Sift all dry ingredients together into a bowl and make a well in the center of the mixture.

Beat the egg together with the milk and the melted butter. Add the vanilla.

Add to the dry ingredients along with the chocolate chips and mix until just moistened.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.

Bake until just done, approximately 20 minutes.

Oatmeal Apple Cinnamon Mini-Muffins

I'm always on the hunt for new breakfast ideas for my 18-month-old. When I saw this muffin recipe on The Blooming Chef, I knew I had found a winner. Not a lot of sugar... fruit... oatmeal... what's not to love?

They taste great, too - moist and flavorful. Definitely a keeper.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 beaten egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• 1 medium apple, peeled and cored, then diced

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Grease twelve 2-1/2 inch muffin cups or line with paper bake cups; set aside.

3. In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and oatmeal. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

4. In another bowl, combine egg, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).

5. Fold in the diced apple.

6. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full. Bake in a 400 (I did 325 since I was using a mini muffin pan) degree oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups; serve warm.

Irish Muffins

(And by "Irish," I mean that they are green. 'Cause I dyed them.)

Ryan's daycare was having a St. Paddy's Day party today, and I volunteered to make muffins.



I used a recipe for Healthy Blueberry Muffins from My Tiny Little Kitchen Creations, and they were awesome. My only problem was that I forgot to add the green food coloring until AFTER I had reached "mixing completion;" so they were a bit more Play-Doh-ish than I would have liked. But hey - my audience was a bunch of toddlers, so whatever.


(Special thanks to Cara's Cravings for the tips on turning a regular muffin recipe into one for mini's...)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 10 Tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/4 stick), softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used Vanilla.)
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries
• 1 Tbsp flour (if using defrosted frozen berries)

Directions:
Adjust the oven rack to the middle-lower part of the oven. Preheat oven to 375°F (I did 325).

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together, beating until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each one. Beat in the grated lemon peel.

Beat in one half of the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Beat in one third of the yogurt.

Beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients. Beat in a second third of the yogurt. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients and then the remaining yogurt. Again be careful to beat until just incorporated. Do not over beat. Fold in the berries. If you are using frozen berries, defrost them first, drain the excess liquid, and then coat them in a light dusting of flour.

Use a standard 12-muffin muffin pan. Coat each muffin cup lightly with olive oil or grapeseed oil using a pastry brush, or with a little butter. Or use one of those convenient vegetable oil sprays. Distribute the muffin dough equally among the cups. Bake until muffins are golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Test with a long toothpick (we use a thin bamboo skewer) to make sure the center of the muffins are done. Set on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin and serve slightly warm.