Irresistible Double Chocolate Muffins

My husband loves chocolate muffins.  Especially the ones at the Costco Bakery.  Because he likes them for breakfast, I am always looking for ways to make them healthier.  And believe it when I say that those Costco muffins are just flat out bad...in more ways than one! I found this recipe online.  I admit, I was quite skeptical at how they would taste.  Or I should say, how I thought he would think they would taste!  

The reviews for the recipe were great, so I decided to give them a whirl.  Of course I didn't tell my hubby until AFTER he ate one exactly just how healthy they were!  I didn't want any preconceived notions in his head affecting the taste!  He loved them!  I was thrilled!  

Mission accomplished.

Who knew healthy could look so lovely?

Ready for baking!

Go ahead, have one or two!  

IRRESISTIBLE DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MUFFINS

 1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup ground flax seed

1/2 cup wheat germ

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate

chips

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.	Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners.
2.	Combine flour, flax seed, wheat germ, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and chocolate chips in a large bowl. In another bowl, beat the buttermilk, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing just until combined. Spoon equal amounts of batter into muffin cups.
3.	Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 to 30 minutes.

 The only thing I changed on this recipe is I did 1 cup of milk chocolate chips instead of 1/2 cup semi sweet chips.  --My husband prefers milk chocolate...my personal motto is the darker the better! I just can't convince him of that though! (And believe me I have tried!)

Blue Ribbon Blueberry Buckle

Hello! I hope each of you had a fabulous summer!  I sure did!  Summer is by far my favorite season of the year!  I love all of the fresh fruits and vegetables that actually taste like they are supposed to.

  I guess you could say I took a sabbatical from blogging.  I have lots of recipes to write about though because I definitely didn't stop cooking!  So keep checking back...I promise I won't ever take that long of a break again! :)

Many of my upcoming recipes will be focused on summer's bounty....I sure wished I could have gotten these recipes on here when your garden was still producing, or the berries were actually still in season, but sometimes life just doesn't go like you want it to! :)

The following is one of my favorite ways to use blueberries:

This cake is thick, moist, and so flavorful!  It is simply fabulous!  It isn't too thick, so it doesn't dry out during baking.  It practically melts in your mouth.  And if that weren't enough, it is filled with antioxidant rich blueberries!  I can't even describe how delicious it is, so you just might have to make it!

This picture is all about the glaze!! Look at how shiny and beautiful! If you can't tell, I love a basic glaze!  In fact, you could probably glaze a shingle and it would be tasty!! :)

Thanks to my dear mother who passed this recipe down to me!  She made it throughout my childhood and we always gobbled it up!  Somehow though it tastes better today than it ever has!  (Maybe cuz I am a grown up now!!?)



BLUE RIBBON BLUEBERRY BUCKLE

1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
(if using frozen berries, thaw and drain)

In a bowl beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add egg, milk, and vanilla and mix well.  Add dry ingredients and beat on low speed for 30 seconds.  Beat for 2 more minutes on medium speed scraping sides of bowl occasionally.  Spread half of batter in a greased 9x13 pan (for cakes I prefer metal over glass).  Sprinkle with 1 cup of blueberries.  Pour the rest of the batter over top.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup blueberries.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted near middle comes out clean.  Drizzle warm cake with glaze. (Recipe below)


Glaze for Blueberry Buckle:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 T. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix together in bowl with wire whisk.  Drizzle over cake using a spoon.

Baby Muesli

My son who is almost a year old just loves this Muesli!  The first time I made it for him he tasted it and said, "Mmm!"  I love it too! It is very fresh tasting and makes a great healthy breakfast! Eat it cold or warmed!

Just the right size for baby!

I got the recipe from this book.  It is a wonderful book! Full of great tips and information!

My precious son enjoying Baby muesli for breakfast.

BABY MUESLI

2 T. rolled oats

1 T. finely chopped dried apricots

1 1/2 tsp. raisins

1 T. ground almonds

1/4 cup apple, orange, or pineapple juice

1/2 small apple, peeled, cored, and grated

Mix together the oats, apricots, raisins, and ground almonds in the plastic bowl of a handheld electric blender.  Pour in the juice and leave to soak for 5 minutes.  When softened, blend to make a finer texture, then stir in the grated apple.

Yield:  1 baby sized portion

The book says for babies 8 months or older.

It also says you can add other fruits to this muesli such as chopped peach or banana.

Omit almonds if there is any family history of allergy in the family.

I ground up the almonds and dried apricots in my mini food processor.  I also used it to blend the finished product to a finer texture.

Sour Cream Twists

Soft, cinnamony, delicious creations that melt in your mouth!  These are soo fabulous served warm with a cup of coffee!  They are very light in comparison with a cinnamon roll dough.

I thought a pink glaze would look pretty so I added a tiny bit of Wilton's Gel Coloring in Rose Petal to create the pink.

The recipe says to drizzle on glaze when twists are warm. I did just that and the glaze sorts of melts on as you see above.

I wanted a more pronounced pink glaze look, so I drizzled the rest of the twists when they were cooled.

This is a double batch. 

Place a few on a plate, pour a cup of coffee and sit down for a break!

SOUR CREAM TWISTS

2  cups sour cream

2 pkgs. dry yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp.)

1/2 cup warm water

6 T. sugar

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

6 cups flour

Heat sour cream to lukewarm.  Dissolve yeast in warm water with sugar.  Stir in sour cream, butter, salt, soda, beaten eggs, and 2 cups flour.  Beat well.  Add the rest of the flour; dough should be sticky.  Turn dough onto floured board, knead 5-10 minutes.  Place dough in greased bowl, grease top of dough.  Cover and let rise until doubled; at least one hour.  Divide dough in half.  Roll each piece of dough into an oblong shape approximately 8" wide.  Spread with 1/4 cup butter, 2/3 cup white sugar, and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Fold each section of dough in half and cut into 1" strips.  Twist each strip as you place it on a large greased cookie sheet.  This recipe will make two pans.  Cover twists and let rise until light; about one hour.  Bake for 12-15 minutes at 375 degrees and frost while warm.

GLAZE TOPPING

3 cups powdered sugar

3 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup butter, softened

3-4 T. hot water

Beat well and frost twists. Top immediately with nuts or sprinkles.

In case you haven't noticed, I LOVE working with yeast!  (Thanks Mom for taking the time to teach me!)  But I know not everyone does.  Post me a comment if you would like me to do a detailed tutorial on making successful yeast doughs!

Banana Muffins

Imagine this:  The smell of fresh baked banana muffins wafting through your house.  Mmm don't they smell so divine?  I almost can't wait till they get done baking so I can have a bite!

I always store rotten bananas in the freezer. I just throw them in peels and all. To defrost, set on counter for a little while, or microwave for about a minute.  Peel and mash.  Its a beautiful thing!

These little measuring cups are so cool! I love mine.

Mix all the wet ingredients and sugar with a hand mixer.

Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.  Overmixed muffins are not cool.

Fill paper lined or greased muffin tins 3/4 full. 

Warm, puffy, and ready for divulging!  I like to cook banana muffins until they are pretty brown on top.  I like the added crunch!  These ones probably could have stayed in the oven a little longer!

BANANA MUFFINS

1/2 cup soft butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 bananas, mashed

3 T. milk

1 T. lemon juice

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Mix first six ingredients until fairly smooth.  Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not overmix.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  This can also be made into banana bread.  Put in greased loaf pan and bake 1 hour or until tooth pick inserted in middle comes out clean.

 

Breakfast for Dinner!--Stuffed French Toast

When I really don't know what I want to make for dinner, often I will turn to breakfast foods! We hardly ever have a hot cooked breakfast in the morning, so it works out good for us to have it in the evening!!

My favorite bread to use for french toast is Cinnamon Chip Bread from Great Harvest Bread Co.  I don't know if there is a store in your area, but if there is, try this bread....it is scrumptious!

I tried my stuffed french toast two different ways....

First try:

I cut the bread into a 2 inch slice.  Then I sliced that in half only 3/4 of the way. I stuffed it with a cream cheese mixture and a thin slice of ham from the deli.  I dipped the whole thing (it was huge!) in an egg batter and cooked each side.  It was pretty good, but a little soft for my liking.

So then I tried it this way to eliminate the super soft middle......

Second try:

This time I cut the bread into one inch slices and dipped in egg batter.  I cooked up both slices on each side. Then I used the same cream cheese mixture, except added pecans to it.  I also layered sliced bananas and strawberries on top of cream cheese.  This was sandwiched between the slices of cooked french toast.

I preferred the 2nd try much better!  I like how the french toast was cooked perfectly and not too soft.  As for fillings......I like both equally!

I served my french toast with some yummy potatoes!

I love these Hash Brown Potatoes! They always turn out wonderful! Usually I add red or green peppers, but I didn't have any on hand.

STUFFED FRENCH TOAST

8 oz. cream cheese, slightly softened

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1 tsp. vanilla

1 loaf cinnamon chip bread or other bread

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1 T. cinnamon

sprinkle salt

splash of vanilla

strawberries, sliced thinly

bananas, sliced thinly

powdered sugar for dusting

real maple syrup

Mix together cream cheese, vanilla, and pecans.  Beat eggs and milk; add cinnamon, salt, and vanilla.  Cut  bread into 1 inch slices.  Prepare pan to medium heat or griddle to 325 degrees.  Lightly brush with oil or butter.  Dip bread into egg batter.  Grill on both sides until golden brown.  Place one slice on plate. Spread with cream cheese mixture, sliced bananas, and sliced berries.  Top with second sliced of grilled french toast.  Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with sliced strawberries and bananas. Serve with real maple syrup. And if you have some whipped cream in your frig, put some of that on top too!

HASH BROWN POTATOES

4 medium baking potatoes

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 medium red or green pepper, diced

2 T. flour

1/4 cup milk

1/4 tsp. salt

pepper to taste

Lawry's All Seasoning to taste

1/4 cup butter (I usually use less)

Pierce potatoes; microwave, uncovered, on high for 12-14 minutes or until tender, turning once.  Cool slightly. (If I am in a rush I stick them in the freezer to cool). Peel and cube. Place potatoes in bowl with onion and bell pepper. In another bowl, combine flour, milk, salt, pepper, and Lawry's until smooth.  Pour over potato mixture and toss.  In a large skillet, melt butter. Add potato mixture and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes or until golden brown. 

Don't use red potatoes for this recipe...they are way to mushy!  You will end up with mashed hash brown potatoes, and they just aren't as tasty!

I rate both of these recipes 5 stars!