Apple Granola Muffins

I love muffins, it's basically a free pass to eat cake for breakfast. So what's better than cake for breakfast? How about cake and granola. Yum! I would never have thought to put granola inside a muffin until I saw this pear granola muffin recipe, but granola really is a wonderful filling and topping for a muffin and makes them a little more breakfasty. You can choose any granola variety you like, but I would recommend one without raisins. I used special K granola. Enjoy!

Apple Granola Muffins:
2 large eggs
3/4 cup of dark brown sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp of plain greek yogurt
2 tbsp of milk
2 tbsp of butter, melted
1 cup of all purpose flour
3/4 cup of wheat flour
2 tsps of baking powder
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of cinnamon
2 apples (1 granny smith, 1 gala), diced
3/4 cup of granola

Topping:
1 cup of granola
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp of salt
6 tbsp of butter, chilled

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners and lightly spray with non-stick spray. In a large bowl mix together eggs, sugar, yogurt, milk, and butter until well combined slowly mix in flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon until just combined. Mix in apples and granola. Fill each muffin tin with batter approximately 3/4 full. Make topping: Mix together granola, flour, sugar and salt. Chop butter into pieces and cut into granola mixture using your hands, until clumps form. Distribute the topping over the muffins. Bake until a fork inserted comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes. Make 18. (adapted from Martha)

Happy Eating.

Brown Sugar Blueberry Muffins

Happy Monday everyone! I both love and hate Mondays. On the one hand, to me it's always felt like the begining of the week. It's a chance to start over, and have a great week, erase whatever went wrong last week. But, on the other hand, it means the lovely and relaxing weekend is over. Either way, Monday morning sure looks brighter with a deliciously cinnamony blueberry muffin, especially when it has a streusel topping. Muffins are fantastic because it is a socially acceptable way to have dessert for breakfast. Tell someone your having cookies for breakfast, they look at you like your crazy, but a muffin, totally fine. So whip up a batch for breakfast this week!

Brown Sugar Blueberry Muffins
Muffins:
6 tbsp butter, melted
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of white sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups blueberries

Topping:
3 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup of rolled oats
1/4 cup of flour
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

Pre-heat the oven to 375 with a rack postinioned in the middle. Make the topping: Mix together the oats, flour, sugars, and spices. Pour melted butter over the mixture and stir until topping is clumpy and combined, set asside. Make the muffins: In a large bowl mix together the butter and sugars until well combined and smooth. Add milks and egg and mix until just combined. Add in baking powder spices and 1/2 cup of flour and mix until just combined. Add remaining flour and repeat. Gently fold in blueberries. Line a 12 muffin pan with liners and spray with non-stick. Divide the batter evenly amonst the muffins, each should be full to about the top of the liner. Top each with the topping, dividing it evenly amonst the muffins. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. (adapted from epicurious)

Happy Eating.

The Bread Basket

What is my absolute favorite part of a Brunch buffet? The bread basket. A delicious assortment of freshed baked goodness. To be fair, bread is pretty much my favorite food, so this is kind of a no-brainer. Obviously, when I was hosting my little brunch soiree, I had to make a basket (or tray) for myself (and my guests). My "basket" consisted of blueberry muffins, pumpkin bread, biscuits, and Challah bread. The Challah was from a local bakery, but the other three I whipped up. I served my basket (well the Challah and biscuits really) with butter and the peach-blueberry jam I made this summer. The basket was a big hit, and it was definitely my favorite part of the meal.



The Biscuits were straight from Martha, I am not a bread expert, and I very rarely use yeast, but these came out perfect! I halved the recipe (which made 12) and I will definitely be making these puffy, roll-like biscuits again. I made the dough the day before and refrigerated it overnight, instead of for 2 hours.



Next we have delicious, moist, wonderful pumpkin bread



Pumpkin Bread
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of dark brown sugar
1 15 oz can of pumpkin
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups of flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp of ginger
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of nutmeg
1/2 tsp of ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, melt butter. Mix in both sugars until combined and creamy. Add in pumpkin and eggs, beat until combined. Add in baking powder, spices, and 1/2 cup of flour, mix until just incorporated. Add an additional cup of flour, and mix until just incorporated, repeat with final cup of flour. Grease a large loaf pan and pour batter in. Bake until a fork inserted in comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then invert pan to remove bread. Cut into slices (each slice can also be cut in half) to serve. (adapted from Martha Stewart)

Finally we have some delicious and bursting with fruity goodness, blueberry muffins



Blueberry Muffins:

1 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cups of sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup of half and half
2 cups of flour
1 tsp of nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 cups of blueberries
Additional sugar and nutmeg for sprinkling

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Beat the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix until fluffy. Add in flour, nutmeg, salt and baking powder. Mix until just barely combined. Add in half and half and stir together gently. Mix in blueberries. Grease a muffin tin (recipe makes somewhere between 12 and 18 muffins) and distribute batter, filling the wells 3/4 full. Sprinkle each top with sugar and nutmeg. Bake until a fork inserted comes out clean and blueberries are bursting, about 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan. (adapted from Martha Stewart)

Happy Eating.